Lawrence Brooks IV
Race & Culture ReporterLawrence Brooks IV is KCUR's former 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.
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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. -
When hip-hop hit Kansas City streets, the effect was immediate. The new sound took over record stores, local high schools and underground dance parties. As the country celebrates 50 years of the art form, Kansas City honors its own contributions to the culture. -
When hip-hop first hit Kansas City streets, the effect was immediate. The new sound took over record stores, local high schools and underground dance parties. As America celebrates a half century of hip-hop, KCUR’s Lawrence Brooks IV honors Kansas City’s own contributions to the culture. -
Students, parents, community leaders and activists held a protest to support Black students in the Shawnee Mission School District after a video of a white male student verbally and physically assaulting a Black female student went viral on social media earlier this week. -
Kansas City is on the brink of breaking the all-time record of 182 yearly homicides, set in 2020. Community organizations, activists, city leadership and law enforcement are searching for answers to stem the tide of death.
