Check out our Q&A with Criminal Justice Policy Manager Gwen Smith-Moore below. Congratulations on 4 years with Empower Missouri, Gwen!
What does “People-Powered Policy Change” mean to you?
It means that those who are often left out of the policy-making process are centered and uplifted. In our Community Justice Coalition, many members are formerly incarcerated or have a currently incarcerated loved one. When it comes to understanding the impacts of the criminal legal system in Missouri, these folks are the experts. As a collective of people close to the problems, we have the solutions. By working together, we can build the power to make them a reality.
What is your favorite memory from an Empower Missouri event?
My favorite memory is leading a breakout session at the 2024 Summit while babywearing my three-month-old. He has since been to the Capitol and many community partner events – one of Empower’s youngest advocates!
What drives your motivation for advocacy, even on the hard days?
I always come back to Angela Davis’s words of wisdom: “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”
If you could pick one policy change that we could make next, what would it be and why?
Correctional oversight for state prisons and for county jails. The conditions in both our state prisons and our county jails are abhorrent, and those incarcerated and their families have little recourse for change. Passing robust oversight legislation for prisons and jails would have a massive impact on the daily lives of tens of thousands of Missourians.
What do you hope to see in the next 25 years for Missouri?
I hope we move beyond the “tough on crime” rhetoric and political posturing. Real transformative change is possible once those in power realize that more prisons will not keep communities safe. Missouri’s leaders need to address the root causes of crime by investing in children and in communities.
What song would you choose as Empower Missouri’s “theme song”?
“Better Together” by Jack Johnson
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