From Sept. 26 to Oct. 1, the Gephardt Institute was proud to introduce our inaugural Civic Action Week (CAW) in partnership with the Woman’s Society of Washington University in St. Louis. Across campus, different faculty, staff, and community partners hosted events and other opportunities to engage the WashU community as part of the Institute’s mission to foster a thriving culture of civic engagement on campus and in local communities. Over the span of a week, 17 events—spread across six days with over 20 collaborators—provided an assemblage of programming for students and faculty alike.
A diverse range of panels prompted a wide array of compelling conversations, such as Justice for All: A Conversation about the Prison Education Project. This roundtable discussed voting rights restoration efforts for formerly-incarcerated people in Missouri and was led by visiting panelists, Jameel Spann and Denise Lieberman. Additionally, in preparation for the upcoming election season, CAW was joined by the Center for Social Development’s Voter Access and Engagement Initiative. This virtual education series featured insights from leading experts on voting rights and the democratic process, and how it pertains to those planning on voting in the state of Missouri this upcoming election. Another event discussing democracy in the U.S. was our virtual panel, Loving, Criticizing & Remaking American Democracy: Building Coalitions that Care for All of Us. Joined by Dr. Aeryel Williams of the CDI, Trevor Sanguey of the College of Arts & Sciences, & Katie Meyer of WashU Law, this conversation discussed the historical inequities of U.S. political systems and its current state of progress in addressing this. Participants explored how one can stand for democracy and work to improve it to meet its expressed ideals while taking care of themselves and others.
The week also saw some creative workshops for students to tap into their artistic side. Events included an interactive printmaking workshop hosted by WHAMMO! Art Club and a DIY poster-making workshop hosted by AIGA. Collaborator, Sage Dawson, remarked, “The event gave my students the opportunity to see Printmaking as public, accessible, and democratic in nature. Art that is for others, that can embed into the community around us, is wonderful to make possible.” In Art for Activism, students got to print their very own tote bags and shirts with the aid of volunteers. And across the campus, students got the chance to make posters to encourage voter participation. From bright colors to cool stencils, we saw a wide variety of designs and combinations. Through these workshops, students got to be civically engaged through art and other imaginative processes.
Civic Action Week also promoted events for student engagement outside of WashU. One such event was the Washington Park Cemetery Project, which grew out of a Black Geographies class taught by Professor Robin McDowell from the Department of African and African American Studies. Washington Park Cemetery is a Black cemetery in North County that was founded in 1920, and the project included a tombstone rescue, GIS mapping experience, and a tour and short history lesson at Washington Park Cemetery. Volunteers not only engaged in hands-on work but also got the chance to learn how this cemetery has become an example of how urban renewal neglects and damages communities.
But just because Civic Action Week is over doesn’t mean the events stop there! The Institute also hosts recurring events that students will have a chance to join throughout the rest of the school year. Food for Thought is a weekly outdoor event series curated by the Gephardt Institute where students, staff, and faculty are invited to drop in for casual yet insightful conversations around the day’s theme. For CAW, we were joined by Access STL and the Office of Sustainability of the year looked at mobility and access in St. Louis. Graduate students from every school at WashU were also invited to join our first Graduate Student Happy Hour of the year, where they could check voter registration status, and get information about the upcoming midterm elections. Stix House saw almost a hundred participants stop in throughout the evening and participate in interdisciplinary dialogue across departments.
The Gephardt Institute would like to thank the WashU community for contributing to the first Civic Action Week. We encourage submissions from any person or group who would like to host a Civic Action Week event in 2023, and are excited for the future of this event series! Learn More
