Judy Gladney: Among the First to Integrate U. City Schools

Judy Gladney joins radio hosts on KTRS-AM to discuss her experience as one of the first students that integrated University City, Missouri. 

Judy Gladney's family was the first African American household to move into 'The Hills,' a gated community in University City, Missouri, at the beginning of the city schools' integration. Years later, Gladney speaks against the narrative of a color-blind education system and instead emphasizes the careful navigation that is necessary when existing "in a culture where, historically, you came to these lands in bondage." To her, living in a neighborhood where people that looked like her were not around translated into a lack of playmates, uneven distribution of resources, being underestimated at school, but also a broader cultural experience. Gladney shares her experience in hopes that her story will inspire dialogue between races and eventual better understanding. 

"The Before Ferguson, Beyond Ferguson" project focuses on elevating the everyday lives of communities of color in Ferguson, Missouri through print, online, and audio pieces as well as public events to push for advocacy and reform.