Santo Domingo – The Embassy of the United States of America expresses its most sincere condolences to the surviving family members of Dominican human rights activist Sonia Pierre and to all the communities she touched in her lifelong fight against discrimination in the Dominican Republic.
In 2010, Ms. Pierre was among recipients of the U.S. Department of State’s International Women of Courage Award acknowledging outstanding women leaders worldwide who demonstrate courage and leadership in their struggles for social justice and human rights. The 2010 award honored Ms. Pierre “for advancing the cause of social justice, confronting exploitation and discrimination, defending the dignity of persons of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic, and helping marginalized communities develop their own voices for their own future.”
In her words of praise for the work of Sonia Pierre, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton singled her out as among those personifying “the courage … to protect those who are vulnerable and to advance the circle of opportunity and prosperity to more people.”
