ALESSANDRA CUEVAS

“Woman of Courage” Award

One never stops being a daughter. Not even when the cruelest adversity and thirst for revenge tear you forever from the loving embrace of a mother. But from the saving example of a courageous mother, an extraordinary woman of courage can only grow. Teresa and Alessandra. Two emblems of resilience and 

determination who, even in the face of pain, abuse, and death, have chosen the path of social justice. In an ideal and necessary passing of the baton, in a battle against violence and silence that has transformed from personal to a shared commitment and struggle against abuse and injustice. Teresa's tenacity, her ethics, and her protective nature have transcended the boundaries of earthly death and live on today in Alessandra's fervor as she continues, head held high, on the path her mother firmly traced, demonstrating that even the most horrific loss, if not allowed to fall into the void, can become a sprout of justice and solidarity.