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Spotlight is on Kansas City and its problem of missing black women
This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon. On Oct. 7, a terrified 22-year-old Black woman escaped from a home in Excelsior Springs. She told police she had been locked up there for about a month, after being abducted from Prospect Avenue in Kansas City by a man who lives in the home. […]
Rideshare drivers in Kansas City’s gig market want more protections from companies
This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon. April Shabazz began driving for Uber full time this summer. The job wasn’t new for her. Rideshare driving had been her side gig for three years, along with work as a tax preparer. Shabazz, a member of Stand Up KC and the Missouri Workers Center, likes Uber’s flexible […]
The fight for a living wage in Kansas City no longer stops at $15 an hour
This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon. For years, Kansas City workers and organizers have fought to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. The demand was front and center recently when workers at the Taco Bell fast-food restaurant on Wornall Road in Kansas City’s Waldo neighborhood held a walkout over claims […]
Zero bus fare does not equal easy commutes for Kansas City riders
This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon. On weekdays, Melissa Douds catches the 35th Street bus at 5:48 a.m. to get to her job as a facility worker at the Bartle Hall Convention Center. Starting at the Armour and Gillham stop in Hyde Park, she is only seven minutes from work by […]
A Missouri council is looking to combat school-to-prison pipeline for students with disabilities
This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon. Studies show that students of color and students with disabilities are suspended and referred to police more often than their peers in schools across Missouri. This disproportionate rate of discipline can disrupt their education and push these students into the criminal justice system. A new Missouri grant […]