Helen Mack, distinguished with Notre Dame Prize
Translated from El Periodico
By Abner Guoz
September 8, 2005
The human right’s activist Helen Mack was awarded with the 2005 Notre Dame Prize for Distinguished Public Service in Latin America
This prize recognizes the efforts of visionary leaders, civil activists, intellectuals and people dedicated to the public service with the aim of improving the social conditions of the Latin American region.
According to Sharon Schierling, associate director of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies from the University of Notre Dame, Mack was selected from a considerable list of candidates.
“We were looking for someone who could be considered a role model for other people. Helen Mack stands out for her courage, for what she did for her family and for the whole Guatemalan population, even for those which do not sympathize with her”, said Schierling.
On September 11, it will be the 15th anniversary of Myrna Mack’s assassination, an event which inspired her sister to fight for justice. “Sometimes it seems that nothing has changed in Guatemala but it we look back at history, we can not deny that there have been substantial changes in the country,” mentioned Helen Mack.
For instance, the old policy of repression which meant murders and massive forced disappearance is not longer in existence, said Mack. “Today, people are willing to raise their voices; despite the problems, the media has more freedom and the indigenous issue is not invisible.”
In 1999, the Kellogg Institute created the Notre Dame Prize which is sponsored by the Coca Cola Foundation. It consists of a $10,000 cash award for the recipient and the same amount in a form of a donation. In this particular case, it will go to the Myrna Mack Foundation.
