Her forthcoming book is Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice (City Lights, 2023). She is the author of Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence, and the co-director of the nonprofit group, Afghan Women's Mission. She also won numerous awards including Best TV Anchor from the LA Press Club and has also been nominated as Best Radio Anchor 4 years in a row. Sonali won First Place at the Los Angeles Press Club Annual Awards for Best Election Commentary in 2016. She is also the host and creator of Rising Up with Sonali, a nationally syndicated television and radio program airing on Free Speech TV and dozens of independent and community radio stations. She was previously a weekly columnist for. Is currently the racial justice editor at YES! Media and a writing fellow with Independent Media Institute. on the opening night of Downtown Día de los Muertos.

The following photos were taken Saturday, Octoat Grand Park, L.A.

In addition to the photos of those who passed away from the fatal disease, it features photos of health workers urging safety standards, and grim statistics of the losses of the last year and a half.Īnother altar celebrates the lives of women leaders and asks, “What would a world without violence against women look like to you?” Read Ofelia Esparza’s explanation of the essential elements of altar-making.Īmong the altars at Grand Park is one dedicated to the people all over the world who have lost their lives to coronavirus. One such artist, the master altar-maker and 2018 NEA National Heritage Fellow Ofelia Esparza, was present at the opening night along with her daughter Rosanna Esparza Ahrens, to whom she has passed down her family traditions of altar-making. were chief among those who helped to popularize the Día de los Muertos annual festival, which has origins based in Indigenous tradition melded with Catholic observances of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Read about how Chicano artists helped promote the modern-day version of Día de los Muertos and how they are fighting against hyper-commercialization of the tradition.Ĭhicano artists in East L.A. For nearly a decade Grand Park has collaborated with Self Help Graphics & Art to bring the visually stunning community event to the public, which returns after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The display of 20 altars created by artists and community organizers is a central part of L.A.’s yearly Día de los Muertos festivities. Hundreds of fresh marigold flowers, papel picado (paper cutouts of flags that resemble pennants or banners), and photographs of loved ones who have passed away, are featured among the spectacular community ofrendas, or altars, that mark this year’s Noche de Ofrenda ceremony in Grand Park, downtown Los Angeles.

Deadly Sugar by Ofelia Gränd