Meet the 2025 Amnesty International USA People Power Award Winners

Every year, Amnesty International USA hosts the People Power Awards ceremony during its Annual General Meeting (AGM). This year’s event occurred on February 22, 2025, at The Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit, Michigan.

The special presentation honors volunteer leaders and activist groups that have played a pivotal role in leading AIUSA’s grassroots movement and fight for human rights. 

AIUSA’s Death Penalty Abolition Advocacy Award recognizes the exceptional leadership of individuals fighting to abolish the death penalty in the U.S. and abroad. This year’s award was presented to TJ Riggs, AIUSA Alabama Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator.

In 2023, TJ joined AIUSA’s State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator (SDPAC) Program as a college sophomore at Samford University. Since then, he has emerged as a passionate and tireless leader, spearheading AIUSA’s efforts to end the death penalty in Alabama.

He led AIUSA’s Rocky Myers Working Group, collaborating with staff, AIUSA members, and coalition partners and calling on Governor Ivey to grant clemency to Rocky Myers. The group saw a victory this year when Governor Ivey commuted Rocky’s sentence. His work has inspired countless others to join the movement, and his advocacy continues to make a significant impact.

The Rising Star in Activism Award honors a Task Force member who has demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment in their human rights activism.

This year’s recipient was Amya Williams, a high school student and member of AIUSA’s Georgia End Gun Violence Task Force, who is committed to bringing activism into community-centered spaces.

For the past two years, she has been instrumental in organizing HBCU homecoming events in partnership with Morehouse and Spelman, helping to integrate activism into community settings. Last summer, she attended a gun violence symposium, where she engaged with survivors and activists and heard Vice President Kamala Harris speak on the nation’s gun violence crisis.

Amya also took her passion to Washington, D.C., where she lobbied with Amnesty, advocating directly with lawmakers to enact meaningful change.

Her passion, courage, and unwavering commitment to justice continue to inspire her peers and fellow activists, solidifying her place as a rising star in the fight for human rights.

The Trailblazer in Organizing and Activism Award recognizes individuals who have shown outstanding leadership and innovation in guiding their state’s Task Force, making a lasting impact on AIUSA’s collective efforts.

This year’s award went to Jonathan Lam, a dedicated AIUSA member and student. He exemplifies the qualities of a true Amnesty organizer—determined, engaged, and committed to transformative advocacy that changes lives. He speaks passionately about how his family history shapes his intersectional approach to AIUSA’s human rights work.

Jonathan currently serves as the Community Organizing Coordinator for the NY Task Force for Refugee and Migrant Rights and is an active member of the Youth Collective and the 2025 Board-Youth Mentorship program. He was also the 2024 Global Assembly AIUSA Member-At-Large delegate. A student at Cornell, he holds distinctions as a National Meinig Scholar, Cornell Undergraduate Migration 2024 Scholar, and Thrive Scholar ’27.

Country & Thematic Specialists have a meaningful impact on people’s lives by writing letters of support and providing expert testimony for asylum and refugee cases, where the individuals are at risk of human rights abuses. Each year, AIUSA honors a Country or Thematic Specialist for their exceptional contributions to asylum and refugee casework.

This special award was given to Lisa Konczal for her incredible dedication to helping asylum seekers. Lisa has been with Amnesty for 12 years, serving as the Country Specialist for Nicaragua. She has worked on over 60 asylum cases, with 20 cases in the past year alone. One of Lisa’s first asylum cases was with attorney Marty Rosenbluth, AIUSA’s former Country Specialist for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She traveled to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia, a high-security facility known for being harsh and isolating.  

Lisa was there to help a Nicaraguan asylum seeker who had spent a year in detention. Because Lisa and Marty were determined to push this case forward, this individual was finally given a hearing and was eventually granted asylum. This story is even more special because this person is now working alongside Marty to help others seeking asylum. Many Nicaraguan exiles who were silenced in their home country are now using their voices to advocate for human rights. Lisa’s dedication remains a beacon of light for many, offering hope during challenging times and inspiring others to join the movement.

The Leading Change! Student Group of the Year Award is given to highlight and recognize the work of AIUSA student and youth groups who carry out exceptional work and dedication towards human rights.  

This year, the award was given to Glendale Community College (GCC), a group that has stayed resilient in their activism and continues to go above and beyond in their defense of human rights. Led by activist Bridgette Belle and long-time Faculty Advisor Ed McKennon, Glendale Community College has worked on a wide range of human rights issues this year, but most notable was their work on AIUSA’s campaign to protect abortion access in Arizona.

GCC led numerous grassroots initiatives to support passing important pieces of constitutional protections on abortion access. They gathered to send postcards to voters, host educational events, raise awareness on social media, phone bank, collect petition signatures, canvas, and so much more. They worked in collaboration with AIUSA staff and coalition partners to travel to border cities to support abortion trainings, gather signatures, and be true on-the-ground leaders in this work. GCC’s dedication and commitment to activism makes them truly worthy of this award.

Brigette Belle, member of the Glendale Community College group, said, “Working on the reproductive rights campaign was one of our most impactful experiences. Gathering over 800 signatures filled us with gratitude and hope as we fought for human rights in our state—and won. After the 2024 AGM, we maintained momentum by holding more events, recruiting members, and fostering community support.

“Our advocacy contributed to a historic legislative victory when the Arizona for Abortion Access initiative set a record for signature collection, leading to Prop 139, enshrining abortion rights and bodily autonomy in the state constitution.”

Each year, the Hironaka Award celebrates the exceptional efforts, creativity, persistence, and impact of an AIUSA local group.

This year’s award was presented to Local Group 1003 of Mid-Hudson, New Paltz, NY. The group meets monthly via Zoom to plan actions, organize events, and collaborate with other organizations. They actively engage their community through in-person initiatives such as the Write for Rights Campaign, film screenings, and educational programs, raising awareness and advocating for human rights both locally and globally. With dedicated members like youth leader Kai Eckert, they work closely with AIUSA staff and leverage social media and community partnerships to further their mission.

One of their most impactful events featured author Sarah Towle, who led a discussion on her book Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands. Partnering with Inquiring Minds Bookstore, Local Group 1003 filled their local library, selling out all copies of the book.

Sarah called it the largest event of her national tour. More importantly, attendees gained valuable insights into immigrant rights from the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network, which also attended. Their dedication to both regional and global advocacy demonstrates the power of local groups in mobilizing communities and amplifying AIUSA’s mission.

“At our meetings, our solid core group discusses actions, organizes events, and collaborates with other organizations to educate ourselves and our community members. We work to elevate people locally, nationally, and globally. We strive to empower individuals and communities to advocate for their rights. Together, we work to represent Amnesty International’s objectives of advocating for human rights and a more just world.” – Diana Zuckerman, AIUSA Mid-Hudson Group 1003 Coordinator

Thank you to our award winners for showcasing the vital role that grassroots leaders play in AIUSA and the broader human rights movement.

Learn more about the volunteer leader roles that shape, lead, and carry out our work to protect human rights.