There is no denying the role that race and racism have played throughout American history. Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum (1997) compares racism to living in a city affected by smog, offering the analogy that racism, like smog, sometimes is so thick it is visible and other times it is less apparent, but always present causing individuals to breath it in, whether they want to or not. Tim Wise (2005) says that, race may be a scientific fiction, but is a social fact; one that none of us can escape no matter how much or how little we talk about it. This lecture/training/workshop explores some of the repercussions of race and racism in America and will specifically investigate Kansas City's history of racial segregation, real estate red-lining, restrictive covenants and blockbusting. The lecture explores some of the present-day impacts of these historical policies and provides a starting point to reconcile this sordid history with equitable solutions for today and for the future.