The “Delmar Divide” refers to Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis. It is a street which runs east/west and to a large extent separates the racial make-up of the city. In a sample of households north and south of Delmar, residents south of Delmar Boulevard are 73% white, while residents north of Delmar are 98% African American, as the BBC pointed out in, “Crossing a St. Louis street that divides communities,” last year.
In addition, St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann, provided this coverage.
In advance of a panel discussion at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, host Don Marsh and producer Erin Williams talked with Alderman Antonio French of the 21st ward, Alderwoman Lyda Krewson of the 28th ward, and Sandra Moore, President of Urban Strategies, a St. Louis-based organization which focuses on rebuilding urban communities.
Antonio French, pointed out that citywide the racial make-up north of Delmar is 93.6% African American and 4.5% white, while south of Delmar it is 28.9% African American and 63% white. However, “One thing people need to understand is that all of North St. Louis is not the same,” he said.
A frank discussion of racism in St. Louis continued and the panelists agreed it is a problem, and has been for many years. “Americans taught themselves not to smoke in twenty years. St. Louisans can teach themselves not to be racist in far less time,” said Sandra Moore.
Lyda Krewson ended the conversation with a remark, hoping that people could leave the conversation with “at least one action step.”
Related Event
The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts and Missouri History Museum Present "Crossing the Delmar Divide"
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
7:30 p.m.
The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, 3716 Washington Boulevard
More information here.
