December 28th, 2023 Edition

Gabe Gore: American’s 2023 ‘Person of the Year’

“Gabe Gore has brought some much-needed administrative leadership to a beleaguered Circuit Attorney’s office.”

– Dr. Donald Suggs

By Sylvester Brown Jr.

St. Louis American

Six months ago, the name “Gabe Gore” was largely unknown.

Sure, the Detroit native has lived in the region off and on since the early 80s. He’d spent more than a decade building a promising career with several high-profile law firms, including most recently the powerful Dowd/ Bennett firm. He served as the assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, assistant special counsel for the John C.

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Current leader of the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office Gabe Gore has been chosen as the St. Louis American’s 2023 ‘Person of the Year.’

Michael Brown Sr. helps families find holiday happiness

By Ashley Winters St. Louis American

The Michael Brown Sr. Chosen For Change organization’s 9th annual toy giveaway handed out Barbie dolls, bikes, clothes, and other goodies to spread joy to families and kids in the neighborhood on Dec. 23. The community toy drive looked like Santa’s workshop, volunteers dressed up in elf costumes handed out candy and toys from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm at STL Artworks in the Delmar Loop. Kids of all ages played and danced to music, some were drinking hot cocoa sponsored by Starbucks. Others took pictures with ‘Hood Santa’ and enjoyed a hearty

Don ‘DJ Wrekk 1’ Williams’ success is no accident

St. Louis’ own Don ‘DJ Wrekk 1’ Williams, who’s radio career has spanned nearly 30 years, has returned to his hometown as program director for Foxy 106.9, the area’s newest R&B radio station. Page B1 BUSINESS

breakfast and lunch. The day was filled with the magic of giving and spreading holiday cheer.

The annual community event makes Brown Sr. feel happy especially when he sees all the kids running around playing. He says their faces light up when they see him dressed like Santa. “This is to bring cheer, laughter, and love back,” he said.

During his organization’s first toy giveaway, he was not in the holiday spirit.

“I felt like I needed to do something,” said Brown Sr. He explained that the community did a lot of work in

Database seeks to keep police accountable

‘Every person deserves to be safe’

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Senior Reporter

n “Every person in our nation has a right to be safe. And trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve is essential for public safety.”

–Vice President Kamala Harris

In what the White House called a significant step towards enhancing police accountability and rebuilding trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced the establishment of the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database. The initiative marks the first-ever federal database designed to track official records of law enforcement officer misconduct.

“Every person in our nation has a right to be safe. And trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve is essential for public safety,” Harris asserted. “Police

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By Alvin A. Reid St. Louis American

Two of the world’s most iconic singers who shared St. Louis roots, Grace Bumbry and Tina Turner, passed away in 2023. Throughout the region and the nation, mass shootings occurred frequently, including one in St. Louis during this past summer. Historic changes to governance of the city of St. Louis became official, and two young Black stars, Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn, joined the St. Louis Cardinals.

Congresswoman Cori Bush found herself unexpectedly challenged by St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, former Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner resigned her position under fire, and Gabe Gore was appointed to replace her. For more on the year that was, please see our Year in Review Special Section.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo by Taylor Marrie / St. Louis AMerican

Children and parents celebrate at the annual Michael Brown Sr. Chosen For Change organization, which provides food, clothing and children’s toy at STL Artworks on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. The Kribmas Foundation donated proceeds from Smino’s annual Kribmas concert to the Michael Brown Sr. Chosen for Change organization this year.

Childish Gambino denies pay to African model but pays white designer for his album cover

In a Facebook post Kenyan model

Giannina Antonette Oteto alleges Childish Gambino [Donald Glover] did not pay her despite being the centerpiece of the cover of his successful 2016 Grammy-winning album “Awaken My Love.”

“We received low pay but were promised residuals but never received anything,” Oteto said. “The only person who received residuals was a white woman who created the headpiece even though she was not on set to work on this (but she also deserves it).”

Glover allegedly promised Oteto residuals, and as of

2023, Allegedly Glover’s team only paid Laura Wass, a white woman who created the headpiece Oteto wore, and avoided legal contact with the model.

“After years of lies and silence then finding out statute of limitation complications… it’s been an exhausting, emotional, and overall sad thing to deal with,” Otero said. “It took so much from me especially the fact that we all worked on it with so much love and being proud to represent Black artists. All of my lawyers’ communications have been ignored by the artist and his team.”

50 Cent still has riff with Rick Ross ‘record’ sales’

A dispute between 50 Cent and Rick Ross is spinning again.

BET’s William E. Ketchem reports that 50 Cent took issue with the first-week sales of Too Good to Be True, Rick Ross’ joint album with Meek Mill

“When you sold 31,009 CDs, I shouldn’t talk to you,” 50 Cent said during the latest Instagram recap of his worldwide tour.

Rick Ross responded by claiming that he and Meek Mill were already rich.

When “Fif” took on Fat Joe and Jadakiss in 2005, instead of focusing on his superior lyrical skills or digging up dirt, he used a simple trump card: he sold more records than them, so he was better.

As Fabolous stated in the comments section of Fif’s IG post. “I’m sure there’s a few people who actually buy the product but not enough to care over streaming anymore so why is this low sales number narrative still being pushed?”

Dec. 21.

The internet personality announced on Instagram that Dora’s condition had not improved since her emergency rush to the ICU earlier this week.

Akbar V has not disclosed the deteriorating health cause, she reaffirmed her daughter was “staying strong.”

She said in her post that she is leaning heavily on God and mentioned her mother’s death was due to a brain aneurysm.

Despite a lot of social media support, some trolls gained traction highlighting how Akbar said disparaging comments about a fellow socialite’s daughter, when Akbar V taunted Alexis Skyy’s Alaiya’s disability.

“Your daughter is r*tarded because of you. Tell the truth! You had cocaine in your system. Tell the truth!” Akbar said on Instagram.

L&HH star updates daughter’s ICU status

Love & Hip Hop Star Akbar V updated her instagram following as her daughter, Dora, struggles in the ICU on

“What you’re not going to do is talk about that little girl,” Skyy said in response. “I will die for her. If I gotta lose my life, I’ll lose my life over that girl.”

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Akbar V

Childish Gambino

STL not deserting former Northview Village residents

residents under 60.”

By Lacretia Wimbley

St. Louis Public Radio

Executive board mem-

bers from the St. Louis City Senior Fund voted unanimously Tuesday to allocate up to $174,000 for some Northview Village nursing home residents who were displaced a week ago when the facility suddenly closed.

During a special meeting, St. Louis City Senior Fund Executive Director

Jamie Opsal said someone came into the nursing home after it closed on Dec. 15 and ransacked the facility, stealing residents’ televisions, telephones and other personal items. Residents were out of the building by the following day.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services transferred 185 residents to 14 different nursing homes — 10 of which are in the city of St. Louis, board members said Tuesday. But many were transferred without any of their belongings or their

medical charts, and with only the clothes on their back, Opsal said.

“There was one person who was moved with no pants, no shoes, no socks, and a lot of their personal items were stolen,” Opsal said Tuesday.

The allocated funds will be used for case management services for about 85 residents who are 60 and older, as well as to help replace basic items like toiletry and clothing.

City leaders said they are currently working to organize case managers among the senior fund, the city’s Mental Health Board and the city Department of Human Services. Caseworkers will visit one-onone with all 185 residents who are now spread across the various facilities.

Opsal said they are in the process of contacting the nursing homes to find the proper time for case managers to visit. Residents will be asked where they’d like to stay and about any items that were stolen.

Legally, residents have the right to choose where they’d like to live, leaders said.

The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri is helping with fundraising efforts for employees who lost their jobs, but Opsal said Tuesday she

wondered about fundraising for displaced residents.

“We weren’t quite sure what was happening to help residents at these facilities,” she said. “In conversations with the Department of Human Services, we started putting

together a plan, and we’re in touch with United Way to do some sort of fundraising effort.

“In the meantime, the mental health board is holding an emergency meeting today to discuss funding opportunities for

Mayor Tishuara Jones, local officials and employees who lost their jobs criticized the facility’s owners and management during a rally last week for failing to notify workers and shutting down the nursing home just over a week before Christmas.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Fentem previously reported that Mark and Lorraine Suissa each own 26% ownership stakes in the business, along with others who own smaller percentages.

Records from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office list the same Chicago address for both Suissas. Jones called for the owners of the facility to be held accountable and said the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment will hold emergency job fairs to assist the displaced workers.

Senior Fund Executive Board Chair Bill Seidoff said during Tuesday’s meeting that an accounting method will be set up to identify how the senior funds will be handled. He also expressed concern about the matter in general. “It’s really been a

Brian Munoz I St. Louis Public Radio

Antoinette Graves, center, 55, of Kingsway West, rallies alongside former Northview Village nursing home and SEIU union members on Dec. 19 outside the facility in the Kingsway West neighborhood. St. Louis’ largest nursing home was shuttered without notice given to staff or residents.

Guest Editorial

2023 delivered

‘the best and worst of times’

By Hiram Jackson

Retrospectives of the preceding year are not simply a recap. They are, in many ways, a forecast for what’s to come. If we don’t take the time to reflect on what’s gone before, we’re more likely to make the same mistakes and less able to apply what we’ve learned going forward — case in point, the strange case(s) of Donald Trump.

Trump is the story that keeps giving. The former president, the only president in the nation’s history to be indicted on federal charges, faces a litany of criminal charges after being impeached twice. The fact that he remains a frontrunner in the 2024 election and is still a Republican party favorite is a national tragedy.

But the upside: three Black women law officials — New York Attorney General Letitia James, Atlanta-based District Attorney Fani Willis, and U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan — continue to hold his feet to the fire for crimes ranging from fraud and sexual harassment to election tampering and inciting a riot. That these three Black women are in a position to hold and preside over such high-profile cases underscores this nation’s progress on the judicial front and moves the jurisprudence system closer to the promise: “No one is above the law.”

DeBaun, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Blavity, continues to expand the media company’s reach, popularity, and size.

The Bruce family’s descendants sold oceanfront property that was stolen through a Jim Crow application of eminent domain in 1912. They won the property back in 2002, and in 2023, they sold it back to Los Angeles County for $20 million.

And although local and national calls for reparations have yet to produce a national policy to compensate for slavery, a Black woman in Denver, Colorado, who worked seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for $30,000, sued her employer for underpayment and was awarded a judgment of $830,737.68, plus attorney’s fees that are estimated to be about $250,000.

Hakeem Jeffries became the U.S. House of Representatives Minority leader and made history as the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress, and two Black lawmakers, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson of Tennessee, were reinstated to the state legislature after expulsion when they called for gun reform in the wake of the Nashville school shooting.

Cherelle Parker became the first woman mayor of Philadelphia, and artificial intelligence caused a Hollywood shutdown.

We must empower Black teachers

By Sharif El-Mekki

In November, nearly 1,000 educators, advocates, and allies attended the Center for Black Educator Development’s now-annual Black Men in Education Convening — BMEC 2023 in Philadelphia. Once again, it was a powerful and inspiring demonstration of the energy, determination, and talent that Black educators possess.

It is desperately needed because Black educators transform lives. And the great news is that there is interest. The Center for Black Educator Development raised almost $3 million dollars through our Future Black Teachers of Excellence Fund to keep up with the demand of our Black high school students who participate in our Career and Technical Education courses through our school district partnerships across the country.

Thanks to researchers like Dr. Ivory Toldson and others, we know that Black men who attend HBCUs list education among their top career choices. What deters them is often the deep racially based structures that serve as deep historical and entrenched barriers to leading classrooms of their own.

Some of the biggest stories for Black people in the past year include issues much closer to home and our daily lives. Battles for racial justice and equity continue with greater and greater zeal.

Two Black quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, faced off against each other in the Super Bowl, while 14 Black quarterbacks started for NFL teams during the 2023 season. Brittney Griner returned to the U.S. after 10 months of imprisonment in Russia, and Damar Hamlin returned from a neardeath experience on the gridiron. Black entrepreneurs are emerging in spaces once considered the domain of the ethnically privileged, and initiatives to increase access to quality education for underserved communities are working. Arian Simone, co-founder and CEO of Atlanta-based Fearless Fund, made major waves in the venture capital space where only 3% of investors are Black. Morgan

A lot happened this year, and many of the key actors in the events that made history in the past 12 months will bring much of what they started in 2023 into 2024. But the best way to close out this year and every year is to take what we learned over the preceding months, including the impact that the year’s events have had on our individual lives and communities, and be vigilant but hopeful about our futures.

Although we don’t expect the 2024 presidential election to be as fraught with false claims of fraud, we know that at least one candidate for the office will continue to disrupt the political process with lies and insidious inventions. But since past behavior is a predictor of future behavior, expect an eventful ride in 2024.

Hiram Jackson is the CEO & Publisher of Real Times Media, which includes The Michigan Chronicle

Africa, Brother Malcolm put Black education and Black educators in his historic remarks.

“Education is an important element in the struggle for human rights,” he said. “It is the means to help our children and our people rediscover their identity and thereby increase their self-respect. Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs only to the people who prepare for it today.”

But in decrying policies that Black America faces today, the failure of school integration, and the lack of resources compared to White schools, Malcolm also called out the absolutely critical role that Black educators, leaders, pedagogy, and curriculum have to play in the wellbeing and success of Black children. The lack of cultural competency of teachers remains a high priority issue. Still today, a large majority — more than 6 in 10–of teacher prep grads — say they feel unprepared to teach in classrooms where Black and Brown students are the majority.

Research shows students benefit from higher graduation rates, reduced dropout rates, fewer disciplinary issues, more positive views of schooling, and better test scores when students have Black or Brown teachers.

Yet, Black men account for about 2% of teachers. Black teachers, overall, comprise just 7% of all teachers. In our public school system, which is enrolled by primarily Black and Brown students, this mismatch is plainly unacceptable, an outrage even.

And it’s been an outrage for generations. All of us who are fortunate enough to call ourselves Black educators have always known it.

Malcolm knew it. The Black Panther Party knew it too.

At the founding rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, the organization founded upon his return from his pilgrimage to Mecca and stay in West

Malcolm’s demands in 1964 for Black children to receive an education that was both culturally fluent and affirming of their racial identity were mirrored two years later in the Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program. Malcolm offered an aspirational and optimistic vision of what Black education could and should look like, as well as the transformative role that Black educators had to play in making that vision real. Similarly, the BPP’s 10th point shows what could have been, what could still be, if we embrace, elevate, and empower Black educators and children in our public schools.

As Black educators, we must also seek to build our own forms of empowerment. Black education is a justice that remains delayed and thereby denied. We can only access a just education if we — as Black teachers, principals, and communities — claim our agency and fight for the preservation of it for our students.

Sharif El-Mekki is the founder and chief executive officer of the Center for Black Educator Development.

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Dealing with racial bias in the courtroom

By ReShonda Tate

In a society that claims to be just and unbiased, the recent conviction of actor Jonathan Majors for assault raises disconcerting questions about the enduring impact of racial prejudice within our legal system. From the moment he walked into the courtroom, Majors was burdened by a biased perception that seemed to overshadow the pursuit of justice.

A Manhattan jury recently found the 34-year-old Majors guilty of one misdemeanor assault charge and one harassment violation for a March altercation with his then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, who is white.

The troubling narrative begins with the prejudiced lens through which the jury viewed Majors—a big Black man accused of harming a white woman. In a justice system supposedly built on the principles of fairness and impartiality, it is deeply disheartening to witness how racial stereotypes can infiltrate the courtroom, clouding the judgment of those tasked with upholding the law.

Majors, known for his talent and presence in the entertainment industry, found himself ensnared in a situation where the color of his skin seemed to overshadow his individual character. The implicit bias that often accompanies the intersection of race and crime played a decisive role in shaping perceptions from the outset, setting the stage for an uphill battle for justice.

It is essential to recognize that this is not an isolated incident. The sordid history of America reveals a disturbing pattern of crucifying Black men, particularly when allegations involve harm to a white woman.

The courtroom dynamics further amplified these biases as Majors faced the daunting challenge of navigating a legal system that has too often failed to acknowledge the unique struggles faced by

Black defendants. The power dynamics at play, with a white victim testifying against a Black defendant, can trigger deeply ingrained prejudices that compromise the objectivity we expect from our justice system. This case serves as a stark reminder that we must confront and dismantle the pervasive racial biases that persist in our legal institutions. It is not just about one individual’s innocence or guilt; it is about addressing the deeply entrenched inequalities that continue to plague our society, perpetuating a cycle of injustice that undermines the very principles our legal system is meant to uphold. As we reflect on the conviction of Jonathan Majors, we must renew our commitment to fostering a justice system that is blind to the color of one’s skin, where every individual is afforded the same rights and opportunities. Only by confronting and dismantling the systemic biases that have stained our history can we hope to build a future where justice is truly blind and impartial. Marvel had more riding on Jonathan Majors than perhaps any other actor. Now it’s parting ways with him, and throwing years of plans for its cinematic universe in disarray. Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Co. dropped Majors from all future projects following the actor’s conviction. Majors, who was acquitted of a different assault charge and of aggravated harassment, will be sentenced on Feb. 6. Majors’ attorney, Priya Chaudhry, said in a statement that “It is clear that the jury did not believe Grace Jabbari’s story of what happened in the SUV because they found that Mr. Majors did not intentionally cause any injuries to her.”

“Mr. Majors still has faith in the process and looks forward to fully clearing his name,” said Chaudhry.

ReShonda Tate is a reporter and columnist for the Houston Defender Network

Guest Columnist Sharif El-Mekki

Guest Columnist ReShonda Tate

Guest Columnist Hiram Jackson

Black Knight youth chess tournament coming in February

St. Louis American

The Legacy Institute will host the first Black Knight Chess Tournament throughout February at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, 2901 N. Grand Blvd, St. Louis.

The opening round will be on Saturday February 3, semifinals on Feb. 10, and title matches on Feb. 17. Age groups are 7-10 (Little League), 11-13 (Junior Varsity), and 14-18 (Varsity.)

“In the Legacy Institute Chess Program, we see young people’s excitement to engage in chess every week,” said Terran Rome, Legacy executive director.

“We want to create a program that occurs three times a year - winter, summer, and fall - where our youth can compete in the game of chess and bring the same excitement [the community] has for youth athletics and put that toward the

mental sport of chess.

Rome said one of the program’s goals “is to turn chess into a lifestyle and not just a one-time occurrence.”

There will be prizes for winning teams and players, and Legacy is collaborating with Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, National Black Engineers, Normandy Collective, Better Family Life: Courtney Chess Club, The Village 314, MatthewsDickey Boys and Girls Club, St. Louis Parks and Recreation, Cardinal Ritter, and Dream Builder to stage the tournament.

Legacy Institute participants are paired with mentors and gain exposure to a variety of career and occupation opportunities. In addition, the different pathways to college are illuminated. Please visit www. legacyinstitutestl.org for more information on the program. For additional information on the tournament, email Legacyinstitute2021@ gmail.com or call (314) 925-8228.

Year-end daydreaming, looking ahead

By E. Faye Williams

Happy and blessed holidays to all.

I’m indeed blessed to know that you read what I write. Despite all the horrors that have happened, many of you’ve been kind enough to let me know what you’re thinking. Again, I’m going to let you know what I’m thinking!

What if we talk a bit about year-end politics? What if we take away the titles of D’s, R’s and I’s from those parties because some of them have done some scary things the past year — some scarier than others?

What if we require candidates for office to explain what they will do to resolve the problems the people they represent face daily?

If they’re running for the first time, just tell us what you’re going to do for us. Tell us about the things you’ve already done to prove to us you can do what you’re now promising us to do.

If you’ve already served in the office for which you are now running, tell us what you promised to do to help us when you ran. Tell us if you did it. If not, why not, and why should we give you another chance? Tell us what you’re planning to do to help us if you’re reelected. Let opponents speak for themselves. You have to admit that positive accomplishments during the past year have been slim to none in many areas and by many who want another chance. We would then ask ourselves if we want to continue electing people if they continuously fail to honor their promises.

Before they’re a part of sending our billions of dollars to other nations, do leaders even bother to approve what recipients did with the last funds and equipment we sent?

When we receive grants from our government, we must show what we’re going to do with the funds, and in the end, we must prove we did it or we won’t get any more.

Our current system for what our tax dollars are donating is not working for those of us who pay taxes. When those we elect don’t do things to help us with what we hold dearly, they must stop clogging up our mail and telephones and being granted the opportunity to tell more lies.

All candidates should have a checklist of accomplishments and no opportunity to run on just bad-mouthing and blaming opponents for what they did or didn’t do.

In the coming year, can we stop blaming everything on young people? Let’s ask ourselves what we’ve done to give them a fair chance in life — such as having adequate good quality food, a safe neighborhood, a school where they can get a good education, a chance they’ll be treated fairly by our system of justice.

Wouldn’t we have a better nation if all adults had a good job and everybody spoke respectfully to each other so young people didn’t learn from them to be dishonest, disrespectful and worrisome?

I know what I’m hoping for in 2024 may be just a dream, but success usually begins with a dream. In a few days, most of us will find something good to do to celebrate the holidays — then go back to forgetting to be kind to each other.

In 2024, can we just try a bit harder to care about each other, to be part of the solution, and not the problem? It’s my greatest wish that those who run for office and seek our vote in 2024 will offer all of us something better than we’ve seen in 2023.

Let us invest more in America so that we can truly say to the world, “We are who we say we are.”

E. Faye Williams is president of The Dick Gregory Society (www. thedickgregorysociety.org).

Chess is introduced to participants in the Legacy Institute, and the program is sponsoring a youth chess tournament during February at Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

E. Faye Williams

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Danforth Office of Special Counsel and served as a member of the Ferguson Commission.

However, in his current position as head of the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office (CAO) Gore’s name became immediately prominent after Governor Mike Parson announced he had selected him to replace Kimberly M. Gardner, who quit the job on May 16, 2023.

Gore describes himself as a “general litigator” who has served as a federal prosecutor and represented clients facing federal charges.

“I think strategically about how to argue and present things to the court to the benefit of my clients. Today, the client may have changed but the strategies and how I present things haven’t. In this position, I serve our clients-the citizens of St. Louis-we go to the courts and represent them to the best of our ability.”

Gore stepped into the unenviable position of replacing a prosecutor who was twice elected by voters but was loathed by many powerful individuals mostly for her positions on police reforms and her decision to prosecute former Governor Eric Greitens. Inundated with charges of incompetence, Gardner faced a barrage of media accusations ranging from in-office resignations to criminal case backlogs. At the time of her resignation, Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, was seeking to remove Gardner from office legally.

Recently Gore delivered a progress report highlighting his job-related accomplishments which include the hiring of 24 attorneys with 120 years

cumulative prosecutorial experience; reorganizing the CAO’s diversion programs: investing in employee compensation and training; community engagement and establishing a conviction integrity unit, led by retired Missouri Supreme Court Judge George W. Draper III. His efforts to address a backlog of cases is another accomplishment, Gore recounted. According to a CAO press release, from June 1 to Dec. 1 of this year, the office has charged about 2,650 new cases, compared to 1,460 charged during the same period of 2022 – a 45 percent increase.

In just six months, Gore has received public praise for his CAO reformation efforts and prominent accolades including Missouri State University’s 2023 “Government Excellence Award” and the St. Louis American’s 2023 “Person of the Year” award. Gore shared how some

friends responded to the news of his new position.

“They’d say, ‘congratulations…I guess,’” the prosecutor chuckled.

Accepting the role of the city’s chief prosecutor came with immediate challenges.

“From Gardner’s resignation to the appointment process to closing my private practice (I had been at Dowd/Bennett for 13 years) in about a week and a half. All that to being sworn in while (simultaneously) preparing for this job…the sheer condensed nature of it all was extremely challenging.”

Once he officially reported to work on the 4th floor of 1114 Market Street, Gore said he found an office that was “severely understaffed in every area you could imagine.”

“The key resource in any law office is people and we didn’t have a lot of people,” Gore explained. “So, the biggest challenge was to get some leadership back, get some senior people to come in and help me

run this office.”

He said there were only 25 attorneys in the office with 22 of them focused on criminal cases. He added 24 more, saying that the office is at a point “where everyone’s working at 130% of capacity and we’re able to meet our obligations and effectively represent the citizens of St. Louis in the criminal courts.”

Still, Gore added, there’s much more work to do to make sure the office is “sustainable and back to full strength.”

Asked how he’s holding up, Gore recited a quote someone shared with him when he took the CAO position:

“‘One of life’s great blessings is to be given the opportunity to work hard on important work’ and as someone who’s always looking for an opportunity to serve, this is a great blessing,” Gore said.

A discussion about the time he spent with former President Barack Obama at the University of Chicago

Gabe Gore describes himself as a “general litigator” who has served as a federal prosecutor and represented clients facing federal charges.

ry indicated otherwise.”

When Gore sat down with the St. Louis American in June, he said he was not focusing on running for the CAO position next year.

Again, history seems to be indicating otherwise.

Earlier this month, Gore announced that he’s running for a full four-year term in 2024.

Law School segued into the topic of unexpected outcomes. Gore took Obama’s “Race & Law” course and was impressed that he was one of the only professors who actively sought to play pick-up basketball with him and other students.

After the games ended, Gore remembered Obama’s invitation to stick around.

“He’d say ‘Gabe, I’m trying to get in a good workout and you seem to be in good shape (he knew I ran track). So, we’d play one-on-one, sometimes full court,” Gore said, recalling Obama’s speed and his specialty “line drive, pullup jump shot that he never seemed to miss.”

Back then, Gore said he never imagined Obama going into politics, first as an Illinois senator and later as President of the United States. He and his fellow students predicted Obama’s future as a leading professor at the law school.

“But, Gore said, “histo-

“Running for public office is not something that has ever been on my career to-do list,” Gore said. “And that hasn’t changed. But what has changed is the unique opportunity to serve alongside the men and women who have come back to the circuit attorney’s office to join me to do the work that’s necessary to have a positive impact on the community that I love. And to create a greater level of public safety for the entire region.”

Gore said he believes voters next year will be cognizant of his efforts to revamp and revitalize the CAO in such a short time frame.

“Across the board we’ve been successful in rebuilding things,” he said. On his selection as this newspaper’s “Person of the Year,” Donald M. Suggs, longtime owner and publisher of the American, credited the prosecutor’s accomplishments:

“Gabe Gore has brought some much-needed administrative leadership to a beleaguered Circuit Attorney’s office,” Suggs said. “His stellar reputation and solid performance have enhanced his ability to attract some able, experienced lawyers who are an essential component to addressing the daunting challenges of an office that is critical in the criminal justice system.”

Sylvester Brown Jr./ Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Brown

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helping his family cope with the loss of his son Micheal Brown Jr. so he wanted to do something to give back to the same community that helped him.

Brown Sr. says his son loved to give back and this is one of the ways he is keeping his legacy alive. The annual toy giveaway is therapeutic for him and his family; it’s helping them heal from the grief over the death of his son.

“Those times where I’m feeling the pain over losing Mike, these types of events give me the momentum I need to move forward,” said Brown Sr. Jerrod Upchurch, a local barber, was giving free haircuts to the young boys at the toy drive.

According to the barber it’s always good to give back to the people in the community. “I am fortunate to be successful so for me it’s important to show up for those who need just a little bit more help. He says getting toys is great on Christmas but looking good for family photos and at Christmas dinner is important too. “It’s such a great feeling to see the boys’ reaction after they get their hair cut,” said Upchurch.

“When you look good you feel good.”

This year’s event infused a nostalgic twist with the theme “A Michael Brown Christmas,” a playful homage to the classic

Database

Continued from A1

misconduct undermines that trust and threatens the right to equal justice under law.” The database aims to provide federal agencies with readily accessible records of serious misconduct when hiring federal law enforcement officers. The White House said the move is part of a broader effort to strengthen the bonds of trust and accountability within law enforcement agencies nationwide.

Brown Christmas. Brandi Richardson, a volunteer for the annual event wanted to make sure she did her due diligence this Christmas season by helping the organization in any way that she could. Richardson explained when she saw all the kids laughing and having fun getting toys and just being kids it gave her goosebumps.

“ Watching people do things out of the kind-

“Protecting public safety depends on trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” Biden remarked. “By building trust, we can strengthen public safety and more effectively fight crime in our communities.”

The initiative is an outgrowth of the Executive Order Biden signed in May 2022, focusing on police reform—the most significant in decades. The order mandated federal law enforcement agencies to ban chokeholds, strengthen use-of-force policies, and

ness of their heart is just a blessing,” said the volunteer. She recommends that anyone who has the time join and help, “This is what Christmas is about,” said Richardson.

restrict no-knock warrants, among other critical reforms.

“As part of my administration’s executive order on policing, we committed to create a first-of-its-kind database to track records of law enforcement misconduct so that agencies are able

The Christmas community event holds a special place in Brown Sr.’s heart as it brings joy to those in less fortunate circumstances and serves as a cathartic way for him to navigate through his grief

to hire the best personnel,” Biden affirmed. “I am fulfilling that promise by launching the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database.”

The president and vice president stressed their dedication to advancing police accountability, renewing their call for

during the holiday season.

The annual Christmas toy drive helps Brown Sr. turn his sorrow into joy by showing kindness to those in need. “ While Christmas may be difficult for us, we turn it into a beacon of hope for others,” he said. Melanie Marie, Executive Director of the Michael Brown Sr. Chosen For Change Organization, was ecstatic about the turnout of the

Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Harris, pivotal in authoring the act as a United States Senator, reiterated the administration’s commitment to fostering nationwide transparency and public trust in law enforcement.

event on Saturday, “It warms my spirit,” said the executive director. She explained it’s a constant reminder they are keeping the legacy of Micheal Brown Jr. alive. For additional details on supporting this cause all year round, please visit the website at www.chosenforchange.org.

Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.

Biden also urged Congress to act swiftly. “I urge Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to advance accountability, transparency, and public trust in law enforcement across the nation,” Biden insisted. “Send it to my desk, and I will sign it.”

Michael Brown Sr. Chosen for Change annual toy give-away was held at STL Artworks on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023.

Charlie

n “This is to bring cheer, laughter, and love back.”

– Michael Brown Sr.

Photo by Taylor Marrie / St. Louis AMerican

Rising infant mortality rate cited in STL County, state

Black babies at much higher risk

St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page and Dr. Kanika Cunningham, public health director, are continuing their work to reduce the infant mortality rate in the county. Statistically, Black infants experience higher rates of nearly all risk factors that contribute to infant mortality, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and birth defects.

By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that the country saw its first increase in infant deaths in more than 20 years.

Four states - Missouri, Iowa, Georgia, and Texas - were named as having significant increases in infant deaths, with St. Louis County narrowly outpacing the national average.

Missouri’s infant mortality rate increased by 60% from 2021 to 2022. The CDC estimates the U.S. national

average at 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births. Yet, St. Louis County’s infant mortality rate is 5.9 deaths per 1,000 with Black infants being 6.4 times more likely to die before their first birthday than white infants.

Dr. Kanika Cunningham, St. Louis County’s public health director found the report alarming.

She said, compared to white infants, Black infants experience higher rates of nearly every risk factor that contributes to infant mortality, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and birth defects. If infant mortality

rates were equitable, Cunningham added, 23 fewer Black babies would die before their first birthday every year.”

St. Louis County health officials noted that between 2013 and 2022, there were 82 infant deaths. According to Cunningham, between that time, there were 82 infant deaths caused by unsafe sleeping environments.

“Unsafe sleep environments for infants remains a tragic problem. These deaths are entirely preventable

By Monique LeNoir and Chanda Nicole Holsey

By Alvin A. Reid St. Louis American

Affinia Healthcare has continued to serve the St. Louis area in 2023 with services including medical, behavioral, dental and midwifery.

Responding to a need for additional mental health services, especially for Black men, Affinia launched “A Conversation: Black Men’s Mental Health” a monthly event where men from a variety of backgrounds gather for a meal and conversation. A licensed counselor or therapist leads the sessions.

The final event of the year will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 30, in the Affinia Healthcare multipurpose room at 1717 Biddle. A community health needs assessment showed an area of concern was Black men’s health, according to Dr. Kendra Holmes, Affinia Healthcare president & CEO.

n “The statistics tell the story of how Black men’s health has been neglected by the healthcare system, and this is especially the case when it comes to mental health.”

– Dr. Kendra Holmes

“The statistics tell the story of how Black men’s health has been neglected by the healthcare system, and this is especially the case when it comes to mental health,” she said.

“We know that men are hesitant to see a doctor and the stigma attached

See AFFINIA, A11

As a Black mother with two sons, and for my colleague who is a Black mother of two daughters, and who suffered an infant loss at 27 weeks, we are deeply concerned about the recent breaking news from the CDC, which reports the largest increase in infant mortality rates in more than two decades. While the overall increase in infant mortality rates may not be significant, the disparity within the Black community is nothing short of alarming. Black infants are experiencing the highest rates of infant mortality, with nearly 11 deaths per 1,000 births – more than double the rate for white infants. This news serves as a stark reminder that systemic health disparities continue to plague our community, and it is time for us to take action.

In the face of this troubling report, we are faced with a crucial question; what do we do about it? Specifically, what can Black mothers and fathers do to navigate the complex healthcare system effectively and demand the quality care they deserve.

The African American Wellness Project (AAWP) is a trusted resource that empowers individuals to navigate the complex healthcare system effectively and demand the quality care they deserve.

Our primary focus has been to equip individuals with the knowledge and tools they need to advocate for and protect their health. Our organization serves as a megaphone for trusted information and vital resources that empowers African Americans.

As we grapple with the CDC’s

Affinia continues ‘Conversation’ on Black men’s mental health

Photo courtesy of St. Louis County

Monique LeNoir

The final event of the year will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 30, in the Affinia Healthcare multipurpose room at 1717 Biddle.

Graphic courtesy of Affinia

Chanda Nicole Holsey

Affinia

Continued from A10

to mental health really dissuades men from seeing a professional. We want this to be a soft introduction to what mental healthcare can look like, providing a safe space for men to start having the conversations that help address their mental health.”

According to the American Psychological Association, only 26.4% of Black and Hispanic men ages 18 to 44 who experienced daily feelings of anxiety or depression were likely to have used mental health services, compared with 45.4% of non-Hispanic white men with the same feelings.

When Black men do seek help and would prefer a samerace provider, it can be difficult finding Black psychologists, since they still make up only about 4% of the doctoral-level psychology workforce.

LaDon Meriweather, Affinia outreach director, said starting “A Conversation” is something he is excited to lead.

“As a Black man I know we go through a lot, and we don’t have a space at all to just communicate,” he said.

“When it popped up in my head, I just wanted to create it because I know what it’s like to battle yourself. Since I knew it,

Infant

Continued from A10

with safe sleep practices. Babies should be alone and put on their backs to sleep in a crib,” Cunningham stated. Cunningham strongly suggests parents follow the ABC rule: “Alone, back and clear,” which she defines as “no co-sleeping,” putting babies on their backs to sleep and not having “a lot of pillows or blankets” surrounding them while they snooze.

St. Louis County health officials gave even more details regarding the leading causes of child mortalities (ages 1-17) in the county which are “homicides, unintentional injuries, and suicides”- which collectively account for more than 60% of child deaths.

In St. Louis County, an average of 50 children between ages 1-17, and 80 infants, die annually. But, Cunningham stressed, the highest mortality rates are among

Mortality

Continued from A10 latest findings, there are critical actions that we, as a community, must take to confront these disparities head-on:

Raise awareness: It is essential to raise awareness about the alarming infant mortality rates among Black infants. We must engage in open and honest conversations within our communities, highlighting the disparities that continue to plague African American women and children regardless of socioeconomic or educational status.

Use of mental health services by race/ethnicity

and Dr. Holmes gave me the greenlight, that was it.”

Meriweather said the discussions sometimes center on “how you’re feeling at the time.”

“During the last ses-

children in the 15-to-17 age group.

“As of today, Black children are 4.9 times more likely to die than white children in St. Louis County,” Cunningham said in a press statement.

There were 22 drug-related deaths between 20182022 among the 15-to-17 age group, with one-third of those deaths involving fentanyl. Additionally, Black children in that demographic account for 95% of homicides by gun violence.

“In St. Louis County, just like the rest of Missouri, too many infants and children are dying from preventable causes,” St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page said at a child safety event last month.

The late November event, held at the John C. Murphy Health Center in the county, offered free child safety products for families, smoke detectors, winter coats, and information from the County Department of Public Health and community organizations. Cunningham, an expect-

Provide access to information: Organizations such as the March of Dimes, and ours, AAWP, are committed to providing accessible and reliable information about effective ways to address the health of moms and children, healthcare options, and navigating the healthcare system. Visit such reliable organizations to access guides and resources that can help you make informed decisions about your health.

Advocate for change: Empower yourself with knowledge and become an advocate for change. Join local and national initiatives that

sion, since it was getting close to the holidays, we talked about holiday trauma -- when you’ve lost a loved one and you have to deal with it through the holidays,” he said.

For the upcoming session, licensed therapist Etoya R. White will return as facilitator. Some participants brought their sons. “We don’t put an age limit on this because it’s

just that important. The young ones need to hear us, and they need to see us show love to each other,” Meriweather added.

To launch “A Conversation,” two events

ing mother, has taken the CDC’s dire news both personally and professionally.

“It’s heartbreaking, but it’s also motivating for me because I know that we have more work to do, and all throughout the county, so many different health disparities in the equities that we’re dealing with,” Cunningham said.

“Let’s draw attention to our infants and our chil-

aim to address healthcare disparities, and let your voice be heard. Demand equal access to quality care for all, regardless of race or socio-economic status.

Support community initiatives: Support organizations like AAWP that are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the African American community. Together, we can create a powerful force for change.

Seek prenatal and postnatal care: For expectant Black mothers, seeking prenatal care is crucial. Accessing proper medical guidance throughout pregnancy can

dren. It’s something that all of us need to do collectively so we can support our families.”

In an interview with St. Louis Public Radio, Melinda Monroe, CEO of Nurses for Newborns, a nonprofit that provides care for infants, the numbers are painful to behold.

“We have seen infant mortality rates trending down, overall,” Monroe

significantly reduce the risk of infant mortality. Postnatal care is equally important to ensure the health and well-being of both mother and child.

Educate healthcare providers: Encourage healthcare providers to receive cultural competency training to better understand the unique needs and challenges faced by Black patients. Advocate for equitable healthcare practices and policies.

Practice self-care: Last but not least, we know life does not stop while pregnant, but reducing stress during pregnancy is critical for preventing compli-

were held on Sept. 23, 2023.

The first was in partnership with the Michael Brown Sr. Chosen for Change organization and it targeted young Black males for a discussion on mental health. The conversation was led by licensed professional counselor Tessie Amos. The second event that day was Affinia’s second Anti-violence Paint Party at Annie Malone Children and Family Services, 5355 Page Ave. This event was geared toward young people ages 18 to 25. The event was led by Eric Wilson, owner of the ERG Gallery, and facilitated by Candice Cox of KHOAS Inc. counseling. Cox is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in trauma and family dynamics.

“We are working to help our Black men better deal with the challenges and obstacles they face,” said Meriweather.

“For so long we have told ourselves that we can’t feel what we’re experiencing, we must shake it off or sweep it under the rug, and that’s killing us. This is a first step. We’re having a conversation and hopefully it will lead to other productive ways to handle mental strain.”

No registration is required for the January 30 event, and lunch is provided. The dates for 2024 have been set and planning is underway.

For event information, contact LaDon Meriweather at (314) 8148737 or via email, lmeriweather@affiniahealthcare. org.

do a deep-dive into causes and remedies once more data-specific information becomes available.

“When we’re talking about a baby dying, one more is too many. It’s not OK,” Monroe said, adding: “So that’s where we have to pay attention to the most granular data that we can get our hands on.”

The disturbing news from the CDC came about four months after the state released a report showing Missouri women were more likely to die during pregnancy and after they gave birth between 2018 and 2020 than in the previous three-year period that ended in 2019, St. Louis Public Radio reported.

said. “And this was the first time in over 20 years that we have seen an uptick as a nation, and a significant uptick in Missouri’s rate.” Despite fewer overall births in 2022, the state saw 61 more infant deaths than the previous year.

While the precise reasons for the surge in infant mortality rates remain unclear, Monroe suggests the state

cations for mom and baby. Be vigilant about implementing self-care. Reduce stress, cut back on nonessential activities, have a good support network, seek resources in the community or from your provider about ways to help identify the source of your stress and take active steps to remove or lessen it.

Traditionally, the best sources of information on how to overcome health disparities has come from The National Institutes of Health and the Office of Minority Health, but AAWP has emerged as an effective way to promote health equity and yield better outcomes for people of color. Our website, aawellnessproject.org

The CDC also reported an increase in infants who died from pregnancy complications and bacterial sepsis. For many in health-related fields, the center’s findings serve as a wake-up call and a need for immediate redress.

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

provides access, guides and resources that can help you make informed decisions about your health. The CDC’s report is a sobering reminder that our work is far from over. The fact that infant mortality has increased after two decades should serve as a call to action. It is our responsibility to respond to these inequities in the healthcare system and ensure that every Black mother and child receives the quality care they deserve.

Monique LeNoir is executive director of the African American Wellness Project and Chanda Nicole Holsey is a board member

Photo courtesy of Psychiatryonline.org

Kendra Holmes

Don ‘DJ Wrekk 1’ Williams’ success is no accident

St. Louis’ own Don ‘DJ Wrekk 1’ Williams has returned to his hometown as program director for Foxy 106.9, the area’s newest R&B radio station.

By Ashley Winters

St. Louis American

St. Louis’ own Don ‘DJ Wrekk 1’ Williams has returned to his hometown as program director for Foxy 106.9, the area’s newest R&B radio station. Williams’ radio career spans close to 30 years and the St. Louis American had the opportunity to catch up with the former DJ, who shared his vision for the station and tales from his rich radio history.

How does it feel to be returning? There’s nothing like home sweet home! When I was a kid, my love for radio burned brighter than a thousand suns. Back then, the internet and cable TV didn’t hold a candle to the power of radio. It was the superstar, the ulti-

mate trendsetter, and the gateway to all things music and cool. I’d spend my days jamming to the latest hits, immersing myself in the world created by DJs who connected us to the hottest artists and events in our city.

Not content with being just a fan, I pursued my passion for radio at Central Visual and Performing Arts. Majoring in radio under the leadership of Elliot Simpson, I was determined to seize every opportunity that came my way.

One fateful summer, I stumbled upon a letter for a media program organized by the St. Louis National Association of Black Journalists. I knew this was my chance, so I begged and begged the president Melanie Robinson until I made the cut. The program brought me face-to-face with

other radio legends, Marc Clarke, and Doc Luv, who would be teaching the radio division. It was a dream come true.

Deneen Busby graciously took me under her wing. From that moment on, I vowed to never say no and to always make myself available. It was a rollercoaster ride that took me from St. Louis to Indianapolis, Florida, and eventually back home.

Brian Wallace and Leo Baldwin have had a profound impact on my life by teaching me invaluable lessons in radio formatting. Their guidance and mentorship have elevated my skills to a whole new level.

How will you set new standards in ‘urban radio’?

See WILLIAMS, B2

PeoPle on the Move

Neal Richardson receives major award

St. Louis Development Corporation

President & CEO Neal Richardson, MBA was honored with the 2023 Economic Development Award from 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis during their 40th Anniversary Day-La event. Richardson earned his bachelor of science in business administration and master of business administration from Webster University. Prior to joining SLDC, his professional experience included over 15 years in the real estate finance and community development industry. In 2022, Richardson received MOKAN’s Public Sector Executive of the Year award, FOCUS St. Louis’ Emerging Alumni Award, and was recognized by St. Louis Magazine as 100+ People Shaping St. Louis

Griffin promoted at World Wide Technology

Ryan Griffin

Ryan K. Griffin has been promoted to manager, early in career programs and diversity recruiting at World Wide Technology. He previously served as team leader on diversity and university relations programs and prior to that was diversity and university relations program manager. Prior to WWT, Griffin was senior diversity recruiter at Edward Jones for more than six years. He holds a BSBA in marketing as well as an MBA, both from the University of Tulsa.

ALSAC/St. Jude hires Linda Robinson

Linda Robinson recently joined ALSAC/St. Jude as advisor-area development. She most recently served as director of the Save Our Sisters Program at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. Prior to that she was director of volunteer recruitment for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri. Earlier in her career, Robinson worked for A.G. Edwards and then later Wells Fargo Advisors for nearly 29 years. She holds an MA in human resources development from Webster University; and an MA in non-profit/ public/organizational management from Webster University.

Thomas named to NSBA Leadership Council

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

During a visit to the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, President Biden showcased the unprecedented growth of Black small business ownership during his administration and visited a local Black-owned plumbing business.

“I’m here to celebrate the progress we’re making for Black small businesses here and around the country,” Biden started.

“We’re doing it by building the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down.”

Biden said Black wealth is up a record 60% since the pandemic as he called Black small businesses something that “doesn’t get enough attention.”

“You’re proof that Black small businesses with talent, integrity and See BUSINESS, B2

Prentice Ivy, Jr. recently received an appreciation award from St. Louis University for his work with university relations at World Wide Technology and his commitment to helping students achieve their goals and reach new heights in their careers. He is a university program recruiter at World Wide Technology. Prior to WWT, Ivy was a talent acquisition specialist for Edward Jones. He has also worked for both UPS and Citi. Ivy holds a bachelors degree from Southeast Missouri State University.

Photo courtesy of Don ‘DJ Wrekk 1’ Williams

Photo courtesy of The AP

Linda Robinson President Joe Biden speaks with Rashawn Spivey, CEO of Hero Plumbing, LLC as he visited the Black-owned business on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, in Milwaukee. The company is dedicated to removing lead pipes, and Biden wants all lead service lines removed by the end of the decade.

Prentice Ivy, Jr.

Williams

Continued from B1

Our radio station focuses on diversity and inclusion by listening to and playing the music that the community wants to hear. Unlike other stations, our rotation is not dictated by undisclosed research or corporate managers from another city. We play songs that St. Louis grew up listening to, providing a refreshing experience that has been missing for a long time. We are deeply involved in the community and participate in events that matter, improving the lives of our community. We are in an urban community, easily accessible and connected to the people. Additionally, we have familiar and beloved talent that the community knows and loves.

Who did you admire and try to mimic and why?

The Bad Boyz Tossin Ted, DJ Vodu, Doc Luv, and DJ Kaos taught me the importance of embracing the edgier side of radio. They showed me how to relate to the grimmer side while still maintaining an element of fun. This understanding has been crucial in shaping my brand and connecting with diverse audiences. Listening to Tony Scott and the Breakfast Crew taught me about the importance of structure in radio, they helped me create well-organized and captivating content for my listeners.

Deja Vu and Dwight Stone were game changers in the St. Louis radio scene. Their dynamic energy and unique style of hosting made an impression on me. I embraced their approach and incorporated it into my performances, which has helped me stand out and build a dedicated

fan base. DJ Kut, through his guidance, I learned the importance of establishing relationships that can lead to profitable opportunities. This knowledge has allowed me to leverage my DJing skills and turn them into lucrative ventures. My mentor and supervisor, Lou Thimes Jr., has taught me the value of breaking the rules and challenging the status quo. His unique work ethic sets him apart, and he encourages open dialogue and disagreement without taking it personally. Lou goes above and beyond in providing guidance, advice, feedback, and unwavering support. He is truly one of a kind.

What types of music will be played on Foxy 106.9?

Foxy 106.9’s playlist is carefully curated to align with the radio station’s mission of creating community through music by offering a diverse range of artists and genres that appeal to a wide audience. By including artists like Beyonce and Bruno Mars, we cater to fans of contemporary R&B and soulful music, bringing a modern touch to our playlist.

At the same time, we understand the importance of honoring the musical heritage and nostalgia of the St. Louis community. By incorporating Jazz, Blues, and artists like Johnnie Taylor, we pay homage to the songs that St. Louis grew up listening to. These songs have a special significance in people’s hearts, taking them back in time to a certain place and era. By including both current hits and classic gems, we ensure that our playlist appeals to a broad audience and brings together different generations.

Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.

Business

Continued from B1

ingenuity are the engines that glue the whole community together,” he said.

“You hold communities together. You’re the ones to sponsor little league teams, you are the ones who are involved in church events.”

Biden would later visit Hero Plumbing, a Black-owned business in Milwaukee dedicated to removing lead pipes. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s historic $15 billion funding allocation will help the company fulfill President Biden’s promise to do away with all lead service lines by the end of the decade.

While highlighting his administration’s significant investments in small businesses, particularly those owned by Black entrepreneurs, President Biden still faces opposition from some Republicans in Congress. However, administration officials said, despite GOP resistance, the American Rescue Plan played a vital role in sustaining small businesses during the pandemic.

Biden’s commitment to fostering opportunities for working families and small business owners is contrasted with Republicans in Congress advocating a return to failed trickle-down economics. Officials said Biden remains steadfast in his belief that diversity is crucial for economic security, making unprecedented investments in Black communities to safeguard the American dream.

Investing in Black entrepreneurship

Administration officials noted that Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda has catalyzed historic gains in small business creation and entrepreneurship. They reported that a record 15 million applications to start new businesses had been filed since he took office, with Black business ownership growing faster than in three decades.

The administration says its investment in Black entrepreneurs has yielded positive results, including:

• A new record of nearly $70 billion in federal contracts awarded to small, disadvantaged businesses in FY 2022.

• $12 billion allocated to community lenders to expand access to capital, resulting in an estimated $50 billion increase in lending to Latino communities and a nearly $80 billion increase in lending to

Ruben Hopkins, Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce chair and CEO, speaks before President Biden made remarks last Wednesday at the organization’s headquarters in Milwaukee. Biden touted his administration’s record investment in Black-owned small businesses and later visited Hero Plumbing.

Black communities over the next decade.

• $10 billion in support for states, tribes, and territories, with $79 million dedicated to Wisconsin for capital access programs benefiting around 100,000 small businesses.

Local community growth

Officials also said Biden continues to prioritize local, community-led economic development and small businesses. In Milwaukee, a city experiencing economic revitalization under his administration, the Grow Milwaukee Coalition is a finalist for the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration Recompete Program. The CHIPS and Science Act funds this program to foster small business development, high-quality job creation, and economic opportunity in underdeveloped areas.

Historic investment in Black-owned businesses

Further, the White House said Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) has been pivotal in supporting small businesses, including Black-owned enterprises, in Wisconsin and nationwide. Key investments include:

• The Small Business Community Navigators Pilot Program provides $100 million to organizations supporting small businesses, significantly impacting Blackowned businesses.

• The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Capital Readiness Program is awarding $125 million to 43 non-profit organizations, including $3 million for Wisconsin.

Continued support and future prospects

Biden’s Small Business Administration delivered $50 billion to small businesses in Fiscal Year 2023, with a focus on supporting underserved businesses, officials stated on the call. Federal contract spending on small, disadvantaged businesses reached a record-breaking $163 billion in 2022, exceeding the administration’s goals. “The president’s commitment to supporting small and minority-owned businesses extends to the clean energy sector, with investments in initiatives to grow disadvantaged clean energy businesses in underserved communities,” a senior official stated.

Photo courtesy of WUWM

n “On Christmas, that was my gift.”

InSIdE SportS

By Earl Austin Jr.

A year of triumphs for area teams, athletes

It was an exciting year of sports for the athletes from the St. Louis metropolitan area at all levels of competition. Here is our St. Louis American 2023 Sports Year in Review. In addition to the normal high school highlights from the past year, we’ve also added some of the achievements from our former area prep standouts.

Cardinal Ritter Dominance: It was a tremendous year for the Cardinal Ritter College Prep Lions in athletics. A successful year began in March when Ryan Johnson’s boys’ basketball team won the Class 5 state championship with a victory over Ladue. It was the Lions’ third state championship in four years.

– Quarterback Lamar Jackson on Baltimore’s 33-19 win over San Francisco onship with a victory over Republic.

In that fourth year, Ritter finished in fourth place in 2022.

Cardinal Ritter also won state championships in girls’ track and field and football, which turned out to be a family affair. Head coach Tiffany Spain guided the Lions’ track team to the Class 5 state championship, which was their third title in succession. One of the top athletes on the team was state champion hurdler Kyndall Spain, who is the daughter of coach Tiffany Spain. In late November, head coach Brennan Spain led the Lions’ football team to the Class 5 state champi-

Vashon Doubles Up:

The Vashon Wolverines boys’ basketball team won another Class 4 state championship last season. Vashon won its third state title in a row with a 64-37 victory over Park Hills Central. However, the Vashon boys were not alone in experiencing its state championship glory. The Vashon girls came along as well and won its first ever state championship with a thrilling 79-77 overtime victory over St. Joe Benton in the Class 4 state title game.

The Incarnate Word Winning Streak: The girls basketball dynasty that is Incarnate Word

Academy continued in 2023 as the Red Knights rolled to another Class 6 state championship. IWA defeated Columbia Rock Bridge to win the state title. Of greater significance, the victory also was the 100th in a row for the Red Knights, which is a record in the St. Louis area. Since then, they have won four games to open this season to run their winning streak to 104.

Mizzou Football: The Missouri Tigers football team was picked to finish near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers proved those prognosticators wrong by winning 10 games and finishing second in the SEC East behind Georgia. Mizzou also earned a spot

in the Cotton Bowl on December 29 and will face blue blood Ohio State. Former St. Louis area prep stars Luther Burden III, Cody Schrader and Brady Cook were instrumental in the Tigers terrific season.

Jayson Makes First Team: St. Louisan Jayson Tatum enjoyed the best individual season of his career in 2023 and was named to the All-NBA First Team for his efforts. The former Chaminade College Prep All-American averaged a career-best 30 points a game. He also averaged 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 46 percent from the field. Tatum was also named the Most Valuable Player in the NBA All-Star Game in

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

Salt

at

Napheesa Dominates the WNBA: St. Louisan Napheesa Collier took off most of the 2022 WNBA season to give birth to her first child. She came back in 2023 to enjoy the best season of her professional career with the Minnesota Lynx. For her efforts, Collier was named to the All-WNBA First Team for the first time. The former Incarnate Word Academy All-American averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 49 percent from the field and 84 percent from the free throw line. She led the Lynx to a berth in the WNBA Playoffs.

Simone Biles vaults back to top of women’s sports world

Congratulations to Simone Biles, as she was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for the third time in her career.

After taking time off to deal with her mental and physical health, Biles returned to competition in Chicago in August. Within two months she would win an eighth U.S. national championship and a sixth world all-around gold medal. Biles is the sixth woman to claim the AP honor for a third time.

announcing the award, Biles shared she recently posted an Instagram story in which followers were asked to post their best moment of 2023.

Her photo was not of a gold-medal winning gymnastics routine or Biles standing on the medal podium.

Biles was followed by Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark and Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí of the World Cup champion Spanish soccer team in voting.

Biles married St. Louis native Jonathan Owens in the spring, and he is now a member of the Green Bay Packers. Without all the self-sought fanfare of Taylor Swift in Kansas City and other stadiums, Biles has attended several Packers games. In the AP story

She selected a photo of she and Owens dancing at their wedding reception.

“At the end of the day I did worlds and all that stuff, but I did get married, I got to support him,” she said.

“It’s just like, it’s kind of nice that gymnastics isn’t the main revolving piece.”

NFL improves racial/ gender hiring grades

The National Football League is making progress in hiring of minorities and women, but the door remains closed when it comes to the respective owner’s suites.

The 2023 NFL Racial and Gender Report Card

was released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida last week and the league received a B+ for

racial hiring practices and a B for gender hiring. The combined grade of a B+ is the best the NFL has achieved in the history of the report card.

“The report card shows the NFL has continued to make progress with their hiring practices within the League Office and across their teams,” said Adrien Bouchet, TIDES director and primary author of the report.

“However, there is still room for improvement in the disparities in the racial and gender hiring practices between the NFL League Office and the 32 teams.”

The NFL received a C for “Racial Hiring of Head Coaches.” Coaches of color make up 18.8% of the NFL’s head coaches. However, I think the grade should be lower because only two – Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers and DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans – identify as Black. Until the Las Vegas Raiders name Antonio Pierce head coach – he is the current interim head coach – I would not count him.

A 43% increase over last year led to the NFL receiving an A+ for Racial Hiring of Assistant Coaches.

The NFL received a glaring F for Racial

SLU Women Make History: The Saint Louis University women’s basketball team made history in 2023 when it won the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament to earn its first ever berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Billikens won 17 of their last 18 games, including an overtime thriller over UMass in the A-10 Championship Game. It was quite a debut for firstyear coach Rebecca Tillett, who came over to SLU after leading Longwood to the NCAA Tournament in 2022. One of top standouts on the team was former Metro High standout Brooke Flowers, who finished her career as the school’s all-time leading shot blocker.

Diversity of Team Owners, with just 3.1% being people of color. Obviously, there is no Black person who is majority owner of a franchise.

Because 21.9% of NFL owners are women, the league received a D+ for Gender Hiring. Respective grades of C+ and C were given for Racial and Gender Hiring of Team Vice Presidents. At the start of the 2023 season, there were nine people of color in a general manager position, representing 30% of all general managers. This was an increase of five percentage points from 2022 and 14.4% points in 2021. Even with the F and other mediocre grades, the NFL’s score for race increased to 86.2%, 1.2 percentage points above last year’s score of 85%. The score for gender increased to 84%, 2.6 percentage points higher. Happy New Year, thanks for reading and Go Cowboys! The Reid Roundup will return next week.

Earl Austin Jr.

Lake City

the same time his signature shoe was introduced.

Alvin A. Reid

World champion gymnast Simone Biles and St. Louis native Jonathan Owens shared photos of their wedding on social media. Biles was named 2023 AP Female Athlete of the Year.

Receiver Luther Buden’s season carried him to All-SEC honors and helped propel the Missouri Tigers to the 2023 Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29.

Photo courtesy of Rock M Nation

Photo by RAETAY Photography

St. Louis couple gifts every student at two schools with $250 ahead of Christmas

Students at two St. Louis Catholic high schools were met with an unexpected gift as they wrapped up the school day Wednesday. A husband and wife donated $250 to every student at Cardinal Ritter and at St. Mary’s South Side

“What more can I do?” That’s the question the donor says he asks himself when he wakes up. This week the answer came to him: bless every single student at two different St. Louis schools just days before Christmas.

Cell phone video shows some St. Mary’s students gathering outside their lockers erupting in sheer joy when they heard a special announcement on the PA system.

Four phenomenal Black women are among an elite list of the highest paid female athletes in the world the last 12 months. According to Forbes, young tennis star Coco Gauff is #3 on the list at $21.7 million. $6.7

“The roof blew off the building.... You heard throughout the building the biggest roar I’ve never heard. They were dancing, they were singing, there were tears, there was laughter, there were hugs,” said president Mike England.

That’s because Judy and Rudi Roeslein made it their mission to gift $250 to every student at St. Mary’s and Cardinal Ritter Wednesday.

“When Rudi told me what his wife Judy wanted to do, I knew it would be a blessing our kids would remember forever. Judy and Rudi love our kids like their very own,” said Cardinal Ritter president Tamiko Armstead.

Steffani Lautenschlager,

St. Mary’s chief development officer, said students received gift cards at her school.

“As any teenager, they were just giddy to have $250 that was their own. A few of them even said, ‘I’m going to save it because I’m saving for a car,’” she added.

“One of the young men said, ‘Oh, this so is going to help my mom,’” England said.

At Cardinal Ritter, the donor gave the students cold hard cash. They also got a note that read:

“Be humble.

“Be hungry.

“Be happy.

“...Passing on our blessings brings me happiness and joy that money can’t.”

Four Black women among highest paid female athletes of 2023

million of the 19year-old star’s revenue is from her on-field play and $16 million is from off-field. She won four tennis tournaments this year, and had endorsement deals with companies such as UPS and Bose.

While she doesn’t compete nearly as much as she used to, Venus Williams still made #8 on the list with $12.2 million, only $0.2 million was on-field play while $12 million was off-field. While she made little on-field, she has

endorsement deals with major companies like Dove and Nestle Purina’s PetCare.

WNBA star Candace Parker ranks #13 with $8.1 million. She saw less playing time due to a broken foot, but started

to invest more in the last year, including League One Volleyball. Coming in at #16 is perhaps the greatest female Olympic gymnast of all time, Simone Biles. Almost all of the 26-year-old’s $7.1 million came from off-field

revenue in 2023. She returned to gymnastics in 2023 and plans on competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Biles was recently named the AP Female Athlete of the Year for the third time.

VA St. Louis accepting applications for nursing assistant residency program

A new nursing assistant program at VA St. Louis Health Care System is accepting applications from both current federal employees and the public.

The Nursing Assistant Residency Program, which is affiliated with St. Charles Community College, is currently open to applicants with coursework beginning in February. The entry-level nursing assistant program offers a tuition-free, 8-week college course that provides a salary for participants while they complete their classes on campus during work hours.

learning Veterans Health Administration-centric skills.

During non-class hours, participants will work as patient care companions, patient transporters or in other appropriate healthcare-related positions,

Starting in week six, participants will start the 100 clinical-hour requirement. During the final week of the program, participants can take part

in study prep for the nurse assistant certification.

Taking the certification test is optional and the cost is not covered by VA.

The program will offer four cohorts a year, with eight seats per cohort. At the end of the program,

successful participants, who are full-time VA employees, will transition to a department within VA.

For more information and to apply, please visit USAJOBS - Job Announcement.

Living It

“The greatest legacy that we leave is our families.” - Cedric the Entertainer in a BET holiday interview

“All Colors” on display at Portfolio Gallery

Exhibit a continuum of a founder’s dream

By Sylvester Brown Jr.

The St. Louis American

Almost 35 years ago, Robert A. Powell embarked on a powerful mission to enhance African American culture in the region. In 1989, realizing that even recognized Black superstar artists such as Gordon Parks, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden and Varnette Honeywood were relatively obscure in the white-dominated visual arts world, Powell founded Portfolio Gallery & Education Center in the Grand Center Arts District. The mission, Powell stated then, was to “educate, enrich lives and foster a greater awareness of American artists of African American heritage.”

Although Powell, a Kansas City native, later shuttered the historic 19th century 3-story building that housed Portfolio in 2015, his mission carries on. His bi-annual event “All Colors” will return (Jan. 12 – Feb. 17) to the St. Louis Artist Guild in Clayton featuring more than 50 artists and 100 pieces.

In a recent interview on the Bernie Hayes TV show, Powell explained that the name “All Colors” was originally based on the visual artists who used all kinds of colors; “red, blue, green whatever,” in their work. Now, he said, it applies to all mediums. Although Powell is still curating art shows, he said he misses the old Grand Center days when he was able to bring well-known and relatively unknown artists to St. Louis to interact with art lov-

See Portfolio, C8

A conversation on ‘The Culture’

Featured artist Damon Davis discusses impact of acclaimed SLAM exhibition

By Kenya Vaughn

a close, its impact on the region has been immeasurable.

n “It’s been a journey, but it’s been fun.”

-

Robert A. Powell,

Founder of Portfolio Gallery

It was something Damon Davis – an East St. Louis native and one of the show’s featured artists – predicted from the very beginning. Just before The Culture opened to the masses this summer, Davis spoke with The American about the art form that inspired the exhibition – a collaborative effort between the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art – and shaped him as a creator.

KV: How has hip hop influenced your life and subsequently your art?

DD: I learned every skill I got from hip hop. If I don’t want to be a rapper and producer, then I don’t learn

Kwanzaa celebration

begins, will bring in new year

By Laura Onyeneho

Kwanzaa began on December 26, and the seven-night African American and Pan-African holiday will be celebrated by millions worldwide with the goal to strengthen the values of African heritage and reinforce community among African Americans.

If you are unfamiliar with this holiday tradition, here is what you need to know about Kwanzaa:

Who Created Kwanzaa?

Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chair of Black Studies at California State University created Kwanzaa in 1966. The word Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza” or “first fruits” referring to the agricultural festival found throughout Africa. It became popular in the 1980s and 1990s in tandem with the Black Power movement., Dr. Karenga searched for ways to unify African Americans. He founded a cultural organization called US and began researching African harvest celebrations. He combined the influences of several different celebrations such as those of the Ashanti tribe in Ghana and Zulu of South Africa.

What Are the Seven Symbols of Kwanzaa?

There are seven symbols of Kwanzaa.

1. Kinara (candleholder): The kinara symbolizes the ancestors. The originators.

2. Mishuma Saba (Seven Candles) Three red, Three green, One Black. The Black candle means Umoji and is lit on December 26. The three green candles represent Nia, Ujoma, and Imani which are placed to the right of the Umoja candle, while the three red candles representing Kujichagulia, Ujamaa, and Kuumba are on the left. These three colors come from the fla created by Marcus Garvey.

3. Mkeka (The Mat) Symbolizes the

Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chair of Black Studies at California State University created Kwanzaa in 1966

historical and tradition foundation of the ancestors.

4. Mazao (Crops): Represents the gathering of the families reaffirming their responsibility to each other.

5. Muhindi (ears of corn): Represents fertility and reproduction of children. Raising the children to be upstanding members of their communities.

6. Kikombe Cha Umoja (Unity Cup): Is a special cup used to perform the libation ritual. In many African countries, libations are poured in the memory of loved ones who have passed away.

7. Zawadi (Gifts) Represents the fruits of the labor of the parents and the rewards sown by the children. Every evening there is a candle lighting

Kwanzaa, C8

Robert Powell founder of Portfolio Gallery and curator of “All Colors” an invitational art exhibit (Jan. 12 –Feb. 17) at the St. Louis Artist Guild in Clayton.

Photo courtesy of Robert Powell

The St. Louis American

As the Saint Louis Art Museum’s groundbreaking exhibition, The Culture: Hip hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century draws to

Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Art Museum Cracks XIX (EGO), 2022; concrete and homegrown crystals; 8 x 11 x 6 inches by artist Damon Davis.

CONCERTS AND LIVE SHOWS

Mid Coast Comedy Series

12/29/2023, 8:00pm Kranzberg Arts Center

501 North Grand Blvd St. Louis, MO

Mid Coast Comedy Series Starring B-Phlat

12/29/2023, 8:00pm Central Stage

3524 Washington Ave St. Louis, MO

Jawadd Spann Live from The Dark Room

12/30/2023 10:00pm

12/31/2023 10:00pm The Dark Room

3610 Grandel Sq. St. Louis, MO

$25.00 / $20.00 / $15.00

AFROSEXYCOOL NYE

An afro-cultural arts + fashion + music + dance event celebrating the many dope facets of Blackness while connecting the musical dots of the African diaspora

12/31/2023

Sophie’s Artist Lounge

3333 Washington Avenue St. Louis, MO

New Year’s Eve With The Hamiltones

Aka The Ton3s

12/31/2023 7:00pm City Winery St. Louis

The Hamiltones are the official backing singers for acclaimed vocalist Anthony Hamilton. The trio, who emerged in 2016, draw upon a mix of classic and contemporary influences,

STL Sites &Sounds

including the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, and Kirk Franklin.

3730 Foundry Way Suite 158, St. Louis, MO

$55.00 - $75.00

New Year’s Eve Celebration

12/31/2023 7:30pm Celebrate 2023 with St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, conductor Norman Huynh Stifel Theatre 1400 Market Street St. Louis, MO $47.00 +

New Year’s Eve 2024 12/31/2023 8:00pm Tin Roof - St Louis 1000 Clark Ave St. Louis, MO

$30.00 - $750.00

DJ Kay Kay 47 (NYC) featuring Tef Poe and Crow Life La Familia Live from The Dark Room

12/31/2023 9:00pm The Dark Room 3610 Grandel Sq. St. Louis, MO $40.00

NIGHTLIFE

Superjam 12/31/2023 8:00pm Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles One Ameristar Blvd St. Charles, MO $25.00

Ring in 2024; NYE’s Celebration with

Alysha, The Gwynn Factor, D Lo, DJ Lady Jock

12/31/2023 9:00pm

Attire: Semi-formal, cocktail

Age: 30 & up Vera Lee’s 1854B East Broadway Alton, IL

$55.00 - $350.00

FAIRS, FESTIVALS AND MARKETS

Winterfest

12/28/2023 12:00pm 12/29/2023 12:00pm 12/30/2023 12:00pm

12/31/2023 12:00pm Eighth Annual Winterfes Kiener Plaza Park 500 Chestnut St, St. Louis, MO 63101 St. Louis, MO Free

ART ACTIVITIES, EXHIBITS AND MUSEUMS

Half Century of Hip-Hop!

12/28/2023 5:30pm Join MHS’s and St. Louis’s “Grandpop of Hip-Hop”

IT’S GLOW TIME.

One Fine Arts Drive St. Louis, MO Free

Color Every Inch

12/28/2023

DJ G. Wiz for this party that honors the evolution of hip-hop in St. Louis and pays respect to the music, dance, art, and fashion of hip-hop culture. Missouri History Museum 5700 Lindell Blvd St. Louis, MO $12 Adults, $10 Seniors and Students & $6 Children 6-12

Free Fridays: The Culture

12/29/2023 8pm Experience The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century Saint Louis Art Museum

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission

The fun doesn’t stop after the holidays

By Barry Draper

From astounding athletic feats to wild animal encounters and spectacular Broadway shows to Mardi Gras celebrations, these electrifying events will help you start the new year off right.

Harlem Globetrotters

January 6

Touring more than 400 cities in more than 25 countries, the Harlem Globetrotters are the world’s basketball team. Each game spotlights some of the best athletes on the planet, who awe audiences with ball-handling wizardry, rim-rattling dunks and the famous four-point shot. Be part of the Harlem Globetrotters 2024 World Tour when it comes to Enterprise Center.

Alton Eagle Ice Festival

January 6

In grand fashion, the Alton Eagle Ice Festival celebrates the return of wintering bald eagles to southwest Illinois. At FLOCK Food Truck Park, enjoy eagle-watching shuttle tours, food, drinks, DJ tunes, live ice-carving demonstrations and fire pits with s’more kits. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can also meet a majestic bald eagle from the World Bird Sanctuary.

The National Great Rivers Museum, another site of the celebration, will offer talks by eagle experts, spotting scopes that give you a chance to view eagle nests, eagle-themed crafts and other family-friendly activities. If you want to see even more birds of prey, stop by the Audubon Center at Riverlands, where you can embark on a guided bird hike, or take a tour of the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower, where you can spot bald eagles from 50, 100 and 150 feet in the air!

Mardi Gras

January 6 to February 13

Do you bleed purple, green and gold? You’re in luck – Mardi Gras comes early next year! Beginning Jan. 6, you can enjoy boozy drinks and delectable eats, colorful beads and epic events – including the world’s largest parade of costumed pets – throughout Soulard. As always,

Be part of the Harlem Globetrotters 2024 World Tour when it comes to Enterprise Center on January 6.

festivities culminate in the Bud Light Grand Parade, which will take place on Feb. 10.

To Kill a Mockingbird

January 9 and 10

All rise for Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece. The emotionally shattering landmark production of the American classic is “the most successful American play in Broadway history,” according to The New York Times Critic’s Pick. Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas will play the role of Atticus Finch in the national tour of To Kill A Mockingbird, which will show at Stifel Theatre on Jan. 9 and 10.

St. Louis Auto Show

January 18 to 21

Start your engines – the St. Louis Auto Show will return to America’s Center Convention Complex in January. As the largest automobile event in the region, the St. Louis Auto Show features more than 500 new cars, pickup trucks and SUVs from more than 25 manufacturers – all under one roof! Whether you’re a motorhead or not, you’ll find the show fascinating. Attend-

ees can preview the latest models, learn about safety technology and inspect some of the world’s most expensive vehicles without the pressure of making a purchase.

The Loop Ice Carnival

January 20

The Loop Ice Carnival, one of St. Louis’ coolest signature events, celebrates the winter season with live ice-carving demonstrations, astounding ice sculptures, impressive fire performers and festive stilt walkers. You can also join the playful scavenger hunt, roast marshmallows for s’mores and have your face painted.

Orchid Show

January 27 to February 25

The Missouri Botanical Garden’s ever-popular orchid show returns on Jan. 27. The Garden’s vast orchid collection includes more than 6,000 individual plants representing almost 700 unique species, and approximately one in 10 orchids in the collection is threatened or endangered. Different species bloom at different times, so the orchid show is constantly changing – and always exciting. See it for yourself!

Annual Dr. MLK Celebration at the Art Museum

The annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration returns on Sunday, January 14, at 2 pm in the Saint Louis Art Museum’s Farrell Auditorium. This celebration, titled Boldly Embracing a Legacy of Greatness, will highlight the richness of the Black experience in America. The event will feature an original theatrical work created and performed by Kathryn Bentley, Geovonday Jones, and Jacqueline Thompson inspired by photographs by Moneta Sleet Jr. in the Museum’s collection.

Sleet was an accomplished photojournalist best known for documenting the Civil Rights Movement. The Art Museum is honored to have more than 100 of his photographs in its collection. During his career, Sleet earned a Pulitzer Prize for the outstanding quality of his work, in addition to awards from the National Urban League and the National Association of Black Journalists.

In addition to the performance, this celebration will include a presentation by Rebeccah Bennett, founder and principal of Emerging Wisdom. A forward-thinking social enterprise, Emerging Wisdom helps individuals live empowered lives, leaders build impactful organizations, and communities advance brighter futures. In her nearly 20-year career, Bennett has helped tens of thousands of people and hundreds of organizations effect positive change in the areas of organizational and community leadership, economic development, educational equity, environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion, health and wellness, and women and girls’ empow-

Don’t Miss KWANZAA CELEBRATION THIS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30 SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM 10 AM-2 PM Performances Art Activities Seven Principles Scavenger Hunt

erment.

Kathryn Bentley, the creative director of Boldly Embracing a Legacy of Greatness, is a community artist and an associate professor of theater at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) as well as the director of the university’s Black Studies program. She has been the artistic director of the SIUE Black Theatre Workshop since 2006 and she has performed and directed with numerous theater companies regionally and nationally. In 2020, she was presented the St. Louis Visionary Outstanding Working Artist Award. Bentley commits herself to

community-engaged arts collaborations, striving to create compassionate, artistic experiences and using theater to lift social consciousness. Free tickets for this program may be reserved in person at the Museum’s Information Centers or through MetroTix at metrotix.com or 314534-1111. All tickets reserved through MetroTix incur a service charge; the service charge is waived for tickets reserved at the Museum. Although the event is free, advance tickets are recommended. To learn more, visit slam.org/ events.

Religion STLAfrican Catholic group helps immigrants celebrate faith in Swahili, French

By Andrea Y. Henderson

St. Louis Public Radio

It was the first Sunday of the Advent season, and inside St. Norbert Catholic Church in Florissant are about 50 African families spaced out across the church pews tapping their feet to the African drum and singing gospels in Swahili along with the choir.

Just about everyone attending mass is part of the St. Louis International African Catholic Community organization. African immigrants who speak Swahili gather at St. Norbert every first Sunday of the month to celebrate their culture with others and practice their faith. Many of the members also attend the parish’s afternoon French masses every third Sunday.

The language services have helped tremendously shape the experience for many African immigrants here in St. Louis in a positive way, said Diana Donovan, St. Louis International African Catholic Community president.

“When I moved here, in 2013, I was the only Black person in my parish, for many years,” Donovan said. “But now, just having this community has helped me because I know, even if I’m at my parish for several weeks, I will definitely be here with the rest of the people who share the same values, the same cultures, the same languages as me.”

The African catholic ministry started in 2010 at Holy Trinity parish in St. Ann. The church closed in June 2020 because of a

declining number of parishioners and an increase in church debt. With this closure, the Swahili and French masses were paused.

Members revived the services during the coronavirus pandemic by hosting them via Zoom, but it was short-lived because the group could not keep a priest who spoke the languages.

“Having a priest who speaks your language, who has grown up in your culture, understands you so deeply, is crucial to the well being of the community,” Donovan said. “You can always share with him some things that probably you might not share with your priest at your parish.”

After nearly a two-year hiatus, St. Norbert began hosting the Swahili and French masses in September 2022. Members of the African catholic ministry say attending mass in their native language has helped them mentally process resettlement and it also helped them gain community in a new country, which provides a sense of belonging.

The language masses bring in Africans from different parishes across the area that come from about 15 countries including Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Sudan, and Rwanda.

Father Anthony Kitema started conducting the Swahili masses in October 2022. Kitema, who is from Kenya, is a graduate student at St. Louis University studying leadership and organizational development. This year marks his 15th year of priesthood. The Archdiocese of St. Louis asked Kitema, who speaks three languages — Kamba,

Swahili and English — to serve as priest over the Swahili mass while continuing his studies.

The masses are a celebration of the African journey, traditions and Christianity, said Kitema.

“We want them to nourish these kinds of faith that they come with,” he said. “They are now immigrants here in America, but we do not want them to forget where they came from —

their roots, their Christian faith.”

Kitema said many African immigrants gratefully come to him to discuss any issues or any challenges they may have in St. Louis. He especially enjoys the African traditions at mass, because it reminds him of home.

“We want to have that period to enjoy ourselves, to celebrate with Christ, to dance and sing,” he said. “In the procession, when the mass is beginning, kids [are] dancing … that is [how mass is] back in Kenya.”

The services are one-of-akind in the area. They include worshiping in Swahili and French, the entire choir ushering in the priest and the liturgy while singing and dancing and gathering for a family-style traditional African meal after mass.

Tristen Rouse / St. Louis Public Radio

Father Vedaste Nkeshimana gives Holy Communion during a French-language Mass on Sunday at St. Norbert Catholic Church in Florissant, Mo. The parish holds this Mass in French every third Sunday of the month — and a Mass in Swahili every first Sunday — for African immigrants in the St. Louis region.

FOSTER CARE CASE MANAGER

Provide case management services for children in foster care. Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in social work or related field. Minimum of one year of employment in child welfare field. Interested candidates forward letter of interest and resume to:vatkins@posimpacts. com, Attention: Valerie Atkins. Employee will be employed by Positive Impacts, Inc. and contracted to Epworth Children & Family Services.

STL MAIN STREET PROGRAMS EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

Executive Directors are responsible for leading the economic development and sustainability of the organization. Will direct efforts to integrate entrepreneurship and foster economic growth and development. Must have experience with small businesses, fund development, grant writing, and working with diverse groups of people. Community engagement, place-based development, or leadership experience is preferred. Accepting Resumes now through January 10th. Apply now: Delmar Main Street DelmarmainstreetSTL@gmail. com

Dutchtown Main Street Latasha@dutchtownstl.org

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Requests for Quotes, Bids and Proposals are posted online for public download. Please navigate to www.msdprojectclear.org > Doing Business With Us > View Bid Opportunities

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

Bids for RE-BID Replace HVAC and Controls at Shady Grove State School, Project No. E2010-01 RE-BID, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, January 18, 2024, via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. Project information available at: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Replace Fire Sprinkler System, Cottage 2 (Bissel Hall), Missouri Hills Youth Center, St. Louis, Project No. H2306-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 1/23/24. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PLANNING COORDINATOR

The Planning Coordinator supports the development and creation of plans and may serve as the primary contact for small projects involving contracted partners, municipalities, schools, or engineering firms. Managing all planning tasks including developing documents, creating maps, and analyzing data. Read the full job description here. To apply please send a cover letter and resume to hr@trailnet.org

RECREATION SUPERVISORRENTAL SERVICES

The City of Richmond Heights is accepting applications for the position of Recreation Supervisor - Rental Services $54,338 - 58,321. To apply go to https://richmondheights. applicantpro.com/jobs/

REQUEST FOR BIDS

Millstone Weber, LLC is soliciting proposals for the Improve I-70 Columbia to Kingdom City Design-Build Construction project that will include pavement demolition, pavement construction, excavation, storm sewer, bridge demolition, bridge construction, culverts, guardrail, traffic control, signage, electrical, seeding, erosion control, pavement markings and miscellaneous work as developed through the design process. Please phone 636-688-8795, fax 636-949-3129 or email mike. nowak@millstoneweber. com. Quotes can be sent to bids@millstoneweber.com NLT 01/05/24 4:00 pm CST. Millstone Weber encourages MBE/WBE subcontractors & vendors to bid this project. Requests for project information and opportunities can be sent to bids@millstoneweber.com

DIRECTOR & COORDINATOR

Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri is growing! We’re now accepting applications for two brand new roles – (1) Director, Girl Recruitment and Outreach, and (2) Engagement and Belonging Coordinator. The Director, Girl Recruitment and Outreach provides strategic leadership and management for the recruitment and outreach efforts of GSEM’s 28-County Eastern Missouri Council. The Engagement and Belonging Coordinator promotes and provides leadership for the causes of girl empowerment, gender equity, social justice, access, and belonging. Apply at https://www.girlscoutsem.org/ en/discover/our-council/careers. html. EOE

TEACHERS

St. Louis Catholic Academy is a faithfilled, K-8 school, located in the Penrose neighborhood of North Saint Louis. We’re a vibrant, urban community committed to partnering with families and ensuring each student’s success. Our school offers students a “family feel” and wrap-around support to help our students thrive through high school and beyond.

St. Louis Catholic Academy is currently looking to hire teachers interested in helping our students grow academically and walk more closely with Jesus. Our open positions include a science teacher, a second grade teacher, an English teacher and an art teacher. We seek Christian teachers interested in sharing the gospel message, but our staff does not need to be Catholic. Teachers of color are especially invited to consider. Please email cover letter and resume to Christy Toben at toben@slca-stl.org.

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Renovate Mechanical/ Electrical/ Life Safety at Jefferson State Office Building, Project No. O1911-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, January 25, 2024 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. Project information available at: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Repairs to Storm Water Components, Algoa Correctional Center, Project No. C2306-02 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, January 18, 2024. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Momentum Academy is looking to contract with a firm to provide Managed Technology Services. All proposals due no later than December 30th @ 12pm. Contact Carshaundra Baker, operations@ momentumacademystl. org, for more information.

SLDC IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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

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

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

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

To see the full job description of positions available and to apply online go to: http://www.stlouis-mo.gov/sldc/ and click on “Careers at SLDC.” SLDC is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity.

MANAGER - INSURANCE OPERATIONS

In the role of Insurance Operations Manager you will be part of one of the fastest growing lines of business at Safety National. You will work closely with our team of Public Entity Underwriters and your contributions of helping this team grow will be felt throughout Safety National.

To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/careerspage/

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Heartland Regional Investment Fund, LLC (“HRIF”) seeks a Certified Public Accounting firm to conduct independent audits of financial records and to prepare and file associated tax returns, for a period of up to three years. The services shall include HRIF and its related, subrecipient entities. A copy of the full RFP is available at https://stlpartnership.com/ rfp-rfq/. Submissions should be received no later than 3PM CT on Thursday, January 18, 2024. St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for the Hanley Road (A) Resurfacing project, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1716, Federal Project No. STP-5407(617), will be received electronically thru the County’s Vendor Self Service portal at https://stlouiscountymovendors. munisselfservice.com/Vendors/ default.aspx, until 2:00 PM on January 17, 2024

Plans and specifications will be available on December 18, 2023 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www.stlouiscountymo.gov) or by contacting Cross Rhodes Print & Technologies, 2731 South Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118 (314) 678-0087.

DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

and

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

A virtual public meeting for Dorsett Road Resurfacing – Marine to McKelvey, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1839, Federal Project No. STBG-9901(680) will be held on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The goal of this meeting is to inform the public and local stakeholders of St. Louis County’s plans for this corridor.

You can dial into the meeting by phone at 1-408-4189388. Enter the meeting number 26312715130#, then enter the numeric password 1234#.

The following QR code can be used to link to the meeting. You will need to enter the webinar password 1234 to access the meeting.

CONFLUENCE ACADEMY SUMMARY STATEMENT

Confluence Academy LEA recently received an unmodified opinion on an audit of the district’s Financial Statements for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023. The areas covered under the audits, were accounting of financial statements, compliance with state law and compliance with laws governing federal programs.

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

The report states, in part “in our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the organization as of June 30, 2023, and the changes in its net assets and its cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.”

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

Among all three funds, the report states that Confluence Academy LEA had total revenue of $70,520,452 for the 2023 fiscal year compared to $49,851,300 in fiscal year 2022. 2023 revenues by fund were $34,310,784 for the general fund, $22,705,207 for the teachers’ fund and $13,504,461 for the capital projects fund.

The report shows that general revenues accounted for $37,616,428 in revenue or 60% of all revenues. Program specific revenues in the form of operating grants and contributions accounted for $18,744,046 or 40% of total revenues.

The LEA had $52,879,724 of expenditures in fiscal 2023 compared with $45,456,814 in fiscal 2022.

The auditors report showed in total, net assets have decreased by $1,536,807 for total net assets of $22,098,184 at fiscal year ended 2023.

The report shows balances for the general, teachers’ and capital projects funds totaled $17,250,005, $0, and $287,485 for a total governmental funds balance of $17,537,490 at fiscal year ended 2023.

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

INVITATION TO BID

The Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit is currently soliciting proposals for a Door Removal and Installation Project under the direction of the Circuit Court in the Juvenile Detention Center, 3847 Enright Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108.

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

Proposals must be received no later than 10 a.m. on February 13, 2024.

SOLICITING FOR BIDS

Curtiss-Manes-Schulte, Inc. is soliciting bids from MBE/WBE/SDVE/ DBE subcontractors and suppliers for work on the South Farm Swine Research & Educational Facility, University of Missouri-Columbia. Bids are due Thursday, January 11, 2024 by 12:30 pm and can be faxed to (573) 392-4527 or emailed to bbrown@cms-gc.com. For more information, call Bob @ (573) 392-6553.

Curtiss-Manes-Schulte, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

REQUEST FOR BIDS

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

A public meeting for the Jennings Station Road–Chain of Rocks Drive Resurfacing project, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1855, Federal Project No. STBG-9901(683) will be held on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Bellefontaine Neighbors Community Center located at 9669 Bellefontaine Road, St. Louis, MO, 63137.

The goal of this meeting is to inform the public and local stakeholders of St. Louis County’s plans for this corridor.

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

RIHC Contracting is preparing a bid for the University of Missouri – Columbia, MO –South Farm Swine Research & Education Facility Addition. We are requesting bids from MBE/WBE/SDVE contractors for the following items: Subcontractor Services - Concrete, Masonry, Metal Fabrications, Animal Penning, Rough Carpentry, Wood Trusses, PVC Paneling, Damp proofing, Waterproofing, Insulation, Metal Roof Panels, Insulated Metal Wall Panels, Sheet Metal, Joint Sealants, Doors and Frames, Gypsum Board, Resinous Flooring, High Performance Coating, Bath Accessories, Stainless Steel Casework, Fire Suppression System, Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical, Lightning Protection System, Fire Alarm System, Earthwork , Concrete Paving, Chain Link Fence, Seeding, Site Utilities, Foundation Drainage. The project bids January 11, 2024. We will need your bid to us no later than noon on January 10, 2024. Contact Carl Wegman at 573.513.5723 or cwegman@rcco.com to receive access to the bidding documents.

SAINT LOUIS ZOO FOOD & BEVERAGE VENDOR DIVERSITY

MIXER

January 24, 2024, 9-11 a.m.

Mix and mingle with our teams to learn more about partnering with the Saint Louis Zoo – and meet others in the industry to foster new relationships! Register using the QR code

SOLICITING BID

Reinhardt Construction LLC is Soliciting Bids from MBE/WBE/DBE/ Veteran/SDVE for the following:

CP230841 National Swine Resource and Research Center – Construct Additional

Contact: Mike Murray ; mikem@ reinhardtconstructionllc. com

Phone: 573-682-5505

INVITATION TO BID

Young Voices with Action Inc. (YVWA) is soliciting bids from qualified general contracting firms for the Rachel R. Grady Home Repair Program in Wellston, MO.

The work generally consists of roofing, electrical, plumbing, drywall, painting, masonry, carpentry, heating and cooling and flooring repairs and/or replacements on several homes.

Bid documents may be obtained from YVWA by emailing a request to youngvoiceswithaction@gmail.com.

Bids are to be submitted to: Marc Taylor – Project Manager PO Box 300051 St. Louis, MO 63130

Any questions or clarifications should be directed to the Program Manager at 314-665-4302. YVWA will accept sealed bids for the work submitted via email until Saturday January 13, 2024, at 3:00pm at which time bids will be opened and read aloud.

The activity is funded in whole or part by the St. Louis County Port Authority. All applicable county regulations shall be in full force and effect.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

A public meeting for the Reavis Barracks Road / Green Park Road Project, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1289, Federal Project No. STP-4940(606) will be held on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at The Pavilion at Lemay (Port Room) located at 305 Gregg Rd, St. Louis, MO 63125 inside Jefferson Barracks Park.

The goal of this meeting is to inform the public and local stakeholders of St. Louis County’s plans to replace the existing Reavis Barracks Road bridge over Gravois Creek and remove the existing Green Park Road bridge over Gravois Creek. Additionally, this project will include the realignment of the Green Park Road – Reavis Barracks Road intersection at Grant’s Trail and the construction of a shared-use path along the corridor.

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

Site Development for Aircraft Assembly and Flight Testing

St. Louis Lambert International Airport St. Louis, Missouri

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved a Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision (FONSI/ROD) for the improvements identified at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, St. Louis, Missouri. The FONSI/ROD is being made available to the public pursuant to Part 1506 of the Council On Environmental Quality Regulations concerning implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act. The FONSI/ROD can be viewed online at https://www.flystl.com/ civil-rights/public-notices-and-reports and copies can be viewed at the airport administration office, the Berkeley City Hall, and the following local libraries near the airport: Ferguson Municipal Public Library and the Bridgeton Trails, St. Charles Rock Road, Florissant Valley, Prairie Commons, Parkview, and Natural Bridge branches of the St. Louis County Library. Copies can also be viewed at the Federal Aviation Administration, Airports Division, 901 Locust St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

ers, students, and the public at large. His upcoming exhibit, he said, will, in a way, rekindle that one-onone intimate atmosphere.

“One thing I like to remind the public is, at art shows, you can walk right up to the artists and talk with them. You don’t need a backstage pass or anything; you can talk about their passions, challenges, their process and even buy their art. To do that and to know you’re the only one on earth to own that piece of art is a wonderful feeling.”

The exhibit presents a vast spectrum of art mediums, including paintings, sculptures, quilts, and multifaceted drawings. Visitors will meet some of the featured artists on opening night. They include St. Louisans, Gunda Locke Clay and Michael W. Smith, Adam Long from St. Charles, MO.; Manuelita Brown from Encinitas, CA., and Kansas City artists, Anthony High and Veronica Sublett.

Artist, Adam Long utilizes pieces of trees, twigs, sticks, acorn shells and other “reclaimed materials” to create inspiring, imaginative art. Powell, a renowned wood sculptor himself said he’s always admired Long’s ability to “transform simple twigs found on the ground into art.”

Ghunda Locke Clay’s mixed media 3D piece, “Sounds of Freedom” is a visual testament to the power of African women complete with intricately designed heads, hands, a woven drum, and bejeweled faces that seem to protrude from the tapestry.

A bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by sculptor Manuelita Brown will also be on display. Brown’s life-size sculpture of Sojourner Truth

and busts of Matthew Henson, Richard Allen Williams, MD, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and others sculptures adorn galleries and public spaces throughout the country.

“Emancipation,” a colorful mosaic compilation by Kansas City artist Veronica Sublett is also part of the “All Colors” exhibit as well as the quilting art of Sandra Smith, who, on her website, compared her complicated woven art to creating jigsaw puzzles.

“My work includes geometric designs and story quilts made with fabrics from around the world,” Smith said. “I’m the designer, so I know how they fit together. Some designs are simple and can be made quickly, others are very complex.”

Powell is an accomplished artist in his own right. He sculpts mostly in wood but has also carved stone and created mixed-media art pieces.

Powell said he became an artist in 1973 because he used to teach art. Powell, who has a B.S. degree in education, taught for more than a decade in Oakland CA and Kansas City public schools.

“I worked in woodshop and instead of just carving the traditional bookends or cutting boards, I started carving sculptures in the tradition of our African forefathers. It grew from that and suddenly, I was an artist,” Powell said during his interview with Hayes.

Hayes asked Powell more pointed questions about the process of becoming an artist and what advice he’d give to anyone wanting to pursue the dream.

“One of the things I’ve learned about art is that it’s hard to pigeonhole it,” Powell responded. “People say, ‘I can’t draw a stick figure’ and I say, ‘well then, don’t!’

“It’s really about the story you want to tell.

Nobody will ask you to create art. You do it because you need to do it,” Powell continued. “That whole concept is a heck of a thing. To be an artist comes from the desire to create something, to tell a story, your story. You’re explaining your passion.”

He advises burgeoning artists to ignore naysayers and to be courageous.

“Dare to dare! That applies to the art world,” Powell said, adding a question: “Do you dare to put something out there and have someone criticize or praise it? Find out what’s going to motivate you to keep going, to keep grinding. I encourage everyone to listen to those who are encouraging them to follow their dreams and no one else.”

“The journey to becoming an artist starts with the magic number one, one person,” Powell said, “the one man or woman in the mirror.”

Powell, 78, started producing his own art in the mid-1970s then opened a gallery for Black artists and art-lovers in the late 1980s. After closing it almost 20 years ago, he’s still on the same path. His upcoming exhibit, “All Colors” is a continuum of his original mission to bring exposure to talented local, nationally known, and budding African American artists. Powell summarizes his Portfolio Gallery story gratefully.

“So, here I am 35 years later. It’s been a journey, but it’s been fun.”

Sylvester Brown Jr./ Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.

“All Colors” Visual Art Invitational, presented by portfolio gallery will be held at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild 12 North Jackson Ave. in Clayton from January 13 to February 17th. For more information visit: https:// www.portfoliogallerystl. org/

how to do film to make videos. If I don’t rap, I don’t learn how to do photoshop and digital collage because I want to make flyers to promote my shows. It helped me find my identity. It helped me find lifelong friends. Hip hop literally saved my life. And for the 50th anniversary for this thing to still be around and I get to represent for my city, where I been doing it – it’s a feeling that I can’t even describe.

KV: How do you feel about the exhibition –specifically seeing the cultural phenomenon that shaped your life from the context of contemporary art?

DD: It’s amazing! I hope that the people I been doing hip hop with feel comfortable to come in here because this is our time. We should take up space. I ain’t gonna lie, it feels kinda weird to see hip hop in here. But I think it speaks to how global the [expletive] is now – and whatever you want to say, good or bad, it’s because it makes money. We are in a strange place in art history and in contemporary art to where Black people are finally getting the love and their just due. I felt really proud walking through, but I have mixed feelings at the same time. A part of me is like, “Why did it take 50 years to bring Black culture in like this?” You can say hip hop, but it’s really black culture. That’s what it is.

KV: Can you talk a bit about the meaning behind the piece you have on display?

DD: It’s called Cracks XIX (EGO). It’s kind of a self-portrait. I had lost my mom and I was doing

things around Black masculinity and what does it look like to grieve – or once the façade of the toughness breaks up, what’s up under it. It’s about the things we put on for protection.

KV: What does a show like ‘The Culture’ mean for the community that it represents?

DD: When I was little and they brought us here, I didn’t see nothing or nobody that I could relate to – nobody that looked like me. I didn’t know nothing about a Basquiat – I didn’t know nothing about none of these people when I was growing up. And now we have a Kerry James Marshall right behind us. We got us in there. My friends and me and the people that helped build this [expletive] are in there. Now there are kids that come in here and know you can make art and make a living.

KV: What would you say about your journey from hip hop artist to visual artist?

half-century from musical genre to global phenomenon?

DD: From the beginning, hip hop has been the CNN for a group of people that didn’t have a voice to tell the news from their point of view. I hope that people feel the impact of this [expletive] that you don’t notice every day – how big this (expletive) really is, but you don’t notice because it s all around you. Hip hop feels like a force of nature, but people had to experiment and think it up. It grew out of something. And hopefully the kids that are coming out of the Northside, the Eastside, the Westside and the Southside see that if some people in Brooklyn and the Bronx did this – and we got our version of it –they will know not to feel nervous about the [expletive] that they are making. You’ve just got to keep making it, because you don’t know what it might turn into. It might just change the world.

DD: It takes some luck – and it takes some skill. But most of it is to just get up every morning and do it again – don’t give up. I feel so grateful that at least it’s a new example of what you can do coming from the situations that we come from. It was no way I could see my life was going to play out like this. That’s the one thing people don’t really talk about when it comes to rappers – you can go in as one thing and come out as something totally different. I mean, just Look at Jay-Z.

KV: Can you talk about the evolution of hip hop over this past

The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century continues through January 1, 2024 at The Saint Louis Art Museum. The curatorial team includes SLAM Audience Development Manager Andrea Purnell, Hannah Klemm, SLAM’s former associate curator of modern and contemporary art; Asma Naeem, the Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art; and Gamynne Guillotte, the BMA’s chief education officer. For tickets, additional information and related programming from community partners, visit www.slam.org.

Kwanzaa

Continued from C1

ceremony that provides the opportunity for families to discuss the meaning and principles of Kwanzaa.

Day two: SelfDetermination (Kujichagulia): Defining, naming, and speaking for oneself.

One the first night, the black candle in the center is lit (representing the principle of Umoja/Unity). Every night for seven days

Day three: Collective work and responsibility (Ujima): uplifting your community. Solving problems as a collective. Day four: Cooperative economics (Ujamaa) Uplifting the community economically. Buying Black Day five: Purpose (Nia) Building and developing the community to restore people to their greatness.

Day six: Creativity (Kuumba) It encourages people to utilize their talents to inspire the world and the next generations.

Day seven: Faith (Imani): Black people, educators, and leaders believe in the victory of their struggle.

Damon

JANUARY

1 – Dr. Kendra Holmes officially steps into her role as president & CEO for Affinia Healthcare. She is the first woman, and the first Black person, to serve as the organization’s president and CEO in its 117-year history.

2 - Hundreds of friends, former teammates, and members of all sectors of the St. Louis community shared touching remembrances of the late Demetrious Johnson, who devoted his post-football career to helping others. Johnson passed away on Christmas Eve 2022.

7 - The 37th commemoration of the Dr. Martin Luther King Statewide Kickoff returned to its original Harris-Stowe State university location for the first time in two years.

Five Black police officers of the Memphis Police Department, severely beat Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop. Nichols dies due to his injuries on January 10, and his death causes outrage and protests across the country.

9 – Robert J. Tracy is sworn in as St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief. He is a former chief of the Wilmington, Delaware police force.

The University of Missouri – Columbia announces it will not punish a student who posted a racist rant on social media. In a Snapchat post, student Meg Miller said, “If they would have killed 4 more n----we would have had the whole week off,” in reference to the MLK Holiday.

12 – Sumner High School celebrates the opening of the Northside Economic Empowerment Center. Mayor Tishaura Jones announces the Economic Justice Act which directs $93 million to disinvested communities.

14 - The annual commemoration service in Fountain Park is held, home of the only statue dedicated to MLK in the state of Missouri.

16 – The 54th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee of St. Louis commemoration march is celebrated as the 40th anniversary of the holiday is recognized. There were events throughout the city and St. Louis County including a St. Louis Symphony orchestra concert.

17 – Students return to classes at Central

2023: A Year in Review • 2

January 4 - 12 – Sumner High School celebrates the opening of the Northside Economic Empowerment Center. Mayor Tishaura Jones announces the Economic Justice Act which directs $93 million to disinvested communities.

Center of Creative Arts (COCA) president and CEO.

16 – The St. Louis American Foundation 21st Annual Salute to Excellence in Business “Expanding Equitable Growth” is held at the Ritz-Carlton in Clayton. Arnold Donald, retired CEO of the Carnival Corporation is honored as Lifetime Achiever in Business. Laura Godwin, Vector Communications owner and president, receives the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Orvin Kimbrough, Midwest BankCentre chair and CEO is named Corporate Executive of the Year. Yemi Akande-Bartsch, Focus St. Louis president, is honored as Non-Profit Executive of the Year. John and Alison Ferring are honored with the Excellence in Community Impact award.

Former residents and business owners from the Mill Creek neighborhood were honored during a ceremony at St. Louis CITY SC Stadium, where a portion of Mill Creek once stood. The art installation Pillars of Memory by Damon Davis was unveiled.

Visual and Performing Arts High School. On Oct. 24, 2022, a former CVPA graduate forced his way into the school and shot and killed student Alexzandria Bell and 61-year-old teacher Jean Kuczka. Police killed the assailant.

22 – Comedy icons Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle perform at the Enterprise Center before a sold-out audience.

27 - Protests begin after the Memphis Police Department release the footage of officers beating Tyre Nichols to death.

FEBRUARY

1 – St. Louis Public Schools announce that Dr. Keisha Scarlett will become SLPS superintendent on July 1. She was serving as a Seattle Public Schools assistant superintendent.

2 - In a party-line vote, the House of Representatives ousts Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs due to remarks that she had previously made that many deemed antisemitic.

3 - Recreational cannabis sales begin in Missouri.

5 – During the 65th Annual Grammy Awards , “About Damn

Time” by Lizzo wins Record of the Year. Beyoncé wins her 32nd award to become the most winning artist of all time.

7 – President Biden invites relatives of the late Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers in January, to the State of the Union address.

LeBron James surpasses Kareen AbdulJabbar as the all time NBA scoring record with 38,388 points.

12 – Patrick Mahomes, the game’s MVP, leads the Kansas City Chiefs over the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35 to win Super Bowl LVII.

14 – Missouri Circuit Court Judge David Mason vacates the murder conviction of Lamar Johnson. Johnson, imprisoned for nearly three decades, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 1995 after being convicted of murder a year earlier. Johnson was given a new hearing after St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner filed a motion in 2022 saying his conviction was based in large part on false eyewitness testimony. Mason ruled that Johnson’s trial included “constitutional error” and said, “there is clear and convincing evidence of Lamar Johnson’s actual innocence.”

Indigo K. Sims begins her tenure as

18 – A vehicle being driven by Daniel Riley is involved in a car accident that injures Janae Edmonson of Smyrna, Tennessee. Her legs were later amputated. Riley, who had been scheduled for a trial in July 2022, but was released on house arrest, had violated the terms of his GPS monitor 40 times after July 18. Gardner statement following the incident was considered callous. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said Gardner has “lost the trust of the people.”

28 – Marcus Howard, owner of GreaterHealth Pharmacy and Wellness, celebrates its grand opening with community leaders at the Delmar Divine. Both Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, St. Louis health director, and Dr. Kanika Cunningham, St. Louis County health director, joined the more than 200 celebrants.

MARCH

1 – A group of CVPA students travel to Jefferson City to speak with legislators about stricter gun laws in the state of Missouri.

7 – Supporters of Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner rally at the Carnahan Court Building as state Attorney General Andrew Bailey vows to remove her from office.

9 – Members of the city’s first Reparations Commission are sworn in at City Hall. Mayor Tishaura Jones created the commission with an executive order in December 2022.

14 – Primary races set stage for April 4 municipal election. History was made in the 14th Ward when Brandon Bosley failed to finish in the top two candidates, ending a decades’ long run of a Bosley family member serving as an elected official in the city.

Nelly announces at Harris-Stowe State University he is launching a series of STEM, athletic, and social competitions in 2024 called the High School Alumni Games in conjunction with the 314 Day Foundation.

16 – Renee Hardin-Tammons is sworn in as a new judge on Missouri Court of Appeals of the Eastern District.

17 – On this date in 1928, the St. Louis American was founded by Judge Nathan B. Young and several prominent African American entrepreneurs and community leaders including attorney Homer G. Phillips. 2023 marks the American’s 95th year of publication.

21 – With a host of dignitaries and elected officials in attendance, Field’s Foods opens in Pagedale. The much-need north St. Louis County grocery store would close in less than six months.

24-25 – A winning basketball weekend in Springfield. Vashon High won both the boys and girls Class 4 state championships. It was the first time a

2023: A Year in Review • 3

April 4 - Former president Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying business records related to the scandal involving Stormy Daniels. Trump was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on March 30.

for Board of Aldermen president. For the first time in city history, the three-member Board of Estimate and Apportionment are all women.

*SLPS School Board member Alisha Sonnier won the 7th Ward contest over J.P. Mitchom. *Shameem Hubbard won the 10th Ward seat over Emmett Coleman by 42 votes

*In the 14th Ward, Rasheen Aldridge topped Ebony Washington by just 76 votes.

*Incumbent Tina Pihl lost her 9th Ward race to newcomer Michael Browning. *Pamela Boyd won the 13th Ward contest over Norma Walker, with neither candidate receiving 1,000 votes.

*Laura Keys easily clipped Carla Wright in the 11th Ward race, another where the candidates did not top 1,000 votes.

*Alderwoman Sharon Tyus topped Tashara Earl in the 12th Ward. Proposition C, which will create a ninemember charter commission in St. Louis that would meet every 10 years, easily passed.

since 2003. Incarnate Word Academy won the Class 6 girls state championship to continue its dynasty. The Red Knights also extended a record St. Louis area winning streak to 100 games. *Cardinal Ritter College Prep won its 10th state championship after defeating Ladue in an all-St. Louis Class 5 boys state final.

APRIL

2 - LSU’s women’s basketball team, led by Angel Reese, defeats Iowa to win the women’s NCAA National Championship. The game scores the highest TV ratings in tournament history.

Former president Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying business records related to the scandal involving Stormy Daniels. Trump was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on March 30.

– As calls for her resignation intensify and some state elected officials vow to remove her from office, Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner holds a public rally at Westside Baptist Church. She calls the

3 – Troy Doyle is sworn in as Ferguson police chief at the Ferguson City Council chamber.

4 – The St. Louis Board of Aldermen now has 14 members following the Municipal Election. Megan Green ran unopposed

6 - ProPublica publishes a report which details that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has repeatedly failed to disclose luxury trips with Republican megadonor Harlan Crow over the past 20 years.

10 – The late Dr. William C. Banton, first director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health was honored in celebration of National Public Health

Week.

11 – The Vashon Center on the campus of Harris-Stowe State University was officially opened. The newly renovated center is home to the Wolff Jazz Institute and the National Black Radio Hall of Fame on the upper level. The lower level is designated for HSSU classrooms and support spaces.

17 – Briana Morales, an English teacher at Gordon Bush Alternative Center in East St. Louis, is named Illinois Teacher of the Year.

20 – Kansas City teen Ralph Yarl is shot twice by a Kansas City area homeowner after ringing his doorbell.

25 – Lizzo fans packed the Enterprise Center when her “Special” tour arrived in St. Louis. The pop star made it clear that she is using her platform to promote selflove, positivity, and inclusivity.

27 - The 2023 NFL Draft is held in Kansas City, with Alabama quarterback Bryce Young being selected by the Carolina Panthers as the first overall pick.

30 – Janet Jackson delivers a spectacular show at the Enterprise Center that includes several stage themes and the 56-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member performing at her best.

MAY

1 – The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and its IN UNISON Chorus pays tribute to the life and legacy of the late Robert Ray in a free concert at Powell Hall. Ray was the founding director of the chorus.

An ex-marine named Daniel Penny places an unhoused Black man on a New York subway “who appeared agitated” in a chokehold for nearly 15 minutes and kills him. Penny is charged with manslaughter in the second degree.

2 – Saying that the city is making “transformative changes,” Mayor Tishaura jones delivers her second State of the City Address.

The 2023 Writers Guild of America strike begins due to unsuccessful pay raise negotiations. The strike halts the production of most movies and TV shows.

4 – Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announces she is resigning from the office

2023: A Year in Review • 4

May 21 - Thousands of supporters line Market Street on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon to watch the 113th Annie Malone May Day Parade.

effective on June 1, after a months-long effort to remove her by Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

The St. Louis American reports that the Homer G. Phillips Nurses Alumni lawsuit against developer Paul McKee for copyright infringement had received a Jan. 8, 2024, court date. The court date has since been rescheduled.

Former Minneapolis Police officer Tou Thao is found guilty of second degree manslaughter in the murder of George Floyd.

7 – The Sheldon All-Star Chorus debuts the late Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass at Carnegie Hall in New York.

9 - A Manhattan-based federal civil jury finds that Trump sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in damages.

13 – Adorned in a green and black robe, native St. Louisan and star of the former NBC Emmy and Golden Globe nominated drama series, “This Is Us,” actor Sterling K. Brown delivered the commencement speech for Washington University’s 2023 graduates. Brown joked, “I’m straight outta Barnes Hospital, ya’ll!” before sharing his St. Louis story.

16 – While originally stating that she would leave office on June 1, Circuit Attorney Gardner abruptly resigns on May 16.

19 – Former Dowd Bennett partner Gabe Gore is appointed to replace departed Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and holds an introductory news conference outside his new office on the fourth floor of the Carnahan Courts Building.

Black Republican Sen. Tim Scott from South Carolina files to run in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries.

21 – The 113th Annie Malone May Day Parade downtown featured the CVPA Marching Band’s comeback performance and former Kansas and NBA basketball star Ben McLemore serving as grand marshal. Thousands of supporters line Market Street on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.

24 – Xavier Jones walks eight miles round trip to attend his Yeatman Middle School eighth-grade graduation at Harris-Stowe State University. For his determination, he is awarded a Presidential Scholarship to Harris-Stowe.

30 – Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore is officially sworn in by Missouri Supreme Court Judge Robin Ransom.

JUNE

2 - Fort Bragg, originally named for C

onfederate General Braxton Bragg, is renamed Fort Liberty.

3 – Pastor Christopher Rogers Sr. is installed as the 21st pastor of First Baptist Church of Chesterfield. The church was founded by formerly enslaved residents in 1846.

The Julius Hunter Media Room is dedicated at the George B. Vashon Museum of African American History.

8 - The Supreme Court rules in a 5–4 decision that Alabama must redraw its congressional map as it violates section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in racially discriminating against AfricanAmericans in the state.

Media outlets report that Donald Trump has been indicted by special counsel of the Justice Department over mishandling of classified documents found at the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.

9 – NASCAR’s lone Black driver Bubba Wallace visits an East St. louis McDonald’s owned by Black entrepreneur Jimmy Williams. Wallace then drove in the following day’s sold-out Enjoy Illinois 500 race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

12 - The Denver Nuggets win the 2023 NBA Finals, their first NBA championship, in five games against the Miami Heat.

14 – Wesley Bell, St. Louis County prosecutor, announces he is running for U.S. Senate in the 2024 election. Already in the race for the Democratic nomination are Lucas Kunce and December Harmon.

16 – Former Confluence Prep Academy basketball standout Kamaren Bevel is shot and killed in University City. Bevel had committed to play NAIA basketball for William Penn University in Oskaloosa,

community pride flowed as guests networked during the 23rd Annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care, Awards Reception presented by The St. Louis American Foundation at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac.

Iowa, after previously playing two seasons with North Central Missouri College.

17 – Juneteenth celebrations dot the region including the third annual Caribbean Heritage Festival in Forest Park.

18 – St. louis was rocked early on Father’s Day by a mass shooting that left 17-yearold Makao Moore dead and at least nine others injured during a downtown teen party.

killing one and injuring 22. St. Louis native Bradley Beal is traded from the Washington Wizards to the Phoenix Suns.

19 – The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents the 3rd Annual free community Juneteenth concert in collaboration with IN UNISON Chorus at First Baptist Church of Chesterfield.

20 – The St. Louis and St. Louis County NAACP chapters hold a town hall to address police pursuits.

Dr. Michael Ward, retired vice dean for student affairs and diversity and professor at Barnes-Jewish College, Goldfarb School of Nursing, received the Lifetime Achiever in Health Care award.

Dr. Angelleen Peters-Lewis, chief operating officer and chief nursing executive at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and BJC Health Care, received the Stellar Performer in Health Care award.

The evening also saw five health care professionals receive Excellence in Health Care Awards:

*Dr. Anna Bailey, Internal Medicine, Mercy Clinic Primary Care. *Roslyn Lockett Harvey, Vice President Operations, Affinia Health Care. *Marcus Howard, PhD, Founder and CEO, GreaterHealth Pharmacy & Wellness. *Dr. Melvin Maclin, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, SSM SLUCare Physician Group.

*Constance “Connie” M. Payne, RN, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Oracle Health.

*Dr. Lizette Smith, a clinical psychologist and director of clinical programs at Our Little Haven, received the Excellence in the Field of Mental Health award.

*Latosha Fowlkes, president and CEO of The Core Collective at Saint Vincent, was the inaugural recipient of the Excellence in Mental Health Community Mental Health Provider Award.

29 – In a legal blow to the nation’s many DEI programs, the Supreme Court rules that affirmative action in university admissions violates the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment. The court rules 6-3 in both Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. 2023: A Year in Review •

A shooting takes place in Willowbrook, Illinois, during a Juneteenth celebration,

22 – A spirit of celebration and

9:30 AM

August 5 – Black employees and passersby rush to defend a Black tugboat captain who was attacked by a ground of white people on a dock. The incident receives national news attention.

JULY

7 - A state judge in Oklahoma dismisses a lawsuit by the last three known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre for reparations.

10 – Claude Cummings Jr. is elected president of the 600,000 member Communications Workers of America during the union’s 79th convention in St. Louis on July 10, 2023. He became the first Black person to guide the union in its 85-year history.

11 – State Sen. Karla May calls incumbent Sen. Josh Hawley a traitor and coward during a speech announcing her candidacy for Senate on Tuesday July 11, 2023, on the east steps of the Civil Courts Building in downtown St. Louis.

12 – Mayor Tishaura O. Jones signs Board Bill 59, which will help provide access to legal representation for tenants facing eviction. The bill, which creates a Right to Counsel program.

14 – The Rev. Jesse Jackson announces that he will retire as president and CEO of the Rainbow Push Coalition, the civil rights organization he founded. Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III succeeds Jackson as president.

SAG-AFTRA begins an ongoing strike after the national board failed to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, bringing Hollywood to a standstill for the first time since 1960 with the ongoing writer’s strike.

21 – Sophia Smith debuts with the U.S. Women’s National Team in a World Cup opening round game against Vietnam. She scores two goals and adds an assist in the 3-0 victory.

22 – Retired Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays star Fred McGriff is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

23 – Miss Jessie O’Bryant, a resident at Christian Extended Care & Rehabilitation Center in north county, celebrates her 109th birthday.

AUGUST

2023: A Year in Review • 6

August 21 – Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour played before a sold-out crowd at the Dome at America’s Center. Mayor Tishaura Jones honors her by proclaiming the day “Bey Day.”

intense humidity, created a heat index of over 114 degrees throughout the St. Louis area.

22 – Mayor Tishaura Jones announces the city’s board of aldermen is prepared to pass “commonsense” gun laws.

Donald Trump is indicted in Atlanta by DA Fani Willis on 13 counts including racketeering for his attempts to overturn President Biden’s victory in Georgia during the 2020 election. Indictments are also announced against 18 Trump associates.

26 – The 60th commemoration of the March on Washington is held in the nation’s capital. Yolanda King, MLK’s 15-year-old granddaughter, gives an inspirational speech. The Rev. Al Sharpton also spoke to the crowd.

26-27 – The inaugural Evolution Festival draws over 25,000 people to Forest Park over two days. Rapper and actor Ice Cube was included among the featured artists.

A man killed three Black people before committing suicide at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida. The motive is believed to be racial hatred.

30 – The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department reports that there has been a 22.6% drop in the city’s murder rate. The positive trend continues for the remainder of the year.

5 – Black employees and passersby rush to defend a Black tugboat captain who was attacked by a group of white people on a dock. The incident receives national news attention.

6 - The 62nd Annual Session of the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) begins in St. Louis at the Hyatt Regency at The Arch. Its theme is “It’s Time: To Embrace Esther 4:14, Embrace, Empower, Emend, Evaluate.”

Spire Inc. names Stephen Mills as its senior vice president and the African American executive also becomes president of Spire Missouri.

9 – Michael Brown Sr. and dozens of St. Louisans gather at Canfield Drive in Ferguson to remember Michael Brown Jr., who was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer nine years earlier.

3 – The St. Louis American reports that St. Louis born Oliver Lee Jackson was selected to receive the 2023 Lee Krasner Award by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation for a lifetime of achievement in the visual arts.

14 – U.S. Rep Cori Bush partners with Sen. Josh Hawley to introduce the Justice for Jana Elementary Act of 2023. The legislation requires the cleanup of Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri, which is located in Bush’s 1st Congressional District.

15 – Hawthorne Leadership School for Girls, a charter school, announces it is immediately closing a week before students are supposed to start the upcoming school year.

21 – Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour played before a sold-out crowd at the Dome at America’s Center. Mayor Tishaura Jones honors her by proclaiming the day “Bey Day.” As per Beyoncé’s request that they wear silver, tens of thousands converged dressed in that color.

SLPS Superintendent Dr. Keisha Scarlett begins her first school session with temperatures in the mid-90s. Paired with

SEPTEMBER

1 – The high school football game between host St. Mary’s and Hazelwood East was stopped early in the fourth quarter after reported gunshots in the area.

6 – U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, and Congresswoman Cori Bush are among the dignitaries who visit Compton Drew Middle School for a discussion on mental health support.

Deion Robinson, Johnnie Ursery, and Demetrius Ingram, all Ladue High School sophomores, are killed in an early-morning car crash.

7 – The St. Louis American Foundation recognizes 30 of the region’s best and brightest under the age of 40 during the 12th Annual Salute to Young Leaders at the Four Seasons Hotel. The event was sold out and drew nearly 400 people.

9 - Coco Gauff wins the women›s singles in the US Open, making her the first teenager to win the title since Serena Williams in 1999.

9-10 – Smino, Herbie Hancock, Taj Mahal, Grandmaster Flash, Arrested Development and Cameo were among the artists who performed at the 2nd Music and the Intersection.

14 – The R&R Marketplace in Dellwood celebrates its grand opening. The economic development project is the vision of the non-profit Refuge and Restoration and founders Pastors Keith and Beverly Jenkins.

15 - The United Auto Workers strike against Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Stellantis. It is the first trilateral strike against the three automakers in the union’s history. The automakers made deals starting with Ford on October 25 followed by Stellantis on October 28 and finally General Motors on October 30.

18 – The Departments of Education and Agriculture announce that HBCU’s have been underfunded by $12 billion over decades. Lincoln University in Jefferson City is underfunded by $361 million.

20 - The Senate confirms Black U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

22 - Donald M. Suggs, publisher and executive editor of The St. Louis American, is inducted formally into the Missouri Press Association Hall of Fame

23 - The St. Louis American receives Missouri Press Association’s Gold Cup award at its convention in Westport. The American, which tied for first with the Washington Missourian, has won the state press association’s top honor seven of the last 11 years, which is unprecedented. In total, The American won 31 total statewide awards in the Better Newspaper Contest against newspapers with a circulation of 5,000 or more. The awards include the first-place award for general excellence, which The American has now won eight times.

29 - Sixty-year-old Duane Davis, a former gang leader, is arrested and charged with the 1996 murder of famed rapper Tupac Shakur.

30 - Family, friends, and community members gathered at Calvary Cemetery

2023: A Year in Review • 7

October 7 - Israel began pounding the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and warned all residents to evacuate the area. Thousands of innocents are killed. Calls for a ceasefire come within days of Israel’s military response.

for the unveiling of a new headstone for Dred Scott. The charcoal-colored monument stands 9 feet tall and is etched with Bible scriptures and a picture of Scott.

OCTOBER

1 – California Gov. Gavin Newsom appoints Laphonza Butler to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Dianne Feinstein.

3 – Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore announces that retired Missouri Supreme Court Judge George W. Draper III will join the office as Chief Training Officer.

Kevin McCarthy is ousted as Speaker of the House, marking the first removal of a speaker by a vote in the House. Eight Republicans join all present Democrats voting to remove McCarthy.

5 – Simmons Bank opens a full-service

branch in the urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ headquarters at 1408 N. Kingshighway. The staff of the branch is composed of African Americans and Black-owned companies who are responsible for most of the planning and construction of the facility.

6 – Vice President Kamala Harris says, “Democracy will be on the ballot,” during the Democratic National Committee Fall Meeting at the Marriott St. Louis Grand. Jaime R. Harrison, DNC chair, also attended the three-day conference.

Brenda Battle returned to St. Louis to deliver the Homer G. Phillips Public Health Lecture Series keynote address and offered a stirring message urging the region to reduce its healthcare disparities. After working in the area for much of her career, Battle now serves as Community Health Transformation senior vice president and chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at the University of Chicago Medicine.

7 - The paramilitary wings of Hamas, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, the PFLP, and the DFLP launched a series of coordinated armed incursions into the Gaza envelope of neighboring Israeli territory, the first invasion of Israel since the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Thousands are killed, with some being tortured and mutilated.

Israel began pounding the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and warned all residents to evacuate the area. Thousands of innocents are killed. Calls for a ceasefire came within days of Israel’s military response.

14 – A new gravestone for Harriett Robinson Scott, wife of Dred Scott, is unveiled at Greenwood Cemetery in Wellston.

16 – The Missouri Department of Education announces that the Normandy and Riverview Gardens School Districts will return to local control by July 1, 2024,

2023: A Year in Review • 8

following spring elections.

30 - St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell announces he will drop his bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley in 2024 and run for the 1st Congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Cori Bush. The decision comes as Bush takes criticism for several responses to the Hamas attack on Israel, including her call in a social media post to end “US government support for Israeli military occupation and apartheid.”

NOVEMBER

4 - Nearly $2.8 million in scholarships are awarded during the 36th St. Louis American Foundation Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala. James T. Minor, SIU-Edwardsville chancellor, and Joycelyn Pugh-Walker, executive director of federal programs for the Ferguson-Florissant School District, were honored as Stellar Performers in Education during the gala with an audience of 500 people.

Kathy Osborn, Regional Business Council CEO, received the Champion for Education Special leadership Award.

Khadija Tejan, Riverview Gardens School District college and career counselor, received SEMO Counselor of the Year recognition.

Eight educators were honored as Excellence in Education Awardees:

*John Carlos Armstead Sr., KIPP Inspire Academy assistant school leader of instruction; *Shawn A. Baker, Harris-Stowe State University vice president of student affairs and enrollment management; *Brian Griffin, Ladue Middle School 7th grade math teacher; *Brandon Haynes, Whitfield School 8th grade coordinator and math faculty; *Christopher Miller, Confluence

December 3 –Nelly’s Black and White Ball returned on Dec. 3, 2023

Prep Academy dean of students; *Briana Morales, Gordon Bush Alternative Center (ESL) English language arts teacher; *Charles Murphy, Roosevelt High School teacher; *Kendra Vaughn, Brown Elementary reading specialist.

7 – Ground is broken for the Nicholas J. Booker basketball courts in Forest Park. While a teen, he spent summer hours playing the game and helping keep Forest Park a regional and national gem as a member of the city Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry. In 2018, Booker suffered a severe asthma attack while playing pickup basketball during his first year at Fordham University in New York and passed away.

Election Day was filled with encouraging news for Democrats. Throughout the nation on Tuesday, one year before the 2024 presidential election, Democratic candidates and progressive causes found success. Ohio voters bolstered abortion rights through a constitutional amendment. Virginia Democrats achieved a political turnaround in Tuesday’s legislative elections, successfully flipping the House of Delegates while narrowly retaining control of the State Senate. Democrats also celebrated significant victories in states like New Jersey, where they will retain their comfortable majorities in the state legislature. In Pennsylvania, Democrats secured a seat on the state Supreme Court, strengthening their majority.

9 – Poet and activist Nikki Giovanni delivered a bright and succinct keynote address during the St. Louis Racial Equity Summit held downtown.

27 – KSDK’s Kelly Jackson joins Mike Bush as co-anchor on the 10 p.m. weekdays news. She continues as a 5 p.m.

anchor alongside Bush.

12 – Sen, Tim Scott of South Carolina suspends his campaign for president.

28 – Ground is broken on the St. Louis Advanced Manufacturing Innovation [AMICSTL] center and Mayor Tishaura O. Jones announced on Tuesday the city will partner with the center with $15 million in New Markets Tax Credits AMICSTL will be located within the 400acre triangle between Ranken Technical College, Cortex, and the National Geospatial Agency.

DECEMBER

1 - The Missouri Supreme Court strikes down a state law which criminalizes homeless residence on state land as well as unanimously striking down another

state law which bans COVID-19 vaccine mandates for public workers.

3 – Nelly’s Black and White Ball returned on Dec. 3, 2023. Ozzie Smith was honored and rumors that Nelly and his girlfriend Asante are expecting their first child after the couple shared a private joke on stage.

8 - Grammy nominated baritone Wintley Phipps is featured performer when Kevin McBeth leads the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the SLSO IN UNISON Chorus in the annual Gospel Christmas concert.

6 – A day after detailing his first six months in the office after replacing the departed Kim Gardner, Circuit Gabe Gore announces that he will seek re-election. “Politics won’t scare me away.”

St. Louis lost several outstanding community servants

Bishop William L. Harper, Jr.,

Bishop William L. Harper, Jr., Prelate, Missouri Eastern First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ, Inc. passed away on February 20, 2023 at 72. He was remembered in a touching celebration of his life on March 2, 2023 at Kennerly Temple.

Bishop William Harper leaves to his cherished memory: Six children; Sheila Catron of Minneapolis, Sharon Louise Hoey (James), Delise Lennon (Jerome), David Catron (Jackie), Mary Tonisha Harper of Dallas, and Michael Harper (Melanie) of Atlanta. Nine grandchildren: one great granddaughter, his loving mother: Mother Geraldine Brown; Two sisters: Sheila Crawford and Felecia Towns, a brother-in-law, Glen Crutcher of Warner Robbins, Georgia; Two sisters-in-law, Ashley Metcalf and Cindy Metcalf, a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, the Christ Community Temple Church Family, and the Eastern Missouri Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction.

Elson Williams Jr.

He was survived by his wife, June; son, Elson (Tré); niece, Pam (Dwayne); and close family and friends.

James Longley

James Valentino Longley, Jr. passes away on June 18, 2023, at the age of 100 surrounded by his family after a brief bout with pneumonia. Longley was born February 14, 1923, in Little Rock Arkansas. He was one of two children born to James Longley, Sr., and Alice Mitchell Longley.

The family moved to East St. Louis, Illinois when James was an infant and then to St. Louis, Missouri where his sister Earnestine was born.

A product of the St. Louis Public Schools, James graduated from Vashon High School and attended Lincoln University until his induction into the United States Navy, where he served from 1943 to 1945. He worked for the United States Post Office before forming J. Longley Painting Company.

and Economic Development.

He served as chair of the Social Services, Appropriation Committee, and on the subcommittee on the tobacco settlement. Troupe was also a Clinton-appointee to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). He served Ward 1 as Alderman from 2005-2013.

The Honorable Charles Quincy Troupe is survived by his sisters, Betty Troupe Frye and Sarah Troupe Ray; four children: Charles Quincy PoorThunder, Angela Jones, Paul Moody and Deidra Adams; cousins: Quincy Thomas Troupe and Alvin Wallace Troupe and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Austin Layne

Austin Layne. The name is an institution in St. Louis – Black St. Louis in particular – because the man who bore it devoted more than a half-century of service to the mortuary industry. Layne passed away on Sunday, October 1 after an illness. He was 87.

Elson Williams, Jr., a friend to many and a provider for many St. Louis area non-profits, passed on March 15, 2023. He was 77.

Elson was a proud product of the St. Louis Public Schools. He graduated from Soldan High School and attended Northeast Missouri State College, until he was drafted into the United States Army. He served a tour of duty as a sergeant in the U.S. Army and was responsible for leading two infantry squads in Vietnam. He returned to St. Louis, where he attended Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. There he received his Bachelor of Science degree in sociology and later went on to Webster University to earn a master’s degree in marketing.

In partnership with the St. Louis Retail Group and the St. Louis Independent Liquor Licensees, Elson helped raise money to fund college scholarships for high school students in the City of St. Louis. He also contributed to the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and the United Negro College Fund.

James married his high school sweetheart Delores Hutt on March 31, 1945. Delores, an administrator of the St. Louis City Public Schools, who earned a Ph.D. in Education from St. Louis University, described her husband before her own passing as “a loyal, loving husband on whom I relied completely through the years.” To their union two children were born — Ronald Eric Longley and Karen Denise Longley (Gordy).

Charles Troupe

Former Missouri Representative (District 62) and St. Louis Boad of Alderman (Ward 1) Charles Troupe died June 29, 2023.

Donn Johnson, a longtime St. Louis broadcaster with KTVI/FOX Channel 2 and one of the area’s first Black news anchors, refused to let pancreatic cancer let his family or his multitude of friends down.

He and his wife, Earlene, had recently returned from a trip to Alaska and last month he walked his daughter Lauren down the aisle at her wedding.

On Wednesday November 1, 2023, Johnson passed away at the age of 76 while surrounded by family members.

Austin Augustus Layne, Jr. was born in St. Louis on July 12, 1936. He was one of eight children born to Bishop Austin Augustus Layne, Sr., and Selena Layne. Originally from Barbados, West Indies, the Laynes came to St. Louis in the name of faith.

Charles Quincy Troupe was a native St. Louisan, born May 12, 1936, into a large family that contributed to the betterment of St. Louis’ Black community. He was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1978 and served 12 terms before term limits were enacted. His committee assignments included: Budget, Administration and Accounts, Commerce

A graduate of Vashon High School, Layne served in the U.S. Army as a computer specialist prior to entering the mortuary services industry. Admiration for famed local funeral director G. Wade Granberry compelled Layne to enroll in St. Louis Community College at Forest Park’s nationally recognized School of Mortuary Science. He walked away from a comfortable government job to pursue his new profession.

In 1979, Layne branched out from Wade to establish his own funeral chapels. In the 44 years that followed, Austin Layne became synonymous with excellence within the field.

In addition to his wife Eneazer Layne and countless family, friends and loved ones, Austin Layne, Jr. is survived by his

A proud graduate of Beaumont High School, Johnson would earn a degree at Webster University before joining the KTVI news team in 1978. He worked with FOX 2 throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, both as an anchor and in-the-field reporter.

Throughout his career and beyond, Donn was a vocal advocate for increasing diversity within the media industry and for improving worker conditions and job security through union organizing.

Johnson’s stellar broadcasting career began in 1973 when he became the first full-time African American reporter on WIL-AM.

Later in his career, he served as a popular local speaker and host, and as the director of Communications for the Missouri History Museum. Johson wrote a monthly column for the St. Louis American during his tenure with the museum. He was also a frequent contributor to the American’s annual Diversity Special Section.

Gloria LaVal Taylor, a co-founder of Community Women Against Hardship and renowned health care advocate, passed on Nov. 18, 2023, at the age of 86.

After reading a report detailing the height of poverty in families headed by Black females, Taylor and the late Betty J. Lee, a respected journalist and civil rights

daughter. Ingrid S. Layne.

Donn Johnson

Gloria Taylor

Bishop William L. Harper

Austin Layne

Gloria Taylor Gloria

activist, founded the organization.

In April 2014, Taylor was recipient of Lifetime Achiever in Caring for the Community Award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon.

“I grew up back in the 40s, before desegregation,” she told Rebecca Rivas of the St. Louis American.

“It was always neighbors helping neighbors. The neighborhood took care of each other; it was part of my culture.”

2023: A Year in Review • 10

nate.

In 2013, after 32 years as head of the NAACP East St. Louis branch, Scott retired as president.

As one of ten siblings, Taylor said her grandmother would dispatch the children throughout the neighborhood to help other families.

She said they took diligent care of their clothes because they knew they’d be handing them down to other children in the neighborhood. Taylor’s childhood home was close to today’s CWAH location at 3693 W. Belle Place. In fact, the playground on a nearby corner is where she played as a child.

Taylor, who was a parishioner at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church in north St. Louis and CWAH was honored with the 2020 Torch Bearer Award by the St. Charles Lwanga Center. The award recognizes leaders and organizations in the African American Catholic community for a prophetic vision, Christian integrity of character and commitment to Christian values.

Rev. Johnny Scott

Longtime civil rights activist, voting rights activist and president of the NAACP branch in East St. Louis, the Rev. Johnny Scott, died on Nov. 23, 2023.

Scott, who was born in Indianola, Mississippi, served in the U.S. Army and was a manager with the U.S. Postal Service.

U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and U.S. Sen. Paul Simon appointed him to serve on a federal judicial commission. He is a former member of the East St. Louis Police and Fire board. He was a chaplain for the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department.

Mekhat Moore

The news spread on social media like a wildfire the weekend of November 3, 2023, Mekhat Moore, 57, founder of Napps Salon in the heart of the U. City Loop, had suddenly passed away.

The family confirmed the news. In social media commentaries and in discussions with friends and family, words such as “queen, visionary, mentor, legend and iconic,” flowed in their tributes to Moore, founder of Napps, Afro-Blu clothing store and her other enterprises. Moore opened her natural hair salon in University City in 1992. Napps specialized in locs, braids and other natural hair styles. Writer, Kenya Vaughn described the ambiance of the salon in a Dec. 2009 St. Louis American article: “Upon entering Napps…the vibe is more like the mingling session just before an open mic poetry night at a Black bookstore and coffee shop than a hair salon. Sweet incense burns as Afro-beats pulse from the speakers. Vaughn wrote that Moore decided to embrace ‘Afrocentricities’ as a “form of self-love.” using ‘nappy’ as a term “of endearment, a source of pride.”

Dr. Mary A.T. Tillman

Scott pastored at Antioch Baptist Church in Venice, and Watson plans to continue Scott’s legacy taking the torch her dad lighted and stepping up more to fight for the downtrodden and less fortu-

ment in many different communities. She was the first Woman president of Mound City Medical Forum and a professor at Washington University School of Medicine. She was a dedicated member of Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church, part of the board of directors for Annie Malone Children’s home, and a diamond life member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority.

She was an active member of the Amer-

ican Medical Association, American Medical Women’s Association, and many other professional organizations. She was also a member of the White House Conference on Children and Youth, the Committee on Adoptions for the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a consulting member of National Advisory Health Council to Secretary United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Dr. Mary Anne Tillman died peacefully at home August 11, 2023, at the age of 87. Mary Anne Tillman was born on September 4th, 1935 in Bristow, OK and lived there until the age of 15. After the passing of her mother and her grandmother, she went to live with her sister Marcella in Tulsa OK, where she graduated from Booker T Washington high school. Upon graduation, she enrolled in Howard University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in 1956 and received her M.D. in 1960.

During her time at Howard, she met and married Judge Daniel Tillman. Once completing her studies, she joined him in St Louis, MO, where she completed her residency in Pediatrics at Homer G Phillips hospital.

Dr. Tillman was known for her involve-

Rev. Johnny Scott

Mekhat Moore

2023: A Year in Review •

St. Louis icons Tina Turner and Grace Bumbry top list of national celebs who said goodbye

Tina Turner and Grace Bumbry passed away in 2023, leaving legacies in the St. Louis area and internationally that will never be forgotten.

We also said goodbye to other entertainment and civil rights icons including Harry Belafonte, Jim Brown, and Richard Roundtree.

JANUARY

1 – Fred White, one of the early members of Earth, Wind & Fire and long-time drummer for the iconic group died at the age of 67. Hip-hop pioneer Gangsta Boo died in Memphis at the age of 43. She was one of the key members of the southern hip-hop group, Three 6 Mafia.”

17 – Veteran actor Lance Reddick died at the age of 60. Reddick appeared in a plethora of TV shows and movies including Fringe, Oz, Bosch and Lost. His most celebrated role was as Officer Cedrick Daniels on, The Wire

21 – NBA Hall of Famer Willis Reed died at the age of 80. Reed played in the NBA for 11 seasons, all with the New York Knicks.

3 – Acclaimed dancer Arthur Duncan, known as an “Entertainer’s Entertainer,” who performed on The Lawrence Welk Show from 1964 to 1982, died at the age of 97.

5 – Gordy Harmon, a founding member of the R&B group The Whispers died at the age of 79. He founded the group in 1964 along with his twin brothers, Wallace and Walter Scott, Marcus Huston, and Nicholas Caldwell.

11 - Charles White, a former NFL player during the 1980s and one of the best college running backs in the storied history of the University of Southern California, died of liver cancer at 64. White was recipient of the 1979 Heisman Trophy. 29 – Barrett Strong, a successful singer and songwriter known for his work with Motown records, died at 81. In 1959, he wrote, “Money (That’s What I Want),” and it became the first hit single for the iconic music company.

FEBRUARY

12 – David Jude Jolicoeur, “Trugoy the Dove” died at the age of 54. Trugoy helped form the legendary hip-hop group, De La Soul while in high school in Long Island N.Y. along with fellow group members Posdnuos and Maseo.

MARCH

During his career, he was a seven-time NBA all-star, a two-time champion, a twotime Finals MVP, and an MVP.

APRIL

16 - Iconic jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal died at 92 of prostate cancer. He influenced countless jazz musicians and was a close friend of jazz legend Miles Davis.

25 – Harry Belafonte died at 96 of congestive heart failure. He stood on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. He held court in Ferguson as protests gave the St. Louis region an international spotlight. For the past seven decades, Belafonte’s contributions as a social justice warrior were as revered as his unparalleled film, stage, and music career. Not only was he an accomplished singer, actor, and entertainer, but he was also a fierce civil rights activist. He once said, “I was an activist long before I became an artist. They both service each other, but the activism is first.”

MAY

7 – Grace Bumbry, an international singing icon, passed away at a hospital in Vienna, Austria at the age of 86 following a fall. Bumbry was born on January 4, 1937, in St. Louis, and was 11 when she joined the choir of Union Memorial Methodist Church. She later joined the chorus at Sumner High School. At 17, Bumbry won a talent show that included a music conservatory scholarship. The conservatory did not admit Black students. She was offered private lessons as a consolation prize. The Bumbry family

refused. Instead, she auditioned for the nationally syndicated Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts program. Her performance of “O don fatale” moved Godfrey to tears. At the 1958 Metropolitan Opera auditions, she earned a first-place win, and in 1960, Bumbry joined the Basel Opera. A year later she sang at the Kiel Opera House. At 24, she gained international when she was cast by Wieland Wagner as Venus for a production of his grandfather Richard Wagner’s famed opera “Tannhauser.”

19 – Jim Brown, recognized by many as the greatest running back in the history of the NFL, died at age 87. Brown quit pro football at the peak of his career to pursue an acting career and became an iconoclastic civil rights activist. Brown also faced repeated accusations of violence against women. When the Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell fined Brown $100 for each day he missed while he filmed “The Dirty Dozen,”, Brown quit. In 1967, Brown called a summit in Cleveland, at which sports stars including the basketball players Bill Russell and Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) backed Muhammad Ali in his stand against being drafted into the Vietnam war.

more than 180 million albums and won 12 Grammy awards.

30 - John Beasley, 79, passed away while undergoing tests on his liver in his hometown of Omaha, Neb. He was known for his roles in Rudy, The General’s Daughter, The Purge: Anarchy, and Sinister 2.

JUNE

15 – Former college football player Ray Lewis III, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, dies the age of 28, according to a social media post from his younger brother.

– The last sibling of Dr. Martin Luther, King Jr., Christine King Farris, died at 95. Along with Coretta Scott King, she helped create the King Center and the MLK Memorial Library in June 1968.

Harlem Globetrotters legend Larry “Gator Rivers” died at 73 from cancer. Rivers later became a politician, becoming a county commissioner in Savannah, Ga.

JULY

24 - Beloved singer Tina Turner died at the age of 83 in Zurich, Switzerland after a determined fight against cancer. When her bus reached its St. Louis destination from Nutbush, Tennessee in 1956, Anna Mae Bullock arrived as a shy teenager. During her time in the region, she would be primed to become one of the biggest names in music.

The icon destroyed barriers with respect to age, race, and gender on her ascent to global superstardom.

Turner’s music career began when she was passed the microphone during an intermission between sets of Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm. Bullock was a student at Sumner High School when he asked her to become his new lead singer.

Known as the “Queen of Rock and Roll,” Turner was a star in the industry since the 1960s. Throughout her career, she sold

7 – Mutulu Shakur, Tupac’s stepfather and renowned activist died at the age of 72. He passed just six months after he was freed from prison.

27 – William Dilday Jr. died at the age of 85 due to cerebral herniation after a fall he took. Dilday was the first Black television station manager in the nation and a National Association of Black Journalists founder.

AUGUST

1 – New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver died at the age of 71. She was the first Black woman to serve as speaker of the state Assembly, first Black woman to be elected Lieutenant Governor in New Jersey.

4 – Harvard Law School professor and noted defense attorney Charles Ogletree died at age 70 following an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis years ago. Ogletree

Ahmad Jamal

Grace Bumbry

Tina Turner

was known as a brilliant legal mind and a champion for racial equality and social justice in the classroom at Harvard Law School as well as in the courtroom.

7 – DJ, songwriter, and hype man DJ Casper died at the age of 58 after a seven-year fight with cancer. While he accomplished many great things in his career, he was known for creating the popular song, “Cha Cha Slide.”

2023: A Year in Review • 12

Dolemite Is My Name.

SEPTEMBER

12 – Former NFL wide receiver Mike Williams died September 12 at the age of 36. After a construction accident that left him partially paralyzed, Williams was hospitalized in the ICU. Drafter in 2010, he played for the Tampa Buccaneers for four years and the Buffalo Bills for one.

top billing with his first-ever screen credit. “Shaft” propelled him into the cultural limelight, launching a franchise that would see sequels, a TV series and a 2019 reboot starring Samuel L. Jackson.

Notable television credits include “Roots,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Roundtree also co-starred in films such as “Se7en,” “Speed Racer” and “Brick.”

22 - Jean Knight (born Jean Caliste), died at the age of 80. A New Orleans native, Knight’s musical career began with ‘Stop Doggin’ Me Around’ on JetStream Records and concluded with the seminal ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ on Stax Records. She would later become an acclaimed chef and baker.

DECEMBER

11 – Accomplished choreographer, dancer, and teacher Gus Solomons Jr. died at the age of 84. During his long, successful career, Solomons danced and performed with a plethora of dance companies. He was most known for becoming the first Black dancer to join the Cunningham Company.

13 – Known as the “Black Godfather” of music and entertainment, Clarence Avant, died at age 92. Throughout his career as a music executive, he helped start the career of many artists, most notably, Bill Withers.

Rapper Magoo died at the age of 50. Magoo was a Virginia MC who was a close collaborator with Timbaland. The Virginia duo worked together on many songs and released an album together in 1997 titled, Welcome to Our World.

14 – Chico Del Vec, a founding member of the rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A., died. The group was known for collaborating closely with legendary rapper Notorious B.I.G., who was also a part of the group. 19 – Emmy-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones dies at the age of 66. Known for his role in “This Is Us,” Jones appeared in many other notable shows and movies including Mr. Robot, The Get Down, Luke Cage, Half Nelson, Dog Days, and

16 - Irish Grinstead, a member of the girl group 702, known for hit songs like “Where My Girls At,” dies at age 43. While a cause of death was not given, the group announced last year that she was taking a “medical leave of absence due to serious medical issues.”

OCTOBER

9 - Hughes Van Ellis, one of three remaining survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre died in Denver, Colorado, at the age of 102, according to KJRH. Ellis, who was only a year old during the Tulsa Race Massacre, was a proud U.S. Army Veteran who fought in WWII alongside the British.

12 – Rudolph Isley, one of the founding members of the R&B group The Isley Brothers, dies at age 84. The Isley Brothers band was formed in the mid-1950s when Rudolph, Ronald, O’Kelly, and Vernon Isley started a gospel quartet as teenagers.

30 – The family posts on social media that Grammy-nominated musician Aaron Spears, who drummed for Ariana Grande, Usher and more, had died at 47. Spears was nominated for a Grammy in 2004 for his work on Usher›s recordbreaking album «Confessions.» Spears› extensive list of touring and production credits includes Lil Wayne, Carrie Underwood, Usher, Jordin Sparks, Chaka Khan, Adam Lambert, Mary Mary, The Backstreet Boys, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and, most recently, Grande.

NOVEMBER

24 - Richard Roundtree, the stage, and screen actor best known for his performance as a tough-talking private eye in 1971’s “Shaft,” dies at age 81. Roundtree has the distinction of being among a handful of actors who enjoyed

- Legendary University of North Carolina guard Walter Davis passed away of natural causes while visiting family in Charlotte, North Carolina. Davis made his name as a standout player on the North Carolina Tar Hill teams from 1973–1977. He was also a member of the USA men’s basketball team in the 1976 Summer Olympics team that won a gold medal. 16 – Legendary drummer for Kool & The Gang, George “Funky” Brown, died at his Los Angeles home following a battle with stage 4 cancer. Brown was a founding member of the group, coming together in 1964 and releasing their debut album in 1969.

6 – Ellen Holly, whose role on ABC’s hit soap opera One Life To Live made her the first Black actor to lead a daytime TV show, has died at the age of 92. Holly stayed with the show from 1968 through 1980, then returned from 1983 to 1985. Other TV and film credits include The Guiding Light, In The Heat Of The Night, and Spike Lee’s School Daze

10 – 61-year-old veteran actor Andre Braugher passed away. He is remembered for his role in the police drama, Homicide: Life on the Street, which is regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time. It earned Braugher an Emmy for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series” in 1998.

14 - Joseph “Amp” Fiddler, known as Detroit’s world-renowned ambassador of funk, soul, &electronic music, keyboardist, producer, Afro-futurist passes at 65.

18 - Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt—a prolific artist whose public art explored civil rights.

Hunt’s “prolific art career spanned nearly seven decades,” according to his obituary, with metal sculptures by the artist seen in museums and public spaces across the United States.

“Despite challenges for African American artists during his lifetime, Hunt held over 150 solo exhibitions and is represented in more than 100 public museums across the globe,” it said.

Irish Grinstead

Andre Braugher