Speaker: Jose Garcia

Location: Norfolk Public Library, Room A

A full 150 years before the 1st pioneer families entered Nebraska territory, Mexican traders, soldiers and explorers left their imprint on the land and its culture. Jose’s presentation takes you along on a journey of exploration that began in 1720 and continues in Nebraska to this very day.

Jose Francisco Garcia is of the 3rd generation with direct paternal and maternal Mexican descendants settling in the Mid-west in the early 20th Century. A Vietnam veteran, retired railroader, long-time Chicano activist, Jose and his wife Linda are the founders of the Mexican American Historical Society of the Midlands. Now retired their time is spent on curating a research library of folk art, historical artifacts and media, focused on the art and civic accomplishments of Spanish-speaking/surnamed peoples of the Americas, with a focus on the Heartlands.