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portrait of man standing

Henry V. Plummer

Henry Vinton Plummer settled in Kansas City later in life, where he became a respected pastor known for speaking out against racism and supporting Black rights. Plummer was born into slavery in Maryland on July 30, 1844. When he was 18, during the height of the Civil War, he escaped and joined the U.S. Navy. After the war, Plummer married Julia Lomax, and in 1872, enrolled at Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C. After graduating, he served as pastor at St. Paul Baptist Church in Bladensburg, Maryland, and later at Mount Carmel Church in Washington, D.C.

Ida M. Bowman Becks

Ida M. Bowman Becks

As a renowned lecturer, clubwoman, and suffragist, Ida Bowman Becks led the local African American community in the pursuit of equality.

Mary Groves Bland

Mary Groves Bland

For more than two decades in the Missouri State Legislature as a Democratic representative, Mary Groves Bland was an advocate for the rights of minorities and a champion of equality and social justice.

Lucile H. Bluford

Lucile H. Bluford

Bluford served as editor of The Kansas City Call for nearly 50 years and played an important role in the major civil rights battles of the 20th century.

Alvin Brooks

Alvin Brooks: Dismantling the American Racist System

A while back, while I was searching for material for the memoir I was preparing, I ran across an article I had written for The Kansas City Call, the Black weekly newspaper, at the request of the late Miss Lucile Bluford, managing editor.

Minnie Lee Crosthwaite

Minnie Lee Crosthwaite

Crosthwaite was one of the first African American social workers in Kansas City and spent decades working to improve health care for the local Black community.

Phillip B. Curls Sr.

Phillip B. Curls Sr.

Longtime Missouri legislator and political activist Phil Curls Sr. worked tirelessly to bring positive change to the lives of his Black constituents.

Fletcher Daniels

Fletcher David Daniels

Fletcher Daniels led a distinguished life of public service as a postal worker, civil rights leader, school board member, and legislator.

Eugene E. Eubanks sitting at a desk with papers

Eugene E. Eubanks

Educator Eugene Eubanks championed equal opportunities for Black students and fought to desegregate Kansas City, Missouri, public schools. Raised in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Eubanks showed an early interest in and aptitude for mathematics.

NEW!

portrait of man standing

Henry V. Plummer

Henry Vinton Plummer settled in Kansas City later in life, where he became a respected pastor known for speaking out against racism and supporting Black rights. Plummer was born into slavery in Maryland on July 30, 1844. When he was 18, during the height of the Civil War, he escaped and joined the U.S. Navy. After the war, Plummer married Julia Lomax, and in 1872, enrolled at Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C. After graduating, he served as pastor at St. Paul Baptist Church in Bladensburg, Maryland, and later at Mount Carmel Church in Washington, D.C.

Ida M. Bowman Becks

Ida M. Bowman Becks

As a renowned lecturer, clubwoman, and suffragist, Ida Bowman Becks led the local African American community in the pursuit of equality.

Mary Groves Bland

Mary Groves Bland

For more than two decades in the Missouri State Legislature as a Democratic representative, Mary Groves Bland was an advocate for the rights of minorities and a champion of equality and social justice.

Lucile H. Bluford

Lucile H. Bluford

Bluford served as editor of The Kansas City Call for nearly 50 years and played an important role in the major civil rights battles of the 20th century.

Alvin Brooks

Alvin Brooks: Dismantling the American Racist System

A while back, while I was searching for material for the memoir I was preparing, I ran across an article I had written for The Kansas City Call, the Black weekly newspaper, at the request of the late Miss Lucile Bluford, managing editor.

Minnie Lee Crosthwaite

Minnie Lee Crosthwaite

Crosthwaite was one of the first African American social workers in Kansas City and spent decades working to improve health care for the local Black community.

Phillip B. Curls Sr.

Phillip B. Curls Sr.

Longtime Missouri legislator and political activist Phil Curls Sr. worked tirelessly to bring positive change to the lives of his Black constituents.

Fletcher Daniels

Fletcher David Daniels

Fletcher Daniels led a distinguished life of public service as a postal worker, civil rights leader, school board member, and legislator.

Eugene E. Eubanks sitting at a desk with papers

Eugene E. Eubanks

Educator Eugene Eubanks championed equal opportunities for Black students and fought to desegregate Kansas City, Missouri, public schools. Raised in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Eubanks showed an early interest in and aptitude for mathematics.

Lloyd Gaines

Lloyd Gaines

Sixteen years before the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education ended legal segregation in schools, Lloyd Gaines fought a court battle to attend the University of Missouri.

Portrait of Julia H. Hill

Julia H. Hill

Dr. Julia Hill was a civil rights advocate dedicated to advancing educational equity and social justice. Though Hill spent most of her life in Kansas City, she periodically departed to pursue educational opportunities.

Harold L. Holliday Sr.

Harold L. Holliday Sr.

Harold Holliday Sr. was a lawyer and legislator who devoted his career to civil rights activism. Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1918, he moved with his family two years later to Kansas City and lived there most of his life.

Daniel Arthur Holmes

Daniel Arthur Holmes

Holmes was the pastor at Paseo Baptist Church for 46 years and used his role in the community to advocate for better conditions for local African Americans.

Herman & Dorothy Johnson

Herman & Dorothy Johnson

Herman and Dorothy Johnson achieved success in numerous endeavors while contributing to institutions and causes that strengthened the social and economic interests of the African American community.

NEW!

portrait of man standing

Henry V. Plummer

Henry Vinton Plummer settled in Kansas City later in life, where he became a respected pastor known for speaking out against racism and supporting Black rights. Plummer was born into slavery in Maryland on July 30, 1844. When he was 18, during the height of the Civil War, he escaped and joined the U.S. Navy. After the war, Plummer married Julia Lomax, and in 1872, enrolled at Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C. After graduating, he served as pastor at St. Paul Baptist Church in Bladensburg, Maryland, and later at Mount Carmel Church in Washington, D.C.

Ida M. Bowman Becks

Ida M. Bowman Becks

As a renowned lecturer, clubwoman, and suffragist, Ida Bowman Becks led the local African American community in the pursuit of equality.

Mary Groves Bland

Mary Groves Bland

For more than two decades in the Missouri State Legislature as a Democratic representative, Mary Groves Bland was an advocate for the rights of minorities and a champion of equality and social justice.

Lucile H. Bluford

Lucile H. Bluford

Bluford served as editor of The Kansas City Call for nearly 50 years and played an important role in the major civil rights battles of the 20th century.

Alvin Brooks

Alvin Brooks: Dismantling the American Racist System

A while back, while I was searching for material for the memoir I was preparing, I ran across an article I had written for The Kansas City Call, the Black weekly newspaper, at the request of the late Miss Lucile Bluford, managing editor.

Minnie Lee Crosthwaite

Minnie Lee Crosthwaite

Crosthwaite was one of the first African American social workers in Kansas City and spent decades working to improve health care for the local Black community.

Phillip B. Curls Sr.

Phillip B. Curls Sr.

Longtime Missouri legislator and political activist Phil Curls Sr. worked tirelessly to bring positive change to the lives of his Black constituents.

Fletcher Daniels

Fletcher David Daniels

Fletcher Daniels led a distinguished life of public service as a postal worker, civil rights leader, school board member, and legislator.

Eugene E. Eubanks sitting at a desk with papers

Eugene E. Eubanks

Educator Eugene Eubanks championed equal opportunities for Black students and fought to desegregate Kansas City, Missouri, public schools. Raised in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Eubanks showed an early interest in and aptitude for mathematics.

Lloyd Gaines

Lloyd Gaines

Sixteen years before the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education ended legal segregation in schools, Lloyd Gaines fought a court battle to attend the University of Missouri.

Portrait of Julia H. Hill

Julia H. Hill

Dr. Julia Hill was a civil rights advocate dedicated to advancing educational equity and social justice. Though Hill spent most of her life in Kansas City, she periodically departed to pursue educational opportunities.

Harold L. Holliday Sr.

Harold L. Holliday Sr.

Harold Holliday Sr. was a lawyer and legislator who devoted his career to civil rights activism. Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1918, he moved with his family two years later to Kansas City and lived there most of his life.

Daniel Arthur Holmes

Daniel Arthur Holmes

Holmes was the pastor at Paseo Baptist Church for 46 years and used his role in the community to advocate for better conditions for local African Americans.

Herman & Dorothy Johnson

Herman & Dorothy Johnson

Herman and Dorothy Johnson achieved success in numerous endeavors while contributing to institutions and causes that strengthened the social and economic interests of the African American community.

Leon Jordan & Orchid Jordan

Leon Jordan & Orchid Jordan

The Jordans worked throughout their careers to expand the influence of African American voters and to increase the number of Black candidates for political office.

Gertrude Keith

Gertrude Keith

Gertrude Keith worked for many years to ensure that Kansas City’s disadvantaged residents had access to safe and affordable housing.

Florynce R. Kennedy

Florynce R. Kennedy

Florynce Rae Kennedy was a civil rights attorney and feminist activist. Her controversial tactics and provocative tone drew criticism but also helped publicize national debates on abortion, racism in the media, women’s equality, and consumer protection.

Rosemary Smith Lowe

Rosemary Smith Lowe

Rosemary Smith Lowe broke color barriers in a segregated city, forged Black political power, raised up neighborhoods and, even in her 70s, stood as a fulcrum of peace between police and angry youths.