We are rapidly approaching the anniversary of Michael Brown Jr.’s tragic death and the subsequent events that have forever changed the conversation around race, policing and governance within this region. That event redefined (at least for the short term) the way things are done here and, in some cases, nationally.
We are witnessing and participating in a historic shift in the status quo; the standard way of governance, business, the way we interact and so much more are experiencing significant alterations in the way things are done. The events of August and the months that followed were both wakeup calls and catalysts for change.
Prior to the Ferguson events, the region and our leadership took the attitude that as long as “those problems were in someone else’s backyard (regardless how close they were) it was their problem, not ours.
Then all of a sudden the cancerous plagues that afflicted others became a regional sickness and suddenly it was revealed that we could no longer sit back and accept cosmetic, quick, sound-bite solutions intended to quell the critics, but in fact bring no real value or remedies.
Our collective failures to act led to what amounted to a calamity seen on national TV every night. The television coverage often looked like scenes from a third-world country, but in fact they were our streets.
The failure to act and the willingness to pass problems on to others or future generations is a luxury we no long can afford. For the future is here and now. We need to focus on improving the quality of life for all, creating a functional education system that produces successes, improving economic opportunities and treating these issues as regional challenges, instead of continuing to embrace our current balkanized, chaotic system.
Unfortunately, we still have a great deal further to go and a momentous task still lies ahead of us. We have to resist the inclination to be complacent and accept small victories and wait for the public’s attention to be distracted by other events.
Our region has undergone the quiet deterioration of our various infrastructures, in terms of our human capital, our physical infrastructure, and our government systems. Every fabric of our society must be fully engaged in being part of the solution. Ignorance is no longer an acceptable excuse, nor is complacency or apathy.
Our region’s and state’s leadership must honor the responsibilities with which we’ve been commissioned; we must lead, but we also have to engage and invite others to the table, friend and enemies alike, as equals.
As it is written in Proverbs 29:2, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked rule, the people mourn.”
As a community, we can do this and we can save communities and save lives. So let’s not let the anniversary of Michael Brown Jr.’s untimely death pass by without each of us doing our part to engage and lead and continue to demand that educational and economic opportunities are improved and accessible to all Missourians equally.
Tommie L. Pierson Sr. is pastor of Greater St. Mark Family Church in Ferguson, a state representative and a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor.
