Ryan S.

Williams Nwaneri Makes History As Kansas City Metro’s First #1 Ranked HS Football Player In The Country

By Ryan S. ● Sports ● July 12, 2023

In a first for Kansas City Metro sports, Lee’s Summit North’s Williams Nwaneri commands the national stage, earning the prestigious title of the country’s #1 high school football recruit. Witness the trajectory of this young star as he carves his legacy into Kansas City’s sports history.

After Decades, Kansas City Finally to Remove Downtown Statue Honoring Slave-Owner & Genocidal Settler, Andrew Jackson

By Ryan S. ● Kansas City ● July 11, 2023

In a monumental stride towards progress, Jackson County has voted to remove two statues which honor infamous slave-owner and fierce advocate of the genocidal Indian Removal Act, Andrew Jackson.

Missouri Republicans Plan to Eliminate College Scholarships for Black Students After Supreme Court Ruling

By Ryan S. ● Education ● July 10, 2023

In an unprecedented attack on Black & minority students, Republicans plan to decimate all educational opportunities that helped reduce systemic racism.

Kansas City’s Autumn Black Wins Miss Missouri USA 2023 Crown

By Ryan S. ● Arts & Culture ● July 3, 2023

Meet Autumn Black, Kansas City’s recently crowned Miss Missouri USA 2023. As Black prepares to head to Nevada for National Miss USA, she hopes to inspire Black girls and uplift others on her path.

Black People Are Flooding to Black-Owned Social App “Spill” as Twitter Continues Self-Destruction

By Ryan S. ● Internet & Culture ● July 2, 2023

A massive surge of Twitter users is flocking to Spill, the #1 trending Black-owned social app founded by two ex-Twitter managers.

KC Toyota Office Under Major Fire After Serving Only Watermelon on Juneteenth, Even After Employees Said It Wasn’t A Good Idea

By Ryan S. & Vaughan Harrison ● Racism Exposed ● June 27, 2023

According to a Toyota Parts Distribution Center employee, the Juneteenth event planning fell under the responsibility of the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) committee, consisting entirely of white men.

A Statement from The Defender on the Fascist Political Repression of Stop Cop City Organizers

By Ryan S. & Nasir Montalvo ● National ● May 31, 2023

We condemn the fascist attack on Atlanta Solidarity Fund members; and call to immediately release ATL comrades fighting against Cop City.

Race, Science, and the Carceral State: An Interview with Dr. Brandon Ogbunu

By Ryan S. ● Podcasts ● May 3, 2023

Dr. Brandon Ogbunu, a Yale professor and world-leading computational biologist, delves into the intersection of race, science, and the carceral state in the latest episode of The Kansas City Defender Podcast, while discussing his groundbreaking new paper on the racial impacts of COVID-19 on the criminal legal system.

North Lawn Tenants Secure Historic Victory After Being Threatened To Pay Double Rent or Face Eviction

By Ryan S. ● Housing ● May 1, 2023

After months of organizing, immigrant and refugee families in the Historic Northeast neighborhood of Kansas City have won a historic victory against mass eviction.

The Death of Objectivity & How Solidarity Journalism is Taking Its Place

By Ryan S. ● Podcasts ● March 10, 2023

A riveting interview with Dr. Anita Varma challenges the notion of journalistic objectivity and provides a new framework rooted in traditions like the Black, ethnic press and labor press.

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