Caroline Kennedy honors Tatiana Schlossberg at JFK library ceremony
caroline kennedy paid tribute to her daughter, writer Tatiana Schlossberg, at the Profile in Courage Award ceremony Sunday night at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Dorchester. Kennedy spoke after Schlossberg died in December at age 35 following a terminal cancer diagnosis.
The ceremony put a private family loss before an audience gathered for an annual award tied to the Kennedy name and the JFK Library Foundation. Kennedy said, “We remember Tatiana, who served on the board of this library and represented everything my parents stood for in her beautiful, amazing, and too-short life,” making Schlossberg’s work at the library part of the night’s program.
JFK Library tribute
Schlossberg was the second of Kennedy’s three children with Edwin Schlossberg. She had two young children, Edwin and Josephine, with her husband, George Moran, and she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia shortly after giving birth to her daughter in May 2024.
Kennedy’s remarks also came from someone with deep ties to the institution. She is a former U.S. ambassador to Japan and Australia, and the last surviving child of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash in 1999 off Martha’s Vineyard.
Jack Schlossberg at the podium
Kennedy also recognized her son, Jack Schlossberg, at the ceremony. He thanked his mother and said, “She has taught me how to handle life’s challenges with grace and determination, and she has done so much for this library,” while introducing Jerome Powell.
Jack Schlossberg serves on the Profile in Courage Award Committee and is running as a Democratic candidate for New York’s 12th Congressional District. His appearance tied the family tribute to the award program itself, which the JFK Library Foundation gives each year to public servants who make bold decisions despite personal or professional consequences.
Twin Cities award guests
This year’s recipients were Jerome Powell and the people of the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both Minnesota residents, were fatally shot by ICE agents while taking part in protests. Bruce Springsteen appeared in a video message for the Twin Cities and said, “Hi, this is Bruce Springsteen,” followed by, “And I want to congratulate the people of the Twin Cities on this award.”
Springsteen added, “Because, when things were darkest, you gave us hope,” and “And when things were hardest, you gave us courage.”
