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Local Heroes

Meet the Local Heroes 2025 Nominees and Honorees

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Local Heroes

Local Hero: Darious Harris

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Local Heroes

Local Hero: Jackie Broxton






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A woman wearing glasses and a black visor hat smiles as she stands on a golf course green in a V-neck shirt that reads "Latina Golfers" and holds a white flag with the Latina Golfers logo by a handle.
Local Hero: Azucena Maldonado, Transforming Latinas' Lives Through Golf
Meet 2023 Local Heroes nominee Acuzena Maldonado, founder of Latina Golfers Association.
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Local Hero: Victor Narro, Uniting Car Wash Workers Across L.A.
Local Heroes 2023 Nominee Victor Narro, an expert on immigrant rights and low-wage workers, is a founder and the president of the advisory board of directors at the Clean Car Wash Worker Center, the country’s first center advocating for car wash workers.
A woman with long brown hair wearing a light-blue ruffled, short-sleeved top sits and smiles gently at the camera, with a view of an office or coworking space in the background.
Local Hero: Evelyn Aleman, Advocating for Low-Resource Students and Their Families
Meet Evelyn Aleman, a 2023 Local Heroes nominee for her advocacy in education, offering bilingual resources though the online community Our Voice: Communities for Quality Education.
A man with slicked-back, short, dark hair wearing a white V-neck T-shirt under a dark suit jacket smiles slightly at the camera as he stands outside in the sunshine, with trees and other greenery visible in the background.
Local Hero: Remigio 'Remi' Mateo, Helping Make the Great Outdoors More Inclusive
Remigio "Remi" Mateo, a 2023 Local Heroes nominee, encourages diverse communities to experience Mother Nature by leading hikes for Latino Outdoors.
A man with a dark beard wearing a dark blue T-shirt smiles at the camera as his eyes crinkle in the daylight.
Local Hero: Ova Saopeng, Elevating the Refugee and Immigrant Experience
Ova Saopeng, a 2023 Local Heroes nominee, is co-artistic director, producer and theatre-maker with Los Angeles-based TeAda Productions, which stages plays that provide perspectives from global refugee and immigrant communities.
Two people sit in chairs in front of library bookshelves, a dark-haired man with glasses wearing a brown henley shirt and light jeans on the left and a woman with glasses and shoulder-length dark hair wearing a blue shirt with a white floral pattern on the right, her hands placed on her knees.
Local Heroes: Amy J. Wong and Andrew Fung Yip, Celebrating Diverse BIPOC Stories in the San Gabriel Valley
Matilija Lending Library co-founders Amy J. Wong and Andrew Fung Yip are 2023 Local Heroes Nominees for celebrating the diversity of the El Monte and San Gabriel Valley community by uplifting BIPOC stories.
light brown-skinned woman with hair curled at the ends wears a magenta and navy blouse and small pearl pendant and smiles
Local Hero: Maria Jimenez-Torres, Leading Through the Arts
Maria Jimenez-Torres is the education and executive director of Plaza de la Raza and its School of Performing and Visual Arts.
Asian American woman with short, salt and pepper hair, wearing a blouse and sweater in shades of light green, smiles and leans against a wall.
Local Hero: Honoree Marjorie Lee, Archiving AAPI Heroism
Marjorie Lee is the library coordinator, information specialist and archivist at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. She is also a 2022 Local Heroes Honoree.
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Local Hero: Helen Iris Torres, Inspiring Latina Leaders
Helen Iris Torres is the CEO of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality.
Asian American woman in a rust colored blouse, red lipstick and wire-rimmed glasses smiles slightly at the camera
Local Hero: Ellen Ahn, Providing Hope in Orange County
Ellen Ahn is the executive director of Korean Community Services (KCS), which has provided free healthcare services to low-income and uninsured people in Orange County since the 1990s.
Broad-shouldered Asian American man with short hair smiles at the camera. He is wearing a military uniform and there is an American flag behind him.
Local Hero: Victor Shen, Promoting Diversity in the Army
Victor Shen works to promote diversity and inclusion throughout the Army profession and educates his community's students about opportunities, scholarships and programs.
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Local Hero: Honoree Cynthia "Big Mama" Mendenhall, Local Angel
Cynthia "Big Mama" Mendenhall is the founder of Watts Chosen Angels. She is also a 2022 Local Heroes Honoree.
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