Change makers create positive, meaningful change by taking action that improves the lives of others and makes the world a better place. Look no further than our union members to see examples of change makers – educators who are always striving to change things for the better for our students and families, public education and the broader community.
The CTA Human Rights Awards are given annually to CTA members, chapters and service center councils to celebrate their exemplary contributions in human and civil rights. This year’s winners were recognized in March at a special ceremony at the Equity & Human Rights Conference.
“Our 2026 awardees have done amazing work. We honor them for their courage in stepping up in the face of grave injustice, whether fighting systemic racism year after year or defending the vulnerable from ICE raids and deportation,” said CTA President David Goldberg. “We celebrate them for their unflagging efforts to uplift, carry forward and educate others about people and cultures and ways of life that might otherwise be forgotten or ignored.”
The 2025-2026 winners:
Gladys Williams, African American Human Rights Award in Honor of Lois Tinson
Gladys Williams’ 35-year career as a Modesto educator was defined by a tireless commitment to labor advocacy and social justice. Her union work spanned decades within Modesto Teachers Association (MTA), CTA and NEA.
An elementary school teacher, Williams was a fixture at the NEA Representative Assembly for 25 years, where her service on the resolutions committee led to a congressional apology for slavery. At the state level, she was a dedicated voice at CTA State Council meetings, and served as a member of what is now the Racial Equity Affairs Committee (REAC). She was actively engaged in working toward MTA goals, including equity meetings both at the local and service center level. She chaired the affirmative action committee for the Modesto City Schools district.
Williams’ activism was inseparable from her leadership in the community, including four decades of service and a presidency with the Modesto-Stanislaus chapter of the NAACP. During this time, she helped revise over 100 school policies toward reducing expulsion and suspension rates and disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline, particularly among Black students.
Even in retirement, she continued to work as a substitute teacher and remained an active presence at local Representative Assembly meetings, serving as a vital mentor to new educators. She was known for guiding younger teachers and encouraging them to step into roles as site representatives and equity committee members.
Her advocacy continued into her final years, whether she was campaigning for Modesto’s 2022 Measure L school bond, attending town halls for Special Education teachers, or advocating for student and teacher interests at monthly school board meetings.
Unfortunately, Williams passed away in November 2025. She leaves behind a legacy of equity, decency and an unwavering belief that the struggle for teacher and student interests is a lifelong calling.
James Gensaw, American Indian/Alaska Native Human Rights Award in Honor of Jim Clark
An educator for almost 20 years, James Gensaw works to protect the culture and language of his people. Tribal officials say he is one of 16 advanced-level Yurok language-keepers alive today. An enrolled Yurok tribal member, Gensaw is also part of the tribe’s Yurok Language Program, which is at the forefront of efforts to keep the Yurok language alive.
Today, the Yurok language is offered as an elective at four high schools in far Northern California. Gensaw helped write the curriculum for the classes; it meets language instruction requirements for admission to the UC and CSU systems. He teaches at two of the four schools, teaching at one remotely while based at Del Norte High, his alma mater. According to a Del Norte High social media post, he can often be heard sharing the traditions of the Yurok nation through song and through drums.
In addition, Gensaw leads the Native American club, observances of orange shirt day (an annual day of remembrance that honors Indigenous children who were sent to Indian boarding schools in the U.S. and Canada) and is coordinator of the Yurok Language Department. He has also coached wrestling and been a key part of restorative circles reducing suspension of Native youth.
The Yurok community is the largest Native American tribe in California. “My elders encouraged me to pass on the language and culture,” he said of becoming an educator. “Winning this award is a way to honor them.” Teaching Yurok history is particularly gratifying. “If you can tell the stories (to the students), they are fixing wrongs from 100 years ago.”
Many of his students have received Seal of Biliteracy awards for mastery of the Yurok language.
His work has helped to eliminate stereotypes and create positive role models. “I can only save this language for another 50 years. But [my students] … they can bring this language in for another 60, 70 more years.”
Adrian Tamayo, The Farmworkers “Sí Se Puede” Human Rights Award
A special education teacher at Lorena Street Elementary, Adrian Tamayo is committed to ensuring that every student — regardless of background or ability — has access to an engaging and inclusive education. He has been a steadfast union leader and organizer in United Teachers Los Angeles East Area for more than two decades, advancing equity and justice for educators, students and families. His work reflects the heart of The Farmworkers “Sí Se Puede” legacy: education as empowerment and organizing as love in action.
Tamayo founded and leads the Lorena Street Rock Band, which lets students express themselves through music while building confidence and community pride. The band performs at school and community events, serving as a symbol of creative inclusion and student empowerment.
He has served 15 years on United Teachers Los Angeles’ East Area Board of Directors, including the past nine as East Area Chair, where he is respected for his calm, principled and inclusive leadership style.
He played a pivotal role as part of team in UTLA’s landmark 2019 strike, serving on the bargaining team that advanced a “Bargaining for the Common Good” platform and helping forge strong alliances with parents and community organizations. The resulting contract secured smaller class sizes, expanded bilingual resources, and strengthened special education supports — major gains for historically underserved students across LA. He also helped lead the 2023 solidarity strike, reinforcing union unity and cross-sector collaboration.
In 2013, when his school faced an abrupt co-location, Tamayo mobilized more than 100 parents, educators and students within days, launching a grassroots defense campaign. He cultivated lasting partnerships with local advocacy organizations, uniting labor and community voices to defend public education in Boyle Heights and East LA.
Tamayo serves as a delegate to CTA State Council, vice chair of its Special Education Committee, and a longtime representative to NEA. His union work reflects a lifelong commitment to dignity, justice and the belief that when educators, families and communities stand together, meaningful change is possible.
Dr. Malinda L. Hurley, CTA Member Human Rights Award
Dr. Malinda L. Hurley is an educator, union leader and community advocate whose work centers on equity, public education and the empowerment of historically marginalized communities. A member of Ontario-Montclair Teachers Association and a middle school English Language Arts educator, Dr. Hurley is committed to nurturing students while promoting the teaching profession. Through her work with multiple CTA programs and committees, she actively encourages young people to pursue careers in public education, mentoring future educators and demonstrating the importance of strong public schools and educator advocacy.
As a CTA State Council and NEA Representative Assembly delegate, Dr. Hurley brings forward issues affecting educators and vulnerable student populations, including introducing child welfare resolutions focused on foster youth.
Her commitment to education is deeply personal. Having grown up in the foster care system, Dr. Hurley found stability and inspiration in public school classrooms. This experience motivated her to become an educator and ultimately earn a doctorate in educational leadership. Her dissertation, “How Resilience Plays a Role in Former Foster Youths’ Success in Higher Education,” reflects her ongoing dedication to supporting students facing adversity.
At her school, Dr. Hurley advises the Student Trust and Resilience (STAR) Scholars Foster Youth Club and an Equity Squad that promotes cultural awareness, diversity and inclusion. Through these efforts she helps students understand the importance of civic engagement, civil rights and the role of unions in advocating for educators and students alike.
Dr. Hurley also builds meaningful family, school and community partnerships as an Alta Loma School District Board trustee, where she is currently vice president. She assisted in creating Alta Loma district’s Foster Youth Advisory Committee to monitor foster youth students. She holds an annual Girl Empowerment Luncheon, Winter Wonderland and other events in the district that support and provide resources for foster youth, homeless students and families in need. She mentors youth through the non-profit Simply Friends; this work led her to be invited to the United Nations in New York.
Maya Suzuki Daniels, CTA Peace and Justice Human Rights Award
Maya Suzuki Daniels is a 10th grade English and AP Language teacher at San Pedro High School and an educator, organizer and leader whose work bridges the classroom, the union movement and the broader community. A member of United Teachers Los Angeles, Suzuki Daniels is recognized for her ability to inspire educators and students to pursue equity, justice and democratic participation.
Her workshops at conferences and professional gatherings are known for being thoughtful, engaging and action-oriented, leaving participants with new understanding, practical resources and concrete strategies for organizing. Through creative and accessible approaches — such as using The Wave as a metaphor for collective organizing — she helps educators see how grassroots leadership can create meaningful impact.
In the classroom, she encourages critical thinking and civic engagement, guiding students through discussions about social issues such as race, class, gender and immigration across historical contexts. She structures her classroom to empower students to lead these conversations and supports them as they develop the confidence and skills needed to engage with difficult topics in the world.
Suzuki Daniels is the founding advisor of San Pedro High’s Students Deserve chapter, where she supports students in organizing and advocacy. Students Deserve student leaders have spoken at events including a citywide “We Can’t Wait” rally and a UTLA leadership conference. She has also helped organize youth-centered events, including a May Day art workshop and student panel exploring the intersections between Palestinian liberation and policing in Los Angeles.
Beyond the classroom, Suzuki Daniels continues to build educator and community power. She was a founding organizer of the Educator Defense Network, which supports educators facing harassment for their activism. In 2025, she co-founded the Harbor Area Peace Patrols, which organized daily community patrols throughout San Pedro, Wilmington and the Port of Los Angeles; these patrols contributed to ICE agents leaving their Terminal Island staging ground in early 2026.
Through her leadership, Suzuki Daniels exemplifies the role educators can play as advocates for justice, solidarity and community empowerment.
Robyn Lee Nixon, Human Rights Award for LGBTQ+ Advocacy in Honor of Nancy Bailey
Robyn Lee Nixon has been a tireless advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion as an educator and at every level of union leadership.
Within the Capistrano Unified Education Association (CUEA), Nixon has served as a site representative, chapter treasurer for four years, alternate CTA State Council representative, and now as a State Council delegate for the past eight years. She led an initiative to train CUEA educators through an LGBTQ+ awareness day, helping make Capistrano Unified one of the first districts to adopt a non-discrimination policy protecting students and educators based on gender identity and expression.
In 2013, she created an LGBTQ+ training conference at the local level, designed to build and mentor current and prospective LGBTQ+ members of CTA and CUEA.
Nixon has represented CTA at the NEA Representative Assembly every year (save one) since 2016. As a member of State Council’s Civil Rights in Education subcommittee, she authored a successful initiative that led the CTA president and executive committee to formally advocate for non-binary and transgender educators through NEA to President Donald Trump in 2019. As co-chair of CTA’s SOGIIAC (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues Advisory Committee), she advocated for the creation of a transgender transition employment guidebook, laying the groundwork for its publication two years later in 2021.
In June 2019, Nixon helped bring a two-room LGBTQ+ Historical Archives display to the entire State Council delegation.
Nixon currently chairs the CTA Women’s Caucus and has expanded representation for transgender women within CTA. She also served on CTA’s LGBTQ Issues Organizing Committee and the Orange County Service Center executive committee. Throughout her union career, she has been a dedicated mentor working to advance the leadership and visibility of women and LGBTQ+ members across CTA and beyond.
Nixon is a founding member of the Orange County Cultural Pride Committee and helped establish the county’s first Pride festivals. She has volunteered and served with many organizations and committees as a vocal LGBTQ+ advocate.
Fadi Saba, Asian & Pacific Islander Human Rights Award in Honor of Kent Wong
For decades, Fadi Saba has woven together his work as an educator, union leader and human rights advocate. Born a Palestinian stateless refugee, he brings a global perspective to his role as a teacher and as president of the Luther Burbank Education Association (LBEA) in San Jose. Through his local union and CTA, Saba has advanced a vision of public education rooted in equity, immigrant rights and community empowerment.
As LBEA president, Saba has strengthened member engagement while building partnerships between educators, families and community. He and colleagues organized “Know Your Rights” workshops for families at their school — 90% of whom are Latinx — ensuring they have accurate information and support amid shifting immigration policies. He has coordinated rapid response network sessions, distributed emergency contact bracelets for families concerned about ICE, and organized neighborhood ICE patrols to safeguard students’ well-being. His union leadership reflects a belief that educators must stand alongside the communities they serve.
He has worked with multiple advocacy and social justice organizations. With San Jose’s Nihonmachi Outreach Committee he helped organize events showing similarities between the treatment of Japanese-Americans in the 1940s and Arab-Americans in the aftermath of the 2001 World Trade Center attacks.
Saba has engaged in local and statewide advocacy through CTA, the Loma Prieta chapter of the Sierra Club, and Defending Rights and Dissent, where he is a board member. He has lobbied elected officials in Sacramento on issues ranging from educational equity and academic freedom to environmental justice, drawing on earlier experience as a policy advisor to an elected official in Santa Clara County — the first Arab American to hold such a role there.
In the classroom, he connects U.S. history to contemporary struggles, encouraging students to think critically about colonialism, civil rights and solidarity. Through his leadership, Saba models how unions can be powerful vehicles for dignity, safety and justice — proving that advocacy inside and outside the classroom are inseparable parts of the same lifelong commitment.
Dr. Hezekiah Herrera, Students with Exceptional Needs Human Rights Award
Dr. Hezekiah Herrera, a member of Chula Vista Educators, is an educator and union leader whose work reflects a deep commitment to educational equity for students with exceptional needs. As a father to children with disabilities, his advocacy is deeply personal. He models a proactive, solutions-oriented approach that empowers other educators to become better advocates and partners in inclusion.
In his classroom, Dr. Herrera focuses on creating inclusive environments where students with extensive support needs can participate fully in school life. Recognizing that traditional curriculum often fails to meet the needs of such students, he has developed innovative instructional tools and customized learning materials tailored to students’ communication, sensory and academic needs. He has also authored inclusive children’s literature to ensure students see themselves reflected in the stories they read.
Dr. Herrera designed a suite of digital learning applications aligned with students’ Individualized Education Program goals. These include a digital communication platform where students practice composing functional emails and texts, and applications that teach essential life skills such as managing money. He created a progress-tracking system that provides instructional guidance for paraprofessionals, ensuring students receive consistent, high-quality support.
He also built a specialized support plan generator for events and field trips. The tool generates a comprehensive document in minutes that details all accommodations, medical needs and sensory supports required. It demystifies support, reduces anxiety for staff, and directly tears down barriers that traditionally prevent students with complex medical and physical needs from participating in these activities.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Herrera serves on CVE’s executive board, participates in his district’s Special Education Task Force, and, as a CTA State Council representative, contributes to the Special Education committee. Through these roles, he amplifies educators’ voices and advocates for safer classrooms, adequate staffing and stronger supports for students with exceptional needs.
He also actively partners with community organizations to champion the rights and opportunities of all students with disabilities. Dr. Herrera truly models what it means to be an innovator and human rights advocate.
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