As part of last year's 60th anniversary of "Brown versus the Topeka Board of Education," the Kansas Humanities Council sponsored a local StoryCorps project, where area residents shared their memories about growing up in the shadow of segregation. Today, we listen in as Sherman Smith interviews his friend Michael Hooper. The two men met while working together at the Topeka Capital-Journal. Hooper tells Smith that discrimination still exists in Topeka, though the target has shifted. A word of caution about this conversation: it contains language that many consider offensive and may not be suitable for all listeners.
That's Michael Hooper, interviewed by his friend and former co-worker, Sherman Smith. The Topeka men took part in a StoryCorps project last year, marking the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board. The project was sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council with help from the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library and the Brown v. Board National Historic Site.
Click HERE to listen to the StoryCorps pieces that have aired so far.