The Greater Kansas City Black History Study Group partnered with the National World I Museum and Memorial and the National Archives at Kansas City to present two programs commemorating the Red Summer of 1919. “Many African American soldiers returned from WWI with a newfound sense of pride and determination for equality, but home was still plagued by racial violence, heightened during the “Red Summer” of 1919. The first event was held on July 30, 2019 at the WW I Museum and featured Dr. Saje Mathieu, author of the upcoming The Glory of Their Deeds: A Global History of Black Soldiers and the Great War Era, and Cameron McWhirter, author of Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America, as they critically examined the racial, cultural and political legacies of the Red Summer.”
The second program, held on Thursday, August 15, 2019 at the WW I Museum, featured Dr. Geoff Ward, Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at Washington University. Ward discussed his research and engagement efforts to address the history of racial violence and its legacies today. Ward considered the scientific evidence that U.S. communities remain affected by centuries of this violence, while discussing transformative justice projects communities are implementing to confront these enduring impacts, including in Missouri.
