History & Hope: A conversation with Latino trailblazer Lali Garcia
Hearst Television
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Rafaela “Lali” Garcia has long been an activist in Kansas City’s Latino community.
Her work earned her a number of awards and recognitions over the years including the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the KC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a spot on Ingram’s list of Kansas City’s power elite in 1993 and 1994. Before Garcia became a trailblazer for the Latino community, she faced discrimination as a young woman. She shared her experiences with KMBC9 News reporter Bianca Beltrán.
“We used to stay with my grandmother in Kansas City, Kansas and there was a movie house there and every Wednesday she’d love the cowboys so we’d take her to see the cowboy movies so but there was only two rows in the back that was for Mexicans and if there were Black they had to go sit upstairs. Discrimination in Kansas City, Kansas was real bad, really bad.”