Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes

Juan Felipe Herrera (born December 27, 1948) is an American poet, performer, writer, cartoonist, teacher, and activist of Mexican descent, son of migrant farmworkers who moved frequently across California's San Joaquin and Salinas Valleys. He served as the 21st U.S. Poet Laureate from 2015-2017—the first Latino appointed to the role—and California Poet Laureate from 2012-2015, with notable works including Half the World in Light (National Book Critics Circle Award winner), Notes on the Assemblage, and Every Day We Get More Illegal, alongside major honors like the 2024 MacArthur Fellowship and 2023 Frost Medal.

Raúl Colón, born in New York City in 1952 to Puerto Rican parents, moved to Puerto Rico in the 1960s where he studied commercial art before working in educational television in Florida and launching a freelance illustration career in New York in 1988. He is an award-winning illustrator of over 30 children's picture books, including notable works like Always My Dad, Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt, and Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops by Dr. Jill Biden, and has received honors such as the Pura Belpré Award, Golden Kite Award, and Society of Illustrators medals. Read more →