The Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) has awarded a grant of $15,000 to the Center For Authentic Listening & Learning (C.A.L.L.) in support of the project titled “Before Lake Placid: Uncovering the Deeper Histories of Land, Lineage, and Memory”. C.A.L.L. leads the project and will partner with Ozark Vitality to carry out the research, synthesis, and documentation.

The grant will be used to support C.A.L.L.’s work exploring deeper histories of land, lineage, and memory at the site of Missouri’s first Black resort at Lake Placid, near Stover, Missouri. The resort’s founders, Dr. P. C. Turner and J. M. Sojourner, two black men from Kansas City, Missouri, purchased the land in 1934. They envisioned it as "A Recreational Center for Colored People,’ and it played a pivotal role for African-Americans in Missouri during that era, embodying the founders' vision of serenity and liberation in nature.

In 2021, C.A.L.L.’s President Brendalyn King acquired ownership of 244 acres of the land at Lake Placid. While parts of the resort’s history are documented, the project focuses on what remains unexplored.

"This grant allows us to do the essential work of listening before we speak,” said King. “Lake Placid was created as a place of serenity and liberation, and so much of that story remains unexplored. Its history belongs to Missouri — and we're committed to uncovering it with the care and depth it deserves."

The project will investigate essential questions before moving into a future documentary film phase.

As a 501(c)(3), C.A.L.L. 's mission is to steward a vision of serenity and liberation for people in nature at Missouri’s First Black Resort. The organization's work centers on historically marginalized communities across Missouri—including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), low-income individuals, rural residents, and those facing systemic barriers.

The MHC is the only statewide agency in Missouri devoted exclusively to humanities education for citizens of all ages. It has served as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities since 1971.
For more information about the grants program of the Missouri Humanities Council, call 314-781-9660 or 800-357-0909 or email [email protected].