The award was established by the Asian American Journalists Association to recognize excellence in coverage of civil rights of Asian Americans and/or issues of social justice for Asian Americans. Suzanne Ahn, M.D., was a Korean American who was raised in Arkansas and Texas. Dr. Ahn rose to become a successful physician, neurologist and inventor. Although she achieved a position of wealth and privilege, Dr. Ahn devoted her life to promoting civil rights and social justice for all Americans, especially women and Asian Americans.

2005 AWARD WINNER

Ray Rivera

Ray Rivera is the 2005 recipient of AAJA's Dr. Suzanne Ahn Award for Civil Rights and Social Justice for Asian Americans. The award comes with a $5,000 prize.

Currently a staff writer for the Washington Post, Ray Rivera was a military affairs reporter for the Seattle Times when he wrote "Suspicion in the Ranks," a nine-part investigative series chronicling the origins and collapse of the spy case against Chaplain James Yee. For five years in Seattle, Rivera also covered higher education and federal courts. He and reporter Janet Tu led the Times' investigative coverage of the Roman Catholic sexual-abuse scandal.

In 2001, he was awarded a special citation for investigative reporting from the National Education Association for special education coverage. He has also worked at The Salt Lake Tribune and at two newspapers in his native New Mexico, where he got his start as a sports reporter and editor.

"Ray Rivera's skillful and determined pursuit of the charges against Army Capt. James Yee reflect the intent and mission of the Dr. Suzanne Ahn Award for Civil Rights and Social Justice," said the judges. "Detail by painstaking detail, Rivera revealed the government's flawed case against Capt. Yee, and in so doing, opened to readers the true nature of this talented young chaplain. It is to Rivera's great credit that he never gave up on this story.

"At a time when many people have lost trust in the media, Rivera is to be commended for his extensive research over a seven-month period, presentation of different perspectives, and adherence to the policy of including no information in the series based on a single unnamed source. By illuminating the conflicts and tensions that are shaping post-9/11 America, Ray Rivera tells an important, timely story that continues to remain relevant."