About two and a half weeks ago, I visited the "Making a Difference in North St. Louis Symposium." It was hosted at the Grand Center Arts Academy, the charter school a few blocks north on Grand (SLU is affiliated with the school.) I went with my honors Crossroads class. We've attended a few panels about "breaking the SLU bubble" and ways to better the greater St. Louis community. They've all varied in different ways, so prior to my arrival to this event I wasn't really sure what the message would be, what the set-up would look like, or how many people would be in attendance.
I was pleasantly surprised by the array of booths at the symposium, all hosted by different organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life in North St. Louis. Although not all of the exhibits were directly focused on women's rights specifically, the symposium was truly relevant to Women's and Gender Studies. There were programs focused on everything from prison rehabilitation to drug abuse to literacy in middle schools.
One particularly relevant organization I stumbled upon was a place called the Queen of Peace Center. This organization was sponsoring a group who devote their time to the clean-up of certain areas in North St. Louis. I looked a little more into the actual organization of Queen of Peace and I really like their message. They do specifically focus on women's rights, supporting women who are struggling with addiction, and providing a safe place for their children as well. I'm thinking of volunteering with them if I figure out the transportation situation.
The progression of North St. Louis is relevant to Women's and Gender Studies because to be a feminist one cannot discriminate against any person. This means treating all people as human (and huwom) beings who deserve dignity and respect, regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status, religion, orientation or location. A lot of times people warn us, as students at SLU, to "not go past the Fox". Part of the goal of events such as the ones I've attended are to teach people that ignoring certain areas of St. Louis (or any city, for that matter) won't make problems go away; it will only exacerbate them. Just as we try to increase awareness every day about the relevance of feminism, there also must be an increase in awareness about the struggles of our neighbors. Instead of ignoring certain unpleasant realities, we should all work together to find solutions that will benefit everyone.
This sounds so cool. I wish I would have known about this.
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