2024 marks 50 years of WOLA human rights advocacy work in Latin America! In commemorating 5 decades of WOLA’s past, present, and future, we hosted our premier 50th Anniversary Human Rights Awards Ceremony and Benefit Gala on May 9, 2024 while honoring our 2024 honorees Senator Patrick Leahy, Venezuela Program Education-Action on Human Rights (PROVEA), and the Collectives of Family Members of the Disappeared in Guanajuato, Mexico. To learn more about our 2024 honorees, click here!
Check out our 50th Anniversary Human Rights Awards Ceremony and Benefit Gala video below and our photo album here!
If you would like to learn about past WOLA Human Rights Award Recipients, please click here.
Events and Publications
50th Anniversary Kickoff Celebration
In September 2023, we launched our 50th Anniversary celebrations with a series of events. We initiated the series with a thought-provoking discussion, "Defending Human Rights and Democracy: 50 Years After the Chilean Coup d'état," held at the U.S. Senate. Next, we hosted a special reception with our sponsors, where we paid heartfelt tribute to the remarkable work of Joe Eldridge (video) and received a special message from Isabel Allende. Concluding our commemorative month, WOLA co-hosted a moving ceremony to honor the legacies of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen Moffitt. Lastly, we were honored to receive a medal in recognition of international solidarity from the Chilean president, Gabriel Boric.
For details on upcoming 50th Anniversary events, click here.
50th Anniversary Partners Event
In November 2023, WOLA organized a reception to celebrate alliances and commemorate 50 years of collaborative work. During the same week WOLA participated in many other events, including a discussion on Central American Journalists under attack and Crowd Control Weapons in the Americas.
Check out pictures and videos from the event here!
50th Anniversary WOLA Human Rights Awards Ceremony and Benefit Gala
In May 2024, WOLA, alongside its sponsors and longtime supporters, hosted the 50th Anniversary WOLA Human Rights Awards Ceremony and Benefit Gala. During this event, we celebrated WOLA's past, present, and future work while commemorating the dedication and impact of our 2024 honorees Senator Patrick Leahy, Venezuela Program Education-Action on Human Rights (PROVEA), and the Collectives of Family Members of the Disappeared in Guanajuato, Mexico.