School Safety
Rural Missouri schools respond to question of school safety
Created with Julia Bower and Mawa Iqbal
How two rural Missouri school districts are dealing with the threat of gun-related incidents
California Dreamin'
Hispanic immigrants came to California for their own reasons – but stayed for the community
Created with Mawa Iqbal and Kelly Kenoyer
Sister Guadalupe Ruiz delivers announcements to the congregation of Annunciation Catholic Church in California, Missouri Sunday morning, March 10, 2019. Ruiz is very involved with the church’s Hispanic congregation. She is from Mexico City, Mexico, where she served as a principal of a local Catholic school. Ruiz came to California, Missouri in October 2010 because one of her sisters told her that the parish’s nun was leaving. Although she was hesitant at first, Ruiz is glad she made the move. “They are the poorest people here because they are not in their home country. They need time to adjust.” She says her Mexican roots help her feel connected to the congregation. “We are a family together. I told them, ‘You are my family,’ because my family is in Mexico.”
Margarita Magana and her family (left to right) Miguel Jr.,10, José and Miguel, man their store, El Rincon Latino, located in downtown California, Missouri on March 11, 2019. At their store, they sell cowboy hats, Hispanic spices and colorful piñatas. The Maganas hope to revamp their shop to include a restaurant in the back. The family business has done well so far, that Margarita lovingly calls her son José “el dueño,” the owner. The family moved for economic reasons and to help their children. “Knowing how much they sacrificed for me, it’s like I might as well go for something big. I want their sacrifice to be worth something,” José says. He hopes to be a multi-line salesman one day.
Pompeya Aguilara shares a laugh with retired teacher Kathy Burns and classmate Marta at their citizenship class on March 10, 2019 in Burns’ California, Missouri home. Aguilara and Marta have class together every Sunday afternoon in preparation for their upcoming citizenship tests. Aguilara is grateful to have Burns’ as a friend and as a study buddy. She believes that passing the test would mean a secure future for her and her family. “I think I’m going to feel more safe right here in the United States, and I can vote too.”
![Fernando Cisneros and his 10-year-old son Exander enjoy some free time together before Fernando’s English as a Second Language class, held in the Moniteau County Library on March 11, 2019. Cisneros has multiple sclerosis and says being a United States citizen allows him to receive better medical care and spend more time with his son. “I know that if you’re not a citizen it’s very hard to get disability [benefits]. As soon as they seen that I’m a citizen, it was really easy to.” His family moved to California, Missouri when he was 2 years old because of the job opportunities that were available at Cargill, a local meat processing plant. Like his parents, Cisneros hopes to lay down roots in this community so that his son can have more opportunities in the future.](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/b12e2e57-0844-41fe-8333-7fb5873faba4/6132a69f-25c6-4fcc-a73d-579fd8410651_rw_600.jpg?h=8f58534f521dbed3881324272fbb2a8e)
Fernando Cisneros and his 10-year-old son Exander enjoy some free time together before Fernando’s English as a Second Language class, held in the Moniteau County Library on March 11, 2019. Cisneros has multiple sclerosis and says being a United States citizen allows him to receive better medical care and spend more time with his son. “I know that if you’re not a citizen it’s very hard to get disability [benefits]. As soon as they seen that I’m a citizen, it was really easy to.” His family moved to California, Missouri when he was 2 years old because of the job opportunities that were available at Cargill, a local meat processing plant. Like his parents, Cisneros hopes to lay down roots in this community so that his son can have more opportunities in the future.
Diana Moreno-Tenorio, 16, came to California, Missouri to escape the gang violence of her hometown Guanajuato, Mexico. “You find bodies in the streets every day and that’s really really bad.” She now lives with her aunt in California, Missouri, while the rest of her family is separated by the U.S.-Mexico border. Moreno-Tenorio attends Annunciation Catholic Church and hangs around after the Spanish-language service on March 10, 2019 because she says the church is like her second family. She says praying with church members gives her solace for her family in Mexico.
California, Missouri church supports Hispanic population
