Hosted by the Cultural Enrichment Center, Division of Educational Innovation and Global Programming, in collaboration with the Art Gallery at KCKCC.
7250 State Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66112
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Jerry Pope is an accomplished higher education leader with over 20 years at KCKCC. He oversees five academic divisions and has led major initiatives in accreditation, academic planning, and workforce-aligned program development. His leadership was key in removing KCKCC from HLC probation and launching reforms like guided pathways and program learning outcomes. A strong advocate for student success, Jerry has improved retention, completion, and transfer/employment outcomes, while promoting data-informed decision-making and faculty development. His previous roles include Dean, Professor of Music, and Department Coordinator, where he demonstrated collaborative leadership and effective governance. Jerry holds degrees in Religion and Piano Performance, with doctoral coursework from UMKC. Active in the arts and social justice, he has served on nonprofit boards and led community fundraising. A dedicated educator and pianist, Jerry is passionate about advancing community colleges through inclusive, innovative leadership.
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Dr. Shawn Derritt is an award-winning Gospel Recording Artist who is passionate about creating a listening experience that helps listeners transcend their current circumstances, allowing them to encounter God's love and peace.
He is a multifaceted professional with a wide range of experience. In addition to being a Certified Life Coach and Motivational Speaker, Dr. Derritt serves as a Worship Leader at Sheffield Family Life Center. He has more than 25 years experience in higher education. Dr. Derritt is also an adjunct faculty member at KCKCC and the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), and he has been a guest lecturer at the University of Kansas (KU).
Dr. Valdenia C. Winn, Professor of History, has taught history and political science at Kansas City Kansas Community College for more than five decades. Having taught numerous courses, Dr. Winn now focuses on teaching the survey courses in United States History and Africa/African American History.
A graduate of Washington High School and Kansas City, Kansas Community College, Dr. Winn continued her education at the University of Kansas where she attained a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, a Master’s degree in history and in 1993, she completed her PhD in History/International Relations from the University of Kansas.
Dr. Winn further enhances her teaching by conducting research at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, Independence, Missouri, and Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Hyde Park, New York, researching files that concern African Americans in the military and Anglo-American diplomatic relations in the Caribbean during World War II. Currently, she is conducting research at the Central Plains Division of the National Archives and the Kansas State Historical Society, researching files concerning the First Kansas Colored Voluntary Regiment, Civil war and post-Civil War eras and the Freedmen’s Bureau files .Also currently, she is engaged in writing a brief biography of Mr. Chester Owens, the legendary civil rights icon of Kansas City, Kansas.
In 1999, Dr. Winn was awarded the prestigious U.S. Department of Education Fulbright-Hayes Group Projects Abroad Grant to Senegal, West Africa, where she directed a KCKCC-led curriculum development team of 16 area faculty to study for 6 weeks at both Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal and at the University of St. Louis in St. Louis, Senegal. Upon return to Kansas City the team developed curriculum guides, websites and conducted workshops on strategies of teaching African/African American studies to area educators and students.
Also, in 1999, Dr. Winn coordinated the Western University Memory Club’s 24th Biennial Reunion Interview Project. In 2006, she served as a consultant to the Concerned Citizens of Old Quindaro, Kansas City, Kansas for their research and documenting a registry of African Americans buried in the Quindaro Cemetery, post-Civil War era, funded by the Kansas Humanities Council.
First elected in 2000, Dr. Winn serves in the Kansas House of Representatives. During her twenty-five-year tenure she has served on various committees and is currently the Ranking member of the K-12 Education Budget, member of the Joint Committee on Rules and Regulations, Legislative Post Audit and Financial Institutions and Pensions. In the past she has served in leadership positions such as Chairperson of the Wyandotte County Delegation, Chairperson of the Capital Preservation Committee, Policy Chair and twice as the Assistant Minority Leader of the House Democrat Caucus
Dr. Winn considers her legacy achievement as securing the passage of Senate Bill 54 in 2010, that commissioned a mural commemorating the U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown vs. Board of Education, et. al. That mural currently stands on the walls of the Kansas State Capital, Topeka, Kansas. In 2024 she became the chairperson of the sub-committee that will commission another mural for the Kansas State Capital. This mural will commemorate the First Kansas Colored Volunteer Regiment.
Active in her community, Dr. Winn is secretary and a member of the Struggler’s Hill/Roots Neighborhood Association, Treasurer of the Northeast Cooperative Council, President of the Kansas National Women’s Political Caucus, and a member of the Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus. She is an elected member of the USD 500 School Board (KCK) and board member of the Kansas Association of School Boards.
She is married to Keith Vincent Persley and lives in Kansas City, Kansas. In her spare time, she loves to read, volunteer in the community and travel.
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Kamiasha Moses Tyner was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and considers herself to have an inherited gift of genealogy. She has coined the phrase, "Familial Connection Professional Genealogist." To here, that means most family historians or genealogists focus on the research side of it, the migration patterns, the "Finding Your Slave Owner" side. Kamiasha is a little different. Yes, those things play a part in the journey, but what's the point in knowing all about the people that lived in the 1800's, then not know that you went to school with your blood cousins? In 2023, Dignified Descendants LLC was created. Not only does she dive deep into her own family history, but she takes pride in helping others experience the type of joy and fulfillment that she has found through research. |
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LeShea and The Fellas are providing soulful sounds for the celebration. Vocalist, LeShea Wright, a KCKCC graduate is joined by Eric Rankin (keys), Stephen Cubit (bass) and Courtney Byars (percussion). LeShea and The Fellas are one of Kansas City’s premiere live bands and can be seen at music venues locally and beyond. Known primarily for performing R&B and Neo-Soul hits, however, they are quite versatile in many genres. Audiences at one of their shows might be treated to covers from anyone from Beyoncé to Tina Turner, to Ella Fitzgerald to Biggie Smalls. We are jazzed up to have these phenomenal artists back for the third year in a row to celebrate with us.
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LaShea and The Fellas serving up sweet melodies. |
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DJ Joe amps up a crowd. |
Joseph Straws, III, popularly known as DJ Joe is back to get the Juneteenth crowd moving. Straws is a KCKCC graduate from the Audio Engineering program. He is the owner and consulting engineer for 2 the MAAXE. Straws was voted the winner of the Kansas City People’s Choice Award in 2024, an honor which is well deserved. You have likely seen Joe providing sounds for some of the most popular spaces and events across the metro such as the Nelson Atkin’s Museum of Art (Third Thursdays, The Big Picnic), Boulevardia, and the KC Riverfest. Even with access to such big platforms, Joe remains humble, often giving back to local schools DJ-ing middle and elementary school dances. Get ready to get out of your seat and put your “Boots on the Ground” with DJ Joe’s sounds. |
