Interview with funeral director Marion Watkins. Watkins discusses her childhood, visiting family members in Parkville, Missouri, attending Catholic schools, her family's focus on community service, and getting involved in the family's funeral business from an early age.
Interview with community leader and activist Rosemary Smith Lowe. Lowe discusses her work with others in desegregating Kansas City, working with the local police department, and her hopes for young people.
Interview with community leader and activist Rosemary Smith Lowe. Interviewed by her great-granddaughter, Lowe discusses the work of the Local Investment Commission (LINC),
Interview with community leader Rosemary Smith Lowe. Lowe discusses her family and early life in Arkansas, attending Wendell Phillips School after moving to Kansas City, her early involvement with Freedom Inc. and their work to pass public accommodations desegregation laws, her work as a cosmetologist and service as the commissioner of the state cosmetology board, serving as president of the Santa Fe Neighborhood Association and commissioner of the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department, and her work as a founder of the Local Investment Commission and Neighborhood Alliance. She also discusses buying a home in a predominantly white area, her thoughts about her church, and memories of family and friends. Lowe's son James E. White, Sr. was present at the interview and shares memories of his mother's life and accomplishments.
Interview with community leader Bruce R. Watkins, Jr. Watkins discusses his early life and education, the history of the Watkins family including his father Bruce R. Watkins and grandfather T. B. Watkins, the founding of Freedom Inc., and his work to share the story of slavery, former slaves, and the Watkins family in Platte County, Missouri. He also shares thoughts on the importance of leaving a legacy and learning personal and family history
Interview with former Kansas City city councilperson Mary Williams-Neal. Williams-Neal discusses her childhood in a large sharecropping family in rural Mississippi where she picked cotton and went to school, her move to Kansas City in 1969, her career, and her engagement in community issues. Her roles with the Kansas City Neighborhood Aliance, Kauffman Foundation, and her later service as a city council person are also discussed, as well as her ongoing political engagement and her messages for an optimism about contemporary youth.
Interview with Lula Pearl Moran about her youth in Platte County, Missouri, growing up on a farm in Waldron and visiting family in Parkville. She discusses her family, the Parkville Club community service and mutual aid organization and her experience with segregation and voting access. She also discusses the Bruce R. Watkins and other members of the Watkins family, Leon Jordan, and the Newcomer family.
Interview with former Jackson County legislator and community leader Mamie Hughes. Hughes recalls her family history, her upbringing in Florida, and her move to Kansas City in 1949. She also discusses the founding of Freedom, Inc., the culture and preservation of the 18th and Vine neighborhood and the Mutual Musicians Foundation, being a founder of the women's professional organization Central Exchange, and her memories of Dr. Samuel Rodgers.
Interview with educator Daisy Hoskins Young about growing up near Waldron, Missouri, and later in Parkville, Missouri. She recalls daily life in Parkville, her family's history dating back to enslavement, and her family's experience with Parkville's Banneker School and Park College. She also discusses her high school education in Kansas City, obtaining bachelors and masters degrees, and her memories of the 18th and Vine neighborhood. Young also describes her work with the Platte County Historical Society and Banneker School Foundation, and the area's Black history.
Interview with local historian and community activist Sonny Gibson about the history of Kansas City's Black community, his experiences seeing leaders including W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey, and what life was like in predominantly-Black neighborhoods including 18th & Vine. He also discusses the impact of access to education, money, and drugs on the community.