KC activist, matriarch spent her life dedicated to others, now family is asking for a helping hand up
Kansas City activist
By Web staff
Click here for updates on this story
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — The warm front Kansas City has been blessed with is something one local woman needed to stay in her home.
92-year-old Ida Lewis loves her historic home off of prospect.
“This is central to the family,” Her grandson Vartinez Richardson said. “Everybody knows if you need a place to go, she is open to anyone who needs a place to be.”
For more than 40 years, dozens of her children and grandchildren have called it Granny’s House. It was the spot for family reunions, weddings, and even fighting for equal rights.
“She has been a very incredible lady,” Richardson said.
Her children say she was part of several civil rights marches in Kansas City. She also helped start Harvesters and helped open several women’s shelters in the KC area.
Today, her memory is fading. She loves to talk about her children but has a hard time remembering all the good she has done for her community.
Richardson said he remembers the days when she told harrowing stories about marches in the 1970′s. He said she even travelled to Washington D.C. for the March on Washington.
“She remembered having attacks from dogs and police and before she did the March on Washington, she met Dr. Martin Luther King,” Richardson said.
That, Ida remembers. She said she met Dr. King a few times.
She also remembers who was alongside her in Washington.
“I had a sister that went along with me,” Lewis said. “I’m very happy that I didn’t have to go alone because I had never been to one like that.”
But what she’s most proud of are her kids and grandkids.
After years of taking care of the family, it’s their turn to take care of her. Her house needs some TLC.
“The heat for the house is controlled by a steam boiler and the boiler has stopped working,” Richardson said. “In order to replace the boiler it’s going to take 30 to 40 thousand dollars because it’s a lost art.”
Her family says moving her somewhere else severely impacts her memory. They are hoping the Kansas City Community which she spent decades fighting for, will help fight for her.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
