Wesley Bell

Born and raised in North St. Louis County, Wesley Bell grew up in a union household that instilled in him a deep appreciation for public service and the dignity of hard work. Bell is a former member of the National Education Association. His uncle was a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union while working at Kroger, his stepfather was an electrician with IBEW Local 649, and his grandfather, the Reverend Melvin T. Bell, led a historic strike in 1967 at the Duncan Foundry steel mill to secure better pay and benefits for workers. Growing up around union halls and hearing first hand stories of struggle and triumph, Bell learned that organized labor is the backbone of economic justice in America.

A proud graduate of Hazelwood East High School, Bell worked multiple jobs to put himself through college at Lindenwood University—waiting tables at Shoney’s, refereeing youth sports, and working for a phone company—before earning his law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.