Each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the City of Eugene Human Rights Commission recognizes an individual for their contribution in the area of human rights and race relations in our community. The Office of Human Rights & Neighborhood Involvement is proud to announce the 2018 recipients of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Leadership Award:
Raquel Hecht
Ms. Hecht has spent her 25 years in Eugene as an immigration attorney who has championed immigrants’ rights and is a leader in mentoring many other attorneys in immigration rights. Ms. Hecht is also a founding board member of Grupo Latino Acción Directa, which cultivates the political voice of Latinos in Lane County.
Karla Schmidt-Murillo
Ms. Schmidt-Murillo serves as a community immigration navigator at Centro Latino Americano. Ms. Schmidt-Murillo has organized several volunteers and attorneys to assist with immigration rights and worked to coordinate funding for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) clinic which provides assistance for people to apply for, and renew DACA applications.
Both recipients have demonstrated leadership in making Eugene a more inclusive and supportive city for communities of color.
The award will be presented by the City of Eugene Human Rights Commission after the annual march on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 21, 2019. The march begins at 9 a.m. from the UO PK Park parking lot, and ends at the Shedd Institute. The Community MLK Program at The Shedd Institute will start around 11 a.m.