UnidosUS comes to KC for listening session with city, business and community leaders
A group of national Hispanic leaders met in Kansas City this week for a listening session with city legislators and local business leaders. There's a lot for this community to be worried about lately — news stories paint an anxious picture of changing immigration policies.
Still, the tone was surprisingly upbeat.
When asked what word they would use to describe how they felt Thursday morning at the Mattie Rhodes Cultural Center, words such as 'hopeful,' 'proud' and 'gratitude' were spoken. Only one 'uncertain' surfaced among the rest.
Perhaps it's because this is a community that supports and uplifts each other because in these times it feels like that's all you can do.
UnidosUS seeks to do more. The nation's largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization has planned several of these listening sessions around the country with the goal of understanding concerns facing local residents. Headed by Kansas City, Kansas, native Janet Murguia, the organization seeks to close gaps and barriers facing Latinos.
'As we hear from our community, as we understand the challenges that our community is facing, it informs us even further with a level of authenticity that will give us strength to advance solutions,' she said.
KC wasn't the first stop on this multicity listening tour, but in some ways, it was the most important. The UnidosUS national convention is in Kansas City this year, and Thursday's event was another opportunity to shine a spotlight on Murguia's hometown.
After coffee, breakfast and the positive start, Murguia and Unidos/US Senior vice president for policy Eric Rodriguez offered some sober realities:
'To be honest, there's a shifting political landscape right now, and we're facing some tough headwinds. We've made it very clear that we are going to do everything we can to protect and defend our community,' Murguia said.
The fears are real. Just this week, Kansas City's migrants, like others around the country, have found ICE officers waiting after court appointments. And in Massachusetts, a student on his way to volleyball practice was arrested by ICE and later released.
Murguia and UnidosUS representatives spent two hours meeting with Kansas City leaders. Among the city, community and business representatives were John Fierro, President and CEO of the Mattie Rhodes Center, Kansas City Councilman Crispin Rea, Jaime Guillen, who leads KC's Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity Department and Raytown Alderman Theresa Garza, among many others.
The Beacons of Change annual conference comes to Kansas City August 5-7.
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