In my Facebook and Twitter feeds over the last couple of days, there have been some "this is the REAL Ferguson” or “this
is the REAL St. Louis” posts. Each time, I feel a pang of hope and a pang of discomfort. I understand that they are well-meaning efforts to show the (many) positive sides of our communities being overlooked in the mainstream media
during this situation.
But I do think it is important to consider the language.
“This is the REAL Ferguson” implies the other Ferguson is not real—that it is fake or illegitimate—and that kind of denial and oppositional thinking (real vs. fake, us vs. them) is part of our collective problem, along with not wanting to acknowledge, atone for, deal with, or discuss the complex and multifaceted issues of race and racism in this country because they are uncomfortable, inconvenient, difficult, and frankly, it sometimes seems futile.
There are many sides to this community, all real. There is ANOTHER side of Ferguson and St. Louis—a side where people of different races live in relative harmony, collaborate, work to improve neighborhoods and for the common good. But I think that is disproportionately smaller than ANOTHER side of St. Louis—which is a very segregated community* where inhabitants either don't question the status quo or are incapable of escaping the status quo.
I do feel this is a very real opportunity for meaningful dialogue, action, and change for the better. A lot of folks are expressing similar sentiments. There are so many people who love this city
and are fighting for it. But more important than fighting for this city in an effort to inflate our civic pride—we need to fight for each other and for our children. All of them.
*According to data from
Brown University's US2010 Project,
looking at the 50 metropolitan areas with the largest black populations as of
2010, St. Louis ranks as the 9th most segregated.