Segment 1: Finding the best way to memorialize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Kansas City.
Many in Kansas City agree there should be something here to memorialize the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The question is, what? Following suggestions The Paseo be renamed (or 39th Street or 63rd) Mayor Sly James appointed an advisory group to recommend how best to proceed. Today, we spoke with the co-chair of that panel, which recommended attaching Dr. King's name to a yet-to-be-built terminal at the airport.
- Rev. Donna Simon, MLK Advisory Group co-chair and pastor of St. Mark Hope and Peace Lutheran Church.
Segment 2, starting at 9:36: History proves time and again, progess comes only with great difficulty.
For Americans who think the country is undergoing an unprecedented existential crisis, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham wants to provide solace. The U.S. has weathered tough times before — again and again, in fact — and has managed to inch ever closer to a more perfect union despite it. Today, Meacham discussed historical examples supporting his hypothesis, and explained why he still holds out hope for progress.
- Jon Meacham, presidential historian, writer and author
Jon Meacham will discuss his book "The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels" at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, at Unity Temple on the Plaza, 707 W. 47th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64112. For ticketing information, go to TrumanLibraryInstitute.org.
