A local hotel worker who has spent years advocating for safe working conditions was honored earlier this month as Woman of the Year in Los Angeles County.

County Supervisor Janice Hahn chose Juana Melara—who as a Norwalk resident and employee of The Westin in downtown Long Beach both lives and works in the Fourth District—for her efforts to secure worker protections in Long Beach.

Melara’s activism also earned her a spot as one of Time Magazine’s persons of the year in 2017 when she was recognized as a “silence breaker” for coming forward with her own story of being sexually harassed at work.

https://staging-live.lbpost.com/news/long-beach-hotel-worker-included-in-time-magazine-s-person-of-the-year-award/

“I know that with Juana’s courage, organizing skills, and perseverance—justice will prevail and hotel workers throughout LA County will one day be safer because of her hard work,” said Hahn during the awards luncheon held at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles on March 12. “The silence may be broken but our most pressing problems are far from being fixed. To all of the women in the audience, I hope you’ll take a page out of Juana’s book and remember that you are not alone. Your greatest allies are sitting right next you.”

For the full list of women honored by the County Board of Supervisors and Commission of Women click here. 

Stephanie Rivera is the community engagement editor. Reach her at stephanie@lbpost.com or on Twitter at @StephRivera88.