Jonathan Pulphus was a sophomore at St. Louis University in 2014 when Michael Brown Jr. was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson. In the weeks that followed, he hoped for a certain acknowledgment and action from the university that never came.
“[I] felt like SLU had a real tepid, kind of nonchalant and indifferent response to what was happening less than 10 miles away from the campus. There were no calls for that humanistic mission that invited me and made me feel like I was a part of the Billiken family,” Pulphus said. “I felt betrayed, and I felt like they weren't honoring [that mission] by ignoring and neglecting what was happening in the community. So that lit a fire under me.”
Pulphus joined and led many protests in the St. Louis region and on campus during the Ferguson Uprising. In his new book, “With My People: Life, Justice, and Activism Beyond the University,” Pulphus shares the lessons he learned as a young community organizer during the first nine months of the movement.
Pulphus was one of the co-founders of Tribe X, the SLU student activist group that organized a six-day peaceful occupation at the campus clock tower. The student organizers then negotiated a 13-point agreement called the Clock Tower Accords with Fred Pestello, the university’s president at the time. Tribe X worked with community members to identify steps SLU could take to develop a K-12 pipeline for marginalized groups, especially Black students, to attend the university.
“The history of their connection with the Black community hasn't been the best, so we were saying as a group, ‘We need access to a university that's taken so much from us,’” Pulphus said, referring to the Black people enslaved by SLU's Jesuits in the mid-19th century and the historic Mill Creek Valley neighborhood that was demolished for urban renewal projects, including university expansion.
“We wanted to outline different calls to action for there to be a connection between what's happening in the community, what's happening on campus, and [to] bridge that.”
Tribe X was successful, Pulphus added, because students worked closely with mentors such as Mama Mix, Mama Lola and Queen Mother Romona.
“The intergenerational perspective distinguished Tribe X, I think, from other groups,” he said. “We were accountable to not just ourselves and the people — we had mentors and advisors that helped guide us. And that helped a lot during Occupy SLU when we got those demands submitted.”
In his book, Pulphus also offers an academic exploration of student protest movements throughout history. By providing advice on fostering cross-campus collaboration, navigating internal conflict and safeguarding online privacy, Pulphus hopes the book will serve as a guide on grassroots organizing for young activists today.
“I want to emphasize to young people that you are not on an island. You are not alone,” he said. “Find those who you can take care of and who can take care of you. [Then] inform yourself, because the issues we're dealing with — some of these problems are centuries old, so inundate yourself with as much literature as you can to make sure that you sharpen your perspective.”
Pulphus added that it’s critical that organizers also protect their mental well-being.
“You don't have to burn out to make a difference. You don't have to jeopardize your future to build a better world,” he said. “Cause hell, do what you have to do on your campus, but make sure you get your work done, get your classes taken care of. Be on top of that, because we need you for the long haul.”
For more on Jonathan Pulphus’ story, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: Jonathan Pulphus “With My People” book signing
When: 5:30 p.m. Oct. 27
Where: St. Louis University Pius XII Library, 3655 W Pine Mall, St. Louis, MO 63108
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Darrious Varner is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
