As Lyah LeFlore-Ituen walked through the “Mill Creek: Black Metropolis” exhibit inside the Missouri History Museum, she gasped at the inclusion of churches that once anchored the vibrant community during the mid-1900s.
“I hadn’t even seen this. I’m in shock right now. My grandmother attended and was a member of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church,” LeFlore-Ituen said enthusiastically. “Now, this hits home hard. … Reverend Paul Smith baptized me at Berea Presbyterian Church.”
She paused for a moment as a flood of emotions washed over her. But as she moved through the exhibit, her joyful spirit quickly faded as she read the panels about Mill Creek’s government-sanctioned displacement and what sits in its place today…