Your Neighbor's Stories:
Air Pollution
Dorothy Collins lives in Pine Lawn neighborhood in north St. Louis County. The area has high rates of air pollution and asthma-related hospitalizations. She said she worries about her grandchildren’s health when they visit her because of the poor air quality. Her grandson suffers from asthma, and she is afraid to let him play outside.
“It makes me feel bad because they have problems breathing when they are around, and I don't like to see them suffer,” Collins said.
Your Neighbor's Stories:
Safe Water
Kaliah West is a current resident of University City, where she lives with her daughter and uncle. From 1 to 2 years of age, Kaliah’s daughter resided in North City with her grandmother while Kaliah was incarcerated. During that time, her daughter suffered from lead exposure, something Kaliah did not discover until her release.
Five years have passed since the exposure to dangerous conditions in the grandmother's home, and her daughter's blood lead levels have returned to normal. Kaliah reports that her daughter still experiences behavioral issues, a common side effect of lead exposure.
Your Neighbor's Stories:
Mold
After Janice Rideout became the guardian of her 13- and 11-year old grandsons, she moved into a larger apartment in her Dutchtown neighborhood. She noticed water on the floor, and at first thought it was from the garbage disposal. But then the water problem got a lot worse, and she traced the water back to the kitchen pantry. There was black mold all over the ceiling and a little on the walls.
Ms. Rideout told her landlord about the mold, but he didn’t find a roofer in his price range and didn’t fix the problem. She withheld her rent and called the City’s building inspector, which saw the mold and sent the landlord a citation. The landlord retaliated against her and got an emergency eviction order.
Your Neighbor's Stories:
Food Access
Tonja Bulley is a resident of the Greater Ville neighborhood in St. Louis City. She grew up in the City then moved out to the County to raise her children. She relocated back to the City because rent is much more affordable. Ms. Bulley cares for her aunt who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and works as a home health aide.
Recently, Ms. Bulley had to start using public transportation because she does not have a vehicle. What was previously a twenty-minute car ride to work now takes over an hour and requires three separate buses. Bus fare is costly and adds up.
The Process:
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Choose a cause
Read a story from local community members and find what speaks to you.
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Choose your recipient(s)
Send your letter to a local or state politician.
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Share your story
Write about how your cause and how it affects your community.
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Choose your call to action
Let your representatives know what laws you would like them to support.
- Send!
About
Write Change is a website that teaches aspiring activists how to write letters for their representatives. The form introduces writers to environmental causes in St. Louis and guides them through the steps to fill out a template letter, which teaches them the format of writing letters on their own in the future. This project was designed and developed by Madison Ronchetto for her BFA Communication Design 2022 Undergraduate Capstone Project at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.
Sources
Typography
Roboto Mono by Christian Robertson
Neue Haas Grotesk by Monotype
Special Thanks
Thank you to Jonathan Hanahan, Will Bates, Molly Needleman, Aaron Zemach, and my classmates for your valuable insights, time, and support. I especially thank my user testing crew for helping this project develop over the past semester.