"Let Us Begin" - A JFK35 Podcast Series

In this bonus episode JFK35, we interview 2020 New Frontier Award honorees Christina Fialho and Christina Mansfield, who co-founded the non-profit Freedom For Immigrants. The organization has influenced new laws in California to protect immigrant rights and stop the expansion of controversial private detention facilities for immigrants. 

In this bonus episode JFK35, we interview 2020 New Frontier Award honoree Washington Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib. Habib received the award for his work on important issues for his constituents including sponsoring bills that would guarantee paid sick leave for almost all workers and the Washington Voting Rights Act, which would prevent racially polarized voting systems.

For many, the holidays are a time to be with family and friends, decorate trees, and send out cards to loved ones. Things weren’t much different in the early 1960s - though in the midst of the Cold War, there were concerns about Santa Claus’s safety during nuclear testing. We sat down with archivists Stacey Chandler, Maryrose Grossman, and Laura Kintz who talked about President Kennedy’s reassuring message to a child that the North Pole would be safe, as well as other holidays moments and traditions inside the Kennedy White House.

The environment and climate change have become household issues in the 2020 Presidential Election, but in 1960, the issue did not have the same sense of urgency. Still, President John F. Kennedy had a strong affection for the environment and its protection. In this episode, we look at some of President Kennedy's environmental legacy and speak to his granddaughter, Tatiana Schlossberg, about her new book on how our everyday decisions can have a major impact on the environment.

If you picture President Kennedy, you might imagine him sailing confidently on the sea, or charming visiting heads of state, or tackling questions from the press. But below that cool exterior, JFK was actually kind of a nerd. We speak with JFK Library archivist Stacey Chandler to get a closer look at the man behind the cool sunglasses and clever remarks.

Meet the JFK Library’s new curator Janice Hodson, as she discusses her background, how she found herself at the JFK Library, and a sneak peak at a new exhibit next spring. As a special treat (no tricks!), we will also revisit a Halloween story from the Kennedy White House.

40 years after the opening of the JFK Library, we speak with its first two directors, Dan Fenn and Chuck Daly, as they recall the events that led up to the Library’s dedication and their work establishing its mission. We will also speak with current Library Director Alan Price about his vision for the future of the Library.

President Kennedy’s legacy from public service to science and technology to the arts continues to resonate today almost 60 years later. In this episode, learn about the Library’s revamped legacy gallery and hear from the Library’s museum specialists who helped design it.

Space scientists Maria Zuber, MIT Vice President for Research, Laurie Leshin, President of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Sara Seager, MIT Professor of Planetary Science and Physics, join us to discuss their experiments in space and vision for the next generation.

Astronauts Dr. Tracy Caldwell Dyson (US) and Koichi Wakata (Japan) discuss what it's like to live in space and the future of space exploration.

In the first episode of our Summer Space Special, we talk to Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins about his history-making trip to the Moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, along with his thoughts on the future of NASA's space program.

Senator Chris Dodd explains why Speaker Nancy Pelosi received the 2019 JFK Profile in Courage Award including her work passing healthcare reform and expanding access to healthcare for all Americans.

For the first time, a portion of the JFK Library's Edward M. Kennedy Collection featuring documents, recordings, and photos from his four decades in the Senate have been opened to the public. We speak with Chief Archivist Karen Abramson, Senator Alan Simpson, and longtime Kennedy aid Barbara Souliotis.

When President Kennedy took office in 1961, the United States appeared to be struggling to keep up with the Soviet Union on space exploration. President Kennedy made space a priority and promised to land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. In this episode, we’ll talk with historian Doug Brinkley on how President Kennedy helped turn things around and set up the country for a successful lunar landing almost 50 years ago.

Alan Price, who joined the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum as its 6^th director in 2018, tells us why he took the job and what he hopes to do as the Library’s latest steward. Plus, learn more about what the roles of Presidential Libraries are and why they’re important.

Kirk Lemoyne "Lem" Billings is the man who’s often referred to as JFK’s best friend. We speak with Library reference archivist Stacey Chandler and audiovisual archivist Maryrose Grossman to understand how the two found each other became such close friends.

The JFK Library Foundation and Institute of Politics at Harvard University continue to honor those who heed JFK's call for a New Frontier with the New Frontier Awards. This week, we talk with this year’s honorees including some of the organizers of the March for Our Lives movement and the youngest-elected Mayor of Stockton California.

The West Wing has been portrayed in popular culture from TV shows including “The West Wing” and “House of Cards” or on the big screen in films like “The American President.” But what is working in the White House really like? Listen to this week’s episode where we will learn more about the early days of President Kennedy’s West Wing from a staffer who was there. We will also interview former Obama Administration staffers who say they felt echoes of Kennedy in their West Wing more than half a century later.

Learn more about JFK's positions on immigration and hear from some notable US immigrants including former SNL cast member Horatio Sanz, actor Bambadjan Bamba, and Khizr and Ghazala Khan.

When you imagine the Kennedy White House, you might picture state dinners and other social events where artists, poets, and musicians mingle with scientists, politicians, and diplomats. But it wasn’t only the famous - or even only adults - who got to enjoy the arts at the White House.