Jackson County officials plan Freedom Memorial Wall

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jackson County officials are planning a memorial wall to honor up to 1,000 people who contributed to the county's success, with an emphasis on black leaders.

If the plan becomes reality, the Freedom Memorial Wall would be erected in a park honoring Leon Jordan, an important black civil rights leader who was slain in 1970, The Kansas City Star reported.

The Jackson County Legislature in June approved the creation of a commission to begin selecting names to go on the wall. Other details, such as costs and a timeline for the project, have not been determined. James Tindall, who resigned from the county legislature in June, proposed the idea to remember people who helped bring progress to the county, which includes Kansas City.

"They've been forgotten, and we want this community to look back over the years and see the people who have made these contributions," Tindall said.

Tindall, who resigned rather than fight attempts to remove him from office because of a 1999 felony tax fraud conviction, said he pictures the wall having 1,000 names with descriptions of each of their contributions to the community. He said the goal is to have the commission pick 100 names each year for 10 years, with a ceremony each year for the inductees.

"If somebody else tells our story, they'll get it wrong, so we have to tell our own story," he said.

The Rev. Nelson "Fuzzy" Thompson, the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, said he thought the wall could help the self-image of the African-American community.

"If the African-American community is lifted up, it lifts up the entire community," he said.

Gwendolyn Grant, the president of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said she hopes plans to build the monument in Leon M. Jordan Memorial Park will be a catalyst for other improvements in the area.

"We need to bring positive development to that community," she said. "It's all about capturing and celebrating the history and the accomplishments people have made in creating the world that we live in."

The commission will set the criteria for who is chosen to be honored on the wall.

"I think it's a good idea. We just have to see if we can afford it and where it fits into things," said Scott Burnett, a county legislator.