St. LouiS AmericAn
‘Her fighting spirit is needed at the city level’
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists endorses Nasheed for president of the Board of Aldermen
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
Lew Moye, president emeritus of the St. Louis Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), explained why the group voted to endorse state Senator Jamilah Nasheed for president of the Board of Aldermen.
“Her fighting spirit is needed at the city level,” Moye told The American Asked how she has “fighting spirit” where incumbent Lewis Reed does not, Moye said, “Reed has been there for over a decade” (he was first elected to the position in 2007). “He has had the pulpit to be more aggressive on jobs and more aggressive on investments in North City.”
Asked for more specific evidence of this
See NASHEED, A6
Lew
president emeritus of the St. Louis Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), visited with state Senator Jamilah Nasheed at CBTU’s MLK Banquet on January 21.
New interim Ferguson city manager was cited by DOJ for using police as ‘revenue pipeline’
By Rebecca Rivas
Of The St. Louis American
The Ferguson City Council and Mayor James Knowles III have made several moves this year that have community members worried.
To fill St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell’s now-empty 3rd Ward seat on the City Council, the council members appointed an African-American man who wrote Facebook posts about wanting to run protestors over and shoot them if they came on his lawn during the Ferguson unrest in 2014.
n “I do not give a damn about protestors right (now) who do not live in Ferguson!!!! I want to go bust some skulls so right now, I can taste their blood.”
– Byron Fry, now a City Council member
And to step in for the resigning city manager, the mayor appointed the city’s longtime financial director who was cited by the U.S. Department of Justice multiple times for urging police to issue more citations to generate more revenue for the city.
“It’s a nasty storm brewing, between the city manager selection and the questionable position of the council person for the 3rd Ward,” said Jackie Lewis-Harris, an active Ferguson community member. “It’s sad because the mayor is intent on putting things back to the way things were when Mike Brown was killed.”
The St. Louis American reached out to the city spokesperson for comment but had not received a response by press time.
On January 29, the City Council voted to appoint Byron Fry, a health teacher at Riverview Gardens High School, to fill the council spot left vacant by Bell when he was elected county prosecutor. The day Fry took his oath for office on February 12, community members showed the
Fontbonne has most diverse freshman class ever
By Sophie Hurwitz For the St. Louis American
Fontbonne University, a private Catholic university based in Clayton, has made dramatic efforts in recent years to increase the diversity of its student body. In particular, the percentage of African-American students in this year’s incoming class skyrocketed.
According to the university, the average percentage of African-American students in each class from 20102017 was roughly 8 percent. In this year’s freshman class, however, 31 percent of students identify as African-American.
In addition, Fontbonne has been working to recruit other minority students, leading to a total of 43.7 percent students of color in this year’s incoming class (as compared to 23 percent in the class of 2015). The university also has had success targeting more lowincome and first-generation students.
“Each year the amount of non-white, first-generation and students with economic needs increases, and it’s honestly great,” said Octavia Collins, a junior.
n “Black Student Union members can share their experiences and help newcomers through the transition.”
– Fontbonne Black Student Union Vice President Octavia Collins
A few major policy changes drove this shift. Over the past few years, Fontbonne has committed to more needbased financial aid and has focused on enrolling more students from the St. Louis metropolitan area.
“We want to change the paradigm,” said Fontbonne President J. Michael Pressimone, who published a memorable essay in The American about placing a Black Lives Matter sign in the yard of the university president’s home in Clayton. “The neediest students who demonstrate academic ability deserve an opportunity to
See STUDENTS, A7
Photo by Leon Algee
Martin Mathews was regaled with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” sung by youth from the Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club that he co-founded during his 94th birthday celebration at Harris-Stowe State University on Sunday, February 17.
Happy birthday to Mr. Mathews
Moye,
Fontbonne University Black Student Union executive board members Jillian Venegas, Octavia Collins, Nia Moses, Jaylah Jones and Raven Venagas
Lawyer claims to have turned over incriminating evidence against R. Kelly
Billboard.com is reporting that after allegedly turning over a second video to Chicago prosecutors last Thursday (Feb. 14), lawyer Michael Avenatti claims that a third tape of R. Kelly allegedly having sex with an underage girl exists. Avenatti took to Twitter on Saturday (Feb. 16) to say that he was in the process of retrieving the clip and turning it over to law enforcement.
“Update: We have become aware of the existence of a third tape, that allegedly shows further acts of sexual abuse of an underage girl by R. Kelly, which we are presently working to recover and turnover to law enforcement,” he wrote. “Due to the importance of ensuring justice is finally done in this matter and because we are deeply concerned that Mr. Kelly has not been held accountable for his sexual abuse of young African-American girls, whom are especially vulnerable, we have done so on a pro bono basis,” Avenatti
said in a statement last week. According to Newsweek, the celebrity lawyer also shared what he claimed was evidence of alleged dirty tactics used by Kelly and his team to secure an acquittal during the singer’s 2008 trial on 14 counts of child porn charges.
“We have now uncovered how R. Kelly was able to gain his acquittal in 2008: We have discovered substantial evidence that he and certain enablers engaged in systematic witness intimidation, evidence tampering, physical threats, and payments to witnesses,” Avenatti claimed. “They rigged the trial.”
Chicago police reportedly looking into Jussie Smollett’s financial receipts
CNN is reporting that Chicago detectives investigating the alleged attack on Jussie Smollett are working to obtain the actor’s financial records.
Investigators have also sought to ask Smollett additional questions about the attack he reported on January 29. A source close to Smollett’s team told CNN that he has not
given police a follow-up interview and no such meeting is scheduled.
Smollett told authorities that two men attacked him, putting a rope around his neck and pouring an unknown chemical substance on him.
The actor denies playing a role in his attack, according to a statement from his attorneys.
In a statement, 20th Century Fox Television, which produces the series “Empire”, and Fox Entertainment expressed support for the actor
“Jussie Smollett continues to be a consummate professional on set and as we have previously stated, he is not being written out of the show,” the statement said.
Two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation have told CNN that police believe Smollett paid two brothers to orchestrate an assault on him.
identified as Olabinio Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo – were arrested February 13 but released without charges on Friday after Chicago police cited the discovery of “new evidence.”
Kardashian/Jenner clan ‘torn’ by latest Tristan Thompson cheating scandal
Jordyn Woods
The brothers, who were arrested and released in connection with the attack, met Tuesday with police and prosecutors at a Chicago courthouse, Chicago police spokesman Tom Ahern said.
The men – whom attorney Gloria Schmidt
The Kardashian family are said to be “hurt” by reported evidence that Tristan Thompson cheated with Kylie Jenner’s best friend. Sources say the family is rallying around Khloe Kardashian and giving her support after rumors spread that her partner cheated with Jenner’s bff Jordyn Woods
According to TMZ, they have decided to sever ties with Woods, but Jenner is said to be unsure, devastated and torn on how to handle the whole situation after Woods and Thompson were allegedly seen kissing at a house party.
“The whole family is writing Jordyn off. [Kylie’s been] in denial for days,” a source told TMZ.com. “Khloe is more disappointed that someone so close to their family would betray her. She can’t believe it.”
Sources: CNN.com, TMZ.com Billboard. com, Newsweek.com,
Feb. 7th - 28th
Jussie Smolett
Early learning center celebrates 50 years of service
Cornerstone turns corner to second half-century on near South Side
By Jordan Wade
For The St. Louis American
Cornerstone Center for Early Learning, the first accredited early learning center in the city of St. Louis, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019.
The center, located at 3901 Russell Blvd. on the near South Side, was founded in 1969 after its founders discovered that a significant number of preschool-aged children in the city were home alone while their parents were working.
“We want to provide quality, affordable, childcare, preschool education for St. Louisarea families of all economic backgrounds,” said Executive Director Jerry Ehrlich, who has been with the center since 2010. In 2017, the center served 205 children in 168 families, ages 6 weeks to kindergarten entry. Of those, 62 percent were from families with a household income under $30,000, 46 percent were from families with a household income under $20,000, 46 percent paid no tuition per state income guidelines, and 9 percent paid $1 - $25 per week.
“The kids develop friendships, true friendships, at an early age, and that’s what we want,” Ehrlich said. “Here you’ll notice kids aren’t in swings; they’re not in rockers. We want the kids on the floor, we want the kids getting down and dirty, we want the kids being creative, we want the kids to explore.”
The Romp N’ Stomp room is where kids play when the main playground is too busy. In this area, staff members also work with kids to screen their progress in childhood development.
n “We want to provide quality, affordable, childcare, preschool education for St. Louisarea families of all economic backgrounds.”
– Executive Director Jerry Ehrlich
“Beginning at 4 months, we have trained staff that perform developmental screenings on kids,” Ehrlich said. “We want to make sure that kids are within the acceptable range for speech, fine motor skills, because kids develop at different times.”
When conducting evaluations, staff members look for red flags.
come about.”
Demographically, most (52 percent) of the children were African American, while 32 percent were Caucasian, 9 percent multi-racial, 6 percent Hispanic, and 1 percent identified as “other.”
“If for some reason there’s a red flag, no one panics. We’ll re-test, but if there’s another red flag, we will contact the parents and say, ‘At no charge to you, we will bring in a trained therapist to work with your child,’” Ehrlich said.
“It’s wonderful, because it’s all about early detection, early intervention. Because if you don’t deal with it here, other delays, other problems could
In 2017, 19 percent of children at the center received developmental therapies on-site and at no additional cost to families.
Staff members conduct lesson plans for the kids, even as young as the infants, Ehrlich said, and provides all meals and snacks. The center has an onsite counselor to assist with children’s social and emotional needs as well.
A number of community partnerships contribute to
the health and wellbeing of Cornerstone children and families, by providing medical, dental, vision, hearing and developmental screening, as well as speech, physical and occupational therapy, if needed, at no additional cost. Partners also provide donations of food, clothing, diapers, books and other items to children and families as well.
Collaborations include Healthy Kids Express at St. Louis Children’s Hospital; St. Louis Area Diaper Bank,
Head Start, St. Louis Centers for Hearing and Speech, Saint Louis University School of Nursing, SLU’s Micah Program, Positive Support for Kids, Ready Readers and St. Louis Teachers Recycle Center. Parents who are curious about Cornerstone get an opportunity to tour the center, including meeting the teachers of each age group. Most of the rooms have nicknames, and they each have different goals behind them. One of the rooms is called Peaceful Penguins,
which is geared towards infants.
“I always encourage tours around the 10-11 a.m. time slot, and the reason for that is because you see us in full force,” he said. “All the kids here, all the kids are wound up. We want people to see us as we are with a full slate of kids.” For more information on the Cornerstone Early Childhood Care Center, visit https:// cornerstonecenterstl.org, email info@cornerstonecenterstl.org or call 314-865-5244.
Photo by Wiley Price
Jerry Ehrlich, executive director of Cornerstone Center for Early Learning, and teacher Sherri Butler play with
Caleb Brackett, Kailey Glenn, Sophia Morgado-Esquivel and Darnell Miller at the facility that is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019.
Editorial /CommEntary
The American endorses Tonya Finley-McCaw for 22nd Ward alderman
St. Louis Public Radio does not endorse political candidates and produces the region’s most non-partisan political coverage. Yet even its news report on the race for 22nd Ward alderman in the City of St. Louis in the March 5 municipal Democratic primary pointed out the evident weakness of the incumbent, Alderman Jeffrey Boyd.
“The results of the mayor’s race in 2017 showed Jeffrey Boyd could be vulnerable - he came in fourth in his own 22nd Ward - and a candidate has emerged to test that proposition, Tonya Finley-McCaw,” St. Louis Public Radio reported.
Indeed, the numbers Boyd put on the board just two years ago in the 2017 municipal primary show his unpopularity in his ward when voters are presented with viable alternatives. Only 226 people showed up at the polls to vote for Boyd in the Democratic primary, with Lewis Reed, Tishaura O. Jones and even Antonio French (who, like Boyd, has never been elected to citywide office) garnering more votes from Boyd’s constituents than Boyd did himself. Only 17.8 percent – less than one-fifth – of his constituents voted for Boyd for mayor. And though turnout in the ward was low at 21 percent, it was not that much lower than the overall citywide turnout of 24 percent of registered voters.
Looking at the impoverished 22nd Ward, it is not difficult to see why voters would welcome a change from Boyd, who was first elected alderman in 2003. In recent years, Boyd’s main focus in city government has not been servicing his constituents but rather draining power from the office of the treasurer, a seat for which Tishaura O. Jones also beat him soundly (by more than 3,000 votes) in the 2012 Democratic primary. The question is whether Tonya FinleyMcCaw is a strong enough alternative to get change voters to the polls in a wintry municipal primary where president of the Board of Alderman is the race at the top of the ticket. Outside of the ward, Finley-McCaw is best known by reference to her son. As St. Louis Public Radio noted, “Her son, Rasheen Aldridge, is an activist and the Democratic committeeman in the 5th Ward.” He also, perhaps more importantly, was the youngest member of the Ferguson Commission. Finley-McCaw herself has done most of her work in politics behind the scenes and on the ground as a field organizer. (She previously ran and lost to Tammika Hubbard for alderman in a special election and Penny Hubbard for committeewoman when
she lived in the 5th Ward.) She does not have anywhere near the legislative experience, formal schooling nor glib way with words that the incumbent has.
However, she does have what one might call local political celebrity support in her effort to oust Boyd. Tishaura Jones – who beat Boyd in his own ward two years ago by 116 votes, nearly 10 percent of votes cast in the ward – has been on the ground canvassing for her, as has state Rep. Bruce Franks Jr. She also has the support of Sheriff Vernon Betts and former fire chief Sherman George and, not surprisingly, her son, Rasheen Aldridge. (“He had better support me,” the young man’s mother said.)
Most importantly for the constituents of this neglected ward, she has heartfelt concern for her community and a grass-roots sense of how much the community is hurting. She knows how much people in the ward need leadership on the ground and better direct public service from their elected officials, starting with their alderman. “I want to bring community engagement and development to the ward,” Finley-McCaw told The American “The people in the ward are disconnected from the leaders in the ward, and I want to bring that connection back.” We agree that her ward needs this change and believe that she can bring it. We STRONgLY ENdORSE TONYA FINLEYMCCAw FOR 22Nd wARd ALdERMAN
By Cordaryl “Pat” Patrick For The St. Louis American
Metro Transit is heading into the final stretch in the development of its Metro Reimagined plan, which will impact MetroBus routes throughout St. Louis and in St. Louis County, including many that serve residents in the federally designated Promise Zone. Metro is to be commended for doing so with a continuing, intentional focus on engaging those who will be most impacted.
Since embarking on this project about a year and a half ago, Metro sought out and received input from the general public, its riders, community groups and elected officials and incorporated that feedback into drafting and updating the new MetroBus network plan. They collaborated with organizations like the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, which administers the St. Louis region’s Promise Zone, to ensure they were reaching the people who most rely on the transit system.
St. Louis’ Promise Zone is the largest in the country with 200,000 residents, and it’s the only one that crosses jurisdictional boundaries, covering 28 municipalities in St. Louis County, 11 city wards, 25 zip codes and seven school districts. Goals are to
increase economic activity, reduce serious and violent crime, improve health and wellness, improve educational outcomes, create sustainable mixed-income communities, and increase workforce readiness.
Reliable, accessible, affordable public transit is a key component in achieving each of those goals and transforming our region for the better, and we were pleased to be invited to be a part of the community engagement process when Metro embarked on this ambitious project.
Thanks to their willingness to actively seek it out, the feedback came in the form of more than 2,000 public comments that weren’t just stuck in a file folder, but instead were listened to and thoughtfully considered as Metro made changes to the draft plan. Metro even adjusted and added some new service to address many of the responses received, while also keeping the fast and frequent service the new plan aims to provide. I haven’t previously seen
Letters to the editor
Police need surveillance
The “Surveillance and secrets” series about the St. Louis Police Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) stirs memories of police abuse. The Tactical Anti-Crime Team (TACT) was implemented during the 1970s. The TACT unit then, as with the RTCC program today, garnered public attention because of abuse of power and authority.
stiches.”
By Luther O. Tyus
St. Louis American
For The
As a former St. Louis police officer, I have worked so many homicides scenes, I can only remember the most heinous crimes: the child murders, the double homicides, the horrific mutilation.
St. Louis has ranked near the top of homicide charts for the last decade. During my stint as an officer, it seemed as if we tried everything: innovative programs from the FBI, exotic community engagement initiatives, tough-on-crime philosophy. Nothing worked. Patterns of high homicides just don’t occur. They are a matter of habitual behavior enhanced by four key factors: space and proximity, manpower shortages, clearance rate, and poverty. These important factors provide the structural foundation to a city plagued with homicides. Space and proximity.
In 1962 James Calhoun conducted a social experiment called “rat city.” Calhoun conducted limited resource and overpopulation experiments with rats. The experimental result revealed the dangerous truths about pathological overcrowding and limited resources. The effects of overcrowding followed by limited resources produced a range of deviant behaviors: overly aggressive males, hypersexual activity, parental neglect and emotional withdrawal.
Aggressive male rats began to form gangs to attack infants, elderly and female rats. The female population suffered from immense increased birth mortality. Infants were often wounded, sexually attacked and
mostly forgotten. Ultimately the rats began to devour one another in mass cannibalism. In his report “Population Density and Social Pathology,” Calhoun compared his findings to violent criminal activity within cities.
Manpower shortages. Securing a homicide scene absorbs an enormous amount of manpower and time. The responding officers must first contact homicide detectives and supervisors to advise their findings. The responding officers must then tape off the scene in order to preserve evidence, contact evidence technique officers to collect evidence, and document a participation log. A team of at least 10 officers is taken off the streets for an average of two hours. When manpower shortages dictate police department decisionmaking, crime becomes a priority.
Clearance rate. The homicide clearance rate is the measurement used by police departments to determine the rate of homicides solved with a viable suspect versus cases that are never solved. Typically, cities overrun by homicides have low clearance rates. When the community cannot trust the police department to solve crimes and protect them from violence, a pseudo law emerges that promotes shadow economies and distrust for the government: “snitches get
I remember investigating a homicide in the middle of a gang war. I was speaking with a trusted member of the community. I posed the question, “Who killed the victim?” to which she responded, “Everyone knows the identity of the killer.” I responded, “So who was it?” She slowly shock her head and muttered, “I can’t tell you.” Poverty. During the War on Crime initiatives in the 1990s, cites throughout the United States began to increase punishment. New York’s stop and frisk experiment allegedly reduced a high homicide rate by targeting young minority drug dealers who usually carried weapons. Cities have long partnered with the federal government to lock up offenders longer while denying any chance of parole. This approach suggests that if we merely arrest all of the poor people who reside in conditions of pathological overcrowding and limited resources, we will decrease the homicide problem. However, this approach would open the door to much bigger problems. It is important that legislators and police departments alike address the root of the real problem: poverty. Historically, an economic influx of resources, livable-wage jobs and sustainable living conditions have successfully reduced all manners of crime.
Luther O. Tyus is a graduate research assistant in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, as well as an eight-year veteran of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and a certified POST police instructor.
The TACT concept involved detectives establishing ongoing relationships with members of the city’s criminal element in order to gather intelligence concerning criminal activities. The concept was based on recruiting intelligent, experienced, competent police officers from the ranks via a rigorous selection process. But as the unit formed, it was obvious that TACT was staffed, as usual, through nepotism, cronyism and favoritism.
TACT soon came to the attention of the media due to civil rights abuses. Members of TACT were, at the direction of the chief of Police, conducting surveillance of a person (a target) they were told was involved with illicit drug sales. TACT detectives soon realized that “the target” was a prominent physician who was having an affair with the wife of a notable restaurateur. TACT detectives were being used as private detectives to gather information for the divorce case of the chief’s friend.
There is no doubt that the RTCC program has collected and will collect sensitive information that has no lawful police use. Based on past performance, officers will use that information for personal gain, bribery or revenge. RTCC should be kept on a short chain.
Michael Broughton Green Park
A voice in our children’s future
Since 2007, the Saint Louis Public School District has been under the administration of a three-member appointed Special Administrative Board. It is past time for the Saint Louis Public School District to once again be controlled by local residents. Even after they received accreditation in 2017, the district still does not
a process of this magnitude play out so well in terms of truly addressing the expressed concerns of our community. It was significant that Metro reached out to stakeholders that already have a relationship with the communities most impacted.
While this is one of the bigger transit initiatives we’ve collaborated with Metro on, it certainly is not the only one. Through our ongoing partnership we’ve also been instrumental in engaging municipalities in the Adopta-Stop program and the development and launch of other innovative services for transit riders, including the Links 2 Health basic mobile screening unit and the Link Market fresh food kiosks, as well as efforts to put surplus library books on the transit system in the Promise Zone. All these initiatives work together so we can begin to change our communities and make the region better. We’re excited to be a part of it because it has the potential to change lives. We encourage you to provide input on this latest plan. You can find information about the Metro Reimagined at metrostlouis.org/reimagined.
Cordaryl “Pat”Patrick is assistant vice president of Community Investment for the St. Louis Promise Zone.
for length and style.
have a democratically elected school board. Our community, especially our children, deserve better, and our city’s future depends on it. It’s time for our community to have a voice in our children’s future.
State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed St. Louis
More expensive together
Surprise, surprise. The poster child merger area (Indianapolis) that Better Together touts all the time as a model the St. Louis region should emulate had to admit, after an audit they did not want done, that their 2007 merger of multiple police departments did not save, but rather cost more money after 12 years.
Monica Huddleston Greendale
One donor can save eight lives
The Health Resources and
Services Administration (www. HRSA.gov) is the primary federal agency responsible for oversight of the organ and blood stem cell transplant systems in the U.S. and for initiatives to increase organ donor registration and donation. And while we all know February 14 as Valentine’s Day, it is also National Donor Day. HRSA invites all your readers to learn more about organ donation and transplantation and to share some love by signing up as organ, eye, and tissue donors. Signing up is like sending a valentine to the nearly 114,000 people currently on the national transplant waiting list. One donor can save up to eight lives and enhance the lives of up to 50 individuals. Learn more about organ donation and register to be a donor at organdonor.gov and donaciondeorganos.gov.
Lisa Goschen, regional administrator Health Resources and Services Administration Kansas City
Photo by Wiley Price
Tonya Finley-McCall
Alani Payne, 5, a kindergartner at Columbia Elementary School, took delight in her self-portrait during a class assignment Tuesday, January 8.
Free program on urban fishing hot spots
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will host a free public program on St. Louis lake fishing hotspots at Powder Valley Nature Center, 11715 Cragwold Rd. in Kirkwood at 7 p.m. Friday, February 22. Many St. Louis anglers may not know that there are more than 80 public lakes comprising more than 1,200 acres of water within a one-hour drive of the Gateway Arch. MDC Fisheries Management Biologist Kevin Meneau, who manages the urban fishing program, will discuss these locations, what species to look for and some of the best ways to catch them, and review regulations. St. Louis lake fishing hotspots is a free program, but advanced online registration is required at https://bit.ly/2WZdYVu.
4th Ward alderman forum
The Tandy Neighborhood Improvement Association will host a Town Hall meeting with candidates vying for 4th Ward alderman at Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church, 4673 Labadie Ave., from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, February 23. For more information, contact Carol Carter, board member, at cacart79@hotmail.com or Rodney Edwards, president, at tandynia.info@yahoo.com.
Why are so many people delinquent on their car loans?
By Charlene Crowell For The St. Louis American
In recent months, many economists and lawmakers have frequently touted how the nation’s economy is performing really well, often citing historically low unemployment rates. I’ve always felt that such pronouncements failed to consider the untold millions of Americans who are eking out a living on low or no raises or others who work multiple jobs trying to piece together a living for their families.
But new data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York offers hard evidence that a key sector of the economy is showing signs of distress: auto loans. At the end of 2018, 7 million consumers were three months behind on their car payments, according to the Fed’s Liberty Street Economics.
Addressing its finding of multi-million auto loan delinquencies, the Fed wrote, “That is more than a million more troubled borrowers than there had been at the end of 2010 when the overall delinquency rates were at their worst since auto loans are now more prevalent.”
So why are so many consumers delinquent on their car loans?
past due, compared with only 0.7 percent of loans originated by credit unions. So unfortunately once again it is the struggling, working poor who are bearing the brunt of car loan delinquencies, often forged by predatory high-interest rates and other practices.
Answers can be found by examining the terms of the loans. Consumers with lower credit scores – less than 620 on a scale that reaches 850 – become easy targets for sub-prime auto finance that comes with interest rates from the mid-teens to as high as 20 percent. Auto finance companies are often used by lower credit score consumers looking to buy a car.
By comparison, consumers with credit scores of 661 to 780 or higher typically have car loan interest rates of 6 percent or less. These consumers frequently finance their autos from banks, credit unions, or the financing arms of major auto manufacturers. Of the nation’s $1.27 trillion in car loan debt, 30 percent of loans were made to consumers with credit scores over 760.
As Liberty Street reports, 6.5 percent of auto finance loans are 90 days or more
Another new and independent research report entitled Driving Into Debt found that the money now owed on cars is up 75 percent since the end of 2009, an all-time record. Jointly authored by U.S. Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG) and the Frontier Group, this report states that subprime auto lenders inflict financial abuses that are both predatory and discriminatory from making loans to people without the ability to repay, marking up rates and prices on both black and Latino customers, and financing expensive add-on products like extended warranties and insurance into the car loans. Nor does it help that in April of last year, Congress used the Congressional Review Act to nullify the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) auto finance guidance that held auto lenders responsible for discriminatory lending practices prohibited under the Equal Credit Protection Act. This distorted use of the Congressional Review Act, sometimes known as another CRA, was never intended to overturn long-standing agency practices. But in 2018, the law was used to overturn 14 agency rules. At the time, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell described the auto lending CRA as part of a broader deregulation effort. That kind of perspective suggests that the Majority Leader may have an unhealthy regard for fair lending laws, particularly those aimed at eliminating racial and ethnic discrimination. Further, time and actions will tell how much Kathy Kraninger, the new CFPB director, is attuned to the predatory and discriminatory lending that continues despite federal laws. Charlene Crowell is the Center for Responsible Lending’s Communications deputy director. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.
Charlene Crowell
Photo by Wiley Price
FERGUSON
Continued from A1
council posts that Fry wrote on Facebook days after Michael Brown was shot and killed by then-Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in 2014. Fry stated, “I do not give a damn about protestors right (now) who do not live in Ferguson!!!! I want to go bust some skulls so right now, I can taste their blood.”
Fry repeatedly posted that he did not believe the people protesting in front of the Ferguson Police Department or on West Florissant Avenue were from the area and that they were destroying his city.
“I posted several comments about the ‘Ferguson Riots’ to my friends on my personal pages who were asking me about what was happening during the mayhem that put Ferguson at the forefront of a catastrophe,” Fry stated to The American “I vented to my friends
NASHEED
Continued from A1 discrepancy in “fighting spirit,” Moye described how differently Nasheed and Reed responded to the effort to raise the minimum wage in St. Louis.
“After the minimum wage increase was passed in the city and there was an effort to take it away by the state, when I contacted Jamilah she immediately started addressing that issue in the Senate,” Moye said. “She filibustered it. She didn’t have the votes to win,
my personal concerns and disappointment. What I noticed was the community that I live in and love was being torn apart. Ferguson was being held hostage and terrorized in its own neighborhoods and our homes and community had been hijacked by media hoggers.”
Fry joined Riverview Gardens School District in 2016, and Brown was killed within the district’s geographic footprint. The district chose not to comment on Fry’s 2014 posts.
“It’s very inappropriate,” said LaTasha Brown, who helped establish the Southeast Ferguson Community Association with other community members after the unrest and is now the group’s president. “If you want to taste the blood of a protestor, you need not to be a city councilperson.”
Fry also owes two years of real estate taxes for 2017 and 2018, totaling $2,134.
but she fought for us.”
Reed, who presided over the legislative body that ultimately passed the minimum wage increase in 2015 that the state took away, initially voted to stall the bill in committee.
“Joe Vaccaro was chair of the Ways and Means Committee, and he said he was going to kill the bill by not letting it out of committee,” Moye said. As was reported at the time, Reed voted “no” with Vaccaro to not let the bill out of committee, though they lost.
Vaccaro has endorsed Reed in his reelection effort.
“After we created a groundswell of support, Reed
Community members allege that Fry knew this when he signed the Declaration of Candidacy form on January 24, stating that he did not owe taxes.
City Attorney Apollo Carey said that he “did not have a comment right now” about Fry’s potential perjury on the declaration. Fry was not available to comment on his delinquent taxes.
However, Fry’s opposition to the Ferguson protests aligns more closely with the mayor’s and majority of the council members, they said. Three out of five council members voted to appoint Fry. Jeffrey Blume’s ‘revenue pipeline’
n “It’s sad because the mayor is intent on putting things back to the way things were when Mike Brown was killed.”
“If you start off lying, you are going to end up with a lie,” LaTasha Brown said. “He needs to resign, not only because it would be the right thing to do but it would show that he does care about this community.”
– Jackie LewisHarris
Community members also said Fry has not been as involved in the community as the other three candidates who applied for Bell’s post.
At the February 12 meeting, the council passed a resolution for the mayor to appoint former finance director Jeffrey Blume as the interim city manager. Blume, who became finance director in 2008 and held the position during the Ferguson unrest, was cited multiple times by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in legal documents.
In a complaint filed against the City of Ferguson on February 10, 2016, the DOJ cited several emails written
n “We know from our relationship with her over the years that her heart is with working people, and she believes in a government of community involvement.”
– Lew Moye, CBTU
voted to pass the bill in the end, though he voted to kill the bill in the beginning,” Moye said.
Moye said that CBTU has always been able to rely on Nasheed’s support, whereas they don’t know what to expect from Reed based on “his
from Blume to then-police chief Thomas Jackson. One stated that “unless ticket writing ramps up significantly before the end of the year, it will be hard to significantly raise collections next year.” In another email, Blume recommended an “I-270 traffic enforcement initiative” in order to “begin to fill the revenue pipeline.”
His email attached a computation of the net revenues that would be generated by the initiative, which required paying five officers overtime for highway traffic enforcement for a four-hour shift.
“There is no indication that anyone considered whether community policing and public safety would be better served by devoting five overtime officers to neighborhood policing instead of a ‘revenue pipeline’ of highway traffic enforcement,” the DOJ stated in the complaint.
“Rather, the only downsides to the program
double in the African-American community,” Moye said. “We need job training programs to change that. As a state senator, she has always been supportive in getting state money.”
connections to some of the businesses.”
“Jamilah always been available to us,” Moye said. “It is not hard to get in touch with her about issues that we have in the community.”
For example, he said, Nasheed has been “a strong advocate for job training and getting more African Americans into building trades.” She secured a $300,000 grant for MOKAN to fund its pre-apprentice program “that trains folks to go right into the building trades,” Moye said, and she has been a strong supporter of Building Union Diversity, a public/ private partnership between the city and the Building and Construction Trades Council of St. Louis.
“Unemployment is always
Moye said Nasheed also is CBTU’s ally in reintroducing the trades into public school curricula. “There are a lot of good-paying jobs in those industries that we should be preparing our students for,” Moye said.
Moye said it was typical that he recently ran into Nasheed on the picket lines with government employees protesting the Trump administration during the government shutdown.
“We know from our relationship with her over the years that her heart is with working people, and she believes in a government of community involvement,” Moye said. “We believe we will always have her ear on those issues relating to employment.”
A seasoned political operative like Moye knows that you get more than just leadership of the Board of Alderman when you elect its
that city officials appear to have considered are that ‘this initiative requires 60 to 90 [days] of lead time to turn citations into cash’ and that Missouri law then capped the proportion of revenue that can come from municipal fines at 30 percent, which limited the extent to which the program could be used.”
At the February 12 council meeting, Councilwoman Ella Jones read these excerpts and asked the city attorney about the potential for lawsuits in appointing Blume because of his past actions. The livestream for the meeting is not available on the city’s website, and Carey was not available for comment.
Jones said people were not satisfied with his answer.
“I’m concerned about the trust factor,” Jones said. “We are making strides to go forward, however the appointment of the interim city manager – I’m concerned how that is going to affect the community.”
Blume starts work on March 1 at a salary of $113,282.
president; you also get one of three seats (along with the mayor and comptroller) on the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (E & A), the city’s chief fiscal body. “Her fighting spirit is needed at the city level,” Moye said. “She would be a very valuable leader at the Board of E & A trying to get the city more involved in these kinds of issues that impact us. We need a leader with the courage and vision to confront the powers that be about the urgency for change in our community.”
CBTU’s endorsement of Nasheed joins endorsements by the SEIU Missouri/ Kansas State Council and a number of influential local figures, including St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones, Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler, state Rep. Peter Meredith, state Rep. Chris Carter Sr., Committeeman Rasheen Aldridge, Rev. Traci Blackmon, former Fire Chief Sherman George, Rev. Darryl
Gray, Sylvester Brown Jr., Jason Wilson, Koran Bolden, De Nichols, Dana Kelly, Travis Sheridan and Lisa Orden Zarin.
STUDENTS
Continued from A1
earn a college degree.”
For the freshman class that began this fall, students of color were awarded an average of $20,945 in institutional funds, totaling more than $1.4 million, according to the university.
Collins said the university is improving “at advertising the many different routes you can take in order to get the most or more funding for your education.”
In addition, some specific scholarships are now being offered. As of 2017, the Fontbonne Promise scholarship program started offering fulltuition scholarships to lowincome, first-generation college
students from Missouri. There are 33 students currently enrolled in the program.
“Research has shown that a bachelor’s degree changes not just an individual’s life, but also the lives of their children and families,” said Joseph Havis, Fontbonne’s vice president of enrollment.
“The first generation is especially critical. We know for a fact that once someone in a family has a college degree, the expectation is set for other family members to attend college, which leads to sustainable wealth, in turn helping lift up the entire community.”
Richard J. Mark, president of Ameren Illinois president and a member of Fontbonne’s Board of Trustees, said the university’s increasing diversity benefits more than
the students and university itself. “When our universities look like our society,” Mark said, “it creates a powerful experience for every student, faculty member, and the entire community.”
When welcoming a more diverse class into what had previously been an almost entirely white school, Fontbonne was compelled to support the different needs of its new students.
through the social support of organizations like the Black Student Union (BSU).
n The average percentage of African-American students in each Fontbonne class from 2010-2017 was roughly 8 percent. This year’s freshman class has 31 percent.
University leaders are working two different avenues to do so: through academic support and tutoring programs and
Collins is involved in both. She is vice president of the BSU and a tutor in the Griffins Achieving Progress program, where she mentors fellow students.
“I like to look at it as you get to have someone, a friend, to help you, give advice and guide you through your college career,” she said of the tutoring program.
“If a student is struggling with an assignment, open office hours are available for
students that need to speak to a teacher or get help.”
In addition, according to BSU President Leslie Doyle, free tutoring is accessible to all students, and the school is “exploring starting a summer bridge program” for underrepresented students.
Academic help isn’t the only thing needed to make this school feel like a home for underrepresented students, though. According to Collins, attending a primarily white institution like Fontbonne can be isolating – and that’s where organizations like the BSU come in.
“Black Student Union wants to make students feel more comfortable with their experience and connect with more people who you can relate to what they are going through,” Collins said. Older
BSU members can also help younger ones get adjusted to college life. “BSU members can share their experiences and help newcomers through the transition,” Collins said. Even more so than having scholarships available, Collins said, having the BSU is a vital support system for black students at Fontbonne.
“It’s full of people who can give advice and just look out for you,” Collins said.
“We support each other in sports events and school activities like choir. We uplift one another by posting each other’s accomplishments on social media. We volunteer at places in our own neighborhoods for community service. I can honestly say that we are one big family.”
Fontbonne University Black Student Union members Alissa Bradford, Alana Durrough, Aleshia Patterson, Mya Robinson, Nia Moses, Raven Venagas and Jillian Venegas danced at the Fall Service, Diversity and Social Justice Kick-Off in late August.
Scenes from the MLK Statewide Celebration Kick-Off Program
The 33rdAnnual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Celebration Kick-Off Program for Missouri was held on Friday, February 8, 2019, at Harris-Stowe State University. The event was free and open to the public, and there was a full-capacity, diverse crowd of all ages. Traditionally, the “kick-off” for the King Celebrations is held statewide throughout January, however the event was postponed due to the national weather advisory for Saturday, January 12. The keynote speaker was The Honorable Maxine Waters, U.S. Congresswoman representing the 43rd Congressional District of California. Born in St. Louis, MO and a Graduate of Vashon High School Waters is considered by many to be one of the most powerful women inAmerican politics today. This year’s theme for the kick off was: “Protect the Dream: The Fierce Urgency of Now” (referring to the need to act on Dr. King’s belief of inclusion, cohesiveness and bringing people together). The 2019 Distinguished Honorees included:
Distinguished SocialActionAward-Adolphus Pruitt; Distinguished Drum MajorAward- Donald M. Suggs and The St. LouisAmerican; Distinguished Community ServiceAward-Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated; Distinguished Dr. Henry Givens, Jr. LegacyAward- Rev. Earl Nance, Jr.; Distinguished CorporateAward- Centene Corporation, and a second Distinguished CorporateAward will be presented to World Wide Technology. Performances at the kick-off included: Morgan and Braylon Taylor; Cylint Praiz- Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church; Dance Plus, Inc.;Anita Jackson; Michael Latchinson Singing Ministry; The Remedy Band; and saxophonist Rhoda G. Since its establishment in 1985, the Martin Luther King, Jr. State Celebration Commission has recommended and fostered appropriate activities for the recognition and celebration of Martin Luther King Day in the State of Missouri. ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • FEBRUARY 21, 2019
Photos by Maurice Meridith
‘It’s
important to normalize success’
Dr. Ashley Denmark wants black kids to know they can become doctors
By Kathryn Holleman
BJC Medical Group
Ashley Denmark, DO, wrote her children’s book, “Olivia’s Doctor Adventures,” to give children something she didn’t have when she was a child — someone to say, “You can.” The book is just one of her efforts to inspire minority children by showing them that someone who looks like them and who comes from the same background is capable of achieving their biggest dreams.
“It makes a difference — seeing someone who looks like you, who comes from the community,” said Dr. Denmark. “It can make achievement realistic to kids by exposing them to the possibility. I want to normalize success for them.”
Dr. Denmark grew up in Jennings, the daughter of a carpenter and child care worker. Her neighborhood had its “rough areas,” she said. As a young girl, she made up her mind that she was going to become a doctor, like the ones who treated her for asthma and made her feel better. But kids in her neighborhood typically didn’t become doctors. And friends, neighbors, even teachers, didn’t hesitate to remind her of it.
n “I had to keep opening doors and not be afraid of where life would take me. I got used to being uncomfortable and making things happen.”
– Dr. Ashley Denmark
She was a bright, motivated, “science nerd” in high school. But she remembers guidance counselors trying to scale back her dreams. They pushed her to attend a local college, warning that students from her school often floundered at big, out-of-state schools.
“But that made me want to do it more,” Dr. Denmark said.
She worked summers in the food and nutrition department at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, volunteering for any job that would take her out of the basement kitchen and tray assembly area onto the patient care floors.
She also job-shadowed in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Watching staff care for patients just out of surgery, she realized, “I could do that.”
So, despite the guidance counselors’ advice, she applied to colleges and universities across the country and was accepted at all of them. She chose to attend Spelman College, which is known for graduating the most AfricanAmerican women to have gone on to earn science, engineering and mathematics doctoral degrees. She worked hard and earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at Spelman. But she still
Group physician
faced barriers on her path to practicing medicine. She moved to Boston with just $500 in her pocket to get hands-on experience in academic research at the University of Massachusetts and Harvard University.
As
Alliance supplies free menstrual products
‘Adequate menstrual hygiene management is not a luxury’
By Sandra Jordan Of The
Local organizations are collaborating
supply menstrual hygiene products for low-income women and girls in the region, through the St. Louis Alliance for Period Supplies. One, the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, has been supplying free diapers for infants and toddlers for families in need throughout the area since 2014. Jessica Adams, founder and executive director of the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, said the new effort is “a network similar to the diaper distribution network, whose purpose is to distribute menstrual hygiene products to low-income women and girls throughout the St. Louis region.” Dignity Period, a charitable organization based out of St.
Louis that supplies reusable menstrual pads to women and girls in Ethiopia, is bringing the concept home through this alliance.
“We wanted to be able to contribute and do some work in our own backyard,” said Angie Wiseman, executive director of Dignity Period. Wiseman said Cotton Babies, another local business, makes the reusable pads that will be in the period supply kit in St. Louis.
“Since this is kind of a pilot project, we want to gauge the community reaction to reusable products,” Wiseman said. “We’re putting together packets of two reusable pads, along with detergent included and care instructions, just to kind
A black man in a white lab coat
By Otha Myles, M.D.
For The St. Louis American
Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, about changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.
Growing up the 14th of 16 children in Homestown (Wardell), Missouri, in Pemiscot County, was not easy by any stretch of the imagination. However, both my father and mother were strict disciplinarians and gave me rigid boundaries that would eventually lead to my success. They reared me in the Church of God In Christ (COGIC), which meant I was at church most of the time for Bible study classes, youth training classes, choir rehearsal, vacation Bible school, and revivals. When the church was not open for services, they made me care for the church property (cleaning, painting, cutting the grass) and/ or the church members (visiting the sick and shut-in, cleaning their homes, cooking food and feeding them). From the latter grew my inspiration and motivation to help sick people and later pursue a career in medicine.
n After attending our conferences, these youth report a better understanding of HIV/AIDS and STDs and how to protect themselves and prevent transmission of these infections.
Not everyone believed in me and my aspiration to become a physician as much as I believed in myself, especially after they learned my mother and father had only completed the 6th and 8th grades respectively. My parents both were forced to quit school in order to raise their siblings. However, my high school counselor did go out of her way to transport me across the county to meet the first African-American physician at a neighboring high school career fair.
Later, and without my knowledge, I learned she had recommended me for several scholarships that would help me to afford attending college at Howard University in Washington, D.C. While others advised me
Otha Myles, M.D.
St. Louis American
BJC Medical
Dr. Ashley Denmark, top left, and her family, clockwise, husband Anthony Denmark and children Vivian, Anthony Jr. and Olivia. Dr. Denmark practices family medicine at the Missouri Baptist Outpatient Center on South Lindbergh Boulevard.
SUPPLIES
Continued from A10
of get women started as far as being comfortable with the concept of reusable products.”
Women without access to menstrual supplies are making due with less than adequate period protection – fabric rags, paper towels, or even diapers needed to keep babies clean and dry. Having adequate menstrual supplies reduces the risk of infection.
“Two pads are probably not necessarily going to cover a woman’s needs during her period, but if she’s able to supplement and perhaps use these as nighttime coverage, that cuts her need for supplies in half, potentially,” Wiseman said.
Research by Anne Sebert Kuhlmann and co-authors from the College of Public Health and Social Justice at Saint Louis University reveal the need to provide sanitary products for low-income women and girls in the St. Louis area due to the high cost of products. Kuhlmann is an associate professor of behavioral science and health education at SLU and a Dignity Period board member.
Their study found that nearly two-thirds of the women surveyed were unable to afford menstrual hygiene supplies like pads or tampons at some point during the previous year, and 21 percent of women lacked supplies on a monthly basis. Nearly half – 46 percent – of those surveyed could not afford to buy both food and periodrelated products during the past year. Additionally, 36 percent of the surveyed women who reported being employed partor full-time had missed one or more days of work per month due to their periods. While lack of access to menstrual hygiene products can result in negative health
DENMARK
Continued from A10
where her college sweetheart, now husband, was attending Tulane University Law School. Working as a pharmacy tech, she pondered her next move, deciding to enroll at Tulane. There, she earned her master’s degree in neuroscience. With her husband’s encouragement, she applied to Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Virginia. The school asked if she’d be willing to be in the inaugural class at the college’s new campus in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and she agreed. Before her classes started, she became pregnant with her first child. She began medical school and gave birth to daughter Olivia, just three weeks later. Though juggling motherhood, classes and lots of sleep deprivation, Dr. Denmark made it work, finally earning the medical degree. After her residency and practicing family medicine in South Carolina for several years, Dr. Denmark, her
MYLES
Continued from A10
to stay home close to family and friends, I stepped out on faith and attended Howard University on a National Competitive Scholarship and four years later obtained my Bachelor of Science degree in Physician Assistant.
Then, I worked as a physician assistant and took pre-requisite classes for medical school at night, in order to continue the pursuit of my dream of becoming a physician. After applying to medical school, I received multiple admission letters and decided to attend the
issues, including infection and poor quality-of-life, Kuhlmann points to the need for broader education and policy shifts surrounding menstrual and women’s health.
“Adequate menstrual hygiene management is not a luxury,” Kuhlmann and her co-authors conclude in the study. “It is a basic need for all women and should be regarded as a basic woman’s right. Our failure to meet these biological needs for all women in the United States is an affront to their dignity and barrier to their full participation in the social and economic life of our country. ”
husband and three children moved to St. Louis. Dr. Denmark joined BJC Medical Group and practices family medicine at the Missouri Baptist Outpatient Center on South Lindbergh Boulevard. She feels that one key factor keeping more black women from considering a medical career is a lack of role models. Of approximately 900,000 actively licensed physicians in the U.S., only about 17,500 are black women, she said. Support from her family and her own personality and work ethic allowed her to surmount the obstacles along her journey to becoming a doctor. But the journey was often lonely.
“I had to keep opening doors and not be afraid of where life would take me,” Dr. Denmark said. “I got used to being uncomfortable and making things happen.”
She’s already taken steps to provide encouragement and information to those considering a medical career. For children, she’s written, published and is distributing “Olivia’s Doctor Adventures.” For minority medical students, residents
University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore with full scholarship support from the U.S. Army Medical Department. On May 15, 1998, with my parents in attendance on the front row, I proudly graduated with a Doctorate in Medicine.
After completing my graduate medical training, it took me another 13 years to return home to Missouri to practice medicine as a boardcertified Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease specialist. Within one year of re-locating to St. Louis, I prayed to God about clarifying my purpose for being here. After a lot of soul-searching, I believe I found my purpose for being in St. Louis, which resulted
n
“Adequate menstrual hygiene management is not a luxury. It is a basic need for all women and should be regarded as a basic woman’s right.”
– Anne Sebert Kuhlmann and co-authors
The alliance will also offer disposable products for women and girls to use during their period, Adams said, through U by Kotex.
“Primarily, our distribution will be disposable,” Adams said. “We’re a member of the National Alliance for Period Supplies, which is sponsored by Kotex, a Kimberly Clark brand.” They get Huggies brand diapers from Kimberly Clark, and Adams said their U by Kotex Brand is sponsoring the National Alliance of Period Supplies. Last year, the bank received 200,000 pads and panty liners from U by Kotex. “So we have those that will be ready to start distributing to partner agencies in the spring,”
and physicians, she began the @diversifymedicineproject on Instagram with more than 12,000 followers to provide a positive social media platform offering encouragement, advice and a place to connect.
Dr. Denmark plans to continue and expand those efforts, eventually reaching into her old neighborhood.
“It’s important to normalize the process, normalize success,” she says. “Everyone needs to hear that they’re good enough to achieve, that they just need to keep pushing. We need to make more doctors. And I just want to make it easier for those coming behind me.”
Daughter inspires doctor’s children’s book
Ashley Denmark, DO, calls her eldest daughter, Olivia, a daily inspiration. As a 3-yearold, Olivia endured partially awake brain surgery to remove a small malformation that had caused seizures. Now age 7, Olivia is healthy, bright and inquisitive.
“She’s my motivation,” says Dr. Denmark. “She’s an amazing little girl.”
in me creating a non-profit organization, Brother 2 Brother St. Louis. The mission of this non-profit is to provide a healthcare prevention model that changes the lives of young urban males regarding better decision-making and taking responsibility for their health. I currently partner with my brothers from the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Epsilon Lambda Chapter, to mentor male students at Roosevelt High School (Brother 2 Brother/Project Alpha) and Carr Lane Visual Performing Arts Middle School. Thus far, we have conducted eight conferences with greater than 600 male attendees. Through these conferences, we work hard to educate these at-risk
Once Olivia realized that her mommy was a doctor, like those who had helped her, she developed the habit of peppering Dr. Denmark with questions each evening about what she had done at work during the day.
Olivia’s interest, coupled with her own desire to encourage minority children to consider medical careers, inspired Dr. Denmark to write a children’s book, “Olivia’s Doctor Adventures.”
The book explains different medical specialties and what types of patients and what parts of the body or illnesses each treats in language a young child can understand. The book, illustrated by Mike Motz, features a family that mirrors Dr. Denmark’s own — an African-American mom and dad with two daughters and a son.
In the book, Olivia’s mom, a doctor, helps Olivia imagine herself as a cardiologist, psychiatrist, family practice doctor, neurologist, pulmonologist and other specialties, as well as a dentist and pharmacist.
“It makes a difference,”
male youth regarding HIV/ AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Recently, I have partnered with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and added sessions on human sex-trafficking and urban youth violence.
After attending our conferences, these youth report a better understanding of HIV/AIDS and STDs and how to protect themselves and prevent transmission of these infections. They verbalize a desire to “change the narrative” of the perception of young black males in St. Louis. We have received reports from the schools of increased school attendance and better school conduct and in-class behavior for those students who attended
Goldfarb students pledge devotion to ethics of nursing
First-year students at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College participated in a White Coat Ceremony welcoming new students into the medical field on January 25, ending the ceremony by reciting the Nightingale Pledge. A modified version of the Hippocratic Oath created by Lystra Gretter in 1893 and named in honor of Florence Nightingale, it is a pledge of devotion to the ethics of the nursing profession. In 2014, the Arnold P. Gold Foundation partnered with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to adopt a White Coat Ceremony for nursing. More than 310 schools of nursing now participate. Pictured: Terri Williams-Bonnett, Brittany Alphin, Ceara Nash, Azaria Foster and Nya Martin, firstyear students at Goldfarb School of Nursing at BarnesJewish College, at their White Coat Ceremony.
Adams said.
Adams said they will soon accept applications for potential donation sites, and the alliance expects to begin distributing menstrual period supplies in the spring.
Incarcerated women represent another group of women and girls in need of access to menstrual supplies. Adams said the alliance is working to meet that need as well.
“We are actively engaged on a local and state level with policy work that would provide for menstrual supplies to incarcerated women at the municipal level and at the state
level,” Adams said. On the local level, she said Ald. Christine Ingrassia has been working on the issue, and at the state level state Senator Jill Schupp and state Rep. Tracy McCreery “are two of the most outstanding and outspoken advocates for access for menstrual supplies.”
You can find the St. Louis Alliance for Period Supplies on Facebook or visit stldiaperbank.org. For more information about Dignity Period, email info@ dignityperiod.org, call 314356-4129 or visit dignity period.org.
Dr. Denmark says. “Seeing someone who looks like you makes it realistic to kids. Everyone needs that — to
our conferences. My future plans include working with even more community partners on projects that educate our urban male youth on making better decisions regarding their health and wellness, choosing to be in healthy relationships, and overcoming the odds of living daily in stressful environments. Within the next five years, I plan to seek additional funding in order to enhance our mentoring program by including additional schools in the metropolitan region and providing each attendee with an individual mentor from the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Epsilon Lambda Chapter and other male mentoring organizations, such as the 100
know that you’re good enough to achieve your dreams if you just keep pushing.”
Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis. I am a black man in a white coat – called to encourage, support and motivate.
Otha Myles, M.D., is boardcertified physician in internal medicine and infectious disease at Medical Specialists of St. Luke’s.
“Homegrown Black Males” is a partnership between HomeGrown STL at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis and The St. Louis American, edited by Sean Joe, Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor and associate dean at the Brown School, and Chris King, managing editor of The American, in memory of Michael Brown.
Healthy Kids Kids
Careers
Liquid Candy!
Why do they call it “Liquid Candy?”
Sugared soft drinks are one of the highest contributors to childhood obesity. “An extra soft drink a day gives a child a 60% greater chance of becoming obese,” according to a recent study published in
Another fun way to increase your physical activity is to become part of a
Be A Team Player!
Lancet. The average sugared soft drink contains 10 teaspoons of sugar — and that’s just a small, 12-ounce can! How much sugar is in one of those huge, 64-ounce drink cups from the convenient store? It’s easy to cut back on the amount of sugar in your diet — replace those cans of soda with ice-cold water!
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5
sports team. This teaches you sportsmanship, cooperation, commitment and discipline. Find a sport you enjoy and practice enough to try out for the
team! What team sports are available in your area? Possible options are baseball, soccer, football and basketball. Being a part of a formal team keeps you regularly active. And as a bonus — you’ll make new friends along the way!
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 3, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5
Honesty
One very important part of good character behavior is honesty. By telling the truth, your friends, family and classmates learn that they can trust you. Many people are tempted to “stretch the truth” when telling a story, to make it more interesting. But, once you earn a reputation for being a liar, it is extremely difficult to gain back an honest
reputation. Many of us have known someone that seems to exaggerate all of the time, and it really isn’t fun to talk to them; you don’t know what is the truth and what is a lie. Just be honest and people will respect you.
As a class, discuss if it is ever OK to lie? When would that be?
Learning Standards: HPE2, HPE5, NH4, NH 6
and pepper to taste
LaKetia Carrell, President, Owner and
LPC
Where do you work? I am the owner of the Institute of Personal and Professional Development, LLC. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Beaumont High School in St. Louis. I then earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and a Master of Education from the University of Missouri, St. Louis.
What does a licensed professional counselor do? I talk to kids and adults to ask them how they are doing today. If they are having trouble or problems with anything, they can talk to me about it. I will help them figure out what to do or how they can handle the situation better, so that they can live a better life.
“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422 Cucumber Sandwich
Why did you choose this career? I like talking to people and helping them do their very best! Being a counselor gives me the opportunity to help others improve in their personal lives.
What is your favorite part of the job you have? I enjoy seeing others get well and learn new skills for dealing with problems in their lives. When someone calls me and says, “Thank you! I feel better because of you!” That makes me happy!
Directions: Thinly slice the cucumber. Spread the cream cheese on two of the bread slices. Top with the cucumber slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with second bread slice.
Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3
As one of the only free nonprofit science museums in the country, the Saint Louis Science Center invites curious minds from all backgrounds to explore, create, and share their ideas. The Saint Louis Science Center is committed to educational and innovative science and technology programs for people throughout St. Louis. Kids got
cabin fever?
Spring classes at the Saint Louis Zoo
Whether you want to learn more about turtles, penguins, apes, or big cats, the Zoo has a class for you! Our programs are designed to help individuals of all ages and abilities learn through experience, involvement and discovery. Programs include live animals, guided tours, and exciting activities and experiences for the whole family. Programs available for homeschoolers and scouts too!
For program listings and registration information, visit www.stlzoo.org/education or call (314) 646-4544, option #6.
Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or
CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT
Walbridge Elementary School 3rd grade teacher
Cassandra Thornton works with students
Keyshaun Brown, Kameron Nelson and Damiya Bevly on how to build a bridge using the newspaper’s education page Photo: Wiley Price / St. Louis American
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.
SCIENCE STARS
AFRICAN-AMERICAN BOEING ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: Eric’el Johnson
Eric’el Johnson was born in Alton, Illinois. She graduated from Alton High School and earned a bachelor of science from the University of MissouriSt. Louis, and is currently completing her master of science in electrical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology.
SCIENCE CORNER The Basics of Electricity!
Imagine a typical day. Your alarm clock goes off, you turn on a light switch to provide light, your parents cook your breakfast as you get ready for school. How many electrical appliances do you use in a day? It is estimated that the average person uses more than one dozen electrical appliances a day. Have you ever wondered about electricity? Electricity is a form of energy and it can come from coal, oil, hydropower, nuclear power, natural gas, geothermal energy, solar power, as well as wind power. Electricity travels over lines or wires attached to towers. Electricity moves through transformers that adjust the level of strength of the
SCIENCE INVESTIGATION
Materials Needed:
• 2Lemons • 2PaperClips • 3PiecesofWire • 5
AlligatorClipWires • SmallDigitalClock • 3Pennies
Procedure:
q Attach one of the paper clips to a wire.
w Then attach a penny to a second wire.
e Attach another penny to one end of the third wire, and a paper clip to the other end.
r Squeeze and roll two lemons to loosen the pulp inside.
t Make two small cuts in the skins of both lemons an inch or so apart.
y Put the paper clip that is attached to the wire and the penny into the center of a cut lemon.
electricity. Once the electricity arrives at its destination, it has the strength to power the electrical devices being used. Although energy provides us with many conveniences each day, there are some dangers involved. Electrical outlets can cause shock. Electrical appliances should never be used by water. Water conducts electricity and can cause electric shock. You should always unplug an appliance before working on it. It is best to ask an adult for help before using an electrical appliance.
Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting details.
u Stick the penny into a hole in the other lemon.
i Put the other paper clip into the second hole of the lemon with the penny.
o Then put the last penny into the last open hole.
1) Connect the free ends of the wires to the terminals of the digital clock. Watch how the lemons make enough electricity to turn the clock on.
Note: If you’ve hooked everything up and the clock isn’t running, try switching the wires.
Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete an experiment. I can analyze my results.
Johnson’s grandpa is a handyman and she followed him around often as a kid. She loved the way he solved problems and wanted to combine that with her love of math. Johnson’s teachers encouraged her to participate in math contests and nominated her for different STEM activities and camps, introducing her to engineering. She received the Opportunity Scholarship, a full-ride scholarship at UMSL.
At Boeing, Johnson is responsible for developing the test requirements to verify that their designs behave as expected and testing those designs based on the requirements. She gets to put the designs through worstcase scenarios to verify their hypotheses. While at Boeing, she has won the 2018 St. Louis Diversity and Inclusion Influencing Award, the 2017 St. Louis Diversity and Inclusion
Individual Investing Award, and the 2017 St. Louis Diversity and Inclusion Influencing Award.
Johnson is the president of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) St. Louis Aerospace Alumni Chapter. She also had the opportunity to speak on a student panel at the headquarters of the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Reskilling America’s Workforce Workshop. Outside of work, she sits on the Board of Directors for a nonprofit, The SoulFisher Ministries, that responds to the needs of youth with incarcerated parents and promotes restorative justice for those currently and formerly incarcerated.
MAP CORNER
Use the newspaper to complete these activities to sharpen your MAP skills.
Activity One
All electrical devices come with a wattage rating, which estimates how many watts each uses in a given hour when turned on. To convert to kilowatt hours, you need to divide the wattage rating by 1000, because 1 kilowatt equals 1000 watts. For instance, a 100
Use the formula to complete the following chart.
Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem.
GettheJobDone: Look at the help wanted ads in the newspaper to see how they are written. Read some of the ads aloud and create a chart to show what the abbreviations mean. Next, make a list of classroom jobs that need to be done and write a newspaper ad for someone to fill one of these jobs.
Activity Two — NewspaperInformation: A newspaper has so much information. Discuss how one can use a print or digital newspaper to find a job, a place to live, a car, entertainment and more. Use the newspaper as a reference to find information such as where the president is, the television lineup for this evening or the sports scores from yesterday. Create a list of questions that could be answered from the information presented in the newspaper.
Learning Standards: Use the newspaper to locate information. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information.
The Brooklyn Bridge was the first bridge to be lit using electricity.
Business
Urban League, Better Family Life open outreach center in North City
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Better Family Life, Inc. have opened the Urban League Northside Community Empowerment Center at 1330 Aubert in North St. Louis. The center, which is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday, houses the Urban League’s Save Our Sons program, which helps economically disadvantaged men find jobs; Urban Closet, a free clothing pantry for men in the program; and a number of Better Family Life outreach programs, including a Gun Violence De-Escalation Center and a Senior Citizen Registry.
Present at the opening on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday: former Fire Chief Sherman George, DeBorah Ahmed, state Rep. LaKeysha Bosley, state Senator Karla May, James Clark, Tydrell Stevens, Malik Ahmed, state Rep. Steve Roberts Jr., Michael P. McMillan, Jamie Dennis, Chief John Hayden, Kathy Osborn, Keith Williamson, Robb Franklin, Pastor Michael Jones, and Will Donlow.
Those who are interested in programs at the Urban League Northside Community Empowerment Center can call Tydrell Stevens at (314) 626-9977 or email tstevens@urbanleague-stl.org
Kimbrough now region’s only black bank CEO
‘Our community – all communities – need capital,’ says Midwest BankCentre leader
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
Orvin T. Kimbrough, who just finished his third week as CEO of Midwest BankCentre after leading the United Way of Greater St. Louis as president and CEO for five years, said his new job as banker is really a “continuation” of his career in social services.
“If you look at what I’ve been doing the last 20 years, it has focused on stabilizing people’s lives in terms of social mobility, promoting human and social capital through things like education, and training in life skills and the competency necessary for any person to participate in economic activity,” Kimbrough told The American
Orvin T. Kimbrough
Now, he will focus on “economic activity” proper and making it accessible to more people.
“The bank is an extension from that,” Kimbrough said.
“Human capital is important, but our community – all communities – need capital. My role as CEO of the bank is to bring purpose-driven service to the people of the region and beyond.”
Given that money talks, he already is finding his voice magnified.
“I am having the same kinds of conversations I’ve always had,” Kimbrough said. “Now I am
just having them as CEO of the second largest privately financed bank in St. Louis.”
Kimbrough is the only black CEO of a bank in the St. Louis region. As far as he knows, he is the only black CEO of a bank in Missouri or the Midwest. According to an attorney in Washington, D.C. who called him about speaking to the National Bankers Association, a group of black-owned banks, they were aware of no other black CEO of a mainstream bank in the United States.
“So this progress conveys to the leadership of our region and beyond that it is okay for people who look different to lead some of our largest institutions – and not just on the charitable side,”
St. Louis parking passes 2.5M mobile app transactions
Fredrick Echols M.D., was appointed director of the St. Louis Department of Health by Mayor Lyda Krewson. He is the first medical doctor to serve as Health director since 2007. He left a position as director of Communicable Disease, Vector and Veterinary Programs for the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, where he was responsible for overseeing daily operations, strategic planning, fiscal management of a multi-million dollar budget and program development and implementation.
Chrysothemis F. Nesbitt, M.D, joined Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers as a family practitioner. She is located in Ferguson, Missouri at the People’s Healthcare Services by Home State Health located at the Schnucks Grocery Store, 49 N. Florissant Rd. A native New Yorker, she earned her medical degree from Albany Medical College and completed a residency in Family Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York.
Saudi Crudup received Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two’s (LCSRON 2) Sailor of the Quarter Award. He is a U.S. Navy Yeoman 2nd Class. This award is given each quarter to sailors who stand out from the rest for their professional accomplishments, commitment to their job, and military bearing. He is a 2008 Wellston High School graduate and St. Louis native.
Kimyatta Smith was selected to be director of LinkStL, a non-profit which improves the conditions of residents in the Hyde Park Neighborhood. Her efforts include initiatives for Hyde Park youth to organize and make changes in their community. Additionally, in partnership with United Way, the Youth IDA Program supports working youth to save $1,000 in 18 months to be eligible for a $3,000 match to meet a life goal.
John E. Armstrong Jr. was appointed chief executive officer of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. In his most recent role as executive director at the American Diabetes Association, he oversaw fundraising, operations, program development, board governance and strategic direction for the states of Alabama and Georgia. He also spent 17 years with the YMCA, working at local associations and the national headquarters.
Audrey Woods received an “Apple for the Teacher” awards from the Alpha Zeta Chapter of Iota Phi Lambda Sorority Inc. She is a teacher at Lucas Crossing Elementary School in the Normandy Schools Collaborative. Iota Phi Lambda is a business and professional women’s organization founded in 1929. It provides scholarships for high school and college students interested primarily in business education. On the move? Congratulations! Send your good professional news and
John
Chrysothemis F. Nesbitt, M.D.
Audrey Woods
Kimyatta Smith
Fredrick Echols
Saudi Crudup
The Green New Deal outlines investments we must make
By Eugene Robinson Washington Post
Who’s afraid of the Green New Deal? I’m not. It’s ambitious, aspirational, improbable, impractical –almost as audacious as putting a man on the moon. We used to be able to think big. Let’s do it again. Since the 14-page resolution was introduced in Congress by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., critics have been falling over themselves to denounce the Green New Deal’s policies as prohibitively expensive, totally unworkable or somehow Venezuelan. If those opponents would stop shouting long enough to actually read the document, they’d see that it’s not a compendium of concrete policies at all, but rather a set of goals. And they are the right goals. The Green New Deal seeks to outline a national project for our time – not just a response
KIMBROUGH
continued from page B1 Kimbrough said.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about systems leadership. You can change systems from the inside and from the outside. My hope is not only to help make it okay for diverse people to lead large institutions, but also to be wildly successful and help create conditions for more of our young people to dream really, really big.”
to a grave environmental threat, but a framework for enhanced growth, opportunity and fairness. The laudable aim is to play offense, not defense, in the fight to limit climate change. We are going to have to wage that battle one way or another. Why not do it on our terms, before Miami slips underwater and the yet-unburned parts of California go up in flames?
The best historical analogy is not the New Deal but World War II, when mobilization of the nation’s vast productive capacity not only defeated Germany and Japan but also generated unprecedented domestic economic growth, hugely expanding the middle class. Once again, the planet faces a dire threat. Once again, the United States can help lead the world to victory.
It’s a massive overreach critics of the Green New Deal say. But any effort to address climate change that is commensurate with the scale of the problem is going to look
Needless to say, not all of the bank’s customers look like this son of Saint Louis Public Schools and the State of Missouri’s foster care system. He rattled off the bank’s diverse bank locations in DeSoto (with a 93 percent white population, according to the U.S. Census), South County, North County, North City and St. Charles. “Our deposit holders are ordinary people who get up and go to work every day and strive to do more than just make ends meet,” Kimbrough said. That they are deposit holders is significant in a region that has been identified as one of the most unbanked and underbanked in the nation, especially among black households.
like an overreach. Worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases – the cause of global warming – are beginning to level off, but they need to start falling, and fast, if we are to spare our grandchildren and greatgrandchildren an ecological nightmare. Can we really shift entirely to clean energy sources within 10 years, as the resolution pledges? Well, certainly not if we don’t try. In 1961, when JFK announced the goal of sending an American to the moon and back by the end of the decade, NASA scientists had only a vague idea how to do such a thing. They figured it out and succeeded in 1969. Breakthroughs will be needed, for example, in solar energy technology and
Midwest BankCentre has been a member of St. Louis’ Regional Unbanked Task Force since its inception in 2011. That also was about when the bank entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice, which expired in mid-2016. The bank committed to open a bank branch in an area of St. Louis populated primarily by African-American citizens; invest in a special financing program to expand loans to St. Louis-area neighborhoods with majority AfricanAmerican residents; allocate funding for consumer financial education and credit
battery storage. Why should China – now the world’s biggest producer of solar panels – be allowed to make these innovations and reap the resulting economic benefits? Why not the United States? It’s too expensive, naysayers complain. They point to a clause in the resolution that calls for “upgrading all existing buildings in the United States” to make them more energyefficient. That sounds absurd – until you remember the massive blackout drills that took place across the country during World War II. People participated. It was their patriotic duty. Windows, roofs, doors, appliances – all have to be replaced every once in a while, and all can be made less wasteful of energy. And as for goals such as making sure every American has “high-quality health care” and “affordable, safe and adequate housing,” those have been Democratic Party positions for a very long time.
repair; and expand marketing.
Though provoked by an Obama-era federal consent decree, in a statement the bank declared that it genuinely “enlarged its vision of service to the community” as a result.
“Our geographic reach has extended to include neighborhoods overlooked or shunned by our competitors. We’ve opened full-service branches in Pagedale and at Friendly Temple in the WellsGoodfellow neighborhood and acquired a location on North Broadway in the near north riverfront area north of downtown St. Louis,” said Jim Watson, Kimbrough’s predecessor as CEO, who remains executive chairman of Midwest BankCentre and vice chairman of its holding company, Midwest BankCentre, Inc.
“Our efforts have spurred economic development and vitality, changed the trajectory of lives for generations by removing barriers and building opportunities, and forged relationships that led us to our new CEO,” Watson added.
Midwest BankCentre was recently selected as a national award recipient by
n Can we really shift entirely to clean energy sources within 10 years, as the resolution pledges? Well, certainly not if we don’t try.
Acting alone would be pointless, skeptics say. Indeed, China is now by far the world’s biggest carbon emitter, with the United States second and India a fast-rising third. What would be the point of going to great effort to reduce U.S. emissions while others just burn more coal?
Think about it, though. We are, after all, the secondbiggest emitter, which means that any substantial reduction would indeed have measurable impact. Also, officials in China and India, unlike those in the Trump administration, understand and accept the conclusions of climate scientists. China may be adding coal-fired power plants, but it is also making massive investments in clean energy.
the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) for the 2018 National Community Bank Service Awards. ICBA selected the bank from among more than 100 nominations for its high-impact service and economic empowerment programs that have brought mainstream banking services to more than 1,200 previously unbanked or underbanked families in the St. Louis metro area. According to the bank, Kimbrough’s appointment as CEO further “affirms the transformation.” Kimbrough sees the progress and the opportunity to expand upon it.
“The bank has developed products to help individuals who are not traditionally bankable in the mainstream to become bankable, such as credit boosters and products to get loans that are not predatory,” Kimbrough said.
“I expect as I get more familiar with our products and services, I will see how we can continue to make a bigger difference. I am excited about the innovation in products and services we will offer to a wide range of customers. I am excited to bring my experience
Do you really want Beijing to lead the way into the future? Shouldn’t it be Washington? That’s a rationale for the Green New Deal that the Make America Great Again crowd should embrace. If you believe in American exceptionalism, you believe that the United States has a duty to lead at moments of crisis. This is such a moment. Look at the big picture. Unless you deny the science of climate change, you have to believe that we need to take bold action. Stop all the nitpicking. Enough with the posturing. Let’s talk about what to do.
Eugene Robinson’s email address is eugenerobinson@ washpost.com.
in social services to leverage the technical knowledge our lifetime bankers have.”
One such lifetime banker, Dale Oberkfell, continues as president and chief financial officer of Midwest BankCentre.
For now, after only three weeks as CEO at the bank (though he previously served on its board and remains a board member), he has some learning to do.
“I’ve been here less than a month, so I need to take some time to better understand the bank’s goals and execute them and then develop some additional initiatives,” Kimbrough said. “We have a great team on board with intimate community knowledge and commitment.”
“Since I come from social services, I have an issue with any kind of predatory lending. We need to find alternative solutions to that. We are already talking about the importance of socially responsible banking and all aspects of the community having access to capital.” For more information, visit https://www. midwestbankcentre.com.
Missouri seeks host sites for Child and Adult Care Food Program
Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is seeking eligible child and adult care facilities, afterschool programs and emergency shelters to participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The program is a federally funded U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition program available to child care centers, adult day care centers, Head Start programs, emergency shelters and before and afterschool programs. The program reimburses approved facilities for meals and snacks served to children and adults in care. The meals are available to children and adult program participants at no separate charge.
Federal income guidelines determine children’s eligibility
for free and reducedprice meals through the program. Foster children and children who receive benefits through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or who are Head Start participants are categorically eligible to receive free meals through the program. Adults who receive SNAP benefits, FDPIR benefits, Social Security Income (SSI), or are Medicaid participants are automatically eligible for free meals. Approved or exempt institutions that offer a structured after-school program with educational or enrichment activities may be eligible to
participate in the At-Risk Afterschool component of the program. This program reimburses institutions that serve nutritious afterschool snacks and/or a supper meal to children up to 18 years of age in a structured environment after the school day has ended. The after-school program must be located in a low-income area where 50 percent or more of the children at the nearest school receive free or reduced-price meals. To learn more about participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, visit the CACFP webpage at http://tinyurl.com/MO-CACFP, call 800-733-6251 or email CACFP@health.mo.gov.
Eugene Robinson
n “We’re going to win the finals this year. February 16, Jayson Tatum said we’re going to win the finals this year.”
— St. Louisan Jayson Tatum
Sports
Kaepernick, Reid get the big payback, not the big payoff; Curt Flood is smiling
~ See ‘Sports Eye’ page B4 ~
District play in full swing
Large schools begin tourneys this weekend
With the small school district playoffs in full swing this week, the big schools will take center stage with its district tournaments beginning during the weekend and into next week. Here is a look at the upcoming Class 4 and 5 district tournament playoffs involving teams from the St. Louis area. For a look at the complete brackets, you can visit the Missouri State High School Activities Association at www. mshsaa.org.
Class 4
District 3 (at Hillsboro)
Boys Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 7 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Hillsboro)
Earl Austin Jr.
Girls Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 5:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Festus)
District 4 (at St. Mary’s)
Boys Championship Game: Thursday, February 28, 7:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: St. Mary’s)
Girls Championship Game: Thursday, February 28, 5:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Miller Career Academy)
District 5 (at Ladue)
Boys Championship Game: Thursday, February 28, 7 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Ladue)
Girls Championship Game: Thursday, February 28, 5:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Parkway North)
District 6 (at Hazelwood East)
Boys Championship Game: Saturday, March
2, noon (No. 1 Seed: Jennings)
Girls Championship Game: Saturday, March
2, 2 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Jennings)
District 7 (at St. Charles West)
Boys Championship Game: Saturday, March
2, 2:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: McCluer)
Girls Championship Game: Saturday, March
1, 1 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Incarnate Word Academy)
NBA All-Star Weekend has come and gone and what a weekend it was. All the best high-flying, dime-dropping, long-range firing basketball players in the world met in Charlotte to show off their talents. In terms of the major American sports, no league puts on an allstar show at the level of the NBA’s festivities. Here are a few highlights of the weekend: Jayson Tatum wins the Skills Challenge St. Louis’ own Jayson Tatum showed out in the Skills Challenge. The Celtics forward defeated Mike Conley Jr., Nikola Jokić and Trae Young to earn the crown. Tatum drained a half-court shot to seal the deal in dramatic fashion. It was one of the marquee moments for the weekend and proved that Tatum’s star is on the rise. Speaking of rising stars, Tatum also dropped 30 points and 9 rebounds in the Rising Stars Challenge to help lead Team USA over Team World 161-144.
Beal scores 11 in the All-Star Game
Bradley Beal also represented the STL well on AllStar Weekend. Playing in his second-consecutive All-Star Game, Beal scored 11 points to help Team LeBron to a 178-164 victory over Team Giannis. During the game, the sharp-shooting Beal knocked down three three-pointers. However, his most exciting play was a sneaky, two-handed dunk over the Orlando Magic’s Nikola Vucevic Beal also spent All-Star Weekend working as a recruiter. According to The Athletic, the Wizards guard spent much of the weekend trying to lure a few of his fellow All-Stars to Washington. After all, John Wall is expected to miss a full year with his ruptured Achilles. That means the Wizards will have to find another star player to put around Beal if the Wizards want to see the playoffs anytime soon.
getting some ears and seeing where guys’ minds are at.” Team Giannis’ memorable moments
While Team LeBron may have won the game, Team
Ishmael H. Sistrunk
Lift For Life Academy’s Tracy Vilsaint (32) and Stacy Vilsaint (40) trap Metro’s Faith Bland (23) during their game Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at Vashon High School. Metro went on to defeat Lift For Life 56-44.
Jayson Tatum hoists his trophy after winning the NBA Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend. Tatum drained a halfcourt shot to stun Trae Young for the title.
Photo by Wiley Price
SportS EyE
With Alvin A. Reid
Kaepernick, Reid get the big payback, not a big payoff; Curt Flood is smiling
Former San Francisco 49ers
quarterback Colin Kaepernick was purposely sent into the NFL wilderness by spiteful owners. His crime was kneeling during the national anthem.
Eric Reid, Carolina Panthers defensive back, was blackballed for more than a season for taking a knee and refusing to guarantee he would not do it again.
Kaepernick filed a lawsuit in civil court accusing the NFL’s owners of colluding against him to keep him out of the league. Reid later filed and merged with the Kaepernick lawsuit.
Last week, the brave, black pair won a magnificent victory over the powerful NFL when it was announced the case had been settled during the discovery segment of the upcoming trial.
ego to never admit a mistake.
The NFL quit.”
Reid signed a contract extension with the Panthers following last season. He’s set for the next few years, in addition to the settlement money.
Kaepernick’s attorney said his client would make a great fit with the Panthers or the New England Patriots. The one coach who would put winning before politics or hurt feelings would be the Patriots Bill Belichick.
Obviously, the NFL’s lawyers decided that, at worst, the case could be lost. At best, the NFL could prevail but the testimony from Commissioner Roger Goodell and several owners would tell the world there was a conspiracy involving Kaepernick and Reid.
Estimates of Kaepernick and Reid’s reward, which is kept secret as part of the settlement, have ranged from $60 to $80 million. Naturally, an unidentified source told Pro Football Weekly that the settlement is far lower than that range.
Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports said it best.
“Colin Kaepernick defeated the NFL in a legal battle, and make no mistake, that is one heck of a victory,” he wrote.
“The league possesses both the both the resources for interminable court battles and the
The Baltimore Ravens were interested in Kaepernick before the 2017 season, but that notion fell apart. I think the how and why of those events would have been on display in a courtroom too. This is among the reasons, I think, the NFL decided to settle.
I doubt if Kaepernick ever plays in the NFL again. The American Alliance of Football might give him a chance. The Donald Trumploving Vince McMahon family is behind the XFL, so St. Louis fans will not get the chance to shout boos and racial insults at him.
Kaepernick and Reid settled, but they won. It was not a payoff. It was, as James Brown sang, “The Big Payback.”
Curt Flood is smiling
Syndicated sports columnist Charles Robinson said the NFL feared the worst as the Kaepernick-Reid case went forward – and invoked Curt Flood’s name in a riveting article.
“This settlement comes before final arguments were to be made in the Kaepernick and Reid collusion cases before arbitrator Stephen Burbank
later this month. So, for the NFL to settle, the league had to know that the evidence against it was undeniable,” he wrote.
“Now that the league has been caught with its figurative pants down, and Kaepernick especially comes out of this league-inflicted disaster with an epic win, what happens next?”
Robinson concludes that Kaepernick might get a “token” shot at making a team from one or two owners because the NFL looks guilty of collusion regardless of the settlement.
“When St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood fought the reserve clause and tried to bring free agency to the professional athlete in the late 1960s,
Major League Baseball denied his claim that players weren’t chattel and took Flood all the way to the Supreme Court, where he lost his final grievance in a close vote. In any sport, owners would generally rather shut their leagues down until it hurts their own pocketbooks rather than give in to what players want,” Robinson wrote.
“Which makes this decision all the more incredible. We may never know what was discovered during the process of this grievance, but you can rest assured that it was a lot, it was damning and it could have turned that court of public opinion against the league in ways that may have been irreparable.”
Martin sees upside
After Tuesday’s loss to surging Kentucky, Missouri stood at 12-13 with just three wins in the SEC. The Tigers will most likely have to play in the SEC Tournament playin game, a battle between the
league’s worst teams.
But coach Cuonzo Martin tells the Kansas City Times that he expects his team to be in the thick of the conference race and battling for a NCAA Tournament berth next season. In part, because of this year’s struggles.
“When you’re healthy you have a chance,” he said, referring to the loss of Jontay Porter to a knee injury before the season began.
“You have to have good guards. I think we’re moving toward that. Your key guys have to be healthy. And then you go from there. I like where we’re going as a program. Every step you have to get better. If the pain of losing, missing shots, not blocking out, if that doesn’t pain you, then this is probably not the program for you. You have to have a love and passion to be great at this thing.”
Martin cited Evansville transfer Dru Smith taking the court next year and return the freshmen Torrence Watson,
Pinson and Javon Pickett. Sophomores Mark Smith and Jeremiah Tilmon will also return and be joined by incoming freshmen Tray Jackson and Mario McKinney.
The Reid Roundup
Jayson Tatum’s half-court off-glass shot won the Boston Celtics forward the NBA Skills Challenge over Atlanta’s Trae Young … Minutes after the thrilling win, Tatum told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols “We’re going to win the Finals this year. February 16, mark (it) — Jayson Tatum said we’re going to win the Finals this year.”… Mizzou recruit Arvell Ferguson was among the African-American students honored at Kirkwood High School last week for attaining 3.0 GPAs over two semesters. He said he would be attending and playing football at Garden City Community College next season…God bless the St. Louis Cardinals, but I’m already tired of reading about them in the Post-Dispatch –and they haven’t even played a Spring Training game yet … Last Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game earned a combined 5.0 overnight rating across TNT and TBS. It drew a 5.1 in 2017 and 2018. Don’t fret NBA fans.
I ain’t gonna name no names. You’re not gonna have me out here for tampering. I ain’t gonna throw no names out. I’m keeping them in my piggy bank, my back pocket right here,” Beal said. “But in July, hopefully we can do something,” he said … Same story content, and two different headlines. Post-Dispatch: “Mizzou athletics sees growth in revenues, closes gap on spending.” Kansas City Times: Mizzou athletics operates in the red again despite ticket bump from Michael Porter Jr. ... Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon obviously thinks the AAF has profitable days ahead. An NHL owner, Dundon announced Monday he is investing $250 million in the upstart league and will be its chairman. He is refuting reports that the league was going under after one week … More than six million viewers turned in to AAF games its opening week, and ratings were solid last weekend.
Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
Alvin A. Reid
Xavier
Last week the NFL reached a settlement with Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
From the moment I met
Malachi Smith when he was a sophomore at Belleville East High School, I knew that this young man would be a special gentleman in whatever life would have to offer him. His demeanor and the respect that he has for people and life no doubt will make this young man successful in whatever life has in store for him.
Now, Malachi his paving his way through his freshman year at Wright State, where he is having an excellent freshman year. Entering tonight’s home game against Cleveland State, Wright State is currently 16-11 and 10-4 in the Horizon League.
Smith was not labeled a McDonald’s All-American and he did not have the
CLUTCH
Continued from C7 Giannis certainly led in the memorable moments department. The top three moments of the All-Star Game all came courtesy of the “Greek Freak’s” squad. First, Steph Curry threw a one-handed, bounce pass alley oop that appeared as if it were intended for Jesus The ball bounced several feet above the backboard, up to the level of the NBA shot clock. Giannis Antetokounmpo lept off two feet, stretched out his long arms and caught the ball with one hand as it re-entered the stratosphere and jammed it through the goal. The spectacular play brought players from both teams, and the entire crowd, to their feet in awe.
Next, 40-year-old Dirk Nowitzki drained three three-
PREP
Continued from C7
Class 5
District 2 (at Lindbergh)
Boys Championship Game: Thursday, February 28, 7:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Mehlville)
Girls Championship Game: Thursday, February 28, 5:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Cor Jesu Academy)
District 3 (at Lafayette)
Boys Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 7 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Marquette)
Girls Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 5 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Lafayette)
From The easT side
With Maurice Scott jr.
Malachi Smith making his way at Wright State
recruiting profile of fellow area standouts, such as Courtney Ramey (Texas), Joe Reese (Old Dominion), E.J. Liddell,(Ohio State) and Terrence Hargrove Jr.(SLU).
Malachi’s perseverance is what’s so attractive about this student-athlete who had to develop the tools needed to compete at the Division I level. The 6’3” Smith was a Second Team All-State selection and First Team Southwestern Conference player for Belleville West last year after transferring from Belleville East.
Smith was the straw that stirred the drink and made the Maroons go during the 201718 run when he teamed with E.J. Liddell last year to help lead the Maroons to the Class
point shots for Team Giannis. Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade were special team roster additions by Commissioner Adam Silver. Both legends are expected to retire at the end of the season and it was a class move by Silver to add them to the All-Star roster. Wade also had some highlight plays, including being on both the giving and receiving end of alley oops with former teammate LeBron James
Lastly, as the final seconds ticked off the clock, Curry, the greatest shooter in the history of basketball pulled off a stunner. Curry went back to his bounce pass bag of tricks one more time. This time though, instead of bouncing an alley oop to Antetokounmpo, Curry threw himself an alley oop and flushed it with a nasty reverse, two-handed dunk. Curry is not known as a high-flyer, but the dunk capped off another remark-
District 4 (at Parkway Central)
Boys Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 8 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: CBC)
Girls Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 6 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Kirkwood)
District 5 (at Webster Groves)
Boys Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 7:45 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: McCluer North)
Girls Basketball Game: Friday, March 1, 6 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Nerinx Hall)
District 6 (at Francis Howell Central)
Boys Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 7:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Francis Howell
Jacob Bullock
The senior standout completed a tremendous campaign by winning the Illinois Class 2A state championship in the 220-pound weight class.
Bullock defeated Apollo Gothard of Lemont 1-0 in the state championship match to complete an undefeated senior season
4A state championship, the first in the school’s history.
Smith’s progression at Wright State under head coach Scott Nagy has been smooth, to say the least. Malachi has logged minutes in all 27 games for the Raiders, averaging 13 minutes per game. In addition, he currently ranks third for the assist-to-turnovers ratio, fifth in assists, and seventh in field goal percentage while averaging 4.8 points per game as a true freshman.
In his college debut he scored 10 points against Western Carolina. Other highlights for Smith this season include 14 points against
able All-Star Weekend for the NBA.
Perfect balance
Many people complain about the high-scoring of NBA All-Star games and lament the lack of defense. However, last season the league upped the winning bonus to $100K for each player on the winning team to improve the competitiveness of the game.
It worked.
The last two All-Star Games have been very good. No, the teams are playing lock down defense, but the players are making a legitimate defensive effort most of the time. The one thing players are not willing to do is to try to block dunks. Why? It’s not worth the injury risk in an exhibition game.
But gone are the days of the Soul Train Line of NBA stars taking turns making
Central)
Girls Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 5:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Francis Howell Central)
District 7 (at Fort Zumwalt South)
Boys Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 7:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Francis Howell)
Girls Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 5:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Fort Zumwalt North)
District 8 (at Troy)
Boys Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 7 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Timberland)
Girls Championship Game: Friday, March 1, 5:30 p.m. (No. 1 Seed: Jefferson City)
at 34-0. He becomes the fifth individual state champion in the school’s history. Bullock was a state finalist and runner up as a junior in 2018. He will attend Old Dominion University in the fall on a wrestling scholarship.
Detroit Mercy, 17 points against Youngstown State, 11 points against Oakland and eight points against SEC Mississippi State. Last week during the Raiders nationally televised game against conference leader Northern Kentucky, Smith played 18 minutes and was instrumental in Wright State 81-77 win.
“I am so proud of him;” said his mom, Connie Smith, who has always been her son’s biggest supporter, not missing a game throughout his high school career at Belleville East and his senior year at Belleville West.
spectacular, unguarded plays. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of long-range threes, off-the-backboard alley oops and other flashy plays that you don’t normally see in regular season games. That’s the point though.
It’s a game designed to highlight the spectacular abilities of the most-skilled and gravity-defying athletes in the world. I believe they’ve finally struck the perfect balance.
Kap cashes in I can’t let the column end without saluting Colin Kaepernick for finally cashing in on his grievance against the NFL. Kaepernick
I first encountered Malachi and his mother during his sophomore year while I was an assistant coach with the AAU program Hoopville Warriors. It was then that I took a special interest in him because of his work ethic, determination, and his dedication to his craft, his education, and the respect he gave to his mother and others alike.
While never missing a high school game or an AAU game, his mother Connie would often do a full day’s work, and get him where he needed to be for practice and wait patiently for him to get done during AAU season. In addition, she repeated the same routine during the school year until Malachi started to drive on his own his senior year. It was a perfect
and league reached a settlement in his case against the league for colluding to keep him unemployed due to his kneeling protest against police brutality.
While both sides signed confidentiality agreements, NFL team officials have speculated that the settlement fell in the range of $60-$80 million for the former San Francisco 49ers QB.
It’s unlikely that Kaepernick will ever play in the NFL again, though now that the case against the league if finally settled, there’s a sliver of hope.
Word on the street is that there is possible interest from the Carolina Panthers and
combination I personally witnessed.
“I’m just excited for him as his mother seeing him grow not only as an athlete, but as a young man.” she said. “His drive, work ethic and determination of not being a great player early in middle school and high school has really payed off. I’m so proud of him.”
The future is bright for the Horizon League guard whose grandfather Larry Knight was drafted by the Utah Jazz in 1979. And with the Horizon League tournament starting March 5 - March 12, look to hear more about Mr. Smith!
New England Patriots on bringing Kaepernick in as a backup QB. Like most other St. Louisans, I’ve been a proud Patriots hater since “Spygate.” I have to admit that if the Pats bring Kap back to the NFL, I’d probably forgive all sins and become a fan.
To keep up with the latest deadline deals in the NBA, be sure to check In the Clutch online and also follow Ishmael on Twitter @ ishcreates. Subscribe to The St. Louis American’s YouTube page to see weekly sports videos starring Ishmael and Melvin Moore at youtube. com/stlamericanvideo.
Maurice Scott Jr.
Kwame wins design-build award for Deaconess Center
Kwame Building Group and the design-build team of Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being received a Design-Build Institute of America – Mid-America Region 2018 Honor Award. The award recognizes excellence in design-build practices. KWAME was the construction manager; the general contractor was KAI Design & Build. As a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), KWAME largely contributed to the project’s 35 percent MBE participation.
Construction of the $8.8 million Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being was completed in December 2017. The 21,000-square-foot facility houses the Deaconess Foundation and long-term partners Vision for Children at Risk and Unleashing Potential. Meeting spaces are granted to child advocates, civic leaders and community organizers dedicated to advocating for and pursuing positive systemic change for the well-being of children and families in the St. Louis region. The facility is expected to host more than 6,000 citizens a year in more than 350 meetings.
Financial Focus
By Veronica Coleman
Market outlook for 2019: Uncertainty is certain
Living It
Best in show for Babyface
R&B vet shines at St. Louis Music
Festival headlined by
Charlie Wilson
By Kenya Vaughn
Of The St. Louis American
n Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds gave an audience a taste of what was to come – a stylish, highenergy segment that incorporated the band and background singers that kept the crowd on its feet for most of the night.
Icy roads couldn’t stop the party train conducted by Charlie Wilson Friday night, better known as the St. Louis Music Festival. Wilson headlined Friday night’s musical festivities – which, despite the inclement weather, pulled a crowd of nearly 8,000 to the Chaifetz Arena. But it was Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds who delivered the most memorable set of the evening by relying on the hits he wrote and produced for others – and with assistance from East St. Louis’ own Andre Delano on saxophone and background vocals. The evening of music started with R&B veteran Joe. With more than 25 years under his belt, Joe has proved he has staying power – even if it has meant that he’s never quite made it on mainstream music’s radar. Although he enjoyed moderate success in the 1990s and early 2000s, Joe remains one of the most underrated artists in contemporary R&B. He’s been able keep fans who have followed his career since he came on the scene with his 1993 mid-tempo dance track “I’m In Luv” faithful and loyal with his reputation as a reliable live performer. Friday night was no different. An R&B chameleon who can float seamlessly between dance tracks and slow jams, Joe started the show with his dance track “Stutter” and continued the party atmosphere with his “Don’t Wanna Be A Player” Fat Joe collaboration and “Ride Wit U.” With vocals as sharp as his bright red Valentine’s Day suit, Joe and his band had the crowd grooving in their seats as he slowed things down with a cover of the Keith Sweat slow jam classic “Make it Last Forever,” including track vocals from his duet partner Mariah Carey. Her pre-recorded voice would be the only female voice heard amongst the all-
Raheem raises the roof
Singer stands out among trio of R&B acts led by Lalah Hathaway
By Kenya Vaughn
Multiple Grammy Award-winner Lalah Hathaway’s angelic voice and reputation for wowing audiences in live performance were the major selling points of the Sophisticated Soul Tour – which made its final stop in St. Louis Sunday night at Stifel Theatre after a four-city run. But the stage presence, energy and charisma of R&B veteran and self-proclaimed “Love King” Raheem DeVaughn ending up being the highlight of the evening’s musical offerings. After a brief bit of comic relief and sounds to set the tone for the night by DJ Lightfoot, Lyfe Jennings was first to the microphone. Accompanied by tracks and a keyboard player, he opened his set with “Superman,” one of his lesser-known tracks. After complaining about a lack of energy from the crowd, Jennings
opted for “Stickup Kid” as his second selection, instead of appeasing the masses by selecting from his handful of familiar radio hits to warm the crowd. With strong vocals and high impact for an R&B crooner, Jennings made his way back-and-forth across the stage while delivering an extended version of his song, “Statistics.” He shared some words of wisdom before diving into “Karma.”
“You’ll keep meeting the same person in your relationships until you learn the lesson,” Jennings said. “I’m telling you what I know, based on what I’ve lived.” Jennings then gave snippets of his better known songs - “S.E.X.” and “Hypothetically” among them – with the disclaimer that he wouldn’t have time to perform them. He spent precious time complaining about the few
See RAHEEM, C4
‘Charles I’ to join contemporary collection
By Kenya Vaughn
Saint Louis.”
In the painting, Cooper recreates the dignified posture of Charles I in the original Dutch painting. “ I couldn’t remember what I had on. I hoped I did the pose right and I hoped it was the best picture that I ever took in my life. And it is. I love it.” The Saint Louis Art Museum announced this week that the institution recently purchased “Charles I.” The large-scale painting by Kehinde Wiley was one of the works from the “Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis” exhibition that closed February 10 after an immensely popular fourmonth run.
“‘Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis’ was tied closely to our collection and to our city, and it encouraged each of us to examine artistic traditions, current events, and the power of art to unite our community,” said Brent R. Benjamin, the Barbara B. Taylor Director of the Saint Louis Art Museum. “I’m pleased that generations of St. Louisans will be able to enjoy this vibrant painting.”
“Charles I” is one of two works in the exhibition that Wiley based on a 1633 portrait of the English king by Daniel Martensz Mytens the Elder.
Wiley studied the museum’s collection to identify works he would reference in “Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis.” He visited St. Louis in 2017 and scouted models from areas in North City and North County – including Ferguson. The style, scale and grandeur that have become a trademark of Wiley’s paintings is epitomized by “Charles I” and the entire exhibition.
“Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis” featured 11 paintings that were based on eight works from the Museum’s collection and one print from a local collection.
Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Art Museum
Artist Kehinde Wiley and Ashley Cooper pose in front of
Of The St. Louis American
See SHOW, C4
Babyface
Raheem DeVaughn
Charlie Wilson
Joe
Photos by Lawrence Bryant
How to place a calendar listing
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black history activities
Thur., Feb. 21, 6:30 p.m., Maplewood Public Library presents The History of Negro Leagues Baseball. 7550 Lohmeyer Ave., 63143. For more information, visit www.maplewoodpubliclibrary. com.
Thur., Feb. 21, 7 p.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Times’s Getting Harder: Stories of the Great Migration. Part of the 2019 Black history series: Black Migrations. Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.
Fri., Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m., St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.slso. org.
Sat., Feb. 23, 2:30 p.m., True Light Missionary Baptist Church invites you to their Annual Black History Celebration. Musical guest the Christian Travelers Quartet and Sheila Johnson. 2838 James “Cool Papa” Bell Ave., 63106. For more information, call (314) 531-1801.
Sun., Feb.24, 2:30 p.m., West Central Church of Christ presents A Black Heritage Month Musical Production Conversations at the Kitchen Table: A Look at Black Music & Song. 4662 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-0060.
Sun., Feb. 24, A Call to Conscience presents I’ve Been to the Mountaintop. Actors will read text of the speech from scripts and perform musical selections. Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, 3200 Washington Ave., 63103.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com.
Thur., Feb. 28, 4:30 p.m., Black History Month: The Empowerment Event. Photo exhibit and film screening of The Pruitt-Igoe Myth, and a presentation on knowing your rights. Employment Connection, 2838 Market St., 63013. For more information or to RSVP, email development@employmentstl. org.
Thur., Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m., The Remarkable Story of Missouri Slave Archer Alexander. Members of Archer Alexander’s family will be present for the event. Maplewood City Hall, 7601 Manchester Ave., 63143. For more information, visit www. maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.
concerts
Sat., Feb. 23, 7 p.m., The Ready Room presents Chrisette Michelle. 4195 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www. thereadyroom.com.
Sun., Feb. 24, 6:30 p.m., Sheldon Concert Hall presents Ladysmith Black Mambazo. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. thesheldon.org.
Fri., Mar. 1, 8 p.m., The Pageant presents Marsha Ambrosius. 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112.
Sat., Mar. 2, 7 p.m., Ambassador presents Ginuwine, Jon B., and Adina Howard. 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.
Sun., Mar. 3, 7 p.m., Ambassador presents Howard Hewett. 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136.
Sun., Mar. 3, 8 p.m., Sheldon
Kenya Vaughn recommends
Concert Hall presents Aaron Neville. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.
Sun., Mar. 3, 8 p.m., The Pageant welcomes Sammie 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112.
Fri., Mar. 8, 7 p.m., Sheldon Concert Hall presents Anthony Lucius with DJ Nune. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108.
local gigs
Sun., Feb. 24, 5:30p.m., The Drew Project presents Urban Jazz: Celebrating the Musical Mastery of Miles Davis. Feat. Dawn Weber and others. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136.For more information, call (314) 869-9090.
Sat., Mar. 2, 8 p.m., The Ready Room presents LA4SS. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www. thereadyroom.com.
Sat., Mar. 16, 7 p.m., Hail
To The Queen: A Tribute To Aretha Franklin. Performance by Fran Taylor and Band. Voce, 212 South Tucker Blvd., 63102. For more information, visit www.purplepass.com.
special events
Sat., Feb. 23, 3 p.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter presents the 2019 Jabberwock: Standing on the Promises Missouri Athletic Club, 405 Washington Ave., 63102. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.
Sat., Feb. 23, 6 p.m., The Women’s Safe House presents the In Her Shoes Gala: Roaring in the 20s. Bid on a silent auction, hear from survivors, and raise funds to support our families. Hilton St. Louis Frontenac, 1335 S Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, call (314) 772-4535.
Sun., Feb. 24, 1 p.m., The Sumner High School Alumni
Association hosts its 16th Annual Membership RoundUp, Sumner’s Journey: Past and Present. Lifetime Members will be honored and as well as “Showcase Your Talent II”. Sumner High School. Individuals or groups that would like to showcase, please respond by February 5th at 314.345.2676 or e-mailing sumneralumniassn@yahoo. com.
Mon., Feb. 25, 6 p.m., 18th Ward Aldermanic Candidate Forum. Candidates will discuss priorities in the 18th Ward & their public policy proposals. Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, 1000 N. Vandeventer Ave., 63113. For more information, visit www. deaconesscenter.org.
Fri., Mar. 1, 7 p.m., Mardi Gras Foundation presents the Mayor’s Mardi Gras Ball. St. Louis City Hall, 1200 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. stlmardigras.org.
Sat., Mar. 2, 11 a.m., The Curvy Bridal Show. Giveaways, prizes, a fashion show, and more. St. Peters
Cultural Arts Centre, 1 Saint Peters Centre Blvd., 63376. For more information or to register, visit www.eventbrite. com.
Sat., Mar. 2, 12 p.m., 2019 Diversity Teacher Job Fair. Designed to advance individuals of color within St. Louis Independent Schools. City Academy, 4175 N. Kingshighway Blvd., 63115. For more information, visit www.independentschools.org.
Sat., Mar. 2, 12 p.m., Cherokee Creole Carnivale. A fun day of vendors, kids activities, creole food, live music, and more. Artist Art, 2643 Cherokee St., 63118. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.
Sat., Mar. 2, 6 p.m., International Food Festival. Enjoy a culinary feast of delicious foods from around the globe while donating nonfor local foodbanks. Corner of Skinker and Wydown, 63105. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.
Sat., Mar. 2, 8 p.m., Jackson State University St. Louis
Sheldon Concert Hall presents Ladysmith Black Mambazo. For more information, see CONCERTS.
Alumni Chapter’s Blue and White Dance. Machinist Hall, 12365 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63044. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.
Sun., Mar. 3, 2 p.m., Family Day at the National Blues Museum – Mardi Gras Party. Music, scavenger hunts, crafts, Musical Petting Zoo, and more. 615 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, visit www. nationalbluesmuseum.org.
Fri., Mar. 8, 6 p.m., Marygrove invites you to the 2018 BLOOM Gala. Proceeds benefit children, youth and families impacted by abuse, neglect and other trauma. Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, 999 N 2nd St., 63102. For more information, visit www. marygrovechildren.org.
Sat., Mar. 9, 7 p.m., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Upsilon Phi Omega Chapter presents Mardi Gras: Zulu for Life. Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow Blvd., 63120. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.
comedy
Sat., Feb. 23, 7 p.m., Focus on the Funny: Humorous Vibes Only. With Jason Nelson and Marquise Moore. Key West Elks Lodge, 8745 Jennings Station Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.
Mar. 1 – 3, Helium Comedy Club presents Jay Pharoah. 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., 63117. For more information, visit www.stlouis. heliumcomedy.com.
Mar. 8 – 10, The Laugh Lounge presents Hope Flood 111208 W Florissant Ave., 63033. For more information visit www.thelaughloungestl. com.
literary
Mon., Feb. 25, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Kyle Swenson, author of Good Kids, Bad City: A Story of Race and Wrongful Conviction in America. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.leftbank.com.
Thur., Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Sheila P. Moses, author of The Last Mile: Conversations with Dick Gregory. This book will tell the real story of the world according to Dick Gregory based on over two decades of
Kenya Vaughn recommends
conversations. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108.
Wed., Mar. 13, 7 p.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Read it Forward with Nic Stone. Teens can hear from the author of Dear Martin and get a free copy of the book. Central Library, 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, visit www.slpl. org.
Fri., Mar. 15, 7 p.m., Not So Late Night: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Chaya Bhuvaneswar, Ron Austin, and Katarra. Mad Art Gallery, 2727 S. 12th St., 63118. For more information, visit www.left-bank.com.
Thur., Mar. 21, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Myisha Cherry, author of UnMuted: Conversations on Prejudice, Oppression, and Social Justice. With St. Louis activist Tef Poe. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108.
theatre
Feb. 13 – March 3, The
Black Rep presents Milk Like Sugar, AE Hotchner Studio Theatre inside Edison Theatre at Washington University, 6445 Forsyth. Tickets are available atwww. theblackrep.org, 314-534-3807.
Sat., Feb. 23, 2 p.m., Field House Museum hosts Speaker: Harry Weber Weber is an internationally known sculptor with statues of Dred and Harriet Scott, Daniel Boone, and more. 634 S. Broadway, 63102. For more information, visit www. fieldhousemuseum.org/event.
Tues., Feb. 26, 3:30 p.m., Beyond Museums: Career Paths in Arts and Culture. DUC Formal Lounge, Washington University, 1 Brookings Dr., 63130. For more information, www. kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu.
Through Feb. 28, National Blues Museum presents Our Living Past: A Platinum Portrait of Music Maker Photographer Timothy Duffy
individual rights as a member of the community and how to speak up for what is right. Central Library, 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, visit www.slpl. org.
Wed., Feb. 27, 6:30 p.m., The Scholarship Foundation presents Decision-Making: Using Award Letters to Assess Affordability. Understand college award letters, compare financial aid packages, and more. 6825 Clayton Ave., 63139. For more information, visit www. sfstl.org.
Sat., Mar. 2, 10 a.m., Grants in Plain Sight Explore sources of grants, the components that go into a proposal, and strategies for how to manage a grant once awarded. Anheuser-Busch Hall, Fontbonne University, 6800 Wydown Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.
Thur., Mar. 7, 12 p.m., Great Decisions Lecture Series - Refugees and Migrants. Topics include determining refugee status, how countries have reacted to migration, international laws, and more. The Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., 63117. For more information, call (314) 727-4771.
provides a look at the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of American roots music. 615 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, visit www. nationalbluesmuseum.com.
lectures and workshops
Thur., Feb. 21, 6 p.m., Critical Steps to Take for a Job or Career Change. Limelight Events, 1378 S 5th St., 63301. For more information, visit www. masteritseminars.com.
Sat., Feb. 23, 10 a.m., Let’s Get Some F.U.N.D.S. Gain a better understanding of credit restoration, wealth building, increasing income, and more. Open Door Christian Center, 9501 Weyburn Dr., 63136. For more information, visit www. restoreyourcreditscore.net.
Wed., Feb. 27, 4 p.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Adulting 101 for Teens: Know Your Rights. Cori Bush, Bruce Franks, and SLU law students will discuss teens’
Sat., Mar. 11, 6:30 p.m., St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts invites you to Ask an Entertainment Lawyer. Join a panel of experienced attorneys for a discussion of legal and business issues. KDHX, 3524 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.vlaa. org.
Thur., Mar. 14, 6 p.m., National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Metropolitan St. Louis Chapter presents Know Your Worth: How to Negotiate the Salary You Deserve. Harris Stowe, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.knowyourworth2019. eventbrite.com.
Wed., Mar. 13, 5:30 p.m., Focus St. Louis presents Bridging the Gap Between St. Louis Natives & Transplants. An event for young professionals on bridging the gap between different experiences.
Mon., Mar. 18, 7 p.m., Representation & Responsibility: Equity in
the Music Industry. This event is part of a community tour with Terence Blanchard, composer of Fire Shut Up in My Bones. Jazz St. Louis, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.opera-stl.org.
Through Apr 16, numerous Volunteer Income Tax Assistance & AARP TaxAide sites will open to prepare income tax returns free of charge. For more information, visit these sites: https://mctcfreetax.org/, https://stlouistap.org/, http:// naba-stl.org/vita/location/, http://gatewayeitc.org/index. html
Fri., Feb. 22, 5 p.m., SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital invites you to Glennon Style. Enjoy a cocktail party, fashion show, and concert featuring Erin Bode. Hilton St. Louis Frontenac, 1335 S Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www. glennon.org/style.
Sat., Feb. 23, 8 p.m., Young Friends of Mercy 5th Annual Masquerade: Let the Good Times Roll. Proceeds benefit Mercy Kids Child Life Program. Palladium, 1400 N. Park Pl., 63104. For more information, visit www.4agc.com.
Fri., Mar. 8, 11:30 a.m., Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis and Incarnate Word Foundation present Period Poverty in the St. Louis Region. Learn more about this issue and seek tangible solutions and opportunities for action. 2711 Locust St., 63103. For more information or to register, visit www.wfstl.org.
spiritual
Feb. 22 – 23, 2019 Festival of African American Spirituals. Participants will learn vocal style, performance practice and ensemble techniques. Free concert on Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. Kirkwood Baptist Church, 211 N Woodlawn Ave., 63122. For more information, visit www. kirkwoodbaptist.org.
Sat., Mar. 2, 7 p.m., Diamond Entertainment presents Deitrick Haddon Live in Concert. Harris Stowe State University, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.
The Pageant presents Marsha Ambrosius. See CONCERTS for details.
male St. Louis Music Festival. Backed by a live band, Joe gave a stellar performance with his limited time. He delivered fan favorites such as “The Love Scene,” “All The Things Your Man Won’t Do” and his “I Wanna Know” finale. In order to keep the show moving along, songs like “All That I Am,” his popular soulful rendition of Adele’s smash hit “Hello” and his breakthrough hit were left off the roster.
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds kicked right into a smoothly choreographed opening of “For The Cool In You,” and gave an audience a taste of what was to come – a stylish, high-energy segment that incorporated the band and background singers that kept the crowd on its feet for most of the night. He started out with some of his own selections, such as “Every Time I Close My Eyes,” “Soon As I Get Home,” “Never Keeping Secrets” and “Whip Appeal.” But he would forsake plenty
of his own hits – including “When Will I See You Again,” “It’s No Crime” “Where Will You Go” and plenty others – to highlight his work as a songwriter and producer. Known mostly for using a soft first tenor crooning voice to set the mood for romance, Edmonds appeared to have a blast adding another layer to his reputation as a performer by incorporating the more upbeat tracks he created for others into his set list.
The segment started off with his first hit as a songwriter, Midnight Star’s Quiet Storm classic “Slow Jam.” He then continued with “Rock Steady” by The Whispers. The excerpts continued with songs by The Deal, After 7 (a group that features his brothers) a slew of hits from Bobby Brown’s “Don’t Be Cruel” album and a finale by Boyz II Men. Edmonds never slowed down over the course of the night. And he seemed proud to announce that he was now in his 60s – which didn’t show, especially as he leapt into the crowd and popped into several sections as he closed the show with “End of the Road.” As the headliner, Charlie
Wilson was last to take the stage. The former Gap Band lead singer who defied the odds by returning to the top of the R&B music scene 20 years after battling addiction, has kept with the “If it ain’t broke, why fix it” concept to his live performance that includes a familiar format that fans continue to enjoy. He sprinkles in new music as he records it, but for the most part, Wilson delivers a tried-and-true show that essentially takes the audience on a chronological trajectory. His voice was magnificent as always, but Wilson didn’t appear to have as much steam as usual when he powered through his hits during the show. About two-thirds of the way through his set, Wilson called out Edmonds and Joe to sing alongside him and his band. Fans mistook the moment as a cue that the show was ending and left in droves. Wilson powered through with the remainder of his set, including his “Outstanding” finale, but didn’t return for a promised encore after the remaining fans erupted when he teased the idea of giving them one.
Reimagining St. Louis Rogues’ Gallery
Putting an exhibit’s missing black captives into perspective
minutes he had remaining –which ate into what could have been one or two additional selections.
It would be his “Must Be Nice” finale before the crowd fully warmed-up to his performance.
While Jennings called out the crowd for what he deemed as a lack of energy, Raheem DeVaughn put in work from the very beginning to engage with them. He emerged from a side door and scooted on stage in a full-length fur and red three-piece suit. “Black Ice Cream,” “That Way” and “Reverse” weren’t the most popular of his nearly 15-year catalog of jams, but he and his band sold the audience on them to the point where they couldn’t help but catch a groove. By the time he made it to his Grammy nominated radio hit “Woman,” the audience was locked in –and he never let them go. The sing-along vibe continued with “Guess Who Loves You More” and “You.” He sidestepped into his political music with “Bulletproof” and even took a knee towards the end of his performance of “America.” But DeVaughn quickly veered back
into his “love-making music” before closing the show with “Customer.” Lalah Hathaway was the headliner for The Sophisticated Soul Tour. As always. her voice was in mint condition as it melted over the microphone – but fans didn’t seem blown away by her choice of songs for this particular set. She usually goes old and new school – and even sprinkles a few selections from her father, late soul legend Donny Hathaway in for his hometown when she comes to St. Louis. Sunday night the audience that packed Stifel wouldn’t be so lucky. She kept close to the theme
of her latest album “Honestly” from the first track “Change Ya Life” to the last, “I Can’t Wait.” She did, however, bless the crowd with her mindblowing cover of Anita Baker’s “Angel” that includes a brief medley of Baker’s biggest hits. She also gave them her rendition of Earth Wind and Fire’s “Would You Mind” and the Luther Vandross classic, “Forever, For Always, For Love.” But fans were left longing for her breakthrough material of the early 1990s–including “I’m Coming Back,” “Heaven Knows” and “Something.”
Inspired by the St. Louis Rogues’ Gallery, Elizabeth Hinton – historian, author, and associate professor at Harvard University – will facilitate a dialogue that reimagines the exhibit from the perspective of African-American captives. “Black and White: A Conversation with Elizabeth Hinton” will take place at the Missouri History Museum on Thursday, February 28, at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Missouri History Museum: The photos on display in the St. Louis Rogues’ Gallery focus on people suspected of committing crimes, specifically between 1857 and 1865. What do you imagine life was like for blacks who lived in St. Louis during that time?
Elizabeth Hinton:
Thousands of formerly enslaved black people came to St. Louis during the Civil War, especially following the Emancipation Proclamation, hoping to start a new life. More than anything, former slaves wanted to reconnect with their family members and loved ones whom they had been separated from during slavery. And coming out of a life of bondage, these newly free women and men would have wanted to control their own labor and achieve true autonomy. Many freed people had a strong desire to learn how to read and write and for knowledge in general, and a number of schools were established by local organizations in St. Louis.
Of course, the new arrivals also soon confronted a distinct, Northern type of racism.
Missouri History Museum: What challenges did African Americans face that were unique to that point in history?
Elizabeth Hinton: The enslavement of Africans in the New World was more brutal and dehumanizing than any other form of slavery in
“Black and White: A Conversation with Elizabeth Hinton” will take place at the Missouri History Museum on Thursday, February 28, at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
world history. Following the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans had to start with absolutely nothing – and without lasting, meaningful assistance or forms of reparations. The generation of enslaved people who lived to Juneteenth also had a memory of captivity and confinement that subsequent generations did not share or experience.
Missouri History Museum: Do you see any parallels to those challenges in today’s society?
Elizabeth Hinton: We live with the legacies of slavery every day in America – we feel them in the racial inequality that persists, and structural and individual racism that shapes relations and institutions in our society. One of the most tangible of slavery’s legacies is mass incarceration. African Americans are systematically confined in the nation’s prisons.
Missouri History Museum: There aren’t any photographs of African Americans in the Rogues’ Gallery on display. (The photos that survived for the last 150 years are only a fraction of the entire set that was collected by the St. Louis Police Department.) Do you have any guesses as to why that is?
Elizabeth Hinton: We will never know the true answer, so all I can do is speculate. And since what remains is only
by Wiley and “The Making of ‘Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis,” a panel discussion with museum curators and sitters from the portraits.
“A lot of his work is about power,” said Simon Kelly, Saint Louis Art Museum’s curator of modern and contemporary art. “And a lot of his work is political – a critique of the absence of AfricanAmerican portraits in the history of Western portraiture, and he’s trying to address that in his work.”
Kelly curated “Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis” along with Hannah Klemm, the museum’s assistant curator for modern and contemporary art. Research assistance was provided by Molly Moog.
“Kehinde Wiley plays a critical role in the contemporary renaissance of portrait painting as a genre,” Kelly said. “By referencing historical depictions of the powerful and giving his modern sitters the same authority, Wiley creates portraits that are richly complex and visually stunning.”
The free exhibition ended just under two weeks ago and included several sold-out programs, including a lecture
a fraction of the entire set, I would guess that the St. Louis Police Department didn’t think images of African-American suspects were worthy of preserving or keeping on file. Put bluntly: their lives mattered less.
Missouri History Museum: Have you found historical evidence comparing the treatment of imprisoned blacks versus the treatment of imprisoned whites that dates back to the 1800s?
Elizabeth Hinton: We have a much better sense of prison conditions in the decades after emancipation and in the early 20th century. In the Southern states during this period former slaves were especially vulnerable to the convict lease system, where prisoners were often worked to death. As former slaves migrated from the Southern states to urban centers in the north such as St. Louis, prison populations increased and African Americans were incarcerated at disproportionate rates. Conditions worsened as prison populations grew. African Americans tended to be excluded from more desirable jobs at the prison, faced harsher discipline and punishment from authorities, and received longer sentences.
Missouri History Museum: Can you talk a little more about how you will reimagine the St. Louis Rogues’ Gallery exhibit from the perspective of black captives during your discussion?
Elizabeth Hinton: Without giving too much away, I hope this reimagining can help us think about power and history and the lives that get erased. What are the implications of the absence of AfricanAmerican captives’ images? How might their experience with and treatment by St. Louis police have differed from their white counterparts?
Missouri History Museum: What thoughts or discoveries do you hope the audience leaves with after your talk?
Elizabeth Hinton: I hope everyone walks away with a better sense of how the past shapes the present, and how and why certain groups of people get framed as “criminal.” It’s easy to demonize people who are suspected or convicted for crimes. Everyone has a story, and I think considering the conditions and circumstances that lead to crime can help us come to a deeper understanding of the meaning of public safety and security.
sisters years from now and they will ask a simple question: ‘Who are they?’”
More than 100 free guided tours of the exhibition to school, youth and community groups were offered by the museum. The impact of the “Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis” was explicitly clear during the exhibition’s closing panel discussion.
The Q&A portion of the talk included a touching exchange between Cooper and her family when her brother William Hanks stepped to the microphone to offer commentary and pose a powerful question to those who were “immortalized” as part of “Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis.”
“With my sister Shontay, she’s not the type to step out of her comfort zone and do something like this. So, it really makes me proud,” Hanks said as he fought back emotion.
Their sister Shontay Haynes, is depicted in Wiley’s “Portrait of a Florentine Nobleman” from the same exhibition.
“Through history we look at paintings and they tell stories of the people we don’t know,” Hanks continued. “And it fills my heart to know that somebody will see a picture of my
He asked all of the subjects how they felt knowing that they were “a part of history now.”
“Overwhelmed, bruh,” Cooper said. Quiet and reserved, she was a woman of few words during the discussion – but was eager to respond to the impact the experience had on her brother.
“I love you – and I’m glad you feel that way about me,” She continued.
“I love you too, and I’m so proud,” Hanks responded.
The tender moment spoke to the intention of the exhibition – and the painting that Saint Louis Art Museum acquired from it.
“Wiley’s paintings welcome African Americans, Africans and people of the African diaspora into the space of the canvas and assert their right to occupy that space,” Klemm said. “For the Saint Louis Art Museum, ‘Charles I’ goes further – the painting not only expands who is represented in portraiture, it literally brings the local community into the collection.”
“Charles I” will be installed in the contemporary galleries this summer.
Photo by Emily Schiffer
Lalah Hathaway
Photo by Todd Morgan/BackBeat Photography
Beaumont High School Class Of 1969 will celebrate i’s 50 year reunion Sept 20-22, 2019 at Embassy Suites St. Charles.. Come join us as we celebrate these golden years, “Living Life Like It’s Golden.” For more information contact Dennis Hayden 314 276-6188 or beaumontclassof1969@ yahoo.com or send your questions to P.O. Box 155, Florissant, MO 63032.
reunion announcements can be viewed online!
Beaumont High School Class of 1979 is planning its 40 year reunion. All activities are scheduled for the weekend of September 27-29. The location is The Airport Marriot at 10700 Pear Tree Drive, St. Louis 63134. For more information, contact Milton Jackson at 314-2764392 or Yolanda Lockhart at lockhartyo08@gmail.com.
Northwest Class of 1979 is planning on cruising for our 40th class reunion and would love for you to join us!
Celebrations
Birthdays
Happy Birthday to my twin sons, Justin and Jeremi Farrar on February 19. You guys make me so proud every day. Keep up the hard work— your time is coming. Love you both so much! Your mom, “Motherizzy”
Date to sail is set for July 20, 2019 and you can feel free to contact: Duane Daniels at 314-568-2057 or Howard Day at 414-698-4261 for further information. Please don’t miss the boat!
Soldan Class of 1979 is planning its 40th year reunion for the weekend of August 2-3, 2019. Yearlong reunion activities will begin with a kickoff at Soldan High School Homecoming on Saturday, October 13, 2018 prior to the game at 1 p.m. For more information or to assist with reunion activities, please email at: soldanclassof1979@gmail. com or call Barbara at 314 456-3391.
Happy Birthday to Michelle Farrar! You’re a wonderful, caring, and supportive mom and sister. Hope you had a great day. I love you so much! Your sister, Donna
Sumner Alumni Association hosts its 16th Annual Membership Round-Up Sunday, February 24, 2019, 1-4 pm at Sumner High School. Theme: Sumner’s Journey: Past and Present and “Showcase Your Talent II”. Activities: Reception 12:301:45 pm catered by Murray’s Catering, Angelo “Sax” Shaw, displays, souvenir items, vendors, and more. New, renewal or upgrade Alumni Assn Membership; program 2 pm. Bring canned goods for a Ville’s church food pantry. Vendors ($50 Fee). For flyer or more info, email: sumneralumniassn@ yahoo.com or call J. House, Chairperson (314) 420-3442.
Sumner Class Of 1969 50th reunion “Living Life Like It’s Golden” June 28-30, 2019. Looking for classmates of 1969 to contact us with your updated information via address:sumnerclass1969@ gmail.com or our FB page: Sumner High. Sumner Class of 1979 will hold its “Bulldogs Rock the Boat” BIG 4-0 Reunion Cruise, June 22-27, 2019. For further information, email your contact information to sumner1979@ymail.com or call 314-406-4309. Join our Facebook group at Sumner High Class of ‘79.
Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to:
St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315
St., St.
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
Sending best anniversary wishes to
and Mrs. Juvon Bevley Sr. They celebrated 10 years of marriage on February 6. Love, The Muirheads
Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church site for 4th Ward meeting
The Tandy Neighborhood Improvement Association is hosting a Town Hall meeting, at which the constituents of the 4th Ward are invited to participate as the candidates vying for alderman present themselves and their platform. The Town Hall will take place 1-3 p.m. Saturday, February 23 at Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church, 4673 Labadie Ave.
This will be an opportunity for the community to ask questions and hear the candidates’ goals for the 4th Ward and how they plan to implement their goals and expectations.
Tandy-NIA was founded in 2015 by Rodney Edwards, president and a group of concerned residents of the 4th Ward whose focus is to address serious issues facing our community. Known historically as The Ville and The Greater Ville, Tandy is historically significant and culturally important to St. Louis. It was one of the first and foremost homes to many businesses, schools and institutions that played a major role in the African-American experience in St. Louis. Homer Phillips Hospital was an essential part of the teaching and training of many black physicians and surgeons from all over the United States, as well as international medical residents and interns.
Tandy is home to the first AfricanAmerican high school, Charles H. Sumner High School, founded in 1875, and one of the oldest elementary schools, William J. Simmons, founded in 1899. Poro College of Cosmetology was founded in 1917 and preceded the Children’s Home which still functions today as the Annie Malone Children and Family Services Center. Both were built and founded by Annie Turnbo Malone in the heart of The Ville. Poro College was listed in the 1944 edition of “The Green Book” as a safe haven for black travelers.
For decades residents have fought declining population, deteriorating houses and lack of quality-of-life amenities such as healthy and accessible food stores. Shopping choices and entertainment and recreational venues are virtually non-existent. Vacant and abandoned buildings are a plague. These and many other topics of concern will be addressed at the Town Hall.
For more information, contact Carol Carter, board member, at cacart79@hotmail.
Minister Demetrius A. Stewart laid to rest
Ben Dawson looked at the program memorializing Demetrius A. Stewart during his homegoing services Friday, February at Westside Missionary Baptist Church, where her served as an associate minister; he also was chaplain for his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha. Stewart was fatally shot as an innocent bystander in the parking lot of a Richmond Heights bowling alley on February 1. He was 45. His wife, Shantana Stewart told The American, “Hopefully something good will come out of this. My hope is that it will make people love each other more and hold each other closer. Maybe more people will slow down and appreciate every day. I hope that people will embrace children like my husband did, and that they will love them and catch them before they fall in to a life full of anger and rage.”
Photo by Wiley Price
com or Rodney Edwards, president, at tandynia.info@yahoo.com.
True Light M.B. Church hosts Christian Travelers Quartet
True Light Missionary Baptist Church Progressive League will host its annual
Black History Program featuring musical guest the Christian Travelers Quartet and Sheila Johnson 2:30 p.m. Saturday, February 23 at the church, 2838 James “Cool Papa” Bell Ave., followed by a Taste of Blackness Supper. For more information, call (314) 5311801.
The Message
Time of your
life
As I get older I have become even more fascinated with the concept of time. I’ve always found time as it is talked about in the Bible to be an awesome concept if we can just grasp it and apply time and its value to our own lives.
I mean, really, what is time and what are the consequences of actively experiencing time? At its simplest, for human beings, time is the reality we experience between life and death. One’s consciousness is the sum total of time spent in the body you now inhabit.
We neither control when we are born, nor when we die, unless one chooses to commit suicide. But to a certain degree we do have some control over how we spend our time. There is no question that the older you get the more value you place on time and the less value you put on things. Spending time wisely becomes much more than just a phrase used to explain how time actually does fly by when you’re not paying attention. Quality time in the big picture begins to take on monumental proportions when considered against the backdrop of realizing time is the most important commodity any of us really has.
Scripture teaches us that God is the progenitor of time. “I am the Alpha and the Omega who is, and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelations 1:8.
Did you ever think about Christ as being the epicenter of how we measure human existence, time? You have B.C. and then A.D. The human embodiment of God is also modern man’s calendar reference.
Now scripture also tells us that the best use of our time should be spent searching for, finding and then honoring the Almighty by trying to mirror the life and values put forth by His Son Jesus Christ. If anything that I’m saying has any merit, then wasting time must be viewed as one big unacceptable sin, one in which the devil takes great pleasure in having you indulge. Do nothing with your time, and he’s a very happy fella.
I have come to believe that the mystery of life is easily solved by using and spending God’s most precious yet fleeting gift wisely. What are the most valuable memories that you have? I’ll bet you they involve an appreciation for time spent in the presence of a lost loved one, a partner of extraordinary understanding of you, a nowdeceased parent, or being around people you love or who indeed loved you. That time becomes more precious as you age and understand the great gift of simple time. Time is not money, but like money time should not be squandered. If you waste a life of time it is even more devastating, because basically you’ve bankrupt the whole point of living.
Columnist James Washington
Seeking Pastors 11035 Huson Valley Dr. St. Louis, MO 63138
BUSINESS TRAINING CENTER INSTRUCTOR
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is currently seeking creative and self-starting candidates to fill the position of Business Training Center Instructor.
Qualified candidates must have knowledge of classroom instructional techniques for adult learners and a thorough knowledge of business best practices to include letter and report composition, grammar and punctuation; computer literacy, proficiency in excel, and other programs.
The above knowledge and abilities are typically acquired through a combination of education and experience. Education background should be equivalent to a Bachelor’s Degree.
Interested candidates should submit a detailed resume with cover letter and salary requirements to: Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Human Resources Department, 3701 Grandel Square, St. Louis, MO 63108, or email to hr@urbanleague-stl.org. EOE. No phone calls please.
MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETY POSITION OPENINGS
The Missouri Historical Society has position openings for the following:
• Director of Accounting • K-12 Education Program Manager • Resource Protection Officer (day and night shift)
Please visit www.mohistory.org under the “Current Openings” tab for position details and to apply.
An Equal Opportunity Employer
VALUED CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ANALYST
Responsible for supporting the implementation of the Valued Customer Experience (VCE) initiatives. This role will assist all VCE efforts to develop the enterprise customer experience process, using technical tools, data and teams to evaluate current processes and recommend operational improvements and system implementations. This role will assist in analytical tasks necessary to support the overall strategy for VCE by using data, KPIs, Voice of the Customer (VoC), relationship building and other tools to optimize the customer experience. This role collaborates with a diverse set of business partners in supporting new opportunities to drive significant improvement to VCE’s operational performance by leveraging analytics and process improvement methodologies. To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/.
DEACONESS FOUNDATION SEEKS DIRECTOR, PARTNER SUPPORT AND CAPACITY BUILDING
The Director stewards a program of trust-based philanthropy to build the power to advance the foundation’s public policy agenda for child well-being. The primary responsibility of this full-time, professional position is leading grant making and funding efforts within the foundation’s program portfolio. The secondary responsibility is providing capacity building support and relationship management with funded and prospective Partners. S/he supports the CEO in development and oversight of multi-year grantmaking plans.
For more information, visit https://www.deaconess.org/ directorpartnersupport
PRINCIPAL
St. Margaret of Scotland is receiving applications for the position of Principal. St. Margaret is a diverse, urban, vibrant, and inclusive Catholic community. With an enrollment of 500 students, our Blue Ribbon Pre-K to 8th grade school is dedicated to academic excellence, service, and social justice. For details go to: www. stmargaretstl.org/employment.
COURT CLERK
The City of Jennings is accepting applications for the position of Court Clerk. Duties include computer data entry and retrieval, collecting fines during court, and contact with the public at the counter and by phone. The position is full time, Monday through Friday, with additional work on Tuesday evenings for court. Starting salary is $27,376 GS-7-C. Prior court or related experience preferred.
Applications available at Jennings City Hall, 2120 Hord Ave. or at www.cityofjennings.org. NO RESUMES ACCEPTED WITHOUT COMPLETION OF OUR APPLICATION! Completed applications may be emailed to jobs@cityofjennings.org or faxed to 314-388-3999. Applications accepted until the position is filled.
STAFF COUNSEL
Under the direction of the senior attorney(s), responsible for assisting senior attorney(s)’ management of business transactional support, information security related issues, and other legal affairs of the Company. To apply, please visit: https:// www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/.careers-page/
LEGAL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Greensfelder has an opening for a full-time Legal Administrative Assistant for the St. Louis office. This position will assist attorneys to help steer the delivery of legal services with the use of technical skills & manage work flow processes. We are looking for a professional that understands the importance of quality service, contributes in a team environment & willing to continually learn & grow with our Firm. Therefore, strong teamwork & communication skills are highly desired. Qualified applicants will have strong typing & computer skills, excellent attention to detail, proofreading & organization skills. Experience with Microsoft Word, Excel & Adobe are required. EOE. Apply online at http://www.greensfelder.com/ careers.html.
SECURITY ENGINEER
Senior-level professional position, which contributes to the accomplishment of I.S. practices, and objectives that will achieve business goals and objectives. Works without immediate supervision and direction. Leads and mentors others within Infrastructure. Demonstrates advanced working knowledge and concepts of Information Technology.
To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/careers-page/
DAYCARE
ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for CONTRACT NO. F 19 402, Science Lab Relocations at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park Campus, until 2:00 p.m. local time March 5, 2019. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park, St. Louis, MO 63110-1314. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office, at the above address or by calling (314) 644-9770.
Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: February 22, 2018, 8:00 am Meet at Third Floor “C” TowerForest Park Campus
An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer
ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for CONTRACT NO. F 19 502, Renovation for STEM Academy, at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, until 2:00 p.m. local time Tuesday, March 7, 2019. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park, St. Louis, MO 63110-1314. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office, at the above address or by calling (314) 644-9770.
Voluntary Pre-bid Meeting: 1:30PM February 21, 2019, Florissant Valley, Renovation for STEM Academy, Engineering Building, Room E144
An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer
ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for CONTRACT NO. F 19 401, Restroom Renovations in “F” Tower at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park Campus, until 2:00 p.m. local time February 28, 2019. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park, St. Louis, MO 631101314. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office, at the above address or by calling (314) 644-9770.
Voluntary Pre-Bid Meeting: February 19, 2018, 1:00 pm Meet at “F” Tower Patio LevelForest Park Campus
An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer
PUBLIC NOTICE
Sprint, proposes to perform a rooftop collocation at 159.6-feet, replacing three antennas and removing RRU’s at the approx. vicinity of 710 N. Tucker Blvd, St. Louis, St. Louis County, MO 63101. Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Ana Rodriguez, 1051 Winderley Pl, Ste 201, Maitland, FL 32751, 407-660-7840 a.rodriguez@trileaf.com.
METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT
Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive sealed bids in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00am March 19, 2019 for: PRIMARY STEEL PARTS
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com - click on “MSD At Work”, then “Bidding on Projects”. The bid document will be identified as 9826 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call (314) 7686314 to request a copy of this bid.
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Sealed bids for 2019 CRS Pavement
Rehabilitation, Area A St. Louis County Project No. CR-1787, will be received at the Office of the Director of Procurement for the County of St. Louis, County Government Center Administration Building, 41 South Central Avenue, 8th Floor, Clayton, Missouri 63105, until 11:00 a.m. on March 13, 2019.
Plans and specifications will be available on February 11, 2019 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www. stlouisco.com), or by contacting County Blue Reprographics, Inc., 1449 Strassner Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63144, (314) 961-3800.
METROPOLITAN
ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT
Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive RFQ’s in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 11:00 a.m. on March 26, 2019 to contract with a company for: CHEMICAL TREATMENT OF CLOSED LOOP WATER & BOILER SYSTEMS (LEMAY). Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 9828 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314-768-6254 to request a copy of this bid.
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for Era Ave. 5800 Block Sewer Seperation under Letting No. 10856015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the County of St. Louis (“LCRA”) solicits proposals from qualified developers to purchase and redevelop real property located at the 6300 block of Wagner Avenue in the City of Wellston, St. Louis County, Missouri 63133. The Property contains approximately 2.8 acres on either side of Wagner Avenue, consisting of 27 individual lots. The Property is easily accessible via public transportation at the Wellston MetroLink Station and is located one block south of Page Avenue, about 3 miles from Interstates 70 and 170. To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 3:00 PM on Thursday, March 14, 2019. Proposals should be sent by email to hbean@stlpartnership.com. DBE, MBE, and WBE firms are encouraged to bid.
The Request
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
required Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1712 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer. MWBE Prebid Meeting Notice
Sprint, proposes to perform a rooftop collocation at 65-feet, replacing three antennas and removing RRU’s at the approx. vicinity of 2639 Miami Street, St. Louis, St. Louis County, MO 63118. Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Ana Rodriguez, 1051 Winderley Pl, Ste 201, Maitland, FL 32751, 407-660-7840 a.rodriguez@trileaf.com.
LETTING #8686
2019 CAPITAL MAIN REPLACEMENT PROGRAM – SIX (6) INCH MAIN IN KOSSUTH AVE. AND SIX (6) INCH MAIN IN PALM ST. CITY OF ST. LOUIS – WATER DIVISION
Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on March 12, 2019, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http:// www.stl-bps.org/planroom (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.
Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies).
All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Paric Corporation is seeking proposals for the following project: Soda Fountain located at St. Louis Union Station. The project consists of restaurant build out with MEPFP scope being design build.
Bids for this project are due on March 7th at 10:00 a.m. For any questions or would like to find out more detailed information on this opportunity, please contact Theresa Stout at 636-561-9849 or tmstout@paric.com.
All bids should be delivered to Paric via e-mail (bids@paric.com) or fax (636-561-9501).
Plans and specifications will be available to view at Paric’s Main office at 77 Westport Plaza, Suite 250, St. Louis, MO 63146
www.stlamerican.com
BID PROPOSAL
KCI Construction requests subcontract proposals from MBE, WBE, DBE, Veteran Owned and SDVE businesses for the Advanced Construction and Materials Lab, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, MO. Project #265095 Plans and specifications are available
• To view electronically at no charge from: http://adsmo.net
• To view at our Camdenton office: 5505 Old South 5, Camdenton, MO 65020
• By a request for a Dropbox Link from jmorrow@kciconstruction.com
Subcontractor bids are due by 1:00 p.m. Thursday, April 04, 2019. You may email bids to jmorrow@kciconstruction.com or send a fax to 573-346-9739. Please call if you have any questions: 314-200-6496.
KELLER CONSTRUCTION INC.
Requests subcontractor and or material supplier quotations from Illinois Department of Transportation Certified subcontractors, suppliers and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises for the letting to be held March 8, 2019. Interested parties should contact Keller Construction at (618) 656-0033. All quotations must be submitted by 4:30 PM Wednesday March 6, 2019. Keller Construction is an equal opportunity employer.
Public Notice of Single Source Procurement
Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: Oracle Enterprise PBCS Software Hosting & Support. The District is proposing single source procurement to Mythics for this service. Any inquiries should be sent to ameyer@stlmsd.com.
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
INVITATION FOR EQUIPMENT BIDS
East-West Gateway Council of Governments is seeking bids for Night Vision Monoculars & Cyanokits. Bids are due 03/07/19. Funding provided by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security & U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services. MBEs / WBEs are encouraged to submit bids. Find details at www.ewgateway.org or by calling 314-421-4220 ext. 208.
The SITE Improvement Association is hosting a Prebid meeting for Qualified and Certified MWBE contractors to discuss working on MSD’s University City I/I Reduction - East (UR-08 and UR-09)
Contract Letting No. 11984-015.1
This meeting is being held on behalf of the following SITE contractor member: Fred M. Luth & Sons, Inc. 4516 McRee Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110 314/771-3892
The meeting will take place at 10:00 a.m. February 28, 2019 SITE Improvement Association Office, 2071 Exchange Drive St. Charles, MO 63303
Project plans are available from MSD. For questions regarding this prebid meeting, Contact the SITE Improvement Association office at 314/966-2950.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The St. Louis Center for International Relations d/b/a
To
PM on Thursday, March 21, 2019. Proposals should be sent by email to hbean@stlpartnership.com. DBE, MBE, and WBE firms are encouraged to bid, and a five percent bid preference may be available to certified MBE firms. The Request for Proposals may be obtained from the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership’s web site at www.stlpartnership.com. The WTC reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive informalities therein. Questions should be directed to Howl Bean II at (314) 615-7663 or hbean@stlpartnership.com.
St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer
Notice to contractors, Special School District is accepting bids for Administrative Offices/Canopy project at Southview School. For details, please visit the website at www.ssdmo.org/rfps.html
BIDS
Curtiss-Manes-Schulte, Inc. is soliciting bids from MBE/WBE/ SDVE/DBE subcontractors and suppliers for work on the Jesse Hall – Dome Repairs and Window Replacement, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. Bids are due February 21, 2019 by 1:00 pm and can be faxed to (573) 392-4527 or emailed to bbrown@ cms-gc.com. For more information, call Bob @ (573) 392-6553. Curtiss-Manes-Schulte, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
SEALED BIDS for Construction Services, St. Louis Region, Missouri, Project No. ZASIDIQ-9016, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, Thursday, March 14, 2019. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities
&
REQUEST
FOR PROPOSALS
MetroLink System-Wide Security Assessment, Phase 2 East-West Gateway is seeking proposals from consultants to complete Phase 2 of the MetroLink SystemWide Security Assessment. DBE information can be found in Section VII of the RFP. Submittals are
The night of Young Leaders has arrived. The hour is upon us! That’s right –tonight we will celebrate the future (and the present) of the region by giving props to the 2019 cohort at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 9th Annual Salute to Young Leaders Networking Reception and Awards Program happening this evening (5:30 p.m.) at The Four Seasons. Since this is merely my last-minute reminder, I will reserve all of the excitement pumping through my chest for the recap. There may be some scattered tickets available, so call (314) 533-8000 or visit www. stlamerican.com and be sure to leave on your work clothes if you decide to slide through because it is a corporate black excellence affair.
That 90s slow jam. I was already feeling a type of way because I wasn’t boo’d up this Valentine’s Day. And James Biko made it the absolute worst by turning that 90’s Jam into a quiet storm session. I promise that the only thing that made me sure that I wasn’t in the middle of a Majic 108 time warp was that I didn’t hear Doc Wynter give the excerpt from the “Don’t Quit” poem to sign off for the night. The good news is Biko was breaking out all of the jams – H-Town, Jodeci, SWV Romance was in the air, thanks to one of my favorite R&B decades of the 20th century. How can you hear “Knockin’ Da Boots” and not be preheated for some “good lovin’ body rockin’ all night long?” Based on the crowd full of couples’ reaction, you don’t! Listen, I haven’t seen so much clothes burnin’ public displays of affection since the Northwest High School Sweetheart Dance of 1991. I’m hoping Biko decides this will become an annual thing. Actually, I hope it’s more than just on Valentine’s Day – that he will spring a 90s Slow Jam on us arbitrarily over the course of the year. A summer rain edition with ladies in sundresses and the brothers in boat shoes would be epic.
Babyface bossed the St. Louis Music Festival. Let me tell y’all I thought I would be at Friday night’s concert by myself, but folks braved those slippery roads to get their annual dose of Uncle Charlie Wilson and company as his party train of lightup blazers and matching shoes choo-choo through Chaifetz for the St. Louis Music Festival. Now folks are starting to complain that he does the same show every year, but I look at it like my favorite sitcom scenes that I can watch over and over. I felt like Uncle Charlie wasn’t his typical self on stage Friday night – I feel like there’s a health issue. He did casually mention he needed some knee surgery as he performed. Last time he wasn’t at his usual 110 percent, we found out that he had to get major back surgery. He gave all he had, he just didn’t have as much as usual. That voice was life though. And there was that weird moment where Babyface and Joe came out and sang and everyone thought that meant the show was over – so they punched it out of there, but the show went on. Then he asked the folks to beg him for an encore. When they did, he all but dropped the mic like Randy Watson from Sexual Chocolate. It was quite confusing. I was fine with the whole turn of events, because I got my whole entire life from Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. My seat neighbor felt a way about him doing half of Bobbaye’s “Don’t Be Cruel” album, but I enjoyed that and the whole segment of him highlighting the hits he wrote and produced …well, except for the part when he took his shirt off. He looks great for 60, I just wasn’t expecting to see nipples from a man of a certain age at this show. And shout out to Eastside’s own Andre Delano for holding it down for Babyface on the horns and second tenor vocals. Joe was life more abundantly as well in that hot red tuxedo! His voice was as smooth as that red velvet cake blazer. And he didn’t go off on the sound people one single time.
Raheem’s red hot soul. Speaking of red suits, I knew Raheem DeVaughn was playing no games at the Sophisticated Soul Tour Sunday night when he popped out of a trap door on the side of the Stifel stage in a full length fur and a hot fire red three-piece Valentime’s Day suit – yes, the suit was so soulful, I had to use an “m” – and scooted across the stage like his name was Silky or Teddy Sprinkles. I.was. not.ready. I had no idea that Stifel Theatre even had that entry as an option. I was so throwed that I spent the first few minutes wondering if he was in there the whole time Lyfe Jennings was performing or did he come down a chute. He managed to show up Lalah Hathaway– which pains me to say, since I’ve been caping for her since she was introduced to the world by Donnie Simpson on Video Soul back in 1993. Her voice was absolutely everything. The song selection, not so much. She could have given us day-one fans some throwbacks. Lyfe Jennings was cool. He dropped a few wise gems inbetween complaining about the low energy in the crowd and his limited time.
A tale of two hip-hop shows. Because I have limited space and there was so much crackin’ this weekend on the concert tip, I’m going to combine the Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y and Travis Scott shows. Based on the demographic for both crowds, most of y’all aren’t interested anyway. Let me say that Wiz and Curren$y must have been playing NBA 2K19 and rapping over beats and said, “you know what, let’s do this on the road for everybody to see.” They brought the couches and that KK. All that was missing was a PS4 game console and some rap snacks crumbs. It was cute enough, I guess. In the land of opposites, Travis Jenner Scott pulled out all the stops. He had two different roller coaster rides as part of his set for the Astroworld Tour and I absolutely was not ready. He’s only three years or so in as a hip-hop star and I haven’t seen anything like what he put together from the biggest megastars in the world. I’m not the biggest fan of his music (or his politics) but that show made folks say wow. And you know it’s hype if the venue offers a warning that the show is so “high energy that your litty seat neighbor might accidently hit you upside the head in their blind turnup,” before you enter. I thought they were exaggerating until I got plopped with a piece of ice.
LaDarrel, LaKeysha and Sheila were excited to catch up in between acts during the St. Louis Music Festival Friday night @ Chaifetz Arena
Matika, Nate and Farah waited patiently for hiphop star Travis Scott to take the stage Monday night @ Enterprise Center
Aesha and Troy were all smiles @ The
Sophisticated Soul Tour Sunday night @ Stifel Theatre
Mousie and Mike crossed paths while enjoying Charlie Wilson @ The St. Louis Music Festival Friday night @ Chaifetz Arena
Mika, Dink, Kiwi and Janell kicked it for Valentine’s Day @ That 90s Jam @ The Ready Room Thursday night
Terrence and Endya came to hear good R&B crooning @ The Sophisticated Soul Tour Sunday night @ Stifel Theatre
Joel and Lakisha vibed to the slow jams James Biko was serving up for the Valentine’s Day edition of That 90s Jam Thursday night @ The Ready Room
Samantha and Christine made a girls’ night of the Sophisticated Soul Tour Sunday night @ Stifel Theatre
Raquel and Michelle were amongst the sold-out crowd who came to see rapper Travis Scott Monday night at his Astroworld Tour @ Enterprise Center
Tina had a chance to snap a pic with R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn after he brought down the house @ Stifel Theatre for the Sophisticated Soul tour Sunday
Jessica posed with Grammy Award winning R&B veteran Lalah Hathaway, headliner for The Sophisticated Soul Tour Sunday night at Stifel Theatre. The concert also featured Lyfe Jennings and Raheem DeVaughn.
The 400th anniversary of slavery in America
Our nation must fulfill the hope of the Emancipation Proclamation
By Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
“Then Moses said to the people, ‘Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.’” — Exodus: 13:3.
Late in the night of December 31, in African-American churches across the country, congregants gather to welcome the new year. They sing songs of freedom and overcoming. They testify to how far their faith has brought them and how much faith and courage they will need to face another year.
The tradition is called Watch Night, and it dates back 156 years to when President Abraham Lincoln set forth an essential document of freedom that most Americans have probably never read or thought much about: the Emancipation Proclamation.
The night before the proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, free blacks in the North and their enslaved brothers and sisters in the South sat vigil in churches, in shabby slave shacks and in moonlit plantation woods to watch, pray and hope throughout the night to hear news that Lincoln’s promises of freedom had been officially issued and millions of our ancestors were legally free.
The president kept his word — although two more years of slaughter and civil war lay ahead. African Americans emerged from that long night of waiting and watching with the right to pick up arms and join the military struggle to save the Union as soldiers and aboard “vessels of all sorts.” The proclamation declared that those enslaved in the Confederacy were now “forever
African students protest apartheid figure at SLU
‘Bringing
him during Black History Month is like bringing Hitler to a Jewish ceremony’
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
When former South African president F.W. de Klerk came to speak to the Saint Louis University community on February 13, more than half the audience of about 50 people wore red in protest of de Klerk’s presence on campus.
“Bringing him here during Black History Month is like bringing Hitler to a Jewish ceremony,” said SLU senior Brian Barlay, who is from Sierra Leone and studied abroad in South Africa in 2017. “That’s exactly how the
v Board of Education
Linda Brown was one of the first students to integrate schools through the Brown v Board of Education of Topeka decision. She passed last year; however, her 96-year-old mother still lives in Topeka.
The current school superintendent in Topeka looks back – and ahead
By Tiffany Anderson For The St.
Louis American
The impact of the Brown v Board of Education of Topeka decision ending legal segregation can be viewed today in our communities and in our schools. Schools and communities across the United States have diversity reflected in K-12 public institutions and on college campuses. More colleges are integrated with courses focused on AfricanAmerican history and with active clubs focused on social justice and cultural pride.
As an example, my daughter, an AfricanAmerican scholar, graduated from Saint Louis University in Public Health and Social Justice, which is a college major that did not exist just a decade ago, and many universities now have similar majors.
n In the Brown decision, on May 17, 1954, it was determined, “separate but equal” in segregated schools was “inherently unequal.”
The 1896 ruling that originally established separate was equal and sanctioned the Jim Crow Laws was overturn in the Brown v. Board Decision that many would argue opened the door for the Civil Rights Movement to take shape. Following the 1954 Brown decision, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in 1955, and the bus boycott began. Later, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed. Following the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 was passed. The Brown v. Board decision changed the future for all students in public schools and changed the nation in many positive ways. Equal education is a civil right, and the Civil Rights Movement to address equity in education continues.
While the Brown decision led to the transformation in the educational system, the impact of the Brown decision moves beyond integrating schools; it helped to fuel the momentum of the Civil Rights Movement. In the Brown decision, on May 17, 1954, it was determined, “separate but equal” in segregated schools was “inherently unequal.” All students were to be granted equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the 14th Amendment through the Brown decision.
Today, 65 years later, while many schools are integrated, many schools in every state are racially segregated in part because the communities the schools are located in are racially segregated. Many communities are segregated by economics and when economic conditions improve, often families move to communities with better economic
See BROWN, D2
Presenting sPonsors
In August 1619, some 20 frightened, bewildered and beleaguered Africans arrived for the first time in Jamestown, Virginia, as prizes that had been pirated from Spanish ships on the open seas.
Guest Columnist Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
Saint Louis University students Loubao Kraka and Brian Barlay were angry that the university’s majority-white student-run Great Issues Committee invited former apartheid-era South African president F.W. de Klerk to speak on campus during Black History Month.
conditions, leaving an isolated marginalized group. The history of redlining in housing patterns has an impact today, and although redlining is discriminatory, segregated housing patterns can still be viewed.
Additional factors feeding generation poverty for students of color, which contributed to segregated schools of students is the over identification and difference in treatment of students of color in discipline and in special education. Today, studies show ways schools systematically feed the current school to prison pipeline which contributes to conditions that shapes communities into poor, segregated communities and schools of color.
In Michelle Alexander’s book “The New Jim Crow,” a caste system is described that explains the outcome of generational poverty and higher rates of incarceration feeding the system for people of color. We can legislate policy to integrate schools, but legislation does not change mindsets and those create the actions in schools. Cultures of tolerating races rather than empowering all cultures with culturally responsive practices lead to segregated systems within communities and schools, but we can change that.
Today in Topeka
Linda Brown, the daughter of Oliver Brown, was one of the first students to integrate schools through the Brown decision, and she was one of the first individuals I met at church when becoming superintendent of the Topeka Public School District in 2016. She passed last year; however, her 96-year-old mother still lives in Topeka. The impact of a family who
courageously challenged the legal system and who choose to remain in the neighborhood decades later in Topeka, Kansas gives another message about remaining in the neighborhood and churches to transform the community. Like many communities, while economic conditions segregate housing patters and communities, Topeka today is far more diverse across the city and county in 2018 compared to decades prior.
Since 2016, I have served as the first African-American female superintendent and co-chair of the Topeka Public Schools Equity Council. The district has approximately 33 percent African American, 33 percent Hispanic and 33 percent Caucasian students in Topeka Public Schools. In 2018, the achievement gap in graduation for students of color was eliminated in Topeka Public Schools, state achievement scores increased at every level for two consecutive years, and more students of color are accessing the ACT. Integration works when high expectations are in place and a responsive diverse culture embracing all cultures is in place. Equity in education should be an ongoing focus in schools with learning history, the impact on the present
and the impact for the future. Through a lens of equity, in Topeka we believe that we must seek to understand all students in order to effectively serve.
Having served as a superintendent for most of my 26 years in education, I have been part of eliminating achievement gaps in multiple schools and districts. Transforming schools and communities can only happen when mindsets are changed.
One of the first partners I established was focused on equity to assist in providing staff development. All states have access to free resources through local equity centers, which were established originally as desegregation centers under the United States Department of Education following the Civil Rights Act. The 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and title IV, Part A of the ESEA is the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) program. School systems nationally can access the resources, which includes training, publications and assistance with implementation of new services.
In 2016-17, a partnership
between the Topeka Public School District and the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center was approved by the school board. The Great Lakes Midwest Equity Center is one of several federally funded equity assistance centers available for states. A host of free resources for educators are on their website https://greatlakesequity. org/.
Raising expectations begins with all partners throughout the school system supporting an equitable system for all students. In Topeka, school board members are on the equity council, the board unanimously approved the partnership, staff development focused on equity training for all teachers and leaders occurs throughout the year, and equity and climate are goals within our strategic plan. In 2018, Topeka Public Schools won the National School Board Association’s Magna Award for Equity in Education as a result of the initiatives and achievement.
As we approach the 65th anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision, this is a time to reflect on the impact of the past on the present and the future. Without the first group courageously challenging the inequitable education system through the Brown case, we may not have had the second and third series of events that followed, which includes the Civil Rights Act. Without the legislation from the Brown case, I may not have had the privilege to serve as the first African-American female superintendent in Topeka, Kansas.
Without a first step, you cannot have a second step, and I stand on the shoulders of those who took a first step. This 65th year celebrating Brown v. Board is a year for educators to celebrate the courageous steps of the past that should fuel us all to impact the future.
Tiffany Anderson is superintendent of the Topeka Public School District.
HistoryMakers focuses on black business leaders
board member of Enterprise Holdings, following the New York PBS-TV taping of “An Evening With Ken Chenault.”
Produced by The HistoryMakers, “An Evening With Ken Chenault” airs this month on PBS. It serves as the unofficial launch to the BusinessMakers Initiative. The HistoryMakers returns to St. Louis this week to officially announce the launch, made possible by a $600,000 grant from the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, to raise the profile and public understanding of African-American achievement in business.
The HistoryMakers BusinessMakers currently includes the interviews of
Over the next two to three years, The HistoryMakers will focus on adding 150 additional interviews of noted AfricanAmerican business leaders to its collection – increasing its BusinessMakers category to 500. Currently, the history of African Americans in business make up less than one percent of Harvard Business School case studies, and there are no dedicated exhibits or collection of African-American business leaders in any of the nation’s repositories.
Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent of the Topeka Public School District, with students.
Former American Express Chairman and CEO Ken Chenault visited with Priscilla Hill-Ardoin,
over 300 business leaders in 81 cities and towns. Some of those already featured include Chenault; Merck & Co., Inc. CEO Ken Frazier; Johnson Publishing founder John H. Johnson; former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns; Motown founder Berry Gordy; and RadioOne founder Cathy Hughes.
Ken Chenault and Priscilla Hill-Ardoin
free” and the might of the United States government, “including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.”
The proclamation was the most consequential executive order in the history of the United States. It should be celebrated and honored.
For every American who cherishes freedom and democracy, New Year’s Day should mean far more than college bowl games and parades. The nation must revive and reclaim the true meaning and significance of January 1, Emancipation Day.
This January 1 was even more significant in that the year 2019 marks the 400th anniversary of the first documented African slaves’ forced arrival on the shores of the New World that was to become the United States of America. This anniversary year should be a time of commemoration and celebration, reflection — and action — on how far we have come and how far we must still travel to reach the mountaintop. The journey from slavery to freedom was largely completed in 1865 with the adoption of the 13th Amendment. The march from freedom to equality is far from over.
I spent Christmas morning — as I have for more than 40 years — visiting and praying with the inmates and staff at Cook County Jail, the sprawling warehouse of the poor and dispossessed on the West Side of Chicago. As I looked out over the faces crowded into the jail’s gym, I saw that they were overwhelmingly black and brown.
Although African Americans make up just 24 percent of the population of Cook County,
nearly 74 percent of the jail’s population is black. This story of inequality was four centuries in the making. It began in August 1619, when some 20 frightened, bewildered and beleaguered Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, as prizes that had been pirated from Spanish ships on the open seas. Even as revolutionary Americans rebelled against the British monarchy, declaring all men created equal, the founding fathers at the Constitutional Convention bowed to the South with three slave compromises that still haunt our nation: permitting the international slave trade; counting slaves as three-fifths of a person for congressional representation; and establishing
n The proclamation was the most consequential executive order in the history of the United States
the Electoral College, giving the South congressional representation disproportionate to its voter eligibility. Yet in the darkness of chattel slavery, the enslaved were able to sustain enough of their humanity to maintain a light of hope for a better day, for freedom and for equality.
African-Americans were able to see the dimly lit outlines of a more just social, economic and political order, even during slavery, apartheid and centuries of discrimination. But black people did not wait for freedom to fall from the sky. The Colonial era and beyond bristled with slave rebellions and resistance.
The lies, myths and insanity of white supremacy contaminated the soil and the soul of America. The Academy said African-American minds were inferior. The medical establishment said our bodies were inferior; the church, our morality. The banks determined
that we were unworthy for loans or investment. These barriers have yet to be completely broken down. We are free but unequal. Yet still we rise.
History is an unbroken continuity that cannot be denied. Americans should not hide from the past nor engage in an extended exercise of rehashing 400 tragic years. Although there can be no plan for the future without comprehending the past, we cannot go forward while only looking backward.
2019 must be about the vision of a fully equal society.
In the coming year, we must set goals and a timetable for the most profound and in-depth corrective action program in history and show what true equality for all Americans means and looks like.
We must examine how much such repair will cost, what failure to repair has already cost, and the continuing cost to the nation in terms of human and economic underdevelopment if we fail to even the playing field for African-Americans and other people of color.
In 2020, there will be another presidential election. As the candidates campaign in the next two years, they must be challenged to share their vision of what an equal, nondiscriminatory, multiracial, multiethnic, multi-religious and nonsexist society looks like, and how they propose to take us there.
In the meantime, we the people — red, brown, yellow, black and white — must do what African Americans have done for 400 years, from bondage to emancipation, from lynch mobs to great migrations, from the back of the bus to Rosa Parks, from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis to President Barack Obama on the balcony of the White House. Keep hope alive. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. (@ RevJJackson) is the founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Magnificent ‘M’ in African-American history
By Bernie Hayes For The St. Louis American
Despite the hardships, African Americans managed to develop a strong cultural identity and a black urban culture blossomed. Today, as in the past, black Americans make significant contributions to every segment of American society.
While researching some of the contributions we have made in business, the arts and entertainment, science, literature, politics and law, I noticed the many names, both male and female that begin with the letter “M.”
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. ONH was a Jamaican-born political leader, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was president general of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League.
Martin Robison Delany was an African-American abolitionist, journalist, physician, soldier and writer, and arguably the first proponent of Black Nationalism. Delany is credited with the Pan-African slogan of “Africa for Africans.”
Malcolm X was an AfricanAmerican Muslim minister and human rights activist. Some saw him as a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans; others accused him of preaching racism and violence.
Martin Luther King Jr. was an African-American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement from 1954 until his assassination in 1968.
Medgar Wiley Evers was an African-American civil rights activist in Mississippi,
the state’s field secretary for the NAACP, and a World War II veteran who served in the United States Army. Muhammad Ali was an African-American professional boxer, activist, and philanthropist. Nicknamed “The Greatest”, he is widely regarded
n I am sure every letter in the alphabet would reveal names that are and were as important.
as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Marian Wright Edelman is an African-American activist for the rights of children. She has been an advocate for disadvantaged Americans for her entire professional life. She is president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund. Marian Anderson was an African-American singer. Anderson was one of the most celebrated singers of the
twentieth century. Music critic Alan Blyth said: “Her voice was a rich, vibrant contralto of intrinsic beauty.”
Mary McLeod Bethune was an African-American educator, stateswoman, philanthropist, humanitarian, and civil rights activist best known for starting a private school for AfricanAmerican students in Daytona Beach, Florida and co-founding UNCF on April 25, 1944 with William Trent and Frederick D. Patterson.
Mahalia Jackson was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as “The Queen of Gospel.” She became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world and was heralded internationally as a singer and civil rights activist.
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is an AfricanAmerican writer, lawyer, and university administrator who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She is married to the 44th U.S. president, Barack Obama, and was the first AfricanAmerican first lady. I wish I could chronicle Maxine Waters, Merdean Gales, Marabeth Gentry, Martha Bass, Melissa HarrisPerry, Margaret Bush Wilson, Martha Jane West and so many more. I am sure every letter in the alphabet would reveal names that are and were as important to the growth and substantial strides blacks have made in the pre- and post-civil rights era. How many can you document?
Please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday night at 10 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 5:30 p.m. on NLEC-TV Ch. 24.2. I can be reached by fax at (314) 8373369, on e-mail at berhay@ swbell.net or on Twitter @ berhay.
Muhammad Ali
African and black kids feel. Because this is supposed to be a month of remembering. Him and his regime did a lot to South Africans. They displaced families, slaughtered people.”
The Great Issues Committee (GIC) — a student-run organization funded by annual student fees — hosted de Klerk.
The group touted him as a Nobel Peace Prize winner who worked with Nelson Mandela to end apartheid during his time as South African president from 1989 to 1994. However, Barlay said the organizers did not do enough research. Between 1990 and 1993, nearly 12,000 civilians were killed and 20,000 were injured as part of the government’s effort to squash anti-apartheid activists, including several major massacres, according
to a statement submitted to South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission by the African National Congress.
“In the few short years in which De Klerk had been in power, more civilians had been murdered than in all the previous decades of apartheid rule,” the African National Congress stated.
The Human Rights Commission recorded an accelerating pace of assassinations of anti-apartheid figures: 28 in 1990, 60 in 1991, and 97 in 1992, according to the statement.
After learning about de Klerk’s speaking event, Barlay and his roommate from Ivory Coast met with members of GIC on February 7 and asked them to cancel the event.
The student organizers said they couldn’t because of a contractual obligation and they would lose money if they canceled. A university spokeswoman said she could
not provide the amount de Klerk received to speak.
However, according to some entertainment firms that book de Klerk, he is paid upwards of $12,000. His speech was focused on globalization.
“Imagine if we brought Kim Jong-un (supreme leader of North Korea),” Barlay said.
“People say, ‘Let’s hear him speak. Let’s have an open dialogue.’ For you, if you don’t belong to the community, it’s okay for you to have an open dialogue. But the people who belong to that community, how do you think they would feel?’’
Barlay said his roommate didn’t sleep the days before de Klerk’s arrival.
The American requested comment from the university president and has not yet received one. A SLU spokeswoman said, “Because we recognize the harm experienced by members of our community, we are moving forward now to work with students, faculty and staff to do some restorative justice work.”
Barlay said no one has reached out to him or the black student organizations yet.
The American also requested a comment from the event organizers and did not receive a response.
The event was free, but students had to check their bags and purses and present student IDs to enter. Press was not allowed inside.
Barlay said that instead of trying to protest outside the event, they decided to ask questions that would discredit
n “In the few short years in which De Klerk had been in power, more civilians had been murdered than in all the previous decades of apartheid rule.”
– African National Congress
de Klerk. Members of the Society of African-American Studies and the Black Student Alliance participated in the protest.
A livestream by a SLU student shows that de Klerk ended his globalization speech saying, “The greatness of the United States does not lie in the strength of its Army, its Navy or its Air Force. It lies in the values and ideals of personal political and economic freedom.”
The first question the moderator asked de Klerk came from a list that the protestors had submitted ahead of time. The question stemmed from de Klerk’s 2012 interview with British-Iranian journalist Christiane Amanpour, where she pressed de Klerk on why he’s never renounced the idea of apartheid.
When Amanpour asked de Klerk if he thought the idea of apartheid was “morally repugnant,” he responded, “I can only say that in a qualified way. In as much as it trampled human rights, it was and remains morally indefensible. But the concept — as the Czechs and Slovaks have it now — of saying that ethnic unities with one culture and one language can be happy and can fulfill their democratic aspirations in their own state, that is not repugnant.”
Amanpour countered that the concept was based on disenfranchising the black population in South Africa economically and educationally. De Klerk refuted the idea that
they were disenfranchised because they could vote.
At the SLU event, the moderator asked de Klerk if he still felt the same way as he did in 2012, that apartheid was a reasonable system.
“I apologized profusely for the pain and the suffering and the indignity that apartheid has caused,” de Klerk stated at SLU. “I did so in the 1990s after when Mandela became president. I admitted apartheid was wrong.”
However, he went on to say, “It was not as if nothing good happened during apartheid.”
He said that new schools and universities were built in the Homelands, the areas established under apartheid for the various tribes to live.
Legislation passed under apartheid allocated 87 percent of the land to white South Africans, though they only represented less than 10 percent of the population. About 3.5 million Africans were forcefully displaced from their native land between 1960 and 1989.
The protestors also submitted a question asking about de Klerk’s relationship with two men known as “Prime Evil” and “Doctor Death.” Eugene De Kock (aka Prime Evil) was the commander of the South African Police’s counterinsurgency unit that kidnapped, tortured and murdered antiapartheid activists from the 1980s to early 1990s and was sentenced to 212 years in prison (but was released on parole in 2015). Wouter Basson (aka Doctor Death) headed an apartheid-era germ warfare program that allegedly experimented on many black prisoners but was never convicted of any crimes.
The protestors’ question was: “When they testified under the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, they claimed that they received direct orders from you. What would you say to that confession?”
De Klerk responded, “It’s not true… There were bad people. I was never part, never part. They couldn’t find any evidence because no evidence
exists. I was never part of any policy or decision to say it’s okay to do gross violations of human rights.”
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigated the human rights violations under apartheid and released a report in October 1998. In the report, the commission stated that de Klerk’s appearance before the commission was a “particular disappointment.”
“As one who had done so much to turn the tide of South African history, his evasiveness and unwillingness candidly to acknowledge the full burden of the National Party’s responsibility seemed to the commission to be a missed opportunity to take the reconciliation process forward,” the report stated.
The commission also found that de Klerk withheld information from the commission regarding his knowledge that his predecessor, Pieter Willem Botha, authorized the bombing of the South African Council of Churches’ headquarters, where anti-apartheid activists were seeking refuge. The commission found de Klerk to be an accessory to this gross human rights violation, while acting as a minister under Botha.
The report also included a statement from de Kock saying that he couldn’t prove that de Klerk ordered certain deaths or raids, but de Klerk did condone the actions of the security forces.
At the end of the SLU event, the protestors asked the organizers why they brought de Klerk to campus during Black History Month.
“There was obviously a lot that we didn’t know,” one GIC member said.
The protestors asked about the racial makeup of the Great Issues Committee, which is comprised of 15 students who applied and were selected to be part of the group.
Committee leader Peyton Richardson said, “It is a problem, and we do need more diversity in our group. It is a primarily white group.”
Centene Corporation presents
BLACK HISTORY
How Their Life Changed Yours
Donna Christian-Christensen
Life
Donna Christian-Christensen was born on September 19, 1945, in Teaneck, Monmouth Country, New Jersey. She always knew that no matter what her career path may be that she wanted to help people. For brief periods in her formative years she had considered nursing but chose to go to school to major in medical technology. During her sophomore year she would have a change of heart by accident.
Christian-Christensen picked up a United Negro College Fund pamphlet for a friend highlighting the demand for physicians of color, encouraging young minorities to go to medical school. She read the pamphlet overnight and decided she would do just that, and went to medical school attending George Washington University School of Medicine, eventually earning her medical degree there. From her previous time working in a lab that required work with patients, she discovered she preferred working with “people over test tubes.”
How Her Life Changed Yours
Christian-Christensen would again have a strong change of heart and career simultaneously, when in her sophomore year of medical school. She ditched studying for her boards (temporarily) to offer free medical service at an event in Washington, DC, called the Poor People’s Campaign in the summer of 1968. The experience shifted her focus both to becoming a family doctor and involving her in politics. This eventually led to her being the first female doctor elected to congress where she served nine terms repesenting the Virgin Islands, advocating for minority health issues.
Her
F.W. de Klerk
2019 Black History MontH celeBrations
Thurs., Feb. 21, 9 a.m., Hazelwood Central High School Black History Celebration, Guest speakers include KSDK Meteorologist Anthony Slaughter, St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, and St. Louis Surge Team Owner Khalia Collier. 15875 New Halls Ferry Road.
Tues., Feb. 21, 4 p.m., Creative Kids: Can You Paint Like Jacob Lawrence? St. Louis Public Library –Carondelet Branch, 6800 Michigan Ave, St. Louis, MO 63111. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.
Tues., Feb. 21, 5:30 p.m., Creative Kids: Can You Paint Like Jacob Lawrence? St. Louis Public Library –Carpenter Branch, 3309 S Grand Blvd. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.
Thur., Feb. 21, 6:30 p.m., Maplewood Public Library presents The History of Negro Leagues Baseball. Learn how men of color organized a league of their own. 7550 Lohmeyer Ave., 63143. For more information, visit www.maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.
Thur., Feb. 21, 7 p.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Times’s Getting Harder: Stories of the Great Migration. Part of the 2019 Black history series: Black Migrations. Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www. slpl.org.
Fri., Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m., St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration featuring Jermaine Smith and Denise
Thimes. Powell Symphony Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.slso.org.
Sat., Feb. 23, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Take a journey on the Underground Railroad in Alton, IL during a series of two-hour guided shuttle tours sponsored by the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau and featuring renowned Underground Railroad historian J.E. Robinson. The shuttle tours begin at the Alton Visitors Center, 200 Piasa St. Tickets are $25 per person. To purchase tickets by phone, please call the Tourism Bureau at 618465-6676 or 1-800-258-6645. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.visitalton.com/ shuttle.
Sat., Feb. 23, 1 p.m. Gift of Gospel featuring Singer/songwriter, Stellar Award nominee and Billboard chart topping gospel artist Cheneta Jones and The Youth Gospel Music Conference Choir. Pastor Shaun Williams will emcee the program. St. Louis County Library – Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd., S. For more information, visit www. slcl.org.
Sat., Feb. 23, 7 p.m., “John Lewis: Get in the Way.” The first major documentary biography of John Lewis civil rights hero, congressional leader and champion of human rights whose unwavering fight for justice spans the past 50 years. The film showcases never-before-seen footage shot over 20 years. St. Louis Public Library – Central Branch, 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.
Sat., Feb. 23, 7 p.m., “The East St. Louis Race Riot of
ersseries.org
Wed., Feb. 27, 4 p.m., The Great Migration: You Choose, kids will create an interactive story and find out where their choices will lead them. St. Louis Public Library – Kingshighway Branch, 2260 S Vandeventer Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.
Wed., Feb. 27, 6 p.m., Great Migration: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back, SLPL and Mack Williams of History To You, Inc., looks at the Great Migration. St. Louis Public Library-Julia Davis Branch, 4415 Natural Bridge Ave, St. Louis, MO 63115. For more information, visit www. slpl.org.
Thur., Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m., The Remarkable Story of Missouri Slave Archer Alexander. Members of Archer Alexander’s family will be present for the event. Maplewood City Hall, 7601 Manchester Ave., 63143. For more information, visit www. maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.
Real Possibilities is a trademark of AARP
1917: Look How Far We’ve Come,” in 2017, Centennial Commission and Cultural Initiative sponsored activities throughout the year that focused on the riot. Hear remarks by speakers, Dr. Andrew Theising and Edmond Brown St. Louis Public Library-Walnut Park Branch, 5760 W Florissant Ave, St. Louis, MO 63120. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.
Sun., Feb. 24, 2 p.m., St. Louis County NAACP
15th Annual Rosa Parks Celebration, Christ Our Redeemer AME Church, 13820 Old Jamestown Rd.
Sun., Feb. 24, 2 p.m., STL SpinBox and ABB Productions presents this second yea r Black history month instal lment of 21 Libations; a community celebration honoring St. Louis› own who have made pivotal contributions not just within the Black American community but in fact, the world at large. Treffpunkt
BLACK HISTORY. PASS IT ON.
3453 South Jefferson AvenueSt. Louis, MO 63118. For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite. com/e/21-libations-tickets-54576487744
Tues., Feb. 26, 8 p.m., Maryville University presents St. Louis Speakers Series at Powell Hall with Bryan Stevenson, social justice advocate and author of “Just Mercy,” Powell Symphony Hall. For more information, visit https://www.stlouisspeak-
Thurs., Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Coretta Scott King awardwinning author and National Book Award finalist Sheila P. Moses will sign and discuss her new book, “The Last Mile: Conversations with Dick Gregory,” Left Bank Books. 399 N. Euclid. For more information, visit www.leftbank. com.
Through Feb. 28, National Blues Museum presents Our Living Past: A Platinum Portrait of Music Maker Photographer Timothy Duffy
Continued on D7
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will present Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration featuring Jermaine Smith and Denise Thimes at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22 at Powell Symphony Hall.
2019 Black History
MontH celeBrations
provides a look at the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of American roots music. 615 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, visit www. nationalbluesmuseum.com.
Lyft is offering free rides in celebration of Black History Month. Riders can use the code “BHMSTL19” anytime in February for one free ride up to $10 to the following
locations: Griot Museum of Black History and Culture (2505 St. Louis Ave.), Mary Meacham Freedom Crossing (4500 E. Prairie Ave.), Old Courthouse (11 N. 4th St.), National Blues Museum (615 Washington Ave.) and Eye See Me Bookstore (7827 Olive Blvd.). The ride must begin or end at the participating location to qualify. Limit one code per Lyft account while supplies last. Lyft is a ride-sharing
‘John Lewis: Get in the Way,’ The first major documentary biography of the civil rights hero, congressional leader and champion of human rights will screen at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23 at St. Louis Public Library –Central Branch, 1301 Olive.
application like Uber that can be downloaded from all the major sites.
Sat., March 9, 5:30 p.m., Ghanaian Association of STL 10 Anniversary Independence Gala, Staenberg Family Complex, 2 Millstone Campus Drive, Creve Coeur, MO. For more information, visit www. ghanastl.com or call (314) 5962517
2019
Join us for a powerful and insightful conference featuring a keynote address, lectures, panel discussions and a theatrical performance designed to share experiences, research and emerging trends.
Please visit webster.edu/conversations to register and for more information.
