Womontown Screening & Panel Discussion

3218 Gladstone Boulevard,Kansas City MO 64123

10 March, 2022

Description

Kansas City PBS presents Womontown, a new documentary from producer Sandy Woodson. Kansas City PBS presents Womontown, a new documentary from producer Sandy Woodson about a group of women in 1980s Kansas City who defied gender norms, transforming 14 city blocks in the Longfellow neighborhood into a revolutionary community by and for women. Womontown premieres Thursday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 19.1. In 1980s Kansas City, Drea Nedelsky and her girlfriend, Mary Ann Hopper, imagined a neighborhood where women could walk hand-in-hand down the street without the judgments and fear. After purchasing a home in the Longfellow Neighborhood they launched a nationalized, grassroots recruiting campaign, reaching out to queer women, selling them on the dream of Womontown, spelled in such a way to entirely remove the mention of “man”. Within five years, 75 women purchased 28 homes and 14 apartment buildings in a 7x7 block area in midtown with their life savings or loans from family members, renovating the properties and creating a home. Once settled, the women mobilized, electing residents to the neighborhood association to work from the inside to create a secure and supportive environment. They utilized programs available through the city to offset the cost of renovations. Rather than selling and ultimately gentrifying the neighborhood, they put down roots and hoped for something larger. Join us and Kansas City PBS for a panel with founding members of Womontown, as well as a screening of the 30-minute doc before it premieres on Channel 19.1. Free. Space is limited. RSVP required. For more information, please contact Paul Gutiérrez, Director of Visitor Experience & Public Programming, at [email protected] or 816.702.7705. Mission: The Kansas City Museum preserves, interprets, and celebrates Kansas City through collections, exhibitions, and bold programs that reflect the City’s evolution and spirit, and engage visitors in unfolding stories about Kansas City’s vibrant history, cultural heritage, and pride. Vision: The Kansas City Museum is a hub of learning, creativity, and collaboration where individuals and communities innovate and inspire engagement and civic unity.