The City of St. Louis is a truly confounding place. Here is a locale where, similar to other American cities, we unabashedly ruffle feathers and rally for the rights of the consumer. Like birds, we flocked to block the privatization of the airport for noble reasons that benefited St. Louis city’s citizens, yes, but that ultimately protect consumers.
When the president floated notions of privatizing the U.S. Postal Service in 2018, as a city, we stood in rare formation (united) and balked at the efforts to deny vital services to individuals who didn’t live in areas where delivering mail translated into dollars. Is this not the very basis of the fear of the privatization of services? Ensuring that all citizens are serviced equitably, despite the financial impact of providing said service on the business’ balance sheet? We stood proudly, unflinchingly, in agreement that we could not – under any circumstances –make profitability the basis for mail delivery.
Heroic acts, indeed. Yet 2020 finds us collectively cowering behind the (black) face of school closings, citing “cost-effectiveness” as our rationale? Are we saying, then, that poor black kids are not consumers worthy of our rallying, nor our cries? That closing schools in their neighborhoods makes sense since they don’t make dollars?
How can we let this fly? Under whose wing will the blatant attack on the educational empowerment and cultural history of black kids residing in North St. Louis receive reprieve? Should they simply fly South in search of warmer schools?
Arthurine Harris
St. Louis
