Jose Calderoni Suggested donation $10

The 2013 Óscar Romero Award will be given to Ms. Blanca Velázquez Díaz, a champion of worker rights and dignity in Mexico. The twelfth such award given by the Rothko Chapel since 1986, this award honors unsung heroes who work under extraordinary circumstances to advance human rights. The award is named after Archbishop Óscar Romero of San Salvador, who was murdered on March 24, 1980 because of his opposition to violence and his courageous defense of the poor in his country. In order to highlight and contextualize Ms. Velázquez Díaz’s significant work, the Rothko Chapel will present several programs preceding the presentation of the Award.

If your court case takes years to resolve, is that still considered justice? Is justice available if human rights workers are being targeted by corporations or criminalized by the government? Can a civil society exist under such restraints? Noted Mexican economist Jose Calderoni will explore these questions by examining the current Mexican justice system. Mr. Calderoni has extensive civil service, international diplomatic and business experience, including with UNESCO and the Mexican Ministries of Industry and Commerce and Labor and Social Prevention, Health, Education and Land Reform. He is currently an international consultant and lives with his family in Mexico City.