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When a hopeful homebuyer loses everything

Contracts for deed can be a pathway to homeownership for people without access to common lending options. But sketchy deals can leave low-income buyers with nothing — not even their house. Plus, some Kansas City-area students are frustrated about how Black history is being taught in high schools.

Contract for deed, also known as rent-to-own, is marketed as a way for people who can’t get a conventional mortgage to realize the dream of owning a home. But as Laura Ziegler of KCUR and Steve Vockrodt of the Midwest Newsroom discovered, more often than not, buyers do not end up as homeowners. And most Midwestern states provide little, if any, consumer protection to prevent abuse.

Plus, is Black history white-washed? A growing movement in education suggests that’s exactly the case. And it isn’t just academics and high school teachers saying it — students themselves are speaking up. KCUR's Steve Kraske speaks to David Brox, a student in the Olathe School district, and LaGarrett King, founder and director for the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education at the University of Buffalo.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR onTwitter andFacebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
Trevor Grandin is a contributing producer for KCUR Studios.
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