Twin Cities residents to receive Profile in Courage Award from John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced Thursday that it’s awarding one of its 2026 Profile in Courage Awards to the “people of the Twin Cities of Minnesota” for their actions during the federal immigration enforcement surge.
The foundation said it chose to honor Twin Cities residents “for risking their lives to protect their neighbors and immigrant community members from an unprecedented federal law enforcement operation, peacefully defending the human rights and values that serve as the foundation of our Constitutional democracy.”
The foundation also announced Thursday that it is giving a Profile in Courage Award to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell “for protecting the independence of the Federal Reserve, which is critical to the stability of the global economy, despite years of personal attacks and threats from the highest levels of government.”
The awards will be presented at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston on May 31. The statement from the foundation did not indicate who might accept the award on behalf of the Twin Cities.
“This year’s honorees represent the courage of those who serve in all areas of government — and those who believe in it. Without public servants of integrity committed to maintaining the highest standards of institutional excellence and independence like Chair Powell, and citizens willing to put their lives on the line to hold America to its promises, our democracy can’t survive,” Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, and grandson, Jack Schlossberg, said in a statement. “This year we honor the courage of those who didn’t seek elected office but have demonstrated moral courage across our society.”
Past recipients of the award, first presented in 1990, include former Presidents Barack Obama, George H. W. Bush and Gerald Ford; former Vice President Mike Pence; former U.S. Sen. John McCain; former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It has also honored groups in the past — including the public servants who responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. [Continue reading…]