A stretch of 12th Street in Kansas City, Kansas will soon bear the names of two local civil rights pioneers. The Wyandotte County Unified Government will rename 12th Street between Washington Blvd and Everett Ave as “Chester & Lillie Owens Lane” in honor of the longtime community advocates.
The street runs by the Owens’ home, and the renaming was proposed by Mayor Tyrone Garner and approved by the UG Board of Commissioners. A ceremony unveiling the new sign is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. at 12th and Washington Blvd, and a community celebration will follow the next day from noon to 2 p.m. at the Beatrice Lee. Community Center.
“It’s quite an honor for both of us,” says Chester Owens. “We both did the best we could to serve the community.”
Chester Owens, 92, and his late wife Lillie devoted decades to civil rights advocacy and community service in Wyandotte County. The couple were active in the local NAACP and instrumental in bringing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to speak in Kansas City, KS during the height of the civil rights movement.
“I would hope that people know some of the things that we attempted to do,” he said. “That’s a legacy that we want to be remembered by.”
Owens recalled that Kansas City, KS “was as segregated as Birmingham, Alabama” when he and Lillie began their civil rights work in the late 1950s and ‘60s. They participated in lunch counter protests, picketing businesses that refused to hire Black workers, and efforts to desegregate local schools.
Chester Owens worked for H.W. Sewings’ Sentinel Loan and Investment Company for 17 years before buying it and running the company for 25 years. In 1983, Owens became the first African American elected to the Kansas City, Kansas City Council in the 20th century and served on the council for several terms.
Lillie Owens blazed her own trail in the business world, rising through the ranks at American Woodmen Life Insurance Company to eventually become its president.
“We were dedicated to keeping Black businesses in Kansas City, KS, and we tried to serve the community by helping out whenever we could,” Owens says. “We didn’t make much money, but when we did, we gave it away to try to help people.”
The street renaming comes as Owens prepares to move to the east coast to be closer to family. The community celebration on July 20 will feature food, speeches from local officials, and remarks from Owens. The Strugglers Hill Neighborhood Association, where he lives, is hosting the event with support from Mayor Garner, UG Commissioners and staff.
While the celebration marks a sendoff of sorts for Owens as he leaves the community he’s called home for decades, city officials stressed that it’s primarily intended to honor the enduring legacy of both Chester and Lillie Owens.
“They displayed a genuine love for all people and devoted the greater portion of their adult lives seeking a better and more equitable Wyandotte County for everyone that chooses to call our awesome community home,” said Mayor Garner in his proposal to rename the street.
Members of the community, and the Owens family will be on hand for the celebration. All three of the Owens’ daughters went on to earn advanced degrees. Their oldest daughter is now a professor at Florida A&M University, while another serves as a chaplain in North Carolina. Owens says he and his late wife Lillie are very proud of the accomplishments of their daughters and their work to continue their legacy.
“We did the best that we could, and they are carrying the torch forward,” says Owens.
Chester & Lillie Owens Lane Events
Street Sign Unveiling
Fri, July 19, at 6:30 p.m.
1200 Washington Blvd., KCK
Renaming Celebration
Sat, July 20, Noon to 2 p.m.
Beatrice L. Community Center
1310 N 10th St. KCK
