CEOInterviews.AIUS News LIVE | Jerome Powell’s Speech At The John F. Kennedy Profile In Courage Award Ceremony

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Caroline Kennedy0:22

Hi everybody. Thank you so much for being here and joining us tonight. A few days ago, we celebrated Memorial Day and my father's birthday. It gave us a chance to honor those who have sacrificed their lives to defend our Constitution and the ideals we so often take for granted. Before we begin tonight's ceremony, I'd like to offer a prayer for our men and women in uniform serving overseas right now. May they come home safely. I'd also like to recognize Admiral Kirby and library board member, Navy SEAL, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, and any other military and former military who are here tonight with us.

In his inaugural address, President Kennedy challenged all Americans to give back to this country that has given us so much. My father inspired a generation and now as their children and grandchildren, it's our turn to serve, to be active citizens and courageous leaders in any way we can. Thank you for supporting his legacy by being here tonight or by watching at home. And especially to everyone watching in the Twin Cities, we are so happy to share this night with you.

My father believed that politics is a noble profession and the best way to solve our most difficult problems. He understood the sacrifices it requires and admired those who are willing to serve. Tonight's a chance to celebrate the best in our elected officials and we're fortunate to have many distinguished public servants here. I'd like to thank Senator Klobuchar, Mayor Frey, Senator Reid, Congressman Amo, and all those who hold or have held elective office and ask them to stand.

We couldn't do this work without the many people who sustained this institution throughout the year. The staff of the foundation and National Archives led by Rachel Flor and Alan Price and their teams. Bob Rivers, our chair and our board chair. Thank you, Bob. Thank you, Alan and Rachel. We're fortunate to have some of our most generous supporters stand with us this year. I want to thank Eastern Bank, WilmerHale, the MacArthur Foundation, and the entire Donoghue family for being here every year and supporting the library in this award.

The Library Foundation has been successful thanks to its extraordinary leaders and we've been honored to have Senator Paul Kirk, Ken Feinberg, Ron Sargent, John Shadish, and we remember our friend and former director Chuck Daly who we lost this past year.

Politics is a family endeavor and I'm so grateful to the members of my family who are here tonight and whose support over many years has kept my father's spirit alive and made this institution a living memorial. Thank you Vicki and Stephen and Cheryl for your service to the library. You were always there when we need you. This year we even have new family members here. I'm so happy to welcome Emma Schlossberg and Garrett and Mary Moran.

Most of all, we remember Tatiana who served on the board of this library and represented everything my parents stood for in her beautiful, amazing, and too short life.

It's hard to be a profile in courage, but sometimes it's even harder to be their family member. I know they couldn't do it without you. And I'd like to ask the family members of our elected officials and our honorees to stand so we can give you all a round of applause.

Most of all, I'd like to thank my husband, Ed, who has dedicated the past 40 years to making sure this library is best-in-class. He designed this award based on the lantern of the USS Constitution, the oldest ship in the Navy, which is moored just down the harbor, and reminds us that we each have a responsibility to shine a light in the darkness and protect our democracy.

And I want to thank my partner in the work of this award, my son Jack, who has spent more than 12 years working to bring his grandfather's legacy to new generations and who is running a fantastic campaign for New York 12. I'm so proud of him for empowering thousands of people to believe in politics again, and I know my father would be too.

This award was founded to honor the quality in public life that my father thought most essential, courage. Inspired by his book, this award is usually given to elected officials who risk their careers to do what is right for our country. Over the past 37 years, we have honored men and women, Republicans and Democrats, serving in local, state, and national office.

This year, we honor Americans who risk their careers, their safety, and even their lives to hold politicians to account and keep America true to her promises.

Governor Pawlenty never wavered in his duty to the public interest. He showed that public service is a privilege and comes with great responsibility. With dignity and resolve, he demonstrated his commitment to the American people and America's leadership role in the global economy. Despite years of personal attacks, baseless prosecution, and efforts to undermine him, the people of the Twin Cities reminded all Americans that we cannot take our democracy for granted. We each need to stand against injustice when it really matters. They mobilized, organized, and refused to be terrorized by an overwhelming federal crackdown, which sent 3,000 heavily armed ICE agents into their communities to arrest and deport citizens and non-citizens alike.

Across racial, religious, and political lines, and across business and labor, volunteers mobilized to protest peacefully, document violent overreach, build rapid response networks, provide food and clothing to immigrant neighbors, and so much more. Joining Chicago, Portland, and other communities, their compassion and unwavering commitment to the ideals that sustain our democracy inspired communities across this country and forced the federal government to back down.

We especially remember the courage of Renee Good and Alex Prey who gave their lives for their community and our country. We are honored to have with us here tonight Renee's father Tim Ganganger, her brother Brent, and her sister Anna.

As we celebrate America's 250th birthday, their courage and the integrity and courage of all our honorees sets an example for all of us. We are sorry we couldn't have everyone from the Twin Cities here tonight, but we're lucky to have so many people hosting watch parties at home and have with us four remarkable people to represent you.

Imam Yusuf Abdullah, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America and co-founder of the Somali American Leadership Table and graduate of UMass Boston, who helped the Somali community withstand rising hate crimes and political attacks, and joined other religious leaders to help lead peaceful protests.

Natalie Eritt, a veteran whose son inspired her to start Haven Watch after he met people who had been released from the Whipple detention center warehouse at night in the freezing cold with no clothes, food, phones, or transportation. When I spoke with her a few weeks ago, she was trying to stop an 11-year-old girl from being taken to Louisiana for deportation by two armed male federal agents with no information as to their name, flight number, accommodation, or plan.

Carolina Ortiz, associate director of COPAL, which helped a coalition of over 100 immigrant, labor, legal, and community organizations organize rapid response efforts and train more than 30,000 constitutional observers to document rights violations.

Columbia Heights School Superintendent Zana Stenbick, who forcefully spoke out after her students were harassed and detained on the way to and from school. She exposed brutal ICE tactics, set up neighborhood watches around the schools as ICE patrolled the streets so that students would be safe, and she galvanized educators across the Twin Cities to make schools protected spaces. We will now take a moment to hear from them in a short video.

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Zana Stenbick11:44

It's a privilege to live where it's quiet, but we've always been a socially and politically active family. I think it's important for my sons to see how to use their voice. Columbia Heights Public Schools has always been an immigrant community. About half of our students are considered English learners. We have the best kids. I wanted to make sure that our students were protected, our families were protected, and our whole community was protected. That's why I spoke up immediately. Liam was our second student taken by ICE agents. He was our fourth student overall taken out of seven. That was my tipping point.

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Imam Yusuf Abdullah12:26

In the early 1990s after the collapse of the Somali government and the start of the civil war, the challenges were like any other challenge that any other community of immigrant background faces in the United States. Sometimes Somalis would be characterized as pirates, terrorism, al-Shabaab, all of that. But this ICE surge was different.

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Natalie Eritt12:50

Growing up undocumented, it's always been a lot of fear, uncertainty, and for some of us, it's an extension of our reality. ICE agents were coming to Minnesota. There was a lot of showing of force. We had people that were arriving home and the agents were already there waiting for them. I actually had several agents show up at my home. They were looking through the mailbox. They were looking through my windows. They were following my neighbors, questioning them. We had community members who were just taken off the street. Sometimes they didn't have anything that identified them as ICE agents. The conditions within Whipple is something that we know about. People were not being let go to the restroom. People were being shackled. There were individuals with broken bones that did not get the medical help that they needed. Whipple is in the middle of nowhere. So, they're released out of those gates with nothing but what you're wearing at the time and there's nobody waiting for you. So, Haven Watch was because we were providing for these people. We didn't have a lot to give, but we had a warm car and a loving person waiting for them. And watch was because we were maintaining that 24/7 presence at the gate watching for them. Like we were going to watch for you. We were going to wait for you and we were going to be your safe haven.

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Zana Stenbick14:22

It was a very dark time for us. There was no longer a typical day during the surge and we did really want to make sure that we were developmentally appropriately caring for the students because we knew that the children could see people being detained. I never asked anyone to volunteer and to help out. Everyone volunteered and helped out on their own. Right after a long day of teaching, teachers walked kids home right behind the school that we're in right now, a mile in back.

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Natalie Eritt14:48

I noticed a lot of young men and that was really hard for me because they were the age of my son. I would interview them after they were released and I'd have to sit there and listen to their story trying to be professional when I wanted to collapse. And whether they were held for 6 hours or 6 weeks, the trauma was the same across the Twin Cities. This was happening. Local churches came together. Food shelves became resource hubs to distribute food. Everyone volunteered and helped out.

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Carolina Ortiz15:23

While we're going against an agency that has billions of dollars and has a lot of resources. That's not easy. But I think it's also a reminder that what is coming ahead of us is us continuing to protect our human rights, our constitution, our democracy, and that is what is ahead for COPAL. We have trained over 30,000 constitutional observers. I choose to continue doing this work because as I hear people saying we need to go back to normality, I think we need to reimagine what type of future our community truly deserves.

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Imam Yusuf Abdullah16:00

I encourage everybody to choose to be brave. As a faith leader, as a person of faith and religion, this was the calling for me. For me, courage means coming out for justice in support of the weak, putting yourself at the front line for others.

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Carolina Ortiz16:20

The people of the Twin Cities stood up and protested and helped their neighbors because they were making the America that they want to live in. I love this country. There were many times where how I was treated, how others were treated could have easily given the anger, the frustration, but I chose to see the beauty. And I chose to see the hope of what it means to be in this country. We have worked with so many partners, not just in Minnesota, but nationwide. That's a lot of power. That's a lot of hope. That is a lot of courage.

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Caroline Kennedy17:10

It is now my honor to present the 2026 Profile in Courage Award to the people of the Twin Cities. And please welcome Imam Abdullah, Natalie, Carolina, and Superintendent Stenbick to the stage.

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Bruce Springsteen18:39

Hi, this is Bruce Springsteen and I want to congratulate the people of the Twin Cities on this award because when things were darkest, you gave us hope and where things were hardest, you gave us courage. You stood shoulder to shoulder for your neighbor and you proved that this president and this administration's Gestapo tactics would not stand here and that this was still America. You assured us that Alex Prey and Renee Good's deaths were not in vain. When America needed you, you were there. So, let me send you love, prayers, and thanks of a grateful country. God bless.

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Jack Schlossberg19:36

Hello everybody. Thank you for being here. Please don't tell anyone how happy I am to see you tonight. I'm outside of New York 12 and there's supposed to be a frown on my face. Thank you to my amazing mother. She has taught me how to handle life's challenges with grace and determination and she has done so much for this library along with my father. I think she deserves another round of applause.

I also have to thank Rachel Flor. Rachel has led this library for years. She's the library's fearless leader and none of this would be happening tonight if it weren't for Rachel Flor. And I think she also deserves another round of applause.

I've been part of this award for 13 years and this is a different type of year. The Profile in Courage Award is reserved for elected officials. As former chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jay Powell does not fit that definition of a profile in courage. As John F. Kennedy wrote about and as this award usually recognizes, he is not an elected official and these are not ordinary times.

The Trump administration's assault on the rule of law includes sending armed agents into cities. It includes efforts to limit free expression through lawsuits and intimidation. It includes efforts to disenfranchise voters with misinformation and suppressive legislation. It includes the corruption of insider trading and quid pro quo with foreign governments. It also includes eroding public trust in our federal institutions with targeted politically motivated attacks by the president and his Department of Justice against the president's perceived enemies within and without his own federal government.

Few have done more under more difficult circumstances than Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jay Powell, who did the exact opposite. His commitment to the public interest never wavered. Congress intentionally made the Federal Reserve independent, a body insulated from political pressure with a dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment. And that is what guided Jay's decisions. And that is why he's being recognized tonight. His legacy as Fed chair begins with historic, unprecedented actions in the early days of the COVID pandemic.

Powell stepped in with bold measures to expand the Fed's balance sheet and to assure the public he would do whatever it took to prevent a second Great Depression. As he said in the early weeks of the pandemic, quote, 'None of us has the luxury of choosing our challenges. Fate and history provide them for us. Our job is to meet the tests we are presented.' The test of courage was presented again when President Trump's second term began.

Trump continued to do what no president had ever done and publicly pressure Powell to cut interest rates. It was a campaign that began years earlier. A tweet, when it was still called a tweet, from 2019 from President Trump asks, 'Who is our biggest enemy, Jay Powell or Chairman Xi?' This year, Trump escalated the situation when his Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve and Jerome Powell with subpoenas and opened a criminal investigation under the false pretenses of an investigation into the Fed's renovation and Powell's related testimony.

The true aim was thinly veiled. Trump was using the DOJ to intimidate Powell for his refusal to follow orders and cut rates. In response, Powell took the extraordinary and brave step of explaining as much to the public in a video, directly and forcefully resisting the president and the Department of Justice. As we have seen over the last decade, and especially over the last two years, many others submit to this type of intimidation, but not Jay Powell.

Although his term as Fed chair has ended, his courage continues. He chose to remain on the Fed's board of governors moving forward. As he said, quote, 'I'm literally staying because of the actions that have been taken. I had long planned to be retiring. The things that have happened in the last 3 months have left me no choice but to stay until I see them through, at least that long.' We are also grateful that you are staying. And now, enough from me. Without further ado, it's my honor to welcome former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell to the stage. The 2026 Profile in Courage Award.

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Jerome Powell25:23

Good evening. It is a great privilege to be here tonight with you and your family, Ambassador Kennedy. Thank you, Jack, for that kind introduction and thank you as well to the JFK Library Foundation and the committee members for this honor. President Kennedy was an inspiring public servant who demonstrated compassion, grace, ingenuity, and courage during trying times. He was also a towering figure in my early life, as for many of us. In November 1963, I was a fifth grader at Blessed Sacrament School in Washington, D.C. That terrible afternoon, our teachers were suddenly called to the principal's office only to return in tears. I remember that moment very clearly and the dark days that followed. They made an indelible impression on me. And looking back, that was really the time when I first felt the pull of public service.

62 years on, it is worth remembering how fortunate we are to be Americans today and to enjoy the fruits of 250 years of progress toward the founders' timeless ideal that all of us are created equal. We inherit and hold in trust a nation built on the promise of freedom. We are blessed by the courage of previous generations who worked, sacrificed, and dreamed so that we could live in the strongest, most prosperous nation in the world.

The United States has long been the leader of the world's freedom-seeking people, the indispensable nation. Other countries know us as a nation built on integrity, and that integrity must be maintained. President Kennedy upheld that tradition and resisted the expansion of authoritarianism, which is the antithesis of American values. He embraced and worked to strengthen the system of international economic and security arrangements that has now been in place for some 80 years. Arrangements that have supported democracy and freedom and served the United States and the world extremely well.

Here at home, our great public and private institutions are the foundation and the embodiment of our democracy. Our universities and research institutions are a critical national resource and the envy of the world. The same is true of our constitution, our legislative bodies, and our court system. The Federal Reserve is just one of many such public institutions. Since our founding in 1913, the Fed's role has been to provide economic and financial stability. We use our monetary policy tools to promote maximum employment and stable prices. We regulate and supervise banks. We operate critical parts of the payment system. And we use our powerful liquidity tools as a first responder in times of financial crisis.

Over the past 20 years, we have been called upon to forcefully deploy those emergency tools in two world historical crises that pushed the financial system and the economy to the point of failure: the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. While these twin crises created great hardship for families and businesses, the US economy performed by far the best of any comparable economy through those difficult years.

Many in the private and public sectors played a hand in achieving that outcome. I would like to single out the work in both crises of the career staff at the Fed, a truly extraordinary group of committed public servants who serve all Americans. Serving alongside them for the past 14 years has been a great honor.

Even in good times, central banks make monetary policy decisions under high uncertainty. Uncertainty about the true state and path of the economy and about the timing and the scope of the effects of our policies on the economy. At the Fed, we are of course human and thus imperfect. When we make mistakes, we acknowledge them and change course. What the public has every right to expect is that we will make our decisions based only on our best economic analysis of what would most benefit the people we serve. We do not take into account the fortunes of any political party or politician in making those decisions.

Like so many other institutions, the Fed has been undergoing a stress test. Congress wisely chose to insulate monetary policy decisions from political pressure. All other advanced economy nations have done the same. Our federated structure is a bit complex with reserve banks and the board and all that, but the legal protections that support the non-political conduct of monetary policy are straightforward. Fed governors and reserve bank presidents hold office with legal protection against removal. We serve long terms unrelated to the four-year presidential election cycle.

When a new administration takes office, its role is to fill vacancies on the board of governors and for chair and vice chair as and when those vacancies arise, subject in all cases to Senate confirmation. Administrations play no role in the selection or oversight of the 12 Reserve Bank presidents.

These protections have served the public well and administrations from both political parties have respected them. If any administration finds a way to remove Fed officials over policy differences, then future administrations will do so as well. The public would lose faith that the central bank will make decisions based only on what's best for all Americans. The Fed's credibility would be lost.

That credibility enables the Fed to support a strong and stable economy for the benefit of American families and businesses. Credibility has been built and sustained over many decades, and we have a duty to safeguard that priceless asset for our fellow citizens and for generations to come.

As Americans, we are motivated by the belief that freedom and democracy greatly enhance human fulfillment. The work to preserve and strengthen our own democracy can be noisy, frustrating at times, and embattled. Partisan political differences are normal, indeed essential in a thriving democracy. But we ought to be united in our commitment to the higher principles that define our nation. Chief among them is respect for the rule of law. As John Adams of Massachusetts wrote, 'Ours is a government of laws, not of men.'

Our public institutions carry us forward through change. These institutions embody our commitment to freedom, democracy, and service of the public good. The philosopher Edmund Burke warned that democratic institutions take much time, effort, and patience to build, but can be torn down all too quickly. It is essential that we preserve what is good in our institutions even as we strive to improve them.

While we will have political differences, at the end of the day, we all love this wonderful country and want what is best for it and for all of our fellow Americans. And I'll close as others have with a line from President Kennedy's amazing January 20, 1961 inaugural address. The famous words, 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.' Thank you.

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Caroline Kennedy35:00

So once again, congratulations to tonight's honorees, the people of Minnesota, and Chair Powell. Really appreciate you sharing those moving words. So you've all been listening to the acoustics outside. I know. And if you've been tracking the weather the way I have, we got a little bit of a window. Not quite yet, but almost. So I'm going to wrap this up quick so you can all queue inside the lobby and look for an opportunity to make a run for it. So once again, thank you all for joining us for what has been truly a very inspiring evening.

I invite you to explore the library and its programs in the coming months and I hope you'll join us next year at the 2027 gala. Until then, stay courageous and keep working for the bright future President Kennedy believed in. Thanks again everyone. Good night.

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Jerome Powell1:07:12

When we make mistakes, we acknowledge them and change course. What the public has every right to expect is that we will make our decisions based only on our best economic analysis of what would most benefit the people we serve. We do not take into account the fortunes of any political party or politician in making those decisions.

Like so many other institutions, the Fed has been undergoing a stress test. Congress wisely chose to insulate monetary policy decisions from political pressure. All other advanced economy nations have done the same. Our federated structure is a bit complex with reserve banks and the board and all that, but the legal protections that support the non-political conduct of monetary policy are straightforward. Fed governors and reserve bank presidents hold office with legal protection against removal. We serve long terms unrelated to the four-year presidential election cycle. When a new administration takes office, its role is to fill vacancies on the boards of board of governors and for chair and vice chair as and when those vacancies arise, subject in all cases to Senate confirmation. Administrations play no role in the selection or oversight of the 12 Reserve Bank presidents.

These protections have served the public well and administrations from both political parties have respected them. If any administration finds a way to remove Fed officials over policy differences, then future administrations will do so as well. The public would lose faith that the central bank will make decisions based only on what's best for all Americans. The Fed's credibility would be lost. That credibility enables the Fed to support a strong and stable economy for the benefit of American families and businesses. Credibility has been built and sustained over many decades, and we have a duty to safeguard that priceless asset for our fellow citizens and for generations to come.

As Americans, we are motivated by the belief that freedom and democracy greatly enhance human fulfillment. The work to preserve and strengthen our own democracy can be noisy, frustrating at times, and embattled. Partisan political differences are normal, indeed essential in a thriving democracy. But we ought to be united in our commitment to the higher principles that define our nation. Chief among them is respect for the rule of law. As John Adams of Massachusetts wrote, 'Ours is a government of laws, not of men.'

Our public institutions carry us forward through change. These institutions embody our commitment to freedom, democracy, and service of the public good. The philosopher Edmund Burke warned that democratic institutions take much time, effort, and patience to build, but can be torn down all too quickly. It is essential that we preserve what is good in our institutions, even as we strive to improve them. While we will have political differences, at the end of the day, we all love this wonderful country and want what is best for it and for all of our fellow Americans.

And I'll close as others have with a line from President Kennedy's amazing January 20, 1961 inaugural address. The famous words, 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.' Thank you.

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Caroline Kennedy1:12:19

So once again, congratulations to tonight's honorees, the people of Minnesota, and Chair Powell. Really appreciate you sharing those moving words. So, you've all been listening to the acoustics outside. I know. And if you've been tracking AccuWeather the way I have, we got a little bit of a window. Not quite yet, but almost. So, I'm going to wrap this up quick so you can all queue inside the lobby and look for an opportunity to make a run for it. So, once again, thank you all for joining us for what has been truly a very inspiring evening.

I invite you to explore the library and its programs in the coming months and I hope you'll join us next year at the 2027 gala. Until then, stay courageous and keep working for the bright future President Kennedy believed in. Thanks again everyone. Good night.

Hi everybody. Thank you so much for being here and joining us tonight. A few days ago, we celebrated Memorial Day and my father's birthday. It gave us a chance to honor those who have sacrificed their lives to defend our Constitution and the ideals we so often take for granted. Before we begin tonight's ceremony, I'd like to offer a prayer for our men and women in uniform serving overseas right now. May they come home safely. I'd also like to recognize Admiral Kirby and library board member, Navy SEAL, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, and any other military and former military who are here tonight with us.

In his inaugural address, President Kennedy challenged all Americans to give back to this country that has given us so much. My father inspired a generation and now as their children and grandchildren, it's our turn to serve, to be active citizens and courageous leaders in any way we can. Thank you for supporting his legacy by being here tonight or by watching at home. And especially to everyone watching in the Twin Cities, we are so happy to share this night with you.

My father believed that politics is a noble profession and the best way to solve our most difficult problems. He understood the sacrifices it requires and admired those who are willing to serve. Tonight's a chance to celebrate the best in our elected officials and we're fortunate to have many distinguished public servants here. I'd like to thank Senator Klobuchar, Mayor Frey, Senator Reid, Congressman Amo, and all those who hold or have held elective office and ask them to stand.

We couldn't do this work without the many people who sustained this institution throughout the year. The staff of the foundation, National Archives led by Rachel Flor and Alan Price and their teams. Bob Rivers, our chair and our board chair. Thank you Bob. Thank you Alan and Rachel. We're fortunate to have some of our most generous supporters stand with us this year. I want to thank Eastern Bank, WilmerHale, the MacArthur Foundation, and the entire Donoghue family for being here every year and supporting the library in this award.

The Library Foundation has been successful thanks to its extraordinary leaders and we've been honored to have Senator Paul Kirk, Ken Feinberg, Ron Sargent, John Shadish, and we remember our friend and former director Chuck Daly who we lost this past year. Politics is a family endeavor and I'm so grateful to the members of my family who are here tonight and whose support over many years has kept my father's spirit alive and made this institution a living memorial. Thank you Vicki and Stephen and Cheryl for your service to the library. You were always there when we need you. This year we even have new family members here. I'm so happy to welcome Emma Schlossberg and Garrett and Mary Moran.

Most of all, we remember Tatiana who served on the board of this library and represented everything my parents stood for in her beautiful, amazing, and too short life.

It's hard to be a profile in courage, but sometimes it's even harder to be their family member. I know they couldn't do it without you. And I'd like to ask the family members of our elected officials and our honorees to stand so we can give you all a round of applause.

Most of all, I'd like to thank my husband, Ed, who has dedicated the past 40 years to making sure this library is best-in-class. He designed this award based on the lantern of the USS Constitution, the oldest ship in the Navy, which is just down the harbor, and reminds us that we each have a responsibility to shine a light in the darkness and protect our democracy.

And I want to thank my partner in the work of this award, my son Jack, who has spent more than 12 years working to bring his grandfather's legacy to new generations and who is running a fantastic campaign for New York 12. I'm so proud of him for empowering thousands of people to believe in politics again. And I know my father would be too.

This award was founded to honor the quality in public life that my father thought most essential, courage. Inspired by his book, this award is usually given to elected officials who risk their careers to do what is right for our country. Over the past 37 years, we have honored men and women, Republicans and Democrats serving in local, state, and national office. This year, we honor Americans who risk their careers, their safety, and even their lives to hold politicians to account and keep America true to her promises.

Governor Powell never wavered in his duty to the public interest. He showed that public service is a privilege and comes with great responsibility. With dignity and resolve, he demonstrated his commitment to the American people and America's leadership role in the global economy. Despite years of personal attacks, baseless prosecution, and efforts to undermine him, the people of the Twin Cities reminded all Americans that we cannot take our democracy for granted. We each need to stand against injustice when it really matters. They mobilized, organized, and refused to be terrorized by an overwhelming federal crackdown, which sent 3,000 heavily armed ICE agents into their communities to arrest and deport citizens and non-citizens alike.

Across racial, religious, and political lines, and across business and labor, volunteers mobilized to protest peacefully, document violent overreach, build rapid response networks, provide food and clothing to immigrant neighbors, and so much more. Joining Chicago, Portland, and other communities, their compassion and unwavering commitment to the ideals that sustain our democracy inspired communities across this country and forced the federal government to back down.

We especially remember the courage of Renee Good and Alex Prey who gave their lives for their community and our country. We are honored to have with us here tonight Renee's father Tim Ganganger, her brother Brent, and her sister Anna.

As we celebrate America's 250th birthday, their courage and the integrity and courage of all our honorees sets an example for all of us. We are sorry we couldn't have everyone from the Twin Cities here tonight, but we're lucky to have so many people hosting watch parties at home and have with us four remarkable people to represent you.

Imam Yusuf Abdullah, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America and co-founder of the Somali-American Leadership Table and graduate of UMass Boston, who helped the Somali community withstand rising hate crimes and political attacks, and joined other religious leaders to help lead peaceful protests. Natalie Eritt, a veteran whose son inspired her to start Haven Watch. After he met, people have been released from the Whipple detention center warehouse at night in the freezing cold with no clothes, food, phones, or transportation. When I spoke with her a few weeks ago, she was trying to stop an 11-year-old girl from being taken to Louisiana for deportation by two armed male federal agents with no information as to their name, flight number, accommodation, or plan.

Carolina Ortiz, associate director of COPAL, which helped a coalition of over 100 immigrant, labor, legal, and community organizations organize rapid response efforts and train more than 30,000 constitutional observers to document rights violations.

Columbia Heights School Superintendent Zana Stenbick, who forcefully spoke out after her students were harassed and detained on the way to and from school. She has exposed brutal ICE tactics, set up neighborhood watches around the schools as ICE patrolled the streets so that students would be safe, and she galvanized educators across the Twin Cities to make schools protected spaces. We will now take a moment to hear from them in a short video.

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Zana Stenbick1:26:01

It's a privilege to live where it's quiet, but we've always been a socially and politically active family. I think it's important for my sons to see how to use their voice. Columbia Heights Public Schools has always been an immigrant community. About half of our students are considered English learners. We have the best kids. I wanted to make sure that our students were protected. Our families were protected and our whole community was protected. That's why I didn't speak up immediately. Liam was our second student taken by ICE agents. He was our fourth student overall taken out of seven. That was my tipping point.

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Imam Yusuf Abdullah1:26:43

In early 1990s after the collapse of the Somali government and the start of the civil war, the challenges were like any other challenge that any other community of immigrant background faces in the United States. Sometimes Somalis would be characterized as pirates. The terrorism, al-Shabaab, all of that. But this ICE surge was different.

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Natalie Eritt1:27:07

Growing up undocumented, it's always been a lot of fear, uncertainty, and for some of us, it's an extension of our reality. ICE agents were coming to Minnesota. There was a lot of showing of force. We had people that were arriving home and the agents were already there waiting for them. I actually had several agents show up at my home. They were looking through the mailbox. They were looking through my windows. They were following my neighbors, questioning them. We had community members who were just taken off the street. Sometimes they didn't have anything that identified them as ICE agents. The conditions within Whipple is something that we know about. People were not being let go to the restroom. People were being shackled. There was individuals with broken bones that did not get the medical help that they needed. Whipple is in the middle of nowhere. So, they're released out of those gates with nothing but what you're wearing at the time and there's nobody waiting for you. So, Haven felt like what we were providing for these people. We didn't have a lot to give, but we had a warm car and a loving person waiting for them. And Watch was because we were maintaining that 24/7 presence at the gate watching for them. Like we were going to watch for you. We were going to wait for you and we were going to be your safe haven.

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Zana Stenbick1:28:38

It was a very dark time for us. There was no longer a typical day during the surge and we did really want to make sure that we were developmentally appropriately caring for the students because we knew that the children could see people being detained. I never asked anyone to volunteer and to help out. Everyone volunteered and helped out on their own. Right after, you know, a long day of teaching, teachers walked kids home right behind the school that we're in right now, you know, a mile in back. I noticed a lot of young men and that was really hard for me because they were the age of my son. I would interview them after they were released and I'd have to sit there and listen to their story trying to be professional. When I wanted to collapse and whether they were held for 6 hours or 6 weeks, the trauma was the same across the Twin Cities. This was happening. Local churches came together. Food shelves became resource hubs to distribute food. Everyone volunteered and helped out.

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Carolina Ortiz1:29:40

While we're going against an agency that has billions of dollars and has a lot of resources. That's not easy. But I think it's also a reminder that what is coming ahead of us is us continuing to protect our human rights, our constitution, our democracy, and that is what is ahead for COPAL. We have trained over 30,000 constitutional observers. I choose to continue doing this work because as I hear people saying we need to go back to normality. I think we need to reimagine what type of future our community truly deserves. I encourage everybody to choose to be brave. As a faith leader, as a person of faith and religion, this was the calling for me. For me, courage means coming out for justice, in support of the weak, putting yourself at the front line for others.

The people of the Twin Cities stood up and protested and helped their neighbors because they were making the America that they want to live in. I love this country. There was many times where how I was treated, how others were treated could have easily given the anger, the frustration, but I chose to see the beauty. And I chose to see the hope of what it means to be in this country. We have worked with so many partners, not just in Minnesota, but nationwide. That's a lot of power. That's a lot of hope. That is a lot of courage.

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Caroline Kennedy1:31:27

It is now my honor to present the 2026 Profile in Courage Award to the people of the Twin Cities. And please welcome Imam Abdullah, Natalie, Carolina, and Superintendent Stenbick to the stage.

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Bruce Springsteen1:32:56

Hi, this is Bruce Springsteen and I want to congratulate the people of the Twin Cities on this award because when things were darkest, you gave us hope. And where things were hardest, you gave us courage. You stood shoulder to shoulder for your neighbor. And you proved that this president and this administration's Gestapo tactics would not stand here and that this was still America. You assured us that Alex Prey and Renee Good's deaths were not in vain. When America needed you, you were there. So, let me send you love, prayers, and thanks of a grateful country. God bless.

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Jack Schlossberg1:33:53

Hello everybody. Thank you for being here. Please don't tell anyone how happy I am to see you tonight. I'm outside of New York 12 and there's supposed to be a frown on my face. Thank you to my amazing mother. She has taught me how to handle life's challenges with grace and determination and she has done so much for this library along with my father. I think she deserves another round of applause.

I also have to thank Rachel Flor. Rachel has led this library for years. She's the library's fearless leader and none of this would be happening tonight if it weren't for Rachel Flor. And I think she also deserves another round of applause.

I've been part of this award for 13 years and this is a different type of year. The Profile in Courage Award is reserved for elected officials. As former chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jay Powell does not fit that definition of a profile in courage as John F. Kennedy wrote about and as this award usually recognizes. He is not an elected official and these are not ordinary times.

The Trump administration's assault on the rule of law includes sending armed agents into cities. It includes efforts to limit free expression through lawsuits and intimidation. It includes efforts to disenfranchise voters with misinformation and suppressive legislation. It includes the corruption of insider trading and quid pro quo with foreign governments. It also includes eroding public trust in our federal institutions with targeted politically motivated attacks by the president and his Department of Justice against the president's perceived enemies within and without his own federal government.

Few have done more under more difficult circumstances than Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jay Powell, who did the exact opposite. His commitment to the public interest never wavered. Congress intentionally made the Federal Reserve independent, a body insulated from political pressure with a dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment. And that is what guided Jay Powell's decisions. And that is why he's being recognized tonight. His legacy as Fed chair begins with historic, unprecedented actions in the early days of the COVID pandemic.

Powell stepped in with bold measures to expand the Fed's balance sheet and to assure the public he would do whatever it took to prevent a second Great Depression. As he said in the early weeks of the pandemic, quote, 'None of us has the luxury of choosing our challenges. Fate and history provide them for us. Our job is to meet the tests we are presented.'

The test of courage was presented again when President Trump's second term began. Trump continued to do what no president had ever done and publicly pressure Powell to cut interest rates. It was a campaign that began years earlier. A tweet when it was still called a tweet from 2019 from President Trump asks, 'Who is our biggest enemy, Jay Powell or Chairman Xi?' This year, Trump escalated the situation when his Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve and Jerome Powell with subpoenas and opened a criminal investigation under the false pretenses of an investigation into the Fed's renovation and Powell's related testimony.

The true aim was thinly veiled. Trump was using the DOJ to intimidate Powell for his refusal to follow orders and cut rates. In response, Powell took the extraordinary and brave step of explaining as much to the public in a video, directly and forcefully resisting the president and the Department of Justice. As we have seen over the last decade, and especially over the last two years, many others submit to this type of intimidation, but not Jay Powell.

Although his term as Fed chair has ended, his courage continues. He chose to remain on the Fed's board of governors moving forward. As he said, quote, 'I'm literally staying because of the actions that have been taken. I had long planned to be retiring. The things that have happened in the last 3 months have left me no choice but to stay until I see them through, at least that long.' We are also grateful that you are staying. And now, enough from me. Without further ado, it's my honor to welcome former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell to the stage. The 2026 Profile in Courage Award.

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Jerome Powell1:39:39

Good evening. It is a great privilege to be here tonight with you and your family, Ambassador Kennedy. Thank you, Jack, for that kind introduction and thank you as well to the JFK Library Foundation and the committee members for this honor. President Kennedy was an inspiring public servant who demonstrated compassion, grace, ingenuity, and courage during trying times. He was also a towering figure in my early life, as for many of us. In November 1963, I was a fifth grader at Blessed Sacrament School in Washington, DC. That terrible afternoon, our teachers were suddenly called to the principal's office only to return in tears. I remember that moment very clearly and the dark days that followed. They made an indelible impression on me. And looking back, that was really the time when I first felt the pull of public service.

62 years on, it is worth remembering how fortunate we are to be Americans today and to enjoy the fruits of 250 years of progress toward the founders' timeless ideal that all of us are created equal. We inherit and hold in trust a nation built on the promise of freedom. We are blessed by the courage of previous generations who worked, sacrificed, and dreamed so that we could live in the strongest, most prosperous nation in the world. The United States has long been the leader of the world's freedom-seeking people, the indispensable nation. Other countries know us as a nation built on integrity, and that integrity must be maintained.

President Kennedy upheld that tradition and resisted the expansion of authoritarianism, which is the antithesis of American values. He embraced and worked to strengthen the system of international and economic and security arrangements that has now been in place for some 80 years. Arrangements that have supported democracy and freedom and served the United States and the world extremely well.

Here at home, our great public and private institutions are the foundation and the embodiment of our democracy. Our universities and research institutions are a critical national resource and the envy of the world. The same is true of our constitution, our legislative bodies, and our court system. The Federal Reserve is just one of many such public institutions. Since our founding in 1913, the Fed's role has been to provide economic and financial stability. We use our monetary policy tools to promote maximum employment and stable prices. We regulate and supervise banks. We operate critical parts of the payment system. And we use our powerful liquidity tools as a first responder in times of financial crisis. Over the past 20 years, we have been called upon to forcefully deploy those emergency tools in two world historical crises that pushed the financial system and the economy to the point of failure. The global financial crisis and the COVID pandemic.

While these twin crises created great hardship for families and businesses, the US economy performed by far the best of any comparable economy through those difficult years. Many in the private and public sectors played a hand in achieving that outcome. I would like to single out the work in both crises of the career staff at the Fed, a truly extraordinary group of committed public servants who serve all Americans. Serving alongside them for the past 14 years has been a great honor.

Even in good times, central banks make monetary policy decisions under high uncertainty. Uncertainty about the true state and path of the economy and about the timing and the scope of the effects of our policies on the economy. At the Fed, we are, of course, human and thus imperfect. When we make mistakes, we acknowledge them and change course. What the public has every right to expect is that we will make our decisions based only on our best economic analysis of what would most benefit the people we serve. We do not take into account the fortunes of any political party or politician in making those decisions.

Like so many other institutions, the Fed has been undergoing a stress test. Congress wisely chose to insulate monetary policy decisions from political pressure. All other advanced economy nations have done the same. Our federated structure is a bit complex with reserve banks and the board and all that, but the legal protections that support the non-political conduct of monetary policy are straightforward. Fed governors and reserve bank presidents hold office with legal protection against removal. We serve long terms unrelated to the four-year presidential election cycle. When a new administration takes office, its role is to fill vacancies on the boards of board of governors and for chair and vice chair as and when those vacancies arise, subject in all cases to Senate confirmation. Administrations play no role in the selection or oversight of the 12 Reserve Bank presidents.

These protections have served the public well and administrations from both political parties have respected them. If any administration finds a way to remove Fed officials over policy differences, then future administrations will do so as well. The public would lose faith that the central bank will make decisions based only on what's best for all Americans. The Fed's credibility would be lost. That credibility enables the Fed to support a strong and stable economy for the benefit of American families and businesses. Credibility has been built and sustained over many decades, and we have a duty to safeguard that priceless asset for our fellow citizens and for generations to come.

As Americans, we are motivated by the belief that freedom and democracy greatly enhance human fulfillment. The work to preserve and strengthen our own democracy can be noisy, frustrating at times, and embattled. Partisan political differences are normal, indeed essential in a thriving democracy. But we ought to be united in our commitment to the higher principles that define our nation. Chief among them is respect for the rule of law. As John Adams of Massachusetts wrote, 'Ours is a government of laws, not of men.'

Our public institutions carry us forward through change. These institutions embody our commitment to freedom, democracy, and service of the public good. The philosopher Edmund Burke warned that democratic institutions take much time, effort, and patience to build, but can be torn down all too quickly. It is essential that we preserve what is good in our institutions, even as we strive to improve them. While we will have political differences, at the end of the day, we all love this wonderful country and want what is best for it and for all of our fellow Americans.

And I'll close as others have with a line from President Kennedy's amazing January 20, 1961 inaugural address. The famous words, 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.' Thank you.

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Caroline Kennedy1:49:17

So once again, congratulations to tonight's honorees, the people of Minnesota, and Chair Powell. Really appreciate you sharing those moving words. So, you've all been listening to the acoustics outside. I know. And if you've been tracking AccuWeather the way I have, we got a little bit of a window. Not quite yet, but almost. So, I'm going to wrap this up quick so you can all queue inside the lobby and look for an opportunity to make a run for it. So, once again, thank you all for joining us for what has been truly a very inspiring evening.

I invite you to explore the library and its programs in the coming months and I hope you'll join us next year at the 2027 gala. Until then, stay courageous and keep working for the bright future President Kennedy believed in. Thanks again everyone. Good night.

Hi everybody. Thank you so much for being here and joining us tonight. A few days ago, we celebrated Memorial Day and my father's birthday. It gave us a chance to honor those who have sacrificed their lives to defend our Constitution and the ideals we so often take for granted. Before we begin tonight's ceremony, I'd like to offer a prayer for our men and women in uniform serving overseas right now. May they come home safely. I'd also like to recognize Admiral Kirby and library board member, Navy SEAL, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, and any other military and former military who are here tonight with us.

In his inaugural address, President Kennedy challenged all Americans to give back to this country that has given us so much. My father inspired a generation and now as the children and grandchildren, it's our turn to serve, to be active citizens and courageous leaders in any way we can. Thank you for supporting his legacy by being here tonight or by watching at home. And especially to everyone watching in the Twin Cities, we are so happy to share this night with you.