Invest STL

"But we’re somewhere, we’ve always been. This is home.” Meet West End Resident, Lamarkco Sherrill. We’ve partnered with @HumansofStLouis to share the lived experiences of STL residents and neighborhoods through portrait photography and storytelling.

"We know everybody over here, except for the new people who move over here. They look at us like we’re somewhere we’re not supposed to be. And we’ve been here our whole lives. So instead of getting to know us, they’re looking at us strange." Full Story: humansofstl.org/stlouiscommuni…

"When one person gets hurt, it doesn’t just affect one person. It affects everybody – friends, neighbors, their cousins, their brothers, their sisters."

Grab your tickets today and support local Black-owned businesses across the St. Louis region with @obuytheway. Downtown Tour: bit.ly/3Py7vLb Dutchtown Tour: bit.ly/3QsKRW3

In the afternoon, the tour will continue through Dutchtown and visit places like Grand Rising, Teatopia, Lefty’s Fried Rice and later, make its way down to the Delmar Loop for a Trolley Ride and to interact with local businesses like Picture Me Studio, Posh Shoe Bar and more!

August is Black Business Month and to celebrate, @obuytheway wants to take you on a 3-D tour around Downtown, Dutchtown and on Delmar to connect, and shop with Black entrepreneurs and businesses making waves in our community on Saturday, August 27!

.@CareSTLHealth is facilitating a series of Back to School Health Fairs for children and families across STL City! Bring your kids to the upcoming fair on Saturday for free book bags and school supplies, health screenings, food and info about resources from participating vendors.

Register for the 2022 NLA by August 5 to receive leadership training that emphasizes community building principles and strategies, project planning and more! All participants who successfully complete the program will receive a Chancellor’s Certificate from the @umsl.

The Neighborhood Leadership Academy provides Missourians who are actively involved in their regions, towns and neighborhoods with the tools needed to make a difference in their communities while building connections with other changemakers and advocates: cwc.umsl.edu/nla/

"A lot of my murals have social relevance. My wife and I painted this one when Cherokee approached us to do something with a bit of a Hispanic background on it. When we finished it, we got all sorts of comments – good and bad – and that’s what it’s about: so people can talk."

"My parents brought us here, and we saw the whole transition of Cherokee from when it was an all-white neighborhood with really busy streets and one of the central hubs of the city at that time in the 70s, to the demise in the 90s, and how it’s been resurrected today."

"My wife and I painted this mural when Cherokee approached us to do something w/ a bit of a Hispanic background on it. People thanked us for beautifying the neighborhood. It’s great to develop the conversation of what’s going on w/i the area that you live and how it affects you."

Partners like @Cornerstone and @DSCC are working to increase access to affordable and quality housing, medical care for residents, ridership for public transit in neighborhoods and more by putting residents at the center of the community development process.

Treena Thompson, resident of the West End and board member of @CstoneSTL, voices concerns that resonate w/ many residents in her neighborhood and throughout STL. We grapple w/ these concerns and walk w/ our partners to support them designing solutions and reaching their vision.

"How do we plan for the future of our neighborhood, its economic prosperity, and its continued call for diversity and racial equity? How do we prevent things like displacement from happening?” Learn more about Invest STL’s approach in @STLMag's Big Think: bit.ly/3aLd6Qk

Eclectic Retail Gallery is one of the only Black-owned galleries in North County. As a resident of the STL region, Eric’s story puts an emphasis on the need for safe spaces where artists throughout the community can create and express themselves freely! erg.gallery

“Art lives wherever you do. If you take pride in what you do, then you can be creative. That creativity sets you apart from other people, which gives everybody their own eclectic flavor to add to the world,” Eric Wilson, owner of ERG located in Dellwood. riverfronttimes.com/arts/new-black…