En español | LOS ANGELES—To mark Hispanic Heritage Month, AARP The Magazine (ATM) pays tribute to 10 iconic Latino Americans who have made lasting and important contributions to their community and country. ATM editors recruited legends such as Emmy Award–winning actor Edward James Olmos, rocker Carlos Santana and more to pay tribute to those who inspired them, including baseball legend Roberto Clemente, labor leader Dolores Huerta, actor Anthony Quinn, the legendary singer Selena, and others.

As part of the tribute, ATM commissioned many of today’s influential and popular artists and illustrators from across the Americas to create a portrait gallery of these great figures. The artwork is filled with the vibrancy and energy of this diverse community. In this issue, read about the influence and contributions of these Latino American icons to U.S. history and to today’s American culture.

Exclusive video conversations with Carlos Santana, Edward James Olmos and Bobby Valentín about their Latino American icons are available on AARP.org/HispanicHeritage. Full-length stories and portrait gallery are also available.

The following is a sneak peek of the upcoming special Hispanic Heritage Month issue:

Dolores Huerta — Born in 1930  — American labor leader and human rights activist; cofounder, with Cesar Chavez, of United Farm Workers; New Mexico native 

BY CARLOS SANTANA, rock musician and activist.

WHEN YOU hear “Dolores Huerta,” you immediately think hope and courage. She has no fear of doing something no one has done before. In the 1960s and ’70s, she and Cesar Chavez demanded humane working conditions for farmworkers and the right for them to organize. Dolores used strikes and boycotts to face down agribusiness giants. Dolores’ mission is to establish equality, fairness and justice but also to help people believe in their own superpowers. The chant that she created—and that stays with everybody, including Barack Obama—is “Sí se puede!” Yes, it can be done! Will it to be so! She is able to ignite people to believe in their own self-worth. To achieve what Dolores has, you have to be strong, with tenacity of spirit. I want to put Dolores in the highest light so everyone in this world, especially women, can be empowered by her indomitable will. She’s unmatched in her energy, and she uses it to organize on behalf of women, Latinos and LGBTQIA people, and for better education and health for all. I have never met a person with more perseverance, combined with gentleness, class, and dignity. She’s a machete. And she’s a beam of light. —As told to Julia Lobaco 

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About AARP
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspanol and @AARPadvocates, @AliadosAdelante on social media.