Stefan Bradley is coming to Central to speak on his experiences at the front line of Ferguson with his speech, “Freedom and Beyond: Activism, Access and Achievement in the Age of Ferguson.”  

Bradley,  director of African American studies at Saint Louis University (SLU), is from Washington, having received his bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga University and master’s from Washington State University.  

According to Bradley, the speech is his “opportunity to share with people in the audience what the uprising in Ferguson looked liked at the ground level as a professor in the area.”

Bradley has worked at SLU for eight years and was involved in the Ferguson protests on multiple levels.

The day after the Michael Brown shooting, Bradley heard his students were in confrontations with police during protests. This was the beginning of his involvement.

“That was the night that the QuickTrip burned,” Bradley said. “I was worried about all of them and tried to get them to go home, but they refused.”

The next day, Bradley went to Ferguson to stand with his students.

“I saw and ran from the armored personnel vehicles and rifles; inhaled the smoke and tear gas; heard the sirens and helicopters,” Bradley said. “And most of all, I felt the deep pain and anger of those residents who had been trapped not only in their neighborhoods but in cycles of poverty and powerlessness.”

Bradley is a part of a group of young black professionals in St. Louis that came together to ensure the youth voice was not “lost in the fray of the crisis,” Bradley said.

This group met with the White House, the Department of Justice, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, Missouri’s governor, state senators, Ferguson officials and media outlets.

MSNBC offered Bradley an interview, but he denied until they allowed young people to take part in his interview. Bradley’s goal was to show many different young people were concerned about justice in policing and the black community.

“I also knew that because of my status as a professor and a “respectable” African American, I would have a platform to speak,” Bradley said.

According to Bradley, the local media was portraying his students as “thugs” and many people were focusing on criticizing the tactics of some protesters, overlooking the issues.

“I made a choice to amplify the voices of the concerned citizens of the area whom the news networks wouldn’t ever interview,” Bradley said.

This is the experience and viewpoint Bradley wants to bring to Central.