New Heritage Trail to Honor Civil Rights Movement in Kansas City

A new cultural heritage trail in early development in Kansas City will honor the American Civil Rights Movement and the Black experience. 

The Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail will be a circular trail spanning one mile along KC’s Brush Creek Greenway.  The trail will be bordered by Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd. on the north, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. on the south, roughly The Paseo on the west, and just past Cleveland Ave. on the east.

The trail is designed to draw a local, national, and international audience that can reflect, meditate, and grieve.   

Along the proposed trail, there will be 14 “nodes” where park benches, placards, and public art will explore different aspects of the American civil rights movement and the Black experience in KC.  

The first phase will include four of the 14 nodes with placards on legislative events, the right to vote, riots on Troost, and Brush Creek floods. The initial phase will also include a “Spirit of Freedom” fountain, public art installations on the Black Lives Matter movement, and the impact of faith-based organizations within the Black community.

The first phase of the trail is anticipated to be completed in 2024, and the project is seeking artist proposals for this phase through the end of the year. For more info, visit the project website at BrushCreekCulturalTrail.com. 

So far the project has funding from a $1 million grant from the Kauffman Foundation, plus $400,000 from the City of Kansas City’s One Percent for Art program. Councilwoman Melissa Robinson says the project is still seeking the remaining $25M in funding needed to complete the project. 

• KC’s Plan to Preserve Parade Park Homes
  The City Council of Kansas City has approved a plan to acquire Parade Park Homes from HUD and redevelop it into a mixed-income, historically-significant property, with provisions to protect current residents and preserve the property’s historical significance.
• Robinson’s $522 Million Plan
  Councilwoman Melissa Robinson has unveiled a $522 million Equitable Development Plan to revitalize Kansas City’s historically disinvested Heart of the City, seeking collaboration between Kansas City, Jackson County, state and federal entities, the private sector, and philanthropic sources.
• DC-Based Urban Institute to Provide Expertise to 3rd District Redevelopment
  The Urban Institute has selected Kansas City’s 3rd District to be a part of their “mobility action learning network” to provide pro bono technical assistance to help advance the Equitable Development Plan proposed by Third District Councilwoman Melissa Robinson.