Campus perspectives bring local Black History to life

  For students at UMKC, Black History Month is more than a celebration, it’s a moment to connect lived experience with the deep history of the city they call home.

  “It’s important because it allows the history to be celebrated,” said Amir Walton, a success coach for the Men of Character Academy. “It sheds light on the long journey, and builds motivation among students and faculty to keep striving for more.”

  Walton described the month as a symbol of resilience, a theme woven through both Kansas City’s past and student life today.

  “Every day is an opportunity to pour into other people and show that the impossible can be done,” said Walton

  Kansas City’s Black heritage dates back well before the university existed. 

  In the late 1800s and early 1900s, waves of Black migrants helped form self-sustaining neighborhoods and vibrant business districts. Among these was the 18th & Vine Historic District, a cultural hub where Black entrepreneurs, musicians and newspapers like The Call, one of the country’s oldest African-American newspapers, once flourished. 

  Today, that legacy is preserved and shared through institutions that sit within walking distance of each other, including the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

  The jazz museum showcases how Kansas City helped shape a distinctly American art form through innovators such as Charlie Parker and William “Count” Basie, whose style influenced music nationwide. 

  Nearby, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum preserves the story of Black professional baseball, from teams formed under segregation to legends like Jackie Robinson, who began his professional career with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945. 

  Lorgens Saint-Paul, founder of Saint Paul Threads and a student at UMKC, said his business is rooted in the same themes of identity and legacy that define this month. 

  “Black History Month reminds me of how important memory is in Black culture,” said Saint-Paul. “So much of who we are comes from stories, lived experiences and the lessons passed down through generations.”

 Saint-Paul said his brand reflects those ideas by centering identity, emotion and wisdom, values he believes connect entrepreneurship with culture preservation.

  “I want my work to reflect the idea that our experiences have value and that nothing meaningful is ever lost,” said Saint-Paul.

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