Party Like It’s Human Rights First

What do an activist, an actor, and a law firm have in common? They were honored at the Human Rights First Award Dinner on Wednesday night at Chelsea Piers.

Ryan Boyette is the founder of Nuba Reports, an organization that empowers citizen-journalists in the Nuba mountain region in Sudan to report on the human rights abuses perpetuated by the government there. Human Rights First presented him with the award to honor this important but often dangerous work.

(Pictured: Brian Williams, Ryan Boyette, and Elisa Massimino)

Acclaimed actor Alfre Woodard accepted the Sidney Lumet Award for excellence in entertainment on behalf of the film 12 Years A Slave for depicting the devastating effect of slavery on the human soul. Woodard presented a moving performance of Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, which can be downloaded below.