The Edward M. Kennedy Institute commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on Thursday, reflecting on the late senator’s response to the tragedy and his efforts to support those who lost loved ones.

The commemoration featured a panel with Steve Kerrigan, former political director for Sen. Edward Kennedy, and Tom Crohan, a former aide in Kennedy’s office who worked to help families following the attacks. Cindy McGinty and Christie Coombs, two Massachusetts residents who lost their husbands on Sept. 11, also joined the panel to recount their experiences.

Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the late senator’s wife, opened the event by reflecting on her husband’s connection with families of victims. Massachusetts was particularly affected by the attacks, as both planes that struck the World Trade Center had departed from Logan Airport.

Over the course of one frantic, late-July weekend, 98 teens representing all 50 states put their busy lives on hold to try to do something remarkable.

The students, most of them high school juniors and seniors, gathered in a precise replica of the U.S. Senate chamber and attempted what the real, adult Congress has largely failed to do: draft and pass “legislation” to help the nation’s K-12 schools navigate the questions and chaos created by artificial intelligence.

While a typical week of summer vacation might be spent at the pool or at a summer job, some Boston 10th-graders are acting as US senators, representatives, lawyers, and other professionals who usually work on Capitol Hill. They’re the first group of the Kennedy-Breyer Civic Scholars program in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Dorchester.

David Urban, the newest board member for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and political commentator for CNN, joined Dan to discuss a variety of political key issues playing out in D.C.

The Kennedy Institute was so excited to participate in Civic Learning Week 2025. Institute educators convened nearly 1,000 students from 47 schools for virtual programming to mark 2025 Civic Learning Week. Civic Learning Week, celebrated this year March 10-14, is an annual, nationwide effort to prioritize civic education in order to sustain and strengthen our constitutional democracy.

Senator Wyden and Jim Acosta discussed President Trump, Elon Musk and the Senator’s new book “It Takes Chutzpah” in an exclusive interview at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute.

Bringing David Urban into leadership at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute fits right in with the Boston organization’s push for bipartisanship.

Students visiting the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, along with Boston area community members, watched President Carter’s funeral at the institute in Dorchester. Images of Carter and Kennedy illuminated the center’s walls, highlighting the years of collaboration and occasional rivalry between the two lawmakers.

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston invited the public to watch a livestream of the late President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral at the Kennedy Institute in observance of Thursday’s National Day of Mourning.

Read the joint op-ed from Kennedy Institute CEO Adam Hinds and Dole Institute of Politics Director Audrey Coleman on why we need to invest in election administration, part of our Bolstering Elections initiative.

A collaboration bringing together MIT RAISE’s rights-based AI education curriculum and the Kennedy Institute’s legislative simulation model provides a case study for enhancing digital and civic literacy for middle school students.

At a time of political division and civil discord in the United States, President Carter stands as a shining example to both Democrats and Republicans of how a leader should lead by example.

Kennedy Institute CEO Adam Hinds and senior advisor Tammy Patrick spoke at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s 2024 Elections Summit on our Bolstering Elections initiative in partnership with the Dole Institute. Their lightning talk previewed our forthcoming report for practitioners and policymakers on the need for resources for elections administrators.

What can experiential learning reveal about students’ capacity to engage with complex policy issues? Kennedy Institute’s Adam Hinds, Will Foster-Nolan, and Michael Champigny join AEI’s Explain to Shane podcast on how incorporating emerging topics like AI regulation into civic education helps students conceptualize real-world policy challenges.

Over 850 students from nine states participated in a virtual civic education program exploring the Electoral College’s role in American democracy through hands-on engagement.

Read Kennedy Institute CEO Adam Hinds three tips to help companies communicate their values effectively and appropriately during this election season.

“For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make.”

Read the Newsweek op-ed from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) inspired by the Kennedy Institute’s Senate Project Debate series in partnership with BPC and the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation.

The Kennedy Institute welcomed more than 30 foreign ambassadors – who represent countries across 5 continents – to Boston as part of the Experience America event. Led by the U.S. Department of State, Experience America connects foreign ambassadors with academic, business, and cultural leaders in hopes of strengthening relationships to promote economic investment, commerce, and dialogue.

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate presented Anthony S. Fauci, MD and Bill Russell (posthumously) with the Edward M. Kennedy Award for Inspired Leadership on December 13th, 2022.