Chico Whitaker

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Brazilian social-justice advocate Francisco “Chico” Whitaker Ferreira worked on urban planning and land reform projects for the Brazilian government before he joined the opposition movement against the country’s military regime in 1964. Two years later, he was exiled along with his wife and four children. Until his return in 1982, he lived and worked in France and Chile as a researcher and advisor for UNESCO, among other organizations. Now 75, Whitaker is a Catholic activist, inspired by liberation theology and closely allied with the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace. In 2006, Whitaker received the Right Livelihood Award, an annual prize given since 1980 to support people who not only dedicate themselves to social justice and the environment, but who live according to those principles. The prize, some 220,000 euros [$285,000 U.S.] shared among three other winners, was awarded in December.