Jane Bagley Lehman Awards for Excellence in Public Advocacy Honor Activists Dedicated to Advancing Immigration Reform with Grants Totaling $22,500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO — September 1, 2009 — Tides (www.tides.org) has awarded a total of $22,500 to the 2009 recipients of the JBL Awards for Excellence in Public Advocacy. Tides' JBL Awards honor policy activists and advocates by recognizing work that demonstrates innovative approaches to social change and a deep commitment to the public interest.

This year's three JBL Awards recipients — Jose Artemio Arreola, Salvador Reza, and Angelica Salas — have tirelessly advocated and organized for comprehensive immigration reform, worked to counter anti-immigrant policies and groups, and helped grassroots voices shape and influence the immigration debate at the national level. They are being honored with awards of $7,500 each on Monday, September 7 at Tides' Momentum 2009 Leadership Conference at the W Hotel in San Francisco.

Tides is further spotlighting immigration issues at its Momentum conference, with National Immigration Forum Executive Director Ali Noorani presenting on immigration reform as part of Momentum's "Rights" plenary on Wednesday, September 9 at 9:30am.
"Our immigration system is still in dire need of reform and continues to violate rights and perpetrate injustice. Fortunately, activist leaders like Jose Artemio Arreola, Salvador Reza, and Angelica Salas are working tirelessly to advance just, meaningful and comprehensive reform," said Drummond Pike, CEO and founder, Tides. "Tides is proud to honor them with this year's JBL Awards and to support their efforts."

The 2009 JBL Award Winners are:

• Jose Artemio Arreola — a community leader and labor activist, Arreola currently manages the "Reform Immigration for America" campaign in Illinois and is Political Director for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. A founders of the Federation of Michoacán's Clubs in Illinois, and of Casa Michoacán, he was also the co-founder and main organizer of the March 10th Movement that brought more than 500,000 people to the streets of Chicago for the historic immigration demonstration and he supported efforts to organize the largest immigration rally in Los Angeles's history on March 25, 2006. Arreola also helped to re-establish May Day as a workers day by organizing marches in more than 100 cities across the U.S and, as a union labor activist at Service Employees International Union (SEIU), has participated in numerous labor contracts negotiations.

• Salvador Reza — coordinator of Tonatierra Macehualli Day Labor Project, Reza works closely with migratory workers and their families on the human rights issues of employment, entrepreneurship and education. Working with the National Day Labor Organizing Project, Reza was instrumental in bringing about the investigation of human rights violations committed by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his deputies. The campaign culminated in a congressional hearing and an ongoing investigation by the Justice Department on racial profiling and civil rights violations by Sheriff Arpaio. Reza presented testimony on the abuses to the UN Committee to Eliminate Racial Discrimination in Geneva in 2008 and also helped found Centro Macehualli, a nationally recognized day labor center managed by the laborers. He also supported taco venders in Phoenix to create Union Pochteca and negotiate sucsessfully with the city to protect their right to work. Reza teaches ESL classes at Tonatierra and is a weekly columnist for Prensa Hispana. He has received numerous local and national commendations including the Ford Foundation Leadership for a Changing World Award.

• Angelica Salas — Angelica Salas is the executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), a membership organization of immigrant rights organizations, low wage immigrant workers and immigrant youth. She is a national leader fighting for legalization with a path to citizenship, family reunification, and the protection of civil and labor rights. She is also a founding member of the Fair Immigrant Rights Movement and Reform Immigration for America Campaign. She has played a leadership role in the formation of statewide and local multi-sector coalitions working on immigration issues and workers rights.  Among her accomplishments, Angelica helped win in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students and established day laborer job centers that have served as a model for the entire country. She also led the effort to allow all California drivers to obtain licenses and is a leading spokesperson on federal immigration policy. Salas was also a speaker at Tides' Momentum 2008 Conference and the video of her presentation, can be viewed at: http://www.momentumconference.org/speaker-presentation/speaker/angelica-salas/presentation/fighting-for-immigration-reform.

This year marks the 19th anniversary of the JBL Awards which are named after Jane Bagley Lehman, one of the founders of Tides and Chair of the Tides Board until her death in 1988. An unconventional philanthropist, her insatiable curiosity was matched by a willingness to take risks. Jane was most intrigued by the approaches and strategies of advocates and organizers and their willingness to challenge traditional assumptions. She also cared deeply that the results of these efforts be translated into the broader area of public policy.

• More information about the JBL Awards is at: www.tidesfoundation.org/jblawards
• More information about Momentum is at: www.momentumconference.org

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About Tides
Tides actively promotes change toward broadly shared economic opportunity, robust democratic processes and the opportunity to live in a healthy and sustainable environment where human rights are preserved and protected. Tides is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 and provides an array of services that amplifies the efforts of forward-thinking philanthropists, foundations, activists and organizations to make the world a better place. Tides Foundation, Tides Center and Tides Shared Spaces have collaborated with over 15,000 individuals and organizations that have touched millions of lives across the country and around the globe. With offices in San Francisco and New York City, Tides provides fiscal sponsorship for over 200 groups across the country, operates and supports green nonprofit centers and has granted more than $108 million in 2008 alone. For more information, visit www.tides.org.

Contact:

Deborah Schneider
PR & Company
415.277.6973
dschneider(at)prandcompany.com 

Christine Coleman
Tides
415-561-6354
ccoleman(at)tides.org