An Inaugural Award and Recognition for the Community Struggle
This Friday morning, the acting president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, presented the Premi Agulló Salvador 2024, an inaugural award granted by the Generalitat of Catalonia. The jury, unanimously, has awarded the prize to the organization Xarxa d’Estructures Popular i Comunitarias (XEPC) of Manresa, highlighting its grassroots and community work as an effective tool to combat racism, promote · selectivity and empower people in situations of exclusion and/or discrimination.
A Commitment to the Fight for the Right to Housing
The XEPC Manresa, originated by the movement for the right to housing, has gradually expanded with new interconnected projects. Currently, the network includes several entities such as the Platform for Those Affected by Mortgages and Capitalism (PAHC), the Assembly of Those Affected by Masculinity and Patriarchy (AAMAS), the Alqua Youth Support Center migrants from an anti-racist perspective, the Escola Soror to accompany and meet women, the Popular School for children and young people, the Workers’ Union in Bages and the Popular School for Political Training.
Recognition and Conflict
This public recognition of the Generalitat took place after the Generalitat Valenciana suspended the awarding of the prize last March. The award honors the memory of Guillem Agulló i Salvador, a young anti-racist activist murdered in 1993. The award seeks to highlight those who fight against xenophobia, racism and hate speech.
The Jury and the Delivery Ceremony
The jury of the first edition of the award is made up of several personalities, including Adam Majó, director general for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, and Anna Sallés i Bonastre, historian and professor emeritus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. The handover ceremony was attended by Guillem Agulló’s parents, as well as several government authorities.