Freedom, Inc. is still a vital voice for Black Kansas City. The Star got it wrong

Work discredited

Less than two years ago, The Star received national acclaim for its front-page apology for having “disenfranchised, ignored and scorned” generations of Black Kansas Citians. Having received past erasure and scorn on the pages of The Star, we at Kansas City’s 60-year-old unabashedly Black political club, Freedom, Incorporated, applauded the mea culpa.

Given the perceived sincerity of that apology, we are astonished by The Star editorial board’s dismissal of Freedom when it wrote in a recent editorial that our “influence has waned in recent years.” (Nov. 14, 9A, “KC Tenants aims to flex its new political muscles”)

In recent election cycles, Freedom-backed candidates won every race in the Democratic primary for the Jackson County Legislature. This month, Freedom-endorsed candidates won every race in Jackson County, including the county executive race.

We do not expect accolades from the press, but we do expect the truth. Based on decades of engagement and thousands of volunteer hours, Freedom, Inc. has unquestionably shaped Kansas City politics and centered Black progressive voices in the politics of our city, county, and state.

Ending the marginalization of established and unreservedly Black organizations is still clearly an unmet goal for The Star. Freedom, Inc. plans to keep supporting candidates and issues and winning for our people. All will notice, whether reported or not.

- Rodney S. Bland, President, Freedom, Incorporated, Kansas City

Baseball first?

I am a native of Kansas City, a die-hard Royals fan and a retired journalist who wrote a lot about baseball. As fate would have it, I live minutes away from the Royals’ spring training facility and have been a spring season-ticket holder for many years, as well as attending numerous Arizona Fall League and Arizona Complex League games.

I live in a town that’s had a downtown baseball park for almost 25 years, where the Arizona Diamondbacks play. I also have had close experiences with downtown ballparks in two other cities.

From a fan’s point of view, attending games downtown here is incredibly stressful and expensive. Fighting traffic, wending through streets jammed with pedestrians and trying to find a parking spot that inevitably overcharges nearly destroys the whole experience. You don’t want to return.

So far, Royals CEO John Sherman has shown more enthusiasm as a real estate developer than he has skill as developer of a winning baseball organization. He’s put the cart before the horse. Let him make the Royals a consistent winner again, then we’ll talk about his beloved downtown park.

- Greg Joseph, Sun City, Arizona

A big visit

When I was a young girl living in northern Minnesota, the president of the United States was making a tour stop in my hometown, East Grand Forks.

We spent months preparing for the occasion. American flags were placed at each street light on Demers Avenue. Flags waved at the First National Bank and the post office. Adults, children and old folks lined up along Demers.

I was in grade school at the time. My teacher handed each of her students a small American flag. The news said the president’s entourage would pass by our school. Along with my classmates, I stood on the curb beside my school with my flag in hand.

We were getting impatient. Someone shouted, “The car is coming!” We strained our necks and looked down the street.

Finally, we heard voices raised, “Here he comes!” The huge black limousine appeared. We leaned to get a better look. Before we knew it, the limo was in front of us. We screamed, hollered and waved our flags frantically.

A figure in the back seat leaned toward the window and smiled, waving his hand. Then we got a glimpse of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

- Betty Stinar Swisher, Kansas City

This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 8:00 AM.