Under The Arch ArchCity Defenders & Action St. Louis

In this episode of "Under the Arch," we speak with law professor and activist Justin Hansford about the challenges college students face in today's political climate. Hansford unpacks the evolving role of universities in fostering activism and social change among students. Reflecting on his own experiences as an educator and activist, he highlights the importance of empowering young voices in the fight for racial equity and systemic reform. Drawing parallels to the legacy of Michael Brow...

How does our creativity ignite the soul of social movements and turn our visions into reality? This week, come along for a dive into the intersection of social change and creative expression with two St. Louis natives using art to fight for access and equity in our community. Damon Davis is an Emmy-award winning Post-Disciplinary Artist, Founder of @wearefarfetched, & Co-Director of @whosestreets. His work extends across many different mediums and his storytelling explores how identi...

After emptying the notoriously hellish Workhouse jail in June of 2022, the City of St. Louis promised the community would decide what happens to the site and the land around it. It established a committee of people impacted by the jail to survey the community and put forward a proposal to re-envision the site, which has since been released. But this spring, the Jones administration ignored the community’s recommendations and announced plans to continue St. Louis’ history of disappearing vulne...

Picket lines are in the headlines. Recently, there’s been a surge of energy and attention on the labor movement, particularly union strikes. But at the same time, worker unionization is at an all-time low. This week, we ask: what’s the current state of the labor movement and what role does labor play in achieving equity for all? To answer our questions, we're joined this episode by Jeremy Al-Haj, founder and Executive Director of the Missouri Workers Center, who speaks about how to unio...

ArchCity Defenders and Action St. Louis present the premiere collaborative podcast, "Under The Arch." Your hosts Blake Strode, Executive Director of ArchCity Defenders, and Kayla Reed, Director of Action St. Louis, explore the issues facing our community and the people working to transform them. In this episode, Nick Speed, Founder & Executive Director of Ujima, joins us to talk about food apartheid, community engagement with environmental and food justice issues, and how local Black...

ArchCity Defenders and Action St. Louis present the premiere collaborative podcast, "Under The Arch." Your hosts Blake Strode, Executive Director of ArchCity Defenders, and Kayla Reed, Director of Action St. Louis, explore the issues facing our community and the people working to transform them. In this episode, our hosts speak with Invest STL CEO Dara Eskridge about the good, the bad, and the ugly of community development in St. Louis. Some efforts prioritize residents’ histories, resou...