EXPOSE INJUSTICE TEACH COURAGE ANNUAL CELEBRATE HEROES 2012 REPORT HEAL PAIN | JOIN US Pictured here: (top) Robert Kennedy and farmworkers’ activist Cesar Chavez, 1968; (bottom) Farmworkers’ activist Librada Paz and Kerry Kennedy, 2012 WHO WAS THERE: LETTER FROM THE RFK CENTER IN 2012 KERRY KENNEDY Dear Friends, HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA, Farmworkers Activist In 2013, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights will mark the PRESIDENTS JIMMY CARTER, MIKHAIL LIBRADA PAZ named 45th anniversary of its founding, making us one of the longest running human rights GORBACHEV, LECH WALESA and W.F. DE the 2012 RFK Human organizations in the world. KLERK, spoke at the RFK Center-led World Summit Rights Award Laureate In the lead-up to this milestone, 2012 was a year of growth, achievement, and long of Nobel Peace Laureates (SEE PAGE 11-12) (SEE PAGE 5) range vision. Through RFK Partners for Human Rights, we successfully beat back a bill in the Ugandan Parliament that would have levied the death penalty against sexual minorities, and we partnered with human rights defenders working on the SANTIAGO CANTON, former DEBORAH TEMKIN, who previously ground for freedom of speech in Zimbabwe, self-determination in Western Sahara, Executive Secretary of the Inter- indigenous rights in Mexico, and beyond. Through RFK Speak Truth To Power, we led the Obama Administration’s brought human rights education to more than one million students around the American Commission on Human efforts on bullying, named RFK world, from Cambodia to California, and from pre-school to law school. Through Rights, named Director of RFK Project SEATBELT Manager RFK Compass, we convened an ongoing dialogue on fiduciary responsibility with Partners for Human Rights (SEE PAGE 6) (SEE PAGE 7) regards to human rights, labor issues, and corporate governance with the largest institutional investors in the world. In Florence, Italy, RFK Europe provided human rights education programs to schools THE STUDENTS Former Congressmen DICK GEPHARDT and DENNIS across the continent, and is in the final stages of launching the RFK Europe Training OF THE KUCINICH, former NPR President and RFK press Institute, a global forum for training human rights activists and grassroots organizations. SARATOGA secretary FRANK MANKIEWICZ, and polling expert The RFK Center was founded in 1968 by Robert Kennedy’s family and friends to BOCES career JOHN ZOGBY served as election commentators for the carry forward his unfinished work. Each of these core program areas are linked by a RFK Europe US Elections watch (SEE PAGE 14) common commitment to his quest, “to tame the savageness of man and make gentle and technical the life of this world.” high school won the first annual The faith and commitment of our supporters is what makes all of this possible. I am NURSE proud to present to you the 2012 Annual Report of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Student Speak KATHRYN JOHN ZURICK, OKARI used Justice and Human Rights. Truth To Power SIKKINK named long-time the RFK Health Video Contest at 2012 RFK Book RFK Center eVillages app the Tribeca Film Award Winner consultant, to save the life (SEE PAGE 15) named Chief Festival (SEE PAGE 7) Warmly, Operating of a newborn in Lwala, Kenya Kerry Kennedy Officer President (SEE PAGE 16) PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL, former Secretary of State for Democracy, MELANIE GRIFFITH, ANTONIO BANDERAS, MARTIN SHEEN, IN 2013, THE RFK CENTER WELCOMES Human Rights, and Labor, MICHAEL ROBERT SMITH AS BOARD CHAIR AND THANKS POSNER, and many more spoke at MARCIA GAY-HARDEN, and OUTGOING CHAIR ORIN KRAMER FOR THREE YEARS RFK Compass conferences ALEXIS BLEDEL performed the OF TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP. (SEE PAGE 9-10) Speak Truth To Power play 1 | Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights 2012 Annual Report | 2 “THOSE WITH THE COURAGE TO ENTER THE MORAL CONFLICT WILL FIND THEMSELVES WITH HUMAN RIGHTS COMPANIONS IN EVERY CORNER OF THE GLOBE.” AROUND THE WORLD –Robert F. Kennedy, 1966 LIBRADA PAZ | U.S.A. 2012 RFK HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD LAUREATE Carrying forward Robert Kennedy’s work with Cesar Chavez to extend basic human rights and labor rights to America’s farm and migrant workers FRANK MUGISHA | UGANDA SWEDEN 2011 RFK HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD LAUREATE Protecting LGBTI rights and promoting HIV/AIDS awareness at a time when several African nations are considering laws against sexual minorities CANADA ROMANIA UNITED STATES ITALY CHINA NEPAL HONG KONG HAITI NICARAGUA ABEL BARRERA HERNÁNDEZ | MEXICO 2010 RFK HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD LAUREATE CAMBODIA Fighting for the full spectrum of human rights of indigenous and rural communities and demanding protection of human RWANDA rights defenders in the region MAGODONGA MAHLANGU AND WOMEN OF ZIMBABWE ARISE (WOZA) | ZIMBABWE 2009 RFK HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD LAUREATE Advocating for political and social change in Zimbabwe, empowering women, and striving for universal education SOUTH AFRICA KEY RFK Human Rights Defenders AMINATOU HAIDAR | WESTERN SAHARA 2008 RFK HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD LAUREATE Countries where the Speak Truth To Power Human Rights Curriculum is Promoting the civil and political rights of the Sahrawi taught people of Western Sahara, including freedom of speech and assembly and the right to self-determination 3 | Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights 2012 Annual Report | 4 “THE RFK HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD GIVES ME COURAGE TO CONTINUE DOING THE WORK I’M DOING. IT SENDS OUT A MESSAGE, NOT ONLY TO MY HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD COUNTRY BUT TO OTHER COUNTRIES THAT CRIMINALIZE HOMOSEXUALITY.” –Frank Mugisha, Uganda RFK PARTNERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS Working with individuals and organizations worldwide to fight discrimination and build a more just and peaceful world. WORKING HAND-IN- HAND WITH HUMAN Our Newest Partnership RIGHTS DEFENDERS LIBRADA PAZ (USA) to Leverage their Work Globally The RFK Center presented the 2012 RFK Human • When the Ugandan Parliament threatened to pass Rights Award to New Yorker Librada Paz, a former sweeping anti-homosexuality legislation that would farmworker turned activist who has followed in the levy the death penalty against the LGBTI community, footsteps of Robert Kennedy and Cesar Chavez as the RFK Center fronted a global campaign and led a leader in the farmworkers’ labor rights struggle. an international delegation to stop the bill from Forty-five years since RFK turned America’s attention coming to a vote, connecting 2011 RFK Laureate to farm and migrant workers’ rights by breaking fast Frank Mugisha with nearly 50 prominent American alongside Chavez, the RFK Center and Librada Paz Christian leaders and Archbishop Desmond Tutu to are partnering to pass the Farmworkers’ Fair Labor galvanize support. Practices Act. • When the UN failed to report on human rights as New York’s 60,000 farmworkers live under the cruel part of the peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, vestiges of Jim Crow, denied a day of rest each week, the RFK Center led an international delegation overtime pay, collective bargaining rights, disability beyond Morocco’s militarized border, spoke to insurance, and a safe and sanitary work environment. those living in Western Sahara and the Algerian refugee camps firsthand, and published a landmark report that shed light on 30 years of human rights violations by Moroccan security forces against the “PAZ IS LIVING PROOF OF THOSE Sahrawi people. IMMORTAL WORDS KENNEDY AND • When the Inter-American Commission on Human CHAVEZ ONCE CHANTED TOGETHER Rights granted a public hearing on violations against HUMAN RIGHTS IN CALIFORNIA: SI SE PUEDE. migrant and farmworker in the U.S., the RFK Center IN THE COURT SANTIAGO YES, WE CAN.” brought its experts—Librada Paz of New York International Strategic CANTON –New York Daily News and Lucas Benitez of Florida—to testify about the violence, discrimination, and abuse that their clients Litigation Unit Joins the RFK Center face, from the dairy farms of Albany to the tomato fields of Immokalee. This year, RFK Partners for Human Rights launched In 2012, the RFK Center welcomed Santiago Canton a strategic litigation unit, which will bring high as Director of RFK Partners for Human Rights. Mr. • When 2009 Laureate Magodonga Mahlangu impact human rights cases before regional Canton brings decades of experience as a leading and other political activists from Women of mechanisms and domestic courts. This new arm of voice in global human rights and international law, Zimbabwe Arise were arbitrarily detained by local the PHR program will work alongside the advocacy and comes to RFK Center after 11 years as Executive police, the RFK Center exposed rising violence team to spur legal and governmental change Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on and suppression against Zimbabwe’s peaceful in defense of human rights, including the 2013 Human Rights. protesters as the nation approached its first campaign for New York State’s Farmworkers’ Fair election since the chaotic 2008 vote. Labor Practices Act. 5 | Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights 2012 Annual Report | 6 “REFLECTING RFK’S DEEP PASSION AND RELENTLESS DRIVE TOWARD DEFENDING THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS, STTP PROFOUNDLY TRANSFORMS HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE CLASSROOM STUDENTS’ VIEW OF THE WORLD AND INSPIRES THEM TOWARDS SOCIAL ACTIVISM. SIMPLY STATED, IT CHANGES LIVES! ” RFK SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER –Joanne Marien, former Superintendent, Somers Central School District, New York Human rights education for more than half a million students a year, from pre-school to law school, from Cambodia, to Calabria, to California. First Annual STTP VIDEO CONTEST In 2012, the RFK Center welcomed Dr. Deborah In 2012, the RFK Center partnered with the New Temkin—who formerly headed the Obama York State United Teachers to launch a student administration’s efforts on bullying prevention—to video contest challenging young people to study design and lead a bullying prevention program the Speak Truth To Power human rights curriculum Young monks in Cambodia, many of whom survived genocide by the Khmer Rouge, STTP Director John Heffernan with STTP Defender Archbishop learn about global human rights from the Speak Truth To Power school curriculum Desmond Tutu in Sweden.