Location: Meet at East Riverfront Metrolink Parking Lot (East St. Louis)

For the final gathering of the season, meet at the historic Eads Bridge to hear from speakers and journey across the Mississippi River. Guided by Make the River Present co-organizer and contributor, Allena Brazier, this event includes discussion, performances, and moving across portions of the Eads Bridge to explore how this architectural monument has shaped histories of industry, culture, and resistance. Contributors include Amanda Clark, Public Historian at Missouri Historical Society; Dr. Tandra Taylor, Interim Director of SIUE’s Institute for Community Justice and Racial Equity; and Dominique Shelton, East Side Arts Collective. Participants will celebrate the river’s role in survival, trade, and connecting lands and peoples.

Registration is encouraged; please click here to sign up.

This event is part of a series of gatherings offered in conjunction with Make the River Present. 

Accessibility Notes

• This event takes place outdoors and involves traveling a total path of approximately 1-2 miles; please take precautions to protect from sun and heat.
• Participants are encouraged to wear white in honor of the “Negro Silent Protest Parade” of 1917, in which the NAACP organized thousands to gather in New York City to protest racial violence faced by African Americans, including the East St. Louis massacre.
• Water and snacks will be available.
• The path taken in this event is accessible by ramps and elevators.
• To request an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter for this event, please contact programs@camstl.org with as much prior notice possible to ensure availability.

About the contributors

Amanda Clark is a St. Louis transplant but has spent over 15 years sharing her passion for the city’s gorgeous architecture and complex history. Her unique approach to sharing history has been featured in many publications, including the New York Times and the St. Louis Business Journal. She currently works as a public historian for the Missouri Historical Society and oversees the museum’s popular See STL Tours program. In addition to tours, her job includes research, writing, and exhibit content creation. She most recently served as content lead for the Eads Bridge at 150 exhibit. Amanda volunteers for 4theVille, the National Building Arts Foundation, and Landmarks Association.

Dominique Shelton, whose artist name is Nostylgic Linez, is a 32 year old poet. She lets her poetry/art speak volumes to Love, Life & Lust. She has a passion for writing and acting. In 2017, she and her business partner Elizabeth Stallings created an Open Mic Showcase called Melting of the Minds and art group called Asa Sistas. Asa means “Cultural” in the African language Yoruba which was the first African culture they began to research in the cultivation of their open mic showcase. One day they plan on opening their own art school for the southern Illinois area.

Dr. Tandra N. Taylor is Assistant Professor, History Department, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), as well as Executive Director, SIUE Freedom School and Interim Director, Institute for Community Justice and Racial Equity (SIUE). Dr. Taylor holds extensive research, teaching, and community engagement experience, including as co-lead of the Journeys to Justice Project, a statewide initiative on the history and ongoing legacy of anti-Black violence in Illinois’ past as well as co-founding of the 1917 East St. Louis Race Riot Tour. Dr. Taylor earned her B.A. from Spelman College, M.A. in Public History from Georgia State University, and Ph.D. in American Studies from Saint Louis University.