Lena Rivers Smith American Journalist 1922-1968

Journalist and civil rights activist Lena Rivers Smith was not only the first African-American reporter in Kansas City but also the first female on-air reporter in the city. During her almost 20-year span in journalism, she was respected for her ability to add a human element to her storytelling and for telling the truth about controversial issues while remaining fair.

"I am a native Kansas Citian... and have spent most of my life here. And yet, I've never felt that I was a part of my hometown."

These are the words of Lena Rivers Smith that she would often share when telling how racism and segregation had impacted her life. Known for her dedication to Kansas City's civil rights movement, Lena Rivers was a respected journalist who was described as being fair, driven, and one of the most well-known news anchors of her time. As the first African-American reporter in Kansas City and the first female on-air reporter in the city, she was also a trailblazer. 

Born in Kansas City, Missouri on March 15, 1922, Lena Rivers was one of seven children. Lena Rivers attended segregated schools including Wendell Phillips School before graduating from Lincoln High School in 1938. She graduated from Lincoln University in 1943 with a bachelor of arts degree in English and History. She completed one year of graduate studies at Northwestern University in Maryville, Missouri before working at the Kansas City Call newspaper.  

Lena Rivers worked at The Call for 15 years and in 1964 she decided she wanted more in her journalism career. She was hired later that year as part of the WDAF-TV news team as an editorial writer and staff reporter. Just two years after that, she had taken on the role of on-air reporter and later as weekend anchorwoman. In addition to nearly 20 years of covering news in the Kansas City area, Lena Rivers served on the Panel of American Women and was a member of the NAACP. She died of a heart attack on November 18, 1968. In the same year a scholarship fund was created to honor her legacy and the Linwood Elementary library was named the Lena Rivers Smith library in her memory.

"Praise the bridges that carried us over" - A Local Celebration of Black History Month, January 28th, 2019. Accessed February 25th, 2023. https://kclibrary.org/blog/praise-bridges-carried-us-over-local-celebration-black-history-month.

Lena Rivers Smith: Two Decades on the Kansas City News Front, news article, 1960

Newman, Alice. Lena Rivers Smith: The Lady and the Legacy. November 1st, 1978.

Flynn, Jane. Kansas City Women of Independent Minds. Page 149-150, 1992.