Author

JT

JT is a Senior Cultural Strategist and Content Producer at The Kansas City Defender. He has produced much of the organization’s most prolific cultural content and continues to lead editorial strategy, particularly targeting Gen Z. JT’s expertise in connecting with young audiences is informed by his career as a Hip Hop musician and spending years studying the wide-ranging and highly influential culture. He also led the organizing for The Defender’s historic Basketball Park Takeover.

Formerly, he was Co-Founder of Black-led Abolitionist organization Black Rainbow, and was also on the front lines of Kansas City’s 2020 uprisings.

JT's Latest Articles

The front of Holy Bruch, where Euphoric Bar & Lounge was slated to be.

Federal RICO Case Alleges an All-White Board Runs Westport Nightlife Like a Racist Cartel

By JT ● Black Business ● November 17, 2025

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.

Racism or Something Else? Why People Call to Shut Down 18th & Vine But Not Westport Following Shootings

By JT ● Kansas City ● July 12, 2022

Community members are discussing the difference in response when shootings takes place in white KC establishments (Westport) vs. Black-owned establishments like 18th & Vine.