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Missing Native Americans | Kansas City Monarchs Revived

The Kansas City Monarchs
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
The Kansas City Monarchs disbanded in 1965 but their place in baseball history will be honored as a new franchise will carry the storied team's name.

A Kansas lawmaker is working to focus attention on the hundreds of indigenous people that have gone missing and the revered team from the Negro Leagues era will see its name on players' jerseys in 2021.

Segment 1, beginning at 4:04: A new bill would authorize the Kansas attorney general to coordinate law enforcement training on missing and murdered indigenous people.

As of January 2021, nearly 700 American Indian and Alaskan Native people are missing, including three Kansans. Native American and State Rep. Ponka-We Victors has had friends and family disappear. So, for the second consecutive year, Victors is sponsoring a bill to "help address the high rates of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls across America."

Segment 2, beginning at 30:47: In a deal with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, a team from the American Association will take on the Monarchs name.

The team formerly known as the Kansas City T-Bones ran into problems paying its rent and utility bills and was evicted from its home field in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Now under new ownership, the organization made a deal with the museum to change its name and tell the story of the preeminent and longest-playing team of the Negro Leagues.

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.
Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@kcur.org.
Mackenzie Martin is a senior podcast producer at KCUR Studios and host of the podcast, A People's History of Kansas City. Contact her at mackenzie@kcur.org.
As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.