Join us on Wednesday, May 20 for the 2026 RFK Book & Journalism Awards! This year’s winners will be announced during the virtual ceremony at 12 p.m. ET. Don’t miss the celebration – register today!
The Robert F. Kennedy Book Award was founded in 1980 with the proceeds from Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.’s bestselling biography, Robert Kennedy and His Times. Each year, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights presents an award to the book that, as Schlesinger said, “most faithfully and forcefully reflects Robert Kennedy’s purposes – his concern for the poor and the powerless, his struggle for honest and even-handed justice, his conviction that a decent society must assure all young people a fair chance, and his faith that a free democracy can act to remedy disparities of power and opportunity.”
Launched in 1969 by the reporters who covered Senator Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign, the prestigious RFK Journalism Awards honor a free and fair press and celebrate media professionals whose work explores issues of human rights, social justice, and the power of individual action.
We are grateful to the Zuckerman Family Foundation for their support of this year’s Book & Journalism Awards.
Urgent, ground-level stories from across the globe
Spanning Haiti’s community press movements, Kenya’s refugee-led radio journalism, and personal accounts of revolution and resilience. These films capture the courage of those reporting under pressure, where truth-telling becomes an act of survival, dignity, and defiance.
Dr. Teresa M. Cappiali is an academic and international consultant. She founded NOIWE, a Sweden-based organization focused on transforming education using Transformative-Emancipatory Pedagogy (TEP). For over 14 years and across five continents, she has developed this framework, combining knowledge, empathy, and critical thinking to create classrooms grounded in dialogue and collective transformation.
Teresa holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Université de Montréal and has held positions at several major research institutes. She now works with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. Her work promotes inclusive and fair approaches to education worldwide.
Dr. Teresa M. Cappiali Links:
NOIWE – No Innovation without Education: www.noiwe.com
Cappiali, T. M. (2023). A Paradigm Shift for a more Inclusive, Equal, and Just Academia? Towards a Transformative-Emancipatory Pedagogy. *Education Sciences,* 13(9), 876. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/13/9/876
Podcast series: Building Hopes™ – by NOIWE & Dr. Teresa M. Cappiali (Co-produced with Francesca Cerri)
Episode Summary
In this episode of Human Rights Education Now!, Dr. Teresa M. Cappiali introduces Transformative-Emancipatory Pedagogy (TEP) as a framework for reimagining education as a tool for human rights, dignity, and social transformation. She traces her intellectual journey from traditional “banking” models of education to progressive and, ultimately, emancipatory approaches, drawing on the work of Paulo Freire and decolonial traditions.
Cappiali highlights how TEP and human rights education focus on dignity, empathy, and responsibility. She discusses how Maria Montessori’s work shapes her ideas and stresses the need to connect with students’ real experiences to support their growth. TEP encourages critical thinking through respectful dialogue and tackling tough issues.
The episode explores the use of TEP to promote inclusion and empower students, especially in migrant communities. Teresa explains the need to address controversy with a pedagogy of “discomfort” while keeping learning respectful and supportive. She ends by stressing hope, healing, and the integration of knowledge from many fields as key to global human rights education.
Topics discussed:
Origins of Teresa Cappiali’s work in human rights education
Transformative-Emancipatory Pedagogy (TEP) and its foundations
From “banking education” to emancipatory education models
Humanistic values: dignity, empathy, and interconnectedness
Hot off the presses and just in time for the upcoming primary elections, explore the Center’s newest Civic Inquiry: Civic Participation and Voter Turnout. In this engaging, hands-on lesson, students investigate the health of our democracy by analyzing graphs, charts, and other visual data on voter turnout in the United States. Working collaboratively, they develop solutions while considering multiple perspectives and shared civic values. Centered on the inquiry question, “Does low voter turnout in the United States signal a problem with democracy?”, this experience builds critical thinking, collaboration, and civic engagement skills for informed citizenship.
New research from scholar Ari Kim, titled Civic Capital in Uneven and Uncertain Times, highlights that open classroom climates serve as a “great equalizer” for students’ civic development.
While students enter school with varying levels of civic capital, this study finds that intentional classroom interventions can bridge social inequalities to boost civic knowledge and participation.
We the People and Project Citizen program partners in states across the country will hold free, multi-day professional learning institutes this summer! Experience immersive professional learning with experienced educators and topical experts. Join the Center’s national network of civic education professionals. Receive materials that are ready to use with your students, along with ongoing mentorship support during the school year. Find out more and fill out an interest form at these links:
Documents of Democracy (grades 6-12 teachers in Florida, Tennessee, Texas and neighboring states such as Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Oklahoma)
Join Rethinking Schools for a conversation on how teacher unions are leading the fight against fascism and ICE in their communities and schools. In this webinar, we will learn, celebrate, and amplify the lessons of the people heroically fighting back against ICE occupation — from Chicago to Los Angeles to Minneapolis. From the classroom to the street, we need to defend our students and together learn the most effective ways to kick ICE out of our schools and communities.
Student filmmakers, this is your chance to bring a human rights issue you’re passionate about to life through creative storytelling. Winning films will be featured at a special showcase during the Tribeca Festival in New York City!
For over a decade, the Speak Truth to Power video contest has empowered students to use filmmaking as a tool for social change. Screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, these films shine a light on pressing human rights issues, celebrate the defenders working to create change across the nation, and drive real action and advocacy.
Students from all backgrounds can participate in the contest by submitting short three- to five-minute videos—whether they be documentaries, narrative films, or experimental—without needing expensive equipment or prior video editing skills.
Students interested in participating should submit their films for consideration by May 3, 2026.
We are thrilled to announce that film distributor Abramorama has acquired the North American theatrical rights to American Agitators. Please see this article about the film.
As Abramorama president, Karol Martesko-Fenster, says in their press release, “American Agitators is a powerful reminder that the fight for justice and equity is never finished. It is passed from one generation to the next. Raymond Telles has crafted a deeply resonant film that connects the visionary organizing of Fred Ross Sr. to the urgent movements of today. We are proud to bring this story to North American audiences.” American Agitators will open at The Quad theater in New York City on May 1 and will run for the entire week and then rollout across the US and Canada to follow. Please join us in NYC and invite your family and friends
For upcoming screenings and tickets in your city, click here: Join us!
(If your city is not listed, check back soon. We continue to add more screenings.)Check out and share the official trailer to American Agitators HERE.
As we say in the opening of the film:Effective agitators advance society by protecting values rooted in dignity, equality and justice. They build power by joining together to make change. Successful movements have never been about one person. A movement is shaped by courage, sacrifice and the leadership of thousands who have come together to demand a more just and equitable future.As we enter this new phase of the our impact campaign, which will enable to reach thousands of more viewers, your continued support and guidance is greatly appreciated. A donation to our efforts will most assuredly make a difference in all of our efforts to make this world more just and equitable. Donate
Abramorama Acquires ‘American Agitators,’ Documentary On Fred Ross Sr. Who Mentored Dolores Huerta And Fought For More Just America
By Matthew Carey, Documentary Editor, Awards
Fred Ross Sr. and Dolores Huerta in ‘American Agitators’
EXCLUSIVE:Abramorama has acquired North American theatrical distribution rights to American Agitators, a documentary exploring the life and legacy of community organizer Fred Ross Sr., who mentored some of the most impactful activists in American history.Abramorama will open the film, directed by Raymond Telles, at The QUAD Cinema In New York City on May 1, followed by a rollout across the U.S. and Canada. The documentary is narrated by playwright and filmmaker Luis Valdez (himself the focus of the new documentary American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez) and features commentary from an incredible array of notable Americans guided and influenced by Ross, including Dolores Huerta, Nancy Pelosi, Robert F. Kennedy Sr., Satsuki Ina, Dale Minami, Eliseo Medina, Jessica Govea, Herman Gallegos, and Ed Roybal. Fred Ross Jr., who has continued his father’s organizing work, also appears in the film.
“American Agitators shows how pioneering organizer Fred Ross Sr. spent decades mobilizing communities to challenge segregation, fight for voting rights, and empower labor movements,” notes a release. “The film also follows organizers today who continue Ross’s work, tackling issues such as fair wages, workers’ rights, and systemic inequality.”
“American Agitators is a powerful reminder that the fight for justice and equity is never finished,” said Karol Martesko-Fenster, CEO/President of Abramorama. “It is passed from one generation to the next. Raymond Telles has crafted a deeply resonant film that connects the visionary organizing of Fred Ross Sr. to the urgent movements of today. We are proud to bring this story to North American audiences.”
Among Telles’s credits is the 2015 documentary Pedro E. Guerrero: A Photographer’s Journey, co-directed by Yvan Iturriaga, which aired as part of the PBS series American Masters.Yemeni labor organizer Sharif (left) and Fred Ross Sr., circa 1975, CATHY MURPHY/GETTY IMAGES
“Fred Ross Sr. spent his life proving that ordinary people, when organized, can change the world,” Telles observed in a statement. “Making this film was a profound reminder that the work he started — fighting segregation, expanding voting rights, empowering workers — is still being carried on today, in Atlanta, in Oakland, and in communities across the country. I hope audiences leave the theater ready to be agitators themselves.”
Fred Ross Jr. (left) in “American Agitators.”
Among those Ross Sr. helped train were César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, who went on to found the United Farm Workers in 1962. (The reputation of Chávez, who died in 1993, recently imploded after the New York Times published an investigation that accused him of sexual abusing girls and sexual assault of women. Huerta just came forward to say Chávez raped her in 1966 and forced her to have sex on other occasions. The revelations do not tarnish Ross’s unparalleled work advocating for the downtrodden, disadvantaged, and overlooked in American society.).
“The film also highlights how Ross’s principles of grassroots organizing continue to shape labor movements today,” the release adds. “In Atlanta, Georgia, ‘Fight for $15’ organizers advocate for higher wages and unionization across the Southern states. In Oakland, California, in 2023, teachers, families, and community members joined forces to secure a fair contract with the Oakland School District, guided by the organizing and voter engagement strategies pioneered by Fred Ross Sr. and advanced by his son, Fred Ross Jr.”
Abramorama and The Fred Ross Project present American Agitators. The film is directed and produced by Raymond Telles (The Fight in the Fields) and produced by Olivia Heffernan David Telles. John Heffernan and Margo Feinberg serve as executive producers. Cinematography is by Vicente Franco and Daniel Telles; Angela Reginato edited the film. Mark Adler composed the score; Kenn Rabin serves as archival producer.
Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice
Humphrey School of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
August 3 – 5, 2026
We want you to join us in Minneapolis!
You can still:
· Submit an abstract to present during a Lightning Round session
· Take advantage of the early bird registration rate!
Participate in a Lighting Round: Share Your Latest Work in 12 Minutes
Lightning round sessions are your opportunity to present your latest work in 8 minutes, followed by 4 minutes for questions and discussion with your peers!
Due to a technical glitch, we have extended the deadline for submitting an abstract. It’s now this Friday: April 24.
If you’d like to participate in a lightning round session:
1. Submit an abstract of 900 characters or less, by April 24, 2026
2. Indicate which of the four themes outlined above aligns with the work you will present
We hope you’ll consider the 7th World Conference to launch your latest work!
Early Registration Deadline – Extended: Friday, May 1, 2026
To accommodate abstract submitted this week, we are extending the early bird registration rate of $325!
Register by Friday, May 1, to pay the lower rate and have a dynamic experience at the 7th World Conference.
Designed around four themes that reflect pressing trends around the world:
1. Global Collaboration for Impact, Community, & Ubuntu
2. Youth & Leadership in the 21st Century
3. The Future of Prosperity and New Economic Models
4. Human Rights, Dignity, and the Future of Democracy
The 7th World Conference will bring together nonprofit leaders, academics, policy makers, advocates, and business leaders to further explore racial & ethnic economic inequality. This unique blend of academic, grass roots, governmental, and private sector participants will foster a multi-faceted discussion of these persistent issues and lead to new ideas for tackling them.
You can be part of this dialogue and brainstorming. Through keynote addresses, panel discussions, and workshops, you can learn about the latest research and programs to address inequality, share your ideas, and contribute to drafting new solutions.
You will also have the opportunity to reflect on the persistent issues of racial and ethnic inequality through complementary cultural events, including arts tours, a one night film festival, and real-time mural creation – right on campus.
Yemeni labor organizer Sharif (left) and Fred Ross Sr., circa 1975, CATHY MURPHY/GETTY IMAGES
HRE USA 