Public Programming
As part of the Guadalupe Centers' year-long centennial celebration, the Kansas City Public Library hosted three public events highlighting the history and legacy of the Centers. The events were organized in partnership with the UMKC History Department and Latinx and Latin American Studies Program, and Tico Productions.
Missouri Valley Sundays Lecture: Kansas City’s Guadalupe Centers: A Century of Serving the Latino Community. May 19, 2019.
To hear an audio recording of the presentation, click here.
Mexican immigrants who settled in Kansas City’s westside community in the early 1900s faced discrimination, poverty, and a lack of social services. In response in 1919, the Guadalupe Center became one of the nation’s first social service agencies for Latinos.
A century later, Guadalupe Centers, Inc., continues its mission of improving the quality of life for Kansas City Latinos. Scholars Sandra Enríquez, Valerie Mendoza, and Theresa Torres discuss its social, cultural, and educational contributions and legacy of service—a history documented in the new Library exhibition Guadalupe Centers: A Century of Community.
Guadalupe Centers at 100: A Conversation with Cris Medina and Crosby Kemper III. October 2, 2019.
To watch a video recording of the conversation, click here.
Its beginnings a century ago were modest: a converted home adjacent to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church that operated as a settlement house and gathering place for the growing number of Mexican immigrants on Kansas City’s west side.
Today, Guadalupe Centers, Inc., is a community anchor—the longest continuously running Latino-serving organization in the nation. Offerings range from early childhood, elementary, high school, and adult educational programs to health and social services, cultural events, and social activities.
Amid a yearlong commemoration of the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1919, CEO Cris Medina sits down with Library Director Crosby Kemper III for a wide-ranging discussion of the Guadalupe Centers—its history, its legacy and impact on a still-growing Latino and Hispanic community, and its future.
Kansas City’s Guadalupe Centers: 100 Years of Service Documentary Premiere and Panel Discussion. October 26, 2019.
For 7 years, a local production company, Tico Productions LLC, has documented the histories, challenges, and strength of Kansas City's Guadalupe Centers in anticipation of their 100 year anniversary in 2019. The 45-minute film documents major historical movements in history all framed locally through the lens of Guadalupe Center's services and programs. The documentary features over 40 interviews with Westside residents, Center Staff, International diplomats, and some of today's most influential leaders in Kansas City's community, many of whom, had their start at Guadalupe Center.
After the premiere, the creative team at Tico Productions--Brenna Dwyer (Senior Designer), Lydia Knopp (Creative Director), and Oscar Monterroso (Partner and President)--discuss their approach to produce & edit over 100 years of public memory into 45-minutes.