© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Talk Show
Up To Date

Reaction or Riot? Kansas City, Fifty Years After The Slaying Of Martin Luther King Jr.

By Steve Kraske,
Michelle Tyrene Johnson
Published April 9, 2018 at 2:24 PM CDT
Luke X. Martin
/
KCUR 89.3
Last Wednesday, KCUR hosted a panel discussion with Micah Kubic, left, and Vernon Howard. Not pictured are panel members Alvin Brooks and Rebecca Davis.

On April 9, 1968, five days after the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., civil unrest in response to long-standing racial tension broke out in Kansas City. But what really happened 50 years ago? Last week, KCUR hosted the panel "Reaction or Riot?: Understanding 1968 in Kansas City" for community members to share their own experiences and recollections. Today, we revisited that conversation about the ways our city has — and hasn't — changed in the last half century.

Tags
Up To Date raceRace and CultureMartin Luther King Jr.Kansas City Historyhistorycivil rightsAlvin BrooksACLUSteve KraskeUp to Date
Steve Kraske
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
See stories by Steve Kraske
Michelle Tyrene Johnson
Michelle is a reporter covering race, identity and culture and is an assistant talk show producer.
See stories by Michelle Tyrene Johnson