Daniel Boothe
Stories by Daniel Boothe
Recruiting to Fight Social Injustices
Michael Brooks recalls witnessing racism in Kansas City at a young age. Growing up at 37th and Benton Boulevard, a wealthy neighborhood “filled with doctors and lawyers,” the former councilman and senior pastor of Zion Grove Missionary Baptist Church said he started kindergarten in 1967 at then-affluent Sanford B. Ladd Elementary. Then, he said, it…
The Younger Games
When Lee’s Summit West High School’s archery team broke the Missouri state record for highest team score on January 30th, head coach David Winslow looked over to his staff. High-fiving and hugging each other, his assistant coaches reveled in the moment. It was the accumulation of work that had been years in the making. Nearby,…
Look Ma, No Hands!
Bad news, “Back to the Future” fans. Cars of the 21st century will probably not be able to fly. But the vehicles will drive themselves. They will find their own parking. They will let you relax and stream multimedia on your way to and from your destination. And they just might make you money as…
Back Into the ‘Underground’
During dress rehearsal Wednesday night, co-choreographer Tobin James of Storling Dance Theater’s “Underground” at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts struggled to speak. Sick, exhausted, her voice shot, she breathed deep as she watched the final rehearsal from a dark corner offstage. Twenty rows back in the sixteen hundred seat auditorium, co-choreographer Mona Enna…
Life, Prison, Then Life Again
The prison population is growing, and growing fast. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the number of incarcerated felons grew by 408 percent between the years of 1978 and 2014. Even more eye-opening: The number of incarcerated women in the United States ballooned 646 percent between the years of 1980 and 2010, according to a study from The Sentencing Project, a…
For Innovators, Winning Isn’t Everything
Last year’s Innovator of the Year, Alicia Herald, put winning the Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship Program’s marquee award into perspective. “I think it’s a fun title, and you get a beautiful celebratory bowl,” said Herald, CEO of myEDmatch. “But internally amongst the Pipeline family, we think of the event as the celebration of how far all…
One on One with Jonathan Butler
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Jan. 19, and has been updated with video from the event. Click on the play button above to hear excerpts from Jonathan Butler’s speech at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church Jan. 18. Long before Jonathan Butler held a hunger strike at the University of Missouri, sparking a campus-wide protest…
‘Die Moving Forward.’
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Jan. 12, and has been updated with video from the event. Click on the play button above to hear part of the keynote speech from the Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, senior pastor of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, New York. Who knew that the…
Going whole hog toward sustainability?
A global effort is underway that may change the way we look at waste from farm animals. China, Brazil, Costa Rica, and India, along with others, are all developing new technologies that use biodigester systems that essentially convert cow and pig manure into clean, renewable energy. Here in the United States, Smithfield Foods, the largest…
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree
Tina Luckett, Entertainment Marketing Director at Hallmark’s Crown Center, always looks forward to a particular business trip. Every other year, Hallmark sends Luckett to Sweethome, Oregon to spend the day walking through the forest in search of a Christmas tree. Well, two Christmas trees to be exact. For the past ten years, Luckett has traveled to the…