Mary Sanchez
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, with family roots in Mexico, Mary Sanchez brings an uncommon perspective to the issues that tend to divide Americans into groups of “us” and “them.” A reporter foremost, Sanchez has spent years covering immigration, schools and other volatile beats for The Kansas City Star.
Now an editorial columnist for the Star, Sanchez understands that Latinos in the United States — now the largest minority group in the country — make up a number of diverse and complex communities. Sanchez knows that commentary on immigration, culture and politics needs to reflect that fact — that the one-size-fits-all approach no longer works.
Across the United States, some Latinos are prospering and gaining political power, while others are running up against a changing mood in the American public. Making sense of all these currents requires more than just retelling stories or sharing thoughts. It requires a reporter’s instinct for discovering how issues play out on the street, at work and in the lives of ordinary people.
Sanchez strives for this cross-cultural analysis in her writing. She pushes readers to an understanding of the issues from all sides, and provides an incisive, compelling voice to illuminate these issues in new ways.
Recent Work
A little grace please, a few moments to thoughtfully consider Clarence Thomas. It’s understandable if that ask revolts. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence... Read More
A little grace please, a few moments to thoughtfully consider Clarence Thomas. It’s understandable if that ask revolts. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas gets little love. Mostly, the disdain is earned. He’s burnished his image as a calcitrant man who rose to the highest court by timing. He was... Read More
The crux of America’s looming educational crisis is obvious and it has nothing to do with the books in the... Read More
The crux of America’s looming educational crisis is obvious and it has nothing to do with the books in the curriculum. The lesson is deep into the much-maligned transcript of a Tennessee school board’s discussion before unanimously voting to nix the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel “Maus” from the... Read More
I consider myself forewarned. Nearly a year ago, a trusted source predicted that COVID-19 would have lasting repercussions on the... Read More
I consider myself forewarned. Nearly a year ago, a trusted source predicted that COVID-19 would have lasting repercussions on the world’s children. An educator, he spoke about how the impact would be felt not only on attendance but what that would mean, outlining dire ramifications on... Read More
The Kansas City School District is now fully accredited by the state, the first time since 2000. It’s been a long... Read More
The Kansas City School District is now fully accredited by the state, the first time since 2000. It’s been a long arduous journey and officials concede that the hill is barely crested. On the day the announcement was made, the district’s leadership drove two hours to mid-Missouri to... Read More
In late October, Jewish Americans saw the release of a report confirming what many intrinsically felt and feared. Antisemitism is... Read More
In late October, Jewish Americans saw the release of a report confirming what many intrinsically felt and feared. Antisemitism is on the rise. One in four American Jews said they'd been targeted by antisemitism during the past year. Four out of every 10 changed their behavior,... Read More
Once an innocent person is entangled in the criminal justice system, it’s damningly difficult to wrench them free. The public... Read More
Once an innocent person is entangled in the criminal justice system, it’s damningly difficult to wrench them free. The public is only vaguely aware of this. After all, that’s the point. Someone sentenced to prison is out of the public eye. Out of sight, out of... Read More
Through more than five hours of testimony, the Congressional hearing on the nation’s ever-decreasing access to abortion showcased a lot... Read More
Through more than five hours of testimony, the Congressional hearing on the nation’s ever-decreasing access to abortion showcased a lot of erroneous thinking. There were twisted interpretations of eugenic's history, a flimsy albeit adamant concern specific to abortions in the Black community, a Pollyanna belief that... Read More
“Flo-Jo” won’t get out of my head. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the trials that led up to it, have... Read More
“Flo-Jo” won’t get out of my head. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the trials that led up to it, have been a ritual of replayed taped events, and the occasional, live event watched at sleep-deprivation hours. Each female athlete’s performance, their achievements on the track and... Read More
His mother began drinking as a ten-year-old. Her prepubescent cocktail of choice was half beer and half soda. As a... Read More
His mother began drinking as a ten-year-old. Her prepubescent cocktail of choice was half beer and half soda. As a young teen out partying with the man who’d father her children, she drank pints of gin and whiskey. Jean Ann Patton was an addict who drank... Read More
More From The Well
WASHINGTON — It was a matter of preserving consumers’ choice in the face of federal mandates. That’s how Rep. Buddy... Read More
WASHINGTON — It was a matter of preserving consumers’ choice in the face of federal mandates. That’s how Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., explained his vote last week in favor of the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act, even as the... Read More
HOUSTON — Oil and gas giant BP recently fulfilled a major goal of its renewable energy division, completing what it... Read More
HOUSTON — Oil and gas giant BP recently fulfilled a major goal of its renewable energy division, completing what it calls a “major” technology upgrade at its Fowler Ridge 1 wind farm in northwest Indiana. The upgrade included the installation... Read More
LONGVIEW, N.C. — OneH2, a hydrogen fuel equipment manufacturer, is opening a new production facility in Clover, South Carolina. The... Read More
LONGVIEW, N.C. — OneH2, a hydrogen fuel equipment manufacturer, is opening a new production facility in Clover, South Carolina. The building, which is more than 246,000 square feet, was recently purchased by OneH2 from the Belmont Land and Investment Company... Read More
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court panel on Friday largely upheld a gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump... Read More
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court panel on Friday largely upheld a gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump in the criminal case accusing him of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, but loosened it just... Read More
LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles grand jury indicted Hunter Biden on tax charges Thursday. The nine-count indictment alleges Biden... Read More
LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles grand jury indicted Hunter Biden on tax charges Thursday. The nine-count indictment alleges Biden failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes over four years. The Los Angeles indictment follows similar tax evasion charges this... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the world’s first medicine based on CRISPR gene-editing technology for... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the world’s first medicine based on CRISPR gene-editing technology for the treatment of sickle cell disease. The new treatment, called Casgevy, was manufactured by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, of Boston, Massachusetts, and... Read More
