saint louis Archives - Toward Freedom

Photograph of Mykael Ash's painting that depicts the 1917 East Saint Louis Massacre / credit: Frances Madeson

The Story of the Little-Known 1917 East Saint Louis Massacre—Can Reparations Restore Justice?

Frances Madeson July 8, 2022 Frances Madeson

Community organizers in East Saint Louis in Illinois are trying to build power for the disenfranchised Black community by rooting their political demands in the unresolved past: A 1917 race riot that killed more than 100 Black people, displaced 6,000 residents and destroyed $9.4 million in property. Frances Madeson reports.

Film Review: ‘Ferguson Rises’ Examines Legacy of Black Lives Matter Movement

Jacqueline Luqman February 25, 2022 Jacqueline Luqman

The triumphant and hopeful end scenes in "Ferguson Rises" are a sobering reminder that mere representation without radical or justice-focused politics often replicates the system, writes Jacqueline Luqman.