Our Organization

 GOALS

The Reparative Justice Coalition-St. Louis (RJCSTL) is a diverse group of community representatives working to heighten public awareness of the continuum of racial violence and terror. We are building a strong, cohesive unit with the intentional pursuit of reparation and transformation, at its core.  The strength of the Coalition lies in our diverse backgrounds coupled with our mutual commitment to repair past atrocities, mitigate present occurrences, eradicate future incidents of this perennial social injustice. Our work will include activities that:

  • Highlight and document the historical stories of racial violence in our region

  • Engage and support those most impacted by legacies of racial violence

  • Encourage community members  share their experiences of racial violence

  • Develop temporary and permanent commemorative objects and events

  • Produce an archive, accessible to the public, that includes names (of victims, survivors, perpetrators, etc.) and preserves the history of racial terrorism & reparative work

  • Annually, produce a report to the community that describes the Coalition’s work.

VALUES

As a coalition we commit to:

  • Authenticity: Tell the truth in all its visceral forms. In our truth-seeking journey, reveal a truth, that posits the affected community at its center. Acknowledge how our local histories of violence still affect the victims’ family, friends, and loved ones.

  • Empowered Courtesy: Create an atmosphere that fosters open dialogue, mutual respect, and commitment to truth-telling. Always avoid personal attacks and in-fighting that will deflect our efforts to achieve our common goal.

  • Collaboration: Collaborate across difference and experience as we work to amplify and listen to those who have been historically marginalized. Willingly share personal and institutional resources to benefit the completion of our project(s).

  • Transparency: Be forthright, up front, and transparent about our involvement in the coalition and acknowledge that the reason for our union is more important than the personal goal of any individual member.  Maintain a process that will remain transparent to the community for collaborative and accountability purposes. 

  • Accountability: Hold each other accountable for working to actualize our overall goals and vision. Be accountable to the community by timely reporting our progress, findings, and successes. 

  • Effective Leadership: Entrust our leaders to function in a mode that ensures the serious and effective operations of the Coalition. This will be evidenced by:

    • Regular and open communication with members

    • Holding themselves and other members accountable

    • Adhering to coalition values.

    • Conducting timely, well organized meetings

    • Following up on outstanding action items in a timely manner

    • Providing actionable feedback.

COMMUNICATION

As a coalition, we commit to:

  • Share information broadly within the Coalition so that all members are knowledgeable about projects and activities, needs, and opportunities.

  • Communicate effectively and consistently, maintaining a focus on goals, and how those drive actions that move the work forward.

  • Celebrate successes, both publicly and internally!

  • Consistently & sensitively adhere to Coalition values.

  • Consistently & regularly communicate with our liaisons at EJI


DECISION-MAKING

We currently have an Organizing Committee consisting of approximately 12 active coalition members who make decisions by consensus for RJCSTL. The Organizing Committee will work toward creating bylaws and designing the process by which RJCSTL will select a governing board and official leadership. We envision incorporating RJCSTL for the purpose of gaining formal not-for-profit status in the future.

PARTICIPATION

Participation in the work of RJCSTL will be open to anyone who supports the core values of the Coalition and agrees to volunteer their time, talent and treasures to achieving its goals.