slavery

On Jan. 21, Washington Chapel C.M.E. Church was broken into and a piece of a memorial stained glass window removed. The church was built in 1907 by formerly enslaved families in Parkville, Missouri.

Reparation efforts in urban area are gaining national attention, as both Kansas City and St. Louis study what they can do to make amends for harm inflicted on African Americans. But elsewhere in Missouri, rural areas are taking their own steps toward righting historic wrongs on a neighborhood level.

Independence, Missouri, was the epicenter of westward expansion in pre-Civil War America. Hiram Young, a formerly enslaved man, became the wealthiest man in the county by building wagons and ox yokes, before almost losing it all.

The state constitution itself has its roots in the bitter days of Bleeding Kansas. One proposed version that granted the right to vote for free African Americans was rejected by a pro-slavery Congress.

Chris Goode has launched a petition demanding the city change Troost Avenue — named after Dr. Benoist Troost, who owned six enslaved men and women.

Missouri had 114,931 enslaved people in 1860 on the eve of the Civil War. National civil rights groups are calling on President Joe Biden to sign an executive order to begin a process for reparations.

The recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday brought more people to Kansas City's festival this year. Attendees and organizers hope the celebration of Black culture continues to grow.

The Liberty African American Legacy Memorial honors the lives of 761 Black individuals who have been confirmed to be interred, mostly in unmarked graves, in the formerly segregated sections of Fairview and New Hope cemeteries in Liberty, Missouri.

Not all ghost towns are empty shells. From historic buildings to street names, you can still find remnants of dozens of ghost towns located across the Kansas City metro and just beyond its borders.

The Kansas City Downtown Council’s 10-year strategic plan envisions a different look for the city's core. But who gains and who loses in the development plan? Plus, we'll learn about the dangerous trek that many enslaved people in Missouri risked to reach freedom in Kansas.

Slavery in Missouri is rarely discussed, but unique geography in its western region helped create a treacherous set of circumstances for the enslaved.

The student who posted the petition was eventually expelled and the other three were suspended for 180 days.