Although the Ferguson shooting occurred before current Washington University undergraduate students came to the campus, the conversations regarding systemic racism that ensued continue to be relevant to and affect the Wash. U. and Greater St. Louis communities as well as the nation at large. That is why the Gephardt Institute of Civic and Community Engagement is holding the event “New in the Lou: What Does Ferguson Mean to Me?” on Tuesday, September 10, 2019.

“This will not be about this specific instance, but will be about the systematic issues that [cause] instances such as Ferguson,” said Shruti Desai, chief of staff and associate director of the Gephardt Institute.

On Aug. 9, 2014, Darren Wilson, a white police officer, shot the unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, “a city in St. Louis County located about 20 minutes north of Wash. U.’s campus,” Student Life reported in 2014. The grand jury’s decision not to indict Darren Wilson sparked waves of protest in the streets of St. Louis.

As last month marked the fifth anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, Washington University decided to commemorate the Ferguson Uprising and open a dialogue regarding how Brown’s death and the demonstrations that followed relate to students today.

“We all have the responsibility to pay attention to the issues in our community that are causing harm to others,” Desai said. “Chancellor Martin really puts emphasis that we are Washington University in St. Louis. The University is not an asylum. All things happening nationally and internationally impact the University.”

The relationship between the University and the outside world is mutual. What happens inside the Wash. U. “bubble” can impact the outside as well.

“Even though we are on the college campus, students that are defined as ‘targeted’ or ‘oppressed’ are experiencing [discrimination],” said Stefani Weeden-Smith, assistant director of community engagement. “I want our Wash. U. community to be able to talk about it and validate it. Because it is hard for a student to be experiencing it but not able to talk about it.”

However, Desai noted that talking about racial tensions can be difficult, and making a real impact can be even harder. Still, the Gephardt Institute strives to let people first talk about issues and then take action upon them.

“There is a hope that we can institutionalize conversations about issues impacting the region,” Desai said.

Although all are encouraged to attend, Weeden-Smith noted that the panel is specifically geared toward new undergraduate students.

“We want an opportunity to start the conversation now and demystify and offer a complete view of the city and the community as opposed to rumors and myths,” Weeden-Smith said. “New folks to St. Louis must have heard from various media and family and friends about what St. Louis is like and how, five years later, what Ferguson is to the community…[But] we are all able to contribute to a community when we know truly what’s going on.”

Another difficulty in launching an in-depth discussion on Ferguson is that the shooting happened five years ago. As it fades gradually into the category of history in many people’s minds, some see it as having little connection to their current lives.

“It’s five years later,” Weeden-Smith said. “For some people, this is an event that happened in the past. How do we get people back to the conversation, of which we are still living in its consequence? And a lot of the challenges are still there. But folks are moving on.”

Still, the discussion about the “systematic issues” behind Ferguson goes on. Indeed, it never stops. The dialogues can be about a variety of subjects and take place in a variety of areas.

“We also need to work on intersectionality,” Desai said. “What happened in Ferguson is only about race. It would not bring a voice to all the other issues impacting all the other marginalized groups…The conversations on race vary between different places. We hope we can help new students transition and understand the context of Wash. U. and the context of their identities in the region.”

“New in the Lou: What Does Ferguson Mean to Me?” will take place at Stix House from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM on Tuesday, September 10th. Students can RVSP on the Gephardt Institute website.

“We will send questions to the moderators and panelists,” Desai said. “Moderators will ask the questions to people who come. And then we will take questions.”

This panel will be an opportunity to understand our community and think about how we can contribute to it. But conversations like this are not going to stop here.

“I hope there are other folks who open the conversations in small and big ways,” Weeden-Smith said. “How we can continue to make changes is by continuing to offer these dialogues.”