By 
It saddens me to even have to write this article, but I didn’t see how I could avoid it. St. Louis has been embroiled in various racial catastrophes that have done little to unite an already fractured community. In no particular order, I highlight three events this year that made us question humanity.
1. Mehlville School District – We nearly made it to the end of the year without another major race event. Then lo and behold, a teacher in the Mehlville School District thought it would be a good idea to include a lesson on history. The only problem is that it included the sale of slaves. See Exhibit A below.
Needless to say, social media was in an uproar on Monday, prompting the school district to release a statement, and the teacher to be placed on administrative leave. From the many comments we read on social media, it is clear that the Mehlville School District has bigger race issues than this one event that sensitivity training may not solve.
2. St. Lous Police tensions – The St. Louis Police Department’s race tensions bubbled to the surface, stretching beyond the “Delmar Divide” with a scathing report in June, in the New York Times after nearly two dozen St. Louis officers were revealed by an advocacy group to be authors of racist and bigoted Facebook posts. Five months later, in late November, two of the officers were fired. A slew of both black and white officers came forward to talk about white supremacy in the department. We have yet to see any significant moves to clean up the department, except, of course, for the politically correct “sensitivity training.”
3. Parkway School District – Back to our youth. Students in the Parkway School District held a walkout in March after a white student posted a racially charged video on social media during spring break. Because many fellow students and community members saw the offensive post, the district was forced to act. School officials released a strong statement against the video, and students were given an opportunity to march in a safe, controlled environment.
As we head into year six, post-Ferguson, it is more clear than ever that St. Louis still has a long way to go, but all is not lost. Many positive things have happened in the last few years to bring forth the issue. Now, it is time to act.
In my opinion, solving the St. Louis race problem will require the melting pot of the region putting heads together to chart out a plan for the city. This is not just a black and white issue. This is an issue that affects everyone, including children, immigrants and other races. After years of seeing the same anti-racism rhetoric from the same political figures and community leaders, I am of the opinion that this serious issue requires fresh leadership with a new vision for our community. Enough of the media statements, enough of the finger-pointing.
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