Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center

Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center Exposing injustice and championing human rights, inspired by the legacy of Senator Robert and Ethel Kennedy. Led by Kerry Kennedy.

We advocate for human rights issues and pursue strategic litigation to hold governments accountable at home and around the world. We foster a social good approach to business, celebrate agents of change, and to ensure change that lasts, we educate millions of students about human rights, training the next generation of leaders.

This is what good trouble looks like! Over the weekend, our incoming and outgoing John Lewis Young Leaders cohorts gathe...
06/17/2026

This is what good trouble looks like! Over the weekend, our incoming and outgoing John Lewis Young Leaders cohorts gathered in Memphis, TN, to do what this fellowship has always demanded: show up, speak up, and get in good trouble.

But this is only the beginning. Over the next year, these fellows will be organizing and advocating in ways that honor the legacies of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Congressman John Lewis. Welcome to the Kennedy Human Rights team. We're honored to do this work alongside you.

A special thank you to the National Civil Rights Museum, Russell Wigginton, Sojourn to the Past, Jeff Steinberg, Drumma Boy, Christopher Davis, LeMoyne-Owen College, Arieale Munson, Tamika Williams, and KeShaun Pearson for joining us and sharing your wisdom with our fellows.

06/16/2026

Seven lives. Eight years. One step closer to accountability.

In June 2018, Kennedy Human Rights and Foro Penal filed a petition with the Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos on behalf of the victims of the El Junquito Massacre. In 2023, the Commission referred the case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Venezuela argued the Court had no jurisdiction. In November 2025, the Court rejected that argument and cleared the path to the merits.

Tomorrow, June 17, the Court hears the case of Pérez et al. v. Venezuela. We’ll be sharing updates from the hearing across all our channels.

🔗 Learn more about the case: https://rekhrc.org/4eaY2sZ

06/15/2026

The killings at El Junquito did not end the state's campaign of persecution. The regime turned on the families.

After the El Junquito Massacre, relatives of the seven victims faced severe harassment and surveillance by the Maduro regime, forcing them into exile. Their courage is the reason this case is now before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

🔗 Learn more about the case: https://rekhrc.org/4eaY2sZ

06/15/2026

They livestreamed their own surrender. The state executed them anyway.

In January 2018, 500 Venezuelan security forces surrounded a residence in El Junquito, Venezuela, where Oscar Pérez and six others were sheltering. Pérez, a former criminal investigations agent turned government critic, livestreamed the group's attempts to negotiate and surrender. State agents executed all seven. This is the El Junquito Massacre.

Eight years later, no one has been held accountable. This week, we're telling their story. 🔗 More information: https://rekhrc.org/4eaY2sZ

06/13/2026

We’re incredibly proud of our John Lewis Young Leaders fellow Olu Rouse (featured at 00:30) for championing voting rights and empowering student voices at North Carolina A&T State University!

We’re in Memphis with our incoming and outgoing John Lewis Young Leaders cohorts! Selected from over 500 applicants, our...
06/12/2026

We’re in Memphis with our incoming and outgoing John Lewis Young Leaders cohorts! Selected from over 500 applicants, our 2026-27 cohort spans public and private universities across the country, including community colleges, HBCUs, and Ivy League institutions.

Follow along for more updates through the weekend on our story, and keep an eye out for some very special guests.

Grateful to Dr. Russell Wigginton and the entire team at the National Civil Rights Museum for welcoming our Robert & Eth...
06/12/2026

Grateful to Dr. Russell Wigginton and the entire team at the National Civil Rights Museum for welcoming our Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center John Lewis Young Leaders to Memphis this week. No better place to ground the next generation of activists in the history that made this movement and the legacy they are carrying forward.

06/10/2026

What does it mean to be human in a world driven by AI? Vivienne Ming joined our COO Michael Schreiber for a conversation on her new book and why technology can automate skills and knowledge, but cannot replace the fundamental human need for a purposeful life.

🔗 Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv2YNqTQO0U&t=63s

"She took her parents' legacy and she made it bigger, she made it wider, she made it deeper. She took it around the worl...
06/10/2026

"She took her parents' legacy and she made it bigger, she made it wider, she made it deeper. She took it around the world." Don Lemon summed up Kerry Kennedy’s decades of work perfectly at our Compass Summer Investors Conference. Her decades of work at the intersection of human rights and global accountability continue to shape how the world thinks about responsible capital.

Thank you, Don, Marvin Rosen, Morten Welo, David J. Grain, CT Treasurer Erick Russell, and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli NY for taking the time to celebrate Kerry as this will be her last Compass as our president. We were thrilled to see our wonderful leader begin to get her flowers.

Yo Ben Cohen built a company -Ben & Jerry’s- that refused to separate its commercial business and its social mission, an...
06/09/2026

Yo Ben Cohen built a company -Ben & Jerry’s- that refused to separate its commercial business and its social mission, and for nearly five decades Ben has proven that business can make a profit while doing the right thing.

Ben said this about the prominent role that business now plays in society: “So now that business has become the most powerful force, it can no longer sit on the sidelines. It needs to be a fully participating member of our community and to stand for justice and human rights.”

What a sweet start to our Compass Summer Investors Conference!

Address

Washington D.C., DC

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12025594432

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