Why We Are Here

We believe our community is a diamond. Not in the rough, but a beautifully crafted gem, and we want to show every facet. Cape is a city of hope, love, diversity and progress. Through these stories, we strive to enlighten the world to the many faces of our city.

We are here to provide a common ground for all of us to learn more about Cape Girardeau and its people, and foster a stronger sense of community, of service, and of general love for our fellow humans through the power of storytelling. Unity through diversity, to coin a phrase.

Have you ever sat somewhere, and caught an expression on a stranger’s face that made you wonder what was going on in their life? In our fast-paced world of instant gratification and digital swiftness, it seems ironic that we’d use the same platform to get people to slow down and just view humanity for a bit.

However, that’s the goal. We want to take that high-speed, high-tech device you’re on and discover something more analog: The Human Spirit. We want you to take the time to read a story. Be fascinated. Be heartbroken. Be inspired. Be empathetic. Be HUMAN.

So, spend some time with us. Learn about your fellow Cape-area humans, and maybe along the way, you’ll discover something new about yourself, too.

About Humans of Cape

Humans of Cape was inspired by the original Humans of New York project, founded by Brandon Stanton. His original idea has grown and the “Humans of” movement has been seeded across the nation and around the world.

Humans of Cape exists to share first-person stories along with photography showcasing people throughout the greater Cape Girardeau area in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois.

Through this digital platform at humansofcape.com and our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, we hope to enlighten the world to the colorful and diverse population that lives, works, plays and studies here every day.

There are over 300,000 people within a 40 mile radius of Cape Girardeau, and as a regional hub, Cape sees over 100,000 people travel through every day. Humans of Cape wants to share the hopes and dreams and fears and worries of these people with you, enlightening you to some new perspectives that you may have never heard or seen before.

Stories are as candid as the people who tell them. These stories are grounded in an honest perspective from the subject, and only minimal editing is done to preserve the context and keep stories easily readable.

Who We Are

Humans of Cape is maintained by a core team of content creators, photographers and web editors who are passionate about telling your stories. We are sustained by generous sponsors who share our vision of showing Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area’s diversity through words and pictures. Our creative team is out and about, but we don’t wear uniforms. We’re as diverse as the humans we write about, but we’re polite and patient and would love to chat. Oh, and we usually carry a business card, too.

Founded in 2019 by Chris Edmonds, Cape Girardeau native son and president/CEO of Element 74, Humans of Cape hopes to eventually work with area agencies and provide resources on a more philanthropic level. At our core, however, we want to share your stories. We love where we live and the humans around us!