By Melanie Adams
Special to the FOCUS Blog

As we celebrate the start of another Black History Month, this one holds special meaning.  This year, for the first time in our country’s history an African American man was elected president.  Many people see the election of an African American as proof that racism is no longer a problem in our country.  But I have to ask, is the election of one man enough to erase hundreds of years of racism?

Many people have stories about racist experiences, but I have to share one that happened to me this summer.  I was in Branson, MO for a conference.  I had never been to Branson and was enjoying a walk over to Branson Landing.  While standing on the corner with a friend, two guys in a pick up truck drove by and yelled the “N” word at us.  Neither of reacted right away, probably in shock that we were standing on the corner in broad daylight and had the “N” word yelled at us.  We shook it off and chalked it up to their ignorance.

This incident of ignorance is not one that will be cured by someone in the White House.  Having an African American in the White House means that the country has a leader that understands what it means to have someone discriminate against them because of their race.  I expect him to put polices and people in place that share his belief in equity for all Americans and help eradicate institutional racism. But the every day examples of racism that permeate this country can not be solved by a single man at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.  It is up to us to hold ourselves accountable to erasing the ugly every day occurrences that continually tear at the fabric of our communities.

There are many ways for a community to overcome racism and I do not pretend to have the answer for St. Louis, but as an outsider who has lived here for ten years I do have two suggestions. 

First, the St. Louis community needs to recognize and accept that there is a race problem.  The first step on the road to healing is admitting a problem exists.  St. Louis seems to have this habit of ignoring the elephant on the Arch in every important community conflict.  Whether we are discussion education, politics, or cultura/social activities, everything in St. Louis seems to be tinged with race undertones that no one dare speak.  When race is spoken, it is done in a way that alienates and pushes people farther apart.

Second, the community needs to stop looking to “leaders” to solve the race problem.  While there may be disagreement on who created the problems, the answers on how to solve them are with the community.  The community has to take ownership and start creating positive environments that welcomes both discussion and action.  Leaders can help set the tone through policies and actions, but only individuals can change the day to day expectations of their communities.

I go back to my original question, “Has the Dream been realized?”    Instead of seeing the election of an African American as the end of the discussion on race, the country should see it as just the beginning.  Until a person can walk down any street in America without being called a racial slur, the dream remains just that, a dream.

Melanie Adams is Director of Community Education at the Missouri Historical Society.