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Pilsen Activist Honored
Pilsen-based community leader Neris Gonzalez will be honored on April 11th for her incredible contributions for social justice at the local and international level. This long deserved award comes from the Crossroads Fund, a public foundation supporting grassroots social change work in Chicagos communities.
In July, a Florida jury found in favor of Ms. Gonzalez and a group of Salvadorans who had been detained and brutally tortured by Salvadoran security forces between 1979 and 1983. These individuals took down two former Salvadoran generals for committing human atrocitiesa major victory for the global human rights movement.
Ms. Gonzalez is a longtime activist in the Latino community, particularly in her home neighborhood of Pilsen. She is a co-founder and Executive Director of ECOVIDA, a grassroots organization that uses popular education to create ecological awareness, economic empowerment, and resident leadership through urban organic farming. This group has successfully organized and ecologized numerous inner city blocks to create healthier Chicago communities.
Crossroads Fund will honor Neris Gonzalez at its annual benefit on April 11th at the Chicago Cultural Center. In addition to Ms. Gonzalez, Crossroads will honor the Peoples Law Office and the Illinois Coalition Against the Death Penalty for their legal support of groups and individuals organizing for social change.
Since 1981, Crossroads has distributed millions of dollars to hundreds of grassroots organizations-- often the first foundation support for groups that go on to gain visibility and create lasting change throughout the city and beyond.