Spirited HMH Lunch Celebrates Human Rights and Holocaust Education

Priscilla Dickson
Spirited HMH Lunch Celebrates Human Rights and Holocaust Education

David W. Leebron and Y. Ping Sun, Barbara J. Herz and Khambrel Marshall

DURING A MOVING program at the Hilton Americas hotel, more than 800 supporters of the Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH) honored Y. Ping Sun and David Leebron’s marked contributions to the organization and to the city over the course of their two decades here.

The Guardian of the Human Spirit luncheon annually celebrates individuals and institutions who work to make the world a better place. This year’s event — attended by a true who’s-who of Houston society, including Lynn Wyatt, Nancy and Jack Dinerstein, Beth Wolff, Jim Crownover, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Annise Parker, and several consul generals — brought in nearly $700,000. ABC News anchor Juju Chang, who has reported on injustice and racial equity for decades, joined virtually to give a keynote address.

Previous recipients of the Guardian of the Human Spirit Award include Lester and Sue Smith, Barbara and Gerald Hines, the Astros Foundation and H-E-B, among others.

Cynthia and Bucky Allshouse

Laura McWilliams and Barbara Vilutis

Brian Caress and Jessica Strehlow

Anne Chao, Stephanie Tsuru and Jane DiPaolo

Jeri and Marc Shapiro

Lynn Wyatt and Mady Kades

Richard Loewenstern and Kelly J. Zúñiga

Charles Hurwitz, Silvia Garcia and Frank Liu

Soner Tarim and Nancy Li-Tarim


Parties

David Ansell, Bennie Flores Ansell, Thuy Tran and James Tiebout

THE ROTHKO CHAPEL held its Inspirit fundraiser — a celebration of the power of art and activism — at the industrial-chic Astorian. The evening featured cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and an onstage conversation with actor Cheech Marin, one of the world’s foremost collectors of Chicano art; 2023 Art League of Houston Texas Artist of the Year Vincent Valdez; and legendary civil rights advocate Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with César Chávez. (She’s 93, by the way!)

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Cheech Marin reflecting outside of The Cheech (photo by David Fouts)

WHEN YOU TALK to Los Angeles-born actor Cheech Marin, regardless of how serious the subject, you can’t help but smile. His pop-culture presence is infused with an astute awareness of politics and history, and a “can do, make do, find a way to move ahead” spirit he connects to the word “Chicano,” a derogatory term that came to signify resilience, creative thinking, and social consciousness. “My dad, who died at age 93, always described himself as a Chicano, because it described him,” says Marin.

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