view of downtown st. louis
2024
ferguson community empowerment center
ferguson, missouri
2024
The Ferguson Community Empowerment Center, sponsored by the National Urban League, opened in 2017 on the site of the QuikTrip that was burned during the 2014 uprisings - a response to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson, a member of the Saint Louis County Police. The unrest sparked a debate about the relationship between law enforcement officers and African Americans and the militarization of the police.
canfield green apartments
ferguson, missouri
2024
The apartment complex where Michael Brown lived with his grandmother, and where he died on August 9, 2014.
kinloch, missouri
2024
Kinloch is the oldest of five African American communities in Missouri. At its peak, Kinloch had a population of up to 6,500 people. Today, it has around 280 residents. Much of this population decline is due to city efforts. In the 1980s, the City of St. Louis began buying property in Kinloch to expand Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport, significantly reducing the community's size. Eventually, the airport acquired the majority of private homes in Kinloch. Between 1990 and 2000, Kinloch lost more than 75 percent of its population. In addition to population loss, Kinloch now faces high levels of environmental toxicity due to illegal dumping.
kinloch, missouri
2024
better family life
hamilton heights - st. louis, missouri
2024
Established in 1983, Better Family Life (BFL) is dedicated to stabilizing inner-city neighborhoods and fostering the prosperity and growth of American families. As a not-for-profit community development corporation, BFL focuses on creating holistic solutions that promote stability and self-sufficiency within the metropolitan St. Louis communities, particularly for low-to-moderate-income individuals and families.
BFL aims to develop positive and innovative changes within the family system by implementing various services through social, cultural, artistic, youth, economic, housing, and educational programs.
better family life
hamilton heights - st. louis, missouri
2024
This is a detail of the largest African American mural in Missouri that depicts the rich cultural heritage of Africa and the African diaspora in the US. This 94 foot mural is called Art and Empowerment was painted by Bolivian American artist, Gonz Jove. Jove noted, “This is a visual timeline that takes the viewer from the dawn of humanity to the rise of human civilization, through periods of resistance, oppression and celebration; ending with depictions of a great people who helped shape the world we live in today.”
business development center - better family life
hamilton heights - st. louis, missouri
2024
The Business Development Center was designed as a metaphor for the various ecosystem levels of life on Earth. The third floor of the building, where the center is located, represents the sky. The architect incorporated fluid textures and colors, along with representations of air, the sun, clouds, and birds soaring on the four winds into the center design. Subtly integrated into the floor plan is the Christian symbol of the fish, reflecting the organization's mission to teach people a trade, following the parable about the nature of charity.
hamilton heights - st. louis, missouri
2024
migrant and immigrant community action project
cherokee street - st. louis, missouri
2024
Founded by two Washington University law school students, the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project (MICA Project) is a community organization committed to working with low-income immigrants to overcome barriers to justice. The MICA Project utilizes legal services, organizing, advocacy, and education to promote the voice and human dignity of immigrant communities.
migrant and immigrant community action project
cherokee street - st. louis, missouri
2024
calle cherokee - st. louis, missouri
2024
Calle Cherokee/Cherokee Street is home to the largest concentration of LatinX-owned and operated bakeries, restaurants, shops, and groceries in St. Louis City.
calle cherokee - st. louis, missouri
2024
Calle Cherokee/Cherokee Street is home to the largest concentration of LatinX-owned and operated bakeries, restaurants, shops, and groceries in St. Louis City.
calle cherokee - st. louis, missouri
2024
Calle Cherokee/Cherokee Street is home to the largest concentration of LatinX-owned and operated bakeries, restaurants, shops, and groceries in St. Louis City.
Note: this mural was completed by Gonz Jove, who also painted the Art and Empowerment Mural - Better Family Life.
st. louis city hall
2024
missouri history museum
st. louis, missouri
2024
St. Louis, often called the "Gateway to the West," was significantly shaped by the beaver fur trade during the 18th and 19th centuries. This bustling city emerged as a key trading hub due to its strategic location along the Mississippi River, facilitating the exchange of beaver pelts between trappers, traders, and European markets. The economic boom from the fur trade spurred growth, drawing settlers, merchants, and adventurers to the region.
Beaver fur was particularly prized for its water-resistant properties and dense underfur, which made it ideal for crafting high-quality felt hats. These hats were highly fashionable and in great demand across Europe and North America, driving the lucrative fur trade.
However, the beaver fur trade also had dire ecological consequences. The relentless trapping led to the overexploitation of beaver populations, causing their numbers to plummet. Beavers are vital to maintaining healthy wetlands and waterways, and their decline disrupted local ecosystems. The overhunting not only endangered beavers but also affected other species and habitats dependent on the wetlands.
St. Louis's fur trade legacy is a story of economic success marred by the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, highlighting the environmental costs of the city's early prosperity.
missouri history museum
st. louis, missouri
2024
Detail of a map used by indigenous groups of the St. Louis area, who are the Osage Nation, Otoe-Missouria, Illinois Confederacy, Quapaw, Ho-Chunk, and Miami.
Native Americans and Europeans defined land boundaries differently.
Native Americans defined boundaries in terms of their relationship to practical needs: important topographical features, places with ample food, and places that were uninhabited.
Europeans and European Americans, on the other hand, used boundaries as tools for establishing ownership over the land. To achieve this goal, they laid imaginary lines and abstract measurements across early St. Louis and the American West to promote exclusion and extraction of the land.
st. louis cityscape
2024
the hill - st. louis, missouri
2024
The Hill in St. Louis, Missouri, is a neighborhood located southwest of downtown St. Louis known for its Italian culture. The name "The Hill" is the English translation of "la Montagna," the name given to the neighborhood by the first Italian immigrants to settle down in the area. Italian immigrants came to the area in the 1880s to work in the clay mines and brickyards. At first, the population of the area was mainly German and Irish immigrants, but by 1910, the population was 90% Italian.
the hill - st. louis, missouri
2024
international institute of st. louis
tower grove east - st. louis, missouri
2024
The International Institute of St. Louis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive services to immigrants and refugees in the St. Louis area. Founded in 1919, it offers a range of programs aimed at assisting individuals and families in their transition to life in the United States. These services include English language classes, job training, cultural orientation, legal assistance, and social support. The institute plays a vital role in fostering diversity, inclusion, and community integration, helping newcomers build fulfilling lives in their new home.
st. louis story stitchers artists collective
grand center - st. louis, missouri
2024
The St. Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective is a community-driven organization founded in 2013. It empowers youth through art forms like spoken word, music, and dance, focusing on themes of identity and social justice. Central to their mission is addressing gun violence by engaging communities in dialogue and healing through creative expression. Through partnerships and collaborations, they advocate for positive change in St. Louis, fostering resilience and solidarity among its members.
st. louis story stitchers artists collective
grand center - st. louis, missouri
2024
st. louis story stitchers artists collective
grand center - st. louis, missouri
2024
ted drewes - st. louisan institution for frozen custard
2024
gateway arch
downtown, st. louis
2024
Construction of the Gateway Arch began on February 12, 1963, and the final piece was put in place on October 28, 1965. The monument is a symbol of the role St. Louis played in westward expansion during the 19th century.
cherokee street - st. louis, missouri
2024
The Cherokee Street district is home to a significant LatinX community as well as art galleries and eclectic shops. It runs through the neighborhoods of Tower Grove East, Gravois Park, Benton Park West, Benton Park, and Marine Villa.
the luminary arts
st. louis, missouri
2024
Moving Stories in the Making: An Exhibition of Migration Narratives
These threads
Woven, tied, frayed, taut
Hold whispers, tell tales
Each one a lesson, a name, a memory
A million unseen movements
By steady, timeworn hands
We have forgotten.
Their faces, their stories.
Strained eyes, stooped backs
Those lessons at the foot of elders
The smell of fresh rain
Echoes of the hills, the fields, the sea
Sisters, daughters,
We must not forget
In sinewy strands we find our humanity
In the weave of the past
A defiant hope shines
Something to cling to
To connect us
A lattice of beautiful possibility.
Collective future, calls us forward
To entwine filaments of resilience
Incandescent with kinship
Rooting us to fertile soil
Reaching skyward for the clouds
A living witness to history
Heavy with murmurs of ancestors
These threads are not the last we weave,
With softness and power.
Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya is a Brooklyn-based artist with Thai and Indonesian ancestry.
the luminary arts
st. louis, missouri
2024
Moving Stories in the Making: An Exhibition of Migration Narratives
The Silver Lining We Don't Need, 2020
This piece is made up of two metal detectors, razor wire and steel with mixed fiber crafted in shapes reminiscent of patterns found in a keffiyeh, which is a symbol of Palestinian nationalism and solidarity. On one of the metal detectors is a number counter displaying 1948 - the year of the Nakba.
Kiki Salem is a Palestinian artist based in St. Louis.
cherokee street - st. louis, missouri
2024
In St. Louis, Missouri, gun laws generally follow state regulations. Missouri is a "constitutional carry" state, meaning that individuals who are legally allowed to possess firearms can carry them openly without a permit. However, there are restrictions on where firearms can be carried, such as government buildings, schools, and certain establishments serving alcohol. Additionally, individuals must be at least 19 years old to carry a firearm, and carry permits are available for those who wish to carry concealed firearms.
afghan community center
tower grove south - st. louis, missouri
2024
The Afghan Community Center in St. Louis was formed in the wake of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Recognizing the need to provide support and assistance to Afghan refugees and immigrants arriving in St. Louis, community members came together to establish the center as a place of refuge, solidarity, and empowerment. Since its inception, the center has been instrumental in helping Afghan newcomers integrate into their new environment, offering a wide range of services and programs to address their various needs while also preserving and celebrating Afghan culture and heritage. Through its efforts, the center continues to serve as a beacon of hope and resilience for the Afghan community in St. Louis.
long trip st. louis
2024
Long after the Mississippi River served as the primary passage to St. Louis, the city remains a place where people come to start anew. During our visit to St. Louis, we spoke with immigrant rights activists, educators, organizers, and artists to explore the experiences of those laying roots in the city as well as those with deeper local histories.
Our trip highlighted the need for comprehensive immigration reform that addresses local needs and broader systemic issues affecting immigrants, asylum seekers, and those in poverty. We heard from organizations supporting undocumented immigrants and others recruiting skilled foreign workers to counter population loss— all in an anti-immigrant state. One of the unique features of this trip was being able to speak to so many local immigrants who served as our Uber drivers, shuttling us from one place to the next. Almost all of them shared that one of the draws of St. Louis is in part affordable housing such as the possibility of renting a three-bedroom apartment for $900 or a two-bedroom unit for $600. However, safety was a concern in Missouri, an open-carry state.
We observed differences in the city's approach to community and economic development. Better Family Life, a community-based organization, works holistically within the community — ground-up, contrasted with the Mosaic Project, a private/public initiative focused on recruiting foreign-born skilled labor to boost the economy. Learning about different immigrant groups, like the Bosnian community in St. Louis, highlighted the complexities of the meritocracy narrative, often used to overlook the generational trauma of forced migration and systemic social issues.
Our journey through St. Louis underscored the city's multifaceted identity as both a welcoming haven for new beginnings and a place grappling with significant social and economic challenges. St. Louis stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of those seeking refuge and opportunity, embodying the promise of renewal amid ongoing struggles for equity and justice.