Activism

Signed 35 years ago this month, the ADA was the world’s first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities — guaranteeing equal opportunity in public accommodations, employment, and more. But it likely wouldn't have passed without the relentless pressure of grassroots activists and Kansas Republican Bob Dole.

President Trump's mass deportation efforts have led to the arrests of tens of thousands of immigrants, some of whom end up at the Phelps County Jail in Rolla, Missouri. Now some local activists are trying to provide comfort and assistance to detainees stuck in an unfamiliar place.

The Lawrence Gay Liberation Front has, under various names, challenged misconceptions about LGBTQ+ students at the University of Kansas for 45 years. Now, a book tells those students' stories. Plus: A Kansas museum dedicated to "The Wizard of Oz" is showcasing a movie prop that's never been seen by the public.

A new art project commemorating the Conley sisters will be unveiled in Kansas City, Kansas, this summer. The exhibit will help tell how the siblings and Wyandot Nation activists banded together to protect a burial ground in the early 1900s.

Protesters in downtown Kansas City emphasized the importance of coming together to oppose President Donald Trump's policies, which they fear will disproportionately affect vulnerable communities.

Some reproductive rights activists say that Amendment 3, which Missouri voters passed in November, didn't go far enough in expanding abortion access to help the most vulnerable populations. One sticking point was the amendment's language setting limits at "fetal viability," which does not have a true medical definition.

The festival's second year kicked off this week at the Screenland Armour theater in North Kansas City. This year’s mission is to celebrate Black filmmakers from Missouri whose work explores contemporary and historical social issues.

The Black Ancestors Awareness Campaign of Weston, a small but mighty nonprofit dedicated to documenting the untold stories of Weston's Black forebears, held its first Juneteenth Heritage Jubilee in 2021. Since then, the small river town just north of Kansas City has become a destination for regional Black history.

The new autobiography "Show Me Justice: The Happy Life Journey of Alvin Lee Sykes" documents the extraordinary story of the self-taught legal scholar from Kansas City. Sykes fought tirelessly to re-open several unsolved civil rights cold cases, including the murder of Emmett Till.

A world-renowned ceramic artist educated in Kansas City has made a career of injecting activism into the delicate teapots he crafts. Richard Notkin recently returned to the Kansas City Art Institute to teach a masterclass in making art with meaning.

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.

Indigenous languages have been systematically suppressed throughout history. An event at the Kansas City Public Library central branch on Wednesday evening highlights poets who are bringing tribal languages back into their poetic processes.