On Thursday, January 22, 2026, we’re taking MLK seriously at 20th & Vine with a focused, one-hour Lunch & Learn in the Groove Room downstairs.
MLK Lunch & Learn – From Dream to District: MLK, 18th & Vine, and the Work Ahead in Kansas City is a tight, on-the-clock conversation about what it would mean to live out Dr. King’s ideas in Kansas City right now – not just in speeches, but in the way we treat places like 18th & Vine.
Hosted by Kemet Coleman with guest Pat Jordan, this session sits inside the line that’s been guiding our MLK work: the dream is not a slogan – it’s a workload. We’ll use that lens to talk about 18th & Vine as operational ground for Black culture, ownership, and neighborhood life.
We’ll touch on:
How 18th & Vine is treated today – postcard, project, or living district.
Who actually gets to decide what happens on the east side.
What Dr. King’s demands around jobs, housing, safety, and dignity would look like if we took them seriously in KC in 2026.
This is not a sermon or a panel show. It’s a working lunch with room for honest, plain-spoken conversation.
Grab your seat here: https://vinestbrewing.com/tickets
Details:
Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026
Time: 12:00–1:00 pm (doors and lunch at 12:00; we start on time)
Room: Groove Room (downstairs) at Vine Street Brewing Company, 2010 Vine (20th & Vine)
Host: Kemet Coleman
Guest: Pat Jordan
Food partner: Urban on Troost – barbecue chicken sandwiches and vegan barbecue sandwiches
Tickets:
$20 per person – includes lunch from Urban on Troost and your seat in the Groove Room.
Optional $5 canned beer add-on available when you reserve your seat online.
Your ticket & lunch:
Your ticket includes a full lunch with your choice of:
Standard lunch
Vegan lunch (dairy-free & nut-free)
Water and a free NA beverage are included. Canned beers are available for $5, and you can add one to your ticket during checkout. Each session runs 12:00–1:00 pm with time for Q&A.
About our guest – Pat Jordan:
Pat Jordan is a community development executive who has spent decades turning neglected sites into real community assets in Kansas City and beyond.
Pat helped lead the design and $6 million renovation of the Gem Theater in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District and has guided projects like Morningstar’s Youth & Family Life Center, Senior Housing, and the Greenwood School redevelopment.
Their work sits at the intersection of housing, culture, and neighborhood power — rebuilding places in a way that actually serves the people who live there.
Come spend your lunch hour in a real Kansas City room, with real people doing the work, and leave with a little bit of “homework,” not just a feeling.