Next Monday, health-related committees in both the Missouri House & Senate will hear testimony on nearly identical bills to significantly modernize our state’s HIV criminalization laws.  For the last three years, Empower Missouri has been home to the Missouri HIV Justice Coalition. This coalition is led by People Living with HIV (PLHIV), their service providers,...Read More

As the 2021 Legislative session gets underway, we must not forget what happened in 2020: Let us not forget how the killing of George Floyd brought to light the fight for policing reform. Let us not forget how COVID ran through our prisons, which holds many individuals who could successfully and safely be released.  Let...Read More

Missouri lawmakers returned to the Capitol in Jefferson City on January 6th with challenges posed by an ongoing pandemic. The Missouri legislative session began at noon last Wednesday with a new General Assembly; eleven newly-elected Senators and six returning Senators were sworn into office. In the house, 161 Representatives took the oath of office. With...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2020 (JEFFERSON CITY, MO)…Citing the need to “protect the health and safety of the general public during the ever-worsening COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri, Consumers Council of Missouri filed a motion with the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) on December 7 for an emergency order to create a winter utility disconnection...Read More

Empower Missouri has fought for all Missourians to have basic human needs and equal justice since 1901, and there have undoubtedly been many challenges to address throughout those decades. But 2020 has been an historic year in which wave upon wave of crisis arrived, placing stress on governmental, community, household, and our staff and volunteer...Read More

The 2020 General Election has come and gone, although the vote counting and legal actions over a variety of issues are apt to continue for some time. Whether you are happy or sad about the outcome of races and ballot measures in Missouri, one thing is certain: Our advocacy for social justice will continue to...Read More

In less than five days, Missourians will head to the polls for what promises to be the most important election in decades. Five statewide executive offices, including the governorship and two constitutional amendments are on the ballot on November 3rd, 2020. All 163 Missouri House seats are on the ballot and half of 34 Senate...Read More

For the hundreds of thousands of Missourians struggling to afford the basics — such as food, shelter, and medicine — cash income is vital to averting extreme economic hardship. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic downturn have made clear how much Missourians need cash for a variety of basic needs: rent...Read More

It is clear that major changes are coming with the November 3 election, but none of us is able to say with certainty exactly what those changes will be. We do know this, however. Action by informed social justice advocates will be as absolutely essential on November 4 as it is today. Individuals and organizations...Read More

Platinum Level Co-Sponsors: Registration for the Racial Equity Summit is free to all, thanks to a generous Platinum Level Co-Sponsorship from Maxine Clark and Bob Fox and the Deaconess Foundation. Maxine Clark and Bob Fox established the Clark-Fox Family Foundation in 2004 to promote regional growth and prosperity by lifting up those populations that have been...Read More