Black History .

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Box Office Home Run: The KC Premiere of ’42′

Hollywood megastars and baseball superstars walked the red carpet in Kansas City for the premiere of "42," the new Jackie Robinson movie. Randy Mason was on deck to catch the action.

Last Friday, the new movie 42, about Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier, opened in theatres nationwide. But the night before, Kansas City got a special preview at the Barrywoods AMC Theatre to raise funds for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. They rolled out the red carpet, and Randy Mason was on hand to see who came down it and why.

Wide shot of press gathering at the red carpet event for the movie 42

By the way, the 42 premiere raised some $200,000 for the museum, which also has another interesting project going right now. They have teamed with the UMKC Theatre Department to produce a new play about Satchel Paige and other Negro Leagues players.

It has some jazz in it too. The play is called Kansas City Swing and it will run at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center on the UMKC campus from April 19-28, with a special reception in the lobby before the show on April 25.

Playbill for UMKC production of Kansas City Swing

You can see some photos from the red carpet event at The Local Show Facebook page. Be sure to “like” us for updates on what to look for in upcoming episodes.

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Progress in Perspective: Oral History of Lynchings and Forgiveness

Rev. Angela Sims from the St. Paul School of Theology has begun capturing eye witness accounts of a dark chapter in American history. This segment from Religion and Ethics Newsweekly explores her motivation and discoveries.

In a week in which we mark the Martin Luther King Day holiday, we are reminded that, despite great strides in racial equality, there are still Kansas Citians who remember vividly a shameful chapter in American history including a time when lynchings were a commonplace occurrence in America.

Before the generation of people who remember such atrocities dies off, a Kansas City scholar is trying to record eye-witness accounts and what she’s finding is not just graphic photos and consuming hate, but the ability of some of those most affected to forgive.

The PBS series Religion and Ethics Newsweekly recently came to Kansas City to report on that work. Bob Faw filed that report for the PBS series Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, which runs Sunday afternoons at 1:30 on KCPT.

Leafless tree and blue sky with Religion and Ethics Newsweekly logo in corner

WARNING: This report contains some disturbing images. Viewer discretion is advised.

Watch Lynching and Forgiveness on PBS. See more from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

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Black History Month: Freedom Seekers

It’s Black History Month and local filmmaker Gary Jenkins has just released a new documentary, Freedom Seekers, that tells the story of Missouri slaves escaping to freedom through the Underground Railroad.

It’s Black History Month and local filmmaker Gary Jenkins has just released a new documentary that tells the story of Missouri slaves escaping to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Freedom Seekers premieres at the Plaza branch of the Kansas City Library on Wednesday February 15th at 6:30 p.m.  followed by a panel  discussion featuring local historians and Jimmy Johnson III whose great grandfather escaped a Platte County slave farm.


A series of posters that tell the story of black leaders from a local perspective are available to you for free. From Baseball legend Satchel paige and NAACP leader Roy Wilkins to  jazz musicians Mary Lou Williams  and Speedy Huggins.

These would be perfect for schools, community centers, or any group settings. They are free and are being made available by LINC, the Local Investment Commission who is partnering on these for black history month with the The Kansas City Public Library and The Black Archives of Mid-America, with contributions from the The Kansas City Star.

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Freedom Riders: American Experience

A courageous band of young civil-rights activists who journeyed through the Deep South in 1961. Watch Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 7pm.

In 1961, segregation seemed to have an overwhelming grip on American society. Many states violently enforced the policy, while the federal government, under the Kennedy administration, remained indifferent, preoccupied with matters abroad. That is, until an integrated band of college students — many of whom were the first in their families to attend a university — decided, en masse, to risk everything and buy a ticket on a Greyhound bus bound for the Deep South. They called themselves the Freedom Riders, and they managed to bring the president and the entire American public face-to-face with the challenge of correcting civil-rights inequities that plagued the nation.

Freedom Riders: American Experience
Watch Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 7pm.

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