Eyes on the Future, Knowing What’s at Stake

As FTF begins the search for its next Executive Director/Lead Catalyst, our current leader offers 4 insights, 3 opportunities, and 2 pieces of advice.

Charli Cooksey, interim Lead Catalyst at Forward Through Ferguson. Photos by Lindy Drew, Humans of St. Louis.

When I began this role, I was both excited and nervous to face the challenges and opportunities ahead. Leading a 1.5 year-old start up organization tasked with advancing regional Racial Equity in a stuck and storied region still recovering from the death of Michael Brown is no small feat. Nevertheless, I felt ready.

I knew this role would be different. Not many jobs come with the goal of dismantling racism on a systemic level. Today, eight months later, I am even more excited, passionate, and urgent about the work of achieving Racial Equity, even more convinced of the importance of FTF’s role in that work, and have an even more firm belief that St. Louis can and will create a new narrative and reality.

Although I have been with the organization for less than 12 months, I feel like I have learned 12 years of really important “stuff” while here. As I prepare to transition out of this role I want to share the most important lessons to those considering raising their hand to serve in this role . So, leader to leader and leader to region, here are four insights, three big, unprecedented opportunities, and two pieces of advice, that will help advance our one shared mission–achieving a Racially Equitable St. Louis…in our (I’m 31 for context) lifetime.

Four, three, two, one — Go!

Four insights while serving as Interim Lead Catalyst.

1. We have allies and partners from unexpected places who feel urgent about the need for change. Folks in St. Louis who have been leading social justice, organizing, and anti-racism efforts for many years, have been skeptical of how serious our region is about embracing the idea of Racial Equity not just in language, but in practice. And justifiably so. Before stepping into this role, I would have counted myself as one of those skeptics. Encouragingly, Racial Equity really is more than a buzzword. It is becoming a desired reality among a growing number of stakeholders in the civic, business, and philanthropic communities, and core tenet in the organizing and protest communities. In many meetings, David, the co-chairs, and I have engaged in radical dialogue with key stakeholders. They have been energized by our work and have a clear appetite for better understanding Racial Equity, strengthening their leadership in service of Racial Equity, and creating a new reality, where racial disparities no longer define us. The overwhelming response to the Stockley verdict from both protesters and business leaders revealed that we are on a path of doing things differently and persisting in the face of injustice. Michael Brown’s legacy is living on in our collective, unflinching demand for change.
2. Systems change is way more complicated than I realized. While there is a growing commitment to realizing a future where we can no longer predict one’s life outcomes by race, we have yet to hit a tipping point where a critical mass of regional stakeholders understand that policy and systems change provides one of the greatest opportunities to do so. We have a lot of work ahead to shift dollars and efforts towards “population-level impact”. The very idea of policy and systems change work is new for our region. And we have a ways to go before we have deep regional understanding. As a result, it creates a level of difficulty, but not an impossibility, for leaders who seek to catalyze our region in that direction. And while there are folks who believe in the idea of systems change, their work is not likely to be aligned in approach, making collective work and collaboration tricky. As we journey this path, here are a few articles I wish had read before beginning this work: Fostering Systems Change,What Exactly Do We Mean by Systems?
3. We need to look beyond St. Louis for funding. Rev. Starsky Wilson, President & CEO of The Deaconess Foundation powerfully explains funding dynamics in a guest column for the St. Louis American. He states, “one of the consequences of our disorder and “Funders ADD” is that creative leaders of not-for-profit organizations are forced to react to the whims of the last book, report or article we read. They end up trying to sustain institutions on shifting funding bases when they no longer fit into our priorities. This makes a mess of our civic infrastructure, leaving distressed neighborhoods and gross disparities in public health.” Locally, Deaconess Foundation and the Missouri Foundation for Health have emerged as pioneers in the funding community. They both have dedicated substantial amounts of funding towards policy and systems change and Racial Equity work–understanding they may not see the immediate effects of their funding within six to twelve months or within the next grant reporting cycle. There are national foundations like W.K. Kellogg that have a deep commitment to Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation and the Ford Foundation that prioritizes funding civic engagement and government solutions. I have realized that there is vast potential to resource this work with the right strategic alignment, relationship building among individual donors, and an unwavering commitment to the importance of Racial Equity and systems change. Over time, the right funders have emerged.
4. Our history has lots of lessons for us to look to and learn from as we launch #STL2039. Our region isn’t stuck because it’s never seen a bold initiative or a searingly honest and rigorous research report. Good data and bold vision are necessary but not sufficient ingredients for change. We need to continue to learn from our history, not just to avoid making the same mistakes again, but also to integrate our own best practices and to better understand what is still missing. The analysis of St. Louis 2004 in particular provides fascinating insights that the next unflinching leader should know.

Three opportunities for the next Executive Director/Lead Catalyst.

1. Activate a movement made up of catalysts of all kinds. The ground is more fertile than ever. A diverse set of stakeholders are ready for big, bold change with the right vision, set of complementary strategies, and tangible ways for everyone to contribute. The movement waiting to be activated requires a leader who can build authentic community made up of relationships of solidarity among a diverse set of stakeholders, working together towards #STL2039.
2. Shift our region towards a both/and/abundant worldview approach. There is an opportunity to build awareness, understanding, and action towards both traditional and innovative solutions and partnerships. We have a history of fragmentation and competitiveness–perceiving one initiative or leader’s success or access as a threat to others. #STL2039 requires a different way of doing business and building community. We need innovative programs and a new commitment to policies. We need grassroots and grasstops. We need this leader and that leader. We all need to shift towards being more accountable to racially oppressed communities and following their needs and hopes because they have been left out of the equation for far too long. Only if we operate from abundance will we be able to thrive as a united region.
3. People all over the country are rooting for us. Our success in achieving a transformed St. Louis supported by equitable policies, innovative systems, and diverse coalitions of partners has the potential to serve as a blueprint for cities all across the country. It has been so encouraging to engage with national leaders who are excited and inspired by the unique work that is happening in our region. Let’s get it right for the sake of our community and communities everywhere!

Two Pieces of Advice for Applicants.

1. Be unwavering in your belief. To be successful in this role you must believe that St. Louis can create a new reality where race and zip code no longer advantage some and harm others. You must believe that Racial Equity is possible and this belief must be urgent and unwavering so that even in moments of challenge, when the status quo fights to sustain its place in our region, you will not be deterred.
2. Be unflinching in your leadership. To be successful in this role you must also be unflinching. Resolute in your focus and steady in your conviction. Unflinching even when the work is hard, unflinching even when the work is scary or comes with risks. Unflinching leaders are clear about the what, the why and the how of the work, and are able to encourage others to stretch past bad and destructive habits in order to strive for what’s better.

One Mission.

Most importantly, I’ve learned that we can never lose sight of our one shared mission: a Racially Equitable St. Louis. I won’t shy away from naming the challenges; there is a steep hill ahead of us and there are likely to be many distracting and unforeseen bumps along the way. But I’ve learned that the journey is clearer, and the outcome more possible when we keep the vision squarely on the horizon and never forget what is at stake.