Exploring Kansas City's Redlining Legacy with Connext

Join Connext: Emerging Nonprofit Leaders for a powerful look back in history as we explore the legacy of segregation in the Kansas City metro through "Dividing Lines: A History of Segregation in Kansas City." This 90-minute self-guided driving tour, created as part of the Johnson County Library's "Race Project KC," uses your cellphone to narrate how redlining has shaped the city.

Redlining is a discriminatory practice that denies access to services, such as financial resources, to residents of certain areas based on race or ethnicity. This practice was one of the explicitly racist federal housing policies in the mid-twentieth century that barred Black households and other communities of color from accessing home mortgages and homeownership for decades.

Event Structure

1:00 PM - Participants will gather at the tour's starting point near Shawnee Mission East High School at 75th and Mission, then caravan through the tour's points of interest across the metro while listening to interviews with area students and notable city figures. The tour will end at the Nutter Ivanhoe Neighborhood Center at 37th and Woodland.

3:00 PM - Following the tour, Connext invites all members of the public to join us for a roundtable discussion about the legacy of redlining at Equal Minded Cafe (4327 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110) starting at 3 PM. You do not need to have taken the tour ahead of time to participate in the discussion.

To learn more about the history and legacy of Redlining in Kansas City, click here.

Special Instructions

This event will require the use of personal transportation and cellphone to complete the tour. No transportation will be offered. You must download the free VoiceMap Audio Tours app and download the Dividing Lines: A History of Segregation in Kansas City tour to participate effectively.

By choosing to participate in this event, you agree to take responsibility for your own safety. Connext and Nonprofit Connect are not responsible or liable for any injury, damage, loss, or accident which may occur while participating in the self-guided driving tour.

About the Tour Producer

The Johnson County Library nurtures the community’s collective wisdom by providing access to ideas, information, experiences, and materials that support and enrich people's lives. They aim to create an environment for people to learn, explore, enjoy, create, and connect.

Johnson County Library got its start in the 1950s in the homes of neighborhood families. Before they had funding, dedicated community members ran volunteer libraries out of their basements, schoolhouses, a barbershop, a plumbing company, a shopping center and a traveling bookmobile. Their hard work and passion soon led to an official Johnson County Library in Merriam, Kansas, which is now our Antioch location.

Today, Johnson County Library serves over 4.3 million in-person and online visitors annually from 13, soon to be 14, library locations in Northeast Kansas. And one thing hasn't changed — the Library staff are helped by 1,202 volunteers who donate more than 50,000 hours of their time each year!

A Connext Program

Connext (formerly YNPNkc) provides learning and networking opportunities for the next generation of nonprofit leaders. We welcome people of all ages and professions, although most of our members are in their 20s and 30s and working in the nonprofit sector.

Connext is committed to hosting inclusive, accessible events that enable all community members to be comfortable and fully participate. To request an accommodation or make an inquiry about event accessibility, please email the Connext Board at connextkc@gmail.com.