This is a bold and necessary series and a bold and necessary step for our region. I commend The Star for taking it and I encourage all of us to buy the paper, read it, and consider where we—meaning you, me, us, individually—can do better. https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article247947720.html

But, there’s already one glaring omission. To pretend the economic and educational inequity discussion can be reconciled from focus solely on the Kansas City Council and Kansas City Schools ignores the way people live today and how capital and political choices are made and shift

We’re almost a year into the Zero Fare Transit (free bus) mission in Kansas City, Missouri, not a single other metro jurisdiction has made an effort to join our very necessary step toward equity in transit access. That story should be shared.

When this Black mayor joined other mayors from across the line to discuss an equitable focus on Econ dev as essential to the “Border War” truce, he heard from peers that equity, while valued, has no relation to tools in city vs suburbs and we can address that later. Still waiting

For me, the only Black man in the room and the one with the City with the most Black people, it was stinging and remains disappointing to have heard such in 2020. Credit to two exceptional folks who spoke up in disagreement—David Alvey (KCK) and the late Michael Copeland (Olathe)

When we’re battling a global pandemic that has sadly shown a more negative impact in the Black and Brown community, how do we not link the places with later curfews or no mask requirements or the laxest rules, to those where Black voices aren’t heard, acknowledged, or respected.