Recognizing the Life and Memory of Charles Olvera Lona

Floor Speech

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Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to announce the passing of Charles ``Charlie'' Olvera Lona on June 26, 2024. Charlie was a beacon of justice, advocacy, and hope in Kansas City's Westside community and beyond. I urge us all to celebrate and remember the life of this incredible activist, community leader, friend, brother, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Born in Kansas City on October 14, 1946, to Wesley H. and Luz O. Lona, Charlie became an active community member of Kansas City's Westside neighborhood--a historic Mexican-American community--at birth. A graduate of Westport High School and Metropolitan Community College, Charlie took over his family business and transformed it into a Westside, and Midwest, staple.

Through dedication, effort, and business acuity, Charlie transformed his father's automotive repair shop into one specializing in building custom lowriders. His business, Lona & Sons Hydraulics, brought this unique aspect of Chicano culture to Kansas City. As Charlie allowed lowrider culture to make its mark on Kansas City, his skill and work brought attention from all over the United States.

Charlie's contribution to Kansas City's Chicano community did not stop at his business. He spent his life uplifting and empowering the residents of the Westside through his relentless advocacy and commitment to being a voice for the unheard. Worried that his fellow residents were being excluded from city affairs and left with disproportionately low resources, Charlie became a proud supporter of the Chicano Movement in the 1960s. He courageously marched, organized, and protested for equal rights and better conditions for the Westside neighborhood and beyond. Charlie also founded the Kansas City chapter of the Brown Berets, a Chicano activist group inspired by the Black Panthers. Collaborating with other famous Chicano leaders like Rodolfo ``Corky'' Gonzales and Cesar Chavez, Charlie inspired Kansas Citians to join El Movimiento.

In addition to bringing nationwide movements to Kansas City, Charlie placed great value on local activism. His political influence helped elect many Chicano leaders to local government, allowing Westside residents to take part in the city affairs from which they long felt excluded. He also is responsible for the founding of the Aztlan Center for Chicano cultural education and empowerment, and for immensely expanding the impact of the Guadalupe Centers, a local social service agency for Latin Americans in the United States, that is now the longest continuously standing agency of its kind. Even as he neared the end of his life, Charlie never wavered in his fight for justice and equity.

Though Charlie has passed, his legacy and impact on Kansas City will remain long past our mortal lifetimes. I am reminded of Mark 10:45-- ``For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'' Charlie's life was one dedicated to serving others in need, bettering the lives of countless people throughout. Charlie is survived by his loving family, friends, and the current and future generations of the Westside. As we celebrate and fondly appreciate the decades of devoted service from Charlie, let us be inspired by him to advocate for justice and uplift our community.

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