The Creation of a Model Pediatric Ward for African American Children in 1920s Kansas City.

The summer of 1919 is remembered for some of the worst race riots in American history. Dubbed the Red Summer by James Weldon Johnson, at least 25 major riots rocked American cities, and more than 52 African Americans were lynched. Although provocations varied, a root cause of the racial tension was the disappointment felt by African American World War I veterans. They had hoped that their military service would earn them equality at home. Instead they returned to a society where the majority of American states enforced Jim Crow racial segregation laws.