Celisa Calacal
Race and Culture ReporterAs KCUR’s Race and Culture reporter, I use history as a guide and build connections with people to craft stories about joy, resilience and struggle. I spotlight the diverse people and communities who make Kansas City a more welcoming place, whether through food, housing or public service. . Follow me on Twitter @celisa_mia or email me at celisa@kcur.org.
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The lawsuit marks the first legal challenge against the special session convened by Gov. Mike Kehoe to redraw the state's congressional map and splinter Kansas City to create a 7-1 Republican-dominated map. -
Kansas City, Kansas, 'took blight and made it bright' at revamped park honoring a Black police chiefFamilies and community leaders celebrated the opening of a new playground at Boston Daniels Park, named for the city’s first Black police chief. Like much of the disinvested neighborhood around it on Quindaro Boulevard, the park had fallen into disrepair in recent decades. -
The 46th annual festival celebrates the cultures and cuisines represented in the Kansas City area. This year, for the first time, that includes Palestine. Organizers say it's a chance to give back to the city that welcomed them. -
For years, the Sun Fresh Market at the Linwood Shopping Center provided fresh produce and grocery products to a historically underserved part of Kansas City. Its closure follows months of calls for the city to take action against crime in the area and keep the store afloat. -
UnidosUS CEO and Kansas City, Kansas, native Janet Murguía joins KCUR's Up To Date to discuss a turbulent moment in history for Latino families across the country. -
As part of Kansas City's efforts to explore how to reconnect the predominantly Black neighborhoods that were split by the construction of Highway 71, local artists are using their talents to visualize people's ideas. -
An immigration advocacy group says the raids were carried out by Homeland Security Investigation agents about midday on Wednesday at El Toro Loco restaurants in Lenexa and Kansas City, Kansas. -
The eastern portion of Brush Creek, near Kansas City's Black neighborhoods, is often prone to trash and debris. Community members are calling on city leaders to clean up and improve the area. -
At 84 years old, Willa Robinson is retiring and closing Willa’s Books and Vinyl, the store where she’s spent years selling works by Black artists. She’s placing the beloved space in the hands of The Kansas City Defender, which will preserve her vast archive. -
A Jackson County Circuit Court judge blocked enforcement last week of nearly all Missouri laws that restrict abortion, ruling the 2024 passage of Amendment 3 enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution. Missouri has already started and stopped abortion services several times this year as legal battles continue.
