This Civic Moment Podcast

Episode 12: Vivian Gibson


Episode Guest: Vivian Gibson

About Our Guest: Author Vivian Gibson, joins us to discuss factors impacting the decline of the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood. Her memoir, The Last Children of Mill Creek, documents the nation’s largest urban renewal project and its consequences on the black community through stories from her childhood in St. Louis.

About This Civic Moment

In a time of hyper-partisanship and the reconsideration of the narrative of the United States, what is the state of American democracy and the relationship between social solidarity and civic engagement? How can we reflect on the values that undergird our democracy and civic existence to envision a healthy and vibrant civic future?

This podcast, hosted by the Engage Democracy Fellows at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement at Washington University, seeks answers to these questions while providing listeners with multiple angles to inquire, reflect, and discern our civic identity and calling as a community. 


Additional Episodes of This Civic Moment

Episode 20: Kelly McGowan and Shavanna Spratt

In this episode, Kelly and Shavanna discuss the April 2023 St. Louis Municipal Elections as part of their Monday Night Live YouTube series. Some of the themes included taxes on recreational marijuana, the Ferguson mayoral race, St. Louis City’s ward reduction to 14 alderpeople, ward funding, various school board elections in the county, St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees elections, and more.

Episode 19: Annie Rice

In this episode, Annie joins Eric Reiter and Bethany Copeland, of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, to discuss her journey into politics, recent changes in the St. Louis aldermanic landscape, and provide guidance on navigating local government.

Episode 18: Blake Strode

In this episode, Blake joins Eric Reiter and Bethany Copeland, of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, to discuss carceral systems, localized reparations, public safety as community wellness, and how to create more equitable structural changes within the law.

Episode 17: Tony Messenger

In this episode, Tony joins Eric Reiter and Bethany Copeland, of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, to discuss conflict, complexity, how journalism is essential to democracy, and why the news in St. Louis is so relevant to the rest of the country.

Episode 16: Dr. John Inazu

In this episode, Dr. Inazu joins Eric Reiter and Bethany Copeland, of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, to discuss authentic relationship building, how law affects activism, and the value of bringing faith identities into public discourse.