What’s happening?

Next week, cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz, lately of Los Angeles, is coming to AL DÍA to discuss his work. Lalo is best known for “La Cucaracha,” the United States’ first nationally syndicated comic strip which tackles politics from a Latino perspective. Off the page, he satirizes the news on his weekly radio show “The Pocho Hour of Power” and its associated website, pocho.com.

Who is Lalo?

Lalo grew up near the border, the son of immigrants from Mexico whose struggles and strength are reflected in his art. In a TedX talk from 2011, Lalo explained his success as a cartoonist in terms of this drive.

“As a political cartoonist, and as a once very angry Chicano, I sometimes feel like I made everything up along the way,” he said. “For some angry and potentially creative types, if we don’t find ourselves a release valve, we’re at risk of going all Fukushima.”

Recently, Lalo’s work has focused on the national election.

“I have dedicated my year to pushing back on Donald Trump,” he wrote in an email. “I hope folks see what a danger he is to our community of immigrants and Latinos, and that we don’t want any typo of candidate or movement like this to resurface in the US ever again. Sadly it will, as history tends to repeat itself, especially xenophobic history.”

“I also hope people will want to get engaged and work for the good of the community, to strengthen our ideas and make everyone know we are here, we’re not going anywhere. Latinos and immigrants have as much right to be here as anyone else.”

Where can I see Lalo in Philadelphia?

Lalo will be at Temple University’s Annenberg Hall on Monday afternoon at 4 pm in the School of Media and Communications. His talk, “No Room for Dialogue: The Political Cartoons of Lalo Alcaraz,” is open to the public.

The following day at 5 pm, Lalo will answer questions at AL DÍA’s office on 1835 Market St. Register for the event here.

This is not Lalo’s first time in Philly—he visited over the summer—but he says he’s looking for recommendations of historic sites to visit. “Do they have anything new from Ben Franklin?” he joked. “That guy hasn’t put out a new book or record in a while.”

After you sign up for the event, you can send him your ideas via the Comments section.