Missouri Humanities

In this episode, our guest is Vivian Gibson, author of The Last Children of Mill Creek and proof positive of the importance of telling your story. The book came out in 2020, amid the craze of the COVID19 pandemic, and has since grown to be a must-read. Mill Creek Valley was a segregated Black community in St. Louis city that was labeled "blighted" and razed for urban development in the late 1950s. Vivian’s book set out to humanize the people, stories, and places of Mill Creek through the eyes of her childhood.  This is Gibson’s first book, and though it started as a retirement project, the momentum of the book ensured Gibson would not be slowing down any time soon. 

What is Missouri Humanities ?

Welcome to Season 5: The Story of US! Throughout 250 years of United States history, the people and places of Missouri have played a vital role in shaping the nation’s story. At the crossroads of rivers, frontiers, and ideas, Missouri has been a stage for exploration, innovation, conflict, and change. From Indigenous peoples to French settlers and westward pioneers, Missouri’s story began before statehood and remains ingrained in the nation’s history. As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, The Story of US invites Missourians to reflect on how Missouri’s people and communities have shaped defining chapters of our shared American journey. In this year-long series, we honor the enduring power of place and the voices, both celebrated and too often unheard, that reveal Missouri’s contributions to the complexity and promise of the American experience.

PAST SEASONS:
Season 1, "Eat, THINK, & Be Merry: Missouri's Foodways and Edible History"
Season 2, "Roots & Routes: The Movement and Settlement of Missourians"
Season 3, "Missouri Marvels: Humanities, Discovery, and Innovation"
Season 4, "Missouri Voices: Civics and Citizenry"

For more from Missouri Humanities, visit mohumanities.org