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Wednesday, December 11, 2024
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KC Star Apologized For Their Racist Past, Now Here Is What’s Next. (Mike Fannin Full Interview)

KANSAS CITY STAR PARTNERS WITH BLACK KC PUBLISHER TO LAUNCH FIRST BLACK-OWNED BUSINESS AND LIFESTYLE MEGA SECTION

“…we propose doing something huge, undeniable, something which will directly impact the livelihoods of Black Kansas City, and harness the power of The KC Star for the betterment of black-owned Kansas City businesses.  A New Section; not just social and editorial content, but a true-economic investment.” –Kareem Jackson,

KA&CO International Business Development Firm, Founder & CEO, VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Executive Publisher of Black Kansas City Magazine, former KC Black Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur-of-the-Year, Kansas City Resolution Recipient, and Ingram’s Magazine Masterpiece Award-Winner.

KC Star Apologized For Their Racist Past, Now Here Is What’s Next. (Mike Fannin Full Interview): 

https://blackkansascitymag.com/kc-star-apologized-for-their-racist-past-now-here-is-whats-next-mike-fannin-full-interview

This first-of-its-kind black-owned business and lifestyle section will debut in a special Sunday Edition of the all-new Kansas City Star Newspaper, and it’s digital/online forums as well.  Slated to be more than 6-pages, and showcasing more than 500 black-owned Kansas City businesses, and their allies.  Launching before Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the 2021 Holiday Shopping Season, to not only right past wrongs, but also to directly boost the black Kansas City business community, and aid in their bounce-back efforts, just in time for the holidays.

The Kansas City Star newspaper has for 141 years been a driving force in shaping Kansas City and the region as a whole through news reporting and coverage of events. But their past is inundated with biased news coverage, omission, and deprivation when it comes to events involving Blacks in Kansas City.

The Kansas City Star, like so many other KC-based businesses, has subsequently missed the support and economic power of nearly a third of the city’s fastest-growing, most lucrative, and largely untapped populations, the black community. 

With over $1.4 Trillion USD collectively in US Annual Buying Power; despite racism, redlining, and discrimination, the black community has grown tremendously since the Jim Crow era. 

Black America alone, ranks in the top 12 global markets, beating out most countries around the world, such as Poland, Australia, Canada, Spain, The Philippines; and soon is expected to top South Korea, Mexico, and Italy. 

Additionally, the black Missouri market at large ranks 20th nationwide.  Black America, is expected to reach nearly $2 Trillion USD by 2024.     

The Kansas City Star, after self-introspection, has come out to offer their apology for how,

“…it disenfranchised, ignored and scorned generations of Black Kansascitians.” -KC STAR

Mike Fannin, President, and Editor wrote in a six-part series:

“Reporters felt regret that the papers’ historic coverage not only did a disservice to Black Kansascitians but also to white readers deprived of the opportunity to understand the true richness Black Citizens brought to Kansas City.”

A case in point was when Native son Charlie “Bird” Parker did not get a significant headline in the newspapers’ coverage and even when there was mention of his name it was spelled incorrectly and his age was inaccurate. 

On the other hand, J.C. Nichols (The Country Club Plaza, a segregated KC real estate development) got lots of advertisements promoting segregated communities in the Star and Times papers. He had the strong backing of his protégé, Star founder, William Rockhill Nelson.

These events went on unabated until Thomas A. Webster wrote to the Editor saying, “No longer are blacks and news about them deliberately ignored or purposely slanted. No more is the reading public as abysmally unaware or as uninformed about black citizens as in the past.” This had struck a nerve and Blacks were finally fed up.

Accountability is the first step and as Martin Luther King Jr. said in Atlanta, “the time is always right to do what is right.”

To promote inclusion and diversity there has been an editorial focus on race and equity issues in the Star paper. Stories on “streets named after slaveholders”, “monuments to the Confederacy” and a renewed awareness of J.C. Nichols, a Kansas City icon who “stood for hatred” are contributing to the diversity and inclusion discussions.

Following the steps in righting their wrongs, The Kansas City Star paper is walking the talk and partnering with the award-winning publishers of Black Kansas city magazine, formerly Minority Success (www.blackkansascitymag.com) in a groundbreaking first in history event.

Black Kansas City Magazine, originally launched in 2003 is the first free, in-print, online, and digital format lifestyle magazine and business development group. The magazine, led by Kareem Jackson, captures the essence of the true Black KC lifestyle and promotes the success of Black KC globally. It also supports and provides a guide for consumers, artists, investors, and entrepreneurs of black-owned businesses and allies.

Black Kansas City Magazine, formerly known as Minority Success, has received a Mayoral Resolution, been featured in Ingram’s Magazine, receiving their acclaimed Masterpiece Award, boasts the highest black engagement, and readership citywide by people looking for inspiration and everything Black KC lifestyle.

In addition, it is the largest and most-inclusive local black publication in the city, showcasing over 1,000 black-owned KC businesses, and their allies. From the small business enterprise, artists to the icons and the Black elite.

And in the spirit of the long-term partnership, we look forward to working together to fade away the hard vestiges of Kansas City Star papers’ sordid past.

Kindly follow the link for further information on our partnership:

or visit Kareem Jackson ON THE SET on YouTube.

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