Ending the racial wealth gap through reparations: Local policies or federal payments?
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones is one of a dozen U.S. mayors calling for local reparations to address the racial wealth gap by ending racist policies. (Winner of a Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award in Explanatory Reporting and a Missouri Broadcasters Association First Place Documentary/Public Affairs award)
Photo Credit: Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio
70 Million Podcast: Forget Reform, They Want Abolition
Many organizers in St. Louis have given up on reforming the criminal legal system. Now, they’re working to abolish it. And they’re starting with the closure of one notorious jail. To reach their goal, they’ve decided to get involved in electoral politics. Reporter Chad Davis takes a look at what happens when you go from agitating from the outside to working with those in power. Co-reported with Carolina Hidalgo.
Photo Credit: Joe Martinez
Kamasi Washington brings his band and generation-defining jazz to St. Louis
Tenor sax player Kamasi Washington and his band are in St. Louis this weekend for Music at the Intersection. For Washington, who has worked with rap and R&B artists and scored a former first lady’s documentary, it’s a chance to bring his artistic vision to life.
Photo Credit: Kamasi Washington
Family, Officers Mourn The Rev. Carl Smith, Who Taught Others How To Cope With Death
The Smith family is one of the latest families in the St. Louis area to be affected by COVID 19. Pastor, former police officer and civil rights activist, Rev. Carl Smith died of the virus Thursday and his wife remains hospitalized. Close friends and former coworkers say Rev. Smith was a leader in north St. Louis who worked to reduce violence in the area. (Winner of an Edward R. Murrow Feature Reporting award)
Photo Credit: Nia Smith
St. Louis-Based ‘Beat Battle’ Draws National Talent Online During Pandemic
St. Louis beat battle series, Fresh Produce started 10 years ago. The competition pits music producers against each other and has now moved completely online.
Photo Credit: Chad Davis/St. Louis Public Radio
Ukrainians in St. Louis fear for loved ones following Russian invasion
Ukrainians across the St. Louis region are decrying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, holding protests, rallies and prayer vigils daily.
Photo Credit: Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis Singer Katarra Parson's Recordings Reflect On Mental Health And Rebirth
Local Singer Katarra Parson has had an eventful last year with a new album, an award for best St. Louis r&b artist and was selected to join the Kranzberg Music Artists in Residence program. This year she’s performing at the Dark Room Monthly and her Neo-Soul music has taken her across the nation where she’s worked with artists and activists to create socially conscious r&b music.
Photo Credit: Katarra Parson/St. Louis Public Radio
‘Black HerStory’ celebrates the legacy of Black women with monuments across St. Louis
The Griot Museum of Black History is gearing up for a permanent exhibit that pays tribute to Black women who helped shape the St. Louis region. Its Black HerStory project will use monuments to honor doctors, historians, community leaders, judges and politicians.
Photo Credit: Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio
Goodbye, FarFetched. Music label disbands after a decade defining St. Louis eclecticism
FarFetched music label in St. Louis united rap, electronic, R&B and experimental musicians to create a vibrant collective. The label’s leaders went their separate ways, but its founder and others involved say it will be remembered for making a big mark.
Photo Credit: Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio
Gentrification at a Midwestern Pace - Podcast Episode
The Grove neighborhood is in a part of St. Louis that has seen an uptick in new housing and business development. The changes have been a blessing and a curse. While many in the area welcome the investments, there are concerns that rising housing costs are pushing out longtime residents. On this episode, we listen to stories of those who live, work, worship and teach in the area about how they've seen the neighborhood change.
Photo Credit: Chad Davis/St. Louis Public Radio
Missouri’s anti-abortion advocates cheer as Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade
Abortion rights supporters in Missouri decried the court's decision to roll back decades of federal protections for people seeking abortions.
Photo Credit: Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louisans mourn shooting victims, call for an end to school gun violence
Parents, teachers, students and elected officials gathered for a candlelight vigil Monday night in Tower Grove Park after a shooting at Central Visual Performing Arts High School earlier in the day left two people dead and seven injured.
Photo Credit: Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio
LIVING #FERGUSON: 5 Years After the Killing of Michael Brown Jr.
A months long interactive audio project capturing the voices of people reflecting on five years since a white police officer in Ferguson shot and killed Michael Brown Jr.
These are the voices of people who lived #Ferguson and who are directly touched by the systemic inequities exposed after Michael Brown’s death. (I conducted three interviews- Aziza Binti, Daniel Isom and Pamela Powell. First place in Convergent Media Radio at the 2020 Missouri Broadcasters Association awards)
Photo Credit: Carolina Hidalgo/St. Louis Public Radio
We Live Here: 10 Years After The Ferguson Uprising
The new ‘talk’ and the legacy of Mike Brown
Michael Brown Jr. has become a symbol and a gateway for people to talk about racial injustice and policing. This episode of We Live Here explores how people, 10 years after the Ferguson Uprising, view Brown’s legacy, what young adults today know about his story and how his memory has shaped new conversations about race and justice. We talk to Kenny Watts, a former classmate of Brown's at Normandy High School and now an art teacher there. We also look into the DOC DASH program and how its founder, Kimberly St. Clair, is training students to safely communicate with police during a traffic stop.
Photo Credit: Cristina Fletes-Mach