Tom Lantos, the Foundation’s namesake, often called himself “an American by choice”. He was an ardent patriot, but he was neither blind nor indifferent to America’s many flaws and failures – above all, its original sin of slavery and the centuries of persecution, discrimination and institutionalized racism that have followed. In the wake of terrible and revelatory events that have now shaken our nation and, perhaps, awoken us from complacency, the Lantos Foundation has thought often and deeply about how Tom would respond to this critical moment in history.

The Foundation’s President, and Tom’s daughter, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett has written a very personal essay imagining what advice he would give us.

As Dr. Lantos Swett writes, “I believe the sight of Americans of every color and background standing together to demand that our country live up to the full measure of our founding creed would stir my father deep in his soul. I have no doubt that he would remind us that the fight for human rights must begin at home. He would add his eloquent voice to the call for profound reform and renewal in the country he so loved. He would urge us to use this historic moment to wrestle with the hard truths and make long overdue changes that will allow us to claim the phrase ‘all men [and women] are created equal’ without hypocrisy.”

While the Lantos Foundation will never stray from its broad mission to carry the noble banner of human rights to every corner of the world, we will also use this moment to reflect carefully on how we can best support and encourage the important movement for racial justice that is currently sweeping the nation. We look forward to incorporating new ideas and forging new partnerships as we work to further Tom’s legacy of fighting for human rights and justice for all people, both at home and abroad.