February 4, 2023 Issue - Celebrating Black History Month

Mr. and Mrs. John Clark Hjalmarson of Leawood, Kansas, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Kathryn Olivia Hjalmarson, to Jason Stephen Blake, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Arthur Randolph MacKenzie Blake of San Diego, California. The bride-to-be is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Peter Gerson, the late Carroll Clark Hjalmarson, and the late Mr. Gordon Hjalmarson. Kathryn is a graduate of The Pembroke Hill School. She was a Jewel Ball debutante in 2010. Kathryn earned a bachelor of arts degree from Elon University. She is employed with Embrace.io in New York, New York. Her groom-elect is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Ignacious HoLung and the late Mr. and Mrs. Harry Oswald MacKenzie Blake. Jason is a graduate of Francis Parker High School in San Diego. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of San Diego. Jason is currently studying for a master’s degree in business administration from the New York University Stern School of Business. After graduation in May, he will be employed with Guggenheim Partners. Theirs will be an April 15th wedding at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego.

Jessica Rice

In The Spotlight

Ursula Terrasi and Jim Miller are the honorary chairs for Truman Library Institute’s Wild About Harry, which will be held on April 20th at the Muehlebach Tower of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. The 24th annual event will celebrate the 75th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman’s “Year of Great Decisions,” 1948, which paved the road for lasting constitutional democracies worldwide and new freedoms here at home. Leigh and Tyler Nottberg are serving as the event chairs. Doris Kearns Goodwin will be the featured speaker, and Admiral Michelle J. Howard will be honored with the Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award. Proceeds support the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. More at kcindependent.com.

Mark McDonald

Tyler and Leigh Nottberg, event chairs; with Ursula Terrasi and Jim Miller, honorary chairs

Alvin Books has spent his life in public service to Kansas City and continues to be one of its most beloved icons and civic leaders. Born in 1933 in Arkansas, Alvin came to Kansas City as an infant and grew up in a segregated community. His early experiences with racism led him to advocate for community engagement, social justice, civil rights, education equity, criminal justice reform, and so much more.

Alvin became one of the first Black police officers in Kansas City in 1954. He later left the force for a job in student services in the Kansas City School District. After the 1968 race riots in Kansas City, Alvin served as the chairman of the local chapter of the civil rights group Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and was offered the position of director of human relations in Kansas City government. In 1972, he was appointed assistant city manager. Alvin earned a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and his thesis on social organizing and social change became the framework for the launching of the AdHoc Group Against Crime in 1977. The organization works to support families affected by violence as well as crisis intervention and prevention efforts.

Later in his career Alvin served as a Kansas City Councilman and was appointed Mayor Pro Tem under Mayor Kay Barnes. He was also appointed to President George H.W. Bush’s National Drug Advisory Council and was named one of America’s 1,000 Points of Light in 1989.

I Wonder –who will win the annual winter thermostat war?

The W.E.B. DuBois Learning Center was started in 1973 by Community Leaders Lester “Leon” Dixon and William Grace, with the goal of providing supplemental educational programs designed to provide general instructional assistance to students in grades one through 12 in reading and mathematics. The programs were later expanded to include science, computer technology, college coaching, and enrichment activities.

Before the founding of the Learning Center, Bill Grace worked at Central High School with boys who had been labeled “troublesome.” He began using nontraditional methods of instruction and engagement and soon found he could successfully impact the learning process of these students. He expanded his reach in the community by forming a reading program, which he named after W.E.B. DuBois.

Leon Dixon was working as an industrial mathematician and scientific programmer at the Bendix Corporation when he began tutoring sessions for family and friends. He was especially interested in sharing concepts that had not yet been introduced in schools. The mathematics program that eventually became a cornerstone of the Learning Center was started in the St. James Gregory United Methodist Church, where United States Congressman Emanuel Cleaver was the pastor.

The W.E.B. DuBois Learning Center’s mission is to improve academic performance of underserved communities through educational services and state-of-the-art technology.

Nutcracker News

Members of the Kansas City Ballet Guild gathered at the Carriage Club on December 15th for the annual Nutcracker Luncheon. John Livingston played holiday classics on the piano. The decorations included a variety of nutcrackers (available for purchase!). Jeffrey Bentley, Kansas City Ballet, spoke about the production of The Nutcracker. President Melissa Ford presented gifts to executive committee members. Angela and John Walker received a round of applause for their stewardship of the Nutcracker Ball. Last, but not least, everyone left with a box of chocolates as a sweet souvenir. More at kcindependent.com.

Judith Unruh, Maki Brown, Susan Sands, Anna Ruhl, Angela and John Walker, and Barbara Spilker

Judith Unruh, Jeffrey Bentley, Kansas City Ballet; Barbara Storm, Craig Sole, Susan Bubb, and Carolyn Price

(Front row) Pauline Henne and Sunday Siragusa (back row) Felicia Bondi, Laura Wallner, Jo Anne Dondlinger, Cindy Wurm, and Kate Pickert

Melanie Rine, Ayca Cil, Edie Downing, Marilyn Gaar, Jenny Manka, and Wendy Melland

Sandy Jackson, Susan Bubb, Suzanne Shank, Melissa Ford, Cyndi James, Gina Harrison, Barbara Spilker, and Bobbie Mathes

(Front row) Karen Yungmeyer, Jean Rosenfield, and Penelope Vrooman (back row) Dr. John Yungmeyer, Leslie Anderson, and Carolyn Price

Julia Steinberg, Bill Lindsay, Linda Hall, Angela Moore, and the Reverend Ryan and Christina Wiksell

Alison Jump, Jessica James, Peggy Beal, Dana Koehn, and Elly Twidwell

Linda Peakes, Teresa McKinney, Joyce Middendorf, Jenifer Melichar, and Julia Kim-Malter

Kathy Anderson, Andrea Nawalanic, Carolyn Parkerson, Maki Brown, Nanette Lippincott, and Whitney Hosty

Downtown Delight

The River Club’s President’s Gala was held on December 16th. Among those present were both Mike Mayer, the incoming president, and Scott Mann, the outgoing president. Members enjoyed the camaraderie and Executive Chef Jos van Hengel’s delicious, multicourse menu with wine pairings.

The Police Foundation of Kansas City will present A Call for Backup on February 24th at the Muehlebach Tower of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. The event features a Sponsors Reception which showcases unique police equipment and interactive opportunities for guests to learn about the daily activities of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department officers. In addition, enjoy a delicious dinner, a program, and an opportunity to bid on items to raise funds for a special project for the KCPD. William Barr, former United States Attorney General and author, will be the keynote speaker. Linda and Paul DeBruce are serving as honorary chairs for the event, and Sherry and Gary Forsee and Pam and Buzz Willard are the steering committee co-chairs. Steering Committee Members include Warren Erdman, Betsey Solberg, Ed Elder, Terry Brady, Alan Atterbury, Kevin Pistilli, Jeanette Prenger, Wes Grammer, Dan Carr, Trey Humphrey, Jerry Reece, Jean Wagner, Cora Storbeck, DeJ’on Slaughter, Todd P. Graves, Kevin Bryant, Kim Hull, Darcy Stewart, Erin Stucky, Carolyn Watley, Jim Hise, Chuck Caisley, Heather Humphrey, Leo Morton, W. Terrence Kilroy, Rosemary Solerno, Frank Uryasz, Tim Jonkman, Madeline Romious, Grant Burcham, Bill Gautreaux, Kyle Kelly, Dirk Schafer, Brad Lager, Stephen Duerst, Mark Thompson, Ned O’Connor, Bethany Humphrey, Brett Gray, Mike McCann, Jon Copaken, and James B. Hebenstreit.

Scott Mann, outgoing president; and Kim Manka Mann with Trish and Mike Mayer, incoming president

Bryson and Jane Jones with Kiki and Chris Vetter

Tim and Missy Schaffer

Fred and Jill Embry with Nancy and Mike Thiessen

A New Beginning

Leading The Way

Susan Moss is serving as the 2022-2023 president of the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri. Susan is the general counsel of Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and she has been a Junior League member for nearly two decades. Susan and her husband, Aaron, are the parents of two children, Vivian and Vincent. C3KC, a fundraiser hosted by the Junior League, is scheduled for March 23rd.

Glad tidings from HappyBottoms! Susan Belger Angulo and Elizabeth Mayer have been named co-executive directors of the organization. Susan joined HappyBottoms in 2019 and was previously the director of development. Susan’s career has included stints with Science City at Union Station Kansas City and Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI), as well as fundraising for the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, and The Barstow School. Elizabeth had volunteered with HappyBottoms prior to becoming grant writer and operations manager last year. Her résumé also includes positions in operations and volunteer management with CCVI and United Way.

Red Carpet EXTRAVAGANZA

Cristo Rey Kansas City’s 17th Annual Dancing with the Kansas City Stars, “A Red Carpet Extravaganza,” will be held on March 25th at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center. Cathy and Chip Toth are the honorary chairs, with Susan Spencer, Christy Hartner, and Sarah Walsh serving as the event co-chairs. The contestants, Tanika Bullock, Jen DeMeyer, Heather Hurd, Tommy Mancuso, Mark McKee, Scott Rogers, Lydia Taylor, and Terri Thompson, were announced at The Big Reveal event on December 14th at The Kansas City Irish Center. Proceeds support a Catholic, college- and career-prep education for high school students with economic need. More at kcindependent.com.

I Wonder –which local couple was more surprised to see the other at the Florida open house – the couple who was leaving the property, or the couple who was coming in for the tour?

The Independent - Kansas City’s Oldest Magazine

Elizabeth Mayer and Susan Belger Angulo, co-executive directors

The 2023 Stars and Dance Partners: (Front row) Mark McKee, Laura Szymanski, Toni Dodd, Scott Rogers, Jen DeMeyer, Kris Haney, Terri Thompson, Jake Connor, and Heather Hurd (back row) Tommy Mancuso, Tamara Sanders, Patrick Stone, Tanika Bullock, Lydia Taylor, and Harrison Berggren (out of camera range) Josh Hernandez

Claudia Meyer, Cristo Rey Kansas City, with Cathy and Chip Toth, honorary chairs

Sister Maureen Hall, SCL

Laura Szymanski, dance professional; with Mark McKee, contestant

Susan Spencer, Christy Hartner, and Sarah Walsh, event co-chairs

THE KANSAS CIT

Sue Ann Fagerberg, Reverend Jean Murphy, and Angela and John Walker

Ron and Tricia Fredman, Glenda Lee Touslee, Beverly Evans, Tempe Ostergren Elsberry, Christina Wiksell, Carolyn Price, Jessica James, Juliette Singer, Amanda Miller, Jo Anne Dondlinger, Suzanne Shank, Sandy Jackson, Susan Bubb, Megan Bubb, Stephanie Eppler, Marilyn Gaar, Edie Downing, Nanette Lippincott, Barbara Spilker, Michelle Bolden, Jean Rosenfield, Jenny Manka, Elly Twidwell, and Lisa Sirridge

(Seated) Pattie Lou Cleary, Penelope Vrooman, Cyndi James, Dr. John Hunkeler, Barbara Storm, Melissa Ford, Susan Sands,

(second row)

Y BALLET GUILD

(third row) Melinda Petet, Wendy Melland, Gigi Touslee, Sarah Bent, Shawn Conwell, Joyce Middendorf, Christine Waldschmidt, Allison Jump, Bianca Agundez, Cindy Wurm, Maureen Lillard, Craig Sole, Teresa McKinney, Angela Moore, Lynne Weilert, Dr. Carol Blum, Karen Badgett, Vicki Baxter, Marvie Dirks, Maya Collins, and Grace Ingham (fourth row) Reverend Ryan Wiksell, Julia Kim-Malter, Maki Brown, Anna Ruhl, Kathy Anderson, Crystal O’Dea, Kate Pickert, Bill Dondlinger, Luis Eduardo Valencia, Bill Lindsay, Nova Clarke, Melissa Cavanaugh, Vicki DuBois, Ken Lippincott, Jennifer Pontier, Carrie Kruse, Jennifer Wampler, and Mark Dirks

Mark McDonald

T HE Ħ EART O F T HE ĦO LÏ DA YS

The Overland Park Convention Center was the site for Olathe Health Charitable Foundation’s 52nd annual Yuletide Gala on December 3rd. Drs. Kelly Rhodes-Stark and Steven Stark served as the chairmen. Partygoers enjoyed cocktails, dinner, a live auction, and dancing to the music of Twice on Sunday. Guests listened to heartfelt stories from Olathe Health patients, and the celebration was capped off with the announcement that the From the Heart Campaign surpassed $7.4 million.

Gala Committee Members: Dr. Dennis Lawlor, Doug and Kelsey Huston, Chairmen Dr. Steven Stark and Dr. Kelly Rhodes-Stark, Mike and Andrea Jensen, and Susan and Kent Lyman

Jennifer Goss, Laurie Minard, Teresa Keller, Susan Lyman, and Karen Laube

Amanda McNeal and Michael Andrews with Twice on Sunday performed for the guests.

Drs. Steven Stark and Kelly Rhodes-Stark, chairmen

Bev Huff, cancer survivor and Olathe Health patient, shared her gratitude for the care she received.

Alicia George, Kimber Goldbeck, Christy Johnson, Janna Pinkman, and Dr. Jennifer Massengale, all with Olathe Health

Courtney and Dave Tafreshi with Dr. Nicole Spencer

Lori O’Leary with Mark and Jami Schmideskamp

Cara Metzinger and Jerriann Yorkovich, both with Olathe Health

AND BEYOND

BY PAUL HORSLEY

BEST OF SPRING 2023

Kansas City’s performing arts organizations have taken to heart the national push toward diversity and inclusion, and their commitment is reflected in this Spring’s performances. Rarely have we seen such a variety of art and artists, genres and life-experiences, as in these programs.

FEBRUARY

Through February 12: Unicorn Theatre; Refuge; Satya Jnani Chávez and Andrew Rosendorf tell of a young Honduran immigrant’s journey across the desert in hopes of being reunited with her mother; the National New Play Network presentation includes puppetry and an original score; Unicorn Theatre. Contact: 816-531-7529 or unicorntheatre.org.

Through February 19: Kansas City Repertory Theatre; Flood; The absurdist tragic-comedy by the Indian-American Playwright Mashuq Mushtaq Deen receives its OriginKC world premiere, directed by Kenneth Prestininzi; Copaken Stage. Contact: 816-235-2700 or kcrep.org.

Through March 5: Coterie Theatre; Only One Day a Year; Michelle Tyrene Johnson’s new play about the final segregated days at Kansas City’s Fairyland Park personalizes the impact of Jim Crow through the experience of a teenage girl who just wants to take her little brother to the park on his birthday; Coterie Theatre. Contact: 816-474-6552 or thecoterie.org.

9-18: Kansas City Melting Pot Theatre; Fairview; Jackie Sibblies Drury’s play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2019, addresses the “white gaze” in American life (and theater), underscoring the importance of having Black stories told by Black storytellers; Just Off Broadway Theatre. Contact: kcmeltingpot.com.

17-26: Kansas City Ballet: Cinderella; Devon Carney creates a new version of the ancient tale, drawing on Charles Perrault’s story, for the company he has led for a decade; Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Contact: 816-931-8993 or kcballet.org.

Mashuq Mushtaq Deen

Michelle Tyrene Johnson, who grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, has joined the ranks of America’s best playwrights.

Jackie Sibblies Drury received the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play, Fairview.

Dancer Amanda DeVenuta as Cinderella Kenny Johnson

18: Harriman-Jewell Series: Filharmonie Brno; Conductor Dennis Russell Davies leads the Czech orchestra in a program featuring pioneering performance artist Laurie Anderson, whose crossgenre experimentation was one of the most salient aspects of avant-garde music of the 1980s and ’90s; Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Contact: 816-415-5025 or hjseries.org.

18: NAVO Arts; Hidden Gems by Women Composers; The program includes chamber music of Anne Guzzo, Ingrid Stölzel, Elizabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, and Grażyna Bacewicz, and a newly commissioned work by Alex Shapiro; Atonement Lutheran Church. Contact: navoarts.com.

Dennis Russell Davies, who has a long and storied international career, is currently music director and chief conductor of the Filharmonie Brno.

Filharmonie Brno, from the Moravian region of the Czech Republic, is one of Central Europe’s most distinguished ensembles.

MARCH

3: Midwest Trust Center; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; One of Great Britain’s finest orchestras, founded in 1958, brings music of Tippett, C.P.E. Bach, Corelli, Biber, and Geminiani; Midwest Trust Center. Contact: 913-469-4445 or jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center.

10: Kansas City Chorale; Vivaldi/Handel; The Grammy Awardwinning choir performs Vivaldi’s Gloria and a Dixit Dominus the 22-year-old Handel completed during his Italian years; Village Presbyterian Church. Contact: 816-444-7150 or kcchorale.org.

11: International Center for Music at Park University; Stanislav and Friends; Award-winning members of Park’s faculty and student body perform solos and chamber works; Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Contact: 816-994-7222 or icm.park.edu.

Ingrid Stölzel is an associate professor of composition at The University of Kansas.

The Kansas City Chorale and Charles Bruffy have won more Grammy Awards than any other Kansas City ensemble.

Stanislav Ioudenitch won the Van Cliburn Competition Gold Medal and shortly afterward helped found Park University’s International Center for Music.

Christian Fatu

Jana Marie Photography

11-19: Lyric Opera of Kansas City; The Shining; The jarring opera by Paul Moravec and Librettist Mark Campbell, in its local debut featuring Soprano Kelly Kaduce and Baritone Edward Parks, uses the Stephen King novel, not the Kubrick film, as its primary source; Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Contact: 816-471-7344 or kcopera.org.

11-26: Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City and the White Theatre at the J; A Raisin in the Sun; Lorraine Hansberry’s path-forging play still resonates today in American cities, where housing inequity remains an ever-present topic; White Theatre at the J. Contact: 913-327-8054 or brtkc.org.

14-April 2: KC Rep; the ripple, the wave that carried me home; Christina Anderson’s play, directed by Khanisha Foster, explores a family’s personal struggle as they fight toward integrating public swimming pools in 1960’s Kansas; Copaken Stage. Contact: 816-235-2700 or kcrep.org.

18-19: Spire Chamber Ensemble; Transcendent: William Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices; Kansas City’s peerless early-music group, led by Ben Spalding, uses William Byrd as a centerpiece for a concert of composers spanning several centuries; Visitation Church (March 18th) and St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish (March 19th). Contact: spirechamberensemble.org.

Author Christina Anderson, the ripple, the wave that carried me home

A Raisin in the Sun, Random House, 1959

The Shining received its world premiere in 2016 at Minnesota Opera.

Ben Spalding has built Spire Chamber Ensemble into a powerhouse of early-music performance.

Kevin Cass

25: Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey: A Glorious Return: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and 2023 KCFAA Gala; The company that calls Kansas City its second home returns for a program of varied repertoire; Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Contact: 816-994-7222 or kcfaa.org.

(Note: On March 24th, the Harriman-Jewell Series also presents the Ailey Company, a co-production with the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey. Contact: 816-415-5025 or hjseries.org.)

Contact: 913-469-4445 or jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center.

26: Midwest Trust Center: Curtis on Tour: Featuring David Shifrin, John de Lancie, and Soovin Kim; Student and faculty performers of Philadelphia’s prestigious Curtis Institute of Music present an evening of music that includes Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale, narrated by the former star of Star Trek: The Next Generation; Midwest Trust Center.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has established Kansas City as its second home.

Concert Violinist Soovin Kim was a founding member of the Johannes String Quartet and performs with Curtis on Tour.

Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

31-April 2: Owen/Cox Dance; aRound & aRound; Jennifer Owen’s dancers join forces with NEA Fellow Nate Fors and Composers Brad Cox and Jeff Freling on a brand-new work; H&R Block City Stage at Union Station Kansas City. Contact: owencoxdance.org.

APRIL

16: William Baker Festival Singers; Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem; This ambitious ensemble gamely tackles one of the large-scale masterworks of the choral repertoire, with soloists Megan Moore and Ed Frazier Davis; Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. Contact: festivalsingers.org.

21-23: Kansas City Symphony; Holst, Haydn, and Hindemith; Michael Stern is joined by Mezzo-Soprano Sascha Cooke, Baritone Scott Hendricks, and the Symphony Chorus for Paul Hindemith’s oratorio masterpiece When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d, composed in 1946 on Walt Whitman’s “Lincoln poem” to commemorate the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt; Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Contact: 816-471-0400 or kcsymphony.org.

22: Bach Aria Soloists; Handel in Love; Elizabeth Suh Lane and her ensemble (featuring soloists Sarah Tannehill Anderson and Kyle Stegall) present music by a composer we think we know but who was actually quite an elusive, controversial figure during the Baroque; Westport Presbyterian Church. Contact: bachariasoloists.com.

29: Kansas City Chamber Orchestra; Celebrating the Music of Spring; The concert highlights the Australian-born Conductor Carolyn Watson, currently the Chamber Orchestra’s principal guest conductor; Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. Contact: 816-960-1324 or kcchamberorchestra.org.

Michael Stern, Kansas City Symphony

Composer-Violinist Jessie Montgomery

Elizabeth Suh Lane founded the Bach Aria Soloists in 1999.

Todd Rosenberg Jiyang Chen

Australian-born Carolyn Watson has conducted locally for the Kansas City Ballet, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra.

MAY

11-14: The Barn Players; Rodgers & Hammerstein’s A Grand Night for Singing; This tribute to Broadway’s dynamic duo, directed by Bob Stewart, features numbers from the team’s brightest jewels; The Black Box, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center. Contact: 913-432-9100 or thebarnplayers.org.

12: Friends of Chamber Music; Richard Goode, piano; The 79-year-old master of American pianism presents a generous program of works from Beethoven’s ethereal late period, including music from the Bagatelles, Op. 119; the Sonata in E Major, Op. 109; and the Diabelli Variations; Folly Theater. Contact: 816-561-9999 or chambermusic.org.

12-21: Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre; That Day in Tucson; Guillermo Reyes’ play recounts the bracing saga of Arizona State Representative Daniel Hernández, Jr., credited with saving the life of former United States Representative Gabby Giffords after she was shot; Warwick Theatre. Contact: 816-569-3226 or metkc.org.

19-21: Kansas City Public Theatre; Theatre Lab Festival; Kansas City’s most daring young company, founded in 2017 by Elizabeth Bettendorf Bowman and Nathan Bowman, presents work-in-development readings, a “playwrighting jam,” and nightly performances of Tipton by Ahafia Jurkiewicz-Miles; Charlotte Street Foundation. Contact: kcpublictheatre.org.

Steve Riskind

Richard Goode, a favorite of Friends of Chamber Music audiences for decades, is one of the great elder statesmen of the keyboard.

Guillermo Reyes based his play on Daniel Hernandez’ best-selling memoir, They Call Me a Hero.

Nathan Bowman and Elizabeth Bettendorf Bowman established the Kansas City Public Theatre to present free theater in non-conventional venues.

Harriman-Jewell Series hosted its 1,000th Concert Celebration with the Kansas City debut performance of Pretty Yende, soprano. Benefactors enjoyed a spectacular concert and a delicious post-performance dinner at the Carriage Club. Guests celebrated the artists and ensembles who have appeared on the Series 10 times or more by presenting them with the Richard Harriman Award. Present to accept the award was David Parsons, Kansas City native and international choreographer and dancer. Jackie and John Middelkamp were the honorary chairmen, and Suzanne Shank served as the chairman. More at kcindependent.com.

Soprano Pretty Yende in concert at The Folly Theater

Chairman Suzanne Shank with Ted McKnight and Mira Mdivani

Adrianna Gautreaux with Bill and Christy Gautreaux

Susan Spaulding, Michelle Ritter, Ann Readey, and Nancy Lee Kemper

Ursula Terrasi, Linda Stevens, and Jim Miller

Kamal Khan, pianist; and Pretty Yende

Sharon

John R

Greg and Barbara Storm, Karen and John Yungmeyer, and Beverly Evans

Honorary Chairmen Jackie and John Middelkamp flanked Pretty Yende.

Karen Mische, Bob and Pam Bruce, and Marylou Turner

Paula Shteamer, Marcia Karbank, Mary Leonida, Anne Gatchet, and Steve Karbank

Johnson, Bob Dona, Alisa and Tim Roth, Kamal Khan, and Pretty Yende

Rufenacht, Susan Gordon and Scott Francis, and Richard Lara

Clark Morris, Harriman-Jewell Series; with David Parsons, honoree

Paget Higgins and Gretchen Jacobson

Julie and Vince Clark with Chairman Suzanne Shank

Karen Mische, Ed Milbank, and Tricia Scott

Celebrating Black History Month

TRAILBLAZING:

Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City

An archive requires a vast amount of material, often created by a large number of people during a period of years that may be counted in decades, centuries, or generations. What separates an archive from a hodge-podge of random files and miscellaneous items is often the vision and discipline of one person. In the case of the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City, that was Horace M. Peterson III.

Horace was not yet 30 when he founded the Archives in 1974. The original location was at 1821 Paseo, once home to a branch of the YMCA. The Archives soon moved to 2033 Vine Street, an address with historic importance – it was built in 1931 as Firehouse No. 11.

Horace’s death in 1992 was both tragic and unexpected: he drowned during what should have been a fun family outing. He was only 46 years old. It’s a sad truth that many organizations never recover from such a blow. They don’t survive. The Archives did.

The Black Archives of Mid-America remains in the Historic 18th and Vine District. It is now housed at 1722 East 17th Terrace. The Archives features a variety of exhibits, research services, a coffee shop, and a gift shop. The permanent exhibition, With My Eyes No Longer Blind, (the name is from a poem by Langston Hughes), provides information on

The Beloved Community

Lucile Bluford, Charlie Parker, Buck O’Neil, Dr. Thomas Unthank, Jay McShann, Theron B. Watkins, Leona Pouncey Thurman, Mary Lou Williams, Satchel Paige, Lena Rivers Smith, Dr. J.E. Perry, Ada and Chester Franklin, Arthur Bryant, and others whose lives have enhanced Kansas City. In addition, the exhibition showcases organizations such as the Paseo YMCA, the Urban League, and the Heart of America Golf Club. Lucy’s Cabin is also onsite. This was once the home of Lucy A. Willis, who began life as a slave. During the late 1970s, Horace Peterson arranged to have it moved to the Archives, where it has been restored at one-third its former size.

The Archives’ website, blackarchives.org, includes a digital gallery with a selection of photos that include a young Myra Taylor, whose career as a jazz singer spanned more than 70 years, the Junior Cheerio Boys Initiation, the Alpha Lyra Glee Club, the Over the Top Club, which was under the auspices of the Vine Street Baptist Church (later the Paseo Baptist Church). Also available online are oral histories from the mid-1970s, including interviews with Joanne Collins, Mamie Hughes, James McKinley Neal, and James Anderson. Dr. Carmaletta Williams is the executive director of the Archives.

In 2022 Terri Barnes, president and founder of The Nia Project, set out to create for Kansas City, the first-of-its-kind publication: The Beloved Community - Your Black Nonprofit Resource Directory. “The directory is intended to serve as a guide to help community members find services, as well as help organizations become aware of other agencies that may align with their work and open the door to partnerships, alliances and opportunities to leverage resources and services.” More than 60 Kansas City organizations are represented in the publication presented by The Kansas City Public Library and The Nia Project, and more will be added in the future. To view the digital version, visit theniaprojectkc.org. The Directory will be updated in 2023 with the support of Nonprofit Connect, and any Black-founded, Black-led, and primarily Black-serving organization can be included in the electronic directory by sending an email to terri@theniaprojectkc.org.

Dr. Samuel U. Rodgers was a pioneering advocate for quality, compassionate, and affordable healthcare for lower-income and underserved people in Kansas City. Born in Alabama in 1917, Samuel came to Kansas City as an intern at General Hospital Number Two, a Black facility in a segregated healthcare system. When he noted that there were inferior conditions, equipment, and supplies at the hospital, he participated in a partial work-stoppage with a coalition of doctors that eventually led to the desegregation of Kansas City’s hospital system.

Samuel was one of the first Black doctors in the country to acquire a specialty, and he helped to start one of the first all-Black medical practices in Kansas City in 1950. After receiving his master’s degree in public health, he opened the first federally recognized community health center in Missouri, only the fourth of its kind in the country, in 1968. The clinic grew to become a model of the community health center concept and was renamed in his honor as the Samuel U. Rodgers Community Health Center in 1988.

REMEMBER WHEN - 26 Years Ago

Reception Benefiting Scholarship Funds

Areception benefiting UMKC and KU minority scholarships was held at the 1997 Designers’ Showhouse, home of UMKC alumnus Jon Gray and his wife, Dr. Valerie Chow, a KU alumna. Proceeds will benefit the KU Minority Graduate Professional School Scholarship Fund and the UMKC Black Scholarship Fund.

Herman Johnson, UMKC chair of the Black Scholarship Fund; Judge Jon Gray and Dr. Valerie Chow, Robert Sanders, KU coordinator of Minority Graduate Student Support

TRAILBLAZING: The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City

BY PAUL HORSLEY

The vision of The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City is a united community embracing stories of the African-American experience; its mission is to educate and inspire our community by presenting and promoting appreciation for Black culture through our stories.

Local Actor-director-entrepreneur Damron Russel Armstrong established the company during the 2016-2017 season with Dreamgirls in Concert, Lydia Diamond’s Stick Fly, and Clarke Peters’  Five Guys Named Moe. “My ultimate goal is that all theaters incorporate this kind of programming,” Damron said. “But I feel it’s just as important that those in the disenfranchised part of Kansas City… have an opportunity to see themselves onstage all year. Our mission is rudimentary in its premise: Giving back to all of the community a sense of history and knowledge that has been kept from them.”

This company has mixed traditional plays such as A Soldier’s Play and Big River with more adventurous works such as Passing Strange and Othello the Remix. The use of non-conventional venues has become an intriguing part of the ensemble’s identity, as have collaborations with other local companies. BRTKC also runs the Young Actors Summer Conservatory, a theater intensive (operating under Damron’s direction) in which students are trained by professionals in drama, dance, music, stagecraft, and Black theater history.

UPCOMING: From March 11th through the 26th, BRTKC collaborates with the White Theatre at the J for a production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, a classic play with themes that still resonate both here and throughout The United States. Call 913-327-8054 or go to brtkc.org.

Global One Urban Farming is doing wonderful work in Kansas City. The organization produces and distributes free organic vegetables to seniors, veterans, and low-income families with the goal of improving the health of Kansas Citians. It reaches out to church groups, neighborhood organizations, and other members of the community to identify those in need and distributes more than 30,000 pounds of produce each year. It has also worked to convert unused land into sustainable organic community vegetable gardens.

Additionally, the organization has partnered with the Kansas City School District to provide Urban Farming Clubs and School Garden Clubs to teach students the greenhouse process of producing vegetable and flower plants from seed to harvest, and how to grow vegetables in indoor and outdoor organic gardens.

TRAILBLAZER: Dr. Royall B. Fleming

One of our colleagues found this portrait of Dr. Royall B. Fleming in an antique mall downtown at least a dozen years ago. It appears to have been created for a publication, but we don’t know which one. We’re guessing that it dates from the 1930s, because it doesn’t mention his military service. Royall was a captain in the Army medical corps during World War II. According to his obituary in the Kansas City Star, “he received the Silver Star for gallantry in action in Italy.” Royall’s 38-year career included stints at Queen of the World Hospital and St. Margaret Hospital. He died at the age of 67 in 1969.

RISING STAR: Terri Barnes

Terri Barnes is the founder and president of The Nia Project Kansas City, an organization that helps build confidence, capacity, and opportunity for Black girls and women. It works to raise awareness and financial support for organizations and individuals doing impactful work and their efforts help bring the community together towards these goals. Terri stated, “Through my work at The Nia Project, I’ve had the wonderful privilege of supporting a variety of non-profit organizations. I am most proud of celebrating five years of hosting Black Women Get Fit – A Health and Wellness experience.”

Terri also sponsored a Thank A Teacher Campaign to recognize Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers in our community. Teachers were given goodie baskets, photos, money, and more. Additionally, Terri convened the first annual Black Nonprofit Leadership Symposium, where leaders in the community shared their secrets to successful and sustainable non profits.

Terri also supports A-Flat Orchestra, National Black United Front-KC, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, The Village Kansas City, and BizTown through Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City.

Terri’s Kansas City Favorites: Black-owned Restaurant: Wah Gwan

Black-owned Business: IRIS Creative Projects Agency

African American Artist: Singer and Songwriter Elton Gumbel

A Soldier’s Play

Damron Russel Armstrong

Terri Barnes, Rising Star Class of 2016

Tom Styrkowicz

ART Scene

By Anne Potter Russ

Peaceful, quiet, contemplative, witnessing - all descriptors of Dean Mitchell’s art thoughtfully created in a variety of media. Whether this prolific, powerhouse artist is working in oil, watercolor, or acrylic, the message is the same… sit back, take a look, don’t be in such a rush, see for yourself exactly what this world is offering you on a daily, moment-by-moment basis. Don’t ever mistake the remarkable for being ordinary. Dean Mitchell is also a dichotomy. He is urban and rural at the same time; strong and frail; passive and aggressive. Seeing his work only begins to scratch the surface of who the man is behind the striking and beautiful art.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and raised in Quincy, Florida, this only child was influenced and grounded by his mother and grandmother In a manner that is becoming all too familiar for Black artists, Dean’s start in artistic endeavors was a paint-by-number set given to him by the matriarchs. No expensive art lessons at a nearby studio, no visits to important galleries to introduce him to art. The dime-store paint set did a number on him, though. It wasn’t until much later in school that teachers took him to art fairs so he could be exposed to the actual world of art and everything it stood for

He graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design and relocated to Kansas City to work for Hallmark. In what seemed to be the normal trajectory of an artist in the ‘80s, he was encouraged to eschew painting in favor of a more graphics-focused career because - quite simply - one could make more money. Dean’s talent spoke for itself, and he had no trouble finding work at Hallmark in the area of style and innovation. While a great experience and a solid bill-paying gig, work in graphics and illustration wasn’t reaching his heart. He also found one more thing to be self-evident: he was completely naive of the commerce side of art. It began to occur to him that, “art required discretionary income on the part of the purchaser.”

As Dean moved from the corporate life to that of a full-time painter, he found the historic, economic, and social impacts of his profession to be as fascinating as the painting itself. His art is where, “Money, commerce, power, and integrity all intersect.” He began to experiment with his media, his subject matter, and his own historical context. The talent was clear, but convincing gallery owners to show his work, and buyers to pay money for his work, was a different task. His take on the situation though, is reflective of the reality“People decide to support you, it doesn’t matter if you have talent.”

As his background, his talent, and his world experiences began to meld, Dean honed his artistic statements. “The focus of my work can be summed up in the word ‘Freedom’. There are layered complexities of slavery, corporations, Black culture, the human condition, and wealth. Not race, but building wealth on the backs of slavery. Power is at the center of everything. Great artists always challenge power.” While Dean has explored and defined his own view of power in the world, he is also quite interested in the frailties of life. Often this includes the Black perspective, and many times it includes a much broader, bucolic, more relaxed view that could be taken in from a rocking chair. In one instance a landscape is soothing, meditative, seductive. And immediately thereafter, the lonely face of a Buffalo Soldier is historical and personal. Many of the portraiture Dean paints are uncomfortable, and he likes it that way. He wants to make the viewing public uncomfortable, so they will take stock of the discomfor t.

Dean also deals with the aging process in a way that urges the viewer to deal with it. Whether it is a barn that has been neglected f on the prairie, or a human being who is seemingly inactive and contemplative, Dean does not want anyone to shy away from the natural act of aging and decaying. He has a tender touch, though, when it comes to the depiction of time. As he does in all of his pieces, he shows a great deal of respect and admiration for his subject matter - animate or inanimate.

At the same time charming and humble, Dean is driven and wildly talented. His view of our shared world is for us to find, consume, digest, and ultimately decide if we want to be a part of it. More at kcindependent.com.

Artist Dean Mitchell at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Buffalo Soldier Route

Urban Lady watercolor

Shane Evans

TRAILBLAZING: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

John “Buck” O’Neil founded the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in 1990. It is the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating African-American baseball history and its impact on the social advancement of America. Originating in a one-room office in 1991, the NLBM expanded to a 10,000 square-foot space in the cultural complex known as the Museums at 18th & Vine. This Kansas City, Missouri, location is the ideal spot for the NLBM – it is two blocks from the Paseo YMCA, where Andrew “Rube” Foster established the Negro National League in 1920. The United States Congress designated the NLBM as “America’s National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum” in 2006. Volunteers are welcome. NLBM.com

TRAILBLAZER: Whitney Huell

Company Member, Kansas City Ballet @JWHuell • KCBallet.org

On Whitney’s Performance Calendar: Cinderella from February 17th through the 26th at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Kansas City Ballet Company Member Whitney Huell will be performing later this month in Devon Carney’s Cinderella. She has been with the Ballet since 2014; she was the second Black female dancer to join the company. Whitney was five years old when she began ballet lessons in Columbia, South Carolina. She earned a bachelor of science degree in ballet and psychology (in three years!) from Indiana University. Her next stop was Salt Lake City, Utah, where she danced with Ballet West, prior to coming to Our Town. At Kansas City Ballet, Whitney has been featured as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Devon Carney’s The Nutcracker, The Lead Woman in James Kudleka’s The Man in Black, Caterpillar in Septime Weber’s Alice (in wonderland), 3rd Theme in The Four Temperaments, Jeté Woman in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, and Myrtha in Devon Carney’s Giselle. She teaches ballet at two local studios. Whitney and her husband, Brian, were married last year in South Carolina. They enjoy travel and culinary experiences.

RISING STAR: Henry Wash

Henry Wash is the founder and chief executive officer of High Aspirations, an organization that provides an all-African American, faith-based mentoring program, with the goal of nurturing young men’s ability to succeed and become the leaders of tomorrow. The organization serves youth in Kansas City’s urban core, with the majority of young men coming from single parent households.

Henry and his team are always striving to develop innovative ways to improve the quality of the participants’ lives in spiritual, emotional, social, and academic ways. Graduates of the program have improved their GPAs, gone to college or the military, pursued a trade, and found stable employment. Henry has more than 21 years of experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating programming for at-risk populations. He gathered peer reviewed research to develop the organization while serving as a graduate teaching and research assistant at UMKC’s Henry W. Bloch School of Business.

In addition to his work at High Aspirations, Henry serves as a board member or committee member with Caring For Kids Network, KC Common Good, and Children’s Campus Kansas City, Kansas.

Henry’s Kansas City Favorites: Black-owned Business: T-Shirt King

Black-owned Restaurant: Peach Tree Cafe • African American Artist: Anthony High

Henry Wash, Rising Star Class of 2015

Tom Styrkowicz

John “Buck” O’Neil, NLBM founder and baseball player

Kenny Johnson Photography

TRAILBLAZING: KC Melting Pot Theatre

BY PAUL HORSLEY

Rachel’s Reads

T HURGOOD M ARSHALL

Black history is American history and thus should be something that we all understand, know, and discuss. Acknowledging and learning from the painful parts of our shared past should be something that we appreciate rather than trying to hide them away.

Throughout history, stories are how we learn. They pique our interest, ground theory in specifics, create a reference point for new ideas, and allow us to make sense of our experiences. Stories can teach us not only about ourselves, but also about the people around us. From the notable works of James Baldwin and Maya Angelou to the Black authors of today, memoirs and autobiographies allow us to share their experiences in their own words. Below are several memoirs that share different journeys. I hope you find something that sparks your interest, whether this month or all year long.

The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty

Sifting through recipes, stories, genetic tests, and historical documents, Michael travels from tobacco and rice farms in the colonial period through the plantation kitchens and Civil War battlefields to the Black-owned organic farms of Georgia today. This dense but fascinating read gets right to the heart of American culinary tradition and shows how food has the power to bring different people to the table.

I’m Telling the Truth, But I’m Lying: Essays by Bassey Ikpi

KC Melting Pot Theatre strives to create a public sphere where the contributions of emerging and established Black playwrights can be shared in an enriching community environment. It works toward building diverse, equitable, and inclusive theater experiences that teach, critique, and model a better America; identifies, trains, and incubates theater talent from historically underserved communities; and it collaborates with artists across the diversity spectrum to create work dedicated to social change.

The company was established in 2013 by Linda and Harvey Williams, initially to produce one of Harvey’s works; the vision quickly expanded to include other local theater artists, as the company earned its 501(c)(3) status and became the primary resident of Just Off Broadway Theatre. Nicole Hodges Persley of The University of Kansas faculty joined the organization in 2016, becoming artistic director in 2019, and continuing to expand the company’s mission to include historical Black plays, increase community engagement, and expand the Playwright in Residence program.

In the two decades of its existence, KC Melting Pot has become one of the most intriguing and provocative arts groups in Town, with its savvy mix of classics by August Wilson, Ntozake Shange, and Amiri Baraka and a bold series of new plays by locally based playwrights such as Lewis Morrow.

UPCOMING: This February 9th through the 18th, the company presents Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Fairview, an innovative piece that emphasizes the importance of having Black stories told by Black storytellers. KCMeltingPot.com

Incredibly raw and real, this collection of essays by Nigerian-American Bassey documents her experiences being diagnosed with Bipolar II and her anxiety throughout her life. The collection is incredibly vulnerable and is an honest account of how she deals with the highs and lows she experiences. It is not about triumphing over mental illness but finding peace, and reminds us that compassion shouldn’t be in short supply.

Open Wide the Freedom Gates: A Memoir by Dorothy Height

Dorothy Height is a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and yet many people haven’t heard her story. She marched at civil rights rallies, sat onstage as Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, and sat through tense White House meetings, usually as the only woman in the room. Her passion for her cause is front and center in her story.

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

The heart of this memoir is Jesmyn’s grief that is vast and unending. It is also about rural poverty and race, and the ways in which Jesmyn lost five men in her life in five years. The prose is beautiful and painful as she writes her own story and that of her community.

This Boy We Made: A Memoir of Motherhood, Genetics, and Facing the Unknown by Taylor Harris Taylor’s memoir explores motherhood, science, faith, and the intersections of healthcare and parenthood, Black parenthood in particular. One morning Taylor’s 22-month-old son, Tophs, wakes up listless and unresponsive. This is the beginning of their journey to discover what is wrong with Tophs, and the countless hours spent in the search for diagnosis.

The Chiffon Trenches by André Leon Talley

One of the most notable fashion icons, the late André Leon Talley offers a candid look at the big names in fashion during the course of the last 50 years. He is empathetic and ruthlessly raw as he tells his story of growing up in the Jim Crow South through his magazine jobs and his friendship with Anna Wintour. The book has its flaws, and yet it’s an illuminating, visceral, and tragic look at the fashion industry from a man who rose to the top only to be cast out when he gained weight and got older.

Where the Children Take Us by Zain E. Asher

In this memoir, CNN Anchor Zain E. Asher pays stunning tribute to her mother, Obiajulu Ejiofor, as she deals with the tragedy of losing her husband and having to raise four children as a widowed immigrant in South London. With her relentless support and tough-love parenting, the family is able to overcome the pressures of poverty, crime, and prejudice to raise a CNN anchor, an Oscar-nominated actor, a medical doctor, and a thriving entrepreneur.

Please make the choice to reach out to two local Black-owned bookstores, BLK + BRWN and Bliss Books & Wine (online only), to order these books.

Happy Reading!

Harvey Williams

Linda Williams

Nicole Hodges Persley

Lewis Morrow

Harvey Williams, Lynn King, and Larry “Wise” Guidry

TK Photography

Exposure

Sara Marie Photography

“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”

-

TRAILBLAZING: The Village KC

Ji’Anna Saffold founded The Village KC in 2020. The organization offers programs and activities for Black students in the fifth through the 12th grades. There are four main topics: the arts, holistic health and wellness, recreational activities, and bright futures, (which focuses on college, career, trade, and entrepreneurial tracks). The Village KC supports Black-owned businesses by hosting quarterly events, which are a win-win for everyone: vendors showcase their wares and profit from sales, and then they donate to the organization, thus helping to continue its programming. Volunteers are needed to chaperone evening events for students, assist instructors with programs, serve as mentors, and spread the word about The Village KC. TheVillageKC.org

TRAILBLAZER: Christian dos Santos

Student, Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance, International Center for Music at Park University @Christian_GSantos • ICM.Park.edu

On Christian’s Performance Calendar: Park ICM Orchestra

Valentine’s Concert on February 17th at Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel

Christian dos Santos is studying for a bachelor of music degree in viola performance with Professor Peter Chun at the International Center for Music at Park University. He will be featured in this month’s Park ICM Orchestra Valentine’s Concert. Christian grew up in Brazil. Thanks to a social project for children from low-income families, he was able to take a variety of classes, including painting, swimming, and martial arts, beginning when he was 11 years old. At 12, Christian began learning to play the viola. He was nearly 18 when he moved to São Paulo, where he was employed with the São Paulo State Youth Orchestra and attended São Paulo State Music School. Christian decided to study abroad in order to both improve his skills and experience life in another country. At Park ICM, he feels he has benefited from the opportunity to work with the Park Quartet and a chamber orchestra, in addition to solo performances. Christian envisions continuing his education in The United States. He would like to teach and also to be a professional musician, perhaps with a studio of his own. He intends to help ensure that other students in Brazil have the options he has pursued.

RISING STAR: André Davis

André Davis has often contemplated his legacy. He said, “When we as Brown/Black people are being invited to the ‘table,’ how are we making space for others? I believe we all should consider operating from an ‘abundance’ and not a ‘scarcity’ mindset. It’s not just enough to climb the ladder of success, we also have to lift others up the ladder.”

It is this commitment to diversity and inclusion that leads André to give his time and energy to so many different organizations. He has supported PrepKC, Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City, The Beacon, Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, Big Shifts Foundation, Grandview Education Foundation, Youth Villages, and Head for the Cure just in the last year. He especially enjoys his work with PrepKC and BBBSKC and values the organizations’ work with disinvested urban youth from socioeconomically challenged families. His volunteer efforts with young people in our community include mentoring and helping to guide them to pursue their dreams and goals.

In his job at Built Interior Construction, he holds the title of corporate and community engagement executive. André is also a board or committee member with Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City Tomorrow Alumni Association, The Beacon, PrepKC, BBBSKC, and Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri.

André’s Kansas City Favorites: Black-owned Restaurant: Urban Cafe

African American Artists: The six Black Lives Matter Artists: Adrianne Clayton, Michael Toombs, Avrion Jackson, Vivian Bluett, Warren Harvey, and Harold Smith

African American Creative: Kamia Kindle of Soda Pop Graphics

André Davis, Rising Star Class of 2019

Tom Styrkowicz

Pillair, Jayden, Vanessa, and Brandon at an art session

Damian Gonzalez

TRAILBLAZERS:

TRAILBLAZER: Author Crystal M. Everett CrystalEverett.com • @CrystalCalledIt

Crystal M. Everett recently published Mari and Mommy Move It! This children’s book was inspired by her daughter and her love for music and dance. Crystal is an educator who has spent more than a decade working with youth from Kindergarten through 12th grade, and in higher education and non profit capacities. All of these experiences enhance many of her professional projects. She is the founder of the Everett Consulting Group, which focuses on educating and empowering students and their supporters about college and career opportunities. Her podcast, Conversations with Crystal, features discussions with experts in education. In addition, Crystal has served as a facilitator at the Parent Leadership Institute KC for the past five years. She earned degrees in public relations and sociology from Drake University, which honored her with its Young Alumni Loyalty Award. Crystal received a master of education degree in human relations from Northern Arizona University. She received the Rising Star Award from the Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling. Crystal is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She and her husband, Marquis, are the parents of a daughter, Mari.

TRAILBLAZER: Olivia Hill

Author, Artist, Activist, and Playwright OliviaHillWrites.com • @OliviaHillWrites

Olivia Hill was born and raised in Kansas City. She is an author, artist, activist, and a playwright. Her memoir, Travel North Black Girl, is a story of self-discovery and empowerment. Set in the early 1980s, Olivia recounts her experiences of moving to the remote indigenous village of Tatitlek, Alaska, as a newlywed. Olivia earned a bachelor of arts degree in theater and visual arts from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is the author of five plays, including Mother Spense, for which she received the Lorraine Hansberry Award from The Kennedy Center. Olivia is a visual artist, and her prints and watercolors have been widely exhibited. She also conducts workshops to discuss issues relating to the arts, mental health, and nature. Olivia has owned several businesses, including Solomon’s Rose, a gourmet food and catering company.

TRAILBLAZER: Author Christle Reed LoveCreedKC.org • @Love_C.Reed

Christle Reed’s first book, Hugs from the Sky, is about the journey of love, loss, and acceptance. Christle said, “So many children are often overlooked when grief is involved. As a person who has dealt with major childhood loss, I understood the need for a helpful resource that children could use to acknowledge and work through their grief.” Christle’s second book, I Can Be Me in KC, was created in partnership with the Turn The Page KC organization.

(TurnThePageKC.org) The story follows two young children who explore Our Town, meet professionals and entrepreneurs, and discover all of the possibilities open to them. Christle is also a public speaker. She earned a bachelor of science degree in sociology from Iowa State University and a master of science degree in management and leadership from Western Governors University. Christle and her husband are the parents of three children.

KAN

Black Coffee Photo Co.

Estuardo Garcia

SAS CITY LEADERS

TRAILBLAZER: Author Cynthia L. Fails LaunchCrate Publishing LaunchCrate.com • @LaunchCrate

Cynthia L. Fails is the author of many books, in genres ranging from children’s books to romance novels and beyond. Her most recent book is Decoding Joy. Cynthia self-published her books, and she grew tired of the unequal split of the profits. In one instance, she received only 14 cents per copy on a book that had a profit of five dollars per sale. Cynthia decided to start LaunchCrate Publishing, “to provide a platform for writers to launch their ideas into the world while keeping the portion of profit they deserve.” Cynthia’s company specializes in infusing technology within print books.

Trae Q L Venerable began exploring writing, photography, film, and fashion while he was a student at the University of Central Missouri, where Venerable’s Projects was born. He has published a series of three books for children, all based on the theme of being a cowboy and exploring the history of African American cowboys and cowgirls. He has also created a fashion label, Midwest CowPoke, which features vintage, branded apparel and altered garments, including denim overalls and flannels. Trae is an avid outdoorsman, hunter, and horseman. As he sees it, the CowPoke way of life means being different, standing out, and pressing everything to its limits.

TRAILBLAZER: Author Trae Q L Venerable Venerable’s Projects TraeVenerable.com • @TraeVenerable

Cori Smith, The Local Book Pusher BLK + BRWN @BlkBrwnKC BlkBrwn.com

La’Nesha Frazier and La’Nae Robinson Bliss Books & Wine @BlissBooksandWineKC BlissBooksandWine.com

David Ewan DeVine Catering DevineCateringKC.com

Candice McField Candice McField Fitness CandiceMcField.com

Larry Lewis, Jr. Growing Futures Early Education Center @GrowingFuturesEEC GrowingFuturesEEC.org

Natasha Ria El-Scari Natasha Ria Art Gallery Black Space Black Art NatashaRia.com \

Isaac Lee Collins Yogurtini Frozen Yogurt Streamlined Profit Academy Superhero Yoga @IsaacLeeCollins • IsaacLeeCollins.com

Dr. Shelley Cooper Diversity Telehealth DiversityTelehealth.com Come On Now App • ComeOnNow.io

Brandy Spearman Black Lemon Boutique @BlackLemonBoutique BlackLemonBoutique.com

Lynnette Crawford Style Therapii @StyleTherapii StyleTherapii.com

Bryan Alford Photography

Makeda C. Peterson JuneteenthKC @JuneteenthKCMO Juneteenth-KC.com

Dr. Chelsey M. KC BLACK OWNED @KCBlackOwned KCBlackOwned.org

TRAILBLAZER: Michelle Tyrene Johnson

Michelle Tyrene Johnson uses theater to tackle big issues. In more than a dozen full-length and longer one-act plays, and in numerous shorter works, she has often found that art can exert a greater impact than a simple recounting of facts. The Green Book Wine Club Train Trip, for instance, given a winning production by KC Melting Pot Theatre in 2019, uses wit and ground-level human interactions to examine what travel was like for Black women in Jim Crow-era Missouri.

Her new play, which runs through March 5th at The Coterie, addresses an issue even closer to home for many Kansas Citians: segregation at Fairyland Park, which before the Civil Rights Act was open to Black patrons for one day a year, generally toward the end of the summer.

Commissioned by The Coterie (with a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts) and originally scheduled for the 2020-2021 season, Only One Day A Year examines the effect of Jim Crow on a teenage girl in 1960 who simply wants to give her little brother the thing he wants more than anything in the world: to ride Fairyland’s rollercoaster on his birthday.

It is the kind of play that Michelle loves to write: It confronts historical events with accuracy but works its way into our hearts by focusing on the personal drama of teenage Rose and her brother, Frank. We grasp the enormity of social upheaval through their tender story.

“What needed to be correct was the emotional truth of the play,” Michelle said. “It’s an emotional truth that anybody can relate to, even if you’re not Black. I’d like to think there is a white parent or grandparent sitting in the audience thinking, ‘I’d be furious if my little kids couldn’t get into Fairyland because of the color of their skin! An amusement park, of all things!’”

Opened in 1923 on 80 acres at 75th and Prospect, Fairyland declined in popularity during the 1960s and closed its gates four years after Worlds of Fun opened in 1973. Inspired partly by an event in Michelle’s childhood, when her mother balked at taking her to Fairyland even when she could have, the play contains elements of magical realism that have marked many of Michelle’s works. It also features flash-forwards to present-day Kansas City, where 17-year-old Ella (who is Rose’s granddaughter) uses smarts and spirit to wage a personal battle against bullying in her school.

Past and present are joined in a manner designed to remind us that, nearly 60 years after the Civil Rights Act, we are still struggling. “This play is about Kansas City needing to be reminded that, just because we’re not in the Deep South doesn’t mean that we didn’t do pretty much all the things that the Deep South did,” Michelle said.

The exclusionary experiences of Jim Crow have formed a crucial part of Michelle’s family history and are found in much of her work, including Only One Day A Year. “A story about a young Black girl, either in modern times or in the ‘60s, fighting for basic equality… despite the color of my skin? Heck, that’s my all-day, every day,” she said with a laugh.

A fourth-generation Kansas City, Kansan, Michelle has worked as a reporter, an employment attorney, an author (among her books is Working While Black), and a nationally known lecturer on diversity. She wrote fiction before catching the playwrighting bug, submitting her first theater piece to the Barn Players’ annual 6 x 10 Ten Minute Play Festival in 2011. She is currently associate talk show producer for National Public Radio’s Louisville Public Media.

Michelle was born in 1964, and for all her achievements she remains aware that “if I had been an adult the year I was born, I wouldn’t have

BY PAUL HORSLEY

been able to do 90 percent of the things I’ve done… to have the degrees I’ve had, have the jobs I’ve had, or lived in most of the places I’ve lived.”

All of the characters in Only One Day A Year contain personal resonances for Michelle. “There is a little bit of me in every character,” she said. “And anybody who knows me knows that my grandmother is like the through-line in all of my plays, even if there isn’t an older Black woman in the play.”

Cliffie Marie Owens, who died in 2016, was “one of the wittiest, sharpest, kindest people the world knew,” Michelle wrote, in a profile for The New York Times Magazine. “Her personal superpower was incisiveness laced with a humor that could leave you bent over laughing, yet thinking for days.”

In this play, echoes of Cliffie are strongest in the character of Adult Rose (played by Sherri Roulette-Mosley), who is advising her media-savvy granddaughter, Ella Wilson (Daphany Edwards), on how to raise Cain when necessary. Rose’s widowed father, Bernard James, is played by the same actor (L. Roi Hawkins) as Ella’s prickly school principal, and Oletha Smithfield (Teresa Leggard, who also co-directs, with Sidonie Garrett) is the duplicitous Fairyland employee who tries to uphold the park’s policies even when they go against her own interests.

Central to the story are Rose, Frank (Patrick McGee, Jr.), and August Butler (Frank Charles Dodson), the latter a kindly lodger at the James family’s boarding house. August is a musician, “humorous, trustworthy, with a bit of an old-world quality about him,” Michelle writes. “He’s got a little bit of magic about him, especially when he plays music.” Even the character of August (who gives Rose an item that allows her to connect with her own internal magic) draws on Michelle’s experience. “There’s a little bit of my grandfather, a little bit of my grandmother,” she said, “and a bit of my uncles: charming, dashing rogues.”

Only One Day A Year runs through March 5th at The Coterie. For tickets, call 816-474-6552, or go to thecoterie.org. To reach Paul Horsley, performing arts editor, send an email to paul@kcindependent.com or find him on Facebook (paul.horsley.501) or Twitter/Instagram (@phorsleycritic). More at kcindependent.com.

Michelle Tyrene Johnson

The cast for Only One Day A Year is Dominique Lorae, Sherri Roulette-Mosley, Patrick McGee, Jr., Frank Charles Dodson, L. Roi Hawkins, Daphany Edwards, and Teresa Leggard (who is also co-director).

Fairyland Park, which opened in 1923 and closed in 1977, featured a steel rollercoaster and other carnival rides, a dance hall, a skating rink, and a swimming pool.

TRAILBLAZING: aSTEAM Village

William Wells founded aSTEAM Village in 2014. The organization strives to engage students and their families, as well as educators, in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. The goal is to ensure that young people learn the skills that will help them both in their academic lives and in their career paths. That, in turn, will benefit the economy. In 2019, aSTEAM Village was recognized as the National Society of Black Engineers Chapter of the Year. The organization welcomes students to join teams that specialize in robotics, racing, drone, and computer programming. More than 30 teams from aSTEAM Village have participated in robotics championships since 2014. In addition, the organization is leading a team of middle-school and high-school students who are building out a broadband network for the African American community called Digital KC Now. aSTEAM Village is always in search of industry professionals who are willing to volunteer as coaches and mentors. ASTEAMVillage.org

Cheers To Volunteers!

Members of the Concerned Mothers Group at High Aspirations have one monthly meeting, but they often accompany their sons to the Saturday morning meetings. They take attendance, set up and serve lunch, and oversee the cleaning of the tables, which is done by the students. In addition, they assist with planning special events and chaperoning field trips. Their actions create a valued support system within the High Aspirations organization.

More at kcindependent.com.

Upper Room KC began in 1997 in an actual “upper room” above an urban core Catholic Church on Swope Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri. The organization’s mission is to provide high quality, educational programs while actively engaging and challenging a diverse population to enjoy learning from cradle to college. The space underwent a significant renovation in the 1990s to create the learning center which has provided services for thousands of students. The After-School Program provides students with a hot meal, youth counselors, volunteer tutors, homework help, and enrichment classes. The Early Learning Center serves young children by providing the physical, social, emotional, creative, and cognitive development of children ages six weeks to five years. The organization’s Summer Academic Program was designed to help working parents who are looking for a fun and educational environment for their children. It also helps to prevent the academic slide that can happen during the summer months. English language arts and math are taught by certified teachers, along with enrichment activities including art, music, and physical education.

RISING STAR: Klassie Alcine

Klassie Alcine is doing wonderful work in our community. As the chief executive officer of KC Common Good, she focuses on a comprehensive, community-based approach to reducing violence, building stronger community relations, increasing access to education and jobs, and implementing responsible justice reforms. The organization has partnered with PROX, a real world learning initiative, to bring paid internship opportunities and summer professional experiences to high school students. This provides opportunities for students to earn market value assets, learn essential skills, and build social capital. Klassie stated, “Participating youth showed increased growth in career literacy, career exploration, and networking. Kansas City youth are connected with the skills that can help them plan for the future, increasing high school graduation rates and post-secondary jobs. Others should support PROX because youth need caring adults to help inspire and support them as they grow into adulthood.”

In addition to her work at KC Common Good, Klassie has also supported Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City, the AdHoc Group Against Crime, The Beacon, Madam President Camp, PREP-KC, and Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City.

Klassie’s Kansas City

Favorites:

African American Creative: Thalia Cherry of Cherry Sports Gear

Black-owned Restaurant: Boho Sway at Canary

Klassie Alcine, Rising Star Class of 2017

Tom Styrkowicz

Students at aSTEAM Village Summer Camp worked on a bridge-building exercise.

Students from aSTEAM Village Summer Camp visited the Kansas Technology Center at Pittsburg State University.

David Riffel

Kylan, Jacquelyn, and Jaden Johnson Troy Saunders with Tabitha Saunders

Palatable Pursuits

Liberia is a country in West Africa along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Its name translates to “land of freedom,” paying homage to having never been under colonial rule, and it is Africa’s oldest republic, dating back more than 200 years. The country served as a beacon of freedom for liberated slaves and freeborn Blacks in the first half of the 19th century. It is estimated that more than 20,000 repatriates (a term used by slaveholders and The United States government) were moved from The United States to Liberia during this time. This move brought with it deep south American culture, religion, and a way of life to Liberia, often causing conflict with indigenous Africans that would come to a head more than 100 years later.

The country’s culinary scene is marked by fresh fish, rice, heavy spices, plantains, bananas, casava, yams, and hearty, eclectic soups and stews. Liberian cooks implement a “snout to tail” mentality when prepping in the kitchen and nothing goes to waste – from melon seeds to fish heads, chicken feet, and sweet potato greens, everything gets used. This approach leads to deeply flavorful dishes that are greater than the sum of their individual ingredients, with layers of flavor and texture. The country’s American south culinary influences can best be appreciated when devouring a bowl of hearty soup or stew loaded with goat or chicken and marked by an abundance of flavor and richness.

A native of Liberia, Fannie Gibson moved to Kansas City more than 20 years ago. Five years ago, she opened Fannie’s African & Tropical Cuisine at 41st and Troost, where she prepares and serves food from her native country of Liberia.

I had been hearing about Fannie’s off and on and it has been on my list of places to check out. I finally did just that. On a sunny, unseasonably warm Friday afternoon in December, a friend and I met for lunch at Fannie’s. The restaurant is located in a small strip of businesses on the east side of Troost, with ample street parking.

Inside, the restaurant is proudly appointed with African art along the walls, a huge map of West Africa, and the tables are neatly dressed in white tablecloths. Afro-pop music played throughout as we seated ourselves at a cozy booth toward the back.

We were greeted by our server, Ayesha, who gave us some time to review the expansive menu. We then chatted about the menu options, and I asked if Fannie was available for a quick hello. Fannie came out of the kitchen and greeted us with a big smile. We asked her to surprise us with some of her favorite dishes, and she happily obliged us.

Fannie cooks at the restaurant six days a week and has some help off and on. Her oldest son helps in the kitchen on Sundays. I asked how her business fared during the early days of the pandemic, and she shared that the neighborhood kept her going. Fannie had a steady stream of regular customers who supported her business with carryout orders, and she had no trouble making it work. “If I did it all again, I would still choose Kansas City. Kansas City has been so generous and supportive.”

Fannie is planning a second location that will have live music and a lounge vibe along with serving alcohol (Fannie’s doesn’t have a liquor license due to its proximity to a church across the street). The location is still to be decided, but she is excited and eager to expand her business.

Upon Fannie’s return to the kitchen, I realized the restaurant had gotten much busier since we sat down. Ayesha was a one-woman show in the dining room, taking orders and serving drinks and huge platters and bowls of food.

Our first dish came out, and it was the meat pie samosas. There were four huge pieces on a plate served with a sweet and tangy red pepper sauce. The samosas were filled with ground beef, peppers, and onions,

By Jessica James

and deep fried. The dough was thick and pillowy, and, honestly, it was so good I could have eaten it by itself, sopped in the red pepper sauce. We were off to a great start!

Next up was the most impressive dish visually… a whole red snapper (head and all!), served with plantains, fresh vegetables, cassava “rice,” and more of that delish red pepper sauce. The fish had been fried, the skin was crispy, and the flesh was tender and flaky. The cassava rice resembled couscous but had an earthier flavor, and the plantains offered the perfect amount of sweetness to balance out the dish.

Chicken Jollof was next, one of her most popular dishes, and one of the more common foods of Africa found here in the Midwest. Jollof is a West African rice dish made with long grain rice, vegetables, tomatoes, and spices. This version had the addition of peas and reminded me a bit of fried rice. It was presented with the same vegetables, plantains, and red pepper sauce that came with the snapper. It was topped with a giant roasted chicken leg and thigh. The chicken was tender, and I shredded it with my fork and mixed it into the rice. Once again, the combination of flavors was delicious and comforting. At this point, I was getting full and had no idea of what was to come since we didn’t place our own order. Ayesha brought out two separate rarebit dishes, each with a skewer of protein and vegetables smothered in the delicious red pepper sauce. One of the skewers had beef and the other shrimp, and each was laced with fresh red bell peppers and sweet onions. I preferred the beef more than the shrimp, as the shrimp were a bit on the small side and slightly overcooked. We shared with Ayesha that we were getting stuffed and asked what was left. “Only four more soups” she quipped back. We laughed and pressed on, and she returned with a large bowl of Peanut Butter Soup with goat meat. It was served with fufu, a doughy ball that I pinched into small pieces, dipped in the soup, and swallowed whole without chewing. It was definitely a new experience, but one I will try again. Fannie’s fufu is made with boiled yams that have been pounded and rounded into doughy balls. The soup was thick and hearty, with huge chunks of goat meat. It was the color of peanut butter as its name suggests, and it was delicious and hearty. It is definitely a meal on its own.

Ayesha sensed we had hit the wall and opted to bring the last three dishes in the form of small samples, a flight of sorts. There were two soups and one side – Egusi soup, Ewedu soup, and fried spinach. The two soups showcased the West African way of not wasting anything in the kitchen. The Egusi soup was a hearty dish made with braised spinach and melon seeds. The Ewedu soup was a deep, dark green prepared from jute leaves. Jute leaves are somewhat bitter and are a nutrient-dense green, common in Asian and African cooking. Both soup samples were meatless, but Fannie also serves them with beef, goat, or chicken, with a ball of fufu on the side for dipping. The fried spinach was exactly as advertised – fresh spinach cooked in hot oil until it was wilted and almost creamy. It was delicious, and I only wish I had had more room!

As we wrapped up our culinary adventure, Ayesha brought us a stack of boxes to haul our leftovers home. The experience we had at Fannie’s was one to remember – the food, the hospitality, and the dedication to her business and her craft. There is so much love and comfort in each of Fannie’s dishes, and I can’t wait to return. More at kcindependent.com.

Tom Styrkowicz

Pictured clockwise: Beef Samosas

Fried spinach, Egusi soup, and Ewedu soup Chicken Jollof

TRAILBLAZING: Exceeds Expectations

Marilyn Chappell founded Exceeds Expectations in 2016. The organization provides seminars, workshops, and one-on-one coaching, all with the goal of ending generational poverty in the African American community. Exceeds Expectations presents financial literacy workshops within faith-based organizations, corporations, schools, and families. The organization offers financial leadership programs geared toward youth and adult financial stability programs. In addition, there is Financial Literacy in a Box, which features curriculum, worksheets, and videos. Exceeds Expectations is seeking people who are experts in their fields to serve as guest speakers at workshops and also on Mindful Mondays broadcasts, where the topics include finance, health, and community information. The organization is looking for women volunteers for the upcoming Girls Fired Up: Youth Financial Leadership Program for Girls. ExceedsExpectations.org

TRAILBLAZER: Chioma Anyanwu

@Chi_Any

On Chioma’s Performance Calendar: the ripple, the wave that carried me home at Kansas City Repertory Theatre from March 14th through April 2nd at Copaken Stage.

Chioma Anyanwu is a member of Actors Equity Association. She has parts in upcoming productions of the ripple, the wave that carried me home at Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Little Women at Kansas City Actors Theatre. Chioma is from Columbia, Missouri. She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree at Stephens College and a master of fine arts degree at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Her recent credits include The Pests and Dot at Kansas City Actors Theatre, A Christmas Carol at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Pipeline and Red Bike at the Unicorn Theatre, Godspell at Starlight Theatre, and Romeo and Juliet at the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. Chioma also teaches theater and directs productions at Avila University.

RISING STAR: Gene Willis

Gene Willis has made community service a central thread throughout his life and career. He currently works at GEHA, where he holds the title of corporate social responsibility manager. From 2004 through 2020, Gene volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City and mentored three young Black/biracial men. He was an inaugural member of the non profit’s Diversity Task Force and eventually became the co-chair of the expanded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Board for two years. Additionally, Gene participated in BBBSKC’s SummerBowl fundraiser, and his teams raised more than $60,000 to support mentoring and youth development.

In 2022, Gene volunteered with earlystART to assemble pre-K graduation books for nearly 100 rising kindergarteners in its three-school early education system. The organization serves predominantly communities of color, and its staff reflects this constituency. Other organizations that Gene gives his time and talents to are the Quixotic Foundation, where he serves as vice chair of the board of directors, Starlight Theatre, as a member of the community engagement committee, and Nonprofit Connect, where he is a board member. Gene is also a board member and serves on the scholarship committee of Greater Kansas City Community Foundation’s Second Chance Scholarship. He led a keynote session for the Black Community Fund (Greater Kansas City Community Foundation) on non-profit storytelling/marketing, with more than 35 Black-founded/focused non-profit leaders in attendance. Gene also walks dogs and assists with volunteer duties for Great Plains SPCA.

Gene’s Kansas City Favorites:

Black-owned Business: Candice McField Fitness

• African American Author: C.L. Fails

African American Artist: Photographer Kenny Johnson

Gene Willis, Rising Star Class of 2022

Tom Styrkowicz

Rome Johnson, summer financial literacy program participant; with Marilyn Chappell, founder and chief executive officer

Marilyn Chappell, founder and chief executive officer

TRAILBLAZING: Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey

BY PAUL HORSLEY

KCFAA serves Kansas City in a three-part role: It educates by using dance to teach critical life skills to the neediest of Kansas City children, in a wide range of affordable educational programs and classes; it presents a range of performances including those by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and the Ailey Trio; and it seeks to unify through an annual Symposium and through programs that encourage dialogue about race, place, and diversity in Kansas City.

Beginning in 1968, Alvin Ailey and his company presented a spellbinding series of performances to Kansas City audiences: In 1984, a group of civic, corporate, and community leaders established the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, forming a vital community asset and at the same time making Kansas City the Ailey company’s “official second home.”

The annual appearances by the two New York-based Ailey companies are among the highlights of Kansas City’s arts season each year, with the main company presenting the best of American choreography and Ailey II introducing us to some of the nation’s most vibrant young dancers at the beginnings of their careers. Just as important are the educational initiatives such as AileyCamp and the many year-round dance classes.

UPCOMING: This March 25th at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, KCFAA presents A Glorious Return: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and 2023 KCFAA Gala, which will include a grand performance by the main Ailey company and the Friends’ annual gala. For concert tickets, contact 816-994-7222 (Kauffman Center Box Office), for gala tickets, visit kcfaa.org.

Art Insider

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

“You don’t know what you don’t know”— a phrase that’s offered as an explanation for gaps in knowledge and as an acknowledgement of how we might not even be aware of those gaps until someone enlightens us. I owe a debt of gratitude to Reneé Pryor Newton and Craig Pryor for making sure I knew a significant part of Kansas City’s art history, with which I was previously unfamiliar. They introduced me to the art of their late father, Leonard Pryor (1924–2015), the first African American student to be admitted to the Kansas City Art Institute. If that gift of knowledge wasn’t enough, Reneé and Craig also generously donated five paintings by their dad to the Museum, including North End. Leonard Pryor painted North End, currently on view, while a student at KCAI. The foreground bustles with intimate details of daily life: laundry flaps in the breeze and a woman gently guides a child along a rutted road while a man steers his cart towards a burn barrel. The artist juxtaposed this scene with a view south across the Missouri River towards Downtown Kansas City, where the distinctive two-towered skyscraper of the former Federal Office Building dominates the skyline. Since hanging this and a second Leonard Pryor painting in the galleries, many people who knew and admired him as a tireless advocate for the arts admitted to me that they had no idea he was also such a talented artist. They are very glad, as I am, to know what we now know.

Stephanie Fox Knappe, Samuel Sosland Senior Curator, American Art

Leonard Pryor (American, 1924–2015), North End, 1950. Oil on canvas. 46 ¼ x 34 ¼ inches (117.48 x 87 cm).

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri.

Gift of Reneé Pryor Newton and Craig Pryor in loving memory of their parents Leonard and Maxine Pryor, 2022.8.1

Donna Wood, Todd Bolender, and Alvin Ailey in 1986

Melanie Miller, chief executive officer

Ailey Artistic Director Robert Battle

Don Middleton Andrew Eccles

TRAILBLAZING: Kansas City G.I.F.T.

By Nicole Jacobs Silvey

“What if 15,000 people each donated $10?” This question, fueled by Brandon Calloway’s vision for economic prosperity in the Black community, is the foundation of the innovative organization called G.I.F.T.—Generating Income for Tomorrow. The idea of leveraging collective financial resources to provide community impact is one that has garnered both positive attention and immense praise from the Kansas City community.

Brandon co-founded G.I.F.T. in 2020, and he serves as the chief executive officer. G.I.F.T. has been recognized for creating access to capital for traditionally overlooked entrepreneurs. The organization’s mission is rooted in equity with a call to provide a better future for all by fighting for “impactful change for families, our communities, and our city.” Positioned as a catalyst for change, G.I.F.T. works to close the wealth gap by addressing the root causes of systemic racism that impact poverty and crime in our community. Following the social unrest of 2020 after the death of George Floyd, Brandon Calloway wanted to provide an avenue for individuals to take action. This desire led to a call to action and process for providing grants to Black entrepreneurs with a focus on Kansas City’s lowest income areas.

G.I.F.T. is built on the premise that investing in Black-owned businesses increases economic prosperity in economically disadvantaged communities. Research has exposed the long-held practice of discriminating against Black entrepreneurs who apply for small business loans. “A 2017 study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition found that banks were twice as likely to provide business loans to white applicants than Black ones, and three times as likely to have follow-up meetings with white applicants than more qualified Black ones.” These barriers to capital have led to a disinvestment in communities east of Troost for generations.

The model for generating wealth starts with the entrepreneur who stimulates economic growth in the community by creating jobs that are typically filled by local residents. Those jobs in turn support families, which then attracts investors and builds financial literacy. The ripple effect leads to additional investment in the community leading to improved housing, schools, and health care.

In its first three years, G.I.F.T. has successfully issued grants in the amounts of $10,000, $25,000, and $50,000 to more than 20 local businesses founded and led by Black entrepreneurs. The monthly grant awards have a low barrier application process and uplift the work of the founder by providing additional resources and exposure. G.I.F.T. has recently expanded its reach and established a Business Center that provides co-working space, coaching, technical skills, and other aspects of business development. The new menu of services further amplifies its mission and serves as a hub for entrepreneurs of color.

Dr. Karen Boyd, chef and founder of Patrice’s Culinary Collective, was the July recipient of a $50,000 grant for the development of Winslow Place Culinary Micro Center. The Center offers a unique culinary teaching experience featuring a demonstration/teaching kitchen. Karen said, “The G.I.F.T organization, unique in purpose, provides exceptional business funding and services to Black and Brown entrepreneurs often ignored or overlooked in the Kansas City market. The passion and commitment exhibited by Co-founder Brandon Calloway is nothing short of inspiring; giving entrepreneurs such as myself a much needed boost in spirit and perseverance as we strive to achieve our dreams.”

REMEMBER WHEN - 7 Years Ago

The Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee’s Human Relations Dinner was held on December 13th at the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center. Mark R. Jorgenson was honored with the Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Award, and Morton Sosland was the keynote speaker. William Berkley, William Hall, Shirley Bush Helzberg, and Robert Regnier served as co-chairmen.

RISING STAR: India Williams

As the forward director at KIPP KC, India Williams works to expose, engage, and create meaningful experiences for the high school students who attend the KIPP: Endeavor Academy. This also includes supporting students as they prepare for and select the right college and career based on their interests and passions, along with helping them navigate the academic, social, and financial challenges they might encounter while in college or pursuing a career.

The initiative supports the Kauffman Foundation Real World Learning promise within several districts across the region. The organization has partnered with MINDDRIVE, Global One Urban Farm, Latinx Education Collaborative, and many other non profits to fulfill its mission to prepare students for life after high school.

India also proudly supports the Angel Hands Art Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of youth through art. It was founded by Savanna Williams, who has donated her paintings to raise money for organizations such as the Third and Long Foundation, St. Jude Hospital, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, Rose Brooks Center, and many more.

India was appointed by the Mayor to the Kansas City Public Library board of trustees. She also serves as a board member for the Black/Brown Coalition and was a founding member of the Sisters’ Circle of Greater Kansas City.

India’s

Kansas

City Favorites: African American Poet: Glenn North

African American Creative: Keliah Smith, CRWND Illustrations

Black-owned Business: Shardae Nichole’s Vivid Events KC

India Williams, Rising Star Class of 2020

Tom Styrkowicz

Reprinted from the March 5, 2016 issue of The Independent.

Brandon Calloway, Kansas City G.I.F.T.

Yvette and UMKC Chancellor Leo Morton and The University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little

FEBRUARY

4 Avila University; Steer Dinner and Auction: Steering Towards the Future; This 47th annual event brings together nearly 600 Avila alumni, friends, and community members to celebrate and support current and future students; Kansas City Marriott Downtown; 6:30 p.m; $250. Contact Abbie Bliss: 11901 Wornall Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64145 or 816-501-3163 or avila.edu/steer or steerdinner@avila.edu.

4 Band of Angels; Heart Strings Gala; Join us in your black-tie attire for dinner, drinks, dancing, silent auction, and student and guest artist performances. The Abbott; 5 p.m.; $200. Contact Mike Meyer: 11890 West 135th Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66221 or 913-491-6636 or bandofangels.org/heart-strings-gala or info@bandofangels.org.

4 Children’s Mercy Kansas City; Red Hot Night; Super Bowl Champion Dustin Colquitt and Hartzell Grey, local media personality and Voice of Sporting KC, will be emceeing the event, which will feature entertainment, inspiring mission moments, and unique auction packages; Kansas City Convention Center. Contact Children’s Mercy Events: 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64108 or  816-346-1300 or redhotnight.org or events@cmh.edu.

11 Heart of America Shakespeare Festival; Romantic Revels;

A fun party featuring a cocktail hour, premier silent auction items, a three-course, gourmet meal, and after-dinner dancing to a lively mix of favorites; creative black-tie; InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza;  6 p.m.; $300. Contact Sidonie Garrett: 3732 Main Street, Kansas City,  Missouri 64111 or 816-531-7728 or kcshakes.org or sgarrett@kcshakes.org.

16 Reach Out and Read Kansas City; For the Love of Books Breakfast; Enjoy a lively morning with a delicious breakfast and an opportunity to learn about Reach Out and Read; Grand Street Cafe - Country Club Plaza; $70. Contact Jennie Andra: 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, MS 1051, Kansas City, Kansas 66160 or 913-588-2793 or reachoutandreadkc.org or jandra@kumc.edu.

19 Growing Futures Early Education Center; PB & J (Pickleball and Jams); Event details to be determined; Chicken N Pickle Overland Park. Contact Taylor Tran: 8155 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, Kansas 66204 or 913-649-9714 or growingfutureseec.org or ttran@growingfutureseec.org.

24 Alphapointe; Boots & Pearls: Wine & Whiskey; Who doesn’t love a wine and whiskey tasting? Guests sample a variety of wines and whiskeys from around the world, while experiencing delicious food and lively entertainment; J. Rieger & Co. Contact Jake McLaughlin: 7501 Prospect Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64132 or 816-237-2059 or bootsandpearls.org or jmclaughlin@alphapointe.org.

24 The HALO Foundation; 18th Annual HALO Art Auction; The event features artwork created by orphans around the world and local and nationally-recognized artists, silent and live auction items, entertainment, and more; Hotel Kansas City; 6 p.m. Contact Nicole  Gerken: 1600 Genessee, Suite 200, Kansas City, Missouri 64102 or  816-472-4256 or haloworldwide.org/event/halo-kansas-city-art-auction or nicolegerken@haloworldwide.org.

24 K-State Alumni Association; Wabash CannonBall; Join K-Staters for an evening of dining, dancing, and cocktails to raise scholarship money for students from the Kansas City area to attend K-State; Overland Park Convention Center; 6:30 p.m.; $250. Contact Andrea Bryant Gladin: 100 Alumni Center, Manhattan, Kansas 66506 or 785-532-6260 or k-state.com/wabashcannonballkc or agladin@k-state.com.

24 Police Foundation of Kansas City; A Call For BackUp; The evening begins with the women and men of the Kansas City Police Department showing formidable, state-of-the-art equipment followed by dinner and Keynote Speaker Bill Barr, former United States Attorney General; Muehlebach Tower of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown; 5:30 p.m.; $500. Contact Tye Grant: P.O. Box 25198, Kansas City, Missouri 64119 or 816-389-9436 or policefoundationkc.org or acallforbackup@policefoundationkc.org.

25 Benedictine College; 51st Annual Scholarship Ball;  A night of fun for alumni, students, parents, and friends of the college. The evening includes mass, cocktail reception, dinner, program, entertainment, and dancing. The Cross of the Order of St. Benedict will be presented to Kathy and Jack Newman; Overland Park Convention Center; 5:30 p.m.; $200. Contact Shana Vaughn: 1020 North Second Street, Atchison, Kansas 66002 or 913-360-7401 or scholarshipball.org or svaughn@benedictine.edu.

25 Horizon Academy; A Novel Night: True Grit;  Guests will enjoy dinner, a live auction, dancing to Funk Syndicate, and an after-party at the Kill Devil Club. Creative black-tie/western attire; The Gallery Event Space; 6:30 p.m.; $200. Contact Anne Russ: 4901 Reinhardt Street, Roeland Park, Kansas 66205 or 913-789-9443 or horizon-academy.com or aruss@horizon-academy.com.

MARCH

2 UMKC Women’s Council; Graduate Assistance Fund Awards Reception; A celebration of the 2023 Graduate Assistance Fund (GAF) award recipients; Grand Street Cafe - Plaza; 5:30 p.m. Contact Amy Samaripa: 5115 Oak Street, Suite 300B, Kansas City, Missouri 64112 or 816-235-2452 or umkcwc.org or wcouncil@umkc.edu.

The Independent is Kansas City’s oldest magazine.

RISING STAR: Jason Carter-Solomon

In his role as senior vice president of Landmark National Bank, Jason Carter-Solomon has worked with entrepreneurs and executives in small to mid-size businesses to provide working capital loans, structure loans for asset purchases, as well as business mergers and acquisitions. His long career reflects his experience with urban redevelopment tools and incentives. He currently serves as president of the board for the Kansas City Automotive Museum and serves on a special standing committee to address tax incentive reform for the City of Kansas City, Missouri. One of his career goals has been to help curb losses and raise financial awareness to keep non-profit missions on target and financially sustainable.

In addition to his work with the Kansas City Automotive Museum, Jason also serves as a guest lecturer and panelist for the Urban Land Institute and the University of Missouri–Kansas City Bloch School of Management.

Jason’s Kansas City Favorites:

Black-owned Business: Todd’s Clothiers

Black-owned Eatery: Yogurtini • African American Artist: Warren ‘Stylez’ Harvey

Jason Carter-Solomon, Rising Star Class of 2020

Tom Styrkowicz

3 The Friends of Chamber Music; Soiree 2023; An elegant evening celebrating chamber music, this black-tie optional event includes a three-course dinner, performance, and unique auction items;  6 p.m.; $300. Contact Mary Clare Wagner: 4635 Wyandotte Street, Suite 201, Kansas City, Missouri 64112 or 816-766-1094 or chambermusic.org or maryclare@chambermusic.org.

3-4 Newhouse; Worthy: A Pop-Up Bar; All people are worthy of love and healthy relationships. Kansas City’s first-ever pop-up event focused on self-care, empowerment, and fun. Guests will enjoy tasty cocktails from our guest bartenders; The Maverick; 5 p.m.; $50. Contact Chris Stibbs: P.O. Box 240019, Kansas City, Missouri 64124 or 816-462-0508 or newhousekc.org/worthy or chris@newhousekc.org.

4 Notre Dame de Sion Schools; 37th Annual Gala Auction; Toast Sion at “There’s No Place Like Sion” event and enjoy delicious food, drink, dancing, and entertainment that is sure to delight. This night will feature live and silent auctions and a drawing for the $10,000 Super Cash Raffle; The Midland Theatre; 6 p.m. Contact Jennifer Blount: 10631 Wornall Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64114 or 816-729-2960 or ndsion.edu/gala or jblount@ndsion.edu.

5 Rose Brooks Center; Cabaret; Bringing Broadway-caliber entertainment to Kansas City, guests will enjoy a cocktail hour and dinner to follow; cocktail attire; a virtual event option is also available; Loews Kansas City Hotel; 5 p.m. Contact Kerry Schmittling: P.O. Box 320599, Kansas City, Missouri 64132 or 816-605-7112 or rosebrooks.org/cabaret or kerrys@rosebrooks.org.

9 First Call; Gratitude Luncheon; Celebrating those who work tirelessly to reduce the impact of alcohol, drugs, and addiction by recognizing champions in the field. Join us as we recognize those who share First Call’s mission and message; 11:30 a.m. Contact Nikki Thorn: 9091 State Line Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64114 or  816-800-8060 or firstcallkc.org/gratitude or  nthorn@firstcallkc.org.

11 Park University International Center for Music; Stanislav & Friends; A rare opportunity to experience the magnificence of Park University’s award-winning musicians. The event begins with a reception in Brandmeyer Great Hall and then moves to Helzberg Hall for one of the best classical music events in Kansas City. Meet the performers immediately following the performance; Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts; 5 p.m. Contact Lisa  Hickok: 8700 Northwest River Park Drive, Parkville, Missouri 64152 or 816-584-6484 or icm.park.edu or lisa.hickok@park.edu.

13 Newhouse; New Day Breakfast; Join Newhouse for breakfast! Hear a story of strength and resilience from a survivor of domestic violence and learn about Newhouse’s vision for the next chapter of life-changing work; 8 a.m.; free admission. Contact Chris Stibbs: P.O. Box 240019, Kansas City, Missouri 64124 or  816-462-0508 or newhousekc.org/breakfast or chris@newhousekc.org.

18 The Bacchus Foundation; The 2023 Bacchus Ball; Join us for an evening that will truly be written in the stars. Food, drinks, auction, and several yet-to-be-revealed activities as we celebrate Kansas City and raise funds for Bacchus’ 2023 beneficiary, Della Lamb; Union Station Kansas City. Contact Lexie Clark: P.O. Box 7264, Kansas City, Missouri 64113 or 970-310-1144 or bacchuskc.org or lexie@bacchus.org.

21 Starr Women’s Hall of Fame; Starr Women’s Hall of Fame Induction Event; 2023 Class induction program with a guest speaker;  Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts; 4 p.m. Contact Amy  Samaripa: 5115 Oak Street, Suite 300B, Kansas City, Missouri 64112 or  816-235-2452 or umkc.edu/starrhalloffame or umkcstarrhof@umkc.edu.

23 Children’s Miracle Network at KU Medical Center; 2023 Miracles Begin With You;  Celebrating Dr. Steve Lauer and Dennis Curtin’s contributions to exceptional pediatric care in our community; Carriage Club; 6 p.m.; $250. Contact Lexie Clark: 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, MS 4004, Kansas City, Kansas 66160 or 913-588-9100 or lexclark@kumc.edu or cmnkc.org.

18

American Jazz Museum; Believe In: Women in Jazz; In 2023, we are celebrating Women in Jazz Month. The event includes a cocktail reception, auction, and a headline performance by the all-female national supergroup, Artemis; American Jazz Museum; 6 p.m.; $150. Contact Rashida Phillips: 1616 East 18th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64108 or  816-474-8463 or americanjazzmuseum.org or rphillips@kcjazz.org.

OurTown by Charlie Podrebarac

Sneak Peek In The Next Issue

We will celebrate The Top Ten Events of 2022 in the February 18th signature issue.

Publisher • Rachel Lewis Falcon

Associate Publisher • Jenny Owens Hughes

Art Director • Lisa M. Shea

Editor • Nancy Sachse

Historian and Principal Writer Heather N. Paxton

Web Editor • Annie England

Performing Arts Editor • Paul Horsley

Account Executive • Christin Painter

Office Manager • Laura Gabriel

Cartoonist • Charlie Podrebarac

Feature Writers

Jessica James, Anne Potter Russ, Nicole Jacobs Silvey

Our office is located at: 2400 West 75th Street, Suite 120 Prairie Village, KS 66208 • 816.471.2800

The Independent can be purchased at the Oak Park Mall, Town Center Plaza, and Country Club Plaza Barnes & Noble locations.

23 Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri; C3KC 2023; An awardwinning collaborative fundraising event convening stakeholders from the corporate, civic, and community sectors to inspire, educate, and spark change for a better Kansas City. C3KC is recognized as a thought-leader in facilitating conversations impacting the three sectors; Union Station Kansas City; 8 a.m. Contact Celeste Greenlee: 9215 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, Missouri 64114 or 816-444-2112 or jlkc.org/c3kc or cgreenlee@jlkc.org.

25 Cristo Rey Kansas City; Seventeenth Annual Dancing With The Kansas City Stars; A Kansas City favorite! Eight community leaders dance for the benefit of the students of Cristo Rey. This year’s theme is “Red Carpet Extravaganza!” Glam it up and get ready to walk the red carpet; Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center; 6 p.m.; $250. Contact Leslie Gasser: 211 West Linwood Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri 64111 or 816-595-2826 or dancingwiththekansascitystars.org or lgasser@cristoreykc.org.

25 Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey; 2023 Benefit Gala Featuring the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; This year’s Gala performance features the internationally acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for the first time in six years. A dinner celebration at Loews Kansas City Hotel and the best dance party will follow; Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts; 5:30 p.m.; $250. Contact Cathy Jolly: 1714 East 18th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64108 or 816-810-9552 or kcfaa.org/gala or events@kcfaa.org.

25 Lakemary; A Blueprint for Hope; A unique spin on traditional galas, this event promises a fun-filled evening with entertainment and a casual atmosphere. Wear your favorite jeans, boots, and bowties and party for a good cause; Sheraton Overland Park Hotel. Contact Skyler Stevens: 100 Lakemary Drive, Paola, Kansas 66071 or 913-543-3429 or lakemary.org/events/lakemary-gala or skyler.stevens@lakemary.org.

31 Kansas City Repertory Theatre; KCRep Gala 2023; Plan to join Event Chairs Drs. Jessica and Benjamin Stone for this fun and celebratory night. Contact MaryLee Guthrie: 4825 Troost Avenue, Suite 104, Kansas City, Missouri 64110 or 816-235-6107 or kcrep.org/gala or guthrieml@kcrep.org.

APRIL

1 The Children’s Place; Party for The Place; With a delicious dinner, mission-filled program, and exciting auction, this highly anticipated event is culminated by an after-party with music and dancing;  Muehlebach Tower of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. Contact Sara Boatwright-Bland: 6401 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64131 or 816-363-1898 or childrensplacekc.org/events or boatwrights@childrensplacekc.org.

1 Kansas City Jazz Orchestra; Club Twenty Gala; KCJO7, a septet formed by members of our Big Band, and Lindsey Hailes, recording artist and star of the  Hadestown Broadway tour, will entertain guests. The night will have decadence and abundance as guests peruse the silent and live auctions and dine on fine food and specialty drinks; Johnnie’s Jazz Bar & Grille - Power & Light District; 7 p.m. Contact Nina Cherry: 300 East 39th Street, Suite LL1H, Kansas City, Missouri 64111 or  816-225-4949 or kcjo.org or nina@kcjo.org.

1 KC Healthy Kids; Eat Local & Organic Expo; Shop, connect, and learn with local food advocates and KC Food Circle farmers. An annual event held in the spring to kick off farmers’ market season and to promote local and organic farmers, ranchers, and artisans who are vital to our region’s local food system; Johnson County Community College; 9 a.m. Contact Lacy Peterson: 650 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas 66101 or 816-523-5353 or eatlocalexpokc.com or lstephens@kchealthykids.org.

Lyric Opera Circle; The Lyric Opera Ball; “Celebrating the Music of Stephen Sondheim,” one of the most important figures in 21st century musical theater, this black-tie event will be an extraordinary evening where guests will enjoy opulent food, cocktails, and games as we “Send in the Clowns”; Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center; 6 p.m. Contact Juliette Singer: 1725 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64108 or 913-730-8977 or kcopera.org or julsinger@hotmail.com.

1

The on Society CelebratingBlack History Month

An earlystART to learning about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Graduation Self Portraits’ Project

Makayla

Celebration of Us Project

Alexander

Zora

Black History Month Art Project

Mi Yionna