Bobby Kennedy switched schools many times as a kid, further adding to to his troubles. He had trouble making friends and fitting in. Instead of learning people's names, he just called the boys "fella", and soon, it became his nickname. Bobby didn't care very much however. He played football and made one friend whose name was David Hackett. The book reads, "Hackett was impressed with Kennedy's unwillingness to compromise to gain acceptance. Kennedy would not join in dirty jokes. He disliked bullying and would step in when an upperslassman tried to push around a younger boy" (39). Even as a high schooler, Bobby Kennedy had a true sense of right and wrong, moral and immoral. I believe that this shows it was a part of his true character and always was. It wasn't simply aqquired when he became a public servant.
Also, when an African-American was invited to speak at his college, Harvard, the man refused to come speak since the audience was going to be segregated. However, "Kennedy was determined he should come and that the university should open its doors. When other student leaders balked, Kennedy stood up and shouted, "You're all gutless!" He became so enraged addressing the university's governing board that he was vitually incoherent. But Kennedy's insistence worked: Bunche spoke to an integrated audience, open to the public" (55). Bobby Kennedy was a determined person and would go to any measure to make sure what was morally right happened. I think it takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there, especially for an unpopular stance. That takes courage. I think it must have run in the Kennedy family, considering his brother JFK wrote "Profiles In Courage", which describes many courageous men in history who put their popularity aside during their service to their country.
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I'm glad he was able to balance his early life problems with his guts and bold character. I'm happy that Bobby's friend was able to like him for genuineness, which might not have been conventional in high school. Also, I admire his courage for telling people to listen to the African American speaker; that takes some courage. He seemed very true and intelligent, which most likely played a big part in his later life with becoming a politician.
Its incredible how just one person standing up against something can make such a huge difference. Even though Bobby stood up alone at his high school, he was able to integrate his classmates which was a big feat.
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