Arts & Culture

Keyon Monté’s Second Born Brings Marvel’s Dominique Thorne and Broadway’s Mister Fitzgerald to Kansas City

Keyon Monté brings his New York-premiered play Second Born, starring Dominique Thorne and Mister Fitzgerald, to Kansas City. Twenty seats a night, Oct. 22 to 29.

Latest in Arts & Culture
KC’s Biggest Juneteenth Cookout Returns, Hosted by KC Defender and Decarcerate KC

On June 19, the Defender and Decarcerate KC fill the field with Black vendors, good music, and family reunion energy, free and open to the whole city.

91 Years, 19 Grammys: The World’s Greatest Black Orchestra Comes Home to Kansas City

One of the greatest Black orchestras in American history returns to the city that birthed it Thursday night, on the eve of International Jazz Day. KC's own Lonnie McFadden, Deborah Brown, and Charlton Johnson take the stage with them. The kind of show people will tell their grandchildren they were at.

Abolitionist Architecture: How Black Designers Are Building a Liberatory Future

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

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

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.

Where Creativity Meets Community: Inside DISTRKCT, Kansas City’s New Black-Owned Content Hub

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

One of America’s Most Acclaimed Black Dance Companies Brings Zora Neale Hurston’s Revolutionary Vision to Kansas City Next Friday

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.

BLK + BRWN Bookstore Celebrates 4 Years with Juneteenth Block Party

Local bookstore BLK + BRWN hosted their annual Juneteenth Block Party to commemorate the bookstore turning four years old.

KC Defender Launches Black Economic Justice Desk & Names Tiffany Watts As Lead Reporter

We’re thrilled to welcome Tiffany Watts as our first-ever full-time reporter. In her inaugural piece as Lead Reporter for Black Economic Justice, Food & Culture, Tiffany investigates the forces threatening Black economic survival—and just as powerfully, celebrates the brilliance of Black chefs, salon owners, growers, and organizers reimagining what a liberated economy looks like in our city.

The Defender’s Guide to Black History Month

Community support is the lifeblood to the sustainability & growth of our urgent work among Black youth. Will you help us by becoming a Defender?

Your new monthly donation goes 24x further right now