Freedom is a blessing, but it is not free – St. Louis American

As we close another Black History month, I have been thinking about celebrations that center around those who fought to advance equal rights and freedom for Black and brown people.

Without trailblazing leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Dred and Harriet Scott, and so many more who stood their ground in the face of racism and oppression, we would not be where we are today; I would not be the first Black woman mayor of St. Louis without them.

I signed a bill passed by the Board of Aldermen to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, a law that disproportionately targeted people of color. We have new community violence intervention programs that keep people of color from unnecessarily entering the revolving door of incarceration. Were working to develop affordable single-family homes...

However, this month, I have also taken time to read Nikole Hannah-Jones The 1619 Project, which takes a heartbreaking dive into the origins of the African slave trade in the Americas over 400 years ago. With every essay in this book, I see more clearly how many modern policies are still rooted in the same philosophy as those developed centuries ago to uphold white supremacy and hold our communities back.

One chapter introduces us to former U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. He was known as the intellectual forefather of the Confederacy. Like many Republican controlled legislatures, Calhoun scoffed at federal supremacy over states, and believed any state could simply decide which federal laws it did not want to follow. Calhoun went even further, stating that liberty was only granted to property owners, slave owners, and was something to be earned. It was not a blessing for all.

This was echoed in the same cry of liberty by insurrectionists, white supremacists, and those who spread fear and misinformation because they are threatened by the continued liberation of people of color.

I ran to be mayor because I believe that freedom actually is a blessing and not something earned based on merit or status. But freedom also requires the willpower to reverse decade upon decade of policies designed intentionally to hold our communities back, even as we face preemption laws at the state level to inhibit our ability to enact meaningful policies that keep us safe and financially secure.

I remember growing up and playing with my friends and cousins in the Wells-Goodfellow, Hamilton Heights, and Walnut Park neighborhoods. I witnessed first-hand how white flight ravaged our communities. Those who feared desegregation fled. Good jobs, healthy food options, and safe streets disappeared with them, without any intervention from state or local leaders.

I believe we can create our own blessings. In December, I signed a bill passed by the Board of Aldermen to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, a law that disproportionately targeted people of color. We have new community violence intervention programs that keep people of color from unnecessarily entering the revolving door of incarceration. Were working to develop affordable single-family homes that will get St. Louis back on track to create a whole new generation of homeowners and help families build generational wealth.

We are starting to break from the past and create a new normal where everyone is given a fighting chance.

I want St. Louis to win again and make our city a place where families can enjoy the amenities that bind neighborhoods together, where we have equal access to city services, and where our children can safely play outside until the streetlights come on.

While we still have so much work to do to reverse decades of oppression, I believe that as we count our blessings, and put in the work to make our own blessings, we will truly be free.

Tishaura O. Jones is the first Black woman mayor in city of St. Louis history.

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Freedom is a blessing, but it is not free - St. Louis American