Olga Talamante was 11 years old when her parents plucked her from Mexico and drove their family across the U.S. border. Five decades later, Talamante will be riding in a red lowrider convertible during Sunday’s Pride parade as one of six community grand marshals selected by the San Francisco LGBT Pride Committee for her outstanding contributions to the LGBT community.

The National Council of La Raza has launched a multi-state voter registration operation ahead of the 2012 election with the goal of encouraging Latinos to participate in the political process, despite the difficulties the community has felt since the last election.