Last month was the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. For those of us old enough to remember, it was a time of shock, grief, despair and worry about the safety of ourselves and our nation. 

I believe a contributing factor to the depth of our feelings was the confidence we had in Kennedy as our leader, who was suddenly snatched away.

Where did that confidence in a leader come from? For starters, whenever he spoke he was a beacon of hope.

His inaugural address was full of calls to hope. 

“The same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe – the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God. We are heirs of that revolution. Let the word go forth that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans – unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.”

Less than six weeks after his inauguration, Kennedy issued an order establishing the Peace Corps. He envisioned a corps of American volunteers who would go overseas to help foreign countries with skilled manpower, not a military corps to fight battles. It was a world projection of what makes America great. 

Americans responded to his call to “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Kennedy inspired hope in people across the world, not just in America. He inherited a Cold War and a Berlin Wall from his predecessor. There were doubts in Europe about his support. His speech in West Berlin calling for Germany reunification is one of the most famous and inspiring speeches in history. Europe had no doubt Americans had their back in the face of Russian aggression.

As part of launching his political career, Kennedy wrote a book called “Profiles in Courage.” The book is about several American leaders he admired because they chose to do the right thing instead of the popular thing, even at great cost to their political career. 

I think Kennedy earned Americans’ confidence by demonstrating such courage.

When we discovered the Russians had put nuclear missiles in Cuba, Kennedy’s political opponents called him weak and no match for the brash, bold Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. They wanted Kennedy to bomb the missile sites, not caring that a Cold War might be escalated into a nuclear war. 

Kennedy resisted the push by others and his military to “be strong” and instead looked for a diplomatic resolution. He eventually found a communication back channel and resolved the missile threat without starting a war. 

He did the right thing despite the waves of criticism, and ended up proving himself a lot stronger than Khrushchev when it really counted.

As an aside, this diplomacy is very similar to the high-wire dance President Joe Biden is doing to support an ally in their fight against terrorism, to try to protect citizens in the path of war, while trying to keep World War III from starting in the Middle East – making no one happy in the process.

The civil rights marches in the south started during Kennedy’s presidency. Along with the rest of us, he watched on TV the use of dogs, firehoses and police brutality to break up peaceful protests for a righteous case. He sent federal forces to the south to try to protect Black Americans and ensure their rights.

It was not a popular action. Traditionally, the political south was conservative Democrat, stemming back to Lincoln Republicans abolishing slavery. Ever since, to this day the south has voted almost exclusively Republican, rejecting a Democratic Party that passed the Civil Rights Act. 

It remains a high political cost for doing the right thing.

It was 60 years ago we lost a leader who inspired us and who instilled in us confidence and hope. On this anniversary of our national tragedy, it bears reflection on today’s political climate and who we should be selecting to lead us. 

Why are we voting for people who do nothing but preach fear and division? What hope do they offer? Where do we see courage to do what is right, not popular? How are they accepting the “torch” being passed to a new generation to continue the commitment to human rights made by our Forefathers?

There are Americans who want to inspire hope and reinvigorate our confidence as a nation by helping us stand for human rights and what is good. 

We need to vote for them – and to ignore all the clutter of fear-mongering from political hacks lacking any real idea how to make the world better. 

That’s what the memory of JFK should remind us of.

Biden’s words define the value of the memory of Kennedy perfectly. 

“On this day, we remember that he saw a nation of light, not darkness; of honor, not grievance; a place where we are unwilling to postpone the work that he began and that we all must now carry forward.”