Dear John,

WOLA’s 2022 Human Rights Awards and Benefit Gala on September 21 is getting closer, and it promises to be an event you will not want to miss.

We will kick off with a very special performance by activist and award-winning singer-songwriter Gina Chavez who will lead us through an evening of reflection and celebration of human rights activism in Latin America.

Every year, we honor organizations or individuals who have worked tirelessly to promote human rights, democracy, and justice in Latin America. Our awardees exemplify a commitment to WOLA’s vision for the future, where human rights and social justice are the foundation for public policy.

This year, multi award winning investigative journalist José Luis Sanz will be among those who will help us honor the tireless work and inspiring bravery of:

Máxima Emiliana García Valey and Demecia Yat in representation of the Maya Achi women of Rabinal and the Maya Q’eqchi’ women of Sepur Zarco in Guatemala, for their determination, over many decades, to bring to justice the paramilitary and military officials responsible for their sexual violence during the Guatemalan internal armed conflict in the early 1980s.

Salvadoran human rights lawyer at Cristosal, David Morales, who is the lead prosecuting lawyer representing the victims of the massacre of El Mozote, where scores of people were killed by members of a U.S.-trained elite force during El Salvador’s civil war in the early 1980s. His uphill battle for justice continues to this day, as he fights the attacks of President Nayib Bukele who is leading a campaign to suspend human rights and against lawyers like him.

Representative Joaquin Castro (D – TX 20th District) for his unwavering commitment to human rights at the U.S.-Mexico border and in U.S. policy towards Latin America. Castro has worked to promote policies that protect vulnerable migrants at the border and regionally and has consistently uplifted human rights concerns in Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America.