About

STL Girl in an ATR World
Decolonize. Reclaim. Transform.

I’m Dierdre Lockette — a native St. Louisan, researcher, public scholar, and future anthropologist. I created STL Girl in an ATR World to uncover the hidden stories of Black resistance, expose the racial roots of capitalism, and reclaim the power of African Traditional Religions (ATRs) in the fight for liberation.

Raised in a pro-Black Catholic school, Cardinal Ritter College Prep, I learned early on to question what I was taught about history, capitalism, and religion. Through rigorous study, I came to understand how deeply white supremacy shapes our world. Personal experience also showed me the impact of racial capitalism.

Today, I’m completing a B.S. in Integrated Studies with a focus on Social Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, where I also hold a Business Writing Certificate. My academic work centers on Black Marxism, ATRs, St. Louis history, the Spanish Caribbean, and the Black Radical Tradition.

STL Girl in an ATR World is a space to:

• Decolonize the narratives we’ve been taught.
• Reclaim the spiritual and intellectual traditions of our ancestors.
• Transform the future through scholarship, resistance, and radical love.

Here you’ll find:

• Stories of Black women’s spiritual resistance
• Untold histories of St. Louis and the Black Atlantic
• Explorations of Black Marxism and racial capitalism
• Deep dives into African Traditional Religions and their syncretism
• Personal reflections on navigating these systems as a Black woman scholar

I believe that research is a form of activism — and storytelling is a path to freedom.

Join me on this journey.

Decolonize. Reclaim. Transform.