(Host) The University of Vermont is hosting a panel discussion on Monday afternoon, “Politics and the Public Trust: The Next Generation of Civic Heroes.” The panel includes attorney, author and environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Kennedy says that contemporary society often confuses celebrity and materialism with heroism, and that people need to re-think their value systems.
(Kennedy) “I think one of the things we’re trying to explore here is just the whole concept of heroism and what does it mean. Ultimately to me it just means self-sacrifice, it means the willingness to elevate the public interest, or the community’s interest, above your own.”
(Host) Also speaking at Monday’s forum are Senator Patrick Leahy, former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin, UVM political science professor Frank Bryan, and political analyst Adam Clymer.
The discussion is the first in a series of public events celebrating the life of the late Charlie Ross, who earned a reputation in Vermont and in Washington as a strong consumer advocate and environmentalist.