September 10, 2001

Drawing on culture

Satirist, cartoonist and author Lalo Alcaraz - who unabashedly promotes the need for more Latino visibility in the media - will speak at California State University, Sacramento at noon, Monday, Sept. 17.

The lecture, "Political and Social Commentary: A Latino Perspective," will be in the University Union Redwood Room and is part of the University's Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 through Oct. 15

A Los Angeles-based cartoonist whose syndicated work for Universal Press has appeared in such periodicals as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Village Voice, Alcaraz isn't counting his Latino peers by the numbers, but by their impact.

''Maybe there's not the numbers there could be, but we we're always here,'' said Alcaraz in a recent interview with the Boston Globe.

Today, Alcaraz is one of only three Latino political cartoonists signed to major syndicates. Best known for his "La Cucaracha" comic strip, Alcaraz advocates for Latino causes in his artwork.

"When you do editorial cartoons, you have to take on important issues and some people just don't like it. Some people just don't get that is what editorial cartoons are all about - dealing with important issues," he says.

Alcaraz sketches edgy cartoons that capture the essence of the country's changing cultural landscape. In a recent published cartoon, he attacked the Immigration and Naturalization Service's premium processing program with a drawing of the Statue of Liberty saying, ''Give me your $1,000 surcharge, your huddled entertainers, athletes, scientists and business executives yearning to gain your work visas and you can jump ahead of the tired, the hungry and the wretched refuse.''

For more information call (916) 278-6156.

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For further information send E-Mail to infodesk@csus.edu or contact
Public Affairs (916) 278-6156.   
 
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