As an immunocompromised individual in the midst of a pandemic, Alex wanted to find a way to connect with the protests for the Black Lives Matter movement that would not jeopardize his health. His response? Using Google Maps to document the underserved, often underrepresented urban communities of his hometown of Kansas City.

"I found out a lot about these neighborhoods," Alex says. "There's a lot of gems that people don't know [about]." His project took him across Kansas City's metropolitan area-both the well-known Missouri side and its lesser-known Kansas counterpart.

In addition to several area businesses and schools, Alex mapped 32 parks, 15 of which were "just not on the map" before his efforts. "A lot of the parks didn't have any photos [on Google Maps], and a lot of the businesses, either," he said. A high point was when he met a family who thanked him for drawing attention to their local park. "It was really cool to see someone in the community actually appreciate me," he recalled.

He would like to map even more community centers in the future, part of an ongoing mission to reinvest people to civic life. "I think in America it's really hard for us to have that kind of [civic] perspective because we have a lot of things," he explains. By raising awareness of public spaces, Alexander hopes to give others the tools they need to participate in the shared life of their neighborhoods.

Want to learn more about this incredible Local Guide? Check out his contributions on Google Maps and follow his profile on Connect.