ABSTRACT
Early one September morning, Richard, a Black male business owner in his 60s and a lifelong resident of Wichita, Kansas, was steering his newer model Mercedes-Benz toward the train station in Newton, Kansas. His 88-year-old mother and his sister had an early Amtrak to catch. Newton is a small Kansas community with a population of just over 18,000 citizens. Newton is home to the Amtrak rail, which serves a good portion of Kansas. Despite the 3:00 a.m. time, the interior of the Mercedes was full of conversation. Richard’s mother, sister, and brother-in-law, all African Americans, were passengers in the car.
