Minority-Led Stories

Shari Young, Blacque Onyx Apparel

Shari Young doesn’t want Blacque Onyx to be the next online sensation; she wants shoppers on Troost

While others in the marketplace might be chasing viral success online, Shari Young has approached building her new Blacque Onyx Apparel store on Troost with a more long-term strategy, she said. “I know that in the age of social media things blow up really fast and then they’re gone — I didn’t want to be…

Kemet Coleman and Lauren Euston, MOSS Salon Studios

First couple of KC Dapper Rap launching first-of-its-kind coworking space for city’s urban core

A new self-style space in Midtown is expected to offer hair, beauty and wellness entrepreneurs an opportunity to cowork under one roof without the burden of securing financing or paying for utilities, said Lauren Euston. “If you are a busy stylist or busy wellness professional and you are working hard to reach the next level…

Chef Shanita McAffee-Bryant, The Prospect

The Prospect: ‘Cutthroat Kitchen’ winner on the move with chef-inspired workforce training

Everyday consumers can elevate Kansas City through the simple of act of eating a meal, said Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant. Her in-the-works non-profit urban eatery concept — The Prospect — caters to a marketplace hungry for culinary-oriented workforce development training: students looking for a window into entrepreneurship through cooking, said Bryant, 2014 winner of Food Network’s…

Kyra Colbert, TEDxYouth@KC

TEDxYouth@KC invites teens into pressing, real-world conversations, event emcee says

Including teens in conversations about real world issues is the key element that will set Kansas City’s TEDxYouth@KC apart from other TED-branded conferences, said Kyra Colbert. “We’re going to be the future and if we don’t get involved now and we don’t get informed about what’s going on, how are we going to know what…

Blockchain KC event aims to put Kansas City on the map for crypto thought leadership

Kansas City is running low on blockchain-fueled innovation, said Shekhar Gupta. “I want to see Kansas City as one of the top places where people think about blockchain,” said Gupta, chief technology officer of Overland Park-based SaaS firm Asuun, and organizer of the inaugural Blockchain KC conference. “I have a big map on my wall…