Once a month Springfield welcomes the world. At 7 p.m. Feb. 19, the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois hosts Reyna Torres Mendivil, consul general of Mexico in Chicago, for a free program open to the public at Illini Country Club. A big part of the job of a regional consul general is to be “explainer in chief” of her nation’s policies, programs and interactions with the U.S. government. It’s an opportunity to gain perspective on border policies, migration, counter-narcotics and trade, and to learn that some international problems don’t have to be so hard. One day we’ll find a way to address our southern neighbors, JFK-like, as “My fellow Americans.” – Fletcher Farrar, editor. For more information go to mywacci.org.
This article appears in February 12-18, 2026.
