Columnist Jamala Rogers
I came to St. Louis in early 1972. I had turned down a teaching offer to work in a black high school in my hometown. I was not just looking for an employment opportunity to hone my newly acquired teaching skills, but fertile grounds for my political organizing interests. St. Louis was calling my name.
Upon arrival in the Gateway City, I checked out the Black Artists Group (BAG), Omawale Dance Troupe and other political groups before helping to found the Congress of African People (CAP). CAP had an Afrikan Free School component to the organization that was very compelling to me. It called for establishing African-centered independent schools across the country. I received training in that prototype that would undergird all teaching experiences from that point.
I arrived at the steps on the Learning Tree Day Care unsolicited. I had heard about the recently opened daycare from a mutual friend. Before there was me and the Learning Tree, there were its founders, Shirley Black and Delores Hudson.
Mrs. Black and Mrs. Hudson were high school friends. They eventually became next door neighbors. They ended up working together at the Guardian Angel daycare before striking out on their own to make a collective dream come true.
When I first set foot in the facility at the corner of Maffitt and Taylor, it was magical. You could feel the warmth and love immediately, and the longer you stayed the more you saw it manifested in every action and in every room. This was where I wanted to be.
But there was a small problem. The struggling business could not afford to hire me – at least, not yet.
Like a stray cat that had been fed once, I continued to faithfully show up daily. After several months, I got a job as the master teacher of the pre-Kindergarten class. I kept my first monthly pay stub for many years; it was for $350.
Mrs. Black and Mrs. Hudson allowed me the freedom to implement the Afrikan Free School methodology in my classroom. Children learned about their African history and heritage in the context of the community village. Elders were properly addressed as mamas and babas. The curriculum was taught with visuals and symbolism that re-enforced black pride and excellence. I understood clearly my responsibility to build the foundation for life-long learning.
The speaker for my first graduating class was not a prominent PhD or civic leader. It was one of the precocious students who delivered a presentation so articulately done that he amazed his own parents.
When I left the Learning Tree to start an independent school, it was with profound sadness. Shortly afterwards, the Congress of African People adopted a different policy regarding the focus on independent institutions. To have the greatest impact, CAP chapters were to go into the public schools where the majority of black children were being adversely affected by learning environments that generally stifled their self-image and developmental growth. The rest is history.
More than 35 years later, The Learning Tree dream has evolved. It has grown past the core group of three- to five-year-olds to include infants and eventually senior citizens. It is now The Learning Tree Intergenerational Center with the addition of other vital community services such as a food pantry, an arts program, etc. The Center is housed in a former school building at 4430 Labadie.
As one of the honorary chairs for its annual banquet on September 21, the new spin will be the recognition of alumni of The Tree. I expect a flood of memories to fill the Coronado Ballroom.
When I visited The Tree last week, large new windows were being installed. It seemed fitting: Let the light shine on this jewel! The love of children and commitment to the community still endure.
For information about the Learning Tree or its banquet, call (314) 534-0699.