The foundation previously known in Spain as Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Spain is embarking on a new chapter under the name Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center Spain, a change born of the desire to recognize and carry forward the shared legacy of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy: the steadfast defense of human rights, social justice, and peace, and the conviction that every person has the capacity to take action against injustice.
More than just a name change, this new identity represents the continuity and expansion of a commitment. Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy shared a deep conviction: that human dignity must be defended every day with courage, empathy, compassion, and action. Their legacy continues to inspire those who understand that human rights are not merely principles enshrined in declarations and treaties, but values that must be translated into concrete experiences within institutions, communities, and, especially, classrooms.
Dra. María Díaz de la Cebosa
A Shared Legacy That Looks Toward the Future
Since its establishment in Spain, the organization has made human rights education one of its main areas of focus, promoting initiatives aimed at teachers, students, and educational communities.
This new phase as the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center Spain reinforces that mission and broadens its focus toward a model based on education, youth participation, and collaboration with schools, universities, institutions, and social organizations.
The goal is to promote in Spain—and in ongoing dialogue with the international community—a culture in which human rights are no longer perceived as abstract concepts but become learning, memory, and, above all, action.
“This change represents a natural evolution of our commitment. Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy understood that justice cannot be a distant aspiration: it must be built every day, through our decisions and our ability to view others with dignity and empathy. We want new generations to understand that they, too, have the power and responsibility to transform their world,” says Dr. María Díaz de la Cebosa, president of the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center Spain.
María Díaz de la Cebosa, president of the Fundación Robert. F. Kennedy Human Rights Spain, and David Guerra, Presidente Ejecutivo del Real Sporting
Educating to Turn Human Rights into Action
One of the cornerstones of this mission is Speak Truth to Power, an international educational program inspired by the work of Kerry Kennedy and the stories of human rights defenders from around the world.
The program brings testimonies from people who decided to stand up against injustice into the classroom, allowing students and teachers to reflect on issues such as freedom, equality, discrimination, women’s rights, peace, and individual responsibility.
Its purpose goes beyond imparting knowledge: it seeks to raise awareness and demonstrate that the defense of human rights also begins with everyday decisions.
Alongside it, Teach Truth to Power delves into the training of teachers, schools, and institutions, providing materials, experiences, and tools that enable human rights to be addressed from an active and transformative perspective. Teachers thus take on a fundamental role as mentors to young people, promoting critical thinking and active participation.
This educational approach stems from a conviction that has shaped Dr. Díaz de la Cebosa’s leadership: education must produce well-prepared individuals, but also human beings capable of understanding the complexity of the world and committing to the common good.
Robert & Ethel Kennedy
“Voices from the Darkness”: When Testimony Becomes Consciousness
Another project that embodies this philosophy is Voices from the Darkness, a theatrical and educational initiative that uses theater, the spoken word, and collective reflection to bring real-life testimonies related to serious human rights violations to the public.
The initiative, based on the work of playwright Ariel Dorfman and the testimonies collected by Kerry Kennedy in Speak Truth to Power, turns the students themselves into protagonists of an awareness-raising process. Through dramatization, the young people give voice to those who have suffered persecution, discrimination, torture, political violence, or slavery, as well as to those who had the courage to defend human dignity.
In Spain, the project has reached the university level through collaborations, such as the one with the University of Deusto, in which students have actively participated in the performance and reflection on these testimonies. The experience transforms the stage into a space of memory and memory into a call to responsibility.
Mariel Hemingway and María Díaz de la Cebosa
Spain as a Space for Education and Commitment
The Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center Spain aims to continue building partnerships with universities, schools, public administrations, social organizations, and other institutions that share the conviction that the defense of human rights begins with education.
This new identity therefore represents a starting point, not a destination. It means recognizing a shared history in order to face the challenges of the present: more polarized societies, persistent inequalities, and new generations who need tools to interpret an increasingly complex global reality.
With this new phase, the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center Spain reaffirms a deeply human conviction: great changes often begin with a single person who decides not to remain indifferent.