Letters: KC readers discuss The Star’s apology, Chiefs’ chances and Roy Blunt’s amnesia
Words into action
I read with interest The Star’s apology for its past racist news coverage. (Dec. 20, 1A, “The truth in black and white.”) For more than 60 years, I’ve been a Star (and Times) reader, subscriber or subject of stories, particularly while a Central High School scholar-athlete, and later as a community, labor and social justice advocate. I even worked for The Star in a sense, pitching papers from Mr. Raymond Anderson’s truck in the 1960s.
The Star inspired me as a child to become a writer and editor in Kansas City, Chicago, New York and California. Your inspiration was often driven by seeing our community covered unfairly, or ignored completely. Very rare were stories about the achievements of Black Kansas Citians, save for in sports.
Apologies are a good first step. However, truth and atonement will not be judged by words, but actions. Respectfully, have you revised your mission statement to reflect your new outlook? Will you expand your editorial board and staff to include more African Americans, other people of color, labor and youth? Will you endorse our growing national discussion and hearings on racism and reparations, such as H.R. 40 and S.1083 in the U.S. House and Senate?
Apologies, combined with positive actions, are not only the righteous thing to do. They are, ultimately, good business.
- Jahahara Amen-RA Alkebulan-Ma’at, Oakland, California
By the numbers
There is a trend with our Kansas City Chiefs this season. A number of victories have been by fewer than 10 points. Detractors sometimes consider the closeness of games as an indicator the Chiefs are as lucky as they are good.
In the NFL, there is a fine line between winning and losing. Very few teams consistently stay on the winning side of that line like our Chiefs have with five consecutive division titles and a Super Bowl championship.
Think for a moment about their opponent from a year ago in the big game. San Francisco went from playing for a championship to a losing record on the other side of that fine line in a single season. A question could legitimately be asked regarding how good the 49ers were, or if that team was only a proverbial flash in the pan.
Kansas City is, in contrast, a proven champion. Great teams win close games. Consider the 1966 Green Bay Packers, who beat the Chiefs in the first Super Bowl. During a 12-2 regular season, the Packers won five games by fewer than 10 points and two by 11 and 12.
Some things never change.
- Mike George, Springfield, Missouri
Way too late
Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri says President Donald Trump’s decisions and his actions leading to the assault on the Capitol “were clearly reckless” (reckless?) and suggests we should be thinking more about the first days of the new administration than the last days of Trump’s. (Jan. 10, KansasCity.com, “Sen. Blunt calls Trump’s actions ‘reckless,’ but says president should not resign”)
How convenient for Sen. Blunt and other Republicans. Let’s just forget this attack on our democracy. We should all be assured that the president won’t be taking any more “reckless” actions because Blunt has warned him to be “be very careful” during his final days in office.
- Carole L. Kennedy, Columbia, Missouri
On the edge
King George couldn’t do it. The Nazis couldn’t do it. Japan couldn’t and Russia couldn’t, but a few extremists came close. They tried to overthrow a government that allows them to be seditious, up to a point.
Destroying our property and attacking our representatives is a potential beginning to doing something that no one has been able to do. A republic depends on the citizens obeying the law without being watched, but they cannot — must not — be allowed to form mobs and destroy our democracy.
- Edward Barnes, Prairie Village
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Letters: KC readers discuss The Star’s apology, Chiefs’ chances and Roy Blunt’s amnesia."