KC Palestinian with family in Gaza to ‘feed my local people’ at festival | Opinion
With all eyes on what’s happening across the world in the Middle East, Kansas City Palestinian Samantha Salem has a bittersweet celebration this weekend as Kansas City Palestinians represent their culture at the Ethnic Enrichment Festival food booths for the first time.
“I truly believe that food is a love language and everybody can connect through food,” said Salem, a real estate agent and YouTube host, who last year joined the Ethnic Enrichment Commission as Palestine Commissioner.
More than 60 different cultures will gather at the Ethnic Enrichment Festival, one of the largest gatherings of multiculturalism in the Kansas City area. The Ethnic Enrichment Commission of Kansas City sponsors the event, and is a nonprofit supporting cultural organizations and communities.
I’m going, and you should too. Not just for the amazing sights, sounds and smells, but because it’s an opportunity to get to know a new neighbor in Kansas City.
Salem called this year’s festival and her people’s role in it “super exciting. Our culture existed for thousands of years in our food, in our music, in our dress, and (now) in our community here in Kansas City.”
For the first time in the commission’s nearly five-decade history, Palestine will be fully represented. It’s a poignant accomplishment, but it’s not lost on Salem — the duality of her work with the festival and the knowing of what’s going on back home in Gaza, where she is from.
“I’m a proud Palestinian. I’m from Gaza. My family is in Gaza right now. And I felt like this is something that’s extremely important for us to be a part of.”
However, because she said she has lost family members in the war between Israel and Hamas, she has “really bad survivor’s guilt.”
“Some days I feel guilty eating and guilty having a warm bed and air conditioning to sleep. And some days I have to remember that I have to be in a position of power to be able to support them and to help them. … It is a very internal conflict for me because I can’t feed my own people but I’m able to feed my local people.”
Fatima Mohammadi, lead organizer for the local Palestinian-run organization Al Hadaf KC, said she thinks the festival gives the Palestinian community “a chance to showcase just a smidge of the breadth, depth, and beauty of Palestinian culture, especially in a time where more people than ever are hearing about Palestine.”
Mohammadi noted that some people have yet to meet their local Palestinian community. “Maybe this brief introduction will be an on-road towards a better version of our global humanity.”
Ethnic Enrichment Festival food booths
Last year, Palestine was able to participate in a fashion show and in the parade of flags, “but we weren’t able to have an actual food booth,” Salem said.
So, she raised her hand and volunteered to be a commissioner. The festival requires a year on the commission and to volunteer in at least one festival. Salem stepped up and “did my time.” Did she learn anything?
“I knew how extensive the work is to put this massive event together. This is not for the weak. This festival is a lot of detail, planning and hard work. It’s a very beautiful work of art, this festival. and we’re just happy to be here.”
Palestinian restaurants will be able to showcase indigenous traditions and cuisines, including musakhan, Palestine’s national dish. “It consists of some thin bread and caramelized onions with some sumac … like a red tangy spice.”
Salem said musakhan traditionally is served flat with toppings similar to a pizza, but they are modernizing it for the festival, “rolling them up to make it like a finger food, almost like an egg roll.”
The booth will have authentic Palestinian hummus and also baba ghanouj. She described it as a roasted eggplant dip with sesame tahini.
Several Palestinian-owned small businesses are contributing to the food at the booth.
I asked her if she had received any negativity at last year’s festival.
“Actually we encountered the opposite. Everybody was very very supportive … overwhelmingly supportive. So I’m really excited and now I’m a little nervous that maybe we didn’t order enough food.”
In speaking to Salem, she revealed the difficulty of the role she has taken on.
“Some days I question if I’m even doing the right thing or not. At the end of the day, Palestine is permanent. …
“It’s history. It’s memory. It’s identity. And it is always best told by the people who have lived it.”
IF YOU GO:
The Ethnic Enrichment Festival takes place at Swope Park Pavilion, at 4177 Pavilion Rd.
Hours are:
Friday, Aug. 15: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (Gates open at 4:30 p.m.)
Saturday, Aug. 16: noon to 10 p.m. (Gates open at 10:30 a.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 17: noon to 10 p.m. (Gates open at 10:30 a.m.)
This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 5:08 AM.
