Veronica Avila, the daughter of immigrants who rose out of Chicago's poor meatpacking neighborhood and later organized restaurant workers, has been named winner of the 2012 Edna Award.

The Edna, which has a $10,000 prize, honors women age 35 or younger who already have distinguished themselves as leaders of the social justice movement. The award honors Edna Berger, a pioneer for women’s rights, who rose from a receptionist at The Philadelphia Inquirer to become a writer, editor and the first female organizer in The Newspaper Guild-CWA.

Avila founded the Chicago chapter of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC), building on her experience as an organizer for UNITE HERE Local 1 to recruit more than 700 Chicago restaurant workers. ROC is a national restaurant worker advocacy organization created in 2001 to help survivors of the Windows of the World restaurant at the World Trade Center. It now has chapters in eight cities.

Other Awards of Distinction winners include:

• Nusrat (Jerin) Arifa, National Organization for Women board member and chair of the National Young Feminist Task Force.
• Lydia Edwards, director of Legal Services for the Brazilian Immigration Center.
• Viridiana Martinez, who is leading the fight for immigrant rights as founder of the North Carolina Dream Team and now as a prisoner in Florida, where she was detained after declaring her undocumented status.

Linda K. Foley, president of the Berger-Marks Foundation, says:

It's truly inspiring to see what these young women are doing to lead the fight for social and economic justice in their communities.

The awards will be presented Nov. 14 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event is free but you must register.