Alvin Brooks

Oscar-award winning filmmaker and University of Kansas professor Kevin Willmott will premiere his new documentary, "The Heroic, True-Life Adventures of Alvin Brooks," on Wednesday at the Juneteenth Film Festival at Screenland Armour.

Alvin Brooks’ life has become the stuff of legend around Kansas City. Now, a new film by Academy Award-winner Kevin Wilmott details it for the big screen.

Alvin Brooks is a public figure who has served as a bridge in Kansas City for decades. He was one of the city’s first Black police officers, an educator, a leader in the civil rights movement, a founder of Ad Hoc Group Against Crime and almost a Kansas City mayor. Yet few know about his personal life and the internal struggles he’s faced. KCUR’s Reginald David talks to Brooks about the moments in his life that shaped him and pushed him to fight for a better Kansas City.

Alvin Brooks has served as a bridge in Kansas City for decades — as one of the city’s first Black police officers, an educator, a civil rights leader, a founder of Ad Hoc Group Against Crime, and almost a Kansas City mayor. Today he’s still on call 24/7 for whenever anyone needs help. As he asks everyone to mark their calendars for his 100th birthday in 2032, he looks back to his earliest days in Kansas City.

Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, one of the highest-ranking schools in Missouri, has a storied history in Kansas City. When a group of parents and alumni noticed that current students were constantly coming up short on resources, they founded the district's first booster club to raise funds for sports programs and after-school clubs.

How is the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. living on in Kansas City? We hear from two Kansas City activists about their experiences living through the Civil Rights Movement and how they think the country and this city are doing in the long struggle for justice.

Sykes was an icon among Kansas City's civil rights activists. While he had a hard-headed, solo working-style, his success in drawing attention to unsolved civil rights cases is recognized nationwide.

The 88 year-old activist says ". . . if I've done any good, my life has not been in vain."

Lifelong Kansas City activist Alvin Brooks says ". . . if I've done any good, my life has not been in vain."

The Jackson County Detention Center has been a contentious topic in city and county politics, with a lot of the public debate focused on questions of…

When Alvin Brooks told his father that he wanted to be a police officer, his dad’s first response was, “Why do you want to get into that mess? You know…

Segment 1: The National School Walkout In North Kansas City.A check-in with our reporter, who covered today's National School Walkout from Oak Park High…