Quote

Speech at the University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, Illinois

May 1, 1964

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Chicago, IL

What is the price tag on equal justice under law? Has simple justice a price which we as a profession must exact? Is that what we have come to? It is certainly the way the underprivileged, the poor, the helpless regard us. Helplessness does not stem from the absence of theoretical rights. I can stem from an inability to assert real rights. The tenants of slums, and public housing projects, the purchasers from disreputable finance companies, the minority group member who is discriminated against—all these may have legal rights which—if we are candid—remain in the limbo of the law.

New year, new us. Same mission.

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights is rebranding to honor the legacy of our founder and hero, Mrs. Ethel Skakel Kennedy. From now on, we will proudly be known as the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center

While our name is changing, our mission and work remain the same. We will continue to fight injustice, advance human rights, and hold governments accountable around the world in 2026 and beyond.