On April 6th, the Florence Project received the 2010 John Jay Medal for Justice from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice for our work on behalf of detained immigrants and refugees in Arizona. While the award is usually given to an individual, the nominating committee was so impressed with the Florence Project’s work it decided to give the award to an organization for the first time. Fellow 2010 award recipients were Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, co-founders/co-directors of the Innocence Project, and Leymah Gbowe, Executive Director of Women, Peace & Security Africa.
Legal Director Kara Hartzler accepted the award and Board President Noel Fidel, staff attorney Katie Ruhl and former staff, interns, and supporters were present to celebrate in a star studded ceremony in New York City (featuring speeches by Mia Farrow, Ellen Burstyn, and Rossana Rosado, publisher of El Diario La Prensa, as well as a surprise performance by Joshua Bell!).
As an organization working on the crossroads of immigration law and criminal law, we’re thrilled to have been recognized by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, an internationally recognized leader in criminal justice research and education.
For more information about the event see http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/3777.php.
