Kansas City Star Apologizes For Their Racism…But, Now What?
What Are Our Demands? Let me explain…
Open Letter From Black Kansas City Magazine
First and foremost, we want to say, “Thank you”, to Mará Rose Williams, a 22-year veteran at The Kansas City Star. For if not for her bold, honest, and unapologetic covered of that initial BLM protest, and for having the courage to speak out against false and misleading narratives of the event, we would never have received vindication from The Star for their historic racism, disregard, and lack of inclusion.
“What I started to find just kind of sickened me…” – Mará Rose Williams
We all lived the degradation, we experienced the exclusion, Jim Crow-style coverage, we dealt with the fact that The Star never accepted that black media, was part of Kansas City, and we were equals.
We’ve been bombarded with their fake, and racist news, for our entire lives. We were victims of their pounces when a hint of potentially negative, condemning, and even false news of blacks in Kansas City, could sell terror, and fuel white fear.
“Today we are telling the story of a powerful local business that has done wrong.
For 140 years, it has been one of the most influential forces in shaping Kansas City and the region. And yet for much of its early history — through sins of both commission and omission — it disenfranchised, ignored and scorned generations of Black Kansas Citians. It reinforced Jim Crow laws and redlining. Decade after early decade it robbed an entire community of opportunity, dignity, justice and recognition.
That business is The Kansas City Star.” – Mike Fannin, Editor, The Kansas City Star
See here for yourself:
KC Star editor apologizes for poor coverage of Black news | The Kansas City Star
What will The Kansas City Star do, to right the wrongs, which they did to those of us from Kansas City who were the victims of their racist culture?
From exclusion, and false representation of black folks, to actually blocking the printing of black-owned publications, we want to know, “What are your plans for fixing the wrongs which you have inflicted on us all?” –Kareem Jackson
“A lot of times people don’t even acknowledge all of the horror that they have brought against the community. I think that is the first step, saying, ‘We got this wrong, now how are we going to fix it.” -Stacy Shaw, (Kansas City) Attorney, Activist, KC Star Advisory Group Member.
Not to mention, the redlining of advertising dollars: the limited, and ‘no Negros allowed’ type of advertising tactics they used; which kept black-owned businesses out of opportunities to simply promote their businesses, and feed their families.
“…the depth of The Star’s racist coverage was appalling — coverage that helped cement inequalities that continue to plague the city…(the paper’s founder), William Rockhill Nelson, mentoring and supporting J.C. Nichols, -a developer who used racial restrictions to create neighborhoods that were all white, and remain overwhelmingly white to this day.” – Mike Fannin (interview)
We have economic losses, actual CASH OUT OF Pocket. As well as, but not limited to, many who lost their businesses, and subsequently their livelihoods -forced to go work for “The Star” in some cases.
“Now will it lead to grants so I can keep the doors open?” he asked. “That’s a series right there of how financially difficult it is for Black media to even exist.” – Eric Wesson, the managing editor and publisher of The Call, a Black-owned weekly newspaper started in 1919
Thank you for the apology KC STAR. It’s about time. That being said, what about your plans to compensate, positively promote, showcase, empower, and lift up those you use to stomp out?
We’ll continue to wait…
Kareem Jackson,
US Executive Publisher, Minority Success, Black Kansas City Magazine, CEO & Founder, KA&CO America LLC, OUTZED.US
