HPJC 2016 Peacemaker Awards Dinner with Sonia Nazario

Join peace and justice activists from the southeast Texas area in our 2016 celebration of peacemakers. The reservation deadline was Nov. 7, and the meal counts have already been turned into the hotel, so no more reservations can be accepted.

Our national peacemaker and keynote speaker for 2016 is Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario, author of bestseller Enrique’s Journey, a true story about a young Honduran boy’s search for his mother who left home to find work in the US to pay for food for her starving family. The story is representative of thousands of children who endure similar struggles, many of whom die while trying to reach their mothers. Read Nazario’s LA Times articles that led to her Pulitzer Prize.  Nazario’s latest article in the NY Times in English or en Español.

Our local peacemaker awardees, who will also tell us about their activities, are:

• Ashton Woods is an activist in the Black Lives Matter and SGL/GLBT rights movements, and works tirelessly for equality and to end racism and gender discrimination.  He describes himself as a gay, atheist, HIV-positive and “unapologetically black” man who believes that justice must be intersectional.  While none of these things completely define Woods, they highlight the multiple dimensions that help define his justice work.
• Jackie Young, executive director of Texas Health and Environment Alliance and leader of the San Jacinto River Coalition. See her recent Houston Chronicle op-ed on the San Jacinto waste pits, a Texans Together feature article about her, and a Houston Press article about her and her family’s struggle with the effects of the river’s waste pits, which are now among the top Superfund sites in the US. Also see the Houston Chronicle’s Nick Anderson editorial cartoon series on Jackie and the waste pits: part 1, part 2
• Bren Hardt, long-time peace activist with Fellowship of Reconciliation, Creating a Culture of Peace, Board of Church and Society – Peace with Justice Program of the United Methodist Church, and Houston Non-Violent Communication (NVC). Bren has initiated and organized training and informational programs for other activist to develop the skills and understanding in ourselves that we need to build a peaceful and just world.

A special recognition will also given to Casa Juan Diego, that has served immigrants and the poor in Houston for many years.

Location, parking, How to get there:

The festivities will be at the Hilton Hotel on the campus of the University of Houston. Check-in, with a cash bar and social hour for everyone attending the dinner, is from 6-7 pm. The dinner and program start at 7 pm. Parking is available in the garage under the UH Hilton Hotel – note that there are TWO parking levels there, so if the first is full, go down to the lower level.  There is a UH football game in the afternoon of the dinner, and fans may be leaving it as people arrive for our dinner, so allow for some extra time due to traffic. We will have discount parking passes for the UH Hilton garage for $5, at the dinner check-in area. There is also parking across the street in the UH Welcome Center parking garage (just east of the hotel), but it may cost as much as the discounted Hilton garage tickets.

It’s also easy to ride Metrorail’s Purple Line to the University of Houston, and then you won’t have to worry about parking at all. It runs every 12 minutes in both directions on Saturday. The UH South/University Oaks stop is closest to the UH Hilton.

Map and directions

Additional donations not only support the work of HPJC to promote peace and justice, but also allow us to invite activists of slender means who would not otherwise be able to attend. If you can’t come, you may join or donate to HPJC instead, so support our work for peace and justice. Wally James of KPFT plans to record Sonia Nazario’s talk, and at least that part of our program may be broadcast later on his show, the Progressive Forum, Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 pm.