Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

The project to Reconnect the Westside is a city-led initiative focused on restoring connections within the Westside neighborhood addressing historic challenges caused by the construction of I-35 and I-670. The project works in collaboration with the Missouri Department of Transportation and uses a $1 million grant for this Planning and Environmental Linkages Study.

The initiative, Selina and Josh say, prioritizes listening to the community and engaging community members in the planning. The Westside neighborhood was made up of 14,000 residents in the 1940s, when the interstate freeways were initially built; the neighborhood now contains about 3,300 people. The interstate caused the displacement of homes and businesses, while creating a physical barrier with noise and air quality issues.

The project was launched with the bipartisan infrastructure law that acknowledged impacts of interstate development. Josh said the city recognized an opportunity to correct the harm and improve safety and efficiency. With the highways now aging, there will be requirements for state investment – and this project can give the community a voice in those coming investments.

 “This is a very community-driven process, and that’s what it’s intended to be,” said Selina. “This is about the community and making the quality of life better for the West side, connecting the neighborhood.”

In community engagement sessions, the discussions are targeted to explore three broad options: should the interstate highways remain the same, be realigned or removed entirely.

• Remain: What can be done to connect if the highways remain as they are? Consider enhancing and developing viaduct space, ways to connect blocks without street access and open up Penn Valley Park to the West side.
• Realign: Based on idea that I-35 could be realigned to a different location, for example, to the west lots where rail infrastructure is dominant. This option would require federal and state funding and would have significant regional impact.
• Remove or possibly Reroute: Starts with the idea to tear down the interstate, and perhaps provide local access parkways in its place.

Josh and Selina announced the upcoming  community session at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Mattie Rhodes Community Center. They also discussed the separate project examining reconnecting the East side, which will be the subject of a separate discussion on One on One with Swope Health.

Listen to the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/0mxVXwz93F0

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Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

Ms. Bartee explains the role of LINC in the community – a non-profit organization that works with state and local government, businesses, community and civic leaders to improve the lives of children and families in the Kansas City region. She describes her career journey with LINC, starting as a part-time afterschool teacher, then a site coordinator, supervisor, manager, and vice president before taking the top positions.

LINC, she said, is best described as a hub of caring, providing for the needs of the people in the community. The organization provides caring communities for students, emergency food distribution, early childhood support, employment and job training, financial counseling, elder care, home repairs, neighborhood development, community organizing and much more. LINC serves more than 7,000 children a day in free programs.

LINC is most known for its before- and after-school programs, serving seven school districts and 54 schools. “We serve the whole child, whatever it takes for a child to be successful in school – clothes, food, utility assistance,” she said.

“LINC is whatever the community needs,” she said. LINC provided COVID-19 vaccinations and emergency food during the pandemic, while also making home visits, providing computers and internet hotspots to help students with the sudden shift to online learning.  “We pride ourselves on being there for whatever the community needs.”

The pandemic, she said, helped LINC focus on its core mission: serving community, with whatever the need is. The agency distributed $4.5 million in rental and utility assistance during the pandemic.

LINC acts with compassion, she said. “For me, it is helping people become successful and remain successful,” she said. “No matter what we do, there has to be a component on building stability.” Relationships with families are key.

Pending budget cuts from federal and state programs, however, might limit LINC’s ability to expand and serve more of the community. For the first time, LINC has hired a developer to build support with foundations, the city, the county, and individual donors to fill the gaps from federal budget cuts.

What’s missing? “We need to invest in people. We don’t do enough to invest enough in people. We’re not just giving handouts, we are investing in people.”

“So many of our children are suffering,” she said, noting that many children with unstable housing move from school to school. LINC staffers, in distinctive blue shirts are one constant presence in their lives. School programs also address gun violence, conflict resolution, building relationships and character, caring for each other. “We teach them how to be their brother’s keeper, to understand we are responsible for each other,” she said.

Another bright spot in the LINC portfolio is the Palestine Senior Center, 3325 Prospect Ave., where membership has grown from 65 during COVID days to more than 400 now. The activity center provides meals, classes, fitness programs, healthcare and additional resources. Seniors spend time playing dominoes and cards, line dancing, really enjoying themselves while building relationships and community.

Listen to the full conversation to learn more about LINC including its newest programming in athletics, mindful movement, boxing, biking, and much more: https://youtu.be/9SHZGyeTw5c

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Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Ebony describes her childhood in a “family of communicators” and how journalism and communications are an essential part of her. After receiving her degrees in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, she went on to work for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Detroit News, the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal.

She began visiting Kansas City In 2016, with her fiancé Terez A. Paylor, a sports journalist covering the NFL. She moved to Kansas City in 2020.

Ebony described the genesis of the book as a series of conversations with her co-author Louise Story, beginning in the days after the murder of George Floyd. The conversations expanded to the economic crisis of 2008-9 and its impact on Black families. In the course of their discussions, they realized there wasn’t detailed reporting on the economic impact to Black families, explaining the origins of the Black-White wealth gap from slavery, redlining, and economic policies through to the contemporary lives of Black families today.

The book takes its name from the fact that a typical Black family has 15 cents in wealth for every $1 a typical White family has.

Ebony and her co-author have also taught a course at the Yale School of Management on Money and Race, which also addresses income gaps between races and between men and women. Since the book was published in early 2024, Ebony has been traveling the nation holding workshops and giving presentations to help people understand the Black-White wealth gap.

She notes that people tend to greatly underestimate the Black-White wealth gap, and are shocked to learn the truth revealed by the data.

The book is a collection of people’s histories, family trees, and stories as well as data, wrapped in a narrative style.

“The beginning of the Black-White wealth gap is slavery in our country,” she said. “That is people working and not being compensated; then you have hundreds of years of laws and private actions that attacked Black peoples’ ability to create wealth.” She cited examples like the G.I. Bill, which was set up to support all veterans but routinely denied benefits to Black veterans.

Today, the No. 1 driver of the wealth gap in our country is inheritance, she noted. White families frequently can provide gifts to cover downpayments on a home, or college education, or to address obstacles. She adds that bankruptcy policy holds the gap in place – noting Black families are less likely to have debts forgiven than Whites. The discussion touches on many complicated issues surrounding Black wealth, including home ownership, financial literacy, inequitable incomes, and notes the impacts of these issues on Black health and longevity.

In addition to her work as an author and journalist, Ebony serves as the chief strategy officer for The Marshall Project, a national non-profit and nonpartisan news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system. She also serves on the board of United WE. Earlier this year, Ebony appeared with Swope Health CEO Jeron Ravin at a town hall discussing the Black-White wealth gap.

Find the podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MHqNGNi2sKI

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You’re invited to join us for appetizers as we celebrate our collaborations with partners and accomplishments of the past year. There’s also a brief announcement of some of our new projects and initiatives for community health and wellness.

The event is held at the upper-level Event Lawn at the hotel,1515 Wyandotte St., in Kansas City. Please RSVP by Sept. 20 to RSVP@SwopeHealth.org.

We can’t wait to see you!

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This one-day public health service event is for underserved and uninsured adults and provides connections to various services, including dental care, health services, and mental health screenings. There will also be free haircuts, Veteran’s services, vouchers for driver’s licenses and birth certificates, peer recovery coaches, workforce development information, enrollment for Medicaid, food stamps, disability, and unemployment services.

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Eric Wesson, founder and publisher of The Next Page KC, a newspaper focused on the Black community, hosts the show’s conversations with Kansas Citians about issues of importance to the community’s health and wellbeing.

Ramsey, who is also president of Ramsey & Associates Design Inc., is sponsoring an event “Mentor me! I can & I will” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Gem Theater, 1615 E. 18^th St., Kansas City. The event is a call to action for Black men to make a commitment to mentor and support Black boys.

It also is a follow-up to the November 2022 “Black Men Speak: Health, Strength, and Hope” event and special edition magazine. The magazine focused on Black men, reaffirming their value and purpose and encouraging a deeper understanding of their important contributions.

She explained the title as a call and response: “Mentor me” as a request from Black boys, “I can and I will” as the response from Black men. She also noted a dire need for Black males to serve in mentoring roles.

Her goal is to show men that they are needed and convince them they have something to contribute. Ramsey features several boys in the magazine, both who were mentored and who mentor others. “It does make a difference,” she said.

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