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Bernard Powell – Kansas City African American Civil Rights Activist
Bernard Powell was born on March 5, 1947. He was an African-American Civil Rights Activist, from Kansas City.
Powell was born five minutes ahead of his twin brother, Burnele. He graduated from Central High School in 1965 and formed the school’s alumni association. He became interested in civil rights work at a young age joining the NAACP at age 13 and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the March to Selma, Alabama. In the mid-1960s, he became regional director of the Congress of Racial Equality.
In October of 1968, Powell and others formed the Social Action Committee of 20 (SAC-20). SAC-20’s early efforts were aimed at teaching leadership and job training skills to Black youth. During this time, Powell began wearing his trademark SAC-20 black beret bearing a five-pointed star, which quickly branded him, in the eyes of some, as a militant.
Powell received many honors, including “Outstanding Man of the Year” by the National Junior Chamber of Commerce and the National Jefferson Award for public service. He was appointed to several state committees, including the Governor’s Advisory Council on Comprehensive Health Planning for Missouri and the Human Resources Corporation. He also participated in the Urban League of Kansas City, the Missouri Head Start Council, the Model Cities board of directors, and the National Conference of Lawyers. Powell aspired to become Missouri’s first Black governor.
This goal was cut short, however, when, in 1979 at age 32, he was shot to death on the East Side Social Club in his hometown.
A bronze statue of Powell stands in Spring Valley Park at 28th and Brooklyn, across the street from his childhood home. Those who remember Bernard Powell remember him working tirelessly for civil rights.
Make sure to visit the:
Bernard Powel Memorial Monument
Spring Valley Park, 28th and Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri
Tags: african american, bernard powell, brooklyn, Civil Rights, Kansas City, spring valley park, urban league
I was Bernard’s Lady back in the late 60′s; I saw the greatness in him then. The first time we went out on a date, I told him that he had to take off the Africa shirt and the black tam, put on a suit, then I would go to dinner with him. When he picked me up, he had on a black pinstripe suit, black shirt and white tie. He liked the way he looked so he put all members of SAC-20 in suits. It changed the way his organization was viewed; when he spoke, people began to listen. He went from a trouble maker terrorizing city hall to sitting down at table with city council members negotiating change in Kansas City.
I supported his organization, SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE OF 20 MEN (SAC-20) with all of my heart. Those were the days when he was not respected. However, that did not stop him. His motto was “Let Each One Teach One Unity”.
I left Kansas City in 1971. We remained friends. I was so proud of him when he won the Jefferson Awards in 1979 because he had truly transformed KC from the “Ghetto to a Gold Mine”. There are parks and streets named after him. The. Bronze statue in the park, across from his family home, says it all. I am proud to have been a positive force in his life. He always said that his history could not be written without me. It was so sad that he was murder the same year he received the Jefferson Award. He was truly a great man with a mission and a passion to make it happen.
Shirley Everett-2011