The Ashrei Foundation and the Washington University Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity are proud to bring Dr. Jonathan Metzl, Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry, the director of the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society, at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and gun policy scholar, to St. Louis.
Panel Discussion
This Foundations of Justice event will feature a panel discussion- Courageous Conversations: The Impact of Gun Violence in our Community in which Dr. Metzl will join members of our community to explore the impact of gun violence in our region, including perspectives that challenge the pro-gun-reform framing that sometimes dominate conversations on the topic.
In addition to Dr. Metzl, the panel, moderated by Pastor Andre Alexander of The Tabernacle and The Hub, will include: Dr. LJ Punch, of The BRIC (Bullet Related Injury Clinic), Alderwoman Shameem Clark-Hubbard, Keisha Blanchard, Member of The BRIC Patient Advisory Committee, and Armon Reed- Wynne, owner of Prime Protection STL and Prime Protection STL's Tactical Boutique, the first black-owned storefront FFL in St. Louis County.
Learn more about our panelists here.
Documentary Screening
To complement this courageous conversation, a screening of The BRIC’s new documentary, 'Every Bullet Leaves a Mark' will be offered prior to the panel.
'Every Bullet Leaves a Mark' is a short documentary film that highlights the stories of people whose lives were changed by bullets and received care at the Bullet Related Injury Clinic (The BRIC) here in St. Louis. Through personal narratives, the documentary reveals the deep physical, emotional, and spiritual impact that bullets have—not just on the bodies of those shot, but on the communities around them and how a new concept and approach to those injuries holds within it a new powerful hope of healing.
Reception & Book Signing
Following the program invite you to stay for a complimentary reception with soft drinks, and light snacks where Dr. Jonathan Metzl will host a book signing in partnership with Left Bank Books!
Left Bank will have copies of Dr. Metzl’s most recent book What We’ve Become: Living and Dying in a Country of Arms for sale on site and Dr. Metzl will host a table to personalize and sign your book!
Book are also available for pre-purchase from the Left Bank Books website. If you have your own - already loved - copy of one of Dr. Metzl’s books, feel free to bring it to be signed!
Event Schedule:
5:30 pm Registration
6:00 pm Documentary Screening: 'Every Bullet Leaves a Mark'
7:00 pm Panel discussion: Courageous Conversations: The Impact of Gun Violence in our Community
8:30 pm Reception & Book Signing with Left Bank Books
9:30 pm Event concludes
Venue:
This event will take place at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being 1000 N. Vandeventer Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63113 You can read a little bit about the center and its mission here
Parking and Accessibility:
The Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being has a parking lot adjacent to the building. In the event the parking lot is full, ample street parking is available on the north and south side of the building. The Center has accessible parking spaces in the lot. Accessing the building does not require climbing any stairs. The summit will be on one floor, mostly in one room.