This interactive presentation includes not only the history of tortillas in Kansas, but also a chance to make them! Kids are especially encouraged to attend. A bit of background: During the period of the Mexican Revolution, many immigrants made their way to Kansas to raise their families and work in the railroad, agricultural, industrial, and hospitality sectors of the state. A cultural offshoot of this new group of Mexican residents settling in the Midwest was the search for the perfect tortilla, a staple of Mexican cuisine. Because corn tortillas were difficult to make by hand, many restaurants and home cooks substituted wheat flour tortillas for their signature dishes. Join us to discuss the rich history of Mexican immigration to Kansas and the journey of the humble but important tortilla. After the service, we will head into the kitchen. Please bring your favorite salsa or topping for your tortilla!

Our guest speaker is Gene Chávez, Ed.D., Historian in Residence at the Museum of Kansas City and Diversity Consultant at Chávez and Associates. During 45 years in private and public schools, his life’s work has been educating Latino youth, documenting and telling the history of Hispanic people in the greater Kansas City region, and making life better for Latinos. Gene was born in Denver, Colorado, and raised in Denver and Los Angeles, with frequent trips to New Mexico to visit relatives. His father’s family came from Mexico to New Mexico and Southern Colorado; his mother’s family came from Spain in the 1700s and settled in what is today New Mexico. He was raised speaking Spanish, and has identified as Hispanic all of his life.

Join us in-person on Zeandale Rd or email office@uufm.net for the Zoom link.