Dr. Valerie Mendoza, a historian and lecturer at Kansas City Kansas Community College, will present “Stories of Mexican Migration to Kansas” May 11 at 3 p.m. in the museum auditorium.
This is the next program connected with Kauffman Museum’s current special exhibit, and is free and open to the public.
Mendoza will discuss different waves of immigration to various parts of the state from the early 20th century to the present, with a focus on community formation and culture.
Her presentation weaves in stories from her own family experience – including name changes, curanderas, a 40-year-old tradition, and NASA.
These lived experiences show how her family members – immigrants, and children of immigrants – have been trailblazers, culture bearers and “firsts.”
Like the museum’s special exhibit, “Unlocking the Past: Immigrant Artifacts & the Stories They Tell,” the program is meant to inspire viewers/listeners to learn the stories of their own families and their immigrant experiences.
Mendoza is a native of Topeka, Kan., and earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley. She has taught history at several universities, specializing in 20th-century U.S. history and Latinx studies.
Mendoza works in the public humanities, where her research focuses on the history of the Latinx community in Kansas and the Midwest.
She has served as a consultant to the Kansas State Historical Society, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission and the National Folklife Network. Her interests include the history of Mexicans in the U.S., gender studies and ethnic studies.
As part of Humanities Kansas, Mendoza has given numerous presentations, and carried out projects such as “Camina conmigo/Walk with me,” a driving tour of Latinx cultural sites in Kansas City. She was the historian for a short documentary, Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Lives of Mexican-American Women in Kansas, in 2016.
Along with Norma E. Cantu, Mendoza co-edited a special volume of the American Studies Journal on Latinx social issues, published in fall 2017.
The next program associated with “Unlocking the Past” will be the U.S. premiere of the documentary Where the Cottonwoods Grow on June 1 in Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center on the Bethel College campus.
Ticket purchase is required, and may be done in Thresher Shop in Schultz Student Center (Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) on campus or online at https://kauffmanmuseum.org/events/
Regular Kauffman Museum hours are Tues.-Fri. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 1:30-4:30 p.m., closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission to the special exhibit, “Unlocking the Past: Immigrant Artifacts & the Stories They Tell,” and permanent exhibits – “Of Land and People,” “Mirror of the Martyrs” and “Mennonite Immigrant Furniture” – is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-16, and free to Kauffman Museum members and children under 6. The museum store is open during regular museum hours. See kauffmanmuseum.org or the museum Facebook page for more information.
