It’s KC history: The killing of Cameron Lamb, a doctor, a senator and a BBQ king

During a recent visit to the Black Archives of Mid-America to pick up the 2026 booklet highlighting the new inductees into the Kansas City Black history compendium, I also wanted to see one of its most recently added exhibits, “A Historic Moment: The Archiving of Justice.”

The exhibit preserves the truth about the killing of Cameron Lamb, a 26-year-old Black man shot by a Kansas City police officer in 2019, and the historical details that led to the first time an officer was convicted of killing an unarmed Black man in Kansas City.

The entire legal case is stored away at the Black Archives, and it’s the first time — in 2023 — that such a case has been archived there, but, sadly, it won’t be the last, said Carmaletta Williams, the nonprofit’s CEO.

In the exhibit hall, under a picture of Lamb donated by his family, is a glass case encasing not only some documents from the Jackson County prosecutor’s office and the Missouri Court of Appeals of the Western District, but also the items in Lamb’s possession on the day the officer shot him dead as he sat in his vehicle in the driveway of his home.

Displayed are a garage door opener, his phone, a cluster of keys, a lighter, a pair of tweezers, an empty cigarillo pack, a few other trinkets, and $54 and some change.

I’ve written about Lamb or read about his death and the officer’s trial many times, but seeing these simple items moved me deeply. These were items that any one of us might have at any time. Lamb wasn’t just a story on the news, but a man, a son, a father of three.

History has a way of conjuring those types of feelings, and it’s why the Archives is dedicated to preserving Kansas City Black history and making sure it gets shared.

Speaking of history, and fittingly so, since it is Black History Month, The Star, for the second consecutive year in February, is introducing readers to some notable, deceased Black Kansas Citians who might not be as well-known as others.

The main reason I went to the Black Archives of Mid-America this week was to get the Black history booklet it publishes annually in partnership with the Kansas City Public Library and the Local Investment Commission, also known as LINC.

Meet Dr. Carl M. Peterson, a Kansas City doctor; Henry Perry, the Barbecue King; and Yvonne S. Wilson, a Missouri state senator.

Carl M. Peterson was born in 1914 in Opelika, Alabama, but moved to Kansas City after earning his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in 1941. Peterson interned at General Hospital No. 2, Kansas City’s segregated Black hospital, then left to serve with the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War II.

He returned to his residency in Kansas City after his military service, and eventually became the first Black Kansas City physician certified by the American Board of Surgery. In 1949, Peterson co-founded the first Black multi-specialty group practice west of the Mississippi. He died in 2007.

Henry Perry was born in Tennessee in 1875 and settled in Kansas City in 1907. Perry learned to barbecue as a cook on Mississippi River steamboats. He traveled through the Midwest during the Great Migration, looking for better opportunities, and chose Kansas City to call home.

Perry started selling smoked meat downtown and eventually moved his business to the Black business district at 18th and Vine. He became known for hosting annual free barbecues for older and needy residents. It was Perry’s cooking techniques that formed the foundation for Kansas City-style barbecue. He died in 1940 and was inducted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2014.

Yvonne S. Wilson, a Kansas City native born in 1929, was raised by her grandparents in the historic Leeds neighborhood. A graduate of Lincoln High School, Wilson earned a degree in elementary education from Lincoln University and her master’s degree in sociology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Wilson worked for the Kansas City Public School District for 35 years and retired as director of elementary education. She eventually became the first Black president of the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals. Wilson was 70 when she sought a career in politics and resigned from the Missouri Senate in 2010. In 2018, Kansas City renamed Liberty Park — a former amusement park for Black residents — in her honor.

Off The Vine

Below are stories about culture and identity from communities in the Kansas City metro area. Go here to find more stories on culture and identity from Star reporter J.M. Banks.

• Reggie Brown, the longtime Kansas City gospel radio host on Hot 103 Jamz known to listeners as Reggie B., died Dec. 20. He was 63. Banks talked to family and friends about his life in music.
• Kansas City artists win a battle for access to create work for an upcoming city project. Banks has followed the story and shares how it happened

Around The Vine

• You can support the Black Archives of Mid-America by attending the Annual Black History luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 at the Marriott Downtown.
• Get ready for Pop is Black, a concert with KC’s top Black pop artists from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28 at the Zhou B. Art Center, 1801 E. 18th St., Kansas City.
• If you’re a fan of Boru Asian Eatery in Waldo you may only have weeks to visit for a meal there. KC Star reporter Noelle Alviz-Gransee writes about why the final day of service is Feb. 28.

Vine Picks

• Kansas City, Kansas, police wonder if fear of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement kept a local woman from seeking help in a violent domestic situation that may have led to her death. Reporter Laura Bauer wrote about what happened to 20-year-old Ingris Carolina Damas Morales.
• Signaling its disapproval for the prospect of an ICE detention center locating in a Kansas City warehouse, the Port Authority of Kansas City voted to formally broke ties with the local firm connected to the building, Chris Higgins and Kacen Bayless explain what happened.
• This Kansas Citian was the first Black woman to produce a film, and now she is set to be honored as one of the first inductees into the Black Movie Hall of Fame under construction in the historic Jazz District at 18th and Vine in Kansas City. The Star series KCQ has her story.
• Opinion writer Toriano Porter writes about Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway for what he calls a “frivolous” pursuit of launching a lawsuit against a coffee giant the AG claims discriminated against a white male employee, after a judge found no evidence existed.
• The future of the West Plaza’s “antiques row” is about to change. The row is a three-block strip of antique, curio and architectural salvage shops that line West 45th Street from State Line Road to Wyoming Street. Reporter Eric Adler wrote about what’s happening and why.

Your voice matters to us. What local issues do you want to hear discussed in On The Vine? Let me, Mará Rose Williams, The Star’s senior opinion columnist, know directly at mdwilliams@kcstar.com. Thank you for reading.

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