Facing Race: A National Conference in St. Louis, MO — November 20-22, 2024

Facing Race 2024

St. Louis, MO

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Facing Race. Our Power, Our Solutions. Pink monochromatic photos of individuals speaking overlaied with pink floral and green plant matter.

Facing Race was held in St. Louis, Nov. 20-22 at the America’s Center Convention Complex. MSNBC Host Joy-Ann Reid headlined the conference.

While this was the first time since the pandemic the Facing Race conference was held completely in-person, main stage content and a small number of breakout sessions were available for virtual attendees.

Video Highlights

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Keynote Speaker(s)

Joy-Ann Reid

Highlighted Sessions

Election Aftermath: Sensemaking and Next Steps for Racial Equity in Local Government
10 Years Since the Ferguson Uprising: Where Are We Now?
Navigating the Post-Election Landscape: Insights and Strategies for a Just Democracy
10 Years After Ferguson: What the Movement Taught Us, Where We Go From Here
Keynote Address: Joy-Ann Reid
From Hope to Action: Building Multiracial Solidarity

Breakout Sessions

Building Strong Peer Networks for Advancing Racial Equity: Strategies and Insights from Local to National Levels
Building a Brave Community for Criminal Justice Reform: A Restorative Process of Truth Telling, Healing, and Accountability
Repairing the Legacy: Social Housing as a Tool for Racial Equity and Justice

Power to Organize

Two Futures Scenario & Strategy Workshop: How to Maximize Racial Justice & Power-Building in Every Post-Election Scenario
Sustaining Movement Beyond the Moment: Lessons from St. Louis
Empowering Black Communities: Using Reproductive Justice Informed Organizing to Combat Black Voter Apathy
Political Prosecutions in the Era of Rising Authoritarianism
The Grab: Talking About State Takeovers, White Supremacy, and How We Keep Our Power
Documenting Community Leadership to Build a Just Food System
Protecting Our Communities and Democracy From Threats, Intimidation, and Political Violence
Demilitarizing and Democratizing Transportation
Love Letter to the Lou
From Civic Trauma to Civic Healing: Mobilizing People Power to Win Real, Progressive Change
From StopCopCity to Palestine: Organizing for Justice
Movement-building Through the Public School Strong Model: Lessons Learned and How You Plug In
Amplifying Black Trans Aliveness
Five-4-Five
Building a Statewide Prison Advocacy Movement in Missouri; the most northern State of the South: Strategy, Obstacles & Necessity
Public School Vouchers and the Dismantling of Public Education
The Death Lobby: How U.S. Military Spending Siphons Funds from Human Needs and Social Programs, Boosts the Profits of Weapons Manufacturers, Buys Our Elected Leaders, and Feeds Racism at Home
The Power of Memes
Beyond the Muslim Ban:  Taking on Islamophobia Locally and Globally
Why Grassroots Organizing in Community Colleges is the Key to Transforming Higher Education & Defending Democracy
Book by Book, Block by Block: How Reading Captains are Building a Community of Readers
A Decade of Activism: Reflections and Future Directions

2024 Conference News

Know Before you GO!

As we gear up for the Facing Race conference, we’re excited to share some important details to help you make the most of this powerful event!

Meet the Host Committee

Meet our team.

In Our Power

Our Facing Race conference theme, “Our Power, Our Solutions,” isn’t just a catchy phrase—it’s a clarion call that resonates deeply with St. Louis’ residents and community leaders.

Past Conferences