In The Spotlight
Racism is still Happening
Nevaeh Thomas
Physical gifts can be sent to:
Empowerment Temple
2601 Garfield Avenue
Kansas City, Kansas 66102
Monetary donations can be sent to:
The Justice fund
Kansas City, Kansas) The family of an 11-year-old survivor of a racially motivated assault will join church members and their attorney for a 1 pm news conference Thursday, September 3, at Empowerment Temple, 2601 Garfield, Kansas City, Kansas.
Nevaeh Thomas of Kansas City, Kansas, was visiting friends Friday, August 28, at a Shawnee apartment complex when a 12-year-old boy who lived in the complex started yelling racist epithets at the girls. All of the girls are Black; the boy is white.
According to Nevaeh and other witnesses, the boy left the scene, returned with a knife and began threatening the girls. He left again and returned with a steel pole, which he used to strike Neveah on the head. The blow left Nevaeh unconscious for three minutes. She spent the night at an area hospital, where she received eight stitches in her mouth. She is currently recovering from a concussion.
Two hours after the assault--after Nevaeh’s family pleaded with Shawnee Police--the boy was finally taken into custody.
“All I want is justice for my daughter,” said Nevaeh’s mother, Brandi Stewart. “She didn’t do anything to provoke this boy. Clearly, he needs help, and we want to make sure he gets the help he needs. The hate needs to stop, and we can all do our part to end it by having talks with our children about racism.”
Stewart also said that her attorney and support group will pay close attention to the justice system—specifically, the District Attorney and police—to make sure they are consistent in their approach to this case and do not treat the boy better or worse than they would a child of color.
Stewart, Pastor Terry Bradshaw of Empowerment Temple, and the family’s attorney, La Ronna Lassiter Saunders, will be on hand during the news conference to make statements and take questions.
Covid Relief Funds
Subject: COVID Relief Funds Online Survey | Individuals living/working in Johnson County, KS
Johnson County is engaged in a process to determine how to invest approximately $30 million in COVID Relief Funds into the community. The County has identified six key areas where it wants to make a difference:
-
Mental Health
-
Aging
-
Housing
-
Small business assistance
-
Workforce development
-
Digital access
To optimize these funds in Johnson County, we want to understand how COVID-19 has impacted residents, businesses and organizations. Johnson County has partnered with the University of Kansas and All in for Kansas Kids to gather stories from every corner of the county through a simple online survey that can be accessed at the following links.
English: https://ourtomorro.ws/JoCoStories
Spanish: https://ourtomorro.ws/JoCoStories_es
The survey asks respondents for stories regarding how they are coping or what they’ve been struggling with during the pandemic.
The deadline for the survey is Aug. 24. The timeframe is short because funds must be expended by Dec. 30. These stories will make up one step of a process that will culminate in the development of several proposals to be considered by the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners.
In addition, we’d appreciate it if you would share this email and survey link with your staff and any of your contacts so that we can secure as many stories as possible.
Lauren Palmer
Director of Local Government Services
Mid-America Regional Council
600 Broadway, Suite 200, Kansas City, MO 64105
Direct: (816) 701-8207