Building Community
THE DEFENDER HANDBOOK
Radical Roots
& Social-First
Digital Tactics
03.
Building
Community
The core structures and subcommittees that fuel our community initiatives are Mutual Aid, Political Education, and Arts & Culture. We share why they constitute 50% of our organizational structure and how to build these programs in a sustainable, community-focused way in your newsroom.
Mutual Aid, Arts & Culture and Political Education
Community Survival Programs
The Kansas City Defender’s structure is built around three integral community driven committees: Mutual Aid, Arts & Culture, and Political Education. Each committee is led by our dedicated staff members and organizers who coordinate efforts and ensure alignment with our mission.
While our staff primarily leads these committees, community volunteers also play a vital role.
For example, our Political Education sessions attract numerous community participants who engage in discussions and activities. Additionally, volunteers from the community power our various events such as Community Clean Ups, Grocery Buyouts and Open Mics. This collaborative approach fosters synergy between our Editorial and Community Programs, allowing us to address both informational and material needs within our community.
The Kansas City Defender is first and foremost, a Black-led, Abolitionist organization. When we refer to “Abolition,” we mean a world free from imprisonment, policing, and warfare, that invests in essential, life-affirming resources like food, housing, healthcare, arts, and education. We are not content to merely report on our communities; in the spirit of radical organizations like The Black Panther Party, we are actively involved in shaping the community’s future.
We leverage our platform to catalyze, inspire, and lead community organizing efforts across the Midwest. Our members are Black students, organizers, artists, educators, community members, elders, and more. Our reach goes beyond the digital realm, impacting lives and mobilizing at a grassroots level.
Mutual Aid
Through these actions, we not only address the actual needs of Black people but grow the foundations for power-building, strengthening our relationship with our community.
Free Clothing Program 👕
We provide essential resources to our community members, including new and lightly used clothes. We have various bins at Black businesses and organizations throughout the city that collect donations for redistribution to Black organizations and individuals.
→ Here’s Our How-To Guide on Building Your Own Free Clothing Program
Grocery Buyout Program 🍽️
Directly confronting food scarcity with community-powered support, we utilize our platform to crowdsource funds, then distribute cash directly to Black people while they are shopping at grocery stores in Black neighborhoods.
→ Here’s Our How-To Guide on Building a Free Grocery Program
Arts & Culture
Our Arts & Culture committee is foundational to our mission, embodying the belief that Black joy, creativity and cultural expression can be revolutionary acts.
Through Young Black Writers Socials, Black Creative Workshops, Open Mic Nights, and Hip Hop Concerts, we affirm that culture is a battleground for liberation, as exemplified by the following events:
→ ONO Hip Hop Festival 🎶
“Featuring an all-star lineup, ONO Fest is poised to make some serious waves. From the energy-infused BlackStarKids, fresh off their tour-de-force performances at Madison Square Garden, to street rap legends DWalk and MB58, we’re in for a night of electrifying performances. Grammy-nominated artist Eelmatic, alongside rising talents 4Nickk & Krockbanded, will also take to the stage.”
→ Celebrity Basketball Park Run 🏀
“This weekend, The Defender hosted our first ever major community event. The event resulted in one of the biggest Basketball Park Takeovers in recent Kansas City history. In fact, the event was more reminiscent of a community program by the 1960’s Black Panther Party than an event hosted by a news outlet, and that’s precisely what we were hoping to achieve.”
→ Young Black Writer’s Social ✍🏾
“Are you a Young Black Writer, or do you know one who’s looking to join a vibrant community of like-minded writers in Kansas City? Whether your passion is poetry, prose, or journalism, we want you to be a part of this transformative experience.”
TACTICAL STRATEGIES TO Build Community & Cultural Content
Political Education
The Black Panther, June 7, 1969; November 1, 1969; March 13, 1971. Courtesy of Letterform Archive
We believe that political education is the bedrock of transformative, radical and revolutionary change.
Our political education is not centered around electoral politics and voting; it is, instead, focused on understanding and actively dismantling the systems and structures that uphold race, class and gender oppression.
We delve into lessons from past and present revolutionary movements such as the Black Panther Party, Combahee River Collective, and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, applying their insights to our modern context.
→ KC x RJI Partnership
Support Radical
Black Press
The Kansas City Defender and the Reynolds Journalism Institute are proud to partner in creating a toolkit that will include the rich history of the radical Black press, its vital contributions to the future of the field, and a template for a media landscape that genuinely caters to the needs of our communities.
