Type Media Center is pleased to announce Kica Matos, President of the National Immigration Law Center and the Immigrant Justice Fund, as the recipient of the Puffin Prize for Creative Citizenship. The Puffin Foundation and Type Media Center are the mutual sponsors of the award, which is given annually to an individual or organization who has challenged the status quo through distinctive, courageous, imaginative, and socially responsible work of significance.
The Puffin Prize awards $100,000 to its recipient, with the intention of encouraging them to continue their work and to inspire others to challenge the prevailing orthodoxies they face in their careers. The prize was first established in 2001 and has since been awarded to distinguished recipients including Dolores Huerta, Tony Kushner, Colin Kaepernick, and Amy Goodman.
“At a time when the basic rights of immigrants are under attack, Kica Matos is the kind of leader we need to highlight,” said Bhaskar Sunkara, the president of The Nation magazine, founding editor of Jacobin, and judge for The Puffin Prize for Creative Citizenship. “By honoring Kica with this prize, we bring attention to the National Immigration Law Center’s vital work for all communities.
“At this critical moment for our country, in which the path to authoritarianism is being built on the backs of immigrants, each one of us needs to be doing everything we can to fight for our futures and our democracy,” said Matos. “At the National Immigration Law Center, we are working in the courts, in the halls of Congress, and in communities across the country to push back against this administration’s blatant abuses of power. It’s an incredible honor to receive this year’s Puffin Prize for Creative citizenship and to stand on the shoulders of people like Bob Moses and Dolores Huerta to continue our collective struggle for justice and human rights.”
Creative citizenship is at the heart of the Puffin Prize, and is central to Mato’s personal and professional journey as an advocate, community organizer, and lawyer. She is a Distinguished Practitioner at Yale University’s Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and was previously Vice President of Initiatives at the Vera Institute of Justice and Director of Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice at the Center for Community Change. She also led the U.S. Reconciliation and Human Rights Program at Atlantic Philanthropies and served as Deputy Mayor in New Haven, CT, where she oversaw community programs and launched new initiatives including prisoner re-entry and youth and immigrant integration. Matos has worked as the Executive Director of JUNTA, New Haven’s oldest Latino advocacy organization; as an assistant federal defender representing death-sentenced inmates; and as an organizer with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
She has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Albertus Magnus College in 2017 and the University of New Haven in 2019. She is a recipient of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award and in 2021, and was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame.
“Kica Matos embodies the bold, forceful, thoughtful leadership that is needed for these very challenging times,” said Heather Booth, previous winner and current judge for The Puffin Prize for Creative Citizenship. “We are thrilled to recognize her movement leadership throughout her rich career.”
The National Immigration Law Center (NILC), established in 1979, is one of the leading advocacy organizations in the U.S. dedicated to advancing and defending the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their loved ones. Working at the intersection of immigrant, economic, and racial justice, NILC deploys a multi-pronged strategy to secure lasting, transformational change. NILC is building an inclusive future for low-income immigrants through impact litigation, policy advocacy, movement-building, and narrative and culture change. Their work draws strength from the partnerships they build, the power of the people they mobilize, and the lived experience and expertise of the communities they serve.
“The Puffin Prize recognizes those who approach the fight for social justice not just with tenacity, but with creativity,” said Neal Rosenstein, President of The Puffin Foundation. “Kica Matos has dedicated her life to educating the public about the human dignity of immigrants, refugees, and those whose voices are often unheard. In these challenging times, as levels of inequity and intolerance continue to rise, Kica’s work shows that a brighter future is possible.”
To learn more about the Puffin Prize for Creative Citizenship, visit the prize page.
About Type Media Center
Type Media Center is a non-profit home for independent journalists and truth-tellers at all stages of their careers. Our mission is to produce high-impact journalism and literary nonfiction that addresses injustice and inequality, catalyzes change, informs and uplifts social movements, while transforming and diversifying the fields of journalism and publishing.
About The Puffin Foundation
The Puffin Foundation Ltd. has sought to open the doors of artistic expression by providing grants to artists and art organizations who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy. The Foundation’s grant search provides funds to hundreds of artists annually. They also partner with numerous other organizations and institutions on special projects to bring the values of the Foundation to the public at large.