Episode Guests:
Kelly McGowan, Founder of Transform 314 and Shavanna Spratt, Creator & Host of Da Hood Talks Podcast
About Our Guest:
Kelly McGowan is a proud St. Louisan and health equity advocate. She founded Transform 314 to amplify community in local decision-making processes to ensure all St. Louis neighborhoods are designed for their inhabitants to thrive. Shavanna Spratt is a resident of Ferguson, MO, where she was recently appointed to the Ferguson Human Rights Commission. She is the founder of Da Hood Talks Entertainment and is also a certified doula.
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.
This episode was recorded live on Monday, April 3, 2023, at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement on the campus of Washington University 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.