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When a high school student and coach collide, Kansas officials’ sympathy doesn’t flow equally
Possibly the best definition of modern racism came from journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates, who described it as “broad sympathy for some, broad skepticism of others.” This axiom came to mind recently during an email exchange with a private school administrator who seemed unbothered by secretly recorded comments his basketball coach, Mitch Fiegel, made about […]
Rise of Kansas’ Barry Sanders shows how Black talent was — and still is — overlooked
Despite Barry Sanders averaging 30 yards a carry in his first three games as a receiver at our Wichita high school, head coach Dale Burkholder said the athletic director warned him not to start Barry at running back. But for Burkholder’s advocacy — defiantly starting Barry at running back and then producing a highlight reel […]
In Kansas Rep. Patrick Penn’s world, GOP’s shameful exploitation of racism magically vanishes
Republican Rep. Patrick Penn accused Gov. Laura Kelly of advancing bigoted expectations recently, after she used her line-item veto to roll back $250,000 in funding aimed at historic Quindaro. Abolitionists founded the settlement along the Underground Railroad to help the enslaved flee bondage in Missouri in the 1850s. “Diversity of thought exists in the Black […]
Kansas City shooting suggests double standard for arrest between Black and white people
Sitting in a top-floor newsroom years ago, a colleague called me from the lobby to warn me that police planned to arrest me. They were on their way up the elevator. “Arrest me?” I asked, horrified about the prospect of a humiliating perp-walk through the newsroom in front of my supervisors and peers. “Arrest me […]
Kansas lawmakers’ flimsy ‘woke’ narrative melts under heat of civil rights history
Kansas legislative leaders have shrieked for weeks about a supposed wild-left “woke” agenda, promising an alternate agenda moored in the protection of mores that remain perfectly safe. They use phrases like “sexualized, woke agenda,” and “radicalized woke agenda.” The term “woke,” as used by Kansas legislators, seems to serve as shorthand for liberation efforts running […]
Kansas legislators want a pay increase. Those working minimum-wage jobs deserve one too.
Kansas legislators have figured out a way to boost their pay — through an independent body that would explore per diem and retirement benefits. Reportedly, the nine-member, independent body would shield lawmakers from the appearance that they’re feathering their own nests, which do need some feathers. Legislative pay has stalled at $88.66 per day and […]
Black History Month means empowerment. That provokes attacks on education in Kansas and U.S.
As Black History Month ends, consider what’s happening in legislatures nationally, including here in Kansas, to limit how it’s being taught. Black history can liberate and inspire and empower, and that’s why politicians from Tallahassee to Topeka continue to attack it. The New York Times has reported that a new version of the AP African-American […]
All-white panel refused Black Kansas student’s transfer. Why do Black bodies face so many limits?
If this story consisted only of the Kansas State High School Athletic Association’s denial of Zion Young’s transfer request from Campus High School following a documented and undisputed racist incident, it would still document a sizeable concern. If this story told only about the anxiety and depression Zion experienced after that incident, that too would […]
On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, no one should settle for ‘a piece of freedom’
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Mark McCormick is the former executive director of The Kansas African American Museum, a member of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission and deputy executive director at […]
Documentary explores how 1965 Wichita plane crash left families (like mine) locked in a moment
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Mark McCormick is the former executive director of The Kansas African American Museum, a member of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission and deputy executive director at […]
Black student athletes face abuse during games. What all of us read can make a difference.
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Mark McCormick is the former executive director of The Kansas African American Museum, a member of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission and deputy executive director at […]
Reflection, celebration and fond memories should mark Thanksgiving season in Kansas
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Mark McCormick is the former executive director of The Kansas African American Museum and a member of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission. My recent call to […]