There are some reactionaries in the St. Louis area — and throughout the U.S. — who do not want people to learn about historical Black freedom struggles, such as the Jefferson Bank protest. As one example, a predominantly white school district located in a suburb of St. Louis attempted to ban Black studies as recently as December 2023. That month, the Francis Howell School Board voted 5-2 to stop offering Black History courses.

The bigoted board members do not want students to learn that African Americans in St. Louis had to fight to secure employment. Fortunately, the Francis Howell School Board was forced to reverse their backward decision.

Far right forces want to erase history by ignoring important struggles of the past. Workers and oppressed people can effectively counter anti-education reactionaries by observing and memorializing the legacy of historical battles for Black Liberation and working-class emancipation like what happened in St. Louis more than 60 years ago.