Discover how our ancestors’ resilience and sacrifices form the foundation of our present. In times of polarization and cultural erasure, reaffirm the importance of honoring their enduring legacy.
Opinion
Courtesy of Kwame Thompson
The Argus wishes to extend our gratitude to our guest contributor, renowned Atlanta attorney, and native of St. Louisan, my friend Kwame Thompson. Once again, he has shared his insightful perspectives for the Easter weekend. We aim to ensure our voices are heard; however, please note that some opinions expressed may not represent the views of the publication as a whole. We are committed to listening and fostering open dialogue.
Our ancestors are not a footnote in history—they are its foundation. As we navigate a time of political polarization, cultural erasure, and renewed threats to civil rights, we must reaffirm a truth often ignored: we are here because they endured. And they endured the unimaginable.
The strongest men and the most beautiful women were taken from African soil—kidnapped, shackled, and shipped across the Atlantic in chains. Over 12.5 million Africans were captured and trafficked through the transatlantic slave trade, yet only about 10.7 million survived the Middle Passage. Of those, just 388,000—3.6%—were brought directly to what is now the United States. That fraction of human lives laid the cornerstone of Black America. Those are our ancestors.
And they made a nation.
St. Louis was founded in 1764 by French fur traders Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau. But what is often omitted is that a Black man named Jean-Baptiste Point du Sable, an early settler and fur trader of Haitian descent, traveled with these expeditions and contributed to the development of the region. Du Sable would later go on to found what became the city of Chicago, but his legacy in the Mississippi River Valley reaches just as far south. Before 1776, 600 enslaved Africans arrived in St. Louis from the island of Hispaniola, bringing with them language, culture, food, and spiritual traditions that would shape this city forever.
The unique St. Louis accent—its rhythm, syntax, and emphasis—is not random. It is the linguistic product of Black migration, Creole blending, and African resilience. This cultural foundation includes what we now recognize as African American Vernacular English, or “Ebonics.” In 1996, St. Louis linguist and educator Robert Williams Smith coined the term “Ebonics” to assert the legitimacy and African roots of Black English. His work reframed the way we understand language, learning, and cultural identity. He reminded the world that our words are as valid as our walk.
We are the descendants of that greatness.
Dred Scott filed his landmark lawsuit for freedom right here in St. Louis. Though the Supreme Court denied his humanity, his courage laid the foundation for every civil rights fight that followed. The injustice he faced gave birth to a legal legacy that would inspire Brown v. Board, Loving v. Virginia, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Our people have long led the charge for liberty—not just for Black Americans, but for this nation as a whole.
Our ancestors survived slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow segregation, the War on Crime, and the War on Drugs—each a chapter in America’s long history of state-sanctioned oppression. Yet from that pain, they built power.
Out of the approximately 388,000 enslaved Africans brought directly to the United States, more than 47 million Black Americans live here today, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite being one of the smallest groups forcibly transplanted during the transatlantic slave trade, African Americans have become one of the most influential cultural forces in the country. From language to law, from jazz to justice, our contributions have shaped every aspect of American identity. We are not a footnote—we are foundational.
During the Second Industrial Revolution, African Americans submitted over 50,000 patents—many more went uncredited due to racism. Black genius has powered America, even as America tried to erase it.
And right here in St. Louis, we continue to shape history. David Steward, founder of World Wide Technology, is one of the wealthiest Black men in America. We boast a legacy of icons: Arthur Ashe, Tina Turner, Ozzie Smith, the Spinks brothers, and from across the river in East St. Louis, Miles Davis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Katherine Dunham.
St. Louis matters. We matter. Our ancestors built this city, and we are their legacy. Their struggle birthed our opportunity. And their sacrifice demands that we continue the fight—for equity, for dignity, and for the truth.
In honoring them, we honor ourselves.
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