Our Society awarded this year’s Jack Rubenstein Ethical Humanist Award to Johanna Calle, director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, of which the Society is a constituent member. Johanna is an extraordinary defender of immigrants and their rights in New Jersey. She is exceptionally politically astute as a grassroots activist and has developed a seven-point program in defense of immigrants that the Alliance is working to implement around the state. Among other activities, Johanna conferred with NJ Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, leading to the Attorney General’s path-breaking directive that forbids all 36,000 police officers in the state from cooperating with the federal Department of Immigration Enforcement. Johanna, who is an immigrant from Ecuador, marvelously exemplifies the values we honor with this award.
