Kansas

Brown v. Board 70 years later: Kansas school leaders say the work to create racial equity in schools continues

Published

6 months ago

May 17, 2024

Brown v. Board 70 years later: Kansas school leaders say the work to create racial equity in schools continues

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Friday is the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case that ruled segregation in schools unconstitutional. It forever changed the face of public education and Kansas schools say today the work continues to make students of all races feel equally supported.

“When I think about it being only 70 years, that’s not a long time,” said former Shawnee Mission Public Schools DEI coordinator Dr. Tyrone Bates.

As local educational leaders throughout the Kansas City area explain, progress toward racial equality in schools hasn’t always been linear.

“The Supreme Court justice’s opinion was not that schools should be segregated because it was the right thing to do but rather African Americans were inept, they were not qualified to teach students of color,” said Bates.

Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools officials say looking back at the past 70 years, its schools have become more diverse. Currently, its student population is 60 percent Hispanic, 30 percent black, and multiracial.

“I believe that all of our students need access to dual language programs, multilingual resources, resources outside of their community to help support the community,” said KCKPS diversity, equity, and inclusion executive director Dr. Canise Salinas-Willich.

The district’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department works with other departments to create programs and policies that are inclusive for all students. Students have also been given the chance to share their personal experiences and give feedback that can create real change in the district.

“Our investment in our students is evident as we invest in their voices and we invest in making sure that we bring quality education, quality work into the classroom,” said Salinas-Willich.

Meanwhile, Dr. Bates now works in consulting but during his tenure with SMSD, he established equity practitioners. These are staff members who learn how to support each building in the district. He also established employee resource groups that support staff members who are part of marginalized groups.

“I’m proud of the fact that many administrators were doing whatever they could to break down barriers and bridges between students of different backgrounds,” said Bates.

Last year, a black student at Shawnee Mission East High School was called a racial slur by another student and attacked. Bates explains how this is an example of how racism still exists in schools and communities.

“There’s still work to be done around understanding racial equity, understanding racial justice. There’s a tremendous difference between the two. Racial equity is about improving outcomes. Racial justice is about breaking down hierarchies so we don’t have glass ceilings for people who are not in economic power,” he said.

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Kansas

Kansas State Blitzed By LSU’s Cam Carter In Home Loss

Published

3 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Press Room

Kansas State Blitzed By LSU’s Cam Carter In Home Loss

The Kansas State Wildcats’ brief winning streak to begin the season was snapped by the LSU Tigers Thursday night, 76-65.

The Wildcats played against a familiar face, guard Cam Carter. Carter spent the previous two seasons in Manhattan, but silenced the Wildcats with 20 points on 50 percent shooting from three-point range.

The Tigers jumped out to a 39-26 lead midway through the first half, which included a hellacious effort from guard Jordan Sears. In a three-minute span, Sears accounted for two free-throws, a steal, and two assists.

The Wildcats played from behind for much of the game, giving up a 19-18 lead at the 10:09 mark of the half and trailed by as many as 17 at the 2:05 mark before halftime.

While the Wildcats played a slower pace in the second half, they could only cut the deficit to nine before LSU regained a consistent cushion. The Wildcats had two players carry the offense. Guard David N’Guessan and Dug McDaniel, who combined for 32 points. Forward Coleman Hawkins was held to eight points while guard Max Jones was held to two points, finishing scoreless from the field.

The Wildcats’ woes were shown brightest in two areas, as they were out-rebounded 41-22 and finished just 23.8 percent from three-point range.

Kansas State gets a brief break before hosting Mississippi Valley State next Tuesday in the fourth of a six-game home-stand. The game tips off at 8 p.m. ET.

Zain Bando is a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached atzainbando99@gmail.comand on Instagram/’X’ @zainbando99.

Follow our coverage and updates on Facebook

X: @KStateOnSI

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Kansas

Former Kansas City Star printing plant to become flagship data center

Published

11 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Press Room

Former Kansas City Star printing plant to become flagship data center

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patmos, which provides high-tech services, announced Thursday it will spend $1 billion on a project to retrofit the former Kansas City Star newspaper’s printing plant into a flagship data center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

“The Star building that is becoming the Patmos Center will be the technological heart of the heartland,” John Johnson, founder and CEO at Patmos, said in a news release Thursday. “Patmos was born in Kansas City, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to establish our new hub, right here in the Silicon Prairie. This groundbreaking AI co-location facility combines tomorrow’s densities with yesterday’s cost efficiencies. Patmos has always promised an unparalleled value to our clients through verticalized infrastructure, free speech policies, and promotion of technology that serves the human person. In these principles, we stand a fighting chance against an ever-encroaching technocracy. We are most grateful to our team, our clients, and the building’s sellers who have made this deal possible.”

The news release states the company has three data centers, including one in Kansas City, that are completely occupied. The second Kansas City facility will help the company keep up with client demand. Patmos expects to have the first 40 MW online and rack-ready in 18 months with the first 5 MW online next month, according to the company’s news release.

“In a world where Big Tech is investing over $20 million per MW to stand up new data centers years down the road, the infrastructure already in this building allows us to build at a fraction of the cost in a fraction of the time,” said Joe Morgan, CIO of Patmos. “By breathing new life into historic structures, we can create sustainable and innovative AI data centers. Repurposing these buildings not only preserves architectural heritage but also reduces the environmental impact of new construction. These revitalized spaces can become hubs of technological advancement, powering the future of AI while honoring the past.”

The green glass building at 1601 McGee St., in downtown Kansas City, opened in 2006 and has been closed for about two years.

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Kansas

UConn, Kansas State among five women’s college basketball games to watch this weekend

Published

19 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Press Room

UConn, Kansas State among five women’s college basketball games to watch this weekend

Parity is growing in women’s college basketball every day, evidenced in part by so many good early season, non-conference matchups. These games also help increase parity.

The parity of women’s hoops is also evidenced by all the movement this week in the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll. Stanford, Illinois and South Dakota State made their season debuts, while Baylor and Duke tumbled down the rankings (and in FSU, Creighton and Indiana’s case, completely out of the poll).

That means after a slate of ranked matchups this week, even crazier things could happen in next week’s poll. The more parity, the better (and even though the NCAA Tournament feels very far away right now — the more parity, the more entertaining March Madness will be).

With that in mind, here are five women’s games to watch this week:

Creighton at No. 11 Kansas State

Thursday, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

The most under-covered player in women’s college hoops is Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee, a 6-foot-6 center who holds the NCAA single-game scoring record (61 points). Lee is a handful at both ends of the floor, and she’s got a lot around her including Tulsa transfer Temira Poindexter (19.0 ppg) and Missouri State transfer Taylor Kennedy (17.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg). Meanwhile, Creighton did indeed fall to unranked South Dakota State last week, though Lauren Jensen (23 points) was the scoring machine expected. The Blue Jays tend to shoot a lot of 3s and the key to picking up a tough road win this week will be draining a lot of those attempts.

No. 2 UConn at No. 15 North Carolina

Friday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2

UConn coach Geno Auriemma will tie the all-time wins record with a victory against the Tar Heels, and you can bet Alyssa Ustby (10.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and North Carolina would love nothing more than to spoil that party. Ustby and guard Lexi Donarski (15.0 ppg) will have their hands full with a healthy Paige Bueckers (17.5 ppg, 4.0 apg) and Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen (6.0 ppg, 6.0 apg). But keep an eye on UConn freshman Jana El Alfy, a 6-foot-5 freshman center from Cairo, Egypt, who is finally healthy and has come off the bench to give UConn some excellent minutes (11.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg) early this season. She will be a difference maker.

No. 18 Louisville at No. 19 Kentucky

Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, SECN+

This is a matchup of two of the best coached programs in the country, and an early look at Kentucky under first-year coach Kenny Brooks, who brought All-American guard Georgia Amoore (12.0 ppg, 9.0 apg) and center Clara Strack (18.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg) with him to Lexington. Jeff Walz’s group boasts one of the country’s most underappreciated post players in Olivia Cochran (12.3 ppg, 62 FG%) while freshman guard Tajianna Roberts (15.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) has shown why she was a five-rated prospect coming out of high school. This is one of the best rivalries in women’s hoops and with Kentucky hiring Brooks last offseason, it only got better.

No. 23 Stanford at Indiana

Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, FS1

Few people expected much of Stanford this season, as the Cardinal feature a new coach and almost entirely new roster. Picked to finish seventh in the ACC, Stanford thumped Gonzaga last week on the day its home floor was named Tara VanDerveer Court. But that’s not the most impressive thing about the Cardinal four games through the season — it’s the fact that Stanford is shooting a staggering 57.7% from 3. Sophomore forward Nunu Agara (19.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) does everything for the Cardinal and will be a handful for Indiana, which has dropped back-to-back games to Harvard (yes, Harvard) and Butler. Lilly Meister (12.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Sydney Parrish (11.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg) will be eager to put those losses behind them.

No. 10 NC State at TCU

Sunday, 3 p.m., ESPN

Hailey Van Lith’s TCU debut went about as well as it could have, as the super senior guard turned in a stat line of 21 points, five rebounds, seven assists and six steals. Now she’ll get to go up against one of the best defenses with Wolfpack guards Aziaha James (15.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Saniya Rivers (7.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg) patrolling the perimeter. The difference maker could very well be seventh-year senior Sedona Prince (19.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 5.7 bpg), or maybe sophomore transfer Donovyn Hunter (8.5 ppg, 4.0 apg).

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell

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