Preserving Our Past: Kansas City Stories of Black History

During her time as a reporter for Flatland, Catherine Hoffman has worked to share the rich legacy of Black history in Kansas City by uncovering some of its most compelling stories.

In a new special, compiled in honor of Black History Month, a selection of the Emmy Award-winning reporter’s stories of Black excellence, sacrifice and discrimination are brought to life on Kansas City PBS.

Featuring five topics and their historical impact on Kansas City, “Preserving Our Past: Kansas City Stories of Black History” focuses on the remembrance of Black history, contributions and culture. It premieres at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, on KCPBS.

Through her research, Hoffman uncovered a racial divide in the practice of midwifery that left practitioners and mothers of color behind. She revisited the lynching of Levi Harrington in Kansas City, and the work of local organizations to shed light on past injustices. She recounted the legacy of two women from Merriam, Kansas, who worked tirelessly to fight to integrate South Park Elementary. She highlighted a local project focused on a systematic review of Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American and Jewish American soldiers who fought in World War I and were denied a Medal of Honor because of their race or religion. She also spoke with local leaders to understand the role and influence of the Black Church on the communities it serves.  

These legacies — remembered in living rooms, local museums and places of worship — have long gone unsung, uncelebrated or unexamined. In 2022, they bring new relevance and context to Kansas City’s history.

In recent days, Hoffman has discussed the documentary on KCUR 89.3’s “Up to Date” program with Steve Kraske, in a virtual chat moderated by the host of the KCPBS “Flatland” show, D. Rashaan Gilmore, and during a conversation with 90.9 The Bridge’s morning host, Bryan Truta.

Catherine Hoffman covers community affairs and culture for Kansas City PBS in cooperation with Report for America. The work of our Report for America corps members is made possible, in part, through the generous support of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

More on Flatland

Birthing Battle | Labor Pains Infant and maternity mortality rates in the Kansas City area keep climbing. This hit close to home for Izula Jade

Local Lynching Memorial Perseveres Despite Backlash The Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City is collaborating with the Equal Justice Initiative to collect jars of soil from the site of every lynching in Missouri.

Meet Two Kansas Women Who Helped Integrate South Park Elementary School Recalling a landmark Johnson County school integration case that came before Brown v. Board of Education.

Honoring Minority Veterans, A Century Later A task force at Park University is conducting a systematic review of World War I to find minority soldiers who might have been denied a Medal of Honor due to discrimination against their race or religion.

Local Leaders Weigh in on the Role of the Black Church in Social Change Kansas City area clergy discuss the role of Black churches in leading social change. “The Black Church” premieres Feb. 16, 2021 on Kansas City PBS.

curiousKC | Resurrecting Rattlebone Hollow The curiousKC team explores the forgotten history of a Kansas City, Kansas, neighborhood that produced a famous boxer, at least two millionaires, and a man who barely missed becoming the first Black astronaut.