St. Louis, MO

Social Injustice and Education

St. Louis, which is 48% Black, is consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in America and ranked as one of the worst cities to live in. Toting a ratio of 1,932 violent crimes for every 100,00 residents in 2016, St. Louis had the third highest violent crime rate in any U.S. city. This rate of crime has lead to increased policing in many urban areas and parts of the city where the. majority of Black people call home. In the city, while African Americans hold a 79% high school graduation rate, they also hold a 35% poverty rate, higher than the 25% poverty rate overall. Recently, the Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards placed blame on the Black St. Louis community by using the “Black on Black Crime” rhetoric as the primary cause for the cities problems, without addressing the racism that fuels it. Our goal is to use the tool of community engagement to try and brighten the urban communities and guide the hope that’s present in each member of the city and combat the large number of social injustices that they face every day.

• Education
• Social Justice