Jamala Rogers is one of the most recognized faces in St. Louis, not only because her activism frequently makes the news, but also because her image appears in various places throughout the city. For over 30 years, her headshot has been featured alongside her column in the award-winning St. Louis American newspaper. Local artist Chris Green included Rogers in his mural window boards showcasing dignitaries on abandoned buildings in North St. Louis. Notably, she is the only living female legend featured in the mural commissioned for the Ferguson office of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Jamala Rogers spent her childhood growing up in a working-class neighborhood with her four siblings in Kansas City,  MO. She came of age politically and culturally during the tumultuous 1960s and became active in the Black Student Movement.  She’s been organizing and raising hell ever since.

Jamala has devoted all of her adult life to advocating and organizing for a child-centered community, believing in the African proverb that if it’s good for the children, it’s good for the community.  Her fight has always been to celebrate and protect the human rights of all citizens, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. Because of the persistent barriers to this goal, it has naturally led her to be a leader in the struggle for justice, equality, and peace–barriers such as racism, homophobia, and patriarchy.

Jamala has held and currently holds leadership and membership in organizations that share her vision for a more just and peaceful world. She is committed to a radical transformation of a society where Black people, especially children, can reach their full potential and prosper.

Jamala is an unapologetic feminist and is deeply involved in the development of women and increasing their full participation in social movements. She works tirelessly on issues such as health, violence, and reproductive rights. She is a faculty member in the Black Feminist Organizing School (BFOS).

Jamala has been a keynote speaker, workshop presenter, and panelist at various conferences. Her presentations focused on the issues she has organized around for decades, like the prison industrial complex, police accountability, feminist leadership, organization development, movement-building, etc. She is associated with the exonerations of several Missouri men and women, including Ellen Reasonover, Joseph Amrine, Darryl Burton, LaMar Johnson, and Christopher Dunn.

Jamala is a featured columnist for the award-winning St. Louis American, which is the largest black weekly newspaper in St. Louis. She serves on the editorial board of BlackCommentator.com and is a featured contributor there. Her columns also appear in the Capital City Hues (Madison, WI) and the LA Progressive. She has written numerous articles for both local and national publications on issues she is deeply passionate about.

Jamala is the author of “The Best of the Way I See It,” a collection of her political writings spanning 20 years. Additionally, she wrote “Ferguson Is America: Roots of Rebellion.” She hosts “Voices from the Battlefield,” a weekly radio program on Black Radio Hall of Fame.