Gatluak Receives “Rising Advocate Award”
On December 10th, Tennessee celebrated International Human Rights Day. The event was hosted by the Tennessee Human Right Commission, Metro Human Relations Commission and other groups. The evening included a panel discussion regarding human rights with Tasha French Lemley of The Contributor and Pat Shea of YWCA and awards for human rights activists in Nashville. Among the distinguished honorees was NICE’s very own Gatluak Thach [pictured with Angela Harris (left) and Kathy Edson (right)]. Gat was the recipient of the Rising Advocate Award given to individuals who show great promise in the field of human rights. Stephanie Teatro of Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) also received the Rising Advocate Award.
Presenting the award to Gat was Angela Harris of the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute (TFLI). “I will never forget the day that I met Gatluak, said Harris. “He said, ‘My name is difficult to pronounce, so you can call me ‘Good Luck”. However, his story in not one of luck, but of a remarkable refugee”. After receiving his award from Harris, a video played with Gatluak talking about the need for collaboration to expand the work being done in this city on behalf of human rights.
NICE is proud to have a leader who does so much for the community. It is a great honor for Gat to be recognized by those around the city.
Gat was interviewed by Fox17 at the celebration. The segment can be found here.
