History Catching

The Green Team kicked off in the fourth quarter of 2020 with its first two members (dubbed the "in-Betweeners"): La'Nya and Jalen, both students at Wyandotte High School. They began work right away on the research and development phase of the NE KCK Heritage Trail, gathering information about local history, heritage, and culture.

Local historian Mr. Chester Owens, long-time resident of the Northeast, was gracious enough to share his historical knowledge, stories and reflections with both Jalen and La’Nya over the course of three interviews. Mr. Owens began his interactive lectures by providing a comprehensive outline of churches, schools, businesses and prominent individuals that have made a lasting impact on the neighborhood through the decades. His personal stories about his youth and family connections in Northeast provided an intimate insight into the transitions and changes the community has experienced.

The Green Team in-Between began their own research journey into the neighborhoods of the Northeast by following Mr. Owens’ lead and outline creating a historical document rich with photos, links and other resources that will begin to build the historical and cultural foundation of the trail as it begins to take shape in the coming year.

As the NE KCK Historical Heritage Trail moves closer to completion, members of the 2021 Green Team will be engaging in more “history catching” with residents of various neighborhoods. If you or someone you know would like to help Green Team members make connections with local residents. please reach out to our Green Team Coordinator, Brenda Brinkhous-Hatch here.

"During my time with Green Team and with Mr. Owens, I have learned a lot about the history of my community and city. We learned about where many of the families that started Wyandotte county, or Wyandotte City back then, originated. We also learned about how important black figures and associations built Wyandotte, from schooling to important businesses. I really loved learning about how the members of what would be my community in the future fought against racism and intolerance during the civil rights age. Especially the stories that Mr. Owens would tell us about himself. Mr. Owens lived a great life and spoke up for many people. He used his voice and connections to people to make change in his neighborhood. He has so much wisdom, stories and history to share and I am so glad that I was able to be one of the people to hear it. I will most likely still pay visits to Mr. Owens to learn more because I want to be like him and use my voice to make a great change." -La’Nya Meade