Explore Kansas Stories
Big Idea: Doing Indigenous Language
As a Kiowa linguist, Dr. Andrew McKenzie studies the scientific and social side of language, and shares what he is doing to help save it in his Big Idea essay.
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The Big Idea
Big Idea: Turning Land Acknowledgements into Action…In a Good Way
Dr. Alex Red Corn (Osage Nation), assistant professor at K-State University, writes that land acknowledgements need to be paired with action in order to have an impact.
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The Big Idea
Big Idea: American Indian Students Define Success in Their Own Terms
Dr. Darryl Monteau explores her research findings on the persistence and accomplishments of American Indian graduate students who did their undergraduate work at a tribal college or university.
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The Big Idea
Big Idea: Story as Medicine
Rachel C. Jackson (Cherokee Nation) explores the power of words in Indigenous storytelling and poetry, including the work of Joy Harjo, in her Big Idea "Story as Medicine."
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The Big Idea
Big Idea: Confronting the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools
Eric P. Anderson (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) writes about how the cultural and moral injury inflicted by Indian boarding schools, like Haskell Institute, impacted generations of families and still reverberate today.
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Big Idea: Coupling Jim and Jane Crow
Jim Crow impacted African Americans throughout the twentieth century. So did its accomplice Jane Crow. Dr. Ayesha K. Hardison describes how Jane Crow affected Black women's lives and shaped their writing and activism.
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Big Idea: It’s Time to Recognize the History of Race and Baseball in Kansas: The Good, The Bad, and the Magnificent
Jim Crow impacted African Americans throughout the twentieth century. So did its accomplice Jane Crow. Dr. Ayesha K. Hardison describes how Jane Crow affected Black women's lives and shaped their writing and activism.
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Big Idea: How Should We Honor Someone's Military Service?
Jim Crow impacted African Americans throughout the twentieth century. So did its accomplice Jane Crow. Dr. Ayesha K. Hardison describes how Jane Crow affected Black women's lives and shaped their writing and activism.
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Big Idea: Seeing the World Through the Eyes of Gordon Parks
Jim Crow impacted African Americans throughout the twentieth century. So did its accomplice Jane Crow. Dr. Ayesha K. Hardison describes how Jane Crow affected Black women's lives and shaped their writing and activism.
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Pandemic, Interracial Strife, and the Saving Grace of Humanities
Jim Crow impacted African Americans throughout the twentieth century. So did its accomplice Jane Crow. Dr. Ayesha K. Hardison describes how Jane Crow affected Black women's lives and shaped their writing and activism.
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It’s Time to Tell the Stories of African American Entrepreneurs
Jim Crow impacted African Americans throughout the twentieth century. So did its accomplice Jane Crow. Dr. Ayesha K. Hardison describes how Jane Crow affected Black women's lives and shaped their writing and activism.
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Big Idea: Images from the Mind of a Bi-Racial Black Woman
Jim Crow impacted African Americans throughout the twentieth century. So did its accomplice Jane Crow. Dr. Ayesha K. Hardison describes how Jane Crow affected Black women's lives and shaped their writing and activism.
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The Big Idea
Big Idea: Free Did Not Mean Welcome for My Family
Millions of African Americans left the South after Emancipation looking for freedom. Some journeyed to Kansas, a "free state." Discover how many realized that for Black people in Kansas, "Free" did not mean "Welcome."
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The Big Idea
Spark a Conversation with Big Ideas about Women
This Movement of Ideas kit looks at the role of Kansas women in history and science and the importance of challenging stereotypes. Read the Big Idea essays and find activities to spark conversations.
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The Big Idea
Big Idea: It's Time to Reconnect with the Earth
How do we find solace during times of anxiety? For Leslie VonHolten, nature, poetry, and nature writing offer comfort and connection during trying times.
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The Big Idea
Big Idea: It's Time to Change the Way We Talk About Poverty
An estimated 875,000 Kansans are likely not making ends meet. Rather than place blame on why or how this happened, let's try to understand the real impact that economic insecurity has on our communities and neighbors.
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Big Idea: It's Time for More Representation in STEM
Sarah Lamm studies rocks on Mars as a planetary science PhD candidate. She's frustrated when "no one assumes I'm a scientist" because of her age and gender. She's right. Less than 30 percent of scientists are women.
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