Courage for Our Time: Practices for Courage in Uncertain Times

Dedication to the Twin Cities: A Testament of Collective Courage

This year, the JFK Library Foundation profile in Courage award has chosen to honor more than a single leader; it honors the collective spirit of an entire community. The 2026 Profile in Courage Award recognizes the extraordinary resilience shown by the residents of Minneapolis and St. Paul during "Operation Metro Surge"—a period of intense federal immigration enforcement that tested the very fabric of our shared life in the Twin Cities.

The Foundation observed how tens of thousands of neighbors, faith leaders, and community groups wove themselves into a "rapid-response network." In temperatures far below zero, they stood together in peaceful, steadfast resistance—documenting enforcement and protecting immigrant families at great personal risk.
The generative power of this collective action serves as a profound reminder of the strength that emerges when citizens courageously refuse to be divided. It demonstrates how, in the hardest of times, the courage of ordinary people standing up for one another can clear a path for justice.

This book—written by Leni de Mik, a clinical psychologist, immigrant, and daughter of a resister of the WWII Nazi occupation—speaks deeply to these practices of courage. It explores the inner and outer landscapes of resistance, honoring the challenges and the heart-work required to uphold such a legacy.

The awards will be formally presented at the JFK Presidential Library in Boston on May 31.