Opening Reception: Steptoe Exhibit Celebrates Life in Vanished African American Community
Sat, Jan 25 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Exhibit Opens Jan. 25 with Musical Reception
The story of the Steptoe neighborhood will be told in multiple formats at the Westport Center for the Arts, 201 Westport Road. An exhibit opens Jan. 25 from 2-4 p.m. with a reception featuring a musicians from the neighborhood, stories about its history, and a museum exhibit featuring the history and plans for the future. (THIS EVENT WAS RESCHEDULED FROM THE ORIGINAL DATE OF JAN. 10).
Although most of the buildings in Midtown Kansas City’s former African American Steptoe neighborhood have been demolished, a group of former residents and other stakeholders called Steptoe Lives has been working to commemorate the community, which included more than 100 homes, two churches, and the Penn School, the oldest school for African American students west of the Mississippi. The Steptoe neighborhood centered around 43rd Street Terrace and Pennsylvania Avenue just south of Westport. After the Civil War, it became a unique place in Kansas City where formerly enslaved people could live and buy property. (The Westport Presbyterian Church is one of the founding members of Steptoe Lives).
The exhibit features photos gathered from archives and former residents that trace the beginning of the neighborhood, the memories of former residents, and plans that are underway for a park to celebrate the neighborhood and the Penn School. It includes never-before-seen photos of Penn school students, neighborhood families and newspaper clipping about the neighborhood. The exhibit also spotlights many of the homes that made up Steptoe and the families that lived in them.
The opening reception on Jan. 25 from 2 to 4 p.m. will feature a mix of music and storytelling from former residents of Steptoe. A musical group called “A Step Above the Plaza” will perform songs reflecting Steptoe history, and members of the group who grew up in the neighborhood will share memories.
“People in Kansas City are just starting to learn about the important history of Steptoe and what made the neighborhood so special,” Leah Russell Suttington, a former resident and a member of the musical group, said. “We want to keep the memories alive and make sure they get passed down to the next generation. The reception will be a mix of music from each period of history and stories about the time.”
Details
- Date:
- Sat, Jan 25
- Time:
-
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
- Event Category:
- Art Exhibits
Organizer
Venue
- Westport Presbyterian Church
-
201 Westport Road
Kansas City, MO 64111 United States + Google Map - View Venue Website