Inspiring Conversations with Anita Dixon-Brown of Creative City KC Inc

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anita Dixon-Brown

Hi Anita, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It was the early 90’s when I started an African American tours and attractions company called, Passage Unlimited.
It was the first cultural tour company in the region, geared to the Black traveler and the blossoming heritage tourism that was exploding at the time.

I was a young single mother of two, with a 13 year old and an 18 month old daughters, the latter had been diagnosed as autistic. I needed to be at home but had no way of working a job that would allow me the time needed as a stay at home mother would give me. My children were my priority.

I started the business out of my home and rented a bus to take Black visitors to Kansas City sites of their interests, the Underground Railroad city of the Quindaro, 12th Street and Vine, and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, brand new at the time. It quickly became popular. An initial $300 investment on my first trip, doubled 10 times and I became an entrepreneur, able to stay at home, care for my children and enrich my community. A “win-win” since then and now.

The rich heritage of our distinct sound of Blues Based Jazz was always the soundtrack of the tours and I expanded on the business by doing consulting for large advertising firms, producing special commemorate events, honored the Nicholas Brothers, Debbie Allen and a host of celebrities that embodied that rich heritage.

Around 2014, after many years of awareness events of African American culture and contributions to American history, I teamed with a friend, Dr. Jacob Wagner, an Urban Planning Professor at the University of Missouri/Kansas City who conducted an urban planning class to discover where every major musician from the “Colored” musicians union, Local 627 had lived and found out that a majority of the homes had been destroyed or were currently to be demolished.

This led us to trying to preserve those places and ultimately, we came upon the UNESCO Creative Cities application.
It was now 2017 and I only had less than 30 days to write an extensive application and submit before the deadline but because of the research of the urban planning students and Dr. Wagner, the information to convince UNESCO we were worthy of the designation was there. It was only the writing to he done.

On October 31, 2017, Kansas City, Missouri became the FIRST and ONLY UNESCO Creative City of Music in the United States!

As the official focal point of the designation, we are now engaged in international music exchanges, Dr. Wagner is now the Deputy Coordinator of ALL the UNESCO Creative Cities of Music globally and as Founder and Executive Director of Creative City KC Inc, our 501c3 we organized, we are working on an Interpretive Center to greet international guests to Kansas City who know UNESCO is the most recognized cultural brand in the world.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road.
As a not for profit organization, funding has been tricky., meaning there is a lot of competition for cultural and tourism dollars and we had to get creative in our asking for them.
As a UNESCO designation, we are bound by certain ethics defined by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set by the UN in Paris and cannot just advocate or endorse anything for funding.
Fortunately, our city council, private donors and international organizations have rallied over these last 7 years and we are expanding rapidly.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Creative City KC Inc ?
Creative City KC Inc is a 501c3 organization, the focal point of the only United Nation’s Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) of Music in the United States.
As part of a nine cities Creative City network in America, Kansas stands out.
The designation was built on the Jazz heritage popularized around the world but literally born on the streets of 12th and Vine. Names like Count Basie and Charlie Parker will forever be remembered and the city that nurtured that sound was Kansas City.
We have established an Educational program, the American Music Apprenticeship Program through the Department of Labor Apprenticeship Program that for the first time in history, will conduct a registered Apprenticeship in the study of Music. Our four year Apprenticeship puts young musicians in the workforce development status of being a professional, gainfully employed musician. Now studying Music is not just ” cultural enrichment”, it is now a “career choice” in the eyes of our federal government.
Brand wise, Creative City KC Inc has joined the most recognized cultural brand in the world and can access THOUSANDS of creative people, resources and endless access to humanity’s treasures through art. What sets us apart is UNESCO’S determination to make certain the Arts and Craft, Music, Design, Film, Food, Literature, Media Arts, remain a constant in the growth of the Creative Industries in the world economy.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
The Creative Economy is the fastest growing economy in the world and is out pacing transportation, construction and manufacturing in the world. Please look up more statistics on this. This can change so much in our countries, take care of small villages, deal eith violence and hunger. ART was put here to be that balance in humanity and we are proud to do that for our country, globally.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Kccreativecity.com
• Facebook: Creative City KC