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White Supremacists in Missouri | Kansas City's Soul Sessions

A group from the Proud Boys confronts anti-Trump protesters outside Trump's 2020 campaign kickoff rally in Orlando, Fla. The Proud Boys group is known for white nationalist and other extremist rhetoric.
Chris O'Meara
/
The Associated Press
A group from the Proud Boys confronts anti-Trump protesters outside Trump's 2020 campaign kickoff rally in Orlando, Fla. The Proud Boys group is known for white nationalist and other extremist rhetoric.

The extent of white supremacist groups in Missouri, and a venue in the historic 18th and Vine district is giving artists a live audience for their music and poetry.

Segment 1, beginning at 00:26: Groups like the Proud Boys aren't operating on emotion but on ideology.

Late last year, the Department of Homeland Security's first homeland threat assessment labeled white supremacist extremists as the largest threat facing the U.S. Members of those groups, including several from Missouri, have been charged with crimes connected to the January 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C. With Donald Trump no longer in the White House, white supremacists groups are beginning to splinter apart.

Segment 2, beginning at 32:16: A weekly open mic event for Kansas City artists is boosting careers and fostering the live music scene at 18th and Vine.

Soul Sessions is an open mic event held every Monday at the KC Jukehouse Blues & Jazz Restaurant in the historic 18th and Vine District. The show's creator explains what inspired him and a musician tells what performing there has meant for his career.

  • Simeon Taylor, host and creator of KC Soul Sessions
  • Aaron Rogers, performs as rap artist GetItRogers

KC Soul Sessions' open mic event is every Monday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the KC Jukehouse Blues & Jazz Restaurant at 1700 E 18th Street in Kansas City, Missouri.

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.
As an assistant producer on Up To Date, my goal is to amplify voices of people who serve as pioneers in their respective fields while shedding light on issues that affect underserved communities. I produce daily conversations to uplift and inspire the people of the Kansas City area to make the world a better place. You can reach me at reginalddavid@kcur.org.
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I construct daily conversations that give our listeners context to the issues of our time. I strive to provide a platform that holds those in power accountable, while also spotlighting the voices of Kansas City’s creatives and visionaries that may otherwise go unheard. Email me at zach@kcur.org.