#STL2039 Action Plan

When the Ferguson Commission delivered their report to the region they named it “Forward Through Ferguson: A Path to Racial Equity.” The Commission wove together data and resident experiences into a sweeping community policy document that linked a specific traumatic event to regional racial inequity. They urged us that we must face our inequitable reality and that only through confronting our trauma would we have the opportunity to move forward.

The Commission also endowed us with a compass aligned to our true north: Racial Equity—a future St. Louis where race no longer predicts life outcomes.

Our organization, Forward Through Ferguson, was created and charged with continuing the legacy of the Commission. In these last two years we have:

• Operationalized that legacy and the principles set forward by the The Commission into a unflinching, radically collaborative, and regionally focused organization that has the ability to both catalyze and sustain the necessary generational work.
• Developed an aligned Action Plan for how our organization can best contribute to our region’s progress.

We find ourselves in a time where Racial Equity, though not universally understood, is growing in its acceptance as a regional goal.

There are a growing number of catalysts demanding a new normal in St. Louis. A new standard where it is unacceptable to remain complacent about each of our roles in maintaining systemic racism. Where the expectation is that we each become committed partners on the path to Racial Equity.

And yet the stakes for the residents of this region are too great for us to allow Racial Equity to become a buzzword without substance and action.

And so today we are excited to share with you our Three Action Strategies and Equation for Equity that will define our work for the next three years moving us ever closer to #STL2039.

#STL2039: 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.

We must have the courage to dream of a region more just than our own and the conviction to see it become a reality.

Forward,