Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was honored in Boston with the Edward M. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her decades of public service and leadership.
Joseph P. Kennedy III, Deval Patrick, Michelle Wu and Patrick Kennedy reflected on Pelosi’s legacy, including her history-making tenure as the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House and her work on the Affordable Care Act.
Nancy Pelosi received a Lifetime Achievement Award
in Boston this evening.
The former House Speaker is finishing up
her last term in office after 40 years on the job.
Boston 25's Carly Dion is on scene outside
of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute.
Sunday night was really about celebrating a woman whose decades
of public service paved the way for those who came after her,
including many of our own leaders right here in Massachusetts.
She's a legislative legend, a magician, frankly.
The Edward M. Kennedy Institute honoring U.S. Representative and House
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
I accept every compliment on behalf of my House members
who made every success possible.
Speaker Pelosi is...
The most impactful and best speaker the United States has ever had.
The award honors leadership and service to the country,
which inspires civil discourse and bipartisan solutions,
which former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick says she excelled at.
She was able throughout her career to work across the aisle
and show what good can come when we work together.
Pelosi served as the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives.
And elected the first woman to serve that role,
paving the way for women like Mayor Michelle Wu,
the first woman elected mayor of Boston.
She always reminds, I think, particularly women leaders that.
The honor also comes as Pelosi's long career has drawn
its share of criticism,
from Republicans who opposed her agenda to progressives
who argued she didn't go far enough.
But Edward M. Kennedy's son Patrick says his dad would
be proud if he was chosen for this honor,
acknowledging her commitment to passing the Affordable Care Act.
As you know, health care was my father's greatest legacy,
and so we're so honored that we have a chance to honor her for her.
lifetime of public service to our country.
Nancy Pelosi is now the second recipient to receive
the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Institute, with former
President Joe Biden being the inaugural recipient just last year.
On scene in Boston, Carly Dion for your local station, Boston 25 News.
