Forty-five years after the famed “I have a dream” speech, two student leaders from Saint Louis University and Harris-Stowe State University have a dream, too.
Last year’s SLU Student Government Association President Evan Krauss and Harris-Stowe SGA President Leonard Johnson are co-founders of the St. Louis Dream Keepers.
Through their work and the rest of the St. Louis Dream Keepers’ efforts, at noon on Saturday, April 19, more than 40,000 people in the city of St. Louis will unite in a moment of silence. The moment is a part of the Dream Keepers’ Fair that will take place that day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Compton Avenue, between Laclede Avenue and Olive Street.
The location is significant, Krauss said, because though SLU and Harris-Stowe are separated by a single street (Compton Avenue), judging by student interaction-or lack thereof-it seems they are “miles apart.”
“It is time to cross the street,” he said.
The event will be held for two purposes, Krauss said. One is to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., while the other focuses on promoting racial harmony instead of the racial divide that has historically ruled St. Louis.
“We can recognize a problem, and unlike the generations before, say, ‘Hey, we don’t like this, we think things should change,'” Johnson said. “We’re not only going to be agents in change, but we’re going to be the change itself.”
Along with the moment of silence, to be held at noon, the fair will feature live entertainment, such as music, poetry readings by elementary and high-school students, a step show, drum line performances and more. The fair will also include an art showcase and a job, college and resource fair, which will have booths with information about various event sponsors. Lest the children be bored, a number of activities specifically geared toward kids will also be offered.
The event has been recognized on both the state and national level-Missouri’s First District Congressman Lacy Clay, Jr., recently issued a proclamation acknowledging the event. The St. Louis Cardinals have also agreed to hold a moment of silence before their game on the same day, which will coincide with the moment of silence at the fair.
“[The Cardinals] get thousands of requests,” Krauss said. “For them to grant something that the students are standing behind is so tremendous.”
Johnson said he hoped the event would send a “profound message” to the leaders of St. Louis.
“[We want to] let them know that even though they refuse to address the problems in St. Louis as far as racial divides are concerned . young people will take a stand,” he said. “Every major movement [Vietnam War, civil rights] . [was] mostly young people who stood up and said, ‘Enough is enough.'”
The Dream Keepers’ partnership began in April 2007 when the student governments of both SLU and Harris-Stowe pledged to raise $10,000 for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project.
The collaboration between the two colleges didn’t stop after reaching the financial goal though, Johnson said.
“It has become something to promote racial harmony in the city of St. Louis . promoting and building the mission of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” he said. “We figure by working together . we are actually living the dream as we build it.”
SGA President Andrew Clifton inherited the legacy from Krauss when Krauss finished his term as president last May.
“We have a university right next door to us that we do almost little to no collaboration with, so there’s a lot of potential,” Clifton said. “I really hope that … we can forge a better relationship with not just Harris-Stowe but other colleges in the area as well.”
Since the beginning of the project, the partnership has expanded to include student governments of Webster University, St. Louis Community College and Washington University in St. Louis. Many organizations such as the Urban League of Young Professionals, United Way’s GenNext and the Young Humanitarian Society have joined up as well.
“Our event isn’t going to change society,” Krauss said. “Rather, it’s a statement from the youth saying this is not how we want it to be.”
