Independence schools make history and KC redevelops its historic jazz district | Opinion
While city leaders in Independence discuss a proposal to sell off two of its most iconic historical sites, the city’s school district has made a bit of history of its own.
Last week, the Independence School Board named its first Black president in the district’s 184-year history.
The Rev. Anthony J. Mondaine was named board president at the district’s April 14 meeting.
“I don’t take this moment lightly,” Mondaine said in a Facebook post last week. “It is humbling, personal, and an honor I carry with a deep sense of responsibility. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and fully aware of what this role requires.”
Mondaine, pastor at Restoration Life Church, 815 N. Noland Road, was elected to a six-year term on the board by Independence voters in April 2022.
“I am the first person of color to serve in this capacity,” Mondaine said in a recent social media post. “While that may seem insignificant or irrelevant to some, it is deeply significant to me, to my family, and to our community. I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me, freedom fighters, justice seekers, and truth tellers, and I remain committed to leading with integrity, pursuing excellence, and moving with clear purpose, as I have always strived to do.
Mondaine steps into the board president position, after two new members — Sarah Wimberley and Justin Durham — joined the group two weeks ago.
In the same election earlier this month that brought in the two new members, Independence voters approved a $60 million bond. Money from the bond will be used to renovate three elementary schools and update at least 20 other district buildings under the leadership of Superintendent Vickie Murillo, an Independence native who was hired by the board in January to run the district.
I’ve known Murillo a long time, since she was an administrator in the Kansas City Public Schools district at some point during the more than 20 years that I was an education reporter for the Star.
I’ve only met Mondaine once, at a Juneteenth event a couple of years ago at Hiram Young Park off Noland Road, but we’ve spoken by phone a few times.
If social media is any gauge, Mondaine has a lot of fans in Independence. When Mondaine announced his new post on Facebook, followers responded with 449 thumbs up and 178 comments, nearly all positive.
“Congratulations! Your kindness and dedication genuinely set you apart. I’m so proud of all the effort you’ve invested — it’s inspiring to witness, “posted teacher Mercedes Mandoza.
18th Street walk
Speaking of changes — those made and those in the making — my curiosity got the best of me last week, so I went looking to satisfy it.
Since 18th Street from the Paseo to Highland Avenue has been closed to through traffic for nearly a year, I wanted to see how far along that street project is.
Last week, I walked east and then west along the new 18th Street sidewalks to get a close-up view of the pedestrian walk and entertainment district that’s proposed to open there in the next few months.
It’s lovely. The street is lined with giant planters, yet to be filled with plants. Every few feet, there’s seating made from what look like smooth, giant, brick-colored stones. Workers are still installing the black dome pendant lights that will line and illuminate the street and sidewalks.
Bricked-in crosswalks connect the north and south sides of the street, and create an easy path from the American Jazz Museum to the historic Gem Theater and the Boone Theater. The latter will eventually house the Black Movie Hall of Fame. Even from the outside, it’s evident that renovations on the Boone are coming along nicely.
The bronze plaques, naming the musicians who’ve been inducted into the Jazz Walk of Fame, and embedded in the concrete in front of the American Jazz Museum, have been rearranged from a cluster to line the inside of the street’s curb.
While businesses on 18th Street, such as the Negro League Baseball Museum, the American Jazz Museum, The Blue Room, the Kansas City Juke House and the Gem have remained open during the construction, some other storefronts along the street are empty, so it will be interesting to see what eventually moves in there to complete the vibrant pedestrian walk and entertainment district the city is planning for.
Kansas City’s Juneteenth celebration is just a little more than a month away. It’s nice to know that this pedestrian walk will be open in time for the community to celebrate in the historic district, even if all the construction — the Parker apartments, the Pennant Hotel and the new NLBM — isn’t finished. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for May 27.
Off The Vine
Below are stories about culture and identity from communities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Go here to find more from Star reporter J.M. Banks.
A Grammy-winning artist known for blending music with messages of identity and social consciousness will headline this year’s JuneteenthKC Heritage Festival. Banks has the details — find out who and where.
The second annual 18th & Vine Arts Festival Honors Awards is returning this spring, recognizing artists who have helped shape Kansas City’s cultural identity. Banks talked to organizers for all the information on when and where this year’s event is being held.
Around The Vine
A major national traveling exhibit, ”Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad,” is coming to the Watkins Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, April 7 through May 23. The exhibit is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Exhibits USA and Mid-America Arts Alliance.
Afrobeats to the World, an evening of African drumming and dancing begins at 9 p.m. April 24 at the Warehouse On Broadway, one of Kansas City’s newest music venues, at 3951 Broadway Blvd.
Vine Picks
- Details about the recall of the CBD American Shaman-manufactured and distributed kratom derivative known as 7-hydroxymitragynine or 7-OH, show it was actually way more potent than advertised. Star opinion writer David Hudnall has been reporting on the drug for more than a year. More surprising were the details about that recall, which surfaced earlier this month in a lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway.
- A KU Med staffer admits in trial that a halt in disinfection fueled deadly infections at the hospital. Star reporter Judy Thomas irons out the details here.
- This Kansas City area woman and her family were living in Dubai, and found themselves stuck during the war against Iran. Opinion writer Toriano Porter talked with her about the ordeal.
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.
