HRAD Archive

The Advocates for Human Rights celebrated its 40th anniversary with the Human Rights Award Dinner on June 15, 2023. Justice Alan Page was awarded the 2023 Don and Arvonne Fraser Human Rights Award for his life-long commitment to human rights. Justice Page has actively advocated for human rights, equality, and social justice throughout his career as a Supreme Court Justice, attorney, and professional athlete.

The Advocates presented Greater Caribbean for Life with the Human Rights Defender Award. Since 2013, GCL and its 49 members have advocated nationally, regionally, and internationally to change hearts and minds to eliminate the death penalty in law and in practice in the Greater Caribbean Region. Law Firm Pro Bono Awards were presented to Faegre Drinker, Lathrop GPM, and Fredrikson. Our law firm partners are invaluable to our work and we thank them wholeheartedly.

The Advocates also presented Volunteer Awards to several outstanding individuals who contributed to advancing human rights in Minnesota and around the world. Amy Fiterman conducted dozens of interviews with Ukrainian human rights defenders to record what they had seen and heard that would fall within the scope of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Amy's expertise as a litigator was invaluable in documenting these experiences and in advocacy to the UN to magnify Ukrainian voices. For more than three years, Brittany Knutson has volunteered with the WATCH court observation project, monitoring proceedings for access to justice for victims of gender-based violence. Christin Eaton and Linda Svitak are inviting new people to the table with their work on a cookbook that tells stories of resilience, hope, and celebration through recipes shared by clients and members of our immigrant communities in Minnesota.

The Advocates for Human Rights has reached an impressive 40-year milestone in the fight for human rights. The organization now looks to the future and continuing its mission of critical research and advocacy, transforming volunteers into advocates for human rights.

The 2022 Human Rights Awards Dinner featured Neil Datta, of the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, as the recipients of the Don & Arvonne Fraser Human Rights Awards. In the face of personal threats and numerous lawsuits, Neil has persevered in revealing and explaining the strategies of the ultra-conservative anti-gender movement. He provides hope to women, LGBTIQ+ people, and human rights defenders worldwide. We are proud to recognize Neil's work, which aligns closely with The Advocates' work for human rights.

Fe y Justicia received the Special Recognition Award. Last year, The Advocates worked with Fe y Justicia to run multiple legal clinics for asylum seekers in Greater Minnesota. At the first of those clinics, partly thanks to Fe y Justicia's incredible outreach efforts, we met with three times as many people as expected. Fe y Justicia members worked tirelessly to make our clients welcome-serving warm coffee, organizing the sign-in, and making copies in the church office.  

Volunteer Awards were presented to:

• Akin Gump, the team was instrumental in our work to investigate and expose the backlash to human rights.
• Ava Kelley, for her contributions to the Refugee and Immigrant Program. Ava first started volunteering with The Advocates by assisting clients with work permits.
• Client Activists, a number of the courageous activists have volunteered to directly advocate with UN human rights mechanisms to change human rights conditions in their countries of origin.

The event was held Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at the Nicollet Island Pavilion. You can watch the livestream here.

The 2021 Human Rights Awards Dinner featured the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, U.C. Hastings College of the Law (CGRS) and Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) as the recipients of the Don & Arvonne Fraser Human Rights Awards. CGRS works at the intersections of gender and migration to protect the fundamental human rights of refugee women, children, LGBTQ+ individuals, and others who flee persecution in their home countries. WAVE unites 160 women's organizations from 46 European countries to end violence against women and children.

Darnella Frazier received a Human Rights Defender Award. Darnella bravely documented the murder of George Floyd. Her quick thinking made it possible to hold the perpetrators accountable, and sparked a worldwide reckoning with police violence.

Volunteer Awards were presented to:

• Dotty Bieurance and Rhonda Phillips, longtime volunteers who stepped up with hand-addressing during the pandemic;
• Carrie Brasser, a pro bono attorney who has represented clients, joined our UN advocacy, and helped us pivot to remote advocacy;
• Scott Smith, a tireless pro bono attorney and mentor to new volunteers;
• the Immigration Court Observers Leaders Team, a group of volunteers who demonstrated extraordinary loyalty and leadership in the Immigration Court Observation Project;
• the Stinson Rapid Response Regulation Team, regulatory attorneys who helped stop the Trump administration from gutting the right to seek asylum.

The event was held Thursday, June 24, 2021 virtually. You can watch the livestream here.

The 2020 Human Rights Awards Dinner featured Lee Gelernt as the keynote speaker and recipient of the Don & Arvonne Fraser Human Rights Award. Mr. Gelernt is the Deputy Director of the Immigrants' Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. As a litigator, he has argued groundbreaking cases, including a nationwide challenge to the practice of separating families at the border.

The Moscow Community Center for LGBT+ Initiatives (MCC) received a Special Recognition Award. MCC has implemented unique projects serving LGBT individuals, including legal services, psychosocial care, and art therapy. They sprang into action in 2017 when the anti-gay pogrom began in Chechnya, and have been providing shelter and services for Chechen refugees ever since. The Advocates has been honored to partner with MCC staff and volunteers since 2017.

Kathy Lenzmeier was recognized with The Advocates' first ever Marlene Kayser Volunteer Award. Ms. Lenzmeier, like Marlene, represents the gold standard of excellence in volunteerism, philanthropy, and advocacy. Ms. Lenzmeier has been involved with the Sankhu-Palubari Community School for many years, and dedicated nine years of service on The Advocates' board of directors.

Volunteer Awards were presented to:

• Veronica Clark, an advocate for women's human rights;
• Amano Dube, a leader in the Twin Cities Oromo Community and a volunteer interpreter for The Advocates;
• Joan Kuriansky, a long-time volunteer who has taken the lead on many research projects and traveled with The Advocates to advocate at the United Nations in Geneva;
• Sarah Musgrave, an active community member who volunteers regularly at The Advocates' reception desk, state fair booth, and handles countless ongoing projects;
• Elise Overman, an intern turned volunteer who has supported every fundraising event of The Advocates since January 2018

The event was held Monday, June 15, 2020 virtually. You can watch the livestream here.

The 2019 Human Rights Awards Dinner featured Professor Andrés Cediel as the keynote speaker and recipient of the Don & Arvonne Fraser Human Rights Award. Professor Cediel is a documentary filmmaker, and we were honored to recognize him for his work shining a light on the human rights violations against some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. 

Volunteer Awards were presented to:

• Pat Brenna, volunteer auctioneer who has donated her services at the Human Rights Award Dinner for ten years;
• Judy Corradi, a volunteer who has traveled with us to advocate before the United Nations and served as a front desk volunteer;
• Alena Levina, a volunteer translator and interpreter who has translated domestic violence and sexual harassment laws for The Advocates to analyze;
  
• Char Myers & Steve Woldum, volunteers who support Development at The Advocates in everything from filing to thank you calls to donors;
• Charles Weed, who designed The Advocates' first website in the 1990s and has maintained it pro bono ever since;
• Zonta Club of Minneapolis, who selected The Advocates as its beneficiary for two years and created basic needs kits to distribute to refugee and immigrant women receiving legal services from The Advocates;
• The Somali 92 Team, volunteer attorneys and others who came together to represent 92 Somalis that were subjected to a botched deportation and horrifying conditions aboard an ICE-chartered plane for almost two days.

The event was held Thursday, June 20, 2019 at The Depot in downtown Minneapolis.

The 2018 Human Rights Awards Dinner featured Inaugural Victims' Rights Advocate at the United Nations Jane Connors as the keynote speaker and recipient of the Don & Arvonne Fraser Human Rights Award. Ms. Connors has had a long and multi-faceted career in human rights advocacy. Prior to her appointment she worked with Amnesty International, OHCHR, and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York.

Genoveva Tisheva of the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation was recognized in person with The Advocates' first ever Human Rights Defender Award. Ms. Tisheva has been a leader in the international human rights movement for over twenty years. She has been instrumental in pushing Bulgaria to the forefront as a leader for the region on legal reform related to violence against women.

Volunteer Awards were presented to:

• Lisa Borden, attorney volunteer who has contributed to multiple projects related to international justice and women's human rights;
• Karen Evans, a volunteer who has provided ongoing pro bono management assistance and participated in our study advocacy tour and traveled to advocate with the team before the United Nations;
• Karen Bridges, who works on our Stop Violence Against Women website and assists with international advocacy before the United Nations in Geneva;
• Gail Irish, a volunteer translator and participant in the Refugee & Immigrant Program case deliberations.

The event was held Thursday, June 21, 2018 at The Depot in downtown Minneapolis.

The 2017 Human Rights Awards Dinner featured President and CEO of HIAS Mark Hetfield as the keynote speaker and recipient of the Don & Arvonne Fraser Human Rights Award. HIAS is one of the oldest refugee assistance organizations in the nation. Mr. Hatfield has led HIAS' transformation from an organization focused on Jewish immigrants to a global agency assisting refugees of all faiths and ethnicities.

Rep. Ilhan Omar and The Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Rapid Response Team were presented The Advocates' Special Recognition Awards. Then-State Representative Omar was recognized for her tireless work for refugees, women, and other marginalized people in her district, in Minnesota, and beyond. The MSP Airport Rapid Response team stepped up after the Muslim travel ban, and worked nonstop to train, schedule, and deploy over 300 attorneys at the airport. Together, this spontaneous volunteer effort met every affected international flight arriving at MSP for six weeks.

Genoveva Tisheva of the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation was recognized remotely with The Advocates' first ever Human Rights Defender Award. Ms. Tisheva has been a leader in the international human rights movement for over twenty years. She has been instrumental in pushing Bulgaria to the forefront as a leader for the region on legal reform related to violence against women.

Volunteer Awards were presented to:

• Karam Law, whose attorneys have directly represented or served as mentors in over 25 cases for clients from more than 10 countries;
• Sarah Vander Zanden, an executive coach and communications expert who provided pro bono guidance to The Advocates;
• Gerry Tyrrell, a Senior Social Worker with Hennepin County who volunteered to meet with dozens of LGBT and women's rights groups in Namibia while spending a year there;
• Yorn Yan & David Seng Chor, Executive Director and volunteer at the United Cambodian Association of Minnesota. They provided critical volunteer support to The Advocates in reaching out to potential witnesses for the United Nations/Cambodian criminal tribunal on the Cambodian genocide.

The event was held Thursday, June 15, 2017 at Marriott City Center in downtown Minneapolis.

The 2016 Human Rights Awards Dinner featured United Nations Special Rapporteur Christof Heyns as the keynote speaker and recipient of the Don & Arvonne Fraser Human Rights Award. As Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Mr. Heyns investigated and exposed some of the world's most egregious human rights violations. He made updating the Minnesota Protocol a priority during his tenure as a special rapporteur.

The Minnesota Protocol is a groundbreaking investigative tool The Advocates for Human Rights developed in the 1980s and the United Nations adopted United Nations in 1991 with the official title, UN Manual on the Effective Prevention of Extra-Legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions. The manual, widely known by its original name, the Minnesota Protocol, was the first set of international guidelines for investigating suspicious deaths. Effective investigation is key to establish responsibility and to hold perpetrators accountable, but no international standards had existed that required governments to initiate or conduct investigations of suspected unlawful deaths. In 2015, Mr. Heyns invited The Advocates to help update the Minnesota Protocol with forensic, medical, and other advancements and legal changes that have taken place since the manual's original publication.

Also at the event, David Wippman, dean of the University of Minnesota Law School, was presented The Advocates' Special Recognition Award for his passion for human rights and his work with the Center for New Americans, a collaboration between the law school and The Advocates and others to expand urgently needed legal services for noncitizens, pursue litigation to improve our nation's immigration laws, and support noncitizens in the region through education and community outreach.

Volunteer Awards were presented to:

• Mary Ellen Alden, attorney volunteer who has fought tirelessly in her representation of asylum seekers;
• Thomas Dickstein, high school student who traveled to Nepal to connect with students at The Advocates' school in the Kathmandu Valley and who has raised contributions for The Advocates;
• Gray Plant Mooty Law Firm, its pro bono team has taken on complex refugee and immigration cases involving female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and levirate marriage;
• Stinson Leonard Street Law Firm and Attorney Hanok Gabisa, submitted a complaint to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Ethiopian government's use of lethal force to respond to peaceful Oromo student protests of Ethiopian government actions;
• Thomson Reuters' Research Team, attorney volunteers who pore through thousands of UN statements to identify countries that may be receptive to lobbying on women's rights, the death penalty, and LGBTI rights; and
• Suzanne Turner, coordinator of Dechert Law Firm's pro bono work, is central to finding eager volunteers to help The Advocates. She also traveled with The Advocates twice to the other side of the world to conduct fact-finding and to document how to strengthen Mongolia's response to domestic violence.

The event was held Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at Marriott City Center in downtown Minneapolis.