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 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. -
At the Juneteenth Cookout, families, adults and teenagers gathered together to celebrate the day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. -
People gathered by the hundreds in cities across the U.S. on Saturday as part of a nationwide day of protest to coincide with a military parade in Washington celebrating 250 years of the United States Army. Kansas City and other cities in the area saw thousands take to the streets. -
The 22-acre development along Independence and Hardesty avenues will include an apartment building, a public market, coworking and community gathering spaces. The developer hopes it can become a “third space” for residents of the Historic Northeast. -
The founder of the Black Archives of Mid-America brought Juneteenth to Kansas City in 1980. This year's celebrations include parades, festivals and historical storytelling in Kansas and Missouri. -
Residents went on strike last October over deteriorating living conditions and longstanding maintenance problems. Under the deal with the new building owner, residents will get the opportunity to renew their leases and will not have to owe any back rent from the strike. -
Milgrim and her partner, Yaron Lischinsky, were shot and killed in Washington last week. Local Jewish leaders remembered her warmth, empathy, and belief in dialogue at Tuesday's funeral service in Overland Park, Kansas. -
The designation from the National Park Service opens up the Quindaro Townsite to new opportunities for federal funding and assistance. The ruins, now deteriorating, were once a haven for Black people escaping slavery and for Free State abolitionists.
