We Live Here | Season 5

St. Louis is home to the longest-running school desegregation program in the country. For generations, it has shaped the students’ lives and how they see race in one of the most segregated places in America.

We tell you how Mayor McGee went from sharecropping in the deep south to help a group of mostly black mayors share resources in the fractured system they inherited.

Historian Colin Gordon explains how St. Louis was divided by design, how its municipal divides impact public goods and services, and what can be done about the policies that perpetuate segregation today.

We tell the story of the rise and decline of a small municipality in north St. Louis County called Kinloch and how Alana Marie is working to preserve the history of Missouri's first all-black town.

We tell the story of how black people now hold significant political power in a town that was explicitly created for racist reasons.

Dr. Will Ross was told to stay away from applying for medical school in St. Louis, that the city was too racist and that he’d be better off on the east coast. But he decided to dig in, and has spent a career trying to alleviate massive racial disparities in health outcomes.

We’ll bring you stories of how race and class contributed to dozens and dozens of governmental divides in St. Louis City and County’s municipal courts, police departments and school districts. And uncover the stories and costs behind the fractured governmental systems that define the town we call home.

We’ve got new hosts! We know it’s a big change, but trust us, we care deeply about issues of race and class. And we want you to get to know us. In our introductory episode, members of the new team have an honest conversation on how race and class have affected their lives.