I (He/Him/His) have reclaimed my indigenous identity that was taken by colonization, assimilation, murder and colonial borders, rejecting the ownership of the colonizer as part of my identity, highlighting the years of transgression and policies that have threatened indigenous people on the continent. It is not just me or my community that is affected by these issues around colonialism and white supremacy, but every single community that I stand in solidarity with. The collective freedom for all communities while living under threat of the white supremacist agenda is at the core of my values as a community organizer, not only creating policy wins and dynamic systems change but also equity within the movements itself. Experiencing first hand the brutality of the prison and immigration systems in our country, as the child of two indigenous people labeled as “illegal”, I am dedicated to seeing policy change that not only addresses a broken system and gives dignity, power to not only have the audacity to demand to live free but also excel. Going to Standing Rock to support my Indigenous brothers and sisters, created solidarity that goes past colonial borders and skills needed to be he front line of a movement. As first generation US Citizen, I am the first in my family to go to college, the and first Latinx Coordinator for College of the Redwoods. In my role as Latinx Coordinator, I help community members that are underrepresented in college and overrepresented in Pelican Bay State Prison attend and succeed in college either for the first time or returning to their educational career, creating spaces that they can call their own in an under diverse institution. Additionally doing grassroots organizing I work with other organizations on local, state, and national campaigns. I am the lead organizer of the Local Youth Organizing Network (LYON), a co-facilitator of Gender Talk, an LBGTQ+ group, and have attended and been a mentor at several BMOC events in California.
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