Headline: STUDY ON RACE FOUND LACKING
Reporter: Gregory Freeman

Publication: ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Last Printed:  Fri., Dec. 1, 1989
Section: NEWS Page: 1B Edition: FIVE STAR

WHILE THE Confluence St. Louis report on racial polarization goes a long way toward generating discussion about racism in St. Louis, it is, in some respects, incomplete.
   It's always difficult to get 40 people - the number who served on the task force - to agree about anything. But some matters don't appear to be addressed by the report released last week. The committee members appear to start with the premise that racial polarization is a given in St. Louis. For many, it is. But for those who think otherwise, the report fails to provide concrete examples.
   Instead, it is sprinkled with quotes from Plato, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and others. While some of the quotes are meaningful, they are hardly what one would expect in a serious academic report.

In addition, many of the recommendations made by the report are general. The report suggests, for instance, a reduction in the economic disparities between blacks and whites. This can be done, it states, by establishing a venture capital fund for black entrepreneurs, setting goals for the recruitment and employment of blacks and supporting programs that assist black high school and college students.
   But the report goes no further in that area. It doesn't specify who should set up such a venture capital fund. It doesn't address the lack of blacks as voting members on Civic Progress, the organization of movers and shakers in this city. In fact, it gives no real suggestions to Civic Progress. No recommendations are made regarding the hiring of blacks to more executive positions or the placement of more blacks on corporate boards.

Other suggestions could have been made in other areas. Among issues not touched by the report:

• The lack of social interaction by blacks and whites here. Many blacks and whites deal with one another when work is involved but rarely interact socially.
• The lack of moral outrage by civic and other leaders to all-white country clubs here.
• The extensive use of ''old boy'' networks that give whites a leg up on blacks when it comes to landing working-class jobs.
• The lack of black faces and voices in local packaging and advertising.

The topic is not an easy one to handle. The issue is a very emotional one, and it is extremely broad.

Norman R. Seay, co-chairman of the task force, explained that the organization dealt with a number of issues that were not included in the report. It also developed more specific recommendations than those that were included, he said. But instead of putting them in the report, the task force decided to forward them to an implementation committee.
   Seay pointed out, for example, that he had provided a number of detailed recommendations regarding the St. Louis Police Board. But a majority of the task force members believed that the details were too specific to be included in the report and should be instead forwarded to the committee.

The task force wanted to avoid overwhelming the public with recommendations, Seay said. The committee will deal with them instead, he said.

Despite the shortcomings, the report made a number of good observations. Among them:

• Racism is a very powerful force here that exacts a large economic and social cost from blacks and whites alike.
• Racial polarization is not limited to the city, despite what many people here believe.
• People have capitalized on the fears of blacks and whites and have manipulated both for personal gain at the expense of the common good.
• All police departments in the area should engage in more active recruitment of black police officers. Legislation also should be approved to transfer control of the St. Louis police department to the city from the state.

One of the most important steps the task force took was to set up that implementation committee, assuring that the issues wouldn't be dropped after the report came out.
   A proposed summit of area leaders to discuss ways to tackle the problem is another good step, and a comprehensive history of race relations in St. Louis, which was included in the report, provides an excellent opportunity to learn what has happened here in past years.

It's commendable that Confluence St. Louis tackled the difficult issue of racism in St. Louis. As the report points out, there are some here who would deny that a problem even exists.
   Many people will be watching the actions of the implementation committee in the coming months. One hopes the committee won't shy away from taking on difficult issues and pushing for real changes. That is what will really make the 18 months put in by the task force worthwhile.

COPYRIGHT © 1989, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Note: column on follow-up study "Focus St. Louis Report On Race Serves Largely To Show That Not Much Has Changed" 7/22/2001

Daniel Schesch - Webweaver

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