Education Archives – Kansas City Defender

REGISTER NOW: The Kansas City Defender’s first-ever “Young Black Writer’s Social”

By KC Defender Staff & Nasir Montalvo ● Kansas City ● September 7, 2023

The Kansas City Defender believes that youth are integral to Black liberation, and that is why we’re proud to announce our first-ever Young Black Writer’s Social.

Latest in Education

No Books Allowed: Missouri Prisons Ban Loved Ones From Sending Books to People in Prison

By Ryan S. ● Justice ● August 30, 2023

Missouri Prisons have unleashed a new form of cruelty—banning books sent by friends and family to incarcerated individuals. This is more than just a policy, it’s an attack on freedom and human dignity.

The Kansas City Defender Announces New Initiative: Black Student Solidarity Network (BSSN)

By KC Defender Staff & Tabitha Robinson ● Education ● July 10, 2023

The purpose of BSSN is to connect Black and Brown students across statelines, districts, and schools to help build, and to be in, community amidst one another.

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.

SCOTUS Rules Affirmative Action May No Longer Be Used in College Admission–The Breakdown and a Mizzou Student Perspective

By Lauren Winston & Kayla Sydnor ● Education ● July 6, 2023

This ruling disrupts admissions processes that have been used to acknowledge barriers to quality education due to racial discrimination since the 1960s.

“Black Neurodiversity: Breaking Systemic Biases”

By Vaughan Harrison ● Health & Wellness ● June 16, 2023

Understanding the intersectionality of neurodivergence and the Black experience is crucial in recognizing the often ignored challenges faced by Black neurodivergent individuals. Dr. Nora Ekeanya, a distinguished Black author and psychiatrist, highlights these disparities.

The Power of Direct Action: Why Student Protests & Walkouts Are Necessary

By KC Defender Staff ● Justice ● May 18, 2023

The critical importance of direct action in challenging systemic issues, like racism in schools, and the tactics that those in power use to silence dissent. Why we must choose protest over pacification.

55th anniversary of the “Kansas City Race Riots”: An interview with Dr. Anthony LaBat on decolonizing language

By Jade Underwood & Nasir Montalvo ● Kansas City ● April 18, 2023

April memorializes the 55th Anniversary of what is (commonly referred to as) the Kansas City Race Riots that followed the death of Martin Luther King Jr in 1968. The University of Missouri Kansas City’s LaBudde Special Collections has reworked its 1968 Race Riot Collection information to decolonize its language, but is now looking to possibly rename its collection with the community’s help.

MLK DAY HATE CRIME: White Kansas High School Students Write “N*gger,” Draw Swastikas in Vicious Vandalism Act

By Ryan S. ● Justice ● January 17, 2023

Blue Valley High School students write “N*gger,” draw swastikas and homophobic slurs in vicious MLK Day vandalism hate crime.

“Siding With Hate”: Mizzou Rules No Punishment for White Supremacist Student Who Wished Death on “N*ggers”

By Kayla Sydnor & Ryan S. ● Racism Exposed ● January 10, 2023

University of Missouri is under major fire after announcing it will not punish the white student who wished death on “N*ggers” and leads hate groups on campus.