My blood, my dark brown hair, and my blended light brown skin will never be one individual. I am a world of different flowers. I can trace my roots back to the original Peñas who lived on a rocky cliff in Castilla, Spain, but the light skin that my ancestors gave me isn’t how I identify. Both of my parents came from Central America (Guatemala, and El Salvador) escaping governmental persecution and mass poverty. In their pockets that only contained bread crumbs, they managed to bring their culture to the United States. I am a world of different flowers. On one side I stand as a Central American that feels excited when asked about his nationality, but what most people never see, and what most people never understand is my true identity.

 Like the elders in my family who told me stories of Quetzalcoatl, and showed the struggle of the beautiful Rigoberta Menchu, I am Ki’Chi.  I want to show the world that the Ki’Che live on.

 My skin color carries a history of oppression , while my blood carries the depressing stories of massacres and poverty. These stories that cry red awake the Ki’Chi warrior within. Ruben Dario said “ we are a million cubs from the original Lion”, and when I first laid eyes on his poetic verse, the tears, and the ancestral pain spoke to me, and said “ you will help your people”. My identity helps me understand why I have the need to stop the unfair wealth distribution in my community. My identity allows me to understand that I have an obligation and a mission to develop a powerful voice to speak up for the mothers, children, and anyone who has had to decide between purchasing groceries and paying for rent.