Meetings & Events
Pillars of Community 2024
Join us in honoring Black History Month with music, food, and local history.
Pillars of Community
All are invited to a multi-faceted Black History Month event the afternoon of Sunday, February 26 focusing on local Black history.
We will start at 1 pm with an optional kid-friendly opportunity to visit a few local history sites in a mini scavenger hunt. (See our newsletter for more info closer to the event date!) At 2 pm, we will convene for live music, snacks, and a panel of multi-generational speakers.
Local history buffs Kita Quinn and Ed Johnson will share stories of two Pillars of Community: Walter Rusan, founder of the North Webster YMCA in the 1940’s, and the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, whose local legacy lives on in the same YMCA building. We’ll also learn how Rusan co-founded the Webster Groves Interracial Group with partners from Eden Seminary – was this the original Alliance?! Don’t miss music from local legend Michelle Sargent and friends, and a glimpse at some recent work at the high school where students are teaching each other the WG history they might have missed.
Please spread the word and hope to see you there!
Community Learning Event
Navigating family conversations about sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression: An evening organized for parents, by parents, to support each other in building the confidence, compassion, and understanding necessary to approach these topics with our children.
Wednesday, November 9, 6:30 - 8:00 pm at the Hixson Auditorium. Free childcare provided by Adventure Club staff, but only with advance registration here: bit.ly/Nov9childcare
Hear from a panel of health providers, parents, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and have a moderated opportunity to ask questions. Jointly sponsored by all PTO Equity Committees and open to all. Alliance organizers who are also district equity committee members participated in the planning and invite all Alliance friends to join this learning opportunity!
Alliance Ten Year Anniversary Celebration
Join us to celebrate the Past, Present, and Future of the Alliance for Interracial Dignity. Please RSVP by entering your details on this FORM.
WG's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Assessment
Hundreds of community members were recently surveyed about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. What did we learn? We look forward to being together for our March community meeting, where Hicks-Carter-Hicks will present findings from their recent study in Webster Groves.
We will learn about recommendations for the continued pursuit of an inclusive City Hall, both for city staff and the full Webster Groves community. Afterwards, we will have an opportunity to discuss among ourselves the implications of the study for the April 5 election, for city leaders, and for the work of the Alliance. Join us!
Composing the Douglass Diaspora
Join us Thursday, February 17, from 7-8 pm to explore how Douglass School gave North Webster a leading role in the St. Louis African American community, cultivating rich connections across the metro region through kinship, employment, education -- and MUSIC! Register for Zoom link at https://bit.ly/AIDfeb2022
The Sum of Us: Community-wide Book Study
Join us.
Organizers from the Alliance for Interracial Dignity and the Webster Equity Bridge are excited about this opportunity for neighbors to work together to build a community of learners interested in nurturing each other's perspectives, growth, and humanity. Plan to read from November to January, and then register here for a discussion group to attend on dates in January and February.
The Other First Responders: St. Louis's 911 De-escalation, Diversion, and Crisis Response Program
Join us to learn about this program and to open our minds to alternative police partnerships and the pursuit of a more holistic vision of public safety.
Finding Footpaths: What is a Native Land Acknowledgment
Join us.
Come as you are -- no speaker, just a community of learners. Together we will explore resources about Native land acknowledgments and discuss the purpose of this growing practice, as well as the pitfalls.
Reframing Anti-Asian Violence: The “Yellow” in the White Body Politic with with Dr. Jong Bum Kwon
Save the Date.
More info to follow soon.
Save the Date: Making Connections
Save the date for this workshop on connecting with community and getting involved!
Reconnect & Recharge
Our program for Thursday, September 16 has changed.
Our guest speaker will not be able to join us for medical reasons. Please keep this St. Louis champion in your thoughts!
Design + Diversity Conference
The Design + Diversity Conference explores proactive ways to make the design and creative industry more diverse, inclusive, and equitable.
A.I.D. / Summer Hiatus
A.I.D. Monthly Thursday Night Meetings will resume after our regularly scheduled Summer hiatus.
Please continue to support the organizations featured at right and take advantage of the learning and growth opportunities they offer.
A Special Meeting In Two Parts
A Special Two-part Meeting
Get to know the Shrewsbury Anti-Racism Collective.
Learn more about the Webster Groves August ballot initiative, Proposition 1.
Day 2 of 3 • The Education Equity Center of St. Louis: Anti-Racist Summer School Workshops / Root Cause and Impact: History and Data
The Education Equity Center of St. Louis envisions a transformed education system that is free of racism and harmful practices, policies, and systems negatively impacting black and brown students.
Given the histories of systemic racism that are deep and pervasive in education, we will need to understand and address the mental models we are operating from in order to move towards this vision. To this end, we build the anti-racist capacity of educators in the St. Louis region.
Day 3 of 3 • The Education Equity Center of St. Louis: Anti-Racist Summer School Workshops / Action and Accountability: Anti-Racist Education Systems Change
The Education Equity Center of St. Louis envisions a transformed education system that is free of racism and harmful practices, policies, and systems negatively impacting black and brown students.
Given the histories of systemic racism that are deep and pervasive in education, we will need to understand and address the mental models we are operating from in order to move towards this vision. To this end, we build the anti-racist capacity of educators in the St. Louis region.
Day 1 of 3 • The Education Equity Center of St. Louis: Anti-Racist Summer School Workshops / Grounding and Language: Introduction to Anti-Racist Education
The Education Equity Center of St. Louis envisions a transformed education system that is free of racism and harmful practices, policies, and systems negatively impacting black and brown students.
Given the histories of systemic racism that are deep and pervasive in education, we will need to understand and address the mental models we are operating from in order to move towards this vision. To this end, we build the anti-racist capacity of educators in the St. Louis region.
A.I.D. / May Meeting: The Anatomy of a Minority Business Owner ft. Madison Smith.
Madison will discuss how the efforts of any business community to be inclusive can either succeed or backfire based on whether there is a nuanced awareness of the diverse mindsets and experiences of minority business owners.
ADL Florida / Extremism in 2021 ft. Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
Join ADL Florida on May 20th for Extremism in 2021 a timely and dynamic virtual event.
Includes a live panel discussion and Q&A on antisemitism, racism, and hate, followed by a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi.
Novel Neighbor / Book Signing: How to Achieve Educational Equity by Dr. Howard E. Fields III
Dr. Fields will be signing his just-published book, How to Achieve Educational Equity on Wednesday, May 19 in Webster Groves at The Novel Neighbor. Please show your support for this exceptional educator.
Contemporary Art Museum STL / Stories of Resistance
From CAM:
“Stories of Resistance explores artistic forms of resistance from across the world. Through visual narratives, artists amplify and bring to focus the multitude of conditions that ignite and inspire people to resist.”
Webster Speaks / We Are Not a Virus: Anti-Asian Hate in the U.S.
From Webster Speaks:
“Discrimination against Asian-Americans has always been a problem in the United States but hate crimes have spiked since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. How can we as a community come together and stand up against this new wave of discrimination?”
Cornell University / Turning Awareness Into Action: Reduction of Bias, Prejudice, and Racism
During this free event, Dr. Dana Crawford will discuss how to use the Crawford Bias Reduction Theory & Training (CBRT) to systematically reduce bias, prejudice, and racism.
A.I.D. / April Meeting: Now & Next with Dr. Shane Williamson & Dr. John Simpson of WGSD
We’ll be meeting via Zoom to hear from Dr. Williamson & Dr. Simpson of the Webster Groves School District.
Creative Reaction Lab / Introduction to Equity-Centered Community Design
A Free Webinar from St. Louis’ own, Creative Reaction Lab. Intended for those in the beginning stages of learning Equity-Centered Community Design.
#StopAsianHate / Leading Anti-Racist Efforts in Organizations: A conversation with Lily Zheng
Join this —pay-what-you-can— candid conversation with Lily Zheng, DEI consultant, as we discuss processing trauma at work, leading anti-racist efforts, and how to combat Anti-Asian violence and discrimination.
STL Equity in Entrepreneurship Collective / Quarterly Convening
Hear from a few of our new Board of Directors, upcoming changes, and learn how to get involved with our cross-sector collaborative working to improve racial and gender equity in St. Louis’ entrepreneurship ecosystem.
MoMA / Black Reconstructions: Cities and Spatial Justice
How do we reckon with the past to create a future? Who tells the history of your neighborhood? How do we attain spatial justice? This free lecture and panel discussion from MoMA explores these questions and more.
March Meeting ft. Kristy & James Jackson of Social Synergy Project
At our most recent program, we heard from guest speakers James Jackson II, CEO of Gator Media STL, and Kristy Jackson, ED.S., CEO of DK Solutions LLC. James and Kristy are serial entrepreneurs and co-founders of the Social Synergy Project. Social Synergy facilitates training programs and offers business resources of underrepresented entrepreneurs in an effort to close the diversity gap in the STL Startup Ecosystem.