Lawrence Brooks IV
Race & Culture ReporterAs KCUR’s race and culture reporter, I work to help readers and listeners build meaningful and longstanding relationships with the many diverse cultures that make up the Kansas City metro. I deliver nuanced stories about the underrepresented communities that call our metro home, and the people whose historically-overlooked contributions span politics, civil rights, business, the arts, sports and every other realm of our daily lives.
Contact me at lbrooksiv@kcur.org.
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A pair of exhibits at the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence are inspired by the life and death of Emmett Till, which helped launch the civil rights movement. The work of area textile artists helps connect the 1955 killing to contemporary violence against Black people. -
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum accepted on Thursday the remnants of the vandalized statue. The cleats will be added to an existing exhibit about the first Black American to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier. -
Businesses were split on their reaction to the vote on April 2 that rejected the extension of a 3/8th-cent sales tax for a ballpark in the Crossroads. Some said the loss of a downtown stadium just blocks away would hinder progress in the district. Others said the campaign was doomed from the start. -
Muslims worldwide celebrate Ramadan every year by fasting from sunup to sundown, and then breaking bread with friends and family at the end of each day. Halal markets help feed believers by providing hard-to-get supplies from around the globe and offering discount prices to those who need them during the monthlong celebration. -
Black women have some of the highest new infection rates regionally and nationally, and many still face systemic barriers in receiving the health care they need to live healthy and normal lives. -
Black women have some of the highest new HIV infection rates in Kansas City and nationally. Many of them face discrimination, stigmas and systemic barriers in receiving the health care they need to live healthy lives.
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The founders of SK8 Shot Studios are taking Kansas City roller-skating rinks by storm. Their plan is to revive the once thriving scene and grow it into a global destination for Black skate culture — one class and skate party at a time. -
Nearly 200 people rallied at Washington Square Park on Saturday afternoon to call on Missouri lawmakers to pass legislation to help prevent future mass shootings, like the one at Union Station that killed one person and injured 22 more on Wednesday. -
KCPD says there is an ongoing review and investigation into an altercation caught on cellphone video in the Power & Light District after the Jan. 28 Chiefs’ game. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day off for many people in Kansas City. But for leaders in Black communities, it's a chance to connect to something bigger and encourage better support for African Americans.
