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.

Enríquez is an assistant history professor at UMKC. Mendoza serves as director of outreach and inclusion for Humanities Kansas. Torres is an associate professor of Latinx and Latin American studies and sociology at UMKC.