“The legacy of slavery has created centuries of hardships for many Black Americans across the country”
Soledad O’Brien is an award-winning journalist who has long used her powerful voice to champion the fight to erase racism in the United States.
On Thursday, Nov. 21, O’Brien was in St. Louis to lead an enlightening panel discussion that’s making its way around the country.
Reckoning with Our Racial Past: Conversations for Our Shared Future is a traveling series about the impact of race and racism on communities. The Smithsonian Institution organizes it with the support of Bank of America.
Communities across the St. Louis region, and the nation, continue to struggle with racial, social, and economic disparities, including education, housing, jobs, career training, and health.
Keondre Harrison said watching the panelists collectively bring their ideas to the conversation around race and building equity across the board is a great start to turn back the decades of trauma and many disparities that have affected Black and brown communities.
“How can we move St. Louis forward without this conversation … everyone should bring the resources they have to the table, we need to start looking at things through a different lens and listen to different points of view,” Harrison said. “I believe that’s how we can reckon with our past.”
Panelist Melanie Adams, director of Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum and former St. Louis resident, believes the legacy of slavery has created centuries of hardships for many Black Americans.
“We all want the same things, we all want to be treated fairly, we all want the opportunity to have a good education, to have a job, and take care of our families,” she said. “Because of that legacy, [Black people] are not where we need to be.”
Co-signing Adams’ point Karishma Furtado, researcher, Office of Race and Equity Research, Urban Institute said slavery isn’t the only factor that has contributed to the racial inequalities that many communities of color face. She points to the eras of Jim Crow, mass incarceration, laws and policies that support racial injustice. “You can’t undo nearly five centuries of inequality by waving a wand and saying it’s fixed,” said Furtado
The Smithsonian launched Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past in 2021. The initiative uses the Smithsonian’s vast resources to explore how people of all backgrounds understand, experience and confront racism.
The initiative strives to help the public understand the past and build a better future and is built on six pillars: race and Wellness; race and wealth; race and place; race, policy and ethics; race beyond the U.S.; and race, arts, and aesthetics. The initiative hosts virtual and live events nationwide and creates digital content, storytelling, and learning resources. Bank of America is the founding partner of the series.
President and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis Michael McMillian suggests one way to reckon with our racial past is to tell the whole story of America’s history, and “not just the four pages in the back of the history book.” He said ignoring the contributions of Black people in this country doesn’t create a sense of pride, dignity, or self-respect for Black learners.
Following McMillian’s statement Furtado added that for decades St. Louis has gotten away with inequities built into poor neighborhoods affecting school districts’ funding through local property taxes, which can result in disparities within our school districts. “We need a holistic multi-faceted solution to racial inequalities,” said Furtado.
McMillian painted a vivid picture of the historical Delmar Divide that for years has legally kept Black people from living south of Delmar Boulevard.
“We were redlined into an area of poverty and did not have the opportunity for loans or additional assistance,” said McMillian. “So many homes in north St. Louis City are now upside down.” That basically means that residents of these neighborhoods are paying more to renovate than what the houses are appraised for. “We need to continue to improve the quality of housing, retail, and job and economic opportunities.”
An evening of reckoning with the past and present of St. Louis can be sorrowful, but Furtado reminded the audience that even though the work is hard and thankless, it’s still a beautiful movement to be a part of. “It is our responsibility collectively,” she said.
Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.
How can I get involved in this program? I’d like to be a part of the conversations.