August 29th, 2024 edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

Energy an earmark of Harris’ surging campaign

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

“It’s like 2008,” are words being spoken at campaign events for Vice President Kamala Harris in recognition of the enthusiasm that often greeted President Barack Obama when he was seeking the presidency.

Included in those amazing campaign stops was an event that drew more than 200,000 people to the St. Louis Gateway Arch grounds to hear Obama speak.

While the Harris and Obama campaigns are similar, so far, there is a distinct difference.

“It’s very similar energy,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said on MSNBC.

“I think what is different, it’s at a much more divisive time because of Trump. The country is much more divided, and there’s more

Beyond Measure Dance and Theater & AfroKuumba dance on stage at Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024.

STL’s historic role in slavery, freedom

By Sylvester Brown, Jr. St. Louis American

Much has been written about St. Louis’ slave history. The study of census tracts of the times notes the city’s rapid growth of Black slaves increased from 268 in 1799 to 2,656 by 1850. A mere 30 years later, one-in-20 residents of our bustling river town consisted of Black people, of which twothirds were slaves. Still, there’s much to learn about how slaves in St. Louis

lived, struggled and even tried to free themselves from the legalized tyranny that dictated their lives for decades.

Next week, two connected exhibits – “Slavery in St. Louis,” and “The Freedom Suits,” – will offer a deeper dive into the growth of slavery in the city and present examples of Black slaves who tried to use the court system to liberate themselves and their families.

“Slavery in St. Louis,” an exhibit created by the Ulysses

to celebrate Sept. 3

By Alvin A. Reid

Louis American

St.

A major change in minority business certification is complete and “CertifySTL” will celebrate at 1 p.m. Tuesday Sept. 3 at the Northside Economic Empowerment Center, 4248 Cottage Ave. in St. Louis.

CertifySTL is now the St. Louis region’s Minorityand WomenOwned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Certification Program, following its transfer to St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) from Business Diversity Development (BDD) at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. It will begin taking new applications and no change affidavits on Tuesday and MWBE business owners interested in pursuing certification are encouraged to visit the Empowerment Center to start an application in the computer lab, which is located in the annex east of Sumner High School.

“Bringing the MWBE Certification Program in-house aligns with the Economic Empowerment objectives of [St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones’] Neal Richardson

‘We can’t let kids fail’

By Alvin A. Reid

St. Louis American

Citing improvements in other cities, the St. Louis NAACP chapter will file a complaint with the U.S. Dept of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) targeting St. Louis area public schools, including charter schools, regarding the “Systemic Educational Inequities Affecting Black Students.”

According to the NAACP, “Data paints a concerning picture of the educational landscape in St. Louis, particularly in comparison to other urban areas with similar demographics.

The NAACP concerns stem from:

• The latest data available from a Stanford University 2022 study, shows that St. Louis is over 3 grade levels below the US national average.

• In 2022, similarly situated Black students in Chicago and Newark perform

Robert S. Harvey, president of FoodCorps, a national organization committed to ensuring that all

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris boards Air Force Two on Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews in in Maryland before taking off for Savannah, Georgia.

Photo by Taylor Marrie / St. Louis American

Photo by Saul Loeb / Pool via AP

TLC’s T Boz hospitalized, scheduled shows canceled

At the last minute, TLC unexpectedly canceled two of the group’s scheduled performances in New York and Connecticut because Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, 54, needed urgent medical attention.

But after arriving in New York on Friday, Watkins shared she “experienced sudden and severe nausea, vomiting, and intense abdominal cramps.”

said. “The decision to cancel was made under the advisement of her physician, who required her to stay in the hospital overnight to undergo a CT scan to assess the severity of her condition.”

“We are committed to rescheduling the canceled shows to all the fans, particularly those who traveled long distances.”

Watkins “was immediately seen by a doctor and subsequently taken to the hospital for further evaluation.”

Medical professionals diagnosed Watkins with a “severe” abdominal blockage and kept her to monitor her condition for the weekend.

“Tionne deeply regrets having to cancel these shows,” TLC’s statement

Delusional Uncle Luke expects compensation from Sexyy Red, Megan Thee Stallion, Ice Spice

Rapper Uncle Luke for his work with the rap group 2

Live Crew, claims rappers owe him not only kudos but money for being sexual in their music.

“Male rap is on some bullshit right now, I’m sorry. The females are winning. They’re doing everything that I did. I’m still waiting for these girls to send me a fu***g check,” Luke said.

“I need a check from Ice Spice, who turns her

ass around, dropping it like it’s hot and doo-doo browning,” Luke begged. “I need a check from Sexyy Red—nah, Red’s my friend.”

Luke shamelessly continued, “All the f***ng girls, Megan Thee Stallion. Anybody that’s running around shaking their as**s … y’all need to send me a check.”

“Just stop by with the check and say, ‘Thank you, Uncle Luke, for fighting, going to the Supreme Court, allowing us to be able to say what we are saying on the records, and we’re whooping these men’s asses right now ‘cause we doing our thing.’ That’s going to go viral.”

Luke believes his group’s 1989 album, As Nasty As They Wanna Be, began a sexual revolution for its obscene content.

The group did fight obscenity charges in federal appeals court but was found not guilty.

Parade, Complex

Wendy Williams visits herbalist in

New Jersey

Nicole Duncan-Smith of Atlanta Black Star caught a Facebook post that caught our eye concerning the recluse Wendy Williams

“On Monday, Aug. 19, Victor Bowman Jr., the son of the late herbalist Dr. Sebi, took to Facebook to share that Williams and her son, Kevin Hunter Jr., had stopped by his store in Newark, New Jersey, to shop for his herbal products.

Duncan-Smith reported that Bowman shared a photograph with Williams, who was recently diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia, with the caption “Wendy Williams come to my store. Much love Queen.”

Williams had not been seen publicly since May 2023, and the troubling Lifetime Network documentary “Where Is Wendy Williams,” which was produced by her family, was released earlier this year.

“The Chiefs will be playing in Kansas City, Missouri for a generation to come,”

- Mayor Quinton Lucas assuring the Chiefs nor Royals will depart for Kansas.

Jefferson Bank Protest a flashpoint of STL civil rights movement

By Jamala Rogers

For the St. Louis American

The decision to end the Jefferson Bank Commemorative Protest was an agonizing one. The rationale shared by those closest to the initial protest is to find more creative and relevant ways to memorialize the protest that still reverberates with those in the ongoing struggle for basic human rights for Black workers.

The way the white power structure (as it was called in back in the day) linked arms to crush the protest rarely gets attention. It is a valuable case study for those who want to fight seriously for transformative change. You cannot underestimate the power of your oppressors. In August 1963, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) presented a demand to Jefferson Bank and Trust Company. After the bank moved from a Black neighborhood it served to a white one, its Black bank tellers disappeared. Only a Black janitor and messenger remained.

A few months prior to this development, then- Alderman William Clay Sr. issued his damning “Anatomy of an Economic Murder” report. The

swift. Clay became a target of the mainstream media and business, and civic leaders took turns muddying his reputation. This was an omen of things to come. The young leader would receive the longest sentence, spending 270 days in jail and was smacked with a $1,000 fine (equivalent to $10,000 today). Although he would go on to become our first African American congressman in 1968, an effort to oust Clay from his elected ward position was attempted but unsuccessful.

CORE’s just demand was to hire four employees to address the racist hiring practices in St. Louis banking institutions. When the bank’s response was that there were not “four Blacks in the city” fit for such jobs, CORE launched a protest that became the longest and most contentious in St. Louis civil rights history.

Hundreds of people descended on Jefferson Bank for months in support of the demands. They understood that the protest was symbolic of the systemic racism that denied Black folks a living wage and a pathway to a decent quality of life.

The bank filed a court injunction. Nineteen perceived leaders

nizations were co-opted with corporate donations. The white media was relentless in its barrage of attacks on the protest leaders and disinformation cam-

statement citing the criminality of the defendants to defy court orders.

The goal of this coordinated and vicious campaign to main-

the following year for his acts of civil disobedience. Still, the defiant protest of CORE leadership and its legion of supporters had an enduring impact. As the cases were making their journey from the streets to the courts, the handwriting was on the wall that the struggle for economic justice and political power was not going away. Many companies quietly changed their hiring practices to include Black workers at all levels, not just the menial, low-paying jobs.

While groups like CORE and ACTION are no longer in existence, their powerful legacies live on. They left an indomitable mark on this region and have passed the coveted torch to groups like the Organization for Black Struggle, Missouri Jobs with Justice, A. Phillip Randolph Institute, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Missouri Workers Center along with labor unions like SEIU and CWA.

For 60 years, a commemorative protest has been held at the site on Jefferson and Market Streets to amplify the voices of workers for livable wages, safe working conditions and the right to unionize. Jefferson

Photo by Wiley Price I St. Louis American

Percy Green, one of the original founders of the Organization for Black Struggle walks the protest line in front of the original site of the Jefferson Bank protest from 1963 on Friday Aug. 23, 2024.

Editorial/Commentary

Guest Editorial Kamala Harris

is for Black people Commentary

By Keith Boykins

Certain Black people on the internet keep raising two questions about Kamala Harris. What is her Black agenda? And why didn’t she do it during the last four years?

First, if you want to know Kamala Harris’s Black agenda, look at what she’s already done.

As vice president, Kamala Harris helped to pass the Emmett Till AntiLynching Act, provided a record $16 billion in funding to HBCUs, $2.8 billion for Pell grants and need-based assistance, $2 billion to Black farmers, $2 billion to clean up pollution in communities of color, doubled the number of Black businesses in America, and brought us the lowest Black unemployment rate and the lowest Black poverty rate in history.

The Biden-Harris administration also expanded the child tax credit, which cut the Black child poverty rate in half, capped the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors, which is especially important for Black people who are disproportionately affected by diabetes, signed up 5 million more people for Obamacare, canceled $168.5 billion in student loan debt for 4.8 million people, pardoned thousands of marijuana charges, and on top of all that, even signed a law creating the first new Blackrelated federal holiday in 40 years — Juneteenth.

The president leads one of our three co-equal branches of government. For those who missed “Schoolhouse Rock,” the three branches are legislative, executive, and judicial. Congress, the legislature, makes the laws. The president, the executive, enforces the laws. And the judiciary, through the Supreme Court and lower courts, interprets the laws.

Currently, we have a divided Congress, with a Republican House of Representatives and a Democratic Senate. The House is gerrymandered, giving members no incentive to work with a president from the other party. And the Senate is constitutionally unrepresentative of the country.

That’s why the 1.6 million people in the mostly white and rural Dakotas get four U.S. senators, while the nearly 40 million people in the racially diverse state of California get only two U.S. senators. That means the people of South Dakota have 50 times more power than the people in California in the Senate. The legislature is rigged against us.

And, unfortunately, so are the courts. Because of the antiquated electoral college system for picking presidents, we have an unrepresentative Supreme Court with six of the nine justices appointed by Republican presidents, despite the fact that Democrats have won the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections.

It’s now up to us

By Sonny Messiah Jiles

The groundswell of support for Vice President Kamala Harris is off the charts, especially after watching the Democratic National Convention.

It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her, which she shared in her nomination acceptance speech.

‘Don’t just sit around and complain. Do something.’ So, if they lie about her — and they will — we’ve got to do something. If we see a bad poll — and we will — we’ve got to put down that phone and do something,” Harris said.

The possibility of electing the first Black and Southeast Asian woman as commander in chief of the most powerful country in the Free World is historic. You must not lose sight of how the 2024 election will affect you, your family, your work, your health, and your finances.

Given that, let’s examine some of the contrasts between Harris and Trump.

Harris proposes:

• Tax increases on corporations and the wealthy to fund programs that would help lowand middle-income families struggling to build wealth.

At the same time, they appointed more Black judges than any administration in history, and gave us the first Black woman on the Supreme Court and the first Black vice president. And those federal judges have lifetime tenure, so they’ll be on the bench for decades to come.

Trump was president for four years and he didn’t do any of those things. In fact, he was the first president since Richard Nixon 50 years ago to appoint no Black judges to the U.S. Courts of Appeals. And the judges he did appoint are the very ones striking down the laws and policies that help Black people.

Now, the second question. Why hasn’t Kamala Harris done whatever thing you think she should have done in the last four years? The answer. She’s not the president. She’s the vice president, and that person’s job is to help the president. But even if she were president, people need to have realistic expectations about what a president can and cannot do.

So, even if Bernie Sanders, Jill Stein, Cornel West — or any imaginary candidate you think might be more radical or more pro-Black than Kamala Harris — was elected president, there’s very little that any president can do in our system of government that won’t be blocked by Republicans in Congress or overruled by the Republicanappointed judges on the federal courts.

But the choice is clear. If you want a president who has spent his life attacking Black people, from the Central Park Five to Barack Obama to Colin Kaepernick, Trump is your guy. If you want a president who won’t be able to accomplish everything we want but will move us in the right direction and has a record to prove it, Kamala Harris is the one.

“Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between native St. Louisan Keith Boykin and Word In Black, examines the issues, the candidates, and what’s at stake for Black America in the 2024 presidential election.

Rolling back federal regulations on businesses.

Plans sound nice, but what you do speaks louder than what you say.

As Malcolm X said, “We have been bamboozled, we have been tricked, we have been fooled.”

We should not be bamboozled and assume Harris will win. Take nothing for granted. What’s at stake makes it even more important that we vote.

There’s the conservative Project 2025 agenda, which includes eliminating the Department of Education. All school oversight would be under state control. When I look at my state, Texas, that is not the best idea.

Our Republican-controlled legislature has taken control of our local school districts and banned some books on Black subjects. They have crushed reproductive freedom and eliminated DEI programs at state universities. If Trump wins, the nation can expect more of the same.

• A $25,000 down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and $40 billion for developers to build starter homes.

• Permanently reinstating the child tax credit, which lifted millions of children out of poverty.

• Incentives for manufacturers who create technologies to fight global warming.

• Federal ban on corporate price gouging, a way to bring grocery prices down.

Trump proposes:

• Initiatives to bring down the cost of car insurance in the first 100 days of his administration.

• An increase in oil drilling to lower gas prices and cut energy costs in half.

The deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants living and working in the U.S.

• An as-yet unspecified plan to bring housing prices down.

Again, the stakes are high. It’s clear from their records that Harris is clearly the better choice but don’t forget that House and Senate seats are also up for grabs. Control of Congress can make the difference between a White House that gets things done for the people, and more gridlock in Washington, D.C. This year, voting must not stop at the top of the ballot.

That is why, as Michelle Obama said at the DNC in Chicago, “we must do something.”

Register to vote if you haven’t already. Encourage your family and friends to do the same. Volunteer to work on a campaign if you have time. If you don’t, and can spare the money, donate to the candidate of your choice. On election day, vote early to avoid long lines.

We only have [10] weeks to make sure every single person we know is registered and has a voting plan. Michelle Obama is asking you — I’m telling y’all — to do something.”

Sonny Messiah Jiles is CEO of the Houston Defender Network.

Commentary

Illinois’ profound civil rights impact

By Ben Jealous

The modern civil rights movement reached a new peak last week in Illinois. It marked the movement coming full circle, in a way, back to the state of its birth more than a century ago.

Illinois is the unsung “alpha and omega” of the movement.

It was the 1908 Springfield, Illinois Race Riot that sparked the creation of the NAACP. It marked the beginning of what would become the modern civil rights movement that evolved through the 1950s and 60s and is still evolving today.

And on August 22, 2024, Illinois hosted the nomination by one of America’s major parties of a candidate for president who has broken barriers her entire career, who comes from a family of bold civil rights activists, who could be our first woman president, our first president of Asian descent, and only our second Black president.

Just over a month ago nobody knew this was going to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ convention. Yet the history of the civil rights movement makes poetry of the fact she accepted her party’s nomination in Illinois.

of Illinois’ top political leaders. And one of them mentioned that Illinois currently does not have a Civil Rights Trail.

I thought about that as I was walking out and a photograph on display in the Oval Office caught my eye. It was President Biden with his mother and then President-Elect Barack Obama on election night in 2008 in Chicago’s Grant Park. I remembered that night and was immediately awash in more memories close to my heart and my sense of patriotism.

I was in Springfield when President Obama launched his campaign for president there in 2007. I have always remembered it because of its historical significance - and because of how cold it was. It will be forever even more deeply ingrained in my memory because one of my crew that day who I stood with during the rally was my friend Kamala Harris, then the district attorney of San Francisco.

Springfield was the home of Abraham Lincoln. When the NAACP was formed in 1909, six months after the Springfield Race Riot, it was on what would have been Lincoln’s 100th birthday.

The city of Chicago itself has played a crucial role in this history. In the wake of the Springfield Riot, the anti-lynching crusader and Chicagoan Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a leading national voice against that racial violence and one of the original cofounders, six months later, of the NAACP. And Chicago played host to a key civil rights moment featuring another NAACP cofounder, W.E.B. Du Bois.

It is the home of the late Mayor Harold Washington and Jesse Jackson.

I had an epiphany about Illinois’ special place in the civil rights movement before traveling to Chicago for the Democratic convention. It was at the White House, of all places.

I had the privilege of being in the Oval Office for President Biden’s dedication of the site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot as our country’s newest national monument. Among the crowd were some

Once again, it was that pattern of things continuing coming full circle back to Illinois in our nation’s long march towards freedom and justice. Clearly, Illinois deserves to have several Civil Rights Trail-recognized sites. This week we celebrate Women’s Equality Day.

It is the anniversary of women gaining the right to vote with the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920. As our country sits poised to elect its first woman as president, it is also fitting to remember that Illinois was part of the very first group of states (along with Wisconsin and Michigan on the same day) to ratify that amendment.

Ben Jealous is the executive director of the Sierra Club and a Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

Guest Columnist Sonny Messiah Jiles

Guest Columnist Keith Boykin

Columnist Ben Jealous

Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Delta Delta Omega Chapter in East Louis applauded Vice President Kamala Harris as she delivered her presidential nominee acceptance speech Thursday, August 22, 2024, during the Democratic National Convention. The AKAs watched with senior citizens as part of the sorority’s ‘For the People, For our Future Watch Party,’ jointly sponsored by the East St. Louis Township. Delta Delta Omega President Mica Ike is pictured in the foreground.

ESL AKA chapter launches voter awareness initiative

St. Louis American

The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Delta Delta Omega Chapter in East St. Louis has launched its initiative to raise voter awareness with a pair of events.

On Thursday August 22, 2024, the chapter partnered with East St. Louis Township to join senior citizens and residents to view fellow AKA Soror Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic acceptance speech as the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.

On Monday August 26, the chapter partnered with the East St. Louis Federation of

Teachers and AARP for the ‘Get Out the Vote Parade of Cars,” which began at Clyde C. Jordan Senior Center and proceeded down State Street for more than 7 miles before ending at East S. Louis City Hall.

The Get Out the Vote parade is part of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s “Soar to the Polls,” a national voting initiative by the sorority and its local chapters.

We shall not forget Fannie Lou Hamer

By Marian Wright Edelman

As our nation experiences a political convention where a woman of color makes history, it’s another chance to look back at the convention that happened 60 years ago this week in Atlantic City, N.J., during the civil rights movement’s landmark Freedom Summer. The extraordinary woman who made history then as the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party unsuccessfully sought to unseat the segregated slate of Mississippi Party regulars was one of our nation’s civil rights “sheroes” and one of my own great lanterns and role models from the dog days of struggle in Mississippi: Fannie Lou Hamer.

As Children’s Defense Fund continues to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer, we honor that moment and its legacy today.

Mrs. Hamer, the 20th child born of poor Mississippi sharecroppers, once asked her mother why they weren’t white. She internalized and lived her mother’s answer: “You must respect yourself as a little child, a little Black child. And as you grow older, respect yourself as a Black woman. Then one day, other people will respect you.” Hamer was 44 and working on a Sunflower County, Mississippi, plantation when civil rights workers arrived in the county. She heard them speak about voter registration, and when they asked if anyone was willing to try to register to vote, she raised her hand.

Her indomitable spirit and self-respect led her to co-found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) and travel to Atlantic City as vice chair of the MFDP’s integrated delegation.

Hamer testified before the convention’s Credentials Committee on the intimidation, arrest and brutal jailhouse beating she had experienced trying to register to vote in Mississippi. In one exchange, she described that a white man who owned the land where she and her family lived and worked as sharecroppers angrily told her he would evict them if she did not withdraw her voter registration.

She continued her testimony with painful details of what happened after she was brought to the county jail. Her speech was nationally televised, despite President Lyndon Johnson’s last-minute attempts to push her off the air to avoid alienating white Southern voters.

She powerfully concluded: “All of this is on account of we want to register, to become first-class citizens. And if the [Mississippi] Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America. Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off of the hooks because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings, in America?”

The MFDP was only given two at-large seats at that convention, but it was made clear that change was on the way. Eight years later Hamer was officially elected as a national party delegate.

“I’m never sure anymore when I leave home whether I’ll get back or not,” she said.

As a non-profit organization, Alpha Kappa Alpha does not endorse political candidates. It is working to encourage people, regardless of party affiliation, to vote in November.

“To tell the truth is to run the risk of being killed. But if I fall, I’ll fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom.”

Marian Wright Edelman is founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund.

Photo by Daphne Dorsey

Marian Wright Edelman

Continued from A1

visceral reaction to race and women. I think it’s a momentum that appears to be the same, but it’s against an even more turbulent time.”

Lavora Barnes, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party echoed the same sentiment.

“It’s like 2008, but different. People were fired up for Barack Obama in a way we hadn’t seen before. But with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, there’s this deep understanding of [what] we have to get done, which is so important,” she said.

“We can’t let Trump in the White House. And then these two people who bring joy and love and care for the country to this and do it with such enthusiasm and excitement themselves, it’s lifted it even higher, I feel, than where we were in 2008. It’s remarkable how good it feels.”

The energy following the Democratic National Convention in Chicago is also similar to the week following Obamas nomination in Denver in 2008.

Harris-Walz Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said the convention had ignited the most significant organizing push since the campaign’s sudden launch.”

“Volunteers recently contacted over 1 million voters in just a few short days, a clear indicator of the campaign’s growing strength.”

CertifySTL

Continued from A1 Economic Justice Action Plan and SLDC’s numerous investments in creating a healthy ecosystem that provides opportunities for small and diverse businesses to launch, grow and sustain their operations,” said Neal Richardson, SLDC president and CEO.

“We are grateful to

Slavery

Continued from A1

S. Grant National Historic Site, explores the growth of slavery in the city in the context of politics, economics, and history during the 18th and 19th centuries.

In its early years, St. Louis was unofficially the “Gateway City” linking northeastern business interests to the western frontier. By 1850, it had joined the list of top-10

NAACP

Continued from A1

over 1 grade level ahead of St. Louis. Baltimore per-

In tandem with the volunteer surge, the Harris-Walz campaign has shattered fundraising records, raising an unprecedented $540 million in just over a month—setting a new high-water mark in American political history. During the convention week alone, grassroots contributions crossed the $500 million threshold just before Harris’s acceptance speech. Dillon said the momentum didn’t stop there; immediately following her address, the campaign experienced its best fundraising hour since launch day.

the Business Diversity Department at Lambert International Airport for their support in maintaining the integrity of the MWBE certification process over the years.”

The MWBE Program was established to encourage businesses owned by minority groups to participate in City contracting opportunities and on development projects incentivized by the City. SLDC oversees monitor-

highest populated cities, being the first one west of the Mississippi to make the list.

During the 19th-Century, St. Louis had blossomed into a significant hub of commerce and trade and boasted the nation’s third busiest port with as many as 50 steamboats, at any given time, loaded with goods and supplies anchored a miledeep at its levee.

The “Slavery in St. Louis” exhibit utilizes primary sources, historical artifacts, and individual

forms half a grade level ahead.

• Recovery from the pandemic appears to be more robust in these cities as well. St. Louis remains more than half

A third of the week’s donations came from first-time contributors, nearly one-fifth of those being young voters. Two-thirds of the young contributors are women, a critical demographic that could prove decisive in November. Additionally, according to Dillon, teachers and nurses continue to be among the most common donor occupations, underscoring the broad and deep support that Harris has cultivated.

Dillon stated that the campaign’s unprecedented fundraising totals reflect the combined efforts of

ing of MWBE utilization on such projects to ensure goals and objectives are achieved.

SLDC works to promote business opportunities and capabilities of MWBEs and to eliminate barriers to equal economic opportunity for all businesses in the marketplace.

In June, the SLDC authorized the award of $30,197,909 to 295 businesses eligible to receive funding through the North

slave accounts to vividly illustrate slavery in St. Louis.

“While many people are familiar with the story of Dred and Harriet Scott, the history of slavery’s broader operation(s) in St. Louis is less well-known,” said Nathan Wilson, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site superintendent.

“This exhibit introduces visitors to our city’s complicated relationship with slavery.”

The accompanying exhibit, “The Freedom Suits,” created for the

a grade behind where it was in 2019 while Chicago is a fifth of a grade behind where it was.

“We cannot let these kids fail. All districts

Harris for President, the Democratic National Committee, and joint fundraising committees.

Dillon said organizers are now gearing up to engage voters on critical issues such as reproductive freedom, the cost of living, and Social Security and Medicare protection. Harris and Walz launched a bus tour through South Georgia on Wednesday, their first joint campaign event in the state.

With its diverse mix of rural, suburban, and urban communities, including a significant proportion of Black vot-

St. Louis Small Business and Non-Profit Grant Program.

These award allocations are in addition to the $615,000 of Capacity Building Grants already awarded to 144 businesses, bringing the number of businesses funded through the Program to 439 with awards totaling $30,812,909. The North St. Louis Small Business and Non-Profit Grant Program is funded by

Law Library Association of Saint Louis (LLASTL), a public and membership law library in the Civil Courts Building downtown, includes original, rarely seen court pleadings of three different types of claims made by enslaved people seeking their freedom.

This exhibit also includes explanatory panels about:

(1) Freedom suits in general – what were they and how they worked in the context of slavery in Missouri.

including charter schools have issues as it relates to reading,” city NAACP President Adolphus Pruitt said last week during a press conference.

“We hope that between the U.S. Department of Education, the NAACP, and those individual school districts can have some serious conversations about them setting some goals.”

Tracey Bloch, Missouri Disability Empowerment Foundation director, told KSDK she is not surprised by the low academic numbers.

“It really validates what we’ve already been dealing with since we work with special education families who are trying to fight for services for their children. It’s really getting more difficult to prove that a learning disability is actually taking place when everyone is universally behind, especially certain subsets of people.”

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris boards Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, as she travels to Savannah, Ga., for a twoday campaign bus tour.

ers and working-class families, this region epitomizes the Harris-Walz coalition. The tour will culminate in a rally in Savannah, where Harris will directly address Georgians about the upcoming election’s stakes.

The Harris-Walz campaign is also making significant investments in paid outreach. The campaign launched a new TV ad across battleground states, highlighting Harris’s economic vision and her commitment to building an opportunity economy where everyone who works hard can get

ahead. The ad is part of August’s $150 million television buy, with $370 million in television and digital reservations.

“Headed into Labor Day, our campaign is using those resources and enthusiasm to build on our momentum, taking no voters for granted and communicating relentlessly with battleground voters every single day between now and Election Day—all the while, Trump is focused on very little beyond online tantrums and attacking the voters critical to winning 270 electoral votes,” Dillon said.

Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Relief Funds (SLFRF). The awards included stabilization and operational expansion grants. Stabilization funding was awarded to qualified firms in need of operational support to maintain the small business or non-profit’s standard operations, such as payroll or benefits costs, costs to retain employees, mortgage, rent or utilities costs, and other costs. The expansion grants were awarded to assist business and non-profits seeking to maintain or expand capacity, including operational growth and scaling in response to market opportunities. Grant awards will cover additional payroll or benefits costs, costs to hire new employees, increased inventory and added mortgage, rent or utilities costs and other expansion costs.

(2) Freedom suits in St. Louis – highlights some of the freedom suits in St. Louis within the context of slavery in St. Louis.

(3) Freedom suits in other parts of Missouri –highlights 20+ freedom suits from other parts of the state.

“Slavery in St. Louis” will be on display at the Law Library Association from Sept. 3-Oct. 1. “The Freedom Suits” documents and explanatory panels will be on display from Sept. 3-Dec. 3. For additional information, contact

The NAACP said that solutions for raising academic scores must include increased funding for school districts, innovative teaching methods and more community engagement.

SLPS launched its Literacy for The Lou initiative in early 2024 and its mission to advance reading by working with families and public libraries continues during the 2024-25 school year.

The city NAACP chapter has also undertake a literacy initiative called “Right to Read.” Its goal is for students to meet or exceed the overall state average by 2030. The campaign is led by Ian Buchanan, the chapter’s new education chair, who calls literacy “the civil rights issue of our era.”

“If Black and brown students continue to underperform in literacy, we severely limit their life options even before they hit adolescence. This is a solvable problem.”

SLPS students have a reading proficiency score

Library Director Gail Wechsler at 314-622-4470 or at: gwechsler@llastl. org. Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow. A full list of these events and information on how to sign up is at https://llastl.org/slavery-freedom-suits. To find out more about the exhibits or to arrange group visits, including school group visits, go to https:// llastl.org/slavery-freedom-suits.

of 19% compared to a 45% statewide average, according to the National Center for Education Statistics annual report card.

According to the NCES, only three in 10 Missouri students demonstrate reading proficiency at a fourth-grade level. Only one in 10 African American students reach the reading proficiency level.

The NAACP statement said, “The data underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions in the region’s schools. The districts are facing one of the steepest post-pandemic climbs, with significant learning losses that require immediate and sustained attention.”

“Addressing these challenges will require a comprehensive approach, potentially involving increased funding, innovative teaching strategies, enhanced support services, and community engagement to improve educational outcomes for the region’s students.”

Photo by Saul Loeb / Pool via AP

Faith-based Justice League funds scholarships in Lansing, Mich.

By Dorothy S. Boulware Word in Black

As the national conversation around reparations gains momentum, communities across the United States are taking action to address the enduring legacy of slavery and systemic racism. And one Midwestern faith-based organization, the Justice League of Greater Lansing Michigan, is turning talk into action by addressing the racial wealth gap.

Founded in 2021, the organization is all about repairing the deep wounds left by slavery and systemic racism. White members of area churches committed to healing their relationships with the Black community and making amends for racial harms. Because of that, the “reparations will be committed mainly from predominantly white Houses of Worship as part of their efforts to repair the breach caused by centuries of slavery, inequality of wealth accumulation, and the failure to live into God’s Plan,” according to the Justice League’s website.

Indeed, the Justice League’s commitment to making things right resulted in them raising a reparations fund of more $400,000, built by payments from area churches and individuals who’ve taken a proactive approach to social justice. And so in early August, the Justice League handed out $5,000 scholarships to 10 college-bound high school grads.

Recipients were selected

based on their 500-word essays that examined the racial wealth gap or generational wealth in America and how that gap has affected their families. Academic grades counted for 25% of the total score and finalists were also interviewed. A common thread in their essays is that discrimination today has resulted from years of social injustices, and it continues to limit African-American families’ access to basic wealth builders –education, higher paying jobs and home ownership,” says Willye Bryan, founder and vice president of the Justice League. “This doesn’t allow for generational wealth building, nor does it allow for closing the racial wealth gap.”

When he thinks of generational wealth, scholarship winner Zachary Barker, who’s headed to Michigan State University, wrote that, “I think of families like the Rockefellers, Gateses, and Buffets. Recently, some famous Black people have achieved billionaire status like Michael Jordan, Jay Z, Lebron James and Oprah. But the rest of us are still struggling to get by.”

Olivia Burns, who will attend Michigan State University’s Honors College, is a Black transracial adoptee who was exposed first-hand to the racial wealth gap. She wrote about the relative wealth in her white parents’ household compared to her Black biological family’s household.

“Both my adoptive parents went to college paid for by their

The Justice League of Greater Lansing Michigan League recently presented $5,000 scholarships to 10 college-bound high school graduates, with resources coming from a reparations fund of more $400,000, built by payments from area churches and individuals. Each scholarship recipient was congratulated by Justice League leaders

and

parents and received bachelor’s degrees,” Burns wrote. “Neither of my biological parents nor siblings have had the opportunity to attend college, and most were barely able to finish high school because they had other responsibilities like working or providing childcare for my younger siblings. Today my adoptive family owns their homes and no one in my biological family owns their homes.”

Marvin Deh, another scholarship winner who’s also off to Michigan State, reminded us that legal racial segregation was only two generations ago ‚ and so the racial wealth is still very much

ongoing.

“Most of our grandparents can describe what it was like to be African-American back then and the struggles they had to face,” Deh wrote. “They couldn’t build generational wealth when the world was actively pulling the rug from underneath them. There’s only been two generations to be given a ‘fair’ chance and enough time to build upon …. On paper the odds are ‘fair’ but in reality we still have to face racism, police brutality, injustice, systematic oppression, lack of influence, stereotypes, and societal pressure.”

“This is not charity and it’s

not designed to make you feel better about giving a check,” Bryan said in an interview last year. Along with raising funds for the scholarships, the Justice League hopes to address other systemic barriers to wealth creation by supporting Black home ownership and entrepreneurship. As J’Kyla Hobbs, who will be attending the University of Michigan, put it: “Investing in affordable housing, improving access to quality education and healthcare, and reforming the criminal justice system are critical steps toward building a more equitable society.”

Photo by Susan Land

Willye Bryan, center,

Prince Solace, right. Reparations scholarship recipient Marvin Deh is at left.

‘Taking

Care of You’

Bullet injury clinic heals community through holistic treatment

Gun violence a ‘public health crisis’

By JoAnn Weaver St. Louis American

15 bullets.

This is the number of gunshots Craig Collins, who wants to mentor children from tough neighborhoods, survived over two years and two incidents.

“I grew up in Walnut Park. When I got shot, I was going through a tough time in my life. I was going through depression. I even started battling a drug problem,” Collins said.

An assailant shot Collins six times in 2021, and he experienced different emotions when the reality of his injuries set in on his way to the hospital.

“I’m like, ‘Oh, my God.’ The first

thing you think is, ‘I’m gonna die.’ I remembered taking off running and I made it to a house and knocked on the front door and they ended up calling the ambulance for me,” he said.

While in recovery at Barnes Jewish Hospital with a shattered left arm that now contained 30 screws and pins to hold it together, Collins received information about the Bullet-Related Injury Clinic (BRIC), founded by trauma surgeon Dr. LJ Punch.

“I ended up getting a brochure, and it said, they’ll help you with your medicine if you don’t have insurance. They do wound care, and they offer a variety of services,” Collins said.

“I had been shot six times then, so it was bad. I kept going to Dr. Punch

and I was getting better, getting myself together. After that incident, I started caring about myself again.”

Second shooting incident

Fast forward to February 25, 2023, Collins was shot again.

“I saw some people in the city, and I planned to show [them] I was doing good. But when he asked me if he could get a ride, I told him no. Then he said he wanted to see his son, and that struck a chord with me,” he said.

Collins agreed to give his friend a ride since he would be in the area that same day. However, the unthink-

See CLINIC, A9

This election is about your health

By Denise Hooks-Anderson

I was honored to serve as president of Mound City Medical Forum, the St. Louis affiliate of the National Medical Association, which represents the interests of African American physicians and patients.

During my tenure, only one Missouri legislator reached out to me to gather the opinion of our organization on upcoming bills being considered for legislation. It infuriated me to see policies coming from our state and federal governments that obviously had little input from the people that do the work on a daily basis.

As we embark upon the final few months of this election cycle, I want to remind readers how pivotal this election could be as it relates to healthcare and families.

n It is no secret that many conservatives seek ways to control a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body.

I recently spent a Sunday afternoon reading the health policy section of the Project 2025 document. It is the political brainchild of a conservative organization, the Heritage Foundation, and it seeks to make a sweeping overhaul of the executive branch of government during the presidential transition.

It is no secret that many conservatives seek ways to control a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body.

The language in the document speaks to reducing reproductive technologies and reducing policies that support single mothers. It’s ironic that the same people who support limiting

See ANDERSON, A9

New name, same mission

RHC rebrands as Community Health Commission

The St. Louis Regional Health Commission (RHC) has announced its rebranding as the Community Health Commission of Missouri (CHCM).

The new name reflects a broader commitment to promoting health equity throughout the state of Missouri and beyond, according to Riisa Rawlins, Community Health Commission of Missouri CEO.

While the Commission’s name and logo have changed, its commitment to community and systems partnership remains steadfast as we work to ensure health equity for all.

“This rebranding marks a pivotal moment for our organization,” said Rawlins.

“Even with Medicaid expansion, significant health disparities persist across

different zip codes in Missouri. CHCM is equipped with the agility and partnerships necessary to act as a catalyst for change, driving collaborative efforts that enhance access to quality healthcare and bridge community and systems priorities.”

Although CHCM has a more than 20-year legacy of advancing healthcare justice, the organization is effectively reinventing itself to address current and future health challenges. As an intermediary convener, CHCM is uniquely positioned to bring together diverse stakeholders—including community members, healthcare providers, and government representatives —to foster

innovative healthcare solutions that meet the needs of Missouri’s most vulnerable populations.

Rawlins brings 25 years of healthcare experience to the CEO position, having most recently served as RHC’s chief operations and strategy officer. Founded in 2001 in response to the closure of St. Louis Regional Medical Center, RHC has a rich history of creating systems-level change.

Over the past two decades, the Commission has supported numerous initiatives, including the Prepare STL campaign, a partnership with several entities in St. Louis City and County which played a critical role in reducing COVID-19 rates in North St. Louis City and County by distributing over 50,000 PPE kits and demonstrated

an innovative model of community partnership.

CHCM’s new strategic plan emphasizes a collaborative, community -- systems approach to healthcare reform, ensuring that solutions are community-driven and inclusive of all stakeholders. This philosophy underscores the Commission’s ongoing commitment to creating a more equitable and accessible healthcare system throughout Missouri.

“Progress in healthcare can only be realized when we, as an industry, ensure that everyone has a seat at the table,” said Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, director of health for the City of St. Louis. “By emphasizing 2 collaboration and creating a forum where all voices can be heard, CHCM has re-energized its commitment to advancing health equity in our region.” With its rebrand, CHCM is expanding

Craig and Carla Collins, with their three children, advocate for gun safety amid national gun violence public health crisis. The Collins family has personally felt the pain of gun violence twice in recent years.

Photo courtesy of Collins family

Riisa Rawlins

Denise HooksAnderson

Clinic

Continued from A8

able happened when they stopped at a store before arriving at his friend’s house.

“[When] we stopped by the store, I didn’t know that [he and another man] him had argued earlier that day, I was just giving him a ride,” Collins said.

“The guy pulls up, and he shoots [at] the car; I got shot nine times. The person that was in the car with me was shot 15 times.

“I ended up pulling through from that and it changed my life,” Collins said.

Craig’s wife Carla helped him recover from the second shooting. She recalled how the uncertainty of his well-being made her feel.

“Initially, it was the shock of me arriving at the scene and seeing bullet casings all over the [ground], the window shot out of my car, blood on the concrete… crime tape everywhere, police everywhere, and I just got out of the car screaming, and collapsed to my knees crying,” Carla said.

She [tracked] Collins’ location on her cellphone and noticed that he had been in the same location for 40 minutes, which was “not like him.”

She thought that he had been involved in a car accident, and called the manager at the store to confirm her suspicions but it turned out to be a shooting incident.

“I can’t even explain the torment that I felt when I arrived. It was just detrimental to my spirit. I found relief when the detective told me my husband was alive,” she said.

“I headed straight to the hospital. When I got there, the nurses knew who I was because my husband, even though he had to be resuscitated, within those last breaths kept saying, ‘my wife, Muffin, get me to Muffin.”

Collins was in a coma for eight days, according to his wife.

“It was a scary situation because I had never been through anything like that before,” she said. “I just told myself that I need to be strong, and I need to be strong for my children and him, because if I break then we won’t be able to make it through.”

Collins and his wife have three children: an 18-year-old who just graduated from Ritenour High School, an eight-year-old,

RHC

Continued from A8 its reach beyond St. Louis to include the Kansas City metropolitan area and southeast Missouri. The

Anderson

Continued from A8

a woman’s right to choose termination are the same people who refuse to support social services so that those babies born to those mothers would have health insurance, food, and housing.

Project 2025’s authors are heavy-handed with their support of families and marriages. They go as far to say that “homes with boyfriends are the most dangerous place for a child

and

Craig Collins lay wounded in Barnes Jewish Hospital after he was shot multiple times by an assailant he did not know. He survived and now is an advocate on behalf of gun violence victims and their families.

and a one-year-old. Collins wants to become involved in the mentorship program at the BRIC to have influence.

“I’m going to be a mentor like I figured out what I want to do, and it’s helping somebody else,” Collins said.”

Addressing the community impact of gun violence

“When we focus on gun violence, we might create a war on guns or a war on violence and both of those things generally end up being harmful to people and disproportionately harmful to people of color and Black people specifically,” Punch, a trauma

Commission is renewing its focus on face-to-face community engagement, understanding that solutions to health disparities must be shaped by those who experience them firsthand.

“The science tells us

to be.” Per the Pew Research Center, Black people are less likely to be married. In 2022, only 32% of Black adults were married. Historically, it is known the tactics that were used to break up Black families, starting with slavery. This has continued with 21st century slavery, the prison system.

So, who knows what diabolical plans they have for those Black fathers trying to keep their families whole in a system that is out to destroy

the

surgeon, said.

“I’m encouraged that we’re recognizing the broad devastating impacts of bullets in our lives and our communities.”

A bullet-related injury (BRI) is defined as the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual impact a bullet has on a person whether they or someone they love is harmed by a bullet, according to the BRIC’s website. This includes physical wounds, the threat of a bullet, and the loss of a loved one.

“I want to make sure I honor and recognize the many lives that this way has already touched before anyone was even paying attention, which

that trauma and toxic stress, including the trauma resulting from systemic racism, lead to poor health outcomes across our state,” said Dr. Sheila Grigsby, CHCM’s board chair.

“Our expanded role

them?

Project 2025 goes on to say that the public health system needs to be restructured. I don’t necessarily disagree with that, but I do disagree with the authors referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as “incompetent and arrogant.” The authors believe that when the CDC makes public health recommendations and policies it is “political.” They recommend that Congress should define the CDC’s legal author-

is the Black experience, and it’s very important to me that we not gloss over that,” Punch said. “It’s important to me that we say it’s about time.”

War on drugs crisis: past and present

Punch said the ongoing “crisis of drug addiction [has] created the war on drugs.”

“We know the war on drugs has completely devastated the Black community because rather than focusing on the reason why people struggle with addiction and helping people heal, we criminalized it and locked people up, and that has not worked because more people are

as an intermediary convener will allow us to address these challenges more effectively, bringing together the voices and expertise needed to improve healthcare equity statewide.”

In 2025, as part of an

ities. Now, doesn’t that seem political since the makeup of Congress varies with each election cycle? In addition, they want to “severely” limit the CDC’s ability to make policy recommendations.

Other egregious findings in the document include recommendations to reverse the approval of chemical abortion drugs and prohibiting Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds. Planned Parenthood also provides medical care that includes STI treatment and prevention and can-

to being the reason why I created the Bullet Related Injury Clinic [BRIC].”

Rising bullet-related injury rates in the St. Louis region

According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, there have been 103 homicides in the region in 2024, compared to 128 recorded in August of 2022.

The U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence as a public health crisis in June.

The data showed the rate of firearm-related deaths in our nation has been steadily rising, driven by both firearm-related homicides over the last decade and firearm-related suicides over the last two decades.

Of all firearm-related deaths in 2022, more than half (56.1%) were from suicide. 40.8% were from homicide, and the remaining were from legal intervention, unintentional injuries, and injuries of unknown intent, according to the research.

“We must be clear here that St. Louis has [seen] a steady decline in those deaths over the last three years, but if you look at the data that this is reflective nationally,” said Punch.

Punch explained that deaths due to bullet injuries in the first year of the pandemic, 2020, were devastating.

“And there continue to be higher rates of deaths from bullets nationally, which are the majority self-inflicted,” he said.

“At the BRIC, we think of mental health as one of many pieces of the whole person, including their physical health, their social support, their spiritual well-being, and even just having access to things like food.”

dying from drug use now than before,” he said.

Punch asserts if a problem is identified as violence among people, “then the only answer is the police.”

Additionally, he emphasizes that if the outcomes of solving a problem of this magnitude aren’t clear then, “things like this can end up being misdirected toward Black people.”

“As a physician, I want to be clear that my concern is the injuries that are created by bullets and not gun violence … because I think that term is stigmatizing and problematic,” Punch said.

“This is something I talk about a lot in addition

effort to involve community members directly in research, evaluation, and decision-making, CHCM will collaborate with community partners to design and implement studies focused on health concerns affecting the

cer prevention with pap smears. Therefore, they are a major safety-net provider for certain populations in our community.

Finally, the recommendation that shocked me the most was Project 2025’s call to eliminate Head Start, the program that supports the healthy growth of children from birth to age 5. Head Start collaborates with parents to improve child outcomes, provides nutritious meals, and strengthens family well-being.

BRIC will host a three-day conference from November 7-9 at the BRIC at the Delmar Divine building.

“We’re going to be hosting a three-day event to share, not just a conference where people are talking at you, but a hands-on immersive experience in understanding, caring for, and moving toward the healing of bullet-related injury,” Punch said.

“If you’re a doctor, nurse, social worker, community health worker, outreach worker, or if your work has something to do with bullet-related injury, BRIC Institute will be for you.”

communities it serves.

Additionally, CHCM will work with community and systems partners to identify and pilot projects aimed at improving equity in health outcomes.

Again, it’s ironic that a document that speaks so strongly about family values seeks to dismantle systems that support poor families. Whether you realize it or not, the health of our nation is on the ballot. Public health systems, federal agencies, and programs for our babies are being threatened. Your vote is essential in this year’s election!

Denise Hooks-Anderson, MD, FAAFP can be reached at yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com

Photo courtesy of Collins family

URBAN LEAGUE BREAKS GROUND ON $8.5 MILLION PLAZA IN FERGUSON/DELLWOOD CORRIDOR

August 9, 2024 The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis celebrated the groundbreaking of the $8.5 million Urban League Plaza on West Florissant Avenue. This significant development comes as St. Louis marks the 10th anniversary of the Ferguson unrest and the death of Michael Brown. The Urban League Plaza, a 16,000-squarefoot multi-use center, will include a First Bank branch, sit-down restaurant, banquet space, and commercial bays. It will also house services such as Murray’s catering and a Proficient Chiropractor facility, all aimed at driving economic growth and creating jobs in North St. Louis County. “This project is a testament to our unwavering commitment to revitalizing the Ferguson/Dellwood communities,” said Michael P. McMillan, President & CEO of the Urban League. “As we reflect on the past decade, we’re focused on bringing hope, unity, and opportunity to where it’s needed most.”The project is supported by strategic partners including HUD, The Department of Commerce, St. Louis County, Emerson, First Bank, the State of Missouri, EPA, St. Louis County Port Authority, STL Partnership, and the City of Dellwood. This is the Urban League’s fourth building in Ferguson/Dellwood, bringing their total investment in the area to over $50 million. For more information or to lease space in the plaza, please call 314-615-3662. For additional details, visit/www.ulstl.com.

Photos by: Marcus Allen, Richard K. Davis and DavisProject.com

Diversity in the dirt

Robert S. Harvey, FoodCorps president, shares commitment to DEI

By Sylvester Brown, Jr.

St. Louis American

Dr. Robert S. Harvey, president of FoodCorps, a national organization committed to ensuring that all children have access to nourishing food, is a Renaissance person.

He’s also a minister, author, and educator. Prior to FoodCorps, he served as superintendent of East

Harlem Scholars Academies, a community-based network of public charter schools. Before that, he was the chief operating officer at Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically Black college in Louisville. The throughline of Harvey’s career, however, is his commitment to improving the lives of Black people in marginalized communities, including children.

He is the author of two books. His first tome, Abolitionist Leadership in Schools: Undoing Systemic Injustice through Communally Consciousness

Education (Routledge, 2021), explores school leadership and racial equity through the arc of an abolitionist lineage. His second, Teaching as Protest: Emancipating Classrooms through Racial Consciousness (Routledge, 2022), frames philosophical and practical instruction with an advocacy aimed at freeing teaching and learning spaces for students and teachers.

FoodCorps is a nationwide team of leaders that connects kids to real food and helps them grow up healthy. FoodCorps

Systems transformation begins with healing hurts of racism

By Rudy Nickens and Rev. Bethany Johnson-Javois

For the St. Louis American

The recent wave of anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and legislation across the United States should not and does not surprise justice advocates and changemakers. We know the playbook of traditional power structures that organize to chip away at hardfought gains won over the span of multiple generations. We stay vigilant as more than 30 states have introduced legislation banning or limiting DEI initiatives during this legislative session alone, including here in Missouri. This undoing is another step in the increasingly overt and accepted movement towards institutionalized oppression. AntiBlackness is an important and often overlooked dimension of the backlash against DEI work and impact.

We believe that transformed people transform systems. Inner transformation for Black people is actualized when we name, reckon

Lincoln U. hiring two assistant deans

Lincoln University of Missouri has announced the appointment of two leaders in student affairs — Cornelius Brownlee, M.S., Ed.S., as assistant dean of student conduct and community standards, and Issac Bivins Jr., MHED, as assistant dean of student engagement.

Brownlee

Brownlee brings over 15 years of experience in higher education and human resources, having held significant leadership roles at institutions including Tennessee State University and Broward College in Florida. Most recently, as executive director of equity and inclusion at Tennessee State University, Brownlee managed a $2.3 million budget.

Bivins holds a Bachelor of Science in social work from Jarvis Christian University, a Master of Higher Education Administration from Southern New Hampshire University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in leadership and higher education at St. Edward’s University. He previously served as assistant director for alumni affairs at Jarvis Christian University.

Dawna Wharton appointed assistant dean

Harris-Stowe State University has announced the appointment of Dr. Dawna Wharton as Anheuser-Busch School of Business assistant dean. Wharton, who brings decades of experience in community-focused education to her new role, said, “The business school has an exemplary record of staying abreast of current industry trends and implementing relevant training. My focus in my new role is to use my skills to promote the school’s growth through the support of student and faculty needs.”

Tamyka Perine named GECA executive director

Tamyka Perine

Tamyka Perine has been named executive director of the Gateway Early Childhood Alliance (GECA), a fiscal sponsorship of the St. Louis Community Foundation. She joins GECA with over a decade of leadership in the nonprofit sector, and her appointment by the organization’s steering committee marks a significant milestone in GECA’s mission to unify and strengthen early childhood care and education across our region. GECA’s goal is to ensure that every single child in our region has access to affordable, high-quality early childcare and education— regardless of race, income, or zip code.

FoodCorps service member Xena visited St. Louis Public Schools’ Gateway Elementary for its Magic House event in September 2023. Children and parents engaged in demonstrations and activities including music, a food truck, and a taste test of mangoes and Tajín.

Photo courtesy of FoodCorps

See HARVEY, B2

Photo by Roshae Hemmings / STLPR

Patricia Bosman, a lifelong St. Louisan and executive director of the nonprofit Haven of Grace, was a participant in the Institute for Black Liberation at the Deaconess Foundation’s inaugural cohort, which finished in May. She was joined by Rudy Nickens, Institute director, at St. Louis Public Radio on June 21.

Dawna Wharton

Cornelius

Issac Bivins Jr.

Harvey

Continued from B1

places these leaders in limited-resource communities for a year of public service where they conduct hands-on food education, build and tend school gardens, and facilitate getting high-quality local food into public school cafeterias.

There are 10 FoodCorps members in Missouri, currently serving in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas. FoodCorps has more than 200 partnerships with school districts in 18 states, includingSt. Louis Public Schools.

Through its partnerships the company provides “hands-on food education, nourishing school meals along with culturally affirming experiences with food that celebrate and nurture the whole child.”

The company’s philosophy is simply phrased on its website:

“Food is a basic human need for everyone — but especially for our kids. Without food, kids can’t learn and grow.”

Healing

Continued from B1

Using similar language, the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) states that “millions of mostly low-income and minority families in America subsist in vast ‘urban food deserts’-areas with no or distant grocery stores. These areas, dominated by convenience and liquor stores, gas stations, or fastfood restaurants that sell foods high in fat, sugar, and salt “pose serious health threats to children.

“It’s easier to buy a pint of liquor, a fried chicken wing, or a gun than a fresh tomato.”

Under the banner

“Our Vision for a Just FoodCorps,” Harvey’s company proudly boasts of its “mission, vision, policies, procedures and efforts” to “celebrate different cultural approaches to eating.”

“We identify as a social justice organization,” it states, adding that the staff is required to undergo “anti-oppression training programs” to find and refine the company’s “commitment to undoing racism and classism.

FoodCorps unabashedly

weaponized against Black people worldwide. Black leaders are often called to continue the relentless fight of systems change work without taking the time to address this trauma ourselves. Without the space to heal ourselves, we will not be able to sustain the movement towards the just and liberated world. It is in recognition of this need that we established the Institute for Black Liberation (the Institute), which gives Black people in the Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois region the opportunity to explore the creation of race, the roles of science and Christianity weaponized by colonization in spreading racial hierarchy, anti-Blackness as justification for stealing resources and enslaving humans, and many other historical events that led to the installation and internalization of racism. The Institute gives Black people the necessary chance to heal and recover from the ways in which racism landed in their lives and impacted their mind, soul, and body. Too often we hear from Black nonprofit and DEI leaders that the unhealed

says it “strives to create an environment that reflects the diversity of our partner communities and in which everyone can show up and feel brave, supported, and valued for the contributions they make to this organization.”

The company, Harvey added, celebrates “the richness, complexity, differences, ethnicity, gender identity, nationality, race, religion, sexuality, socio-

emotional labor of their work leads to negative and unproductive outcomes, with many living in a persistent state of exhaustion. How do we expect to continue forward this way? In our current standard of persisting without self-care in a communal context, we are only draining our spirits and inhibiting our full potential. Liberation begins with disrupting the dominant culture of unwellness.

A sustainable movement must hold space for people to replenish, heal, and unlearn the internalized racism instilled through the perpetuation of white supremacy and systemic oppression. This

economic status and other identities and/or lived experiences” of its partner agencies.

“We remind ourselves every day that food itself is an essential driver of positive change, especially in schools,” The website states.

In an interview with the nonprofit, “Food City, Serving Our Communities” earlier this year, Harvey expanded on the theme of

self-reflective work is transformational. We have seen participants of the Institute become clearer in their identity, stronger in their convictions, and refueled with a strong sense of confidence and purpose.

As we disentangle ourselves from what we have been taught and believe about ourselves, there is always a next step. The Institute itself was born out of a vision created and refined over the course of a 30-year long, and still ongoing, healing journey. This work knows no age, and Institute participants have ranged from 25 to 83 years old. Wherever you are on this road there is space for you.

Get Cer tified DBE/ACDBE

St. Louis Lambert International Airport Business Diversity Development (BDD) Office administers the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) Programs in accordance with 49 CFR Part 26 and Part 23.

If you are seeking certification within the DBE and ACDBE Programs, please submit your application to BDD at https://flystl.diversitycompliance.com/.

If you are currently certified as a DBE and/or ACDBE, submit your annual No Change Affidavit and supporting documentation to BDD on or before your anniversary date at https://flystl.diversitycompliance.com/.

If you are performing work in additional NAICS codes related to your DBE or ACDBE certification, submit your DBE/ACDBE NAICS Expansion application to BDD for processing at https://flystl.diversitycompliance.com/.

If you have questions regarding federal certification, contact BDD at 314.426.8111.

Dr. Robert S. Harvey FoodCorps president, calls the non-profit “a social justice organization. Its staff completes “anti-oppression training programs” to enhance its commitment to undoing racism and classism.

ing in terms of their health and their sense of belonging when they engage with food and the food industry here in St. Louis? That’s what matters most to us.”

Harvey said he and FoodCorps envisions a world “where young people, namely Black and Brown ones, reclaim the work traditions of food, land, and justice that informed so much of our ancestral history.”

diversity, equity and inclusion regionally.

“My highest hope and vision for our region is one of access,” Harvey said.

“How do we ensure that more folk-folk, who don’t look like the people at the top of that chain, are able to participate in the entirety of the process and ultimately have a life that is not just nourishing but a life that is economically viable - a life that is thriv-

We have seen how building a safe space gives our participants the room to be vulnerable and face the hardest parts of their lives. In building the Institute, it is our aspiration that each participant will carry the lessons learned forward into their own lives, work, and communities. We hope that their own transformation will allow them to guide others in healing and unlearning. This ripple effect will be immeasurable in creating a sustainable movement towards justice throughout generations.

It is time to recognize that we cannot catalyze this change without first

Accomplishing that goal, Harvey said, means “we must re-dignify the meaningfulness of manual labor, resource postsecondary readiness and non-college pathways, and lastly, reframe the ways we talk about food from a clinical-centering to a values-centering.

“In effect, we must ensure that our kids can see careers in food and farming as pathways fueled by dignity where they can thrive for themselves and for their families and their futures.”

Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.

breaking free from what holds us back from realizing our greatness. We can be both relentless in our pursuit to leave the world better for generations to come, and give ourselves grace and space to mend our hearts, minds, and bodies. Healing that begins from within will lead us to well and powerful leaders who will revolutionize the relationship between systems and people. The Institute is cause for celebration.

Rev. Bethany JohnsonJavois is Deaconess Foundation president and CEO. Rudy Nickens is the director for the Institute for Black Liberation at the Deaconess Foundation.

Photo courtesy of FoodCorps

n “America is not the whole

– Gabby Williams on archaic WNBA rules concerning international competition

An exciting season of high school football will get underway this weekend in the St. Louis metro area. As we embark on a highly anticipated new season which will thrill fans and launch future collegiate careers, here is a look at some top players to watch.

Charles Bass (East St. Louis): A 6’2” 190-pound defensive back who has already committed to Mizzou. He had 78 tackles and one interception as a junior last season.

Preston Brown (Hillsboro): A senior quarterback who passed for 2,334 yards and 34 touchdowns in leading the Hawks to their first ever berth in the Show-Me Bowl last season.

Carson Boyd (Cardinal Ritter): A senior quarterback who passed for 2,224 yards and 29 touchdowns for the Class 5 state champions last season.

Dillon Duff (DeSmet): The 6’3” senior dual-threat quarterback returns after passing for 1,863 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He has committed to Kansas State.

Dierre Hill (Althoff): The talented senior running back rushed for 1,788 yards and scored 28 touchdowns last season. He has

prEp Football NotEbook

By Earl Austin Jr.

It’s time for some football fun, folks

2023. Miller returns for his senior season with the Lions in 2024.

committed to Oregon.

Iose Epenesa (Edwardsville): A 6’4” 235-pound defensive end who had six quarterback sacks last season. He is an Iowa commit.

Dakarri Hollis (Parkway North): A senior quarterback who passed for 2,933 yards and 34 touchdowns last season

while playing at Lutheran North.

Daeden Hopkins (Hermann): A 6’6” 210pound senior tight end who caught 50 passes for 691 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. He has committed to Mizzou.

Jason King (DeSmet): A 6’1” 210-pound senior linebacker who had 90

tackles, four sacks and one interception last season. He is a Mizzou commit.

Dejarrian Miller (Cardinal Ritter): A 6’3” 190-pound senior wide receiver who caught 66 passes for 1,361 yards and 24 touchdowns for the Class 5 state champions.

Mekhi Mixon (East St. Louis): A senior line-

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

backer who had 69 tackles, one interception and one sack last season. He is an Illinois commit.

Landon Pace (SLUH): The 6’4” 230-pound senior tight end caught 29 passes for 425 yards and five touchdowns last season. He is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Orlando Pace.

Jamarion Parker (Cardinal Ritter): A 6’0” 185-pound senior running back who rushed for 1,644 yards and 28 touchdowns for the Class 5 state champions.

Corey Simms (CBC): The 6’2” 195-pound senior wide receiver caught 79 passes for 1,049 yards last season. He has already committed to USC.

Featured Top Week 1 Matchups

Thursday Eureka at Francis Howell, 7 p.m. Fort Zumwalt West at Kirkwood, 7 p.m. Ladue at Troy, 7 p.m.

Friday SLUH at St. Ignatius, 6 p.m. Hickman at Marquette, 6:30 p.m. Lafayette at Parkway North, 7 p.m. Lutheran North at Phoenix City (AL), 7 p.m. University City at John Burroughs, 7 p.m. St. Charles West at St. Dominic, 7 p.m. MICDS at Hillsboro, 7 p.m. Sacred Heart Griffin at CBC, 7 p.m. Holt at Timberland, 7 p.m. Jackson at Cardinal Ritter, 7 p.m. Lift for Life at Duchesne, 7 p.m.

Saturday Creighton Prep (NE) at DeSmet, 1 p.m. East St. Louis vs. Loyola Academy at Illinois State U., 7 p.m.

Fantasy is reality in the world today

My “League of Deez” annual NFL fantasy football draft was challenging on Sunday night. Of the 10 teams in the league, the “ALVIN Arthur’s” were randomly assigned the 10th overall pick. In using a “snake draft,” my first selection was the final pick up the first round, and my second selection (No. 11 overall) was the first pick of the second round. This trend continued throughout the draft. I used the cumbersome situation to my advantage, and it allowed me to make a steal that should pay postseason dividends – barring injuries, of course. Pick 10: A.J Brown, WR Philadelphia Eagles; Pick 11: Garrett Wilson WR N.Y. Jets Two of the NFL’s best wide receivers, both rated highly by fantasy scouts, were there so I took them. If Jets QB Aaron Rodgers gets hurt again, I’m not happy.

will lean more on its running game and Cook will benefit. Yes, I snagged McBride a round early. But I wanted him, you’ll find out why shortly.

Pick 50: WR Deebo Samuel, S.F. 49ers; Pick 51: QB Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals With WR Brandon Aiyuk holding out – and possibly being traded - the stage is set for a huge year from Samuel. Murray was the steal of the draft night. Pairing him with his tight end McBride is ready-made weekly double-digit scoring.

Pick 70: RB Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders; Pick 71: RB David Montgomery, Detroit Lions

It was time to complete my running back-room starters. One will be a possible ‘flex’ player each week, depending on their team’s opponent.

Pick 30: RB James Cook, Buffalo Bills; Pick 31: TE Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

With WR Stefon Diggs now in Houston, Buffalo

Pick 90: RB Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders; Pick 91: Defense Detroit Lions

You can never have enough talented running backs because of injuries. Robinson was a gift this late in the draft. The Lions

spent 2024 NFL draft capital on defense and should force more turnovers in 2024. Pick 110: WR Jordan Addison, Minnesota

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers Addison, a promising young receiver, is facing a suspension for an offsea-

son DWI, but I can weather the storm. Love could start most games if Murray is an early season bust. Plus, I think my son-inlaw, a Packers fan, wanted him later in the draft.

Pick 130: K Ka’imi Fairbairn, Houston Texans; Pick 131: Defense Chicago Bears Fairbairn is quite dependable and will play most games in domed stadiums. I will pick up a kicker on waivers when it is his bye week. The Bears defense should never have been at this stage. A gift pick.

Pick 150: RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints; Pick 151: WR Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos Miller is Alvin Kamara’s backup with the Saints, but Kamara isn’t happy with his contract and injury prone. Bo Nix will start as a rookie QB for Denver and his favorite target in practice is Jeudy. We’ll see where that takes me. My Week 1 starters, barring a player injury, arrest or whatever, will be QB: Murray; RB: Cook; RB: White; WR: Brown; WR: Wilson; TE: McBride; Flex: Samuel; Defense: Chicago; K: Fairbairn.

A couple of post-draft notes, for you. I really wanted St. Louis native Kyren Williams, L.A. Rams running back, but he was long gone by the 10th pick of draft. I’ve drafted St. Louisan Jameson Williams, Detroit wide receiver, the past two years. Between injuries and a gambling suspension, Williams has proven to be unreliable. He was available late in the draft, but I passed.

The Reid Roundup

Several members of the 1980s “Showtime” L.A. Lakers were honored before a Dodgers game over the weekend and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was exuberant. He gleefully greeted Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Mychal Thompson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, and other Lakers and insisted that a group photo be taken…Chris Collinsworth, a former NFL All-Pro receiver and NBC current broadcaster said Washington Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels “is going to be a superstar in this league.”

Vikings; Pick 111: QB

Earl Austin Jr.

Alvin A. Reid

Cardinal Ritter wide receiver Dejarrian Miller (5) dashed for yardage after a reception in the Class 5 football state semifinal at Cardinal Ritter Saturday, Nov. 25,

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo by Caitlyn Epes / Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is a key to the ALVIN Arthur’s 2024 season.

Harris-Stowe State University celebrated the reopening of its renovated AT&T Library and Technology Resource Center on Monday, August 19, 2024 with a ribbon cutting. From left are Dr. Regina Wade-Johnson, director of the Academic Resource Center, Dr. Candice Virgil, director of library science, Christine Chadwick, Board of Regent member, HSSU President LaTonia Collins Smith and Dr. Dimetri Horner, provost & VP of academic affairs and Dr. Stacy Gee Hollins, interim associate provost of academic affairs and Anheuser-Busch School of Business dean.

Harris-Stowe’s renovated AT&T Library and Tech Center opens

Harris-Stowe State University celebrated the reopening of its renovated AT&T Library and Technology Resource Center on Monday, August 19, 2024. The project transformed the facility into a modern hub for academic and professional growth, providing state-of-the-art resources for students, faculty, and staff.

Dr. Dimetri Horner,

On Monday, September 9, 2024 Metro Transit will make schedule route adjustments to several MetroBus routes as part of the quarterly service change. There are no changes to MetroLink or Metro Call-A-Ride service.

provost and vice president of academic affairs, said, “This new building provides our community with cutting-edge resources for learning and research.”

Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith, HSSU president hailed the fact that students now have access to over 29,000 hard copy books, 7,000 e-books, and “countless digital resources. She added that the library’s membership

in the Mobius Library Consortium connects students to over 30 million items from libraries across five states.

“It’s been a long time coming. It’s a great day to be a Hornet,” she said.

[“The library] will continue to serve as a beacon of knowledge and inspiration for generations to come.”

The library houses several facilities including

the Academic Resource Center, the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Americans with Disabilities Act office, a computer lab, a commuter lounge, and the HSSU Honors College.

Study rooms, meeting spaces, and flex rooms are designed to accommodate diverse learning styles and collaborative projects.

Recognized for their support of the project were

Dr. Stacy Gee Hollins, interim associate provost and Anheuser-Busch School of Business dean; Dr. Candice Virgil, director of Library Science; and Dr. Neidra Butler, director of Title III & financial compliance officer.

Navigate Construction and United Construction were construction partners on the renovation.

Dr. Regina WadeJohnson, Academic

Metro Transit announces bus route adjustments

The changes scheduled to go into effect on September 9 include:

• #4 Natural Bridge - Changing time of first morning trip for better connections to the #34 Earth City route at North Hanley Transit Center • #8 Shaw-Cherokee -

Changing route timepoint from Jefferson & Meramec to Jefferson & Chippewa

• #73 CarondeletAdding an early morning northbound trip on weekdays to Civic Center Transit Center • #95 Kingshighway -

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Hall 500 North Vandeventer Ave St. Louis, MO 63108

Saturday, September 21, 2024 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), scan the QR code above, or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter: SickleCell to schedule an appointment

All presenting donors will receive a $15 e -gift card, and a $20 Amazon gift card

Adding a morning northbound trip on weekdays; changing times for three early morning trips to improve on-time performance

• #97 DelmarRouting change due to the VA Hospital closure of Enright

Resource Center director said “This modernized space will allow us to offer more comprehensive services and assist in collaborative studies.

“Our team is committed to making this library a dynamic hub for innovation, collaboration, and academic growth. We can’t wait for you to explore all that this renewed space has to offer,” said Virgil.

Details on the September 9 quarterly service change, including new schedules and route maps, can be found on the Upcoming Schedule Changes page of the Metro Transit website at MetroStLouis.org/ ServiceChange. Transit

Image courtesy of Harris-Stowe State University

Living It

“I do not want to be racially discriminated against anymore at these airports.”

- Comedian Eric André after alleged racial profiling at Melbourne, Australia airport.

Legendary

n Legend is gearing up to return as a megastar for a special performance with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra on one of the city’s most iconic stages.

John Legend joins SLSO at the Muny on Sept. 7

By Kenya Vaughn The St. Louis American

In March of 2005, the featured artist for Alicia Keys’ “Diary” Tour at The Fox was a relatively unknown R&B singer/ songwriter with the audacity to call himself John Legend. The moment he opened his mouth and his hands danced across the piano, my first thoughts were “He’s not a legend yet, but he’s about to be one,” and “He will not have this job for very long…not very long at all.”

Nearly 20 years after he introduced himself to St. Louis audiences by stealing that show, Legend is gearing up to return

Festival of Nations shares its international flair

John

town on Saturday, September 7, for a one-night only performance entitled ‘John Legend: A Night of Songs and Stories with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.’

as a megastar for a special performance with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra on one of the city’s most iconic stages. “Been a minute since I was in St. Louis,” Legend said via Instagram. “Looking forward to being back alongside the St. Louis Symphony at The Muny.” “John Legend: A Night of Songs and Stories with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra” will take place at 8pm on Saturday, September 7. “

His performance with SLSO will mark the first live concert on the Muny stage in more than 30 years. Some of the biggest names in music have graced the Muny stage – including Whitney Houston, Patti

LaBelle, Barry Manilow, Bob Dylan and the Allman Brothers. The last live concert to play the Muny was The Moody Blues and Kansas, who played in August of 1991.

“We have been eager but deliberate in recent years about finding the right opportunity to bring live concerts back to The Muny,” said Muny President & CEO Kwofe Coleman. “And the alignment of John Legend with one of the best orchestras in the world feels like the perfect opening for this next chapter.”

Though Legend has been back to St. Louis plenty of times since that fateful show in 2005, his upcoming Muny per-

formance with SLSO has the feel of a full circle moment. He had a moderate radio hit with his single “Used to Love U” when he set the stage on fire instead of warming it up for Keys. He also had a debut studio album co-signed by then hip-hop “it boy” Kanye West – who was Legend’s manager at the time. “Get Lifted” belongs in the conversation of the best R&B/Soul debut albums, especially when one considers the period of the album’s release. Legend emerged at a peculiar time for R&B music. It was right at the crossroads of when “neo soul” gave way to the dance/club banger era that hit mainstream popular music like a sledgehammer –thanks to stars like Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Rihanna and, of course, Beyonce. So many talented artists were lost in that transition period, but two weeks after Legend played the Fox in 2005 his album’s second single “Ordinary People” was released. The song sent Legend into the stratosphere and served as a reminder that masterful, relatable songwriting can transcend trends and genres. The song allowed Legend to receive the attention he deserved. Ironically the spotlight on the song overshadowed the genius of the album in its entirety. Even still “Get Lifted” earned Legend three Grammy Awards in 2006. There was the highly coveted “Best New Artist,” as well as “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance” and “Best R&B Album.” When he returned to The Fox in 2009 as a headliner, he had doubled his Grammy count – including a back-to-back “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance” win. “As someone who loves all types of music, I don’t feel like staying in the same place,” Legend told The American ahead of the St. Louis stop of his “Evolver” tour. “I’m a person who likes to explore – it feels fun and exciting to grow with each album.” Legend grew beyond music to become a successful producer of film, television, theater and publishing through Get Lifted Film Co. The 2016 WGN Network historical drama “Underground” and the acclaimed one-man show “Turn Me

‘We Shall Not Be Moved’

New play by Kathleen Gamble details legacy of Jefferson Bank Protests

By Marissane Lewis-Thompson Of St. Louis Public Radio

Kathleen Gamble was 5 years old when a group of protesters went down to Jefferson Bank and Trust Co. in St. Louis on Aug. 30, 1963, with a resounding demand: Hire more Black bank tellers.

The bank had been a staple for Black patrons in the nearby Pruitt-Igoe public housing complex and communities. It had employed Black workers, including two tellers, a custodian and a messenger.

performs as

‘We

By Devored A. Horton

St. Louis American

The Festival of Nations, recognized as the largest multicultural event in the region, returned to Tower Grove Park on the steamy weekend of Aug. 24-25, with a full slate of performers, food, and retail vendors representing more than 80 countries.

More than 100,000 people visited Tower Grove to taste international

See Festival, C2

“When they moved south [of Delmar] two blocks, somehow those two tellers were dismissed, laid off, fired, however you want to put it,” Gamble said. “That was the problem. That all of a sudden now we weren’t qualified. No Negro was qualified in the city of St. Louis, the president of the bank said.”

Gamble doesn’t have strong memories tied to the demonstrations, but she does remember one of the men who led the protests — future congressman

William Lacy Clay Sr. In fact, his book “The Jefferson Bank Confrontation: The Struggle for Civil Rights in St. Louis” partially inspired her new play, “We Shall Not Be Moved: The Jefferson Bank Protest.” The play will run Friday, Aug. 30 – Sun., Sept. 1 at Pilgrim Congregational Church.

“I got in contact with former con-

gressman Bill Clay,” Gamble said. “I was geeking out because he was such a big hero when I was a little girl. I never thought I’d ever get to talk to him. He came to St. Louis, and I even interviewed him. He remembers everything. I mean, sharp as a tack.”

The Jefferson Bank Protests sparked changes that paved the way for St. Louis’ civil rights movement. Demands for other major corporations to hire more Black employees beyond custodial positions echoed throughout St. Louis.

Produced by A Call To Conscience — An Interactive Theatre For Social Change

with artistic direction by Fannie Belle Lebby, the play sets the stage for how St. Louis was lagging behind as calls for racial equality grew nationally during the Civil Rights Movement. Gamble said the city had once been called a mecca for Black people by former St. Louis Mayor Raymond Tucker because it was relatively free of the racially motivated crimes that plagued other cities. It’s something Gamble remembers well. “There were stores we still couldn’t

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Legend during the St. Louis stop of his ‘Darkness and Light’ Tour at the Fox Theatre back in 2017. He will return to

Photo by Sophie Proe/St. Louis Public Radio

Michele Hayes Wilson

Sister Karen, Terell Randall as

Norman Seay and Michelle Hamilton as Evelyn Roberts while rehearsing

Shall Not be Moved: The Jefferson Bank Protest’ last week at Gibson Heights Presbyterian Church in St. Louis’ Forest Park Southeast neighborhood.

Photo by Taylor Marrie | St. Louis American Brooklyn Saint performing at performing at the Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park on Sunday, August 25th, 2024.

St. Louis American Calendar

STL Sites & Sounds

CONCERTS AND LIVE SHOWS

Hamilton

8/30/2024 7:30 p.m.

8/31/2024 2:00 p.m.

8/31/2024 8:00 p.m.

9/1/2024 1:00 p.m.

9/1/2024 7:30 p.m.

9/3/2024 7:30 p.m.

9/4/2024 7:30 p.m.

9/5/2024 7:30 p.m.

HAMILTON is the saga that follows the rise of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honor, love, and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation. Based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and set to a score that blends hiphop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education.

The Fabulous Fox 527 N Grand Blvd St. Louis, MO $39-$249

UniverSoul Circus

8/30/2024 7:00 p.m.

8/31/2024 12:00 p.m.

9/1/2024 12:00 p.m.

9/1/2024 3:00 p.m.

9/1/2024 6:30 p.m.

9/2/2024 12:00 p.m.

9/2/2024 4:00 p.m.

The Dome At Americas Center 1111 N. Broadway St. Louis, MO

$27.50 - $53.00

NIGHTLIFE

Hip Hop Block Party

8/30/2024 5:00 p.m.

Celebrate the legacy of hip hop, featuring live entertainment from DJ vThom and emcee Dsmoo-

Festival

Continued from C1

cuisine, gather knowledge from community information booths and workshops, and enjoy live entertainment with music from around the globe.

This year the festival also

vee, food trucks, the Bubble Bus, a graffiti wall, games and more in Bangert Park.

St. Louis County Library - Florissant Valley Branch 195 New Florissant Rd., S. Florissant, MO

Free

FAIRS FESTIVALS

Tower Grove Farmers’ Market

9/3/2024 4:00 p.m.

Tower Grove Park 4257 Northeast Drive St. Louis, MO

ART ACTIVITIES, EXHIBITS AND MUSEUMS

Drop-in Collection Tour: The World’s Fair and the Olympics

8/30/2024 1:00 p.m.

As local celebrations commemorate the 120th anniversary of the 1904 World’s Fair and Olympics in St. Louis.

Saint Louis Art Museum

1 Fine Arts Dr. St. Louis, MO

Author Talk: This Day in St. Louis History

8/31/2024 1:00 p.m.

Joe Sonderman, author of This Day in St. Louis History: The Famous, Infamous, and Everything in Between, on Saturday, August x at 1:00 pm.

In his new book, Sonderman takes a day-to-day approach to St. Louis’s colorful history, tackling everything from the city’s most well-known triumphs and tragedies to the lesser-known tales behind everyday life.

Archiving African American History and Culture: SIUE Hosts Smithsonian’s Com-

featured an International Fashion Show, showcasing diverse designers from the St. Louis region and beyond.

“We have lived in the neighborhood for over 10 years, and we come pretty much every year,” said Nathan Russell, who braved a heat indeed over 100 degrees.

Russell noted that the arts & crafts section was blended with

Come celebrate twenty young African American

leaders who are doing amazing things in the community, Thursday, Aug. 29, at The Four Seasons Hotel. This a St. Louis American Foundation production and tickets are $65. For more information, go to Stlamerican.com

munity Curation 2024

9/5/2024 5:00pm

SIUE’s Dunham Hall Theater

50 Hairpin Dr, Edwardsville, IL 62026 Free

A Walk Through History Tour

9/4/2024 10:00 a.m.

History of the central corridor of the Park. Participants will be introduced to Henry Shaw and his vision for the Park, historic public landscapes and architecture, and anecdotes.

Tower Grove Park

4257 Northeast Drive St. Louis, MO

The 31st Art Fair - Clayton, Missouri

9/6/2024, 5-10 p.m.

9/7/2024, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

9/8/2024, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Held in the streets of downtown

Clayton Sept. 6-8, 2024,

The Saint Louis Art Fair is a nationally juried fine art and fine craft show consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top fairs of its kind. For more information, go to https://www.saintlouisart-

the festival’s food area which he called an improvement.

Justin Christian said, “the food has been great, the talent has been great.”

“The food [here], you can’t find anywhere else. There are different cultural backgrounds you don’t see every day as well.”

There were also some first timers at the Festival of Nations including Avi Nazzeo, who

fair.com/

Digitization and Curation of African American History 9/14/24 6:00 p.m.

The Smithsonian’s Center Museum will collaborate with community partners in St. Louis and East St. Louis to create engaging programs.

Phyllis Wheatley Heritage Center 2711 Locust St, St. Louis, MO 63103 Free

COMMUNITY

2024 Salute to Young Leaders Networking Awards Reception 8/29/2024, 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. Honoring outstanding African Americans under the age of 40 for their career achievements and community service

The St. Louis American Foundation Four Seasons Hotel 999 N. 2nd Street St. Louis, MO For more information, go to stlamerican.com $65

shared he has an Italian, Sicilian, and Jewish background.

“This is my first time being here and so far, it has been really cool. I can definitely see myself come to something like this every year,” said Nazzeo.

Mark Hopper and his family also came away with a positive experience.

“We’ve been really enjoying the weather today, the food has

State of Missouri Voter Registration Drive

8/31/2024 9:00 a.m.

Singles in the Lou will host a Voter Registration Drive for Missouri Residents on Saturday, August 31st from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm at Saints of God Missionary Baptist Church, 8610 Latty Avenue in Hazelwood, Missouri. Saints of God Missionary Baptist Church - Rear Parking Lot 8610 Latty Avenue Hazelwood, MO Free

International Overdose Awareness Day (Resources and Narcan will be available) 8/31/2024 9:00 a.m. - Gather

8/31/2024 10:00 a.m. -Tribute to Live Lost followed by a March International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died from overdose, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. The IOAD 2024 theme is “Together We Can” and emphasizes the power of community and collective action in combating overdose. Concordia Lutheran Church, 505 S. Kirkwood Road St. Louis, MO 63122 For more information, go to Healstopheroin.org Free

Brownpreneurs Entrepreneurship

Academy (BEA)

8/31/2024 11:00 a.m.

Networking, and learning Interactive workshops, hear from successful entrepreneurs, and hands-on activities St. Louis Community CollegeForest Park 5600 Oakland Ave. St. Louis, MO Free

been great, we are just amazed by how many vendors are here, and how many countries are represented,” Hopper said.

Dan Martino has been attending this event for a decade and puts it atop the list.

“My family and I do about 12 to 14 festivals every year and this is my favorite one,” Martino said.

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission

Summer’s Finale

By Barry Draper

St. Louis makes it easy – and fun – to soak up the last days of summer. Before sweater weather hits, peruse curated art fairs, feast at culinary festivals, groove to live music, marvel at illuminated balloons and more. Find more festivals and events to add to your calendar at explorestlouis.com.

Saint Louis Art Fair

September 6 to 8

An explosion of color in the streets of Clayton, the Saint Louis Art Fair attracts a variety of high-quality artists and enthusiastic art lovers – plus, some of St. Louis’ best restaurants to keep everyone energized. Whether you’re looking for a piece of fine art to fill your home or a fun-filled day in the sun, don’t miss this three-day event.

Balloon Glowdeo

September 13 and 14

Balloons, bulls and barrels come together for Brookdale Farms’ Balloon Glowdeo. Witness an exhilarating rodeo followed by a magical balloon glow at this special event in Eureka. Before the hot air balloons light up the night, visit with farm animals, bounce around inflatable playgrounds, grab a bite to eat and enjoy a live outdoor concert. After the glow, you’ll also be treated to a beautiful firework display.

The Taste of Black St. Louis

September 13 to 15

As the largest Black-owned food festival in the Midwest, The Taste of Black St. Louis celebrates vibrant Black-owned restaurants, food trucks, marketplaces and nonprofits in the St. Louis region. Experience their delicious dishes and gourmet goods among community members in Memorial Plaza.

Music at the Intersection September 14 and 15 Music and heritage meet in Grand Center during Music at the Intersection, which Skiddle named one of the seven best funk and soul music festivals in 2024. This year, headliners include psychedelic soul band Black Pumas; 10-time Grammy Award-winning queen of funk Chaka Khan; rapper Big Boi of Outkast; New Orleans trombonist and trumpeter Trombone Shorty; funk group Lettuce; two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Samara Joy; and St. Louis rapper Chingy. The festival will also feature Ferguson-born trumpeter Keyon Harrold in a new role as artist-in-residence.

St. Louis Renaissance Festival

September 14 to October 27

Armored jousting, aerial acts, lively music, fine foods, vintage wares, friends new and old and plenty of cheer make up the St. Louis Renaissance Festival. Come and find what strikes you merry! The festival will take place on Saturdays and

Sundays from Sept. 14 to Oct. 27, as well as Mon., Oct. 14, and festivities will proceed, rain or shine.

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Forest Park Concert

September 19

At this annual concert in Forest Park, you can experience the sounds of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra under the stars. Find a spot on Art Hill; then, sit back and enjoy the music, from classical tunes to modern scores. The event also includes fare from local food trucks for purchase and a stunning firework show.

Blues & Brews

September 20

Held at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Blues & Brews is an outdoor street party featuring appearances by St. Louis Blues players and alumni, food trucks, cold beers, yard games and live music. To strengthen the connection between music and hockey, Blues & Brews will feature performances by country music star Matt Stell and the St. Louis-based Charles Glenn Group this year.

The Great Forest Park Balloon Glow and Race

September 20 and 21

One of St. Louis’ most idyllic events, The Great Forest Park Balloon Glow and Race features food trucks, live music, wagon rides, a firework show and more free family fun!

Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival

September 21

Offering nonstop jazz and blues on two stages, the Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival showcases St. Louis’ most talented performers – plus, renowned area restaurants. Street entertainers also amuse spectators with balloons, juggling and face-painting. Join the party as people from one to 100 dance in the streets!

Evolution Festival

September 28 and 29

In its second year, Evolution Festival will once again shake things up in Forest Park. The genre-bending music festival features live music infused with a bold beverage experience – plus, food that spotlights traditional recipes as well as cutting-edge trends from some of the most recognizable pitmasters in the Show-Me State. In 2024, top musical acts will include The Killers, Beck, Jane’s Addiction, Billy Idol, Nile Rodgers and Elle King.

Tower Grove Pride

September 28 and 29

Bringing a rainbow of colors to Tower Grove Park, this community-powered Pride festival features the People’s Joy Parade, outdoor story time, arts and crafts and live music on two separate stages. Tower Grove Pride aims to support and promote social justice for every disadvantaged and undervalued community.

Twilight Thursdays at the Missouri History Museum

By the Missouri Historical Society Summer is over, school is back in session, and it’s time once again for Twilight Thursdays at the Missouri History Museum! This popular, free outdoor concert series takes place on the Museum’s renovated North Plaza and brings a lineup of spectacular shows from local musicians and bands. The Museum’s galleries— including The 1904 World’s Fair and Gateway to Pride—will be open until 8pm, and some of the area’s best food trucks will be on hand. Concerts take place from 6 to 8pm on September 5, 19, and 26.

September 5 will feature a special edition of Twilight Thursdays in collaboration with the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, produced by founder Dr. Monica Butler. Guest performances will include Jeremy and LaToya, Choraleers of St. Louis Youth and Young Adult Choir, Jewell & Converted, and Jesse D. Williams & Total Praise. Ahead of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame 2024 induction ceremony on September 7, enjoy an evening of spiritual excellence and tributes to the music of inductees past and present. Scheduled food trucks include Bougie Bites, the Crooked Boot, Farmtruk, Food Bucket, the Frozen Feather, the Key Bistro, PengWingy Grill, and Wing and a Prayer.

On September 12, Smokin Lion Band will perform “The Music of Bob Marley,” with lead vocals by Kwame KinDread and music directed by Eric Brown Marley grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, amid oppression, poverty, and racism— themes that would echo throughout his powerful music in songs including “I Shot the Sheriff” and “Them Belly Full (but We Hungry).” But his voice could also be a call to action (“Get Up, Stand Up”), an instrument of comfort (“No Woman, No Cry”), and a cause for hope (“Three Little Birds”). Marley brought reggae and political awareness to audiences across the globe, and his music and messages continue to resonate decades after his death: TIME magazine named Marley’s 1977 album Exodus the album of the century, and he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Scheduled food trucks include Chillax, Doughboys Wood Fired Pizza, Homestyle Grill, the Key Bistro, SNS Goodies, Street Dogz, Dulce Pop, and Zacchi.

“Ohio Players Anthology” is the theme for September 26, with horn arrangements by Jason Swagler and music directed by Terry Coleman. The Ohio

Legendary

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The Twilight Thursdays series is presented by WashU.

Players gained notoriety in 1973 with their first #1 Billboard R&B hit, “Funky Worm,” and songs like “Fire,” “Love Rollercoaster” and “Skin Tight” propelled them to stardom. One of the most popular funk bands of all time, the Ohio Players were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in 2013, and their songs and sound can still be heard in TV commercials and soundtracks. Food and beverages from Antojitos de Guatemala, Dutchess Rose Royal Street Food, I’m Thirsty STL, Jaaise Grub, the Key Bistro, Pure Catering STL, Salt + Smoke, and Soul Burgers food trucks will be available for purchase. All concerts begin at 6pm. Plan to arrive early to explore the Museum’s exhibits and to save a spot on the North Lawn at Lindell Boulevard. Blankets, lawn chairs, tables smaller than 3 by 3 feet, and well-behaved dogs on leashes are permitted. Tents, large umbrellas, and barbecue grills are prohibited. Pack a picnic basket or small cooler with snacks, soft drinks, water bottles, and alcoholic beverages (no glass bottles, please), or save time and support a local small business by visiting one of the many food trucks that will be available each week. (Food truck schedules are subject to change.)

Parking is available within Forest Park and on Lindell Boulevard. The Museum’s west lot is available on a first-come, firstserved basis and is partially reserved for accessible parking. In addition, there are 400 parking spots in the twin lots across from the Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center and alongside the Dwight Davis Tennis Center. Nearby public transit stops provide additional options. In the event of inclement weather, call the Twilight Thursdays Information Hotline at (314) 454-3199 after 2pm or listen to iHeartMedia radio stations.

Award winner – and one of the youngest artists to do so. Legend is also an accomplished actor and a coach on NBC’s “The Voice.”

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change clothes in when we wanted to go shopping,” Gamble said. “We couldn’t go to certain restaurants. There are a lot of things that might not have been openly said but [were] quietly understood.” The protests were sparked after members of the St. Louis Congress [formerly Committee] of Racial Equality sent a letter to the bank demanding it hire four Black bank tellers at its new location, a request that was promptly denied. Instead, the bank hit CORE with a restraining order, which included the names of some CORE members in order to make examples of them.

But the group refused to back down. Protesters blocked the entrance to the bank and staged sit-ins filled with chants and freedom songs. Gamble was intentional about naming the play and including the song “We Shall Not Be Moved.”

“They would lay down on the ground or they sat inside the bank, and they weren’t going anyplace,”

Gamble said. “They meant that. We will not be moved. We’re going to be like that tree by the water that has those deep roots. We’re not going anywhere. You may want to get rid of us, but we’re not going anywhere.”

The protests lasted seven months and resulted in a number of arrests and a slew of fines. By March 1964, the bank relented and hired four Black tellers.

The play also focuses on the complex dynamics of the Gordon family. The father, who is a pastor, does not want his wife and son involved in the protests. There’s an emotional scene when he sees them on TV protesting despite his pleas. In that vulnerable moment, the father reveals he’s hesitant to join the front lines after nearly losing his life in the Deep South arguing with a white grocery store clerk.

The fear of stepping out onto the front lines was not uncommon, Gamble said. At the time, pastors, and even the local chapter of the NAACP, were not in favor of the demonstrations.

“I’m a minister myself,” Gamble said. “I can kind of put myself in a position

of, ‘I have to protect my church, I have to protect my people, but I want to do what’s right.’ So I wanted to show the arc in his character of becoming fearful to becoming brave.”

It’s been 61 years since the protests, and each year, a mixed group of original protesters and new people want to join in to commemorate the anniversary of change. This year was bittersweet.

“I found out just this year that this is their last year they’re going to have this commemorative ceremony,” Gamble said. “That’s ending, maybe the play will keep people thinking about it.”

“We Shall Not Be Moved: The Jefferson Bank Protest” will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday (Aug. 30 – Sept. 1) at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 826 N. Union, St. Louis, MO 63108. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door.

This article was published with permission from https://www.stlpr.org/ as part of a content sharing partnership between The St. Louis American and St. Louis Public Radio.

Loose” that starred Joe Morton that highlighted the life and legacy of comedian, activist and St. Louisan Dick Gregory. Get Lifted co-produced the Broadway revival of August Wilson’s “Jitney,” and when the play took home the “Best Revival of a Play” Tony Award in 2018, Legend became the first Black man to achieve EGOT status –an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony

When he takes the stage in two Saturdays with the St. Louis Symphony, he will be performing from an expansive catalog of greatest hits – as well as selections from his eighth studio album entitled “Legend.”

“We are thrilled to partner with The Muny and John Legend for this truly not-to-be-missed performance,” said St. Louis

Symphony Orchestra President and CEO MarieHelene Bernard. “This concert highlights the best St. Louis has to offer – the remarkable talents of our musicians and one of the most celebrated musical theatre stages in the country.”

John Legend: A Night of Songs and Stories with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 7 at The Muny in Forest Park. For more information, visit muny. org/johnlegend.

OPPORTUNITY O’FALLON FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

The O’Fallon Fire Protection District is currently seeking qualified applicants to establish a hiring pool for the position of Firefighter/ EMT-P. Application packets can be picked up at the O’Fallon Fire Protection District Administration Office located at 111 Laura K Drive, 2nd Floor, O’Fallon, MO 63366 beginning September 9, 2024 through September 13, 2024 between the hours of at 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. CST. Packets may be obtained electronically by going to our website ofallonfire.org and downloading the application packet beginning September 9, 2024 or by contacting the office at 636-272-3493. Application Packets can be returned beginning September 16, 2024 through September 20, 2024 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Packets can be returned in person or via US Mail. NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED VIA EMAIL.

The O’Fallon Fire Protection District is not responsible for any correspondence or mail that is lost or misdirected, or received after 2:00 p.m. on September 20, 2024.

The O’Fallon Fire Protection District is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Covenant House Missouri is Now Hiring for

The following two (2) positions : CASE MANAGER LEAD YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Covenant House Missouri (CHMO) is a non-for-profit organization that welcomes youth who are runaway, at risk or experiencing homelessness.

CHMO staff is responsible for providing goal-oriented support and individualized direct care and supervision of program youth.

CHMO opportunities can be found on our website: https://covenanthousemo. applicantpro.com/jobs/

We are hiring until positions are filled.

SLDC IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) is eagerly seeking candidates to join our team as we endeavor to bring economic justice to St. Louis City residents and communities that were disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

There are multiple 2-4-year limited term positions available, term of employment will vary for each position.

These positions will assist in the administration and implementation of various Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) Programs targeted for households, small businesses and communities adversely impacted by the pandemic.

All positions will be funded in whole or in part through an allocation of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) from the US Department of the Treasury and the City of St. Louis’ Community Development Administration.

To apply online and see a full job description go to https://www.developstlouis.org/ careers and then click “Open Positions & Apply Online.”

The St. Louis Public Schools Foundation is seeking a full-time Development Operations Coordinator to develop and monitor the implementation of contributions and transactions that support fund initiatives in alignment with our strategy.

To see the full job descriptions go to https://stlpartnership.com/careers/ and scroll to “Available Opportunities.” To apply online, submit resume at https://stlpartnership.aaimtrack.com

Behavior Technician – Full-time Days Pediatrics (Toddlers)

COME PLAY WITH US! Making a difference in the life of a child with special needs and supporting parents is a rewarding opportunity. This is a dynamic new Washington University School of Medicine Pediatric program (Early Strides) supporting Black toddlers (12-36 months) diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Early Strides embeds learning into daily activities and our teaching looks like play which is fun for toddlers. Patience, compassion, creativity and attunement are the recipe for success in providing high-quality teaching. We are seeking several individuals whom have the art of developing quick rapport with children and teaching strategies for highly individualized learning plans, assist with day-to-day play activities, collect and record data on children’s progress, and communicate with parents. The role involves providing 1:1 ABA therapy to children aged 3 years and younger. Prior ABA experience is not required

Our aim is to provide high-quality, high-frequency, interventions to toddlers who may otherwise not have access to this caliber of service. Early Strides uses a combination of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions that are rooted in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to help support children’s learning. This blend embeds learning into activities that are appropriate and fun and our teaching looks like playing. New hires will receive training and will be required to complete Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification within 12 weeks.

Primary responsibilities of this role include providing one-on-one Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy to children aged 3 and younger. Prior ABA experience is not required. The therapy is conducted through play-based activities, with a focus on enhancing relationships and social motivation while building developmental milestones. The role involves teaching specific skills and implementing behavior plans using positive and strength-based strategies based on the principles of ABA. Additionally, responsibilities include data collection, session recording, and communication with caregivers. Daily progress notes are to be documented in the EPIC system. The role also involves supporting positive interactions with parents or guardians.

Required qualifications include a high school diploma or equivalent certification. The ability to complete RBT training and registration within 90 days of employment is necessary. A background in child development, such as being a parent, teacher, or daycare worker, is preferred. Other preferred qualifications include previous experience working with children diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and familiarity with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and its application.

Salary Range is $16.40 - $23.70 / Hourly and benefits include up to 22 days of vacation, 10 holidays, sick time, health insurance with lower copays/ coinsurance, retirement Savings Plan with contributions, tuition assistance and so much more!

Apply online: https://jobs.wustl.edu (job# JR83190)

For a full description of

INVITATION TO BID

The Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit is currently soliciting proposal for CCB Plaster Ceiling Repairs under the direction of the Circuit Court in the Civil Court Building, 10 N. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri 63101;

The Request for Proposal is available on the Court’s website http://www. stlcitycircuitcourt.com, click on General Information, then Request for Proposals.

Proposals must be received no later than 10 a.m. on October 8, 2024.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Requests for Quotes, Bids and Proposals are posted online for public download. Please navigate to www.msdprojectclear.org

> Doing Business With Us > View Bid Opportunities

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

KUDU BARN ROOF REPLACEMENT RFP 2024

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified firms to submit proposals. Bid documents are available as of 8/28/24 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES PROGRAM MANAGEMENT/ CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR THE CONSOLIDATED TERMINAL PROGRAM AT ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. Statements of Qualifications are due by 5:00 PM CT, SEPTEMBER 13, 2024 through the Bid Express online portal at https://www.bidexpress.com/ businesses/20618/home? agency=true. RFQ may be obtained from the BPS website https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/ government/departments/ public-service/, under BPS RFQ and RFP Announcement, or email Board of Public Service at bryanth@stlouis-mo.gov. 25% MBE and 5% WBE goals

NOTICE OF VOID TAX SALE

For 11708 Poggemoeller Ave 63138. There exists an equitable / legal adverse claim to the property. Respond to: PO Box 38036 St. Louis Mo, 63138.

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Install Transfer Switch, Annex Building at Missouri State Highway Patrol General Headquarters, Project No. R2320-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, September 19, 2024 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. Project information available at: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Replace Fire Alarm Systems - Multiple Assets, Western Reception and Diagnostic Correctional Center, Project No. C2325-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 9/26/24. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

INVITATION TO BID

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

A public meeting for the Pennsylvania Avenue Resurfacing Project, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1824, Federal Project No. STBG9901(686) will be held on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Carter Commons Food Hall located at 6746 Page Avenue, St. Louis MO, 63133.

The goal of this meeting is to inform the public and local stakeholders of St. Louis County’s plans to resurface and provide ADA improvements to Pennsylvania Avenue from Route D to Route 180. Additionally, a road diet will be implemented creating one lane in each direction to allow for the extension of bike lanes throughout the corridor.

The public meeting will be co-hosted by MoDOT who will have updated information and plans on Route D (Page Ave) from Pennsylvania Avenue to the Kienlen/Skinker intersection.

The following QR code will link to the in-person meeting information on the St. Louis County Department of Transportation and Public Works website:

RFQ PROFESSIONAL DESIGN SERVICES

The School District of University City is seeking design services for a variety of Proposition U projects. Email DeAna Carter Dcarter@ kwamebuildinggroup.com for more information. Deadline for intent to respond and questions is September 6th at 10am. RFQ response due September 13th, 2024, at 10am.

The Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit is currently soliciting proposals for Window Cleaning for the Civil Courts Building (10 N. Tucker, St. Louis MO. 63101) and the Carnahan Courthouse (1114 Market Street, St. Louis, MO. 63101).

The Request for Proposal is available on the Court’s website http://www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com, click on General Information, then Request for Proposals.

Proposals must be received no later than 10 a.m. on October 1, 2024.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

FOR HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROJECT-BASED PROGRAM FOR THE ST. LOUIS HOUSING AUTHORITY

SOLICITATION NO. HCV 24-01

The St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA) is seeking proposals from property owners for participation in its Housing Choice Voucher Project-Based Program, an initiate which provides project–based subsidy for eligible units through funding received by SLHA from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Solicitation documents will be available on the SLHA website at http://www.slha/for-partners/vendors/ or for pick up in the SLHA’s Housing Choice Voucher Department, 3520 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63106 starting Monday, September 16, 2024 8:00 a.m. (CST)

Offeror’s may also request a solicitation package at (314) 286-4255 or email a request at cmatthews@slha.org.

A pre-proposal conference will be held Thursday, September 26, 2024, 10:00 a.m. (CST) Microsoft Teams

Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 241 284 654 413 Passcode: UzbLE3

Those wishing to submit a proposal in response to this RFP are encouraged to attend. Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. Or call to join the meeting: +1 929-352-2216,,366272125# United States, New York City

Find a local number Phone conference ID: 366 272 125#

Proposal documents will be available at the following website: http://www.slha/for-partners/vendors/ The SLHA will receive sealed proposals for this service until 5:00 p.m., Friday, October 30, 2024

Latasha K Barnes Executive Director

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Repave Parking Lot at Professional Registration Building, Project No. O2364-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, September 17, 2024 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. Project information available at: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Replace Rooftop Units

5-7-8-9 and Server Room Air Conditioners, Lottery Headquarters, Project No. N2301-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 9/26/24. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

REQUEST FOR PUBLICATION

Tower Grove Park, 4257 Northeast Drive, St. Louis, MO 63110 is requesting qualifications for Professional Design Services for Historic Pavilions Restoration. RFQ responses are due 9/12/24 by 2:00 p.m. Project information, registration, and questions through Katie Aholt (katie@navigatebuildingsolutions.com or 636-359-8538).

Tower Grove Park hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant of this advertisement, businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, ancestry or national origin in consideration for an award. Save America’s Treasures Grant Funds are being used in this project, and all relevant federal, state and local requirements apply.

St. LouiS american Bids

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, on behalf of itself and its affiliates, has issued an open Request for Qualifications for an attorney or firm to provide legal advice, representation, and expertise on projects on an as needed basis for up to a three-year period, ending September 30, 2027. The Partnership will accept submissions on a rolling basis, but consultants are encouraged to submit qualifications on or before 3:00 PM on September 23, 2024. The full RFQ may be obtained at https:// stlpartnership.com/rfp-rfq/.

St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer

SOLICITING ELECTRONIC BIDS

Great Rivers Greenway is soliciting electronic bids for Demolition & Site Cleanup. Go to www. greatriversgreenway. org/jobs-bids/ for details and submit by September 27, 2024.

NOW LEASING-THE

HOUSING

AUTHORITY OF

THE CITY OF EAST ST. LOUIS

Income Based/Income Restrictions

Apartments 2, 3, 4, 5 Bedrooms and Single-family houses available. Visit our website at eslha.org to complete an on-line application or contact our leasing department at (618) 646-7131 for additional information.

1 BEDROOM FOR RENT 51XX Highland Section 8 & Other Vouchers Welcome 314-443-9713 FOR RENT 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath,

ROOMS FOR RENT $500/$650 mo Call Gary @ 314-326-8222 or Mr. Robert @ 314-368-1298

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Renovate Interior & Exterior Readiness Center Building, Mexico Readiness Center, Project No. T2318-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 8/27/24. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

FURN. ROOM FOR RENT Text Ms. Low for Details 314-280-4226 or 773-280-7475

ROOM FOR RENT

$600/mo, utilities included, Close to buslines, North City, Leave Message 314-283-5874

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Replace Concrete Dock & Entryway, Regional Office Building, Project No. M2408-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 9/12/24. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Crime Lab-Exterior Renovations Troop-H Headquarters Building, Project No. R2338-01will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, September 10, 2024. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Install Pedestrian Bridge At Pleasant Hill Over Union Pacific Railroad, Project No. X2311-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, September 10, 2024. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

OA-FMDC, State of MO will have the following MO National Guard projects that will be open for public bid through September 2024, subject to available funding. When released, bid documents will be available at https:// oa.mo.gov/facilities/ T2329-01 AVCRAD HVAC Repairs, Blade & Paint Shop T2333-01 Joplin Readiness Ctr Construct Addtn T2336-01 Ike Skelton Training Site Construct Addtn T2407-01 St Joe Rosecrans Bldg 25 Renovs

INVITATION FOR EQUIPMENT BIDS

East-West Gateway Council of Governments is seeking bids for portable x-ray systems, tactical robot, night vision and tactical camera equipment. Bids are due 09/04/2024. Funding is provided by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. D/S/W/MBEs are encouraged to submit bids. Find details at www.ewgateway.org

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Sealed Proposals for B24-1228 Facilities Management Services will be received at Lincoln University Purchasing Dept 1002 Chestnut St, RM 101 Shipping & Receiving Bldg., JC, MO 65101 until 2PM CT on 06SEP2024. Download Proposal Request at “https://www.lincolnu.edu/ about-lincoln/purchasing/bid-information/index.html

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

Advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, imitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial\ status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. “We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.”

Call Angelita Houston at 314-289-5430 or email ahouston@stlamerican.com to place your ads today!