The Kennedy brothers endeared themselves to the Black community during the height of the Civil Rights era. During his 1960 campaign for the presidency, John supported integration and famously reached out to a jailed Martin Luther King, Jr. Once in office, he and Robert—then Attorney General—worked to create the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which would put an end to the era of Jim Crow. But both Jack and Bobby had their lives cut tragically short, assassinated in 1963 and 1968, respectively. In death, they left much important work yet to be done toward ensuring that the American dream was truly within reach for people of all races.

Enter Ted Kennedy. He took up the mantle of Civil Rights in his brothers’ absence, and went on to spend 47 years in the Senate working tirelessly for the rights and the dignity of Black people. His accomplishments in that vein are numerous and significant. Ted devoted himself to passing the civil rights bill that JFK introduced, and later oversaw the passage of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988. He was also a strong supporter of the Voting Rights Act in 1968 and again in 1982, when he fought against Ronald Reagan’s efforts to weaken it.

Ted devoted himself to a number of other issues important to Black Americans, including health care, HIV/AIDS treatment, education, economic safety net initiatives, and inner city programs.

Not content to support Black people only at home, Ted took his fight against racism global by addressing the problem of South African apartheid. He held an illegal protest outside the prison where Nelson Mandela was held, and initiated a ban on all American investments in South Africa.

Even after all of his important work from the 1960s until the end of the century, Ted never faded from the political scene—he was a steadfast supporter of liberal initiatives, court justices, and candidates until the very end of his career. Indeed, one of his most potent symbolic gestures came only last year.

In 1968, Bobby Kennedy predicted that “a black man could be president in 40 years”—Ted played a personal role in seeing his brother’s vision realized. Ted Kennedy’s endorsement of Barack Obama was one of the most significant of the Democratic primary.

But beyond any verbal expression of support, the work Ted Kennedy spent his whole life doing—fighting for equal rights and justice for African Americans and other minorities—helped produce the change that allowed a Black American to be elected president of the United States.

That, more than any particular speech or piece of legislation, is the legacy Ted Kennedy leaves behind: An America that is a few steps closer to realizing its ideal of equal opportunity for all.

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