When Independence destroyed a Black neighborhood
In the 1900s, the Neck neighborhood was the center of the Black community in Independence, Missouri. But by 1969, the neighborhood had been demolished — thanks to urban renewal policies put into place by President Harry S. Truman, who lived nearby. Today, it’s the site of McCoy Park, a vast green space that connects the Harry S. Truman Library to the Independence Square.
This episode of A People's History of Kansas City was reported and produced by Savannah Hawley-Bates, with editing by Lisa Rodriguez.