Bernard Powell Village Square

Bernard Powell was a towering force for justice in Kansas City, Missouri. From the age of thirteen, when he first joined the NAACP, he dedicated his entire life to fighting for the rights, dignity, and advancement of his community. He marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Selma in 1965, and went on to become the Director of the Congress of Racial Equality, channeling righteous anger into organized action.

He served on Missouri's Governor's Advisory Council on Comprehensive Health Planning, the Human Resources Corp, and was recognized as the National Junior Chamber of Commerce's "Outstanding Man of the Year." At just 31 years old, he received the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service — one of the highest honors for civic leadership in America.

In April 1979, at only 32 years old, Bernard Powell was shot and killed at the East Side Social Club in Kansas City — a community leader stolen far too soon. His murder was a wound to the city and to the movement he had devoted his life to building.

Today, a bronze memorial statue and fountain stands in his honor in Kansas City's Spring Valley Park. The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce awards the Bernard Powell Award annually. His legacy is woven into the fabric of Kansas City's civil rights history — and it is carried forward by every community builder, every organizer, every person who dares to believe things can be better.

This village square is named in his honor — a space for engagement, empowerment, and community development — exactly as Bernard Powell lived.