Segment 1: Municipal lawmakers from both sides of the state line discuss the hurdles facing their cities.
In a metropolitan area like Kansas City, different cities often find themselves dealing with similar issues at around the same time. Today, we learned about a few examples of this. Raytown, Missouri, finds itself dealing with issues of inclusivity, tied to growing diversity there, and transparency, a state audit will soon looka t allegations of financial mismanagement. Diversity and inclusion is a big issue in Overland Park, Kansas, too, as is a lack of affordable housing.
- Raytown Alderwoman Bonnaye Mims, Ward 5
- Overland Park City Councilman Dr. Faris Farassati, Ward 5
Segment 2: beginning at 21:15: The beating and blinding of a World War II veteran that set the civil rights movement in motion.
On Feb. 12, 1946, Sgt. Isaac Woodard, an African American veteran, was removed from a Greyhound bus in Batesburg, South Carolina, after he challenged the driver’s disrespectful treatment of him. Woodard, in uniform, was arrested by the local police chief and beaten and blinded while in custody. The incident caught the attention of President Harry Truman, who initiated the first presidential commission on civil rights. Today, we learned how the episode helped change the course of American history.
- U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel, author of "Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring"
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