Leon M. Jordan Memorial Park

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About Leon M. Jordan Memorial Park

The Leon M. Jordan Memorial Park honors the life and legacy of Leon Jordan, a Kansas City police officer, politician and civil rights leader who co-founded Freedom Inc. Following his murder on July 15, 1970, Jackson County broke ground on the corner property at 31st and Benton for the park on August 5, 1972. Additional land was acquired a year later, leading up to the dedication of the Leon Jordan Memorial Statue on May 17, 1975.  The cast bronze statue is seven feet tall and weighs approximately 700 pounds. It was designed and built by Bobby Scroggins, a student at the Kansas City Art Institute. Today, he is an art professor at the University of Kentucky.  The statue is believed to be the first public monument erected to an African-American leader in the state of Missouri, and also the first public monument to be designed and constructed by an African-American artist in Missouri.

About the Monument to Freedom, Justice & Courage 

The Monument honors those who are making or have made significant contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in Jackson County.  It is constructed of brick and polished concrete blocks, that are 8' high and 33' long, creating a half-circle around the Leon Jordan Statue.  Each monument segment contains space for 500 memorial plaques. A total of 1,000 honorees will be listed upon completion. 100 individuals will be selected to be added to the wall each year, as directed by the Jackson County Freedom all Commission, which was established in 2014.  

Location

3100 Benton Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64128  View Map

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Contact

parksrec@jacksongov.org
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