By Patricia
Guadalupe
One of the nation's first Latino syndicated cartoonists has received a prestigious award for his editorial work.
Los Angeles-based political cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz is the first Latino to receive the Herblock Prize for his
"passion, dedication and brilliance"
in covering civil rights and other issues affecting America's Latinos.
The $15,000 award, announced Thursday by the Herb Block Foundation, is named after Washington Post editorial cartoonist Herb Block, who for many years was recognized for his commentary on domestic and foreign policy issues.
Lalo Alcaraz at the L'Attitude Conference - LatiNExt Live, in San Diego, California, on September 26, 2019. Jerod Harris / Getty Images
Alcaraz, a Mexican-American, is the author of
La Cucaracha
, the first nationally distributed Latino political comic strip: it was first published 30 years ago.
A writer, producer and cultural consultant for film, television and animation, he has worked on projects on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.
He was also a cultural consultant for Pixar's Oscar-winning animated film,
Coco
.
A caricature of Lalo Alcaraz, 'Vacuna o Muerte', was featured in the award announcement.Lalo Alcaraz
Alcaraz's various projects include a weekly political and cultural satirical radio show.
He is also a writer and producer of the animated series
Los Casagrandes
.
The prize is awarded annually to "distinguished examples of editorial cartooning that exemplify the courageous and independent standard set by Herblock."
A no-holds-barred approach to civil rights
The Foundation considers that Alcaraz's work is innovative.
“One of the most striking pieces in his portfolio is his powerful homage to Chicano artist Emanuel Martínez from 1967,
Tierra o Muerte
.
Alcaraz skillfully substitutes Emiliano Zapata's rifle for a vaccine needle and titles the image
Vaccine or Death
, creating a work that draws inspiration from the past to deal with the current pandemic," the foundation said in a statement.
One of Alcaraz's vignettes for CovidLatino.org compares vaccinated and unvaccinated Latino farmworkers. Courtesy Lalo Alcaraz / Andrews McMeel Syndication
“No other political cartoonist working in the United States brings such
passion, dedication and brilliance
to the fight for fair immigration at the border and for justice for the Latino community.
Lalo Alcaraz's bravery and his no-holds-barred approach to these and other civil rights issues make him deserving of the 2022 Herblock Award,” the foundation added.
"It still doesn't seem real to have won this grand prize," Alcaraz said.
Next month the award ceremony will be held at the Library of Congress in Washington DC
This cartoon recreates a lottery, to show the benefits of getting vaccinated. Courtesy of Lalo Alcaraz / Andrews McMeel Syndication
