Signature Events
Peter Edelman
In a discussion of his book Not a Crime to Be Poor: The Criminalization of Poverty in America, Georgetown University’s Peter Edelman details the need to reform a legal system that punishes the impoverished through impossibly high fees and fines for minor crimes – a la Ferguson, Missouri – and other onerous practices.
Jessica Lenahan, Nicole Portnov
Jessica Lenahan’s three daughters were killed by their father in 1999, and her fight to bring meaning to their deaths led to one of the most significant legal victories in the history of domestic violence advocacy. She joins University of Miami law professor Caroline Bettinger-López in a screening and discussion of Home Truth, a 2017 documentary about the ordeal.
Friday Night Family Fun
Jim Cosgrove – aka Mr. Stinky Feet – is a Kansas City-area institution, singing and dancing with families in more than 3,500 shows throughout North America and Europe and releasing a series of award-winning albums since his debut in 1998. Join the popular entertainer in celebrating his 20th anniversary with a special concert featuring a number of musical guests who’ve rock ’n rolled with him over the years.
Movies and Memories
Sample some of the world’s faraway places in the latest installment of the Library’s special, intergenerational movie series for individuals with dementia, their friends, and families. Attendees can take in a selection of short travel documentaries, smell spices, and share memories from around the globe. The Kansas City Boys Choir performs.
Clarence Lang, Walter Naegle
On the 55th anniversary of the momentous 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the Library screens an acclaimed documentary about its behind-the-scenes organizer, Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin. Rustin’s partner, Walter Naegle, then joins University of Kansas professor Clarence Lang in discussing Rustin’s legacy as an influential but underappreciated civil rights strategist.
Rhiannon Ally, Mike Marusarz
Rhiannon Ally, the Emmy-winning evening news anchor for Kansas City’s NBC affiliate, 41 Action News, discusses her newly released children’s book, inspired by her own juggling of family and career.
Jonathan M. House
Jonathan House of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, a leading authority on Soviet military history, discusses one of the greatest offensives of World War II and a German defeat that dashed Hitler’s hopes on the Eastern Front.
J. Patrick O'Connor
Crime Magazine publisher J. Patrick O’Connor discusses his book Justice on Fire: The Kansas City Firefighters Case and the Railroading of the Marlborough Five, arguing that innocents took the fall for the 1988 construction site explosion in which six firemen were killed.
