Maria Peña (b. 1990s). A Colombian American visual satirist and illustrator whose work focuses on immigration, authoritarianism, and democratic erosion in the United States. A contributor to The Stewardship Report, Peña is known for confrontational political cartoons that expose the mechanics of power through symbolic absurdity. [Luce Index™ score: 86]
Raised in Jackson Heights, Queens, Peña grew up in one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the U.S. Her family emigrated from Colombia, and her lived experience as a Dreamer deeply informs her work. Immigration enforcement, surveillance culture, and state power recur as central themes.
After attending art school in Los Angeles, Peña relocated to Chicago, where she works as a freelance illustrator. She also volunteers in community patrols responding to immigration enforcement activity, grounding her art in direct civic engagement rather than abstraction.
Artistically, Maria Peña draws from the tradition of American editorial cartooning, employing bold line work and allegorical settings. Parades march into voids, slogans dissolve into fog, and authority figures appear grotesquely assured amid collapse.
Peña has spoken publicly about the challenges of algorithmic censorship, particularly when satire references historical atrocities or extremist symbolism. She argues that suppressing critical imagery erases historical memory and weakens democratic resistance.