Minority-Led Stories
Basketball helped him survive poverty; now Adeola Ajay is rooting for other children to rise in his home country
When school let out each day, young Adeola Ajayi didn’t get to go home or outside to play. Instead, he clocked in for a job he created for himself, selling seasonal produce with his brother by an African roadside so their family wouldn’t go hungry. “Survival was the daily priority,” Ajayi said of his upbringing…
Nonprofit launching retail incubator for Asian-owned businesses; next up: a cultural district in Columbus Park
A new retail incubator in a former Columbus Park tattoo shop is expected to push forward the nonprofit mission of Hella Good Deeds — amplifying the Asian community in Kansas City — while boosting sales for Asian-owned, product-based businesses, said Béty Lê Shackelford. The vision for “Jade Market”: take over the recently-vacated Tiger Alley Tattoo…
Tech leader’s side story: Revisiting abandoned childhood dreams could help break cycles of abuse, incarceration
His storytelling startup uses artificial intelligence to craft visions of the future where children feel seen, but a new partnership with a courtroom support organization is extending Herson Fails’ mission — and magic — to adults, he said. Fails’ Six-Seven Experience aims to reconnect participants with their childhood dreams, align them with their current strengths,…
Ownership influences prosperity: 12-week biz academy targets entrepreneurs past survival mode
The Greenline Foundation is taking a layered approach to economic growth on Kansas City’s east side, Ajia Morris said, connecting entrepreneurship, real estate, and access to capital in ways designed to last. At the center of that work is the Community Business Academy, a 12-week program that gives entrepreneurs practical tools, financial structure, and direct…
This startup veteran’s new roadway safety tool turns any smartphone into a work-zone inspector
Worker safety within high-traffic roadway construction zones is stalled in the 1970s, said founder Zikomo Fields, driving the vision for a 21st century approach that uses tech to hit the brakes on fatalities. “There’s not a lot of software that is ensuring that these work zones are set up correctly,” said Fields, CEO of Kansas…
