Clay Center, KS- New York City Mayor Eric Adams held a news conference to discuss his recent trip to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona. During this press conference he mentioned the brand of New York City being “diversity” and then made a poke at Kansas, saying “Okay, you’re from Kansas” without a “brand.”
This statement hasn’t set well with Kansans all over the country with many lashing back, leaving many to wonder, what is Kansas’ brand?
Kansas is best known for the prairies, rolling hills, and natural beauty. Kansas is the home of Dorothy in the 1939 American musical fantasy film Wizard of Oz.
William Allen White, ran for office to save Kansas from the KKK and called Emporia, Kansas home. White traveled around the state “fighting the Ku Klux Klan.” And how he may have lost that election, it was ruled in 1927 that the KKK could not legally operate in Kansas.
The University of Kansas has dominated the sports world with one of the top 25 men’s basketball teams with five national titles.
The Brown v. Board of Education was a turning point in U.S. history and education, and Kansas was the site of this landmark case.
Kansas earned the title of being the air capital of the world because of their involvement in aircraft production from engineering, designing, and creating parts that are supplied across the U.S. Helicopters were also invented by Kansas natives creating the blueprint for the first helicopter.
Amelia Earhart was born and raised in Atchison, Kansas, and became the first female passenger to cross the Atlantic by plane and then attempted to become the first woman to complete a flight around the globe.
Kansas is a prominent beef supplier and the wheat capital of the world.
The first Pizza Hut in the world opened in Kansas in 1958 by the Carney brothers from Wichita.
Susanna Madora Salter from Argonia, Kansas became the first woman mayor in the U.S.
And the world wouldn’t know helium without Kansas, which was discovered in natural gas in Dexter, Kansas in 1905 and later added to the periodic table.
Between 1854 and 1859 a battle called Bleeding Kansas happened, which would lead to what many known as the Civil War.
Kansas was the first state to preserve abortion rights in the first Roe-v-Wade election test that ruling was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
White was quoted saying “When anything is going to happen in this country, it happens first in Kansas.” That statement has held true to this day with the many firsts that the rest of the country and world has grown to love. And while Kansas may not necessarily have “a brand” our state motto is “Ad astra per aspera” meaning “To the stars, through difficulties” always overcoming any obstacle that is placed in the way.
Photo by Jennifer Stapp showing just how beautiful Kansas really is.
Janet Schnell covers state and local news for KFRM and KCLY. You can follow the KCLY or KFRM Facebook page for more stories.
KFRM covers news from across the state of Kansas, the Northern part of Oklahoma, and Southern part of Nebraska.
KCLY coverage area includes the nine counties of Clay, Cloud, Dickinson, Geary, Marshall, Ottawa, Riley, Republic, and Washington.
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