Zenique Gardner Perry

Zenique Gardner Perry is a writer, educator and community organizer who has worked to create safe and supportive spaces for youth since returning to the region in 2015. As the former Prevention Education Manager of Safe Connections, Zenique oversaw programming that addressed teen dating violence and sexual assault among youth in St. Louis City and County schools.  Most recently, Zenique worked as the Project Director of the Youth Safe Spaces Initiative with the St. Louis Area Violence Prevention Commission, for which she also served as the Co-Chair for their Youth Engagement and Safety Committee.

In 2018, Zenique co-founded Undo Bias, a consulting group which supports antiracism efforts within local schools, nonprofits and service organizations. She has since trained hundreds of teachers and youth service workers in creating safe and equitable spaces for their students and youth. In addition to her youth advocacy and antiracism work, Zenique is a writer whose stories center race, family and faith and sometimes pushes a social justice agenda. Zenique holds a Bachelors in English from Eastern University in Philadelphia and she is a recent graduate of Washington University’s MFA program. She lives in St. Louis with her family and pets.