BOSTON — They were refugees from the war in Syria, looking forward to starting a new life in Indiana.
But for this married couple and their 5-year-old son, excitement turned to dread when the governor declared that they were not welcome. It was right after a series of terrorist attacks in Paris, and Republican governors, including Mike Pence of Indiana, abruptly closed their states to Syrian refugees, citing security concerns.
“Suddenly in the middle of darkness, there was a light, a person who was generous in spirit and who was good, who accepted us,” said the mother, whose name is Fatema (her last name was withheld due to concerns about the safety of relatives back in Syria).
She was referring to Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who personally welcomed the family in November. On Sunday, Malloy’s advocacy on behalf of the refugees won him the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
“Gov. Dannel Malloy upheld his American promise when he welcomed the family of Syrian refugees to his state after they’d been turned away,” Jack Schlossberg, President Kennedy’s grandson, said during a ceremony at the Kennedy library. “Half of U.S. governors, numerous leading presidential candidates and countless others across our country called for a ban on any and all Syrian refugees.
“Hateful, xenophobic made its way to the mainstream … but fortunately for our country, and for the refugees fleeing the violence and terror, some Americans stood up for our values,” Schlossberg said. “Gov. Malloy was one such American.”
Malloy, who is struggling with low popularity ratings and a budget crisis back in Connecticut, said he was profoundly moved to collect the award, named for the nation’s first Catholic president.
“There are those who would deny the very fabric of who we are and what we are, they would roll back the religious freedom we all hold do dear,” Malloy told the crowd. “When I saw that, I decided to raise my voice.”
He added: “There will be other occasions when we will be called upon to do this, [such as] standing up for transgender individuals,” Malloy said. “There will be other challenges to those basic freedoms that we hold dear. But let there be no doubt that there will be Americans who say ‘not in my city … not in my state.'”
Connecticut is on track to host 800 refugees from all over the world this year, an increase over past years, said Chris George, executive director of Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services in New Haven, one of the state’s most active refugee resettlement groups. He said the state has welcomed about 100 Syrian refugees since turmoil engulfed that country in 2014.
“Connecticut is taking the lead in resettling refugees,” said George, who credits Malloy with setting the tone.
Fatema called Malloy “a true humanitarian” who treated her family with dignity and respect. “I know that the world has bad people. He actually reminded me that the world has good people, too.”
The award, named after Kennedy’s book, “Profiles in Courage,” is given annually to public officials who exhibit considerable courage and take a political risk by acting on principle. Past winners include former Congresswoman Gabrielle “Gabby’ Giffords of Arizona, who survived a shooting and has become a national advocate for stronger gun laws, and Bob Inglis, a former congressman from South Carolina who lost his bid for re-election after speaking out on climate change. Former Connecticut Gov. Lowell P. Weicker won it in 1992 after instituting the state’s first income tax.
Malloy, who was selected from about 4,000 nominees, said after the ceremony that he received plenty of positive reaction after his high-profile decision to welcome the refugees to Connecticut, But he also said his office also got some pushback from critics, including “lots of emails and calls. … People called in and said nasty things.”
Asked during a brief press conference to ponder the meaning of his gesture toward the refugees, Malloy said he does not view it as an act of courage. “It was an act of decency,” he said.
Malloy’s siblings and his wife, Cathy, and their three sons were in the audience. The crowd also included former Sen. Chris Dodd, a member of the award selection panel, and U.S. Rep. John Larson, as well as members of Malloy’s inner circle, among them, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, budget chief Ben Barnes and criminal justice adviser Michael Lawlor.
Kennedy family members present included Schlossberg and his father, Edwin Schlossberg, who is married to Caroline Kennedy, the late president’s daughter. Ted Kennedy Jr., a Connecticut state senator and the son of former U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, did not attend.
