Topic: Immigration
Interview of Carlos Mayans, February 11, 2022
Interviewed by Eric Sexton
Wichita, Kansas seems an unlikely place to find a Cuban-American as mayor. But Carlos Mayans' political career hasn't followed traditional paths. One TV station that supported him for Mayor gave him kudos for his tenacity in lowering airfares at the Wichita airport. Mayans' interview highlights his coming to Kansas because of the revolution in Cuba to join his brother and sister. He started his own insurance agency and later, ran for the legislature before becoming Mayor of Wichita. His interview is replete with examples of his interactions with lobbyists, fellow legislators and campaign stories. Show MoreMayans notes that Americans love to label people, and he is difficult to label. He had an impact on health policy as chair of the committee dealing with health issues such as assisted living and skilled nursing care. As Mayor of WIchita , the development of the Affordable Air Fares program was a significant boost to economic development as was the construction of an arena. Show Less
Interview of Delia Garcia, April 21, 2022
Interviewed by Frances Jackson
Garcia's interview describes how she was recruited to run for the Kansas Legislature and how she learned how to be a successful leader. She had many role models from Texas Senator Leticia Van der Putte, to Governors Finney and Sebelius, and Sr. Therese Bangert. She told a story about a legislative colleague who complimented her on speaking good English while she was debating a measure requiring English as the official language. Garcia felt humiliated and angry, but one of her mentors talked her out of quitting. She used that experience to begin intentionally training women, Show Moreparticularly women of color, to run for political office. She has written a book on national Latina leadership, to be published at the end of 2022. Garcia also shares her thoughts on immigration and immigrant rights. She cites the fact that Kansas was the fourth state in the country to pass in-state tuition for undocumented students in 2004. To her, immigration policy has an economic impact. Congress should be willing to come to the table and talk, discuss and even compromise to find a solution. The interview concludes with a description of a program at Wichita State University that invests in developing leadership for students. Show Less
Interview of Sarah Kessinger, December 11, 2025
Interviewed by Jim McLean
In this 2025 oral history interview, Sarah Kessinger described her reporting career before taking on the challenge of publishing a weekly newspaper. Kessinger was Statehouse reporter for Harris News that served many community newspapers across Kansas. At the time of this interview, she was the editor and publisher of The Marysville Advocate. She observed that small, locally-owned newspapers look for ways to get the next generation to understand that “a newspaper is there as a resource for them to become better informed and better citizens in their community.” She also noted that, "there’s a lot Show Moreof rhetoric online that people believe, and that rhetoric doesn’t have to be vetted like we have to vet what we report and make sure that it’s accurate…we have a legal liability to report the truth.” She also highlighted as an issue confronting newspapers the lack of communication from national, state, and local elected officials. Kessinger questioned whether government officials realize the “damage they’re doing by shutting out the media and not being transparent.” In Kessinger's opinion, if media “can’t keep [important issues] in front of the public, then we all lose in the end. It’s a weaker society in general.”
Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview