Edward M. Kennedy Jr. will deliver a speech — commemorating 50 years of Bangladesh-US relations — on October 31 at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban of Dhaka University.
US Ambassador Peter D Haas and Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman will be present during the speech.
"My family and I will honour the 50th anniversary of my father’s pivotal role in the Bangladeshi struggle for independence," said Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy Jr., son of the late US Senator Edward M. Kennedy and nephew of the late US President John F. Kennedy, and his family will visit Bengal Foundation in Dhanmondi on Sunday (October 30, 2022).
Family members accompanying him will include Dr. Katherine Kennedy (wife), Dr Kiley Kennedy (daughter), Teddy Kennedy (son), Grace Kennedy Allen (niece), and Max Allen (nephew).
The Kennedy family will be attending a live classical music performance, a traveling library exhibition and the ongoing art exhibition at Bengal Foundation gallery.
The family will also visit the organizer’s bookstore to encourage readership.
When approached, a spokesperson at the US Embassy in Dhaka termed it a “historic visit.”
The Kennedy family is visiting Bangladesh to mark the yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh-US relations.
They will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.
Under the auspices of the US Department of State’s Speakers Program, Kennedy Jr. will commemorate the legacy of his father as a staunch advocate for Bangladesh’s fight for independence and will visit the banyan tree his father planted to symbolize the friendship between the United States and Bangladesh.
As a lawyer and advocate for civil rights of individuals with disabilities, he will also deliver a lecture on disability rights at the Edward M. Kennedy Center for Public Service and the Arts.
During the one-week visit to Bangladesh, the Kennedy family will visit various cultural attractions and meet with civil society representatives, US government-sponsored exchange programme alumni and Bangladesh government officials.
In February, 1972, Senator Ted Kennedy spoke to the students at University of Dhaka and said, "You know while some governments do not yet recognise you, the people of the world do recognise you, and they recognise all you have accomplished here in the name of freedom from tyranny and oppression. We are brothers in liberty, and no man, no policy, no government can change that fact."
Senator Kennedy planted a banyan tree on Dhaka University’s campus as a living tribute to friendship, resilience, and hope, and it stands today.
Senator Ted Kennedy, during his 1972 visit to Dhaka, also said, “The struggle of the people of Bangladesh evokes the greatest memories of our past.