Fleeing the turmoil of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, many immigrants headed north to seek employment in the booming railroad and meatpacking industries with job opportunities in the Midwest. Such prospects brought Hispanic families to Kansas City, primarily settling on the West Side of the city near the industrial hub of that time.
Jobs building the city’s infrastructure provided steady wages, and the Westside offers a convenient and affordable housing enclave.
Maria Chaurand, co-owner of her...

Content warning: This story discusses specifics around subject matters which may be difficult for some readers, delving into issues of mental health, trauma therapies, and suicide. If you or someone you know is facing challenges in this area, a list of resources can be found here. For those in crisis, seek help through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988.
Every year, nearly 13 million adults suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with U.S. veterans up to three time...

On the south banks of the Missouri River in Wyandotte County lie the Quindaro Ruins, crumbling remnants of the once thriving abolitionist townsite and key stop along the Underground Railroad.
Founded by abolitionists in 1850 during Bleeding Kansas, Quindaro would operate the only port on its stretch of the Missouri not controlled by Southern sympathizers.
Though the boom town only lasted for six years, it would house and protect many freedom seekers on their way north to states such as Nebraska...

On their next stop in their 6-month global tour, The Beths will add their honest, emotionally intelligent power-pop spin to Boulevardia’s music lineup Friday night.
Following the release of their third studio album, Expert in A Dying Field, this will be the band’s first time back in Kansas City since their 2019 show at recordBar. Released in September, the 12-track album was highly anticipated following the success of their first two albums, Future Me Hates Me (2018) and Jump Rope Gazers (2020)....

“I think that until we have a comprehensive understanding of the capacity of the atrocities and the systems that still exist to subjugate black people, we can’t make any meaningful attempt to repair or heal,” says Kansas City Defender editor and founder Ryan Sorrell.
Sorrell is one of 13 appointees selected by Mayor Quinton Lucas to serve on the Mayor’s Commission on Reparations. To Sorrell, enacting reparations is just the first step toward amending the city’s sanctioning of slavery and other f...