The Founding of El Centro: A Study of Grassroots Organizing for Social Change

By Sara Shaffer-Henry

El Centro is a 501c3 nonprofit organization located in Kansas City KS. A social service agency, El Centro’s mission is “strengthening communities and improving lives of Latinos and others through educational, economic and social opportunities. ¹ Built from grassroots activism and advocacy, El Centro provides invaluable support to communities in Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas.  As a local nonprofit, El Centro is a direct reflection of the community, but also the ideals and purpose set forth in its creation in 1976.  By examining the creation of El Centro, historians can develop a better understanding of the social, cultural and economic status of Latinos in the 1970s, and how cultural movements have concrete effects on community and social development of Latinos in Kansas City Kansas.

Cultural Context Of El Centro’s Creation

The largest factor that led to the formation of El Centro was the racism and discrimination faced by the Latino community.  Latinos were often discriminated in the form of substandard housing, denied access to healthcare and education, and workforce exploitation. ²  Fr. Gaitan discusses the discrimination faced by Latinos in Topeka KS in the decades prior to the founding of El Centro:

Dr. Gene Chavez, current member of the Board of Directors for El Centro reflects on discrimination in Kansas City in the following two clips:

 

This discrimination against Latinos was a root cause to the rise of the Chicano movement. Latinos became engaged in activism and advocacy to expand rights of Latinos and reduce inequity found in schools, housing, and employment.  The rise of this activism was part of a nationalist ideology of Chicanismo, or a call for self-determination and cultural resurgence after systematic oppression of Latinos. ³ This philosophy was present in the Kansas City area with a rise of Latino activism in the form of Chicano activist publications and a Chicano cultural center in Kansas City. ⁴  This philosophy of Chicanismo and serving the community were the key factors that led to the creation of El Centro.  Fr. Gaitan discusses his experiences with the Chicano movement in Kansas City:

Another factor effecting the creation of El Centro was the lack of social support for Latinos during this time.  The discrimination faced by the Latino community extended to essential services such as healthcare, housing, and food security.  According to Dionicio Valdes, “attitudes and behavior of the dominant population isolated Mexicans, even in public and private agencies charged with care for the poor.  Charity and welfare organizations consistently tried to evade caring for Mexicanos, who consequently did not generally seek assistance.” ⁵  As Latinos living in poverty were unable to receive access to basic services or education, the cycle of poverty continued to advance for the current and future generations.  As a result, many Latinos did not receive the educational attainment, healthcare or economic opportunity afforded to others.

The third variable that effected the creation of El Centro was the newly established Hispanic Ministry effort within the Catholic Church.  The growth of the Latino population required a more intensive effort to engage Latinos in the Church, as well as take the church into the community to address social justice concerns. Furthermore, Latinos were demanding more involvement in the leadership of Church, as well as greater accessibility to bilingual priests and pastors. El Centro. ⁶ In 1972, the Catholic Church hosted the first of the Encuentro Nacional Hispano de Pastoral, in which Bishops as well as lay people, gathered to discuss ways to further support and engage the Hispanic population in the Church. ⁷  Richard Ruiz, the first Executive Director of El Centro attended a regional Encuentro as described by Dr Gene Chavez below:

The result of the Encurentros was a strategic plan to develop more Spanish speaking leaders in the Church, the establishment of local pastoral centers, and the need for the Latino community to share and act on their beliefs in the community. ⁸ These efforts by the Church would pave the way for the formation of El Centro, as well as its ideals for future governance.

El Centro Founders

Fr. Gaitan, Founder of El Centro

(Photo used with permission by El Centro Inc.)

The founding of El Centro was the intersection of multiple social issues, as well as community leaders.  The first leader that was instrumental in the founding of El Centro was Fr. Ramon Gaitan, a Catholic priest from San Antonio.  In the 1960s, Fr Gaitan was placed at Our Lady of Guadalupe and Sacred Heart Churches in the Westside neighborhood of Kansas City. ⁹  In this role, Fr. Gaitan became well acquainted with the Westside and the community needs in this area.  In 1972, Fr. Gaitan was placed at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Topeka Kansas. After a few years of service, Fr. Gaitan began seeing the unmet needs of the Latino community in Topeka and was determined to serve those needs. Furthermore, as the Chicano movement was gaining momentum, university students were engaging in high levels of activism.  To work with the students, Archbishop Ignatius Strecker approached Fr. Gaitan to build a Latino program in Topeka to address Latino concerns and provide support services. ¹⁰ Fr. Gaitan shares his story of how El Centro in Topeka was started:

It was 1972 when Fr. Gaitan opened El Centro in Topeka.  The first programs at El Centro of Topeka included services to migrant farmers, prison ministry and directing Chicano activism in Topeka. ¹¹   It is Fr. Gaitan’s experience of building El Centro of Topeka that would build the model for El Centro in Kansas City.

The second instrumental person in the founding of El Centro was Esther Vallidolid Wolf, a Graduate Student in Social Work at the University of Kansas.  Dr. Gene Chavez describes Esther’s role in the clip below:

Wolf was assigned by her professor to complete a census of Mexicans and Mexican families in the Silver City area of Kansas City Kansas. ¹² During her research, Wolf realized that the Latino community was underserved in the area and were in need of support services. Reflecting a national trend, Latinos in Kansas City were not receiving support services due to discrimination by existing service providers.  Based on her experience in Silver City, as well as her social work background, Wolf also became an instrumental park to forming El Centro.

Richard Ruiz was also a critical part of the formation and early development of El Centro.  A leader in the Latino community in Kansas City, Ruiz attended a regional El Premier Encuentro del Pastoral in Houston Texas. ¹³ For Ruiz, the Encuentro was a critical turning point in regards to approaches to social justice in Kansas City.  This movement towards social justice and empowerment for Latinos through the Church, would be a defining moment for Ruiz in forming and operating El Centro in its early years.

Richard Ruiz, First Executive Director of El Centro with Sr. Matilda Jaime.

(Photo used with permission by El Centro Inc.)

Lupe Gonzalez was also a founder who was a critical part of the founding of El Centro.  Gonzalez lived in Kansas City and was a well-known orchestra leader and community activist. ¹⁴ He became the director of SER (Service-Employment-Redevelopment) Jobs for progress in the Kansas City area due to “his leadership ability and common sense approach to managing people.” ¹⁵. Gonzalez had a sincere desire to help people in Kansas City and was a inspiring force to Richard Ruiz, as well as those around him.

The Early Years of El Centro

Considering the social and cultural context of the 1970s, as well as the intersection of all these community leaders, the philosophical and logistical basis for El Centro began to take shape. The main issue was finding funding for the agency.  Supportive of Hispanic ministry and as a result of the Encuentro movement, Archbishop Ignatius Strecker authorized a one-time gift of ten thousand dollars to establish El Centro. ¹⁶

Dr. Gene Chavez, current board member of El Centro, recounts the founding of  El Centro in the clip below.

El Centro was established with Richard Ruiz as the Executive Director and John Mendez as the first Chair of the Board of Directors in 1976.  For El Centro, many describe the way the governance board was formed, as well as the Latino leadership of the board as critical to the success of the organization. The governance board consisted of Latino members of the community, which meant that the board understood the issues facing the community, as well as the best ways to address those issues.  This community based governance allowed El Centro to integrate the Latino community into the operational and programmatic development of the organization.

Another factor that made the board a success was what is described as its entrepreneurial spirit. ¹⁷ The entrepreneurial spirit could best be described as the determination by the first board and executive director to address issues efficiently and effectively, while finding strategic approaches the developed organizational growth.  This entrepreneurial growth could be found not only in the development of Woodland Hills, a housing development, but also in their ability to negotiate on their terms and utilize their networks in Kansas City effectively.  An example of this can be found in how the El Centro building in Argentine was acquired from the Santa Fe Railroad in the story below:

The success of El Centro can be directly attributed not only to its foundations in the philosophy of the Chicano movement and social justice, but also to an effective governance board.  Fr. Gaitan was one of the first board members and discusses the importance of the board below:

One of the largest barriers for the first Board of Directors and Executive Director was the funding. The different programs that would be under El Centro had single funders that determined the financial health of the program.  If those funding agencies pulled their funding, the program would end.  Richard Ruiz made it his goal to diversify El Centro’s funding sources by pursing different funding sources including entrepreneurial ventures. ¹⁸ This eventually led to increasing support from community partners such as the United Way, as well as developing a separate business entity to generate revenue for El Centro in the form of an endowment.  By developing multiple revenue streams for the organization, El Centro was able to stabilize their finances and plan strategically for the future. The diverse funding was also a part of expanding El Centro’s influence within the community. As more people and organizations became financially invested in El Centro, their program increased their visibility and ability to ultimately support more individuals in Kansas City Kansas.

Programmatic Development

When El Centro was founded in 1976, the ideals of service and advocacy were expressed through the initial programs of the organization.  The idea of empowerment extended to meeting people where they were and building confidence, skills and opportunity.  One of the first priorities for El Centro related to workforce development.  By providing support for people in the workforce, or building additional skills, community members could develop sustainable independence.  One of the first initiatives by El Centro was a partnership with SER-Jobs for Progress. ¹⁹ This partnership was based on supporting migrant farm workers through the work of the Cordi-Marian Sisters. The Cordi-Marian Sisters were a Catholic religious order that were brought to the Kansas City area from San Antonio by Fr. Gaitan. ²⁰ These sisters primary role in the early years of El Centro was to provide ministry to migrant farmworkers.

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                                       Cordi-Marian Sisters providing ministry to migrant farmworkers

(Photo used with permission by El Centro Inc.)

El Centro also established a senior program, which provided social engagement and activities for seniors in Wyandotte and Johnson Counties.  Latino seniors often faced isolation due to their language barriers, as well as their inability to travel into the community. ²¹ El Centro sponsored social activities for seniors, in which seniors could interact with other community members and be a visible and active part of the community. Furthermore, El Centro provided bilingual services to senior citizens, in the form of visits or even a friendly voice on the other end of the phone.  These services enhanced the quality of life for seniors and enhanced the Latino community with elder involvement.

These first service programs were the foundation for serving the community.  As El Centro continued to grow over the years, the inherent foundation of empowerment and service found in these programs was integral to the operations and mission of El Centro.

The Future of El Centro

As El Centro grew over the past 40 years, the foundation of service and charity was integrated into every aspect of its development.  Whether it was developing workforce programs such as Keyboard for Success, educational programs for kids, or housing corporations, El Centro was at the forefront of meeting the need for members of the community in Kansas City Kansas.  El Centro recently celebrated its 40 year anniversary, in which they celebrates a legacy of service, success, and empowerment for the Kansas City Kansas community.  As the Latino population continues to grow in Wyandotte and Johnson counties, El Centro faces new opportunities and challenges for organizational development. This growth requires evaluation of risk related to the amount of action versus inaction.  In other words, as the demands for service and advocacy increase El Centro needs ot balance the needs of their clients, while maintaining the mission and security of the organization.  In a highly politicized environment, Dr. Chavez discuss how El Centro balances the need for action versus inaction In the following clip:

As El Centro continues to grow, the future is limitless for El Centro.  Dr. Gene Chavez, current board member, feels that the future of El Centro lies in returning to its roots and finding new relevance in new and old Latino members of their community. ²². This relevance includes a increase in cultural programming such as fiestas, community events, and showcasing cultural arts.

He discusses the idea of finding relevance in the modern age in the following clip:

For Fr. Gaitan, original founder, his goals for El Centro in the future are as big as they were in 1976.  He would like to see increased policy advocacy for Latino policy issues, and for El Centro to be aleader in the work for Latino rights in Kansas City Kansas and Kansas.  He also feels that another large part of their mission in the future should be a leadership development program.  By developing leadership skills in todays youth, Fr. Gaitan believes they can beomce strong proponents for their culture and advocate for Latino rights at all levels of government.  Fr. Gaitan discusses his wishes for El Centro in the following clip:

While El Centro started with only a few services to the community, the vision for El Centro was  to become a pillar of service to the community for those most in need.  This vision was established by the founders, as Fr. Gaitan describes in the following clip:

While the challenges for the Latino community in Kansas City and Kansas face formidable challenges at the regional, state and national level, El Centro continues to rise to the challenge with the entrepreneurial and service based vision found in its founding.  The future consists of advancing the original goals of El Centro in new and innovative ways that are relevant to the social economic and cultural needs of the people they serve. This vision was established by the founders, and continues to be a critical part of El Centro’s operating today. Dr. Chavez feels that El Centro continues to embody the essence of the founding in the entrepreneurial spirit of their governance, but more importantly in the focus on the people in the community. ²³

By incorporating the community in the governance, operations and as clients, El Centro is truly a grassroots agency that not only serves the community, but are active collaborators with the community as a whole.  This philosophy of partnership versus a hierarchical management structure allows El Centro to provide real time services that are truly beneficial for the community as a whole.  This can be seen in the use of coffecitos, when El Centro leadership meet with community members to discuss community concerns.  Dr. Chavez discusses coffecitos in the following clip:

El Centro has been a critical part of the Latino and greater Kansas City Kansas community for over 40 years.  Starting with a group of local leaders who saw an opportunity to serve, El Centro has grown into a pillar of the Kansas City Kansas community.  Despite being created in the midst of discrimination and segregation, El Centro has faced every challenge with a well-known entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to promote social change.  This spirit and call to service is a direct reflection of the Founders and the foundation they created for the organization and community as a whole.