Web extra: Leslie Proll from the NAACP-LDF says Kennedy championed civil rights

Senator Kennedy was a champion of many causes. Central to his beliefs was equality for the downtrodden. In 1964, as a young Senator, his first speech on the Senate floor was during the debate around the Civil Rights Act. He said, “a young Senator should be seen, not heard,” but he felt compelled to endorse the cause against segregation, which his brother John F. Kennedy called, “morally wrong.”

Senator Kennedy continued to fight for those with silenced voices throughout his career. He stood on the side of blacks, the poor, workers, gays, children, the disabled and immigrants.

For a deeper look at Kennedy's work on civil rights and social justice issues, FSRN spoke to Leslie Proll. She heads the DC office of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.