Mission
Embracing the Ferguson Commission’s mandate, Forward Through Ferguson centers impacted communities and mobilizes accountable bodies to advance racially equitable systems and policies that ensure all people in the St. Louis region can thrive.
Vision
We envision a transformed St. Louis region where, regardless of race and ZIP code, there is justice for all, the opportunity to thrive, and boundless possibility for all of our youth.
Values
Honesty. We must be honest with ourselves, we must be honest with the public, and we must be honest with those who may least want to hear the uncomfortable truth.
Authenticity. We must be our true selves; we must be real. We cannot pretend or paper over those uncomfortable truths. This process will reveal painful, shameful realities about our region. We must acknowledge them, and we must acknowledge our role in them.
Accountability. We must hold ourselves accountable for abiding by these principles and adhering to these values as we do this work. We must hold the accountable bodies in our region and our state accountable, for their contribution to the current state of affairs, and to the work that lies ahead.
Transparency. We must be transparent in our work, not just because of sunshine laws, but because transparency is critical to trust and credibility. We cannot be trusted and we cannot be credible if we are not transparent.
Vulnerability. We must be strong, for the work demands our strength, but we must be vulnerable, too. We cannot pretend to have all the answers; we must acknowledge that this is hard for us, too, and we must be willing to ask for help.
Humility. We must remember that it is an honor and a privilege to be entrusted by the community to lead this work. We must always remember that this work is bigger than any one of us.
Theory of Change
In August 2023, we worked with consultants from Learning For Action and InPower Institute to develop Forward Through Ferguson’s Theory of Change, which you can click to download. To understand what we mean by certain terms used in the Theory of Change, please refer to our Theory of Change Glossary.
