Edward Kennedy (1932 - 2009)

Senator Edward Kennedy will be remembered by immigrants like me for two signal pieces of law that he had helped pass in 1964 and 1965. A reason why many Indians like me landed here...

• Senator Kennedy makes his maiden speech to the Senate on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was signed on July 2, 1964, and outlawed segregation in public accommodations.
• The first major bill that Senator Kennedy managed on the Senate floor was the Immigration Act of 1965. It was enacted and stood as a major turning point in immigration and civil rights policy because it eliminated discriminatory immigration quotas which favored European immigration, but restricted immigration from other parts of the world. The 1965 Act gave priority to immigrants based on their skills and family relationships.