Los Angeles, CA — Farmworker Justice will honor David Damian Figueroa with its Dolores Huerta Award. Figueroa is a leading figure influencing Latino arts through his work in film, TV, music production and publicity. In 2007, The UCLA Chicano Research Center invited him to archive “The David Damian Figueroa Papers & Collection.” He has served as executive producer of the critically-acclaimed documentary Food Chains and associate producer of The Harvest/La Cosecha, both of which brought national attention to the plight of farmworkers. This is but a small part of why Farmworker Justice will honor Figueroa with its Dolores Huerta Award.
Recognizing Figueroa’s work on behalf of farmworkers’ rights, Farmworker Justice, which is based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower farmworkers to improve their living and working conditions, immigration status, health, occupational safety, and access to justice. www.farmworkersjustice.org.
“I am humbled to be recognized by Farmworker Justice with the Dolores Huerta Award,” says David Damian. “I am proud to come from generations of farm workers… my mother was a cotton picker in her youth. I spent a lot of my summers working in the fields and a lot of weekends. Throughout the years and in every professional role I’ve held, I’ve tried to bring to light the hardships and challenges faced by farmworkers in the United States.”
Dolores Huerta is a civil rights icon who, along with Cesar Chavez, co-founded the group that became the United Farm Workers. She has devoted her entire life to the fight for civil rights and is the subject of a new documentary, Dolores. The award presentation features special guests: Dolores Huerta, actor/producer Nicholas Gonzalez and actor Johnny Ortiz and takes place Thursday, February 23 from 6 to 8:30 at Sheppard Mullin, 333 S. Hope Street, downtown Los Angeles.
“David Damian is a person of integrity and intelligence and is an ideal person we need working for the Latino community,” said Dolores Huerta, renowned civil rights leader.
“David Damian Figueroa has never forgotten where he comes from and, more importantly, throughout his career, he has used his remarkable skills and resourcefulness to elevate often marginalized voices,” said Bruce Goldstein, President of Farmworker Justice.
Originally from Buckeye, Arizona and raised in the border town of Yuma, Arizona, David Damian and has spent his career contributing to numerous projects and social awareness campaigns which have furthered civil rights, health care reform, civic engagement and innovative philanthropy. He began in the entertainment industry fostering the success of music clients such as José José, Boyz II Men, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony and La India and labels such as Arista Latin, MCA Polygram, BMI Latin, Motown Latino and RMM/Universal.
As the Associate State Director of the Los Angeles County Region for AARP California from 2002 to 2009, David Damian oversaw the implementation of social campaigns, community alliances, volunteer management and membership development. He helped to launch AARP’sSegunda Juventud magazine, the largest bilingual publication in the nation.
David Damian grew up in the agricultural communities witnessing economic disparities which imbued him with his great sense of social responsibility. He went to work at MALDEF, the nation’s top non-profit Latino legal firm and spent almost a decade as Director of Public Relations and Creative Marketing under civil rights icon Antonia Hernandez. He later served as Vice President and Director of Strategic Development Initiatives.
For the past 20 years, David Damian has served as philanthropic volunteer advisor to numerous non-profits, Latino artists and leaders. David Damian has collaborated with actor and community activist Eva Longoria for over 17 years. For nearly a decade, he advised her on Latino issues, advocacy and philanthropy and their friendship and collaborations continue to this day.
David Damian specializes in connecting celebrities who want to have meaningful partnerships with non-profit organizations such as MALDEF, NCLR, LULCA, Familia Unida Living with M.S., AltaMed Health Services, The Dolores Huerta Foundation, The Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, and the United Farmworkers of America.
David Damian currently serves as AVP of Brand and Content Strategic Alliances at Frontier Communications.
Farmworker Justice will also present a corporate social responsibility award to Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce for its successful efforts to improve food safety, wages, working conditions and occupational safety for farmworkers.
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