Tag: kansas city

Enough is Enough. Put a Stop to Gun Violence.

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By Emily Laptad and Kelcie McKenney

Yesterday’s gun violence at the Chiefs Super Bowl Victory Celebration absolutely shattered our hearts here at Catcall. Most of our staff is based in the Kansas City metro, and today we find ourselves so incredibly sad, angry, and helpless. When will enough be enough? 

The worst part of all of this is we shouldn’t have to imagine a mass shooting happening on the streets we walk on. How many times have you prepared to go to a big event and wondered if this might be the day you experience gun violence up close and personal?

On days like these, it’s easy to feel powerless. To think, why should I even raise my voice when politicians only send their “thoughts and prayers,” only to take no action and send their “thoughts and prayers” yet again when the next shooting happens in the United States—because it will.

But here at Catcall, we refuse to be silent. We will scream until our throats are raw. We will continue the fight for common sense gun laws, no matter how long it takes. Because there will be a next time. 

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Why is Taylor Swift so popular? The karmic genius that led to her success.

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Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,”  announcement at the 2024 Grammy Awards is cosmic-level for this Swiftie.

By Emily Laptad

CW: Mention of domestic abuse/violence, complex trauma, and childhood trauma.

On October 22, 2022, I woke up to listen to the bonus tracks on Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album, Midnights (3am Edition). It was a spiritual experience that nudged my personal life story in a direction I never saw coming when the lyrics, “Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first,” crooned through my earbuds as I listened to “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” for the first time.

So, it’s fitting that it’s 3 a.m. now as I try to weave together the words to illustrate just how much the historical popstar, musical mastermind, and 14-time Grammy Award Winner means to me—and so many other Swifties too. This particular editorial has been in the making for over a year now, and after tossing and turning over the shear dismay that Taylor blindsided the Swifties with a brand new album, The Tortured Poets Department, that’s coming out on April 19 (we all thought we were getting reputation (Taylor’s Version) instead) now felt like a better time than ever.

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But I’m a Comedian, a Sexy Variety Show and Barrier Babes Fundraiser

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Join Catcall, the Kansas City-based intersectional feminist collective, on July 13 for But I’m a Comedian at Crossroads Hotel—a night of cocktails and laughter benefiting Kansas City sex educators, Barrier Babes. The evening will begin with a local vendors market, include spicy raffle prizes, and conclude with a special edition of the comedy and draglesque showcase by Body Language.

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The Cafe Cà Phê team is serving up hella good coffee, culture, and AAPI inclusion.

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By Kelcie McKenney

For Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we teamed up with The Pitch to highlight the AAPI team members who make Kansas City’s first Vietnamese coffee shop Cafe Cà Phê possible. Stick around this month to hear their stories.

Cafe Cà Phê makes a damn good cup of coffee. But mixed in with the Vietnamese drip and sweetened condensed milk is the recipe for representation.

If you’re tapped into the Kansas City coffee scene, chances are you’ve heard Jackie Nguyen’s story. But we’ll give you a quick refresher. Nguyen, a first-generation Vietnamese American, left Broadway at the start of the pandemic, moved to Kansas City, and opened Cafe Cà Phê—Kansas City’s first Vietnamese mobile coffee shop. And since then, Nguyen and her coffee shop have positioned themselves as advocates for KC’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

“When I grew up, I felt so ashamed to be Asian. I thought it was so uncool, and I felt like we were always teased and looked down upon,” Nguyen said. “I do not ever want any Asian kid to feel that way because it’s so far from the truth. I hope to combat that.”

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Want to support the KC Black community with your money, time, and action? Here’s where to start.

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By Catcall Staff

Erin Zimmerman, president of Kansas City Women in Film and Television, started this growing, Anti-Racism Resources document to help Kansas Citians get connected and supportive of our Black community. This is a growing doc, open for contributions.

Anti-Racism Resources

* This is NOT a fully comprehensive list, it’s a START. A community-collected resource. If you have a resource you would like added, a correction or update, please fill out this Google Form. Thank you!

** THANK YOU to the humans who have paved the way for us to DO THE WORK—especially Black Folx! We see you. We hear you. We are here to do the ongoing work.

This is meant to continue on as a living, breathing resource, to do the work so that we can keep black humans living and breathing! It’s a resource meant to add to, update and reference over time, so that we, as white people, can do our part to dismantle racism and the systems that oppress, brutalize and murder black people. Performative, optical allyship is just NOT acceptable!

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