Minority-Led Stories

Sisters open Lao-Thai kitchen in KC’s Crossroads, but to taste their laab beef, you’ll have to order from the cloud

A sister-led Lao and Thai food restaurant in the Crossroads hopes to deliver an authentic taste of southeast Asian culture to Kansas City. Among its first challenges: picking which family recipes win a spot on the menu. Nang Nang Lao-Thai opened in late February at the Crossroads Food Stop, a “cloud kitchen” with 10 local…

For one night only, KCI’s new terminal became the city’s premier event venue; Here’s how they pulled it off

Transforming an airport terminal into a high-profile, elegant celebration and then back to an airport terminal within 48 hours is no easy feat, Whitney Butler said, but the women-led PlatinumXP team was up for the challenge. “We were creating within a venue that will never be able to be used as an event venue again….

WeCode KC founder earns women’s achievement honor; adds national STEM figure to her org’s leadership

Only a few days into March, 2023 is already proving to be a big year for WeCode KC, noted co-founder and CEO Tammy Buckner. The organization — which operates with a mission is to give youth, especially those in the urban core, the opportunity to learn technology concepts and leadership skills and create a pipeline…

Spring cleaning won’t clear away the old you, but it can juice up your next season (Holistic Hustle)

Kharissa Parker is a news producer, writer, certified health coach, and columnist for Startland News. For more of her self-care tips on how to keep your cup full, visit kparker.co. The first couple months of the year were nothing that I expected them to be. In 2022, I manifested many of my dreams and goals…

Kauffman awards $5.3M to DreamSpring to expand microlending to underserved entrepreneurs in KC

A newly announced $5.3 million grant is expected to vastly expand access to small business credit among historically underserved entrepreneurs in Kansas City, said Philip Gaskin, detailing the latest in a series of funding awards this week from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. DreamSpring, a nationally recognized nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), is set…