February Isn't Black Or White, It's Both

It's February. The month known for famous people including St. Valentine, Abe Lincoln, George Washington and yes, our own Father Moses Dickson. 

A cemetery in Crestwood is named after Dickson, an African American abolitionist who founded the Knights of Liberty in the fight to end slavery. Dickson is buried here in one of the first public cemeteries in St. Louis for black folks.

Dickson was born in 1824 and came to Missouri from Ohio in the 1840s.  He led the efforts of the Underground Railroad--ferrying slaves to the north--until the Civil War began, when the Knights of Liberty joined the Union Army. Dickson later became an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and preached around the St. Louis area and beyond.

The thirteen acres near the corner of Sappington Road and Big Bend Boulevard in Crestwood was dedicated to the memory of Dickson in August 1903. It has long been a burial ground for the St. Louis area African American community and includes graves from the late 1800s. (It's located just the on the other side of Grant’s Trail from the and the newly-opened .)

These days we spend the month of February saluting Black History Month. But overall, things are no longer quite so black and white. Multi-racial and multi-ethnic Americans are one of the fastest-growing demographic groups, according to a recent Pew Research Center study noted in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

So I trudged through the Father Dickson Cemetery on one of those blustery cold days last week. There were footprints in the snow of both people and of dogs. It was clear that this space is well used by those in neighboring homes. The white expanse of snow carpeting this hallowed ground seemed to protect it. 

There were stone markers with print no longer legible. I saw several several heart-shaped monuments. The newest one was from the 1970s and belongs to an eight-year-old girl--certainly much too young to be in such company here.

One of the more recognizable names of the 6,000 or so buried in this cemetery is John Boyer Vashon (1824 – 1924) He is the son of an abolitionist. Vashon High School in 1927 was named for him and his major contributions to the religious, cultural and civic life of St. Louis. 

Also in the cemetery is James Milton Turner. Born into slavery in St. Louis in 1840, his father purchased the family’s freedom when James was three years old. He became an aide to former state legislator Capt. Madison Miller and followed him into the Union Army.

Another notable listed on the cemetery roster is Henry “Steamboat” Lewis, an entrepreneur and barber to August Busch, Sr. He died in 1965 and the cause of death is listed as "railroad." I couldn't find the actual marker.

So during this month of February, and on this day known for love, let us salute all who have gone before us.

I'll return to this spot in the Spring, when it becomes even more colorful.