How St. Louis Can Thrive by Focusing on Opportunities and Embracing Diversity
Communities that focus on their challenges are defined by their challenges. Instead, I would like you, Lou, to be defined by your opportunities.
The history of St. Louis has been written by people who came from all over the world, painting a colorful tapestry of what this community has looked like in the past. When you explore the depths of St. Louis, you’ll find people from everywhere.
And that’s one of our best, untapped strengths. I’m from Cameroon, and I relocated to St. Louis for work in 2002. This is the only home my children have known, and anytime we’ve thought about moving, our love for the region has outweighed any other location. In the twenty years I’ve lived in St. Louis, I’ve seen great changes—and I’ve seen large setbacks.
New additions like the upcoming soccer team and innovation in the Cortex Innovation Community change the dynamic of the city for the better. As well as the increasing focus on inclusive growth and the growing consciousness to create opportunities for the under-privileged to create greater success for all. St. Louis needs to be an international hub again, bringing people from all over the world to our community. We must be deliberate in welcoming new arrivals to this community.
When someone arrives in St. Louis, they must be greeted by quality, affordable housing; opportunities to accelerate skill development for high-paying jobs; and an embracement of arts and culture from all over the world. We must also balance creating opportunities for immigrants to move to St. Louis while simultaneously addressing the underlying challenges that our existing populations face. By focusing on the opportunities, we can create a pathway from the welcoming process to prosperity that will extend all across the region.
St. Louis, you truly shine when there is a need for people to come together. We saw this with the arrival of the Afghan community. Your citizens are known for their philanthropic attitudes, and volunteering one’s time is a community norm.
Generations of St. Louisans are invested in supporting people—thank you! In a time when it’s common to hear what’s wrong with St. Louis, I’d like us to focus more on what’s right—and our history of volunteer work is a shining example of that. The glory days of our past will not return. We must simultaneously focus on a better future by capitalizing on the current opportunities before us. If we base our future on the structures we have built today, we’re limited to our current capabilities. Instead, I hope we can look to a future that is very different from our past.
Together we can paint a picture of a new St. Louis region, one that celebrates and appreciates diversity and offers the opportunities we all need to grow. That future will take work from all of us, and the benefits will impact everyone too. This is our greatest opportunity yet, and I believe we can rise to the challenge. Together.
With optimism,
Arrey Obenson
International Institute of St. Louis Author of Bridging the Opportunity Gap
#StLouisGrowth #DiversityInAction #OpportunityAwaits
