At ESPYS, Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s son tells Michelle Obama: ‘Our mother would have loved you’
The former first lady presented the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage posthumously to the founder of the Special Olympics.
Michelle Obama took the stage at The ESPYS to present the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage posthumously to Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics and sister of President John F. Kennedy and senators Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy. “I am here tonight to honor a remarkable woman, a woman who believed that everyone has something to contribute and everyone deserves a chance to push themselves, to find out what they’re made of and to compete and win,” Obama said. “She knew that when we give others a chance to fulfill their greatest potential, we all win.”
It was an honor to stand with these incredible @SpecialOlympics athletes and celebrate Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s legacy at tonight’s @ESPYS. pic.twitter.com/RXzkhAh4it
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) July 13, 2017
Shriver died in August 2009 at the age of 88. The former first lady gave the award to Shriver’s son, Tim, who accepted the trophy on his mother’s behalf.
“Once a great first lady, still a great first lady,” he said. “Our mother would have loved you. She would have loved your forthrightness, your honesty, your toughness, your commitment, also, to get everyone on the playing field. She would have been so honored that you’re here for her tonight.”
In his acceptance speech, Shriver, who is the current chairman of Special Olympics, spoke of his mother’s efforts to push for the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, both on and off the athletic field.
“People told her that because she was a woman she couldn’t be an athlete, and because she was a woman she shouldn’t lead,” he said. “That was for her brothers. And because she was a woman she shouldn’t be so aggressive — she shouldn’t push for people with intellectual disabilities…Wrong, wrong, wrong! My mother knew that athletes of Special Olympics have the same dedication, the same commitment, the same guts, and they deserve the same glory as every other athlete competing in this country and around the world.”
Watch his remarks below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHdTvBEZi3Q
