In 2023, Deaconess Foundation unveiled a new strategy to make liberation the lived reality for all within seven generations. To achieve this strategy, Deaconess will build “Beloved Community” and build power. A key venue to demonstrate these actions will be through the Deaconess Center.

Deaconess Center is a vibrant public square for ideas, thought-partnerships, diverse perspectives, and policy discussions that promote a community of learning and healing. Through civility, facts, and a commitment to diverse viewpoints, the Center is dedicated to fostering spaces for convening, engagement, and resources that support liberation-based public policy solutions. Deaconess believes that by elevating, celebrating, and inspiring the ecosystem with these liberated behaviors, we are creating the conditions that lead to individual and community wellness.

As with other liberation efforts, we recognize that this work is not accidental but requires the collective effort of many. We honor the rich history of the movements that came before us, acknowledging that we are building upon a tradition established by public libraries, schools, and community centers. These public squares — physical spaces where individuals from different backgrounds can come together, build trust, and collaborate — demonstrate that intentionally-designed spaces are more than just amenities; they are essential to a thriving democracy and a healthy society. With this understanding, we warmly invite you to join us as your public square.

Tools for Building a Public Square

Since opening our doors in 2018, the Center, with your support, has honed our tools for creating this public square through: convening, engagement, and resources.

Convening: We’ve been busy hosting a range of partner organizations and events from neighborhood gatherings to regional policy roundtables. These activities focus on health and social justice ensuring our space remains a hub for impactful dialogue.

Engagement: Strengthening neighborhood ties is central to our mission, which is why we call for the implementation of the North Central Plan and the equitable development of the Brickline Greenway. By fostering deep connections and supporting transformation, we aim to build a resilient social fabric.

Resources: We have partnered with frontline organizations to provide resources essential for well-being. These resources include direct family services from partners, the Children’s Defense Fund™ Freedom Schools, and offering physical spaces of respite and peace for neighbors and for village partners — the organizations that call the Center their organizational home (Unleashing Potential and Vision for Children at Risk.)

What We’ve Been Up to

To put our values into practice, Deaconess Center has reinforced our policies around dissenting opinions and demonstrations, provided enhanced opportunities for partners to advertise events in our lobby with digital flyers and is proud to be a City of St. Louis polling place for the first time in 2024.

Moving Forward

The Center’s recent initiatives continue to validate our role as a public square, but we still need help from you, our partners. Below are options that you and your organization can do to help us serve as a beacon of hope and catalyst for liberations in the region.

• Reach out so we can help promote your community event and convening. Flyers can be emailed to davidn@deaconess.org. Please include a QR code on the flyer so that guests can scan it for more information from our digital lobby display.
• On November 5th, if you are a registered voter in the City of St. Louis, please vote at Deaconess Center.
• Join us at the intersection of health justice and social justice by hosting your events at Deaconess Center. Request a space on our website.

See you at the Center, your Public Square.

David Nehrt-Flores
Director, Deaconess Center
Deaconess Foundation

 Read the full August/September newsletter here.