Late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy to get Harvey B. Gantt Triumph Award

The YWCA's Harvey B. Gantt Triumph Award goes this year to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

The award will be presented to Kennedy's son, Patrick J. Kennedy, at the 40th annual ecumenical service, scheduled for 4 p.m. Jan. 15 at Morris Street Baptist Church, 25 Morris St.

During his Charleston visit, Patrick Kennedy, a former congressman from Rhode Island, also will be recognized for his contributions to civil rights.

Edward Kennedy is the 27th recipient of the Harvey Gantt award. U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn will give the keynote address at the service.

Clay Middleton, chairman of the award selection committee, said Kennedy is a deserving honoree.

"Sen. Kennedy's lifeworks reflect not only the YWCA's national theme of 'Eliminating Racism and Empowering Women,' but also his principled stands in support of human and civil rights," Middleton said in a statement.

Kennedy held his Massachusetts Senate seat for more than four decades, until his death in 2009. He sponsored legislation that raised the minimum wage in 1981, made access to health care easier for the indigent and funded Meals on Wheels for fixed-income seniors. He helped cut the legal voting age from 21 to 18 and worked to fund women's athletics.

The award, sponsored by the YWCA since 1984, is named after iconic Charleston figure Gantt, who integrated Clemson University in 1963, graduated with honors in 1965, pursued a successful career as an architect and became the first black mayor of Charlotte in 1983.

The service, free and open to the public, is part of a series of events scheduled to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. For more information, call the YWCA at 722-1644.