Glenn and Bob Kendrick highlight Jackie Robinson and the Negro Leagues as examples of Black achievements that are often eclipsed by Black hardships. What role do you think artists should play in bringing these stories to light?

Glenn describes his experience working in museums that focus on Black history and culture and how visitors react with shock when learning overlooked histories. Think of a time you learned something you felt you should have known sooner. What kept you from knowing it, and how did it make you feel?

Glenn and Bob discuss Jackie Robinson’s career, from his start as a Kansas City Monarch to the game-changing moment he walked on the field as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers “carrying the hopes and aspirations of 21 million Black folks who were counting on him to succeed.” What might it have felt like to carry that responsibility? What public figures have changed our culture and perspectives in your lifetime?

Bob Kendrick, president of Kansas City’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, coaches us on the history of civil rights and social justice in America through the story of baseball. 

Israel Alejandro Garcia Garcia, artist and gallery owner, discusses his practice as a means of constructing identity.   

Radcliffe Bailey, American (1968-2023). Mound Magician, 1997. Purchase: gift of the Unus Foundation and Marc and Elizabeth Wilson in honor of John J. “Buck” O’Neil. 2005.18.A-C. Art © Redcliffe Bailey. 

At the center of the fan-shaped baseball diamond that Mound Magician represents, and marking the pitcher’s mound, the number “25” is emblazoned on a star. The number belongs to Satchel Paige, the pitcher who led the Kansas City Monarchs to five Negro League pennants, joined the major leagues and was the first player from the Negro League to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 
 
Mound Magician  is rich with symbolism: photographs of Negro League baseball, references to African countries and southern American cities, footprints running the bases, stamped patterns associated with Bailey’s grandfather’s wrought iron workshop, baseballs and vèvè, or Voodoo symbols. This assemblage also includes medicine bundles inspired by traditional African power objects believed to affect the outcome of specific events. 

Memorial to Kansas City Lynching Victim Removed from Case Park: an article on the vandalism of a plaque marking the 1882 lynching of Levi Harrington.  

Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History: the executive orders aimed removing “divisive, race-centered ideology” at Smithsonian museums, and revoking recent changes to landmarks and monuments if they’re found to “perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history.” 

Department of Defense scraps, then reinstates, Jackie Robinson tribute amid DEI purge: a story on the removal—and restoration—of a webpage dedicated to the legendary baseball player who broke through baseball’s color barrier.  

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: the world’s only national museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America, housed right here in Kansas City.  

This Kansas City Artist Traveled 2,000 Miles To Report From The U.S.-Mexico Border: a KCUR story about artist and curator Israel Garcia’s experiences at the borderlands.