Race Project KC empowers students, communities, and educators to dismantle systemic racial barriers and drive equity through innovative education, historical exploration, meaningful dialogue, and building connections that foster change.
Building Our Next Chapter
Over the past two years, Race Project KC has been on pause from direct programming while our Community Advisory Committee has worked behind the scenes to research, reflect, and lay the groundwork for our next chapter. This period of transition has allowed us to strengthen our foundation, clarify our mission, and explore what it will take to ensure long-term impact. As we look ahead, we anticipate relaunching in about a year—potentially as an independent nonprofit—better positioned to serve students, the community, and educators for years to come.
Our History
Race Project KC was born from discussions between the Johnson County Library and local educators who were inspired by the book Some of My Best Friends Are Black by Tanner Colby. The project started as an annual social justice initiative recognizing that young people needed opportunities to explore race, location, and history within their own community. From the beginning, the foundation of our work was strengthened by an unstoppable collective group effort. Educators at multiple high schools and universities helped implement the work in classrooms, creating spaces for honest conversations about race, identity, and belonging. Principals provided essential institutional support and leadership. Dedicated parents advocated to make student engagement possible at a critical moment. High school students propelled the work forward into what it is today, reaching across the Kansas City region. Community champions removed barriers and opened doors to help move the work from idea to action. The Johnson County Library provided the platform and framework to bring everyone together.
Our Work
Our experience of the world is shaped by filters beyond our control—our families and friends, geographic locations, hobbies, jobs, cultures and much more not only give us our identities, they also limit our perspectives. We do, however, have choices about how we respond to those filters. Author Tanner Colby’s book Some of My Best Friends Are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America explores the history of integration in the United States since the Civil Rights movement through the lens of his filters. A section of the book explores Kansas City and Johnson County’s historical use of real estate practices: redlining, blockbusting, and racially restrictive covenants. Race Project KC emerged after Colby's 2014 visits to Blue Valley North High School, Johnson County Community College, and Johnson County Library. Local educators and Library staff were inspired to extend his work into experiences for area teens.
Race Project KC, an annual immersive social justice initiative for students in grades 9 through 12 in the Kansas City metro area, aims to:
Build diverse student cohorts that represent schools from across the Kansas City region – urban, suburban, and rural.
Offer at least three workshops for at least three student cohorts.
Inform students of local & regional history so they understand how it relates to themselves, their schools, and their neighborhoods.
Offer students the opportunity to build up and demonstrate leadership skills through deliberative dialogue around identity, representation, inclusion, and storytelling.
Throughout the program, students encounter each other, educators, subject experts, activists, artists, authors, and community organizations.
