Film, Publisher, Are Humphrey 2006 Awardees
The film "Crash" and Mónica Lozano, publisher and
CEO of La Opinión, the nation's leading Spanish language daily newspaper, were honored by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) at this year's Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award Dinner on May 4, 2006 in Washington, D.C.
"This year the award is about communication and the importance of what we say to and how we treat each other," Wade Henderson, president and CEO of LCCR said. "Using two different media - a film that confronts the reality of race in America and a newspaper that targets the nation's fastest growing population - these awardees have made a difference in how Americans can better understand themselves."
In addition to the civil rights honor, "Crash", which was co-written and directed by Paul Haggis, won three Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture of the Year.
LCCR chose to honor the film because of its powerful,
gut-wrenching, examination of race, gender, and class in America.
"When I saw 'Crash' I was deeply moved not just by the powerful portrayal of the racial, ethnic, and class tensions in our society, but because the characters and situations felt so real," said Henderson when the awards were announced. "At that moment I said to myself, 'LCCR needs to recognize this unprecedented film to further its underlying message - the need for greater understanding and respect.'"
The film depicts multi-racial Los Angeles residents who "crash" into one another over a 36-hour period. The "crashes" show how each character's prejudice keeps them from really connecting to the people around them.
Haggis wrote the film after he and his wife were carjacked in the early 1990s and he couldn't get the incident out of his mind. "I wanted to see how strangers affect other strangers, how one person affects another, without even knowing they even met them or touched them and I wanted to see how those things circled around," says Haggis in the behind-the-scenes feature on the "Crash" DVD.
Lozano was recognized for her trailblazing media work, which has elevated the Hispanic community's voice in the struggle for equality, and for her work in the field of education to advance social justice.
"Mónica Lozano is not only a strong leader in the Hispanic community, but a powerful voice for justice and equality in America," said LCCR's Henderson when the awards were announced in December 2005. "Day in and day out, she acts on the values that the civil rights community stands for and as CEO of La Opinión, she is a beacon of hope to millions of Americans."
Lozano's grandfather, Ignacio E. Lozano, a journalist who left Mexico during the 10-year revolution, founded La Opinión in 1926. He gave the newspaper the slogan "Diario Popular Independiente" or "Independent Daily of the People," because Mexican newspapers at the time reflected the government's views, not those of the Mexican people.
Lozano assumed leadership of the newspaper in 1985. Under Lozano, La Opinión shifted its focus from Mexico to domestic issues concerning Hispanics, including South and Central Americans, as well as Mexican Americans.
Initially reluctant to go into family business, Lozano saw the newspaper as a unique opportunity to have a positive impact in the growing Hispanic community. "I understood the power of the press and I had a strong belief that with information and news you can improve people's lives and empower them," she said in a 2003 HispanicTrends.com cover story.
Lozano serves on the board of directors of the Walt Disney Co., the California Health Care Foundation, the National Council of La Raza, and the Weingart Foundation. In 2001, she was appointed to the Board of Regents of the University of California. And in March 2006, she joined Bank of America's board of directors.
The Civil Rights Award honors the legacy of former United States vice president, senator, and civil rights pioneer Hubert H. Humphrey, whose years of public service, leadership, and dedication to equal opportunity changed the face of America.
Awardees are selected based on their distinguished contributions to the advancement of civil and human rights. Previous recipients include Senator Edward Kennedy; Representative John Lewis; civil rights leader Julian Bond; disability rights advocate Justin Dart; and actor-activist Danny Glover, among others.
