The Kennedy Family’s Legacy to a Tobacco-Free America

by Emilia Dunham

Program Associate, Reporting from the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act: Regulatory Science and the Tobacco Industry at Harvard School of Public Health

Joseph P. Kennedy III (grandson of Robert Kennedy), nephew of Ted Kennedy has a career of public health service and advocacy and spoke to the legacy of the Kennedy’s in tobacco control. At today’s event, he was presented with the honoring of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy’s great contribution to tobacco control adding to the family legacy as seen below.

Kennedy Tobacco Control Timeline

1962 – Surgeon General Warning announced by JFK.
1967 – Robert Kennedy gave address to World Conference on Tobacco or Health
2007 – Led hearing on FDA regulation of tobacco products
2009 – Obama signed Ted Kennedy’s legislation, Affordable Care Act and Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

Now in 2011 FDA has broadened authority to restrict tobacco marketing. Hopefully just as it has done for food labeling, regulating meat and dairy, responding quickly to approve HIV medications, great strides will be made in our protection from tobacco in short order.

As this conference memorialized the great work of late Senator Ted Kennedy and legacy of the family in the past 50 years, Joseph Kennedy talks about how this fight goes back even further, and is owed largely to other activists and scientists who shoveled against the tide of society’s widespread acceptance of tobacco.

Joseph acknowledges the losses within the century and complacancy of all areas of society and the government. Cigarettes were defended by doctors, given out in airplanes and sponsored basketball games. To folks like Joseph and myself, that is unbelievable.

Kennedy recognizes the scientists and activists who led this cause. These wins were made by us and our predecessors. As a result of the struggles and successes, for Joseph and my generation, smoking is not allowed in as many public spaces, it’s universally seen as unhealthy and just isn’t as cool anymore. We have generations of advocates, and some of you reading this, to thank!

Published by Emilia Dunham, MPP, MBA

Emilia Dunham is currently a Project Manager at MassHealth/Department of Public Health, and formerly the Project Manager of the Life Skills project at The Fenway Institute, an HIV intervention study for young transgender women. Emilia worked at Fenway for 7 years, first as a Quality Control and Regulatory Assistant mainly involved with biomedical HIV prevention trials, before serving as the Program Associate for The Network for LGBT Health Equity, a network instrumental in many national LGBT health policy improvements. She is also involved with the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, serving as a Steering Committee member and the Policy Committee Co-Chair, an organization largely responsible for the recent passage of the Trans Rights Bill. Additionally she serves as a member of the Massachusetts Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth, Co-Chair of the Recommendations Committee. Emilia received a Bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University. There she served as President of the LGBTQ student group where she planned programs such as Pride Week, Transgender Day of Remembrance, and AIDS Week. In addition, she advocated for LGBTQ inclusive policies and programming on campus such as a Gender Neutral Housing program, an LGBTQ Center and the expansion of Women’s Studies to Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Emilia recently earned a Master of Public Policy and Master of Business Administration in health policy and management from the Brandeis Heller School School for Social Policy and Management. View more posts

Kennedy Tobacco Control Timeline

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Published by Emilia Dunham, MPP, MBA

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