Harry
Truman, giving a speech in 1952 after his presidency to a group of scholars in
Virginia about the keys to the success of the country, states the
following: “Youth, the hope of the
world. That was the motto on the front
door of the high school from which I was graduated, only it was written in
Latin, “Juventus Spes Mundi.” I will
never forget it. I never have forgotten
it, and I still think that youth is the hope of the world, and that they always
will be. It is just as true now as it
was when I came out of that small town high school. It is necessary for the
young people to understand the road to be followed, if this country is to
accomplish the mission which God intended it to accomplish in this world.” This simple Latin expression assembled in
stained-glass and displayed prominently above the main entrance to the only school
young Harry received a diploma from, guided the 33rd president
throughout his political career as one the greatest US presidents and world leaders
of the 20th century. Truman
also understood the importance of public architecture with its symbols of
values and strength and provided leadership in maintaining and preserving
public buildings for their continued use for the citizens of a strong democracy. He didn’t just discard them when situations
became difficult. It’s somewhat ironic
that the very property where “Juvenus Spes Mundi” was inscribed above the
entrance doorway lintel, the Independence Public Schools abandons an empty historic
building once dedicated to youth and now contaminated with toxic mold while
turning it over to a for-profit developer to convert it to low-income senior housing. And the Independence Public Schools
invested tremendously in an old hospital property next to the local campus of
Graceland University to develop their administrative offices and a business
incubator for young start-ups and entrepreneurs, then supported low-income
senior housing in the adjacent high-rise that was ideally located to support
commercial use for young entrepreneurs or youth education. And the Independence School District supported
the sale and redevelopment of two historic elementary school buildings for, you
guessed it, low-income senior housing located in neighborhoods with high
concentrations of low-income rental property and desperate for investments from
young families. And with the closing of
reputable youth institutions such as the YMCA, St. Mary’s High School, etc. along
with cuts to Head Start and other programs for young students, are we
experiencing trends that will sustain our community and support investments in market-rate
housing, businesses, and job creation?
Will these trends attract young families to Old Town Independence? Shouldn’t we be maintaining and expanding
youth institutions and programs for the generation of US citizens that will be
responsible for the 17-trillion-dollar debt (and climbing) from entitlement
spending attributed to our generation for, in part, government-subsidized
housing programs? Aren’t we just digging
the hole deeper? Will our youth still be
considered the “Hope of the World” when saddled with inflated college loans,
neglected neighborhoods and infrastructure, and a monumental national
debt?
