In the previous issue we celebrated the 50 Year Anniversary of the World Community Center (WCC) located at 438 N. Skinker by spotlighting the visionary work of its founders. They were laser focused on creating a space for activists that was low cost but most importantly nurtured collaboration.
For this article I decided to talk to 5 members of the World Community Center to hear more about their work, experiences and concerns. I started by interviewing Bill Ramsey with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the longest standing member of the World Community Center dedicated to working with communities to fight injustice and create conditions that bring peace through nonviolence.
Bill Ramsey (1981-1997)
As the leader of AFSC in St. Louis Bill worked on such causes as support for a nuclear freeze petition, sanctuary for Central American refugees, vigils, abolishing the death penalty, supporting peace in Bosnia, resolving the Israeli and Palestinian conflict and halting child labor practices. I was surprised when he told me about the connection between Plowshares and the World Community Center!
Plowshares was an incredible magical store in the Delmar Loop with crafts and products from around the world. Bill told me, “the Mennonites founded Plowshares and were based at WCC.”
Fellow members such as the American Friends, Latin American Solidarity Committee and the St. Louis Economic Conversion Project supported the mission of the Mennonites which was to provide meaningful income to skilled artisans around the world!
AFSC also collaborated with the Interfaith Committee on Latin America to find churches that might offer their facilities as sanctuary for asylum seekers from Guatemala and El Salvador. Many churches said “no.” As a result of the diligent efforts of Hershal Walker, a dedicated African American member of the AFSC, Emmanuel Lutheran Church in North St. Louis City agreed to provide safe space. The congregation was small and needed more volunteers to monitor the Church on a 24/7 basis. World Community Center members helped recruit 200 volunteers who were able to provide asylum to families!
Bill told me about the “unexpected visitors” that came to the WCC because of its reputation. During the Iraq War on separate occasions two African American veterans who did not know each other came to the center seeking advice on taking a stand as conscientious objectors. These soldiers had served their country but they disagreed with the Iraq War. Both men were assisted significantly by Bill and the American Friends Service Committee staff with counseling and resources.
Margaret Gilleo from Ladue walked into the WCC to ask for advice. The City of Ladue had removed her sign “For Peace in the Gulf” twice and she wasn’t having it! She sought advice and Bill directed her to the American Civil Liberties Union. Ultimately, the case of City of Ladue v. Gilleo went all the way to the Supreme Court supporting our right to display such signs.
Keith Rose – Member of WCC Board of Directors
When Keith Rose first entered the WCC, he was amazed by what he saw. As he describes it, “like many young people I saw activism as spontaneous protesting. It was eye-opening to see maps, file cabinets, calendar plans, opposition research and people being trained.” Around 2011 Keith was involved with the “Occupy Wall Street” movement and the group used the basement of WCC for planning. Keith liked what he saw and soon realized that the Center was an incubator for social movements. As he told me he admired the “intersectionality” of issues at the center including concern for wars abroad, transgender rights, teaching English to Spanish speakers etc.
Keith has been involved in a number of social justice issues such as police oversight, LGBTQ rights, housing discrimination and more. As a member of the Board of World Community Center Keith led the effort to get WCC recognized by the City of St. Louis for the 50th anniversary of the Center. He, like other members are evaluating the needs of WCC including the development of a community plan to re-invigorate membership since Covid, and fundraise for building maintenance and renovation. Keith spoke enthusiastically about his goal to get a monument outside on the front of the building that depicts the best of what the Center represents. I’d say that the young activist who was enthralled by the file cabinets, plans and calendars now provides important leadership for the future of the World Community Center!
Jose (J0-SAY) Dickhoff, Volunteer, Missouri Prison Books (Member at WCC)
Jose is originally from the Netherlands and has lived in St. Louis for almost 19 years. She was a visual artist but stopped that occupation in favor of being an active grandmother to 5 children. When her friend Christiane Carlson started Missouri Prison Books in 2019 Jose was on board as a volunteer.
Jose faithfully comes to the WCC every Thursday from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM. Located in the basement of the Center she and volunteers select and prepare books for shipment to prisons in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. There are restrictions on what books are approved depending on the prison. Hardbacks might not be accepted at some institutions and writing in the books is not permitted. Josie said “When Missouri started a “digital books only” policy, the team pivoted and started sending books to Sheriff’s offices in Missouri, where both those accused of crimes are detained as well as ICE victims and offenders.” Jose loves her work and welcomes volunteers.
The top 3 requests from prisoners are “How to” books, astrology/spiritual topics and coloring books. www.missouriprisonbooks.org
Anna Ginsburg, President of the WCC Board of Directors (Current)
Long before Anna became President of the Board, she was involved at the World Community Center with the Initiative to Ban Nuclear Power in 1980 followed by her participation in the 1982 Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign. She describes that time “as one that was exciting and scary at the same time.” For 10 years she was the Director of the Neighborhood Stabilization for the City of St.Louis. She proved to be an administrator of great integrity and strength. Later she took a position with the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. Anna spoke a lot about the “sense of community” that one experienced at the WCC and like Keith she fully embraces a community plan to bring in more diverse organizations while providing low cost office and conference space. She feels strongly that the impact of WCC and its members has been significant and pointed out the organizing done after the Vietnam and Iraqi Wars, collaboration with Ferguson activists, work with Central Americans on economic and asylum issues and supporting Progressive Jews of St. Louis and the Palestinian Solidarity group. Anna is involved in the fundraising for WCC and like all good leaders wants to get ahead on the fundraising in order to update the building and take care of basic and preventive maintenance.
Margaret Phillips, Past President of WCC
Margaret has taught Latin and the Greek classics at the University level and has been put in jail for her activism! She is comfortable talking about Cicero and Percy Green of ACTION with clarity and ease within the same 15 minutes. She’s worked with a number of groups through the WCC including the American Friends Service Committee, Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty and ACTION.
Margaret said this about the impact of the Center, “During the Ferguson demonstrations, the WCC served as a hub for organizing, collaborating, and so on. I wasn’t part of that planning, mostly out on the street as a Legal Observer, but the awareness of its role was all around. The intensity of it was inspiring, exciting and useful despite the fact that many of the activists involved there became burned out–those were extraordinary times, but the WCC was there to house thinking and planning.”
I asked Margaret why she felt activism was so important in these times, and what she said is a call to action for all of us. “Today, we all know that our democracy is in danger. We must fight, not lie down and let them win–the third No Kings March must be the biggest yet. Activism has been part of my life for years, inspired by the people active in the WCC, many of whom have dedicated their lives to struggling to speak truth to power and to change the injustices we see.”
Current Volunteer Opportunities
Missouri Prison Books, Little Angels Foundation, Lifeline Mutual Aid, Peace Economy Project, Call to Conscience, American Friends Service Committee, Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment. Contact Mike Baldwin at the World Community Center for updated volunteer opportunities. worldcommunitycenter@gmail.com or call 314-862-5735
