December 19th, 2019 Edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

‘It’s possible, if it’s a priority’

Missouri mulls $400M plan to boost teacher pay in public schools

By Ryan Delaney

Missouri’s education department has come up with a scheme to pay public school teachers more. Yet it would take nearly $400 million to lift Missouri from the bottom of state rankings for teacher compensation to the middle of the pack.

“It’s just important to emphasize this just kind of catches us up,” said Paul Katnik, an assistant education commissioner at the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Wenona Woolfolk, a 4th grade teacher at Dunbar Elementary School in the East St. Louis School District 189, works with students Ronald Artis, Caleigh Young and Ma’Kenzey Reid.

Carmen Hill, the school nurse at Gateway MST Elementary School, turned the rope for Gateway students Daegen Diaye, a 5th grader, and Cormya Ivory, a 4th grader, at the BJC Double Dutch Showcase held December 7 at Wohl Recreation Center. Missouri Foundation for Health funds this Healthy Schools Healthy Communities initiative.

City’s inclusion goals set for NGA

$1.75B project could employ more than 1,000 workers

By Rebecca Rivas

Of The St. Louis American

More than 1,000 workers could be employed daily in 2022 during peak construction of the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency’s new $1.75 billion facility project, which broke ground on November 26. This is a tremendous opportunity to implement the City of St. Louis’ law for employing local residents, minorities, women and apprentices, according to advocates and union leaders. The city’s inclusion goals require that a minimum of 25 percent of the contract’s

Tale of two St. Louis police shootings

Man killed by police on December 12 had received settlement for police assault in 2014

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

Five days after a 27-year-old white man in the Grove neighborhood was shot in the knee by police officers on Thursday, December 12, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department released video from the police car’s camera of the incident. However, video has not been released in the shooting death of a 24-year-old African-American man, Cortez Bufford, which occurred the same day as the Grove incident. During a “pedestrian check,” Bufford allegedly pointed a gun at police officers and was shot and killed in the Carondelet neighborhood.

“St. Louis police shot two people in less than 24 hours,” wrote activist Elizabeth Vega in a Facebook post. “The disparity in the response is glaring!” Vega’s reaction reflected many others in the community.

First Amendment Clinic finishes first semester

public seeking to defend freedom of speech

Lisa Hoppenjans

labor hours go to minorities, 7 percent go to women, 23 percent to city residents and 20 percent to apprentices. In 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) officials, which is overseeing design and construction, told The St. Louis

Of St. Louis Public Radio

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Wiley Price

Tom Joyner leaves the airwaves

Tom Joyner made his final live broadcast as host of the “Tom Joyner Morning Show” on Friday, December 13.

“The Fly Jock has landed,” Joyner said. “Thank you for an amazing 25 years of the Tom Joyner Morning Show.” He signed off on the show which aired in more than 105 markets nationwide and reached nearly eight million listeners.

In an interview with CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan, Joyner admitted that him stepping away was ultimately about money. According to the report, Joyner said he was pulling in $14 million a year at his peak pay.

“If you had been offered more money, would you have stayed longer?” Duncan asked.

“Heck yeah. Shoot, I – my goal was to die on the radio. Have my funeral on the radio,” Joyner said with a laugh.

Joyner announced in 2017 that the show would end when it reaches its 25th anniversary in syndication.

Celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Ice Cube, Sheryl Underwood and many more called in to congratulate Joyner on his retirement.

Chance The Rapper cancels tour

In September, Chance The Rapper announced that he would be postponing his highly anticipated The Big Tour to spend time with his growing family.

This week, he took to Instagram to tell fans that he scrapped the tour altogether apologizing to fans and explaining that he is taking the time to be with family, create new music and develop “my best show to date.”

“I know it sucks and it’s been a lot of back and forth with reschedules and rerouting, but it’s for the best. I’m gonna take this time to be with family, make some new music and develop my best show to date,” Chance said via Instagram. “I’m deeply sorry to anyone with a ticket who has supported me this past decade by coming to a show and rocking out with me and I feel even worse for anyone who was planning on making this their first Chance concert.”

Gabrielle Union speaking out against ‘happy negro’ dynamic

Last month, Gabrielle Union was fired from America’s Got Talent after exposing the racist and sexist culture behind the scenes at NBC.

Based on her remarks on a recent panel, she is standing by her actions.

“Don’t be the happy negro that

does the bidding of the status quo because you’re afraid,” Union said at the Power of Inclusivity and the Women Leading the Charge panel. “Don’t allow them to call you angry when someone else is called passionate. It’s terrifying. There’s a solid chance you’ll lose your job…I speak from experience.”

Usher settles last of the STD cases

Two years ago, singer Usher was sued by three women and one man who accused him of exposing them to the herpes virus.

According to celebrity legal news site The Blast, the cases have all been settled.

“[Usher] recently hashed out a deal with Quantasia Sharpton, Jane and in the second case.

3 DAY BAKING SALE

THURSDAY, DECMEBER 12 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13 SATURDAY. DECEMBER 14

The last pending case was with New York Marine and General Insurance,” The In 2017, New York Marine and General Insurance sued Usher and his company Fast Pace Inc. At the time Usher was facing multiple lawsuits accusing him of exposing sexual partners to Herpes without disclosing the

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Usher’s insurance company has informed the court they are dismissing their lawsuit.

Mathew Knowles clears up Jagged Edge ‘harassment’ remarks

Mathew Knowles is clarifying his earlier comments about certain members of R&B quartet Jagged Edge harassing Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland soon after the group implied that they would take legal action.

“I feel the need to clarify that I did not say the girls were sexually harassed while on tour with Jagged Edge in the 2000s. I said ‘harassed,’” Knowles told New York Post’s Page Six. “The term ‘sexual harassment’ may imply to some to mean physical advances. I would classify the harassment they encountered more as unwelcome and inappropriate remarks to minors from adults who should have known better.”

Knowles, who managed Destiny’s Child at the time, told Vlad TV the girls would call him and say they were “constantly being harassed” on tour. “Now remember, the girls are minors. They’re 16 years old …The guys are 21 and 22 years old. I have a fiduciary duty with minors. By the law, there’s a certain way I have to manage that,” he said.

When Knowles’ original remarks went viral, someone posting from the official social media account of Jagged Edge issued a thinly veiled lawsuit threat.

“We have engaged our legal team we will manage at that level,” the Instagram post read.

Sources: VladTV.com, Instagram.com, Eurweb.com, CBS.com, The Blast

Chance The Rapper

Local government through a social work lens

Brown School degree candidate plans to put education to work in North County

By Diane Toroian Keaggy

Of Washington University

Social workers have long served traumatized students, sick patients, struggling veterans and troubled families. But can they help the American mayor? Absolutely, said Diamond Munerlyn, who just earned a master’s degree in social work from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

“Mayors and council members are elected by the people, but there often is a disconnect between government and the people,” said Munerlyn, who concentrated in economic and social development. “Social workers can bridge that gap.”

Munerlyn recently worked in the north St. Louis County municipality of Jennings, where she worked with elected officials to update the city’s comprehensive plan. In addition to studying past economic development initiatives, Munerlyn collected and analyzed feedback from community members. The result: dozens of recommendations, from a moratorium on liquor stories to accelerated road repairs.

“The city wanted to hear from its residents, but that can be hard to do when you’re juggling the day- to-day business,” Munerlyn said. “I was able to engage the community and learn what sort of mix of business they wanted in the city and what services and resources they needed.”

Brown School student Diamond Munerlyn believes social workers can serve as a bridge between municipal leaders and the residents they serve.

‘White Christmas’ and Black Radio

By Bernie Hayes For The St. Louis American

It outrages me at this late date to hear commercials featuring the Drifters singing “White Christmas” and advertisements highlighting Charles Brown, Lowell Folsum, Muddy Waters, The Coasters, Howling Wolf, Buddy Guy, The Midnighters and other African-American artists who were not heard on these so called major radio outlets and television stations. These performers were heard on Black Radio only.

Munerlyn was set on her career path after taking the immersion course “Poverty –The Impact of Institutionalized Racism,” taught by Jack Kirkland, associate professor at the Brown School. For one week, she lived and learned in East St. Louis, where more than 40 percent of residents live in poverty.

Guatemala than any city I knew in America,” said Munerlyn, who grew up in Louisiana, Tennessee and north St. Louis County and served in the Peace

n “There often is a disconnect between government and the people. Social workers can bridge that gap.”

– Diamond Munerlyn

Corps in Guatemala.

“My eyes were opened to the policies that created the problems that persist today. The people never had a voice.”

and eagerness to connect with people will make her an effective advocate for the region’s residents.

“She recognizes that local city government is the main arena to transmit information and knowledge to assist citizens,” Kirkland said.

“She is translating research into practice in a way that is instructive to the people she works with and helpful to the citizens she meets.”

After graduation, Munerlyn will coordinate upcoming sessions of Kirkland’s course and continue to work for Jennings as a consultant. Ultimately, she hopes to work for a local municipality in north St. Louis County.

I assume some will say it is good that they are finally being recognized, and I agree, but only the AfricanAmerican community understand the struggles these persons endured to survive during the turbulent ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s and some well into the ‘70s and ‘80s. Somehow their worth to white businesses became salient and significant, because of the money they added to these industries and record companies. These black artists were kept out of the mainstream through the complex nature of racism. They were not listed on white music charts and because of the challenges related to issues of race and racism. These artists pioneered new sounds in blues, jazz and gospel, and most created their works for no recognition and little pay.

Bernie Hayes

“The infrastructure failures, the water, the food deserts — what I saw in East St. Louis reminded me more of

Kirkland, who has continued to serve as a mentor, said that Munerlyn’s expertise in economic development

“People look at government and get frustrated,” Munerlyn said. “I get that. But even small changes can be progress.”

Happy holidays! Please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday night at 10 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 5:30 p.m. on NLEC-TV Ch. 24.2. I can be reached on e-mail at berhay@swbell.net or on Twitter @berhay.

An article by Erin Blakemore stated, “A black person might own a shelf full of records by groundbreaking artists like Ma Rainey, Jelly Roll Morton or Duke Ellington, all of whom became bestselling artists on so-called ‘race records.’ But a white person might have no idea who any of those artists were, though they had sold thousands of copies. That’s because race records were sold in stores and advertised in publications that catered to African-Americans. And though they documented and celebrated some of the best black music of their day, from blues to vaudeville to jazz, race records didn’t always benefit African-Americans.” For example, in the early years of rock and roll, many songs originally recorded by African-American musicians were re-recorded by white artists such as Pat Boone in a more toneddown style, often with changed lyrics that lacked the hard edge of the original versions. These cover songs were popular with a much broader white audience. Maybe some of you think that I should be thankful that these singers and musicians are now being heard and some receiving great monetary gains. Well, I am, but I wish they were heard years ago, and not limited to the chitlin circuit when they could have reaped the financial rewards that their white counterparts received. Imagine how much money the Drifters could have made if white-owned radio and TV stations had played their song when it was first released decades ago.

Photo by Joe Angeles/Washington University

Editorial /CommEntary

Improving teacher pay is necessary but insufficient

It is not often that we are encouraged by signs coming from the Republican-dominated Missouri Legislature, but it’s a good sign that Missouri legislative leaders will consider a proposal to increase the pay of public school teachers in the state. “I do believe our teachers deserve to be paid a little better,” state Rep. Chuck Basye, a Republican from the Columbia area who chairs the Missouri House’s education committee, told St. Louis Public Radio. “We want to be competitive; we want the best possible teachers we can get.”

Basye was responding to a $400 million proposal floated by the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to the State Board of Education during its monthly meeting in early December. For $400 million, the state could increase the base minimum pay for teachers from $25,000 to $32,000; give all teachers a $4,000 raise; and create a fund to entice teachers toward hard-to-fill positions. These changes would move the average teacher salary in Missouri from $48,000 to just over $54,000.

The new salary benchmark might make Missouri “competitive,” as Basye said he wants, in that it would bring Missouri up from near the bottom (40th) to square in the middle (26th), according to data on average teacher pay from the National Education Association. But the middle of the pack hardly meets Basye’s desire for “the best possible teachers we can get.” As Paul Katnik, an assistant education commissioner, was reported saying by St. Louis Public Radio, “It’s just important to emphasize this just kind of catches us up.” We urge Missouri legislators to approve this plan and to find the money in the income tax-depleted state budget to pay for it, if no better plan is brought forward. We consider this investment in this essential sector of the state’s

workforce an encouraging start in addressing the state’s many needs in public education; it’s necessary but insufficient to meet our needs.

Like many states, Missouri faces two very different but equally urgent problems, which are attracting and retaining teachers in both its rural and its high-poverty urban schools. Both educational contexts pose very different but equally daunting challenges for teachers. And then there is the additional, vexing problem that science education is fundamental to the future of our economy, which makes the people capable of teaching science able to earn more money in industry than education. The teachers we need the most are the hardest to attract.

For these reasons, St. Louis Public Radio reported, DESE is considering an additional $75 million fund to recruit teachers in high-poverty and rural schools and in teaching high school science. Though this fund would bring the price tag for these reforms close to a half-billion dollars, it also would make these necessary reforms more sufficient to the challenges that face our state in upgrading this essential, laborintensive sector of our workforce. We urge legislators to bolster DESE’s proposal with this additional fund and to find a way to pay for it. Our students – and the future of our state –demand it.

Looking further into the future toward a possibility that would require buy-in from teachers’ unions, which limit what legislators and administrators can do, our state should look to Japan. In Japan, teacher assignments change every three years or so. This system allows the government to assign the strongest teachers to the schools and students who need them most. This gives the most disadvantaged students access to the most capable teachers. For our neediest students also want “the best possible teachers we can get.”

By Bill Clay For The St. Louis American

There are several phrases commonly used by various ethnic groups to describe payback. One is “in your face.” This adequately applies to a situation that took place on December 10 in Richmond, Virginia. It was the unveiling of a 27-feet-high, 60,000-pound bronze and stone monument, “Rumors of War,” sculptured by a famous black artist, Kehinde Wiley. It features an African-American man clad in modern street clothes on a horse.

The occasion of the unveiling was so fantastic that it attracted the city’s mayor, Levar Stoney and the state’s governor, Ralph Northam, who joined other dignitaries and a crowd of 5,000 rain-soaked admirers. They witnessed the placing of this black monument

in a place of prominence once occupied by defenders of Confederate hate-filled opponents of the Civil War fought to end slavery.

The reference to “in your face” is proper because the statue is placed two blocks from a monument of Stonewall Jackson on a horse, next door to the headquarters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Denoting the “up your hate-filled” personality is where it is placed: on a busy thoroughfare named Arthur Ashe Boulevard in the former Capital of the Confederacy. This bit of `playback’

Letters to the editor

rehouse the unhoused.

reminds me of what my son, Congressman Lacy Clay Jr., did years ago in 2000 when he was a member of the Missouri State Legislature. When the KKK won a battle in state court ruling that the organization could not be denied the naming of a section of highway because of it racially hatred history – as long as it agreed, like the other granted groups, to keep the section free of debris – Senator Clay went into battle. He introduced a bill that passed the legislature and became the law. It merely changed the section in dispute to the “Rosa Parks Highway.” Afterwards, the publicity-seeking KKK never posted its sign and never gathered to clean the section.

William L. “Bill” Clay is the retired congressman for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.

All letters are edited for length and style.

By Khalil Abdullah Ethnic Media Services

Why bother with Census 2020?

Whether or not you saw the improvements you expected, many benefits of the census still touched your life, your community, and the people you love and care about – especially children.

If you have a sense of responsibility for the quality of life of children in your family or beyond, your participation in the census has a direct impact. Over 200 federal programs derive revenue from data gathered by the census. This list includes school lunch programs and the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC), which provides direct monetary assistance for low income pregnant women and new mothers and their children. Other programs range from Section 8 Housing assistance to LIHEAP, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. LIHEAP helps families pay heating bills and assists with repairs to furnaces, insulation and weatherization costs.

Without these programs, the cost of living for everyone in a neighborhood, city, or county would be higher. Take LIHEAP as an example. Without the financial subsidy to those in need, other ratepayers and customers like yourself, would likely face an increase in monthly utility bills.

Just consider the funding that assists with the cost of schools, teachers, and education. The

lives of children are profoundly affected by your decision to participate in the census. This is one reason why those who represent African-American communities – be they clergy, elected officials, or social justice advocates – see engagement with the census as a moral imperative. All politics is local. Almost nowhere does this apply more than when money is being allocated. There are layers of responsibility for how money is spent, including federal and state formulas as well as decisions made at the local level, often by elected officials. The census has a direct bearing on our election processes of redistricting and reapportionment, which help determine how your vote is counted and who gets elected. Not answering the census or providing false answers are each punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, but no one has been fined for failure to respond in recent censuses, according to the Census Bureau’s national spokesperson. But, as one census advocate said, it is a crime of sorts not to participate because is the children who suffer most without your full participation.

Your information is confidential and protected by Title 13, which brings

heavy fines and possible imprisonment for anyone who divulges your personal information. The Census Bureau cannot, under penalty, share your information with the IRS, Homeland Security, immigration or law enforcement agencies or anyone else, including housing officials. However, census information is made publicly available after 72 years.

The Census Bureau is trying to gather data. It is not seeking to determine whether you are violating your lease or local zoning codes.

However, families are often fluid – grandparents taking care of grandchildren while parents are at work or away from home. Should you claim a student away at school in another state as a member of your household? There are many scenarios where family members should be reported, but African Americans were undercounted by 2.1 percent in the 2010 census and many of those missed were children. Why?

In part because people were unsure whether they should report a child or whether that was someone else’s responsibility to do so. The best thing to do is ask the Census Bureau or one of the many organizations participating in partnership during Census2020.

This article is a monthly column by Ethnic Media Services aimed to educate about the need to respond to the 2020 U. S. Census.

There must be a public vote

The plan to privatize Lambert Airport is a sham. No other city in the U.S. of any significant size has privatized their airport. The only city to have tried it was a failure. Privatizing the airport would make the Loop Trolley folly look like a small mistake compared to this whopper flopper. It is gambling with the city’s biggest and best asset. The Better Together fiasco was another huge flop. Over the last two years the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) was a mess that is still recovering. The destruction in our city has to stop. I agree with Congressman Clay that before the airport is privatized there must be a public vote.

James Sahaida, St. Louis

We need a renters’ tax credit

I agree with Marc Morial that addressing the affordable housing crisis should be a forefront topic in American politics and should be a topic at the presidential debate. Eleven million American families currently pay over 50 percent of their income for rent and are only one catastrophe – a job loss, an unexpected medical expense, or a natural disaster such as Katrina or a tornado –away from homelessness. Solutions do exist that we need the congressional will to execute. One such solution is the renters’ tax credit. By limiting rent for low-income families to 30 percent of their income and providing a tax credit for the balance above that up to local fair-market value, the renters’ tax credit will proactively prevent homelessness while helping

This holiday season call your member of Congress and ask them to introduce a renters’ tax credit in the upcoming tax legislation.

Sri Jaladi, St. Louis

Disheartening sentence for cop killer

Murder is the ultimate violent act. The decision of Circuit Judge Michael Noble to sentence Justin Mathews to roughly five years, with a possible release at age 21, is unacceptable for an armed carjacking and subsequent murder. We don’t condone light sentences for murder for anyone under these circumstances.

We understand there has to be a balance with sentencing juveniles and rehabilitation, especially in light of the disproportionate sentences of minorities; however, families who have to go on deserve better than this sentence.

When Sergeant Ralph Harper was a sergeant with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, he mentored officers and demanded officers around him be fair and disciplined in our actions. The president of the Ethical Society of Police was one of those he mentored.

The sentence is disheartening and saddens many of us in the Ethical Society of Police.

Rest in Peace, Sgt. Harper. Our prayers are with his family.

Ethical Society of Police St. Louis

Humorous, but not a joke

Vice President Mike Pence wants Americans to believe that

Democrats have reached a new low during the Congressional impeachment hearings. During a public statement reported by NBC, Pence condemned the hearings as a Democrat hatchet job on the president, then attempted to shame Pamela Karlan, a constitutional law professor at Stanford University. Karlan stated that a president not subject to constitutional limitations would be akin to a king or dictator. She commented, pertaining to President Trump, that he could name his child Baron but could not appoint a baron, which is a title bestowed by a feudal superior (Webster), because Trump is president, not king, therefore subject to the rule of law.

Republicans went into the stratosphere with faux outrage. Pence picked up the outrage baton and ran with it. Disparaging Trump’s 13-yearold-son was out-of-bounds, he claimed. Karlan subsequently apologized for the alleged offense.

Realistically, Karlan’s comment was not a joke, as claimed by Republicans. It was a comparison of the powers of a president in a democratic republic juxtaposed with those of a monarch or dictator. Viewers in the hearing room gallery found the comparison humorous, and a brief bit of laughter was audible. Humorous, but not a joke. It did however offer Republicans an opportunity to divert attention from the overwhelming evidence of Donald Trump’s guilt. But the evidence presented makes it clear that impeachment in on the horizon.

Michael K. Broughton Green Park

Guest Columnist Khalil Abdullah

Photo by Wiley Price

Glasgow Elementary School 5th grade teacher Gerald Williams works with students Jasyla Simpkins, Taniyah Emory-Wright, Marquis Sanders and Sariha Ross.

Dancers, poet attend Theodore Jamison’s funeral

Katherine Dunham-trained dancers and choreographers joined East Saint Louis Poet Laureate Eugene B. Redmond (center) following a “Celebration of Life” for Theodore “Theo” Jamison, world-renowned dancer, choreographer, singer and Dunham protégé. Flanking Redmond (r-l): Heather Himes, Soroya Corbet, Rochelle Tavernier, and Leslie Arbogast. The service was held Saturday at Macedonia Baptist Church in East St. Louis. Interment was in Sunset Gardens of Memory and the Repast took place at the Village Theater in Centreville. The dancers studied and/or performed with Jamison. During 1967-69, Redmond served as director of the traveling company that grew out of Dunham’s ESL-based Performing Arts Training Center (PATC). Jamison became a PATC student in 1970. After being certified in Dunham Technique, he served as Dunham’s demonstrator for 15 years. Jamison died on Thanksgiving Day.

Audition registration open for The Muny

Audition registration is now open for The Muny’s 2020 Season. The Muny and Telsey + Company, its official casting partner, are searching for both union and non-union performers who are strong dancers who sing and strong singers who move well. The Muny strives to seek a balance between local St. Louis talent, degree-seeking students from the top-ranking performing arts programs nationwide, emerging young artists and Broadway performers.

The audition dates are: Jan. 9-10 (Equity Principal Auditions – Chicago), Jan. 27 (St. Louis Resident Non-Equity Open Call), Jan. 29 (St. Louis Resident Equity Call), Feb. 1-2 (Equity Chorus Call Singers and Dancer Open Call – St. Louis), Feb. 8-9 (Muny Kids) and Feb. 18-20 (Muny Teens). Times and callbacks vary depending on the audition. These dates also include Muny Kid and Teen auditions. To register and for more information, visit muny.org/auditions.

January 29 deadline for Divided City grants

The Divided City: An Urban Humanities Initiative is awarding multiple grants of up to $20,000 in support of collaborative research, field institutes, and curriculum development on urban segregation broadly conceived. The support is available for collaborations between community members and tenure-track and

tenured faculty at Washington. The deadline is January 29, 2020. If you have any questions, contact Tila Neguse, project coordinator for The Divided City initiative at the Center for the Humanities, at tneguse@wustl.edu or (314) 935-2931. First, visit http://thedividedcity.com/ for more information.

Making black dollars work for us

By Jamala Rogers For The St. Louis American

All holidays in the U.S. are highly commercialized. Christmas is the most commercialized to the tune of $475 billion, according to National Retail Federation estimates. Lost in those billions is a big portion of the $1 trillion-plus spending power of black folks. Our consumerism rarely comes with demands for accountability and respect.

Some of us think about how fast our dollars literally fly out of our communities while other ethnic groups’ dollars circulate longer and benefit them more. It really smacked me in a different way when I heard Maggie Anderson speak at a program hosted by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. I bought her book, “The Black Year.” I felt the same energy and passion in those pages that I saw and felt at the podium during Anderson’s presentation.

Anderson and her husband John also thought about black dollars and where they get spent. The successful, professional couple took their concerns and complaints to another level. The Chicago family decided to embark upon an experiment to buy black for one year. Did they ever get a huge awakening!

While reading the book, I wanted to go to Chicago just to support Brother Karriem and his Farmer’s Best Market. His attempt mirrored similar local attempts like Yours Market. Their story also exposes the way racialized capitalism creates barriers (laws and practices) in a so-called free market system.

The whole experiment was one big, continuous struggle from getting sponsors to finding worthy black-owned businesses to support to fundraising to dealing with black attitudes rooted in internalized oppression as in Mista Charlie’s ice is colder. Maggie Anderson was unapologetic in her criticism of black businesses whose products and practices showed a disrespect for black shoppers and the community it was supposed to serve. That’s why I believe it’s not just about buying black. There are non-black businesses who hire black employees, treat them and customers fairly, and who support racial justice and equity.

It started off as The Ebony Experiment until the folks at Johnson Publications acted as if it had a monopoly of the word “ebony,” as in Ebony Magazine Not wanting a big fight before the initiative got off the ground, the Andersons and their board reluctantly changed the name to The Empowerment Experiment. I personally favor the latter because the experiment was about economic empowerment, not just a color.

A few insights of their journey – like the number of black-owned grocery stores – may be sad, though common knowledge. The number of stores plunged from 6,339 at the turn of the segregated 20th century to about a half dozen today. The number of blackowned banks went from 130 during the postslavery/Reconstruction period to a fluctuating 20-something today. Many may not know the actual statistics but still live the daily reality of resource scarcity.

The Anderson saga is not just a whimpering tale of scarcity rooted in racism and economic privilege. It attempts to unearth the complicated reasons for the lack of support of black businesses by black folks. It highlights the unsuccessful struggles of black businesses trying to fill voids.

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University did the evaluation of The Empowerment Experiment. The Anderson’s family made 513 purchases during their Black Year with black businesses totaling nearly $50,000. Adding their transfers of investments to black financial institutions, the amount surged to $94,000. The case was made: Black dollars spent intentionally created capital.

The Black Year gives us a call to action, some hard-learned lessons and some tools like Maggie’s Tips for Buying Black the EE Way. The book admits the limitations of the experiment, but the journey’s outcomes reinforced the impact when black consumers change their spending habits.

Understanding economic power must be taught at an early age if the black community expects to create intergenerational wealth and financial stability, our civic leaders and elected officials must learn how to leverage our economic power when they’re at the negotiating tables. I could write an entire column about the lack of dollars black media outlets get from corporate entities and bigbudget political campaigns.

Our communities are at a place where we can no longer depend on the good graces of government. It has no grace, no conscience, no remorse. The vision for a future of black prosperity is ours to develop and implement. Failure is not an option.

Jamala Rogers

Photo: Eugene B. Redmond Collection

The white man was suspected of attempting to rob a White Castle at gunpoint. According to the video that police released, the suspect pointed a gun directly at the police car and then hid behind a bush in the alley. The officers got out of the car and fired shots at the suspect, striking him in the knee, according to the statement.

Bufford was not suspected of committing a specific crime. That incident started with a pedestrian check, or what some are calling a “stop and frisk,” at the corner of Virginia Avenue and Bates Street near a gas station. St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden said that Mobile Reserve officers were in the area that night because it is as “a heavily trafficked drug area.” Just days before, a 14-year-old was critically injured when he was shot in the neck near that area.

Clinic

Continued from A1

American spoke with Hoppenjans about the new endeavor.

The St. Louis American: In the announcement, WUSTL says the clinic will be “providing pro bono legal services to individuals and organizations in matters raising First Amendment issues,” and you cite two examples, “a motion to unseal court records for a news organization or bringing claim on behalf of an individual who was excluded from a government meeting for criticizing local officials.” Two questions: who does/does not qualify to receive these pro bono services? And: can you list or brainstorm about other examples of cases or situations where you think you can and hope to be of service?

Lisa Hoppenjans: Who does/ does not qualify to receive these pro bono services? There is no bright line rule. We’ll evaluate

As the officers approached, Bufford fled into the 500 block of Bates Street on foot and the officers gave chase, according to a police statement. One officer, a 35-year-old white male with 11 years on the force, followed the suspect into a gangway on the north side of Bates, where Bufford attempted to climb a fence but failed, police said.

“He retrieved a firearm and turned toward” the officer, the police report states, and

matters on a case-by-case basis considering a number of factors, including the financial status of the potential client, the merit of the case, the importance of the issue involved or the right to be vindicated, and the suitability of the matter for work by law students. The goal is to either be assisting someone who cannot afford counsel or to be advancing an important free speech, press, or assembly claim that, as a practical matter, would likely not be litigated without the availability of pro bono representation. As for other examples of cases or situations where we can and hope to be of service: a motion to unseal court records for a news organization or bringing claim on behalf of an individual who was excluded from a government meeting for criticizing local officials; defending an individual who cannot afford counsel against a defamation claim; advising a student newspaper regarding

Bufford refused to comply.

The officer then shot and killed him.

Bufford’s case has garnered national attention because he sued the police department for beating and tazing him in 2014, after he was pulled over for making a legal U-turn.

Video shows a group of police officers dragging Bufford from the car and violently kicking and hitting him. In the video, Officer Kelli Swinton can be heard telling the other officers

publication of a controversial story; challenging an unconstitutional municipal sign ordinance.

The St. Louis American: In recent years we have seen the emergence of the citizen journalist, which has blurred the category of who is and isn’t a journalist. I am thinking of livestreamers who document protests or civilian gadflies who attend public meetings out of civic duty. Is your door open to them? What kinds of help might you provide to them, if so?

n

to wait because the camera was on, and she then shut it off, according to the lawsuit.

Officers Monroe Jenkins, Nathaniel Burkemper and Nijauh J. Woodard were named in the lawsuit as participating in the assault. The American asked the police department if any of these officers were involved in Bufford’s shooting death, and a police spokesman replied that they could not speak about the investigation.

The American also asked if

“Our door is absolutely open to citizen journalists and anyone with a free speech claim.”

–

Lisa Hoppenjans

Lisa Hoppenjans: Our door is absolutely open to citizen journalists and anyone with a free speech claim. Citizen journalists now play a hugely important role in sharing information with the public. We’ve seen

that firsthand here in St. Louis with individuals who documented the protests in Ferguson and the Stockley verdict protests. These citizen journalists face many of the same obstacles, intimidation, and potential for retaliation that journalists face, but without the resources that being part of a professional news organization can provide. So, for example, if a citizen journalist faces government retaliation for a video she posted, or a local amateur blogger faces obstacles obtaining public records that he hopes to share with a wider audience online, these are matters where the clinic may be able to help.

The St. Louis American: We were encouraged by the new chancellor emphasizing

Cortez Bufford, who was killed by St. Louis police on December 12, settled for $20,000 after a police officer turned off a dash cam video while police were assaulting him in 2014.

any of these officers were part of the Mobile Reserve Unit, which conducted the pedestrian stop. The department responded, “Employee assignments are personnel matters.”

Bufford settled for $20,000 in the case, but suffered significant psychological damage, said his attorney Joel Schwartz. Antoine Bufford, Cortez’ father, told KSDK that he was not surprised that Cortez ran from the police after

WUSTL having a new degree of commitment to its host region. What potential does this clinic have to impact the region for the better? Who in the community would you like to hear from so you can leverage the university’s might to make a difference?

Lisa Hoppenjans: We’re focused on seeking justice for our individual clients, but I hope that by working to hold accountable those who violate our clients’ First Amendment rights, we put other local government officials on notice of the need to ensure that they know the law and are following it. I also hope that by assisting journalists and others engaged in investigative work, we can contribute to efforts to make local government more transparent and permit meaningful public oversight and increased accountability.

The St. Louis American: You recently filed a suit with the ACLU against a Dellwood cop for a civil rights violation.

being beaten so badly that he was hospitalized in 2014. Schwartz is currently representing the family.

“We are in a factdetermining mode at this point in time,” Schwartz said. “And the facts I’m uncovering are interesting, I’ll put it that way. Once things are moving forward, I was told there was a surveillance camera, and it will be required to be turned over.”

Bufford’s case also speaks to a “sad state of affairs” of Missouri’s loose gun laws, Schwartz said.

“Because of the proliferation of guns, police are justifiably put in fear for their own safety,” Schwartz said. “But on the flip side, the general public — especially if you’ve had run-ins with the law — are in general fear from being harmed by the police or falsely accused and run from the police. It’s going to take some time before there is trust built up again and before neither of those sides behave in that manner.”

Was that the clinic’s first filing? How are you and the ACLU dividing labor on the case?

Lisa Hoppenjans: Our first official filing in a case was in October. The clinic drafted an amicus brief on behalf of a group of First Amendment scholars supporting a cert petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision by a lower appeals court that jeopardizes important First Amendment protections for public employees. The suit you mentioned is the first lawsuit filed by the clinic on behalf of a client, and we’re excited to be co-counseling with the ACLU. I expect my students will get the chance to be involved in all aspects of that litigation process going forward.

For more information on the First Amendment Clinic at the Washington University School of Law, call 314-935-7238.

American that the agency can only adopt federal workforce goals of 14.7 percent minority and 6.9 percent women on the N.G.A. project.

However, members of the McCarthy-HITT joint venture team leading the project’s construction said that they have taken it upon themselves to implement the city’s goals.

“We have our contractual goals and our internal goals, but those are just numbers,” Heather Cirre, small business manager for the McCarthyHITT team. “We are really interested in maximizing the participation of the community around us, based on what the marketplace will support.”

For them, the project is also an opportunity to build a pipeline of apprentices and address the issue of attrition in the trades, Cirre said.

Jeff Boyer, McCarthy’s vice president of operations, said that while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could not mandate higher workforce goals, the agency’s leaders are excited that McCarthy-HITT “are going above and beyond.

“They have projects all over the districts, and they said this is not commonplace,” Boyer said.

These workforce goals will be required in McCarthyHITT’s subcontracts, which will largely be awarded April through November.

McCarthy-HITT has also set goals for awarding 25 percent of contract dollars to minority-owned and 5 percent for women-owned business enterprises. When the project gears up, they will be reporting their inclusion numbers on a quarterly basis.

In February 2016, the St. Louis Building and

Teacher Pay

Continued from A1

Continued from A1 Katnik presented the plan to the State Board of Education during its monthly meeting in early December. Board members will further discuss the initiative when they consider legislative priorities for the 2020 session.

The proposal has three parts: increase the base minimum pay for teachers from $25,000 to $32,000; give all teachers a $4,000 raise; create a fund to entice teachers toward hard-to-fill positions. Education officials, teachers and education associations crafted the plan.

It would cost $322.8 million to give teachers DESE’s preferred pay bump of $4,000 a year — plus extra for those who would still be below the new $32,000 minimum.

That would move the average teacher salary in Missouri to just over $54,000 from its current $48,000, bringing Missouri up to 26th in the country for average teacher pay from 40th, according to data from the National Education Association.

Giving teachers just a $2,000 annual raise would drop the cost to $162.2 million and bring the average pay to

Construction Trades Council of St. Louis, AFL-CIO, and their affiliates joined together to propose a community workforce agreement to thenNGA Director Robert Cardillo. They promised to expand the Building Union Diversity (BUD) program, which provides opportunities for minorities and women, as well as existing journeymen to become apprentices with participating unions.

The new NGA facility will be built inside a Promise Zone — a high-poverty community where the federal government partners with local leaders to increase job creation, economic investment and a whole host of other things. The coalition also proposed that city residents and people living in Promise Zones

$52,160.

Missouri has just over 70,400 public school teachers. Only a few hundred – mostly in small, rural districts – make below what would be the updated minimum of $32,000.

A survey published in May concluded lack of compensation is the biggest reason many of them leave the classroom.

“We are losing teachers in the profession because of pay, and we are finding it more and more difficult to recruit teachers into the profession because of pay,” said Bruce Moe, executive director of the Missouri State Teachers Association, a union representing rural and suburban teachers.

State board members have said previously they agree low pay is a concern but that encouraging teachers to stay in the field also requires improving school culture and leadership.

On top of paying all teachers more, DESE is floating the idea of creating a $75 million fund to recruit teachers to hard-to-fill roles, such as teaching in highpoverty or rural schools or teaching subjects such as high school science or English as a second language classes for immigrants.

Because of rigid teacher

within the region receive priority status.

“Though our proposed St. Louis Community Workforce Agreement, the region will truly begin to address issues and challenges raised by the Ferguson Commission, the East-West Gateway Council of Governments’ report on racial disparities,” they stated.

n “These young apprentices don’t look like the people I went to school with, and there is more female participation than any time in history.”

– Jeff Stiffler, St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council

Jeff Stiffler, executive secretary-treasurer for the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council,

contracts, districts are limited in how much more they can pay teachers for roles that either require additional training (i.e. special education) or in subjects where pay is far below the private sector (such as science).

While lawmakers have fully funded the Foundation Formula that doles out perpupil state aid to school districts, they have fallen way short of meeting its statutory mandate for

said the letter still stands. The unions have historically been slow to get on board with diversity and inclusion efforts, he said.

“The NGA project gave us a nudge in the right direction,” Stiffler said. Now it seems that almost everyone is embracing making the building trades “more like the communities we serve,” he said.

Stiffler is excited to grow the BUD program, he said.

This year, 73 people completed

reimbursing schools for transportation costs. Early childhood education also receives little in state funds

“I do believe our teachers deserve to be paid a little better,” said state Rep. Chuck Basye, a Republican from the Columbia area who was named chairperson of the Missouri House’s education committee last month.

Coming up with the money will be determined largely by the House committee that

Calvin Burks, a career specialist at Employment Connection, talked to visitors at a Next NGA West construction training fair on June 20.

been with the company for 36 years, and she said some of the unions have “come along faster in their intake than others.”

“The unfortunate thing is that construction has highs and lows,” Bailey said. “My biggest fear is that we get these great candidates in the program and then work slows down. If there is an apprentice not working, they will try to work in other places and not in construction.” Bailey has made it her goal to keep apprentices working, particularly minority apprentices. The company trades supervisor has been interviewing people all year, she said.

“And his message is constantly, ‘We’re not quite ready for you yet, but get ready,’” Bailey said. “We are trying to prepare people for how to get ready — for NGA, the School of Medicine, BJC, with the soccer stadium is coming.”

the BUD program, and 83 percent of them were minorities. Since its inception in 2014, almost 215 people have completed the program, with 84 percent being minorities and 20 percent being women.

“These young apprentices don’t look like the people I went to school with, and there is more female participation than any time in history,” Stiffler said. “Is it perfect? No, but it is better than it was five years ago, and it will get even better in the next five years.”

McCarthy Building Companies has been partner and support of the program since it began, said Monica Bailey, director of diversity for McCarthy. Bailey has

writes the budget, but Basye said as he gets up to speed on education issues in the coming weeks, it’s something he’ll be looking into.

“We want to be competitive; we want the best possible teachers we can get,” he said.

“It’s possible, if the Legislature decides it’s a priority,” said Mark Jones, the legislative director for the Missouri chapter of the National Education

Anthony Thompson is chairman and CEO of Kwame Building Group, which got the contract for owner’s representative and program manager on St. Louis’ new Major League Soccer stadium. He said the simultaneous design and construction of so many major projects was a boon for minority businesses and workers.

“There are a lot of big jobs going up and getting started,” Thompson said. “It couldn’t be a better time.” Boyer said that exceeding the workforce and small business goals is not necessarily all about NGA.

“It’s really about the overarching effort in the community and what we are doing across the board,” Boyer said. “From the knowledge that Heather and Monica bring, we are putting a tremendous focus on this and we are not taking this lightly.”

Association, another teachers’ union. “We find the money for large corporations. This benefits everyone. There’s a need to have this conversation.” Details such as the mechanics of where the funding would come from and how teachers would be paid have not been ironed out.

Follow Ryan on Twitter: @ rpatrickdelaney. Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

Photo by Francene Bethune

Art Museum Celebrates Kwanzaa: Unity in Diversity

Kwanzaa is a celebration of family, culture, and community. This African American holiday is designed around seven principles that promote unity, self-determination, cooperation, community, and faith. Originally created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa is now celebrated by millions of people and is recognized as a significant winter holiday. On Sunday, December 29, the Saint Louis Art Museum will host its annual Kwanzaa Celebration: Unity in Diversity with an afternoon of art making, performance, and a selfguided tour and scavenger hunt.

Kwanzaa is a seven-day holiday that begins on December 26. Each year, the Saint Louis Art Museum hosts one of the city’s largest Kwanzaa celebrations. The Museum-wide event incorporates the Kwanzaa principle of the day and exposes visitors to a variety of African and African American cultural traditions. This year, the Museum’s celebration occurs on the fourth day of Kwanzaa and the principle of the day is Ujamaa, the Swahili word for cooperative economics.

The afternoon’s events include a free art activity, performances in the museum’s Farrell Auditorium, and a scavenger hunt.

FREE KWANZAA CELEBRATION

Sunday, December 29, noon4 pm The Farrell Auditorium • Showtime: 2 pm (Doors open at 1:30 pm) Learn the seven Kwanzaa principles with a gallery hunt. Make your own zawadi (gift) art activity.

FREE PERFORMANCES

Free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available at the Museum on December 29 starting at noon.

For more than 20 years the Art Museum has presented this Kwanzaa celebration in collaboration with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter.

Beginning at noon on December 29, visitors can make their own abstract portrait using collage materials inspired by works of art in the Museum’s collection. Families can show off their work of art and capture a special memory in the photo booth. Visitors wishing to attend the auditorium performance can acquire tickets at the Museum on site only starting at noon on December 29. Tickets are limited and will be distributed while quantities last. There is a limit of six tickets per person.

The Museum’s Kwanzaa performance includes African dancing and drumming by Kunama Mtendaji and presentations by members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter. The performance begins with a procession of sorority members into the auditorium accompanied by live drumming and continues with presentations that focus on the day’s theme, “Unity in Diversity.” In addition to the art activity and performance, all visitors are encouraged to take a self-guided tour using a scavenger hunt to view works of art from the Museum’s contemporary collections and the exhibition The Shape of Abstraction: Selections from the Ollie Collection. Scavenger hunts will be made available at the Museum’s information desks starting on December 26 through January 1, including the day of the Kwanzaa Celebration on December 29. Each scavenger hunt clue connects a work of art to one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. For more information about the Museum’s annual Kwanzaa Celebration and other events, visit slam.org.

6 locations in the St. Louis metro area –book an appointment by phone or online. www.plannedparenthood.org/stlouis 1-800-230-PLAN (7526)

Fifth officer charged in beatdown of undercover cop at Stockley protest

Another St. Louis police officer has been indicted in the arrest and assault of black undercover cop Luther Hall during a protest downtown in September 2017. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer

Steve Korte, 42, is accused of violently beating Hall and lying to the FBI about his involvement in the arrest, according to the indictment released on December 12. Korte is the fifth officer indicted in Hall’s beating. Officers Dustin Boone, 36; Christopher Myers, 28; Randy Hays, 32; and Bailey Colletta, 26, were indicted in the initial indictment filed on November 29, 2018.

A police spokesman said the department does not speak on pending litigation. Korte was hired on June 6, 2011 and is currently on administrative leave without pay, the police spokesman stated.

of constitutional rights — the same charges that Boone, Myers and Korte face — and will be sentenced on March 17, 2020. Colletta pled guilty on September 6 to false statements to the grand jury and will be sentenced on April 10, 2020. Boone and Myers have pled not guilty.

The indictment included the text messages sent between Boone and Myers prior to the protest, stating they were going to “have fun” beating up the Stockley protestors and expressed “excitement about using unjustified force against them.”

John P. Rogers, Korte’s attorney, told The American “Steve will enter a not guilty plea on December 20. A trial date will be set soon.”

On September 15, 2017, former officer Jason Stockley was acquitted of a first-degree murder charge in an officerinvolved shooting, and protests immediately ensued throughout the city.

At a September 17, 2017 protest downtown, Hall was working undercover to document any criminal activity, the indictment states. At about 10 p.m. near 14th and Olive streets, Officers Boone, Myers, and Korte allegedly approached Hall, brought him to the ground, and “violently beat him causing severe injuries that have required multiple surgeries,” the indictment states.

Hays pled guilty on November 8 to deprivation

Hays’ guilty plea agreement goes into more detail of Hall’s assault than the new indictment. According to Hays’ plea, footage from a pole camera shows that there was very little protest activity at the intersection of 14th and Olive streets. The officers were walking in pairs, with Myers and “Officer A” walking in front and Boone and Hays behind them. Terri Dougherty, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said she could not confirm that Korte was the “Officer A” mentioned in Hays’ plea. That information will become clear in Korte’s trial or plea agreement.

During the officers’ walk on 14th Street, city SWAT vehicles began shooting pepper balls at individuals who were near the St. Louis Public Library, according to Hays’ plea. As a result, several people began running, and the officers ran towards them — even though Hays admitted that he did not witness anyone committing a crime or have probable cause to arrest anyone, the plea states.

Hall had been standing on the corner of 14th and Olive streets, and Hays did not

St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers restrain a man in downtown St. Louis on September 17, 2017, the night Officer Luther Hall was viciously beaten by his colleagues while working undercover.

witness anything that gave the officers probable cause to arrest Hall, Hays’ plea states. The four officers and others thought that Hall was a protester, and proceeded to arrest and assault Hall, “using physical force that was both unnecessary and unreasonable,” the plea states. Hays saw “Officer A” kick Hall squarely in the face, while the undercover cop was “prone on the ground, compliant, not posing a physical threat, and not saying a word,” the plea states.

In the new indictment, Korte, Boone and Myers are accused

of kicking Hall while he was “compliant,” and beating him with a riot baton.

According to Hays’ plea, a cell phone recording captured Hays and “Officer A” giving orders to Hall to put his hands out. In Korte’s indictment, it states he allegedly lied to FBI agents when he claimed that he had not yelled at Hall: “Hands out!” Korte even listened to a recording of his voice and

allegedly denied that it was him to the F.B.I., the indictment states.

According to Hays’ plea agreement, several officers were pinning Hall down in a small area between the portable generator and the curb. Boone allegedly had his knee on Hall’s shoulder and was continually pushing down Hall’s head, while telling Hall not to look at him — thus making it difficult for Hall to comply with the

order to put his hands out.

Hays admitted that he delivered three to five strikes to Hall’s body with his riot baton and forcefully shoved Hall to the ground. Throughout the encounter, Hall did not do anything to warrant arrest or the use of any physical force and remained silent, the plea states. Nonetheless, Hays, Boone, “Officer A” and other officers used unreasonable force against Hall, which resulted in bodily injury.

Boone, Myers, Korte are each charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law resulting in bodily injury, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both imprisonment and a fine. Korte is also charged with providing false statements to the FBI, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both imprisonment and a fine. While there have been five officers indicted in the undercover cop’s assault, there have been no indictments in the cases of more than 100 other people who allege they were wrongfully beaten and arrested by police that same night.

Heather Taylor, president of the Ethical Society of Police, said then-interim police chief Lawrence O’Toole and other commanders allowed the behavior, and they have escaped consequences.

“This is a small glimpse of what they did,” Taylor said. “There’s no telling how many protestors they beat and haven’t been charged for.”

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

FOR HELPING PEOPLE! THANK YOU

These incredibly generous members of the Charmaine Chapman Leadership Society have once again gone above and beyond to make our community a better place to live, work and play. You were a critical part of a record-breaking United Way campaign of $76.3 million. Thank you for helping people live their best possible lives. You are all simply amazing!

DE TOCQUEVILLE

($10,000+)

Cenia K. D. Bosman

Mark and Vivian Darrell

Darrell and Verona Dorch

Minga and Johnny Furr, Jr.

Rodney Gee

Bettye and John J. Glenn, Jr.

Steven and Arica Harris

Gwen and Col. Melvin Holland III

Michael and Gail Holmes

Francella Jackson

Everett and Amy Johnson

Karen M. Jordan

Orvin and Latriece Kimbrough

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Lewis

Richard Mark

Ann W. Marr

Michael McMillan

Andrew and Peggy Newman

Joe and Cheryl Orlet

Deborah J. Patterson

Valerie E. Patton

Emily and Richard Pitts

Mr. Lu and Dr. Kim Reames

Tracy D. Shepard

Ronald and Michelle Sherod

Crystal Ross-Smith and Patrick E. Smith, Sr.

Rick Stevens

The Steward Family (David, Thelma, David II, Mary, Kimberly)

Charles A. Stewart, Jr., CPA

Donald M. Suggs

Lawrence E. Thomas

Joanna and Ryan Todd

Michelle and Kennard Tucker

Cheryl D. S. Walker

Harlan Hodge and Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge

Richard B. White, MD, and Anita R. White, PhD

Michael and Christina Williams

Keith H. Williamson

Rob Wilson and Rio DeArmond

$2,500 - $9,999

Carlton and Rhonda Adams

Lynn Beckwith, Jr., EdD

Kenneth G. Bell

Marty Blaylock

Barbara Bowman

Ms. Akberet B. Boykin Farr

Vernon and Adrian Bracy

Greta K. Brown

Alonzo Byrd and Sharon Byrd

Ms. Evelyna Clark

Steven N. and Holly A. Cousins

Hon. Jimmie M. and Stacy M. Edwards

West Ewing

Granotta and Jerome Farquharson

Dr. Harvey R. and Valerie V. Fields, Jr.

Colleen Forsythe

Dr. Flint W. Fowler and June McAllister Fowler

Jerry and Lana Fox

Peggy Gordin

Lisa G. Gould

Regina L. Greer

Vanessa and Charles Okwuraiwe

Julian and Ashley Harris

Woodrow Shaun Bell and Dr. Kimberly Hodge-Bell

Ms. Darlene Holland

Cheryl and John Jones

Rev. Kevin M. and Patricia Heavens Kosh

Roger M. Macon, AAMS

Mary and Dave Martin

Cole and Anthony McBride

Jeremy and Laura Michelman

Nakeeta M. Miller

Stephen Mills

Mr. and Mrs. David R. Noble

Angela Oatis

Drs. Fred and Frances Pestello

Celeste Player

Raymond and Iris Riddle

John E. Roland, Jr.

Ms. Rachel Seward

Leroy J. Shumpert, Jr.

Emery Skolfield

John M. Smith

Susan A. Stith

Mr. and Mrs. Horace Taylor

Mr. Daniel R. Tea

Erica S. Van Ross

Frederick Lee Webb

Dr. Lori S. White

Jennifer A. Willingham

Oscar Berryman

$1,500-$2,499

Nishelle Bailey

Jeanice L. Baker

Lashanda Barnes

Ebony Beattle

Erica Bosley

Robin R. Britt

Edward L. Bryant

Kevin and Kim Buie

Vergia A. Burrell

Shawn Cefalu

Undrey J. Clay

Carnecia Y. Cole

Veronica Coleman-Holmes

Roland Corvington

Robert Crumpton

Juliette Douglas

Tamarah Duperval-Brownlee

Thomas Durphy

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Mr. and Mrs. William Freeman

Bert Griffin

Michelle N. Griffin

Teesha Hernandez

Dana Howard

Amy Hunter

Keith S. Jackson

Rhonda D. Jones

Al G. Keeler

Pamela P. Kelly

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Pamela J. Malone

Dr. Jackie Martin, Jr.

Arlett McCain

Mr. Marquis McCoy

Cherie McCoy

Matt Mickens

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Keith A. Mills

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Wanda J. Pelloquin

Angelleen Peters-Lewis and Keith Galloway

Dr. Steven Player

Elizabeth Poe

Dr. Jason Q. Purnell

Gussie M. Reed

Michael E. and Jada D. Reese

Susan C. J. Rollins

LeTasha C. Sain

Darnell Sanders

Kimberly N. Stemley

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Timothy Sutter

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Corey and Nicole Tate

Billy and Heather Taylor

Deanna Taylor

Leonora M. Trawick

Robin L. Turner

Brenda Walker McCain

Pam Weston

Otis and Gwen Williams

Mr. Byron and Mrs. Nicole Witherspoon

Cynthia M. Young

$1,000 - $1,499

Jean Adkins

Pier Alsup

Mary A. Arnold

Angela and Ernest Banks

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Mr. and Mrs. Joe and Hripsime Bartholomew

Dwayne Bass

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John Baugh

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Rozitta Bennett

Tiana Jo Berry-Jones

Dawn Bethel

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Sherry Bolling

Satonya L. Booker

Norma R. Boozer

Danya L. Boyd

Tiffany Boyd

L. Jared Boyd

Errin and India Braddock

Dr. Warletta Brookins

Stephanie Brown

Pat Burns

Neidra C. Butler

Monique and Mike Bynum

Matt Byres

Arya Cadamey

Dr. Nina D. Caldwell

Krist Calicutt

Monica Campbell

Doreen Carmichael

Deanna Carroll

Adrian Cartier

Johnnie Cartwright

Johnetta Carver

Tiffany Chandler

Richelle Clark

Rudolph Clay, Jr.

Maurya Cockrell

Jordan Coker

Verletta Cole

Phyleccia Reed Cole

Kendrick Coleman

Patricia Coleman

Darryl and Kenita Collier

Margaret M. Collins

Vanessa F. Cooksey

Ollie M. Crate

Gail Crosby

Joseph A. Culmore

Jennifer L. Curtis

Christina L. Dancy

Donna Roberts Dansberry

Mary L. Davis

Lisa Davis

Danyal Davis-Hurd

Sacoyya N. Davis

Vickie Denise Dear

Howard D. and Vickie M. Denson

Larry L. Deskins

Kimberly DeVallance Caron

John M. Dietl

Daphne Dorsey

Helen Douthit

Irasa Downing

Michelle Duke

Renita Duncan

Renee Durr Brewer

Ida and Gerald Early

Kraig Ecker

Andre L. Edison

Brooke and Barry Eggleston II

Joelle Enyard

Mr. Larry Fields

Jacqueline Fields

LaSheena D. Fisher

Mike Flavin

Nyna C. Flowers Michael and Shari Follis

Patricia Foster-Staples

Vicki R. Fowler

Shannon K. Fox

Kristian M. Frazier

Melvin Perry and Vivianne Frye-Perry

Rasheedah Furqan Clay

Mr. and Mrs. C. Gibbs

Dawna R. Gilbreath

Shay Gillespie

Ellie Glenn Harmon

Gregory M. Glore

Marilyn Gooch

Robin Elaine Goodbary

Joseph Gordon

Trisha R. Gordon

William A. Gray

Ms. Danette Greer

Brock and Heidi Haas

Sheena R. Hamilton

John D. Hardiman

Victoria A. Harris

Laconia E. Harris

Terrie Hart

Sharon Harvey Davis

Michael Hayes and Marcie Harris-Hayes

Melissa Haywood

Daniel E. Heath

Margot M. Hemphill

Roslyn Ashley Henderson

Eleanor Higgins

Carisa Hill

Sean C. Hill, PhD

Michele D. Hintz

Kasandra Hodge

Dee Hodge III, MD

Mr. and Mrs. Leonard J. Horsford

Melvon L. Houston, Jr.

Stephanie Marie Howard

Dr. Tyriesa Howard Howell

Scott and Lashonda Howze

Phillip Huiswoud

Petra Humphrey

Roger L. Humphries, Jr., and Family

Jerry M. Hunter

Brian and Rhonda Hurd

Gerald and Paulette Savage

Mark and Faith Jackson

Carolyn Jackson

Carlos Jackson

Dr. Sean Joe

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Dr. Raegan Johnson

Rosalind Johnson

Mr. and Mrs. Andwele Jolly

Mrs. Mareka M. Jones

Vanessa C. Jones

Denyse Jones

James C. Jones, Jr.

Bernice Jones-Brooks

Elizabeth F. Jordan

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Bernard Keely

Alex Kerford

Patti and Chris Kielt

Sharon A. Kitchens

Catrice Kolieboi

Laura C. Launhardt

Peggy Lewis LeCompte

Yolonda Lee

Brian K. Leonard, Sr.

Jerilyn C. Leonard

Madeline Lewis

Mr. and Mrs. Lee Lewis, Jr.

Angela Y. Lilly

Colin A. Lloyd

Juanita C. Logan

William Luster

Kendra Mack

Eric M. Madkins

Fontez M. Mark

Philip E. Marshall

Darlene Martin

Sal Martinez

Camille Diane McCaskill

Melody McClellan

Stephanie McCloud V. Diane McGee

Vanessa McKenzie Dr. Colette M. McLemore Dixon

Cheryl McNeil

Nicole McPherson

Daniel Meier

Denise D. Merritt

Sandra Miller

Lauren Nash Ming

Jamell Mixon

Marsha M. Montgomery

Pamela Y. Morris

Aubrey R. Morrison, MD

Isaac and Danielle Mosley

Earnest and Aaren Muex

Carmen Murphy

Pamela R. Nash

Thaddus Nathaniel

Crystal Nelson

Mr. and Mrs. Nevels

Ronald A. Norwood

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Olwig Dr. Aaron and Mrs. Nekisha Omotola

Ashley O'Neal

Schuyler Ozenbaugh

Debra Parran

Chavelle Sangokoya

Tyronica Peery

Vaneisha L. Perkins

Jennifer N. Poindexter

Cameron and Saffiyah Poole

Reuben and D'Anne Shelton

Kim Simmons

Natalie A. Henley-Simmons Amber Simpson

D. Simpson Conner Gloria J. Sims

Slate Denise P. Sleet, PhD

and Javas Smith

C. Smith Darlene

members wish to remain anonymous. List complete as of 12.9.2019.

CHARMAINE CHAPMAN LEADERSHIP SOCIETY

How to stop child mistreatment

‘The community has a collective responsibility to protect children’

Saint Louis University

If a parent or caregiver is being overly aggressive to a child in public, bystanders should focus their on the KIDS, according to a new training course modeled on an approach used to train bystanders to intervene to prevent sexual assault.

Support Over Silence for KIDS organizes its core advice around the acronym KIDS.

Keep to yourself or share kind words. If it’s a passing moment, you may simply choose to move along your way, or provide supportive and kind words. Say something encouraging to the caregiver.

Intervene directly.

Intervening directly might include a specific ask, such as reaching out to a caregiver to say “It looks like you’re having a hard time. Anything I can do to help?”

Distract. Distraction can be directed toward a child or parent with a simple compliment or by commenting on something in the store.

Seek help. If a situation is volatile or you are concerned for a child’s or your own safety, seek help from professionals.

Support Over Silence, which was funded by the Missouri

Foundation for Health, is led by Nancy Weaver, a professor of behavioral science and health education and associate dean of academic and faculty affairs in Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice.

Based on research and feedback from many training sessions, Weaver’s team has launched a website with resources for the public.

“We probably won’t ever know why the interaction is happening. The mistreatment in public could be very consistent with what’s happening at home or it could be just a difficult moment,” Weaver said.

“But, we don’t need to make a judgment about whether a caregiver is a good or bad parent. In the moment, our only job is to notice the situation and take some action to support the caregiver and child.”

What doesn’t work is the side-eye, Weaver said.

“Support is usually welcome. Judgment isn’t,” Weaver said.

Weaver worked with SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, FamilyForward, Safe Connections and UPBrand Collaborative to developed the training course.

Other members of the project team include Terri

A training session on Support Over Silence for KIDS at FamilyForward

Weaver, Ph.D., professor of psychology at SLU; Timothy Kutz, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at SLU and a child abuse pediatrician at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital; Vithya Murugan, Ph.D., MSW, assistant professor of social work at SLU; Karen Nolte, chief executive officer at FamilyForward; Jessica Dederer, MHA,

chief development officer at FamilyForward; Cynthia Danley, chief development and marketing officer at Safe Connections; Jess Cowl, MSW, LMSW, former assistant director for crisis and prevention at Safe Connections; and Zenique Gardner-Perry, prevention education manager at Safe Connections. Research assistants at SLU’s College

for Public Health and Social Justice included Allie Diltz, Jessica Fry, Tatiana GochezKerr, Savannah Jordan, Lindsay Maunz, Yit Mui Khoo, Gabriella Mujal and Meghan Taylor.

“The community has a collective responsibility to protect children, to show children that someone cares, that they are not invisible,”

Weaver said. “In this moment, it is not your job to teach or judge, just to support.” Individuals and groups who are interested in learning more about Support Over Silence for KIDS training sessions can contact the program through the website, https:// supportoversilenceforkids.org.

Kwame hired as project manager on soccer stadium

Tony Thompson says city inclusion goals will be pursued on design and construction

By Chris King

Of The St. Louis American

An employee-owned minority business enterprise has been retained as program manager for St. Louis’ new Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium, and the City of St. Louis’ inclusion goals will be set for the design and construction of the stadium.

The MLS4THELOU Ownership Group selected Kwame Building Group as its as representative and program manager, and Kwame’s Chairman and CEO Anthony Thompson told The American that it will pursue the city’s inclusion goals.

The city’s inclusion goals, passed into law in 2018, call for 21 percent African Americanowned business enterprises, 2 percent Hispanic Americanowned business enterprises, 0.50 percent Asian Americanowned business enterprises, 0.50 percent Native Americanowned business enterprises, and 11 percent women-owned business enterprises.

Thompson said these goals will be pursued “not just on the construction but also on the design side” and that “a good portion of all the work is still up for grabs.”

The Mortenson | Alberici | L. Keeley Joint Venture has been selected as the pre-construction general contractor. The architects include a partnership of St. Louis-based architecture firm HOK and Snow Kreilich Architects.

Thompson said that the joint venture will be hosting community outreach engagement and planning meetings “so all minority firms have the opportunity to come in and meet the contractors and meet the team and bid on work,” and that they should watch for the announcements of those meetings.

“Remember, this is still in the design phase,” Thompson said. “They are still negotiating and finalizing plans for properties with MoDOT and private property owners while the design is in progress, so there is a lot of opportunity for minority contractors to bid and

participate on this project.”

Kwame is serving an integral role in the pre-construction phase, including project planning and scheduling; value engineering and budgeting; coordinating with the city and utility companies; as well selecting project partners and maximizing MBE/WBE participation.

The Kwame project team will be led by Vice President Nonyameko Waddell, who recently relocated to St. Louis from Atlanta to work with Kwame, and Program Manager John Lloyd of Unlimited Partners, who worked with Kwame on the new St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium project. The new St. Louis

MLS stadium is scheduled to open ahead of the 2022 MLS season.

Thompson said minority and other firms are welcome to contact Kwame but ultimately can do no better than to weight for the joint venture to announce the outreach and engagement meetings and attend them.

He also emphasized that with the MLA stadium and NGA West projects getting started at

Kwame Building Group Vice President Nonyameko Waddell, who recently relocated to St. Louis from Atlanta to work with Kwame, is taking a lead role in the firm’s work on St. Louis’ new Major League Soccer stadium.

a time when BJC HealthCare and others have major construction projects underway, now is a good time to look to the trades for work.

“There are a lot of big jobs going up and getting started,” Thompson said. “It couldn’t be a better time.”

Contact Kwame Building Group at http:// kwamebuildinggroup.com/ or 314-862-5344.

Courtesy of Saint Louis University

Loving Memories of a Special Mom at Christmas

Vallonia Robinson Smith

Remembering the Happiness And the feelings of good cheer When we celebrated Christmas In the days when you were here

For at special times like this one Almost everything we do Seems to bring back precious memories Of those moments spent with you

But your smile lives on forever And your voice we often hear And on Christmas Day, as always

We will shed a silent tear

And we’ll think of all those good times And the special bond we had For we never will forget you

Our devoted, Dearest Mom

We All Love & Miss You! Your Loving and Devoted Son Robert L. Smith Jr. & Family

Name that greenway

Residents of the St. Louis region are invited to think of name ideas for the Great Rivers Greenway project currently called Chouteau Greenway. The original concept called for an east west connection through the city. After the last two years of civic engagement and planning, the geography of the effort has evolved. The plan now connects Forest Park to the Gateway Arch National Park, Fairground Park to Tower Grove Park, and a loop in the middle links many destinations in between. The full plan is available at www.

GreatRiversGreenway.org/ MakingOf.

Great Rivers Greenway is now asking the community for name ideas to capture the spirit and impact of this

project. People can submit their name ideas (unlimited entries) through January 31, 2020 either by texting the word “NAME” to 77222 or going online to www.NameTheGreenway.org.

Sierra Club launches voter registration campaign

The Sierra Club has launched the largest nonpartisan digital voter registration campaign in the organization’s 127 year history. The campaign, called Ready To Vote, will educate the public on their voting rights and register historically disenfranchised voters, including students and young people, and African-American and Latinx communities in Missouri, Michigan, Georgia, and Florida.

“The Sierra Club Missouri

Chapter recognizes the critical importance of a fair and fully representative democracy in the fight to protect the values every Missourian holds dear. We are proud to join the efforts of organizations like the League of Women Voters and NAACP who are already helping to register thousands of voters across the state,” said Sierra Club Missouri Chapter Director John Hickey.

“Our work won’t be done until every eligible Missourian has access to the ballot box and a chance to voice their opinions on the top issues of the day, regardless of where they live and how

and

The

City of St. Louis upgrades Emergency Notification System

The City of St. Louis has upgraded its free Emergency Alert Mass Notification System. For people who are not currently subscribed, simply text STLCEMA to 888777 or enroll online at www.stlouis-

mo.gov/notifystl. People who were previously receiving alert messages will now continue to receive messages through the new platform, NotifySTL. However, if they wish to re-select or customize delivery

Dr. Julius C. Dix,

prominent St. Louis Educator and participant in historic desegregation of St. Louis Public Schools, dies at age 90

December 6, 2019 – Julius C. Dix, educator, community leader, civil rights champion and former Associate Superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools among one of the first native St. Louisans educated in the St. Louis public school system to return and spend 41 years empowering, mentoring and impacting students, teachers and administrators, died early Friday morning at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, Mo of heart failure. He was 90 years old.

Julius Clarence Dix was born in St. Louis on April 5, 1929. His father, Dr. Walter L. Dix, a dental surgeon and his mother, Julia Clara Dix instilled the values of education. A graduate of Vashon High School, he attended Stowe Teachers College and Lincoln University receiving a BA in Biology. He received his master’s degree in Education from St. Louis University and his doctorate from Washington University, along with a host of honorary degrees, awards, citations and recognitions. But his greatest honor, he often said was having taught and inspired thousands of young people throughout the St. Louis community and the World.

He began his career as Principal at the “Colored School” in Malden, Missouri because at that time, teaching opportunities in St. Louis for Blacks were limited. After a short stint in Malden, Dix was drafted by the US Army, where he served in the Korean War. After serving his country, Dix was hired by St. Louis Public School system in 1954 as an elementary teacher at Patrick Henry School. He became the protégé’ of Dr. Samuel Shepard, where together they created the innovative “Mr. Achiever” the educational program for the Banneker District, that

taught kids in a very unique way the value of reading, writing and arithmetic. Long before Apps, Dr. Dix used his artistic creative talents to develop, create and draw the many posters for “Mr. Achiever” that motivated and inspired students and teachers alike. He held several administrative posts, including Principal of Vashon High School, Area Superintendent of Banneker, Central Vashon District, and Associate Superintendent of Operations for the entire St. Louis Public School system. Under his tenure he was influential in securing employment and promotions for many. Nationally, he served on the National Advisory Committee, Project Headstart, and in 1968 on the President Johnson’s Committee on transferring Headstart to the U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare. He retired from the school system in 1996. In 2003, the St. Louis Board of Education named the new Vashon High School’s auditorium, the Dr. Julius C. Dix Auditorium. In addition to his professional work for St. Louis Public Schools, Dr. Dix donated his time and energy to many philanthropic, community and social organizations. Serving on numerous boards, he is the former President of the Lincoln University Board of Curators, President of Board of the Annie Malone Children’s Home; member of Board of Directors for the Lucas Heights Development Program, and board member of Edgewood Children’s Home. He is former Grand Pharaoh of the Royal Vagabonds, Inc. He spent his life actively working in the Washington Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church, where he served as President of the Steward Board and a member of the Choir. He is a life member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

methods and alert types, registering online is suggested at www.stlouis-mo.gov/ notifystl.

With his wife of 68 years, Bette Spence Dix, whom he met while both were students at Lincoln University, together they worked tirelessly for their alma mater, Lincoln University.

Dr. Dix received the Lincoln University Heritage Award, the National Alumni Association Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, an Honorary Doctorate of Laws, and served two terms on the Lincoln University board of curators. Bette served as both local and National President of the Lincoln University Alumni Association. They traveled widely, attending Lincoln University conventions and educational conferences. Their oldest son, Darrel, is also a graduate of Lincoln University and a retired Secondary School Assistant Principal. Middle son, Derrick also attended Lincoln University and their daughter Deirdre is a graduate of Howard University. Because of their unwavering love for Lincoln University and their steadfast commitment to education, in lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to:

The Drs. Julius and Bette Dix Lincoln Endowed Scholarship Fund c/o Lincoln University Office of Advancement 820 Chestnut Street Jefferson City, MO 65101

A Memorial Service celebrating the extraordinary life of Dr. Julius C. Dix will be held on Sunday, January 12th at Washington Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church, 613 N. Garrison Avenue in St. Louis Missouri at 2pm.

Black justice fatigue and 2020

By Mike Jones Of The St. Louis American

I don’t believe history literally repeats itself, but humans regularly find themselves in circumstances that are similar to circumstances of the past. And since humans are slow to evolve and learn, they find themselves regularly surprised when confronting similar circumstances and regularly make the same mistakes again. I ended my last column with a thought about the 2020 presidential election: that a victory by a Democratic establishment candidate could also be problematic for African Americans and other marginalized communities.

I was thinking about the presidential election of 1876, which was one of the most contentious and controversial presidential elections in American history. The Union had prevailed in the armed conflict, but it was clear that it hadn’t prevailed politically.

Reconstruction — officially the period from 1865-77 — was the attempt to redress the inequities of slavery and its political, social, and economic legacy and to solve the problems arising from the readmission to the Union of the 11 states that had seceded.

In retrospect, it was clear that one was going to happen at the expense of the other. You could call Reconstruction the United States’ first failed attempt to become a multiracial democracy.

Reconstruction was possible because in the South a politically mobilized black community joined with white allies to bring the Republican Party to power and with it a redefinition of the responsibilities of government. At the national level, this political coalition resulted in new laws and constitutional amendments that permanently altered the federal system and the definition of American citizenship.

The presidential election of 1876 changed all of this. Samuel Tilden ran for the Democratic Party, and Rutherford B. Hayes ran for the Republican Party. The results of the election were disputed

in four states. As a result, no candidate received the 185 electoral votes needed to win the election.

Eventually, a compromise was reached, known as the Compromise of 1877, in which Hayes received the

white racism and misogyny. Their 47 years of agitation for racial justice included a civil war with the highest number of casualties in United States history.

In 1877 white Americans were suffering from black

against itself for too long, and the liberty of 4 million newly minted black Americans was an acceptable price for white unity.

The America of 2019 is analogous to the America of 1876 in that today’s America

n Democrats always want us as a side, whereas Republicans wish we weren’t on the menu at all.

electoral votes in the states where the results were disputed. In return, the federal troops that were enforcing Reconstruction were removed from the South. That marked the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of American apartheid — Jim Crow. African-American Republican allies won, but the newly emancipated African-American citizens lost big.

To understand why Reconstruction ended when and how it did, you need a longer horizon than the 12 years between 1865-1877; in fact, you have to start in the 1830s. From 1830 to the 1870s, the abolitionist movement attempted to secure the immediate emancipation of all slaves and denounced all forms of racial discrimination. This distinguished the abolitionists from those opposing slavery in the westward expansion in the North.

The leadership of the abolitionist movement was a multiracial, multi-gender political coalition that didn’t represent the majority of a country that was founded on

justice fatigue. Most white Americans of that day weren’t abolitionist. The majority were somewhere between proslavery and indifferent to the status of the enslaved black population. The house of white America had been divided

has been engaged in a cultural war since the sixties because of cultural and demographic changes that resulted from the passage of paradigm-changing social justice legislation. These changes have had the support of a committed white

minority (let’s say 35 percent), with the majority of white Americans indifferent or (in some cases, increasingly) hostile. My estimate is 35 percent are irredeemable white male supremacists (accounting for most diehard Trump voters) while 30 percent are ambivalent — they’re neither racist nor anti-racist; social justice is inconvenient and too much work, and they aren’t personally connected to enough black people at a deep enough level to feel affected by racism.

For the leadership of the American political class, both Democrats and Republicans, a governing consensus inherently means the majority of white Americans; the rest of us are always a side order of grits.

Democrats always want us as a side, whereas Republicans wish we weren’t on the menu at all. The leadership of the Democratic Party desperately wants to lead a multiethnic political coalition with a working white majority. That’s why the Democratic establishment is searching for a candidate who can attract the ambivalent 30 percent who don’t like Trump or this whole Black Lives Matter ruckus. There’s a political strategy that can win a presidential election without a majority of that 30 percent; you just have to be comfortable with a blacker, browner, more diverse political leadership of the Democratic Party.

If the Democratic establishment leadership can find their great white hope and that candidate can prevail next November with an appeal to the socially ambivalent white voter, then one of the political possibilities is a pivot to the right to cement the loyalty of the ambivalent white voter. This would make the Democratic governing coalition whiter and more moderate and enable a rapprochement with Senate Republicans. How would that president pull that off? By giving moderate white America a respite from the cultural and demographic changes of the sixties. If you think it couldn’t happen, I’d refer you to 1876. We’re still recovering from that double cross. I write this not because it will happen but because it can happen, and fortune favors the prepared mind.

Call for Nominations

Salute to Young

Do you know a young leader who is going above and beyond in their professional performance and community involvement?

The St. Louis American is accepting nominations for its Salute to Young Leaders Awards. Winners will be featured in The St. Louis American and will be honored at the 10th Annual Salute to Young Leaders Networking Awards Reception in February 2020.

Awards

Young Leaders are committed, compassionate and generous individuals who are excelling in their professional careers and making a positive impact in our community.

To nominate a Young Leader, fill out the form below and email to kdaniel@stlamerican.com. Nominees must be under 40 years of age as of February 1, 2020. Nominations must be received by 5 p.m., Friday, December 27, 2019. For questions, contact Kate Daniel at 314-533-8000 or kdaniel@stlamerican.com

Nominee’s Name:

Nominee’s Company:

Nominee’s Title: Company’s Address: City, State, Zip:

Nominee’s Email:

Nominee’s Phone:

Please attach a brief overview of nominee’s career history or resume with significant achievements. (300 words max.)

Also include the following: How has the nominee contributed outside the company (specific community involvement)? (300 words max.)

Guest Columnist Mike Jones

“TakingCareofYou”

‘The disease that bullets bring does not yet have a name’

By Laura Ungar Of Kaiser Health News

Dr. Laurie Punch plunged her gloved hands into Sidney Taylor’s open chest in a hospital’s operating room, pushing on his heart to make it pump again after a bullet had torn through his flesh, collarbone and lung. His pulse had faded to nothing. She needed to get his heart beating. She couldn’t let the bullet win. Bullets are Punch’s enemy. They threaten everything the 44-year-old trauma surgeon cherishes: her patients’ lives, her community, even her family. So, just as she recalled doing two years ago with Taylor, Punch has made it her life’s mission to stem the bleeding and the damage bullets cause — and excise them if she

n Bullets are Dr. Laurie Punch’s enemy. They threaten everything the 44-year-old trauma surgeon cherishes: her patients’ lives, her community, even her family.

can. In the operating rooms at BarnesJewish Hospital, Punch treats gunshot victims, removing bullets that studies show can poison bodies with lead and fuel depression. And in her violence-wracked community, she teaches people how to

use tourniquets to stop bleeding, creating a legion of helpers while building trust between doctors and community members.

Punch feels a calling to St. Louis, a place with the nation’s highest murder rate among big cities, where at least a dozen children were shot to death this summer alone, including a 7-year-old boy playing in his backyard. Punch believes all she’s learned has prepared her for now, when gun violence kills an average of 100 Americans a day and mass shootings are so common that two this summer struck less than 24 hours apart.

To her, the battle is personal, in more ways than one.

Living strong at the Y

Free 3-month YMCA membership for cancer survivors and their families

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

There are at least three things a St. Louisarea group of prostate cancers want to eliminate: heart attacks, strokes and canes.

“No more strokes and no more heart attacks in our organization – we are having too many of them,” said Mellve Shahid, founder of The Empowerment Network. “It’s simply because our cancer survivors – they’re watching their PSA numbers, but they’re not watching their overall health numbers.”

Some of those overall numbers include weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting and A1C blood glucose levels, triglyceride levels, waist circumference and body mass index, or BMI. Shahid said staying healthy and getting

n “It’s going to take time – that’s what my doctor was telling me, but so far, so good. I feel good about it, I feel better.”

– Lloyd Johnson

fit top of the list for 2020. The way TEN members are working toward that goal is reducing sedentary behaviors and increasing physical activity through the Livestrong at the YMCA program, a free, 12-week, See YMCA, A15

By Marc H. Morial Of The National Urban League

“The fact that there’s a conversation that occurs on an annual basis on World AIDS Day is significant. The fact that the President of the United States, on an annual basis, now, comments and discusses AIDS, keeps it on the agenda,” said Jim Block, co-founder of World AIDS Day.

“I think a very, very concrete outcome of that discussion is that President Bush put forward billions of dollars toward the AIDS prevention and education effort for the United Nations. I don’t think that would’ve happened had it not been for World AIDS Day.” The theme of World AIDS Day 2019, which took place on December 1, is “Communities make the difference.”

n Sadly, black Americans remain the racial group most affected by HIV in the United States, accounting for 42 percent of new diagnoses last year.

As part of the Centers for Disease Control’s Partnering and Communicating Together to Act Against AIDS (PACT), the Urban League community is making the difference for nearly 300,000 people annually through outreach awareness, testing and education. Worldwide, there are 37.9 people living with HIV, 1.1 million of whom are in the United States. A shocking 42 percent of those — 468,800 — are black. Sadly, black Americans remain the racial group most affected by HIV in the United States, accounting for 42 percent of new diagnoses last year. The rate of new diagnoses for African Americans was eight times the rate for whites and twice the rate of Latinos.

According to the CDC, one in seven African Americans living with HIV don’t even know they have it. Therefore they can’t take advantage of HIV care and treatments and are more likely to pass HIV to others unknowingly.

Even after diagnosis, only about twothirds of black gay and bisexual men with newly diagnosed HIV, and 58 percent with previously diagnosed HIV, were linked to

Dr. Laurie Punch (center), a trauma surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, shows Melissa Woeppel (left) and Stan Schloesser how to apply a tourniquet during a Stop the Bleed class last month in St. Louis.

Photo by Wiley Price

Empowerment Network’s LiveStrong at the Emerson YMCA on December 2.

Front row: Reginald Hill, Annie Hill and Lloyd Johnson. Back row: Mellve Shahid Sr. and instructor Keedra Davis.

Marc H. Morial

Photo by Whitney Curtis / Kaiser Health News

“TakingCareofYou”

Dr. Laurie Punch battles bullets in the operating room and in the community

Bullets

Continued from A14

Besides being a surgeon, she’s a multiracial single mom living in Ferguson, just over a mile from where Michael Brown, a black teenager, was shot and killed by a white police officer five years ago. She has a son the same age as the little boy killed in the backyard in August. And she said, “I hear the gunshots echoing through my 2-acre backyard all the time.”

Stopping a deadly disease

In September, Punch brought her message to Washington, D.C., testifying before the House Ways and Means Oversight subcommittee on gun violence. Wearing a jacket and tie, she faced lawmakers to share the story of Shannon Hibler.

The 23-year-old was brought to Punch’s hospital last summer, shot seven times. While the nurses gave him blood, Punch said, she cut open his chest, trying to force life back into his body — to no avail.

“I watched his wife sink, as the floodwaters of vulnerability and risk came into her eyes, thinking about the life of her and her child and how they would live without him,” Punch told the assembled lawmakers.

“I watched his father rage. And I heard his mother wail.”

Punch placed the black-andyellow, blood-splattered Adidas sneakers she’d worn the day of the shooting on the table before her in the hearing room.

“I can’t wash these stains out,” she told lawmakers.

The trauma surgeon was adamant: Violence is a true medical problem doctors must treat in both the operating room and the community. Until they do that, she said, violence victims will continue to be vectors who spread violence.

“The disease that bullets bring does not yet have a name,” she told Congress. “It’s like an infection, because it affects more than just the flesh it pierces. It infects the entire family, the entire community. Even our country.”

But healing also can be contagious — spreading among victims, families and the

YMCA

Continued from A14

90-minute class for cancer survivors and their families.

“We are encouraging the cancer survivors in The Empowerment Network to get involved in this great partnership,” he said.

Livestrong began the partnership with the YMCA in 2007 after cancer survivors revealed a main concern about difficulty of returning to physical activity after cancer treatment. Livestrong at the Y is a twice a week, free or low cost exercise program designed to get cancer survivors and their families back into being physically active. More than 71,500 people have participated in the program in

Morial

Continued from A14

HIV medical care within 90 days of the diagnosis, when the virus is easier to suppress. Further compounding the problem is the higher poverty rate among black Americans.

As

physicians themselves. Punch, who regularly visits the neighborhoods where her patients live, attended an event last year for Saint Louis Story Stitchers, an artist and youth collective working to prevent gun violence. She remembers spotting a volunteer she knew — Antwan Pope, who’d been shot some years earlier but had found renewed purpose helping young people.

Punch told Pope about Hibler’s case and learned Hibler was Pope’s cousin. Hibler’s dad was at the community event, too, and he handed Punch a lapel pin with his son’s picture. She wore it on her white coat for months.

Two worlds

Punch was born in Washington, D.C., the only child of a Trinidadian father and white Midwestern mother. They separated six months after her birth.

Until she was 7, Punch moved every year with her mom. They eventually settled with Punch’s grandmother in the tiny town of Wellsville, Ohio, a close-knit but segregated community.

Classmates bullied her for being different, Punch recalls. “I was different in every way because I wasn’t black; I wasn’t white,” said Punch, who later came out as gay. From the time Punch was 9,

803 communities in the U.S. –including 19 YMCA branches here in the greater St. Louis area.

“We do a little bit of cardio, a little bit of strengthening; definitely stretching, because the whole program is about strengthening the body, core and balance,” Keedra Davis, instructor and Community Health coordinator at the YMCA said, “and flexibility as well.”

She said after the 90 days, typically about 40 to 50 percent of the participants will go ahead and get a membership. Her new class will start January 21. Livestrong reports on its website that researchers from Yale University and Dana Farber Cancer Institute studied on the impact of the program on participants’ cancer-

Limited access to highquality health care, housing, and HIV prevention education increase the risk for infection and make worse outcomes more likely. Through PACT, the Urban League Movement – along with groups like the National Black Justice Coalition, and the Black Men’s Xchange — is raising

for change,

she took $2 piano lessons from Elizabeth Carter. The local music teacher had transformed former drug dens into places with music lessons, free clothes and meals, and put all the kids who sought her help to work. Punch’s assignment was serving food.

“You show someone that they can help,” Punch said, “it’s revolutionary.”

That lesson guided her life as a child. Punch moved on to Yale University, the University of Connecticut’s medical school and then the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, where poverty and trauma scarred many of her patients’ lives.

Punch spent her early career in the shock trauma center in Baltimore, throwing everything she had into saving others.

After marrying a woman she met as a medical intern, Punch became pregnant with twins at 35.

The next few years were marked by highs and lows in her personal life and the unrelenting stress of dealing with the aftermath of violence at work.

She miscarried at five months. No one could tell her why.

Five months later, she became pregnant again, this time giving birth to a healthy boy, Sollal Braxton Punch. But not long later, she and her wife separated. Now she found herself as a single parent as the

related outcomes and found that participants experienced significant increases in physical activity, overall quality of life and fitness performance as well as decreases in cancer-related fatigue.

Here in St. Louis, Lloyd Johnson is experiencing similar results. A 14-year prostate cancer survivor who is rebuilding strength, balance and his ability to walk following spinal cord surgery, Livestrong at the Y has been a godsend. He said his body is getting stronger.

pressures of her job mounted.

One morning, three shooting victims arrived at the trauma center, quickly followed by a car crash victim who was pregnant. Punch’s nanny texted her, saying Sollal had a fever of 102.3.

“I realized I can’t do this anymore,” Punch said. “I just can’t.”

The call of community

So, she took a break from trauma for more than two years, focusing on general surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas.

But in 2015, a former colleague contacted her about a job as a trauma surgeon and educator at Washington University in St. Louis.

She feared going back to another troubled city. Michael Brown had been killed in Ferguson a little more than a year earlier, triggering unrest in that city just outside St. Louis.

Despite the area’s wellknown history of violence, she flew to St. Louis for interviews, then rode around Ferguson with Dr. Isaiah Turnbull, an assistant professor. He pointed out the spot on Canfield Drive where Brown’s body had lain in the road for more than four hours.

“It was almost like seeing Ground Zero,” Punch said. “This is where it all went down. And it went down because of deep structural realities that caused the

– that’s what my doctor was telling me,” Johnson said, “but so far, so good. I feel good about it, I feel better, so I am getting there.”

n “We are encouraging the cancer survivors in The Empowerment Network to get involved in this great partnership.”

– Mellve Shahid, The Empowerment Network

“It’s going to take time

awareness about testing, prevention, and retention in care among African Americans.

UNAIDS and the World Health Organization, the international agencies charged with confronting with the AIDS epidemic, have set a target for 2020 known as 90-90-90. By the end of next

“He is one of the first ones to get there every Monday and Wednesday and he works diligently, and he is getting much stronger now because he’s been exercising those legs,” Shahid said. Johnson has already decided that when this session ends, he will continue exercising at the Y. “I will use my SilverSneakers and continue,”

year, 90 percent of all those infected will know they are infected; 90 percent of those infected will be receiving antiretroviral therapy, and 90 percent of those receiving therapy will have had the virus effectively suppressed. In the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services has set a goal

Participants listen to Dr. Laurie Punch, a trauma surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, as she teaches a Stop the Bleed class last month in St. Louis. “It’s far more than teaching people what to do,” Punch says. “They learn: ‘I am not simply a victim or a perpetrator or an observer; I’m a helper. I have the capacity to help.’”

could save lives after street shootings, too.

Since March 2018, she and her team have trained more than 7,000 community members in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Many come to a rented space she dubbed “The T,” for trauma, tourniquet and time. But Punch’s team has also held classes in schools, a juvenile detention center and a firing range.

“It’s far more than teaching people what to do,” Punch said. “They learn: ‘I am not simply a victim or a perpetrator or an observer; I’m a helper. I have the capacity to help.’”

Contagious healing

experience of black and brown people in north St. Louis to be fundamentally different. I went from not wanting to go to wanting to be right in the middle of it.”

And now she is. In fact, after her recent confirmation to the St. Louis County Board of Police Commissioners, she is more “in the middle of it” than ever.

On a recent hot summer evening, 20 people — some black, some white — gathered around Punch. A few feet away, a doctor, a trauma nurse and a medical student stood near tables stacked with pool noodles, the long foam cylinders kids play with in swimming pools. These happened to be about the width of a human arm.

Punch told the class that a person can bleed to death in a minute, but an ambulance can take 15 minutes to arrive.

“If you can stop the bleed, you can save a life,” she said. “Time is life, and minutes matter.”

Participants practiced packing wounds by pressing gauze into holes in the pool noodles. They tightened tourniquets — first on the foam cylinders, then on each other.

Punch knows one of the doctors who created the “Stop the Bleed” training sessions after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. She realized the same training

Johnson said.

SilverSneakers is an exercise program for older adults age 65 and up of all abilities and is provided by supplemental health plans, like Medicare Advantage plans, known as Medicare Part C and group retiree plans, at no additional cost. At more than 16,000 fitness locations nationwide, SilverSneakers provides access to fitness equipment, group exercise classes, social networking, online education and a sense of community. Find out more at SilverSneakers.com.

In addition to encouraging each other and exercising for disease prevention, Shahid is hoping to inspire brothers who need it to kick the cane, lose weight and to eat better too. He said at TEN’s January support group meeting, an area chef is

Two years ago, Sidney Taylor was shot outside his brother’s comedy club in North St. Louis County while trying to help a friend who was drunk. When Taylor arrived at Punch’s hospital, profuse bleeding had left his blood pressure dangerously low. At one point, the father of four technically died on the operating table, but Punch and her team pulled him back. After 10 days in intensive care, the longtime wrestling coach was still in physical and mental agony.

That’s the point when many patients slip back to their communities unhealed. But Taylor, now 47, showed up in Punch’s clinic a month after he had been shot, and they bonded during a 25-minute visit. Punch described to him how her team had removed part of his lung and inserted a breathing tube. “Wow,” he told her. “I have another chance at life.” Punch mulled a thought, then asked. “Would you ever want to share your story?” Taylor agreed.

Punch recruited his hospital caregivers to create a video of their memories of saving him. When the taping finished, Taylor hugged each one. Punch uses the video during talks, sometimes inviting Taylor to join her. Giving back to the community in that way has saved him a second time, he said. After getting shot, “I could’ve basically turned to the dark side and done straight revenge,” Taylor said. “But I didn’t because of her.” Laura Ungar: lungar@kff. org, @laura_ungar.

coming in for a healthy eating presentation.

The Empowerment Network meets the second Saturday of each month. The next one is Saturday, January 11 from 10 a.m. until noon at Metro Village Apartments, located at 3114 Franklin Ave. in St. Louis. The Empowerment Network is located at 6000 West Florissant Ave., 314-3850998. Find them on Facebook or on the web at http://www. theempowermentnetwork.net. For more information about the program at the Emerson and Monsanto branches, call Keedra Davis at 367-4646 x. 238. You can also contact your local YMCA branch or call the YMCA Community Health Dept. at 314-421-8838 or email livestrongprogram@gwrymca. org.

of reducing the number of new HIV infections by 75 percent within five years, and then by at least 90 percent within 10 years, for an estimated 250,000 total HIV infections averted. This initiative is known as Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America. By raising awareness, and connecting high-risk populations to testing and health care, the Urban League Movement is helping to move African Americans toward both the 90-90-90 goal and the HHS Plan for America. Marc H. Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

Photo by Whitney Curtis / Kaiser Health News

Business

Girlpreneur Expo shines black business magic

Dasha Kennedy curated 50-plus vendors at Vashon High School

By Sharee Silerio For The St. Louis American

Dasha Kennedy, founder of the 60,000-plus member Facebook group The Broke Black Girl, curated the Girlpreneur Expo at Vashon High School on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Entrepreneurs of all ages brought their best selves, from nine years old to 40 plus years old. Hot pink signs with The Broke Black Girl logo and expo details filled the hallway, letting guests know where they can meet the 50-plus vendors, offering books, T-shirts, natural haircare, makeup, handmade soap, swimsuits, custom drinkware, jewelry, whipped shea body butters, 7-free vegan-friendly nail polish, sweet treats, face and body sugar wax, business coaching, communications, graphic/web design services, and financial coaching.

“Society tells us who we are a lot of times, and it’s not right most of the time,” said Valeria Rodriguez, artist, expo vendor and creator

n “It’s humbling for us to collaborate and coexist and be successful in this safe space. Whether you’re a vendor or attendee, it’s mind-blowing.”

– Valeria Rodriguez

of “Shine In All Shades,” a coloring book for women of color. “It’s humbling for us to collaborate and coexist and be successful in this safe space. Whether you’re a vendor or attendee, it’s mind-blowing. Dope. Super dope.”

Two years ago, a Nielsen study found that black women have majority ownership in more than 1.5 million businesses with over $42 billion in sales. Last year, the Federal Reserve reported that from 2007 to 2018, the number of firms

owned by black women grew by a stunning 164 percent, making them the only racial or ethnic group with more business ownership than their male peers.

The Gateway City is the perfect place for the Girlpreneur Expo. Earlier this year, NPR reported that St. Louis has more women-owned startups than any other city in the U.S.

From one row to the next, each booth proved that being black and female is an unstoppable combination and force to be reckoned with.

“It’s just beautiful to see and have a place for people to showcase their talents,” said Ashlee Nicole, expo vendor, and designer, photographer and brand strategist at Artistry Studios. “And then you realize that these business owners look just like you. They act just like you. They have the same problems as you. You can do it, too.”

A financial coach who is regularly confronted with the economic challenges black women face,

See GIRLPRENEUR, B2

Action St. Louis awarded Deaconess grant for tenant organizing

By Chris King Of The St.

Action St. Louis is the Deaconess Foundation’s

Buck Jones Memorial Grant for Tenant

n “Out of deep respect for the self-determination of residents, tenants of the Clinton-Peabody community participated in the selection process for partners in this work.”

– Rev. Starsky Wilson

Wilson, president and CEO of Deaconess Foundation, announced on Monday, December 9 at the foundation’s Just for Kids Community Conversation. The $40,000 grant will go to support tenant engagement and organizing of Clinton-Peabody Housing Complex residents.

“Out of deep respect for the self-determination of residents, tenants of the Clinton-Peabody community

Rev. Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of Deaconess Foundation, awarded Executive Director Kayla Reed and Sarah Watkins of Action St. Louis with its Reverend Buck Jones Memorial Grant for Tenant Organizing at the foundation’s Just for Kids Community Conversation on Monday, December 9. See ACTION STL, B2

Ruth Terrell-Lee joined the Little Bit Foundation in its newly created position of chief development officer. She will be part of the senior executive team, helping to set strategic direction along with the governing board, and will oversee Little Bit’s development goals and activities. In 1998, she co-founded the first public charter school in Missouri.

Rev. Tommie Pierson Sr. received a 2020 Drum Major Award from Christian Hospital. Drum Major Awards are bestowed upon unsung individuals who have given time, talents, and treasure in service of justice and equality. He is mayor of Bellefontaine Neighbors, pastor of Greater St. Mark Family Church and a former state representative who represented the 66th district in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2011 until 2017 and chaired the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus.

Tyriesa Howell joined the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis as an assistant professor in the tenure track. She is examining and understanding social and cultural determinants of sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and women. Her emerging research also seeks to address maternal health disparities experienced by black women living in the U.S.

Jamala Rogers was honored as a lifelong social justice champion by Bread and Roses Missouri at the opening of its “Art is Labor” exhibit presented in partnership with Webster University’s Arcade Contemporary Projects Gallery. Bread and Roses Missouri uses an arts lens to examine social and economic justice issues in all our programming. “We believe that cultural and creative expression are a means to effect deep and lasting social change,” organizers stated.

Solomon Thurman Jr. will be honored for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts by the Arts and Education Council at the 29th annual St. Louis Arts Awards on January 27 at the Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta Hotel. He was selected by the Missouri Arts Council as the 2018 Individual Artist of the Year. He describes himself as a “research artist” who creates art from documented events and personal history. His work is on display at 10th Street Gallery, 419 N.

Ruth Terrell-Lee

Lisa Cortes

Tyriesa Howell

Solomon Thurman Jr.

Jasmine D. Evans went live on FaceBook to share the great deals she got at the Girlpreneur Expo held at Vashon High School on

Saturday, November 23.

Louis American

Reverend

Organizing partner, Rev. Starsky

Photo by Wiley Price

Tommie Pierson Sr.

Jamala Rogers

Girlpreneur

continued from page B1 Kennedy started the expo to provide a solution.

“Sitting with so many people and seeing that even when they create a budget and cut back on so many expenses, sometimes they really don’t make enough money. They’re not earning a living wage,” she said.

“So, I wanted to put something together where girls can put their 5-to-9s or side

hustles on display or [show] that they’re artistic and can create things. I wanted to put them in a room to be able to make some additional money. What they make here may pay rent; it may buy groceries. I wanted them to be able to be in a space where they can fill in the gap they’re missing from their paychecks.”

Near the end of the event, everyone in attendance turned around towards a corner of the room, where a woman screamed with joy, “I won!”

During the event, Kiara Martin of Credit with Kiara entered

customers who purchased her business credit guide into a raffle for a MacBook Air.

Illinois resident Dagne Barton, owner of ValUAdded Consulting, won the coveted rose gold laptop, which she said will set her up for an amazing 2020.

“I was going to buy one for myself for Christmas, and now I don’t have to. So now I am going to save that money and it feels amazing,” she said.

“You could go and do all your Christmas shopping at Macy’s or J.C. Penny. You could stand in line at Walmart

to get all these deals. But when you come to an event like Girlpreneur and you do your shopping here, then you not only help your own household with a custom gift, but you help these women and their households for Christmas. And so that’s exponential giving back to your community.”

For more information on Dasha Kennedy, visit thebrokeblackgirl.com.

Sharee Silerio is a St. Louisbased writer and filmmaker; visit SincerelySharee.com or ShareeSilerio.com.

J’Naye and Robert Lee demonstrated their product Lee’s Sugar Wax at the

Girlpreneur profile

Lee’s Sugar Wax Company by J’Naye Lee

J’Naye Lee, a full-time engineer and owner of Lee’s Sugar Wax Company, participated as a vendor at The Girlpreneur Expo held recently at Vashon High School, where 50-plus black, female business owners were showcased. Lee combined her engineering skills with her love for beauty products to create an allnatural sugar wax that provides glowing skin and is environmentally friendly. Sugar waxing can be used by anyone and offers many additional benefits including minimal risk of ingrown hairs, easier clean up, and less irritation. Unwanted hair

J’Naye Lee

can be removed with just the sugar wax alone for a stripless, environmentally friendly solution for hair removal. Lee’s Sugar Wax can also be used with their washable and reusable muslin strips. Lee aims to make the world a cleaner place, save people money by teaching them how to use the wax on themselves, and, most importantly, make people feel better about the appearance of their skin. Her products can be found at LeesSugarWaxCo.etsy.com and on social media platforms @LeesSugarWaxCo.

Action STL

continued from page B1

participated in the selection process for partners in this work,” Rev. Wilson said.

The grant is partially funded from the settlement of a suit filed by Missouri’s attorney general against the St. Louis Housing Authority and McCormack Baron Salazar at the call of residents from Clinton-Peabody, with an additional contribution from Deaconess Foundation.

“As a result of this award, the Action St. Louis team will convene, train, and support the development of an action plan chosen by the Clinton-Peabody residents in self-organizing toward their desired goals,” Rev. Wilson said.

“Additionally, residents will participate in a People’s Assembly where tenants will form working groups to identify goals to be included an action plan. Once the action plan has been developed, Action St. Louis will provide research on the issues, implement organizing training, support ongoing tenant turnout and communications, and seek out partner organizations for ongoing social services for residents.”

Residents have already started brainstorming with Action St. Louis staff on kick off opportunities to launch the partnership in the coming weeks.

The announcement was

made with Ethel Jones, widow of the late Rev. Buck Jones, the namesake of the award. Alongside Jean King and Ivory Perry, Rev. Jones was a key figure in the 1969 St. Louis Rent Strike that transformed federal housing policy and made housing a central issue in the black freedom struggle. At the time, Rev. Jones, a graduate of Michigan State University and Yale Divinity School, served as president for both the Carr-Square Tenant-Council and Vaughn housing projects.

“This year marked the 50th anniversary of the successful conclusion of this important organizing effort which transformed federal housing policy,” Rev. Wilson said.

Following the 1969 strike, Rev. Jones launched a campaign for welfare reform in Missouri through Operation LIVE, founded Project HOPE (Helping Other People Emerge) to improve living conditions for people in East St. Louis North St. Louis, established a local chapter of Habitat for Humanity and lead an environmental justice campaign resulting in a multimillion dollar cleanup from the Environmental Protection Agency in East St. Louis. He passed away in 2002. Ethel Jones initiated contact with the Deaconess Foundation in her late husband’s memory when she read news reports of deplorable conditions in the Clinton-Peabody Housing Complex. “If Buck were here,” she told Rev. Wilson, “he’d be all over that.”

Girlpreneur Expo held at Vashon High School on Saturday, November 23.

Photo by Wiley Price

Michelle Robinson, owner of Demi Blue, talked about her vegan nail polish at the Girlpreneur Expo held at Vashon High School on Saturday, November 23.

Photo by Wiley Price

“We won. We prevailed in the end. So at the end of the day, it is our state.”

Sports

The legend of Lamar Jackson is impacting all of America, not just the NFL

~ See ‘Sports Eye’ page B4 ~

Hawks vs. Flyers in Ramey’s Showdown

One of the biggest events on the high school basketball calendar is the Midwest Showdown Shootout, which is presented by event director Terrell Ramey of Rameybasketball.com.

The annual all-day basketball extravaganza will be held on Saturday at Webster Groves High with six exciting games featuring schools from Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee.

Here is a summary of Saturday’s Midwest Showdown Shootout lineup: Webster Groves vs. Mt. Vernon (Ill.), 1 p.m.

— Missouri State women’s basketball coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, after the Bears defeated Mizzou on Sunday Earl Austin Jr.

– Host Webster Groves features a strong group of guards in 5’10” junior Anthony Phieffer, 6’0” senior Jacobie Banks and 5’9” sophomore Matt Enright. Mt. Vernon has one of the top teams in Southern Illinois. The Rams feature an excellent athlete in 6’5” junior Quani Rudd and senior guard Amir Spann.

Lift for Life vs. South Iron, 2:30 p.m. – Lift for Life is a strong Class 3 team in the area with a talented group that includes 6’2” junior Demarcus Sandord Jr., 6’1” junior Barcus Jackson and 6’2” junior Rico Singleton. The Hawks have already won the championship of the Metro East Lutheran Thanksgiving Tournament. South Iron is a Class 1 power from the Southern part of the state. The Panthers are led by 6’3” junior guard Brock Wakefield and the talented sophomore duo of 5’10” Drenin Dinkins and 6’1” D. J. Prater.

SLUH vs. Thea Bowman Academy (Tenn.), 4 p.m. – SLUH is a young up and coming group that features 6’3” soph-

The press is often referred to as the Fourth Estate. Though the news media is not technically a part of the political system of governance, it wields the power to hold politicians to account. Therefore, when I received a call from Andre Holman of STL TV inviting me to play in the 1st Annual Jumpshots Over Gunshots charity basketball game, I didn’t just have a desire to participate, it was my civic duty. The event, put together by CareSTL Foundation, was billed a “local first responders and celebrities charity event.” It featured two basketball games at the Vashon High School gymnasium. The first game featured local elected officials versus media personalities. The second game featured local police versus firefighters. Various vendors were also on hand to provide free resources and services to the community. They offered gun locks, gun safety training, smoke detectors, counseling services and plenty of family-oriented resources. Of course, the (multi-) Hall of Fame certified Earl Austin Jr. was the first choice to represent The St. Louis American However, Austin was under the weather. With his legendary status already solidified, he convinced Holman to graciously relax the “celebrity” standard for the team and allow a Z-lister such as myself a slot on the team. In addition to representing The American, the media team featured players from Hot 104.1 and STL TV. The politicians’ team featured state Reps. Steve Roberts and LaKeySha Bosley; recorder of deeds Michael Butler; aldermen John Collins-Muhammad, Brandon Bosley, Dan Guenther alderwoman Cara Spencer and others. Everyone came together to help raise much-needed funds

Photo by Wiley Price

Jay Nelson (center) makes a move in the paint while Ishmael Sistrunk (left) and Derrick

Lil D” Greene of Hot 104.1 defend.

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

The legend of Lamar Jackson is impacting all of America, not just the NFL

When quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens take the field against an NFL opponent, it has become must-see TV. Even if Jackson and his crew are blowing out the opponent, TV ratings don’t slide. All eyes remain on the dual threat quarterback.

Jackson is THE story of the season, and as he wryly said earlier this season after his first five-touchdown pass performance, “that’s pretty good for a running back.”

Jackson, with all his talent, was still regarded as a running back or wide receiver by most draft scouts and NFL pundits. That’s why he was around so late in the 2018 draft after winning the Heisman Trophy at Louisville –as a quarterback. The Ravens wanted him –and they wanted him to play quarterback even though they selected another player in the first round before moving up to select Jackson 32nd..

is more than just that dude who can lead the Ravens back to the Super Bowl.

“He’s part of a wave of 13 black starting quarterbacks who are not only changing the game on the field, but are expanding conceptions of leadership and affirming black excellence to themselves and the nation.”

O’Neal joined a group of black Ravens fans at the Baltimore residence of Antonio

“Rod” Womack, a real estate developer and human resources director, during the Ravens win over Buffalo.

“It resonates way beyond football,” Womack said.

“(Jackson’s success) might change the way CEOs decide who’s going to sit on the board. The lesson here is really about giving us a true shot — without tying one arm behind us — and we can win at any level. At anything.”

groomed for the sport’s most important position. It all sounds so simple. Exhilaratingly so.”

his unwillingness to run the 40-yard dash, among other things.”

Development Finance Board let taxpayers know that it considers $30 million in tax credits requested by the city for a construction phase of a soccer stadium too big of an ask.

It’s willing to part with about $6 million, 80 percent less that what was requested.

“While we support the project, we do not believe that increasing program caps to authorize $30 million in tax credits for a stadium is the right decision for Missouri,” the Missouri Department of Economic Development said in a release

“We understand (ownership group members) are disappointed with this decision.”

Like all parties involved as of Tuesday night, city Mayor Lyda Krewson didn’t call a press conference and released a written statement.

ue to operate at a significant loss,” writes Chris Smith in his Forbes SportsMoney column.

“But MLS investors are still spending big to secure a share of the U.S. soccer market because their eyes are set on potential goldmines down the road: a new national TV deal in 2023, a stateside World Cup in 2026.” He adds that “if everything goes just right” there could be “a future American sports landscape wherein domestic soccer can hold its own against the likes of the NFL and the NBA.”

For the record, I don’t see that happening in St. Louis or any other MLS city.

The Reid Roundup

While he is still yet to win a Super Bowl, and getting there this year is not guaranteed, Jackson is by far the favorite of most NFL fans. His staggering number of votes for the Pro Bowl is proof and he is destined to be a runaway winner of the Most Valuable Player Award.

More importantly, national writers and TV analysts are using Jackson’s success to attack stereotypes and racism that hinder all black professionals – not just those in professional athletics.

Lonnae O’Neal, a writer for the ESPN website The Undefeated, said “For many black NFL fans who thrill to Jackson’s football smarts and physical gifts, the 22-year-old

While the negative assessment of black quarterbacks has been a topic of discussion since the days of Marlin Briscoe and Vince Evans, Jackson has brought it to center stage – or the 50-yard line.

“There’s the evolution of quarterback as an increasingly important position over time, conscious and subconscious racist beliefs about the intelligence of black players, rational and irrational fears over a mobile quarterback’s health, and the lack of margin for error in a season with so few games,” Ian Quillen, a Forbes contributor wrote this week.

“With Jackson’s arrival, we may be seeing the destruction of all of those arguments, and in their place the construction of a new paradigm, that football’s best athletes should be

AP sports columnist Paul Newberry reminds us that “Joe Montana was a third-round pick who went on to capture four Super Bowl titles. Tom Brady lasted until the sixth round of the draft, and all he’s done is win a record six rings.”

“But there is one big difference between Jackson and those underrated quarterbacks who came before him. No one was calling on Montana or Brady to switch positions. They weren’t subjected to that most reliable of racist tropes: the black quarterback who is only successful because of his superior athletic skills, while white quarterbacks are lauded for their mental ability and work ethic.”

In December 2017, Luke Easterly of USA Today wrote that he would make Jackson the first quarterback selected in the 2018 NFL draft.

“We all know what the ‘prototypical NFL quarterback’ looks like… But if I were an NFL general manager, I’d rather swing for the fences on a rare talent who might require some creativity, rather than ‘playing it safe’ with another cookie-cutter pocket passer,” penned Easterly.

Man, was he right.

Easterly illuminates in a recent column that the NFL wanted to find fault with Jackson – not give him the chance he deserved.

“While the conversation leading up to the 2018 NFL draft centered around the likes of Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Josh Allen as potential No. 1 picks, the pre-draft talk about Jackson was far more critical,” he writes.

“Many questioned his choice of representation (his mother, who refused to bow to the forces that wanted to turn her son into anything other than a quarterback), and

He closes his work by saying, “For so long, the league failed to give legitimate opportunities to college quarterbacks who looked like Jackson. Even this time, the league was blinded by their biases to the point where they almost let the league’s most dynamic offensive weapon fall out of the first round.”

“The surprise shouldn’t be that Jackson is lighting the NFL on fire. It’s that the league gave him the chance in the first place.”

Jackson got his chance, and he’s making good on it. The same could be said for thousands of other black professionals who could be putting in All-Pro performances in corporate America and other professions.

MLS prices soar, not profits

St. Louis’ MLS expansion team ownership group, and the one in Sacramento, will pay considerably less for the respective franchises than owner David Tepper will in Charlotte.

ESPN reported this week that MLS is billing Charlotte $325 million to join the league – while St. Louis and Sacramento have been asked to pony up $200 million.

Tepper, who paid more than $2.2 billion to purchase the Carolina Panthers last year, must also upgrade Bank of America Stadium to better fit soccer games.

Voters of the region will also be asked to approve a $110 million bond issue for what the Charlotte City Council calls “hospitality funds to help ensure a successful venture over the next many years.”

Reportedly, Tepper’s bid for a franchise recently “surged” and was far higher than Miami and Nashville’s $150 million respective offers.

This doesn’t explain why he would pay (or be extorted by MLS Commissioner Dan Garber) 62.5 percent more than St. Louis and Sacramento to join MSL.

State of confusion

Meanwhile in St. Louis on Tuesday, the Missouri

“We don’t believe the state’s decision will interfere with our support of the MLS4TheLou ownership group and their commitment to this project,” she said. That so-called statement says absolutely, positively nothing.

Approval of a request of more than $10 million cannot be granted without the consent of the departments of economic development and revenue and the Office of Administration.

In yet another written statement, we learned that this is not a surprise to the ownership group.

“Last week, the project applicants were informed that cabinet officials would not authorize the tax credit cap increase,” said the administration statement.

“They were invited to return to MDFB in January where the board could hear and consider approving a smaller request for credits within its existing cap.”

Otis Williams, executive director of the St. Louis Development Corporation, told the P-D on Monday, “We’re trying to sort things out.”

More haunting was his additional quote of, “We’re looking at other options.”

The $24 million difference should not halt progress on the stadium. But it’s easy to spend other people’s money – especially if they are worth billions of dollars.

Gambling on future

St. Louis’ franchise will enter an MLS which sees only a few of its franchises making a profit.

According to Forbes, just seven of 23 MLS franchises made a profit during the 2018 season.

The teams, with positive income included in parenthesis, were Atlanta United ($7 million), L.A. Galaxy ($5 million), Portland Timbers ($4 million), Real Salt Lake ($2 million), Seattle Sounders, DC United and Sporting Kansas City ($1 million).

Forbes says MLS and its owners are investing in future revenues, not immediate ones.

“Although revenues are broadly on the rise, the league and most of its teams contin-

Jay Maclin, a three-star receiver from Kirkwood, made his official visit to Missouri last weekend. He was joined by Chaminade quarterback Brady Cook. Both are expected to sign letters of intent this week… The St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly contacted the Boston Red Sex in regard to a trade for pitcher David Price. Price made 30 starts and was instrumental in the Red Sox run to the 2018 World Series title. I’d be overjoyed if he came to St. Louis – even though he went just 7-5 with a 4.28 ERA in 22 starts last year. He also is owed about $30 million a year for three years… With his team at 5-9 and in last place in the AFC West, Anthony Lynn’s days are dwindling as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers… Lynn could be replaced by Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, another African-American… Carl Scheer, the man who built the Denver Nuggets from the ground as its general manager and conceived the Slam Dunk Contest in 1976, died this week at age 82. Scheer became the Charlotte Hornets first GM and crafted the expansion franchise into an on-court and financial success… Citing NFL sources, Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman reports that 20 teams remain interested in signing troubled receiver Antonio Brown… Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw the football better in a driving snow storm than most NFL quarterbacks can on a sunny day. His Chiefs pummeled Drew Lock and the Denver Broncos 23-3… Adam Jones, a five-time All-Star in the outfield and a four-time Gold Glove Award winner, has signed a two-year $16 million contract to play for the Orix Buffaloes in Japan. Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1.

Alvin A. Reid

Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens

Girls basketball players to watch

By Earl Austin Jr. Of the St. Louis American

Here is a look at some of the top girls’ basketball players to watch in the St. Louis metro area for the 2019-20 season.

Kelsey Blakemore, 5’9”, Whitfield: Excellent point guard who helped lead the Warriors to a berth in the Class 3 state quarterfinals last season.

Faith Bland, 5’10”, Metro: An All-Public High League performer who returns after leading the Panthers in scoring and rebounding. She has signed with Texas A&M-Commerce.

Marshaun Bostic, 5’8”, Gateway STEM: A speedy junior guard who has been an

Clutch

Continued from B3

According to Deneen Busby, director of Marketing and Communications for CareSTL Health, the funds raised will help support important social services to communities impacted by gun violence. This includes providing Thanksgiving baskets to women who may otherwise lack resources.

Besides being there for a good cause though, both teams wanted to win bragging rights. As I glanced across the court during the pre-game warmups, I noticed the elected officials looked locked in. They were all business and confident that they were about to put a major smack down on the media.

I also noticed that at 6-foot3, I was able to see over the top of them. Guenther appeared to be the only elected official north of the 6 feet. Though I generally like to hang out on the wings on the basketball court, I was asked to man the center of the media defense. In other words, and get my “Mount” Mutombo on.

At the suggestion of STL TV’s Joseph Brown the media team deployed a 2-3 zone to start the game. The zone hit the politicians like a leaked trove of official documents. Broadcasters, reporters and DJs flew around the court like hard-hitting questions and before you knew it, the elected officials were down by double digits.

On the offensive end, I scored a few baskets early to put the politicians on notice that they were not in cabinet meetings and legislative sessions anymore. By halftime, the media team still maintained

Continued from B3

omore shooter Nick Kramer, 6’3” junior Freddie Cooper and 5’9” sophomore point guard Jaden McClain. Bowman Academy features a pair of Division I level prospects in seniors Daron Davis and Jacques Williams.

St. Louis Christian vs. Chicago Corliss, 5:30 p.m. – St. Louis Christian field a talented group, led by 6’6” junior Jordan Nesbitt, a multi-talented guard who is being recruited by several Division I schools around the country. Corliss was a Final Four team in the Illinois Class 2A state tourna-

All-PHL performer for the past two seasons. She is currently averaging 18 points a game to start the season.

Jessica Brooks, 5’10”, MICDS: A four-year standout performer for the Rams who returns after averaging 18 points a game last season.

Autuanae Garrett, 5’10”, Miller Career Academy: Talented senior guard who returns after helping the Phoenix to the Final Four of the Class 4 state tournament.

Sydney Harris, 6’0”, Edwardsville: Excellent sophomore guard who is off to a fast start to the season. She is currently averaging 19 points a game for the 7-0 Tigers.

Brooke Highmark, 5’8”, Westminster: Talented sophomore guard who led the Wildcats to a berth in the Class 4, district championship game as a freshman.

Raychel Jones, 5’10”, Vashon: A talented freshman wing player who is one of the top newcomers in the St. Louis metro area this season.

Jayla Kelly, 6’2”, Parkway Central: An outstanding senior forward who led the Colts to a third-place finish in the Class 5 state tournament. She has signed with the University of Missouri.

Jakayla Kirk, 5’10”, Hazelwood Central: One of the top players in the

Suburban North who is currently averaging 15 points and seven rebounds a game.

Quierra Love, 5’4”, Edwardsville: A quick senior point guard who returns after leading the Tigers in assists and steals for a team that advanced to the IHSA Class 4A Supersectionals.

Jasmine Manuel, 6’3”, Rockwood Summit: A talented senior post player who is back after averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Falcons to a Class 4 district championship.

Jade Moore, 5’6”, Whitfield: An excellent senior combo guard who returns after helping the

Warriors to a berth in the Class 3 state quarterfinals. An outstanding 3-point shooter.

Jordan Peete, 5’6”, Ladue: An excellent senior point guard who returns after averaging 14 points a game as a junior.

Vanessa Polk, 6’2”, John Burroughs: A sophomore post player who returns after averaging more than 10 points and 10 rebounds a game as a freshman.

Mackenzie Rhodes, 5’7”, Parkway North: A talented junior guard who returns after helping lead the Vikings to a berth in the Class 4 state quarterfinals last season. She is currently averaging 15 points a game.

Saniah Tyler, 5’6”, Incarnate Word: Talented sophomore point guard who has taken the reins for the powerhouse Red Knights program that has won three consecutive state champions.

Ellie Vazzana, 5’11”, Incarnate Word: Talented junior wing player who has emerged as the Red Knights’ prime-time player this season. She is currently averaging 17 points a game.

Keisha Watkins, 5’8”, Northwest Academy: An AllPublic High League performer who returns after averaging 18 points a game as a junior.

a sizeable lead. It seemed that we would cruise to victory.

In the second half though, the politicians came out with a little more purpose. The elected officials started to get dialedin from long-range. A rash of fourth quarter turnovers by the media team helped them to close the gap to just three points at one point. In the end though, a strong, free press proved too mighty for the elected officials to overcome. The media team emerged victorious 39-33 and claimed the championship trophy for the 1st Annual Jumpshots Over Gunshots game.

“We need to start electing taller politicians,” Butler joked. “Height was a problem for us, heart was not.”

Butler is right. The political leaders that showed out to support the event proved that they have a heart for the community and specifically the issue of curbing gun violence. The

ment last season. They feature top players such as Jamario Minniefield, Jadon Williams and 6’9” Tyrone Smith.

Cardinal Ritter vs. Mehlville, 7 p.m. – A battle between two of the top teams in the St. Louis metro area.

Cardinal Ritter is loaded with talent, led by 6’3” junior Mario Fleming, 6’7” senior Garry Clark, 6’0” Luther Burden III and 6’0” senior Glenn Valentine. They advanced to the Class 3 state quarterfinals last season. Mehlville returns a strong team that advanced to the Class 5 state quarterfinals last season, led by 6’5” senior Dylan Branson, 7’0” senior Davion Bradford, and 6’7” senior Lamontay Daugherty.

same goes for the members of the press, police officers and firefighters.

Though St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief John Hayden didn’t suit up for the first responders’ game, he was at the event cheering on his officers en route to a thrilling 55-52 victory over the firefighters.

“Chief Hayden has been very supportive of our organization and foundation,” Busby stated. “It’s not an easy job but the first responders are working hard to protect and serve the community.”

By all accounts, the event was a success. I’m honored that I was able to represent The American and look forward to returning next season. I’ve crossed paths with several of the politicians in passing over the years. However, being able to play against and fraternize with them can help the collaborations and community-focused

Hazelwood Central vs. East St. Louis, 8:30 p.m.

– This matchup is the Main Event Border War, which features a Missouri team vs. a metro east team. Hazelwood

Central is a loaded Class 5 state contender that features 6’6” senior Nate Garrett, 6’2” senior David Roberts, 6’4” junior Cole Farrell and 6’4” freshman Jayden Nicholson. East St. Louis is led by 6’8” senior Armon Williams, 6’5” senior LaShawn Johnson, 5’10” senior Jashawn Anderson and 6’7” senior Patrick Readye.

Admission for the Shootout is $12 at the door. For more information on the Midwest Showdown Shootout, you can visit the website, www.rameybasketball.com.

The ST. LouiS AmericAn PreP AThLeTe of The Week

Faith Bland

Metro – Girls Basketball

The senior standout forward enjoyed a big week of performances in three Panthers victories. The 5’10” Bland had 27 points, 11 rebounds and four steals in a victory over Rosati-Kain. She added 18 points, six rebounds, seven assists and eight steals in a victory over University City and 29 points, five

rebounds and 10 steals in a victory over Cleveland. For the season, Bland is averaging 21.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 5.2 steals in leading Metro to a 6-4 record. She has already signed with Texas A&MCommerce.

teamwork that Butler alluded to. Quid pro quos seem to be all the rage these days. Any politicians handing out cushy, six-figure consultant jobs or

In the Clutch Awards Best Trash Talker: Rep.

the political opponent that ends up on a debate

opposite of the 79th House district rep.

Tough as Nails Award: Rev. Darryl Gray. The 65-year-old Gray and I butted heads going for a loose ball, causing his glasses to break. Gray didn’t miss a beat and stayed in the game,

board appointments might be able to land a 6-foot-3 small forward in 2020. I’m just saying.

LaKeySha Bosley. She’s the Michael Jordan of trash talk. I pity

stage

Photo by Maurice Meredith

The media and elected officials teams pose together following the opening game of the Jumpshots Over Gunshots charity basketball game. The media team emerged victorious 39-33.

Rodney Crim voted CEO of Economic Development Partnership

Had been interim since Sweeney resignation, guilty plea

American staff

Rodney Crim was voted CEO and president of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership by its board in a unanimous decision on Wednesday, December 11.

He had served in this position in an interim capacity since January after the resignation of Sheila Sweeney. Sweeney would later plead guilty to helping cover up then-County Executive Steve Stenger’s pay-to-play schemes. Partnership Board Chairman Karlos Ramirez said Crim had built morale, improved fiscal management and implemented steps to increase transparency in his 11 months as interim CEO and president. Crim started a Strategic Planning process and was credited by the board with mandating procurement training, improvement of the grant management process, strengthening of expenditure controls and approvals, and improving budget training across the organization.

The board credited Crim with assisting in “key wins” in regional economic development, including Bayer Crop Science, Benson Hill,

Bunge Corporation, Evolution St. Louis, Pfizer, and Square. He also improved contact and communication with area economic development organizations, as well as elected officials and bodies in the city and county, the board said.

Rodney Crim

“His ability to collaborate with those within the organization, as well as external partners, is critical to the growth of our region,” St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said of Crim in a statement. Previously, Crim was the president of the organization and executive (starting in 2013) executive director of the St. Louis Development Corporation from 2002 to 2013. He also has held positions with Pillsbury, the Musicland Group, Ameriprise, Microtron and Shorebank.

He is credentialed as a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Economic Developer, and a Certified Economic

n “His ability to collaborate with those within the organization, as well as external partners, is critical to the growth of our region.”

– St. Louis County Executive Sam Page

Development Finance Professional. He has completed Harvard University’s Executives in State and Local Government program.

He serves as a board member on the International Economic Development Council and previously chaired its diversity and inclusion committee.

“We are at a critical time as a region,” Crim said in a statement, “and I look forward to this opportunity to lead our organization as we work collaboratively with other partners to attract, build and retain economic development opportunities for our community.”

Financial Focus

By Courtney Bond, AAMS, CPRC

Celebrating Eastside culture

By Eric Schmid Of St. Louis Public Radio

The House of Miles in East St. Louis is the focal point of a new tour of some of the city’s cultural landmarks. Listed as an Airbnb “Experience,” organizers hope the tour brings in outside money to the city.

Singer and musician Tonina Saputo wowed attendees of the most recent installment of Saint Louis Art Museum’s SLAM Underground series with her headlining perfor

Miles Davis doc lands Grammy nod

By Kenya Vaughn Of

By American Staff

Elson Williams III, better known as Tres, became a staple of the nightlife scene when he followed his father’s footsteps in the spirits business. He spent five years as an ambassador for Major Brands distributor.

Tasked with creating “out of the box” events for liquor distributors, his job took him across the country and around the globe. It was through this work that he discovered a knack for creating custom cocktails for themed events and other activities.

“I somehow always had my finger on the pulse of the drinking public in terms what people were craving to experience in a cocktail,” Williams said. “I listened attentively to what my clientele was thinking out loud. I began experimenting with and creating my own fun and inter-

active cocktail recipes.”

Family and friends urged him to write down his cocktail recipes in book form. At first, he didn’t listen. But the voice of a higher power got his attention. While traveling in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, Williams said the voice of God spoke to him, compelling him to move forward with the book.

“God explained to me very vividly that my drink recipe book needed to be uplifting, that it should make people smile or even laugh out loud while taking them on an unforgettable journey,” Williams said.

Five years later, Williams is celebrating the release of “You Don’t Have To Be A Mixologist To Party And Have A Good Time.” The title is a spin on the Jermaine Stewart dance hit “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off.” He framed the book around his love of travel

Cool,’” the estate of Miles Davis said in a statement. “Bravo to director Stanley Nelson and his artistic vision in bringing this authentic documentary to life. We extend our gratitude to the entire team who worked tirelessly to bring an accurate portrayal of the life and legacy See Miles, C4

Elson (Tres) Williams III with his parents at the book signing for “You Don’t Have To Be A Mixologist” at the Forest Park Golf House on Tuesday, November 26.

– specifically his adventures in the Dominican Republic.

He released the book last month and has been making his promotional rounds through a series of book signings/meet and greets. He will be signing and discussing the book on Thursday, December 19 at Turn restaurant in St. Louis, and at Beverly Hills Grocery and Liquor in

Normandy on Friday, December 20.

“It is my desire that this book will inspire hope and provide some mental relief to millions of people by making them forget about their current problems for a brief time,” Williams said.

Photo by Eric Schmid/ St. Louis Public Radio

Photo by V. Lang

How to place a calendar listing

1. Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican. com OR

2. Visit the calendar section on stlamerican.com and place your listing

Calendar listings are free of charge, are edited for space and run on a space-available basis.

holiday haps

Thur., Dec. 19, 7 p.m.,

The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Musical. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www.stifeltheatre.com.

Thurs., Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m., St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus presents A Gospel Christmas starring Kennedy Holmes, Powell Hall. For more information, visit www.slso.org.

Dec. 19 – 23, Frosted: A Holiday Cocktail Experience in Tower Grove Park. Piper Palm House, 4271 Northeast Dr., 63110. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/ TGPFrosted.

Fri., Dec. 20 – Sat., Dec. 21, 8 p.m., 11th Annual Holiday Bass-Trava-Ganza, Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar. For more information, visit www. thepageant.com.

Sat., Dec. 21, 3 p.m., The Show Me Kids Concert Series – Christmas Edition Feat. Fresh the Clowns and KidGoalss. Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sat., Dec. 21, 5 p.m., The Cathedral at St. Paul presents A Gospel Christmas: The Best of St. Paul, 1260 Hamilton Ave. For more information, visit www. stpaulame.net

Sun., Dec. 22, 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Pleasant Grove Church presents The Christmas Story: A Drama Celebrating the Birth of Jesus, The Cathedral at Pleasant Grove, 2411 Belle Glade, St. Louis, MO 63113. For more information, visit 314-5336765

Through Dec. 24, Saint Charles Christmas Traditions. 230 S. Main St.,

63301. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Fri., Dec. 27, 8 p.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Gamma Omega Chapter invites you to their End of the Year Jam. 12365 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63044. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sun., Dec. 29, 12 p.m., St. Louis Art Museum Annual Kwanzaa Celebration. 1 Fine Arts Dr., For more information, visit www.slam. org.

Tues., Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m., BMO Wealth Management New Year’s Eve Celebration. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63013. For more information, visit www.slso.org.

Tues., Dec. 31, 7 p.m., TSEED Executive Productions invites you to Another Harlem Nights New Year’s Eve Party. Infinite Occasions Banquet Center, 3515 N Lindbergh Blvd., 63074. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Tues., Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Upsilon Phi Omega Chapter invites you to their 2019 New Year’s Eve Gala. Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow Blvd., 63120. For more information, visit www. stlomeganye2019.eventbrite. com.

Tues., Dec. 31, 8 p.m., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., St. Louis Alumni Chapter New Year’s Eve 2020 Celebration with celebrity DJ Mannie Fresh. Union Station Hotel, 1820 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Tues., Dec. 31, 8 p.m., Dread Out 2019. Jamaican Style New Year’s Eve Bash featuring Infrared Rockers Roots & Culture Record Spin. Rowan Community Center, 1401 Rowan Ave., 63112. For

Kenya Vaughn recommends Helium Comedy Club presents Sheryl Underwood. See COMEDY for details.

more information, call (314) 229-7018.

Wed., Jan. 1, 10 a.m., St. Louis Progressive Missionary Baptist District Association, Inc. presents our 157th Anniversary Emancipation Proclamation Service. Greater Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, 1617 North Euclid Ave., 63113. For more information, call (314) 7460706.

Through Jan. 2, Winter Wonderland in Tilles ParkView by walking, carriage ride, or vehicle. 9551 Litzsinger Rd., 63124. For more information, visit www. winterwonderlandstl.com.

Through Jan. 4, 5 p.m., Missouri Botanical Garden presents Garden Glow. A million lights surround visitors, enjoy interactive photos, traditional holiday music and festivities, and more. 4344 Shaw Blvd., 63110. For more information, visit www. missouribotanicalgarden.org.

mlk day

year’s theme is “Music – A Universal Stepping Stone Toward Peace,” and will feature Grammy Award winning Saxophonist & Recording Artist, Kirk Whalum, Harris-Stowe State University in the Dr. Henry Givens, Jr. Administration Building, Main Auditorium, 3026 Laclede.

Fri., Jan. 17, 7 p.m., St. Louis Art Museum Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www.slam.org.

Mon., Jan. 20, 7 a.m., 35th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. Keynote speaker, Missouri Chief Justice George Draper. Monsanto Family YMCA, 5555 Page Blvd., 63112. For more information, email charmane. brown@gwrymca.org.

Mon., Jan. 20, 5:30 p.m., Coalition of Black Trade Unionists – CBTU Saint Louis Chapter invites you to their 42nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Awards. Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 36, 2319 Chouteau Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

concerts

Through December 22, Jazz at the Bistro presents Nate Smith + Kinfolk. Jazz St. Louis, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.jazzstl.org.

Sun., Dec. 22, 7 p.m. Ginuwine Live at Ballpark Village, Midwest Live Stage. For more information or tickets, visit https:// www.facebook.com/ events/2374869879289539/

Fri., Dec. 27, 8 p.m., G-Rated Entertainment presents Nle Choppa feat. Plot Da BigHomie, Buddy Luv, and Derr Derr. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Tues., Dec. 31, 7 p.m., New Year’s Eve St. Louis Mega Blues Festival. Feat. Sir Charles Jones, Willie Clayton, Pokey Bear, and Wendell B. Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sat., Jan. 11, 9 p.m., Rock House Ent. & Black Luxury Ent. present Rick Ross. 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. thepageant.com.

Sun., Jan. 17, 7 p.m., Chaifetz Arena presents Xscap3. 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.chaifetzarena.com.

local gigs

Sun., Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m., An Intimate Christmas with Malena Smith + The Adam Maness Trio. Sophie’s Artist Lounge & Cocktail Club, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Thur., Dec. 26, 8 p.m., Alvin Youngblood Hart’s Muscle Theory. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., 63118. For more information, visit www. offbroadwaystl.com.

Dec. 27 – 28, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m., Jazz at the Bistro presents Good 4 The Soul. Jazz St. Louis, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. jazzstl.org.

Sat., Dec. 28, 8 p.m., Dr. Zhivegas performs the music of Prince and the Revolution. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Thur., Jan. 2, 8 p.m., Joe’s Café Concerts presents Little Dylan. 6008 Kingsbury Ave., 63112. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Sat., Jan. 4, 8 p.m., Tre G: As I Am. With Katarra Parson, MAXA, Eric Donte, and sounds by DJ HoodBunny. The Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

special events

Sun., Dec. 22, 5 p.m., 2019 Delux Power 100. Chase Park Plaza, 212 Kingshighway Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. deluxpower100.org.

Sun., Dec. 22, 7 p.m., Zenith Flair presents Beauty Meets Fashion Lupus Awareness Edition. Hosted by Funny

Sat., Jan. 11, 6:30 p.m., The 34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Celebration Kick-Off Program for Missouri, This Fri., Jan. 17, 7 p.m., The Sheldon Folk Series presents Ruthie Foster with special guest Clayton Jones. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Lady Re. Third Degree Glass Factory, 5200 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sun., Jan. 5, 12 p.m., The Wedding Connection Bridal Show. Featuring the top wedding vendors in the area. Chase Park Plaza, 212 Kingshighway Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.bridestl.com.

Sat., Jan. 11, 11 a.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter invites you to their Founders Day Celebration: The Vision of the 22...Their Legacy Continues. Orlando Gardens, 2050 Dorsett Village, 63043. For more information, visit www.dstslmac.com.

Sat., Jan. 11, 11 a.m., The Pink Bride St. Louis Wedding Show. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, visit www.bridescan.com.

Sat., Jan. 11, 6 p.m., 8th Annual An Evening with the Cardinals. Join Cardinals Hall of Famers Ted Simmons and Ozzie Smith, with emcee Dan McLaughlin, to raise money for families battling childhood cancer. Emcee Dan McLaughlin. Silent auction. Union Station Hotel, 1820 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. thenccs.org/cardinals.

Wed., Jan. 15, 10 a.m., Public School Fundraiser. Join us to help us raise money to help out the public school system. City Hall, 1200 Market St., 63102. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Jan. 17 – 19, Loop Ice Carnival. 5800 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.visittheloop.com.

Sat., Jan. 18, 8 p.m., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Sigma Chapter, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Phi Nu Zeta Chapter invite you to Shades of

Blue: Celebrating the Zeta Centennial. Polish Heritage Center, 1413 N. 20th St., 63106. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Saturdays, 8 a.m., The Ferguson Farmers Market Plaza at 501, 501 S. Florissant Rd., 63135. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

art

Through Dec. 29, Art St. Louis presents Art St. Louis XXXV, The Exhibition. Featuring 52 artworks in all media, themes, subjects, techniques, and styles by 52 artists from Missouri, Illinois & Indiana. 1223 Pine St., 63013. For more information, visit www.artstlouis.org.

Wed., Jan. 18, 11 a.m., Artist Talk: Liz Johnson Artur. The London-based artist talks about her compelling images of the African diaspora and her ongoing Black Balloon Archive with Drew Sawyer Contemporary Art Museum, 3750 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.camstl.org.

comedy

Dec. 20 – 22, Helium Comedy Club presents Bruce Bruce. 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., 63117.

Sat., Dec. 28, 8 p.m., New Year’s Weekend Comedy Festival feat. Gary Owen, Mike Epps, Tommy Davidson, Mark Curry, HaHa Davis, and Desi Banks. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Jan. 3 – 4, Helium Comedy Club presents Sheryl Underwood. 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., 63117.

Fri., Jan. 17, 8 p.m., Chris Bow Stand Up Comedy DVD Recording. Special

Kenya Vaughn recommends and Human Trafficking 8136 Groby Rd., 63130. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Tymes Banquet Hall, 5950

Natural Bridge Rd., 63120. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

theatre

Through Dec. 29, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, LorettoHilton, 130 Edgar Rd. Tickets are available at www.repstl. org or by calling The Rep Box Office at 314-968-4925.

Jan. 2 – 5, Disney on Ice presents Celebrate Memories Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. enterprisecenter.com.

Jan. 9 – Jan. 26, The Black Rep presents August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, Edison Theatre on

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., St. Louis Alumni Chapter New Year’s Eve 2020 Celebration with DJ Mannie Fresh. For information, see HOLIDAY HAPS.

the campus of Washington University, 6445 Forsyth. Tickets are available at (314) 534-3807 or www.theblackrep. org.

Sat., Jan. 11, 10 a.m., Nick Jr. Live! Move to the Music Join the Paw Patrol pups, Dora the Explorer, Bubble Guppies, Blue, and more. Stifel Theatre, 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Jan. 15 – 26, Fox Theatre presents Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Jan. 16 – 19, Ignite Theatre Company presents Peter Pan Jr. Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

lectures and workshops

Sat., Jan. 11, 1 p.m., The Field House Museum presents Perspectives of Freedom Suits and the Dred Scott Case Panelists include Lynne Jackson, great-greatgranddaughter of Dred Scott; Dr. David Konig, Washington University and Michael Everman, Missouri State Archives. 634 S. Broadway, 63102. For more information, visit www. fieldhousemuseum.org.

Tues., Jan. 14, 6 p.m., National Coalition of 100 Black Women –Metropolitan St. Louis Chapter presents the Keeping Us Safe Series: A Conversation About Safety

Thur., Dec. 19, 7 p.m., Medicare for All to the Rescue. Dr. Ed Weisbart will define the healthcare crisis, discuss costs, the disruption to business and the economy, how the US compares to other countries, possible solutions, and how to support effective change. Venture Café, 4240 Duncan Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Sat., Jan. 4, 12 p.m., Superior Health and Wellness Seminar – 2K20 Health Kick-Off. Polish Heritage Center, 1413 N. 20 th St., 63106. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Wednesdays, Weekly Free Health Fair. St. Gabriel Clinic, 6113 Ridge Ave., 63133. Free health screenings include blood pressure, weight, height, BMI, hearing and vision screening and counselling. For more information, visit www.stgabrielstl.com.

Fri., Jan. 3, 6 p.m., Healing Women Ministries invites you to Ain’t No Family Like the One I Got Game Night. A fun night for the entire family. University City Public Library, 6707 Delmar Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 690-5673.

Sun., Dec. 22, 4 p.m., Fresh Start Bible Church Book Signing for the first publication of Dr. Douglass Petty, God Honoring Church. Ubran League, 3701 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

of music icon Miles Davis.”

Nelson came to East St. Louis ahead of the film’s theatrical release in September, which coincided with the grand opening of the House of Miles East St. Louis (also known as H.O.M.E.) – a cultural center located at what was once Davis’ boyhood home.

“It was my honor to make a film about Miles Davis,” Nelson said at the event. “I am a real Miles Davis fan and his music has been so instrumental to me.”

At the event, Nelson gave credit to the Davis family and the city of East St. Louis for aiding him in the journey of making “Birth of the Cool,” and its efforts through H.O.M.E. to keep contribute to the continuum of their city’s cultural footprint – that because of Davis stretches across the globe.

“We’ve been all around the world showing this movie,” said Davis’ nephew Vince Wilburn Jr. He toured alongside Nelson with the film – and with his uncle as his drummer. “We were met with packed houses in South Africa – Soweto, Cape Town and Johannesburg,”

The film opened to rave reviews when it debuted at Sundance Film Festival in January and enjoyed a strong run with its nationwide theatrical release in the fall.

“Birth of the Cool” features never-before-seen archival footage and studio outtakes and was heralded by Variety as “a tantalizing portrait: rich, probing, mournful, romantic, triumphant, tragic, exhilarating and blisteringly honest.”

Music legends such as Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones and Carlos Santana are among those who discuss Miles Davis and his incomparable influence on music. But Nelson also makes room for Davis’ East St. Louis roots in “Birth of the Cool,” including interviews from East St. Louis Poet Laureate Eugene B. Redmond, family members and others

connected to the city.

Last week PBS announced that “Birth of the Cool” was selected to be featured as part of its “American Masters” programming. The film will make its broadcast premiere as part of “American Masters” Black History Month roster on Tuesday, February 25. Nelson’s intention with “Birth of the Cool” was to create a film that fully paid homage to Davis’ genius and unparalleled influence on music.

“You rarely see a portrait of a man that worked hard at honing his craft, a man who deeply studied all forms of music, from Baroque to classical Indian,” Nelson told PBS. “An elegant man who could render ballads with such tenderness yet hold rage in his heart from the racism he faced throughout his life.”

If the film wins, it will be the second Grammy for cinema inspired by the life and art of

Miles Davis. In 2017, Ferguson native Keyon Harrold was among those who won a “Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media” award for the soundtrack for Don Cheadle’s biopic “Miles Ahead,” which was also produced by Cheadle, Robert Glasper and Steve Berkowitz.

“Uncle Miles continues to touch the world,” Wilburn said. “That’s amazing to me, because these are our roots.”

The 62nd GRAMMY Awards will take place on Jan. 26, 2020 in Los Angeles. For more information on the “Birth of the Cool,” visit www. milesdavismovie.com

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, premieres nationwide as part of the PBS American Masters programming on at 8 p.m. CST on Tuesday, February 25. For more information, check local listings, or visit www.pbs.org/milesdavis.

then heads to House of Miles East St. Louis and finishes at the Local Legends Listening Lounge

“The excursion is an opportunity for people to see the heart and soul via the incredible culture and musical history of East St. Louis,” said Treasure Shields Redmond, the tour’s host.

It’s an intimate experience, which costs $36 per person, during which attendees learn about Davis and the impact of jazz in the region, Shields Redmond said. There will be live jazz music, and participants will have the opportunity to read poetry at an open mic.

“This experience is for adults, couples, people who are culturally aware, creative, curious, who may create their own art, or just be art and music lovers,” she said.

The tours regularly run on Fridays, with at least one each month, Shields Redmond said.

The tour is also an opportunity to bring outside money into the city. It’s

organized through Airbnb’s Host an Experience” platform – giving it nationwide and even global reach, Shields Redmond said. When people search under “Experiences” in East St. Louis on the site, they will see the excursion listed.

“The focus is to bring back the commerce and create a nostalgia that would lure people to understand the history of East St. Louis,” said Jasper Gary Pearson, vice president of House of Miles East St. Louis.

Pearson had been working to create a fine-arts tour of the city when Shields Redmond visited H.O.M.E. (House of Miles East St. Louis) to learn about Davis. They decided to partner after that encounter.

For Shields Redmond, this kind of a tour seemed natural, especially after having lived in Memphis, Tennessee, where she went on African American heritage tours to underground railroad spots there, she said.

“When I moved to this area, I found out there were more than 20 documented underground railroad spots. Not to mention very close to East St. Louis is the country’s oldest incorporated African American city and a community founded by enslaved people,” she said.

“My mind is always blown at the deep cultural history that is here.”

But East St. Louis is also defined by decades of economic divestment.

“A lot of people who come to East St. Louis who grew up here say, ‘I would love to live in East St. Louis, but there’s nowhere to live,’” Pearson said. The city needs to find new ways for money to flow into the community so that it can improve and attract people again, he said.

That starts with the city’s image, Shields Redmond said.

“In order for East St. Louis to battle back, there have to be opportunities for people to see it in a new light,” she said. “This experience provides that opportunity.”

Eric Schmid covers the Metro East for St. Louis Public Radio as part of the journalism grant program Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project.

Follow Eric on Twitter: @ EricDSchmid

Republished with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org as part of a content sharing partnership with St. Louis Public Radio.

“You Don’t Have To Be A Mixologist…” blends more than a dozen cocktail recipes and chronicles Williams’ time spent in the beautiful Caribbean nation.

The process of writing the book was therapeutic for Williams and his family. Upon returning from Brazil, intent on being obedient to the call to write his book, Williams learned that his mother faced a life-threatening illness. Instead of shelving the idea, he was inspired to use the work as he was originally instructed by God. I decided to use my book

manuscript as a kind of balm to help her with the healing process,” Williams said. “I became ferociously inspired and motivated to make my mother smile or laugh everyday along with the readers around the world that I imagined would one day read and be affected by the positive and hopeful message of my book.”

His mother has since made a full recovery and was even in attendance (as was Williams’ father, Elson Williams Jr.) at the book release party kickoff November 26 at the Forest Park Golf House.

As he continues to spread the word about his book, his goal is to get prospective readers to let loose and have fun as they pour it up at parties, events or even amongst a small circle of friends.

“My intention to make it pressure free when it comes to creating ‘kick [expletive]’ drinks for the people you love,” Williams said. “My mantra is, ‘Have fun and don’t worry about making mistakes!’ The more you practice, the better you will become!”

Upcoming book signings and meet and greets for ‘You Don’t Have to Be A Mixologist To Party And Have A Good Time” will take place on Thursday, December 19 at Turn (3224 Locust) from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and at Beverly Hills Grocery and Liquor (6571 Natural Bridge) on Friday, December 20 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.trewilliamsiii. com/.

Miles Davis

Celebrations

Reunions

Beaumont High Class of 1970 is planning its 50-year reunion! We want to reach as many classmates as possible, so please share this info with other class of ‘70 alumni. Please email your current contact info to: Beaumontclassof1970@gmail. com.

The East St. Louis Women’s Club celebrated its 46th birthday on Sunday December 1, 2019 by honoring its charter President/Organizer, Dr. Katie Harper Wright – educator, writer and community leader. The event was held at the Bellecourt Banquet Center in Belleville, Illinois.

Dr. Wright is President Emeritus of the East St. Louis Women’s Club. The Dr. Katie Harper Wright Elementary School in East St. Louis School District #189 is named for Dr. Wright. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority where she has served for 70 years. She is also an Elder at First United Presbyterian Church and an Adjunct Professor at Harris Stowe University. Dr. Wright was the Salute to Excellence in Education Lifetime Achiever in 2014.

Joe Verrie Johnson 314-640-5842, Jordan Perry 314-724-4563, or LaVerne James-Bady 314-382-0890. Vashon High School Class of 1975 is planning for its 45 year class reunion. We are in process of getting all classmates to provide or update your contact information. Please email Millicent, centbyme1@aol.com or Elvis, elvishopson@att.net. You can also send information by mail: Vashon High Class of 1975, P.O. box 8735, St. Louis Mo. 63101. Keep this date open: August 7-9, 2020. Congratulations

Central High School Class of 1970 is in the process of planning its 50-year reunion in 2020. We are trying to locate former classmates. If you would like to receive additional information as we plan this momentous occasion, please provide your contact information to either Lillian McKinney at mamajoyce314@ icloud.com or (314) 335-9760, Eric Armstrong at elarmstr@ yahoo.com or (918) 6503385, Sabra Morris-Pernod at Saboots@centurytel.net or (314) 703-0812. Sumner High School Class

of 1957 will sponsor a Holiday Social on Friday, December 27, 5-8 pm at the Creve Coeur American Legion Hall (behind Bristol) 934 E Rue Del La Banque Dr., 63141. DJ will play oldies and line dance music for dancing. Tables available for card players. Chicken and fish dinners available for $10, cash bar.

Sumner Class of 1976 Annual Christmas Party Friday, December 21, 2018, 7pm at DEJAVU II Cafe, 2805 Target Dr., St. Louis, MO 63136. 2 for 1 Drink Specials (5:30-7:30pm), free

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican.

parking, band performs from 7:30-9:30pm. No cover charge; classmates and guest each pays $5 for the catered food served during intermission, whether you partake of it or not. Limited reserved seating available until 10pm. Doors open 5pm/close 1am. For more info, call B. Louis at 314.385.9843.

Vashon High School Class of 1974 is planning for its 45th reunion. We are in the process of rounding up all classmates. To provide or update your contact information, please email ljbady@gmail.com or

to the eldest son of Ronald and Ericka Strong, Jeremy LaRon Strong on graduating Magna Cum Laude from Tennessee State University on December 7, 2019. Jeremy received his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. Please join in congratulating the Strong family on this monumental occasion.

Dr. Katie Harper Wright

100 Black Men’s regal Winter Royale. I can’t say I can relate with the poor soul who got the wrath of Jigga for recording Beyoncé cutting a rug on the dance floor or when he gave Kanye the “you know I don’t mess with you no more” side eye in all the photo opps. But other than that, I know exactly how the folks at Diddy’s big 5-0 party felt, thanks to 100 Black Men of St. Louis’ Winter Royale Gala Saturday night at the Marriott Grand. It was a combination of black opulence and black excellence and I got my life from every second of it. For the better part of the week I’ve been trying to decide who was best dressed and by today I had to just give up and say “everybody.” I’m serious. Everyone came so correct that I cannot pick winner. Now I will say Jason Ware’s navy-blue tux spoke to my spirit because it was so different and so fresh. But folks really honored that dress code and it was a glorious sight. I also want to give a shoutout the Dirty Muggs for mixing in some new numbers into their set list – specifically the West Coast rap tributes. Their versions of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” and Too Short’s “Blow The Whistle” weren’t songs I expected to hear at a gala. But I think that made it even more special. Shout out to the 100 for always bringing style and grace up in the place with their gala game.

Cedric’s Not So Silent Night. Since I’m on the subject of fancy events, I might as well jump right into the SSM Health Foundation benefit A Not So Silent Night with Cedric The Entertainer’s Not So Silent featuring Fatpocket at The Ritz Carlton. Before Saturday, I hadn’t been since they changed the format from concert to sit down meal. I must say that I like the remix – and not just because now there’s a plate involved. It had a cute deluxe holiday work party vibe, with the major difference. Ceddy’s Not So Silent Night has the comedy being handled by a professional. The rest of us have to settle for that one co-worker who throws back one too many and wants the world to know that he or she was voted class clown in high school and forces the rest of the office to listen to jokes that would be booed at an open mic, but you have to smile uncomfortably through their bits so staff meetings won’t be weird. But back to Cedric, he had me hollerin’ when he was talking about how he knows he’s old because of his friends. Listen, when he said his boy’s phone has Latimore’s “Let’s Straighten It Out” as a ringtone, it took me out. And Fatpocket, featuring Tish Haynes Keys, was cutting up. On a side note, I just want to say the grace and poise of Sharita Kyles Wilson always makes me proud when she delivers remarks on behalf of the family regarding the Rosetta Boyce Kyles Women’s Pavilion.

Kee-kees at Klass Klowns. I’m already talking about St. Louis funny men, so I might as well jump right into my boy Jovan Bibbs’ annual Klass Klowns show he holds around his birthday. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again. St. Louis comedians are a tier above any other local comics off the rip. I promise if there was a businessman who could harness the hilarity of St. Louis comedians and present them on a global scale, they would be the Berry Gordy of comedy. I know it’s a lot that goes into that, but we have the talent to pull it off. Because I was at Cedric’s SSM Health Foundation gathering, I missed a chunk of Klass Klowns, but I still got plenty of chuckles. Especially when Darius Bradford started talking about how petty his grandmother was for hoarding all the cool air in her room. My big granny was just as ornery for how she monopolized the warm air in the winter. She would have that space heater positioned in her direction on high with such power that it made a tent when it blew up her moo moo. Meanwhile, me and my cousins would be on the other side of the house in snow suits and shivering so bad our teeth would chatter.

Tamika Scott, the one-song wonder. By now you should already know that House of Soul is going to be a part of my regular rotation from this point forward. So, you can imagine the thrill when I heard that Xscap3 (i.e. Xscape minus Kandi) member Tamika Scott was coming through to promote her solo EP “Family Affair.” She took every bit of her sweet time arriving, which didn’t bother me a bit because Terry Rogers was killin’ it as he worked up a sweat to R&B and blues classics. I promise you his version of “These Last Two Dollars” should have been called “These Last 20 Minutes” because that’s how long it lasted – and was four times longer that Ms. Scott devoted to the stage. When Terry tried to pass her the mic for his fifth breakdown of Joe’s “I Wanna Know” and she refused, I got a little suspicious of what her “pop up” concert entailed. But they called her to the stage, and she sang “Who Can I Run To.” I would be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed. But then when the band tried to smoothly fade out of the song – just like they vamped in – she issued a hard stop and left the stage. I was like “that’s all we get?” She popped in, popped up and popped out. She didn’t even give us a sip of her new stuff, which I thought was the whole point of her visit. Girl, if you didn’t bother singing it, I’m surely not compelled to hit up YouTube or Google. I know that Nichol and her crew had nothing to do with Ms. Scott’s antics, so I will be back to House of Soul for whatever they have happening for the next two holiday weekends.

All of the folks at all of the lights. Saturday night was also the December installment of All of the Lights. And you already know that so many folks home for college winter break were up in Dos Salas that it was feeling like a sauna. I don’t know what y’all do, or how y’all promote, but keep it up. It was packed from 10 p.m. up until in there. And I had to ride by three times for other stops I had to make out in these streets – and each time the line seemed to get longer.

A full line up of the city’s MC’s including D’Frynce and Big Lou Stl came out to support TDubbO as he hosted Will Rap 4 Gifts Friday @ Blankspace

Tracy Henry, Tabitha Atwood and Mrs. Wendy Alexander supported 100 Black Men@ their Winter Royale Gala Saturday @ The Grand Marriott

FuBar was the place to be for the creatives so April and Wonnie Jay slid thru and supported some of their favorite visual artist Friday @ TRAPXART

The Klass Klowns were done cutting up, so Katrina and Shirley decided to snag a pic with comedian Willie Lynch Saturday @. ZACK

Leslie Christian Wilson of Diversity Gallery and Jenni Lovette chilled in VIP with Tamika Scott of XSCAPE Saturday @ The House of Soul

Dre and Melanie found a moment to laugh as The Sneaker and Masquerade Ball got started Saturday @ The Marquee

Jovan Bibbs hosted, and Darius Bradford had the crowd rolling as he closed out the show @ Klass Klowns Saturday @. Zack

The Franklin Brothers stepped into A Not So Silent Night with Cedric The Entertainer Sunday sharp Saturday @ The Ritz-Carlton

Cheryl Brown and St. Louis County NAACP President John Bowman @ The 100 Black Men of St. Louis Winter Royale Gala Saturday

@sydneycalice and @_cmillz_ came to kick it in their kicks with plenty of style @ The Sneaker and Masquerade Ball Saturday

St. Louis’ own King of Comedy Cedric The Entertainer with Teresa Dickerson after used his talent for a worthy cause at the Not So Silent Night fundraiser for the SSM Health Foundation Saturday at The Ritz-Carlton.

Photos by V. Lang

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

BIDS

Gladiator Building, 1339 Magnolia Manor Court, St. Peters, MO 63303 is seeking subcontractor bids for six (6) new construction homes at 3156 & 3158 Nebraska Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118 and 2716, 2726, 2732 and 2736 Hickory Street, St. Louis, MO 63104.

Scopes of work include, but are not limited to: New Construction of six (6) single family homes. Section 3, Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises are encouraged to bid.

Project plans and specifications are available by request. Please contact Gladiator Building at (314)328 -5545, GladiatorHomes314@gmail.com.

All bids are due to Gladiator Building’s office by 1/13/19, 12 p.m.

Gladiator Building is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

BIDS

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking qualifications for Media Relations/ Planning Services, Media Training, and Thought Leadership Planning and Placement Services. Check https://greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids/ and submit by December 20, 2019.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for 2020 ARS Crackseal Program, Area A, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1805, will be received at the Office of the Director of Procurement for the County of St. Louis, County Government Center Administration Building, 41 South Central Avenue, 8th Floor, Clayton, Missouri 63105, until 11:00 a.m. on January 22, 2020.

Plans and specifications will be available on December 9, 2019 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www. stlouisco.com), or by contacting County Blue Reprographics, Inc., 811 Hanley Industrial Court, Brentwood, MO 63144, (314) 961-3800.

EMAIL MARKETING PLATFORM RFP 2020

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: 5 CITIES PLUS CONFERENCE 2019: FIVE CITIES PLUS INC. was used for this service. Any inquiries should be sent to gjamison@stlmsd.com.

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

Notice

SEWER DISTRICT

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive Sealed Proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 631032555 until 11:00 a.m. on January 23, 2020 to contract with a company for: POINT REPAIR LINERS. Pre-Bid Conference scheduled at 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103 on January 9, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 10233 RFP. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314-768-6254 to request a copy of this bid.

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

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified contractors to provide a new email marketing and marketing automation platform. Bid documents are available as of 12/18/2019 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor TO

To Advertise Please Email ahouston@stlamerican.com

NOTICE OF OPEN-HOUSE PUBLIC HEARING ON DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF ROUTE 100 (MANCHESTER ROAD) BETWEEN LINDBERGH AND I-270

Notice is hereby given to all interested persons that an open-house public hearing will be held on Thursday, January 9 th , 2020 to gather public input about the pavement improvements on Route 100. The meeting will take place between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S Geyer Rd, Kirkwood, MO 63122. The presently contemplated improvement is as follows:

The purpose of this project is to extend the pavement life (resurface) and upgrade existing ADA pedestrian facilities to comply with MoDOT’s Transition Plan for Route 100. Traffic signal upgrades and replacements as well as storm water drainage modifications will be necessary with the upgrade of ADA facilities. Additional Right of Way and easements will be acquired for this project.

Preliminary Plans prepared by the Missouri Department of Transportation will be available for public inspection and copying at the office of the District Engineer of the Missouri Department of Transportation, 1590 Woodlake Drive, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017. Written Statements and exhibits will be made a part of the public hearing transcript if received within ten working days after the date of the hearing.

Tentative schedules for the right of way acquisition and construction will be discussed at the hearing.

If you are disabled and require special services at the public hearing, please notify Project Manager Stuart McNeil by January 2nd, 2020 at 314-453-5042 so that arrangements for those services can be made.

LETTING #8711

STL Cargo City Roof Replacement for Buildings 1 & 2

At St. Louis Lambert International Airport

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org/planroom.aspx (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.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). Mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at 10:00 AM, in the Ozark Conference Room at the Airport Office Building, 11495 Navaid Rd., Bridgeton, MO 63044.

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).

BID

PARIC Corporation has been awarded as the General Contractor to perform the construction renovations for the Shell Building located in Downtown St. Louis. PARIC will be seeking to receive bid for Structural Steel, Roofing, Sheet Metal, Flooring, Painting, Acoustical Ceilings, Awnings and Canopies, Div 10 Items, Laundry Chutes.

In addition, PARIC’s self-perform division will be performing the Drywall and Carpentry Work required for this project. In an effort to meet our goals with MBE/ WBE participation and enhance the community by using local businesses, PARIC’s self-perform division is looking at receiving bids from other drywall and carpentry contractors to perform specific Scope of Work packages. Scope of Work packages will be drafted and available to submit bids on by 12/20/19. These scopes can include (but not limited to): blocking, casework, doors/frames/hardware, taping, drywall, framing and any other related scopes of work. If you are interested in submitting a bid for a Scope of Work package, please send an email to PARIC’s Matt Horton (mrhorton@paric.com) and copy the Vice-President of Diversity and Inclusion (Ty Perry – tperry@paric.com). PARIC does require all contractors to fill out a prequalification packet prior to performing work on our projects. You must have this prequalification packet filled out prior to 1/3/20. Drawings will become available the week of 12/16/19. There will be a mandatory pre-bid walk scheduled for 12/18/19 at the Shell Building located in 1221 Locust St. St Louis, MO at 9:00am. Bids will be due to PARIC 1/15/20. In order to be awarded any work on this project, all contractors must attend the pre-bid walk on and have all prequalification information complete by 1/3/20.

LETTING NO. #8713

CONCRETE & BRICK REMOVAL/ REPLACEMENT AND COMPLETE SIDEWALK INSTALLATION SP-112

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on January 28, 2020, 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 mandatory pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held on January 9, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. in Room 305, City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis MO 63103. NOTE: Contractors that attended the pre-bid conference for Project SP-111 are eligible to bid on Project SP-112 without attending the SP-112 pre-bid conference.

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).

LETTING #8712

STL Cargo City Roof Replacement for Buildings 3, 4 & 5

At St. Louis Lambert International Airport

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org/planroom.aspx (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.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). Mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at 10:00 AM, in the Ozark Conference Room at the Airport Office Building, 11495 Navaid Rd., Bridgeton, MO 63044. 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).

LETTING #8709

CONCRETE & BRICK REMOVAL/ REPLACEMENT AND COMPLETE SIDEWALK INSTALLATION SP-111

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on January 14, 2020, 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 mandatory pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held on December 18, 2019 at 10:00 A.M. in Room 305, City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis MO 63103.

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).

SEALED BIDS

CITY OF

ST.

LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT ENHANCEMENTS – PHASE 4, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, PROJECT NO. CMAQ-9901(656). Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, JANUARY 10, 2020 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 314-6223535. 16% DBE participation goals.

gov/facilities

PUBLIC NOTICE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (the “Partnership”) solicits proposals for a qualified firm to provide office-space consulting services to maximize the Partnership’s allocation of resources for office space.

To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 3:00 PM CST on Tuesday, January 21, 2020. Proposals should be sent by email to hbean@stlpartnership.com, or to St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, ATTN: Howl Bean II, 7733 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 2200, St. Louis, Missouri 63105. DBE, MBE, and WBE firms are encouraged to bid, and a five percent bid preference may be available to certified MBE firms.

The Request for Proposals may be obtained from the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership’s web site at www.stlpartnership.com. The Partnership reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive informalities therein. Any questions should be directed to Howl Bean II at (314) 615-7663 or hbean@stlpartnership.com.

St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer

PARK RIDGE APARTMENTS HAS NEW OWNERS AND IS PROFESSIONALLY MANAGED BY SANSONE GROUP!

SEALED BIDS

BidsforRoof

for full details.

2 BR, Liv. Rm., Din. Rm., Kitchen, Full Base., Fence Yard, A/C, $750/mo + Dep636-227-3647

2 BED HOUSE FOR RENT North City, 45XX Carrie Section 8 Available 314-780-9263 HOUSE FOR RENT

GORGEOUS ROOMS FOR RENT

$135 / wk + Dep, washer & dryer, all utilities included Call 314-741-1951

We are accepting City and County Vouchers. We have One and Two bedroom apartment homes that offer a balcony or patio, ALL electric, dishwasher, TONS of free off street parking and on site laundry. 1379 SHARONDALE CIRCLE in FERGUSON 314-524-3635 Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm and the first 3 Saturdays of the month 9am to 3pm. FOR RENT 2 & 3 Bedrooms, Updated, Move In Ready, Section 8 OK 636-675-1398 314-258-1069

FURNISHED ROOMS FOR RENT Northside Area, A/C Busline, Util. Included $100-$125/week, 618-501-3361

HARVEST HOUSE ROOM FOR RENT $100/wk, $100/dep Furn. Rm, with Cable, Quiet, Clean Environ. 314-537-4429

Replacements–Various,Mount VernonTreatment Center,Mount Vernon,Missouri, ProjectNo. H1910-01 willbereceived byFMDC,Stateof MO,UNTIL1:30 PM,1/2/2020via MissouriBUYS. Biddersmustbe registeredtobid. Forspecificproject informationand orderingplans,go to:http://oa.mo. gov/facilities FURNISHED ROOMS Job Verify Required North County $400/MO + $150 DEP Shared kitchen, laundry room & full bath room, cable 314-521-9123 FULLY FURNISHED ROOMS FOR RENT Very Nice, Nice Area, All Utilities & Wi-Fi, Near busline, $100-$140 week 314-478-0277

Donald Maggi, Inc. is accepting bids from Disadvantaged Business Enterprises for subcontracting opportunities on the City of Salem Sidewalk TAP-9900 (510) located in Salem MO

Bid Date and Time: Thursday, January 9, 2020 at 1:30 Plans and specifications are available for purchase from: Archer Elgin, 310 E 6th St, Rolla MO 573-364-6362

www.questcdn.com

Project # 6619714

Or may be inspected at our office at 13104 South US Hwy 63, Rolla, Missouri 65401 Request for Email copies of plans and specs can be sent via drop box Our telephone number is 573-364-7733; fax 573-341-5065. An Equal Opportunity Employer. Email: maggiconst@gmail.com

Donald Maggi, Inc.

Clergy call for closing the Workhouse

We’ve seen it up close, but we were not convinced, says interfaith group

By Rev. Erin Counihan, Rev. Cassandra Gould, Rev. Deb Krause and Rabbi Susan Talve

For The St. Louis American

Mayor Lyda Krewson recently tweeted a statement in support of the conditions and functioning of the city’s Medium Security Institution, better known as the Workhouse. But we were not convinced.

On October 7, St. Louis Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards invited a group of local clergy to tour the Workhouse. We were invited as known faith leaders who had been speaking out in support of the Close the Workhouse campaign, so that Edwards might, with such a tour, persuade us to see the value and importance of the Workhouse. We went on the tour, we listened to the presentation, we asked questions and more questions, but we were not convinced.

We saw a deteriorating physical plant with endemic infrastructural problems in its plumbing, heating, and cooling. We heard that it is maintained in part by incarcerated people (the vast majority of whom are poor and people of color) who earn less than 50 cents an hour for their work.

speak this way, and when we did visit with the women in their unit, we noted – as they sat pleasantly at tables with one another and nodded in our direction – that their behavior in no way matched the way they had been characterized.

We met clearly hard-working and dedicated staff at the Workhouse, who were excited to share about new programs they were offering individuals, but what we saw and heard on the tour gave us no confidence that it is a viable or wellmanaged (at the top level) institution of public safety in St. Louis.

n It’s time to reimagine public safety and address crime by addressing our racist practices of policing and incarceration and the root causes of crime in poverty.

We heard from our tour leader misogynistic, inflammatory rhetoric about the women in the workhouse, that we would avoid their unit because they are the “worst of the worst” and so “mentally unstable” that they might “remove their clothes” and act out “sexually” in front of the clergy.

We were outraged that an official responsible for the Workhouse would

Despite an effort to give us an up-close look to persuade us into support, with all of that touring, and all of that talking, we were not convinced.

The tour didn’t address our moral concerns with the cash bail system. The tour didn’t address the funding issue of maintaining two separate institutions of incarceration in the city. The tour didn’t address our concerns about racism in the system of mass incarceration in our city. The tour didn’t address how we might better spend that funding on affordable housing, job training, mental health care, and addiction and substance abuse services. The tour didn’t give us any confidence that the city’s leadership was open to questions, ideas, or suggestions about either public safety or Workhouse issues.

We are not convinced.

Through our experience on the tour and what we have learned in studying its history and current reality, and

especially through conversations with individuals who’ve spent time in the Workhouse, we see that closing the Workhouse is a moral issue that will lead to greater public safety for St Louis. It’s time to reimagine public safety and address crime by addressing our racist practices of policing and

incarceration and the root causes of crime in poverty.

Here is some context:

• 90 percent of those detained are people of color while only 49 percent of the city is black.

Activists protested conditions in St. Louis’ Medium Security Institution, better known as the Workhouse, on July 21, 2017.

Photo by Wiley Price

•It costs $16 million to maintain the Workhouse each year regardless of the occupancy.

• The policies of arrest and incarcerate have not made our city safer. The unconstitutional cash-bond system destabilizes families, neighborhoods and communities and grows crime.

• St. Louis spends $200 million annually on arresting and incarcerating people and less than $1.6 million on human services.

We are calling on our mayor, our circuit attorney, our Public Safety director and our Board of Alders:

• To release individuals now held for nonviolent crimes because they are too poor to post bond.

• To close the Workhouse.

• To reinvest in the people who make up our community including those who hold jobs at the Workhouse. As religious leaders committed to joining God’s redemptive work in the world, as people of faith who saw the Workhouse up close, we call upon the people of St. Louis to join us in the ongoing efforts of the communitydriven Campaign to Close the Workhouse to bring us one step closer to a safer and more just St. Louis. #closetheworkhouse

Rev. Erin Counihan is pastor at Oak Hill Presbyterian Church, Rev. Cassandra Gould is executive director of Missouri Faith Voices, Rev. Deb Krause is president and professor of New Testament at Eden Theological Seminary, and Rabbi Susan Talve is rabbi at Central Reform Congregation.