For the St. Louis American
Recently, I had the opportunity to join First Baptist in the city of St. Louis, with the oldest African-American congregation in the region, as it celebrated its 189th anniversary. The event compelled me to reflect on all that we take for granted regarding education and the responsibility we have to give our young people a chance to succeed.
I found it fascinating to examine the journey of this church, particularly its first pastor, the Rev. John Berry Meacham. After purchasing his freedom from his slave master in Kentucky, Meacham went to Virginia to purchase the freedom of his father.
He came to St. Louis in pursuit of the slave girl he had fallen in love with, eventually buying her freedom. He would go on to purchase the freedom of many more slaves, while instilling a sense of hope and pride along the way.
This ex-slave would go on to use his gifts and talents towards the various ministries at First Baptist, as well as many business pursuits. He articulated a philosophy of self-improvement that galvanized others to believe that they too could become successful.
Meacham believed that education and employment were the keys to liberating and freeing black people from bondage. He defied those who erected barriers to education through laws. He set up an educational institution in the Mississippi River and dared state officials to step in federal domain.
Now we no longer face the overt racism, such as widespread lynchings, that pervaded our land, paralyzed our nation and prevented us from being our best selves back then. Yet we face the same issues as Meacham. Educational advancement continues to be a challenge.
Dare I say that today we are lynching ourselves by making a mockery of the sweat that our ancestors poured into academic pursuit, achievement and education. As a community, we have done an insufficient job of instilling in our young people the value of a quality education. So many of our young people struggle in academic institutions, not because they are academically inferior, but because we have not, as a community, made their success our priority. If we continue on the current trajectory without taking radical steps, our young people will not be able to thrive and compete in a global market place.
We need to make it our business to ensure that all young people have an opportunity to transcend the throes of generational poverty. The single most important indicator of transcending poverty is education. We must make it our business to ensure that our young people don’t give up on life, throw in the towel and accept poverty as destiny.
I appreciate the work that so many are doing in this region to make education a priority. Ask yourself, what you are doing to improve the educational outcomes of young people in our region. I challenge you today to get plugged in and do your part to improve the life chances of at least one young person.
Orvin Kimbrough is executive director of nonprofit organizations Interfaith Partnership (www.interfaithpartnership.org) and Faith Beyond Walls (www.faithbeyondwalls.org).
Carol’s Journal will return next week.