You Don't Say

You Don't Say

You Don’t Say is a special project commissioned by the City of Columbia’s bicentennial Como200 task force. It’s co-produced by the Sharp End Heritage Committee and KBIA.

Latest Episodes

You Don't Say: 'We Could See The Love, And We Were Taught The Love'

Rev. David Ballenger grew up in Columbia during the 1950s and 60s. He grew up in an African-American community in Columbia that has grown much larger than when he was a child, yet many neighborhood landmarks, family homes and businesses in the Sharp End district and on Third Street were destroyed through urban renewal.
You Don't Say: 'Urban Renewal Made Renters Out Of The Community'

In this conversation for KBIA’s “You Don’t Say” series about the black experience in Columbia – Sharp End Heritage Committee chair James Whitt speaks with Second Baptist Church deacon Larry Monroe. They talked about Monroe's memories of the sights and sounds of the historic Sharp End business district.
You Don't Say: 'We Came, And We've Conquered'

Reverend Clyde Ruffin has served the Columbia community wearing many hats – as a councilmember for the Columbia's First Ward council district, as a professor in MU’s Theatre department, and currently as the pastor of Columbia’s historic Second Missionary Baptist Church.
You Don't Say: 'We Are So Much More Alike Than We Are Different'

Barbra Horrell is a life-long Columbian who worked 45 years for MU and is an advocate for African-American history and preservation with the Sharp End Heritage Committee. Annelle Whitt spent more than two decades as an insurance executive, and now runs the Columbia Public Schools district’s MAC scholars program.
You Don't Say: 'I Think We'll Grow Together'

Having grown up in Columbia, Second Missionary Baptist Church Deacon Larry Monroe has seen how the city has changed over the years. He remembers the breaking down of segregation, urban renewal, and the social barriers that still remained while attending Douglass High School.
You Don't Say: 'We've Made Some Great Strides, But We've Still Got A Long Way To Go.'

In this edition of KBIA’s “You Don’t Say” series, mid-Missouri NAACP Director Mary Ratliff speaks with long-time Columbian Sehon Williams.
You Don't Say: 'So Many Of Our African-American Leaders Have Their Roots In The Church'

David Ballenger has been the pastor at Log Providence Baptist Church in Columbia since 1984. He’s a familiar face in the city – he grew up in Columbia, went through its public schools, and played on its football teams.
You Don't Say: 'As Life Impacts Us, How Do We Choose To Respond?'

Barbra Horrell is a life-long Columbian who graduated in 1959, with the last segregated class at Douglass High School. She went on to become the first black student from Columbia to get a full ride in scholarships to MU, and then spent 45 years with the university before retiring. Horrell is a key advocate for historic preseration and education in Columbia with the Sharp End Heritage Committee.
You Don't Say: 'Everyone Knew They Were On The Threshold Of Change.'

KBIA's conversation series "You Don't Say" explores the black experience in Columbia, then and now.