By Brian Dunlap

Los Ángeles poet Irene Monica Sanchez has won the 2018 Joe Hill Labor Poetry Award.

As stated on the Labor Heritage website the “Joe Hill Award honors leaders and artists who have contributed to the successful integration of arts and culture in the labor movement, given every year at the Great Labor Arts Exchange is awarded to persons based on their dedication, participation, and promotion of labor, labor arts, culture, organizing, and/or history.” Joe Hill Labor Poetry Award

Sanchez was born in South East Los Angeles and raised in LA and later the Inland Empire (Jurupa Valley, CA). As a second generation Mexican-Xicana, she writes about the experiences of growing up in between, yet rooted in the strength of knowing who she is and where she comes from.

About her and her writing, Sanchez states on her website that she is, “honest and deliberate in working for social justice. This is reflected in her writing, teaching, speaking and workshops. As an educator of Race and Ethnic Studies, Irene believes in empowerment through knowledge and culture. She is the co-founder of The Southwest Political Report and Xicana Ph.D. Blog where you can find some of her writings. She is a danzante of the Aztec/Mexica tradition. She is the co-host of a monthly poetry open mic in Pomona, CA called Poetry y Pan.”

The Labor Heritage Foundation has presented this annual lifetime achievement award for work in the field of labor culture since 1989.

Past L.A. winners are:

• Mark Lipman (2015)
• Matt Sedillo (2017)