Upcoming Programs

Unless otherwise noted, programs are held on the second Thursday of the month and are free and open to the public. Programs are held at The Heights, 8001 Dale Ave., Richmond Heights, 63117. Come at 6:30 pm for coffee and conversation. Programs begin at 7:00 pm.

December 13, 2018

Students against Gun Violence: Young, Smart, and Mad as Hell

A Panel Discussion

Top Row (L-R): Lu, Shine, Lowe, Brown; Bottom Row (L-R): Moore, Hannick, Randall, Wingerbuehle

Panelists: Maggie Hannick, a senior at a Catholic high school and activist for many causes; Hannah Brown, a student activist, currently co-chair of High School Democrats of Missouri; Morgan Lowe, an activist for many causes who plans to work in politics after graduating from SIUE with a bachelor’s in Business Administration in May 2019; Sunny Lu, a Horton Watkins High School student who has been featured in media outlets for her work with Students Demand Action St. Louis; Hannah Shine, a senior at Visitation Academy who is involved in several organizations, including Students Demand Action and the St. Louis High School Democrats; Ishmaiah Aeneas Moore, a senior at Hazelwood West High School where he helped form a Students Demand Action chapter; Brian Wingbermuehle, a freshman at Saint Louis university who spearheaded Students Demand Action St Louis. Elizabeth Randall is a 6th grader and an honor roll student in East St. Louis, IL. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Scaife

Moderator: Marcel Scaife, manager of Safe and Thriving Communities with Ready By 21 at the United Way of Greater St. Louis. In this role, he leads violence prevention efforts, focusing on youth violence in the city. He works with the Youth Violence Prevention Partnership, an initiative of the St. Louis Health Department.

Young activists like our panelists inspired our country after the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that left 17 people dead. They have raised their voices to condemn America’s epidemic of gun violence and to challenge all of us to take action. Student leaders organized the March for Our Lives and the March to the Midterms Get Out the Vote rally. You will find them on the cover of Time magazine’s November 5th issue. You will see them in the documentary No More Thoughts and Prayers.

Our panelists are among the many young people fighting for a future free of gun violence. Representing Ceasefire STL and Students Demand Action St Louis, they will share their stories and perspectives on gun violence prevention. What brought them to this movement? What initiatives are they involved in now? What do they see as the future of this movement? How can we support their work?

Come to be inspired by their courage and determination, and bring your questions for these outstanding student leaders.

Reservations are not required, but help us plan. Let us know if you’re coming here.

January 10, 2019

Being Poor: No Crime, All Punishment

Speaker: Blake Strode, Executive Director, ArchCity Defenders

Our current abusive criminal legal system is devastating poor and black people in our region. Blake Strode describes how we can and must think differently about public safety and re-envision the legal system’s role in promoting community well-being.

Blake Strode is the executive director of ArchCity Defenders, a nonprofit civil rights law firm in St. Louis, Missouri. The firm’s legal advocacy focuses on combatting the criminalization of poverty and state violence against poor people and people of color. Strode joined ArchCity following his graduation from Harvard Law School in 2015. He helped establish ArchCity’s Civil Rights Litigation unit, which has brought challenges to a variety of unlawful and predatory practices, including debtors’ prisons, police misconduct, and inhumane jail conditions. The firm has filed more than 30 civil rights cases in state and federal court, impacting more than 40,000 people in the St. Louis region. Strode played a significant role in the landmark class-action debtors’ prison case against the City of Jennings, Missouri, which provides a blueprint for permanent legal reform in the region’s courts. A frequent speaker at conferences across the country, Strode has also written extensively on legal reform. His publications include columns in the St. Louis American and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and an article in The Atlantic magazine.

Reservations are not required, but help us plan. Let us know you’re coming here.

February 14, 2019

Reporting The News: Truth and Consequences

March 14, 2019

#MeToo #YouToo #NowWhat?

April 11, 2019

The Local Reality of Climate Crisis

May 9, 2019