Zach Perez
Community Engagement ProducerNews is only useful when it addresses your questions and concerns. As KCUR's community engagement producer, I speak directly with diverse communities in our region to help our newsroom understand what matters to them. Through this communication, I ensure your questions and concerns are thoroughly addressed by our coverage.
What should KCUR be talking about? Who should we be talking to? Let me know. You can email me at zjperez@kcur.org or message me on Twitter at zach_pepez.
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This Saturday, 10 contestants will take the stage at Old Shawnee Days and compete for a spot in the final round of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. The qualifier has already drawn more eyes to this year’s festival, and organizers are expecting to see a jump in attendance. -
Recent reports of immigrants being picked up by ICE after appearing at Kansas City immigration court have caused a surge in attendance of concerned advocates and attorneys. These advocates say the arrests are an intimidation tactic, as the Trump administration tries to speed up deportations. -
As Kansas City’s Pride Month celebrations mark their 50th anniversary this year, festival organizers say anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric from the Trump administration has caused a severe loss of sponsorships. Even with a reduced budget, PrideFest plans to bring new resources to help fill a growing gap for the LGBTQ+ community. -
Despite its long history of valuable service to the community, recent challenges within the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council have cast doubt on the future of the organization and the residents of the neighborhood. Now, past and present generations of leadership are working to rebuild faith, and instill hope in residents of this east side community. -
Además de su celebración anual del Cinco de Mayo, la Central Avenue Betterment Association- CABA (Asociación para el Mejoramiento de la Avenida Central) organizó la “Manifestación Por El Bien de Todos”. La demostración tuvo como objetivo destacar y apoyar a la creciente población de residentes mexicanos de la zona en medio de un ambiente político cada vez más hostil hacia los latinos en Estados Unidos. -
In addition to its yearly Cinco de Mayo celebration, the Central Avenue Betterment Association organized the “Good Of All People’s Rally.” The demonstration aimed to highlight and support the area’s growing population of Mexican residents amid an increasingly hostile political environment for Latinos in America.
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KCUR invited Congress members from Kansas and Missouri to answer questions from constituents about what's happening in Washington. Despite multiple invitations to each of the area’s federal elected officials, just Democratic Reps. Sharice Davids and Emanuel Cleaver II chose to attend. Here's what we heard. -
Students in the Kansas City area are grappling with keeping their grades up and losing friends after the COVID-19 pandemic upended their lives. A group of students at Guadalupe Centers High School spoke with their peers about how that impacts their mental health. -
28-year-old Natalie Zarate spent two decades working towards becoming a citizen after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally as a child. Except now she worries that the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to crack down on immigration and end birthright citizenship could endanger her and her family. -
Después de una redada muy difundida en un restaurante mexicano en Liberty, Missouri, a principios de este mes, los defensores y abogados de inmigración se apresuran a educar a los dueños de negocios sobre sus derechos al tratar con las autoridades federales de inmigración. Algunos dueños de negocios en las comunidades latinas y de inmigrantes enfrentan un creciente temor entre los clientes y el personal.
