Be A Better White Ally | Local Black Comedian

By Steve Kraske,

Michelle Tyrene Johnson, Mackenzie Martin

Published June 4, 2020 at 4:44 PM CDT

A protester holds up a cardboard sign that reads, "Justice For Black Lives," and lists the names Ahmaud, George, Breonna, Terrence, Renisha, Philando, Trayvon and Eric. — These are intense times and many white people don’t know what to do and how to help. We heard tips for being a good white ally, without overstepping.

Segment 1, beginning at 4:20: Two local activists talk about white allyship.

As Kansas City deals with nightly protests over the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died last week at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, many white folks are wondering what they can do to help. Today, two activists gave advice on how interested white people can be better allies.

Justice Gatson, director of Reale Justice Network and ACLU Missouri organizer
Lora McDonald, executive director of MORE2

Segment 2, beginning at 41:50: The difficulty of comedy in the midst of serious times
Ameerah Sanders is a young black female comic in Kansas City. Her jokes are based on things that happen to her in real life, which includes racism, even though she doesn’t explicitly try and make jokes about it.

Ameerah Sanders, screenwriter and comedian

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Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Michelle Tyrene Johnson

Michelle is a reporter covering race, identity and culture and is an assistant talk show producer.

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Mackenzie Martin

Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

See stories by Mackenzie Martin