Alhambra victims’ advocate honored as ‘Woman of the Year’

SACRAMENTO >> An Alhambra woman who had dedicated the past nine years of her life to helping families of homicide victims was honored by a California lawmaker as 2017 “Woman of the Year” this week as part of the Women’s History Month observance.
California Rep. Ed Chau, D-Monterey Park, selected Ernestina “Tina” Yamashiro to receive the honor at a ceremony held Monday in Sacramento.
Yamashiro’s life was forever changed when her niece, 16-year-old Sammantha Salas, was gunned down in an unincorporated county area between Monrovia and Duarte while walking to a the store on Jan. 26, 2008.
Since then, she had worked tirelessly on behalf of homicide victims and their families, founding the San Gabriel Valley Chapter of the victim advocacy group Survivors of Murdered Children.
“I am recognizing Ernestina, because of her unwavering commitment to serving grieving families during some of the most difficult times of their lives, which is the loss of a loved one,” Chau said in a written statement.
“She is truly a role model and pillar in the community that has turned a very difficult and personal experience into a lifelong mission to transform the lives of others, in an empowering way, by making sure that families of homicide victims are aware of the resources available to them, and by promoting peace and educational activities that attempt to end violence. She is, without a doubt, deserving of this recognition and much more.”

PHOTO: Victims’ rights advocate Ernestina “Tina” Yamashiro, center, was honored as 2017 “Woman of the Year” by California Rep. Ed Chau, D-Monterey Park, at a ceremony in Sacramento on Monday, March 6, 2017. (Courtesy)

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