Welcome to the Homegrown Unsung Civil Rights Heroes Collecting Initiative! We are seeking nominations for mini-biographies of everyday people who try to make others’ lives better. Do you know someone who stands up for the civil and human rights of others? Someone who fights against racial injustice? Someone who advocates for the rights of workers, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, or trans people? Their stories will become part of the WE ARE ST. LOUIS collection, ensuring that their efforts are memorialized and inspirational for future generations. Submit your nomination by December 31, 2026.
Who is Your Homegrown Unsung Hero of St. Louis’ Long Civil Rights Movement?
Commemorating St. Louis in the Long Civil Rights Movement is a multifaceted and collaborative project. This project engages neighborhood organizations, community members, students, educators, and various stakeholders in a process to share and discuss local “homegrown unsung heroes” who have contributed to St. Louis’ Long Civil Right Movement. This project first focuses on the North St. Louis historic communities of JeffVanderLou, St. Louis Place, and The Ville.
The framework offered in this form for selecting “homegrown unsung heroes” can help identify individuals whose contributions might otherwise remain in the shadow. Yet, they deserve acknowledgment and celebration.
Please share a bit about your hero with us. Before doing so, please ensure you have their permission to do so and that they have been active in the St. Louis area for at least 5 years.
When you use this form to submit your local Long Civil Rights Movement Hero, the information and media you share will become part of the online We Are St. Louis digital collection, where the broader public can learn more about these unsung heroes.
*This nomination criteria was first developed by Dr. Roz Norman and students at the Clyde C. Miller Career Academy for We Are St. Louis.
Upcoming Events
Paris Crayton III’s Brothers of Affliction – Nov 5-8, 2026
Brothers of Affliction is a powerful and intimate drama about three estranged brothers brought together for one volatile night inside the home that still holds the scars of their childhood. Tyriq wants answers about the father who abandoned them, while Chris and Shane have spent years surviving by refusing to confront the past. As alcohol, anger, and old resentments loosen their defenses, buried memories surface, forcing the brothers to reckon with abuse, violence, abandonment, and the very different ways each learned to survive.
Exhibit Launch The Building of A Black, Radical, Grassroots Organization – Nov 2, 2026
Come for a sneak peak at the new online exhibit discussing and documenting the organization for Black Struggle’s history. The event will feature discussions about the exhibit and OBS, and an opportunity to give feedback on the exhibit.
OBS Appreciation Night Celebrating the Black Rep – Sept 23, 2026
Jazz, blues and gospel music carry us through Celie’s odyssey and all who affect her in this landmark musical based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Born into a life of brutality in the 19th century American South, Celie perseveres as everyone she loves slips through her fingers. Daring to survive against the odds, she discovers the power of her own voice and that love is worth believing in.
