A Message Regarding Our Annual Contemplation Breakfast:

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In recent hours, many of you have reached out to ask whether our Annual Contemplation Breakfast: Reflection and Moving Forward…will still take place in light of the deeply troubling allegations that have come to the surface. To those who have suffered in silence — we see you, we believe you, and our thoughts and prayers are with you. No legacy is greater than the dignity and safety of every human being. 

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And yet, yes. We will move forward.

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We are many, working as one, and we will not allow the failures of one to tear down what so many have sacrificed to build. Forgiveness is not weakness; it is the very foundation upon which healing and progress are made, and we extend it wholeheartedly.

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The movement that helped ignite, rooted in the courage, sacrifice, and unbreakable spirit of farmworkers and Latino communities demanding dignity and justice, belongs to all of us. That flame does not go out.

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This year, we do not gather for one reason. We gather for ten.

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A decade. Ten years of showing up. Ten years of fighting for our families, our workers, our neighbors, and our future. Ten years of excellence that no controversy, no setback, and no moment of doubt can erase from history. This milestone belongs to every person who ever gave their time, their voice, or their sacrifice to this community — and it will not be forgotten.

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Over these ten remarkable years, the Liderazgo Hall of Fame has proudly honored extraordinary leaders who have poured their lives into our community. We carry each of them with us as we move forward:

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2016 — Vivian Correa · Magdalena Maiz-Pena · Edith McElroy · Rosanna Saladin-Subero

2017 — Astrid Chirinos · José Hernández-París · Omar Jorge · Norberto Sánchez

2018 — Matty Lazo-Chadderton · Wendy Mateo-Pascual · Oliver Merino · Carlos E. Sanchez

· Héctor Vaca Cruz · Rev. Dwayne Walker · Manuel Betancur

2019 — German de Castro · Olma Echeverri · Blanca Hernández · Cristóbal Morel · Cecilia Polanco

2020 — Carmen Hilton · Georgia Jacquez-Lewis · Federico Rios · Stefania Arteaga

2022 — Maria C. Garza · Grace L. Nystrum

2023 — Gris K. Bailey · Edward C. Garza · Kurma Murrain · Ana Patino (posthumous) 

2024 — Sil Ganzó · Dr. Paul Ortiz

2025 — Dr. Javier González · Hon. Wayne Cooper · Cristina España · Alba Sanchez · Angie Thacker 

· Larry Itliong (posthumous)   

2026 — Yesenia Cuello · Gilberto Meza-Corral

 

Their names are written into the history of this movement. Their work is the foundation beneath our feet.

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And now, as we step into our tenth year, we are proud to welcome the 2026 Inductees into the  Liderazgo Hall of Fame: Yesenia Cuello of NC Field and Gilberto Meza-Corral, Assistant Fire Marshall, two leaders whose dedication, integrity, and tireless advocacy for our Latino community remind us exactly what true leadership looks like. They deserve to be celebrated. This breakfast is for them, and for every name on this list.

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This year, we reflect with honesty, and then we march forward together, proudly and loudly.

Our community's strength has never lived in one person. It lives in all of us, together. Ten years of proof stand behind us.

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We hope you will join us as we gather in unity, in healing, and in the unshakable belief that our best work is still ahead.

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Ten years down and the journey continues.  We move forward together!  ¡Adelante!

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Pat Martinez,

Founder of the Annual Contemplation Breakfast