What began as a federal RICO lawsuit has become one of Kansas City’s most explosive legal sagas. Now, Holy Brunch’s owner is blaming Black media for his closure and screenshotting a Black woman reporter in an expletive-laden Facebook diatribe. But court transcripts expose what he knew all along.

The newly appointed president of the National Organization of Minority Architects, Bryan C. Lee Jr., sits down with The KC Defender’s Executive Editor Ryan Sorrell to discuss why, in an age of fascism, building a blueprint for liberation means reclaiming the spaces where Black life can flourish

Federal judge allows civil rights conspiracy case to expand after a local Black entrepreneur’s motion sufficiently alleged evidence of “common discriminatory purpose” to exclude Black business owners from Kansas City’s historic entertainment district. At the center: allegations of a weaponized “Good Neighbor Agreement,” brazen threats captured on tape, and a music ban targeting chart-topping Black artists.

This 7,000-square-foot space on Agnes Ave. offers artists, podcasters, and entrepreneurs the access, equipment, and support they’ve long been missing.

Multi Award-winning, Black-led Collage Dance Collective brings Zora Neale Hurston’s revolutionary vision to Kansas City. A neoclassical ballet and contemporary dance piece exploring Black freedom and self-determination. November 14 at the Midwest Trust Center.