December 16th, 2021 edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

BOA Resolution

138 passes resoundingly

By JoAnn Weaver The St. Louis American

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen on Friday, Dec. 10 emphatically stood against developer Paul McKee and his refusal to remove the name Homer G. Phillips from a three-bed medical facility near the NGA site at Jefferson and Cass. Following a health committee action on Thursday, Dec. 9, Resolution 138 deeming McKee’s action as “cultural appropriation” was passed by the Board of Aldermen with 22 yes votes out of 29.

Alderman Jack Coatar (7th Ward,) Alderman Joseph Vollmer (10th Ward) Alderwoman Carol Howard (14th Ward,) Alderman Tom Oldenburg (16th Ward) Alderman John Collins-Muhammad (21st Ward,) and Alderman Jeffery

Gifts galore were available during the St. Louis Art Works Holiday Extravaganza on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021.

Dozens of local artists were on hand, and some sold their work as they were being completed on site.

Boyd (22nd Ward) did not vote. Alderman James Page’s 5th Ward is where the controversial center is located. He voted present. In September, Page said “I’m trying to see this as a positive, not a negative,” when asked about use of Homer G. Phillips’ name and reaction of outraged constituents. Collins-Muhammad and Boyd both represent northside wards. A copy of the resolution will be sent to McKee and the hospital’s board of directors. They can appear before the Board to ask or answer questions. During Thursday’s health committee meeting, McKee attorney Darryl Piggee said improved health care should be the center of discussion.

n “Sometimes what you think is important to you is not important for the community at large.”

– Alderwoman Sharon Tyus

COVID-19 cases surge as omicron variant hits St. Louis

Masks still recommended, not mandated

By JoAnn Weaver The St. Louis American

As COVID-19 cases continue to grow exponentially, public officials continue to advocate for public health orders, including mask mandates.

St. Louis County and Jackson County filed a motion to appeal the Cole County ruling or to ask for a new trial to preserve the regulations that have enabled local public health authorities to address all matters of public health, not just COVID-19 Monday, according to County Executive Sam Page’s Facebook page.

“The ruling almost 130 miles away that could gut public health and take away healthcare for our most vulnerable was not appealed by the attorney general, which comes as no surprise,” Page said.

The county executive called parents who are not taking COVID-19 seriously a “menace to society,” and their beliefs “carnival quackery” as a pandemic continues.

“Another variant is spreading, vaccine acceptance is lower than it needs to be, hospitals here and around the country are sounding the alarm,” he said.

In a Facebook post, Page wrotthere will not be a mask order in most public buildings in St. Louis County until at least two more council members vote for one.

“I have asked the council to take up a mask order in whatever form it thinks state law requires,” he said.

Page notes school districts have their own authority to set rules to keep faculty, staff,

By Dana Rieck

By Dana Rieck

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

See BOA, A6

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis AMerican

John Collins Muhammad Jeffrey Boyd James Page

New details come forward surrounding legal battle with Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion

New details have been brought to light in an ongoing legal battle between Megan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez

According to various reports, an unnamed source claims they saw Megan and her former best friend Kelsey Nicole fighting before Megan was shot in the foot. During a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, a detective allegedly testified the witness saw the gun’s light flash closer to Kelsey than Lanez.“The muzzle flash detail is corroborated by the gunshot residue found on the other female’s hands,” Shawn Holley, Lanez’s attorney said.She also said Megan’s account of what happened that night has been inconsistent, and she failed to give key information to law enforcement.“We look forward to the opportunity to cross-examine her at trial about the numerous inconsistencies in her story,” Holley said.

Megan accused Lanez of shooting her in the foot last July as she was walking away from a vehicle they both were in.

Shantel Jackson addresses Nelly breakup

Shantel Jackson, also known as Miss Jackson, broke her silence on Tuesday about why she and Nelly decided to end their sevenyear relationship.

She made an appearance on The Real and said their split was a mutual decision.

“My ex and I, we didn’t end on bad terms,” she said. “When we started our relationship, I was always on the road with him—traveling out of the country, going to concerts, all that good stuff. But then, when it came to a point where I was home more often, building my company Shoe Gummi or just working on my brand, [...] we started to grow apart.”

She said with the breakup they’ve decided to take time and reflect on if they will eventually get back together.

“I feel like it’s important that we take the time to just do it,” she said. “Personally, I feel like it’s important for me because if our relationship is gonna come back, it’s gonna come back. If this break is going to stop that, then

it’s kind of inevitable, if that makes sense.”

Candace Parker and wife Anna Petrakova expecting their first child together

After two years of being married, WNBA star Candace Parker and her wife Anna Petrakova are expecting their first child together. She shared the exciting news on her Instagram account.

“Happy Anniversary Моя жена! 2 years ago, I got to marry my best friend in front of our close family and friends. My heart could have exploded. I cried like a baby…. To know me or you is to know our love. We’ve always dreamed of growing our family….it’s surreal that we now have a baby on the way! Lailaa is pumped to be a big sister!” she wrote.

She continued the post saying the couple’s jour ney hasn’t been easy, and she’s proud of their growth.

“Thank you for always loving Lailaa as your own, being my calm, my support, my voice of reason, my laughs,

my cuddles, my dance in the rain, my happy, my home… Thanks for constantly challenging me and telling me when I’m wrong. I LOVE YOU I appreciate you, I value you and what we have.”

Intimate video of Hitman Holla and girlfriend Cinnamon hits web St. Louis native, battle rapper and cast member on “Wild ‘N’ Out” Hitman Holla and his girlfriend Cinnamon are currently trending online after a risque

Candace Parker

City to provide in-person application appointments for direct cash assistance

By Dana Rieck

The St. Louis American

The city will hold an inperson event Saturday to assist residents with the $500 direct cash assistance application process. The event will be held at the St. Louis Community College Forest Park Student Center at 5600 Oakland Ave from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be about 720 appointments lasting about 30 minutes each to help people without access to the internet, seniors and people with disabilities. Saturday is also the first day the city will be accepting applications submitted online.

Residents can begin applying Saturday n “This event is to ensure that vulnerable populations, like seniors, people with disabilities and those without the internet, can gain access to and complete their application.”

—Adam Layne, St. Louis Treasurer

The City of St. Louis Department of Human Services,

in partnership with the St. Louis Treasurer’s Office and the United Way of Greater St. Louis, is providing 9,300 payments of $500 to families hardest hit by the pandemic with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). “The assistance from this program will help many families and city residents, and we want to ensure that we remove as many barriers as possible so everyone who qualifies has the opportunity to apply for this direct financial help,” St. Louis Treasurer Adam Layne said in a statement. “This event is to ensure that vulnerable populations, like seniors, people with disabilities, and those without the internet, can gain access to and complete their application. We urge all

other eligible city residents with internet access to complete their application online following the opening on Dec. 18.”

The city outlined several eligibility criteria, including an income limit for residents at or under 80% of the area median income (AMI). According to the city’s website, AMI limits depend on the size of the household. For one person,

80% AMI would be $47,550 or less and for a house of five people, it’s equal to or less than $73,350. Applicants must also prove they have been city residents for 12 months and have lost income due to the pandemic, such as cut work hours, job loss, and funeral expenses. Only one individual per household will be eligible for a pay-

ment, even if the adults in the household are unrelated.

In mid-August, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones enacted a spending plan outlining plans for the first installment of $249 million out of the $498 million in federal money the city will receive in the next two years through the American Rescue Plan Act. These payments were included in that plan.

St. Louis Treasurer Adam Layne said in-person hel for residents applying for $500 direct cash assistance will be essential in making sure many qualified people are not overlooked, including seniors and families without internet service.

Appointments for Saturday can be made through noon Friday by calling 1-866-9483742. The city noted walk-ins are not encouraged. Online applications can be accessed beginning Saturday at www.stlouis-mo.gov/emergency-assistance/.

Photo courtesy of UM-St.Louis

McKee continues his disrespect, contempt for Black people’s concerns

Developer Paul McKee has a bad record when it comes to keeping his word. He once promised the people of north St. Louis billions of dollars in investments for new homes, offices and retail spaces. That didn’t happen. He promised, along with then-Mayor Francis Slay, that eminent domain would not be used to take property in his Northside Regeneration footprint. That promise was also broken.

Most recently, in his significantly scaleddown vision of Northside Regeneration’s development plans, he promised a hospital to the people of north St. Louis. To date, that hospital — whose scale has shrunk to a more modest three-bed clinic – also hasn’t happened yet. But that’s just fine to some Black St. Louisans, who find the proposed name insulting.

McKee wants to call the clinic the Homer G. Phillips Hospital, the same name as one of the most important institutions in the city’s African-American history. At one time, Homer G. Phillips Hospital was ranked among the 10 largest general hospitals in America. From 1937 to 1979, the hospital, which operated at 2601 N. Whittier Street in the historic Ville neighborhood, primarily served the needs of St. Louis’ Black citizens. In fact, until city hospitals were desegregated in 1955, it was the only hospital for Black St. Louisans.

These are excerpts from a Post-Dispatch editorial printed just over a year ago that provided a forewarning, along with this publication, about the implications of this shameful ploy by Paul McKee. It is likely that McKee made this ill-advised decision at the behest of people in his inner circle. Despite the fact that one of his attorneys, Darryl Piggee, sought to take responsibility, this is McKee’s call.

In any case, this is another cynical and dishonest attempt to assuage some of the deepseated resentment about Mckee’s use of public funds to build a tiny private health facility (that can make no claim to be even a small hospital). He doubled down on his folly by seeking to appropriate the name of a revered and iconic teaching hospital.

In a blatant attempt to deflect criticism for the years of his unmet claims and hollow promises, McKee persists in his refusal to heed a broad growing pushback in the Black community. Moreover, his disregard is reckless and politically damaging for his political allies, some of whom sought earlier to dodge taking a public position expecting that this issue would go away. But those avoidant officials – and

McKee – find themselves in an increasingly tough position. In the past, they have often been able to operate outside public awareness. But this issue will be hard for them to avoid, and it is made worse by the facility’s board’s arrogant boast that they have “no intention to re-examine the naming of this hospital.”

However, we now do see some politicians reversing their positions as they come to realize that McKee has become an unduly burdensome political liability.

State Sen. Karla May, who seems to disavow her previous indifference to the months-long protest, now says rightfully that “The original Homer G. Phillips Hospital created careers, wealth and good-paying jobs for AfricanAmerican people. It provided care to AfricanAmerican families and was a place of peace in a deeply racist world.” She adds “I stand with the individuals and activists who oppose a hollow appropriation of the name Homer G. Phillips Hospital.” May now implores leaders to “open a facility truly worthy of the name and legacy of Homer G. Phillips Hospital. Do these things and help heal old wounds in a community that deserves real care.” Better late than never. We applaud Sen. May and other political leaders who reject Mckee’s naming of this urban care center after the magnificent Homer G. Phillips Hospital, but wonder where her colleague, Sen. Steven Roberts, Jr. stands. May joined an overwhelming majority at the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, including its president Lewis Reed, who passed a nearly unanimous and stern rebuke of McKee and his condescending actions. 1st Ward Ald. Sharon Tyus, the outspoken sponsor of the resolution calling the current clinic’s name “inappropriate cultural appropriation,” promises a fight if McKee fails to relent and change course.

In the Black community, we have long seen too many elected officials who operate as if their major goal is to advance their personal and political interests. The community believes and expects that the people they elect will instead be accountable and responsive to their interests and concerns.

By his arrogant behavior Mckee, aided by his political sycophants, has earned even more disdain from much of the Black community by showing a lack of respect and sensitivity, even contempt for, one of its hallowed historic institutions, Homer G. Phillips Hospital. And, despite his boastful swagger, the collateral damage from his arrogance may have just begun.

Who is canceling whom?

By Larry Smith

It is a gross understatement to say a major social controversy of our day is the notion of so-called “cancel culture.” Conservatives routinely and reflexively employ this phrase to describe the phenomenon of calling out people for their misguided words and deeds — real or perceived. They also assert, without any legal merit, that doing so is an assault on the First Amendment. Of course, “canceling” is at least socioeconomically democratic; the rise of social media allows it to affect everyone from the obscenely rich and famous to the abjectly poor and obscure (who then often become outrageously infamous).

For their part, progressives often retort that they are not canceling anyone; they are calling for accountability regarding inappropriate actions and words (spoken or written). Of course, that isn’t quite true. Some progressives are quite open about using the phrase. This includes, for example, actor Joshua Malina, who recently wrote an essay for The Atlantic magazine that was titled “Cancel Mel Gibson.” Malina cites Gibson’s anti-Semitic and anti-Black tirades as justification for why Hollywood should cease offering roles to him.

Then there are the recent calls for Dave Chappelle to be boycotted due to remarks that he has made in his comedy

routines that many progressives consider to be disrespectful to the LGBTQ community. There is even an ongoing fight between employees and the senior leadership of Netflix regarding this issue.

I am old enough to remember when conservatives wanted to cancel Madonna for videos such as “Like a Prayer” and “Justify My Love.” I also remember when they wanted to cancel the artists formerly known as the Dixie Chicks for their public stand against the Iraq War. The difference is that Twitter and Instagram didn’t exist back then, so the vox populi had limited bandwidth. (Facebook was still known as “FaceMash” when the Dixie Chicks controversy began.)

In short, conservatives and progressives both have engaged in sustained — and sometimes coordinated — efforts to limit the ability of entertainers and others to ply their trade, or even to express themselves. To be sure, I believe that “freedom of speech” does not mean “freedom from the consequences of speech.” There are times when I very much agree with said con-

Tired of being tired

By Marc H. Morial

“There comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression. There comes a time, my friends, when people get tired of being plunged across the abyss of humiliation, where they experience the bleakness of nagging despair. There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life’s July and left standing amid the piercing chill of an alpine November. There comes a time.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., Dec. 5 1955, Address to the first Montgomery Improvement Association Mass Meeting

Last week marks the anniversary of the first of the Mass Meetings that drove the strategy and spirit of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a foundational event in the Civil Rights Movement.

My parents were active in the Civil Rights Movement in Louisiana at the time, and their experiences illustrate how the Montgomery protests reverberated throughout the South, and also how New Orleans’ distinctive history shaped racial issues there.

Even during slavery, New Orleans was home to a large community of free people of color, the gens de colour libre –many of whom had never been enslaved. Many were refugees from Saint-Domingue, now Haiti — who fled the revolution. This class of free people of color became the early civil rights activists, including Homer Plessy, whose parents were among those refugees from Haiti.

To quote my mother, Sybil Haydel Morial, in her memoir, “Witness to Change:” “In many instances, including the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson case, Louisiana initiated important changes in civil rights thinking and activism. The significance of these events was often obscured because of the unusual, often subtle, way in which they developed.”

Many Louisianans, both white and Black, were accustomed to accommodation in a

way that was not yet acceptable in other parts of the South.

This is not to say Louisiana did not have its share of racial violence. In the 1960s, Bogalusa, Louisiana, was thought to have the highest per-capita Ku Klux Klan membership in America. But in certain parts of the state, overt violence was tempered because of the tradition of compromise.

Which may be why few people are aware that two years before the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a Baptist minister by the name of T.J. Jemison led a bus boycott in Baton Rouge.

In those days, the screens on buses proclaiming “For Colored Patrons Only” were placed in holes on the backs of seats and could be moved forward and back. Black riders had to sit behind the screens. Sometimes, “just for devilment,” as my mother would say, a Black student would sit in front of the screen, prompting the driver to stop the bus and demand that the student move behind the screen. Often, the offending student would fling the sign out the window and be put off the bus.

Once, when he was a teenager, my father, Dutch, who was very light-skinned, boarded the bus and sat directly behind the screen. A white passenger who assumed my father also was white, picked up the sign and moved it behind him so he was in the white section. My father moved the screen back in front of him without saying a word. Again, the white passenger moved the screen behind him, saying, “You belong in front of the screen.”

Again, my father placed the screen in front of him and said, “I know where I belong.”

My father began his career as a civil rights attorney in 1954, the year of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, but it took a detour when he was drafted into the Army. My parents spent the first year of their marriage in Maryland and returned to Louisiana in September 1956. The Montgomery Bus Boycott had been underway for nine months by then. Although Brown v. Board of Education had been decided two years earlier, the laws of “Separate But Equal” had to be individually challenged in each Southern state. The layers of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, including future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall – were traveling the country to assist local attorneys in arguing cases in each state. My father, who was just 26-years-old, was privileged to be a part of this team as they worked together on a strategy to challenge Louisiana’s segregation laws. They often worked late, and because the team included both Black and white attorneys, they were not legally permitted to eat in a restaurant together. The state law requiring segregation on public transportation, which had been challenged with that boycott in Baton Rouge in 1953, was finally overturned by a federal judge in 1958. A biracial group of leaders decided the signs saying “For Colored Patrons Only” would be removed at midnight the day the decision went into effect, and no media alerted. My parents laughed when my father told my mother some of the white leaders had asked how, with no media attention, the Negros would know they were free to sit anywhere on the buses and streetcars. My father and his colleagues assured them that word would be quietly disseminated through our networks, and people would begin to move freely on the buses. And, of course, they did. Rosa Parks’ arrest served as a clarion call for people all across the nation. I’m proud of how my parents answered that call. I strive every day to carry on their legacy. Marc H. Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League

Letters to the editor

Voting rights acts need to move forward

sequences; there are other times when I very much disagree.

In any case, neither progressives nor conservatives have a monopoly on calling for people to be social outcasts. Democracy is messy.

We all just need to calm down, take a deep breath and reflect more deeply on what we actually value.

More importantly, we need to act like adults. Most importantly, we need to stop turning every disagreement into a political issue. We all should rally around the values of civility, respect and tolerance for reasonably opposing viewpoints. We need to think of people with whom we disagree as having a different perspective, not as our mortal enemies. It should go without saying, but such does not apply to those who commit or encourage physical violence; those who actively discriminate against people who they perceive to be different or inferior; or those who attempt to use their social, economic or political power to try to deprive others of their God-given (or man-given) rights. We should have no patience for such people, who should very much be held accountable for their actions.

I can’t wait to see who wants to cancel me for writing this column.

Larry Smith is a Community Voices columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder.

I urge everyone who cares about our democracy, especially our voting rights that used to be protected by the Constitution, to call President Biden and Democratic Senators either opposed to or fence-riding carving out the filibuster that is blocking passage of two critical bills: Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, both passed by the U.S. House months ago. Republican Senators have blocked these bills multiple times. States they represent have passed legislation that suppresses voting rights by gerrymandering districts, reducing polling places and early voting days, and eliminating Sunday voting. Actions taken by these states would never have passed the discrimination smell test that pre-clearance used to catch before the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013. President Biden needs to stop playing around with Senate Dems not on board. President Biden should demand that Senate Dems pass these two bills NOW while they have the power to make it happen. No more excuses.

Monica M Huddleston, St. Louis, MO

Columnist

Marc H. Morial

Guest Columnist Larry Smith

Getting in the holiday spirit

Carla Louise Hudson (left) and Camille Brooks of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation spread holiday cheer as they sing Karaoke Christmas songs at the Explore St. Louis Holiday Party at America’s Center in St. Louis on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021.

Second annual Mix, Mingle and Mentor Luncheon Dec. 20

St. Louis American staff

The Greater St. Mark (GSM) Community Empowerment Foundation will host its second annual Mix, Mingle and Mentor Luncheon at 11 a.m., Monday, Dec. 20, at St. Louis Community College Florissant Valley.

Former state Rep. Tommie Pierson Jr. said the event’s goal is to inspire and support recent high school graduates and college students from throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area.

“I recall being a college student and wishing I had access to more mentors with whom to connect and seek guidance,” Pierson said. “I realize that high school graduates need that extra support and positive network.”

Charles, and is a statistician with BioRankings, a consulting group focusing on statistical analytics and innovation.

“Whether transitioning to a skilled trade program or pursuing a traditional degree, our young people are deserving of mentorship to set them up for success,” he said.

Pierson, who has a child in college, wants all students in the community to be successful, regardless of career or academic path. He graduated from Parkway North High School in 1991, earned his bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics in 1995 from Washington University and a Master of Arts in theological studies from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2009.

Pierson Jr.

Pierson is a former math teacher at Hazelwood East Middle School, serves as lead pastor of inStep Church in St.

A 2017 College of Charleston study titled “Why mentoring matters: African-American students and the transition to college,” reports, “African-American students have experiences quite different from their majority counterparts. African-American undergraduates may have feelings of disengagement, withdrawal, isolation, and less campus involvement than their classmates. Mentoring programs, with an emphasis on interpersonal reinforcement, can buffer the effects of low belongingness and disconnection from the campus community.”

The 2021 Mix, Mingle and Mentor Luncheon is free and sponsored by Armstrong Teasdale LLP and St. Louis Community College.

Recent high school graduates (ages 18 to 22) are encouraged to attend.

Register at Eventbrite or e-mail Linell Green at linell_ green@yahoo.com.

Prioritize the needs of Black women

By Stacey D. Stewart

As 2021 nears its end, I am thinking about how we can better invest in our communities.

It is crucial that we center Black women and their lived experiences. Black women have always been at the heart of the fight to repair centuries of disinvestment, neglect, systemic racism, and social injustice, but our communities and organizations are continually underfunded and under-supported. This means that Black women and Black communities often must fight simply to be heard.

The lack of investment and understanding of culturally appropriate care translates to real-life health disparities: For example, Black women in the United States are three times more likely to die from pregnancy compared with white women. The legacy of systemic racism still plagues our country — and it continues to disproportionately affect Black women in many ways.

According to data from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 74 percent of Black mothers serve as the breadwinners in their household. This has a cascading effect on Black families — meaning fewer groceries in the kitchen, smaller family savings, and less money, if any, to set aside for childcare or future investments in higher education.

As the president and CEO of March of Dimes, a Black woman, and a mother to two daughters, I am deeply invested in ensuring that mothers and children are happy and healthy and receive the care they need. It’s also very personal for me. Growing up as the child of a Black physician, I witnessed early on how health inequities influence the health outcomes of Black mothers and children.

Our healthcare system has failed Black Americans for centuries, and our communities deserve better. I am proud to lead this organization with its rich, eighty-year history of ideating and innovating to better serve and uplift all families, regardless of wealth, race, gender, or geography. It’s well known that the best way to advance a transformative agenda to improve the lives of women and families and advance equity for all is to center the needs, priorities, and lived experiences of Black women — and really listen to what we have to say. I have confidence that when we invest in Black communities, especially through Black-led organizations, and provide Black women, babies, and families with the culturally competent care they need, we can help close the deadly gaps in health outcomes. This will have a positive effect on the well-being of all Black communities and help bring us one step closer to health equity.

As the pandemic has laid bare, mothers and babies are experiencing significant challenges and disruptions that make it harder for them to access and receive the care they need to thrive, and our work at March of Dimes has taken on a new urgency.

This means broadening our outreach to Black communities, knowing that a big part of our work must be focused on bringing equitable care to Black mothers and babies. We also must continue engaging our communities to give back in a meaningful way. In the last few years, we’ve grown our outreach work with Black Greek organizations, who support our advocacy through volunteering and fundraising.

There is a clarion call to finally upend a system designed to leave Black women further and further behind. This starts with a dedication to pursuing a future rooted in justice, and to do that, we must lift Black women’s priorities and support the Black women-led groups that have been doing the critical work in our own communities.

Stacey D. Stewart is president and CEO of March of Dimes and former U.S. president of United Way Worldwide

Photo by Bill Greenblatt / St. Louis American

Stacey D. Stewart

Tommie

He was refuted by Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, who said cultural appropriation was the issue, not the facility located in an area of need.

“Sometimes what you think is important to you is not important for the community at large,” Tyus said U.S. Rep Cori Bush, Mayor Tishaura Jones, Comptroller Darlene Green and Treasurer Adam Layne have spoken out against McKee’s using the name for his own purpose and refusing to consider community wishes for a change.

“Homer G. Phillips Hospital was a beacon of Black leadership in St. Louis, training an entire generation of Black doctors, nurses, and health care workers who would go on to serve communities not just across our city, but our entire country,” Bush and Jones said in a joint statement.

“Profiting off of Homer G. Phillips’ name on a small 3-bed facility that will fail to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities is an insult to Homer G. Phillips’ legacy and the Black community. We urge the developers of this project to heed the call of former Homer G. Phillips nurses, advocates, health care workers, community leaders, and St. Louis city residents who are demanding

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted to adopt Resolution 138 which deems developer Paul McKee’s use of the name Homer G. Phillips on a three-bed health center as cultural appropriation. Twenty-one aldermen and Lewis Reed, board president, supported the resolution. Six aldermen did note. Alderman James Page of the 5th Ward, where the facility is located, voted present. Aldermen Jeffrey Boyd and John Collins-Muhammad were among those who did not vote.

– Ward representatives that voted ‘Yes’

– North County ward representatives that ‘Did not vote’

– Other ward representatives that ‘Did not vote’

– James Page who voted ‘present’

respect by changing the name of this facility.”

By his vote of support for the resolution, Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed joins with Jones and Green to make the city Board of Estimate and Apportionment unanimously opposed.

According to Tyus, Reed requested to add his name to the resolution, which was delayed due to his involvement

turing a drive-thru, an all-hours ATM outside and in-office service on the first floor of the Urban League headquarters, at 1408 N. Kingshighway Blvd.

In addition, it will provide customers a way to cash checks and a checking program called Affordable Advantage, which requires only $25 to open an account, according to Ivie. The bank will also offer affordable home improvement loans, specialized home mortgage loans, and various products and services designed for small businesses.

“In short, we’re excited to help expand the Urban League’s vision of turning this building into a hub of commerce for North St. Louis,” Ivie said. “We will

with the redistricting process.

State Sen. Karla May clarified her stance on the issue in a statement released on Tuesday.

“I stand with the individuals and activists who oppose a hollow appropriation of the name Homer G. Phillips Hospital,” May said.

In the statement, May said she has done her best to “practice patience” and hear from those involved and concerned.

be investing a considerable amount of money to build out and to staff this branch and we believe that along with the Urban League’s considerable investment in this building and surrounding buildings, we can serve as a catalyst for future investment and development along Kingshighway north of Delmar.”

Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League, also spoke and noted

“I recognize this facility is not in my Senate District, and the Missouri General Assembly is not involved in the naming of local entities,” May said.

“And while my elected office does not have the authority to intervene, as a child of St. Louis, I am proud to lend my voice to the chorus of people calling for justice. I am also careful not to overshadow or overpromise those on the front-

the branch would be in a building considered an iconic structure in the Black community.

“It is the only single-standing department store [building] left in the whole city,” he said.

“And this is the place where everyone in the Black community came to shop and Martin Luther King [Drive], going back to when it was Easton [Avenue], was the economic nub of North City and … having various businesses here that were Black- and minority-owned so that we could come and actually do economics in our community. And so, what you’re doing today is giv-

lines, as politicians tend to do.”

May challenged those involved in this development to raise themselves to the high standard established by the original Homer G. Phillips Hospital.

“Honor and uphold African American history,” May said.

“Create a better future for today’s St. Louis that was stolen from our families generations ago when the hospital

ing us the dignity, the respect and the opportunity to have a full-service bank versus predatory lending.”

The Urban League purchased the Old Sears Building in 2020 with financing from Simmons Bank. The bank approached McMillian shortly after with the proposition of opening up a branch within the building.

The new branch will be designed and built by minority-owned businesses Grice Group Architects and KWAME Building Group. Grice Group Architects designed the Centene Ferguson

closed.”

Remaining silent on the issue is state Sen. Steve Roberts Jr. That leaves him as the only Black elected official that runs in more than a ward who has not spoken out publicly after Reed’s yes vote on the resolution.

Roberts said he wanted to review the resolution and study the issue three weeks ago. Following its passage on Friday, Roberts still had not commented as of presstime on Wednesday.

Piggee’s idea

Piggee and Fred Mills, the facility president, spoke against the resolution during the health committee meeting.

“My responsibility is on the operations side; I have been a hospital administrator for many years, so I cannot answer that question,” Mills said when asked about the process to name the facility

Piggee said it was his idea to name the facility after Homer G. Phillips.

“I’m the one who presented it to Paul McKee, and from his suggestion, I presented it to the board of which I am a member,” he said.

“I am not only here as Paul McKee’s attorney but as a lifelong city resident.”

Piggee said his research into using the name included polling patrons at a bar in North St. Louis.

Training Facility in collaboration with the Urban League and Centene Corporation. KWAME Building Group constructed the 13,500 square-foot Community Empowerment Center of Ferguson in partnership with the Urban League in 2017. The Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis can trace its roots back to 1910, the same year as the founding of the National Urban League. Its mission is to empower African Americans and others throughout the region in securing economic self reliance, social equality and civil rights.

Masks

Continued from A1

and students safe.

“The county council’s failure to pass the mask mandate is disappointing and irresponsible,” he said.

“I hear from so many of our residents who ask what the issue is with the council, especially members who have seen the pandemic hit their districts particularly hard.

“Wear a mask. There is no law against wearing a mask and protecting those you love.”

When asked if the public supports mask mandates during the question-and-answer period, Page said that a mandate is needed.

“I think as cases increase, it’s becoming clear that a mask mandate is right at this time,” Page said. “We believe it’s easier for folks to wear masks than some of the more significant restrictions we faced earlier in this pandemic,” Page said.

On Tuesday, the St. Louis Pandemic Task Force held a briefing where they announced there are 502 daily hospitalizations, which is almost a 50% increase to mid-November.

“These numbers are close to what we saw in late summer and early fall,” Dr. Clay Dunagan, a member of the St. Louis Task Force, said. “We are also on a steep trajectory with numbers that look like it did same time last year.”

According to Task Force infographics, on average, seven to eight people are dying per day from the disease.

“Nearly 60 people are dying from COVID-19 each week at Task Force hospitals,” Dunagan said. “The surges are being driven by unvaccinated individuals.”

According to Task Force data, individuals who are obese, are immunocompromised, or have a pre-existing condition are being hospitalized for the disease and dying at higher rates than vaccinated individuals.

There are one to two children being hospitalized for COVID-19, as reported by the Task Force. Children have the lowest hospitalizations and ventilator usage from the data.

said Reed after the vote.

Wards

Continued from A1

City voters passed the ward reduction in a 2012 election, which stipulated the new 14 wards would be redrawn after the 2020 census.

The vote comes after seven weeks of public engagement, meetings and several map drafts.

“Tell you what, no matter what The Post-Dispatch or anybody says, you guys have done something historic here today,”

“When you think about what you’ve just done, in terms of cutting the wards in half—and you all were able to put your own personal preferences aside and vote for the betterment of getting this bill done for everybody in the city of St. Louis. That’s just awesome, so I just want to thank each and every one of you for that.”

The aldermanic president said he believes municipalities across the state have less complex redistricting tasks in front of them and have not gotten through the process like this

board has.

Alderman Joseph Vollmer, Ward 10, was in charge of the committee redrawing the ward boundaries. He spoke after Reed and thanked the city staff who worked on the project throughout the process and his legislative committee members.

“And last but not least, to all the citizens who actually took the time to participate in this process,” Vollmer said. “This is something that has not happened in 100 years and hopefully won’t have to happen unless they decide to double or triple the members of the board

as the population continues to grow in the next 20 or 30 years.”

The map needed today’s vote before heading to the mayor’s desk to be signed into law.

The board was required by law to pass a new map by Dec. 31. The map will go into effect in the April 2023 election.

During her vote Tuesday, Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, Ward 1, said she never thought she would be voting in favor of the map, but she did.

She’s previously said she did not believe the new map was a good map or a fair map

for North St. Louis, but she was prepared to vote in favor of it because the committee did the best they could with what they were handed.

The committee released five other map drafts before finalizing the sixth one. Some activists said the process was not transparent enough and did not involve the community to an appropriate level during that process.

The new map keeps 85% of the city’s neighborhoods in one ward, and only two wards represent each of the other 15% of neighborhoods. The wards are

split with seven Black-majority wards and seven white-majority wards. Each ward has approximately 21,500 residents. Vollmer has previously noted during discussion three of the white majority wards cross north over the Delmar divide.

After reviewing the final map, St. Louis City Counselor Sheena Hamilton said she believes the map would likely survive a legal challenge, including one under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Dr. Alex Garza, center, has been on the front line battling COVID-19 for almost two years. Garza and the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force announced Tuesday COVID-19 related daily hospitalizations have surged to an average of 501, which is almost a 50% increase compared to mid-November.

Photo courtesy of St. Louis Public radio

East St. Louis, Urban League to host holiday events

Edwardsville Amazon warehouse tornado victims to be honored

Two were from St. Louis

St. Louis American staff

The city of Edwardsville, Illinois will honor the victims of the Dec. 10 Amazon warehouse collapse after the building was struck by an EF-3 tornado.

Included in those killed were Etheria Hebb, 34, and Deandre Morrow, 28, of St. Louis.

The ceremony is at 10 a.m. Friday in Governors’ Plaza at 333 South Main Street. It will be moved to First Station Bay at the same address if there is inclement weather.

Kevin Dickey of Carlyle, Larry Virden of Collinsville, Austin McEwen of Edwardsville, and Clayton Cope of Alton also were killed. Another employee remains hospitalized with serious injuries.

tornadoes throughout the Midwest and South on Friday night that ripped through five state. In Kentucky, 74 people died and much of the city of Mayfield was leveled.

The Edwardsville fatalities were among at least 88 people killed during

TreMon Crawford, Morrow’s brother, told the Belleville News-Democrat that attorneys Benjamin Crump and Bob Hilliard have been retained to represent the family.

“The family wants justice and answers about why he died. They don’t think Amazon properly handled the situation,” Crawford said.

“The family members we represent are deeply distraught and want answers to their questions. We are seeking to determine if Amazon did everything in its power to warn employees of the incoming danger from the tornado and provide a designated safe area for employees to shelter,” the attorneys said in a statement.

and chunks

linois on Saturday, Dec.

at least six employees

“We are asking Amazon employees who worked at the fulfillment center to assist us with our investigation and help us understand what warnings were given and what procedures followed. And we commend the Occupational Safety and Health Administration

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(OSHA) for opening an investigation into workplace safety at the facility.”

Summer Paolini, a friend, and co-worker of Hebb has organized a GoFundMe fundraiser.

Paolini said Hebb was “wellloved by many friends and

family, as well as her coworkers. She leaves behind her one-year-old son (Malik), and family.”

Webb had been delivering packages throughout the day and had returned to the Amazon facility when the tornado hit.

“She was full of life and completely devoted to her son,” Paolini said. To contribute, visit www. gofundme.com/f/in-memory-ofetheria-hebb.

Photo by Bill Greenblatt/St. Louis American

Twisted metal

of concrete crushing vehicles, are all that is left of the Amazon Hub in Edwardsville, Il-

11, 2021. A powerful tornado on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, leveled the football size plant leaving

dead.

Etheria Hebb

Deandre Morrow

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Action St. Louis office destroyed in fire

Organization seeking new headquarters

St. Louis American staff

The Action St. Louis office caught fire Dec. 5, severely damaging the building and leaving the office uninhabitable.

Kayla Reed, co-founder and executive director of Action St. Louis, wrote to the public the fire was under investigation.

Fire officials confirmed to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch they did not believe the cause of the fire was suspicious.

The office is located in the 1000 block of Vandeventer Avenue.

“This week as our team prepared to head into a retreat, our office caught fire,” Reed tweeted. “Thankfully, no one was injured. So much has happened this year. We are going to rest and continue to reflect, and in 2022 we will find a new home and continue the work of transforming our region.”

Reed said the fire comes as the culmination of a year full

of “intense harassment because we are effectively shifting the conditions for Black people in this city.”

She wrote her organization’s members have not only been trolled and doxed online, but Action St. Louis’ funders have been contacted in an attempt to discredit the activists’ work.

People can donate to the organization at www.actionstl. org/donate.

Harris named 2021 Richard E. Herman Leadership Award honoree

Jerrome Harris, president of Urban Golf of Greater St. Louis, has been selected as the We Raise Foundation 2021 Richard E. Herman Leadership Award honoree. The award recognizes commitment and service which “interrupts” the cycles of poverty, violence, and inequality in the United States.” Harris founded and serves as president of Urban Golf of Greater St. Louis (UGOLF). Its goal is to prepare youth in urban St. Louis to be successful beyond high school and expose them to the vast golf community.

“This award is an amazing honor for me to receive from We Raise Foundation,” Harris said. “The call of God to serve my community and its youth is a charge I take very seriously

because it is one of complete service that allows me to serve Him by serving others. To be blessed with an award like this is a boost of motivation and encouragement to stay the course.”

Since its founding in 2019, UGOLF has served over 300 students.

Under Harris’ leadership, 90% of UGOLF’s participants have enrolled successfully in college. Over $500,000 in student scholarships has been secured and he has secured partnerships with Gateway PGA Reach Foundation, Nike, St. Louis Public Schools, and Harris-Stowe State University. Harris also established a successful mentoring and caddy program at Bellerive Country Club in Town and Country.

A native of St. Louis’ Ville community, Harris was introduced to golf in his mid-20’s by an assistant pastor at his church. He has been involved in youth development for over 10 years. Prior to starting UGOLF, Harris worked for St. Louis Urban K-Life, which provides north St. Louis teens with mentorship, professional and collegiate advice, financial literacy education, and access to resources often not found in their communities. The Leadership Award was established in honor of Dr. Richard Herman, We Raise Foundation’s fourth president (2006-2015), a passionate supporter and encourager of young adult Christian leaders.

Bush condemns colleague’s Islamophobic comments

She also held mental health town hall, introduced clemency act

By Dana Rieck

The St. Louis American

Rep. Cori Bush, D-Missouri, held a community check-in online Monday addressing mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic, overdose crisis and gun violence epidemic.

“Recognizing that this past year has been tough for all of us, and that this time of year can be difficult sometimes, I wanted to be sure that we took the time to discuss the importance of mental health and wellness and provide tools and resources if you or someone you love is struggling,” Bush said at the beginning of the meeting.

The hour-long meeting included panelists Tessie Amos III, a clinical therapist in St. Louis; Candice Cox, youth mental health and trauma informed care specialist; Bart Andrews, chief clinical officer at Behavioral Health Response; and Brandon Johnson, public health advisor at the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration in the Suicide Prevention Branch at the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

The town hall can be heard in its entirety online at https:// bit.ly/3s3frfo.

Below, see what else the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress has been up to this month.

Rep. Lauren Boebert

Last week, Bush joined a group of almost 40 House representatives co-sponsoring a resolution to remove Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, from her committee assignments.

Bush and her colleagues cited Boebert’s repeated Islamophobic, racist and hateful comments, as well as incitement of anti-Muslim animus, for grounds of removal. Those comments, at times directed at Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, have included the use of the slur “Jihad squad” to refer to Omar and other congresswomen of color.

“Saying I am a suicide bomber is no laughing matter,” Omar tweeted last month.

Bush and her colleagues said House Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, has refused to hold her accountable for her dangerous conduct.

“We must be assured that no member is above accountability, and Republican leadership has failed to deliver any such accountability for Boebert,” Bush wrote in a statement. “It is time for Democratic leadership to act and pass our resolution to not only protect Rep. Omar but the livelihoods and lives of Muslim communities around our country.”

The Congressional Black Caucus also issued a statement condemning Boebert’s comments.

According to The Washington Post, lawmakers hope the resolution forces House Democratic leadership to punish the lawmaker before the end of the year

Clemency Act

Bush joined several colleagues Friday in unveiling the Fair and Independent Experts in Clemency (FIX Clemency) Act to help address the backlog of over 18,000 pending clemency applications and the growing mass incarceration crisis.

The act would create an independent U.S. Clemency Board made up of nine people appointed by the president and would include a formerly incarcerated person. The board would be responsible for reviewing applications requesting a pardon, commutation or relief from collateral consequences of convictions.

The board’s recommendations would then be given directly to the president and included in an annual report to Congress.

Bush was joined by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, and grassroots advocates.

“2021 marks the first increase in 8 years of our federal prison population — that’s nearly a decade of progress that has been wiped out,” Bush wrote in a statement. “… Our clemency system is broken. Communities like my own in St. Louis have been devastated by mass incarceration and a failed war on drugs, and we cannot stand for any more excuses. President Biden can grant clemency with a stroke of a pen, and this bill will help him do that.”

n “Communities like my own in St. Louis have been devastated by mass incarceration and a failed war on drugs, and we cannot stand for any more excuses.”

— Rep. Cori Bush

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Bush and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, led nearly 100 House lawmakers last week in urging the Senate to quickly make insulin affordable for all Americans as part of the Build Back Better Act.

A letter signed by 97 lawmakers was submitted to Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and called on the Senate to retain the House’s provision of capping out-ofpocket costs for insulin at $35 a month and expand the policy to apply to uninsured individuals.

“We strongly urge you to retain the insulin affordability provisions in the House-passed Build Back Better Act, implement these provisions sooner, and expand these provisions to apply to the uninsured population,” the 97 lawmakers wrote. “These provisions have the potential to immediately save lives and prevent complications of untreated diabetes for millions of Americans. By retaining and expanding the insulin cost caps, we can pass a bill that truly makes insulin affordable for everyone in the U.S.”

A copy of the letter is available online at https://bit. ly/3dNk452.

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Black reproductive rights leaders hold town hall with Bell

By Sophie Hurwitz

The St. Louis American Black reproductive rights leaders with the Planned Parenthood Action Council of North County met Dec. 11 to discuss how Black elected officials can collaborate with activists to ensure reproductive rights from bedrooms to prison cells.

County Prosecutor Wesley Bell was the special guest at the Zoom meeting and spoke on the topic of women’s health risks in jails and prisons.

Teona McGhaw-Boure’, Black organizing regional lead for Planned Parenthood, said at a recent voting rights event, she realized “at Planned Parenthood, we need to do a better job uplifting Black voices,” both

locally and statewide. So, the North County Action Council hopes to bring Black communities together on reproductive health issues, many of which – such as disproportionate maternal mortality rates, and other pregnancy related risks– overwhelmingly affect Black women.

“We are so excited about what this group is doing, and the partnership that is being forged with Planned Parenthood to bring communities together in north county,” Cynthia Bennet, a member of the North County Action Council, said. Bell’s presence at Saturday’s meeting was to some degree a response to the recent Supreme Court ruling on a Texas case legal experts say is likely to lead towards the overturning

of Roe v. Wade. In its Dec. 10 ruling, the Supreme Court allowed Texas’ statewide ban on abortion, emboldening anti-choice advocates and opening the door for other states to adopt similar bans.

“We are seeing a Supreme Court that is at the very least flirting with the idea of taking away women’s... human rights,” Bell said. “We have to make sure that we’re proactive, that we continue the fight, even if they rule in our favor this time.”

Wesley Bell

He added he is a firmly prochoice prosecutor.

“I want to let you all know that I stand with you, and that goes for my office, as long as I occupy these spaces,” he said. Bell then outlined some of his office’s programs geared towards minimizing the damage the criminal prosecution and incarceration system does to the mental and physical health of the women caught up in it. Nationally, more and more women have been incarcerated in the past few decades. There are eight times as many women involved in the criminal justice system now as there were in 1980, according to the ACLU.

Bell’s reform programs include one intended to keep people out of that system in the first place: the diversion program, which has expanded in terms of staffing and capacity since Bell took office in 2018. Through the diversion program, those charged with lowlevel offenses are redirected towards mental health assistance, housing aid, and jobs assistance rather than imprisoned. Accord-

ing to studies from the Center for Prison Reform, nationwide, diversion programs such as Bell’s decrease recidivism rates by about 10%.

“We’ve progressively expanded our diversion unit... because there are a majority of people who come through our doors who are just in need of help. They haven’t harmed anybody...they need care, rather than sending them through the cycle of incarceration,” Bell said.

Among the 1,200 people who’ve been through the diversion program so far, Bell said, recidivism rates stay much lower than those of people who go to jail: only 8% of those who go through the diversion program re-offend.

These programs are particularly critical for women, Bell explained because if a mother is incarcerated, her child is much more statistically likely to see the inside of a jail cell at some point in their lifetime.

“If you keep an individual out of prison, they’re significantly less likely to re-offend. So why don’t we just do that?” he said.

Bell also spoke about the conditions facing women in prisons, who often don’t have

access to proper menstrual care products, to say nothing of those who might experience pregnancy while incarcerated and may lack the health care they so desperately need at such a critical time.

Nonprofit groups like Missouri Appleseed are working on the issue of menstrual supplies and women’s health care in prison, and Congresswoman Cori Bush and Mayor Tishaura Jones recently announced a collaborative investigation of the issue. But, Bell said, there is still work to be done.

“We don’t do a good job of taking care of people, but especially women...you can look at issues of pregnancy in prison and things of that nature,” he said. “Someone coming into jail, if they’re pregnant, for example...they’re already high risk.”

So, when there are women in the justice center where Bell works, especially pregnant women, he turns to his team to help, including health experts from Affinia and reproductive care workers from Planned Parenthood.

At the end of the meeting, Cynthia Bennett asked the question on everyone’s mind: would Bell prosecute women accused of terminating a pregnancy, should such an act become entirely illegal? Rather than sending such women to an unsympathetic attorney general, Bell said, he’d rather keep their cases in the lower courts. If he absolutely must prosecute, assign the most minimal sentence possible.

“As far as I can control, I would not prosecute any case like that, period,” he said. “But if I was presented with a situation where the Attorney General would be able to take that case...there are things that we can do.”

The Planned Parenthood Action Council of North County plans to hold future events discussing topics such as Black men’s reproductive health care.

“Taking Care of You”

Grieving through the holidays

How

Sylvester Brown Jr.

The St. Louis American

“I’m not even looking forward to Christmas, I’m not.”

Kimberle Jones, 59, doesn’t mean to sound depressing. She says she’s not been herself lately.

“My son and my grandson say I’ve gotten mean. It’s true, I guess,” she said. “I know you’re not supposed to question God, but I feel cheated…this is not the life I pictured for myself.”

The American interviewed Jones in August, almost a month after her daughter, Erica Thompson, 37, passed away from COVID19. Thompson was hospitalized for 50 days and died after the virus attacked her vital organs. She left behind three children Jones wants to raise in her home. That endeavor, she said, has only added to her grief.

COVID not only stole her only daughter, but it has also infected other aspects of her life. She said her circle of old friends has become distant. Her shopping buddy rarely picks her up for their usual trips to thrift shops. When she does come by, Jones said, she sits in the car and doesn’t come inside her home. Old friends, she added, treat her as if she contracted the disease.

“I guess a lot of it is a lack of understanding, but I’m vaccinated, I have the booster, I’m not contagious,” she said. “I just don’t understand it.” Jones had no money to bury her daughter. Thompson had been separated from her children’s father for years when she passed away in July. She had no burial insurance. Jones is thankful her landlord loaned her almost $8,000 for the funeral expenses. She said he was only recently reimbursed, thanks to the government’s Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. Jones went through the legal process to get foster care of her three grandchildren (ages 10, 12 and 18). She was only able to bring the eldest into her home with her own son of the same age. The birth father of the two youngest children chose to challenge her in court for custody. Not seeing her youngest

grandchildren since her daughter’s funeral and worrying about how they’re coping only adds to Jones’ despair. She works at one of BJC’s call centers. Less than two weeks after burying her daughter, a nasty fall in the kitchen left Jones incapacitated.

“I slipped on something, maybe ice. My leg went backward and crashed into the door. I saw the bone protruding through my skin,” Jones recalled. “No one was home, so I crawled to the front door and yelled for help.

By Dr. Elaine Batchlor

African Americans know that color matters regarding almost everything in this country. Medical care is no exception.

The evidence more than bears this out. Two examples stick with me: an Oakland study showed Black male patients fared better with Black physicians, they were more likely to undergo preventive care and accept flu shots from Black doctors. Another example is even starker: a study of more than two million birth records in Florida showed that Black infants had significantly higher survival rates when cared for by a Black doctor. This is critically important because Black infants are three times more likely to die before their first birthday than white infants.

By JoAnn Weaver

The St. Louis American

With a desire to bring pharmacy services to a historically underserved neighborhood, Dr. Tracy M. Reed opened the TPD Pharmacy to serve the St. Louis community and beyond.

“I wanted to make sure that the patients that come to my office have better access to medication than other pharmacies and not have to wait for them to get medication or hope that they have what they need,” Reed said. “The pharmacy is in my office for now, and we know what they’re taking so we can make sure they get the medication they need. It’s convenient for me, but it also adds accountability to the patient.”

TPD specializes in quick prescription dispensing, same-day, curbside, and mail delivery services. The pharmacy also provides

n “I wanted to make sure that the patients that come to my office have better access to medication than other pharmacies and not have to wait for them to get medication or hope that they have what they need.”

– Dr. Tracy M. Reed

extra benefits for group homes, including quick turnaround and drug administration support for staff. The pharmacy accepts Medicaid and Medicare.

TPD Pharmacy is located at 5937 West Florissant Avenue, Suite 1, St. Louis,

MO 63136.

A podiatrist by trade, Dr. Reed obtained her degree in Podiatric Medicine from the William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago, completed her residency at Saint Barnabas Hospital in New York, and has over 24 years of experience in the medical field. Dr. Reed opened the TPD Pharmacy in the Walnut Park West neighborhood to improve access to prescription medicine in the community.

“A lot of the time, we prescribe their medication, but we don’t know if they can go get it or go pick it up,” Reed said. “I don’t want it to be three months down the line, and they haven’t started taking the medicine, so we have to start the process all over again. This pharmacy will help. As a responsible medical professional, I felt the need to bring

It’s clear when it comes to treating patients of color, the color of the doctor matters. As I’ve come to terms with this reality, from both the research and my personal experience with my ailing mother’s end-of-life care–I’ve become more attuned to what needs to change. Our system of funding health care starves communities of color of medical care. Those same systemic forces, of valuing the lives of people of color less than others–have kept people of color from pursuing medical careers. This affects the overall health of communities like South L.A. But when you see a problem clearly, you can do something about it, and we are tackling it head-on.

n This deficit of doctors is a result of concentrated poverty and underinvestment in health care for low-income communities for decades.

First, let’s be clear on how we got here. The average community has 10 times more doctors than South L.A. We are missing 1,300 doctors, the majority of them being specialists, and all of them are needed to address the health conditions of our one million residents.

This deficit of doctors is a result of concentrated poverty and underinvestment in health care for low-income communities for decades. California’s Medicaid program has among the lowest provider payments in the country, paying pennies on the dollar compared to Medicare and commercial insurance. This financially punishes doctors working in low-income neighborhoods, condemning

TPD Pharmacy’s

Kimberle Jones is still dealing with the aftermath of the loss of her daughter to COVID-19 complications and the caring of her three grandchildren at her North County home Monday, Dec. 13.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American See BATCHLOR, A15

Dr. Jensine Chacko and Dr. Tracy Reed have brought their much-needed products and knowledge to 5937 West Florissant Ave in the city’s Walnut Park West neighborhood.

Dr. Elaine Batchlor

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

School districts keep mask mandates despite Schmitt’s orders

Attorney general tells parents to “report” districts taking COVID safety measures

By Sophie Hurwitz

The St. Louis American

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sent letters last week to more than 30 school districts and health agencies across the state declaring they must end their mask mandates immediately.

Schmitt said those mandates, which have been active in nearly every school across the state since the return to in-person schooling, were illegal.

A Cole County, MO court ruled last month local governments and local public institutions within the state cannot mandate masking within their bounds. However, that ruling has been hotly contested by school districts and municipal governments.

In a Dec. 8 follow-up statement Schmitt’s office also requested “concerned parents” submit “photo and video evidence” of districts continuing to mandate masking for their students.

“Parents are encouraged to email that address with their concerns, photos, videos, documents, and other supporting information, and a representative from the Attorney General’s Office will review those concerns and documentation and investigate further wherever possible,” Schmitt wrote. “Parents are sick and tired of the stonewalling from their school districts, and so am I.” In St. Louis County, rates of newly-diagnosed COVID-19 infections rose among youth in particular between Nov. 23 and Dec. 6. Among 15-to-19 year olds, the rate of infection

Mother

Continued from A14

Thankfully, my neighbor heard me and called an ambulance.” Jones has been off work ever since, drawing a meager $311 a week through disability. One third of that goes to her twice-weekly physical therapy co-pay payment. When she says “money has been tight,” Jones isn’t being overly dramatic.

“Thanksgiving was horrible. I had pre-ordered a turkey and sides and put the packages in

Doctor

Continued from A14

much-needed health care services to a challenged community.”

A noted community advocate, Dr. Reed also served as

Batchlor

Continued from A14

communities of color to fewer providers. Without access to doctors, we see higher rates of unmanaged chronic conditions and ultimately poorer health, such as South L.A.’s epidemic of untreated diabetes. Given these inequities, it’s not surprising trust in our healthcare system is eroded for communities of color, who regularly, and historically –receive subpar treatment. Trust challenges are part of why COVID vaccines still lag in the

nearly doubled within that twoweek period, according to St. Louis County Department of Health data, which was noted as indicative of “unchecked spread.”

Nonetheless, St. Louis County lifted its mask mandate on the 9th. In response, some parent groups in St. Louis County districts are pressuring those districts more strongly to withdraw their in-school mandates too.

In the St. Louis area, most districts have announced to their students and parents that despite Schmitt’s words, they will be continuing to mandate masks. Rockwood School District, one of the 30 named in Schmitt’s initial letter, sent out an announcement stating “We understand that some

the freezer. When I prepared to cook everything that day, I discovered the turkey wasn’t there, and it was too late to get another,” she said. “I just stayed in bed and cried all day.” Jones said she has “good days and bad days.” Lately, however, she admits, the bad outweighs the good. “With the holidays, everything’s really coming down on me hard,” she said. Like the families of the 800,000 other COVID victims in America, the holidays can be a challenging time emotionally and spiritually. For Jones, Thanksgiving was a reminder

a Founding Director of the Missouri Foundation for Health and has actively participated with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America and Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc.

students, staff and parents have grown tired of wearing masks,” and that the district is spending time re-evaluating the health and safety needs of their student community in order to develop a plan around masking.

“In the meantime, we ask our staff and families for patience and support as we thoughtfully consider updates to our safety measures that impact thousands of students and staff,” they wrote.

A Rockwood spokesperson told KSDK News Friday they intended to send students home for refusing to mask. This announcement was met by parent protests Friday in the predominantly white, rural district. Parents held signs reading “Unmask,” “FBIs Most

Wanted Rockwood Parent,” and “Rockwood is Not Above the Law.” Recent Rockwood school board meetings have been full of parents and students refusing to wear masks, saying the masks impede learning and demanding the school board repeal their mask mandate. The Eureka Police were called to Rockwood’s administrative building over the protests.

Other districts took similar actions and received far less aggressive pushback.

In Normandy, for example, the school community has been “responsive and supportive of” masking and quarantining, according to spokesperson Sharifah Simms-Williams. The district is speaking with legal counsel and does not plan

n “I need help getting back to myself but, because of COVID, I don’t even know what ‘myself’ looks like anymore.”

– Kimberle Jones

her daughter wasn’t there to enjoy her mother’s dressing, “which she absolutely loved,” nor were her youngest grandchildren.

She expects Christmas to be no better.

“It was my daughter’s favorite holiday, and I’m missing her greatly,” Jones

admitted. “It’s a culmination of things, really. Money is a bit scarce right now. I don’t even know what I’m going to cook. I already told the kids it’s going to be different this year.”

The sense of failure is overwhelming.

“As a race, I know we’re just supposed to make things

“We are currently launching the ‘Just Around the Corner to a Healthier You’ campaign in which we are asking physicians, churches, local officials, and more to help us develop an agenda to bring more health resources to the underserved Walnut Park community,” Dr. Reed said. “In addition, we will also partner with senior care facilities, home health care agencies, nursing, and rehabilitation homes to address the real needs of our patients.”

Black community, according to a research article published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in August 2020. One way to rebuild patient trust and improve outcomes is to recruit doctors who reflect and understand the communities they serve, but this is too rare. Only 5% of doctors in America are Black, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. and there are fewer Black men in medical school today than 40 years ago. In 1978, 3.1% of medical students were Black men; in 2019, that number was even

lower, at 2.9%, according to a New England Journal of Medicine report.. There are many reasons for this, but a significant one is the cost of pursuing a medical degree. As a hospital and health system, MLK Community Healthcare has been chipping away at this deficit of physicians, especially for doctors of color. We’ve developed a successful approach that reduces barriers to practicing in our underserved community, but it isn’t sustainable without government action to improve provider payment rates in the Medicaid program. In 2016, we started our

A registered pharmacist and a 2019 graduate of St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Jensine Chacko earned her doctorate of pharmacy degree and currently serves as the Pharmacist-inCharge at TPD Pharmacy.

Highland Elementary School in the Riverview Gardens School District recently celebrated the opening of a Highland Family Food Market within its building and all involved were wearing masks. Despite Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s legal threats and posturing, most St. Louis area school districts are still requiring students and staff members to wear masks.

to change anything about its COVID protocol before the end of the year, Simms-Williams said.

St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Kelvin Adams sent a letter to parents last week.

“While our attorneys are still looking over both the letter and the case law, their initial interpretation is that Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS), does, in fact, have the authority to require masks, and we will continue to do so because we know that every layer of prevention works in keeping our students and staff safe,” Adams wrote.

He added there hasn’t been much complaint from staff or students in the district regarding masks, “largely, we

happen, no matter what,” Jones said. “I take my responsibilities as a mother and grandmother seriously, but sometimes I feel inferior. I keep dwelling on the shoulda, woulda, couldas. But, deep down, I know I can’t keep letting these thoughts and feelings fester without addressing them.”

believe, because they see that masks work.” Additionally, SLPS is located in the city of St. Louis, whose mask mandate is, as of this week, still in effect.

As of Dec. 9, Parkway School District,a county district of similar size to Rockwood,wasn’t planning on removing its mask mandate or quarantine process. In fact, Parkway Communications Director Cathy Kelly said, Parkway has received mostly positive responses from parents regarding its COVID-19 mitigation protocols.

“We have heard from parents who are very supportive of the mask mandate. Many of these parents have thanked us and appreciate everything we have done to keep students safe,” Kelly said. “On the other hand, some parents would prefer if masks were optional and we have heard from them.”

Parkway’s board plans to vote on potential changes in response to the public health orders at its Dec. 15 meeting. An email sent out to Parkway’s parent community says that if the proposed changes are approved by the board, masks in school will become “recommended but optional” mid-January, and students will no longer have to quarantine as a result of close contact with a COVIDpositive individual in school. A Sept. 2021 Stanford University study concluded wearing a surgical mask over one’s mouth and nose is a highly effective way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in group settings.

At a time that’s supposed to be about cheer and celebration, Jones is grappling with loss, grief, and depression instead. There’s no getting back to normal, she said, because COVID has introduced a new, unnatural, ongoing ‘normal’ in her life. At some point, she’s going to get counseling and welcomes the day when she’s not sad all the time.

“It is wonderful not only for the provider but for [the] patient to be able to get their medication and ask any questions they may have to an in-house physician that can be called on at any point,” Chacko said. Chacko talked about her personal connection to her profession and why her work in the community is important.

own medical group to bring primary and specialty care providers to South LA. With the help of private philanthropy, we have attracted talented physicians, many of them African American and Latino, by paying them market compensation. Keeping these physicians will depend on California providing adequate payment for doctors who treat mostly Medicaid patients. Doctors in low-income communities like ours can’t cross-subsidize low-paying Medicaid patients with higher-paying commercially insured or Medicare patients, as can be done in more afflu-

ent communities. In July, we will welcome our first cohort of internal medicine interns and residents to train at our hospital. We know doctors often stay in the areas where they train, so this program is critical to bringing more doctors to South Los Angeles. Elected leaders have the responsibility to enact policies to correct inequities. Public insurance programs like Medicaid should not pay less for medical care because someone is poor, and we should educate and train more doctors of color. Raising Medicaid reimbursements to

“I’ve had circumstances placed in my life that are beyond my control. But I can’t be the only one going through this,” she said. “I would really like to know how other families deal with losing their kids and wanting to take care of their grandkids. I need help getting back to myself but, because of COVID, I don’t even know what ‘myself’ looks like anymore.”

Sylvester Brown Jr. is The St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow.

“My mother was a nurse, so I would come home to hear about patients who deserved better care due to obstacles in the way, whether it was finances or not being able to physically get to places,” Chacko said. “I have a heart for people who don’t have access all the time who need extra help.”

parity with Medicare is critical in addressing these inequities. So is subsidizing medical education and training for students of color. Young people shouldn’t have to incur hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt to pursue a medical career. Ironically, once a student takes on that level of debt, he or she is effectively prevented from practicing in a low-income community where reimbursements are low. Elaine Batchlor, MD, MPH, is the chief executive officer of MLK Community Healthcare in Los Angeles.

Photo courtesy of Riverview Gardens School District

Nutrition Challenge:

PRESENT:

PRESENT:

Nutrition Challenge:

When we’re lucky enough to have a chance to go out for dinner, there are a few ways to stay healthy with our food

Holiday E ating!

Dining Out.

What Is ASize?Serving

GRAINS

Keep ‘em Whole!

The Smart Way!

Warm Up & Cool Down

Do This. Not That!

Follow The Leader!

Exercise Game

First Day of Spring!

No Guns!

for

reasons.

Tech-Neck

We each need at least 3 servings per day of whole grains. But what does that mean? How can we know what foods contain whole grains?

See if the restaurant will let you “share” a meal. Many meals are two, three or more times an actual serving size.

> Eat a healthy snack before the big meal or when attending an event — this way you won’t be tempted to overdo it.

In our “Super-Size” world, we can easily lose track of what an actual serving size means. When reading labels on a food or drink product, you can determine the nutrients, sodium, fiber, sugar and calories of a serving size. But be careful; just because it looks like one small bottle

Once again, most holidays this year have had to change, including December celebrations. Let’s review some ways to eat smart during these fun times.

Look at the ingredients list of a package of food you are about to eat. If the word “whole” is used, then there is most likely a whole grain ingredient. A few items that don’t use the word whole

As soon as you’ve divided your plate into the right size servings, ask your server for a to-go box. Go ahead and box up what you don’t need to eat right away. You can enjoy

Cola

> Remember to fill ½ of your plate with fruits/vegetables.

Let’s make a game out of exercise!

First, locate either a deck of cards or two dice.

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

those leftovers for lunch the next day!

are popcorn, wheatberries, brown rice and wild rice.

> If you want to try a special treat, just keep it to a taste.

Cocoa Puffers Cereal

> Be sure to drink plenty of water!

> Ask the server how the different menu items are prepared. Fried, sautéed, and

lifestyle. You can do this by forming new habits. For example, if you decide to eliminate sugary drinks completely, it only takes a few weeks until this becomes what you’re used to.

Here are the steps to making a healthy permanent change. We‘ll use the sugary drink change as an example.

> Decide you’re going to switch from soda to water.

Getting plenty of whole grains in your diet can improve your health and reduce your chance for some chronic illnesses such as stroke, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Visit wholegrainscouncil.com for more information.

> Start by substituting one drink per day to water.

> Avoid gravies, cheese sauces and other kinds of toppings that often just add fat and calories.

Weekly Newspaper in Education Program

> What are other ways to eat healthy during these fun but challenging times.

> After 3-4 weeks, this change will become a habit.

of soda — it may not be considered one serving size. For example, a 20-oz bottle contains 2.5 servings. So if the bottle states “110 calories per serving,” that means the entire bottle contains a total of 275 calories! Remember to watch those serving sizes and you’ll have better control over what you’re eating and drinking.

> Stick with water to drink. Not only will you save money, but you won’t be adding in extra calories from a sugarfilled drink.

— BONUS — Healthy eating helps your body fight off winter colds and other sickness.

> Every few days increase the amount of water and decrease your soda intake.

Learning Standards: HPE

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 3, NH 5

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 3, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

> What are other ways to stay healthy while dining out?

When you automatically reach for water instead of soda, it has now become a lifestyle change!

Douglass, MSW

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

Where do you work? I am a family nurse practitioner for BJC Medical Group.

even simmered can all mean, “cooked in oil.” Instead, choose baked or grilled options.

As spring approaches, warmer weather allows us all to get more outdoor exercise. Here are some ways to become a more active person.

March 20, 2021, is the first day of spring. With spring comes warmer weather and longer days (later sunset). Make it a habit to spend as much time playing outside as the weather allows.

Secondly, when you are finished with any kind of strenuous (very active) exercise, take some time to cool down. You can slowly stretch your arms and

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

It’s important that before you embark on any kind of exercise to remember two things: warm up and cool down. Start with some slow stretches and movement (like walking) to increase your heart rate a little. Warm up for a good five minutes before increasing your heart rate.

Choose one leader from your group of friends. Everyone should line up behind the leader and follow him or her throughout the house, yard or playground. The leader will do a variety of actions using their arms and legs: jumping,

Instead of watching TV — ride your bike with friends.

legs again, and continue with reduced speed movements until your heart rate begins to slow down.

the leader and creating more difficult, interesting and fun activities along the way.

and breathing. You want to have fun, but it’s also a great way to help keep your heart, lungs and body healthy.

Instead of playing video games — play baseball, football, badminton, or some other active game.

skipping, clapping, etc. Do what the leader does until they change to a new action. Take turns being

Some fun outdoor games to play include tag, kickball, basketball, Frisbee, and bicycling. Choose activities that increase your heart rate

Next you’ll need to make a list of different types of exercise: jumping jacks, sit-ups, lunges, etc. Write each exercise item on a small piece of paper or index

Instead of surfing the ‘Net — go for a brisk walk around the neighborhood.

> NEVER walk on a “frozen” pond, lake, river or any other body of water. Just because it looks frozen does not mean it is safe.

Break into small groups and define what it means to be a bully. Share your ideas with the class. Did you have the same things listed (as the other groups) that you would consider as bullying behavior? Now back in your groups, create a newspaper ad that includes at least two of the following:

card and fold into a small square. Put these squares into a bowl. Take turns rolling the dice (or drawing a card) and selecting an exercise from the bowl. The total number on the dice or card tells you how many of the exercise you must do. Face cards (king,

Make a list of your favorite 10 activities to do outdoors. Compare your list with your classmates and create a chart to see what are the most popular.

This warm-up and recovery period is important for your heart health. It also helps to reduce the amount of muscle pulls and strains.

Can you think of other ways to be more active? Going outside and staying active not only increases your heart rate and burns calories, but it also helps you build friendships!

Learning Standards:

queen or jack) should all count as the number 10. Aces are “wild” and you can do as many as you want! To really challenge yourself, have one person roll the dice and the second can select the exercise. See who can complete the exercise challenge first!

Following the leader is a great way to stay active, increase your heart rate and burn calories throughout the day. Have fun!

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

Learning Standards:

HPE1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

NEVER, ever play with any kind of gun. Even if you think the gun isn’t loaded, or maybe it looks like a toy — it isn’t worth taking a chance. Immediately

A BMI (Body Mass Index) is a generic way to calculate where your weight falls into categories (thin, average, overweight, obese). However, it’s a good idea to remember that a BMI may not take into consideration many things such as athleticism (how athletic you are), your bone density and other factors. Discuss your BMI with your

How much time do you spend each day looking down at a phone, laptop or video game?

> If you are with someone that falls through the ice, first run (or call) for help. Do not try to go out onto the ice to help your friend. You can fall through the ice too.

Chiropractors around the country see young patients every day suffering from back, neck and head-aches resulting from the extra strain you put on your body when you look down for long periods of time.

> How bullying hurts others.

> What to do if you are bullied.

Latoya Woods, DNP, APRN, FNP-C “Questions

> When walking on icecovered roadways or sidewalks, take baby steps. Walk carefully and slowly.

A couple of quick tips that will reduce that strain on your neck are:

tell an adult if you find a gun. And remember that many kids are killed each year by a gun that they thought was unloaded.

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

> What to do if you see someone else bullied.

> What to do if YOU are the bully.

Learning Standards: HPE 5, NH 5

doctor if you have any questions. The formula to calculate your BMI is 703 X weight (lbs) ÷ height (in inches/squared) or search “BMI Calculator” to find an easy fill-in chart online. If your number is high, what are some ways to lower your BMI?

Look through the newspaper for examples of ad layouts and design. Discuss the words “compassion,” “empathy” and “sympathy.” How do they each play into your response to bullying at your school?

> Also — remember to look up! Icicles injure numerous people every year. If you see large icicles forming over your front steps, ask your parents to use a broom handle to knock them off to the side before they break loose from your gutters.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 4, HPE 5, NH 1

Salsa-Guac

Cracker-wiches

1. Most importantly — take breaks! Have a goal of a 3 minute break every 15-20 minutes. Move around, stretch your neck and relax, without looking down!

1/2

Ingredients:

Frozen Yogurt Blueberry Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup blueberries

Garlic clove,

Directions:

2. Set your tech device in a holder to keep it at eye level, reducing the need to look down.

> What other ice hazards are there?

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, NH 5

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 4

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, NH 1, NH 5

Vanilla Greek yogurt, 3 Tbsp Natural peanut butter, 1 Ripe banana (sliced and frozen), Splash of vanilla (optional) 6 Ice cubes

1 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt

Tsp Cumin, 1 Tsp Olive oil, ½ Tsp Salt Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Enjoy with baked tortilla chips or raw vegetables.

Directions: Blend all ingredients until Smooth. Makes 2 yummy smoothies!

Directions: Spread peanut butter on four of the crackers and top with sliced strawberries. Drizzle with honey and top with the other crackers to make four cracker-wiches.

Directions: Drop each blueberry into the yogurt. Using a spoon, swirl around to coat and place each blueberry on a cookie sheet topped with parchment paper. Freeze for at least an hour.

Where do you work? I am a school nurse with St. Louis Public Schools.

Where do you work? I am a school nurse at Monroe Elementary School.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Sumner High School. I then earned Associate Degree in Nursing from Forest Park College and a BS in Business Administration from Columbia College.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from McCluer High School. I then earned a Bachelor of Nursing and a Master of Nursing Practice from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. And finally, I earned a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Maryville University.

Where do you work? I am the founder and distance counselor for Goal Driven Counseling, LLC. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Whitney Young Magnet High School in Chicago, IL: same as former first lady Mrs. Michelle Obama. I then earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, and a Master of Social Work from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. I also completed two more years of supervision and exams to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Missouri.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from McCluer North High School. I earned an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from Meramec College in Kirkwood and completing my bachelor’s degree at Webster University in Webster Groves.

What does a school nurse do? I assess the concerns of students who are ill, injured or experiencing alterations in their normal health. Nurses screen daily staff, students and visitors for safety. Monroe School is a pilot school for Covid-19 test sites in partnership with the city.

What does a family nurse practitioner do? Each day I have office visits with patients to help treat new health conditions and/or manage established health conditions. I perform physical examinations on patients, order labs, read x-rays results, and more.

What does a school nurse do? I love giving students medications, so they’re able to focus on learning. I clean and bandage wounds. I use medical equipment like a stethoscope, for example, to evaluate whether or not my asthmatics are breathing well. Moreover, I teach and promote healthy habits to my students.

What does a Licensed Clinical Social Worker do? I use technology to help teens and young adults explore their emotions, better understand their feelings, work through relationships, and address common challenges completely online through a computer, tablet, or smart phone. Similar to a Facetime call, I support and guide my clients from the comfort of their home or private location where they are comfortable

education, and making sure we have enough supplies to do our job while staying within the budget for the year.

Why did you choose this career? I chose to become a nurse because I wanted to help underserved people improve their health outcomes and lead healthier lives. It has been very rewarding to help a sick person in need and see them get better and able to return to their lives with more knowledge of how to better care for themselves.

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career to help improve the health of my community.

Why did you choose this career? I love nursing because there are many opportunities in hospitals, schools, clinics and offices, insurance, legal and research. My passion is working in the schools with students, parents, staff and community partners.

Why did you choose this career? I am a St. Louis native, and was an asthmatic child who experienced frequent hospitalizations. Besides having the influence of nurses in my family, the local nurses who helped take care of me were my “angels” and always managed to nurse me back to health, thus sparking my interest.

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because I enjoy being a support to teens and young adults in a very challenging phase of life that can be overwhelming. I enjoy teaching them how to best take care of themselves so they can live healthy and fulfilling lives.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I work with amazing people who help take care of the very sick people after they have had heart surgery. I get the best of both worlds because I am able to support my staff when need me and I will jump in and help if something is wrong. I also have time to help facilitate changes on the unit and in the organization, so that the staff can be happier and patients can receive better care.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? Many chronic health conditions (diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure) are preventable, and early detection is key. Thus my favorite part of the job is partnering with patients to establish and manage a plan to help them each live a long and healthy life.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I enjoy when a child tells you, “I want to be a nurse.” And best of all, I love the smiles, hugs and “thank-yous”.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

What is your favorite part of the job you have?

My childhood health challenges have given me sensitivity to children suffering with illness. After being given a new lease on life, I consider it an honor to be in a position to promote health to the children of my community, in whatever capacity I serve – in turn, being their “angel.”

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I love that my job makes talking about mental health not as scary and even makes it kind of cool. I love that I get to build valuable relationships with so many people that trust me to be there for them. I love that no matter where my clients are, we can simply connect with a video call and I can not only support them through hard times, but lots of good times as well.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3 Melissa

Learning Standards: HPE 6, NH 3

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

Yonniece Rose, Registered Nurse

Banana PB Smoothie

Deborah Edwards, School Nurse

CLASSOOM SPOTLIGHT

Teacher Mrs. Keys shows 8th grade College Prep Academy students

Arlazza

College Prep Academy is in the Saint Louis Public School District.

a Classroom Spotlight, please email: nie@stlamerican.com.

SCIENCE CORNER

TheBenefitsofMusic!

Music can inspire you to do many things and feel a variety of emotions, but did you know it can improve your brain activity? Many scientific studies, including one at Stanford University in August of 2007, have found that music can improve memory and concentration. As your brain detects patterns in the music, it stimulates the brain waves.

Furthermore, learning to play an instrument has even more benefits than simply listening to music.

The 2007 Stanford study found that people who played music had a larger vocabulary and could handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

Background Information:

In this experiment, you will be creating a model that displays the rings of Saturn. Note: The rings of Saturn do not go in alphabetical order.

Materials Needed: • Small Styrofoam Ball (about 1.5 inches in diameter) • CD

• Permanent Markers • 4 Colors of Sequins or Glitter • Glue • Dowel

• Modeling Clay • Paper • Protractor

• Compass • Ruler

Procedure:

q Cut your foam ball in half and place one piece of it on the CD.

w Trace around the foam ball with a magic marker. (You will glue the foam ball to the center of the CD later).

e The D ring will be created first. In reality, the D ring is 4600 miles across. Mark a point that is about 3 mm from where you outlined the planet. Use a compass to help you draw a circle that is 3 mm thick. Place white glue inside this area and sprinkle one color of sequins or glitter on the glue to represent the D ring. Let it dry.

r The C ring will be created next. It is larger than the D ring—over 10,000 miles wide in real life. In your model, use your ruler and compass to create a circle that’s 7

MATH CONNECTION

An equation used in physics is F=MA (Force=mass times acceleration). Use the formula to solve the following math problems.

z If a 6 kg soccer ball is traveling at a rate of 1.4 m/s, what is the force on it? __________

Music has also been proven to enhance exercise—fast paced beats inspire runners to keep pace, upbeat tempos encourage participants to enjoy the workout and continue moving, and slow tempos allow for an effective cool down and stretch session to enhance flexibility. For A Video About the Effect of Music on the Brain, Visit: http://ed.ted.com/ lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefitsyour-brain-anita-collins.

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting details.

SCIENCE STARS

AFRICAN-AMERICAN PHYSICIST, EDUCATOR, AND JAZZ MUSICIAN:

Stephon Alexander

Stephon Alexander was born in Trinidad and moved with his family to the Bronx in New York when he was 8 years old. He first became interested in physics when he took apart a used computer to see how it worked. Alexander attended De Witt Clinton high school, where his love of science was recognized and encouraged by a physics teacher. The same teacher also cultivated his love of jazz music and Stephon began to play the saxophone.

In 1993, Alexander received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Seven years later, he received his doctorate degree in physics from Brown University. He continued to follow his love of music and used it not only as a form of stress relief, but as a means to help him understand difficult concepts. In an interview with National Geographic, he stated, “For me, playing and composing music can help my mind relax, the way a muscle would relax, and allow me to think more freely.” Alexander also uses music to explain difficult concepts (such as the Big Bang Theory) and has produced music professionally. He states, “By connecting physics with music, I want to inspire young people and open their eyes to new possibilities.”

mm thick. Cover the circle in glue and place a different color of sequins or glitter. Let it dry.

t The B ring will be created next. In reality, it is 15,000 miles across. In your model, it will be 1 cm thick. Measure this area, cover it with glue, and place a third color of sequins or glitter.

y The A ring comes next. In reality, it is 9000 miles wide. Make a circle that is 5 mm thick. It has a gap 2/3 of the way across the width of the ring. Make a thin black circle here to show the division, and then add white glue and glitter to the rest of the A ring.

u On the outside of the rings, draw another black line about 2 mm thick. Leave a small space after the last black line.

i The F ring is the smallest and final ring in this model. A sliver of the shiny CD will serve as the F ring. Color the rest of the CD black.

o When the glitter and glue has dried, glue one half of the foam ball to the top of the CD. When that is dry, glue the bottom of the ball to the bottom of the CD. When everything has dried, place a dowel into the bottom of the Styrofoam ball and position it at a 27 degree angle. Use your protractor to find the angle.

Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to create a scaled model.

x I am a roller skater with a mass of 115 pounds. If I am accelerating toward a wall at 3.7 m/s, what will be the amount of force at which I hit the wall? __________ Make a Model of the Rings of Saturn!

DID YOU KNOW?

Equations & Physics! Because of thermal expansion, the Eiffel Tower is 15 cm taller in summer.

c How much force must be applied to a toy car that has a mass of .28 kg to achieve an acceleration of 2.6 m/s?

v How much force is needed to move a 0.2 kg snowball at a rate of 16 m/s upward? __________

Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem. I can apply a mathematical formula.

Albert Einstein said, “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.... I do know that I get most joy in life out of my violin.”

Alexander served as an assistant professor of physics, astronomy, and astrophysics at Penn State University before transferring to Haverford College as a physics professor. In 2012, he joined Dartmouth College as a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He was elected as a National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

Stephon Alexander’s Homepage Is Found Here: https://stephonalexander.org/

To Listen to His Music, Visit: http://pitchfork.com/ reviews/albums/19576-rioux-stephon-alexander-here-comesnow/.

Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made contributions in the fields of science, math, and technology.

Use the newspaper to complete the following activities.

Activity

One — Giving Directions: Choose a partner for this activity. Select a news story you would like for them to read. Give them directions to reach the article (e.g., section B, page 6, three lines down, two columns to the right). Did your partner find the correct article? Read the article together and summarize the main idea and supporting details.

Activity Two — Natural Disasters: Collect news articles about natural disasters. Locate the geographic location on a map and determine the cause and effect.

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can follow directions. determine cause and effect.

The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.

Teachers, if you are using the St. Louis American’s NIE program and would like to nominate your class for

Hardwick, Ari’onn Woods, Jason Stokes, Mariah Mosley and Corey Dixon how to create the front page of a newspaper by studying The St. Louis American. The

Photo by Tyler Robinson

Photo courtesy John Sherman, johnshermanphotography.com

GDIT building a more equitable future through partnerships

STEMLingo project kits—including this set that involves building a backup sensor for a car—provide students with a fun, handson experience that gets them excited about science and technology.

By Cheryl Baehr

For The St. Louis American

When Michelle Abel thinks about the impact General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) has had on the nonprofit she directs, the Little Bit Foundation, her thoughts go to a young woman from Riverview Gardens’ Central Middle School who recently participated in the GDIT-sponsored STEM Lingo program.

n As the technology business unit of General Dynamics, a Fortune 100 global aerospace and defense company, GDIT, supports some of the most complex government, defense and intelligence projects.

“We had an opportunity to partner with GDIT on a weeklong push in a STEM program called STEM Lingo where we brought in STEM project kits for teachers and students to the schools we serve,” Abel said. “There was one girl who participated in the program who said that at the beginning of the week, she didn’t think she could do it, but when she finished, she felt like she could do anything. The program is really an opportunity to expose kids to new ideas and options and inspire them to think, ‘This could be me.’” For Abel, and the numerous nonprofit leaders GDIT has partnered with over the course of its

many years in St. Louis, the most striking thing about the relationships is they go beyond financial support. Intentionally designed, managed and funded by the company, GDIT has positioned itself as a part of the St. Louis community and sees itself as having a responsibility in helping to find solutions to the issues these nonprofits address.

As the technology business unit of General Dynamics, a Fortune 100 global aerospace and defense company, GDIT, supports and secures some of the most complex government, defense and intelligence projects. For decades, the company has had a presence in St. Louis as a partner with the geospatial community. Now, with St. Louis positioned to become a global hub of

PeoPle on the Move

Zakiya Brown selected as ELI Fellow

Lincoln University dean of students, chief diversity officer and chief student affairs officer Zakiya Brown has been selected as a member of the 2022 Community of Fellows for the HBCU Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) at Clark Atlanta University. Only 30 members in the nation are selected as HBCU ELI Fellows each year. The first competency and performance-based program of its kind, ELI helps preserve and strengthen Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as hubs for education, opportunity and uplift in the communities they serve.

Gibson named SVP at First Mid Bank & Trust

First Mid Bank & Trust is pleased to announce Brian Gibson as their new SVP corporate community development

In this newly created role, Gibson will be responsible for maturing and monitoring progress towards First Mid’s community development initiatives. Gibson has nearly 30 years’ experience in the banking industry and currently holds the

leadership position for First Mid Bank & Trust in the Fairview Heights market, with direct responsibility for all commercial banking activities, orchestration of all aspects of First Mid’s development of the Fairview Heights market and direct or indirect leadership of all business lines in St. Clair County.

Maurice Allen was named regional community development relationship manager at Midland States Bank for the greater St. Louis and Southern Illinois areas. Allen focuses on establishing and managing lines of businesses through CRA and community development activities. He brings nine years of banking industry experience, including retail, credit and mortgage leading. Allen’s community involvement includes work with Metropolitan St. Louis CRA Association, Money Smarts School of Finance for Children, and University City Chamber of Commerce.

By Sophie Hurwitz

Devon Moody-Graham, of East St. Louis, recently traveled to Paris, France where she assisted with the Black Paris Community event Josephine En Rose honoring Josephine Baker. Her company CEOMom Empire hosted a meet and greet for Americans visiting and the expat company in which many of the Who’s Who of Black Paris attended. In addition, her fashion line Libra Chic Fashion Geek held a successful pop up shop and was later asked to feature items in Little Africa, a retailer and art space.

Zakiya Brown

Brian Gibson

Photo courtesy of GDIT

Maurice Allen

Pop Pop Hurray popcorn founder Tony Davis in Ferguson, Mo. posing with his gourmet popcorn Monday, Dec. 13.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

GDIT could help make St. Louis ‘geospatial technical hub of the nation’

By Karen RobinsonJacobs St. Louis American

The latest expansion of St. Louis’ geospatial ecosystem came Monday, when officials with defense contracting giant General Dynamics snipped a ribbon at the company’s Information Technology space in the Cortex Innovation Community.

General Dynamics Information Technology’s 11,000 square foot space west of Downtown St. Louis marks an expansion locally for the company, which provides a range of data services. A smaller office in nearby Arnold will continue to operate, the company said.

The Cortex office has space for up to 50 employees. Information on the demographics of the current workforce was not immediately available.

Vice Admiral Robert Sharp, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, spoke Monday of the region’s potential to develop into the “geospatial technical

hub of the nation.”

The development is spurred largely by the $1.7 billion campus the NGA is building not far from GDIT’s new home.

The ribbon cutting comes about a week after the NGA awarded GDIT a $4.5 billion contract for “user facing and data center services.”

Under the contract, GDIT will provide a “full suite of user facing and data center IT services on multiple networks and security domains,” including intelligence community cloud and desktop environments, according to a posting on Sam. gov, which lists information about government contracts.

NGA is part of the Department of Defense. Last year General Dynamics, GDIT’s parent company, was the nation’s fifth largest defense contractor, according to DefenseNews.com, with more than $29.8 billion in defense revenue.

General Dynamics employs more than 100,000 people worldwide and posted $37.9 billion in revenue in 2020, the

company said. GDIT moved last year to Cortex, on Duncan Avenue, and spent the ensuing months building out its space in one of three buildings managed by developer Wexford Science + Technology and owned by Chicago-based real estate trust Ventas, Inc. The three-story building, completed in 2013, has 203,000 square feet of space with 17,000 available for lease. It’s the only one of the three Wexford properties in Cortex not completely spoken for, according to Thomas Osha, Wexford’s senior vice president for innovation and economic development. All 152,000 square feet in Cortex 1, on Forest Park Avenue, are leased, as are the 182,000 square feet spread out over five stories in neighboring 4220 Duncan. The complex includes offices of Microsoft and aerospace giant Boeing.

Karen Robinson-Jacobs is The St. Louis American / Type Investigations business reporter and a Report for America corps member.

GDIT

Continued from B1 geospatial technology, GDIT has committed to growing its footprint in the St. Louis region in a way that will have a lasting impact, not simply on the geospatial sector but on the St. Louis area innovation community as a whole.

Part of this commitment involves GDIT’s new home in the Cortex Innovation Community, which the company officially opened Monday. In choosing Cortex as its St. Louis headquarters, GDIT will be in the heart of the city’s innovation center, making it easier to collaborate with IT providers and partners. Central to its mission is GDIT’s Deep Sky Innovation Lab, which will give its customers an environment to support a variety of needs, ranging from artificial intelligence and machine learning to the latest advances in cloud technology. However, GDIT sees its role in Cortex, as well as the greater St. Louis region, as a facilitator of and catalyst for innovation as much as a benefactor of what the community

has to offer. In choosing to be engaged at Cortex, as well as downtown’s T-REX Geospatial Innovation Center, GDIT is using its position in the field to contribute to the growth of the St. Louis geospatial innovation community and develop a diverse talent pipeline that aligns with the geospatial community’s national security mission as well and the region’s inclusive growth objectives.

GDIT understands when it comes to developing a diverse technology workforce for tomorrow, it must empower people early on in their lives. By immersing itself in the community and investing in partnerships that are creating educational and career opportunities for groups of people who have been underrepresented in technology and geospatial industries – particularly St. Louis’ Black residents – GDIT is providing young Black students and aspiring tech professionals with the education, skills, training and opportunities to succeed.

The Little Bit Foundation is just one of the partnerships GDIT has committed to since expanding its footprint in St. Louis. Its recently signed partnership with Zekita Armstrong-

Asuquo and Gateway Global American Youth and Business Alliance Academies, Inc., GDIT is providing resources to support the organization’s work to train and credential high school students in geospatial intelligence, as well as geospatial skills, training and mentorship opportunities to help young adults transition to jobs with higher pay. With both LaunchCode and Rung for Women, GDIT is helping to provide free tech education, targeted curriculum, internships, and job placement opportunities to bring new people from all backgrounds into the geospatial tech field, giving program participants the chance to acquire very marketable skills and transition to higher-paying jobs. Its work with Harris Stowe State University’s new GEOHornet Lab at T-REX will help provide a launching pad for geoscience students. Together with future ones, these partnerships are central to GDIT’s mission to create a diverse and equitable geospatial and technology workforce in St. Louis.

GDIT understands being a part of St. Louis’ geospatial community means more than proximity to NGA and the related industry partners it is bringing together to meet the country’s security needs. It is about recognizing Black and Brown innovators and entrepreneurs have been historically underrepresented in geospatial and other technology fields and committing to creating a community, through listening, action and investment both financially and otherwise –where all can succeed. We’re investing in people through internship opportunities, mentorship and education,” Deb Davis, GDIT’s VP & GM, Mission Solutions Sector, said. “Building this pipeline and growing in St. Louis really aligns with GDIT’s commitment to education training and development of the future technology workforce.” To learn more about how GDIT is “Building the Art of the Possible” in St. Louis, visit www.gdit.com/stl/.

GDIT and The Little Bit Foundation introduce Riverview Gardens Central Middle School students to coding with STEMLingo project kits.

Photo courtesy of GDIT

DECEMBER 16 – 22, 2021

InSIdE

SportS

By Earl Austin Jr.

Holiday hoops tourneys hit the hardwood this weekend

The 15th Annual Midwest Showdown Shootout, presented by Terrell Ramey of Rameybasketball, tips off Saturday at St. Louis Community College at Meramec.

The six-game event, noted as one of the Midwest’s top early-season tournaments, features several outstanding high school basketball players who hail from Missouri and three other states.

Here is a look at the six matchups.

Webster Groves vs. Monroe City, 1 p.m. – Webster Groves won the championship of its own tournament last weekend, and is led by senior guards Matt Enright, Ethan Chartrand and sophomores Gianni Ferentinos and Iziah Purvey. Monroe City finished second in the Class 3 state tournament last season. They are led by 6’0” senior twins Joshua and Josiah Talton.

Hazelwood Central vs. 21st Century (Indiana), 2:30 p.m. – Hazelwood Central returns its excellent senior point guard Tevin Gowins, along with 6’4” senior forward, Trevin Williams. 21st Century Charter is led by 6’4” senior guard Ashton Williamson.

Mt. Vernon (Illinois) vs. Pattonville, 4 p.m. – This game features two stars who are sons of former Jennings High greats. Pattonville is led by 6’6” senior Kellen Thames. A Saint Louis U. recruit, he is the son of Kelly Thames, who starred at Jennings in the early 1990s. Mt. Vernon is led by 6’7” senior Missouri State recruit NJ Rudd-Benson, whose father Nick Benson starred at Jennings in the late 1990s.

SLUH vs. Confluence Prep, 5:30 p.m.

– SLUH features 6’4” senior Nick Kramer, an SLU recruit, and 5’9” junior point guard Aaron Walker. Confluence has a talented backcourt in seniors Trasean White, Jamod Robinson, and 6’5” sophomore forward Bryant Moore.

CBC vs. Memphis Overton, 7 p.m. –CBC has one of the state’s elite squads with 5’9” senior point guard Rob Martin leading the way along with 6’5” senior guard Larry Hughes Jr. and 7’2” sophomore center John Bol. Memphis Overton is led by 6’8” senior Isaiah Regular and 6’0” junior guard Jordan Frison.

Cardinal Ritter vs. East St. Louis, 8:30 p.m. –An outstanding border battle closes the evening. Cardinal Ritter is led by 6’5” senior Murray State recruit Braxton Stacker and 6’8” senior forward

Robert Lewis. East Side is led by 6’4” senior point guard Christian Jones, a Mizzou recruit, and 6’6” junior forward McCalaeb Rich. Admission for the event is $12 at the door.

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

The late Buck O’Neil deserved his flowers while he was living. The National Baseball Hall of Fame inexplicably waited 15 years before honoring him with membership. Major League Baseball, the various Hall of Fame voting committees and media members that cast votes finally inducting O’Neil into the Hall on Dec. 4 are celebrating. All should be bowing in shame. On Feb. 27, 2006, the National Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City’s 18th & Vine Jazz District was packed. O’Neil, family members and well-wishers awaited the announcement of a Hall of Fame committee considering the enshrinement of more than two dozen former players, executives and owners associated with the Negro Leagues.

For Life’s

Visitation tourney this weekend

The Visitation Christmas Tournament, among the best girls’ holiday tournaments in Missouri, gets underway this weekend with a loaded field of teams from both sides of the Mississippi River. The top seeds at Visitation are Incarnate Word Academy, Edwardsville, Whitfield, and Cardinal Ritter. Incarnate Word and Whitfield are defending state champions in Class 6 and Class 5, respectively. Edwardsville is the top program in the metro-east, while Cardinal Ritter is one of the favorites in Class 4 this season. Also in the field is Lift for Life, the Class 3 state champion from last season and Webster Groves, who finished second in Class 6 last year. The first-round games will be held on Saturday, continuing with the quarterfinals Sunday, December 26. The semifinals will be held Monday, December 27, with the championship game set for Tuesday, December 28 at 8 p.m. Here is the schedule for Saturday’s firstround games.

Edwardsville vs. Parkway North, 10 a.m.;

Lift for Life vs. Eureka, 11:30 a.m.; Webster Groves vs. Visitation, 1 p.m.; Cardinal Ritter vs. Nerinx Hall, 2:30 p.m.; Incarnate Word vs. Hazelwood Central, 4 p.m.; John Burroughs vs. Marquette, 5:30 p.m.; Civic Memorial vs. Parkway South, 7 p.m.; Whitfield vs. Cor Jesu, 8:30 p.m. Some of the top players to watch at the Viz Tournament include: Saniah Tyler and Natalie Potts of Incarnate Word, Sydney Harris and Elle Evans of Edwardsville, JaNyla Bush and Brooklyn Rhodes of Whitfield, Chantrel Clayton and Hannah Wallace of Cardinal Ritter, Taylor Brown of Lift for Life, Ellie Paloucek and Eliza Maupin of Webster Groves, Allie Turner of John Burroughs, Katie Baumgartner of Marquette, Kate Restovich of Visitation, Bailey Boulay of Eureka, Olivia Durbin of Civic Memorial and Alivia McCulla of Parkway South.

Buck O’Neil finally reaches Hall of Fame, which is shameful

denied him a chance to play in the Major Leagues, but he became an MLB scout with the Chicago Cubs.

Alvin A. Reid

O’Neil was a two-time Negro League batting champion and five-time championship-winning manager. Racism

He recognized the respective talent of Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Lou Brock and is credited with signing Brock to his first professional contract. O’Neil is also on record as ruing the day Brock was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964. O’Neil later became MLB’s first African American coach. He was among baseball’s leading ambassadors, and there would probably be no Negro Leagues Museum if not for him. He was also the unquestioned star of Ken Burns’ magnificent multi-part documentary “Baseball.” The museum was ready to erupt in celebration. Seventeen people were elected, including several white Negro League team owners. O’Neil was not among them and took his rejection with dignity and class. Bob Kendrick, the Negro

The

Leagues Museum president, and O’Neil’s close friend famed restaurateur Ollie Gates say failing health was not the only thing that ended his life. O’Neil was heartbroken. He died Oct. 6, 2006, at the age of 94.

The Hall of Fame should never be allowed to forget that

cold February day it snubbed O’Neil.

“There remained something deeply unsavory, even piercing, about the idea that the most vivid and visible modern champion of the Negro Leagues, a man whose vision fueled the vibrant Kansas City landmark that is the Negro Leagues

Baseball Museum, remained fundamentally on the outside looking in, even when situated at the Hall of Fame,” wrote Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star columnist, on Dec. 5. There will be a major celebration in Kansas City on July 24, 2022, the day of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York. It will be 15 years too late for O’Neil to take the stage and deliver a speech while the city he loved dearly cherished every word.

MLB now recognizes Negro Leagues player statistics. Hopefully, it now recognizes how awfully the Baseball Hall of Fame treated O’Neal.

The Reid Roundup

It could take 24 hours to explain how English F1 driver Lewis Hamilton got ripped off for not only a win at the Dec. 12 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but also a record eighth driver’s championship. Hamilton was leading the race with just five laps remaining before taking the checkered flag, and holding

off his bitter rival for the title, Max Verstappen. An accident led to a yellow caution flag. Drivers are then restricted from passing other cars. Had the race ended under a yellow flag, Hamilton would have had his title. The track steward decided that one lap would be completed under the green (racing as usual) flag. Here is where the controversy came in. Usually, cars that have been lapped by race leaders remain in their positions after a yellow flag. Not this time. Race stewards said the drivers could “unlap” themselves, meaning that Verstappen would not have to pass them to catch Hamilton. Verstappen had changed tires, which would have meant nothing without the Stewards’ very odd decision. He would catch Hamilton and win his first title. Hamilton was gracious in defeat, praising Verstappen for his skilled driving. Hamilton’s Mercedes team has filed at least two protests, and Hamilton will not comment until Verstappen’s victory is confirmed.

late Buck O’Neil’s bright smile was on display after he signed a jersey bearing his name during an event in St. Louis. O’Neil was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Dec. 4.

Earl Austin Jr.

Lift

Kanise Mills (10) streaks past Rosati-Kain’s Kyleigh Patrick (14) during their Dec. 2, 2021 game. Mills and the defending Class 3 state champion Lady Hawks are in the field of this week’s Visitation Christmas Tournament.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo by Maurice Meredith / St. Louis American

New Accenture apprenticeship programs aim to grow tech workforce

Job training programs come in addition to 1,400 planned AFS jobs

Special to The American

Accenture Federal Services recently hosted a ribbon cutting to celebrate its new Advanced Technology Center in Maryland Heights. The company took the opportunity to announce the launch of an apprenticeship and apprenticeship-in-training program to skill and upskill communities of talent throughout the Greater St. Louis region. To lead on inclusive economic growth, St. Louis must grow next generation industries and jobs — and AFS is leading this charge.

“Promoting inclusive growth is the centerpiece of our efforts to grow the St. Louis region. Accenture Federal Services is taking a leadership role in that effort

Businesses

Continued from B1

the ground running for a year of entrepreneurship training in January. Their year as part of the UMSL DEI Accelerator will also include a paid student intern from UMSL, masterclasses with leaders in various aspects of business, and connections to the UMSL faculty and alumni networks.

Akeem Shannon’s phone-kickstand brand Flipstik was part of last year’s inaugural cohort and was featured on Shark Tank. Since his participation in the UMSL DEI Accelerator, Flipstik is set to be sold in thousands of big-box stores across the nation next year.

by bringing 1,400 new jobs and launching this apprenticeship program to skill and upskill talent and power our technology sector,” said Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc. “Our thanks to Accenture Federal Services for investing and growing in St. Louis and helping to advance the goals of the STL 2030 Jobs Plan.” Community college graduates, veterans and others will benefit from AFS’ oneyear, salaried apprenticeship program, while apprentices-in-training will earn a wage while gaining on-the-job workforce experience. The programs, which expand access to training and in-demand digital jobs, help build a diverse workforce in one of the region’s key industries.

Shannon said UMSL’s diverse business accelerator program is special because it provides resources to businesses traditional investors are less likely to take a chance on–and then, when those businesses thrive, the dollars stay in the community.

“There are businesses, there are entrepreneurs, there is a lot of potential here,” Shannon said. “When you look at the coasts, when you look at other major metropolitan areas, they’re not really interested in investing in the type of businesses, honestly, that a lot of minorities start. If you look around here, everyone here is not a high-tech … business model. And a lot of people outside of St. Louis, they won’t invest in that. So, the fact that we have someone in town

who’s like, if you have a good idea…we’re going to invest in you? That’s huge.”

One of those deeply-rooted St. Louis community businesses is Pop Pop Hurray, which opened its first brick-andmortar store in the heart of Ferguson during the pandemic.

“We knew we wanted to put our first store in North County, in the community. Because it’s a family-friendly establishment, and it’s not many of those around,” Tony Davis, the founder, said.

Now, they’re hoping to use their UMSL Accelerator grant to open a second location and employ more people.

“We’re really tied to the community,” he said. “We provide jobs…our current location, we have seven employees. And this money will go towards our

second location, where we’ll have more employees. So, continuing to grow, continuing to be able to…pour back into the community.”

Though the other four businesses selected do not at this time have brick-and-mortar locations, that doesn’t mean they aren’t connected to St. Louis. La’Crassia Wilderness has been running Butter Love, her natural skincare and selfcare brand, for seven years.

“It’s been amazing but difficult,” Wilderness said.

Will Bubenik, who founded Nebula Media Group to help companies make their websites accessible to disabled users, and Paris Rollins, whose Picky Eaterz catering company provides healthy food to children and infants, have also experienced challenges since

founding their companies, but remained rooted in St. Louis.

“These opportunities are very slim and don’t come around very often,” Rollins said.

Rollins said she started Picky Eaterz after noticing the same health issues reoccurring over and over again in her family members, and realizing it was easier to change the health habits of children than adults.

“I really want to change the game and raise the next generation healthier and prevent many deaths and illnesses,” she added.

UMSL Accelerator Executive Director Dan Lauer said he wants to make these opportunities for entrepreneurship more available here as the Accelerator grows. As architects’ renderings on the

Accenture Federal Services recently announced the launch of an apprenticeship and apprenticeship-in-training program to skill and upskill communities of talent throughout the Greater St. Louis region.

walls of the current Accelerator space demonstrate, he plans to develop UMSL’s entrepreneurship space “into a collaboration space that will rival the Cortex” in North County. “Our mission is to be the first choice for entrepreneurship-minded students.”

“St. Louis is home to an abundance of entrepreneurial talent with good ideas, but not everyone has the same access to opportunity,” Lauer said. “We are doing our part in moving the needle through significant capital injection. By leveraging university strengths, we will offer these outstanding entrepreneurs talented paid student interns, engaged alumni leaders and brilliant faculty committed to amplifying with possible grants and further research.”

Living It

Model behavior

Teen model takes fashion industry by storm before high school graduation

By Danielle Brown The St. Louis American

Aaliyah Buford, 17, a senior at McCluer South-Berkeley High School graduating next month, said she spent a lot of alone time during last year’s COVID-19 lockdown, reflecting on her career goals.

Coming from a theater background, Buford was used to being on stage and performing. However, she said she always had an interest in modeling, and others told her to pursue it.

About eight months ago, she said she responded to an open casting call she saw online hosted by local modeling development and management company, Mother Model Management. Its website says the company discovers aspiring talent, grooms them professionally and manages them with hopes of presenting them to various agencies for potential gigs and ad campaigns.

Buford’s mother, Archilla Buford, said she was hesitant at first when her daughter expressed interest in modeling.

n Buford, who’s almost 5’11”, said she noticed her height made her different from her peers at school but with modeling, she enjoys being around other people with similar heights.

“I didn’t really have high regard for the industry. I felt like it was an industry that possibly took advantage of people’s dreams and I didn’t really wanna go down that path,” Archilla said. “I came to a place where I felt like every young person should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams and see where it takes them.

Buford, who is currently represented locally by Mother Model Management and an international model signed with Next Management said her first casting call was mixed with many emotions ranging from excitement to nervousness.

“I think going to the open call rather than submitting an online submission was the best decision I made,” she said. “Modeling is about presenting and showcasing yourself. Having that experience as my introduction into the industry and putting myself out there was really exhilarating.”

Husband and wife team, Jeff and Mary Clarke, who own and operate Mother, said their eyes were immediately drawn to Buford the moment she entered the room at their open casting call.

“She’s lighting that’s strucken,” Jeff said. “We have many girls from St. Louis doing it big on the international modeling stage. She’s up next. We’re really thankful to be in the position we’re in to open this world up for her, and we’re all ready for this journey together.”

Buford and her mother said they have seen a major change in her confidence since she’s started modeling. Buford, who’s almost 5’11”,

Lesson learned

Written in the chronological sequence of her birthday August 4, 1994, with eight chapters, four subsections and 94 pages, Amber “AsiamB” Solomon said her first published work, a poetry book titled, “Cured” chronicles her journey and the stories of others who’ve transformed their trauma into victory.

Kirkwood High School alum Amber Solomon publishes poetry book about overcoming trauma

By Danielle Brown The St. Louis American

Written in the chronological sequence of her birthday August 4, 1994, with eight chapters, four subsections and 94 pages, Amber “AsiamB” Solomon said her first published work, a poetry book titled, “Cured” chronicles her journey and the stories of others who’ve transformed their trauma into victory.

“It goes from being an individual in society who doesn’t know where they fit in or knows their place in society,” she said. “Someone who is broken because we all have some form of brokenness. The book’s ending explains how to fit into the community knowing that you’ve endured certain experiences.”

said she noticed her height made her different from her peers at school but with modeling, she enjoys being around other people with similar heights. She also said people often hold misconceptions about modeling assuming it’s all about

looks, which made her realize it’s more about depth and being your authentic, beautiful self. “I think it makes me more comfortable with

See Model, C2

Masterful Mahershala

Commanding lead performance in ‘Swan Song’ transcends sleepy storyline

By Kenya Vaughn St. Louis American

Questions will linger after watching Mahershala Ali grapple with a heartbreakingly complicated and selfishly selfless solution to keep his family intact in “Swan Song.” “What would you do?” is the main one. Though Academy Awardwinning writer/director Benjamin Cleary never effectively sways viewers to decide, Ali is so breathtaking that he picks up the film’s overall slack. Cleary could have taken “Swan Song” down countless paths with his intention to warn that technological advances can create room for blurred lines of medical integrity – ones that even with the purest intentions can have an adverse effect on the moral fabric of humanity. There could have been the horror approach,

n “Seeing that journey, while I was growing up made me realize I wanted so much for myself because I didn’t want to be the ‘stereotypical Black woman.’”

- Amber “AsiamB” Solomon

She said one of the concepts she talks about in the book is about finding yourself, something she said she tremendously struggled with during her college years at the University of Northern Colorado.

“In college, I went through a period of my life where I was just really confused about my place in society and how to cope with different things from my upbringing,” she said. “I was at a deficit for so many things because I was talented in athletics and academically, but my childhood and teenage life years were affecting my development in Black womanhood.”

Having a single mother and being one of three children, she said seeing firsthand what her mother went through showed her she never wanted to go through the same thing. While she said she knows it wasn’t her mother’s choice or initial plan for their life to end up that way, she’s always desired to change generational curses that could affect her.

“Seeing that journey, while I was growing up made me realize I wanted so much for myself because I didn’t want to be the ‘stereotypical Black woman’,” she said. “I didn’t want to be divorced, I didn’t want to be broken when I got older, and I didn’t want to be a single mother.”

Solomon, 27 who’s been a self-proclaimed author since she was 13 said she wrote “Cured” as a poetry book instead of as a traditional book because she believes poetry is felt and heard. She said often a traditional book can be read then the reader says that was a good book and that’s the

See Cured, C2 See Film, C8

Photo Credit: Photographer Patrick Lanham / Head Makeup Artist: Jenna Brown

Aaliyah Buford, 17 is taking the fashion industry by storm before high school graduation next month. She has modeled for Kim Kardashian’s Skims x Fendi collaboration and guest starred on “The Tamron Hall Show”.

‘Swan Song’ starring Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali opens in theatres and streams on Apple TV+ starting December 17.

Continued from C1

themes, Cleary never commits to seeing any of them through. The end result is a drama that labors without enough reward for its emotional toll. But with his performance as Cameron Turner, Ali anchors a return on the investment of seeing “Swan Song” through to its ambiguous ending.

“Swan Song” is the story of a Black man with a moral obstacle not rooted in crime or trauma – or escaping from them – which happens on the regular in real life, but not so much on screen. This emotionally intelligent, loving Black man is the backbone of his family. An artist that applies his talents within the advertising industry, Turner and his family enjoy a

DISCOVER PHSU

ANNOUNCING THE PHSU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE –LAUNCHING FALL 2022

PHSU is excited to bring its forty-four year history of producing successful medical practitioners to our St. Louis campus. The Doctor of Medicine (MD) four-year curriculum is designed to produce culturally competent, clinically prepared physicians for communities across the nation and around the world. We are thrilled to be partnered with Mercy, a world class hospital system.

comfortable existence. But a devastating loss has them emotionally spent and on the verge of collapse. As they finally come to the point where they are picking up the pieces and moving forward, a reality that could decimate their family unit comes into play. Push comes to shove for him in the form of a health crisis. A secret groundbreaking medical solution gives Turner an option to consider.

The decision to move forward is one that he must make alone, but it will impact his family –and the long-term outcome is an uncertain one.

The story requires Ali to play against himself and deliver two distinctly different, conflicting roles at the same time. He makes it look easy, but at the same time one can’t help but be marveled – and wonder about the process he employed to pull it off. The hope is that the superb performance adds

lead acting Oscar hardware to his pair of supporting actor Academy Awards on top of ending any arguments regarding his capacity to carry a film. Ali does the heavy lifting, but the Naomie Harris deserves a nod for her contribution to the on-screen chemistry as his wife Poppy Turner. As a couple, they remind audiences of the power of love. Even during the downturns of the relationship that play out, the pair presents the type of love that is worth fighting for. Glenn Close, Awkwafina, Nyasha Hatendi, Dax Rey and Adam Beach round out the cast that is effective, despite being stunted by the film’s unfinished business within the story.

Swan Song opens in theatres and streams on Apple TV+ on Friday, December 17. The film is rated PG-13 with a running time of 105 minutes.

Visit stlouis.psm.edu to learn more about how PHSU’s programs can put you on your future path.

Film

Image courtesy of AppleTV+

“Swan Song” starring Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali is the story of a Black man with a moral obstacle not rooted in crime or trauma – or escaping from them –which happens on the regular in real life, but not so much on screen.

A celebration of family, culture, and community, Kwanzaa is designed around seven principles (Nguzo Saba) to promote unity, self-determination, cooperation, community, and faith. Created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa is now celebrated by millions of people around the world and is recognized as a significant weeklong winter holiday. Join the Saint Louis Art Museum’s virtual Kwanzaa celebration from December 26 through January 1, 2022. For more than 20 years, the Art Museum has presented one of the city’s largest Kwanzaa celebrations in partnership with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter. This year, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority members came together with the Museum to create the second virtual Kwanzaa celebration, highlighting works of art from the collection, the talents of their members, and the guiding principles of the holiday.

The theme of this year’s Kwanzaa Celebration, My Black is Beautiful, brings together African and African American past, present, and future through the arts. We invite you to log into slam.org/Kwanzaa on December 26 for the kick-off celebration. You can enjoy seven videos, one for each day of Kwanzaa, highlighting the seven principles (Nguzo Saba): Unity (Umoja); Self-Determination (Kujichagulia); Collective Work and Responsibility (Ujima); Cooperative Economics (Ujamaa); Purpose (Nia); Creativity (Kuumba); and Faith (Imani). The Kwanzaa videos feature Delta Sigma Theta Sorority members

and several sensational local artists and performers. The Art Museum’s week-long virtual celebration includes a performance of “Celebrate Kwanzaa” by the Metro Melodees Choir, spoken word performances, images of an artwork created by local artist Marley Billie D honoring the actress Cicely Tyson, storytelling by local storyteller Carole Shelton, a spectacular hairstyle created by local loctician stylist Tameka Stigers inspired by an African mask in the Saint Louis Art Museum’s collection, and much more. The videos will also provide information on the seven Kwanzaa symbols: seven candles (Mishumaa Sabaa), the candle holder (Kinara), unity cup (Kikombe cha Umoja), a placemat (Mkeka), crops (Mazao), corn (Muhindi), and gifts (Zawadi), and the process of pouring libation with a special call to the ancestors.

Our Kwanzaa Celebration also includes an opportunity to explore the Museum’s collection through a gallery scavenger hunt available both online and in-person at the Museum’s Information Centers during regular operating hours starting on December 26. The gallery scavenger hunt highlights artworks by African and African American artists that connect to the seven principles of Kwanzaa.

For more information about the Museum’s virtual Kwanzaa Celebration, My Black is Beautiful, visit slam.org/Kwanzaa. This program is supported by the Dana Brown Endowed Fund for Education and Community Programs.

Kwanzaa Table

St. Louis American staff

Yolanda Adams, Serayah and a bevy of Black stars are uniting for BET’s Kingdom Business, a music-driven drama, filming in Atlanta that will debut in 2022. Adams stars as the reigning “Queen of Gospel” Denita Jordan, while Serayah is cast as Rbel, a young gospel star with a troubled past. Sparks begin flying when she challenges Jordan for her crown.

Both Adams and Serayah will be featured in musical performances during the eightepisode first season.

Written by John Sakmar and Kerry Lenhart, co-creators of the series Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Kingdom Business will explore the gospel music industry through the lenses of family, faith, love, and the redemptive power of music, according to a release.

Michael Jai White stars as Julius “Caesar” Jones, a powerful producer and Jordan’s former collaborator turned rival; Michael Beach plays Calvin, Jordan’s husband and Bishop of First Kingdom Church; and Chaundre A. Hall-Broomfield plays the Jordans’ son, Taj. DeVon Franklin, Holly Carter, multi-Grammy-awardwinner Kirk Franklin, and Michael Van Dyck serve as executive producers. The series follows Jordan, who runs an

in-house record label, Kingdom Records and acts as First Lady of First Kingdom Church. She is determined to guard her family and its many secrets

ship of God or the supernatural; a commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.”

enjoying the fruits of her labor, her world begins to unravel when Rbel, a former exotic dancer, begins to threaten her status.

The recurring cast includes Tamar Braxton as Sasha, La’Miya

By Preston T. Adams III

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27

According to Google, religion is defined as “belief in a god or gods and the activities that are connected with this belief, such as praying or worshipping in a building such as a church or temple. A religion is a particular system of belief in a god or gods and the activities that are connected with this system.”

Religious individuals and institutions are challenged daily with addressing matters such as the rising tide of violence and homicides in cities nationwide; the ongoing battle between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated; the reality COVID-19 and its associated illnesses, and deaths have not gone away; and politics taking center stage regarding the best way to handle the omicron surge.

true servant of God, sending greetings. He admonishes them to count it all joy and be patient. They must endure the hardships they are facing. He reminds them if you need anything, ask God who is the ultimate source and supplier of all our needs.

When asking, one must ask in faith and not waiver. Don’t be double-minded, for a double-minded person is unstable in all their ways. He again encourages them to endure temptation, for a crown awaits those who endure.

slow to speak, be slow to wrath, lay aside naughtiness, and be doers of the Word and not just hearers.”

Here’s why this pivot is powerful. Here is the central message. Here’s how we apply James’ biblical definition of religion, specifically “pure religion and undefiled religion.”

First, “pure religion” helps those who are in distress. If our religion is pure, if our devotion to Christ is pure, if we truly want to represent the Christian faith well, we must help those in distress. And who are those in distress? Orphans (the fatherless) and widows (whose spouses have passed on to glory).

ted from the world. We must subdue our passions, and this means we must walk upright and circumvent our proclivity toward sin. We work daily to conquer our flesh. And we must remember immoral, illicit, or illegal activity of one believer reflects squarely on all believers! Pure religion is obtainable through submission to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If we want to truly please God, we must practice pure religion here on Earth. Then, and only then, will we hear our God say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Merriam-Webster defines religion as “the state of being religious; the service and wor-

The Apostle James penned a letter to the 12 tribes scattered abroad to the Israelites. He wrote these believers as a

The Apostle then makes a powerful and poignant pivot in his commentary. “Therefore…” he notes, “be

Finally, “pure and undefiled religion before God” means we must keep ourselves unspot-

Preston T. Adams III is senior pastor at Amazing Grace Christian Church in Indianapolis.

SECTION 8 MANAGER

This is an exempt management position. Under the direction of the Director of Operations, this position supervises a staff of 20 professional employees, and manages a HCV program of approx. 7,200 vouchers, including VASH, Homeownership, Emergency Housing Vouchers, Project-based Vouchers, and Portability.

The desired candidate must have the skills and technical knowledge to perform all HCV program tasks and be a “can-do”, high-energy leader who delegates appropriately, but is also willing to be a working manager. Must have exemplary interpersonal skills and adapt quickly to changing priorities.

Master’s and/or Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Public Administration or a related field plus seven (7) years of progressively responsible managerial and administrative experience related to the duties of this position. Applicable experience may be substituted for a degree. Familiarity with the Section 8 Programs and related regulations of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is necessary. Knowledge of Yardi program management software is highly desired. Salary: $65,000$91,433 Annually. Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Apply via our website www.slha.org. Position will be open until filled. A Drug Free Work Place/EOE.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

The St. Louis County Library is seeking qualified applicants for an Assistant Director, Strategic Initiatives. The Assistant Director, Strategic Initiatives will advance the St. Louis County Library’s mission, vision and values through the development of integrated and inclusive strategic solutions and efficient planning processes. The position will work to assess, design, develop, implement, research, and evaluate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in accordance with the Library’s organizational values, goals, and strategic priorities. Reports to the Director and CEO of the Library and is a member of the Library Administration. Master’s degree in Library Science or the humanities preferred and three or more years of supervisory experience in project and/or program management. Salary commensurate with experience. Paid health benefits. Apply online at https:// www.slcl.org/content/employment Equal Opportunity Employer.

POLICE & PUBLIC WORKS POSITIONS

The City of Clayton is hiring for full-time Police & Public Works positions. Apply at https://bit.ly/3pGDCgY EOE

tion, and apply today!

and apply.

THE CITY OF WELLSTON IS LOOKING TO FILL THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS:

Asst. City Clerk F/T Public Work laborers P/T Code Enforcement Officer F/T City Inspector F/T

Applications will be taken every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 am until 2pm. Contact information is listed below.

Janice Trigg, City Clerk/ Administrator City of Wellston 1414 Evergreen Ave., 63133 (314) 553-8001 (voice) jann.trigg@gmail.com

CLERKS

University City Public Library is hiring circulation and shelving clerks! Visit: https://www.ucitylibrary.org/employment/ to become part of our team, in the heart of the Delmar Loop!

ASSISTANT FITNESS SUPERVISOR

The City of Clayton is hiring an Assistant Fitness Supervisor. Apply: www.claytonmo.gov EOE

St. LouiS american Bids & Public Notices

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 Non-Capital Bids (commodities and services) or >Visit Planroom (capital construction bids)

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

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

> Kiel Garage Drain Repairs

> Will be received by City of St. Louis Treasurer UNTIL 3:00PM 1/3/2022

> For specific project information, go to > https://www.stltreasurer.org/ Request for Proposals/

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The City of Crestwood is accepting bid proposals for Mowing Services. Submittal deadline is 10:00 AM, January 4, 2022. Bid specifications can be obtained from the city website www. cityofcrestwood.org/bids.aspx Bids should be submitted to the Crestwood Community Center, 9245 Whitecliff Park Lane, Crestwood, MO 63126.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

> Kiel Garage Stairwell Repairs

> Will be received by City of St. Louis Treasurer UNTIL 3:00PM 1/3/2022

> For specific project information, go to > https://www.stltreasurer.org/ Request for Proposals/

BIDS REQUESTED

New Construction Section 3 / MBE /WBE Encouraged 40 Units Multi Family 1 Clubhouse– Fredericktown, MO For Bid Information: 636-931-4244 or zventura@vendev.cc

Double Diamond Construction 1000 A Truman Blvd. Crystal City, MO 63019

MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

The Missouri Historical Society is accepting RFPs for a graphic designer to lay out and design the cover for a book on Bosnians in St. Louis.

For details, please contact Lauren Mitchell, Director of Publications, by email at LMitchell@mohistory. org

Submission Deadline: December 17, 2021 An Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer Services Provided On A Non-Discriminatory Basis

CITY OF ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS COUNTY

JOINT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS— DISPARITY STUDIES

Date of Issuance: November 23, 2021

Proposal Due: January 11, 2022 at 2:00 pm CST

SEALED BIDS

Bids for REBID: S i d e w a l k and Drainage Improvements, First State Capitol State Historic Site, Project No. X2101-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 1/6/2022 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking RFPs for Professional Services for Security Camera and Public WiFi Service and Repair. Go to www.greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids and submit by January 5, 2022. www.stlamerican.com

On November 23, 2021, the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County jointly issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to provide disparity studies for the City’s Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Program under Ordinance 70767 and St. Louis County’s M/WBE program. This RFP may be found at https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/counselor/ index.cfm under “Procurement”, on the City’s procurement page (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/procurement/), by emailing Nancy Walsh at walshn@stlouis-mo.gov. The deadline for questions regarding the RFP is Tuesday, January 4, 2022. The deadline for submitting sealed proposals is 2:00 pm on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. Sealed proposals must be submitted in strict compliance with the instructions in the RFP. The City reserves the right to reject all proposals. Minority and Women-Owned Businesses are encouraged to apply.

Confluence Academy Summary Statement

Confluence Academy LEA recently received an unmodified opinion on an audit of the district’s Financial Statements for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021. The areas covered under the audits, were accounting of financial statements, compliance with state law and compliance with laws governing federal programs.

An unmodified opinion is the best opinion any organization can receive. CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP performed the audit.

The report states, in part “in our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the organization as of June 30, 2021, and the changes in its net assets and its cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.”

Confluence Academy LEA uses three major funds to account for its financial activity — the general fund, teachers’ fund, and capital projects fund.

Among all three funds, the report states that Confluence Academy LEA had total revenue of $46,707,270 for the 2021 fiscal year compared to $46,901,940 in fiscal year 2020. 2021 revenues by fund were $25,578,361 for the general fund, $21,123,772 for the teachers’ fund and $5,137 for the capital projects fund.

The report shows that general revenues accounted for $36,905,648 in revenue or 79% of all revenues. Program specific revenues in the form of operating grants and contributions accounted for $9,801,622 or 21% of total revenues.

The LEA had $43,201,178 of expenditures in fiscal 2021 compared with $42,217,094 in fiscal 2020.

The auditors report showed in total, net assets have increased by $4,979,320 for total net assets of $19,240,505 at fiscal year ended 2021.

The report shows balances for the general, teachers’ and capital projects funds totaled $13,406,909, $0, and $1,900,741 for a total governmental funds balance of $15,307,650 at fiscal year ended 2021.

The audit report can be viewed online by visiting www.confluenceacademy.org and clicking on the Information/Financial Reports/Audit link.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Date of First Publication: 12/16/21 City of St. Louis: Community Development Administration (CDA) 1520 Market Street, Suite 2000 St. Louis, Missouri 63103 314-657-3700 / 314-589-6000 (TTY)

On or after 12/24/21, the City of St. Louis (“the City”) will submit a request to the U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for the release of the following funds, under Title I of the Housing & Community Development Act of 1974, PL93-383, as amended, 42 U.S.C.-5301 et seq., to undertake the following programs comprising part of the City’s 2022 Action Plan, within the City:

For Sale Rehab & New Construction of Housing Program, under Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds [Award # B-22-MC-29-0006] totaling $4,074,897.00, and Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funds [Award # M-22-MC-29-0500] totaling $3,034,493.00, for the purpose of reinvesting in the City’s aging housing stock, by providing funding for rehabilitation or new construction of approximately 105 units in targeted areas throughout the City, at locations to be determined;

Healthy Home Repair Program Loan Pool, under CDBG funds [Award # B-22-MC-29-0006] totaling $1,000,000.00 (part of the City of St, Louis Emergency Home Repair Program) for the purpose of assisting low- to moderate-income homeowners through an estimated 162 emergency repair projects at locations to be determined;

Mission St. Louis Energy Efficiency, Weatherization and Accessibility Program, under CDBG Funds [Award # B-22-MC-29-0006] totaling $289,201.00 for the purpose of providing minor home repairs to low- to moderate-income homeowners through an estimated 100 small repair projects (part of the City of St. Louis Energy Efficiency, Weatherization, and Accessibility Program [EEWAP]);

Harambee Tuckpointing/Youth Training Program, under CDBG Funds [Award # B-22-MC-29-0006] totaling $150,000.00, for the purpose of providing tuckpointing services to low- to moderate-income homeowners, through an estimated 24 projects;

Neighborhood Commercial District Facade Improvement Program, under CDBG funds [Award # B-22MC-29-0006] totaling $400,000.00, for the purpose of reviving neighborhood commercial districts, through an estimated 40 facade and exterior improvement projects at locations to be determined;

The activities proposed are categorically excluded under HUD regulations at 24 CFR Part 58 from National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. An Environmental Review Record (ERR) that documents the environmental determinations for these projects is on file at the City’s CDA, at the address listed above, and may be examined or copied, by appointment, weekdays 8 A.M to 4 P.M, or visit https://www.onecpd. info/environmental-review/environmental-review-records to review the HUD ERR.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the ERR to Lisa Selligman, CDA, Architectural Manager, at the address listed above. All comments received by 4 p.m. on 12/23/2021 will be considered by the City prior to authorizing submission of a request for release of funds.

RELEASE OF FUNDS

TThe City certifies to HUD that, Justin Jackson, in his capacity as Executive Director, consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. HUD’s approval of the certification satisfies its responsibilities under NEPA and related laws and authorities and allows the City to use the City’s above-referenced HUD program funds.

OBJECTIONS TO RELEASE OF FUNDS

HUD will accept objections to its release of funds and the City’s certification for a period of 15 days following the anticipated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if they are on one of the following bases: a) the certification was not executed by the Certifying Officer of the City; b) the City has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or finding required by HUD regulations at 24 CFR Part 58; c) the grant recipient or other participants in the development process have committed funds, incurred costs or undertaken activities not authorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before approval of a release of funds by HUD/State; or d) another Federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written finding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of

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NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for the 2021 CRS Collector Overlay, Area B, St. Louis County Project No. CR-1830, will be received electronically thru the County’s Vendor Self Service portal at https://stlouisco.munisselfservice. com/Vendors/default.aspx, until 2:00 p.m. on January 19, 2022

Plans and specifications will be available on December 20, 2021 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www.stlouiscountymo.gov) or by contacting Cross Rhodes Print & Technologies, 2731 South Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118 (314) 678-0087.

DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE

SERVICES

ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Great Rivers Greenway is soliciting Bids for the Mississippi Greenway: Old Chain of Rocks Bridge Steel Repairs in St. Louis, Missouri. Go to www.greatriversgreenway. org/jobs-bids and submit by January 19, 2022.

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR ENGINEERING DESIGN

SERVICES FOR AIRFIELD PROJECTS AT ST. LOUIS

LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL

AIRPORT. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 P.M. CT, JANUARY 11, 2022 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from BPS website www.stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan Room-Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-589-6214. 25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals.

BIRD HOUSE COOLING TOWER REPLACEMENT RFP 2021

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified firms to submit proposals for Bird House Cooling Tower Replacement RFP 2021. Bid documents are available as of 12/15/2021 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

The Planning and Zoning Board of the City of Pagedale will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 6:00 pm via ZOOM to hear citizen’s comments regarding Petitions to “D” Industrial property located at 7013 Page and “Vacant/Agriculture” properties located at 1307 Colby and 1313 Colby to “C” Commercial consistent with the City of Pagedale City Codes and/or Ordinances. Also a second hearing will be held for 1264 Ferguson Ave to rezone the property from Commercial to Industrial. And a third hearing will be held for 1284 Kingsland for a variance if need to rebuild for any reason.

BID NOTICE

Alberici Constructors and the Saint Louis Zoo seek bids from qualified construction firms to submit proposals for a project at the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park. The projects consists of the construction of a wood framed barn with metal roofing and siding. To request bid documents, please send an E-mail to stlzoobids@alberici.com

LETTING #8740

www.stlamerican.com

CERVANTES CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION AND MODERNIZATION EARLY UTILITIES PACKAGE ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service until 1:45 PM, CT, on January 18, 2022, through Bid Express online portal then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public website http://www.stl-bps.org/planroom.aspx (BPS Online Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website INDOX Services at cost, plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

A pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held on December 21, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Louis City Hall, 1200 Market Street, Room 325, St. Louis, MO 63103 or virtually using the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7355702554.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, state, and Federal Laws (including MBE/WBE policies).

All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications”, set forth with and referenced at www.bps.org (Announcements) www.stlamerican.com

LETTING #8739

JEFFERSON AVE / 22ND ST CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS

FEDERAL PROJECT NO’S. CMAQ-5417(604) & STP-5417(605)

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 301 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on JANUARY 18, 2022, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

A pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held December 21, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. The pre-bid conference will be held in 1520 Market Street, Suite 2000, Boardroom #278, St. Louis, Missouri 63103. Masks are required to enter the building.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).

Construction, Inc. seeks subcontract proposals from Minority Business Enterprise/Women Business Enterprise/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise/and or Veteran Supplier Diversity, with Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business for:

Project: #RC000503 Parker Hall Restroom Improvements AND #RC000488 Kummar Foundation Executive Boardroom Phase II

Both projects are located at 300 W. 13th St. Rolla, MO 65401

• Plans and Specifications are on: http://www.adsplanroom.net or • View at our Rolla, MO office: 1704 E 10th St. Ste. D Rolla, MO 65401

• Please email or call bids@cahillsconstruction.com or 573-426-5305 for a link to plans and specifications.

Bids are due: RC000503 Parker Hall Restroom Improvements: December 20, 2021 5 p.m.

RC000488 Kummar Foundation Executive Boardroom Phase II: January 4, 2022 5 p.m. Email bids@cahillsconstruction.com or faxed to 573-362-3562

If you have any questions: 573-426-5305

Continued from C1

the fact I am a teenager, I’m still learning, and I’m still trying to find myself,” she said. “When I was by myself during the quarantine, I learned to love who I am. Being by myself, I started experimenting with photoshoots in my room and appreciating my angles. I began to love who I am when I was by myself because I am the guaranteed person I know I have.” Mary said she and Jeff have

also noticed Buford’s growth from when she first started working with them to now.

“When I was looking at the original pics of her, Jeff looked at me and said, ‘She’s not even the same girl,’ she said. “Watching her be in her element matched with her work ethic and incredible family support, you just know she will be a superstar.”

Buford has modeled for Kim Kardashian’s Skims x Fendi collaboration, Lacoste, Free People appeared in Kim Petras’ music video and guest-starred on “The Tamron Hall Show.” She represents three markets

with Next Management; Los Angeles, London, and New York. She said her dream aspirations are to walk for Versace and Off-White and be on the cover of Vogue Magazine.

“I’m ready to put in my effort and take on this industry so that I can look back in however many years and say you did your thing,” she said. “I hope to look back one day and know that I’m so happy and grateful for everything that my life has given and shown me.” Keep up with Buford and her budding career on her Instagram account, @leyahtings.

end, but she wanted this book to make people think and interpret it with multiple meanings.

“I think when words flow a certain way in rhythm it actually gives the reader a chance to get chills,” she said. “I wanted to write it in a way that comes to the reader rather than me just telling them what it is.”

She said the inspiration behind the book’s cover comes from a single water droplet she saw at the beach and thought it was beautiful because it still captured the backdrop of the beach.

“The droplet was so detailed, it signifies how we all are uniquely made.” she said.

As a Christian, she compares the particle to the passage Matthew 17:20 in the bible, which talks about having the faith of a mustard seed.

“The water droplet was clear as day and everything could be seen through it,” she said. “That just means no matter what your storms are there’s still clarity in the midst of your external

environment. It was beautiful, it spoke to me, and I just thought it was a perfect masterpiece.”

She said she became interested in poetry as an eighth grade student at Nipher Middle School in Kirkwood. After reciting “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou, and writing her own poem she said she became

n “I think when words flow a certain way in rhythm it actually gives the reader a chance to get chills.”

- Amber “AsiamB” Solomon

captivated by the way words could flow and evoke life.

She said she continued reciting poetry in college, attending open mic nights and competing in poetry slam competitions.

Once she saw that she could memorize her own poems she said it gave her the confidence in knowing she could write a book.

“I see myself coming out of my shell to perform again since I wrote a book,” she said. “The book has allowed me to be comfortable in being me.”

One gem she wants readers to take away from her book is that everyone is a work in progress and perfection isn’t always necessary.

“This poem I read said progression over perfection and it really spoke to me while writing the book because I realized it didn’t have to be perfect,” she said. “Whether I sell two or three copies, I know I completed something big to be a 27-year-old first-time Black published author based in St. Louis. I want my readers to do what’s purposeful for them. Don’t do something just for money or to get affirmation and confirmation from others, it’s up to the person what they want for themselves.”

“Cured” is available for pre-order here: https://curesdasiamb.samcart.com/products/ cured--asiamb-book?fbclid=Iw AR2U1fJo5oKzEFDqTkQEuu0 tg_koeTE34ddICwmiM8zMUZlX9v1svNXdnJM.

Follow Solomon’s Instagram account at @as_i_amb.

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Memberships include free exhibition tickets and exclusive events, plus discounts on dining, shopping and parking.

Membership levels start at $65.

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to purchase.

Cured

Continued from C1

December ’21

January ’22

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March ’22

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AKA DDO Miss Fashionetta Cotillion

June ’22

AKA UPO Hattitude Scholarship

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’22

Rosh Hashana

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October ’22

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Centene helps people access the quality healthcare and resources they need to take care of themselves and their families. We’re proud to be part of a diverse and growing force of dedicated employees, working daily to transform the health of our communities, one person at a time.

November ’22

December ’22