Push to change Troost’s racially-charged name stalls again, leaving vocal advocates disheartened

Chris Goode stood at the podium Tuesday in council chambers at City Hall, voicing a frustration with the city’s repeated inaction on his proposal to change the name of Troost Avenue — a Kansas City thoroughfare with a legacy rooted in slavery — to Truth Avenue.

Ruby Jean’s owner Chris Goode, flanked by fellow Troost Avenue entrepreneurs, voices support for a proposal to rename Troost Avenue as “Truth Avenue” in Kansas City’s council chambers at City Hall; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“I want to keep my head up high, but I feel exhausted,” said Goode, founder of Ruby Jean’s Juicery. “I’m not here to appeal to elected officials, to attorneys, to any of your titles and postures. I’m here to appeal to the humanity inside of you.”

“We don’t have any more time,” Goode added. “Your children, your grandchildren will look back at this moment.”

Despite years of organizing, community support, and more than 12,000 petition signatures, Mayor Quinton Lucas placed a hold Tuesday on an ordinance that would rename Troost Avenue to “Truth Avenue.” The move pauses the initiative yet again, leaving Goode and many supporters disheartened, they said.

Troost Avenue is named after Dr. Benoist Troost, Kansas City’s first physician and a known slave owner. For Goode and others, the action of renaming the roadway — a historic racial dividing line within the city — represents far more than a performative change, it’s a chance to reconcile with a painful past and signal a new direction.

ICYMI: Advocate knocks mayor for Troost renaming delay; calls slave owner tie KC’s ‘dirty laundry, reeking from the basement’

Chris Goode listens as residents speak for and against changing the name of Troost Avenue; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Pragmatism or political play?

During Tuesday’s meeting, Lucas cited the need for additional community feedback, especially from residents and business owners directly impacted by the change. (Early in Lucas’ tenure as mayor, voters reversed a name change that had seen the city’s historic “The Paseo” relabeled as “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard” — largely citing the same concerns Lucas noted about renaming Troost. The nearly year-long name dispute over The Paseo proved not only divisive, but costly for the city.)

Still, Goode believes Tuesday’s delay is yet another example of political stalling.

“Something has our mayor bound, and it’s not our voices; it’s not our collective beliefs,” said Goode, who opened Ruby Jean’s Kitchen & Juicery in November 2017 at 3000 Troost. “There’s something that’s unseen that I can’t really speak to.”

Through public forums, media campaigns, and grassroots organizing, Goode has remained the face of the “Truth Over Troost” movement, calling for the city to transform a symbol of segregation into one of unity.

Third District Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, right, listens to public comments about changing the name of Troost Avenue in council chambers next to Mayor Quinton Lucas; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Third District Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, who has supported the measure, emphasized that this version of the ordinance was crafted to address concerns from past efforts.

She noted it includes a six-month implementation timeline, notice to property owners along the corridor, and a plan to archive Troost’s history in partnership with the Kansas City Museum. The ordinance would also allow flexibility for other neighborhoods to choose different names if desired.

Father Justin Mathews, CEO of Reconciliation Services, hugs his Troost Avenue neighbor, Ruby Jean’s owner Chris Goode, after the meeting to consider changing the name of Troost Avenue; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

More than a name change

Numerous speakers at the meeting emphasized that the renaming is just one piece of a larger reckoning with Kansas City’s racial past.

“Let me be clear, I am not here simply to advocate for this name change, which I do support,” said Father Justin Mathews, CEO of Reconciliation Services, a high-profile nonprofit located along Troost, and founder of the pay-it-forward community cafe Thelma’s Kitchen. “But I am here to implore the city council to also fund and undertake simultaneously the work of reconciliation. Let’s rename the street, but let that be the beginning, not the end.”

While some attendees voiced concerns — including lack of notice and potential costs — the majority of speakers present supported the name change, calling it a long-overdue step toward healing.

Restaurateur Alan Kneeland, founder of The Combine, speaks in favor of changing the name of Troost Avenue in council chambers at City Hall; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

“I’m in support of a business owner that has put in the work continuously over the past almost 10 years. He’s the reason why I decided to open up a business on Troost,” said Alan Kneeland, founder of The Combine, said of Goode. “I’m more supportive of Chris and the work that he’s already put in. So if name change is what needs to happen, let’s make it happen.”

The weight of inaction

As the meeting wrapped up, Goode again addressed his disappointment in the council for stalling the initiative.

“After three years, nothing. The audience (today) includes people that are missing work, missing time with their families to be here. Nothing happened. It just kicked the can down the road again for a reason unknown to me,” he said.

Uncertain of what comes next, Goode acknowledged the toll the fight has taken.

“I don’t know, I’m just going to focus on me and make sure that I feel whole again,” he said.

“Our elected officials don’t have the ability to listen to the people and our progress in Kansas City that is present and spoken of time and time again,” he added. “They are fearful of something that I cannot see.”