A People's History of Kansas City

KCUR Studios
  • 4.8 (203)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED MONTHLY
A People's History of Kansas City

The podcast about the everyday heroes, renegades and visionaries who shaped Kansas City and the region. If these stories aren't told, they're in danger of fading into the past. Made by Suzanne Hogan, Mackenzie Martin and KCUR Studios.

  1. The immigrants who made us a soccer city

    JUN 25

    The immigrants who made us a soccer city

    Kansas City is preparing to welcome soccer fans from all around the world for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the smallest host city in North America, and has a lot of work left to get ready. But how did we get to this historic moment? Kansas City may not have embraced the sport at all if not for the immigrants who fought for the beautiful game, back before there were even soccer fields to play on. Suzanne Hogan brings us the first installment of a new mini-series on Kansas City’s soccer history.

    29 min
  2. A publishing house for lesbians, by lesbians

    MAY 21

    A publishing house for lesbians, by lesbians

    As the gay rights movement began picking up steam in the 1970s, Barbara Grier co-founded the largest lesbian publishing company in the world — right from her Kansas City home. KCUR's Olivia Hewitt reports that Grier was bold, controversial, and unstoppable in her mission to make books reflect the people and love stories in her life.

    40 min
  3. Can Kansas City repair what Highway 71 destroyed?

    APR 30

    Can Kansas City repair what Highway 71 destroyed?

    Bruce R. Watkins Drive is an iconic, 10-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 71 that displaced thousands of people in Kansas City. It divided communities, sparked a movement and led to a rare compromise that residents still live with today. KCUR’s Celisa Calacal reports that a new federal grant is trying to mend some of those wounds.

    35 min
  4. Rebuilding Kansas City's relationship with its public schools

    MAR 27

    Rebuilding Kansas City's relationship with its public schools

    Kansas City is asking voters to buy into its public school system for the first time in nearly 60 years. Even after Kansas City Public Schools regained accreditation and turned around student performance, its crumbling buildings offer a persistent reminder of the city’s disinvestment and distrust — a relationship strained by decades of racism, a history-making desegregation case, and plenty of internal turmoil. KCUR’s Jodi Fortino explains how the city and its schools got to this critical point.

    37 min
  5. Why Kansas City’s football team became the Chiefs

    FEB 6

    Why Kansas City’s football team became the Chiefs

    As Kansas City celebrates the Chiefs’ third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, the team name, logo, and some problematic fan customs like the “tomahawk chop” are once again being broadcast worldwide. Suzanne Hogan explores how it all got started, and how the team avoided becoming the Kansas City Texans.

    18 min
  6. How popcorn and movie theaters met

    JAN 16

    How popcorn and movie theaters met

    Popcorn and movie theaters are inseparable today. But a century ago, cinemas actually banned the beloved treat for being cheap and messy. As Mackenzie Martin reports, a Kansas City widow named Julia Braden became one of the first popcorn vendors to talk her way inside the lobby, and built a concession empire in the middle of the Great Depression.

    27 min
  7. Searching for Nora Holt’s stolen music

    12/16/2024

    Searching for Nora Holt’s stolen music

    Nora Holt was the first Black person in the United States to earn a master’s degree in music. A prolific composer of more than 200 musical pieces and a club-hopping socialite, she once wrote a 42-page work for a 100-piece orchestra. But you’ve probably never heard any of it. Scholars have dreamt of finding her stolen manuscripts for nearly a century, according to Classical KC’s Sam Wisman.

    33 min
  8. Want a hit song? Give Dana Suesse 12 minutes

    11/12/2024

    Want a hit song? Give Dana Suesse 12 minutes

    Kansas City composer Dana Suesse was behind some of the most popular American music of the 1930s. Nicknamed “the girl Gershwin,” Suesse’s songs like “You Oughta Be In Pictures” and “My Silent Love” were performed by stars like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. As Classical KC’s Lilah Manning reports, Suesse blazed a path on Tin Pan Alley in a music scene otherwise dominated by men.

    28 min
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4.8
out of 5
203 Ratings

About

The podcast about the everyday heroes, renegades and visionaries who shaped Kansas City and the region. If these stories aren't told, they're in danger of fading into the past. Made by Suzanne Hogan, Mackenzie Martin and KCUR Studios.

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