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Three Organizations Fighting for Migrant Rights Win 2019 RFK Human Rights Award

4/23/2019Press Release

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June 6 Event on Capitol Hill to Honor Angry Tias and Abuelas of the Rio Grande Valley, Detained Migrant Solidarity Committee, and La Unión del Pueblo Entero

WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 23, 2019 - Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights today announced that three organizations advocating for migrant rights and the humane treatment of asylum seekers will be honored at the 36th Annual Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Awards in Washington DC. This year, Human Rights Awards will be presented to Angry Tias and Abuelas of the Rio Grande Valley in recognition of their pursuit of dignity and justice for individuals and families seeking asylum at our borders; Detained Migrant Solidarity Committee (DMSC), an organization that challenges the inhumanity of the US migrant detention system; and La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), the organization founded by labor rights activist César Chávez and Dolores Huerta to build strong communities where residents can leverage the power of civic engagement for social change.

The ceremony will take place at 11:00 AM EST on Thursday, June 6 in The Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill.

“The Trump administration has continued to create an unprecedented level of fear along our borders through both dangerous rhetoric and regressive policies that bury the core truth – we are a nation of immigrants and a place where the ‘tired, poor, huddled masses’ have always sought new freedoms and opportunity,” said Kerry Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights President. “As the political debates around immigration policy continue to ignore the humanity at the core of this fundamental human rights issue, we are honored to recognize Angry Tias and Abuelas of the Rio Grande Valley, Detained Migrant Solidarity Committee, and La Unión del Pueblo Entero for their tireless work to secure dignity, safety, and community for those seeking that very same opportunity and freedoms we all so frequently take for granted.”

Since its inception, the Human Rights Award has honored activists from 30 countries. The organization works to forge strategic partnerships with laureates whose work advances human rights causes all over the world. In combining resources and collaborating on global social impact initiatives, Human Rights Award laureates amplify their transformative work to a worldwide audience.

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Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

Led by human rights activist and lawyer Kerry Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights has advocated for a more just and peaceful world since 1968. We work alongside local activists to ensure lasting positive change in governments and corporations. Whether in the United States or abroad, our programs have pursued justice through strategic litigation on key human rights issues, educated millions of children in human rights advocacy and fostered a social good approach to business and investment.

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award

The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award honors an individual or group of individuals who stand up to oppression at grave personal risk in the nonviolent pursuit of human rights. Since inception, the Human Rights Award has honored activists from 30 countries. We forge strategic partnerships with laureates whose work advances human rights causes all over the world. In combining resources and collaborating on strategy, our laureates amplify their transformative work to a worldwide audience.

About the Honorees The Angry Tias and Abuelas of the Rio Grande Valley

is a diverse, grassroots association of women dedicated to assisting the migrants arriving at the Texas Mexico border. It was spontaneously organized in the summer of 2018 by local women bringing food, water and blankets to endangered migrant families stranded on the international bridges in south Texas. The Tias' efforts include providing information and immediate humanitarian aid to migrants left at the bus stations, or trapped on the bridges or dangerous parts of Mexico due to the administration's "Stay in Mexico" policy; working with migrants suffering long term detention in prison- like conditions; and documenting and reporting first hand on the harms caused by U.S. policies, such as the separation of families, and kidnapping and trafficking.

The Detained Migrant Solidarity Committee

are a group of liberation activists building community to practice solidarity with detained migrants. Together we challenge the inhumanity of the U.S. migrant detention system, its practices and policies, by holding a visible presence and raising awareness of abuses in our communities.

Founded by César E. Chavez & Dolores Huerta, La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) was rooted in the belief that members of the low-income community have the responsibility and the obligation to organize themselves, and through their association, begin to advocate for solutions to the issues that impact their lives. Serving the low- income immigrant community of the South Texas Border, LUPE believes that for people to have ownership of this endeavor, they have to invest of themselves, their efforts and resources, to sustain it. The membership, and the responsibility that comes with it, power the organization. In the midst of family separation crisis, LUPE immigrant families welcome new immigrants into the nation while advocating for long-term immigration relief.