KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This Black History Month, we're celebrating the changemakers who are making history right now.
Dr. Kimberly Beatty has served as the eighth chancellor of Kansas City's Metropolitan Community College since 2017.
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She's the first African American to hold that title at the college.
"It's almost a recognition of the respect that comes along with the role and the accomplishments that comes along with the role," Beatty said.
She shared her accomplishments over the past eight years.
"Having Henry Louis Gates here for this community, being able to create a city-wide event like the Martin Luther King event," Beatty said. "Expanding our footprint to meet the needs of the workforce in Kansas City and putting a site right on the bus line with the advanced technology center on Troost, it makes me happy that we're meeting the needs of the community. We're meeting the needs of our students, and having made those accomplishments now, I've earned it."
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During this year's Martin Luther King luncheon, Beatty was emotional when she shared her upbringing. During her speech, she said: "Who would've thought a little girl, raised by a single mother in Pittsburgh on assistance, would become chancellor of such a great institution."
"It still amazes me," Beatty said.
Her childhood is something she's proud of.
"My mother raised me, and we didn't have a whole lot," Beatty said. "I wouldn't know it, but reflecting on it, who would've thought. I could've been a statistic."
She said she's had encouragers walk alongside her on her path to success.
"I attribute that to mentors, I attribute that to strong values, I attribute that to my mother and I attribute that to being at an HBCU," Beatty said.
Beatty said her husband, Kelvin, has also been an encourager, telling her she was enough when applying for the position.
"Often, when I can't see it for myself, he can see it," she said. "And so, when he said to me, 'You are enough,' it was like in my face, like you've got to believe that."
Now, she wants to showcase that every day.
"And that's what it means to me for anybody out there that you got to believe that you are enough," Beatty said.
Beatty said it is necessary to have reminders to stay on the pathway of growth.
When thinking of her legacy, she hopes the MLK luncheon continues to evolve as a staple in the Kansas City community.
As KSHB 41 continues to highlight changemakers during Black History Month, Beatty also hopes sharing current and past history goes beyond February.
"I believe that Black History Month is every month of the year," Beatty said. "There is a rich history that the Black community has contributed to this country. I'm just glad that we get an opportunity to highlight that once a year, but if I can, I'm going to try and do that as much as possible — and I do that by example."
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