(Karina Ramirez / For De Los)
This comic is a slice of gratitude to my loved ones, working-class people and the gente that make L.A. home.
![I was fortunate to have two working-class Mexican parents growing up in Cudahy.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3303420/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F08%2F9a%2F95da970a47199a2a66c8c95841e3%2F1.jpg)
![In the morning she played her CDs and tapes as the soundtrack for our daily routine.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5e07629/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a%2Fce%2F1b0ee8594e999e2522c386929133%2F4.jpg)
![I'd go get groceries with her and always admired the handwritten sales ads from Superior.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/20ec87b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F75%2F15%2F937b6bcf437da89e25f9516e3a33%2F5.jpg)
![My mom worked cleaning homes and I often went with her across town. There were many murals and paintings.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d551773/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2Fdc%2F0ba1e45f44698d1b05ff97ec2cf5%2F7.jpg)
![Everything I saw growing up informed my own artistic practice. I began to draw and take photographs.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/46089a8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff0%2F83%2F411ae9f84982974948d10afcb916%2F8.jpg)
Karina Ramirez (kari/they/she) is a nonbinary Mexican American artist born and raised in south East Los Angeles. Their illustrations center themes of nostalgia, gender and music. They are most recognized under the moniker “Trankis.”