Human Rights and Social Justice
Carrie & Mary Dan, Western Shoshone

Western Shoshone elders Carrie and her late sister Mary Dan have been at the forefront of the Western Shoshone Nation’s struggle for land rights, sovereignty, and upholding the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. For over forty years through the Western Shoshone Defense Project, the sisters have led the political and legal battle to retain ancestral lands in Nevada, California, Idaho and Utah, battling international gold mining corporations, the nuclear industry and the U.S. government. In 2003 the government seized their horses and primary livelihood. They continue to speak out for the protection of family, life, the sacred (the land, the air, the water, the sun) and for the future generations.

Art, Literature & Culture
Lupe Ontiveros

Stage, television and screen actress, producer, and community activist, Lupe Ontiveros is known for her dynamic and visionary ability to affect change. She worked for 15 years as a social worker in East Los Angeles, beginning films as an extra. Her extensive film credits include As Good as it Gets and Oscar nominated El Norte. For Real Women Have Curves, the Sundance Film Festival named her Best Dramatic Actress. A founding member of the Latino Theater Company, she creates original theatrical projects presenting social, cultural, and political issues of the Latino / Chicano experience. She is currently working on an animated PBS series, The Adventures of Maya and Miguel. 

Business and Community Development
Zenon Ferrufino

As owner and CEO of KBNO Spanish radio, Denver Fine Furniture, and other radio stations, Zee Ferrufino has touched the lives of Latino families throughout Denver and Colorado. A native of Bolivia, he combines business acumen with a strong sense of ethics and commitment to the community. He has served on many boards and commissions, including the Colorado Baseball Commission, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Denver Zoological Foundation, and ACE scholarships. He has received numerous awards, including the Daniel Ritchie Ethics in Business Award, and was recently honored for his community work with a proclamation from the U.S. Congress.

Education
Lucía Guzmán, DPS School Board

The daughter of a Mexican farm worker and railroad laborer, Lucía Guzmán is a tireless advocate for justice. She is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, and has served as Executive Director of the Colorado Council of Churches. She has worked to provide a voice for people not heard, including children of inmates, people on death row, and the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. In 1999 northwest Denver elected her to the Denver School Board where she successfully fought for a dual language Montessori school. In 2004, she was appointed to run Denver’s Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations where she promotes equal opportunity and rights of all.

Politics and Social Action
Senator Ken Salazar

A native of the San Luis Valley, Ken Salazar is a rancher and natural resources lawyer who turned to public service to work for the state’s land, water, and people. As Executive Director of Colorado’s Department of Natural Resources, he worked on mining and water use reform and helped established land conservation programs. As Attorney General, he strengthened consumer protection laws, combated elder fraud, and settled river water use disputes, and worked to defeat a statewide water initiative. Now as Colorado’s thirty-fifth United States Senator, he represents Colorado in Washington and on three Senate Committees for Agricultural, Energy, and Veterans Affairs.

Humanitarian Award
Cleo Parker Robinson

As founder, executive artistic director and choreographer of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Cleo Parker Robinson shares her exuberant love of the human spirit through the universal language of dance. Her dance ensemble is a vibrant part of Denver – and the world. She has carried her vision, “One Spirit, Many Voices” to Iceland, Singapore, Hawaii, Belize, Israel, Turkey, throughout Africa, Europe, and the United States. A native of Denver, she serves on boards for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the National Council of Arts, and the International Association of Blacks in Dance. She holds honorary doctorates from Denver University and Colorado College.