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Millions of African Americans walked away from the South after Emancipation looking for freedom. For some it meant a journey to Kansas, believing “free state” meant free of racial discrimination. Discover how many realized that for Black people in Kansas “free” did not necessarily mean “welcome.”

Dr. Williams is a former professor of English and African American studies at Johnson County Community College. She is currently the executive director of the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City.

“Free Did Not Mean Welcome” is part of Humanities Kansas’s Speakers Bureau and “21st Century Civics,” a collection of resources that invite Kansans to participate in community discussions and learn more about the history of American democracy and the shared responsibilities of citizenship. “21st Century Civics” is made possible with support from “A More Perfect Union: America at 250,” an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Programming assistance courtesy Humanities Kansas Speakers Bureau program.