AP: Activist Sonia Pierre Receives RFK Award

[Eugene]

Activist Sonia Pierre Receives RFK Award

By ANDREW MIGA
The Associated Press
Friday, November 17, 2006; 1:38 PM

WASHINGTON -- A woman raised in a migrant worker camp who has fought discrimination
against poor Dominicans of Haitian descent received the Robert F. Kennedy Human
Rights Award on Friday.

Sonia Pierre's activism began three decades ago at the age of 13 when she was arrested
for leading a march to demand rights for sugar cane cutters. More recently her group
has battled to secure education and citizenship for ethnic Haitians living in the
Dominican Republic.

"I find inspiration in the life of Mr. Kennedy because I believe that our efforts and his are
part of the same fight for equality and justice," she said during the awards ceremony on
Capitol Hill.

Pierre, one of 12 children raised in a one-room portion of a dirt-floor barrack, was praised
as a fearless and big-hearted advocate for an oppressed minority in the Caribbean nation.

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Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/17/AR2006111700939.html