February 13th, 2014 Edition

CityArchRiver 2015 contractor outreach

From jails to GED

Bridges to Success connects offenders with positive resources

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

About a year ago, Dominique Beach, 18, was a Normandy High School student who was hanging with a “rebellious group” of teens and not expecting to graduate on time, said his mother, Detrecia Beach. Then he was arrested for a robbery that he didn’t commit. He served 10 months in the St. Louis County Jail before his case was finally dismissed and dropped. He was

Africa at COCA

Diadie Bathily, founder of Afriky Lolo, performed in “Samba” Saturday afternoon at COCA, 524 Trinity Ave. in University City. The lead role of Samba, an African boy who struggles to respect his ancestry, was performed by Zion Thomas, a 12-yearold student in the seventh grade at Mary Institute and Country Day School.

Kwame Mensah, an educational, vocational and re-entry manager in the Bridges to Success program at the St. Louis County Jail, helps inmates obtain a GED while still incarcerated.

Speaking of faith

Senate Chaplain preaches in

St. Louis

New Horizon Christian Church hosts Chaplain Barry Black

By Bridjes O’Neil

Of The St. Louis American

New Horizon Christian Church, 206 Emerling Dr., celebrated 16 years of fellowship on Saturday in a special way.

Pastor B.T. Rice hosted his long-time friend Chaplain Barry Black, the 62nd Chaplain for the U.S. Senate, who attended with his wife, Brenda Pearsall.

Black told the congregation at New Horizon about a previous speaking engagement in Baltimore, MD. As he was headed to the pulpit, he recalled, the pastor slipped him a note. It read, “Ask the congregation to pray because there is an active shooter at the Columbia Mall.” He was referring to last month’s deadly mall shooting in suburban Baltimore that left three people dead and five injured.

“What do you do when all of sudden you are thrust into a situation and there’s absolutely nothing you can do?” Black said.

“What do you do when you’re in a mall and somebody starts shooting, and there’s nothing you can do?” He said that throughout our lives we are confronted with situations that are beyond our

Adams’ contract extended

SLPS super commits to

two

more years

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

Superintendent Kelvin R. Adams now has two more years to lead St. Louis Public Schools towards academic stability – and ideally full state accreditation.

The SLPS Special Administrative Board (SAB) approved a two-year contract ext ension last week. Adams is now under contract through June 30, 2016. His base salary is $225,000 – the same since he came to SLPS in 2008. Adams said he’s proud of several initiatives he has led so far, including nearly doubling early-childhood classroom seats, creating eight autonomous schools and balancing the budget. “Dr. Adams has improved academics and stabilized the district’s finances,” said SAB Vice President Melanie Adams, who led the national superintendent search in 2008. “His strong leadership skills have helped to restore community confidence in the district.”

This year, K-12 enrollment was 25,700, a significant increase from its 22,500 enrollment in 2012. Adams attributes the gain from the closing of Imagine charter schools, as well as the early-childhood expansion. The district now has

Transfer crisis looms over school board’s working session

JEFFERSON CITY – From the start of Monday’s six-hour session considering a variety of ways to help struggling schools, the head of the Missouri board of education emphasized that the state is concerned about long-range, broad-based policy, not the operations of individual districts.

But as board members heard a number of presentations on suggested reforms, the talk returned time and again to the current transfers out of unaccredited school districts and the impact on the students who live there.

Board president Peter Herschend of Branson said the main consideration is to help the 62,000 Missouri students now attending schools in

Kelvin R. Adams

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Wiley Price

Is Queen Latifah ready to get hitched?

After officiating 33 weddings for gay and straight couples during the Grammy Awards on Jan. 26, Queen Latifah has reportedly caught the marriage bug! According to Star Magazine, the talk show host is so happy in her long-term relationship with girlfriend Eboni Nichols that she’s considering tying the knot very soon. Latifah, 43, has been fiercely protective of her private life and has never confirmed her sexuality to the public, but those closest to her are revealing she’s ready to be more open. “They’re completely in love,” a friend told Star.

Tyrese caught up in custody troubles

Earlier this week, Norma Gibson called police after Tyrese Gibson tried to pick up their daughter for a scheduled custody visit.

TMZ reports that his ex-wife Norma called Tyrese beforehand claiming their daughter was sick,

which according to their custody agreement, meant she didn’t have to turn her over for a visit. Tyrese insisted on picking up the child anyway so Norma called the cops who met Tyrese on her doorstep.

After reviewing the custody agreement Tyrese was sent away without his daughter.

Sources tell TMZ Tyrese does not believe his daughter was sick and that he is being kept from visitation out of revenge and wants his ex-wife held in contempt and thrown in jail for violating their custody order.

RHOA points finger at NeNe for pillow fight punch out

A few days after the infamous Pillow Fight brawl, Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes reportedly slammed editors and producers for casting a bad light on the show. “The Fame Driven” blog allowed a production assistant the opportunity to shed light on the whole ordeal and blamed NeNe.

“I wanted to clarify for people what was not aired during the brawl in last night’s episode since Nene Leakes has slandered us, the True Entertainment production staff, and editors of the show. For one, Nene’s erratic behavior was simply because she felt Kenya’s tardiness to her event

was a devised plan for the producers to make Kenya the new star of the show, and it was NOT! Before Kenya arrived Nene was ranting, pacing, and cursing us out about how she is the star of the show, she is the relevant actress, she made “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” the success it is today, and she should not have to wait for Kenya to arrive to her event. Two PA’s were verbally disrespected and threatened by Nene when they simply tried to diffuse the situation by telling Nene that the scene could not wrap until all housewives (Kenya included) were present, we didn’t air any of that footage. Nene then reverted her frustrations towards Kenya and that’s when she thought to bring up the Christopher Williams and his “common law” wife rumor that Kenya stated at the winery, so that the room would gang up on Kenya, and it didn’t work out as Nene had originally planned. Prior to that night, Nene and Kenya had no issues, it wasn’t until one of the housewife husbands blurted out at Nene’s pajama party that “we have to wait for the new star of the show to arrive”, which triggered Nene’s anger, and entailed what the viewers witnessed leading up to the melee. We didn’t edit, manipulate, or conjure up a devious plan to sabotage Nene like she would want people to believe. We cannot provide or present footage that a housewife does not put out of themselves to be recorded. So for Nene to blame poor editing on the production and editing staff is the furthest from the truth, and showing no

accountability on her end.”

Is Rickey Smiley a reckless spender?

According to a letter sent to popular urban blog Baller Alert, Rickey Smiley owes tons of money because of irresponsible spending and the financing of jet setting one night stands.

“Smiley was also millions of dollars in debt. He owed millions of dollars to the Internal Revenue Service, and he routinely spent literally tens of thousands of dollars more than he earned each month.”

The source told Baller alert that he is now in a lawsuit with his former manager for money owed.

“Specifically, Smiley’s CFO determined that if Smiley did not continue to supplement his monthly revenue with live performances, his outrageous spending would put him more than $40,000 in debt each month—an astonishing fact given that Smiley’s gross monthly revenues exceeded $350, 000,” said the source. “In other words, even though Starks White had assisted Smiley in working through his federal income tax issues, and increased his annual revenue many times over, Smiley’s playboy lifestyle was literally flushing tens of thousands of

Nearly half of exonerees are black

Report from the National Registry of Exonerations

By Frederick H. Lowe The North Star News

The National Registry of Exonerations, which reported that there were 87 recorded exonerations last year, said that black defendants are over-represented among the wrongfully convicted.

Of the 1,281 individual exonerations from January 1989 through December 2013, 47 percent or 598 were African American; 40 percent or 513 were white; 11 percent or 147 were Hispanic and 2 percent or 23 were Native American or Asian.

“Black defendants continue to be over-represented among exonerees, particularly in sexual assault, robbery and drug cases,” reported the National Registry of Exonerations, a joint project of the University of Michigan Law School and the Northwestern University Law School.

“As we noted last year, the disparity is greatest in sexual assault cases. Black defendants constitute 25 percent of prisoners incarcerated for rape, but 61 percent of those exonerated for such crimes.

The Exoneration Project reported that 46 percent of African Americans were exonerated for homicide; 61 percent were exonerated for sexual assault; 25 percent were exonerated for child sex abuse; 69 percent were exonerated for attempted murder; 58 percent were exonerated for robbery; 38 percent were exonerated for other violent crimes; 55 percent were exonerated for drug crimes and 59 percent were exonerated for other non-violent crimes from January 1989 through December 2013.

The Registry now lists 1,304 exonerations from 1989 to February 3, 2014. Missouri has 21 exonerations in that period, with four in St. Louis city, three in St. Louis County and one in Jefferson County.

Of the Missouri five exonerees featured on the Registry, three are

black men (George Allen Jr., Robert Nelson, Reginald Griffin), one is a white man (Ryan Ferguson) and one is a white woman (Paula Hall).

George Allen, Jr. was convicted of rape and murder in St. Louis in 1983, based on a coerced false confession and forensic fraud. He was freed in 2013 after DNA testing excluded Allen as the source of semen left

n Black defendants constitute 25 percent of prisoners incarcerated for rape, but 61 percent of those exonerated for such crimes.

at the scene, and it was discovered lab reports that had been altered to hide the fact that biological evidence recovered did not match Allen’s blood type.

Robert Nelson was convicted of rape and robbery in Kansas City in 1984 and sentenced to 98 years based on the victim’s identification.

Nelson was released after DNA tests requested by the Midwest Innocence Project and prosecutors excluded Nelson as the attacker and matched two other men, one of whom is serving a life sentence for a 1992 rape.

In 1983, Reginald Griffin, a Missouri prison inmate, was sentenced to death for the stabbing death of a fellow inmate. In 2011, the conviction was reversed after a critical witness recanted and it was revealed that the prosecution had concealed evidence that another inmate was the killer.

The National Registry of Exonerations noted that DNA exonerations dropped from 23 in 2005 to 18 in 2013. At the same time, the number of non-DNA exonerations rose from 34 in 2005 to 69 in 2013.

Texas, Illinois, New York, Washington and California were the leading states with exonerations in 2013. There were 13 exonerations in Texas, 9 in Illinois, 8 in New York, 7 in Washington and 6 in California. For more information, visit http://www.law.umich.edu/special/ exoneration/Pages/about.aspx.

Reprinted with permission, with additional reporting, from The North Star News, www.thenorthstarnews. com.

Rethinking zero tolerance

Marc H. Morial Guest Columnist

On January 8, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan came to Baltimore’s historic Frederick Douglas High School to announce a comprehensive set of guidelines to tackle the problem of “zero tolerance” disciplinary policies in our schools.

As the National Urban League and others have been pointing out for years, students of color and students with disabilities receive disproportionately more and markedly harsher punishments for the same misbehaviors as other students. This discriminatory treatment is not only denying an education to thousands of minority students, it is funneling too many of them into the criminal justice system.

According to data collected by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, African-American students without disabilities are more than three times as likely as their white peers without disabilities to be expelled or suspended. The New York Times called the treatment of disabled students “a national disgrace.” The Times cites a finding by the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California that “in 10 states, including California, Connecticut, Delaware and Illinois, more than a quarter of black students with disabilities were suspended in the 2009-10 school year.”

The National Urban League has long stood with parents and others who have challenged so-called “zero-tolerance” policies that have unfairly targeted students of color and done more harm than good in many public schools. In a 2007 essay in the National Urban League’s

State of Black America, Children’s Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman wrote, “The growth in school expulsions and suspensions contributes to increasing numbers of children and teens entering the prison pipeline.”

To respond to this challenge, the Obama administration guidelines direct educators to take three deliberate actions. First, do more to create the positive school climates that can help prevent and change inappropriate behaviors. Second, ensure that clear, concise and consistent expectations are in place to prevent and address misbehavior. And third, schools must understand their civil rights obligations and strive to ensure fairness and equity for all students.

The administration is distributing a resource package to schools and targeting grant money to train teachers and staff in ways to improve student behavior and school climate.

We applaud this action and believe the elimination of racially skewed zero-tolerance policies must be an indispensable part of any future discussion of education reform. A growing number of school districts and schools have already begun to reform their approach to discipline and are seeing positive results. Suspensions have dropped 46 percent at Frederick Douglas since 2007.

As Holder said, “Too often, so-called zero-tolerance policies –however well-intentioned – disrupt the learning process and can have significant and lasting negative effects on the long-term well-being of our young people, increasing their likelihood of future contact with juvenile and criminal justice systems.”

To view the resource documents, visit http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/ guid/school-discipline/index.html. Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

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Marc H. Morial

Editorial /CommEntary

Advice for young leaders Sibling rivalry not fit for a King

We are excited this evening to celebrate the St. Louis American Foundation’s 4th annual Salute to Young Leaders. We host this event during a month set aside to celebrate black history, but this Salute is about our hopes and aspirations for the future. It will be exciting to see 20 of our brightest young professionals recognized before their peers, colleagues and family members – and even more exciting to watch them interact and begin to nurture new bonds that, we hope, will strengthen their respective support systems in a region that has historically been seen as challenging for highpotential young African Americans.

As we have become more acquainted with these young leaders, we have personally delivered the message that this event is intended to share publicly: that St. Louis is – now more than ever – a region where a committed, diligent, resourceful African American can succeed at the highest levels.

Last week we reminded our community that the board chair (Kelvin Westbrook) for the region’s largest employer (BJC) and the vice provost for graduate education (William Tate) for the region’s leading institution of higher learning (Washington University) are both African Americans. We might add that the nation’s most profitable black-owned business (World Wide Technology) was founded in St. Louis by an African American (David Steward) who hitchhiked here looking for opportunity with scarcely a dime to his name. All exemplify the discipline, drive and impulse control that have been essential to their professional and personal success.

We often talk bitterly about a glass ceiling. While we do not deny the enduring race-based disparities in this region and the holdover of many antiquated values in some of our corporate board rooms and offices of political power, the examples of these three African Americans show that the glass ceiling is not impenetrable.

Not to leave out the accomplishments of African-American women, who bump up against

class ceilings of two types. Three of St. Louis’ citywide officials (Comptroller Darlene Green, Treasurer Tishaura Jones, License Collector Mavis Thompson) and two of its state senators (Maria Chappelle-Nadal and Jamilah Nasheed) are African-American women nurtured in the St. Louis region. And we could point to many other black women in St. Louis doing world-class work in the fields of medicine, law, education and business, not to mention the very popular forms of endeavor (entertainment and athletics) where we have come to take our transcendence for granted.

We very dearly hope that this event in particular and this newspaper in general help to foster an environment that nurtures more African Americans who rise to the top in their endeavors in St. Louis. We do not particularly care whether these young leaders are homegrown, like these women elected officials, or transplants, like Steward, Tate and Westbrook. We want to keep more of our most talented youth here, or entice them back after they study elsewhere and see more of the world. But when one of our universities or corporations or new entrepreneurial incentives entices a talented African American from a different region, we are just as interested in helping them find professional opportunities here where they can make a difference and then work to open up other opportunities for those who come behind them.

That final point is critical. Like everyone in the Black Press, we are much influenced by the example of Frederick Douglass, a fugitive slave who – after he gained his personal freedom –became an ardent abolitionist and publisher. We believe, as that great man did, that it is never enough to simply save your own skin or make your own fortune. As Richard Mark – the African-American president of Ameren Illinois – likes to remind young professionals, “It’s not about you. It’s about what you can do to help others.”

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Three questions about fighting poverty

By Rod Jones Guest Columnist

Americans seem worn out and despondent following the dirty political fights and escalating theatrics of unreasonableness practiced in recent years on both sides of the aisle in Washington, D.C. I, for one, believe that when divergent thought is shared, a wellconceived product is the result. However, when there is no mechanism to facilitate the healthy dialogue that is the conduit for divergent thought, the sure result is extremism – and we all lose. What is the price of being wrong and who will pay that price? Unfortunately, “Oops” is not going to be good enough if we don’t get things right. Getting it right depends on us holding fast to the ideals of “We the People” as prescribed by our forefathers in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.

I suspect that most Americans do not realize that a national crisis looms as Democrats and Republicans battle over the heads of the lower classes. Several presidents have attempted to build security for the masses, now defined as the more than 85 percent of Americans who earn less than $100,000 per year. Franklin

Roosevelt launched his “New Deal” in 1933. Lyndon Johnson declared the “War on Poverty” in 1964. Today, Barack Obama is leading the charge with the Affordable Care Act. Fifty years later, it can be written that the War on Poverty has underperformed against its founding vision. Currently, an estimated 46 million Americans live below the poverty line, while another 4.1 million job-seekers languish among the long-term unemployed. Wealth distribution continues to skew. As the incomes of the wealthy grow, the income of the typical American family continues to fall as it has every year since 2007, when the Great Recession began. This does not suggest people are poor because others are rich.

Actually, any promise to eradicate poverty in the U.S is one that can’t be kept. That’s because poverty is a byproduct of a fully functioning free market system that stratifies the population within it – some at the top, some at the bottom and the masses in between. No amount of social programming, welfare or government subsidy can eliminate poverty. After all, someone has to do the jobs that pay barely more than minimum wage. In America, we are motivated to work in pursuit of the hope that we will one day attain the American Dream for us and our children. Our tie to rugged individualism motivates by persuading us that if we just work hard enough, we can grasp it. While initiatives like the

Nothing will ever tarnish the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who transformed a nation. But his squabbling heirs seem to be trying their best.

I realize these are harsh words for a family that has suffered more than most. But King’s sons and daughter need to be reminded – yet again – that their father’s words and deeds belong not just to his descendants but to history as well. The King siblings have a responsibility not to treat this precious inheritance like some shiny knickknack someone found in the attic.

In the latest round of internecine warfare, Martin Luther King III and Dexter King have filed a lawsuit seeking to compel their sister, Bernice King, to hand over their father’s Nobel Peace Prize medal, which he received in 1964, and the Bible he carried with him whenever he traveled.

The suit claims that Bernice King has “secreted and sequestered” these objects in violation of a 1995 agreement that the entire inheritance would be held by an entity called the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc., which the two brothers control.

The suit, which was filed in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta, came to light this week when Bernice King issued a blistering statement

accusing her brothers of wanting to sell “our father’s most prized possessions” to a “private buyer.” The lawsuit makes no mention of any planned sale, and the brothers have thus far declined to comment.

While Dexter King and Martin Luther King III control their father’s estate, Bernice King is chief executive of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.

Both the King Estate and the King Center claim the right and responsibility to safeguard the King legacy.

This is by no means the first time the siblings have taken their squabbling to court.

In 2008, Bernice and Martin joined forces to sue Dexter for allegedly misusing or wasting funds from the King Estate. Dexter sued Bernice and Martin, claiming that they had misused assets belonging to the King Center, including a $55,000 Lincoln Navigator given to the center that he claimed Martin had converted to personal use. Those suits were eventually settled out of court.

Last August, Dexter and Martin sued in an attempt to remove Bernice as head of the King Center, even threatening to withdraw legal permission for the center to use King’s name and likeness. Now comes the new lawsuit that prompted Bernice’s angry reply. My guess is that eventually we’ll see a new settlement, a new reconciliation and a new pledge to move forward in harmony –until the next ugly episode.

If I were the judge hearing the latest suit, I would order all

Letters to the editor

Shocking health disparities

War on Poverty were wellintentioned, I suggest a fresh perspective and a new plan of attack that begins with answers to three questions.

The first: How do we get a maximum number of citizens innovating and laboring in our economic system? This question is highest order because it focuses on what is best for the collective America.

The second: How do we maximize the potential of each person to advance in a free market system? This is important because we want to inspire our countrymen to pursue self-growth with vigor. Unquestionably, the promise of social and economic mobility is motivating.

Question three: What is the floor of citizenship for those who engage in work but fall to the bottom of the earning scale? The answer matters because as a nation we need to ensure that succeeding generations begin with an adequate economic base that deters civil unrest.

While government must lead in building a society strong enough to withstand collapse in a slavishly competitive global marketplace, we must not defer ownership of our communities to the government, as if it exists apart from us, The People. The failure of a democratic society is the shared fault of its citizenry. There is no monarch to blame.

Rod Jones is president and chief executive officer of Grace Hill Settlement House.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans are obtaining quality affordable health care coverage – many for the first time. What’s more: 7.3 million African Americans with private insurance now have access to preventive services with no out-of-pocket expenses. And 4.5 million elderly and disabled African Americans who receive coverage from Medicare have the right to things like an annual wellness visit with a personalized prevention plan. Yet, we still face shocking – and unacceptable – health disparities. African Americans are 55 percent more likely to be uninsured than white Americans. African Americans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, and 40 percent more likely to have high blood pressure. And the infant mortality rate among African Americans is more than twice that of non-Hispanic whites.

An estimated 4.2 million uninsured African Americans may be eligible for financial assistance to help pay for the costs of their new coverage on the Marketplace. What’s more, if every state were to expand Medicaid, 95 percent of uninsured African Americans would be eligible for assistance with a Marketplace plan, Medicaid, or CHIP. You can shop for plans and enroll online at HealthCare.gov, by phone at 1-800-318-2596, by mail, or directly through an issuer, agent or broker. You can also get in person help at https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/ Kathleen Sebelius, secretary Department of Health and Human Services Washington, D.C.

Man, not ‘boy’

This letter is in response to your reference to me as a “boy” in the Political EYE. Your newspaper is a well-respected media platform and has a civic responsibility to uplift the African-American community and the St. Louis region.

three of the siblings to take a moment to reflect on the two “sacred items” presently at issue. They wouldn’t get very far into King’s well-worn Bible before coming across the archetypal story of sibling rivalry: Cain and Abel. They would be reminded that by slaying his brother, Cain brought eternal misery and woe upon himself – and that, yes, each of us is our brother’s keeper. And if the three Kings would examine the Nobel medal, hold it in their hands, feel its weight, consider its meaning, they would surely be reminded that their father’s dream was one of harmony and brotherhood. Fighting bitterly over an award dedicated to peace only serves to mock their father’s legacy. I’m actually sympathetic toward the King siblings. In effect, their father was taken from them twice – once by an assassin’s bullet and once by his canonization as one of the great figures in modern history. They have the burden of knowing it will be impossible to live up to their father’s legacy. What they need to understand is that their father didn’t climb to the mountaintop alone. He didn’t act as if he were entitled to anything, didn’t seek to silence those who disagreed with him, didn’t claim to know all the answers. In times of struggle and triumph, he sang “We Shall Overcome” – and reached out to those beside him, calling them brothers and sisters, to join hands.

However, your continued use of racially insensitive and derogatory words perpetuate the racial divide that holds our city back. There is a reason that some of the black men marching with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were wearing signs that read “I am a Man!” They understood that when a white man called an African-American man a “boy,” it was dehumanizing and blatantly racist. It is no different when an AfricanAmerican man calls another black man a “boy.” It is also equally unacceptable that your African-American newspaper engages in the same oppressive conduct.

I have proudly served my country in the U.S. Army, and I am blessed with a beautiful wife and three children. In 2003, I ran for alderman in the 22nd Ward to effectuate positive change. I pride myself on being an independent thinker and am proud to be un-bossed and not bought. I am a man!

Alderman Jeffrey L. Boyd St. Louis

Heat-Up

needs help

Since the beginning of the 2013/14 winter heating season, Heat-Up St. Louis, Inc., has helped more than 19,398 people, while the demand is up by almost 29 percent versus the previous winter heating season. Due to the extremely cold conditions over a prolonged winter, resources are becoming scarce. It is estimated that about 55,000 in the region will need assistance with utilities this winter.

Since the beginning of the 2013/14 heating season, more than $498,500 in donations and grants have been committed as supplemental utility assistance grants. Qualified seniors, disabled and low-income people in need of utility assistance should contact Heat-Up St. Louis. Inc. at www.heatupstlouis.org or calling 314-241-7668. The regional charity is also requesting public donations through www.heatupstlouis.org or by sending tax-deductible donations to: Heat-Up St. Louis. Inc., c/o UMB Bank,

Columnist Eugene Robinson

P.O. Box 868, St. Louis, MO 63188.

Pamela Rice Walker City Health director, St. Louis

Rod Jones

Normandy meets with parents

Beverly Thompson, the director of Special Programs for the Normandy School District, facilitates a breakout session with district parents during a community forum hosted by the district recently at Barack Obama Elementary School. Superintendent Ty McNichols and his administrative team presented their plan for improving the district and moving toward full state accreditation.

Comptroller hosts blood drive

The office of St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green will host the Red Cross Charles Drew Blood Drive on Wednesday, February 19. The blood drive will be held in City Hall, Room 208 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Walk-ins are accepted, but appointments are encouraged to ensure that everyone is seen quickly. The entire process takes less than an hour.

The blood drive is named in honor of Dr. Charles Drew, an African American physician who started the American Red Cross blood banking.

All donors are welcome at the Charles Drew Blood Drive, but there’s a special need for African-American donors. Increasing AfricanAmerican donations is vital because blood types O and B, the blood types of about 70 percent of African-Americans, are those most in demand. To sign up for donation, email Melanie Streeper at streeperm@stlouis-mo.gov.

Fundraiser for Legal Services

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM) will hold its 24th Annual Justice For All Ball on Saturday, February 22 at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis.

The black-tie event begins at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails and a silent auction; dinner will be served at 8 p.m., followed by the Charles Glenn Band. The auction will feature a Broadway weekend package, a London and Paris luxury stay, U.S. Open golf package, sports tickets and collectibles, and a broad selection of fine wine, jewelry and art.

The Young Friends of LSEM will hold their fifth Annual Ball After Party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Lindell Ballroom at the Chase Park Plaza. There is no charge for the After Party, which is open to Justice For All Ball guests, Young Friends members and young legal professionals.

LSEM has provided legal assistance in civil cases to the lowincome community for more than 50 years. In 2013, LSEM helped over 17,000 people (including clients and their household members) in 21 counties of eastern Missouri.

Tickets for the Justice For All Ball are $185 and $285 per person; tables of 10 may be reserved for $1,850, $2,100, $2,500 or $3,000. For tickets or more information, contact Louisa Gregory at 314-256-8736 or lmgregory@lsem.org.

Listening to Mom’s heartbeat

By Ciera Simril For The St. Louis American

I recall during my childhood listening to every noise around me. I can remember lying on my mother’s chest, listening to her heartbeat while she was sleeping.

Over the years, I noticed that after working nights she would come home extremely tired and would snore heavily. I often would wake her up to tell her she was snoring or that she had even stopped breathing.

Being so young, I was terrified of losing my mother and I didn’t know how to help her. I was afraid of something happening to her and I wanted to protect her in any way possible, so I expressed my concerns.

Soon after we talked, I heard her snore in a deep sleep that caused her to awaken because she couldn’t catch her breath. I knew that I had to do something in order for her to solve this problem. At the time, I didn’t do any research on what was wrong. All I knew was that I didn’t want to lose my mother and I had to find answers to whatever this issue was.

She didn’t think it was a big deal, until I sat her down to explain how she sounded while sleeping and how frightening it was to hear it. This time, after we talked, my mother went to have a sleep study done overnight. I felt a little relief off of my shoulders.

Once her study was finished, she found out that she has sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is when you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breathing while you sleep. During the study, she stopped breathing over 100 times and she wasn’t getting the proper amount of oxygen to her brain. This explained more about why she wasn’t cognitively alert when she woke up and why she had headaches.

After finding the problems, there was an easy solution that would help her. She was given a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure therapy) machine that helps her breath at night. This device helps a person who has obstructive sleep apnea breathe more easily during sleep.

This machine has changed her life. I believe that it saved her life and added many more happy years onto it. After years of being tired and snoring, she is getting more rest than before. This machine has provided me with some security that my mother is going to sleep easier.

Sleep apnea is very serious and can cause other health problems like high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, heart attack, stroke, obesity and diabetes. It can also increase the chance of having workrelated or driving accidents because of the lack of oxygen flow during sleep.

After worrying about my mother for so many years, I have found some comfort in knowing that there was a solution. When I hug my mother, I still listen to her heartbeat and know that I can protect her and return the love that she’s given me my whole life.

Ciera Simril is a student at the University of Missouri – St. Louis and former St. Louis American intern.

Ciera Simril

Photo by Wiley Price

BLACK

Continued from A1

control, but we must learn to listen for God’s voice, be not afraid, and keep the faith.

“You have to learn to wait on the Lord, to be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart,” he said. “And He will surprise you with His power.”

Black made national news last year when Congress shut down much of the federal government. Every day of the shutdown, he continued to open the U.S. Senate chamber with a prayer for Congress to find a solution – even though he was one of the many federal workers whose pay had been cut off.

The government shutdown lasted 16 days. Throughout the crisis, he called upon members of the Senate to examine their consciences and reflect on the damage caused by the shutdown.

“Some of the journalists during the federal shutdown said to me, ‘Chaplain, how can you talk to Senators like that?’” Black said. He would answer, “I’ve just got to download what the Holy Ghost says. It’s not always

ADAMS

Continued from A1 2,160 preschool students, up from about 1,200 in 2010, he said. And many families are choosing to stay with the district after preschool, he said.

what people want to hear.”

Black delivered two more sermons in St. Louis over the weekend. He spoke at New Horizon’s anniversary banquet Saturday evening at the May Center, located at DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton. At the banquet, Black rallied the congregation to stand up against demonic influences.

Rice also arranged for Black to speak Sunday at New Sunny Mount Baptist Church, 4700 West Florissant, where Rev. Donald Hunter is pastor. At New Sunny Mount, he reminded the congregation of the various promises that God has made to His people.

“He promised never to

Chaplain Barry Black, the 62nd Chaplain for the U.S. Senate, preached Saturday at New Horizon Christian Church, the guest of his long-time friend Pastor B.T. Rice.

GED

Continued from A1

released on Nov. 4, 2013.

“Now I see why he had to go through it,” Detrecia said. “I look at it as a blessing from God.”

forsake us,” Black said. “He promised that he would never put more on us than we can bear.”

Black was elected to his position in 2003, becoming the first African American and the first Seventh-day Adventist to hold the office. The Senate elected its first chaplain in 1789.

He previously served for more than 27 years as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of rear admiral and ending his career as the Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Navy, the senior chaplain of the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps. He retired from the Navy on August 15, 2003.

Dominique was put into the jail’s Bridges to Success program, a substance abuse treatment program for inmates under age 21. The program comes under the umbrella of the Bridgeway Behavior Health agency and is funded through the St. Louis County Children’s Services Fund. There he met Kwame Mensah, who teaches a GED class and life skills.

Dominique said that the program gave him much more incentive and encouragement to achieve his goals than his high school education.

“They would get on us, but they would also point out good things that we could do,” he said. “They would even give us names and numbers of people we should call.”

Dominique said he wouldn’t be applying to colleges right now if he hadn’t gone to jail. And now he’s eligible for scholarships based on his GED test scores.

“Some of our young

men in certain zip codes are underserved,” said Mensah, a former St. Louis County Jail corrections officer. “There is a huge population of untapped talent in those areas, and I want to address those.”

Mensah grew up in North St. Louis, and he talks to the youth about the challenges he faced as a young black man and the resources that helped him.

“They need to see people who grew up in these war zones, people who came from these places, survived and are productive citizens,” he said.

“For some of them, no one has ever told them that there are people who look like them who have changed their lives around.”

After working in corrections for many years, Mensah decided to go back to school and become a teacher. He taught fourth grade at a charter school and then became a certified GED teacher.

Working for Bridgeway for the last two years has allowed him to combine his work in jails and schools, he said.

“Kwame helps us with how to get a job, how to do it right, all the school stuff, the drugs,” said a 19-year-old inmate.

“Even if you are convicted of felonies, you can still go

to college, start your own business and be a good family man. He helps us with everything. We just need more education.”

Mensah also encourages them to learn about their legal cases and be involved in the court process. While researching his case, Dominique read books on state law and researched other cases like his.

“It was fun,” he said. “It was like solving a puzzle.” When he met with his attorney, he would have a list of questions.

“Our attorney told me, ‘Do you realize how intelligent your son is?’” Detrecia said. “I’m happy for him and proud of him.”

Once Dominique was released, Mensah encouraged him to work with a counselor at Better Family Life, a partner with the Bridgeway program. The counselor helped him get a job and apply for college.

“When you get them back on the streets, often they only remember bad resources,” Mensah said.

“We need to replace them with good pillars of the community.”

“There are many people who think we should be where Normandy and Riverview Gardens are,” Adams said, referring to the region’s two unaccredited school districts.

“Normandy and Riverview will have a possible impact for us, and it has implications for any district struggling today.”

In August, the state board hired CEE-Trust, an Indianapolis-based consulting group, to create a new plan for how the state intervenes in unaccredited school districts.

CEE-Trust’s plan includes giving individual schools more

With many Missouri public school districts in crisis over fallout from the studenttransfer law, Adams is hardly able to focus solely on his district. SLPS is currently only provisionally accredited by the Missouri State Board of Education. If the district slips academically, it could become subject to the state law, which allows students from unaccredited districts to transfer to an accredited district with the home district picking up the tab.

n “Normandy and Riverview will have a possible impact for us, and it has implications for any district struggling today.”

– SLPS Superintendent Kelvin R. Adams

autonomy and eliminating the districts’ central office administration.

The plan’s schools would look similar to Adams’ autonomous school initiative. However, Adams said making every school autonomous is not the way to fix a struggling district.

“Part of the concern is that you don’t get so far away from standardization that you don’t

get anything done,” he said. Adams said he feels that some schools do better with direct oversight. However, he emphasized that no plan will work without community involvement in the planning process.

CEE-Trust is only one group offering the state board recommendations on unaccredited districts. Adams said his view is aligned with

the Missouri Association of School Administrators’ recommendations.

On Tuesday, the association called on the state board to end additional school transfers from unaccredited school districts by establishing contracts with low-performing schools. These contracts would specifically outline performance expectations, a timeline for improvement, professional development activities, and intervention strategies.

Roger Kurtz, executive director of MASA, said this plan would “immediately stop the school transfer insanity.”

As for the long-term solution, the association submitted its “New Path to Excellence” proposal, in collaboration with the Cooperating School Districts of St. Louis, the Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City and the Southwest Center. Kurtz also said the new “Missouri School Improvement Plan,” submitted by AFTMissouri, provides researchbased interventions that could be the foundation for a schoolimprovement contract. The association’s plan allows students currently participating in the school transfer program to continue to do so as long as they maintain residency requirements, Kurtz said.

Photo by Wiley Price

DISTRICTS

Continued from A1

unaccredited or provisionally accredited districts, including Normandy, Riverview Gardens, St. Louis and Jennings.

“Our job today is to deal with finding a better way to manage the education of those youngsters,” Herschend said, “so that a year from now, and five years from now and 10 years from now, the people who sit at this table will say we changed that number. Will we ever solve that problem? Probably not. But we must deal with 62,000 children who are being cheated.”

Added Chris Nicastro, the state’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education:

“This is the most important issue facing our state in education today and probably for decades. The fact is that we must as a state ensure quality educational opportunities for every single child that we serve.” Since the financial drain and other burdens of the transfers have become evident, several education groups and individual districts have proposed their own ideas about changes to help underachieving schools.

At the same time, lawmakers have introduced bills to change the current law, which allows any student who lives in an unaccredited school district to transfer to a nearby accredited district, with their home district paying the tuition and in some cases the transportation involved.

After hearing discussion of the factors in the range of suggested plans, Mike Jones of St. Louis, vice president of the board, said one thing was clear: The transfer plan looms large in any changes that will be made, either by the board or by lawmakers. But, he added, any new formulation of the law has to be meaningful and not just a matter of changing definitions to allow districts to get out from under the transfer

requirement. “When I look at all of the general comments from most of the proposals,” Jones said, “my one takeaway is that everybody’s trying to figure out how to get out from under the transfer law. If we are going to redefine our way out of the transfer law, then we at least ought to have the courage and say that’s what we’re doing and not pretend like we’re doing something else.”

Following Monday’s discussion, DESE plans to come back to the board next Tuesday with a plan that takes into account ideas from board members and their reactions to the various issues presented during the work session. Depending on the board’s reaction, the plan could go out for public comment before a vote at its March meeting.

Variety of factors

At the work session, staff members of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education presented a range of options gleaned from the plans and the proposed legislation. The presentation, and the questions from members of the board, concerned governance, school choice, finance, accountability, improving educator quality, supports and parental/community involvement.

After the introduction by Herschend and Nicastro – who was absent from the afternoon session because of the death of her mother – the board heard presentations on each issue from members of the DESE staff.

But they also heard several times that though the work session was organized by issue to make the presentation easier, in truth all of the factors are interconnected – accountability is determined by what form of governance a school or a district has, and both are shaped by finances, the quality of teachers and the rest of what quickly begins to look like a Rubik’s cube of education reform.

Governance took up the longest part of the discussion,

considering questions such as who should take over when school districts fall short; should the state classify entire districts or individual schools; should a statewide district be created to monitor underachieving districts or schools; should outside not-forprofit operators be brought in to operate such schools.

Overall, said Margie Vandeven, deputy commissioner, the option for a statewide independent district or other forms of state oversight of low-performing schools did not appear to have much support. In general, members of the board favored maintaining district control and elected school boards.

Having some sort of agreement between failing schools and state education officials seemed to win more favorable notice from board members. But, they added, whatever contract is devised between local school officials and the state needs to have real consequences.

“I think the state board wants to ensure that if there is failure from the bottom up,” Herschend said, “that there is a remedy that exists within the department and the state board so that we don’t just say wow, that didn’t work out. And that remedy has to have teeth.”

Jones added: “At the end of the day, this is not a negotiation among equals.”

Board members also wondered what some of the terms being used in the discussion really mean, like oversight and monitoring and intervention.

“What does oversight mean?” Russell Still of Columbia asked. “If it means stepping into operations of a school, what does that mean?”

Vandeven agreed that more clarity is needed.

“A lot of this can be addressed at the local level,” she said, “but if state intervention is necessary, what should that look like?”

Board members also liked providing additional supports for underachieving districts, like early childhood education, tutoring and more time in the

Photo by Wiley Price

Precious Hope laid to rest again

An unidentified murder victim known as Precious Hope was laid to rest

Saturday morning at Calvary Cemetery, 5239 W. Florissant Ave., borne by St. Louis Detective Dan Fox, retired Detective Joe Burgoon, retired Detective Ron Henderson and Office Tom Carroll. Burgoon and Henderson worked the case in 1983, when the headless corpse of an African-American girl was found in a vacant building at 5635 Clemens Ave. The case has not been solved. The body was exhumed for additional forensic testing using new technologies.

classroom. But board member

Vic Lenz of Lindbergh pointed out, “All of these things are good, but they all cost money that we don’t have right now.”

Philosophically, Jones raised the question of whether education should be considered a commodity, like a product that is bought and sold, or a utility, which is a public service available to everyone. He clearly came down on the utility side.

If it is a commodity, Jones said, people can assume that “bad schools, like bad stores, go out of business.”

As a utility, he added, the model is different.

“When you flip the switch,” Jones said, “whether you make $20 million or $20,000, the lights come on. It’s not a function of how much money you make. It’s a public utility, and we maintain it at a certain level for everybody.”

Attention to Normandy

With Normandy schools threatened with bankruptcy as early as April, and prospects for an emergency $5 million appropriations looking uncertain, the future of the district came in for special attention.

Herschend said flatly that “Normandy has failed. Normandy is a failed district.”

But he added in an interview that the state has to make sure that the failure of the district does not mean its students are harmed.

“We will not let 3,000 kids in the Normandy district go off into space,” he said. “That’s our responsibility, the state board’s responsibility, Dr. Nicastro’s responsibility, and her staff.”

Normandy Superintendent Ty McNichols, who was in the audience for the work

session, said in an interview that the district hopes its own plan makes its way into the DESE plan to be presented next week. He remains hopeful that the district can avoid bankruptcy, and he says the district continues to weigh possible legal action. Jones said that the money that unaccredited districts have to spend for tuition and transportation has had a big impact on the whole school discussion.

Jones said, “The financial implications of the transfer law – not the transfer law itself, but the financial implications of that – have really taken over this whole discussion.”

rinted with permission from St. Louis Public Radio and The Beacon, news. stlpublicradio.org.

Dooley works base on profiling issue

County Executive Charlie A. Dooley, facing a spirited primary challenge, is working his base hard these days.

First he (somewhat belatedly) appointed the county’s first inclusion czar, as reported last week, and then he muscled into the controversy over alleged racial profiling in the St. Louis County Police Department.

On February 4 Dooley handdelivered a tart letter to county police board Chairman Roland Corvington, the former FBI head in St. Louis, copying the new county police Chief Jon Belmar, the rest of the police board, county Counselor Patricia Redington and the St. Louis County Council (an august body that includes Dooley’s spirited primary challenger, county Councilman Steve Stenger). Dooley’s letter references an informational ad that the St. Louis city branch of the NAACP placed in The American, which was briefed in last week’s paper in an op-ed by city branch President Adolphus Pruitt Dooley asks for copies of three sets of things that, in the EYE’s opinion, he should have had on file already: the police department’s policy on racial profiling, all “stop and search” orders, and the department’s last three racial profiling reports made to the Missouri Attorney General. After vowing not to meddle in police business, Dooley talked tough: “I want it to be clear that if there is additional legislation (or other remedy) needed to strengthen our efforts against racial profiling I will move forward aggressively.”

The Post ran a decent inside report on Dooley’s letter, mentioning just about

everything in the letter except for the fact that Dooley got most of his information on the alleged profiling incidents from The St. Louis American The Post-Dispatch finds it impossible to acknowledge the existence of the state’s largest weekly newspaper, which now has offices right across downtown from the gray geezer on North Tucker.

The Post reported that Lt. Bryan Ludwig said that Chief Belmar will provide all of the documents Dooley requested. Belmar declined to answer questions.

The back story here, not mentioned in Dooley’s letter, is the firing of Lt. Patrick “Rick” Hayes. Hayes was tossed over anonymous letters the former county police brass received claiming that Hayes was asking officers to racially profile black youth, while using some language for black youth that gets people fired these days. The EYE does not mean “thug.” Hayes has appealed to the police board. Dooley’s appeal to his black base by sticking up for black folks who want to go to South County Center with the same civil rights as everyone else was clouded. Rev. B.T. Rice, vice president of the St. Louis County chapter of the NAACP, told the Post that the city branch is meddling in the county branch’s domain. Rice told the Post, “We did an investigation (into the profiling allegations) and we’re satisfied with it.”

The Post neglects to point out that Rice is a St. Louis County police chaplain. If the Post reporter and editors read this paper, they would know that by now. In his op-ed in The American last week, Pruitt

Republican laughingstock, after the electoral thrashing she subsequently took from U.S. Senator Roy Blunt: Robin Carnahan

Bagman for hitmen

Koster – who was a Republican state senator before running for AG as a Democrat – has not been burnishing his progressive credentials lately. His office has played a critical role in the execution of three Missouri death row inmates in recent months who all had federal appeals pending at the time the state moved forward with killing them. Here is how Koster’s staff talks about that sort of thing, from St. Louis Public Radio and The Beacon’s reporting on a recent public hearing of the House Committee on Government Oversight.

blasted the Post for sourcing Rice on the county police issue without pointing out Rice’s partisan status. Last week in our paper, Pruitt wrote that the previous Post article “failed to mention that Rice is a St. Louis County Police Department chaplain with a department ID and badge. The fact that Rice is a chaplain with the county police creates a conflict of interest.” The Post has failed, once again, to disclose pertinent motive when reporting on this important matter of civil rights and law enforcement.

Corvington told the Post that his police board members “are equally interested in the information Dooley is seeking.” Does this mean the police board also did not previously have the police department’s policy on racial profiling or copies of its annual racial profiling reports? Huh?

Hanaway

announces for gov

The political season in Missouri just got officially hot – before filing even commences – with former Missouri House Speaker Catherine Hanaway’s announcement that she will run for Missouri governor. While this is likely not good news for presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Koster, currently the Missouri AG, it is really bad news for the guy who was passing as the presumptive Republican nominee, Tom Schweich, currently Missouri state auditor. Hanaway’s announcement came gift-wrapped with her first A-list endorsement, from U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner Hanaway comes out of the gate with a not very original, nor accurate, attempt to smear Koster by association with the Republican’s favorite demon, President Barack Obama. She stated that, “The policies of Barack Obama and Chris Koster have resulted in less

economic activity, less control over our health care and, for some of our communities, a broken education system.” In fact, as attorney general Koster has not been in a position to set any policy of any kind about economics, health care or education.

It is true that Koster has not joined the obstructionist state AGs that opposed Obama’s every move. But he did file an amicus brief in the suit against Obama’s Affordable Care Act opposing the least popular aspect of the complex legislation, the mandate that everyone purchase health insurance or face a penalty. As for poor Schweich, he still needs to win his reelection as auditor this fall as he shreds his fingernails and wonders who, if anyone, is still with him for governor now that Hanaway is in the race. The EYE expects Schweich’s people are reminding Republican moneybags that Hanaway lost a statewide campaign in 2004 (for Missouri secretary of state) to a Democrat who is now a

“The law is clear that the pendency of an execution is insufficient to stop an execution,” David Hansen with the state attorney general’s office said. “The state of Missouri went to the United States Supreme Court and asked if the execution should happen. The court answered that question and said, ‘No, the execution should not be stopped.’”

“The pendency of an execution is insufficient to stop an execution” – that is really quite a mouthful. The Beacon’s reporting also had a juicy linguistic morsel from George Lombardi Corrections director for Gov. Jay Nixon. Lombardi was commenting on the distasteful – one attorney at the hearing called it “sleazy” – fact that the state of Missouri is paying its execution staff with cash money. David Dormire, the director of Missouri’s adult penal institutions, has been transporting a little more than $11,000 to the Apothecary Shoppe in Oklahoma before the lights go out for the condemned.

“They’ve made it clear that we wouldn’t have the people required to carry out the death penalty” if they weren’t paid in cash, Lombardi said. That makes sense. Hit men work for cash. That’s the Mobster action that Lombardi, Koster and Nixon are mixed up in.

Community Brief

Parking tech tests underway

Treasurer seeks community input

The City of St. Louis Treasurer’s Office has started a six month on-street parking field test evaluation as part of an RFP for parking meter technology.

The RFP was issued in October 2013 as part of an ongoing effort to modernize operations. The goal of the RFP is to provide St. Louis with a cost-effective on-street parking system that allows

people to use cash, credit cards and mobile phones to pay for parking.

The companies selected to participate in the RFP are: Xerox, Duncan Solutions, Aparc Systems, and a joint proposal submitted by T2 Systems, Inc., Republic Parking System and Digital Payment Technologies.

The Treasurer’s Office will be asking for public input during the field test evaluation.

“A lot of weight will be given to customer evaluations during the field test,” said Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones.

The public may give feedback by taking a survey at: http://www.stlouis-mo. gov/government/departments/ treasurer/.

The field test evaluation sites are located on 10th Street between Chestnut and Washington Avenue and at the corner of Broadway and Pine in downtown St. Louis and at Maryland and Euclid and Laclede and Euclid in the Central West End.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Missouri Governor Jay Nixon helped U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx cut the ribbon during dedication ceremonies for the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River on February 8. (UPI/ Bill Greenblatt)

In Loving Memory of Maurice East

Maurice E. East, a wonderful and loving husband, father, brother and friend would have celebrated 73 years of life on February 15. You will forever be missed. With love, Your family, The Easts

Thelma T. Blow

Houston

Thelma Theresa Houston was the third oldest of eleven children. She was born on December 25, 1929 in Arkansas to the union of Reverend Jeremiah and Willie Mae Blow, who preceded her in death. In 1949, she met and married Adolphus Robert Houston, Jr., who preceded her in death in 1997, after 48 years of marriage. To this union, three children were born. She received her education at Sumner High School in Cairo, Illinois. She attended St. Mary’s School of Nursing in St. Louis and became a LPN. She also attended Barbers and Beautician College so that she could work side by side with her husband as a barber at his business, “Houston’s Barber Shop.” Later, she worked at several hospitals before settling at and retiring from BarnesJewish Hospital as a LPN after eighteen years.

Thelma Houston confessed a hope in Christ at an early age and was a member of West Side Missionary Baptist Church, where she also sang in the choir as an alto.

Mrs. Houston went to be with our Lord and Savior in the late afternoon of February 1, 2014, at the home of her youngest daughter after an extended illness. She was a hard-working and strong woman who loved as only she knew how.

Thelma leaves to cherish: two daughters, Dr. Joyce Poag of Atlanta, Georgia and Mrs. Judy Austin (Earl) of St. Louis, Missouri; and one son, Adolphus R. Houston III of St. Charles, Missouri; three sisters, Constance Evans of Tinley Park, Illinois, Pearl Norman of Tinley Park, Illinois and Claudia Graves (Edward) of St. Louis, Missouri; five grandchildren, one greatgrandchild and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Richard “Rich” McDonnell

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes

Richard “Rich” McDonnell, the former investment banker who founded and ran the independent St. Louis-based label MAXJAZZ, has died. He was 68.

Several reports from friends on Facebook say that McDonnell had a stroke on Friday night while watching Houston Person and the Bill Charlap trio at Jazz at the Bistro, where he was a subscriber and a board member of the parent organization Jazz St. Louis. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died on Saturday.

McDonnell grew up in Kirkwood and graduated from Washington University. He started MAXJAZZ in 1998 while still working for AG Edwards, then took early retirement from the investment firm in 2002 to run the label full time.

MAXJAZZ began by recording St. Louis musicians including the Kennedy Brothers, pianist Dave Venn, Mardra and Reggie Thomas, and Brilliant Corners, featuring Paul DeMarinis and Dave Black, but McDonnell soon began signing artists from all over the country, starting with singers Laverne Butler and Carla Cook.

Even as MAXJAZZ expanded, McDonnell continued to be an enthusiastic presence on the St. Louis scene, regularly attending performances around town and befriending local musicians. Survivors include three sons: Boyd McDonnell, Carter McDonnell, and Clayton McDonnell, who worked with his dad running MAXJAZZ. A “memorial gathering” for Rich McDonnell will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, February 13 at Bopp Chapel, 10610 Manchester Rd. in Kirkwood. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be made in his name to Jazz St. Louis.

Adele Lucy Henderson

Adele Lucy Henderson was born on January 15, 1910 in St. Louis, MO to Harry and Adele Lucy Sanders. She was the second of twelve siblings, preceded in death by all but one brother, Charles Sanders. She attended St. Louis Public Schools and was a graduate of Sumner High School and attended Stowe Teacher s College. She was married and the mother of two daughters and one son, who were all college graduates. Each preceded her in death. She first attended Central Baptist Church. She was a member of the Health Unit at Antioch Baptist Church and held office as secretary-

treasurer. She was also a member of the ladies auxiliary of the church and sang with the church choir.

Some of her accomplishments include: Certificates of Recognition for devoted service in 1969 and 1970 from the YMCA, certificate for outstanding volunteer services for over 1000 hours of service to Homer G. Philips Hospital, scroll from F.W. Woolworth for 25 years of faithful service, member of Trinity Chapter #100 Order of the Eastern Star and served in many capacities.

Being married to Harry P. Henderson, they had three children, Felicia, Eleanor and Harry P. Jr., who all preceded her in death. She has five grandsons, Chondus, Marvin, Stevie, Tyrone and Harry (who preceded her in death); two granddaughters, Sharon and Felicia; 10 great-grandchildren; 20 great-great-grandchildren; two nephews; four nieces and a host of great nieces and nephews.

In Remembrance of Beloved Husband and Father

Donald Craig Mitchell

May 30, 1957 –February 6, 2011

Donald, missing your presence so much.

Superbowl Sunday will never be the same.

Love Always, Barbara, Cortney, Kelsey, Craig, Elizabeth

As we approach our 3rd year, God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change; Courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference.

-Reinhold Niebuhr

Jacqueline “Jackie”

Thomas Turner

Jackie was born August 21, 1936 in St. Louis, MO. She was the third child born to Lilian and Samuel Thomas. Both parents and two brothers, Michael and LaVert) preceded her in death.

Jackie was educated in St. Louis Public Schools, graduating from Sumner High School in 1954.

Jackie accepted Christ as her personal savior at an early age and attended Greater New Bethlehem Church.

After moving to Los Angeles, CA, she received her

certification in nursing and worked as an LPN in LA and Chicago. When Jackie moved back home to St. Louis, she joined Prince of Peace Baptist Church.

Jackie always dreamed of starting her own business. Her dream came true when she opened the Care Tender home health agency as a family business. In 2006, Jackie closed the business and moved to Evanston, IL to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. In Evanston, she united in membership with the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. She attended regularly until her health prevented her from going. Jackie was married twice in her life. First, to Edward “Bubba” Howard and later married to Henry Turner, who preceded her in death. On December 23, 2013, she lost her battle with cancer, but won the victory of eternal life when God called her home. She leaves to cherish her memory: her devoted daughter, Stacy (Robert); grandchildren, Amanda and Olivia Shultze; her loving brother, Wendell; and niece Carolyn Thomas. We will miss our cousin. A major link in the family chain is gone. Love always, Clifton “Mickey” Thomas, Linda, Michael and Michelle McGruder.

Phyllis Elaine Cotton

Phyllis Elaine (Joy) Cotton passed away January 26, 2014 in St. Louis, MO. She was born September 25, 1946 in Saint Louis, Missouri, to the late Abe Shelby, Sr. and Esther Joy.

Phyllis graduated from Sumner High School in 1963. After graduation, Phyllis continued her education at Forest Park Community College. Early in her life, she worked for the Federal Records Center and the US Postal Service. In 1965 she married James Cotton and became a homemaker. She will be dearly missed by her husband of 48 years, James Cotton; mother, Esther (Joy) Love; three daughters, Lesley Cotton-Lewis (Anthony), Teresa Cotton Santos (Oliver) and Christine Cotton; one son, David Cotton; two granddaughters, Danielle Cotton and Azaria Lewis; two sisters, Joan (Joy) Boddie and Rhonda Shelby Williams; three brothers, Kenneth Joy, Abe Shelby, Jr. and Rick Shelby; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.

She is preceded in death by her loving stepfather Mr. Shannon Love and sister Mrs. Willie Mae Barnett.

Attention St. Louis American Readers

As a service to the community, we list obituaries in the St. Louis American Newspaper, on a space-available basis and online at stlamerican.com. AT NO CHARGE.

Mayor gone wild

FBI affidavits show McCallum in bleak light

With all of the fake “thug” talk regarding the recent post-game rant by Seattle Seahawks defensive back (and Stanford alum) Richard Sherman, I thought I’d highlight a real so-called thug, former Alorton, IL mayor (and newly incarcerated felon) Randy McCallum. Thanks to a new policy which makes FBI affidavits for search warrants available to the public, Randy “Rambo” McCallum’s true “thugged-out” nature was made plain in pages of previously sealed documents.

police department even claimed that he was told that his entire first paycheck was to go to McCallum.

Also, according to affidavits, McCallum directed police to bring any “mother lode” of seized drugs and money directly to his home because McCallum allegedly spent the cash and sold the drug evidence.

Affidavits also claimed that McCallum ordered competing drug dealers to be robbed, splitting the loot with the arresting officers and that “stunt crews” of police were organized for that purpose.

McCallum is already serving a 43-month sentence for attempting to sell crack cocaine during his stint as mayor.

These affidavits, which were based upon undercover reports, agent surveillance and secret tapes, reveal McCallum profanely and boisterously bragging to cops and officials that “I run this (expletive).”

Mayor McCallum even boasted about his own criminality and wanting to actually shoot someone “in the nose” with a special pistol that could fit in the palm of his hand.

One new hire within the

McCallum’s handpicked police chief Michael Baxton (who is also in federal prison) was allegedly assigned the role of advising McCallum of opportunities to seize drugs and cash, according to documents.

Affidavits conclude that McCallum received thousands of dollars in payoffs and drugs (which he allegedly resold), as well as kickbacks and bribes.

McCallum’s attorney Justin Kuehn refers to the claims as “fictional” and “demonstrably false.” McCallum should be ashamed of his own arrogance and selfishness if any of these documents are even marginally true.

Email: jtingram_1960@ yahoo.com; Twitter@ JamesTIngram.

Maurice East

Thelma Houston

Richard McDonnell

Adele Henderson

Donald Mitchell

Jacqueline Turner

Phyllis Cotton

James Ingram

NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION Planting

Nutrition Challenge:

One of the reasons that we might overeat is because we just don’t really recognize what a proper “portion” looks like.

(Portion is the size of the serving that you put on your

Exercise

Balance is an important part of physical fitness. Balance relates to how steady and straight you can hold your body while doing different activities. Practice your balance by doing the most basic balance test. Stand on one foot, hold your arms out to your side

SAINT LOUIS

We specialize in making science fun!

Harry’s Big Adventure:

Harry’s Big Adventure:

Harry’s Big Adventure:

Take advantage of the many teacher programs we offer at the Zoo to supplement your students’ classroom experience. The Zoo Outreach Program offers instructors who can bring live animals to YOUR classroom. We offer a variety of teacher kits you can check out, and we offer other resources (videos, books, etc.) FREE for you from our library. We even designed a cool poster you can hang in the classroom!

Investigate and explore over 700 interactive exhibits and take in a film on one of the world’s largest domed screens in our OMNIMAX® Theater. Come, play and exercise your brain! General admission is always free.

My Bug World! presented by Terminix® is a multisensory experience that immerses you into the world of bugs. Harry the Chinese Praying Mantis and his bug friends will lead you through freestanding and interactive habitats in a hands-on, fun way!

slsc.org/hbanie2

slsc.org/hbanie1

slsc.org/hbanie4

slsc.org/nie2

My Bug World! presented by Terminix® is a multisensory experience that immerses you into the world of bugs. Harry the Chinese Praying Mantis and his bug friends will lead you through freestanding and interactive habitats in a hands-on, fun way!

My Bug World! presented by Terminix® is a multisensory experience that immerses you into the world of bugs. Harry the Chinese Praying Mantis and his bug friends will lead you through freestanding and interactive habitats in a hands-on, fun way!

We’re here to help you succeed, and there are even scholarships available. Just visit stlzoo.org/teachers or call us at (314) 646-4544 to learn more.

Healthy Kids Healthy Kids

= 1 ounce = about the size of a CD case/cover

= 1.5 ounces = 4 dice

= 3 ounces = deck of cards

= 1 medium = size of a baseball

plate.) To help you visualize what those portion sizes should be, here are a few examples using items that you are very familiar with their size.

For Other Examples, Visit: http://www.webmd.com/ diet/healthtool-portion-sizeplate. Try coming up with your own visual portion size ideas!

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

and see how long you can hold this pose. Is it harder if you close your eyes?

Now challenge yourself to increasingly difficult balancing actions. Try holding something heavy in one hand, leaving the other hand empty. Can you lean over (while still on one foot) and place the

object on the floor? Can you stack a number of items on the floor while staying on just the one foot?

Do you think balance can be improved with practice? Try some different balance activities for several days in a row and see if your balance gets better the more you do them.

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 4, NH 1

Where do you work? I work at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio. I then went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from Clemson University and a Master of Health Administration from the University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill. What does an administrative fellow do? I work on projects that support the hospital. I look at ways we can improve processes in the day-to-day and also towards the future. I regularly ask questions like, “What do we need to do now to get us to a place we would like to be down the road?”

Why did you choose this career? I wanted to help people. I wanted to make a difference. Health care is the best career in which you truly see the impact you can have on a hospital, a community, and most importantly, a patient. What is your favorite part of the job you have? I really enjoy my work in teen advocacy. I have the opportunity

Fitness Challenge: Go to http://www.stlamerican. com/newspaper_in_education/ and download our Weekly Fitness Challenge Journal page. Keep track of your positive daily health choices and earn

to interact with teens both inpatient and outpatient and ask the simple questions about just being a teen and what can we as a hospital do to better serve their age group. It’s amazing the interesting and inspirational feedback I receive.

Standards: HPE 6, NH 3

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

Monroe Elementary School 4th grade teacher

Ms. Hubert does a STEM project that looks at different types of skin cancers and how they effect different body parts with students Antonio Ocegura, Janah Boyd, Letrell Henderson, and Marshawn Jones. The school is in the St. Louis Public School district.

SCIENCE STARS

AFRICAN AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY MAKER:

Lisa P. Jackson

Lisa P. Jackson was born on February 8, 1962, and was raised by her adoptive family in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1979, she graduated as valedictorian from St. Mary’s Dominican High School. She received a scholarship from Shell Oil Company and used it to attend Tulane University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1983. Three years later, she received her master’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University.

SCIENCE CORNER How Do Tectonic Plates Work?

The Earth has a top layer of crust covered by giant pieces which are called tectonic plates. These plates are varying sizes and move at a very slow pace, about 2 cm to 10 cm per year, in varying directions. Oceanic plates are located under the ocean and continental plates are located under continents.

Boundaries are the places where the plates meet. New crust forms at the boundaries and the old crust is returned to the core to be melted again. This cycle takes about 100 million years to complete. Divergent boundaries are formed when plates move away from each other. The top layer of crust breaks apart and falls in to the second layer, creating a rift. Convergent boundaries are

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

In this experiment, you will see plate tectonics in action, on a smaller scale.

Materials Needed:

1 Candy Bar Per Student (must contain layers, i.e., Snickers, Milky Way, Twix) • Plastic Knife

Process:

formed when two plates push against each other. One plate is pushed upward causing mountain ranges or volcanoes to form. The other plate is forced downward, where it will eventually sink into the core and melt. Earthquakes occur along these boundaries. Two plates sliding against each other as they move in different directions is called transform boundaries. As they slide past each other, neither plate is destroyed or pushed up or down. Instead, the movement causes energy to build up which may later be released as earthquakes.

For More Information, Visit: http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-forkids/0043-plate-tectonics.php.

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

e Use your candy bar to represent the tectonic movement of compression: push the ends of the candy bar together. How does this affect your fault line?

q Use the plastic knife to make cracks in the chocolate. These cracks represent fault lines.

w Use your candy bar to represent the tectonic movement of tension: pull the ends of the candy bar apart. How does this affect your fault lines?

MATH CONNECTION

As an environmental scientist, Lisa P. Jackson is concerned about recycling. Use your math skills to answer these recycling word problems.

q Janell collected 36 aluminum cans; Garrett collected 8 more than Janell. How many did they collect all together? __________

w Andrea decided to recycle newspapers. The first week, she received 6 bundles from her neighbors. The second week, she collected 9 bundles. The third week, she collected 12. How many bundles did she collect altogether? ________ If she continues to increase the number

DID YOU KNOW?

There are around 30 tectonic plates, the largest being the Pacific Plate.

r Use your candy bar to represent the tectonic movement of shearing: move the two halves of the candy bar opposite one another. How does this affect your fault line?

Evaluate: Which type of movement is responsible for rifts? Which type of movement is responsible for mountains? Which type of movement is responsible for earthquakes? Learning Standards: I can follow directions to complete an experiment. I can make deductions from my observations.

of bundles at the same rate per week, how many will she collect in one month? ____________ e Heather, Maria, and Donald decided to save gasoline by helping their parents set up a ShareA-Ride carpool for daily rides to work. They saved 12 gallons of gas each day for 5 days. How many gallons did they save in one work week? _________ How much can they save per month? ________ How much can they save per year? _______

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

Tectonic plates move on average at the same speed as fingernail growth.

Scientists are now able to track the movements of tectonic plates using GPS.

Jackson began working with Clean Sites, a non-profit organization that cleaned up hazardous waste sites. Inspired by this work, she began a fifteen-year employment with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2002, she started work with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy. Four years later, Governor Jon Corzine appointed her as the New Jersey Commissioner of Environmental Protection. With her leadership, there was an end to bear hunting in New Jersey, and a plan to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2020 was implemented. In 2008, the Governor of New Jersey appointed Jackson to Chief of Staff. In December of the same year, President Barack Obama appointed Jackson to serve as the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. She was the first African American to hold this position.

For More Information About The Environmental Protection Agency, Visit: www.epa.gov.

Discuss: Mrs. Jackson graduated as valedictorian of her high school. What is a valedictorian? What do you think she had to do to become valedictorian?

Mrs. Jackson received her degrees in mechanical and chemical engineering, but she is mostly known for her work in environmental policy. What strengths do you think a background in science gave her in her approach to environmental policy?

Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made an impact in the field of science, technology, or mathematics.

MAP CORNER

Use the newspaper to complete these activities to sharpen your skills for the MAP test.

Activity One — That Can Be Recycled: Recycling is an easy and effective way to preserve resources. Use the newspaper to locate items that can and cannot be recycled. For the items that cannot be recycled, list ways that you can use this item or an alternate item to preserve resources.

Activity Two —

Newspaper Road Map: With a partner, choose a news story to be your make believe road map. Both of you cut the story from separate newspapers. Your starting point will be the first word. Your partner will give you cardinal directions (ex: two words east, 4 lines south, 1 word west, etc.) while your partner also navigates the route. When he/she says, “stop,” compare your maps. Choose another article so you can give your partner directions.

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can follow cardinal directions. I can classify items that can and cannot be recycled.

Teachers, if you are using the St. Louis American’s NIE program and would like to nominate your class for a Classroom Spotlight, please email: nie@stlamerican.com.

Photo: Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Earth seems to be the only planet in the solar system with tectonic plates.

New report on media handling of race

American staff

Race Forward: The Center for Racial Justice Innovation recently released a new report, “Moving the Race Conversation Forward,” that includes a content analysis of mainstream media, an overview of what it describes as harmful

racial discourse practices, recommendations, five case studies and profiles of five campaigns it deems successful.

“We looked at nearly 1,200 articles and transcripts from the highest circulation newspapers and cable TV outlets across the country to better understand the portrait that mainstream

media paints of contemporary racism,” said Race Forward research director Dominique Apollon.

“The majority of coverage gives readers the impression that racism is simply a personal failing, or even worse, that racism is no longer a problem at all.”

The report identified seven harmful racial discourse practices:

• individualizing racism

– concentration attention on thoughts or acts of personal prejudice

• falsely equating incomparable acts – drawing a parallel between an act or

expression of racial bias from whites and people of color, without taking power dynamics into account

• diverting from race

– asserting that other social identities (such as class, gender, sexual orientation) are the real determining factors behind social inequity

• portraying government as overreaching –depicting government efforts to promote racial equity as misguided, unnecessary or

improper

• prioritizing policy intent over impact – focusing on intention and far less on the daily impact on people and communities of color

• condemning through coded language – substituting racial identity with seemingly race-neutral terms

• silencing history – omitting, dismissing or deliberately re-writing history. The reports also provides case studies and profiles of recent interventions and initiatives that challenge mainstream discussions of race and racism, including Drop the I-Word, Migration is Beautiful, ALEC on the Run, Fruitvale Station, and Ending the Schoolhouse-to-Jailhouse Track.

Read the report at http:// www.raceforward.org/ research/reports/moving-raceconversation-forward.

NAACP calls for election reform

The Presidential Commission on Election Administration recently released a report on the American voting experience and offered recommendations and election best practices for state level election reform.

“The commission’s recommendations should serve as a foundation for states to move forward with key modernization efforts, including early voting and secure online voter registration,” said Lorraine C. Miller, NAACP interim president and CEO. “This report also illustrates the need for Congress to fully operationalize the Election Assistance Commission.”

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was a bipartisan, independent group created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) and charged with developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration.

“For far too long, antiquated voting machines, long lines, and insufficient numbers of voting machines in communities of colors have served as a barrier to the ballot box,” said Jotaka Eaddy Sr., director for the NAACP Voting Rights Initiative.

Key recommendations in the report call for:

• modernization of the registration process through continued expansion of online voter registration and expanded state collaboration in improving the accuracy of voter lists

• measures to improve access to the polls through expansion of the period for voting before the traditional Election Day, and through the selection of suitable, well-equipped polling place facilities

• state-of-the-art techniques to assure efficient management of polling places, including tools the commission is publicizing and recommending for the efficient allocation of polling place resources

• reforms of the standard-setting and certification process for new voting technology to address soon-to-be antiquated voting machines and to encourage innovation and the adoption of widely available technologies.

Shortly after the State of the Union address in 2013, President Barack Obama issued an executive order establishing the Commission on Election Administration. According to the commission, this report is the result of several months of field hearings, consultation with state and local election officials, academic experts, and organizations and associations involved in the election process.

Business

The American was denied permission to shoot inside the store.

CVS to stop selling tobacco

Nation’s second-largest retail pharmacy risks $2B in sales for ‘better health’

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

Retail pharmacy giant CVS announced on Feb. 5 that it would stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products in its 7,600 stores by October 1 of this year. Although CVS Caremark reports the decision will cost the company $2 billion in annual revenue, it said the move supports the health and wellbeing of patients and consumers.

“Ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/ pharmacy is the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on

n “It’s good to know they are not going to sell a product that we know causes a lot of heart disease and respiratory disease.”

– St. Louis County Health Director Dr. Delores Gunn

their path to better health,” said Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO, CVS Caremark. CVS said the decision does not affect the company’s

2014 segment operating profit guidance, 2014 EPS guidance or the company’s five-year financial projections.

“As the delivery of health care

eoPle on the Move

Dorothy Bell

Dorothy Bell was promoted to senior vice president & chief marketing officer at St. Louis Community Credit Union. Bell joined the organization in December 2010 as assistant vice president – public relations and community affairs and was named vice president of those areas in January 2012. Prior to her work at the credit union, she served as manager of corporate and community engagement with Brown Shoe

State Rep. Joshua Peters received the outstanding young alumni award from Lincoln University, was appointed to the House Professional Registration and Licensing Committee by House Minority Leader Jacob Hummel and was named to the Missouri Arts Council Trust Fund by House Speaker Tim Jones. Peters, who represents portions of North St. Louis, is the youngest African American ever elected to the Missouri House.

Brian “BJ” Temple will be studying Abroad in Orvieto, Italy to continuing his studies toward a master’s degree in architecture at Centro Studi Citta di Orvieto in Orvieto, a medieval city located between Rome and Tuscany. He will concentrate on the historical local architecture. He will spend the spring semester studying design and planning, including work with an advanced interdisciplinary design studio.

Cenia D. Bosman has been elected to serve a second term as chair of the Board of Trustees for Deaconess Foundation. The Deaconess Foundation is a faithbased, grant making organization devoted to child well-being as a civic priority. Bosman is senior vice president, Administrative Services for the YMCA of Greater St. Louis and has broad leadership experience in corporate and nonprofit business.

evolves with an emphasis on better health outcomes, reducing chronic disease and controlling costs, CVS Caremark is playing an expanded role in providing care through our pharmacists and nurse practitioners,” Merlo said.

Requests by The American to interview a local or regional representative were referred to CVS Caremark corporate.

The company will instead focus on helping its customers quit smoking instead, with a nationwide smoking cessation program to launch in the spring, expected to include information

See CVS, B2

BioSTL nets $100K diversity grant

Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Moore will direct STL Bioscience Inclusion Initiative

By Chris King Of The St. Louis

American

BioSTL has received a $100,000 grant from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation to pilot the St. Louis Bioscience Inclusion Initiative intended to identify and nurture high-potential women and minority bioscience entrepreneurs in St. Louis.

BioSTL is engaging Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Moore as director of Bioscience & Entrepreneurial Inclusion to guide the program. A former physician with an M.B.A. and a range of executive experience in the life sciences, she most recently was Entrepreneur In

Residence with the BioGenerator.

“St. Louis enjoys many strengths within the biosciences for minority and female talent with the potential to successfully contribute to further growth of our region’s economy,” said Watkins-Moore.

Dr. Cheryl WatkinsMoore

“These new programmatic activities aim to institutionalize a pathway of entrepreneurial engagement, training, and start-up resources to enhance the region’s pipeline of women and minority bioscience entrepreneurs.”

Partners in executing the program will include:

· Cortex Innovation Community through the expansion of entrepreneurial training programs;

· Prosper, an entrepreneur support organization for women, through development of a women’s angel investment network;

· St. Louis Economic Development Partnership through events to raise awareness among minority professionals of opportunities in the region’s bioscience and entrepreneurship communities;

n “St. Louis enjoys many strengths within the biosciences for minority and female talent.”

– Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Moore

· Washington University Ofice of Technology Management through expansion of a pilot program that aims to address the gender gap among students, postdocs and faculty involved in commercializing

See BioSTL, B6

Business Briefs

Contractor outreach event for CityArchRiver 2015

The National Park Service, along with its partners the Great Rivers Greenway District and CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation, will hold a contractor outreach event and mixer for the construction program to remodel the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and Gateway Arch grounds.

The event will be held 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19. in the first floor conference rooms at 1520 Market St. Pre-registration is not required.

Organizers said they especially encourage minority-owned and disadvantaged companies to attend “to ensure an inclusive CityArchRiver 2015 project. This is a major construction program with subcontracting opportunities in virtually every category of work.”

For more information, call Rosemary Ortiz at 303-969-2112 or visit https://www.fbo.gov.

Dinner discussion of inclusion on MSD project

The National Association of Women in Construction – St. Louis Chapter will host a discussion of the disparity study and minority participation for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s Project Clear 6:30 p.m. Thursday, February 20 at J. Bucks In Clayton, 101 S. Hanley. An MSD spokesperson will discuss this 23-year $4.7 billion initiative. The cost, which includes dinner, is $30. RSVP to Sue Seawright by Monday, February 17 at sues@satelliteco.com.

Husch Blackwell opening office in city at CORTEX

Husch Blackwell is establishing an office in the city at the @4240 facility, part of the $186 million second phase of development at CORTEX.

“Entrepreneurs and innovators will benefit from the proximity and direct access to high-quality legal services,” said Josh Parker, director of development for Wexford Science & Technology, LLC.

Greg Smith, Husch Blackwell CEO and managing partner, said his firm is “uniquely qualified to help these visionaries protect their ideas, identify market opportunities and seize those opportunities.”

Husch Blackwell joins the building’s anchor tenant, Washington University’s Offices of Technology Management and Research Administration.

By October 1, CVS stores, such as this location at Lindell Boulevard and Vandeventer Avenue, will no longer sell tobacco products.

Photo by Wiley Price

Joshua Peters

Brian “BJ” Temple

Cenia D. Bosman

By Jason Alderman

On Valentine’s Day, people’s emotions run all over the map – some are head-overheels and want to shower their loved one with gifts, while others are despondent because currently they have no one special in their life.

Whatever your love status, one thing everyone needs to guard against at this time of year is scams.

Valentine’s Day brings out the best – and worst – in human behavior. Our impulse is to be generous and search for the ideal gift. Internet thieves know this and coolly set traps for unsuspecting shoppers. And, not surprisingly, dating websites experience greater activity, along with a corresponding

Don’t fall for Valentine’s Day scams

increase in relationship scammers. Here are some of the more common Valentine’s Day scams to avoid: Electronic greeting cards are popular year-round, especially near holidays. Scammers count on you not paying attention when you receive an email with an innocuous subject line like, “Someone you know just sent you an e-card.” Unless you’re certain someone sent you an e-card, never click on links or follow instructions to download software to open the message. Chances are you’ll load a virus or malware onto your computer, dooming you to receive endless spam or even endangering your personal and financial information.

Valentine’s Day is the busiest day of the year for florists. Since many people now order flowers online, these purchases are a common target for fraud. A few tips when choosing a florist:

• Make sure the physical location, contact information and fees for the florist who’s actually fulfilling your order are fully disclosed.

• Pay by credit card so if there’s a problem you can dispute it with your card issuer.

• If you receive an email saying there’s a problem with your order, call the florist to make sure it’s legitimate; don’t click on any links – they could be malware.

Beware of emails and social media ads touting great deals on other Valentine’s themed gifts like chocolates, jewelry or lingerie. Unless you’ve previously done business with a company that legitimately has your email address, be skeptical. Watch out for minor typos in the web address –www.macys.comm instead of www.macys.com, for example. It’s no coincidence that dating websites are busier during the winter holidays and leading up to Valentine’s Day. Lonely people’s defenses are lowered, making them vulnerable to online romance scams. Before they know it, victims are conned into sharing personal or financial information, or lending money – money they’ll never see again.

I’m not saying don’t pursue love online at legitimate dating sites. Just watch out for these warning signs:

• They want to move your conversations off the dating site immediately and use personal email or instant messaging –the better to avoid policing by the site’s Webmaster.

• Their online profile sounds too good to be true. That’s because they’ve probably shaped it to reflect your stated preferences. Or, conversely, their profile may be suspiciously sketchy on details or their photos don’t seem genuine.

• They profess love very quickly, even before you’ve spoken or met.

• They claim to be a U.S. citizen working overseas –often in the military.

• They make plans to visit, but are suddenly prevented by a traumatic family or business event – one which your money can overcome.

Bottom line: Don’t let your emotions get the better of your common sense when it comes to matters of the heart. For more tips on spotting and reporting online scams, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website (www. ftc.gov).

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ PracticalMoney.

Why save the Lewis and Clark Branch Library?

Preservationist invites public discussion of the future of a North County landmark

By Michael R. Allen For The St. Louis American

The St. Louis County Library only has one building of high architectural significance: the modern masterpiece Lewis and Clark Branch Library in Moline Acres. Just past its 50th year, the library has become part of the lives of dozens of North County residents, as well as a testament to St. Louis’ highest achievements in modern

n The fact that few North County patrons of the branch have spoken out comes from the lack of public engagement on the future of the building.

architecture. The Lewis and Clark Branch Library is older than the Gateway Arch, and part of the same era of changed architectural expression. The library expresses ideals of a modern age, through its abstract geometric form and its stunning stained glass windows. While North County has changed, the building remains a landmark of modern design, as well as of regional association with the historic Lewis and Clark

Modern STL’s rendering of an upgraded and expanded Lewis and Clark Branch Library in Moline Acres that preserves its existing historic structure.

journey.

When architects and historians praise great buildings, through official lists or lectures, rarely do many buildings north of Delmar

Boulevard get a nod. North County seems invisible. Yet here stands a library branch designed by Frederick Dunn, whose St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in the city’s St. Louis Hills neighborhood shines forth in books, and whose Steinberg Rink in Forest Park is a beloved regional destination. Dunn left St. Louis after designing the Lewis and Clark Branch Library, making it a crucial final word in his career.

Since the Library first proposed demolition after passage of its 2012 facilities sales tax hike, the Lewis and Clark Branch Library has appeared in national publications as a threatened work of modern architecture worthy of national concern.

National recognition of library buildings in St. Louis comes rarely – most recently with the stunning renovation of St. Louis’ historic Central Library.

St. Louis County Library

Board Chairman Lynn Beckwith has made the point

Continued from B1

and treatment on smoking cessation at CVS/pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations and online. It will offer additional comprehensive programs for pharmacy benefit management plan members to help them to quit smoking.

The action prompted accolades from the White House. President Barack Obama congratulated and thanked CVS leadership for their choice, stating it will have a profoundly positive impact on the health of the nation.

“As one of the largest retailers and pharmacies in America, CVS Caremark sets a powerful example, and will help advance my administration’s efforts to reduce tobacco-related deaths, cancer and heart disease, as well as bring down health care costs,” Obama said.

CVS operates about two dozen pharmacies in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area.

St. Louis County Health Director Dr. Delores Gunn said she is pleased with CVS’s decision.

“It’s the right decision for all the right reasons,” Dr. Gunn told The American. “It’s good to know they are not going to

in responding to letters from concerned preservationists that few voices for saving the building have come from North County. True, preservationists have been quick to push for preserving Dunn’s graceful library. Yet if they refrained from fighting for this building due to its location, they would be perpetuating the age-old dismissal of North County as a culturally significant place.

The fact that few North County patrons of the branch have spoken out comes as much from the lack of public engagement on the future of the building as it does from not caring about its future.

The County Library has never hosted a public meeting at the library where it solicits community engagement.

The local preservation group Modern STL actually has done so, twice.

North County deserves a great library branch – but it already has St. Louis County’s finest. The building needs an

sell a product that we know causes a lot of heart disease and respiratory disease in our community.”

“I appreciate they are putting the health of their patients first, and I think it will have an impact on the rate of smoking in St. Louis,” said Pamela Walker, interim director of the St. Luis Department of Health.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the unprecedented decision will help to make the next generation tobacco-free, and she hopes others will follow CVS’s lead to curtail tobacco use.

Smoking is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S., killing 443,000 Americans and costing the nation $193 billion in healthcare expenses and lost productivity each year, according to a U.S. Surgeon General’s report released last month.

American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown called CVS’s decision “an important step forward in reducing access to these deadly products, and we applaud their courage to put public health above profits.”

addition and upgrades to be worthy of the 21st century. Modern STL has produced a concept that advances the Library’s facilities program for the branch while saving money and giving patrons the system’s most unique branch.

North County could retain and expand the irreplaceable, nationally-recognized Lewis and Clark Branch Library, or it could get the same undistinguished branch library design being built elsewhere. The St. Louis County Library turned to a consultant from New York to answer that question before it ever asked patrons of the library branch itself. Branch patrons would do well to let the St. Louis County Library Board of Trustees know what they think.

North County library users should share their views with Lynn Beckwith Jr., chairman, St. Louis County Library Board of Trustees 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis MO 63131-3598. Or email him at boardpresident@slcl.org. More information on the effort to preserve the Lewis and Clark Branch Library: http:// www.modern-stl.com/modernstl-releases-concept-for-anew-lewis-and-clark-branchlibrary/.

Michael R. Allen is a board member of Modern STL and director of the Preservation Research Office, a preservation services firm in St. Louis.

CVS is the second-largest retail pharmacy in the U.S. The nation’s No. 1 pharmacy chain, Walgreens, released the following statement last week:

“We have been evaluating this product category for some time to balance the choices our customers expect from us, with their ongoing health needs. We will continue to evaluate the choice of products our customers want, while also helping to educate them and providing smoking cessation products and alternatives that help to reduce the demand for tobacco products.

Over the past year, Walgreens stated it has partnered to conduct broadbased, in-store smoking cessation campaigns to provide consumers with educational health support, including a free, online quit-smoking program at www.sponsorshiptoquit.com.

Health organizations such as the AHA, American Medical Association, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association and American Pharmacists Association have publicly opposed tobacco sales in retail outlets with pharmacies. The timing of the announcement last week’s follows by weeks the 50th anniversary of the historic first Surgeon General’s Report, which concluded that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer. Since that 1964 report, evidence has linked smoking to diseases of nearly all the body’s organs.

n “I’m not afraid to tell the world who I am.

I’m Michael Sam. I’m a college graduate. I’m African-American and I’m gay.”

– Michael Sam

Sports

InsIde sports

With Earl Austin Jr.

Billikens set school record with winning streak

The Saint Louis University Billikens have continued to win basketball games and gain national attention along the way.

Saint Louis U.’s winning streak reached a school-record 16 games after a twogame sweep of St. Joseph’s and LaSalle in Philadelphia last week. The Billikens are now 22-2 and ranked No. 12 in the latest Associated Press national poll. It represents SLU’s highest ranking in 49 years when the 1964-65 Bills were ranked as high as No. 4. The 22-2 record also represents the best record in school history after 24 games.

n They locate weaknesses, then just nag, bother and harass opposing teams into utter submission.

The Billikens are currently 9-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference and are 8-0 in road games this season, which is the best in the country. With each victory, the national basketball pundits are starting to take notice of the Rise of the Billikens, which is now a hashtag on Twitter. During last year’s dramatic 28-victory season, it was about a team playing for its fallen coach, Rick Majerus, who died last December and how theninterim coach Jim Crews guided the program through the storm to produce the best season in the program’s history. This season, the attention has been on the team’s suffocating defense, its team-oriented offense and old-school, blue-collar sensibilities.

The Billikens are a veteran, senior-laden team that embraces the grind of a 40-minute basketball game. They have gained more and more fans because they play basketball the right way. They play for each other on both ends of the court. I love it. When people outside of St. Louis ask me what makes the SLU defense so special, I tell them that I liken it to an episode of my favorite police show, Columbo, the old 1970s television show about a disheveled, seemingly unthreatening homicide detective played by the late Peter Falk. The show consisted of Columbo identifying who the murder suspect is early on,

Saint Louis University senior guard Jordair Jett was

Atlantic

Conference Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.

take their school-record 16-game winning streak into this

Conference showdown against VCU.

then spending the rest of the show meticulously putting together his case while pestering and badgering him until the worn-down suspect confesses to the crime at the end of the show just to get Columbo off of his back.

Our Billikens are the Lt. Columbos of

In the ClutCh

With Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Mayweather’s pageant misses the mark

It’s fitting that the venue that hosted Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s recent visit to STL was none other than The Pageant. Word on the street is that Mayweather’s trademark obnoxiousness was in full form as the poundfor-pound king reportedly beckoned girls onstage to dance for him, then had security literally snatch them off the stage if he was unsatisfied by their looks or dancing skills.

Marcos Maidana and Amir Khan through their own dog and pony show in an effort to allow his fans to select his next opponent.

n It’s nearly impossible to make an argument that Khan is a more worthy opponent that Pac-Man.

Of course, the entire ordeal was a sham. No disrespect to Khan or Maidana, but if an open, Family Feud-style poll was taken, neither would have likely represented the No. 1, 2 or 3 answers. Neither fighter is considered a legitimate threat to Mayweather by media experts or hardcore

boxing fans. Across social media, countless fans replied to Mayweather’s promo posts with write-in votes for none other than Manny Pacquiao.

The deafening silence was expected though as Mayweather recently vowed that he will never fight Pacquiao. The reason this time is due to his acrimonious relationship with Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum. It’s clear to all unbiased eyes that Mayweather wants no part of Pacquiao, for whatever reason.

It’s nearly impossible to make an argument that Khan is a more worthy opponent that Pac-Man. Maidana has struggled against both bigger fighters and technical boxers. Mayweather represents both.

college basketball. At first glance, they don’t have the appearance of a bunch of AllAmericans. But their collective attention to detail and relentless approach is what sets them

See INSIDE, B5

From the east sIde

With Maurice Scott

Signing day at East St. Louis

Four Flyers sign National Letters of Intent

and

were proud of the four

who signed National Letters of Intent to four major college programs last week. Standout defensive back Gregory Taylor signed with the University of Missouri, linebacker Kyron Watson signed with Kansas, defensive back Treevon Prater signed with Syracuse and offensive lineman Luther Wright signed with Southeast Missouri State. We had a great signing ceremony in the school’s new library. The young men were joined by their proud parents as they took the next step in their athletic careers and their lives. It was also an opportunity for friends, classmates and others to see that all is not so gloom and doom with our youth in the City of Champions – that is, East St. Louis.

The event received plenty of coverage from the media outlets from around the city. The coverage in my community where I was born and educated made me so proud of our youth. More important, I’m not shocked by what I saw from them. We have some very talented young people in East St. Louis, and that includes more than our great football players who were on display once again last week.

n Standout defensive back Gregory Taylor signed with the University of Missouri and linebacker Kyron Watson signed with Kansas.

The coverage of our band, cheerleaders, education and arts proves our youth are very talented in many areas. The football team is another piece of the puzzle for the future of our district, as it pertains to our youth. A community that is often looked upon as hopeless proves once again that our young people are leading the charge to change that stigma.

Whether it is the nationally known BETA

Maurice Scott

Earl Austin Jr.

Amir Khan is the opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr. wanted all along so he can tap into the British common wealth.

named the

10

The Billikens will

Saturday’s Atlantic 10

Claib’s Call

With Mike Claiborne

All American from Mizzou comes out

Now that Mizzou All American Michael Sam has come out and announced that he is gay, he is being called courageous. I think we are getting closer to the day when coming out will be just par for the course. I hope so, because in reality it is really none of your or my business who Michael Sam or anyone else sleeps with. The story here is that Michael Sam beat all the whispers to the punch. No need to wake up and read it online from a rumor monger. Sam said it starts and ends with him making the claim. Now the story has nowhere else to go. Good for him. The NFL Combine is coming up soon, and some questions will be posed. Before the team execs start going TMZ here they may want to think about not prying too much, as they could come out looking like homophobes. Just stick to football, fellas. After all, that is why you are here in the first place. Sam’s football credentials are impressive, as he was voted the best defensive player in the best football conference in America. Interestingly enough, there was not one mention of Sam’s sexual preference during the season, because it did not matter then as it does now.

His teammates and coaching staff should be commended, as they respected his wish to not make this a distraction during the season. You can appreciate the maturity and respect they showed for a family member.

I can only congratulate Michael Sam for stepping out there where few have chosen to step. The hard part is now over for him. The rest of it will be up to those around him who have to decide whether to make it an issue or not. As for the relentless fans who may think it cute to utter vulgar slurs, your issues are your own. Not Smart

By now you have seen and heard about Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart and his dust up with a fan from Texas Tech.

According to Texas Tech officials, the fan, Jeff Orr, is “an air traffic controller who travels thousands of miles to see the Red Raiders play.” That is a ringing endorsement for the booster club at Texas Tech, but I am not sure if that’s enough to exonerate him from what appears to be consistently boorish behavior.

Orr has since apologized for calling Smart “a piece of crap.” Does anyone buy this one? Sorry, no sale. Players

hear a lot of things, and “piece of crap” comes from fans in some cases. Texas Tech was taking care of their own here, I get it. It does not make it right, though. This is not Orr’s first run in with players from other teams, as several have come

out in describing their moments within an earshot of Jeff Orr. They tell a similar story. Smart was demonized by some in the media. I was shocked that they did not drop a “thug” reference here. No one questioned the character of the

person who started it. Oh wait, Texas Tech’s description of Orr was enough.

No one wanted to hear from Smart, who was admittedly wrong for pushing a fan. Some wanted Smart’s blood, if not his head. Anyone have a rope? It sounded like they wanted to teach him a lesson. None of those who elected to try, convict and execute Smart gave a thought to being in his shoes for a minute.

I was taken back to the movie 42, which depicted the plight of Jackie Robinson as he was trying to break the color barrier of Major League Baseball in the late1940s. Robinson was called a lot of things, yet he continued to turn the other cheek. He was commended for it, and many thought his actions paved the way for more African Americans to play major league ball. Noble to say the least, but this is 2014 and no man should have to take what Marcus Smart had to endure.

Jeff Orr paid his money to watch a basketball game, not level insults and slurs at other individuals. The media here obviously thought it was OK. While I would not advocate for Smart to put his hands on a fan unless he felt like he had to defend himself, steps should have been taken to insure better fan behavior.

To his credit, Smart did

apologize for his actions without the help of a written statement. He took it like a man, unlike the person who started this mess. Smart got suspended for three games by the Big 12, but what happens to Orr? He started it.

Roll, Bills, roll

Is there anything more riveting in St. Louis sports right now than the run of the St. Louis University Billikens? They are setting school records left and right, and they are fun to watch.

Before you start in on the schedule, that comes from the higher ups. The Bills just beat who is on it. With some teams in front of them going down this week, to see them rise this high in the rankings is certainly a reward for all those longsuffering fans

Mike Claiborne

Mizzou All American defensive end Michael Sam publicly acknowledged that he is gay just before the NFL Combine, where he is considered a top prospect.

EAST SIDE

Continued from B3

Club, or the nationally known football program, there are a lot of positive things happening here in East St. Louis with our young people. Hail to the youth, because you put us adults on the map last week!

Photo by Douglas Clark Jr.

It was signing day at East St. Louis Senior High as four standout players from its football team signed National Letters of Intent last Thursday. Defensive back Gregory Taylor signed with Missouri, linebacker Kyron Watson signed with Kansas, defensive back Treevon Prater signed with Syracuse and offensive lineman Luther Wright signed with Southeast Missouri State. The players were joined by their families, coaches and St. Louis American guest columnist Maurice Scott at the ceremony in the school’s library.

Cleveland NJROTC track star signs letter of intent

American staff

With his classmates looking on, Cleveland NJROTC High School track star Michael Wells signed his letter of intent to continue his athletic endeavors at Oklahoma University. Wells had also considered Baylor University, Texas Christian University and Pittsburgh State University. Wells has played a huge role in Cleveland NJROTC’s recent success at the state level. He is the two-time defending State Champion in the Class 2 100 meter race. He placed first in the 200 meter event in 2013 and second in the 200 meter event in 2012. Wells was also a member of the Cleveland NJROTC 4 X 100 meter and 4 X 200 meter relay teams that finished first in Missouri last year. Considered the current fastest student athlete in Missouri, Wells is ranked second in the Nation in the indoor 60 meter sprint

CLUTCH

Continued from B3

A Maidana matchup would’ve at least passed the storyline test after his unexpected but impressive win over Mini Mayweather aka Adrien Broner. Still both are essential fights with predetermined outcomes.

If Mayweather won’t fight Pacquiao, fine. Many boxing fans gave up hope on ever seeing a Mayweather-Pacquiao mega fight long ago. Names like Timothy Bradley, Keith Thurman, Gennady Golovkin and Danny Garcia may not be household names to the general public, but they’d all represent unique challenges for Mayweather. Regarding the lack of mainstream name recognition, let’s be honest, if Mayweather can sell out The Pageant so folks could watch him throw thirsty women off stage, he can sell out a fight against any legitimate opponent in the world. At least include them on the poll. Imagine if the Miami

event with a time of 6.73 seconds. “I chose Oklahoma over the other schools because I was told by the coach that I would have an opportunity to compete immediately,” said Wells.

Heat were allowed to choose an NBA Finals opponent and put up a poll for fans to choose between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic.

To this point, Mayweather has not yet finalized the bout with Khan but it’s likely just a matter of time. Khan is the opponent Mayweather wanted all along so he can tap into the British common wealth. If you recall, there was much talk of a bout between Mayweather and the winner of a proposed bout between Khan and STL’s own Devon Alexander. Once Khan learned he could land the Mayweather bout without facing Alexander, he quickly sidestepped the bout (which is how Alexander ended up facing Shawn Porter).

Going back to the official poll, Khan won with 57 percent of more than 35,000 total voters. Interestingly enough, Maidana held a slim lead just a few days before the poll ended before a late Khan surge put it out of reach. Even more interesting is the fact that identical polls by ESPN.com, TheRingTV.com

In addition to the entire Cleveland NJROTC student body, Wells was joined at the letter of intent signing ceremony by his mother, his aunt and his grandmother.

and FightNews.com all had Maidana being chosen by wide margins. Was the fix in? It’s possible that British and other international fans didn’t care enough to visit those US-based websites. With only 35k votes, it’s also evident that the man whose pay-per-view fights are routinely broadcast into more than one million homes got a proverbial shrug from most boxing fans.

If Khan is the guy standing across the ring from Mayweather in May, expect him to fare similarly to Zab Judah, another quick-fisted fighter with a suspect chin. Khan could have moderate success in the first two or three rounds due to his speed. But ‘Money’ will figure him out quickly and discourage him enough to cruise to an easy (and dull) decision victory. Maybe Mayweather’s bouncer can do us all a favor and snatch Khan off the stage before he gets into the bright lights and costs us all $60 at the door. Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk and on Google+

STL boxers bring home bling

American staff

Amateur boxers from St. Louis won two gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal at the recent USA Boxing Elite National Championships in Spokane, WA.

Joshua Temple and Julius Butler won gold medals, Sharone Carter won a silver medal and Jeremiah Millet won a bronze medal.

The St. Louis Ozark Boxing Team consists

Temple will be heading to the Dominican Republic this month to participate in an international competition.

INSIDE

Continued from B3 apart from the rest. That is what the Billikens do to opponents on defense. They locate weaknesses, then just nag, bother and harass opposing teams into utter submission. They stay in

your business and make each possession a grind to the point where you just say, “Here, take the ball, just get away from me!”

It’s beautiful to watch.

On Saturday, SLU will be hosting its biggest game of the year when Atlantic 10 pre-season favorite VCU comes to town. It will be a battle of the top two teams in the conference in front of a sellout crowd. Like SLU, VCU relies on its defense, only it is their relentless full-court pressure defense that is labeled “Havoc.” It should be quite an electric atmosphere at the Chaifetz Arena when these two A-10 giants collide. I cannot wait.

mericAn

Prep Athlete of the Week

Nakiah Bell

Incarnate Word Academy – Girls Basketball

The 5’4” senior guard was the Most Valuable Player of the Webster Winter Challenge after leading the Red Knights to the championships.

Bell scored 19 points in IWA’s 40-37 championship game victory over Columbia Rock Bridge in a showdown of nationally-ranked teams. Bell also had 31 points, including nine 3-pointers in the Red Knights’ 82-29 victory over Belleville East in the first round. For the season, Bell is averaging 14.3 points, 6.2 assists and 1.9 steals a game while shooting 46 percent from 3-point range. Bell signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Iowa State University in November.

of Julius Butler (178 pounds), Sharone Carter (123), Kevin Ford (123), Louis Holloway (165), Canton Miller (132), Jeremiah Millet (152) and Joshua Temple (201). The coaches are Marvin Millet, Danny McGinnis and Willie Temple.

Gold medalists Butler and

Community research training deadline

Apply by March 3 to work with WUSTL faculty on public health

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

Washington University is looking for its second cohort of Community Research Fellows, for no-cost training to work collaboratively to improve minority health and reduce health disparities.

WUSTL scheduled two evening information sessions for interest parties at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19 and Thursday, Feb. 20 on the second floor of the Taylor Avenue Building, 600 S. Taylor Ave.

Last August, 45 students in the inaugural group of community researchers earned certificates after completing

BioSTL

Continued from B1 innovation; and · Women Entrepreneurs of St. Louis (WEST) through events that expand the region’s network of experienced female entrepreneurs and connect them to the bioscience community.

“The St. Louis Bioscience Inclusion Initiative’s charge to identify and support highpotential women and minority bioscience entrepreneurs is vital to the attainment of greater regional economic productivity and revitalization,” said William Tate, professor and director, Center for the Study of Regional Competiveness in Science and Technology at Washington University.

“Pathways from discovery to biotechnology entrepreneurship

the program. From this group, teams submitted research grant proposals and the university approved two proposals for pilot funding. Each team receiving a grant is working with a faculty mentor.

One of the projects, titled “Healthy Body/Healthy Spirit,” is focusing on using an evidence-based empowerment program for African-American faith-based communities to encourage them to know more about chronic disease and prevention.

The second project, “The New Face of Homelessness,” will study the needs and concerns of homeless women, ages 45 to 64, and use the findings to develop

are challenging and exciting.

The opportunity to generate value added in terms of the conception of business ideas is increased by including collaborators with different life experiences. The Initiative is a tangible sign that proactive support on this front is a wise course. My hope is this work will blossom into scalable strategies for finding and supporting new talent.”

The competitive grant to BioSTL was one of 10 awarded nationally from more than 500 applications.

“There is a strong need to provide motivated African Americans the opportunity to acquire higher education that will support entrepreneurial outcomes,” said entrepreneur and philanthropist Brenda Newberry.

“The grant is a demonstration of the positive perception of the ability within

recommendations for homeless shelters, staff and affected individuals.

Community Research Fellow applications are due March 3. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, live or work in St. Louis and have an interest in improving minority health, public health research or reducing obesity disparities. Applicants must make a 16-week commitment to the program. For more information, contact Jewel Stafford at 314-747-2183, email staffordjd@wustl.edu or complete the application at http://tinyurl.com/ communityresearchersWUSTL.

the St. Louis community to develop and support outstanding African Americans within the biosciences from early education to advanced degrees and through to entrepreneurship.”

BioSTL builds regional capacity and fosters collaborative efforts to advance innovation, entrepreneurship and new company creation that capitalize on St. Louis’ medical and plant biosciences.

“St. Louis’ ascending bioscience community is a driver of regional economic growth,” said Donn Rubin, president & CEO of BioSTL.

“But the region will only achieve its potential if every talented individual, including those with entrepreneurial aspirations, has the opportunity to succeed and contribute to our regional prosperity.” Visit www.biostl.org for additional information.

How to place a calendar listing

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

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

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

black history month

Fri., Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m., Powell Symphony Hall presents Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration starring the InUnison Chorus and featuring Jennifer Holiday This annual concert celebrates AfricanAmerican cultures and traditions that have influenced the history of St. Louis, as well as cities around the world. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. stlsymphony.org.

Sat., Feb. 15, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library presents Black History Celebration 2014 with featured speaker, Ayana Mathis. Ms. Mathis will be discussing “The Twelve Tribes of Hattie.” Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www.slcl.org/black-historycelebration.

Feb. 15 – Feb 28, Gitana Productions’ Global Education through the Arts program will present “Living the Dream: 50 Years and Beyond.” The 45-minute music, drama and dance performance promoting nonviolence and acceptance are scheduled throughout the region during February, Black History Month, to celebrate the messages of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For more full schedule, locations and more information, visit www. gitana-inc.org or call Gitana Productions at (314) 721-6556.

Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m., Ben Jealous, former NAACP president and CEO – the youngest in the history of the organization –will speak on the Civil Rights journey in the special talk entitled “We Got What We Fought For, But We Lost What We Had,” The Loretto-Hilton, Webster

University.

Thurs., Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m., Westminster Christian Academy presents Night of the Arts: A Celebration of Unity: Black History Month 2014. To honor and celebrate the achievements of black Americans throughout history, Westminster will host a Black History Month event featuring Westminster music, drama, and poetry students. 800 Maryville Centre Dr., 63017. For more information, visit www.wcastl.org.

Sat., Feb. 22, 1 p.m., St. Louis County Library Black History Celebration 2014 presents Gift of Gospel Celebration. Lewis & Clark Branch, 9909 Lewis-Clark Blvd., 63136. For more information, visit www.slcl. org/black-history-celebration.

concerts

Friday, Feb. 14, 8 p.m., St. Louis Music Festival with Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly with Anthony Hamilton and Joe, Chaifetz Arena. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Feb. 14 & 15, Jazz at the Bistro presents Valentine’s Day with Erin Bode. 3536 Washington Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. grandcenter.org.

Sat., Feb. 15, 8 p.m., Grand Center presents Chucho Valdes Quintet. The winner of five Grammy awards and three Latin Grammy awards, the pianist and composer, hailed as “the Dean of Latin jazz” and “one of the world’s great virtuosic pianists” by the New York Times, is revered throughout the international jazz community as the forefather of Afro-Cuban jazz. 634 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.grandcenter.org.

Sat., Feb. 15, 8 p.m., The Sheldon presents

Calendar

Terence Blanchard. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Feb. 19 – 22, Jazz St. Louis presents Christian McBride with pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr., Jazz at the Bistro. 3536 Washington Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Sat., Feb. 22, 8 p.m., Friends of the Sheldon present Aaron Neville. Proceeds from this special evening benefit Sheldon Educational Programs. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Thur., Feb. 27, 7 p.m., Team Morris presents An Evening with St. Louis’ own Jazz Vocalist – Denise Thimes. Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., 63117. For more information, call (314) 533-0534 or visit www.lanetabernaclestl. com/492634.html.

local gigs

Feb. 14 & 15, Jazz at the Bistro presents Valentine’s Day with Erin Bode. Bode consistently wins over audiences with her sweet personality and sincere performances, the perfect combination to celebrate this romantic holiday. 3536 Washington Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.grandcenter.org.

special events

Thur., Feb. 13, 5:30

p.m., Emerson presents The St. Louis American Foundation’s Fourth Annual Salute to Young Leaders. Networking & Awards Reception saluting excellence in performance and service by 20 outstanding AfricanAmerican professionals under age 40. Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, 999 N. 2nd St., 63102. For more information, call (314) 533-8000 or email kdaniels@stlamerican.com.

Thurs., Feb. 13, 7 p.m., Table 4 Two speed dating event (25 and up), the Halo Bar at The Pageant. Purchase your tickets today at table4twostl. eventbrite.com.

Fri., Feb. 14, 6:30 p.m., The Auxiliary to the Mound City Medical Forum presents The Love Boat – A Valentine’s Day Dinner and Dance with Silent Auction. All proceeds benefit the AMCMF Nursing Scholarship and programs. For more information and to book your passage, call (314) 2658556 or (636) 887-0210.

Fri., Feb. 14, 7 p.m., The Alternative Valentine’s Dance Party. Anyone who is in 5th-8th grade join us for a night of food, dancing and socializing. Admission is $8 and can be pre-purchased at the Crestwood Community Center. Your admission includes Pizza, a beverage and a DJ. Don’t miss out on this night to remember. Crestwood

Friends of the Sheldon present Aaron Neville. See CONCERTS for details.

Community Center, 9425 Whitecliff Park Ln., 63126. For more information, call (314) 729-4860.

Sat., Feb. 15, 11 a.m.. Lincoln University Annual Founders Day Luncheon, Renaissance Airport Hotel. For more information, contact Barbara Thomas at 314-8381387.

Sat., Feb. 15, 5 p.m., The Friends of Scott Joplin and the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site present “Perfessor” Bill Edwards Performing Piano Ragtime He adopted the term “perfessor” in reference to early ragtime players, who often used it. Bill Edwards has played at various venues, including ragtime festivals, all over the country. He plays ragtime, blues, stride, and oldtime piano. Scott Joplin State Historic Site, New Rosebud Café, 2658 Delmar, 63158. For more information, call (314) 852-4735.

Sat., Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m., Lumen Private Event Space hosts Valentine’s Dance & Silent Auction. Join The Megan Foundation for their 5th Valentine’s Dance & Silent Auction to raise research funds for Usher Syndrome, the leading cause of deaf/blindness disorders. Open bar and hor d’oeuvres, music by the Rhythm Rockers, and mustbid-on auction display, you can be sure of an unforgettable night. 2201 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www.meganfoundation.org.

Feb. 15, 9 p.m., Laclede’s Landing presents Run

for the Chocolate. This exciting and fun 4 mile run/ walk returns to the streets of Downtown St. Louis to spice up Valentine’s weekend for couples and singles alike. 710 N. Second St., 63160. For more information, visit www. runforthechocolate.com.

Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m., The Coronado Ballroom hosts The Fourth Annual Blissful Wishes Ball. Guys and dolls are invited for an evening of dinner & dancing inspired by the 1920’s. So come as a flapper or come as you are, come as a gangster or a silent screen star. Enjoy a swell night of fun Great Gatsby style. 3701 Lindell Blvd., 63108. For more information, email stlouisevents@ wishuponawedding.org.

Sat., Feb. 22, 6 p.m., The Ritz-Carlton presents American Heart Association Heart Ball. This event will raise funds and awareness for its lifesaving mission “to build healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke.” The 2014 Heart Ball is chaired by Steve and Denice Martenet, President, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and vice chair Lynn Britton, President/CEO, Mercy. 100 Carondelet Plaza, 63105. For more information, visit heart. org.

Feb. 16, 12 p.m., St. Louis’ Best Bridal presents “Best of the Best” High Tea. High Tea and New York Runway Fashion Show. All brides receive an elegant swag bag, the opportunity to talk with industry experts and a chance to win a 3-Night/4-Day Funjet vacation to Mexico! Courtesy of Travel Haus St Louis, Funjet Vacations and El Dorado Spa Resorts. The RitzCarlton, St. Louis – Clayton, 100 Carondelet Plaza, 63105. For more information and to reserve your seat, call (314) 475-1202.

Sat., Feb. 22, 7 p.m., Scottish Rite Cathedral hosts COTA for Kara Trivia Night. Support a little girl’s journey for a new kidney. There will also be a silent auction, raffle, door prizes, 50/50, and a snack bar. 3633 Lindell Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314)680-1410 or email Cota.karac@yahoo.com.

Thur., Feb. 27, 6 p.m., The Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists will host an Open Mic Night. Evening will include an opportunity to relax with professional

Continued from C1

Leaders.” The business-forward event will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel, Thursday, February 13 from 5:30– 7:30 p.m. Young Leaders are: committed, compassionate, and generous individuals who are already making a positive impact in our community. Tickets for the Networking and Awards Reception are $25 Twenty outstanding professionals under 40 will be honored. Among the awardees are Brittany N. Packnett –Executive Director – Teach for America; Steven L. Harris –Partner – RubinBrown, LLP; Sheena R. Hamilton, Esq.

– Armstrong Teasdale, LLP; Danielle Y. Blount – Senior Analyst Diversity and Inclusion – Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Henry A. Johnson III Assistant VP – Morgan Stanley Wealth Management; Ronald L. Roberts – VP – McCormack Baron Salazar Developments, Inc.; Clarissa Okpaleke – Sr. Recruiter – Farm Credit Bank; Jeffrey L. Bickley – Human Resources Consultant –McDonald’s Corporation USA; and Tasha Turner – Analytical Chemist II – Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.

Attendance prizes include gift certificates to Vincent’s Jewelers and St. John Knits, an overnight stay at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis and an iPad. This promises to be a swanky affair. Please call Kate Daniel at 314-533-8000 for tickets.

Meds & Food for Kids is an organization dedicated to ending malnutrition and igniting economic development in Haiti. Their Third Annual Gala and Auction - Kompa: The Rhythm of the People” Experience Kanaval Gala will be held Saturday, March 1 (6-10 p.m.) at the Saint Louis Science Center, featuring authentic Haitian entertainment, traditional Haitian food and unique hand-crafted Haitian art. KMOX’s Debbie Monterrey will host. For ticket information, please call Ashley Holmes at 314-799-9072. This promises to be an exciting and educational evening!

I am looking forward to the YWCA’s 44th annual Alberta E. Gantt Valentine Fashion Show and Luncheon on Saturday, February 15 The annual luncheon and fashion show beings at 11:30 a.m. and will be held at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel. The funds

raised will benefit the YWCA’s Transitional Housing Program (THP) for homeless women. Annually, the luncheon is planned by the Committee on Administration, which was organized in 1911 to support the Phyllis Wheatley Branch of the YWCA that served AfricanAmerican women and girls in St. Louis. Since its inception, the organization has continually supported the YWCA for 103 years. Please call 314-531-1115 for ticket information.

2-5-Oh! Surprise, Sadness and Struggle in the Mound City is an exhibition at Salon 53 to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of St. Louis. The exhibit curated by Frieda L. Wheaton, owner of Salon 53, opens February 22 and runs through December 31. Salon 53 is a private residential art gallery.

Participating artists include Adrienne Jenkins Patel, Maurice Meredith, Najjar Abdul-Musawwir Sami Bentil, Christopher Burch, William Burton, Stan Chisholm Kathy M. Dickerson, Lamerol Gatewood, Nanette Hegamin, Daniel Jefferson Melvin Jefferson, Robert Ketchens, Joseph LaMarque, Is’Mima Nebt’Kata ,Carmelita Nuňez, Adelia Parker, Edna J. Patterson-Petty R2C2H2 Tha Artivist, Marilyn Robinson, John E. Rozelle, Solomon Thur-man (10th Street Gallery), Joy L. Wade, Doretha Washington and Freida L. Wheaton. For group tours, please call 314494-4660 or email FreiWhea@ aol.com.

Corrections, executions and humanity

There are numerous examples of the inhumane and corrupt nature of the prison industrial complex. Over two million citizens languish behind bars. Most of them are non-violent offenders who experience little or no rehabilitation during their stay. Reforms may seem challenging for this institution, but they’re not impossible.

Last week, Herbert Smulls was executed despite the controversial manner in which the State of Missouri secured its lethal injection drug. Smulls’ attorneys had secured a temporary halt from the U.S. Supreme Court just hours before his scheduled execution. While Smulls was on the phone talking to counsel regarding next steps, the call was abruptly interrupted by guards who summarily began the execution process. Smulls was executed before the High Court actually made its ruling.

to kill as many as it can before the illegal manner in which they procured the drug gets a big public spotlight. It was the third time that Missouri had moved forward with executions before pending appeals were resolved.

8th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Kermit Bye found this behavior alarming. This may be the reason he disclosed the likely source of Missouri’s pentobarbital.

The Apothecary Shoppe is the name of the unlicensed pharmacy compound in Tulsa, Oklahoma providing drugs here. The veil of secrecy was

n The veil of secrecy was snatched off by a judge – how refreshing!

snatched off by a judge – how refreshing!

Continued from C1

“So,” she said, “you know you don’t have to be afraid to ask me anything.”

He took a deep breath and proceeded.

“Well,” he said, “I’m applying for this job and I was hoping I could use you as a professional reference.”

She was as irritated as she was stunned.

“What? A reference?” she said. “I thought you owned your own computer business.”

She tried to keep her voice from creeping into the stereotypical bitter black woman tone – and failed miserably.

“I do, and it’s going well,” he said. “But I’m trying to explore more streams of revenue.”

At this point she got heated.

“This fraud!” she said to herself. “I can’t believe I was even open to the idea of dating him.”

After that, the gloves came off.

“I’ve never worked with you,” she said. “I don’t know you in a professional capacity, and who calls someone for a job reference at 10 o’clock at night?”

He felt blindsided.

“I thought we were cool,” he said. “Where is this coming from?”

She tried to pull it together.

“I don’t know your work history, and I don’t know anything about what kind of employee you have been,” she said. “The one time I asked you about your business, you changed the subject so fast my head started spinning.”

He tried to defend himself, but she cut him off.

“I operate in a place of truth and honesty. I thought you knew that,” she said. “And you knowing that I know nothing about your professional life, and asking me to lie to your potential employer has just put me in a bad way. Period.”

“I’m sorry, I really am,” he said. “I didn’t mean to rub you the wrong way. I just thought that you would do me this favor as a friend. That’s all. I didn’t mean to ask you to compromise your value system.”

“Well, if I knew anything of note about your work life, it would be one thing. But I don’t. I guess this is just one of those things you learn along the way as you get to know people.”

“So, then it’s a no?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied, “that would be a no.”

The blowback on this action could have been pretty ugly had the Court upheld the stay of execution after the State of Missouri had already killed Smulls. Unfortunately, the Court ruled to move forward with the execution.

This hasty and irresponsible action underscores Missouri’s haste

HART

Continued from C1

succeeds in delivering a slice of cinematic life relatable to generations X and Y. Bryant and Ealy play it straight as Debbie and Danny, but Hall and Hart leave no slapstick or situation comedy stone unturned as Joan and Bernie. And while Hart is known for his comic relief at all

While this is sure to come to a head in the coming weeks and months (the execution of Michael Taylor is set for February 26), Missouri could change another of its inhumane policies with little backlash from citizens and the courts.

A couple of years ago, Rodnie Stewart’s case came to my attention. Despite heart-wrenching efforts by his family and the ACLU, the Missouri Department of Corrections refused to release the dying man so he could die with some morsel of dignity among his loved ones.

This is a policy that we as taxpayers need to pressure for change. There is no rational justification as to why these patients can’t be released on medical parole to their families. Their bodies ravaged with disease (usually cancer), the state’s doctors have given them weeks or months to live; they pose absolutely no threat to society.

The only reason I can see why this kind of medical release can’t happen is because the prison wants to count these men’s bodies like widgets so that they can get paid. If this is the case, the department can still do so with a policy that says the inmate, although released, is still in their custody. After the point inmates are released, there is very little medical treatment. It’s all about giving that dying family member loving attention and comfort. That’s not too much to ask, and it’s not too much for Missouri to give. These are our tax dollars being used to carry out unnecessarily inhumane policies. Let’s make this happen.

Robert Rowry died recently of liver cancer, shackled and chained to a hospital bed as an inmate. According to his family and attorney Randall Cahill, Rowry had been denied a timely medical diagnosis, thereby delaying medical treatment for his liver cancer.

costs, the usually sassy Hall meets him laugh for laugh, even upstaging him a time or two. They carry on in a way that keeps the film light and balanced when things get heavy during the downward spiral of what starts out as the perfect romance.

Hall even manages to push Hart outside the confines of his physical comedy comfort zone. Audiences will find most of the laugh-out-loud moments in their banter, rather than Hart stealing scenes from the rest of the ensemble.

“About Last Night” is a well-written, well-acted film with relevant themes and realistic characters that manages to allow Hart to finally live up to his hype. About Last night opens in theatres nationwide on Friday, February 14. The film is rated R with a running time of 100 minutes.

Salon 53 Gallery Owner Freida Wheaton

Jamala Rogers

Baraka celebrated in ESL

Black Arts

Movement

cofounder remembered

Feb. 18

American staff

The Eugene B. Redmond Writers Club and a host of other groups will present a “Multi-Arts Festival of Remembrance and Renewal in honor of the late Amiri Baraka

6 p.m. Tuesday, February 18 at Sunshine Cultural Arts Center, 630 N. 59th St. in East St. Louis. Poets, activists, administrators, clergy, drummers, dancers, musicians, spoken word artists, social workers, cultural organizers and ideologues will share the stage. Participants will include Malik Ahmed, Babatu Bayete, Zaki Baruti, Michael Castro, Roscoe “Ros” Crenshaw, Kalimu Endesha, Shirley

ART

Continued from C1

a patron and leader in the arts. She currently serves on the board of trustees for the Barnes Foundation and the board of the Clark Atlanta University art galleries. She joined the Georgia Museum of Art’s board of advisors in fall 2011. She was an assistant professor at Morehouse

LeFlore, Susan “Spit-Fire” Lively, Charlois Lumpkin, Vincent Manuel, Akbar Muhammad, Chris Mullen, Reginald Petty, Eugene B. Redmond, Treasure Shields Redmond, Jamala Rogers, Darlene Roy, Sunshine Community Performance Ensemble and Jaye P. Willis. Baraka (1934-2014), whose wake and funeral occurred in Newark, N.J., on Jan. 17-18, died Jan. 4 in his native city of Newark. Important acknowledgments of his passing have also taken place in Harlem (NY). Up until the time of his death, the worldacclaimed poet, playwright and activist was teaching literature and culture courses in places as far flung as Italy and Germany. He was widely known as a father of the 1960s Black Arts Movement, a twin of the Black Power Movement whose national proponents included Stokely Carmichael, Angela Davis and H. Rap Brown. “With Baraka and others at the helm, the twin engines of Art and Power helped propel African-American and global human rights (and cultural) movements toward more aggressive and ‘militant’

College in the department of psychology before focusing on child and adolescent mental health, first as a clinical psychologist and then as a school psychologist. Larry Thompson was born in Hannibal, Mo., and developed his eagerness for collecting art while an undergraduate at Culver-Stockton College. He received his J.D. from the University of Michigan and has served as the Deputy Attorney General of the

stances,” Redmond said.

Over the course of his life, however, Baraka, like his model Malcolm X, took various ideological positions and directions – from that of an early 1960s bohemian (“Beat”) poet to Black Nationalism to Marxism.

An active trustee of the EBR Writers Club and a senior consulting editor of Drumvoices Revue, the literarycultural journal co-published by the club and the English Department at SIUE, Baraka visited the metro area on numerous occasions beginning in the 1960s.

Co-sponsors of the “Kwansabas for Baraka” event include Better Family Life, Black River Writers Press, East St. Louis Cultural Revival Campaign, Nation of Islam, Organization for Black Struggle, SIUE, Universal African Peoples Organization and Drumvoices Revue (where Baraka’s work frequently appeared).

For more information, call 618-650-3991, email eredmon@siue.edu or write EBR Writers Club: P.O. Box 6165, East St. Louis, IL 62201.

United States. Thompson has also taught at Georgia State University College of Law and the University of Georgia Law School.

The Thompsons currently reside in Greenwich, Conn. Larry Thompson is executive vice president of government affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary for PepsiCo.

For further information, please visit sluma.slu.edu.

Student receives car from generous donor

Family helps single mother studying at Harris-Stowe

American staff

Marnee’ Crusby, a HarrisStowe State University freshman, received a 2003 Toyota Corolla that was donated by Gwendolyn Downs. This is the second time that Downs has donated a car to a female student at HSSU, with hopes of providing transportation to single mothers who transport their young children to day care or school each day.

The car was donated in the name of Mrs. Downs’ husband, Roger Downs, who attended Harris-Stowe in the early sixties.

“This was something I’d wanted to do for quite some

time,” said Gwendolyn, a senior citizen who works a temp job from time to time.

“I realized that the criteria I set for this donation was based on me. I was an African-American female single mother, taking public transportation to get my child to the sitter.”

After a rigorous application process which included an application, proof of financial stability, background checks and driving records, Crusby was chosen. The early childhood education major was chosen by a university committee that made recommendations to Mrs. Downs based on her own submitted criteria.

“My husband always wanted to be an educator and was unable to do so,” said Gwendolyn. “We can’t save everyone, but this is our way of at least helping one student.

I admire the young women who make that decision to have their children and face the challenges that come with

raising a child as a single mother, because it’s not easy.” Not easy is better, however, than not possible;

“In the past, you couldn’t even attend school if they found out you were pregnant,” she said.

Gwendolyn was especially moved by Crusby’s words upon receiving the gift, in which she promised that once able, she would definitely pay it forward. Crusby’s son Jaylen is one year old.

“I felt extremely blessed that I had been selected,” said Crusby. “This car is going to make things more accessible and convenient for my son. Mrs. Downs is a phenomenal and giving woman.”

In addition to the donation of the vehicle, Crusby will receive a special car gift package that includes car insurance for up to six months, gas cards, a one-year AAA membership, oil change voucher and a gas card.

Amiri Baraka received the Distinguished Native Son Award from Evon Udoh (left) and Darlene Roy during a November 1990 meeting of the Eugene B. Redmond Writers Club at East St. Louis’ State Community College.

Marnee’ Crusby and donor Roger Downs with her car.

Photo by Maurice Meredith

Engaged

Brionna Muldrow of St. Louis, MO and Ezell Ryans of Houston, TX announce their engagement for a June 2014 wedding. Brionna is a graduate of Parkway North High school and Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO. She has also been named Accounting Analyst for Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. in Houston, TX.

Reunions

Beaumont Class of 1964 has started planning for its 50 year class reunion. We are currently looking for participants to help with the planning. Please provide your contact information to: beaumont64alumni@gmail. com.Send your ideas as well as

the best time for meetings.

Beaumont Class of 1968 46th Reunion Family Picnic will be Saturday, June 7, 2014. Meetings to plan the picnic will be the 4th Saturday of February 22, March 22 and April 26, 2014 at 2 p.m. at STL County Library 7606 Natural Bridge. For more information email bhsco1968@att.net or call 314 869-8312.

Beaumont High School Class of 1984 is looking for participants to begin planning its 30 year class reunion. Please provide your contact information to: beaumont_1984@yahoo.com.

~ Celebrations ~

Anniversary

Kenneth and Charlyne Hinkle mark their 10th wedding anniversary on February 14. “God has blessed us to celebrate 10 years of marriage. Love is our foundation, and it never fails.”

Birthdays

Happy 43rd blessed and prosperous birthday to Michelle Collins-Butler on February 16. You go girl... looking good!

Janna M. Ellerson turned three on February 12! You are a blessing to your family. We love you!

Laylah Wilson and Jaydah Wilson — February 7

Aretha Bland — February 5

Keith Jerome Crossland Jr. — February 14

Soldan Class of 1965 Presents Washington, DC: Our Nation’s Capital, June 19-24, 2014. For more information contact: Corinne Parker-Stukes 636294-4373, Brenda WallaceYancey 314-830-1334, Isaiah Hair, Jr. 314-387-7592 or email: soldanclassof65@gmail. com.

Sumner Alumni Association hosts its 11th Annual RoundUp of Sumner Alumni Sunday, February 23, 2014, 1-4 p.m. at Sumner High School. This year’s honorees are alumni that have served in any area associated with the Transportation Field. Also, we will honor alumni that have volunteered at Sumner on a regular basis from 2008-

14. A Reception will be held in the gym from 12:45 - 1:45 p.m. with displays, souvenir items, photographer, and more. New and renewal of alumni memberships accepted in the foyer. Program starts at 2 p.m. in the auditorium. For more info, contact P. Mason at 314.556.3944, J. Vanderford at 314.454.0029 or email: sumnersince1875@yahoo.com. Vendors are welcome ($50 in advance); contact B. Louis at 314.385.9843.

Sumner 1964 Class Reunion Committee is looking for classmates we have lost contact with. Please call or email any changes to your name, address, telephone number, and/or email to Patricia Wells Sheltonat (314) 839-2214 or patricia.shelton@ att.net or Carol Strawbridge at (314) 524-8504 or strawu@ AOL.com.

Sumner High School Class of 1969 has started planning its 45th class reunion. Please email shsclassof69@yahoo. com for more information or call Leonard at 314-413-3104 or Meredith at 314-306-2349.

Sumner High Class of 1975 has started planning its 40th reunion. Please

provide contact information to sumnerclassof75@gmail.com or C. Jackson 314-477-6785 for more information.

Sumner High Class Of 1974 has started planning its 40th class reunion. Meetings are held each third Saturday of the month from 2-4 pm at New Beginnings Missionary Baptist Church, 4055 Edmundson Rd. 63134. Please contact Marsha D. Roberts-Moore at sumnerclassof1974@ yahoo.com, 314-367-3159 or Joyce Bush-Cruesoe at cruesoe2195@att.net, 314-4841552.

Sumner High Class of 1979 is looking for classmates to participate in activities leading up to its 35th Class Reunion, June 20-22, 2014 in Lake Ozarks, MO. Please forward contact information to sumner1979@ymail.com or call Sara at 314-482-1558. Various activities are planned.

Sumner High School Class of 1984 is planning a 30 year reunion for August 22-24, 2014. For more information please contact Priscilla (Ms. Prissy) at 314-556-3944, or Robin Allen at 314-369-9549.

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

Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to: St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315 Pine St. St. Louis, MO 63103 FREE OF CHARGE

Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us!

However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103

Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us. Our email address is: reunions@ stlamerican.com

St. Louis Community College has created a districtwide Alumni Association, and needs your help identifying the 1.5 million STLCC alumni. An alum is anyone who has completed at least one course at STLCC. Alumni are encouraged to visit the website: www. stlcc.edu/foundation/, to become members or update information. For more information, contact Ashley Budde, coordinator of alumni relations, at abudde6@stlcc. edu, or 314-539-5145.

New diversity at Unity

An African American is new senior minister at church in Lemay

By William DeWitt Townsend For The St. Louis American

For the first time, a Unity church in St. Louis whose membership is mostly white has an African-American senior minister. But the things that count the most to the Unity Church of Peace community in the Lemay area are this minister’s commitment, message and heart. Race is irrelevant.

When she spoke during a weekend visit in November, the connection between community and minister was instantaneous.

“Everyone has been so excited to welcome me,” said Rev. Josette Jackson, 55, during an interview at the church.

“There is a bubbling energy here. Everyone is committed to the church’s mission, which attracted me here. That mission is ‘to know God, to embrace all life, and to express love and peace.’”

Jackson drove from Denver to St. Louis in January to serve the church at 3701 Bayless Ave., between Lemay Ferry Road and Interstate 55. Her appointment, the result of a yearlong search, was announced to a cheering church on the Sunday before Christmas. Her first Sunday at the lectern was January 19. She was formally installed on February 9.

Jackson said, “Importantly, people from all walks of life are always welcome at our church,” which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in June.

Jackson, an ordained Unity minister since 2003, replaced Rev. Sallie Fox, who served the church from October 2005 to January 2013.

Jackson most recently served as senior minister at Unity on the Avenue in Denver from 2010 to 2012, while at the same time owning and operating a day-care center and preschool in Denver, which she served from 2009 through 2012. From 2008 to 2009, she was a substitute teacher in Michigan. From 2003 to 2007, she was senior minister at Unity Church of

Unity’s Five Principles

1. God is the source and creator of all. There is no other enduring power. God is good and present everywhere.

2. We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good.

3. We create our life experiences through our way of thinking.

4. There is power in affirmative prayer, which we believe increases our awareness of God.

5. Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must live them.

member said.

“A start toward drawing African Americans here is showing them a reflection of themselves,” Jackson said, pointing to herself and smiling.

Ottawa, Canada. Before that she served in ministerial roles at Unity churches in Denver; Battle Creek, Michigan; and in Arlington, Texas.

Jackson is skilled at speaking, spiritual counseling, teaching, accounting, community relations, strategic planning, writing and peacemaking. She developed and implemented church business and spiritual plans, and she has designed and delivered classes, workshops and retreats on a variety of subjects, including teaching students to choose to live a creative, peaceful and prosperous life.

While race was not relevant in their choice of pastor, church members said they want a more diverse population. “There is strength in diversity,” more than one

In noting Unity’s uniqueness, she said while other denominations say there are two powers, good and evil, “in Unity, we believe God is the only power. We don’t deny there are evil acts, but we believe those acts stem from error thinking.”

Unity is a positive, practical, progressive approach to spirituality and Christianity based on Jesus’ teachings and the power of prayer. Unity honors the truths in all religions and is guided by five principles (see sidebar).

With international headquarters in Unity Village, Missouri, outside Lee’s Summit, Unity was founded in Kansas City in 1889. Silent Unity, the movement’s chief prayer ministry, is always available for prayer support by calling 1-800-NOW-PRAY (669-7729). For more information, visit unity.org.

William DeWitt Townsend edits religious books and is a freelance writer.

By Portia Simpson For The St. Louis American

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”

– Psalm 19:14, King James Version

The entire 19th Psalm is a praise offering to God which talks about God’s faithfulness and the glory of God in nature, and then it talks about the word of God. David climaxes this praise by offering, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

S. Department of Agriculture, the ultimate authority or watchdog for the safe consumption of food. You may remember seeing their stamp on some of the meat you’ve purchased: “USDA inspected.”

The inspector examining the meat has two stamps. One is “Inspected and Passed” and the other is “Inspected and Condemned.”

James chapter 3 deals with the tongue and lets us know that the tongue can do a lot of damage if we do not allow the Holy Spirit to control it. What comes out of our mouths is the result of what we are thinking.

Philippians 4:8 tells us what to think on, and our Bishop James Johnson has said that “words are the embodiment of thought.”

Most of us eat meat or have eaten meat at some time in our lives. Before that meat could be consumed it had to undergo inspection by the U.

One stamp indicates that this product is unadulterated, pure and is acceptable for human consumption –inspected and passed. The other indicates that the product is not acceptable for human consumption – inspected and condemned. One is approved, and one is condemned. Now let’s relate this to David’s prayer – “Let the words of my mouth” – let what I say – “and the meditation of my heart” –and what I think deeply about – “be acceptable in your sight” – receive your stamp of approval – “O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” –because you are the ultimate examiner of what comes out of my mouth and what I think about.

Portia Simpson is an instructor at the Bethesda Temple Bible Institute – 314382-2606.

The American is accepting Inspirational Messages from the community. Send your column (no more than 400 words) as a Word document and pasted text to cking@stlamerican.com and attach a photo of yourself as a jpeg ile. Please be patient; we will run columns in the order received.

Portia M. Simpson

The Rev. Josette Jackson, the new senior minister at Unity Church of Peace in Lemay, is the first African American to lead a Unity church in St. Louis whose membership is mostly white. Photo by Milton Loessber

Celebrity Swagger Snap of the Week

Down to the hour for Young Leaders. I don’t know how, but in case it may have slipped some of y’all’s minds, TODAY (Thurs., Feb. 13) is the day for the 4th Annual Salute to Young Leaders Networking Reception. If you are reading this before 5 p.m., then leave your corporate clothes on and make your way down to the Four Seasons before things kick off at 5:30 p.m. – or as soon as you can. Tickets are only $25 each and include drinks and hors d’oeuvres. I’m telling you (just like I’ve told you time and time again) you don’t want to miss the opportunity to join Emerson and The St. Louis American Foundation in giving daps to the young folks on their way to doing big things in our city. These twenty folks under forty being honored are the future leaders of this city – and I’ll be bold enough to say some of the Young Leaders will have an impact on this nation sooner than later. Wouldn’t it behoove you and a few friends to show them love on the front end? I sure think so.

Janky Juvenile? Those of us expecting business as usual with respect to celebs turning out Friday night at the Coliseum were sorely disappointed last week. By early evening Juvenile took to Twitter saying that the show was fake. But I heard from more than a couple folks that he refused to get on the plane because his wife wasn’t given the hook up on a free flight to the Lou. Folks are going to believe what they want, but Juvie’s “bad business” claims may have seemed more legit if the same crew of promoters didn’t have celebrity guests much more relevant than Juvenile just about every Friday for the past three months or so – and they’ve gone on without a hitch. I decided to stop through and see how the crowd would handle the news that Juvie wouldn’t be in the building, but the folks clearly got wind that he wasn’t coming thanks to his social media campaign – because there weren’t enough folks in the Coliseum to have a successful “back that thang up” contest.

Dip’s big 3-0. If you ever want to feel old, watch a youngster that you’ve seen grow up on the scene turn 30. I was feeling like dialing up MetroBus call-a-ride after watching the folks get it in with my baby bro Young Dip as he left his twenties in the dust Friday night at The Rustic Goat. It was nice and deep in the building with Aye I on the tables and another of my STL faves, Laurence Maroney, holding things down in the VVIP section. I’m expecting even bigger things from my boy Dip as he enters his new decade – and his b-day party served as an indicator that I’m probably right on the money.

Turned up with Team Money. Speaking of money, Team Money had The Pageant on lean for the Rockhouse Ent. All Black event Saturday night. Truth be told, I didn’t know what to expect from the evening, but it turned out to be one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasure partaking as I watched Floyd Mayweather and company give the people a show they didn’t even know they were paying for. When I made my way in, folks were lined up waiting to get in and showcase their tax money treats (new kicks, jewelry, red bottoms and store-bought tops and bottoms…if you get my drift). I don’t know if the ladies purchased their curves with fully functioning heating systems or they had Sochi Olympics ski outfits sewn in underneath their cat suits, but they were braving that cold like some soldiers as they stumbled through the icy sidewalk in six inch heels. And let me tell you, even though it was 12:30 or so when he showed up, Floyd made it worth their struggle. In true Mayweather fashion, the stage was on extra. There was at LEAST 100 folks, with about 50 “bad chicks” standing on what looked to be show choir stands looking like they were about to sing the national anthem to signal his arrival. It would be the “talks too doggone much on the mic” duo who actually introduced him though. And he came out shadowboxing with his whole entire crew in some “Rocky IV” gray sweats looking like he just ran from the hotel as part of his cardio regimen. Then he rapped along to the music, danced around, turned the crowd up nonstop until the Pageant opened the doors and ushered the folks out. It was nonstop and I was amused by every minute of it. Watching a world championship boxer dance and sing along to Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love” and “Flawless?” Priceless. When I saw him patting his face and saying “I woke up like this,” I could have been knocked over by anybody’s oversized false eyelashes. I don’t know what they paid him, but I’ve been less entertained by folks with full bands and backup dancers. Then, as if the folks weren’t turned up enough, he decided to announce and sponsor (courtesy of his black backpack that was to the gills with bills) a $1000 twerk contest. Pandemonium ensued, and Floyd made it known that he was underwhelmed –until the last girl made it clap and compelled him to make it rain. The night was capped off by President of the Board of Alderman Lewis Reed presenting Floyd with a proclamation. Now that threw me for a loop. I mean, what has he done for the city – except a slight boost to the economy by way of gifting a rack to some chick for dropping it like it’s hot? He grabbed the plaque and hunched around like he deserved it – if for nothing else but making for a soulfully memorable night and giving Rockhouse buzz and street cred.

Sending prayers to the Towns family. I hate to be somber up in here, but I would be remissed if I didn’t ask y’all to say a prayer and send some love to super producer Steve T and his family. He and his wife were injured in addition to losing their two boys – and everything they owned – in that Berkeley house fire. Visit http://www.hopechurch.org/towns/ or call (314) 869-7777 for info. STL’s reality TV magic touch. I know the folks have been quietly shading the city for our saturation on reality TV, but can we help it that our natural STL charm is so infectious? That being said, I want to shout out my girl Brittish for joining the cast of “Basketball Wives,” which returns on Feb. 17. And the talented Theresa Payne auditioned for the voice, so be sure to tune in to NBC on Feb. 24 to see how she fared!

Tee White and his lady Christina were among the masses who showed up to party with Floyd Mayweather Saturday night @ The Pageant

Lala with Model Mika Shay stopped

Rustic Goat

Photo by Arlis Davis

Kierra and Morgan came out to catch a glimpse of boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Saturday night @ The Pageant

Nikko Smith, Bell and Darius Bradford were in the mix Sunday evening for the Red Winter Fashion Affair @ The Rustic Goat Photo by Arlis Davis

Laurence Maroney, Triky and birthday boy Young Dip throw the ultimate big 3-0 birthday bash Friday night @ The Rustic Goat Photo by Arlis Davis

STL stars Murphy Lee, Kyjuan and City Spud were repping for the St. Lunatics Saturday night @ The All Black Affair @ The Pageant

Kelisha, Bria, Gabrielle and Elyse came through for the latest installment of Mocha Latte’s Simply Sexy Friday night @ Soho

St. Louis Rams Player Chris Givens was on the scene to support to Gbassa’s Pre Valentine fashion show Sunday afternoon @ Forest Park Golf House

House Raw Elegance owner Sherri with stylists/ barbers Tasha, Nick and Tara @ their open house festivities last Saturday @ House of Raw Elegance

Jen and Dominique came through to Takaya to partake in the 1st Fridays festivities Photo by Arlis Davis

The Money Team, Rockhouse Ent. and Liquid Assets had

Pageant leaning Saturday night thanks in part to the star power of Floyd Mayweather. The champion boxing star had the crowd hype from the time he stepped on stage until the party shut down as he played host with the most.

Photos by Lawrence Bryant

County NAACP celebrates Rosa Parks

Outspoken congresswoman from Houston to keynote Feb. 23 event

American staff

The St. Louis County Branch of the NAACP will host its 10th Annual Rosa Parks Observance Day celebration 3 p.m. Sunday February 23 at the Old Court House Downtown St. Louis The keynote speaker for the afternoon will be U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Houston, Texas. Jackson-Lee was an especially vocal critic of the Congress’ failure to pass an extension of long-term unemployment benefits. She is serving her tenth term as a House Democrat. She has been hailed by Ebony magazine as one of the 100

Angels in the choir

Most Fascinating Black Women. Congressional Quarterly named her one of the 50 most effective Members of Congress and U.S. News and World Report named her one of the 10 most influential legislators in the House of Representatives. Most recently, she was named the Member of Congress with the largest and most impressive vocabulary based on the words that may be found on the SAT. She earned a B.A. in political science from Yale University with

Betty J. Robinson, who passed last July, grew the agency’s operating budget from $2 million to $23 million in the decade that she was head of YWCA Metro St.

The heart of Head Start

By

S. Ross Betty J. Robinson enlisted in

B. Johnson’s War on Poverty nine years after the war began in 1964. She remained a foot soldier for nearly 40 years. Her battles were fought on behalf of children through the Head Start program. She began working with the school-readiness program in Carrollton, Ala., a town with fewer than 1,000 people. When Robinson died last July, she was head of YWCA Metro St. Louis Head Start, which annually serves three times as many children as the population of Carrollton.

“She was the rock of Head Start,” said Adrian Bracy, chief executive officer of YWCA Metro St. Louis. “Her contributions go so deep; they expand beyond young children to the family as a whole.” Robinson, who loved children, loved teaching and lived and breathed Head Start, died Sunday, July 14, 2013 of complications of lung and bone cancer at her home in O’Fallon, Ill. She was 67. Like President Johnson, Robinson briefly taught school. She was a first grade teacher for four years in Pickens County,

2 of ‘The Swap,’ a political memoir by Virvus Jones

By Virvus Jones

For The St. Louis

Mayor Vince Schoemehl and his supporters’ decision to challenge Congressman Bill Clay and his supporters stemmed from a public dispute surrounding the closing of Max Starkloff Hospital, or City Hospital No. 1, a city-owned and -operated hospital. At one time there were two city hospitals, Starkloff and Homer G. Phillips (City Hospital No. 2). Until it was closed in 1978, Homer G. Phillips served the predominately

Banks, Virvus Jones, state Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay.

See ROBINSON, D2

Freeman Bosley Jr., Congressman Bill Clay, 4th Ward Alderman Daisy Mc Farland, Larry Williams, state Sen. J.B. “Jet”

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee brandishes Skittles during a House Judiciary Committee hearing about the murder of Trayvon Martin.

The third and fourth grade choirs of St. Louis Catholic Academy performed recently at St. Alphonsus Liguori “The Rock” Catholic Church, 118 N. Grand Blvd., as part of its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. program. Photo by Wiley Price

Louis Head Start.

Virvus Jones

February 13

1818 Absalom Jones, the first African-American Episcopal priest ordained in the United States, dies in Philadelphia

1970 Joseph L. Searles III becomes the first African-American member of the New York Stock Exchange

February 14

1760 Richard Allen, the first AfricanAmerican ordained in the Methodist Episcopal Church, is born in Philadelphia

1817 AfricanAmerican publisher, author and abolitionist Frederick Douglass is born 1867 Augusta

ROBINSON

Continued from D1

Ala., Carrollton’s county seat.

The federally funded program was designed to mitigate the circumstances of low-income families often living in turbulent neighborhoods.

In 1973, Robinson was running a half-milliondollar Head Start program in Alabama. In 1984, she moved north, becoming assistant director of Head Start in East St. Louis. It was administered by Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. With a budget of $2.1 million, she coordinated seven Head Start centers for more than 700 students. She succeeded in cutting in half

Institute, later to become Morehouse College in Atlanta, is founded

1879 Blanche Ketene “B.K.” Bruce of Mississippi becomes the first African-American to preside over a state senate session

the program’s operating cost for transporting nearly 500 children.

When YWCA Metro St. Louis began administering the St. Louis County Head Start program in 1991, Robinson became chief officer and eventually director. In 2001, she spearheaded the effort of YWCA Metro St. Louis and Grace Hill to take over Head Start in St. Louis from the Human Development Corp. The program had been languishing, apparently because of mismanagement, and had a long waiting list. She grew the agency’s operating budget from $2 million to $23 million in little more than a decade. The program now serves nearly 3,000 children and is the second largest in a four-state region (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri

1957 The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is organized

February 15

1915 Biologist Ernest E.

and Nebraska).

“Through the efforts and vision of Ms. Robinson,” said Stacy Johnson, Head Start assistant program director, “we served as many children as possible.”

The numbers did not begin to tell the story. Cecelia McHaynes-Rigsby did.

McHaynes-Rigsby’s mother, Katherine McHaynes, put her in Head Start when she was a baby. That program set her on the road to college. But that higher-education enrollment wasn’t as successful: McHaynes-Rigsby admits that parties led to academic probation in her first year of college.

“My mother said I had to go to school or go to work,” said McHaynes-Rigsby, now 38. “She called Ms. Robinson.” McHaynes-Rigsby was hired

Just receives the Spingarn Medal for his research on fertilization and cell division

1965 Nat “King” Cole, singer and jazz pianist, dies

February 16

1923 Bessie Smith makes her first recording, “Down Hearted Blues,” which sells 800,000 copies for Columbia Records

1968 Henry Lewis

as a Head Start nutrition aide, preparing meals for the children in Head Start. “Ms. Robinson didn’t want me to stay in the kitchen; she wanted me and others to grow,” she said.

Ms. Robinson pushed her and McHaynes-Rigsby moved into the classroom.

“After several years of working in the classroom, I was promoted to a management position,” McHaynes-Rigsby said.

With grants and scholarships that Robinson “found” for her just as she had for many other young women, McHaynesRigsby eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood development.

“She would have made us all get PhDs if she could have,” laughed McHaynesRigsby, now manager of the Jennings Head Start.

becomes the first AfricanAmerican to head a symphony orchestra

February 17

1938 Mary Frances Berry, first woman to serve as chancellor of a major research university, is born

1982 Thelonius Monk, jazz pianist and composer, dies

February 18

Betty Jean Robinson was born Aug. 16, 1945, in McCloud (now Macon), Miss., the daughter of Jesse Ruffin and Lula Mae Ruth. She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama) in 1973. She earned a master’s degree in elementary education from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in 1986. Robinson was a member of the National Head Start Association, from which she received the 2007 Leadership Award, and served as president of the Missouri Head Start Association. Her board service included the National Benevolent Association Emergency Children’s Homes, the St. Louis Community College Early Childhood

1688 First formal protest against slavery by an organized white body in the colonies occurs. It is the “Germantown Protest” by Pennsylvania Quakers and Mennonites in Germantown, Pa.

1931 Toni Morrison, 1993 Nobel Laureate in Literature and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, is born

February 19

1919 The first PanAfrican Congress, organized by W.E.B. DuBois, is held in Paris

1923 In Moore vs. Dempsey decision, the U.S. Supreme Court guarantees due process of law to AfricanAmericans in state courts

1992 John Singleton becomes the first AfricanAmerican director nominated for an Oscar

Education Advisory Board, the Missouri Head Start Collaboration Advisory Board and the Child and Family Development Task Force.

Additional honors included the Excellence in Education Award from the St. Louis American Foundation, the What’s Right with the Region award from FOCUS St. Louis and Head Start Region VII Administrator of the Year.

“She was a phenomenal woman,” McHaynes-Rigsby said.

Gloria S. Ross is the head of Okara Communications and AfterWords, an obituarywriting and production service. Edited for length and reprinted with permission from The Beacon and St. Louis Public Radio, news. stlpublicradio.org.

Frederick Douglass

Nat King ColeToni Morrison

VIRVUS

Continued from D1

black residents of North St. Louis and Starkloff served the predominately white city residents of South St. Louis. Because of budgetary constraints, the city decided to close Homer G. Phillips and consolidate all ambulatory health care operations at Starkloff.

When Homer G. Phillips was closed, Jim Conway was the mayor and Schoemehl was the 28th Ward alderman. The black political community and some white elected officials were irate at Conway for closing Homer G. Phillips. When Conway came up for reelection in 1981, Schoemehl put together a coalition of labor, black elected officials and public employees who were angry at Conway for a number of reasons – and defeated him. Schoemehl scored a surprising landslide victory, due in part to a promise he made to black voters to reopen Homer G. Phillips. After he was elected, Schoemehl floated several plans for reopening the hospital. His most ambitious plan was a $63 million bond issue, which failed. Support for the bond issue among black elected officials and community groups was splintered, which made it difficult for the bond issue to pass by the 2/3rds voter approval required. Some accused Schoemehl of using the

controversial bond proposal to give him the out he needed to renege on his promise to reopen Homer G. Phillips. In 1985, Schoemehl was reelected mayor by a huge margin over his Democratic opponent, 3rd Ward Alderman Freeman Bosley Sr. Bosley’s major complaint against Schoemehl was his failure to keep his promise to reopen Homer G. Phillips. Upon being sworn in for his second term, one the first things that Schoemehl did was announce his plans to close the Max Starkloff Hospital. Schoemehl’s plan was to partner with St. Louis County government to buy the old St. Luke’s Hospital on Delmar. The new hospital would be named St. Louis Regional Hospital and would be a private, not-for-profit corporation whose board members would be appointed

by the mayor and the county executive.

The closing of Starkloff created some real serious political problems for Congressman Clay, who had endorsed Schoemehl in ‘81 and ‘85 based on his commitment to reopening Homer G. Phillips and/or keeping a city-owned public hospital open. The closing also caused Clay some problems among a group of black doctors who wanted to have control of the patient flow in the black community.

Clay staged a public fight, but in the end Schoemehl was able to get a majority on the Board of Aldermen to support a city budget that eliminated funding for the hospital and created an appropriation for contracting out ambulatory hospital services for the city’s indigent to Regional Hospital. This series of events was the backdrop for the Clay/

Schoemehl scored a surprising landslide victory, due in part to a promise he made to the black voters to reopen Homer G. Phillips.

Schoemehl meeting at Kim Tucci’s house in January 1988. Up to that point, Clay and Schoemehl had only seen each other casually and had not met since the August 1986 election. Schoemehl told me how in the process of a debate between him and Clay over how inclusive his cabinet was, Clay dismissed Schoemehl’s black cabinet members as having no political or social standing in the black community, with the exception of one. The one person that Clay excluded was me.

Schoemehl told me that Clay said that I was a friend to the black community and someone he had a lot of respect for. Suddenly, the meaning for this sudden meeting in the mayor’s office was becoming clear to me. Schoemehl was going to use the friendship between Congressman Clay and myself as an olive branch to patch up

his rift with Clay. After describing the meeting he had with Clay, Schoemehl asked me if I had heard the rumors that Comptroller Paul Berra was not going to seek reelection. I told him no, I had not heard that. Nancy Rice, Schoemehl’s political staff person, then followed up by asking me what I thought about being comptroller. I told her that I had not given it much thought. Schoemehl immediately started telling me about a possible scenario where Berra would resign his position as comptroller, I would be appointed by Schoemehl to complete Berra’s term, and Schoemehl would appoint Berra to the assessor position.

As I sat there stunned, Schoemehl quickly injected as a disclaimer that he had not talked to Berra about this scenario and did not know what Berra planned to do. The disclaimer was so disingenuous, it was hard for me to keep a straight face.

Nancy then started asking me questions about my relationship with the congressman. I told her that I thought the congressman and I were on good terms. “Good enough terms to get him to endorse you for comptroller against Paul Berra?” Nancy asked. I nodded yes.

Schoemehl told me that he wanted me to visit with Clay and ask for his support face to face. Nancy suggested that I also tell Berra that I was going to run in order to get his reaction. It was clear to me that

they had convinced themselves that I was their choice. I told them there were some skeletons in my closet that could be an embarrassment to Schoemehl if I was appointed comptroller. Nancy responded by saying if it is not about a dead girl or a live boy, then it was not important.

I told them that debts from my losing campaign for sheriff and a failed real estate project had resulted in the garnishment of my salary and several lawsuits. Nancy said she already knew about those things and they could be taken care of. I told her I thought the press would have a field day with news of the fiscal manager of the city of St. Louis not being able to manage his personal finances. She insisted that it could be resolved. I shook my head in disagreement, but decided not to pursue the discussion at that time.

The meeting ended with Vince walking me to the door, telling me to call Clay in Washington, D.C. to set up a time to visit him and to call Berra to set up a meeting with him.

To be continued in next week’s Black History Month section.

This article is excerpted from Virvus Jones’ forthcoming memoir, “The Swap.” This version of events reflects the author’s personal memories of events in which he was a direct participant.

Continued from D1

honors, followed by a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. Her outspoken progressive stands on the House floor have made her a favorite target of right-wing blogs.

“We are honored that Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee will be joining us for this

historic occasion,” said Esther Haywood, president of the St. Louis County NAACP. The County NAACP will present the Rosa Parks Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to recently retired Executive Vice President External Relations AT&T Debra Hollingsworth. The Builders of Community award for Diversity and Inclusion will be presented to CBS affiliate KMOV TV. The emcee will be Andre Hepkins of News 4.

“This year and location has great significance because just 10 years ago the bill that I passed was signed into law in that very rotunda, and now this great American hero is one of America’s most celebrated martyrs,” Haywood said. In 2004, then state Rep. Haywood sponsored H.B. 1256 establishing Feb. 4 as Rosa Parks Day in Missouri annually. For information, email specialevents@stlcountynaacp.

org or call 314-389-1552.

Governer Nixon recognizes Rosa Parks

Gov. Jay Nixon has proclaimed Tuesday, Feb. 4, as Rosa Parks Day in Missouri to honor the famed civil rights pioneer on what would have been her 101st birthday. A state law passed in 2006 designates that date to especially

remember and honor the late Parks, who was born on Feb. 4, 1913 and who died in 2005.

In 1955, Parks refused to obey the order of a bus driver to give up her seat to a white male passenger on a city bus in Montgomery, Ala., leading to the successful boycott of the segregated city bus system and drawing national attention. She has been described as the “Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement,” and her refusal is considered one of

the seminal events of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

“Missouri stands with the nation in honoring this great American,” Gov. Nixon said. “Almost 60 years after her courageous deed, we can honor the legacy of Rosa Parks by continuing to strive to protect the civil rights of all Americans.”

bLAck hiStory month ActivitieS

Thurs., Feb. 13, 10 a.m., Harris Stowe State University’s Annual Black History Month Health Fair, HGA Lower Level Hallway, 3026 Laclede. For more information, call (314) 3405030.

Thurs., Feb. 13, 7 p.m., Moses signs and discusses The Sittin’ Up When Mr. Bro. Wiley, Bean’s adopted grandfather and the last slave man around, dies in the summer of 1940, Bean and his very best friend Pole are some kind of hurt. Left Bank Books Downtown, 399 N Euclid Ave., 63105. For more information, visit www.left-bank.com.

Fri., Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m., Powell Symphony Hall presents Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration starring the InUnison Chorus and featuring Jennifer Holiday This annual concert celebrates AfricanAmerican cultures and traditions that have influenced the history of St. Louis, as well as cities around the world. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. stlsymphony.org.

Sat., Feb. 15, 11 a.m.. Lincoln University Annual Founders Day Luncheon, Renaissance Airport Hotel. For more information, contact Barbara Thomas at 314-838-1387

Sat., Feb. 15, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library presents Black History Celebration 2014 with featured speaker, Ayana Mathis. Ms. Mathis will be discussing “The Twelve Tribes of Hattie.” Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www.slcl.org/black-historycelebration.

Feb. 15 – Feb 28, Gitana Productions’ Global

Education through the Arts program will present “Living the Dream: 50 Years and Beyond.” The 45-minute music, drama and dance performance promoting nonviolence and acceptance are scheduled throughout the region during February, Black History Month, to celebrate the messages of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For full schedule, locations and more information, visit www.gitana-inc.org or call Gitana Productions at (314) 721-6556.

Sun., Feb. 16, 3 p.m., Joys of Glory Gospel Singers presents Salute to African-American History Month. Solomon Temple M.B. Church, 4859 St. Louis Ave., 63115. For more information, call (314) 5338705.

Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m., Ben Jealous, former NAACP president and CEO – the

youngest in the history of the organization –will speak on the Civil Rights journey in the special talk entitled “We Got What We Fought For, But We Lost What We Had,” The Loretto-Hilton, Webster University, 130 Edgar Rd. For more information, visit www. webster.edu.

Thurs., Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m., Westminster Christian Academy presents Night of the Arts: A Celebration of Unity: Black History Month 2014. To honor and celebrate the achievements of black Americans throughout history, Westminster will host a Black History Month event featuring Westminster music, drama, and poetry students. 800 Maryville Centre Dr., 63017. For more information, visit www.wcastl. org.

Sat., Feb. 22, 1 p.m., St. Louis County Library

BLACK HISTORY

How Their Life Changed Yours

Dr.Vivian Pinn

Born and raised in the segregated schools of Virginia, Vivian Pinn always showed an interest in medicine. At an early age she helped her grandmother with insulin shots and in 1958 she began studying at Wellesley College. During her sophomore year, Pinn took time away from school to help her mother dying of cancer. After this tragedy in her life, she felt an even stronger passion to study medicine. Pinn continued studying at the medical school at the University of Virginia after she graduated from Wellesley. In 1967, Pinn was the only African American and the only woman to graduate from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. As time went on she moved to Washington D.C., stepped into many important medical roles, and eventually became the director of the Ofice of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health.

Becoming a medical doctor is an overwhelming task for anyone but especially daunting for Dr. Vivian Pinn. At the time there were very few women in the medical profession and even fewer African Americans. Pinn’s story is a reminder that, even despite overwhelming odds, ambitious life goals can be achieved. Pinn’s work with the ORWH has also contributed to shrinking the “leadership gap” between men and women in research.

Webster University will present Ben Jealous, former NAACP president and CEO, to speak on the Civil Rights journey in a special talk entitled ‘We Got What We Fought For, But We Lost What We Had.’

& Friends. Florissant Valley Branch, 195 S. New Florissant Rd., 63031. For more information, visit www.slcl.org/ black-history-celebration.

Tues., Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m., Central Library hosts Created Equal Film Discussion: Freedom Riders. Dr. Stefan Bradley of St. Louis University will lead a community discussion of the documentary “Freedom Riders.” This community discussion is part of the Created Equal film series, generously supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the GilderLehman Institute of American History. 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit createdequal. neh.gov.

Tuesdays in February, 6:30 p.m., Black History Month Film Series, St. Louis County Library – Mid County Branch, 7821 Maryland Ave. For more information, call (314) 9943300.

Black History Celebration 2014 presents Gift of Gospel Celebration. Lewis & Clark Branch, 9909 Lewis-Clark Blvd., 63136. For more information, visit www.slcl.org/ black-history-celebration.

Through Feb. 23, Mustard Seed Theater presents Gee’s Bend. The story of the Pettway women, quilters from the isolated community of Gee’s Bend Alabama. Beginning in 1939, the play follows Alice, her daughters Sadie and Nella, and Sadie’s husband, Macon, through segregation, family strife and the Civil Rights movement. 6800 Wydown Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www. mustardseedtheatre.com.

Fri., Feb. 28, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library Black History Celebration 2014 presents Set the Night to Music with Wendy Gordon

Fri., Feb. 28, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library Black History Celebration 2014 presents Set the Night to Music with Wendy Gordon & Friends. Florissant Valley Branch, 195 S. New Florissant Rd., 63031. For more information, visit www.slcl.org/ black-history-celebration.

Through Feb. 28, Black History Month: African American Inventors, St. Louis County Library – Rock Road Branch, 10267 St. Charles Rock Rd. For more information, call (314) 994-3300.

Through Feb. 28, Urban Landscape Art: The Birth of the Movement in the Inner Cities featuring Yemane Hughes, St. Louis Public Library – Divoll Branch, 4234 N. Grand. For more information, call (314) 539-

0315.

Through Feb. 28, African Chairs Exhibit, St. Louis County Library – Rock Road Branch, 10267 St. Charles Rock Rd. For more information, call (314) 994-3300.

Through Feb. 28, Collaborate Black History Art Display featuring Zuka Arts Guild, St. Louis Public Library – Cabanne Branch, 1106 N. Union. For more information, call (314) 5390315.

Through Feb. 28, Afrika Identity Lost and Found Art Exhibit featuring Kiarra Lynn Smith, St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid. For more information, call (314) 5390315.

Through February 28, Portfolio Gallery, in collaboration with the Edwardsville Arts Center, Edwardsville, IL presents Ebony Creations. This show will feature the work of 28 artists represented by the Portfolio Gallery and will include paintings, photos, textiles, and sculpture for sale. This exhibit will give patrons of the Arts Center an opportunity to view a collection of work from professional artists from the St. Louis area and beyond. The Edwardsville Arts Center is located at 6165 Center Grove Road, Edwardsville, IL 62025. 618-655-0337 Map directions to EAC at WWW. Portfoliogallerystl.org

Thursdays in February, AARP presents 2nd Annual Classic Black Film Festival: A Tribute to Sidney Poitier. Two different films starring film legend Sidney Poitier. Show your AARP card and attend free of charge. St. Louis Cinemas Galleria-6.

WHO’S LOOKING OUT FOR YOU?

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Pulaski employees and clients know they can count on us. And you can, too. Whatever your goals, Pulaski Bank is here to help. Let us show you the difference True Community Banking makes.

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Thelma Moorehead Assistant Vice-President Senior Relationship Banker