Well, well, well, Kansas City seemed to be on a roll! They were chosen to host the World Cup soccer games in the Midwest, their brand-spanking-new airport terminal was shining bright like a diamond, and Union Station was undergoing construction to host thousands for the N.F.L. Draft. But, as fate would have it, a Black teenager, Ralph Yarl, was shot by an older white man, Andrew D. Lester, on the northern edge of the city. This unfortunate incident sent Kansas City into a frenzy and shifted the civic conversation from pandemic boom to an uncomfortable national spotlight.

Can you believe it? A ringing doorbell led to the shooting of Ralph Yarl! Talk about taking things too far. It’s not like he was ringing the doorbell at 3 am, demanding breakfast in bed. It was a mild-mannered ding-dong-ditch, for crying out loud! And to add fuel to the fire, it took four days to bring charges. So much for speedy justice, huh?

This whole fiasco reopened wounds of racism and segregation that have never fully healed in Kansas City. It’s like trying to cover up a bullet wound with a Band-Aid. It’s not going to heal if you don’t address the root causes of the issue. Gwen Grant, the president and chief executive of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said it best when she stated, “We need to clean up our house so that we can be proud and not performative when we have company.” Let’s not sweep this under the rug, Kansas City. It’s time to put aside performative acts and have some tough race and racism conversations!

In conclusion, Kansas City had some major momentum going for them, but like a soap opera, a dramatic storyline has unfolded. We can’t sit idly by and act like everything is hunky-dory. It’s time to tackle the root causes of racism and segregation head-on. So let’s roll up our sleeves and get to working on our issues. Good luck, Kansas City!

Serious News: nytimes