text: To people of my generation there were just a few heroes for people like us. Chief among them were Martin Luther King Jr. and the Kennedys. From 1947 until 2011 there was always a Kennedy in Congress. In 2013 that tradition has been renewed, as we welcome Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III to the U.S. House of Representatives. I am honored to continue to serve alongside people from a family with such a proud tradition of public service. Their dedication working on behalf of the poor, the downtrodden, the working class and those without a powerful voice has never wavered across generations. Their values are a testament to the best in American political history, past and present.