We Are Latinos

Cesar Velez is a dreamer. He came to the United States from Mexico as a child and is a member of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. He grew up in southwest Kansas and now is a visual artist and painter in Kansas City. "There is a bittersweetness to it knowing where I come from but knowing that it's difficult to return," Velez said. "And knowing that the decisions my family made to get here were all sacrifices for a better life." His story is part of “We Are Latinos II,” a short documentary series by Victor Antillaca that highlights Kansas City’s vibrant Latino community. To learn more about Cesar and his work, watch the attached video. The full-length “We Are Latino’s II” premiered Oct. 12, 2023 on Kansas City PBS. Health Forward Foundation and The Kemper Family Foundations, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee provided support for this program.

Isaac Tapia and Rodrigo Alvarez began working together under the name of ITRA in 2017. "I don't see myself doing anything else but painting," Tapia said. "I paint to represent my family, my culture," Alvarez added, "to be represented in those places or spaces that we're no really welcomed." Together, the two have created more than 45 murals and other artworks that adorn Kansas City. Their story is part of “We Are Latinos II,” a short documentary series by Victor Antillaca that highlights Kansas City’s vibrant Latino community. To learn more about their work, watch the attached video. Health Forward Foundation and The Kemper Family Foundations, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee provided support for this program.

Dulcinea Herrera's creative expression spans multiple art forms and coffee. The co-founder of Café Corazón and former Miss Kansas City Latina, Herrera also creates abstract art, still life paintings, digital designs and website design. "Café Corazón is a family business me and my parents started about four years ago," Herrera said. "We started it because we realized that most coffee comes from Latin America, but no one ever pays homage to that... So, we wanted to give the bean a voice." Dulcinea's story is part of “We Are Latinos II,” a short documentary series by Victor Antillaca that highlights Kansas City’s vibrant Latino community. Health Forward Foundation and The Kemper Family Foundations, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee provided support for this program.

Aquetzali (Kiki) Serna preserves fading memories of her early childhood in Mexico through her art today in Kansas City. Kiki, a DACA recipient who came to the United States at the age of 7, sustains connections with her distant family members, who she cannot visit in person, in artwork that is now on display in her adopted hometown. “It’s a way for me to reconnect with that story,” she says, “… to reconnect with the homes that I used to live in but no longer live in anymore.”

“This neighborhood,” muses Jenny Mendez. “It’s my heart.” Mendez, a third-generation Mexican American artist born and raised on the West Side of Kansas City, is the cultural arts director at the Mattie Rhodes Center. The neighborhood, and its people, have inspired her for decades. It found its fullest expression in the West Side mural project. Jenny’s story is part of “We Are Latinos,” a short documentary series by Victor Antillaca that highlights Kansas City’s vibrant Latino community.