Traditionally, Guadalupe Centers Blanco y Negro Gala, our annual black-tie event, kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month festivities in Kansas City. The gala provides the Guadalupe Centers and its supporters an opportunity to honor outstanding individuals and institutions who have contributed to the growth and development of both the Guadalupe Centers and the local Latino community while raising funds to support our organization and mission. Please support us by registering now and join us for this celebration!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Our annual fundraising event, Blanco y Negro, will be back in person in 2022! The event will be held at the Grand Plaza, Union Station & will feature speakers, a silent auction and live auction, a mariachi band, entertainment, a DJ and fun for all!
MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES
Kathy Quinn news reporter with FOX4 Kansas City News will be our Mistress of Ceremonies. She is an Emmy award-winning journalist born and raised in Kansas City.
MEET OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Cid Wilson was named President & Chief Executive Officer of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) in July 2014, where he manages a growing staff of talented, dedicated professionals. He leverages more than 30 years of corporate finance and Wall Street equity research experience to work closely with corporations, their CEOs and board directors, and chief diversity officers to increase the representation of Hispanics at all levels in Corporate America. In addition, he directs programs and initiatives aimed at encouraging Fortune 500 companies to increase Hispanic inclusion in the areas of employment, procurement, philanthropy, and governance.
Wilson has been featured, quoted, and sourced in numerous media outlets, including CNBC, ABC News, NBC News, Time, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Yahoo! Finance, The New York Times, Forbes, Bloomberg Business News and many more. In February 2004, he was on the cover of Black Enterprise Magazine; in March 2017, he was featured in MONEY Magazine; and in April 2017, he shared the cover of LATINO Magazine with the Chairman and CEO of General Motors Company, Mary Barra. This made him, one of the country’s few Afro -Latinos to make the cover page of both major magazines focused on African Americans and Latinos.
Wilson has served the community through prominent nonprofit boards with leading advocacy groups, to include Unidos US. Read more on our keynote speaker here
COCKTAIL HOUR ENTERTAINMENT
MARIACHI ESTRELLA
The Mariachi Estrella KC came together October 1, 2017. The group was founded by Jesse Perez, of Austin, TX and Rafael Ornelas, of Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico. The group initially started out with 5 members and within the past four years they have grown tremendously and gained amazing players to join their group. This group is extremely talented. Members of this Mariachi band include music educators, college students who are music majors, a veteran and a few self-taught individuals. Since 2017, Mariachi Estrella KC has played at hundreds of private venues throughout the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area.
ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE NIGHT
COMEDIAN GILBERT ESQUIVEL
One of the Original Latin Kings of Comedy
LIVE ARTIST!
PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS NOW!
If you prefer to register and pay by check, please put "Blanco" on the memo line and drop off or mail your check to:
Guadalupe Centers
Attn: Beth Kealey
1015 Avenida Cesar E Chavez
Kansas City, MO 64108
You can follow us on Facebook for event reminders and updates at @GuadalupeCentersKC
We hope that you will mark your calendar and plan to join us live and in person on October 8th! We look forward to seeing you at this event!
Please note that while we are excited and planning to be back in person, and do not anticipate any changes, should the need arise due to COVID, the event may be subject to change.
