This fall the annual Black History project rises to this auspicious moment in history.

For a full decade, the partnership between the Kansas City Public Library, the Black Archives of Mid-America and LINC has been gathering the stories of Kansas City’s great men and women who forever shaped our city and our nation.

The history materials, which have been distributed for free by the thousands into schools, libraries, homes and community centers, warrant a meaningful pause to take them all in.

And now’s the time.

The project has passed its 10th anniversary as Missouri celebrates its bicentennial — both arriving as the Black Lives Matter movement has become a national call for racial justice.

In commemoration of all three, the Black History project will debut a free 44-page book this fall compiling the stories of more than 70 influential figures honored over the past ten years — with new essays from Mayor Quinton Lucas and other contemporary voices.

Since education has always been a primary goal of the project, historians and educators are crafting lesson plans to accompany the history as part of an interactive web site that will be adding new materials into 2021.