70 years ago, in May of 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared separate schools for Black and White students could never be equal in Brown v. Topeka Board of Education and struck down school segregation laws in states across the country.
This month, many will likely point out just how far our country has come from the days of forced desegregation and the police and military escorts required to ensure Black students were allowed entry into schools.
Others will no doubt draw attention to how far we still must go to achieve the promise of equitable education and the economic mobility it can enable.
Both are true.
In St. Louis, the overall student population is more diverse than ever before. At the same time, our schools are more segregated than they were 30 years ago. And we know segregated schools exclude students from opportunities to participate in the economy more fully.
In St. Louis majority white districts spend roughly $2,000 more per student than majority Black districts. Data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve suggest “a strong relationship between segregation and the racial gap in college attainment in St. Louis.”
There is no one solution. Funding alone, while crucial, is not a cure-all.
The St. Louis Community Foundation is the second longest-standing foundation of its kind in the country. The James S. McDonnell Foundation (JSMF) was established in St. Louis by its namesake in 1950. This year both foundations have unveiled new, St. Louis-focused missions focused on inclusive economic growth.
Research shows that regions that have found ways to build more inclusive economies are growing faster than other regions and in ways that benefit all in their economies. But to do so, those who have been historically excluded from the economy must be equipped to have a chance at participating.
The St. Louis Community Foundation and JSMF’s missions are complementary in their support of students in St. Louis and North St. Louis County.
The St. Louis Community Foundation is directing a portion of its discretionary funds toward early childhood development, educational innovation, and scholarship efforts.
48% of the Community Foundation’s postsecondary scholarship awards for the 2023–2024 school year were awarded to residents of the City of St. Louis and North St. Louis County.
JSMF is putting its support behind high-quality early childcare and education to both prepare the future workforce and address barriers the current workforce faces, and wraparound supports for students and job seekers to build awareness, readiness, and access to quality jobs.
For equitable education to be the foundation of an inclusive and thriving St. Louis economy, its cornerstone must be collaboration. Meaningful and sustained progress toward the promise of May 17, 1954, will require the buy-in of institutions and individuals across all sectors. And we already see that happening.
We believe now is the time for St. Louis corporations, organizations, and philanthropic institutions like ours to work together for the benefit of this generation of students and the future St. Louis economy.
We are not just inviting you to join us in this work. We invite you to join the growing momentum we see, which gives us hope for a St. Louis where all can thrive.
Dr. Jason Purnell is president of the James S. McDonnell Foundation (JSMF) and previously served as BJC HealthCare’s vice president of Community Health
Dr. Kelvin Adams is president and CEO of the St. Louis Community Foundation and served as St. Louis Public Schools superintendent for 14 years.
