Watch the 2023 ALBA/Puffin Award Ceremony

June 16, 2023

An award ceremony was held on May 6 in New York City to honor the 2023 ALBA/Puffin Award for Human Rights Activism recipient, Indigenous Women Rising (IWR). One of the largest monetary awards for human rights in the world, the ALBA/Puffin Award is a $100,000 cash prize granted annually by ALBA and the Puffin Foundation to honor the nearly 3,000 Americans who volunteered in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) to fight fascism under the banner of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. IWR is an Indigenous-led full-spectrum reproductive justice organization, helping Indigenous families pay for and access abortion care, menstrual hygiene, culturally sensitive education, and midwifery funding and support.

ALBA’s Vice Chair Maria Hernandez-Ojeda began the program with a moment of silence for friends we have lost in recent years including Perry Rosenstein, Harry Belafonte, Bruce Barthol, Jim Skillman, James Polshek, Manus O’Riordan, Freda Tanz, Corine Thornton, Gwendolyn Hall, Andrea Sender, and others. Jack Mayerhofer, chair of ALBA’s Human Rights Committee, moderated a panel discussion featuring representatives from recent award recipients IWR, Life After Hate, and My Brother’s Keeper. Neal Rosenstein, President of the Puffin Foundation spoke to the gathering, followed by Rachael Guerra-Cordero de Lorenzo of IWR who inspired us all with the moving stories of why she founded IWR and what keeps her motivated every day to continue to serve indigenous people in her community and beyond. David Parsard of Brown University paid tribute to the Native American vets of the ALB, while Nancy Wallach gave a presentation in honor of Ruth Davidow, ALB vet, nurse, and activist.