Kiona Sinks At Central And NLRM

Kiona Sinks at Central and NLBM: A Foundation for the Future, Rooted in the Past

BY EMILY KESEL

If you spent enough time traveling around in Kansas City, Mo. in the past year, you may have come across a unique version of the city’s RideKC Streetcar. Decked out in the red, white, and blue of the Kansas City Monarchs, it was a tribute to the legendary ballplayer Buck O’Neil and had been traversing the city since last November in honor of O’Neil’s 109th birthday and the centennial anniversary of the Negro Leagues.

It was the first big project while working for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum for Central Methodist University alumna Kiona Sinks, ’18, and it’s the one she still calls her most memorable a year later.

In just a year with the NLBM, the 2021 CMU Young Alumni Award winner has already made a mark on the institution, much like she did at Central. Starting her job as the community engagement and digital strategy manager on the same day as the museum’s 30th anniversary – and in the middle of a pandemic – meant she had to “jump in with both feet,” but Sinks wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sinks says that all her days on the job are different, whether she’s sitting at her desk managing social media accounts or accompanying museum president Bob Kendrick to a Royals game. But no matter where she is, her underlying focus is the same as it’s been since her days at Central – building a more inclusive future for the next generation, while keeping history in mind.

She’s no stranger to the hard work it takes to build foundations that will benefit those that come after her more than they did for her. At CMU, Sinks was the driving force in creating the African American Student Union, even though she hadn’t come to school with any ideas of doing such a thing.

“A mentor at the time pushed me and said, ‘Kiona, what are you going to do to leave your legacy at Central Methodist and do more than just walk away with a four-year degree?’ And I’ll be honest, at first I didn’t want to have anything to do with that,” she said.

As the first in her family to attend college, Sinks was just focused on getting through school and participating in track, but as national conversations began to center on police brutality and race after an incident just over two hours away from Fayette, her perspective changed. The killing of Michael Brown, Sinks said, made her “pause” and look around at aspects of her life, including how underrepresented black women like her were in leadership roles. After many hours of research and hard work, and the support of CMU President Roger Drake and other staff, the African American Student Union became a reality in the spring of 2017. With it came a place for open discussion and a renewed focus on diversity and inclusion.

“We wanted students to understand [our perspectives], but we couldn’t force it because

Kiona Sinks, '18, had the honor of sitting in the Buck O’Neal Legacy Seat at the Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium in August. As the new community engagement manager at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Sinks has been instrumental in a big year at the historic institution.

Through her time as a Central student and now as an alumna, Kiona Sinks has had a crucial bond with President Roger Drake, who played a large role in helping her found the African American Student Union on campus. “President Drake opened the door and created the opportunity for me to get everything out of what Central had to offer,” said Sinks. At the Alumni Awards Brunch in October, Drake was one of several people she thanked upon receiving the 2021 Young Alumni Award.

everybody has their own opinions and their own needs and wants in what they desire to learn about,” she said. “But the possibilities of being open to change and dialogue, that’s the start of community and how we gather – common denominators to affect change.”

Almost five years later, Sinks is proud of how the organization has grown from her foundation and how much more open the conversations around race have become, as “more people are willing to listen.”

“It’s hard when you’re trying to lay the foundation, but now they get to enjoy being creative and doing a lot of important things,” she said of the current AASU leadership. “They’re taking it to a next level that will ultimately reach more students than I ever would have been able to achieve in my time at Central.”

And now, just a year into her work at the NLBM, Sinks is already part of a similar legacy there.

“It’s not lost upon me how [everyone here is] a part of pushing the narrative forward to keep this great museum alive so that when I’m long gone this thing runs in perpetuity,” Sinks said. “Our kids and our kids’ kids will always be able to come here to Kansas City to visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.”

Though she admits that the baseball aspect of the job has been a learning curve for her, Sinks knows that the game is just a catalyst for telling a more important story at the NLBM.

“If you know the story of the Negro Leagues, what it represents is the spirit of what it means to be an American and how [the players] persevered through America’s history when they weren’t afforded the opportunity to play in the Major Leagues,” she said. “Tolerance, respect, diversity, inclusion, equity – all that is wrapped inside the history of the Negro Leagues, and that resonates with me more than anything.”

While she works hard continuing to familiarize herself with the individual stories and stats and anecdotes that help make the museum interesting to the baseball die-hards, Sinks wants others to know that coming to the museum is more inspiring and empowering than it is sobering.

“When you visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, this isn’t a sad, somber story. It’s a story of inspiration and perseverance, it’s a story of happiness and excitement,” Sinks said. “It represents the American story that we all know and equality, justice, and creating what you desire to see and achieve in your community and this country.”

As for Sinks, what she desires to achieve in her community is already in motion. Whether it’s the NLBM or AASU, she hopes her legacy of contribution can be an example of what can be achieved when diversity, inclusion, and equity are made priorities of an institution.

“My story is not just about who I am and about my own success,” she said. “It should be a reminder of why it’s so important to give students who look like me an opportunity to contribute, so they can move forward and do great things.”

New Linn Memorial Pastor Goal-Oriented

BY GRACE UNNVIK

President Roger Drake often has a way of inspiring the people around him. This was especially true for Pastor Bill O’Neal, who heard Drake speaking at the Annual Conference for the Missouri United Methodist Church in 2013. O’Neal was immediately intrigued by Drake’s passion and enthusiasm for Central Methodist University. He told Drake to let him know about any possible openings at CMU. Eight years later, his wish was granted.

O’Neal began working as Linn Memorial’s head pastor and CMU’s major gift officer in July 2021. He wasted no time setting goals for the church and its congregation. One of the first was to create a mission statement for the church. After a Sunday potluck dinner in September, O’Neal hosted a “vision and dreaming session” to brainstorm with the congregation. By the end of the session, they had crafted a statement that they felt embodied Linn Memorial’s primary purpose: “To inspire people to follow Jesus with love and peace.”

“It was really important to the congregation because they want us to reach deep into our Methodist heritage,” O’Neal said. “We understand that we have this calling to introduce people to Jesus, but in a nonjudgmental way.”

Being on the campus of the only Methodist college in Missouri gives Linn Memorial the perfect opportunity to practice its mission statement, while bringing the church even closer to its Methodist roots and ideals. “My goal for Linn Memorial is for us to become the Methodist church—the vibrant and engaging Methodist movement we experienced in the 1700s,” O’Neal said.

O’Neal also wants to connect more with campus life and the students of CMU. He has been delighted to see Greek organizations in Sunday worship services and noted that there have been CMU students attending his weekly small group studies.

“We want to be Central’s church. The church that CMU can depend on for spiritual guidance,” he said.

The other half of O’Neal’s job at CMU is his role as major gift officer. To him, it means creating relationships with alumni and friends of the university and discovering their passions through those relationships. Then, he can help them further those passions at CMU through philanthropic endeavors.

This job also means assisting in recruitment. He is especially interested in recruiting students to CMU’s music department and would like to help CMU develop its own show choir.

Outside of his roles as a pastor and major gift officer, O’Neal is taking classes for an MBA degree, so he can grow his skills and knowledge in fundraising and administration. He is also eager to get involved with Fayette Main Street. He’d like to see the Square fill up with new businesses and job opportunities.