In this episode of The Movement, the podcast from the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, host Mark Hulet sits down with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II to reflect on 20 years of the Cleaver YMCA and its impact along historic Troost Avenue.
Often described as Kansas City’s dividing line, Troost was shaped by segregation, redlining, and decades of disinvestment. Congressman Cleaver shares his personal journey – from moving to Kansas City during a deeply segregated era to serving as mayor and later in Congress – and the lessons he learned about leadership, equity, and community healing.
He discusses his childhood experiences with poverty, his mother’s civil rights activism, early marches connected to national leaders, and how access to the YMCA helped shape his understanding of belonging and opportunity. Cleaver also reflects on efforts to “erase” the Troost boundary, address funding disparities, and build a more unified Kansas City.
The conversation highlights the vision behind placing the Cleaver Family YMCA on Troost – creating not just a facility, but a bridge that brings people together across neighborhoods and backgrounds.
