Women's Voices Honors Black History Month |
In February Women’s Voices honors Black History Month. Please join us at one of our two February events (detailed below), both of which will focus on Black history and racial justice.
We acknowledge that addressing racism and learning about the achievements and struggles of our Black neighbors is our responsibility year round and invite you to join the Women’s Voices Racial Justice committee, which focuses on a variety of related issues. Their next meeting is February 10 at 8 a.m. Additionally, we have two task force groups, one focusing on criminal legal system reform and another focusing on attainable housing in the St. Louis region. Contact us to get involved in these efforts.
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Racism and Reparative Justice: Acknowledging Our Past, Reshaping Our Future |
Thursday, February 9, 7 p.m.
In-person program at The Center of Clayton
50 Gay Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63105
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., program begins 7 p.m.
Program will also be available on Zoom.
Dr. Geoff Ward and Cecilia Wright, Washington University student, will explain the concept of “reparative remembrance.” They will explain why acknowledging and addressing histories and legacies of racial violence is critical to reshaping our collective future. These experts will also share examples underway in St. Louis (see map) and will introduce us to several related initiatives in which they are involved, including:
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Reparative Justice Coalition of St. Louis (RJC-STL), working in partnership with Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and the statewide Community Remembrance Project of Missouri (CRP-MO) to commemorate histories and legacies of lynching in St. Louis and across Missouri
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WashU & Slavery Project, an initiative in partnership with the global consortium of Universities Studying Slavery, where Washington University has pledged to examine and address entanglements between its institutional history and the legacy of slavery
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Memory for the Future, a public humanities lab in the Lewis Center which combines the study of interlinked histories and legacies of colonialism, slavery, and genocide with collaborative development of reparative public humanities projects in St. Louis
Presenters:
Geoff Ward, PhD, professor of African and African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis
Cecilia Wright, undergraduate student at Washington University in St. Louis
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Conversation with Vivian Gibson, author of The Last Children of Mill Creek
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Wednesday, February 15, noon
Kirkwood Public Library
140 E. Jefferson
Kirkwood, MO 63122
Vivian Gibson grew up in Mill Creek Valley, a working-class neighborhood in St. Louis that was razed in 1959 to build a highway, an act of racism disguised under urban renewal as “progress.” Her bestselling memoir of growing up in the 1950s in a segregated St. Louis neighborhood,The Last Children of Mill Creek, has been hailed by critics as “a spare, elegant jewel of a work” and “a love letter to Gibson’s childhood.”
In 1959 Mill Creek Valley was a segregated St. Louis neighborhood of 20,000 Black people, who were all but invisible to the city’s white residents. Gibson chronicles the everyday experiences of her large family, sharing a collection of decidedly universal stories that chronicle the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. Through memory and storytelling, Gibson will discuss how parallel life experiences can exist in side-by-side communities without intersecting. She will talk about the people, history, and culture of Mill Creek and open a long-needed conversation about universal experiences and shared humanity.
Come with your questions as we learn about growing up in segregated St. Louis in the 1950s and how an urban renewal campaign displaced thousands of Black residents from the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood. Gibson will also discuss how she went about researching and writing her essential book.
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Cancelled: Question, Persuade, Refer: Suicide Prevention Training
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Women's Voices has cancelled the program: Question, Persuade, Refer: Suicide Prevention Training, that was planned for Friday, February 3.
We encourage those who are interested in attending a training a to check out The Missouri Suicide Prevention Network, which offers Ask, Listen, Refer, a free, online Suicide Prevention Training Program designed to help Missouri residents prevent suicide by teaching how to:
- identify people at risk for suicide
- recognize the risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs of suicide
- respond to and get help for people at risk
Ask. Listen. Refer.
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Women's Voices Supports Challenge to Missouri's Abortion Bans |
On January 19, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the National Women's Law Center filed a lawsuit challenging Missouri's abortion bans. These two organizations are leading experts in religious freedom and gender justice issues. Their suit claims that abortion bans violate the separation of church and state and are thus unconstitutional. Plaintiffs include thirteen clergy members from six different denominations. Women’s Voices is a supporter of the AU’s Missouri Access to Abortion Project and will be sharing ongoing information about the lawsuit and related efforts to assure abortion is legal and safe for our fellow Missourians.
Members of the Advocacy Committee keep us up-to-date on what’s happening in Jefferson City regarding issues related to education, women's health, reproductive rights, and voting rights, etc. To help members make their voices heard, Women’s Voices is planning to offer advocacy training. Learn how best to state your case when contacting your legislators, lobbying, giving testimony, or communicating with local elected officials, such as council members or school board members. Stay tuned for more details.
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A Criminal Record Need Not be a Life Sentence |
Any criminal record, even an arrest that never led to a conviction, restricts access to jobs, housing, education and other basics. Of the 1.9 million Missourians who have criminal records, an estimated 518,000 are currently eligible to have certain nonviolent records expunged. However, the current petition process is expensive and complex, and only 1% of petitioners are successful each year.
Happily, there is a solution on the horizon, making this a perfect time to become involved with the Racial Justice Committee’s task force on Criminal Legal System Reform (CLSR). “Clean Slate” bills have been introduced in the Missouri House and Senate. Passage of these bills will make expungement of eligible, nonviolent convictions automatic once someone has remained crime free for a set time period, thus removing many of the life-long obstacles faced by formerly incarcerated people.
The CLSR task force has joined Empower Missouri and its coalition members in a campaign to pass a Clean Slate Act for Missouri. The CLSR task force will be accelerating its education and advocacy efforts on this issue, and we invite you to join us in those efforts. Participation in advocacy activities can be in any way you wish:
- write letters to editors;
- meet with, send or email letters to legislators;
- help write an opinion editorial;
- monitor implementation in other states;
- suggest/facilitate presentations to groups.
And there is more! The task force is examining the problem of unsupervised for-profit probation agencies that charge the offender for required tests and programs; inability to pay risks reincarceration. The CLSR task force is also focusing on the injustice of pre-trial detention when a person, legally presumed innocent, is unable to pay even a low bail for minor, nonviolent misdemeanors. Detention for even a few days can have a devastating impact, especially on the poor.
To learn more about the CLSR task force and its system-reform priorities, contact [email protected].
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Women's Voices Engagement Survey |
Fill out our engagement survey by Friday, February 10 for a chance to win one of two swag bags filled with books focusing on social justice and a WVR T-Shirt.
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January Program Recordings Available |
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The Big Chill: How Extremism Is Eroding Our Rights
Speaker: Marie Griffith, PhD, director, John C. Danforth Center of Religion and Politics
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Lunch & Learn-Educational Equity: The Work of Special School District
Speaker: Kelly Grigsby, executive director of schools and programs for Special School District of St. Louis County
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Women's Voices Members Respond to Injustice! |
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Have something to submit for Loud & Clear?
Loud & Clear is the official monthly e-newsletter of Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice and is usually distributed on the first Monday or Tuesday of the month. The general deadline for article submission is the Wednesday prior to publication. Click here to contact editor Laura Rose.
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Even if you can’t come to meetings or become personally involved, your membership is important…and greatly appreciated.
Benefits of Membership
When you join Women’s Voices you:
- Make our voice stronger when we advocate with elected officials.
- Provide support to the organization by adding your name to our advocacy efforts.
- Provide ideas and suggestions to help determine how to define our positions and choose our causes.
- Participate in advocacy activities in any way that you want or is possible for you.
- Take pride in your affiliation with a strong, progressive group of women working for social justice.
- Help cover our administrative and outreach costs through your dues.
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Annual Dues:
$60 (Regular Membership)
$100 (Silver Level)
$150 (Gold Level)
$20 (Student Membership)
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Send a check (payable to Women's Voices) to:
Women's Voices
7401 Delmar Blvd.
University City, MO 63130
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