While reading about the life story of Frida Kahlo, Bernadette Peña’s granddaughter began to identify similarities between herself and the artist. She related to Frida’s eyebrows, her love for painting, and their shared experience of living with a disability. Inspired by this moment, Peña dressed her granddaughter as Frida and watched as she beamed with confidence.

Peña founded Nuestra Gente: A Tribute to Hispanic Innovators and Dreamers© and BRAVA Women © to highlight the global contributions and historical narratives of the Latino/a/x community and Women of multicultural backgrounds. Through the art of imagery, children portray the notable figures of yesterday and today, bridging the generations of trailblazers to the leaders of tomorrow, cultivating cultural identity and literacy, inspiring the development of voice and agency through heritage, language, and culture.