“This was the epicenter of where people tried to grapple with race, and failed miserably.” Once unknown outside of Saint Louis County, the little municipality called Ferguson has become synonymous around the world with racial tension, protests, and what are sometimes violent clashes between civilians and police. But there were problems in Ferguson long before it burned. In this new piece by Nikole Hannah-Jones, published by ProPublica in conjunction with the New York Times, readers are led through the complicated racial politics of Saint Louis, essentially going from the Dred Scott decision up until the present. Using a combination of newspapers, government studies, videos, radio segments, and interviews, Hannah-Jones presents the clearest and most thorough explanation of how Saint Louis became so divided that I have yet encountered. And her story all arises from one simple question: If Mike Brown hadn’t been killed on that August afternoon, what sort of life might he have had?
The scoreboard for the Normandy High School football field can be seen from St. Peter’s Cemetery, where Michael Brown Jr. is buried. (Photo © Whitney Curtis for ProPublica)
ON AUGUST 1, FIVE BLACK STUDENTS in satiny green and red robes and mortar boards waited inside an elementary school classroom, listening for their names to be called as graduates of Normandy High School. The ceremony was held months after the school’s main graduation for students who had been short of credits or had opted not to participate earlier.
One of those graduating that day was Michael Brown. He was 18, his mother’s oldest son. He was headed to college in the fall.
Eight days later, Brown was dead. News reports in the days after Brown’s death often noted his recent graduation and college ambitions, the clear implication that the teen’s school achievements only deepened the sorrow over his loss.
But if Brown’s educational experience was a success story, it was a damning one.
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