Faces of the First Amendment:
A look at free speech and assembly on the front lines of metropolitan St. Louis.
These 17 photographs, for me, capture the intimate, often courageous ways individuals and groups give life to the First Amendment in the metropolitan St. Louis area — through protest signs held on park lawns, speeches echoing on city streets, and quiet moments of reflection in neighborhoods and public squares where they organize, assemble, and question the status quo.
Each image highlights a different facet of personal expression, from activists marching, to victims gathering to challenge the government — revealing how ordinary folks shape civic life through belief, speech, and assembly. Together these images form a vivid collective portrait of a community where constitutional freedoms are not abstract principles, but lived daily acts of identity, resistance, and hope. How do you identify with their feelings, their actions, their commitment to the common good?
When Americans recognize injustice in any form, then stand up and fight back, they do so through the rights endowed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. They create a fabric whose every thread and stitch becomes stronger when woven together. Every man, women, and child who shows up to voice their hopes, dreams, and fears in these photos is a hero to me.
Leadership.
Activist Ohun Ashe leads a protest march in downtown St. Louis after Anthony Lawmar Smith’s death.
October 14, 2017.
Irony.
Police line to contain protesters in downtown St. Louis. Later“kettling” was deployed to escalate the peaceful protest.
September 15, 2017.
Taking a Stand.
A march in the Delmar Loop to remember Anthony Lamar Smith after police officer Jason Stockley was acquitted of his murder.
September 16, 2017.
Facing Injustice.
Michael Brown, Sr., father of Michael Brown, on the fifth anniversary of his son’s death at a memorial event at the Urban League in Ferguson.
August 9, 2014.
Memorializing.
Prayer vigil in Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis for Sonya Massey, 36-year-old murdered in her home by a white sheriff’s deputy in Sangamon County, Illinois.
July 29, 2024.
Reproductive Rights.
One hour after SCOTUS overturned Roe v Wade, the St. Louis Planned Parenthood offices became the scene of a massive demonstration.
June 24, 2022.
A Joyful Noise.
Member of Joia World Music participates at a women’s rights. Rally in the Dogtown neighborhood of St. Louis to protest Missouri legislature’s override of a referendum allowing safe and legal abortions.
November 2, 2024
Righting Wrongs.
The genocide and relentless war in Gaza and the West Bank brought Muslims, Jews, and Christians together to protest in St. Louis on many occasions with this young woman stepping up to voice her dissent.
April 27, 2024.
Solidarity.
Civil disobedience against the increasing gap between rich and poor was on display in downtown St. Louis earlier in the decade, and continues today.
October 9, 2011.
Remembering Victims.
Many trace the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement to Michael Brown’s killing in Ferguson. The 4th Annual Memorial to Michael Brown further galvanized the community, and prompted reform efforts and the fight for equality and equity in St. Louis.
August 9, 2018.
Raise Your Voice..
Making yourself heard — with full emotions, rational speeches, common sense appeals — all make non-violent protest effective in changing hearts and minds and moving them toward change.
August 9, 2018.
Demand Justice.
Jails often harbor injustices from bail policies to unhealthy and unsafe conditions for those who are innocent until proven guilty. Demands to conform with due process often requires public protest.
September 19, 2022
Face Grief.
These are parents whose son was the victim of an indiscriminate police shooting that took his life. In St. Louis, there are many parents like these. They often protest alone or in groups comprised of other parents, family, friends, and activists to stop illegal killings by police who are sworn to protect and serve.
September 20, 2023.
Peaceful Assembly.
Signs, along with voices and determination, convey the message that gets grievances heard. Standing in the pouring rain, these folks became activists to protest an authoritarian government that no longer works for the common good.
June 14, 2025.
Teach Your Children Well.
The First Amendment protects all people in the United States, no matter if they are citizens or not. By law, we are allowed to disagree with the government or anyone else through peaceful protest and through the press.
June 14, 2025.
Passion and Compassion.
Protesters have one thing in common — a shared commitment to justice a passion to see change for their cause or to right a wrong.
January 11, 2026.
Protests range from topics like use of the military, women’s reproductive rights, gay rights, collective bargaining rights, immigration policies, police abuse, unwanted developments such as data centers, overturning voter referendums and more.
March 28, 2026.