St. Louis Public Radio serves a broad and diverse region. After we experienced a significant spike in engagement throughout our coverage of the Ferguson uprising, STLPR determined we needed to do more to shine light on stories that impact African Americans in our own region. From this, STLPR developed “We Live Here,” a podcast with the explicit goal of examining race in St. Louis with an emphasis on stories from residents, elected leaders and scholars.
Now we’re seeing the local effects of a global pandemic that is having a disproportionate impact on African Americans. With this in mind, our podcast is putting a lens of racial and economic equity on containment efforts and eventual recovery. We pivoted from a completely planned season on the theme of “Black on Campus” to topics related to COVID-19, including food insecurity, decarceration, refugees, Black mental health and the impending housing crisis.
When the killing of George Floyd sparked a renewed uprising for Black lives, “We Live Here” pivoted again to share stories emerging from the uprising and about why people are taking to the streets in the midst of a pandemic.