Lalo Alcaraz

Amid the controversy surrounding immigration and border control, the work of California cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz (b. 1964) has delivered a resolute Latino viewpoint. Of Mexican descent, Alcaraz fights for Latino rights through his creativity, drawing political commentary as well as underlining how Latinos confront discriminationon a daily basis. Through an analysis of Alcarazs early editorial cartooning and his strips for La Cucaracha, the first nationally syndicated, political Latino daily comic strip, author Hctor D. Fernndez LHoeste shows the many ways Alcarazs art attests to the communitys struggles. Alcaraz has proven controversial with his satirical, sharp commentary on immigration and other Latino issues. What makes Alcarazs work so potent? LHoeste marks the artists insistence on never letting go of what he views as injustice against Latinos, the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States. Indeed, his comics predict a key moment in the future of the United Statesthat time when a racial plurality will steer the country, rather than a white majority and its monocultural norms. LHoestes study provides an accessible, comprehensive viewinto the work of a cartoonist that deserves greater recognition, not just because Alcaraz represents the injustice and inequity prevalent in our society, but because as both a US citizen and a member of the Latino community, his ability to stand in, between, and outside two cultures affords him the clarity and experience necessary to bea powerful voice.