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A podcast focusing on the perspectives, lives, and stories of Kansans to provide greater insight into the state we all call home.
AAK_Ep44
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[00:00:00]
Gus Applequist: So we have a special guest in the studio today.
Sydney Collins: We do. I feel like I need to hold him like Dr. Evil.
Gus Applequist: It's a small, uh, uh, furry creature.
Sydney Collins: So a couple of episodes ago for Kansas, two 50, with Rosa, she talked about cin Quin, the buffalo that you can purchase. And the idea is you travel with Quin around Kansas and you take pictures and you post and then tag Kansas or Kansas two 50.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Sydney Collins: or two 50 America, Kansas as his, uh, nice little bandana states, but yeah. So
Gus Applequist: yeah, we have one,
Sydney Collins: have we have, we determined if it's a buffalo or a bison because there is a difference.
Gus Applequist: American bison,
Sydney Collins: bison,
Gus Applequist: American bison. We all say buffalo,
Sydney Collins: but we all say buffalo
Gus Applequist: because that's where the buffalo roam, you know?
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Gus Applequist: So for our, our listeners who, who can't see what we're talking about. Yeah. This, this thing fits in the palm of, uh, of Sidney's hand. Just barely. It's
Sydney Collins: barely,
Gus Applequist: [00:01:00] uh, but it's, it's pretty adorable. It's pretty cute. Has a nice little t-shirt kind of tied over his back.
Sydney Collins: So Tanner will be traveling with him all year round.
So keep an eye out, on our story, on our socials, and you'll see Mr. Quin because of this sequin centennial. Is that right? Squi
Gus Applequist: Centennial.
Sydney Collins: Sequin. Centennial. That's so close.
Gus Applequist: Squi Centennial.
Sydney Collins: Sure.
Gus Applequist: Welcome to Ask Kansan,
Sydney Collins: a podcast where we're amplifying, connecting and uncovering stories across Kansas.
Gus Applequist: And today we have, Andres Mata joining us.
Meet Andres Mata: Early Life and Civic Engagement
---
Sydney Collins: Yes.
Gus Applequist: Andres is, uh, Solana native and has been [00:02:00] active from an incredibly early age, uh, and just trying to make his community better.
Sydney Collins: and he is a CEO of the Kansas Civic Network, uh, something that he started, um, also at a very young age.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Sydney Collins: Um, and we will, uh, have him, uh, introduce that. But The conversation does go longer than kind of some previous ones, but for like a very good reason. Um, and so please, please stick around for it. It is a really conversation. We touch on a lot of kind of really good kind of key messages is what I'll call it.
So without any further ado, here is our conversation with Andres.
come on in. Welcome to the hot seat. Yeah,
Andres Mata: thank you very much.
Sydney Collins: Yeah, no problem. Get comfy here. There you go. Um, well, I'm Sydney, this is Gus.
Andres Mata: Hello.
Sydney Collins: Uh, can you please introduce yourself, uh, to our audience? [00:03:00]
Andres Mata: Yeah, so my name's Andres Mata. I live here in Salina. I spent nearly last, nearly 20 years on my wife.
Making sure Kansas have an opportunity to shine and to excel,
Sydney Collins: which says a lot. You say 20 years, you're still very young.
Andres Mata: Yeah. But yeah, I'm 27.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. Can you, um, kind of start with kind of how your passion grew and, and what, kind of got the civic network kind of started? Can you, can you speak to kind of your early childhood or high school of how you got kind of into,
I'm
Gus Applequist: doing the math.
27 minus 20. Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Like
Andres Mata: yeah.
Sydney Collins: Seven years old. Can you, can you kind of talk about that a little bit?
Andres Mata: Well, it was actually 18 years ago. Yeah. you know, first, you know, my family immigrated, uh, from Mexico to Kansas and we were always instilled as, as, as a youth to really, you know, to help if you're in a position to help someone do it.
Um, that's what really inspired. [00:04:00] That, uh, tracked for me, uh, but really at, it was really at Shield Elementary, uh, school here in Salina when, uh, my fourth grade teacher, uh, really we bonded over politics.
throughout those experiences is really making sure, you know, my passion for rural Kansas and, last 18 years has really been really interesting and fascinating to get those, uh, connections, you know, all my experiences have built up this Kansas Civic network. You know, we're celebrating our sixth year this year, uh, in existence. And so, you know, all that, a lot of folks, a lot of places, uh, throughout Kansas that really, you know, make up the puzzle pieces of the Kansas Civic Network.
The Kansas Civic Network: Mission and Impact
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Sydney Collins: Can you tell our audience what the, um, Kansas Civic Network is?
Andres Mata: Yeah. So what we are as an organization started six years ago. Um, and what we do is we, at the core is we promote and connect, uh, people and ideas and [00:05:00] communities because we value, not only the human capital aspect, but also that everyone has an idea that really, you know, for, there's a lot of reasons why, ideas, you know, pick up a lot of steam but then dissipate.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: You know, and so we try to really nurture that electricity and to create light bulbs because they're already, because we believe, we strongly believe that the resources already exist is just matching everyone together.
Sydney Collins: Hmm. Can you give us an idea of like any programs specific, um, that you've helped or any stories that have come out of your time there?
Andres Mata: Yeah, so our first project ever that we launched was, a food insecurity report on the campus of Bethany College. Hmm. Ended up graduating from there. Uh, and so in the timing, you know, uh, my mom always says God all has a plan, [00:06:00] you know? Mm-hmm. And, and we can't just adjust to it. And so, you know, I've always wanted to start an organization, uh, centered around civic engagement, since I was like in eighth grade.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: Um, and so, but through the experiences, you know, on the, uh, report, what we found was, you know, 12 years ago, uh, mind you, this is February, 2020. So again, time is everything. 12 years prior. there's been projects and programs and a lot of people, uh, trying to solve the issue food insecurity in Lindsborg, Kansas.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: And, you know, I was a junior, I transferred into Bethany, so I was probably a junior or senior at that time. And what we found was one third of our students were food insecure, and a quarter of our staff and faculty were at one point in their lives, uh, or currently on food assistant programs. And here [00:07:00] is Bethany college, you know, or Lindsborg overall.
Um, and so that was the ignition that we started those conversations up and eventually, you know, those conversations and all we, you know, I like to say that, you know, we're not the drivers of the things that we accomplished. It's a team effort. in this project, in all our projects, we're basically third row, you know, the car.
Mm-hmm. Lindsborg, like any small town here in Kansas, uh, is known for a strong church community, civic engagement.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: And at the time, uh, pastor Amy, uh, at the Messiah Lutheran Church was trying to, uh, solve the issue. And at the time, I reached out to my, uh, then professor of History Tash Smith, and I said, Hey, you know, how do we do this?
So let's do a survey, you know, let's do it. And, you know, the, that came out, the results and, you know, fast forward to May of 2020, because of, uh, [00:08:00] air efforts where we ended up, well, what they ended up doing was the first food pantry and city in Lindsborg in its history.
Sydney Collins: I guess it didn't, I never realized that Lindsborg didn't have that.
So That's fascinating.
Andres Mata: Yeah. And you know, it's all about, you know, recognizing
Sydney Collins: mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: That.
Challenges and Success Stories in Rural Kansas
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Andres Mata: You know, because in conversations, you know, whenever we do a project or a program, you know, we don't want to redo the wheel, right? We want to add, uh, value, uh, to that. And so what we did is we looked back through 12 years and talked to, you know, uh, in a college campus.
There's a lot of turnover, but thankfully there were still, uh, some folks that remember, uh, you know, 2008 and what that looked like, uh, throughout those years. And so we went back and said, you know, why did this, you know, this great idea for 12 years, you know, even it went up to the staff senate, uh, the college.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm. And
Andres Mata: so we said, you know, we talked to this folks. It's like, you know, how do we do this? And, [00:09:00] and, you know, data tells a story.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: You know, and especially in rural towns, you know, you don't see that visual challenge. Um, and whereas in larger communities, you know, the need is visible. Mm-hmm. Uh, whereas, you know, if you don't see it, it doesn't exist kind of, uh, mantra.
And so, you know, we're fortunate to play a small piece, uh, in that, and it's still active. Today's called the D Pantry. Okay. and in homage to LBO and its, uh, Swedish Heritage
Gus Applequist: I think it's, it's always fascinating to learn how people, they get energized about something, they start doing it. And there's a lot of of projects like that, that that's just a one-off thing, and then everybody moves on with their lives and it's over.
And, and that's not what happened in your case, this was the, the start of something bigger. So can you kind of connect the dots? How did this, how did the civic network grow out of those roots?
Andres Mata: Yeah, so [00:10:00] essentially, you know, we try, or we really on Ultraorthodox. Method and approach. Uh, what we did is partly because of my experience, you know, I was, you know, like said, raised here in Salina, I was 13 when I got appointed to serve on the city, human Relations Commission.
Uh, did that for three years and then decided like any politician, you know, when trying to, start a new chapter call, family meeting, uh, you know, and so, uh, that's what we, I did and I sat everyone down and was like, what's our next move? You know? Because at the time, Salina was ongoing was having the initial conversations of what the next 20 and 25 years gonna look like.
you know, I credit, I was working at Rib crib in Salina. Uh, it's now close, unfortunately. but I remember Mayor Blanchard, John Blanchard coming in. You know, I was the host and I said, you know how many, you know, all that. And he, so I was walking him to this table. He goes, by the way, Andres did, you know your term was about up [00:11:00] on the Human Relations Commission?
I go, well, uh, I'm trying to seat you right now. Let me, uh, let me talk. And he goes, have he looked at the Planning commission? I said, I have no clue what that is. Uh, and ended up researching and, you know, found that the planning commission is really, has a lot of influence in the community. And so had the family meeting and had, uh, that conversation and we ended up deciding that the planning commission was going to be the next move for me.
And, you know, it's all about, you know, I think goes to what the core of, you know, who we are is, believing in something even though you don't see it. Uh, see, you know, as long as you have the vision, you know, how you get there is, you know. Second point, you know? And so, you know, I just remember, uh, people were calling, you know, saying in the community, Andres, you're nuts.
You're crazy. How can you believe our downtown could look like this? [00:12:00] You know? And here we are 10 years later, one of the best downtowns in the Midwest. Um, and so because of those experiences, you know, we carried, you know, when we start a partnership, we usually reach out to, to the, uh, city council or the mayor or city managers, here throughout the state and say, you know, what's the challenge, you've been facing or dealing with?
You know, and where can we add value? I think that's really what's important for our work and what sets us unique is that we're, we're young, we're a bunch of doers that want to get stuff done, you know, uh, are unofficial. Slogans, we just do it kinda like Nike. Mm-hmm. Because, you know, for some reason or another, you know, those challenges, that our communities have faced, especially in rural Kansas, you know, we realized that, you know, there's a lot of reasons why things, you know, kind of dissipate, as I said earlier, but we try to remove, uh, those convers, you know, [00:13:00] remove ourselves and those emotions and just focus, you know, is this better for, for our community and for our to stay as a whole.
Building a Team of Young Doers
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Sydney Collins: you say that you're, um, that you guys are a bunch of doers. Um, I went through your team page and you have a lot of amazing, very talented doers on your team. How have you been able to source all that great talent, um, and, and how do you guys work together?
Andres Mata: And, and it goes to, uh, who we are as an organization.
It's so unique.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: Uh, you know, I remember, so I, in high school I did debate and forensics. Um, then also did, uh, boy state, and so majority on those folks on the team I've known over the last 10 years. Oh, okay. Uh, and so what I knew, and so again, going to that building block, uh, I knew that I wanted to start an organization and mm-hmm.
I also knew who I wanted to be a part of the organization. about 90% of I've known in the last 10 years or [00:14:00] so, and then the other, I remaining 10%. Phil, Bethany at the time was rolling out a strategic plan called, uh, pathways.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: Uh, your pass, something like that.
Gus Applequist: Yep.
Andres Mata: pretty much going through the, uh, vocation, you know, as a college and saying, you know, how do we add value to your education?
or passed to your purpose. That's what it was. And the career director there, uh, approached me and said, Hey, Andres, I want you to be a part of this. And I said, well, you know, I'm a still a student, you know? And he goes, no, we want you as an employer or a career, you know, to offer internships. And I was like, okay.
So, so I thought it was just another Bethany initiative. Well, the more I played around with the, uh, site, it's called Handshake.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Andres Mata: And I realized like, wait a minute, I have access to the whole nation.
Sydney Collins: Yep.
Andres Mata: and so that's really been remarkable. And so year to date, we've had [00:15:00] over, uh, I wanna say seven states represented.
it first started out with, you know, Kansas, Missouri, and. But now we have one team member at TCU, another at Baylor University, another at Michigan State. And uh, you know, and these are, uh, you know, one just graduated from Baylor.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: but she's passionate about rural medicine.
Sydney Collins: Oh, yeah.
Andres Mata: And she's from, uh, California originally went to school or graduated from Baylor. Uh, and what hopes to be a primary care doctor. and when I ask and we go through the interview process, you know, I ask him, I tell 'em like, Hey, I'll be honest with you, or be honest with me.
On the website, on Handshake clearly says Kansas.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: What brought you to us? What made you say, I'm gonna hit apply? And majority of the time they say is because I believe in the mission.
Sydney Collins: Mm.
Andres Mata: And you know. [00:16:00] Again, we have folks from, uh, Oklahoma, uh, university of Oklahoma, just a great, uh, batch of, of young people, of young students, young professionals, uh, in training.
And you know, it's really been remarkable to hear their story too, but also connect them. I mean, you know, majority of 'em tell 'em like only driven through just to get Colorado to ski, you know, but some of 'em have never stepped foot, uh, in Kansas, but are contributing to the success of not only the organization, but also the state.
And so it's been really, remarkable and fascinating to go through that journey alongside with them. And so, you know, first we started, uh, kind as part of, of our onboarding.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: Uh, we tell 'em, we give 'em a kind of crash course on Kansas, catching 'em to speed because, you know, how can we use,
Gus Applequist: yeah,
Andres Mata: yeah.
There's a lot, there's a lot to learn, but we give 'em a crash course of, you know, here's what Kansas is all about. Any questions, you know, things like that.
[00:17:00]
Sydney Collins: I noticed also on uh, your people's page, there's someone with the same name as you.
Are they related? They're in high school.
Andres Mata: Yeah. Yeah. Uh, my sister. Your
Sydney Collins: sister? Yeah. Okay. To, um, how has it been, working with her as a sibling? cause I know that my brother and I would never be able to work together.
Andres Mata: Yeah. Uh, you know, it's been been pretty cool. because she also did, uh, debate in forensics.
Sydney Collins: Mm.
Andres Mata: Uh, at the beginning I was like, you gotta do it. And then she was like, well, lemme think about it. And mm-hmm. So I kind of just let her be for a [00:18:00] bit. Uh, but then, found debate on her own. uh, sacred heart.
Sydney Collins: Mm. Yeah.
Andres Mata: Um, and so, and that's kind of where we bonded over, uh, policy and you just nerd it out, of course, right.
As one does. Um, and, you know, part of that, and so she's originally a shows, she's that ku
originally wanted to be a pharmacist, but found her passion in chemical engineering.
Sydney Collins: Wow.
Andres Mata: Um, and so, you know, I, I just stick to the gray, you know? Yeah. Avoid math and science at all costs, but Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Preach.
Andres Mata: Yeah. And so, you know, what we found together is, you know, she is my, I also have a brother, uh, and he lives in Oklahoma, uh, down in Edmond, and he's in the plumbing engineer engineering sector Oh, wow. Too. and so, but my sister and my brother. you know, they gimme a hard time sometimes of how [00:19:00] much I love Kansas, but I remember my having a conversation with my sister.
She goes, you know, I want to go out, leave the state. And I said, you know, get to travel. You get to know the state. And she goes, you know, I think I'm gonna stay here in Kansas. And I said, one down, you know, uh, but yeah, you know, but we've connected over the Kansas seven network and through opportunities, you know, when she was starting her pharmacy, you know, got connected, uh, you know, through rural pharmacy and learning that way.
Um, just connecting that. And so, you know, that kinda is, is a microcosm of what, you know, how we create positions. We create positions by the individual in mind and say, you know, what are your gifts, your talents, and your passions? Uh, you know, I remember, uh, we had one intern at K State and. He did our, uh, public public relations internship and, you know, as we were [00:20:00] doing, uh, gearing up for the 2022 midterm election, you know, all we do is, we don't pick a team.
That's not our role. Uh, we want, but we want folks to be educated.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: Um, and so in our meetings we were having as a team, you know, he kept, we were talking about the election or about putting a voter guide, and we kept, he kept hearing like, you know, voter guide and who's running what they're all about.
And he goes, you know, he called me up one day. He goes, Hey, Andres, I heard we were talking about this. Is there any way I could participate in this or add and contribute? I go, why not? You know, you're asking to contribute. Why would I stop you? Right from contributing, but also building, uh, your experience.
Mm-hmm. He put together a voter guide. You know, we sent it out, published on our website and social media, and about a week later I get an email from the spouse of the lead then Lieutenant Governor. [00:21:00]
Sydney Collins: Oh wow.
Andres Mata: And saying, you know, thank you for putting this together for Kansans and things like that. And I showed our team, like, you just never know who's watching you.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: You know, so it was a really cool, uh, experience for him, but for us too, as an organization. So, you know, all that is really, you know, set up our young professionals because, you know, nine times outta 10 of 10 when you're coming into a position or internship, you know, they're requiring 10 years. You know, things like that.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. You started real young.
Andres Mata: Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah.
Sydney Collins: You got your years in real early.
Andres Mata: Yeah. And so, you know, and so I think that. This maze. A lot of young professionals, you know, I call 'em, we call 'em young professionals in training because that's what they are, you know, is how do we keep 'em in our state. But, uh, overall, you know, going back to the original question, you know, my sister and I, uh, you know, we bond over pol policy and things like that, and she's not too [00:22:00] in depth as I am, but, uh, it is really cool to have her on the team.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Organizational Structure and Future Goals
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Gus Applequist: How are you guys organized are you a nonprofit? Are you for-profit or, or, you know, all of that. And also, are you all paid? Do you have other jobs? How does this work?
Andres Mata: Yeah. Another, you know, another unique thing about us is because, you know, like I said, every time or ever since I was started in public service, I was wanting to start an organization.
And, you know, I first put the first words on paper or first ideas on paper about, uh, 2017 and. It collected dust, of course, uh, as it does. And, what ended up finding out was that, you know, guess what's interesting is that my peers didn't get involved as much as I did, or as I was, I didn't see 'em get involved in whether that be, you know, activism or in the community and things like that.
Volunteering, uh, until [00:23:00] 2018 was when I first saw, I was like, finally, you guys get on board here, you know? but it wasn't until, I said, you know, till 2020, I, you know, early stages of, of the year and I said, you know, I want to do something. You know, I, so I went through a college tour. I call it a college tour because I went to three different colleges, throughout my time, but ended up graduating at Bethany at 2019, was really the year or that semester, fall semester.
I said, you know, I wanna stay here more than one. And so it's gonna be my, home base. And so I went to my professor, uh, Dr. Joyce Pig, and I said, Hey, you know, I've had this idea for a long time and I'm, I'm a student here, so I'm gonna use, I want, use Bethany as I kind the driver of this. And she said, well, talk to Dr.
Tash Smith. He's trying to think of, you know, how to embed civic engagement in here. And so talk to him. And so that's where the, uh, idea came [00:24:00] from for the survey. Uh, and, and then COVID hit, you know, in between there. And so I was working at Sam's Club, uh, you know, and, and I had a lot of free time. So I said, you know, this is now or never, uh, type of thing.
And so, so we're all remote. we're all volunteer.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: Uh, you know, I call it, you know, we're basically a club, of, you know, these young doers, um, in the community. Um, and, you know, we look at projects where we can add value, but also partnering, uh, you know, I subscribe to probably every newsletter under the sun.
Uh, and so I know what's going on
Gus Applequist: mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: In Seward Community College, uh, or liberal. Uh, so I know where our areas are focused, uh, you know, and really say, Hey, you know, this is what's going on in Great Ben, how can we help? Or how can we reach out and make those [00:25:00] connections and things like that. And so, uh, you know, the dream is to be one day, a full 5 0 1 C3, It's a process.
Gus Applequist: Yeah.
Andres Mata: I I like to say that each time we get around that conversation, we get distracted by a project.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: That's a good,
Sydney Collins: yep. It's a good, I mean, it's a good problem to have, I guess.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. You have a certain, you have some freedom in being more loosely organized.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Gus Applequist: Then if you have to have a board and you have to have all of those things that comes with that 5 0 1 C3 status, that can sometimes distract from the actual mission, which is which, and I wanted to ask about that.
You, you said earlier that, that your mission is, is something that's attracted people to you. What is your mission?
Andres Mata: Yeah. Our mission is to, drive civic engagement and rural collaboration, but connecting ideas, communities and people. So, you know, our secret sauce is that, you know, we break down any complex or is perceived to be a complex issue.
We break it down to [00:26:00] where it is digestible. We get to the, to the granular, uh, of, of points. So for instance, food insecurity, you know, that's a lot. Uh, that's a huge issue to tackle, but what can we do in a short term that will lead to the long term? And so, you know, and that's where we decided, you know, a survey on Google Forms is very basic.
But look what we found from that survey, you know, and, and through, through our partnerships, uh, uh, or through our time, my time at Bethany, their conversations having in, uh, McPherson County that, you know, Lindsborg is known, you know, they have a meal in festivals mm-hmm. Uh, each throughout the year.
the county overall was having issues or problems connecting volunteers or f finding volunteers. and so we said, you know, let's research this. [00:27:00] So throughout conversations, we ended up finding out that folks from McPherson County are traveling to Hutchinson just to volunteer.
Gus Applequist: Hmm.
Andres Mata: And we say, wait a minute, wait a minute.
There's five count or five school districts in that county, about three, three or four, higher ed institutions and, you know, a plethora of community anchors. You know, you got the YMCA steps, mc, all these community anchors, but yet there's a disconnect. So we partnered with some folks and said, Hey, you know, let's, we'll, we'll do the research, we'll do the heavy lifting.
Right? And what we came to a conclusion is that we need McPherson County needs structure, people needing to volunteer. Can go one spot. People needing volunteers can go to [00:28:00] one spot. And, and that, that outta that conversation came out from Lindsborg, uh, is called Lift Up Lindsborg as a program, uh, that partnered with Bethany College, you know, and to paint, uh, houses, uh, for folks kind of like grant program.
Mm-hmm. Um, but you know, that goes to the core of, you know, we didn't do, you know, we didn't do Rocky, you know, anything different. We just looked at it an issue and said to the very core, and, you know, and we take a lot of pride in not only just investing our time, but working alongside city managers, you know, with, with the folks that can change, you know, have that, uh, power to change things.
And so, you know, and that. Again, it wasn't really, uh, a fancy, you know, we came up and said, you guys need structure.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: You know, there's nothing, we didn't write a hundred page report saying do this, and [00:29:00] here's, uh, a chart and how to get there. You know, we just do it again. We just do it. And because you know, of course we want to add value to the pro project or, uh, initiative, but we truly want to invest and make the community, uh, enhance the community.
Gus Applequist: It strikes me that like I'm, I'm finally starting to understand the term community organizer. I've heard that term before, but, um, is it, is it safe to say that like, communities have a lot of energy, but that energy is sometimes like not aligned in a direction, and so that's your role as a community organizer is to identify where things need to happen and then organize people towards that thing?
Andres Mata: Yeah, uh, uh, you know, I think overall our goal is [00:30:00] to, because you know, think about McPherson County, they have the resource, the resources already exist, um, is just of putting everyone in line, you know, and saying, okay, here's your, because you know, what we found is, you know, I used to say, and because of my experience, you know, I used to say, uh, as a planning commissioner, uh, you know, is this pothole in Magnolia?
I don't care if you live on the northwest side. I don't care where you live. The longer that pothole sits, the overall community is affected. And it ha no, regardless of where you live, regardless if you ever been to it or not, it, it has to be all hands on deck. and so that's the perspective.
We look at it and say, you know, and we don't try to, you know, like the project that we did in Lindsborg at Bethany College. You know, we promote it because, you know, we think it's very valuable piece of re of a report, [00:31:00] but just that, not because we want to be fancy and be in everyone's faces. You know, we don't want, we don't take credit, you know, we don't, and it is very basic.
And so, you know, what we've found is communities have a, the electricity, they have the resources. But what we've often seen, and again, one of those reasons why, you know, ideas fade, is because, you know, there's not another ma in, or there's no mata in Lindsborg, it doesn't phase me one bit, uh, you know, understanding this, like, you know, here's an issue.
How do we get this solved? And. Rural communities have a lot of challenges and opportunities at the same time, what we lean in, lean into is the strength of folks. And, you know, we've heard from young people, young [00:32:00] professionals, you know, especially in rural Kansas. Rural America, across the board, is part of the reasons why folks don't engage, why young folks don't engage to the, the, uh, process is because, the last name doesn't fit correctly.
You know, or, you know, thankfully throughout my time, I had adults around me that supported me and say, instead of saying, Hey, Andres, that's a great idea. Hold onto it.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: Or Wait your turn, you know, those things. And so, but that's not the case. For everyone. And so, what I found is throughout traveling Kansas is that, you know, there's a lot of passion.
People want to give back to the community one way or another, but have hit roadblocks. And so we step in and say, you know, and that's why we go to the city councils and city managers, not because we need their approval on, depending on, on the topic, [00:33:00] but we want their blessing. Because if you go into a community, you know, saying, Hey, where's the Kansas Civic network?
They're like, okay, cool. You know, what do you want? You know? Yeah. Yeah.
Legitimacy in Rural America
---
Andres Mata: But if we say, Hey, we partner with the city manager, okay, now you're, you know, a little bit legitimate. And that's, I think not often talked about in rural America and rural Kansas across the board because, you know, there's a perception, you know, I tell my team, it's like, you know, it's been six years.
Act like it's day one. Because I think a lot of organizations create kinda like a, uh, perception that, oh, we've been established over a hundred years. We're, we're the authority. I had a mentor one time tell me, you know, if you're on a table, you're on the menu, right? So, so we, you know, we pull up a chair and say, Hey, this is our community too.
It's our state too. Let's work together.
Founding the Kansas Civic Network
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Andres Mata: You know, I had one, when we're trying to figure out kind [00:34:00] of like what the right structure for, uh, McPherson County would be for volunteer. Uh, and so, you know, none of us are, you know, we're still in college at that point, you know, we're so, we're, young professionals.
Uh, and so we're doing research and we ended up founding, uh, finding an organization that does, uh, similar to what we want to do. And so we set up a. zoom call and meeting and, uh, you know, and said, Hey, you know, try and get an idea of what you're trying to, what you're doing. That way we could, obviously we're not gonna replicate it because you know, what works for that county may not work for a county up the street.
And at the end of it, uh, the director goes, uh, I just have one last question. And I go, yeah, are you going to take my job? I'm like, whoa. We're in, we're in the conversation that I said, I'm gonna steal your program. But it is a competitive nature of nonprofits and community organizations and doing that [00:35:00] authority.
Gus Applequist: Mm.
Andres Mata: Uh, and so that, you know, kind of dismayed a lot of folks because they're like, you know, I'm just trying to do good in the community.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: I have a 10 million barriers. I have to go through that. None of them, you know, I've been going almost like 30 years or so. There's been established barriers, but.
You know, that's where a lot of light bulbs turn off because they're like, well, what's the point? Mm. You know, if, if folks, well, you know, we call 'em gatekeepers, aren't willing to engage or refusing to engage, well, we kind of create our own lane.
Gus Applequist: Mm.
Andres Mata: Um, so that's where we go through our partnerships and starting that again, unique approach.
And just because based on my experience,
Challenges and Hopes for Kansas
---
Sydney Collins: what is your hope for Kansas and the Kansas Civic Network?
Andres Mata: this started out as an experiment, you know, because I wanted [00:36:00] to see where I could be, uh, because, you know, prior to, uh, establishing the Kansas Civic Network. I worked as a policy advocate with the men on our central committee.
And, you know, all that experience was taking me to DC a lot. And you know, I'm kinda like where the sausage gets made kind of guy. And so I want, you know, that really was exciting for me experience. And I, I told my parents, my family, I said, you know, I have this thing that is kind of like my own ex live experiment.
If this works, I'm staying in Kansas. It doesn't, I'm packing my bags, you know, nowhere in between, uh, one way or another. Uh, and so here we are six years later.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: Um, and in Kansas, you know, there's a lot of challenges facing our communities. You [00:37:00] know, I think Wichita State put out a report a couple, few years ago that said by 2070 or 2050.
76% of Kansas is gonna live in 19 counties. And so think about that. So, and that doesn't just affect, state government, it affects schools, uh, hospitals. And so we have a lot of things that, you know, we need to get into place. But at the same time, what's encouraging to me, and my hope for Kansans is, is that Kansans realize that they have a voice too.
And that you don't have to be famous or be elected to get a community, uh, or to do a project. You know, yesterday was 16 years ago when I, uh, approached my fourth grade teacher about doing a project at Shill Elementary, uh, for Haiti. And because it was in 2010, Haiti, uh, suffered [00:38:00] earthquake.
A devastating earthquake.
Sydney Collins: Yep.
Andres Mata: And I came to her and said, Hey, you know, I saw this on the news. What can we do? And she said, grab a couple friends and let's do a fundraiser. And well, we did that for two weeks. They ended up raising, $1,400 or $1,700 in just two weeks. Uh, every other elementary school in Salina was doing that, but Blue Beacon was heading that, those projects.
So they came to us and say, Hey, we were the only student led, fundraiser. And Blue Beacon was like, Hey, we'd like to match what you guys did. And so I ended up doing $3,400. all because of my teacher saying, grab a couple friends, let's do a fund raise. You know, nothing abstract, nothing complex.
It's just very simple. But overall, my hope for Kansans [00:39:00] is to get in, be a part of the conversation, because, you know, I'm fortunate to be in a position where I've been supported by a lot of adults, my family, um, you know, because, you know, I, I joke with my brother a lot and it's like, I can't believe we're losing people to Oklahoma.
You know, we have, we have a lot, you know, that's one thing that keep me up and down is losing to Oklahoma. we have our resources right here. We just know. We just need to talk to one another and figure things out together.
Gus Applequist: I imagine for some of our listeners, this conversation might be creating a little bit of dissonance in their head.
The Role of Politics in Community Work
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Gus Applequist: And, and that dissonance might be caused by an elephant in the room, which I'll label as politics. And you know, we, we try to keep the podcast from being too politically one way or the other.
Andres Mata: Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: but, but politics is a reality that we all have to face. And I'm sure you face all the time in the work that you [00:40:00] do.
you know, I'm just curious, do you think of the work as that you do as political? I guess one other just facet I wanna point out, you, you, you said a little bit ago something about resources and one of the best definitions of politics that I've heard is the allocation of scarce resources.
So I just, I want your reaction to that statement, and, and then Yeah. Do you, do you see your work as political?
Andres Mata: You know, we see our, or I see our work as, you know, a regular thing, not necessarily a label. Uh, you know, of course some of the things that, you know, like voting. It is, it is who we are as Americans.
Uh, you know, and a lot of folks have said, you know, have given feedback, on how nonpartisan we are. Um, but of course it's going to have feedback on like, Hey, I wouldn't do this if I were you, or things like that. Uh, but overall, you know, like for our [00:41:00] voting, I tell my team, we tell our partners, you know, what we care about is not who wins, but who's deciding the winner.
Because you know, if you're eligible, if you're 18, you're if you're eligible and fit all the requirements, you're a voter. Um, and you know, again, we don't pick a side and you know, it goes back. And this is not because of what the Kansas Civic is. This is always who I've been. Uh, as an individual, you know, like I said, when I was a planning commissioner, we had our, probably our hottest topic was closing down fourth Street.
Uh, I had one, uh, high school social studies teacher, uh, give positive or negative feedback. Uh, great feedback and, you know, and things like that. But, you know, if it's gonna help the community, moves the ball forward and, [00:42:00] you know, like I said, goes back to the, uh, pothole, uh, connection and or example, you know, doesn't matter.
Again, Santa Fe, there's Pothole Mine of Santa Fe. I don't care if you live on the new apartments by Menards. If you never go to downtown, it's gonna get you one day or another, regardless of what party or what jersey you wear.
Engaging Communities and Institutions
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Andres Mata: Um, and so, you know, we see ourselves as kind like the conduit. Of, making those connections between, and it has to be a two way street.
Our, you know, in, at Bethany, I took a, sociology, uh, course and I ended up finding out I'm an institutionalist. You know, I was like, oh, an interesting, I was like, this is what I keep reading. You know, I read the definition in the book, you know, it's like, wait a minute. I think, uh, this, this speaks to me, uh, because we have to use our [00:43:00] institutions.
We have to, in a lot of our programs that, uh, that, uh, Kansas Civic Network is, we connect people to the institutions, but also the institutions to the people. It has to be a two way street or else it's not gonna work. You know, that's why our communities are facing issues. we used to joke a lot when we were 18, 20.
Years old saying, we figured it out. Why didn't the professionals figure it out? Yeah. All it took, all it took was people saying, Hey, sometimes I like to be asked. And I, when we back provided feedback, when's the last time you, pick up the phone and talked to someone? He goes, well, you know, folks gave feedback like, well, I assume they wanted to email or things like that.
And I was like, but again, assumption. Mm-hmm. And they said, no, I, you know, Johnny down the street, right?
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: Said they want to be. Because what we heard time and time again was [00:44:00] if I knew this was going on, I would've helped. But people aren't being asked. And so is that, you know, again, we don't want to overcomplicate things is really the simple, you know, having conversation or doing.
Partnering with others, you know? And, and that takes a lot of courage from our, not only elected official, but also our professional, like city managers. You know, they get a lot of, you know, they deal with the public overall.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: But, you know, I sent 30 cold emails when I was at Bethany to 30 city managers and only one, one responded.
And he, he was needing help doing community engagement in Great Bend. Um, and that's all. And that's one more than we did when what we had yesterday. Uh, you know, so, so, you know, our little work, you know, in today's world, is [00:45:00] political. But I remind our team and our partners and whoever we come across is that, you know, we have to.
Do the best for Kansas because, Kansas not growing any faster again, we're losing Oklahoma can't again, that was one thing to keep me up night. Mm-hmm. we have to do the best for Kansas because, you know, we're losing population or hospitals we have about most in the nation ready for closure.
and so Gus, I wanna throw it back to you. You know, you, you said, uh, if it's loud, yeah, do
Sydney Collins: it. This is my favorite part.
Andres Mata: But you know, it is, you know, I take your heart or your question to heart because you know that's the core of what we do. Um, but how would you respond to someone saying, uh, if the roads we drive on our political,
Gus Applequist: in confronting the issues our community [00:46:00] has, we should try to pitch a big tent and invite people into that tent to confront those issues. and I think there is a lot of action of individuals needed to make that happen. Like it can't all just be a conversation, right?
Action has to be paired with conversation. I think to your point about, um, like just pick up the phone and talk to somebody, like if we invite people to the conversation, they're more likely to show up than if we just assume that they know they're invited. Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: Yeah. And I think that's a great point because, you know, a lot of our organizations are wanting to give feedback, but it has to be invitation, it has to be an activity, you know, and, you know, we tell our partners, if you do an activity in liberal Kansas.
Don't do at the city building, do at the school, you know, do at the, uh, and things like that. And so, you know, also wanted to elaborate.
Organic Farming Project
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Andres Mata: We did, speaking of liberal, we did a project, [00:47:00] in Seward County in Garden and, uh, Dodge City. And this, I think, uh, exemplifies the disconnect between institutions. Um, and so we were approached by Gragg Stevens, uh, a good mentor of mine from this media connection.
Mm-hmm. And, said, Hey, I got a project for you that might fit within the Kansas City Network. And I said, okay, Gragg, you know, send it over or take a look at it. And it was A-U-S-D-A, department of Agriculture project, and the title was Transitioning to Organic Farming.
called him up and I said, Gragg, none of 'em are farmers.
What do you, you know what, you know, this sounds great, but none of us are farmers, you know? And he goes, oh, no, read more into it. So it, that project was for, uh, to do community seminars to provide education for [00:48:00] Latino farmers in southwest Kansas to transition to organic farming.
Sydney Collins: Oh, cool. Okay.
Andres Mata: And so we, I said, okay, we'll do this, you know, and we got training and all these things and went up doing the seminars and the information we're providing. And so, you know, it might be breaking news here for, for some, but when you go to the store and it says, organic.
Mm-hmm. There's no guarantee that it's a hundred percent organic just based on the income of the farmer or the individual that sells that product. When you hit a cer certain threshold of income, uh, you know, I, I think it's uh, 5,000, below 5,000, uh, on income. There's no requirement to go through a certification process beyond that.
If you hit, again, go beyond that, uh, threshold, you have to go through [00:49:00] a certification process. What I just shared was breaking news to the room, and rightfully so. They were, you know, some were quiet, you know, because they didn't want to voice their or per, you know, uh, unload their, their feedback onto me.
Mm-hmm. Uh, and to us. And I had individuals say, you know, Andres, I've been a farmer extra. You know, fill in the blank.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: You know, that's number one Kansan thing is to, I've been a fifth generation, you know, individual things like that. You know, I've been farming my land and doing this, but the first time I'm hearing about this is from you.
Think about that. We, we did a project 'cause Gragg convinced me, but how do we not done the project? The gap would still exist. [00:50:00] And so think about, we're in Kansas, a farming state. There's a lot of organizations not saying that they dropped the ball or anything. Or you know, again, go. Going back to community anchors, whose job is it to educate everyone?
Hmm. And, you know, and it's like this, the same thing with the, with the census, you know, we've, again, we focus on the boring things. Uh, but with the census, you know, is every 10 years is we have to, uh, count everyone up and based on that mm-hmm. data is what our pies or slice of the pie come from Washington.
And so, you know, we're about 30% an accountant in Kansas. and for me, it shouldn't be my Catholic priest going door to door and making sure folks fill out should be, you know, every superintendent, every uh, director of Chamber of Commerce, every doc, [00:51:00] you know, everyone, every senior manager include them too.
But you know, I think we see a lot of saying, oh, that's not my role. You know, we could've easily said, Hey, we're not a, farming organ, we're not the farm Bureau.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Andres Mata: That's not our role. But we get into, we lean into it because we understand the value of making sure all boats rise at the same tide and making sure that Kansas, whether that be, you know, uh, folks in southwest Kansas or young people throughout the state, is making sure that they have a voice and are seen, uh, through our work.
Concluding Thoughts and Reflections
---
Gus Applequist: Well, I think that was a, a great place to kind of wrap up our conversation today. Uh, thank you so much for taking time and more importantly for the, the work that you all are doing across the state. It's obviously having a huge impact on people, uh, near and far here in, inside of Kansas. So thank you very much.
Andres Mata: Yeah, thank you for having me [00:52:00] and huge fan.
Gus Applequist: I hope you enjoyed that conversation with Andres. Uh, it was fascinating just to hear how we kinda got started with all of this.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. And the more, the more we talked with him, the more I'm like, I really wanna meet your family, because that's such an amazing thing to be able to say you wanna join a city meeting commission of any kind at the age of what?
13? 13,
Gus Applequist: I think you said? Yeah,
Sydney Collins: sure. Like at 13 I [00:53:00] was binge watching Kim Possible and Lizzie McGuire, like,
Gus Applequist: and that, that board of of human relations.
Sydney Collins: Yes.
Gus Applequist: I, I believe they deal with like, like it's not an easy, easy topics of conversation. Talk about Exactly. And so he just dove right in. Um, and yeah, I, I think that he sets a terrific example for young people of like, oh, you don't like something, well do something about it.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. it's so funny, this episode lands kind of where it is like in my life. It is just last week, Madeline, we pass by the city of McPherson city building. Every day. Every day, twice a day to go to daycare. And finally the other day she goes, what's that building? What is that? And I was like, well it's a city building.
And she goes, okay, well what's that? And I go, you know, like the mayor, like in Paw Patrol? She goes, oh yeah. I go, that's where the mayor works. Oh, can we go there? And I was like, yeah, I'll go there. We'll [00:54:00] go there together. So I'll take her in the next couple weeks probably to a city commission meeting and then show her around.
'cause I used to work there. So I think I know one person maybe that still works there. They've had some turnover, but
Gus Applequist: Nice.
Sydney Collins: Yeah, so it's just.
Gus Applequist: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: It, it's introducing people to politics without putting the politics in it.
Gus Applequist: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: You know what I mean?
Gus Applequist: politics brings up like this, uh, this deep well of like, ugh, A lot of people Yeah.
Like negative
Sydney Collins: connotation.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. And, and when you talk to people that are, that are actually really working in a lot of these
Sydney Collins: mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: Areas, I mean, they, they're more energized by it.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Gus Applequist: And it's less scary to them. I have, I have my own little like, tangent that I have to go on briefly. Okay. And that's, um, like we think of federal government, we think of state government, we think of county government, we think of city government.
Right. We have these different levels.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: but we've kind of lost sight of townships.
Sydney Collins: Oh yeah.
Gus Applequist: That, that counties used to be divided into townships. Mm-hmm. And I don't know if they had much governance that happened.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Gus Applequist: But, uh, [00:55:00] but how many people in Kansas, if you live in Kansas, what township do you live in?
I'm curious if you
Sydney Collins: know. Yeah, I don't even, I don't even think I know.
Gus Applequist: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Because it's how like. That, that's how you determine like where you're voting and who is your representative of your township. Of.
Gus Applequist: Okay. So I have a segment for you, uh, another episode of who's at Kansan.
Your favorite.
Sydney Collins: My
Gus Applequist: favorite one, yeah. And this is a kind of community surpris. You haven't
Sydney Collins: run out of Kansans.
Gus Applequist: Oh, there's millions. We'll be, we'll be fine. Uh, so this is the community organizer edition. Oh,
Sydney Collins: gosh.
Gus Applequist: I, I, here's what I'm gonna tell you.
Sydney Collins: This is a deep,
Gus Applequist: well, you are guaranteed to get one, right?
Sydney Collins: Okay, good.
Gus Applequist: It's a lot of pressure if I don't, so let's dive right in. This first person, uh, founded a movement from scratch. They were born into slavery in Tennessee in 1809. They escaped to freedom and later worked as a coffin maker in Nashville, which meant they saw firsthand the victims of racial violence during reconstruction.
Convinced [00:56:00] black Americans would never achieve equality in the South. They formed the Edgefield Real Estate and Homestead Association in 1874 and started scouting Kansas for black settlements. They printed hand bells reading hoe for Kansas. By 1879, their organizing sparked a mass migration of 20,000 to 40,000 African Americans westward.
They testified before the US Senate in 1880 and earned the title, father of the Exodus. Any any guesses? Oh, I dunno. This is, this is a deep cut, admittedly. Um, you ha have you heard of the Exodusters
Sydney Collins: No.
Gus Applequist: Okay. That's a, I'm not surprised. Like that's a, that's a term that, that some Kansans That might ring a bell.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Gus Applequist: Um, but this is a, a part of Kansas' history that we don't cover enough. So we need to, uh, this is Benjamin Pap Singleton, who was the founder of Oh,
Sydney Collins: I've heard of, I've, okay. I've heard of this guy.
Gus Applequist: The Exoduster movement. Yeah. Okay. So our second person. This person didn't found a [00:57:00] movement, but created its most recognizable phrase still used today.
Uh, let's see. A congregationalist minister who arrived in Topeka in 1889, they wrote sermon stories as weekly cliffhangers in 18 96, 1 of these stories became a novel asking a simple question about Christian moral decisions. A copyright error meant they earned almost nothing, but it sold millions worldwide.
They walked the talk. In 1893, they established the first African American kindergarten west of the Mississippi in Topeka's, Tennessee town. In 1900, they edited the tope, the Topeka Daily Capital for one week, quote unquote, as Jesus would, and circulation exploded from 12,000 to 380,000. In the 1990s, youth groups turned their central, this central question into bracelets.
So can you either name the person or the movement?
Sydney Collins: The
movement is probably what would Jesus do?
Gus Applequist: Yep. And
Sydney Collins: I have no idea the [00:58:00] person,
Gus Applequist: so the person is Charles Sheldon, um, and the, the actual name of this movement, I
Sydney Collins: Why does he look like Dr. Phil.
Gus Applequist: He does look like Dr. Phil. He looks exactly like Dr.
Sydney Collins: That is Dr. Phil.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. So the, the, the movement that, and, and I mistakenly said he was the founder of the movement.
He was one of many people, people that could one of many probably Yeah. But was called the social gospel movement. Interesting. Okay. Yeah. There's thanks,
Sydney Collins: doctor.
Gus Applequist: There's a lot of interesting, one of the things he did in his sermons was he would end them in cliffhangers. He'd like build 'em up really big and then he'd end it, and then the whole congregation would sigh and then they'd come back next week.
And that got the ball rolling kind of for him.
Sydney Collins: Interesting,
Gus Applequist: interesting guy. Um, okay. Person number three.
Sydney Collins: Oh, I wonder who that could be.
Gus Applequist: This person didn't found temperance, but revolutionized its tactics. They moved to Medicine Lodge, Kansas in 1889 and started a local women's temperance, uh, union Chapter.
Kansas had banned alcohol in 1880, [00:59:00] but saloons operated openly because officials looked the other way. In June, 1900, they decided hymn singing wasn't enough, and they started physically destroying saloons first with bricks, and then with a signature weapon that became their trademark. They were arrested over 30 times and paid fines with lecture fees and souvenir sales.
Uh, you probably know this person as,
Sydney Collins: I'm blanking on her name now that I put on the spot, but.
Gus Applequist: Okay, I'll just
Sydney Collins: carry something in it.
Gus Applequist: Yep. Very good. Carrie Nation.
Sydney Collins: Carry Nation.
Gus Applequist: Yep. And, and one of the members of the temperate movement.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Gus Applequist: And she invented these, these occurrences, I guess called Hatch stations, where she would destroy bars with hatchet hatch, a Ks, and through and through right hatch.
Alright. Cruising on through to person number four. This person didn't create populism, but became its most famous voice. Born to Irish immigrants in Pennsylvania. They came to Kansas as a school teacher in 1870. She [01:00:00] failed at farming and eventually settled in Wichita. In 1885, they became one of the first women admitted to the Kansas Bar Association.
By 1890, they were delivering over 160 speeches across Kansas and beyond their most quoted line. Wall Street owns the country. A newspaper claimed that they told farmers to raise less corn and more hell, uh, she denied it, but happily adopted the phrase supporters called them the People's Joan of Ark, and they became the first woman appointed president of a state board of charities, but eventually broke with the populace when the party refused to support women's suffrage.
Sydney Collins: I have no idea.
Gus Applequist: Totally fair. This is Mary Elizabeth Lease.
Sydney Collins: Oh, yeah. there is a lot of authority in those shoulders right there.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. And I don't know, I don't know if this is a dance she's doing or
Sydney Collins: I think it's more of a bring it,
Gus Applequist: bring it,
Sydney Collins: bring
it on.
Gus Applequist: She kind of has her hands out and open.
Yeah. She, that's a, it's an interesting, that's
Sydney Collins: an interesting,
Gus Applequist: very few [01:01:00] pictures of these folks, uh, online and so
Sydney Collins: I would assume Yeah.
Gus Applequist: But again, another person that I never heard of prior to, to researching for this. Okay. Moving on to our last person. This person didn't create socialism, but built its most powerful American media platform from Tiny Gerard, Kansas.
And I apologize if I'm saying that wrong. I think it's Gerard. Gerard Gerard, a newspaper publisher from Indiana. They launched a socialist paper in Kansas City in 1895 and then moved it to Gerard in 1897, surrounded by coal mining communities full of immigrant workers from that small town. Their publication became the largest circulation socialist of newspaper in American history.
550,000 weekly subscribers by 1910. Special editions reaching over 4 million copies. Contributors included Eugene Debs, Jack London, mother Jones, and Helen Keller. Uh, this was the first, uh, newspaper to Serialize Upton Sinclair's the Jungle, [01:02:00] uh, in 1905. So yeah. Who do you think this person is?
Sydney Collins: I have no idea.
Gus Applequist: Okay. This person is J.A. Wayland. Uh, and, uh, founded the newspaper, the Appeal to Reason, and was a member of the socialist movement.
Sydney Collins: Wow.
Gus Applequist: And I, I think, you know, this, uh, this little, uh, segment that, that we were just finishing does a great job of showing like this weird dichotomy that Kansas has. Mm-hmm. Like we're a very conservative place, but some, some very, uh, progressive things have come out of the state.
Yeah, exactly. Um, and, and there's also an interesting kind of, uh, connection between faith. A lot of these people were driven by their faith to do the things that they did. So, um, there's a lot to learn, uh, about community organizing in mm-hmm. Kansas history, so that's,
Sydney Collins: wow.
Gus Applequist: Who's at Kansan?
Sydney Collins: Brilliant. Well, we're at the end of another episode, so please make sure to [01:03:00] like and subscribe and give us a review on whatever platform you are listening from.
Gus Applequist: Check out our website at askkansan.com where you can learn more about our newsletter, the Curious Kansan.
Sydney Collins: And we will see you next time.
Gus Applequist: Thanks.