Join Race Project KC's Advisory Committee
May 23, 2023 - ​Watch this recorded Information Session to hear what Race Project KC is, how it began, and where it's headed, including information about our Advisory Committee and how to join.

We also have one final in-person Information Session on Tuesday, May 23, 6:30 p.m., at the Kansas City Library Plaza Branch. When you’re ready to apply to be on our Advisory Committee, fill out our application. The deadline for the application is May 31. 

​Race Project KC to Form Advisory Committee

May 17, 2023 - Race Project KC is an annual immersive social justice initiative, coordinated by Johnson County Library. The program’s goal has been to help students cross dividing lines, build connections, and better understand each other and our shared history.

Johnson County Library and our funding partner, the Kauffman Foundation, are looking for ways we can expand this program beyond its current limits. To this end, we are recruiting an advisory committee to help us explore and strategize RPKC's next iteration.
The Race Project KC Advisory Committee will consist of a combination of members from the community, including students, teachers, parents, administrators, business partners, and other leaders who will help steer the direction of the Race Project KC initiative and provide valuable feedback.  

This will be a 2-year (virtual and/or in-person) process for which the Advisory Committee will be paid a monthly base stipend of approximately $300. The Advisory Committee will consist of approximately 24 members that will: 
  • Define the “what” and “who” of Race Project KC
  • Identify who will the responsible party for Race Project KC 
  • Steer the community engagement process 
​If you’d like more information, you can attend our Information Session on Tuesday, May 23, 6:30 p.m., at the Kansas City Library Plaza Branch. When you’re ready to apply, fill out our application. The deadline for the application is May 31. Feel free to share this information with anyone you think might be a great fit, as well!

Watch for other ways to become involved here: 

Change Has Begun

May 9, 2023 - Race Project KC started as an annual immersive social justice initiative for students in grades 9 through 12 in the Kansas City metro area. Established by Johnson County Library, Race Project KC emerged after author Tanner Colby's 2014 visits to our area to talk about his book Some of My Best Friends are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America. Local educators and Library staff were inspired to develop experiences for area teens. The program’s goal has been to help students cross dividing lines, build connections, and better understand each other and our shared history through the lens of race.

In the years 2015-2022, our focus was workshops for high school students. We have always wanted to do more, and our community has always desired more—to include more schools and more experiences, not just for high schoolers, but for all ages. We paused all activities for the 2022-2023 school year to take time to lay the foundation for this new growth.

​We are now launching the next phase of building an expanded Race Project KC with your help. Johnson County Library has spearheaded the formation of a team to begin the work of reshaping Race Project KC. We are excited to announce a partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art to explore the future of Race Project KC and how we can grow our capacity. Our first goal is to create an Advisory Committee who will steer this next iteration of the initiative.

Later this month, we’ll put out a call for candidates for the Advisory Committee. You can watch for that announcement and other ways to become involved here:If you have any questions or ideas to share please contact Race Project KC at jcl-raceproject@jocogov.org.  
​The short video below was created at our culminating symposium in April 2019 and is a great introduction to what we do. 
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Contact us at: jcl-raceproject@jocogov.org
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