Kansas City Seems To Be Having a Year of Racism Awareness

I just keep getting more surprised about racism in Kansas City. Certainly not that it's here but that we keep getting revelations about it all here in town. For a first example, there was, of course, this.

Kansas City Star apologizes for decades of racist coverage

That was a nearly earth shaking evaluation right there, totally unforeseen.

Then, after that, our own Nelson-Atkins Museum announced, because of the Star's public self-evaluation, they might well do the same thing. That is, they were certainly self-evaluating but might--GASP--CHANGE THEIR NAME??

Might a name change be in store for Nelson-Atkins museum

The Nelson-Atkins Museum to consider removing Nelson's name

Keeping in mind, of course, the city of Kansas City, Missouri took the name of very famous and very racist JC Nichols off the fountain on the Country Club Plaza he created, in Mill Creek Park. That was surprising and refreshing enough, eh?

And now, today, there is this from our Kansas City Star.

I was a Black fire captain for KCFD. Racism there is real, and it risks public safety

The man, the now former Captain makes what are to me stunning claims. It's not just that there's racism in the organization, the Kansas City Fire Department. It goes far worse than that. He says Black firefighters don’t get training on the equipment needed to keep Kansas City safe. It's a fascinating, even, I would say, important article to read as it gives some history in the city of the systemic racism there. What concerns me is that not enough citizens of the city, especially white people, will read--and absorb--the entire article.

Again, it's just stunning to the point of outrageous. These men and women are there to protect us all from fire and fires and he's saying they aren't as fully, completely trained as the white firefighters? In the same jobs? That's nearly unbelievable, at least to those of us on the outside of the organization. It's unforgivable.

So we're still learning about ourselves, Kansas City.

Can we handle it?

More to the point, can we change?

And soon as possible?

Additional links:

I was surprised but pleased of fellow citizen Steve Kraske for so singularly and publicly taking on a big load of the racism in the city a few years ago, when he lead the charge, nearly singlehandedly, to get the JC Nichols Fountain renamed.

Steve Kraske: Kansas City should confront racist past

Steve Kraske: I’m still talking about J.C. Nichols, racism