[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 142 (Friday, September 6, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF MICHAEL W. BURNES AND THE TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF 
                               MISSIE B'S

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 6, 2019

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to rise today to recognize 
and celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Missie B's, an 
institution that is instrumental to the identity of the LGBTQ+ 
community throughout Missouri's Fifth Congressional District. Without 
places like Missie B's that encourage all individuals to pursue their 
true and genuine selves, Kansas City and its people would not be what 
and who they are today.
  Missie B's first opened in April of 1994, perched on the corner of 
Southwest Trafficway and 39th Street, located in Kansas City's historic 
Westport entertainment district. Missie B's started as a piano bar, but 
within its first few months of opening, the owner decided to produce 
drag performances a few nights each week. Today, Missie B's has nightly 
drag shows, dancing, karaoke, and the Late Night Theatre program. 
Missie B's has fostered arts and entertainment in Kansas City for the 
past twenty-five years while providing a place for the LGBTQ+ community 
to flourish and thrive.
  Michael W. Burnes, owner of Missie B's, has dedicated his life to 
serving and bettering the people of his community. Before opening 
several successful businesses and LGBTQ+ inclusive establishments 
throughout the United States, he served his country during the Vietnam 
War, earning the Purple Heart after being wounded while on active duty. 
Upon his return to Kansas City in the 1980s, Mr. Burnes opened his 
first LGBTQ+ bar, the Kon Tiki Room and later, the Dixie Belle Saloon. 
Throughout his career as an entrepreneur, Michael Burnes has dedicated 
his businesses to being spaces for the LGBTQ+ communities to express 
and enjoy themselves. When the Dixie Belle Saloon was in operation, 
members of the LGBTQ+ community faced discrimination from the rest of 
the country as a result of uncertainty and fear caused by the AIDS 
epidemic. While running the Dixie Belle Saloon, Mr. Burnes kept a 
supply of the limited HIV medication behind the bar to give to those 
who needed it but could not afford it. This is merely one testament of 
the benevolent and caring nature of Michael Burnes that has been 
demonstrated throughout his life in all that he does.
  Missie B's reflects Michael's generous spirit and is well known among 
Kansas Citians for its involvement in numerous causes and charities. 
Missie B's actively fundraises for and is involved in the Kansas City 
AIDS Walk, the Good Samaritan Project, the Kansas City Care Health 
Center, Saint Michael's Veterans Center, among many others. In 2016, 
after the horrific and heartbreaking Pulse Nightclub shooting in 
Orlando, Florida, Missie B's joined with Kansas City's other LGBTQ+ 
bars and nightclubs to raise $54,000 in one day for the victims and 
their families. Missie B's has not just changed the lives of the 
members of the LGBTQ+ community in Kansas City, but across the country 
as well.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in recognizing and thanking Missie B's 
for all they have done for Kansas City and Missouri's Fifth 
Congressional District. I am honored to have such an impactful, 
inclusive and inspirational institution be a part of the district I 
represent.

                          ____________________