Oct 10, 2010 - The Local Heroes Awards were presented by KCET and Union Bank last Thursday as part of the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. Awards were presented to cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz, educator Sal Castro, executive Alex Nogales, and music group Ozomatli, in an event held at KCET's Studio B, in Silverlake.
Lalo Alcaraz is a prolific Chicano political cartoonist, well known for his nationally syndicated comic strip La Cucaracha, which has appeared in dozens of publications, including the LA Times, the New York Times, LA Weekly, and more.
Sal Castro retired after 42 years as a high school teacher. He is a founding member of what is known today as the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference, meant to encourage students to pursue and complete higher education.
Alex Nogales is President and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. As television writer and producer for KCBS, he received three Emmy Awards for his work on public affairs and children’s programming. He continues to be an ardent advocate for the Latino community and still works with the A.C. Nielsen Research Company to address under-representation in Latino-themed television.
Ozomatli, composed by Wil-Dog Abers, Ulises Bella, Mario Calire, Raul Pacheco, Justin Poree, Asdru Sierra, and Jiro Yamaguchi, is a Grammy Award winning Latin fusion band. Ozomatli has served as cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department. The band is recognized worldwide not only for their music but for its members' standing for human rights, peace, and the environment.
The celebration counted with a poetic tribute by poet and actor Joe Hernandez-Kolski, who performed his poem “Heroes,” written specifically for the occasion and mentioning a little something about each of the award recipients’ accomplishments.
Oscar Hernandez and the L.A.-N.Y. Connection, formed, along with Hernandez on piano, by Eddie Resto on bass, Christian Moraga on conga, and Walter Rodriguez on drums, performed two Latin Jazz pieces - "Mambo Inc." and "Picadillo" to culminate the award ceremony.
A food and drink reception followed featuring the music of Candi Sosa and "4-Son."
"New people arrive to this city every day
It may sound like a cliche
But if not for you none of them would stay
Thank you so much for standing up for what's right and for what's fair."
From "Heroes" by Joe Hernandez-Kolski - http://www.pochojoe.com
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