Francia Márquez
A formidable leader of the Afro-Colombian community, Francia Márquez organized the women of La Toma and stopped illegal gold mining on their ancestral land.
Nohra Padilla
Unfazed by powerful political opponents and a pervasive culture of violence, Nohra Padilla organized Colombia’s marginalized waste pickers to make recycling a legitimate part of waste management.
Libia Grueso
A social worker and activist, Libia Grueso secured more than 5.9 million acres in territorial rights for the country’s Afro-Colombian communities despite life-threatening circumstances.
Berito Kuwaru’wa
Berito Kuwaru’wa waged a nonviolent international campaign calling on multinational oil companies not to drill in the isolated, traditional homelands of his U’wa people, who consider oil to be the blood of Mother Earth.
Juan Mayr
Juan Mayr united disparate groups to protect Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the world’s highest coastal mountain range.