African American churches

Showing 11 results
Video Recording
2006-2007

Interview with former Steptoe resident Mary Stone. Stone shares memories of growing up in the Steptoe area of Westport, attending Penn School and St. Luke's AME Church, her friends and neighbors, and recreation opportunities in other parts of the city. She also discusses her parents' jobs, including her mother's work supervising staff at the Riviera Apartments, changes in Westport due to demographic shifts and St. Luke's Hospital expansion projects, and holding Westport reunions with friends and former neighbors at Loose Park. 

Video Recording
2006-2007

Interview with Leah Russell, former resident of the Steptoe neighborhood. She discusses her family's history and their roots in the Steptoe/Westport area from the late 1800s, the families and places in the community, the social life she shared with neighborhood kids, and the role of the local churches, schools, and St. Luke's Hospital in the area.  She also discusses her education and career, leaving Kansas City for other opportunities, 

2006-2007

Interview with former Steptoe resident Beverly Avery Hill. Hill discusses her family moving to Kansas City in the early 1930s, attending the segregated Penn School, attending St. James Baptist Church, and social life and business within and outside of the neighborhood. She also discusses meeting her husband, attending college, and becoming a teacher in the Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri school distrusts, and shares memories of playing in city parks and other memories of her family and the neighborhood. 

Video Recording
2006-2007

Interview with former Penn School teacher Mai Gray. She recalls her early life and education in Tennessee, attending college and meeting her husband in Atlanta, Georgia, and moving to Kansas City with him as he became pastor of Centennial Methodist Church. She discusses his work there in the 1960s and '70s, her teaching career which began at Penn School, and the Steptoe community surrounding Penn. 

2006-2007

Interview with Dr. Stanley Counts, former pastor of St. Luke's Church in the Steptoe neighborhood. Dr. Counts discusses his family and early life near 24th & Vine, his education, serving as pastor of St. Luke's, as well as other area churches, and his work at Western Baptist Bible College. He also discusses the role St. Luke's Hospital played in the community and his wife and children.

2006-2007

Interview with Joe Avery, former resident of the Steptoe neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri. Avery discusses his childhood and family history, including growing up at the corner of 43rd Terrance & Washington, attending Penn School, his father's work at Manor Bakery, the Steptoe community and St. James Baptist Church, recreational options in the rest of the city, and encountering segregation. He also discusses living in Flint, Michigan and working in the automotive industry before moving back to Kansas City, and shares memories of St. Luke's Hospital. 

Audio Recording

Interview with Larry Hancks, writer and former planner for the city of Kansas City, Kansas. Hancks discusses the history of the Quindaro townsite, stories about its role in the Underground Railroad, the current state of the town ruins, and proposals for restoration and commemoration.

Audio Recording

Interview with Kansas City (Kansas) Globe newspaper reporter Eddie Reese. Reese discusses his family and early life in Mississippi, attending school and church, enlisting in the Marine Corps and his service in Vietnam, returning to study journalism at Kansas City Kansas Community College and the University of Kansas, and working for the Kansas City Globe, a weekly newspaper focused on the Black community. He also discusses Black culture and activism at KU and his thoughts about various politicians and activists.

Interview with Paseo Baptist Church pastor Charles J. Briscoe. Briscoe discusses his childhood, his experience at R. T. Coles Vocational High School, his theological education and early experiences as a pastor, and returning to Kansas City and eventually the Paseo Baptist Church. He also discusses his views on race relations and the Black community in Kansas City, the role of the church in community building and politics, the history of Paseo Baptist, its mission work, and his views of other religions.

Two-part interview with Reverend C. L. "Clemmie" Bachus, pastor at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Kansas City, Kansas. Reverend Bachus discusses his family background, his education and formative church experiences growing up in northwestern Mississippi, his journey into ministry at churches in Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and later, Kansas. He also discusses his engagement with civil rights activism, community politics, the local education system, and the church's involvement with local youth.