JFK Jr. Forum: Centering Human Rights in U.S. Foreign Policy

The John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum hosted “Unyielding Principles: The Future of Human Rights in Foreign Policy,” on September 15, 2025. Moderated by Professor Kathryn Sikkink and co-sponsored by the Institute of Politics and the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights, this important discussion brought together the Center’s four inaugural Senior Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy Fellows, Jessica Stern, Desiree Cormier-Smith, Maggie Doherty, and Kelly Fay Rodríguez, whose recent government service had placed them at the center of efforts to embed human rights into U.S. foreign policy.

Sikkink began by honoring the late HKS Dean Joseph Nye, who had theorized “soft power” and insisted that human rights were central to it. She reminded the audience that U.S. human rights policy had bipartisan origins in Congress, embraced by both Carter’s and Reagan’s presidencies in different forms. But, she added, the present moment was more fragile: “We’re now at a very difficult moment, where it’s essential to think about what is the future of human rights in U.S. foreign policy.” With that, she invited the panelists to describe how they had approached their own roles.

First Reflections: Mandates and Methods

Sikkink’s first question asked how each fellow had carried out her responsibilities as a special representative, envoy, or assistant. Cormier-Smith described her mandate to promote racial equity and justice globally, stressing that she refused to use the term minorities because “people of color are actually the global majority.” Her role, she explained, was not to admonish foreign governments but to ensure that U.S. policies did not deepen inequities—and, ideally, to leverage influence to advance equality.

Doherty followed with the perspective of a White House coordinator, explaining that much of her work involved aligning the interagency process before the U.S. could credibly engage multilaterally. Stern described leading foreign policy on LGBTQI+ rights, where the challenge was both principled and pragmatic: “Equality before the law serves national interests. Discrimination harms economies and national security.” Fay Rodríguez, in turn, pointed to labor rights as the foundation of democratic stability, recalling that workers worldwide often face threats and violence for organizing.

Why Human Rights Belong in Foreign Policy

As the conversation deepened, Sikkink asked what lessons from these roles revealed about the integration of human rights into U.S. foreign policy. Stern responded candidly: she often felt “a little bit desperate” trying to persuade policymakers that human rights matter, but insisted it was both moral leadership and “the smart, effective approach.” Cormier-Smith added that embedding equity into reports and decisions was not symbolic; it altered how governments viewed marginalized communities and sometimes led directly to policy change.

“Equality before the law serves national interests. Discrimination harms economies and national security.” –Jessica Stern

Fay Rodríguez emphasized the real-world impact of economic diplomacy, noting that enforcement actions had detained billions in goods made with forced labor. Such measures, she argued, protected workers abroad while also safeguarding U.S. competitiveness.

Resource Gaps and Political Headwinds

The panelists also reflected on the stark imbalance between global demand for U.S. leadership and the resources allocated. Stern recalled arriving at State to find that, across 80,000 employees, fewer than ten, including interns, specialized in LGBTQI+ rights. Requests for expertise poured in from embassies, Congress, and foreign governments, but the capacity to respond was scarce. Fay Rodríguez highlighted cuts of over $800 million in international labor assistance, which she said weakened both U.S. workers and human rights defenders abroad.

The conversation turned more sobering as panelists described recent reversals: the elimination of special envoys, firings of staff working on LGBTQI+ violence, and even the removal of terms such as “bisexual” from official reports. Such moves, they warned, not only harm vulnerable communities but also erode U.S. credibility in multilateral settings, leaving room for authoritarian powers to shape global norms.

Hard Questions from the Audience

When the floor opened, students pressed the panelists on U.S. complicity in conflicts such as Gaza and the limits of being one voice among tens of thousands inside government. Cormier-Smith responded with candor, noting that friends encouraged her to remain in her role as an insider voice. “My job was to remind colleagues of our shared humanity,” she said, even when disagreements were fierce.

“It reminded me that foreign policy—this abstract thing—has to be about individuals, empowerment, and our shared values.” –Kelly Fay Rodríguez

Examples from abroad illustrated how such advocacy could matter. In Peru, she recalled, simply raising the absence of constitutional recognition for Afro-descendant communities catalyzed a process that led to acknowledgment and access to basic services. Stern pointed to India’s 2018 decriminalization of homosexuality and recent rulings in the Caribbean as evidence of global progress, while warning that the burden of advancing rights falls on too few states.

Closing with Service and Shared Values

The evening concluded with stories that brought policy down to the personal. Stern described a harrowing meeting with a foreign attorney general who admitted that scapegoating LGBTQI people was politically useful. “But people in his country could not wait a day for justice,” she said, urging students to consider public service. Fay Rodríguez recounted the emotional launch of the first presidential memorandum on workers in foreign policy, where a Foreign Service officer thanked her on behalf of his immigrant mother. “It reminded me,” she said, “that foreign policy—this abstract thing—has to be about individuals, empowerment, and our shared values.”

Across the conversation, the panelists demonstrated how racial equity, labor rights, and LGBTQI+ advocacy are not separate silos but converging fronts in the struggle to keep human rights central to U.S. foreign policy. The night’s message was clear: unyielding principles, however embattled, remain essential to America’s role in the world.