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Enrique’s Journey
Dominican School Hosts Mexican Human Rights Winner

San Anselmo, CA —May 1, 2009-- On April 27, the Social Justice class at San Domenico School opened the doors of its new Hall of the Arts and welcome their fellow classmates as well as students from nearby Drake High School and John O’Connell High School in San Francisco’s Mission District for a discussion of their latest read, Enrique’s Journey.

This exclusive event includes an appearance by Olga Sanchez Martinez, who will be in San Francisco to receive an Unsung Heroes of Compassion award and blessing from the Dalai Llama.  Dona Olga operates the Shelter of Jesus the Good Shepherd in Mexico, which treats migrants who are injured during their journey to the U.S.  Every day undocumented migrants risk their lives – and literally, their limbs - to hop trains headed north. Many are horribly injured and find their way to the Shelter of Jesus the Good Shepherd. The shelter director, Olga Sanchez Martinez tries to heal migrants left deeply wounded emotionally, spiritually, physically.  Her clinic is now famous in the pages of the critically acclaimed book, Enrique’s Journey, by Sonia Nazario.

Junior Andrea Frias is thrilled to meet Dona Olga. “I think what Olga is doing is amazing and I'm really excited to have the opportunity to tell her myself. You don’t often get to meet the characters you read about and admire.” Frias’ grandmother, author Isabel Allende, will be translating for Olga Sanchez during the student assembly.

The current wave of immigrants coming from Latin America is different from the past, when men left their families behind to seek job opportunities in the north. In recent decades, more and more mothers are leaving their children in Mexico, or Central American countries, to come north. Their children are left behind – and eventually they decide to migrate north, alone, to reunite with their mothers. Enrique’s Journey depicts one young man’s attempt to find his mother, and explores the social and economic issues surrounding undocumented migrants.

“This is a twenty-first-century Odyssey,” says Allende. “Nazario’s powerful writing illuminates one of the darkest stories in our country. This is outstanding journalism. If you are going to read only one non-fiction book this year, it has to be this one, because you know these young heroes. They live next door.”

Enrique’s Journey is currently being developed for an HBO series.

San Damenico School is a sponsored ministry of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael