Debra Evenson International Venceremos Award presented to Leonard Weinglass

In a packed hall at the National Lawyers Guild's Philadelphia convention, the inaugural presentation of the new national Debra Evenson Venceremos International Award was made posthumously to Leonard Weinglass on October 14, 2011 at the International Committee reception.

The award was created by the Guild's National Executive Committee, working with the International Committee, as an ongoing, annually-presented national Guild award to honor the work and the memory of Debra Evenson. Evenson, a former president of the National Lawyers Guild, a law professor, an expert on Cuban law, and a pioneering advocate of international solidarity in legal work, passed away on August 17, 2011 in Chicago.

The inaugural award was given to Leonard Weinglass, also posthumously, to honor his own commitment to international work and, in particular, his work on the Cuban Five. The 2011 award honored two giants of the Guild lost in the past year - Evenson and Weinglass - who were united in their legacy of radical lawyering, commitment to popular justice, and advocacy around Cuba.

Michael Steven Smith accepted the award in honor of Weinglass, speaking about his friend and colleague and distributing booklets in Weinglass' honor.

Please click here to watch a video of Weinglass being interviewed by Miguel Alvarez about his legal work, Cuba, and more.

The Debra Evenson Venceremos International Award will be presented on an annual basis as a national Guild award, selected by the International Committee, to honor outstanding international legal work, legal solidarity, international advocacy, and justice beyond borders, in the tradition of Debra Evenson.

For any information about the award, please contact [email protected], or to learn more about and support the International Committee and its work, visit www.nlginternational.org.

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