Albright leaves a living legacy of bipartisanship on international religious freedom

Ours is not the first, and it will not be the last, tribute to Madeleine Albright. She was an extraordinary woman and leader, who inspired an entire generation of young people as the first female secretary of State. Her accomplishments were many, her influence far-reaching and her character revered by anyone who knew her.  

Madeline Albright was not only serious about foreign policy, but she knew her way around Washington like few others do. She understood that laughter makes the heart merry and made for good diplomacy, too. Though undoubtedly liberal in her political leanings, she always looked for common ground, regardless of party. She was respectful and curious like few others. And perhaps one of her most enduring legacies was an issue that showed how truly bipartisan she was: her work on human rights and particularly her commitment to protecting religious freedom.

Albright might have ruffled a few feathers in her own foreign policy circles when she strongly supported the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), passed by Republican majorities and signed into law by President Clinton. But two unlikely allies that helped establish the “landmark law,” as she called it in her book “The Mighty and the Almighty,” were the late Rep. Tom Lantos and then-Sen. Sam Brownback. 

Tom Lantos shared a friendship with Madeleine Albright that went well beyond their shared passion for foreign policy. Tom, who endured the Holocaust as a teenager in Hungary to become the only survivor ever to serve in the U.S. Congress, found a kindred spirit in Albright, a native of Czechoslovakia who discovered late in life that she had Jewish roots. Theirs was a relationship built on shared history, mutual respect, and a deep commitment to ensuring the protection of human rights around the world. 

On the other hand, Madeleine Albright and Sam Brownback formed what she lovingly called the “ultimate political odd couple.” Despite their differing political ideology, they shared a bleeding heart for compassionate international causes. During a workshop together at Georgetown where she taught, they found unity in their determination to stop genocide, end human trafficking, help refugees and promote religious freedom around the world. 

These three unlikely allies, along with a number of other committed members of Congress, were united during the foreign policy debate when it came to whether or not protecting religious freedom around the world as a matter of policy was an appropriate role for the U.S. government. Some thought it was a violation of the Establishment Clause; others felt it was an inappropriate use of diplomatic time and effort. But this trio agreed that, in order to promote human rights and freedom around the world, it was essential to protect, as a basic human right, the ability to worship according to the dictates of one’s conscience.

IRFA established an independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and called for the State Department to issue an annual report on the global status of religious liberty. Albright wrote that IRFA made “identifying and condemning all forms of religious persecution an integral part of U.S. foreign policy and has caused American diplomats to become more comfortable and practiced at raising the issue.” It also created a new position within the State Department: the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.

From that work, many years ago, sprang our own unlikely friendship. Almost 20 years after IRFA’s passage, Sam Brownback became the 5th Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, while Katrina Lantos Swett, daughter of the late Congressman Lantos, served on USCIRF from 2012-2016, with two terms as chair. Perhaps we are the 2022 version of a political odd couple, but we have Secretary Albright to thank for bringing us together. Though no longer with us, she leaves a living legacy of bipartisan advocacy for international religious freedom.

We are honored to build upon this legacy, ourselves strange partners standing shoulder-to-shoulder to advocate for religious freedom for everyone, everywhere, at all times. Together we co-chair the IRF Summit and are building a broad, bipartisan coalition of religious and human rights civil society groups determined to make freedom of religion, conscience and belief a powerful grassroots cause.

We like to think Madeleine would approve.  

God bless you Madeleine Albright, and may your memory be a blessing to all who knew you. 

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, former chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and co-chair of IRF Summit 2022.Samuel Brownback, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom (2018-21) and co-chair of IRF Summit 2022.