Black History

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.

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.

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.

The 2023 National Geographic documentary “The Space Race” explores the history of Black astronauts, including Kansas City’s own Ed Dwight. Local nonprofit aSTEAM Village is screening the movie to fund their trip to the 50th National Society of Black Engineers convention in Atlanta.

Graduates of historically Black colleges and universities account for an outsized number of NFL Hall of Famers. The Chiefs’ backup corner from Fayetteville State University has dreams of joining their ranks.

During her year-long appointment by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Civil will work with local organizations to foster interest in poetry. “I want to plan programming that will help people find themselves,” she told KCUR’s Up To Date.

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.

Today marks 95 years since Martin Luther King Jr. was born. In Kansas City, King’s death set off a chain reaction that went all the way to McDonald's. Plus: A group of Kansas musicians formed one of the first all-women mariachi groups in the country.

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.

After a former mayor spent $144,000 of public money on the synthetic saxophone, it became the centerpiece of a Kansas City institution. A reissued recording of the instrument, played by our greatest bebopper, was released last month.

Three St. Louis-area locations have been added to the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom for their connections to enslaved people.

John Buckner was killed by a mob in Valley Park in 1894, but no one was ever prosecuted for his killing. The city claims the lynching did not happen within its boundaries, despite multiple newspaper accounts at the time.