Eight stories that explore Black history and legacy in Kansas City
This collection of stories highlights Black history and legacy in Kansas City by focusing on the experiences and impact of Black individuals and communities.
One article investigates the lost neighborhood of Belvidere Hollow, razed to make way for a city park. Another story explains how Quindaro became both a stop on the Underground Railroad and the site of Western University, the first Black college in the West. Other stories show how Black doctors fought hospital segregation through strikes in the 1940s and how the town of Nicodemus became a rare example of an all-Black farming community in the Plains. Additional pieces revisit the integrated Steptoe neighborhood, reflect on the 1968 student walkouts after Dr. King's assassination, and examine the rise of Black-owned barbecue restaurants. The set also profiles prominent Black entrepreneurs, such as the owners of the Street Hotel and the founder of Douglass State Bank.
Read the stories below.
NO. 1: A VILLAGE AND A TREASURE: THE ALMOST FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF AN EARLY INTEGRATED KC COMMUNITY
Do you know the story of Kansas City’s Steptoe neighborhood? Black History Month is the perfect time to brush up. | Published February 5, 2022 | Read Full Story by Randy Mason
NO. 2: KC BLACK HISTORY: KCQ REFLECTS ON 1968 STUDENT-LED CIVIL RIGHTS WALKOUTS THAT SHOOK THE CITY
Students asked The Star about the role youth played in KC’s Civil Rights Movement. This Black History Month, we look back to the student marches after MLK’s assassination and the unrest that followed. | Published February 12, 2022 | Read Full Story by Kynala Phillips
NO. 3: KC BLACK HISTORY: DO YOU KNOW THE STORY OF THE FIRST AND LAST ALL-BLACK TOWN IN THE WEST?
“That was the crux of why they wanted to come and homestead in northwestern Kansas, where they could govern themselves, have their own educational systems.” | Published February 19, 2022 | Read Full Story by Kynala Phillips
NO. 4: KC BLACK HISTORY: WHO WERE THE PIONEERS WHO MADE HERE THE ‘BBQ CAPITAL OF THE WORLD’?
Do you know the story of how KC became a barbecue hub? | Published February 21, 2022 | Read Full Story by Michael Wells
NO. 5: KC BLACK HISTORY: HERE ARE FIVE TRAIL-BLAZING ENTREPRENEURS YOU MAY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF
From hotels to banking, cars to fashion, these five Black business leaders left their mark on KC history. | Published February 23, 2022 | Read Full Story by Kynala Phillips
NO. 6: KC BLACK HISTORY: DO YOU KNOW THE TOWN THAT WAS A STOP ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD?
The Quindaro ruins near Kansas City, Kansas, show signs of a thriving town that was a harbor for people seeking freedom from slavery. | Published February 25, 2022 | Read Full Story by Randy Mason
NO. 7: KC BLACK HISTORY: DO YOU KNOW HOW BLACK DOCTORS STRIKED BEFORE HOSPITALS INTEGRATED?
Here’s how Black doctors fought for better patient care in the decades before integration, which led to the creation of what became one of KC’s most prominent medical institutions. | Published February 26, 2022 | Read Full Story by Michael Wells
NO. 8: UNEARTH THE HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY’S LOST BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD, DEMOLISHED FOR CITY PARK
Belvidere Hollow was a vibrant Black neighborhood in Kansas City, but by 1958 it ceased to exist entirely. | Published April 17, 2024 | Read Full Story by Sarah Biegelsen
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.