25 October 2024
Bilbao Campus
In her first visit to Bilbao to strengthen collaboration on human rights with Basque institutions and the University of Deusto, lawyer and activist Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, gave a lecture on October 25 in which she focused on the victims of wars and genocides, whose human rights have been and continue to be cruelly violated. In this regard, she lamented that it is her country, the United States, which even today continues to provide weapons with which millions of civilians are being killed in Gaza.
Faced with this reality, the daughter of the renowned U.S. senator called for collective responsibility, demanding not only that governments fulfill their promises in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but also that they limit the power of technology companies and the media that control global information and perpetuate tension and inequalities. She also stressed the need to “abandon hatred and transform ourselves into compassionate people”, while advocating for “a greater representation of women in the organs of power, convinced that this is the only way to achieve the longed-for diversity”. She also supported the transformative power of education for future generations.
He urged the large student body to take an active role in addressing the injustices of the world, stressing that “the world is constantly changing and cannot be stopped, but our actions can determine where we want to go”. As a demonstration of the role of every citizen in society, Kerry Kennedy asked the attendees to stand up and stage a great wave of action through synchronized clapping, clicking and stomping, which brought his lecture to a close. Video of the moment.
The Kennedy Legacy at Deusto
After her speech, the entourage led by Kerry Kennedy moved to the Library, where the American activist donated several books signed in her own handwriting, continuing a tradition started by her uncle, U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy in 1965. This gesture strengthens the ties and consolidates a shared history between the Kennedy family and the University.
This common trajectory was recovered when, in June 2023, the University of Deusto received a visit from the Spanish delegation of the Foundation, RFK Human Rights Spain, and its president María C. Díaz de la Cebosa, to present its mission in defense of human rights in the social and educational spheres. In his speech, Rector Juan José Etxeberria recalled that past, which, as he commented, has its origins in the figure of the Jesuit José Antonio Obieta Chalbaud (1916-1986), who was dean of the Faculty of Law and professor of International Law.
“Father Obieta had done his doctorate at Harvard in the 1950s and witnessed during the years of studying the United States, the notoriety that John F. Kennedy achieved during the passage of the Civil Rights Act to protect the rights of minorities, especially the right to vote for African-Americans. He was deeply impacted by the legal, social and political change he experienced during those years living in Boston,” he said.
He added that “the most curious thing” is that, when he returned to Deusto in 1959, he brought with him a valuable collection of legal books, American history and international relations. These books were integrated into a section of the Library, which was given the name “John F. Kennedy Library” and which was inaugurated in 1964 as a tribute to the assassinated president.
A few months later, in April 1965, Senator Edward Kennedy, on a private trip to Spain and in gratitude to the University for having dedicated a section of the Library to his brother, delivered a large number of books to Deusto at the Madrid airport. At this meeting, he signed a book that is currently kept in the University Library.
Over time, the seed of José Antonio Obieta, a pioneer in Deusto in promoting the study of international law and human rights, led in 1997 to the creation of the Pedro Arrupe Institute of Human Rights, which is currently one of the most important international reference centers in this field.
Today,” said the Rector, ‘Kerry Kennedy has had the opportunity to learn about this legacy, as well as to participate in the signing of an agreement between the University of Deusto and RFK Human Rights Spain that demonstrates the mutual commitment to implement projects and actions to advance human rights training’. Text of the rector's lecture.
More information about the Kennedy Legacy at Deusto.
