KANSAS CITY — A rare collection that details the history of the Kansas City region’s black community will go on permanent display in June at a former parks and recreation building in the 18th and Vine Entertainment District. The Black Archives of Mid-America has photographs, papers and artifacts that include a vintage comic book biography of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and a baseball cap from Kansas City Monarchs’ baseball star Buck O’Neil. The Kansas City Star reported the collection had been in storage for five years and some of the holdings were threatened by mold and mildew. Then-Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, now governor, intervened and pushed for a new board to oversee the collection and find a home. The Ewing and Marion Kauffman Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to the Kansas City PublicLibrary to help complete the renovations and convert the former recreation center.
Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2 p.m.
