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Published December 21st, 2020 at 7:30 AM
Above image credit: A deed restriction filed in 1945 for Leawood Estates prevented home sales to “any person of Negro blood or by any person who is more than one-fourth of the Semitic race." It also listed for exclusion "Armenians, Jews, Hebrews, Turks, Persians, Syrians, and Arabians.” (Chris Lester | Flatland)
Editor’s note: Flatland is counting down our top 10 stories of the year on weekdays between Dec. 21, 2020 and Jan. 1, 2021. The stories were selected based on input from both readers and Flatland editorial staff. First, we compiled a list of the 20 stories that generated the most readership during the year. Then, members of our editorial staff ranked their 10 favorites from among the stories on the readership list.
No. 10: Coming to Grips With COVID-19

Sheri Lee, the owner of Lee’s Kinder Academy, worries that her business won’t survive the COVID-19 pandemic. (Mike Sherry | Flatland)
First published on March 26, 2020.
No. 9: A Chat with the Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs

Mitch Holthus before Sunday Night Football in 2018 (Courtesy | Kansas City Chiefs)
First published on Jan. 17, 2020.
No. 8: A Long-standing July 4th Tradition Reimagined to be COVID-Safe

A proud sign in big red and blue letters looms over anyone entering Rich Hill. (Jacob Douglas | Flatland)
First published on July 8, 2020.
No. 7: curiousKC | What’s the Earliest Known Photo of KC?

In this edition of curiousKC, reporter Jacob Douglas tracked down the oldest known photographs of Kansas City. (Collage by Vicky Diaz-Camacho | Missouri Valley Special Collections)
First published on Aug. 17, 2020.
No. 6: Flatland’s Midwest Black Restaurant Week Guide

Mattie’s Vegan Eats Food Truck is one of the participating restaurants in Black Restaurant Week. (Emily Woodring | Flatland)
First published on July 24, 2020.
No. 5: Unearthing the Truth About Slave Burial Sites at KCI

Oralee McKinzy, daughter of Warren Watkins Jr., is working on a “digital wall” – an interactive educational exhibit – for Kansas City’s African American community to learn where they came from. (Contributed | Oralee McKinzy)
First published on Jan. 13, 2020
No. 4: Cliffhanger: Boulevard Drive-In Open to Anything for 70th Season

Boulevard Drive-In is set for its 70th season in Kansas City, Kansas (Courtesy | Boulevard Drive-In)
First published May 14, 2020
No. 3: Downtown Homeless Shelter On Brink of Closure

Matthew Hamblin, 49, has turned his life around while staying at the reStart homeless shelter for the past couple months. (Mike Sherry | Flatland)
First published Feb. 27, 2020
No. 2: Left-Wing Groups Take Up Arms in Name of Abolitionist John Brown

John Steuart Curry’s mural depicting John Brown’s abolitionist efforts in Kansas Territory before the Civil War can be seen at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka. (Courtesy | Kansas Historical Society)
First published July 23, 2020
No. 1: Think J.C. Nichols Was Racist? Meet Kroh Brothers

A deed restriction filed in 1945 for Leawood Estates prevented home sales to “any person of Negro blood or by any person who is more than one-fourth of the Semitic race.” It also listed for exclusion “Armenians, Jews, Hebrews, Turks, Persians, Syrians, and Arabians.” (Chris Lester | Flatland)
Think J.C. Nichols Was Racist? Meet Kroh Brothers
First published Aug. 13, 2020
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