December 20th, 2018 Edition

Grandmother graduates from UMSL at age 64

By Shahla Farzan

Everlene Falconer, 64, waved to her family after receiving her diploma from the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday, December 15.

‘It’s about racial justice and it’s about leadership’

Citizens complain that Webster Groves hired lawyer who represented Stockley and Wilson

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis

Jazz Jam/Tribute to Rich Henderson on Dec. 26 at

Rich Henderson with his friend Wynton Marsalis at saxophonist Todd Williams’ nuptials at The Sheldon in St. Louis in 1989.

Lancaster, a Webster Groves resident and Forward Through Ferguson board member. “It tells

Alleged victim testified against Laddie Roebuck, judge ruled he poses threat

By Rebecca Rivas

on December 13 to discuss lowering his $40,000 cash-only bond amount. Roebuck, who suffers from chronic mental issues as well as a substance abuse problem, is charged with robbery without use of a weapon. He currently cannot walk because he had his toe amputated in late November, and he has had excessively high blood-sugar levels around 400 mg/dl for several weeks now, his See ROEBUCK, A7 Rev. Anthony L. McPherson

St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones handed out piggy banks to Carondelet Leadership

Carver, 5,

Ollie Lynch, 6, on December 18. Since 2015, the College Kids Children’s Savings Account Program that Jones initiated has opened savings accounts for kindergarten students in Saint Louis Public Schools.

Photo by Wiley Price

Of St. Louis Public Radio

Photo by Roscoe Crenshaw

Photo by August Jennewein / UMSL

Alfonso Ribeiro is suing Fortnite for ‘Fresh Prince’ coins

“Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star Alfonso Ribeiro has filed suit against the makers of Fortnite for allegedly using “The Carlton Dance” without his permission.

“It is widely recognized that Mr. Ribeiro’s likeness and intellectual property have been misappropriated by Epic Games in the most popular video game currently in the world, Fortnite,” Ribeiro’s lawyer David L. Hecht told People Magazine in a statement.

“Epic has earned record profits off of downloadable content in the game, including emotes like ‘Fresh.’ Yet Epic has failed to compensate or even ask permission from Mr. Ribeiro for the use of his likeness and iconic intellectual property.

Rolling Loud still feeling the heat for Offset’s antics to win back Cardi B

Cardi B’s headlining set at the Los Angeles

Rolling Loud festival was interrupted by her estranged husband, Offset, who begged for her forgiveness – and Cardi B was not happy about it. After being bombarded with criticism for an alleged role in the incident, co-founder Tariq Cherif team had no parts of it in a state ment to the Los Angeles Times.

Therefore, Mr. Ribeiro is seeking his fair and reasonable share of profits Epic has earned by use of his iconic intellectual property in Fortnite and as a result is requesting through the courts that Epic cease all use of Mr. Ribeiro’s signature dance,” the statement concluded.

Cherif alleges that Cardi B’s manage ment was in on Offset’s stunt and denied that Rolling Loud’s organizers involvement. He also “shared the sentiment” of some fans’ belief that Offset’s appearance distracted from what should’ve been Cardi’s moment.

“We sent her a [direct message] on Instagram saying we loved her, and that if she didn’t know, that we’re sorry it hap-

pened,” he said.

“It was a stellar performance and we want to align ourselves with her for years to come.”

Cherif issued another statement regarding the deleted tweets critics cited as evidence Rolling Loud took part in Offset’s stunt. The comments said that the “special guests” tweet was deleted after one of the guests Rolling Loud was tipped off about didn’t show up. Removing tweets with “bad intel” is standard practice for the festival,

“For example, there’s an earlier tweet about a special surprise guest for Tyga’s set that we also deleted upon learning that it wasn’t happening. Deleting old tweets with bad intel isn’t usually alarming but once we realized that we were getting dragged for the surprise interruption, we panicked and deleted the tweet because we knew it was going to make things look worse. In hindsight, deleting those tweets actually made us look worse.

We recognize that it was a poor decision.”

OWN dropped from Salim Akil lawsuit

Last month “Love Is” producer and co-creator Salim Akil, was sued by his alleged former mistress, Amber Dixon Brenner, claiming he stole the idea for the show from her and also physically and sexually abused her during their relationship . According to The Blast, The OWN Network, which airs “Love Is,” has been removed from the suit.

“Oprah Winfrey‘s OWN network has been dropped from a lawsuit filed by the alleged mistress of producer Salim Akil, but the woman is continuing on with her claims against him,” The Blast said. “Brenner had sued OWN, Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, demanding an injunction against them from continuing to profit off her work and unspecified damages.” A month after filing that lawsuit, Brenner reportedly filed a separate lawsuit but only against Akil, accusing him of domestic violence and breach of contract, with the same allegations in her first suit.

Sources: The Blast, Los Angeles Times, People.com

Offset & Cardi B

Alfonso Ribeiro

Salim Akil

Evie Troupe of Normandy earns Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award

‘Every child should have a good teacher’

By Sharifah Sims-Williams Normandy Schools Collaborative

“I’m always a teacher.”

Evie Troupe made the statement with confidence, even though the path to her 2018 Emerson Excellence in Teaching award came with some personal obstacles.

She became a mother at age 19, giving birth to twins. Troupe was held back in elementary school, but never gave up. And that’s part of why she is successful in her chosen field.

Troupe, who is the library media specialist at Washington Elementary School, recalls the summer after she learned she had to repeat the first grade.

I was even nominated,” said Troupe, who earned her master’s degree in Education from Lindenwood University. “I’ve worked for 21 years with a lot of teachers I respect. It’s truly an honor.”

In her 21 years in Normandy, Troupe has had an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of colleagues, parents and students. She said she is able to make a connection based on her philosophy and ability to relate to people. She said parents appreciate the effort she makes with their children.

n “I let parents know how much their children mean to me.”

– Evie Troupe

“My parents sent me down to the basement and had my siblings take shifts to teach me,” said Troupe, who is seventh in a family of eight children. “One would help me with my reading, another would bring down worksheets for me to do. That summer was a turning point for me. I didn’t give up. I never did.”

Troupe, who began her career as a fifth-grade teacher at Washington Elementary School in 1998, was nominated for the Emerson award by her building principal, Pamela Hollins.

“I was genuinely shocked

“I let parents know how much their children mean to me,” she explained. “[For me] things weren’t always perfect, but we’re all in this together. I tell them I want their kids to do well, just as if they’re mine.”

Troupe is now a mother to two adult children. Her son is a high school biology and physical science teacher in Oklahoma, and her daughter works in early childhood education as a substitute teacher. She said her son was always a good student; school was a breeze for him. But it was different for her daughter, who struggled in school. Troupe, who was also taking classes at the time, would study with her young daughter, who had to work hard to get good grades. She sees the

same in her students.

“Not every child is the same,” Troupe said. “If a child is giving me their best, that’s all I can ask for,” she said.

“We want them to keep going, to keep making progress. If

they keep working and seeing progress, they will see success.”

As a veteran in Normandy, Troupe has seen plenty of changes and she has chosen to stay. Part of that is because she began her own education

in Normandy, having attended Pine Lawn, Garfield and Harrison elementary schools as a child. She also has family in the Normandy footprint. The other reason she has remained is her dedication to urban

Normandy Superintendent Charles Pearson congratulates Evie Troupe, library media specialist at Washington Elementary School, for winning an 2018 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award.

education.

“Every child should have a good teacher,” said Troupe. “It shouldn’t matter how much money their parents make or where they live. If they come here, I want to make sure they have a good start.” Troupe also serves as a mentor for new teachers, making herself available when they need advice or a sounding board for concerns.

“Teaching can be stressful, but I try to let them know they’re doing well and where to go from there,” Troupe said. Troupe, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Education at Harris-Stowe State University and a Library and a Media Specialist certification from Lindenwood in 2016, plans to finish her career in Normandy.

“Normandy is home,” she said. “I have bad days and good days, but seeing students succeed makes it all worth it. I love to see children learn.” Bridges O’Neil contributed to this story.

The true Christmas spirit in the time of Trump

Thank God for faiths that can help overcome addiction, loneliness or stress; for institutions that can help raise the children among us. Those were never meant to be easy, ephemeral tasks. And they may be religion’s true reward. As Jesus himself prayed to the Father before he died, “Not my will, but thine, be done.”

– Newsweek, Dec. 17, 1990

Christmas is celebrated widely by believers and nonbelievers alike because of the impact of the birth and teaching of Jesus Christ on humankind.

In the spirit of the anniversary of His birth, we have a special obligation to remember His mission to feed the hungry and heal the sick. He taught His followers to serve others. Whether or not you are a Christian, Jesus message’ of love and compassion should strike a universal chord.

acts committed by radical jihadists drives many conservative Americans to oppose our offering safe haven to people fleeing wars and atrocities perpetuated by our common enemies – or by regimes we help enable and empower. To brand all Latin Americans or Muslims as unwelcome – or “rapists,” as President Trump has branded Mexican immigrants – is a profoundly hateful and therefore un-Christian attitude.

“What

In this blessed land of material plenty, a deepening poignancy and irony centers on the plight of the growing numbers of homeless and hungry. Many conservative Americans profess to be children of God and say they want to do His will, yet offer disdain and ridicule for the poor and powerless in our society. They see themselves as waging a battle against the secular, anti-religious views of the political left, while ignoring the Bible’s message of charity and love toward one’s fellow man –values more often enshrined in policy stands of the left than the right.

We see this in the hateful tenor of the contemporary conversation about accepting refugees from Latin America and Syria. Xenophobia, racism and fear of terrorist

Further, many conservative Christians appear to be galvanized by almost nothing but opposition to the abortion option for women. Their self-announced “pro-life” values appear to end at birth, as they support candidates working to undo affordable health care for all Americans and sluggish to refund a state health insurance program that insures low-income children.

The current abomination of a U.S. president – and his countless violations of the spirit and practice of Christ, despite his allegedly “Christian” support – leads an administration that even directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to remove “vulnerable” from all publications and communications. If Christ watches

Of all the seasons, Christmas compels all of us to reach out to the less-fortunate with tangible help, not just pious expressions of sympathy, let alone the cold indifference, tinged by outright malice and racism, of Trump’s Republican Party. “What the Lord requires of you,” wrote the Prophet Micah, “is to do justice, love and mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Fear of black leadership in St. Louis

By Tishaura O. Jones

For The St. Louis American

I just heard something that blew my mind: St. Louis County prosecutors are attempting to join the St. Louis Police Officers Association.

I hope everyone is paying attention to this and other recent moves in our region. It’s like the governor of Wisconsin and that state’s Republicandominated Legislature passing bills to take away power from the newly elected Democratic governor and first black lieutenant governor. As soon as the power shifts hands – and/ or colors or genders – those in power do something to change the rules.

These prosecutors had no interest in joining a union until Wesley Bell beat Bob McCulloch for St. Louis County prosecutor in an upset heard around the world.

The white-dominated St. Louis County Police union doesn’t want the black-led Ethical Society of Police at the table representing officers of color in St. Louis County. St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner had to appeal a circuit court ruling to the Missouri Supreme Court to get the high court to tell local judges that she doesn’t work for them and to let her do her job. The St. Louis sheriff had been giving out patronage jobs for years. A white man, Jim Murphy, held that office from 1989 to 2016. When city voters elected a black sheriff in

2016, Vernon Betts suddenly was required to get approval from the circuit judges to hire anyone.

Elkin Kistner had been suing the St. Louis Treasurer’s Office for years and had no audience for his frivolous lawsuits, until I ran for mayor in 2016 and came close to winning.

Now, suddenly, the mayor who beat me and her city counselor joined the lawsuit and convinced a former colleague of theirs to give them a ruling in their favor. What do these events have in common? This is what happens when black people in St. Louis win an election, pose a threat to the status quo, or demand a seat at the table. All of this is sour grapes and racism on steroids. Some, not all, white people are so scared of a black person who can’t be bought running an office the way it’s supposed to be run and opening doors of opportunity for everyone that they will do whatever they can to move the goal posts as soon as we get close to scoring. Or they play the proverbial Lucy snatching the football from Charlie Brown as he attempts to kick it. The conflict-of-interest meter on this event in the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s

Office is worse than the one when Brian Kemp, the state’s chief election officer, stole the Georgia governor’s election from Stacey Abrams. If prosecutors succeed in joining the police union, where’s the separation between the prosecutors and the police?

How can anyone in St. Louis County expect a fair trial? Why didn’t they consider any other union that represents public employees?

Something similar happened to my father, Virvus Jones, in the early 1990s when he was St. Louis comptroller. A student of late Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, he increased the mandatory minimum for minority participation in city contracting. Blackowned companies of all kinds benefitted from this, and so did their bottom lines. And what happened next? They forced him out of office.

What are people going to do if Lewis Reed loses his race for president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen? Are some aldermen going to find a way to take away power from the new female (notice I didn’t say black or white) board president?

I’m calling on all white people who care about moving this region out of the 1950s to get your people. Let us lead.

Tishaura O. Jones is treasurer of the City of St. Louis and former assistant minority floor leader in the Missouri House of Representatives.

Josh Hawley, Nick Ayers and the GOP dark money machine

By Charles Jaco For The St. Louis American

Calling Missouri

Republicans pious, gun-toting, racist frauds doesn’t make them any worse than Republicans anywhere else. It’s the brazen stupidity that sets them apart. The GOP in Missouri largely reflects its donors and voters. It’s bigoted and white, representing white-flight exurbs or hollowed-out rural areas. It’s for more guns and less government, ignoring the reality that low-tax states like Kansas and Oklahoma are stagnating, while highertax, higher-service states like California are booming. It’s anti-immigrant, anti-gay, antiunion and anti-black, while hiding behind white evangelical piety that barely disguises white nationalism.

So far, this pretty well describes any state’s GOP in the Age of Trump. But add an ousted governor with a taste for machine guns and (allegedly) basement bondage, a U.S. senator-elect who let corporate lobbyists run the state’s Attorney General’s Office (costing taxpayers millions), a political hit man who decided the Trump White House was too sleazy even for him, and a gaggle of anonymous rightwing millionaires, and you have the Show-Me State’s Republican Party. It’s a group that would be just as comfortable running a Nigerian social media scam as a state government.

The most recent example is Josh Hawley, Missouri’s proTrump Christian nationalist senator-elect (and current state attorney general) who has written that a politician’s job is to advance Christ’s kingdom and that Christians should be helping bring about End Times and the Second Coming. While his apocalyptic theology is straight out of Revelation, his ambition comes from Shakespeare, where most ambitious characters end up pretty badly.

Thanks to dogged reporting by the Kansas City Star we know that a pair of Washington, D.C. political consultants – Timmy Teepell and Gail Gitcho – along with two lobbying firms called OnMessage, Inc. and First Tuesday, basically ran the Missouri Attorney General’s Office starting right after Hawley was sworn in as AG in January 2017.

The two used state tax dollars and state resources to frame and help design

Hawley’s anti-opioid and antihuman trafficking initiatives as a way to raise Hawley’s national profile and position him for a U.S. Senate run, even though Hawley had campaigned for AG criticizing politicos who used their offices to campaign for even higher office. Pot, meet kettle.

The political consultants pushed Hawley’s ambition using state employees. Hawley refused to use his official state email account and instead communicated with them via private email. The interference by the consultants and Hawley’s rigid right-wing ideology led to an exodus of state civil litigation lawyers. And that meant Hawley’s office was short-staffed when it came to defending the state against civil claims.

Both the PostDispatch and New York Times reported that a combination of inexperienced lawyers and lack of staff in Hawley’s office meant Missouri taxpayers lost several civil suits in court, causing the state to cough up $35 million in fiscal year 2018. And that doesn’t count the judgment against the state for $113 million in back pay for prison guards. Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican, has finally launched an investigation into Hawley’s use of the big money D.C. consultants to interfere in his office’s work. Hawley’s office, of course, calls the entire controversy “a political smear campaign.”

While the 38-year-old Hawley deals with that, an even younger (and richer) GOP operative is facing an investigation into his work for disgraced former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens. Greitens became governor because of his outsider image, a TV ad where he used a machine gun to blow up a target, and some very large money donations from some very anonymous donors.

This is where Nick Ayers comes in. The 36-year-old Ayers is Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff and has been in the news in the past few days for turning down the chief of staff position in the Trump White House. According to campaign

filings, Ayers’ net worth is somewhere between $12 million and $54 million, money he made while consulting and managing various Republican campaigns. One of those was for Greitens, who lasted 17 months as Missouri’s governor until a scandal involving allegations of assault, blackmail, and basement bondage with a mistress ended his political career. During his time with Greitens, Ayers oversaw operations that helped Greitens rake in millions in anonymous, dark money contributions. Groups designed to hide the identities of big-money donors, from an outfit called the American Policy Coalition to a shadowy political action committee called LG PAC to the mysterious “nonprofit” A New Missouri, raised and spent at least $10 million to advance Greitens’ agenda. At least half of the over $4 million that LG PAC funneled to Greitens came from a Texas nonprofit called Freedom Frontier. According to complaints filed with the IRS, Freedom Frontier both violated its status as a non-profit by funneling cash to Greitens and has apparently failed to file both its 2016 and 2017 tax returns completely or on time. Which brings us to Nick Ayers. Ayers is currently being investigated by the Missouri Ethics Commission for conspiring to conceal the identities of big-money Greitens donors and for arranging to move cash from the Freedom Frontier nonprofit to the LG PAC and then to Greitens, thereby both laundering the money and violating Freedom Frontier’s non-profit status. In a 2017 campaign disclosure filing, Ayers revealed that while allegedly doing all this in 2016, he was also employed by, you guessed it, Freedom Frontier itself.

After all this, we still don’t know who exactly the dark money millionaires were who wrote the checks for all this. What we do know is that Missouri’s senatorelect, Missouri’s ex-governor, and the current chief of staff for the vice president of the United States are all up to their eyeballs in alleged schemes to violate campaign finance laws, launder money, and hide the names of fat cat donors and influence peddlers. Charles Jaco is a journalist, author, and activist. Follow him on Twitter at @ charlesjaco1.

Wave of grassroots activism

This was a remarkable wave of grassroots activism that swept across the country - with women and people of color leading the way. From a U.S. House of Representatives that reflects the will of the people to the passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, which restored voting rights to convicted felons, this election was an overwhelming rebuke of Trump and Trumpism and a show of support for candidates who look like America and campaigned on a bold, forward-

looking and inclusive vision.

But let’s be clear: voter suppression played a huge role in the silencing of the political voices of the black community and all people of color. As we saw in Georgia and Tennessee, Republicans engaged in a massive voter-suppression strategy that has included further rolling back the Voting Rights Act.

Now we must hold all elected accountable as we fight to ensure that the democracy works for everyone. We must also prepare for the 2020 Census and the imminent threat that the 2020 Census will substantially undercount

African-Americans and other people of color in communities throughout the United States. Such a dramatic undercount will especially dilute the votes of racial and ethnic minorities, deprive their communities of critical federal funds and undervalue their voices and interests in the political arena. We can’t let this administration use yet another mechanism to devalue and stifle the voices of people of color.

Derrick Johnson, president and CEO NAACP

Columnist Charles Jaco

The Fiji American

A group of journalists from Fiji attended a St. Louis American editorial meeting on Monday, December 17 as

by the

State Department and coordinated locally by the World Affairs Council.

U. City receives $1.9M grant for fire department

University City received a Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant. This $1.9 million federal grant will go directly to the University City Fire Department to help grow and maintain the number of trained, frontline firefighters. University City firefighter Matt Pagano was instrumental in researching this grant and drafting the application. University City Mayor Terry Crow thanked U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay and staff for their support in securing it.

County Police receives grant for mobile data terminals

The St. Louis County Police Department is eligible to receive $117,948 in grant funding from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. These funds will be used to purchase additional mobile data terminals for police cars which will allow officers to perform routine tasks in the field. Officers will be able to electronically receive calls for service/assignments, check for warrants on suspects, and use many of the applications developed to assist officers in doing their jobs. Citizens can comment on the use of the funding by calling (314) 615-5308 or by sending a letter to the St. Louis County Police Department’s Bureau of Research and Analysis, 7900 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, MO 63105.

President George H.W. Bush and us

By Christi Griffin For The St. Louis American

Following the death of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, a week of glowing remarks of the elder statesman overshadowed any negative press the former leader received in the past. There was no reference to the racist campaign ad centered on Willy Horton, no mention of his so-called war on drugs (the effects of which continue to ravage communities today), no reference to his numerous policies that raised the ire of many during his one term as the most powerful man in the free world.

An article began to circulate before his body was laid to rest that delineated his banishing thousands of Haitian asylum seekers to detention camps at Guantánamo Bay, his indifference to the AIDS epidemic, the Iran-Contra coverup, the delayed release of U.S. prisoners of war, and the bombing of civilians in a war of choice in Iraq, to name a few. But his funeral highlighted none of these egregious decisions. No funeral, saving that of Aretha Franklin, highlights the vagaries of this life. No family should sit in the pew of any church and be subjected to the faults and failures of the person they grieve. It is neither the time nor place. To the credit of the media, it was frequently stated that history would define Bush’s presidency. His actions should be harshly reviewed. Despite the revisionism we so often see with historical facts, there should be no escaping intentional wrongdoing.

We can easily attack the far-reaching actions of George Herbert Walker Bush, the aftermath of which will live far beyond his walk here on Earth, but he is gone now and the only value to resurrecting his past is to use it to measure our future. Failing to see how we personally fail to live up to a scripture – however those words may be twisted and shaped to afford our comfort – leaves a proportionate number of wounded in our path. We may not have harmed as many as a president with our more limited reach, but neither have we helped as many. It is east to cast our judgment on Bush, Reagan, and Trump, despite the mandate to not judge. Indeed, it is our duty to demand more from our elected officials. But our greatest responsibility to each other is not to criticize others, it is to live our highest and best selves and, in that, perhaps we too have failed.

Christi Griffin, is the founder of The Ethics Project, a nonprofit organization addressing the impact of crime, injustice and incarcerations, and the author of “Incarcerations in Black and White: The Subjugation of Black America.”

part of a national tour of American newsrooms organized

U.S.

Christi Griffin

Photo by Wiley Price

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Hawkins; and “Watergate,” which underscored his penchant for clandestine taping of performances.

Henderson was known and loved by an incredibly large number of friends and fellow jazz lovers and artists. The luminaries who considered him a dear friend are too numerous to list. They include Lewis Nash, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, John Hicks, Lloyd Smith, George Hudson, Willie Akins, Houston Person, Etta Jones, Benny Green, Kenny Washington, Regina Carter and Kenny Barron. His life played like a straight-ahead jazz LP. He began his fascination with the art form in his early teens and remained faithful to it until the very end. It was, in fact, the primary soothing force

LAWYER

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me that, one, we don’t have the right leadership or, two, that our leadership doesn’t have the right skill set to do their jobs – equitably, transparently, and with the interest of our full community in mind.”

As of press time, neither Mayor Gerry Welch nor the City Council had released a statement regarding the public comments.

More than 400 Webster Groves residents signed an open letter claiming that city leaders’ hire of Bruntrager points to their tone-deafness to the regional conversation and work around racial equity.

“It hurts, like losing a loved one,” Rev. Anthony L. McPherson, pastor at Parks Chapel A.M.E. Church in Webster, told the council.

“I’m not sure if your hearts have ever been broken, but the

during his final days. The other soothing force was the remarkable care and devotion of his dear friend Enos Moss and his wife, Sheliah DunnMoss. Although not a musician himself, he was slavishly devoted to jazz protocol, often

n Rich Henderson co-founded the St. Louis Jazz Society and the Crusaders for Jazz, but perhaps his greatest impact was on our young musicians.

emphasizing to instrumentalists the value of knowing lyrics to better emote the diverse colors and passions of a tune. St. Louis pianist/saxophonist Chad Evans can attest to this.

Henderson was enamored with most pure jazz; he once told me anyone who could

hiring has broken the hearts of many of your constituents.”

Ferguson resident Emily Davis recited statistics from the Missouri Attorney General’s 2017 Vehicles Stops Report, an annual report that details racial disparities in how police across the state pull over drivers. Webster Groves Police Department had the greatest disparities among St. Louis municipalities; their officers were over five times more likely to stop a black driver than a white driver in 2017.

“At the same time you are finding contraband on half as many black people as you are white people in those stops,” Davis said. “[Webster Groves officers] are violating the rights of individuals of other races on a regular basis. The Constitution still applies to everybody here. We know that in Ferguson now; you need to be careful.”

Terrell Carter, an AfricanAmerican pastor at Webster Groves Baptist Church, author

not enjoy a trio (sans horns) was not a true devotee. For Henderson, “Smooth Jazz” was a Johnny “Rabbit” Hodges riff or a Milt “Bags” Jackson run. For over 30 years, he ventured to New York for several weeks each summer to imbibe the sounds he loved so much. I joined him for hundreds of gigs in St. Louis. Our most memorable outof-town trip was to the 1987 Kansas City Jazz Festival and dedication of the Charlie Parker statue, when we bunked at the home of vocalist/pianist Luqman Hamza.

Among his jazz cohorts were radio DJs Leo Chears (“The Man in the Red Vest”), “Cactus” Charlie Menees, and Dennis Owsley. Another be-bop buddy was Jazz at the Bistro Director of Operations Bob Bennett, with whom he once travelled to New York to enjoy this magical music. Henderson co-founded the St. Louis Jazz Society, along with Lee Cotton and the late

and former police officer, told The American that he was once pulled over by a Webster Groves police officer who told him that he stopped him because he was going the speed limit – and that looked suspicious. And he had more stories like this.

“I understand how frustrating this is – the optics of it – because [Bruntrager] has successfully defended two white officers who killed black citizens,” Carter said. “Also, as a former [St. Louis police] officer who quit because all of the things that are wrong with the department, I also have a concern about what this does to the style of policing that is currently practiced in Webster.”

Amos McClure, and the Crusaders for Jazz with the late Jim Randle. But perhaps his greatest impact was on our young musicians. He hooked up trumpeters Marlin Bond and Keyon Harrold with the iconic Wynton Marsalis, and drummer Kimberly Thompson with drummer Ben Riley and pianist John Hicks. He was a staunch supporter of Grammynominated trumpeter Russell Gunn and drummer Montez Coleman of East St. Louis. Drummer and band leader Marcus “Ko Ko” Baylor and world-class vocalist Denise Thimes were beneficiaries of Henderson’s nurturing. He was also a close confidant to bassist Kent Miller, a St. Louis native.

His far-reaching impact on his home city was summed up best by pianist Kenny Barron, who stated, “Rich, St. Louis isn’t St. Louis without you.”

represented him on two cases as a then-police union member. Carter said that Bruntrager has represented both black and white officers and will represent whomever the police union asks him to defend. That said, he agrees with the open letter and has concerns about Bruntrager’s hire.

n “The Constitution still applies to everybody here. We know that in Ferguson now; you need to be careful.”

– Emily Davis

When Carter was a St. Louis police officer, Bruntrager

At the meetings, Arnold explained that Bruntrager was not the city’s first choice, Carter said; he was the third choice, but the first two candidates declined because they didn’t want to relocate to Webster Groves. The city attorney must live within Webster Groves, and this is one thing that residents said they would like to change at the City Council meeting.

“The question is not Mr. Bruntrager’s skills,” Carter said, “but what kind of signal does it send to people who live in the community?”

Last week, clergy members gathered together to discuss the issue, and City Council members Laura Arnold and David Franklin attended. These same two council members also attended a meeting on December 13 with the Alliance of Interracial Dignity.

Arnold also explained that the city attorney’s hire has been on the agendas of the City Council meetings. However, Carter said that residents responded to her, “We understand that you did your due diligence, but when it’s something this important you should go above and beyond to make sure residents know what’s happening.”

After the City Council meeting, The American asked Mayor Welch how she was feeling after hearing such comments from the approximately 20 speakers.

She replied, “Oh don’t ask. It’s very difficult.”

She said she had just raised almost $150,000 for a sculpture as a tribute to North Webster Groves, the city’s historically black neighborhood. “And it’s really hard to sit here when we work hard at what we do,” she said. “We’ve done so much in this community.”

One of the most powerful speeches to the council came from eight-year-old Eloise Lancaster. At Bristol Elementary School, she said there are no kids of color in her class and are only two lead teachers of color in the entire school.

“I’m worried that people of color don’t like living in our neighborhood,” Eloise said.

“And I’m worried that people of color don’t feel safe in our town. If there’s a way for you to help people of color feel safe living in our town, will you please do it? It really matters to me.”

Rich Henderson

Photo by Roscoe Crenshaw

Continued from A1

lawyers said. Blood glucose is commonly considered too high if it is 180 mg/dl or higher.

His lawyers argued that if Roebuck didn’t get out of jail and receive adequate medical care soon, he could lose more toes to the infection in his diabetic foot ulcers, but Judge Rex Burlison ruled that Roebuck was a threat to society. Burlison refused to explore alternatives, such as an ankle bracelet or being placed at the nonprofit Places for People that provides services for people facing mental illness and addiction.

“This is an abuse of discretion,” said Dedra Moore, Roebuck’s defense attorney. “This $40,000 cash-only bond is extremely excessive. I’ve seen some cases where weapons were actually used and got a $10,000 cash-only bond.’”

A spokeswoman for the Circuit Attorney’s Office said that the victim, an 82-year-old white woman, appeared in court at both of the Roebuck’s bond reduction hearings to express her concerns.

“Neither our office, the victim or the courts opposed appropriate actions to help the defendant get the medical treatment he needs,” the prosecutor’s

FALCONER

Continued from A1 to better communicate with her 12-year-old grandson, Donovan, who has autism. The boy, who was diagnosed with autism at age 4, loves to make home movies and build intricate Lego models.

“My body would be aching from sitting in those hard chairs in class, and I would ask myself, ‘Why am I doing this?’” Falconer said. “I would

spokeswoman said. “We have a responsibility to protect the safety of this victim and the community. Mr. Roebuck has an extensive criminal history.”

He has been held at the Justice Center since February. According to the probable cause statement in his case, Roebuck allegedly approached the victim while she was loading groceries into her car at the Schnucks at 4171 Lindell Blvd. Roebuck allegedly asked for money and she gave him some. But then he allegedly tried to rob her, punching her and threatening to kill her when she started to scream, according to the statement.

Moore argued that holding a practically homeless drug addict in jail pretrial for almost a year before his first criminal hearing – which is in February 2019 – is not going to make the community safer, but getting him treatment will.

“It’s not right to commit crimes, it’s not right to hurt someone else, and it’s not right to take things that don’t belong to you,” Moore said. “But when you talk to these people and you realize they are homeless or drug addicts, they are living off an entirely different set of norms.”

Roebuck also got more bad news last week.

He is currently suing the City of St. Louis, Corrections Commissioner Dale Glass and Corizon Health – the agency that the city pays more

remind myself, it’s about Donovan.”

As she developed ways to communicate with her grandson, Falconer realized she could also apply the skills she learned in her classes to teach others.

She completed an internship with Succeed, an UMSL program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Falconer later began working part-time at Paraquad, teaching math and reading classes to students with disabilities.

than $8 million a year to provide medical services in the city’s two jails. In his lawsuit, he claims that the poor medical attention at the jail is causing him to lose his limbs.

On November 27, Roebuck asked the federal court to grant a temporary restraining order, ensuring that the jail health staff would provide the care that was outlined by a St. Louis University Hospital physician in November.

However, on December 14, U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. ruled against stepping in.

“So he sits there while the lawsuit continues to pend,” said Nicole Nelson, executive director of Equity Legal Services, who is representing him in his federal lawsuit. “And we just hope that he doesn’t lose any more body parts. I talked to one of our experts last night who told me she is very fearful because once they start amputating things, they don’t tend to stop. We just wonder what it takes for the court and the medical providers at the jail to get him adequate medical care.”

Nelson said that Roebuck’s father died in his sleep from a diabetic coma, and “he has very legitimate, well-grounded fears from the inadequate medical care they give him.”

Before teaching her first class, Falconer said she worried the students might not accept “an old lady with a cane.” In the end, those fears were unfounded.

n “I would ask myself, ‘Why am I doing this?’ I would remind myself, it’s about Donovan.”

–

“I was in my element, even though I was 64 years old,” said Falconer, now a full-time employee at Paraquad. “Just because someone has a disability

Everlene Falconer

doesn’t mean they can’t learn.”

Despite her ultimate success, Falconer faced a number of obstacles along the way to earning her degree. In 2014, she began to have trouble walking from her car to the lecture hall.

“I was getting out of breath by the time I made it into the building,” Falconer said. “I was

like, ‘Just make it inside, make it inside. Sit down and catch your breath.’”

Her doctors concluded she had a major blockage in her heart, but she refused to undergo surgery until she finished her classes.

“They said, ‘We need to get in there and see what’s going on.’ And I said, ‘Well, my class doesn’t end until May 16,’” Falconer said. “I wanted to finish school. They knew how stubborn I was when it came to that.” Falconer finished her classes

as planned and, the following day, she had a stent implanted in her heart.

“I don’t think that I’d change anything that I’ve done,” she said. “I did it my way, as they say.” Follow Shahla on Twitter: @shahlafarzan.

Editor’s note: The University of Missouri Board of Curators, which also governs UMSL, holds the license to St. Louis Public Radio. The station is editorially independent. Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

Laddie Roebuck, a diabetic inmate in the St. Louis City Justice Center who lost his toe to gangrene due to what he claims was medical neglect in the jail.

PTO raising funds for funeral of Maliyah Palmer

First grader at Green Trails Elementary killed by accidental gunshot wound

By Chris King Of The St Louis American

The Green Trails Elementary PTO has set up a PayPal account for anyone wanting to assist the Palmer family with funeral expenses for their daughter Maliyah Palmer.

Last Friday evening, the first-grade student died from an accidental gunshot wound. Principal Rene Sommers sent a letter to families of all students over the weekend.

“You know your child best, so we are hopeful you will be the first person to tell your child about Maliyah’s death,” Sommers advised, before sharing some tips.

“Show support, listen, encourage questions, and validate the child’s feelings,” Sommers advised.

“Don’t use euphemisms. Equating death with sleep, ‘passing’ or ‘going away’ can cause confusion. It can also cause the child to be anxious about falling asleep or loved ones leaving on trips. Don’t overwhelm the child. Often children need simple facts, not long explanations.”

In addition to sending additional counselors and

social workers to the school, the Parkway School District is working with Annie’s Hope –The Center for Grieving Kids.

Annie’s Hope is available to district families at 314-9655015 or http://www.annieshope. org.”

“Please keep Maliyah’s

family in your thoughts and prayers,” Sommers asked district families. To donate for funeral expenses, visit paypal.me/ GreenTrailsPTO. In the notes section, indicate the donation is for the Palmer Funeral Fund.

In Loving Memory of MCKINLEY JOHNSON

Maliyah Palmer

Staff prosecutors joining police union sends Wesley Bell a message

Charles Jaco – journalist, author, and activist (on Twitter at @charlesjaco1) – who took down U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill’s Republican challenger Todd Akin six years ago in a bruising broadcast interview, came out of retirement to write for The American before the November 6 general election and has stuck with it. He penned this guest Political EYE.

The St. Louis Police Officers Association (SLPOA) is a “labor union” in the same way the Ku Klux Klan is a “fraternal organization.” The description is technically correct as far as it goes. But it doesn’t go nearly far enough.

The SLPOA, as reporter Ryan J. Reilly of the Huffington Post noted, is “notorious” nationwide for its racist leadership, racist statements by its members, repeated defense of white cops accused of brutalizing black civilians, and representation of officers in a police department that kills civilians at a higher rate than any other major department in the United States. And yet, when faced with newly elected black St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell – who made police accountability, bail reform, and sentencing changes central to his campaign – holdover prosecutors from the 28-year regime of ousted prosecutor Bob McCulloch voted to “unionize” and picked the SLPOA as their union.

Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes in the St. Louis area recognizes what St. Louis County prosecutors are doing. By choosing to be represented by an organization with a skeevy, bigoted reputation, they weren’t just choosing a union. They were stopping just short of spraypainting “ni**er” on the walls of the office Bell will take over on January 1.

But according to the SLPOA’s paid lobbyist, lawyer and hired political gun Jane Dueker, lawyers and investigators in the county prosecutor’s office fear Bell is going to purge their ranks, and so they unionized out of fear. “Every prosecuting attorney’s office

employees except two are protected by civil service laws,” Dueker wrote.

“When the incoming prosecutor states that he intends to blatantly violate those rules, you have to expect they would protect themselves.”

I was unable to find any statements Wesley Bell had made indicating he intended to ignore civil service laws and purge the office. When pressed on her claim, Dueker wrote, “They are having (transition team) meetings and telling people who all is going to be hired at what positions.”

In response, Bell’s office would only issue a blandly worded statement from the prosecutor-elect: “As a union member, I support and welcome the assistant prosecutors’ right to organize. The choice of the police union raises some questions, though we will work in good faith to minimize any cost to taxpayers or conflicts with the police union that this could represent.”

Like so much else in St. Louis, all of this dances around the central issue, which is race and racial disparities

in policing and prosecution. But before we get to the racist reputation of the SLPOA – and the nasty racial divide caused by outgoing prosecutor McCulloch’s gaming the grand jury so no indictment was returned in the 2014 killing of Michael Brown by white cop Darren Wilson –let’s look at the SLPOA as a union. Like most cop unions, the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association is not affiliated with the AFL-CIO, but instead belongs to the 103-year old Fraternal Order of Police, the country’s largest police bargaining unit. Interestingly, the FOP has always refused to call itself a union and has always referred to itself as a “fraternal organization,” a choice dating from the early 20th century, when cops were used to break unions. The last time the SLPOA had anything to do with the rest of organized labor was last July, when the AFL-CIO filed a complaint because Gary Wiegert, ex-SLPOA president, was featured in TV and

Wesley Bell – seen here addressing an exuberant primary election night crowd at La Mexicana in St. Ann on August 7 –will lead an office of prosecutors represented by the notorious St. Louis Police Officers Association.

print ads supporting Missouri’s antiunion “right-to-work” initiative. The SLPOA agreed, mainly because Wiegert, a city police sergeant who was Donald Trump’s campaign coordinator in the First Congressional District, had been kicked out of the union in 2012.

But what the SLPOA lacks as a legitimate labor union it makes up for in fanning racism, and the avatar for that reputation has been its business manager, Jeff Roorda Roorda inflamed passions after the Michael Brown killing by supporting Darren Wilson. After members of the St. Louis Rams expressed solidarity with Ferguson protestors, Roorda said, “I’d remind the NFL and their players that it is not the violent thugs burning down buildings that buy their products. It’s cops.”

After gunmen killed five Dallas police officers in 2016, Roorda went on Facebook and linked the murders to Barack Obama, writing all in caps, “THIS BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS, MR. PRESIDENT.” The SLPOA’s official Twitter account

then re-tweeted Roorda’s comment, adding, “I do hope you’re happy, @ BarackObama.”

As the official bargaining agent for city police, the SLPOA has unquestioningly supported white cops accused of violence against black people, from Jason Stockley’s acquittal of murdering Anthony Lamar Smith and then planting a gun on his corpse, to the four white city officers recently indicted by a federal grand jury for beating a black undercover cop during protests against the Stockley not-guilty bench verdict. The SLPOA has supported all four, not only against the brutality charges, but against charges they conspired to cover up their alleged crimes. Then, of course, there was the infamous CopTalk online message board, which is supposed to be an online forum for city officers. For years it was littered with comments about “monkeys,” “degenerates,” “sub-humans” and other racist rhetoric about the city’s black population. Organizers of CopTalk made it private and password-protected two years ago, after fallout from officers’ public airing of racist private thoughts about half of the city’s population.

Given all of this, why would lawyers and investigators in the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s office pick the SLPOA as their union? Why not the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union, since AFSCME already represents other St. Louis County employees? According to lobbyist Dueker, it was because prosecutors were “wanting a bargaining agent who understands law enforcement.”

That may be true. But it’s obvious there was another reason. A black man from Ferguson, whose election campaign was led by activists, will be the new St. Louis County prosecuting attorney in January. And joining the SLPOA was the clearest way for the office’s prosecutors to send him a message. Outside of burning a cross on his lawn.

Photo by David Kovaluk / St. Louis Public Radio

Brittany ‘Tru’ Kellman honored by Missouri Foundation for Health

Founder of Jamaa Birth Village receives Dr. Corinne Walentik Leadership in Health Award

American staff

Brittany “Tru” Kellman, the founder and executive director of Jamaa Birth Village, has received the 2018 Dr. Corinne Walentik Leadership in Health Award from the Missouri Foundation for Health.

The award was created to honor the late Dr. Walentik’s commitment to serving vulnerable groups, especially children. Each year it is presented to a health leader in Missouri who exemplifies the passion, dedication, and energy that Walentik brought to her work.

Since 2015, Kellman and her team at Jamaa have been caring for and empowering expectant mothers and their families through midwifery services. The organization focuses on racial and health disparities that women and families of color face when seeking access to quality maternal health care.

n “Eight out of 10 women who come to Jamaa for care, support, or education have experienced trauma, abuse, or biased care from other providers.”

– Brittany “Tru” Kellman

“Women find their voices at Jamaa,” Kellman said. “Their minds and emotions are nourished by a network of compassionate, skilled, and supportive peers and professionals at Jamaa. Our patients receive a level of care they never knew existed when they walk through our

doors, and we often hear, ‘I wish I had you all when I had my first child; I wouldn’t have gone through what I did if I had Jamaa.’”

Kellman said that through midwifery Jamaa is breaking generational cycles of poverty and mental health issues and giving babies a better start to life. The birth village is located in Ferguson, a community that struggles with equity and access like many others.

“We’re providing community-based care from the heart of our neighborhoods,” she said. “Eight out of 10 women who come to Jamaa for care, support, or education have experienced trauma, abuse, or biased care from other providers.”

Kellman told The American in 2016 that in addition to midwives, Jamaa makes sure

See KIDNEY, A11

Affordable Care Act coverage and protections remain intact

Federal ruling against ACA likely to be appealed in process that could take years

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

A federal judge’s ruling on December 14 in Texas v. Azar that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional does not change 2019 health coverage protections of the ACA, health insurance coverage obtained through the annual marketplace open enrollment (which ended December 15) or automatic reenrollment, said Ryan Barker, vice president of Health Policy for the Missouri Foundation for Health.

“The most important thing is that people

for

know that the ruling does not impact the law as of now. It doesn’t impact its insurance coverage for 2019,” Barker said.

“If you enrolled, you should pay your bill because the coverage is still good.”

A small red bulletin near the top of the Healthcare.gov reads, “Court decision does not affect 2019 coverage or enrollment.”

The court case was filed by 20 Republican attorneys general, including Josh Hawley, then Missouri attorney general and now its U.S. senator-elect. They argued that because the individual

mandate was upheld as a tax by the U.S. Supreme Court, when the new Republican federal tax law passed last year reduced the penalty for not having insurance coverage to zero, technically, the mandate still remains a part of the ACA. Judge Reed O’Connor of the Federal District Court in Fort Worth also ruled the individual mandate could not be separated from the rest of the Affordable Care Act; therefore the entire law had to be struck down.

See ACA, A11

By Mikel Whittier For The St. Louis American

There are many unforeseeable consequences faced by young black boys who are taught to assimilate into systems that were not designed for us. Even when your desire is to be a change agent, Eurocentric institutions intentionally ignore the fundamental needs of being for many young black boys. Well before the Black Codes were written, systems in this country limited the mobility of black boys who lacked the resources and opportunities to manifest their talents and gifts.

Our society ignores the emotional wellbeing of young black boys. We are taught that the display of emotions, except for a few, is taboo. The attack and neglect of young black men leaves us to put up shields to protect ourselves. We’re forced to repeatedly see ourselves on social media feeds and news outlets as lifeless, our bodies left on the ground for hours while our every mistake and old mugshots are circulated to normalize our extermination.

St. Louis has an overt way of showing us we do not belong: we have no safe spaces to share, reflect, and navigate the emotions that these situations provoke.

Before my first day of kindergarten I bore a scar on my forehead from being hit with a beer bottle. While my mom panicked, I stood there emotionless as blood ran down my face. I had developed the skill to internalize my emotions for protection.

I carry memories of observing drug sales and drug use, homelessness, seeing lifeless bodies in the street, taking cover in the middle of shootouts, and escaping house fires – all before my first day of school. Yet the system in place for me to learn, develop social skills, and cultivate my talents was not equipped to help me beyond the classroom.

n There is a void of young black men working in places where decisions that impact young black men are made daily.

Although I was constantly reminded of this, school always came easy. I finished homework assignments in class, never really had to do much studying, and I never bothered anyone. So, it was easy to ignore my unexpressed nor assessed needs because I was the exception.

Sports helped create solace for many boys like me. From Mathews-Dickey basketball to Kirkwood-Webster football, sports served as an opportunity to feel empowered because I was otherwise powerless. Sports became my way to manage the misfortunes of poverty and living in a city that was not designed for me. It was a way to determine my own path. The football field was a safe haven; it was the perfect place to release pain, frustration, and anguish and not be judged.

However, while St. Louis high school sports reporters saw a kid that was cool as polar bear toenails, internally I was at odds. I was living in a space that ignored my well-being but celebrated my talents. I was living out all the typical stories that ended in being held at

Mikel Whittier

Brittany “Tru” Kellman listened to the heartbeat of Jazmine McDonald’s daughter when working with her as a doula in Ferguson in 2016. Kellman is the founder and executive director of Jamaa Birth Village.

Photo by Wiley Price

Dr. Ross recognized by students for Humanism in Medicine

Will Ross, MD, was honored by Washington University School of Medicine students who nominated him for the national Humanism in Medicine Award, which is presented annually by the Association of the American Medical Colleges. The award recognizes medical school faculty physicians who exemplify the qualities of a caring and compassionate mentor in the teaching and advising of medical students.

The associate dean for Diversity Programs, a professor of medicine and the newly named principal officer for Community Partnerships, Ross was recognized for promoting health equity and for immersing new medical students in the subject in their first two weeks at the medical school. Ross has been instrumental in redesigning local access to health care for the underserved as the founder of the Saturday Neighborhood Health Clinic and co-founder of Casa de Salud Latino Health Center. Ross was honored as part of the Distinguished Service Teaching Awards for the 2017-18 academic year. The awards, which were first given in 1991, reflect the students’ appreciation for dedication, patience and skill in training aspiring physicians.

Humanism in Medicine Award, and named Crouch a professor of the year.

ACA

Continued from A10

“What this judge is saying is that by pretty much removing the individual mandate, you can’t separate it from the rest of the law, so he ruled the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional,” Barker said.

Barker said the ruling is a legal step – a process that will probably make its way to an appellate court or back to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“What’s important for folks to know is that this is a legal process – the judge did not enjoin the law... which means the ruling doesn’t automatically go into effect, which allows for appeals,” Barker said.

“If it would go to the Supreme Court, it’s not going to make it during this Supreme Court session, which means it would go to the Supreme Court next year, either late 2019 or 2020, and a ruling could come

MALES

Continued from A10

gunpoint by police, searched, and subjected to less-thanequal treatment.

I still find myself in unfamiliar spaces with a familiar feeling of being powerless. There is a void of young black men working in places where decisions that impact young black men are made daily. So, I frequently

KIDNEY

Continued from A10

that every woman who wants a doula – an education and emotional support provider –has one. While the midwife is the skilled professional in

as late as June 2020.”

The constitutionality of the ACA was upheld in 2012 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Barker said the Texas judge quoted a dissenting opinion.

“The majority said that you could separate out different pieces of the law,” Barker said. That’s when Medicaid Expansion became optional for states. “What was interesting from this Texas judge’s opinion is that he was actually quoting from the minority opinion of that 2012 ruling of the Supreme Court – the minority of that ruling found that you couldn’t separate pieces of the law.” Barker said it is unusual for a judge to quote the minority opinion of a Supreme Court ruling, and while legal scholars from liberals to conservatives are scratching their heads on this ruling, Barker said the judge is not an Obamacare fan.

“This judge in Texas has made it clear he is not a fan of the Affordable Care Act,” Barker said. “While there were

bear the burden of being looked at to answer questions on behalf of all black men.

While well-intentioned, this assumption neglects our humanity, as if we’re this one problem. So, no, I cannot help you develop a message to address all young black men.

There is space for more than one of us. However, there are many talented young black men throughout St. Louis with multiple degrees, talents, and experiences who are looking for employment but are forced

low-risk pregnancy and birth who actually delivers babies, doulas provide mothers with emotional and physical support during the pregnancy, birth and postpartum period.

“The primary role of the doula is to be there for the mothers, babies and their partner during pregnancy,

a lot of folks thinking that case didn’t have a lot of chance, it is also not a huge surprise that this judge ruled this way.”

Dozens of patient advocacy groups have denounced the judge’s decision, including American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

“This decision threatens to resurrect barriers to health care for people with serious illnesses including cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, diabetes and those with neurological conditions. If the ruling stands, anyone with a pre-existing condition could be charged more for health coverage or denied access to coverage altogether,” they stated.

“Health plans would no longer be required to offer essential benefits necessary to prevent and treat a serious

condition and could once again impose arbitrary annual and lifetime limits on coverage. Invalidating the law also would jeopardize the federal tax credits that make health insurance affordable for more than 8 million Americans, threatening their access to critical health coverage.

Negating the law’s patient protections could put the health and well-being of millions of Americans at risk, just as we are beginning to see the benefits of expanded access to quality coverage.”

They encouraged the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to “support individuals with chronic diseases and preserve health care for millions of Americans” in the event of an appeal.

Democratic attorneys general and other defendant states plan to appeal the decision. Attorney Generalelect Kwame Raoul of Illinois will continue that effort.

“The district court’s

n Despite our differences, we share the same emotional scars. We must understand this bold truth to begin to change and heal our region.

to Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, and many other markets.

Even as we try to change the narrative, be more than a statistic, and be present in our home, St. Louis reminds us that it is not a place for us. I have watched my family struggle to keep on our lights,

birth and post-partum,”

Kellman said. “Usually, we are there to offer comfort measures, different positioning ideas and education throughout the course of pregnancy and postpartum.”

She said with a doula, “it’s like having your own personal assistant or person that’s there

gas, and water so we could stay in our neighborhood for a better education. I have watched my infant sister be denied care at a local health center; she now bears a scar from an open-heart surgery. I have watched cancer take a loved one. I was not calm,

to assist you if you want to have a birth with low intervention. Sometimes, if you go into birth uneducated and you’re in a hospital, there could be a lot of intervention based on how the hospital regulates birth, which can cause issues with mother and baby.”

decision jeopardizes healthcare access for more than one million Illinoisans, including children, seniors and people with pre-existing conditions,” Raoul stated. “Upon taking office, I will continue our current attorney general’s work by partnering with attorneys general around the country to challenge this ruling and fight for the healthcare access Illinoisans need and deserve.”

A coalition of state attorneys general, including current Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, intervened in the case to defend the ACA when its constitutionality was challenged.

While healthcare access is at risk for 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions and 11.8 million people who have purchased health insurance through ACA exchanges for 2018, the law remains in effect pending further legal action.

Final figures are not in on this year’s 2019 Marketplace

by any means. I was warring internally.

Our circumstances have changed, and I am still warring internally. News of my friends killed in carjackings, witnessing a teenager killed on his birthday, and knowing my family is here drive my devotion to change a place that does not want me.

Just remember, I love you.

I understand how it feels to suffer in silence. When I walk by and give you that head

Kellman will be honored at the Missouri Foundation for Health’s annual dinner, an invitation-only event. She will receive a $2,500 individual award and, per her direction, $25,000 will go to Jamaa Birth Village. She said the award will allow her to continue her efforts toward

enrollment numbers, although they were running about 10 percent lower by the beginning of December, Barker said.

Although open enrollment is over, special enrollment periods are available for individuals and families with life-change events.

“If you get married, have a baby, change jobs, and you lose your insurance or you need insurance for a new member of your family, there are still special enrollment periods, where you have 60 days to sign up,” Barker said. “We have in-person assisters that can help people, and there is still a Missouri-specific call center where you can call and get an appointment and they will help you find a location in your neighborhood where you can go and get free, in-person assistance.”

That number is 1-800-3182596.

For more information, visit healthcare.gov.

nod, just know I recognize your pain and that I dedicate my three feet of change as a safe space for you. Despite our differences, we share the same emotional scars. We must understand this bold truth to begin to change and heal our region – our home.

Mikel Whittier is the Re-Entry Community Linkages (RE-LINK) Program manager for St. Louis Integrated Health Network.

completing midwifery school and becoming Missouri’s first black certified professional midwife, which she hopes will pave a path for more women of color to become skilled and trained in the field.

Will Ross, MD, and Erika C. Crouch, MD, PhD, visit at a reception following the Distinguished Service Teaching Awards ceremony November 15 at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Medical Campus. The medical students made Ross their nominee for the

Photo by Mary Butkus

Healthy Kids Healthy Kids

Healthcare Careers

Healthy Holiday Food Prep!

Indoor Snowball Games

Thinkof Others

Nutrition Challenge:

Get involved! Why not ask your parents if you can get involved in the meal planning and preparation? A few tips to creating a healthier holiday menu include:

> Put out a festive veggie tray for snacking (like the one featured below).

> Include a lean, baked main dish such as ham or turkey.

> Avoid butter, brown sugar or other sugary or high-fat toppings for all parts of the holiday meal.

> Prepare steamed or grilled vegetables to go along with the meal.

With your parents’ permission, and a few rules, create indoor “snowball” games. You can use balled-up (clean!) socks as your snowballs. Work as a team or individuals and try a few of these simple games.

1) Arrange a row of bowls or buckets in a straight line; see who can toss their snowballs in the most buckets.

While you may be thoroughly enjoying your holiday season, remember that there are some people who might be down or sad this time of year. Do you have a lonely, older neighbor or maybe know of a family that has been struggling recently? Perhaps there is a classmate that you know has had a rough year. What are some ways you

2) Set up a row of stuffed animals or other non-breakable items across the top of the couch. How many can you knock off with your snowballs?

3) Play catch with your partner, and see how far apart you can go and still catch your snowball.

> Use low-fat milk, cheese or dressings whenever possible.

> Include at least one low-sugar dessert option.

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

Make your games fast-paced and challenging in order to burn those extra holiday calories and keep that heart rate up! And of course, if it snows for real… take the games outside!

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

could bring cheer to someone that could use a smile? You could make a homemade holiday card, bake a holiday treat, invite them to a gathering, or just spend some time listening to them during the holiday season.

A few minutes with a caring new friend can make a world of difference!

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 4

Holiday Veggie Tray

pictured. Serve with lite ranch dressing or hummus if desired. Note: You can use any green, red and yellow vegetables for your creation!

Kimberly Brown, Dermatology Physician Assistant

Where do you work? I am a dermatology physician assistant at Saint Louis University. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Burke High School in Omaha, Nebraska. I then earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nebraska and a Master of Medical Science from Saint Louis University.

What does a dermatology physician assistant do? I treat skin conditions like acne, eczema and skin cancers. I speak to patients every day about their skin and hair care. I like to do procedures like removing skin cancer.

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because I’ve always been a person who likes to fix problems and educating people so they can improve their lives. I chose Dermatology because the skin is the largest organ in the body but it is also the most overlooked in terms of care.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? The best part of my job is getting to talk to people every day. I learn something new from my patients every single day. It makes my day when a patient with severe skin disease comes back and their skin is completely healed. Skin disease can have such a negative impact on mental health because others can easily see that something is wrong. I love that in dermatology, improvements can be measured visibly in most cases.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

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

Saint Louis Zoo is a wonderful science and students of all levels and abilities. We offer a variety of programs, tours and learning opportunities.

Visit stlzoo.org/education for a complete list of our program offerings and teacher resources.

Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

Glasgow Elementary 5th grade teacher

Michale

SCIENCE CORNER

Meteorology Is All About the Atmosphere!

Meteorology is the study of the atmosphere and is used for weather forecasting. But did you know that meteorology is more than looking at weather maps? It involves some pretty advanced scientific and mathematical concepts. Meteorologists study physics, chemistry, algebra, calculus and computer science. In addition to having an analytical mind, meteorologists must have strong communication skills to speak and write effectively. They study wind velocity, temperature, humidity

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

Background Information: In this experiment, you will see condensation in action.

Materials Needed:

• Large, Wide-Mouth Container (such as a mayonnaise jar) • Hot Water

• Ice Cubes • Small Plate (to hold ice cubes) • Index Card

Process:

q Pour two inches of very hot tap water into the glass container and cover with the plate. Allow water to sit for a few minutes.

MATH CONNECTION

Meteorologists use a lot of math. They analyze temperature and patterns. They measure precipitation. They compare trends in the weather. All of these skills are skills that you can practice now.

Temperature:

If it is 34 degrees at 7 a.m. and is 25 degrees below

DID YOU KNOW?

and air pressure using satellites, weather balloons, radars, sensors and weather stations. Many industries, such as agriculture, shipping, forestry, fishing and transportation depend on accurate weather forecasts. More than just the weather forecast, meteorologists have an impact on such topics as air transportation, global warming, pollution control, ozone depletion, droughts, forestry, and agriculture.

To Learn More About Becoming A Meteorologist, Visit: http://www. weatherwizkids.com/career-becomingmeteorologist.htm.

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

w Place ice cubes on the plate.

e Watch what happens.

r Analyze—how does this relate to weather? How does this compare to what happens when warm air rises and meets colder temperatures high in the atmosphere?

Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete an experiment. I can analyze the results.

SCIENCE STARS

AFRICAN AMERICAN METEOROLOGIST: E. Don Sarreals

On September 22, 1931, E. Don Sarreals was born in Winston Salem, North Carolina. While he was young, Sarreals’ family moved to New York, where he graduated from Bronx High School of Science in 1949. Six years later, he earned a bachelor’s degree in meteorology from City College of New York. Three years after that, he earned his master’s degree in meteorology from New York University.

Sarreals first served in the US Army before becoming a meteorologist. Sarreals became a weather radar supervisor in the National Weather Service (NWS) New York Forecast Office, in 1961. In 1976, he accepted a job with the National Broadcasting Corporation in Washington, D.C., then worked for the NWS Headquarters from 1976 to 1980. Sarreals served as president and consultant of Storm Finders, Inc. and developed NOAA Weather Radio, which was the nation’s first government funded radio system. In 1984, he was chosen to be chairman of the Working Group for Doppler Radar Meteorological Observation.

Sarreals wrote the “Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 1: National Weather Radio Operations.” He was selected to be in the Who’s Who Among Black Americans and received the Ward Medal for excellence in meteorology. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Meteorological Society.

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

the predicted high, what temperature has been predicted? ________

The high temperatures recorded for the week were 45, 51, 39, 38, 52, 41 and 54. What is the average high temperature? ________ What was the difference from the lowest and the highest of the high temperatures?

If the temperature is dropping three degrees each hour, how many degrees will the temperature drop in 6 hours?

Precipitation:

Last week we got 4.5 inches of snow. Six-tenths of an inch melted before

Antarctica gets less precipitation than any other continent.

another storm added 6.3 inches. Since then we have lost 3.2 inches to melting or evaporation. How may inches of snow are left on the ground? ________

Darrell read that an average snowfall of 10 inches yields 1 inch of water when melted. If there was 4.1 inches of snowfall, what was the actual amount of water that fell during the storm? Round your answer to the nearest tenth. ________ inches

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

Use the newspaper to complete these activities to sharpen your critical thinking skills.

Activity One —

Tone: Choose a news story to evaluate. What is the tone of the author’s writing? Lighthearted? Hopeful? Discouraged? Highlight words that create that tone. Rewrite the story changing those words. How does word choice change the tone?

Activity Two — Pollution

Problem: Find a news story about a problem created by pollution. Analyze the problem. Could it be prevented? Can it be eliminated? What factors created the problem?

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can analyze problem and solution, word choice and tone.

Ward works with students Joshua Futrell, Seahven Young, Shakira Robinson and Sasha Clarck on a small groups math assignment inspired by the newspaper’s STEM page. Glasgow Elementary is in the Riverview Gardens School District. Photo by Wiley Price/ St. Louis American

Learning while making medicine better

BJC HealthCare

We’ve all seen how health care continues to improve with new technologies and innovations. Here at BJC HealthCare, we are committed to innovation and excellence in medicine across our 15 hospitals and multiple community health locations. BJC team members on the frontline and behind the scenes of patient care demonstrate that lifelong learning can help you grow professionally and personally.

Learning on the job Knowledge gained through experience is invaluable. Whether it’s watching a peer demonstrate the most efficient way to safely sanitize equipment, or shadowing a seasoned coworker as they lead a challenging conversation, learning on the job is a great way to observe and practice skills. Plus, learning can happen any time while on the job and sometimes when you least expect it.

We must move together from cyber-insecurity to cybersecurity

By Sri Jaladi For The St. Louis American

Ever clicked a “Remind me later” button instead of “update now”; used the same password for different sites because it is simply too many to keep track of; or left your account open to avoid the hassle of resigning in?

I am guilty of these myself. Is it because we have a false sense of security which has led us

BJC team members participate in mentoring programs and work alongside industry experts, which helps them expand the wisdom and skills needed for their current job and future roles.

Learning for career growth

Long-term career goals can take a lifetime to achieve. Outlining your ideal job and how you’ll get there, or forming a short-term goal like earning a degree, are solid first steps.

BJC team members take advantage of:

• The BJC Institute for Learning and Development (BILD), which is a hub for helping BJC team members grow their careers, teams and leadership skills.

• BILD’s Career Services Center, where

learning professionals help team members identify skills that will enable them to grow in their current role or train for a new career at BJC. Assessments and one-on-one counseling help guide employees’ career plans.

• The BJC Tuition Assistance Program, which provides financial assistance for benefits-eligible employees pursuing continuing education or certifications that will enhance their career and contributions to making medicine better at BJC.

Upon hire, full-time employees are eligible to receive up to $4,500 in tuition reimbursement, per year, for successfully completing classes related to their professional responsibilities. Part-time employees are eligible to receive up to $2,250 per year.

Learning for personal development

Continuous learning isn’t limited to building professional skills or a career plan. Personal

See MEDICINE, B2

Felicia Williams was named partner at Thompson Coburn. She represents clients in complex commercial litigation, including mass tort actions, class actions, contract disputes, business torts, unfair business practices, and loan-related disputes. She was the first recipient of the firm’s Thomas F. Eagleton Scholarship and the first recipient to be elected to partnership.

Rev. Rodrick Burton was elected president of the St. Louis Interfaith Chaplaincy at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. He is pastor of New Northside Missionary Baptist Church and vice president of the Ecumenical Leadership Council of Missouri-St. Louis Chapter. He is the first African American to hold the position at Lambert and one of only two blacks in the country to lead airport chaplaincies.

Alana C. Green joined the St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA) as executive director. Most recently she was executive director of the City of St. Louis Community Development Administration. The public is invited to meet her 4:30-6 p.m. January 10 at the SLHA Open House and to learn about new affordable housing and resident service provisions.

Wiley Price was elected to the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame in the print division by the St. Louis Media History Foundation. The longtime photojournalist for The St. Louis American, he most recently was recognized as a Living Legend by the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists. He also is a member of the Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame.

Sal Martinez was appointed CEO of Employment Connection, replacing long-time CEO Brenda Mahr, who has announced her retirement. The mission of Employment Connection is “To assist individuals with limited opportunities to self-sufficiency.” Most recently he served as executive director of the North Newstead Association, and previously he chaired the St. Louis Housing Authority. Ann Cuiellette Marr joined The Gateway Arch Park Foundation’s Board of Trustees. She is the vice president of global human resources and a member of the executive team at World Wide Technology,

Felicia Williams

Alana C. Green

BJC team members on the frontline and behind the scenes of patient care demonstrate that lifelong learning can help you grow professionally and personally.

n Visit BJC.jobs if you are interested in growing your career and skills.

Sri Jaladi

Undervalued homes costing black homeowners collective $156B

EHOC finds local evidence for new Brookings Institute report

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

In majority-black neighborhoods all across the country, homes are being undervalued by $48,000 per home on average – which adds up to a cumulative loss of $156 billion for the black community nationwide, according to a recent study by the Brookings Institute.

The study, titled “The Devaluation of Assets in Black Neighborhoods,” was released in November.

“There is a strong and powerful statistical relationship between the share of the population that is black and the market value of owneroccupied homes,” the report stated.

Overall, the Brookings

study found that homes in neighborhoods where the share of the population is 50 percent black are valued at roughly half the price as homes in neighborhoods with no black residents.

The local nonprofit Equal Housing & Opportunity Council (EHOC) wanted to see if the St. Louis real estate market mirrored the Brookings Institute’s findings. EHOC collected examples of recent home sales in St. Louis city neighborhoods and St. Louis County municipalities of similar median income, but that differ on majority-white or majority-black status. They found that there is significant evidence of this systemic undervaluation of property in majority-black areas in the St. Louis region.

n “There is a strong and powerful statistical relationship between the share of the population that is black and the market value of owneroccupied homes.”

– the Brookings Institute

In one example, EHOC compared two homes that sold last spring – one in the 54-percent-white Carondelet neighborhood and one in the 85-percent-black West End area. The median household incomes of the areas were comparable, both around $30,000. The home in Carondelet, at 415 Bates St., had 2,000 square feet and was built in 1904; it sold for $43,500. The West End house,

Ameren, advocates announce new energy-efficiency and low-income programs

American staff

On December 5, 2018, the Missouri Public Service Commission approved a portfolio of 20 energyefficiency programs proposed by Ameren Missouri, the state’s largest electric utility, that will offer business and residential customers new and improved rebates and incentives to help them reduce energy consumption.

The commission also approved over $50 million in investment over the next six years for low-income customers and affordable

housing owners, developed in cooperation with advocates for affordable housing and clean energy, including the National Housing Trust, Renew Missouri, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC. Ameren Missouri’s “Multifamily Low-Income” program has a budget of $26 million over six years. Its aim is to reduce usage across multifamily affordable buildings by enough energy to power about 2,000 average homes for a year. Ameren has set a new goal of achieving 15 percent average savings per

participating building.

To do this, Ameren Missouri plans to provide more pathways to establish eligibility and employ a “one-stop-shop” approach to serve the entire building via a single application. The utility will conduct walk-through energy assessments to identify efficiency measures in both the common areas and the individual units. Ameren will assist in locating contractors and project financing.

The new programs will be available starting March 1, 2019. For more information, visit www.ActOnEnergy.com.

at 5159 Cates Ave., was 1,794 square feet and built in 1903; it went for $25,000 – almost $20,000 less.

“Even when looking at similar-sized homes in neighborhoods with similar average incomes, homes in black neighborhoods are valued and sold at prices far less than homes in comparable white neighborhoods,” EHOC stated. “This represents a significant loss of household

wealth for our region’s black households.”

In EHOC’s report, titled “Zip. Race. Discrimination: Different Codes, Same Story,” the group makes several other comparisons in home values and paired up the following neighborhoods: Hi-pointe versus the Gate District, Patch versus Baden, Shrewsbury versus Black Jack, Maplewood versus Dellwood, and Green Park versus Cool Valley.

EHOC explained that these property-value disparities widen the wealth gap between black and white households.

EHOC stated that property values are the leading indicator for a neighborhood’s economic longevity. Property taxes, which are based on a home’s value, are linked to a community’s public services,

including the local school district. “Home ownership is a cornerstone of the American Dream and an important vehicle for how families accumulate wealth and pass financial security down to younger generations,” according to a statement by EHOC. “How is a family’s ability to accumulate wealth sabotaged when their chief investment is systematically under-valued by insurers, lenders, and real estate agents?”

See EHOC’s study “Zip. Race. Discrimination: Different Codes, Same Story” at https://tinyurl.com/EHOCdisparity. See the Brookings Institute study at https:// tinyurl.com/Brookingsdisparity.

Land for NGA West transferred to feds

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force

copies of a signed agreement transferring 97

Louis city land to the federal government for the construction of the Next NGA West Campus during ceremonies in St. Louis on Thursday, December 13. The U.S. Air Force now officially owns the land. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on behalf of NGA, will coordinate construction of the Next NGA West headquarters, employing 3000 workers. Ironically, after regional leaders were criticized with an all-white photo op opening the renovated Gateway Arch with the hashtag “Arch So White,” the NGA photo op – dealing with land in majority-black North St. Louis

included black people in the background.

MEDICINE

continued from page B1

growth opportunities can be beneficial in and outside of work. This growth can include developing your:

• computer skills;

• interpersonal skills;

• teamwork skills; and

• leadership skills.

BJC’s BILD organization offers a variety of courses that help employees strive to continuously learn. Having the desire to learn more helps BJC team members fulfill their shared responsibility of improving the health and well-being of the people and communities they serve.

Personal development can also help you manage your work-life balance. You might learn skills that can help you find balance or recognize the benefits certain skills have at home and in your workplace. As our world changes, we need to learn and grow with it to be successful.

Visit BJC.jobs if you are interested in growing your career and skills alongside BJC team members who are dedicated to making medicine better for our communities.

Aldermen send St. Louis convention center upgrades to mayor

Would authorize borrowing $105M to improve America’s Center

By Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann Of St. Louis Public Radio

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen has authorized borrowing $105 million to upgrade America’s Center in downtown.

The result of the vote on Friday, December 14 was not a surprise, as aldermen had given initial approval to the bonds on December 7 by a wide margin. The upgrades, including a larger ballroom and expanded loading dock space, are meant to help the city’s convention business rebound.

“The America’s Center is responsible for almost $260 million in direct spending in our regional economy on an annual basis, and it supports 2,900 full-time equivalent jobs between restaurants, hotels and

jobs directly at the America’s Center,” said Alderman Jack Coatar, D-7th Ward.

“The convention center staff goes to great lengths to talk to customers of the America’s Center, both past and hopefully future, to ask them, ‘What do you need? What do you want to see out of this building?’ They’ve taken that seriously. These improvements are intended to address some of those concerns.”

The vote to send the measure to Mayor Lyda Krewson, who has expressed support for the plan, was nearly identical to last week’s.

Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, D-1st Ward, and Alderman John Collins-Muhammad, D-21st Ward, cast the only “no” votes on December 7.

“I think this is an opportunity for us to redirect some of those funds and start looking at our city as a whole and start making better plans and better decisions,” Bosley said.

St. Louis County must approve similar legislation for the upgrades to move forward. Currently, St. Louis, St. Louis County and the state of Missouri put in about $24 million annually to pay off bonds issued to pay for the dome that used to be the home of the St. Louis Rams and is attached to the convention center. Those bonds will be paid off in full after 2021. Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

Brandon Bosley, D-3rd Ward, flipped from a “yes” to a “no” on December 14, arguing the city was investing too heavily in downtown at the expense of areas like his North Side ward.

Principal

Richard Hartley, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Director Robert Cardillo and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson inspected

acres of St.

–

Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

n “If you can’t outplay Mitch Trubisky, how good are you?”

– Former Green Bay Packer Leroy Butler, ripping current Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers

Sports

Holiday tourneys set to roll

Incarnate

‘Tis the season for holiday hoops and there will be plenty of it in the St. Louis metro area for the next week.

The holiday season brings us good cheer, presents, plenty of food and of course, the smorgasbord of basketball tournaments. Several teams are in action this week, but most of the action begins next week. Here is a first look at the holiday tournament action:

Earl Austin Jr.

Vashon heads to Florida

The Vashon Wolverines are competing in the prestigious City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Florida this week. The 16-team tournament features some of the top high school and prep school programs in the country. The Wolverines faced University High (Florida), the defending champions, in the first round on Tuesday night. Also highlighting the field is national prep school powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, IMG Academy, Olive Branch (Mississippi), Immaculate Conception (New Jersey), Paul VI (Virginia), Imhotep (Pennsylvania) and plenty of other top programs.

Incarnate Word finishes second in Hawaii

Incarnate Word Academy ventured to Hawaii last week to compete in the Iolani Prep Classic and came away with a runner-up finish. The Red Knights defeated Kalani (Hawaii) and Clovis West (California) before losing to Pinewood (California) in the championship game. Seniors Marisa Warren, Kiki Britzmann and Rickie Woltman were all selected to the AllTournament Team.

Incarnate Word returns home

Out of all of the great players roaming the courts in today’s NBA, it is nearly impossible to deny that Steph Curry has had the greatest impact on the style of play across the league.

An article by ESPN’s Malika Andrews chronicles a growing trend across the league that was undoubtedly influenced by the success of Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Numerous teams have added deeprange “4-point” lines/ zones to the courts at their practice facilities.

No, the move is not a nod to Ice Cube’s Big 3 league. The NBA is not changing the rulebook to include four-point shots. However, coaches have noticed that as more players become competent at knocking down the deep ball, it creates space and opportunity for players who can attack the basket.

According to Andrews, the Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets,

finishes second in Hawaii

Steph-ication of the game

Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks are the teams currently known to employ the special zones in practice. The Bucks currently seem to be benefitting the most from the strategy.

The Bucks are currently tied for the league lead with the Houston Rockets with 405 three-pointers made (14 per game) this season. Last season, the Bucks finished 27th. The spacing created by Bucks’ shooters has let Giannis Antetokounmpo, a poor threepoint shooter, run wild through the lanes. At the time of Andrews’ article, Antetokounmpo had more than twice as many unassisted dunks (55) than the next person on the list (Rudy Gobert at 23).

The strategy also makes sense for the Hawks, whose star player is Trae Young, the Great Value version of Curry. As the rookie gets more consistent with his deep-range shots,

it will bring the

When that

See PREP, B5

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Hazelwood East Isaiah Ervin (4) had 24 points on the night during their game against Lee High School from Huntsville, Alabama during Saturday’s Dec. 15, 2018 Midwest Showdown Shootout at Webster Groves High School.

Photo by Wiley Price

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

North Carolina A&T has major Celebration by winning black college football title

The college bowl season got off to a rousing start last Saturday when North Carolina A&T held off a gallant Alcorn State squad to win the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl 24-22 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Lamar Raynard threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Aggies to the black college football national title. A&T entered the game as Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champions and Alcorn held the crown of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

While Alcorn was noted for its stiff defense, Raynard guided his team to an early lead before a late comeback captivated a crowd of almost 32,000 and a national TV audience on ESPN.

snared a game that A&T had dominated.

“We knew they would come back — Alcorn State has a great offense and defense,” Raynard said following the game.

“But we, as a team, have been here before. This is not new to us.”

The question often comes up, “Is it worth it to play in the Celebration Bowl or participate in the NCAA FCS playoffs?”

The payout for both schools is $1 million, which answers that inquiry.

The Braves scored on a 30-yard touchdown run from quarterback Noah Johnson with 11:55 remaining in the game and a successful two-point conversion would have tied the game at 24.

Officials reviewed a juggling catch by Alcorn receiver Chris Blair on the two-point try and replays showed he did not have possession when his foot touched out of bounds.

The contest featured a North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State battle for the second time in four years. A&T took home the black college football title in 2015 with a 41-34 victory in the inaugural Celebration Bowl.

Alcorn’s defense led all FCS teams in sacks per game (4.25) and tackles for loss per game (9.3) – but it was its surging offense that almost

First-year A&T coach Sam Washington, who served as the team’s defensive coordinator for seven seasons, said it is an easy decision because it helps the entire university – not just the athletic department and football team.

“The worth comes alone just in (admissions) applications,” he said.

“We’re talking about tens of thousands, and then the quality of student those applications allow the university to choose from is crazy. Now it’s more competitive academically as well as athletically.”

A&T officials said the school attracted more than 2,200 new students for the 2018-19 academic year and include the Celebration Bowl appearance as a factor. A&T won the Celebration Bowl in 2017, and reigns as the nation’s largest HBCU with just under 12,000 students.

According to FORBES, A&T ranks seventh in academics among HBCUs.

The top 10 HBCU schools academically are Spelman College (Atlanta), Howard

University (Washington, D.C.), Hampton University (Hampton, Va.), Morehouse College (Atlanta), Xavier University (New Orleans), Fisk University (Nashville), Claflin University (Orangeburg, S.C.), A&T, Florida A&M (Tallahassee, Fla.) and North Carolina Central University (Durham, N.C.)

MLB business sense

While Major League Baseball held its Winter Meetings in Las Vegas Dec. 7-12 and the focus was on Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, its Diversity Supplier Summit was also underway. MLB says it is celebrating its 20th year “of a formal diverse business supplier initiative.”

Of the 15-20,000 vendors used across the sport, 7001,000 are “diverse owned businesses,” according to Corey Smith, MLB senior director of diversity and inclusion.

“The biggest thing was creating a program and more importantly a process by which all the teams could adopt,”

told

“Certain clubs were doing it in their respective cities on their own. We wanted to put something in place that could be adopted by the league.

“…If this is something that’s important to us as much as we’re focusing on diversifying the workforce at MLB, we should be looking at diversifying our supply chain.”

According to USA TODAY, 7.8 percent of MLB players are African American, 31.9 percent are Latin American and 42.5 percent are “people of color.”

Released last April, The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida determined MLB deserved a C+ in diversity hiring MLB rated an A+ in minority supplier development and spending with minority owned firms.

If you visit the St. Louis Cardinals website and view the Diversity Program page (www.mlb.com/cardinals/ community/diversity), you’ll find the statement, “We seek to provide opportunities to local and national companies, as well as minority and women-owned businesses that are capable of providing the team with commodities and services through a competitive bid process.

“Because diversity and inclusion are vital to our organization, the St. Louis Cardinals participate in Major League Baseball’s Diverse Business Partners program.”

You then reach a line that

says in boldface letters, “The St. Louis Cardinals are not accepting applicants for the Diverse Business Partners program at this time.”

Hopefully, this means all contracts have been awarded and some have gone to minority owned firms.

The Reid Roundup

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler told the Post-Dispatch that last season’s slump and injuries left him “depressed” at times. He is excited about the team’s faith in him. We’ll see how he feels when he hears boos on opening day. … With the Oakland Raiders firing its general manager Reggie McKenzie last week, the NFL is now down to two black GMs – Chris Grier at Miami and Ozzie Newsome at Baltimore. The number is really one because Newsome is retiring at season’s end. …

As the St. Louis Blues struggle on the ice and with attendance, it would be nice if a player of color was on the roster. It could certainly help attract more minority fans and several young minority players in minor leagues could be available respective trades and help the team in the future. … A shout out to Herm Edwards the former NFL head coach and ESPN analyst the returned to the sidelines and coached the Arizona State Sun Devils to a 7-5 regular season and a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl. His Sun Devils lost to Fresno State. … The MLS announced

this week that it is expanding its number of playoff teams to 14 and will go to a single-elimination format. The season will also be shortened and end with the championship game on Nov. 10, 2019. The final game was Dec. 8 this year. … Tony La Russa lost his cool on the MLB Network when host Chris Russo dared question him about the absurdity of Harold Baines going into the Hall of Fame. I should send him last week’s Sports Eye. … The latest NBA trade rumor has former CBC and Florida star Bradley Beal being dealt from Washington to Philadelphia. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report says that deal would shake up the NBA. “The arrival of Bradley Beal in Philadelphia will not only make the Sixers the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, but it could also put them in a strong position to dethrone the reigning NBA champions, Golden State Warriors.”... And finally, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

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

Smith

FORBES.

North Carolina A&T celebrates after holding off a gallant Alcorn State squad to win the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl 24-22 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Fultz appeared in just 14 games during his rookie season, averaging 7.1 points, 3.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds. This season has been more of the same, with averages of 8.2 points, 3.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds. The worst part is that Fultz’ jump shot has completely fallen apart, with a hitch as bad as Charles Barkley’s golf swing. The 76ers’ medical staff couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. Many armchair physicians fans diagnosed him with “the yips” aka Rick Ankiel disease. After seeking outside medical opinions, Fultz was recently diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve condition that affects the lower neck and upper chest. Several reports have appeared that suggest that Philly is ready to move on from the top pick of the 2017 draft. It’s unlikely though that the 76ers could get much of anything in return for Fultz at this time. The team’s best hope is that Fultz’s current regiment of physical therapy will resolve his physical issues and he can return to the court as a productive player.

PREP

Continued from C7 to compete in the Visitation Christmas Tournament, which begins this weekend. The Red Knights (7-1) drew the top seed of the tournament.

Viz Tournament begins this weekend

The top girls’ holiday tournament in the area, the Visitation Christmas Tournament, will begin on Saturday with eight first-round games. The first round pairings are: 3) Parkway Central vs. 14) St. Joseph’s, 10 a.m.; 6) Parkway North vs. 11) Parkway South, 11:30 p.m.; 7) Cor Jesu vs. 10) Metro, 1 p.m.; 2) Edwardsville vs.

If the team was a bottom-feeder, the staff could throw Fultz in the deep end and wait for him to sink or swim. However, with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler, the Sixers have championship aspirations and is likely unwilling to baby a player the team expected to turn into a bona fide superstar. In my opinion, there is no way Fultz is the biggest bust in NBA history. He’s not even the biggest bust in his own draft. That distinction goes to the New York Knicks’ Frank Ntilikina. Ntilikina was drafted eighth in the 2017 draft, just before the Dennis Smith Jr At least Fultz has shown some moderate production and his issues can be traced to a medical problem. Ntilkina has been about as effective as a potato even though, as far as I know, he has a clean bill of health.

Oakland sues the NFL

Less than two years after St. Louis officials filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL, city officials in Oakland are filing a similar suit against the NFL and the Oakland Raiders.

According to The Mercury News, Oakland is alleging that the Raiders and the NFL violated federal antitrust laws in rela-

15) Visitation, 2:30 p.m.; 1) Incarnate Word vs. 16) Ursuline Academy, 4 p.m.; 8) Whitfield vs. 9) Francis Howell, 5:30 p.m.; 4) Kirkwood vs. 13) Webster Groves, 7 p.m.; 5) Hazelwood Central vs. 12) Nerinx Hall, 8:30 p.m.

The tournament resumes on Wednesday, December 26 with the quarterfinals. The semifinals will be held on Thursday, December 27 with the championship game set for Friday, December 28 at 8 p.m. The Edwardsville Tigers are the defending Visitation Tournament champions.

New Tournament at SLUH

The inaugural Legends of Winter Basketball Classic will be held this year at St. Louis

The ST. LouiS

tion to the team’s upcoming move to Las Vegas.

“The defendants brazenly violated federal antitrust law and the league’s own policies when they boycotted Oakland as a host city,” Parker said in a statement. “The Raiders’ illegal move lines the pockets of NFL owners and sticks Oakland, its residents, taxpayers and dedicated fans with the bill.”

That language sounds extremely familiar of what St. Louis went through with the Rams. That should come as no surprise though as Berg & Androphy, the same law firm that helped St. Louis win a victory over the Rams is court, is also assisting in the Oakland law suit.

Just like in the St. Louis situation, there’s zero chance that the Raiders will reverse course and stay in the city. However, city officials are hoping to recoup some of the lost funding since the NFL once again violated its own relocation policy to chase the brighter lights and bigger bucks.

Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ishcreates. For Sports Break videos with Ishmael and Melvin Moore, subscribe to The St. Louis American’s YouTube page.

University High. The 14-team tournament will run from December 27-30. Heading the field is top-seeded CBC, followed by Jennings, Hazelwood Central, Cardinal Ritter, Soldan, McCluer, University City, Hazelwood East, John Burroughs, St. Louis Christian Academy, DuBourg, Carnahan, SLUH and Urbana (Illinois). The championship game is set for Sunday, December 30 at 6 p.m.

MICDS begins this weekend

The 16-team MICDS Holiday Tournament will also get underway this weekend with first-round games being played on Friday and Saturday. The top four seeds at MICDS are Trinity, Francis Howell, Parkway Central

AmericAn AreA coLLege AThLeTeS of The Week

Jones Webster Groves – Boys Basketball

The 5’10” senior guard led the Statesmen to three big victories and a tournament title last week.

Jones was named the Most Valuable Player of the Webster Classic after helping the Statesmen to the tournament championship. He scored a teamhigh 18 points in a 73-68 victory over CBC in the championship game. He followed up with 18 points in a victory over Kirkwood and 18 more points in a victory over Cardinal

Ritter at the Rameybasketball Midwest Showdown Shootout. For the season, Jones is averaging a team-high 13.4 points a game along with 3.8 rebounds. 2.6 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 56 percent from the field. Webster Groves (6-0) received the top seed at the upcoming Coaches vs. Cancer Holiday Tournament, which will begin on December 26 at St. Louis Community College at Meramec.

and Wentzville Liberty. The championship game is set for Saturday, December 29 at 7:30 p.m. The top four seeds in the girls’ tournament at MICDS are Pattonville, Fort Zumwalt North, Westminster and Ladue. The championship game is set for December 29 at 6 p.m.

Big turnarounds at DeSmet and University City

There have been a couple of impressive turnaround seasons going on at DeSmet and University City. The DeSmet Spartans were 7-19 last season, but are out of the game quickly at 7-1 under the direction

of second-year coach Kent Williams. The Spartans had a statement victory last Friday night with their 79-76 victory at Chaminade on a dramatic half-court buzzer beater by senior guard Evan Asleson. The 6’1” Asleson is averaging 15.9 points a game while shooting 44 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore guard Jeremiah Walker is averaging 10.5 points while 6’10” sophomore Aladji Gassamma is averaging 11.5 points and 9.4 rebounds a game. There is more firepower up front with 6’4” junior forward Michael Skoff and 6’9” sophomore Yaya Keita. DeSmet is the No. 3 seed at the upcoming Coaches vs. Cancer

Holiday Tournament at St. Louis Community College at Meramec. University City finished 6-19 last season, but they are currently 7-2 with a talented young team led by veteran head coach Kelvin Lee, who has had successful runs at Chaminade and St. Mary’s. The Lions’ top scorer is 5’11” sophomore guard Justin Holland, who is averaging 12.9 points a game. Junior guard Trayvion Robinson is averaging 10.9 points while freshman point guard Larry Abbey is averaging eight points and five assists a game. Jalen Hampton, a 6’5” sophomore, is averaging nine points and eight rebounds.

Markelle Fultz has recently been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. Will the

Philadelphia 76ers give him a chance to recover or has the team given up on the No.

1 overall pick from the 2017 draft?

JALADI

continued from page B1

on us, the user. I came across an interesting expression on the web: “security=inconvenience.” The contrapositive equality can then be: “convenience=losing all your money.” Cyber threats are real, happening now and growing exponentially. Close to a billion people worldwide were affected by cybercrime. According to the FBI, victims lost more than $1.4 billion to internet crimes in 2017. Cyberattacks pose the third-highest risk to society right next to extreme weather and natural calamities in the next five years, according to the 2018 Global Risks Report by the World Economic Forum. You can’t prepare for a test after you take it and, in the same manner, you can’t prepare for a cyberattack after it occurs.

St. Louis ranked in the top 5 among the least vulnerable metro cities, according to Coronet, a cloud security company. The ranking was based on infrastructure and a device vulnerability score in 55 cities. Richmond, Virginia topped the list, and Las Vegas was the least-secure cyber city. This is great news for St Louis, but it does not imply that we are immune from attacks.

The importance of daily etiquette – such as looking before you click; being vigilant of opening suspicious emails, attachments, links, and files; avoiding suspicious sites; having an antivirus installed; using strong and unique passwords, taking regular backups, keeping your system updated – cannot be overstressed.

While shopping online, use sites whose addresses begin with “https://” or “shttp://” because they provide enhanced security over sites with “http://”. One can also take the extra step of using dual authentication, a password manager to create unique passwords every time, encrypting your files,

• Initiate a cybersecurity education for every child K-12, teaching skills to protect themselves and to become good digital citizens.

• Enter cybersecurity contests such as the Air Force Association’s CyberPatriot and the Naval Academy’s CyberCIEGE.

• Offer a curriculum for students who want to pursue a career in cybersecurity for our future cyber police and cyber soldiers. With some of these programs, students can join a security job right after high school. Kudos to Pattonville High School, which is one of 15 in Missouri and 130 in the nation to offer a year-long cybersecurity course.

and periodically searching yourself on the web to see what information exists and attempt to scrub it if needed and possible. In 2018 we will see personal cyber insurance policies and the use of blockchain-related solutions for more security.

It is essential to engage every member of the cyber ecosystem including governments, organizations and schools. Spam emails

n The probability of facing a hacking attempt, in reality, is 100 percent. However, the probability of that hack being successful depends on us.

claiming to be from a bank make it to our inbox almost every day. St. Louis is home to Citi mortgages headquarters and one of Mastercard’s five technology hubs, several credit unions, banks and hospitals. These institutions must proactively host cybersecurity sessions for the community periodically to educate them on how to keep their financial information safe while enjoying shopping from the comfort of their homes.

Schools are also facing an increasing number of cyberattacks. According to a 2016 report, over 90 percent of cyberattacks start with phishing, the practice of sending legitimate-looking

emails that entice users to reveal personal information or click on links that install malicious software. Phishing emails are becoming increasingly sophisticated and difficult to detect. Imagine the number of students, staff, and parents in each school system who can be exposed to one such email. The damage to our education apparatus can be catastrophic. With schools providing devices to kids and kids spending significant time on the web, there is an imminent need for security education, not only to keep themselves safe, their identity safe, and school data safe, but also to bring those disciplines into the future workforce.

If we invest the time and energy on cybersecurity now, it will eventually become a habit similar to washing hands and locking doors. Everyone should urge cyberspace, financial institutions and hospitals to take time to educate their customers and schools to make cyber education a part of math and reading beginning from kindergarten.

There may never be a perfectly secure world because the more things we fix, the more things hackers come up with. The only solution is for all of us to get cyber smart in an effort to outsmart those trying to impose harm.

Sri Jaladi is a student at Parkway West High School, the founder and president of Cybersecurity Club at Parkway West High School, and a Youth Ambassador to Bright Life Foundation.

Financial Focus

By Andre Nelson

You could move the money into your new employer’s plan. If your new employer has a 401(k) and allows transfers, you could roll the money from your old plan into the new one. This might be an attractive option if you like the investment options offered in your

The direct path from selfcare to healing

Joi Lewis, an East St. Louis native currently based in Minneapolis, will sign and discuss her debut book, “Healing: The Radical Act of Self-Care” at a special “healing circle” being held the East St. Louis Public Library.

Joi Lewis to discuss new book at East St. Louis Library December 27

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“When I talk about radical self-care people say, ‘why is it radical?’” said Joi Lewis, life coach, motivational speaker, consultant and self-care subject matter expert.

The East St. Louis native currently based in Minneapolis will be home on December 27 to break down the “why” when she signs and discusses her debut book, “Healing: The Radical Act of Self-Care ” at a special “healing circle” being held the East St. Louis Public Library.

“Self-care is radical because it’s about being well and pushing against systemic oppression and a system that made us not be well,” Lewis said. “That system benefits when we don’t take care of ourselves, because we turn on ourselves – and then we turn on each other.”

With more than 25 years of experience at higher learning institutions as a dean, a vice president and a chief diversity officer at three different institutions, Lewis was on the career track to become a college president.

But witnessing her community being torn apart by trauma – particularly when a black person dies at the hands of law enforcement –she saw her life’s purpose unfold. It began with

See HEALTH, C4

Living It

‘The song stylist’

Jazz legend Nancy Wilson passes at 81

By Kenya Vaughn Of the St. Louis American

When googling the term “song stylist,”

Nancy Wilson is the first name to appear on the results page.

The distinction might presently be attributed to her passing on Thursday, December 13 at the age of 81. However, R&B diva Chaka Khan was absolutely correct in her touching tribute to the late singer – who died from a lengthy, undisclosed illness – via social media.

“Her polished vocals and style were unmatched as the #SongStylist,” Khan said.

A jazz legend with a career that spanned nearly 60 years, Wilson proved she could sell a song like nobody’s business from the very beginning of her career.

Citing Jimmy Scott and Dinah Washington as critical for shaping her sound, the Grammy

Award winner influenced generations of singers and musicians and transcended genres with her signature method of captivating listeners by engaging as much with the story being told by the lyrics of the song as with the melody. Her 1960 breakthrough hit “Guess Who I Saw Today” is perhaps the most famous example. In the song, she carried the listener though

See WILSON, C4

Nancy Wilson, the self-proclaimed song stylist who became a jazz legend, passed away on Thursday, December 13 at the age of 81. Wilson also worked as an actress, television personality and radio host over the course of her career, which spanned six decades.

A street named Cedric

teen shows potential to follow coach Jennifer Hudson’s

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

To put it plainly, seeing the super-talented 14-year-old Florissant native Kennedy Holmes come in fourth place on the season 15 of NBC’s “The Voice” hurt.

It was a shock – even though last week’s elimination round leading up to the finale offered the clue that the voting audience was looking for a country star to represent for “The Voice.” The semifinals show was the first time in the entire run that Holmes faced the risk of going home. Country singers were voted into the top three, but Holmes earned the fourth spot in the finals. She sang her heart out with a performance of LeAnn Rhimes’ “How Do I Live Without You” and through the instant save to round out the top four. It was a close call, but her performances for the finale were so dynamic that her chance at the title didn’t seem like a long shot.

“Love Is Free,” an original track written for the John Burroughs School 8th grader, had a 90s R&B vibe. Just as she had her first time on “The Voice” stage, she belted alongside Jennifer Hudson, this time the song was “Home” from “The Wiz.” Her last selection once again showcased her skills as an all-around entertainer with high notes and high kicks. The other finalists – country singers Kirk Jay, Chris Kroeze and Chevel Shepherd – were good in their lane. But Holmes went about showing everyone that she can adapt and thrive in a host of capaci-

Kennedy Holmes, the 14-year-old Florissant teen who wowed

and celebrity coaches alike from the blind auditions that opened season 15 through the finale, finished in fourth place on NBC’s “The Voice” Tuesday night.

The Entertainer Day in St. Louis.

Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

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

Through Dec. 20, Jazz St. Louis Big Band Plays Ellington’s Nutcracker featuring Duke Ellington’s jazz interpretations of Tchaikovsky’s ballet. Ferring Jazz Bistro, 3536 Washington in Grand Center. For more information, visit www.jazzstl.

org.

Thur., Dec. 20, 5:30 p.m., Metro Boomin Christmas Giveaway for Single Mothers. Join us for refreshments and giveaways. Greater Bethlehem Church, 4005 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 484-9984.

Dec. 21 – 23, 2 & 7:30 p.m., St. Louis Symphony presents the Mercy Holiday Celebration. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.slso. org.

Dec. 21- Dec. 22, A Very Manley Christmas with Jim Manley’s Mad Brass & Rhythm, Ferring Jazz Bistro, 3536 Washington in Grand Center. For more information, visit www.jazzstl.org

Dec. 22 – 23, Fox Theatre presents Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer The Musical. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com.

Sat., Dec. 22, p.m., The Cathedral at St. Paul A.M.E. presents Christmas at The Cathedral, St. Paul AME, 1260 Hamilton.

Sun., Dec. 23, 9 pm, An Ugly Sweater Festivus For The Rest Of Us, The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester, St. Louis, MO 63110. For tickets and more information: anuglysweater festivus.eventbrite. com, Instagram: @anuglysweater festivus

Mon., Dec. 24, 7 p.m.,

Christmas Eve Jazz Lessons and Carols, Kranzberg artists the Owen Ragland Quintet will provide accompaniment and perform solo. St. Paul’s Church, 6518 Michigan Ave., St. Louis, MO 63111. For more information, visit http:// www.carondeletchurch.org

Mon., Dec. 24, 9 p.m., St. Louis Africans presents Afro City & Reggae on the Roof Holiday Party. Blue Dine Lounge, 5917 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Thurs., Dec. 27, 10:30 a.m., Winter Wonderland Performances at the Missouri History Museum Five talented musicians from the Sheldon will celebrate the season with a wonderful mix of winter and holiday music both old and new. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org.

Thurs., Dec. 27, 6 p.m., St. Louis Public Library Kwanzaa Celebration, St. Louis Public Library – Carpenter Branch, 3309 S. Grand. For more information, visit https:// slpl.bibliocommons. com/ events/5b1a9cc5189c 8c3f002b8fe5

Fri., Dec. 28, 7 p.m., A Red Circle Nonprofit Organization presents Seven Days of Kwanzaa Concert. Saint Andrew United Methodist Church, 3975 N. US-67, 63034. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Sun., Dec. 30, 12 p.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter presents Kwanzaa Celebration: Wearing Our Crown. St. Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www.slam. org.

Dec. 30 & 31, Circle of Friends presents the New

The Guide

Kenya Vaughn recommends

Year’s Eve 2 Day Party Event. Embassy Suites Airport, 11237 Lone Eagle Dr., 63044. For more information, call (314) 265-6870.

Mon., Dec. 31, 10:30 a.m., Family Friendly Noon Year’s Eve Party. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org.

Mon., Dec. 31, 6 p.m., Westport Plaza New Year’s Eve Firework Display. 111 West Port Plaza, 63146. For more information, (314) 5767100.

Mon., Dec. 31, 7 p.m., Afrosexycool New Year’s Eve. With special guests ZO! + Carmen Rodgers plus ASC residents Blvck Spvde, Makeda Kravitz, DJ Nico, and ASC creator James Biko. .Zack, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Mon., Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Upsilon Omega Chapter invites you to their 2018 NYE Gala. Doubletree Westport, 1973 Craigshire Rd., 63146. For more information, visit

www.eventbrite.com.

Mon., Dec. 31, 8 p.m., Ultimate New Year’s Eve Party. Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch, 315 Chestnut St., 63102. For more information, visit www.hyatt. com.

Mon., Dec. 31, 8 p.m., Dread Out 2018. The annual Jamaican style New Year’s Eve bash. Rowan Community Center, 1401 Rowan Ave., 63112. For more information, call (314) 229-7018.

Mon., Dec. 31, 8:30 p.m., One80 Entertainment and B&W Productions presents The New Year’s Eve Ball. Chase Park Plaza, 212 N. Kingshighway Blvd., 63108. For More information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Mon., Dec. 31, 9 p.m., Moonrise Hotel presents A Stellar New Year’s Eve. 6177 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Mon., Dec. 31, 9 p.m., New Year’s Eve Cruise. The Riverboats at the Gateway Arch, 50 S. Leonor K.

Sullivan Blvd., 63102. For more information, visit www. gatewayarch.com.

concerts

Thur., Dec. 20, 7 p.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Not So Quiet! 2nd Tyme Around – A Motown Experience. Library Headquarters, 1301 Olive Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.slpl. org.

Dec. 28 – 29, Jazz St. Louis presents Good 4 the Soul. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.tickets. jazzstl.org.

Fri., Dec. 28, 8 p.m., Pop’s Concert Venue presents Saint Oeaux – The Gumbo. 1403 Mississippi Ave., Sauget, IL. 62201. For more information, visit www.ticketweb.com.

Sun., Dec. 30, 8 p.m., The Ambassador presents Lil Baby. 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Noname will perform at The Pageant. For more information, visit www.thepageant. com.

Sat., Jan. 12, 7 p.m., The Pageant presents Jacquees 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. thepageant.com.

Jan. 23, The Pageant Welcomes Noname, The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www. thepageant.com.

special events

Thur., Dec. 20, Metro Boomin Christmas Giveaway for Single Mothers. Join us for refreshments and giveaways. Greater Bethlehem Church, 4005 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 4849984.

Sat., Dec. 22, 2 p.m., Jess MIA Collections invites you to their 2nd Annual Holiday Sip N Shop. Shop new holiday styles while enjoying drinks and appetizers. 626 Mexico Rd., 63376. For more information, visit www. jessmiacollections.com.

Sun., Dec. 23, 5 p.m., DELUX Magazine Power 100 Gala. Chase Park Plaza, 212 N. Kingshighway Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.deluxpower100.org

Fri., Dec. 28, That 90s Jam 5 Year Anniversary, The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester, St. Louis, MO 63110.

Fri., Jan. 4, 6 p.m., St. Louis Science Center presents First Friday: Indiana Jones. 5050 Oakland Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www. slsc.org.

Jan. 5 – 6, St. Louis Bride and Groom Magazine presents The Wedding Show Enjoy catering samples, a New York-style runway show, a prize vault, and hundreds of giveaways and samples. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Jan. 5, 2nd Annual Mississippi Nights Reunion, Delmar Hall. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com

Sat., Jan. 12, 6:30 p.m., The 33rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Celebration. Protect the Dream: The Fierce Urgency of Now. Harris Stowe State University, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63013. For more information, call (314) 446-0288.

Jan. 12 – 13, Mississippi Valley Bike + Outdoor Expo St. Louis Union Station Hotel, 1820 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. bikeandoutdoorexpo.com.

Jan. 18 – 20, Loop Ice Carnival. Jan. 19: Snow Ball. Jan. 20: Ice Carnival. Delmar Loop, 63112. For more information, visit www. visittheloop.com.

Sat., Jan. 19, 10 a.m., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Epsilon Lambda Chapter presents the 2nd Annual MLK, Jr. Holiday Celebration. Centennial Christian Church, 4950 Fountain Ave., 63113. For more information, visit www. aphia-epsilonlambda.org.

Sat., Jan. 19, 8 p.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Omicron Eta Omega Chapter & The Ivy Foundation of St. Louis present the AKA 111 Anniversary Party. Lambert Airport Concourse B, 10701 Lambert International Blvd., 63145. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Kenya Vaughn recommends

Sun., Jan. 20, 12 p.m., St. Louis’ Best Bridal Show Visit with photographers, DJs, gown and tuxedo shops, florists, salons, and more. St. Charles Convention Plaza, 1 Convention Center Plaza, 63033.

Jan. 21, 28th annual St. Louis Arts Awards, Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta Hotel. For more information, visit KeepArtHappening. org/2019ArtsAwards.

Jan. 31 – Feb.3, Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic, Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster at 800745-3000 or visiting www. Ticketmaster.com. To discover more about Disney On Ice, go to www.Disneyonice.com.

literary

Fri., Dec. 21, 7 p.m., Kaiserrific’s Poetry and Open Mic “Big Holiday Show,” Legacy Books and Café, 5249 Delmar

Friday, December 28, 10:30 a.m., the St. Louis Black Authors of Children’s Literature will “The Snowy Day” and “Feast for 10.” The first 200 children in attendance will receive their own copy of one of the featured picture books. Missouri History

Museum, 5700 Lindell. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

Sun., Dec. 30, 7:30 p.m., Poetic Justice Open Mic, The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester, St. Louis, MO 63110.

Sat., Jan. 12, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library hosts authors David and Nic Sheff authors of High. The ultimate resource for learning about the realities of drugs and alcohol for middle grade readers. Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www. slcl.com.

Wed., Jan. 16, 7 p.m., Left

Bank Books hosts author Chris McGreal, author of American Overdose. A look at how Big Pharma hooked Americans on powerfully addictive drugs and got away with it. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.left-bank.com.

comedy

Dec. 21 – 23, The Laugh Lounge presents Henry Coleman. 11208 W. Florissant Ave., 63033. For more information, visit www. thelaughloungestl.com.

Dec. 27 – 29, Helium Comedy Club presents Nicole Byer 1151 St. Louis Galleria St.,

63117. For more information, visit www.heliumcomedy.com.

Sat., Dec. 29, 8 p.m., New Year’s Weekend Comedy Festival. Feat. Mike Epps, Sommore, DC Young Fly, Guy Torry, and Mark Curry. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

theatre

Dec. 26 – Jan. 26, Fox Theatre presents Anastasia Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat to embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103.

Through December 30, Metro Theater Company presents Wonderland: Alice’s Rock & Roll Adventure Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Jan. 10 – 13, Ignite Theatre Company presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Jan. 17- Jan 27, Max and Louie Productions presents “Love, Linda, ” directed by Ken Page, Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive (3 blocks east of Grand Blvd). Tickets are on sale at metrotix.com and by phone at (314)) 534-1111. For more information, visit maxandlouie. com

art

Dec. 21, 6 p.m., Opening reception for Dimitrina Stamboldjiev Kutriansky’s The Sentimental Landscape, Third Degree Glass Factory, 5200 Delmar. Exhibit runs through Jan., 15, 2019.

Through February 3, The

Saint Louis Art Museum presents Graphic Revolution: American Prints 1960 to Now, Saint Louis Art Museum. One Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park. For more information, call (314) 721-0072 or visit www.slam.org.

Through February 10, Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis, Saint Louis Art Museum. One Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park. For more information, call (314) 721-0072 or visit http:// www.slam.org/exhibitions/ kehinde-wiley.php

Fri., Dec. 28, 6 p.m. 2K19 Health & Wellness Seminar with keynote speaker “The Minister Of Wellness” Nathaniel Jordan, Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63120.

Thur., Jan. 10, 7 p.m., Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice presents Being Poor: No Crime, All Punishment. Speaker: Blake Strode, Executive Director, ArchCity Defenders. Richmond Heights Community Center, 8001 Dale Ave., 63117. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Sat., Jan. 5, 3 p.m., Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church to present “The Heal Our Land” Concert featuring Lowell Pye (formally of the gospel group Men of Standard), guest artist Leah Joelle, Christopher Watkins and band, 3200 Washington Ave. For more information, contact the church at (314) 533-8763.

Afrosexycool New Year’s Eve. With special guests ZO! + Carmen Rodgers. See HOLIDAY HAPS for details.

Continued from C1

the range of emotions of a woman going about the uneventful activities of her day who learns that her significant other is being unfaithful – and decides to confront him in the most sophisticated and suspenseful method imaginable, as the song title suggests.

Technically, Wilson’s delivery is understated. It’s as if she didn’t want anything – not even the notes – to get in the way of whatever story that lay within the song.

“I just never considered myself a jazz singer,” Wilson told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2010. “I do not do runs and — you know. I take a lyric and make it mine. I consider myself an interpreter of the lyric.”

A prolific recording artist, Wilson released more than 70 albums over the course of her career. Her popularity as a live performer never waned, from the time she debuted on the jazz club scene in the late 1950s until her retirement from the stage in 2011.

She was born on Feb. 20, 1937, in Chillicothe, Ohio, the oldest of six children born to Olden and Lillian Wilson.

Her father’s record collection – which included Scott, Billy Eckstein and Nat King Cole – provided Wilson with her introduction to jazz vocals. She grew up singing in the church choir and after winning a talent competition as a young teen, she began gigging at the local jazz clubs before heading to New York City to start her professional career.

She arrived in New York in 1959 with the goal of obtaining famed saxophonist Cannonball Adderley’s manager John Levy as her manager and Capitol Records as her label. By 1960, Levy sent demo recordings, including “Guess Who I Saw

Today,” to Capitol. She was signed the same year. Wilson was an instant success in music, thanks to songs such as “Tell Me The Truth,” “(You Don’t Know) How Glad

n A prolific recording artist, Wilson released more than 70 albums over the course of her career.

I Am,” and “Face It Girl, It’s Over.”

In addition to her music career, Wilson was a popular television personality and

made countless appearances on variety shows such as “The Carol Burnett Show” “The Tonight Show” and “The Ed Sullivan Show.” She hosted her own variety program “The Nancy Wilson Show” in the early 1970s. Wilson was also an accomplished actress who appeared on television shows such as “I Spy,” “Hawaii Five0” and “The Cosby Show. From 1996 through 2005, she was the host of NPR’s “Jazz Profiles,” which produced nearly 200 episodes. “She was such a beautiful person and songstress that the world of jazz will forever miss,” Khan said. Wilson is survived by her three children and five grandchildren.

HEALTH

Continued from C1

talking with students on campus about whatever impacted them. It eventually expanded into her facilitating the difficult conversations that need to take place to move towards healing when trauma that ripples through a community occurs.

After the death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Lewis was asked by the Minneapolis Foundation in Minnesota to be a lead facilitator in a series of meetings between the police, the mayor’s office, a local Black Lives Matter group and the NAACP.

Some members of Black Lives Matter were in her home meeting with her former mentee Danai Gurira (of “Black Panther” fame) when the Facebook Live feed of Philando Castile popped up in their timeline. The experience of witnessing them watch a man die, further confirmed that she was on the right path.

“If we are not taking care of ourselves and these tragic things are happening, we have nothing in our emotional bank,” Lewis said. “We are writing bad checks to be able to survive and thrive. That’s what this work is actually about.”

The book grew out of a program she developed called the Orange Method of Radical SelfCare and Healing. The Orange Method includes four parts: meditation, mindfulness, emotional liberation and conscious movement.

“I see the Orange Method as a set of instructions, if you will, on how to be able to move through and handle the trauma that we are all living with,” Lewis said. “I want people to know that we have the ability to hold both heartbreak and joy. They run from the same faucet. If you try to cut off one, then you are going to miss out.”

The program’s name, in part,

pays homage to her hometown.

“Orange is my favorite color,” Lewis said. “We had two high schools in East St. Louis. Their colors were orange and black and orange and blue. If you wore orange, you were safe. Plus, I’m a certified yoga teacher and began to learn about the different chakras. I learned that orange is the color of the chakra from which transformation happens.”

Lewis is a proud alum of Lincoln (orange and black), as well as Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, Iowa State University and University of Pennsylvania (where she earned her doctorate).

She says her work and the book that was birthed out of it, has inspired her to have integrity and accountability as she practices her own healing and emotional liberation.

“I don’t always do a good job of taking care of myself,” Lewis admitted. She was candid about her struggles with food addiction, which resulted in her being more than 100 pounds overweight for most of her life.

“Black women struggle with it – we struggle with it privately and quietly, and we’re dying,” Lewis said. “And I want people to know that it doesn’t have to be the case.”

She finally lost the weight while living in California –but found herself 70 pounds heavier when she went back to Minnesota. Losing that excess

KENNEDY

Continued from C1

impact, heavily choreographed pop displays that pay homage to Beyonce and Janet Jackson. Her performances fell in line with everything that everyone had said about her from the beginning – that she is a star and a force to be reckoned with.

The panel of celebrity judges pegged her as a favorite to win from the season opening blind audition. Over the course of the season, she consistently raised the bar with her performances while being mentored by Grammy and Oscar award winner Jennifer Hudson – Holmes’ musical idol. Towards the end, she was able to flex her training with local institutions Stages, The Muny and COCA.

A total package was the repeated phrase when referring to Holmes – who made history as the youngest finalist in the history of “The Voice.” She not only had the voice, but stage presence a connection with the audience and some serious dance moves.

Yet, when it was time to eliminate, Holmes was the first to go. Teen country singer Chevell Shepherd was ultimately crowned “The Voice” of season 15. Watching Holmes make the walk to the other side of the stage had a familiar sting. As her coach went to hug her for a job well done, she knew better than anyone how Holmes must have felt because of her own experience at the start of her career.

In April of 2004 – before Kennedy Holmes was even born – there was a shock heard around the world when Hudson was voted off of “American Idol” in seventh place during the show’s third season. Cameras panned to the faces of her fellow contestants. They couldn’t believe that they were spared, and Hudson wasn’t. Fantasia Barrino, who was alongside Hudson in the bottom three for that week, grabbed

weight has been a struggle. “I was like, ‘when I do the book tour, you will be able to see the before-and-after, but it wasn’t so,’ Lewis said.

“God said, ‘I don’t want you to have the before-and-after. I want you to have the during.’ So here I am, showing up. Part of this work is about me inspiring other people that even if you don’t feel like it, you have to show up. The work has inspired me to rest, but not quit.”

She is thrilled to be coming home for her first event outside of the Minneapolis region for the book, which was released on December 18.

“The launch is going to be at the East St. Louis Public Library and I think about that, as a little girl in the summertime, the AKAs had a summer reading program we would go there,” Lewis said. “So, to have my book-signing there is just precious.”

She calls the book a “love letter to home.”

“Many of the things I know, I learned them growing up in East St. Louis,” Lewis said. “It was put in me there that I could do and be anything.”

Joi Lewis’ Healing Circle and Book Signing will take place from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 27 at The East St. Louis Public Library, 5300 State Street, East St. Louis, Illinois 62203. For more information, visit www.joiunlimited.com .

Hudson and said, “You’re my American Idol,” before bursting into tears. Barrino ended up wining season three and becoming an R&B star in her own right.

Hudson was stoic and graceful – and sang her heart out during her farewell before her final bow. She told the judges early on in the audition process that she was a star. Her confidence and faith in her talent never wavered. Fourteen years later, she is one of “Idol’s” most famous alumni. A veteran of film, television and Broadway, Hudson earned a Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA and Academy Award for her starring role as Effie White in the film adaptation of the famed musical “Dreamgirls.” Her 2008 selftitled album won a Grammy for “Best R&B Album.” She is known as a vocal powerhouse. Her version of “I Am Changing” from the “Dreamgirls” soundtrack was the first song Kennedy Holmes ever performed before a live audience. Her star power is so certified that she sat alongside three of the biggest names in music – including “American Idol” season one winner Kelly Clarkson – charged with honing the talent of contestants, including Holmes.

As she hugged Holmes, Hudson stood as proof that talent has the capacity to supersede title. While many were disappointed to see teen country singer Chevell Shepherd be crowned the winner – Holmes’ fourth place ranking on “The Voice” is more than likely the beginning and not the end.

“It’s so amazing to see your process,” Hudson told Holmes after being asked to give thoughts on her finale performance on the evening before eliminations. “It even inspires me to see how you take every note and put it into your work and come back another level up.

“For you to be so young and for you to take it the way that you take it, you’re meant to be exactly where you are!”

Nancy Wilson

Joi Lewis

Celebrations

Birthday Anniversary

the boat!

All reunion announcements can be viewed online!

Beaumont High School

Class of 1979 is planning its 40 year reunion. All activities are scheduled for the weekend of September

27-29. The location is The Airport Marriot at 10700 Pear Tree Drive, St. Louis 63134. For more information, contact Milton Jackson at 314-2764392 or Yolanda Lockhart at lockhartyo08@gmail.com.

Northwest Class of 1979 is planning on cruising for our 40th class reunion and would love for you to join us! Date to sail is set for July 20, 2019 and you can feel free to contact: Duane Daniels at 314-568-2057 or Howard Day at 414-698-4261 for further information. Please don’t miss

Soldan Class of 1979 is planning its 40th year reunion for the weekend of August 2-3, 2019. Yearlong reunion activities will begin with a kickoff at Soldan High School Homecoming on Saturday, October 13, 2018 prior to the game at 1 p.m. For more information or to assist with reunion activities, please email at: soldanclassof1979@gmail. com or call Barbara at 314 456-3391.

Sumner Class of 1976

Alvin and Yvetta Yates will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary on December 23. The high school sweethearts dated for five years before getting married at the Old Court House. They gave life to two beautiful daughters, Ashley and Taylor Yates, and have served as an exemplary model of love. Congratulations on this milestone anniversary!

Success Story

Annual Christmas Party, Friday, December 21, 2018, 7pm @ DEJAVU II Cafe, 2805 Target Dr., 63136. 2 for 1 Drink Specials (5:307:30pm), free 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 10 pm. (Doors open 5 pm/ close 1 am) For more info, call B. Louis at 314.385.9843.

Sumner Class Of 1969 50th

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. com or mail to:

St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315

reunion “Living Life Like It’s Golden” June 28-30, 2019. Looking for classmates of 1969 to contact us with your updated information via address:sumnerclass1969@ gmail.com or our FB page: Sumner High.

Sumner Class of 1979 will hold its “Bulldogs Rock the Boat” BIG 4-0 Reunion Cruise, June 22-27, 2019. For further information, email your contact information to sumner1979@ ymail.com or call 314-4064309. Join our Facebook group at Sumner High Class of ‘79.

Celebrate Kwanzaa: Wearing Our CROWN at the Saint Louis Art Museum

is a seven-day festival that begins on December 26. Created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, the holiday combines both African and African American cultural practices and celebrates traditions from Africa and the diaspora. Based on African harvest festivals, each day of Kwanzaa is connected to one of seven principles (Nguzo Saba). The principles are Umoja (unity), Kujichaguila (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith). Each is universally appealing, making Kwanzaa a holiday that can be celebrated by everyone.

The Saint Louis Art Museum will present its annual Kwanzaa celebration on Sunday, December 30. The Kwanzaa principle of the day is Nia (purpose) and according to Dr. Karenga, it is “to make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.” In further describing “purpose,” Dr. Karenga discusses it in terms of four main concepts: “collective vocation,” the “heirs and custodians of a great legacy,” “generational responsibility” and the “joining personal and societal purpose.”

This year’s Kwanzaa celebration is themed Wearing Our CROWN (compassionate, resilient, outstanding, worthy, noble) and the day’s free activities will include a family art activity, photo booth, auditorium performance and a self-

guided scavenger hunt based on the Nguzo Saba. Beginning at noon, visitors can create their own wearable work of art in the form of an arm band, take a picture with their families and take a selfguided tour of the Museum’s African and contemporary art galleries with a Kwanzaa themed scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt includes works of art by prominent African American artists like Kehinde Wiley and will be made available at the Museum during the duration of Kwanzaa from December 26 to January 1. Those families who complete the scavenger hunt on December 30 can redeem a prize. The family art activity takes place in Grigg Gallery from noon to 4 pm.

The Kwanzaa performance will begin promptly at 2 pm in The Farrell Auditorium. Performances include a storytelling session with drumming accompaniment performed by Kenya Ajanaku, masquerade and folklore dance by Kunama Mtendaji and African dance and drumming by Sunshine Cultural Arts Center’s Community Performance Ensemble. The performance is free but tickets are required. Tickets will be made available at the Museum starting at noon on December 30. There is a limit of six tickets per person. Kwanzaa: Wearing Our CROWN is presented in collaboration with the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter.

Winter Getaway 2018 at Missouri History Museum

Many activities

offered December 27, 28, 29, and 31, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

By Lindsay Newton For The St. Louis American

A much-loved event that brings fun for the whole family, the annual Winter Getaway Series at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park is a festive way to end the year. Many activities will be offered December 27, 28, 29, and 31, beginning at 10:30 a.m. each day. Thanks to generous support from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, these programs are free for families. Throughout the week kids can get creative in make-andtake workshops inspired by the museum’s special exhibits “Panoramas of the City” and “Muny Memories.” Kids can dress up as the star of their own show by making a star-shaped crown, or they can share personal stories by creating a 2D camera with a filmstrip of hand-drawn memories. They can also make customizable snow globes, a craft inspired by Muny souvenirs.

On Thursday, December 27, at 10:30 a.m. and noon, families are invited to live Winter Wonderland performances. Five talented musicians from the Sheldon will celebrate the season with a wonderful mix of winter and holiday music both old and new, from “Let It Snow!” to “Let It Go.” Families are encouraged to join in and sing along.

On Friday, December 28, the St. Louis Black Authors of Children’s Literature will celebrate two popular books that are perfect for the winter season and spending time together with family: “The Snowy Day” and “Feast for 10.” The group is committed to fostering awareness about the importance of early literacy by creating innovative opportunities for all kids to have access to black children’s literature.

Written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats and published in 1962, the beloved picture book “The Snowy Day” was one of the first to feature an African-American child as the main character. The book “Feast for 10,” written by Cathryn Falwell and published in 1993, features a black family who spends the entire day together, first going to the grocery store, then preparing a

Counting down to noon at last year’s Winter Getaway. The grand finale of the Winter Getaway Series is a Noon Year’s Eve party from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Monday, December 31.

meal, and finally enjoying the tasty food.

On this special Friday, 10 local authors from the St. Louis Black Authors of Children’s Literature will present “The Snowy Day,” “Feast for 10,” and their own children’s books. Families can dive into a snowy day of their own by making snowflakes and snowballs that won’t melt in their pockets and get ready for a feast by setting tables for meals and sharing recipes. The first 200 children in attendance will receive their own copy of one of the featured picture books beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Even though we are months away from a season of musicals at the nation’s largest and oldest continually operating outdoor theater, families are invited to experience a day of Muny-inspired family fun on Saturday, December 29.

In addition to exploring the “Muny Memories” exhibit, families can enjoy live music and dance. At 10:30 a.m. the Muny Kids will take center stage for a special holiday performance. Don’t miss out on this 30-minute performance that spotlights local children with exceptional talent and lots of holiday spirit! After the show you can catch a screening of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” which has been brought to life

on the Muny stage in summers past.

The end of the year is a time to celebrate, but not everyone can stay awake until midnight. The grand finale of the Winter Getaway Series is a Noon Year’s Eve party from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Monday, December 31.

To get festive, kids can make New Year’s hats, visit a photo booth, and create their very own miniature ball-drop crafts with lots of sparkly style. Make your way to the dance floor where the band Fire Dog will play music that’s sure to get you moving and grooving. Families can also enjoy stilt walkers and visit the Snow Queen who will read your fortune amid the flakes floating inside her magical snow globe. And finally, you won’t want to miss the New Year’s countdown when the clock strikes noon: A balloon drop and tons of confetti, noisemakers, and energy will put a smile on everyone’s face. We hope that your family can make a trip to the Missouri History Museum and enjoy some time together as we close out 2018. Be sure to check www.mohistory.org/ wintergetaway for a fully updated schedule of each day’s activities.

Kwanzaa

Swag Snap of the Week

Baby makin’ music. I knew I was in the right spot when I came through the Pageant to check out the Troop, Silk and Dru Hill show Thursday night when a woman in Jodeci boots shouted out, “I got pregnant offa ‘Freak Me!’” This woman and her man – who I found out was the one who went half on the baby and they’ve been together for almost 30 years – gave me more life than Troop’s whole set. What? It was low key regular and y’all know it. That didn’t stop the woman who got pregnant to the soundtrack of Silk and her boo from doing the entire “Spread My Wings” choreography. Listen, I could tell those two had not been out since right after she got pregnant. They were dressed in regular clothes and getting down like they were at a Northwest High School Class of ’91 homecoming dance. It was everything. Okay, now I can get on with the actual show. I already said Troop was regular. What? I probably would have been more into if half of the group didn’t have on random non-coordinated clothes with dad jeans. Okay, enough roasting. The lead singer is finally coming out with a solo project, and the single he performed actually had some heat to it. Silk was up next, and you already know the baby mama lost it so bad that security had to get involved. I will say that she was compliant when they told her she couldn’t body roll down the stairway or hop on top of the table tops to scream. Silk earned it though. As usual they put on a show. The one who does the high notes was grinding so hard I thought his skinny jeans would pop loose. And you already know Lil G went there with the one-handed push up stage hunches. Dru Hill gave a cute little set too. Nokio the master of disguise was singing and hoppin’ around looking like the Taliban with his headwrap and glasses, but I got over that quickly. They added some new members to the group that do too much, but Sisqo was consistent. He claimed that he never does his solo material and was only doing so because Jazz was absent. I would have called him a liar and stormed out if he didn’t put on such a great high-impact show. Him, Stokely from Mint Condition and Kirk Franklin would make a great super group. Kirk would have to go to the back for the Thong Song performance, but I feel like it would be interesting combination.

Black Lawyers and beautiful people. I got my whole entire life from the Legal Solution Group holiday party – to the point where I don’t think I can truly articulate it. You already know that the lawyers will have the sauce, so it’s going to be stylish. But they didn’t just have the black legal community in the house – they pulled out all the social scene glitterati who came through – and forever raised the bar for holiday cocktail attire up in that Ritz Carlton Friday night. All the folks going to other parties in the hotel felt too underdressed to even ride the elevator with the guests of Tonia, Jermaine Raphael and the rest of the folks who were a part of making the party happen. Had I known then what I know now, I would have recycled one of my Salute Gala gowns so that I could be up to fashion code. I’m making up for it next year by doing so, just so y’all know. I don’t want to get to name dropping – mainly because there were three shifts of very important people who came through over the course of the night. Just know that it was black affluent swag overload up in that ballroom. The folks came out in fur coats and red bottom realness. My favorite of the night was Mona (mother of Maurice). I also liked Brandy Clay’s gown. Essentially everybody there was a fashion win, so I won’t bother to continue with the name dropping. Merry Kribmas to Smino. Every time I see Smino in St. Louis I get excited. And our city’s next big thing in hip-hop should be happy as all get out that his 3rd Annual Kribmas Show sold out The Pageant. That’s his third sold-out show in a row. His first one had me a sweaty mess up in the Old Rock House. And I thought I was gonna have to be baby Jesus and watch the show via satellite from a manger outside when he took the show to Delmar Hall. I guess The Fox is next. He performed like he already belonged on that stage Friday night. I don’t know what that set was going through, though. That red couch looked like the one I had in my basement sitting room. But when it got crackin’ I forgot all about the flimsy thing because Smino was on fire. And his band was the absolute truth!

A very special Ciroc party. After vibing to Smino, I scooted over to Mandarin for the ultra-posh set that introduced the latest flavor of Ciroc to the city. As per usual, all the beautiful influencers found their way up in the spot for Ciroc VS (very special). It was so packed that I had to maneuver through the crowd with my arms up in the air, so nobody caught an accidental elbow. Arty J was killing it on the tables. And I’m now 100 percent convinced that there is some sort of subliminal messages hidden in “The Wobble” song, because there was barely room to pivot and folks were making a way to do the whole doggone routine.

Big love for Big Hen. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a familiar face on the nightlife scene needs our support. Big Hen, one of the best security doormen in the game was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer over the summer – which is why you might not have seen him working the Olive Bar. He will be holding a fundraiser to pay for his travels to get alternative treatment in Mexico at The Marquee on December 21. The party starts at 8 p.m. And any nightlife regular should be in the building to support, considering how he worked to keep order and do his part in helping us have a good kicking it experience.

Sauce dripping up and through the Marquee. Speaking of sauce, Onnie Bella, LaRonn Ono and whoever else was involved with that Sauce Events’ All of the Lights set Saturday night at The Marquee deserves a standing ovation. The last time I saw the Marquee that packed, The Migos and Chance The Rapper were both in the building. I kept asking Dre, “and you sure you don’t have a rapper with a name that starts with Young or Lil coming through tonight?”

Jermaine, Tonia and Raphael pulled off one of the best parties of the year with the Legal Solution Group holiday party Friday night @ Ritz-Carlton

Dawn, Lil G’ of the R&B group Silk and Daryel Oliver hanging backstage following Silk’s performance Thursday night @ The Pageant

It was a family affair as Maurice, Mona, Maurice and Kelly came decked out for the Legal Solution Group holiday party Friday @ Ritz-Carlton

Stanyel and Omi’s style reflected the culture as they took part in Better Family Life’s Annual Kwanzaa Expo Sunday afternoon

Gourmet Soul provided the artists and backstage crew with some of their delectable southern classic catering Thursday @ The Pageant

Team Kennedy members April and Reginald cheered on their little cousin during her performance @ The Voice Finale viewing party Monday @ Ballpark Village

Promoter Ono got love from Arthur and proved yet again that he has the nightlife magic touch with Sauce Events for All of The Lights Saturday @ The Marquee

Cornell and Jamila Boone were in the building for the launch of Ciroc VS Friday night @ Mandarin

LaRonn and Onnie kicked back in VIP as the masses enjoyed their All OF The Lights set Saturday @ The Marquee

Shawni and Justice were just a couple of the beauties who came through for All of The Lights Saturday night @ The Marquee

Hot 104.1 FM’s DJ Shay Money kept the party poppin’ in between acts during the Troop, Silk and Dru Hill concert Thursday night at The Pageant. Headliners Dru Hill were more than happy to pause for a pose following their set.

Deaconess

JANITORIAL - HIRING

ASSEMBLY

SITE COORDINATOR

Deaconess

SERVANT LEADER INTERN

Deaconess

parent workshops and community outreach activities.

To apply for this position, visit Deaconess Foundation’s website - http://deaconess.org/ cdf-freedom-schools-servant-leader-intern.

QUALITYASSURANCE AND INNOVATION MANAGER

Assist the Claims Department through innovative measures to improve quality by providing in-house claim oversight and external oversight of third party administrators and non-medical vendor relationships.

To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/careers-page/

will train and manage staff, maintain the safety of all staff and students, coordinate afternoon activities, filed trips, family engagement initiatives and volunteer responsibilities and ensure that the CDF Freedom Schools Integrated Reading Curriculum is implemented with fidelity.

To apply for this position, visit Deaconess Foundation’s website - http://deaconess. org/cdf-freedom-schools-site-coordinator.

NOW HIRING

The Kirkwood Public Library currently has job openings for Customer Service Associates. We are seeking candidates interested in creating an exceptional experience for every patron. Visit the About Section at www.kirkwoodpubliclibrary. org for details and how to apply.

U.S. COURTS EXPERIENCED DEFENSE ATTORNEY

Federal Public Defender – IL www.uscourts.gov/careers/ FIREFIGHTER/ PARAMEDIC

The City of Richmond Heights is accepting applications for Firefighter/Paramedic. Apply at www.richmondheights.org by Friday, January 4, 2019. EOE

JOB POSTING

Logan University is comprised of the College of Chiropractic and the College of Health Sciences and blends the perfect balance of tradition with innovation. Established in 1935, Logan College of Chiropractic is one of the largest and most respected chiropractic colleges in North America. Through the College of Health Sciences, Logan offers master’s degrees in sports science and rehabilitation, and nutrition and human performance that are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of North Central. Other program offerings include undergraduate coursework including an Accelerated Science Program to help students complete their basic science coursework at an accelerated pace, offered in both online and on-campus formats, and two baccalaureate degrees- A Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Life Science.

Learn more about this position at Logan University, please visit our website at https://www.logan.edu/about-logan/human-resources-department

Job Title: Faculty

Department: College of Chiropractic

Status: Full-Time/Exempt

Summary: The relationship of faculty to student is one of leader, teacher, adviser, mentor, scholar, and facilitator or learning. As part of this process, the College of Chiropractic faculty is responsible for designing, developing, and delivering highly engaging courses that deliver and assess course outcomes that align with program outcomes using evidence-informed content and pedagogical approaches. In addition to engaging classroom teaching, this highly engaged faculty member will be involved with university service and actively engage in scholarship at the level appropriate to their rank or higher and will demonstrate a commitment to teaching excellence that includes an ability to incorporate innovative strategies an integrate technology appropriately into their teaching.

St.LouisCommunityCollegeisamulti-campusdistrictcomprisedoffourcampusesandsixsatellitelocations.Morethan3,000fullandpart-timestaff,facultyandadministratorsand500student employeesareemployedbythecollege.OneofthemostrewardingthingsaboutworkingattheCollegeisthechancetomakeatangibledifferenceinpeople’slives.AtSt.LouisCommunityCollege, weexpandmindsandchangeliveseveryday!

St. Louis Community College invites you to apply for the following positions by visiting the referenced links:

EnrollmentOperationsManager

http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/7843

Manager,AcademicAdvising http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/7793 InstructorII/AssistantProfessorofInteriorDesign http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/7830 InstructorII/AssistantProfessorofBiology http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/7143 InstructorII/AssistantProfessorDentalHygiene http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/7839 AdjunctFacultySurgicalTechnology http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/7332 FacilityManager http://jobs.stlcc.edu/postings/7763

Application Process: Allcandidatesmustcompleteanonlineapplication.

EO/AA/VET/DisabilityEmployer

MULTIPLE OPENINGS

INVITATION TO BID

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. requests bids for Design/ Build Mechanical, Plumbing, Fire Protection and Electrical scopes from qualified subcontractors for the following project: Saint Louis University

SLUCare Administration Offices – Imagine Building and Drummond Hall

A Pre-Bid and Partnering/Outreach Meeting will be held on Thursday, December 20, 2018 at 10:00 AM at the Imagine Building, 1008 S. Spring Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110. Parking is available in the lot to the west (SW corner of Spring Ave. and Chouteau Ave.)

Certified MBE/WBE/DBE subcontractors are encouraged to attend the Outreach to learn about partnering opportunities with Saint Louis University’s identified Design/Build bidders.

Tentative Bid Date: January 15, 2019

Contact: Mary Peterein at mpeterein@mccarthy.com or 314-919-2171 for more information

Prequalification is required and can be accessed at https://www.mccarthy.com/subcontractors

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

City of Brentwood is requesting proposals for the design and installation of a new playground at Brentwood Park located at 9100 Russell Ave., Brentwood MO 63144. The City of Brentwood received a Land Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Grant for this project,

63144 and on the city’s website at www.brentwoodmo.org.

Any proposal received after the time and date specified will not be considered and the City reserves the right to reject any or all submittals. Any inquiries concerning the proposal should be directed to Eric Gruenenfelder, Director of Parks & Recreation at egruenenfelder@brentwoodmo.org.

LETTING #8683

CONCRETE & BRICK REMOVAL/ REPLACEMENT AND COMPLETE SIDEWALK INSTALLATION SP-110

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 22, 2019, 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.

A pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held on December 18, 2018 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).

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

until 03:00 PM on Thursday, January 24, 2019, at a place designated. Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: NATURAL CHANNEL STABILIZATION Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1712 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Request for Proposal

The Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District is seeking proposals for insurance brokerage services. The selected firm will be retained for a period of three years with up to three additional one-year options, for a total of up to six years. To obtain a copy of the information relating to the minimum specifications of the

314-862-4222 or metzoodist@sbcglobal.net

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

BID PROPOSAL

Proposals for St. Louis Community College on B0003752 for a Learning Management System will be received until 11:00 A.M. (local time) on January 15, 2019 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 3221 McKelvey Road; Bridgeton, MO 63044, and immediately thereafter opened and read. RFP documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing or by calling (314) 539-5227. EOE/AA Employer.

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: Press Belts – Non-Teflon Impregnated. The District is proposing 1-year single source procurement to Clear Edge Filtration Group. Any inquiries should be sent to acooper@stlmsd.com.

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

is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure an agreement for submersible pump repairs for Sulzer/ABS pumps. The District is proposing single source procurement for this service because State Motor & Control Solutions is the only authorized service center for pumps that are manufactured by Sulzer/ABS in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Any inquiries should be sent to strenz@stlmsd.com. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

BIDS for Lakeshore Trail Extension, Table Rock State Park, Branson, Missouri, Project No. X181601 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 1/24/2019. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities

NCCU launches 4th annual Summons of Joy Program

Police give gift certificates, rather than tickets, to those with financial need

By Rance Thomas For The St. Louis American

North County Churches

Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice’s Summons of Joy Program recently kicked off its fourth year. The program involves some North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice’s (NCCU) members in Florissant donating funds to NCCU during the Christmas season, which NCCU uses to buy gift certificates. These certificates are then given to the Florissant Police Department to give to individuals they stop during the Christmas season for minor violations. They give the certificates, rather than tickets, to those who appear to have a financial need. NCCU churches have donated more than $27,000 to support this program. This program was implemented as part of an effort to improve relations between the police and the community in North St. Louis County. After the Michael Brown police killing and resulting unrest in Ferguson, NCCU held a number of community forums in North County and brought together mayors, police, pastors, and community leaders throughout North County in an effort to help calm the situation. Members of the Alton

Police Department and Madison County Sheriff’s Office participated. The Alton Police Department still participates and has even implemented a similar program but on a smaller scale. After a number of meetings, NCCU formed a Discussion and Solutions Committee to explore ways to calm local communities and improve relations between the police and the community. This committee consists of representatives from four police departments –Florissant, Hazelwood, Clayton, and Alton – and the St. Louis County Police Department’s North Precinct, three pastors, the superintendent and director of Communications of the Hazelwood School District, a representative of the Ferguson-

Florissant School District, and several community leaders. The committee has been working to bring the churches, schools, and community together around positive activities since 2014. It has brought several mediation and reconciliation groups to assist.

Based on this work, several police departments increased their diversity, attended more community events, visited some local churches, organized athletic leagues for youth, implemented “coffee with cops” programs, participated in school activities and began to communicate with citizens in times other than times of trouble. Several departments have had their officers undergo police-community relations

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Emily Bosley Brown

Gift certificates are given to the Florissant Police Department to give to individuals they stop during the Christmas season for minor violations. They give the certificates, rather than tickets, to those who appear to have a financial need.

The Message

Faith’s red lights

Faith usually is a minefield to navigate. If you’re not careful, your faith will wilt from the constant barrage of just living. Be it grief, worry, betrayal or just hard times, life has a way of making you think it’s just too hard. Some things are just not worth it. The answer is simply, just quit – give up. You want to quit your job. End that relationship. Stop going where just being there is too painful. The memories are too overwhelming.

But in the question of faith, we must never misunderstand the role that work in the name of the Lord plays in solving that which ails you. How often have you been able to get yourself out of the doldrums because you just helped someone else? How often have you really looked around and realized how blessed you are because God shows you it could be so much worse?

training.

One committee member, Rev. John Higgins, pastor of John Knox Presbyterian Church in Florissant, mentioned program similar to Summons of Joy in Kansas City that helped to improve relations between police and the community, and NCCU adopted it. The program has received a warm reception from individuals who received gift certificates and the community generally. Police officers love the program, because they say they have never received so much positive response from the community. This program is spreading to other parts of the country as well. Of course there is still work to be done, but we have been very pleased with our progress.

Rance Thomas is cofounder and president of North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice (NCCU) – which includes 26 churches of various denomination, including seven Catholic churches – and professor emeritus of Criminal Justice/Sociology.

When does it kick in that now, at that moment of chaos in your life, that this is the test? This is the temptation that is offering itself up to you to challenge your faith? There are no road maps that indicate “faith red light” up ahead. By the time I recognize faith’s red light, it’s usually after I’ve run right through it. We can all take solace in the fact that we know we could have demonstrated our faith in a situation that happened yesterday, a week ago or even years ago. But that doesn’t change that fact that we failed. At the end of the day I’ve run faith sign after faith sign. But our God is a merciful God of another chance and, yes, even another one after that. Your faith will always give you another crack at it because you’re still alive and the opportunities to demonstrate one’s faith are multiplied exponentially on a daily basis. If you missed it this morning, don’t worry, you’ll get another shot at it this afternoon.

“So watch yourself. If your brother sins, rebuke him and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him. The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’”

You know how hard that is? Increase your faith by forgiving those who repeatedly come against you?

So the dutiful response to the constant onslaught of life is to acknowledge where and who your faith is predicated upon. We walk by faith and not by sight. The deed is the thing. The intent is to act on your faith. Forgive and serve. Rest in the peace that the Word promises. Remember it’s not the faith signs you see and run through. It’s the ones you see clearly that will make the difference. The more you see, the more you stop. The more you stop, the more you recognize that faith is the essential ingredient to make this journey. It is not what comes at you. It’s how you respond to it. Faith gives you the peace of mind to do so.

Columnist James Washington