Eight Days in April: The Story of the 1968 Uprising in Kansas City draws upon historical materials from LaBudde Special Collections and Marr Sound Archives to tell the story of Kansas City, MO in the eight days surrounding the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968.
Though Dr. King’s assassination is often identified as the sole cause of the 1968 Uprising, this exhibit argues that the groundwork had been laid by years of racist policies long before the tragedy of that Thursday evening in Memphis. These events have left a permanent mark on the history and landscape of Kansas City, MO and reverberate through the ongoing fight for racial justice.
The exhibit will be available to view at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center and Museum when it is safe to open to the public and is also available as a digital exhibit on the library website. The digital version includes an opportunity for community members to participate in a survey about renaming the 1968 Riot Collection.
The exhibit was curated by Dr. Anthony LaBat with contributions from Sandy Rodriguez and Lindy Smith, reviewed by Dr. Delia Gillis, and designed by Sean McCue. Elbert Anderson, Simone Curls, Dee Evans, Jennifer Ingraham, Glenn North, and Dani Wellemeyer assisted with grant writing, event planning, and provided inspiration and support.
