Our Pick: Graciela Sanchez, Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, 922 San Pedro, esperanzacenter.org

Graciela Sanchez embodies the definition of what it means to be a social justice warrior. A firm believer in addressing social issues through art and community, the executive director of the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center has spent her entire life fighting for the equal treatment of the LGBTQ community, people of color, women and working class people — and she’s not slowing down anytime soon. Through community programming, art initiatives like MujerArtes, and, most recently, the buying of city real estate as a form of protest and community protection, the Esperanza Center, under Sanchez’s direction, has become not only a voice for the community but also a place where people find their own voice to speak up and out against social injustice.