AME Convention Will Come To St. Louis

One of the largest groups the City has seen will announce today that it is coming to St. Louis this summer. Thousands of members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church will be in St. Louis in early July for their Quadrennial Convention.

This is not just any convention. The AME church has a long and rich history. It grew out of the Free African Society which Richard Allen and others established in Philadelphia in 1787. Today, the AME church enjoys a membership of more than two million people in more than 30 nations.

This is great news for St. Louis: Forty thousand people will stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores, and visit our attractions. But, it is important for another reason, too. The AME church — nationally and locally — has a reputation for addressing important social issues. This will be an opportunity for us to have some important and powerful conversations together.