Julia Williams and Daisy Garcia-Montoya
Editor-in-Chief and Education Reporter

In the years following the conclusion of the American Civil War in 1865, the United States began to see an industrial boom from railroad expansions to steel manufacturing — leading to immense economic growth. This soon led the U.S. to coin the term “land of opportunity,” according to the Library of Congress. 

As other countries around the world suffered from crop failures, unemployment surges and various famines — many decided to leave their homes in search of a greater quality of life, including freedom from political and/or religious persecution. 

Immigration has occurred within the U.S. and around the world for centuries — including the Northeast region of Kansas City. 

In data collected from the 2023 U.S. Census — of Northeast zip codes 64123 and 64124 — 42% of the racial demographic within the area includes Hispanic or Latino origin, 37% is white alone and 21% falls into “other” including African American, American Indian and Alaskan Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander individuals, among others. 

With a broad range of diversity, of this demographic, 50% of Northeast residents speak a language other than English, and 25.1% speak English less than well. This leaves 24.9 % of the total population speaking English at a rate considered “very well,” according to the census.

Bridging a Cultural Gap

To help combat disheartening narratives surrounding Immigration, various organizations including Advocates for Immigration Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR) work to assist and offer support toward these individuals.

AIRR is a non-profit organization operating across Missouri and Kansas working to empower, educate and promote instruction for Immigrants within respective areas.. AIRR welcomes everyone who has self-interest in Immigration rights, according to its Communications Officer, Samantha Calderon.

It was founded in 2006 under People of Faith for Hospitality and Justice, prior to its 2010 rebrand as Advocates for Immigration Rights and Reconciliation — which the organization saw as a more suiting title for its mission and Immigration work. 

AIRR offers several opportunities for those interested including redirecting misinformation on Immigration. Including — but not limited to — “Know Your Rights” presentations: a presentation which empowers and educates on Immigration rights within given areas. These presentations are given by AIRR trained volunteers. The “Know your Rights” program overall is led by AIRR Immigration support specialists. 

This organization additionally offers an accompaniment program — allowing its leaders to accompany and offer support to Immigrants during various medical or general appointments. 

In addition to its individual programs, AIRR has also previously partnered with organizations including Revolution Educativa (RevED)/ Latinx Education Collaborative (LEC), Jerusalem Farm, KC Tenants and Mattie Rhodes Center, among others. 

Calderon said she started working for AIRR about a year ago as a core-team leader within the organization.

Calderon started working and providing solutions within this field, while she was still in college (University of Saint Mary, Leavenworth, Ks) — creating accessible translations and marketing for those in need. Her junior year, she began efforts toward multicultural marketing within Kansas City. 

Freedom of Speech

As an Immigrant going through this process herself, Calderon said this task was not only difficult, but also hit home for her. 

“I felt like I had no power to discuss these topics, [AIRR] helped me find and use my power,” Calderon said in an interview. 

Calderon said she was just 11 years old when her family moved from Veracruz, Mexico to Historic Northeast Kansas City. 

She mentioned the welcoming culture Northeast encompasses — additionally stating that the Northeast neighborhood remains the most welcoming neighborhood for Immigrants within Kansas City. This is largely due to its abundance of affordable resources and Immigrant-owned business, which create an inclusive experience for many, Calderon said. 

Following her family’s relocation, she attended Northeast Middle School — engaging in its English as a Second-Language (ESL) Program. 

She additionally attended Guadalupe Centers High School. While she said she arrived with some connection to the neighborhood — as her stepfather had lived within the Northeast for 30 years prior to her family’s move — she still endured certain adversities she had not previously experienced. 

“Immigration is like leaving parts of you in your country but advancing to a better country,” Calderon said. 

With this, she said she experienced Immigrant grief — a feeling of loss, or lack of belonging — grappling with anti-immigration narratives, she said, created difficulty settling peacefully.

However, after joining AIRR, she was able to provide — and continues — to offer support to those braving similar experiences. 

Some of these aiding elements include organizing movements, speaking to representatives and advocating for individuals as well as for or against said movements.  

Calderon said her time as a core-team leader has helped her discover and utilize her power in ways she was unsure of before. 

From encouraging those to participate in elections to recognizing and acknowledging individual rights and powers — AIRR, and similar organizations, work toward providing support and education to the immigrant community within Kansas City. 

This organization additionally allows its members to lead their community, while also providing them with the proper tools to do so. 

Land of Opportunity

As these individuals are united through similar challenges and experiences, Calderon said AIRR provides these individuals with a “family away from home.”

As one of AIRR’s core team leaders, Tomas Hernandez said this organization has opened many doors for him — helping him grow, learn about and become more involved with his community. 

Originally from El Salvador, Hernandez said he arrived in Kansas City three years ago and reunited with some of his family members who were already settled here. 

Now, three years down the road, he can be found at community events, giving testimonials and advocating for immigrant rights. 

Hernandez said his experience of arriving in a country where he was not dominant in the common language, and his interest in social justice, motivated him to get involved with AIRR to organize and advocate for change. 

Among his advocacy experience, he has served as an active member in the language access campaign — helping by giving testimony to city government and conducting surveys to collect data to inform the City of the opinions and suggestions of the affected population. 

“The immigrant community we are the most affected in this city, I would like the immigrant community to organize together. In this time that I have been involved with AIRR I have seen that things can be accomplished when the community organizes and supports each other,” said Hernandez.

With organizations like AIRR, Hernandez said he hopes that the community will be encouraged to come together to create more connections and see the abilities and impact they have when they work as one. 

“We as Immigrants are present, we are always going to be there fighting,” he said.

To continue on this path of creating a closer relationship among the immigrant community, Laura Rodriguez — another leader among AIRR members — said it is important to leave fear behind. 

And Justice for All

In situations of seeking help, or involvement in civic processes, sometimes individuals among the immigrant population hesitate to participate for fear of repercussions due to their Immigration status. 

Rodriguez shared that the poor working conditions she experienced, in addition to the misinformation she received from other communities and family members, made her want to learn more about her rights as an immigrant and remove doubts about what she could and could not do. 

During the time she was affected by poor working conditions, Rodriguez said she felt that what was happening was not right and began to seek out resources. Among them, she attended a “Know Your Rights” Zoom training with AIRR and became a consistent AIRR participant. 

Rodriguez eventually became one of the leaders of AIRR’s training program and became an active advocate for immigrant rights — particularly for undocumented Immigrants. 

“Regardless of how you came to this country, you can use your voice, you have a right, and we can create change,” Rodriguez said. “The fact that you come to this country without some document, that doesn’t make you less of a person, you have rights.”

Thanks to the relationship she has with AIRR and the training she has attended, Rodriguez said it has helped her remain calm in situations involving law enforcement. 

In addition, connections with other organizations and resources have helped Rodriguez feel like an integral part of the community, as well as empowered by the rights she knows she has. 

“I thought and said I don’t want to continue living this way so I took my curiosity, my doubts, and turned them into strength to move forward,” Rodriguez said. “I was worried about my family and I started to think about what I can do as an immigrant, seeing that my family was going through injustices, what can I be, what can I change to help the rest of the community.” 

Sharing the Wealth

As the immigrant community continues to grow in Kansas City, AIRR leaders invite individuals to get connected with AIRR and other partner organizations around the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan area to form bonds, learn about ongoing city efforts and get involved. With further community engagement, higher participation will allow individuals to become more knowledgeable about their rights and opportunities – leading to the possibility of faster progress, leaders said. 

“If we were all connected, with the right information, we could already achieve more. What AIRR needs is for people to join us so we can make big changes. Sometimes it seems like it’s slow progress, but small movements make big changes,” Rodriguez said. 

For more information on how to get involved with AIRR or to request its services, visit: https://www.airrkc.org/.