[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="yes" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="center" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_single_image image="1119" img_size="full" alignment="center" qode_css_animation=""][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text] I'm Black & I'm Proud [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]I’m Black and I’m Proud  /īm blak and īm proud/  phrase. - a phrase from James Brown's 1968 song "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud." The song addresses the prejudice towards blacks in America, and the need for black empowerment. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Interview with Tre (Robert Coppage III) [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tell me about yourself. What’s your background? [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]So, okay, my name is Robert Coppage the third. I'm from Wyandotte County [Kansas]. I was born and raised here. I am an actor. I teach, I’m a teacher. And I'm an entrepreneur. And I've been acting forever, since I was a kid, professionally and I just realized recently how much of a passion I have for it. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]Before I started acting full time as an adult, I was very heavily involved in ministry and missional work...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="yes" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="center" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_single_image image="1174" img_size="full" alignment="center" style="vc_box_border" border_color="white" qode_css_animation=""][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text] Dream [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]Dream  /ˈdrēm/  word. - indulge in daydreams or fantasies about something greatly desired. See also. "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column width="1/6"][/vc_column][vc_column width="4/6"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_separator type="normal" color="#ffffff" thickness="3"][vc_empty_space height="90px"][vc_column_text] Dear friend, [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="15px"][vc_column_text] I once watched an episode of The Boondocks where Huey imagines what might have happened if Martin Luther King, Jr. didn't die on that April day in 1968. Instead, he fell into a 32-year coma and woke to see the world as it is now. King finds himself in a lost world and at the climax of the episode, he launches into a tirade about how we lost track of the Civil Rights dream. It's at that moment the people remembered what our foremothers and forefathers stood for and they took action. At the end of the episode, Huey's final...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="yes" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="center" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_single_image image="1130" img_size="full" alignment="center" qode_css_animation=""][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text] Black Girl Magic [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]Black Girl Magic  /ˈblak ˈgər(-ə)l ˈma-jik/  slang. - celebrating the beauty, power and resilience of Black women. Congratulate Black women on their accomplishments. The hashtag #BlackGirlMagic is a movement that was popularized by CaShawn Thompson in 2013.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column width="1/6"][/vc_column][vc_column width="4/6"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_separator type="normal" color="#a8438f" thickness="3"][vc_empty_space height="15px"][qode_elements_holder number_of_columns="one_column" switch_to_one_column="600"][qode_elements_holder_item vertical_alignment="middle" horizontal_alignment="center" advanced_animations="no"][vc_column_text] "You’re important in your own right. People need to value you because of who you are, because of your story. Because of your challenges. That's what makes you unique. You know? You wanna be different, you wanna be special. The fact that you’ve been able to overcome challenges - and this is what I’ve always thought - that made me smarter. That made me better because I could overcome things that a lot of people who were in the same position never had to overcome." - Michelle Obama. [/vc_column_text][/qode_elements_holder_item][/qode_elements_holder][vc_empty_space height="15px"][vc_separator type="normal" color="#a8438f" thickness="3"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][qode_elements_holder number_of_columns="one_column" switch_to_one_column="600" alignment_one_column="left"][qode_elements_holder_item...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="yes" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="center" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_single_image image="1111" img_size="full" alignment="center" qode_css_animation=""][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text] Black Boy Joy [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]Black Boy Joy  /ˈblak ˈbȯi ˈjȯi/  slang. - the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one black boy desires. The hashtag #BlackBoyJoy emerged to challenge the way we view black masculinity in society.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column width="1/6"][/vc_column][vc_column width="4/6"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_separator type="normal" color="#0070b8" thickness="3"][vc_empty_space height="15px"][qode_elements_holder number_of_columns="one_column" switch_to_one_column="600"][qode_elements_holder_item vertical_alignment="middle" horizontal_alignment="center" advanced_animations="no"][vc_column_text] "At the end of the day, it's not about what you have or even what you've accomplished… It's about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It's about what you've given back." - Denzel Washington. [/vc_column_text][/qode_elements_holder_item][/qode_elements_holder][vc_empty_space height="15px"][vc_separator type="normal" color="#0070b8" thickness="3"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][qode_elements_holder number_of_columns="one_column" switch_to_one_column="600" alignment_one_column="left"][qode_elements_holder_item vertical_alignment="middle" horizontal_alignment="center" advanced_animations="no"][vc_column_text]Instead of highlighting the Black experience through an interview, today's Pick Progress post celebrates the many dynamic and brilliant faces that epitomize #BlackBoyJoy.[/vc_column_text][/qode_elements_holder_item][/qode_elements_holder][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/6"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][qode_advanced_image_gallery type="masonry" enable_image_shadow="no" number_of_columns="two" space_between_items="large" images="565,643,653,699,892,557,616,948,928,961,555,980,1116,1029,1007" image_size="full"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid"...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="yes" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="center" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_single_image image="700" img_size="full" alignment="center" qode_css_animation=""][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text] Black Power [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]Black Power  /ˈblak ˈpau̇(-ə)r/  slang. - a political slogan used to describe the mobilization of the political and economic power of American Blacks especially to compel respect for their rights and improve their condition. The Black Power movement was prominent in the late 1960s and early 1970s, emphasizing racial pride and the creation of black political and cultural institutions to nurture and promote black collective interests.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Interview with Kemet [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tell me about yourself. What’s your background? [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]My name is Kemet Coleman, otherwise known as Kemet the Phantom. I am a musician, urbanist, and Kansas City enthusiast. I grew up in Kansas City right around 75th and Troost -- literally grew up on the dividing line in Kansas City -- I lived in a world that was kind of on both sides, you know? I attended Kansas City Public Schools,...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="yes" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="center" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_single_image image="640" img_size="full" alignment="center" qode_css_animation=""][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text] I'm Black & I'm Proud [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]I’m Black and I’m Proud  /īm blak and īm proud/  phrase. - a phrase from James Brown's 1968 song "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud." The song addresses the prejudice towards blacks in America, and the need for black empowerment. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Interview with Jon [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tell me about yourself. What’s your background? [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]My name is John Marzette. I am a musician, a DJ, an artist, a graphic artist of all sorts. I'm from Detroit, Michigan, originally. Moved to Lawrence, Kansas. Grew up in the Midwest. Where I'm headed...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="yes" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="center" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_single_image image="882" img_size="full" alignment="center" qode_css_animation=""][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text] Black is Beautiful [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]Black is beautiful  /ˈblak iz ˈbyü-ti-fəl/  phrase. - Black people are beautiful.  See also.   Black people, the 1960s Black is Beautiful movement[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Interview with Aisha [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tell me about yourself. What’s your background? [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]I was originally born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. I have two parents and I have four brothers and sisters, I am the middle child of five. And I grew up there, studied English at Rhodes college and got a bachelor’s of arts in English. And then I moved on to Indiana University in Bloomington and I got my MFA in creative writing with a focus on poetry. And from there I taught English in St. Louis, Missouri. I have a lot of family there, extended family, my mother was born and raised in St. Louis -- my father was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="yes" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="center" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_single_image image="681" img_size="full" alignment="center" qode_css_animation=""][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text] Unbought and Unbossed [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]Unbought and Unbossed /ənbôt and ənbôsd/  phrase. - 1. to beholden to no one. 2. writer Robert Gottlieb created the phrase as a slogan for Shirley Chisholm's 1972 presidential campaign. See also. Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress (seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives),the first Black candidate for a major party's nomination for President of the United States, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Interview with Khrystal [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tell me about yourself. What’s your background? [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]My name's Khrystal. I'm an artist and from Wyandotte County -- Kansas City, Kansas. I was born and raised here in Kansas City. I come from a Black middle class-ish family. I've always been into music and the arts. My parents really cultivated the love of arts in me. Which...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="yes" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="center" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_single_image image="500" img_size="full" alignment="center" qode_css_animation=""][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text] Young, Gifted, and Black [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]Young, Gifted, and Black  /yəNG, ˈɡiftəd, and blak/  phrase. - Coined by playwright Lorraine Hansberry, the phrase is used to empower young Black children to have self-confidence and help them understand that they have notable talent. See also. Young, Gifted, and Black by Nina Simone.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Interview with Sam [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tell me about yourself. What’s your background? [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]Currently, I’m a graphic designer in Kansas City, but I’m originally from Springfield, Missouri… so just a few hours South. I grew up in a pretty traditional Catholic family. My dad is from East St. Louis and my mom is actually an immigrant from the Philippines. So, a little background there.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_empty_space height="30px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] How would you define beauty? [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height="30px"][vc_column_text]Beauty. I think it’s feeling so good about yourself, whether it exudes through your personal appearance or your attitude....