Politics
Candidates to Replace Sly James Compete for Likes
The idea seemed far-fetched when it was first suggested in October to East High School teacher Katharine Perna. What if her multiculturalism and social justice class could persuade the nine leading mayoral candidates to answer questions, in person, crafted by the students themselves? On Wednesday night, before an audience of about 150 people in the…
Sympathetic Vibrations | Keep the Line Moving
It’s obvious the midterm elections are imminent, given all the discourse from talking heads, political ads and (apparently) completely unhinged Kanye West rants. West’s particular brand of political speech is not uncharted territory for artists and celebrities, who frequently wade into the local and national political conversation. But the breadth of the grassroots movements at…
Keeping the Pace After the Passion
Hailee Bland-Walsh has long been an activist in the LGBTQ community. Though she has shut down traffic marching in San Francisco, it was the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., in January that was one of the “most transformative” experiences she’s had. “It was so powerful, the density of human beings in one place,” said Bland-Walsh,…
Sympathetic Vibrations | Rebuke Box
“The times they are a-changin.’” That chorus from Bob Dylan’s 53-year-old protest hymn is undoubtedly a classic. Aided greatly by Dylan’s poignant and timeless songwriting, the track has enjoyed the decades-long effect of inspiring listeners, uniting otherwise dissonant parties, and challenging established ideas – feats typically necessary to effectuate any sort of change. Many local…
Common Grounds | Flip the Script: A Police Take on the Issues
One of the story lines of this election year has been alarm over law and order in cities and police shootings of unarmed black Americans. This week in our Common Grounds coffee conversation series, we head to Kansas City, Kansas, where we get a police take on that polarizing issue. We bring together five KCK…
Commentary | Why are We Surprised? The State of Our Media is What We Made It
I watched the debate Monday night along with more than 80 million of my fellow Americans, according to Nielsen. We all knew what we would get from the candidates. Few were disappointed. As also expected, moderator Lester Holt received his share of criticism over how he performed his duties. However, Holt gave us exactly what…
Commentary | Sing Along, Then Speak Up
I’m in the same boat as everyone else — I can’t figure America out. Despite the times I express criticism and discomfort, irritation and downright anger — I’m a proud American. Maybe it’s because I’m an opinion writer and a playwright and am a veteran content consumer (fancy way of saying I’ve watched a lot of TV…
Commentary | What It Feels Like
I’m afraid of the fear. That’s the bottom line I have left over from the Republican National Convention last week in Cleveland, Ohio. (And, trust, I’ve got plenty to process next week about the fallout from the Democratic National Convention.) Not that my fear is new. Pretty much since the momentum that is Donald Trump…
‘Religious Freedom’ Amendment a Shield Not a Sword, Says Proponent
With estimates of the cost to Missouri mounting, proponents of the state’s ‘religious freedom’ amendment found little sympathy among commentators on KCPT’s news program “Ruckus” last week. The amendment to the Missouri Constitution (pdf) would give protection from lawsuits to churches, clergy or anyone who provides a wedding-related service to the public, but wants to refuse that service to…
Commentary | An Abusive Election Cycle Won’t Soon Be Forgiven
Recently on Facebook, a friend asked the question of what people thought about a woman’s mother maintaining a friendship with the woman’s emotionally abusive ex-husband. As you can imagine, the question elicited a range of opinions. But one of the overwhelming themes of the comments was that of loyalty and trust. The question of how…