Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equality

Item

STL Positive Change/The Ferguson Commission. 2026. “Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equality.”, Documenting Ferguson, accessed March 30, 2026, https://digitalexhibits.library.wustl.edu/s/ferguson/item/55713

Title: Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equality
Description: As a Commission, we were given a broad charge, but limited time to explore these issues and develop calls to action. Though we accomplished a significant amount of work in that time, engaging a tremendous number of citizens and exploring issues in depth, the timeframe dictated the level of detail we could provide. Moreover, there is a limit to the influence over decision-making that we as a Commission can have. No matter how sound our calls to action, they are calls—the Commission does not have the power to enact them.

This means that while this report includes many specific policy calls to action, it is not an implementation plan. Implementation may require legislation, policy changes, funding, public support, private support, or in most cases, a combination of these. Some calls to action identify half a dozen accountable bodies or more. Each individual or organization has a role in making these changes a reality.

What this means is that this report does not spell out step-by-step solutions, or answer questions about how proposed solutions will be funded. Those things are beyond our scope, as the Commission’s charge was to identify needed changes and call on those accountable for that change to act.

To soften the edges, to try to polish up the rough spots and to just present the stories and statistics that put St. Louis in a positive light, would be a disservice to those citizens who spoke up, and even more so, a disservice to the future of the region.

Thus, the report provides the outline of a path forward. The report and the calls to action it includes are meant to serve as a springboard—as a way to initiate conversations and action around these urgent topics challenging our region.
Date: September 14, 2015
Creator: STL Positive Change/The Ferguson Commission
Source: Fordward Through Ferguson
Posted Date: 2015-09-15 8:28:35
Rights: See rights page
Identifier: df_11483