Valerie Mendoza is a story keeper for the Hispanic community in Kansas. She recovers their histories and spreads their stories so that their journeys and contributions to society can be heard, acknowledged and celebrated. She accomplishes this by engaging with individuals, communities and organizations to earn their trust. Through preserving these untold stories the broader public becomes exposed to the histories and cultures of Hispanic communities. Mendoza’s work promotes pride in culture and fosters an understanding among disparate people. Her storytelling includes her talk, “Beyond Brown: Mexican Struggles for Equality Before and After Brown” which has been part of the Humanities Kansas Speakers Bureau since 2022. Other stories include one about her grandmother called “She Saw the Need: Hazel Gomez and Topeka’s Mexican Community” and her talk about the Aztec origins of Dia de los Muertos.

$300 for 50 minute program plus travel costs and lodging, if necessary

$200 for additional 50 minute program if on the same day

$25 materials fee per program

Storytelling offerings fall into 4 categories.

Most categories include several offerings each and participants can pick which ones they would like to hear. Each performance is 45-60 minutes.

a. Latin American folk tales and craft (all ages): La Llorona: the weeping woman, Mayan Legend of the Hero Twins and the origins of the sun and moon, The Legend of Popocatepetl & Iztaccíhuatl: A Love Story Aztec Legend of the humming bird and marigold, South American tale of Coyote and the rabbit South American tale of the Rabbit on the moon, Mexican Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe Aztlan and the founding of Mexico City

b. Mexican history in Kansas stories (middle school and above): These stories can be tailored to applicants city or region. Migration of Mexicans to Kansas, Stories of Mexicans and working on the railroad, Fiestas and celebrations: elements of a fiesta, why they’re celebrated and examples

c. Mexican American folktales and song (middle school and above): The legend of Zorro, Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, Corrido de Kiansis

d. Dia De los Muertos (all ages): altar making, craft and explanation

Zine Making workshop (all ages): Participants create their own folktale or story

Oral history workshop (middle school and up): learn how to preserve your family’s story