The Brazil Institute invites you to honor the memory of Chico Mendes on the 25th anniversary of his death. An rubber tapper, union leader and environmental pioneer in the Amazon state of Acre, Chico Mendes was murdered three days before Christmas,in 1988, by farmers opposed to the creation of reserves for sustainable economic activities dependent on preservation of the rainforest. Not well known even in Brazil at the time of his death, he is today celebrated as a martyr of the environmental movement and a national hero. Brazil’s federal institute for biodiversity conservation bears his name. In 2004, the Brazilian Congress added Chico Mendes’ name to the pantheon of the country’s most revered patriots, in Brasilia. The service, to be held in Washington, will feature Brazilian music and speakers who knew him:

• Barbara Bramble, Senior Adviser, National Wildlife Federation
• Rev. Joe Eldridge, Chaplain, American University
• John Garrison, World Bank Civil Society Team
• Linda Rabben, Human Rights Consultant, Rainforest Foundation U.S.
• Paulo Sotero, Director, Brazil Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars

Date and Time: December 22, 2013, 4:00pm

Location: Holy Name Catholic Church, 920 11th Street NE, Washington, DC 20002

The event is free and open to the public.

RSVP here by December 20.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Agência de Notícias do Acre