Youth learn life lessons at Kansas Black Expo
5:11 p.m. Friday, August 22, 2008
It's a Friday morning, but the 20 kids in the building across from Gage Park Amphitheatre aren't in school or on a field trip. They're here for a youth leadership conference sponsored by the Kansas Black Expo.
"We gotta give (the youth) positive options," said Expo Executive Director Curtis Pitts. "Otherwise they're going to succumb to the streets."
The week-long Kansas black Expo gives people a chance to take part in leadership conferences, family picnics, block parties, a job fair and a host of other events.
Kansas Black Expo Schedule
Find out which events you can't miss at the Kansas Black Expo
"We enjoy it a whole bunch," Pitts said. "It's like Saint Patrick's Day, everybody gets to be Irish for a day. We're just enjoying building good positive bridges and relationships here in the city and around the state of Kansas."
Many of this year's events target youth like Highland Park High School senior Raven Crawford.
"There's battle of the bands, there's parades, there's dances," Crawford said. "It's all black people together united, just having a good time."
But in addition to leaning and rocking to the beats of the drums, kids learn important life-lessons.
"At first I really didn't like cops," said Isaiah Gardenhire. "Now I see where they coming from. They helping us all the time. We ain't always got to be scared of them."
"We've learned not to point a finger but to lend a hand," Pitts said. "If a kid doesn't have anything to do or anywhere to go or money to do many things, we have to create those things for our young people. Otherwise we're hypocrites."
The events of the Kansas Black Expo stretch through next week.
Comments
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Aug. 23, 2008 at 1:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)suzyQ (anonymous)
Again, I wonder what would happen if we created a "White Expo?" It would never be allowed! Such events just promote racism at its worst. The segregation aspects of this whole thing are astounding. And they're doing it themselves.
Aug. 24, 2008 at 2:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)Kajones3 (Kendall Jones)
suzyQ, The "Kansas Black Expo" is simply a name for an event that celebrates the culture of a specific ethnic group. Similar to "Fiesta Mexicana" and "Germanfest," all races are invited to participate in all of the activities. Events like this actually help to dispel racism, not increase it. If you feel segregated, then the only person to blame is yourself.
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