Jami Cox Antwi8th Ward Alderwoman

My story, like yours, is a St. Louis story: its a story of resiliency shaped by facing struggles, and being determined to make something better. Like many young St. Louisans, I wanted to see something different. Having the privilege to spend time away allowed me to appreciate what greatness we had, and learn what it takes to make our city the place it could be.

I grew up in a hard working family doing their best to get by. My neighborhood, like many, was a close community facing challenge after challenge. After another classmate was killed by gun violence, something broke in the spirit of my neighborhood and, at the age of 14, I was convicted to do something. My peers and I founded a youth organization to tackle violence in our community.

To make a real difference, I knew I needed the right tools to do more. I went on to study Public Policy at Vanderbilt, where I was elected Student Body President. Then I earned a Master’s degree as St. Louis’s first Schwarzman Scholar, studying Global Affairs and Economics in Beijing with top young leaders from around the world.

I was determined to make a difference in the community that shaped me, so I brought that knowledge home. I’ve spent my career in community development, turning complex financial plans into real things: affordable housing, community centers, and health clinics in neighborhoods across the nation.

I came to this work from business, not politics. That means I know what it takes to start something, to combat process and procedure, and to face roadblocks. I understand why so many small businesses are closing. I know why block-by-block more buildings are being bordered up, than opened up.

I raised my hand to serve because I still have the conviction I had as a teen, and I want to make neighborhoods better. For the person who wants to run a coffee shop, a clothing store or an art practice to be able to do it in the heart of St. Louis, whether on Cherokee Street or in a downtown high-rise. I’m the Alderwoman who can help you get there.

My husband and I are raising our daughter in McKinley Heights, alongside our two rescue cats, Simone and Pumba. Like every family in the 8th Ward, we want a future for her that is safe and full of opportunity.

Since July 2025 I’ve served as your Alderwoman, among the first to represent the new 8th Ward map and its fourteen neighborhoods. I was elected to bring stronger neighborhoods, safer streets and a city that works: businesses that are open and homes people can afford, streets that work for people and not just cars, and a government that answers when you call.

My work is just beginning.