Be #Unflinching with FTF

Our 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.

This is our work. It is exhausting, often frustrating, and an exercise in radical (delusional?) optimism. It goes without saying that this last year has been HARD for most of us. Truthfully, the last 2-3 years have been a rollercoaster of shifting relationships, disappearing resources, political shell games, and still, RADICAL OPTIMISM. FTF, like many of our peers, is navigating an environment where "equity" is often dismissed, "diversity" is feared, and the need for intermediaries is frequently misunderstood. But still - we practice RADICAL OPTIMISM. Last year, we gathered the community for the 4th Racial Equity Summit. It was a space for collective thought, mobilization, and unrestrained joy. Imagine if those spaces didn't exist. 

Imagine our region without Equity Indicators; Still Separate, Still Unequal; and Transforming 911. This year, we will release the second Transforming 911 report, examining St. Louis City; gather you, our neighbors at upcoming events, and deepen our commitment to the community that has supported us for the last 12 years. We're still here. We want to stay with you to do this work. Your contribution helps us do that. 

"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."  It's time that this stops being a vision and finally becomes our collective reality. Join us in being #unflinching. 

We're in this together. As always, thank you for your support of FTF (and of me)!