January 11th, 2018 Edition

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief John Hayden spoke with reporters and editors at The St. Louis American’s downtown offices on Thursday, January 4.

A conversation with Police Chief John

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

The Kuumba Youth Performance Ensemble performed at the St. Louis Art Museum’s 2017 Kwanzaa Festival Saturday on December 30, 2017. The troop is comprised of members from ages 8–16 who travel the region as ambassadors of African-American cultural heritage. Kwanzaa, which means “First Fruits” in Swahili, is a cultural festival based on African harvest traditions. This year’s celebration ended on January 1.

nights?

Hayden: The nights I was working were September 28 and September 29. That being said, I can’t speak to what people say they experience as a disparity when they encounter the police. I just know there was none of that going on when I was working. I

SEIU workers will try mediation with Ferguson nursing home

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis

n One grievance that came up at Christmas time concerns the sicktime buy-back program allegedly denied to striking workers.

practices. About 90 workers are affected by the strike. They include nursing assistants, medication technicians and workers in maintenance, housekeeping , laundry and nutrition, according to Brenda Harris, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) shop steward at Christian Care Home, who works as a restorative aide. Harris said their contract ended in August and a new administration came to Christian Care in September, at which time issues were exacerbated. The workers seek to resolve 13 grievances and have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Activists demand action on homeless crisis

Porta-a-potty in memory of Grover Perry taken to Mayor Krewson’s doorstep, City Hall

By Sophie Hurwitz For The St. Louis American

Early on Monday, January 8, a group of about 15 activists delivered a wake-up call to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson. They stood in front of Krewson’s Central West End home banging pots and pans and demanding that she come outside to speak with them. They were there to protest what they

see as an inadequate response by the city to the plight of the homeless. When the mayor finally emerged, she was met with a strange sight: a port-a-potty and two dumpsters, on her front porch. These objects, large and blue and made of cardboard, were meant to call Krewson’s attention to their feelings that the city has failed to protect its homeless population –particularly in response to two individuals who succumbed to the frigid temperatures. In the past two weeks, a man named Grover Perry was found frozen to death in a port-apotty, and another 54-year-old man (name unknown) was found frozen to death in a dumpster.

Striking employees give symbolic ‘Pink slip’ to Christian Care Home owners See HOMELESS, A7

Photo by Rebecca Rivas

Kuumba Youth celebrate Kwanzaa

Photo by Wiley Price

Activist Elizabeth Vega leaves a cardboard mockup of a port-apotty at City Hall on January 8 in protest of the city’s homeless services. Grover Perry, a homeless man, died in a porta-potty in December.

Photo by Rebecca Rivas

Two accusers file criminal complaints, Simmons denies rape allegations

According to TMZ, two accusers have filed criminal complaints against entertainment mogul Russell Simmons, stemming from sexual assault allegations.

“Law enforcement sources tell us the two women filed police reports with the NYPD late last month, alleging the music mogul raped them in 1983 and 1991, respectively,” TMZ said. “One of those women is Sherri Hines, who appeared on Megyn Kelly’s show in December. She told cops Simmons raped her at his office in ‘83.The other woman -- who remains anonymous -- claims Simmons raped her at his Manhattan residence after they’d gone out on a date in ‘91. She alleges he tried taking off her dress while sitting on a couch, and then pushed her down and forcibly raped her when she rejected his advances.”

Simmons issued a statement vehemently denying all rape allegations.

An excerpt from his statement reads as follows:

These horrific accusations have shocked me to my core. I am devastated by any reason I may have given to anyone to say or think of me in the ways that are currently being described. The presumption of innocent until proven guilty must not be replaced by “Guilty by Accusation.” “I have already apologized for the instances of thoughtlessness in my relationships with women. Although I have been candid about how I have lived in books and interviews detailing my flaws, I will not accept responsibility for what I have not done.”

Gayle King cleans up Stedman’s statement about Oprah presidential run

On Sunday, Oprah Winfrey’s longtime boyfriend, Stedman Graham, stoked presidential run rumors after claiming Winfrey would absolutely run for president if it was the will of the people.

Her best friend, Gayle King, says Graham misunderstood the question.

“Stedman says that he thought the reporter said to him, ‘Would she make a good President?’ and he said absolutely she would,”

King said on “CBS this Morning.” “Stedman would never so cavalierly say, ‘Absolutely she would do it, it’s up to the people.’ He would never do that. I do think she’s intrigued by the idea. I do think that. She loves this country and would like to be of service in some way, but I don’t think that she’s actively considering it.”

Offset caught out there again, Cardi B responds

everyone, and I bet you too.” A cryptic Tweet has people speculating that she might have changed her tune because of the latest round of footage.

“I’m going to make my decision in my own time with my own heart and mind,” Cardi B tweeted. “I don’t need to be rushed or told what to do. It’s my life. I belong to me, not the world.”

The Weeknd

Last month, rappers Cardi were plagued by cheating rumors after Offset’s iCloud was hacked and some of his personal sex tapes leaked online. A second hack over the weekend showed Offset getting intimate with yet another woman.

Initially, Cardi B showed no signs of ending the couple’s engagement.

“What you want me to do? Start all over again and get cheated on again,” the “Bodak Yellow” rapper responded to a fan on Instagram. “This [expletive] happens to

DIVERSITY

AT WORK

Dr. Martin Luther King taught us all the importance of diversity and inclusion. At Schnucks, we count on diversity and inclusion to give us a fresh perspective that makes us stronger throughout our stores and store support center. We count on that strength to help us serve you and the community. Whether you work with us, or shop with us, you’ll find they are key ingredients at Schnucks!

The Weeknd cuts ties with H&M in response to racially insensitive ad

R&B singer The Weeknd terminated an endorsement deal with H&M after they posted a racially insensitive ad on social media. The ad showed a black child wearing a hoodie that read, “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle.”

The Weeknd used his social media to announce that he will no longer work with the clothing chain.

“Woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo,” The Weeknd said via Twitter. “I’m deeply offended and will not be working with H&M anymore…”

Sources: TMZ.com, Twitter.com, Instagram. com, Radar Online, CBS.com

Gayle King

From Lutheran North to a career in architecture in Arkansas

Ethan A. Haynie advises students to study STEM and prepare for standardized tests

By Ronald Moore

For The St. Louis American

Lutheran North High School 2009 graduate, Ethan A. Haynie dreamed of becoming an architect. To realize his dream, he took courses in calculus, chemistry, and physics in high school.

Architecture is the science and art of designing structures. Architects are trained people who perform the skills needed to design structures. Architects work as a primary member of a team that decides the shape, size, and strength of buildings and makes recommendations for building materials.

Architects draw their plan for a building (called drafting) and must be good in math. They use math in many ways. Typically, students interested in architecture should take algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus in high school. Art classes also help in developing the skills of a future architect.

The courses Haynie at Lutheran North gave him the edge he needed to enter the architecture program at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, which his mother, grandmother, grandfather and some aunts and cousins also had attended. He earned several academic scholarships and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture.

Now Haynie, 26, is an architect

associate with Hight Jackson Associates, a well-established architectural firm in Rogers, Arkansas. He is most proud of his work on the Osage Creek Elementary School and Creekside Middle School, in Bentonville Arkansas – two schools in one, with approximately 180,000 square feet. Each school has its own bus and parent drop-off and administration areas. The schools share common spaces such as the cafeteria and media center. Haynes was an integral member of the design team, working on ceiling plans, millwork details, window and door details, flooring patterns, and threedimensional project renderings.

a skill set that will lead him to success as he continues to grow within the profession.”

n According to the American Institute of Architecture, only 1 percent of licensed architects are African Americans, though blacks form 13.3 percent of the U.S. population.

To get his creative juices flowing, Haynie likes to draw in charcoal and oil. He also believes that walking a project site or the city where it will be built gives him design ideas.

Brian Jackson, P.E., president of the firm, said Haynie is “eager to learn and has a contagious enthusiasm for architecture. Architecture is a challenging profession, and Ethan has

Haynie hopes to one day have his own firm, to become more involved with professional associations where he is a member, and to help encourage the next generation of architects and urban planners. He encourages students interested in studying architecture to start early. Students should prepare themselves to make the highest score they can on the ACT exam. Test scores play an integral role in winning scholarships. Students should also take higher-level math courses in high school and, if offered, classes in computer-aided

design, graphic design and other classes related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

While in middle and high school, students should look for architectural summer camps and join student organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Precollege Initiative.

Additionally, he recommends that future architects get out and study the architecture in their community. They should learn about local architectural history, factors of the designs, and the original community plan. He recommends studying the parks, streets, bridges, museums, schools, transportation systems and religious structures in your local area, and then travel to other cities and make comparison.

Students studying architecture should also study the pioneer architects, such as Paul Revere Williams, a famous African American who designed nearly 3,000 buildings during his five-decade career.

Posthumously, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded him the Gold Medal, which honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. The median income for architects in $72,550. The National Association of Minority Architects (NOMA) predicts that the demand for architects or architectural engineers will grow 25 percent by 2020 – faster than many other career paths. However, the lack of diversity in STEM fields is startling. According to the American Institute of Architecture, only 1 percent of licensed architects are African Americans, though blacks form 13.3 percent of the U.S. population, according to Census estimates.

Ronald Moore is St. Louis-area youth director for NSBE. For more information about youth programs in STEM, contact him at pci@nsbe-stl. org.

Ethan A. Haynie, 26, a St. Louis native who works as an architect associate with Hight Jackson Associates in Rogers, Arkansas, is most proud of his work on the Osage Creek Elementary School and Creekside Middle School, in Bentonville Arkansas. He worked on ceiling plans, millwork details, window and door details, flooring patterns, and three-dimensional project renderings.

Editorial /CommEntary

Hayden says O’Toole won’t hinder him from bringing change

We were impressed and are in general agreement with the comments that U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO) made to newly appointed St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief John Hayden at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Celebration Kick-Off Program at Harris-Stowe State University on Saturday, January 6.

“I fully expect that you will require that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department take an honest look in the mirror to reveal both the good and the bad,” Clay told Hayden, who was in attendance and nodded from his seat. “In St. Louis, and in many other communities across this country, young African Americans continue to interact with police officers and wind up dead with zero consequences –and that has to change.”

Clay continued, “We have to train local police to deescalate before they become violent. And we must train them to have a greater sensitivity and empathy for minorities, disabled Americans and new immigrants.” The list of citizens who deserve greater “sensitivity and empathy” from police could be extended further to include the LGBTQ community and the unhoused, but this was excellent advice from the congressman that we want to urgently reaffirm. We also take Hayden’s head nod as a good sign that he was listening and in agreement.

filed at the time was not his fault. Hayden said Stockley’s actions leading up to the killing of Anthony Lamar Smith constituted “the worst example of police behavior” he had ever seen. That was good to hear.

We sat with the new police chief for a long, candid conversation a few days before the MLK kick-off. Though Hayden joked that it was “getting a little hot in here” as we pressed him on the brutal policing of Stockley verdict protests, the promotion of one of the cops who allegedly roughed up undercover black cop Luther Hall, and the handling of the police shooting of off-duty black cop Milton Green, we felt he answered us candidly and expressed a sincere intention to set new, higher standards for police conduct in St. Louis. And he insisted that the city’s retention (with a bonus!) of former interim chief Lawrence O’Toole – who is on the hook for all of the misdeeds we grilled Hayden about – as his assistant chief would not hamstring him.

“O’Toole being around is not going to hinder me from doing the right thing,” Hayden told us. We were encouraged to be reminded that Hayden, then commanding Internal Affairs, was instrumental in the Stockley case being referred for state and federal prosecution after the initial investigation. The fact that charges were not

Less encouraging, however, was Hayden’s command of police at several Stockley verdict protests, when non-violent protestors were evidently pepper-sprayed by police in retaliation for exercising their constitutional freedoms, without reprimand. Admittedly, those officers had the full support of Hayden’s boss at the time, O’Toole, but we would have more confidence in Hayden as a change agent had his immediate response on the scene – and his memory of those incidents today – been less complacent. As Judge Catherine Perry was compelled to remind this police department, police have no punitive role in our criminal justice system. If Hayden is going to go hard-line on enforcing this fundamental principle of constitutional policing, that would be a departure from his past actions on the front line of Stockley verdict protests.

The public should be relieved to know that Hayden speaks with candid awareness that the police department he now leads has some officers who don’t regard minorities – or the protestors who defend them – as citizens who deserve full and complete civil rights. Also, he is not so naive as to believe he can change their hearts and minds, even with the stringent implicit bias training he wants to mandate. But, he told us, “I should be able to govern their behavior through policy.” That remains to be seen, particularly given the liberties and protections afforded to police through their current bargaining agreement and the notorious difficulty of enforcing policy by disciplining police in a meaningful way.

“You have the full support of my office,” Clay told Hayden. We can’t go that far. Chief Hayden, we believe your intentions are good and will wait and see what policies you put in place and how aggressively you enforce them. This is more than a civil rights matter. Better police work would lead to greater public safety, which is necessary for the future growth and improved fiscal health of a beleaguered city. A more prosperous city, then, could spend more on fighting entrenched poverty, homelessness and other socioeconomic ills. The safety and future of our city hang in the balance.

The life of Grover Perry, if he hadn’t died homeless

By Joel Sjerven For The St. Louis American

Grover Perry died in a port-a-potty on December 20 in downtown Saint Louis. I never met him, but I have known many people like him. I wonder what opportunities and resources Grover had during his life.

Grover may have grown up with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as having a parent with mental health problems, a parent in jail, a parent with substance dependency issues, or being raised in a house without adequate food and clothing. Children with more ACEs and other traumas are more likely to have mental and physical health problems. They are more likely to drop out of high school, to be unemployed, and to live below the poverty level.

High ACEs impact one’s development, setting their life on a different trajectory. These traumas infect their everyday life, from hypervigilance and paranoia to difficulty trusting and developing relationships. This can impact their ability to function in the world and to utilize resources that may be available to them.

I wonder about Grover’s life on the street. Did he ever sleep at the New Life Evangelistic Center before the city closed it down? How many times did he sleep in a park or doorway, only to be awoken by an officer and ordered to move along?

It’s impossible to say. All we know is that Grover died homeless. In a different outcome,

he might have been a client sitting at a desk with me, sharing his life experiences, his hopes, and the challenges he had overcome. He might have arrived at our second appointment with a stack of completed housing applications. What would his income plan be? Would he feel able to work or prefer to focus on his health first?

How would Grover’s life be impacted if he was able to obtain supportive housing?

I could have stopped by his apartment once a week to help him set up his med planner. Maybe he would manage his medication independently and just need rides to get groceries, or maybe he’d feel more comfortable having me sit in on his appointments with his doctors to help remember things he may otherwise forget. Perhaps, one day his landlord would call to let us know he was actively psychotic. I’d arrive just in time to watch police swarm in snapping orders that he didn’t understand, and punishing him for not complying with tasers and batons.

I wish I could have met Grover. I wish I could have heard his story and discovered his passions. I wish that people in power could have met Grover, or would be willing

White America faces a reckoning in 2018

By Mike Jones Columnist

None of us living today has ever experienced a year like 2017 or a president like Donald Trump. That’s not the same thing as saying 2017 is some unforeseen, new phenomenon. Trump is not an anomaly; he is as fundamental to America as baseball and apple pie. Newton’s third law of motion tells us for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Trump is the predictable, visceral, emotional white supremacist response to the presidency of Barack Obama. With that in mind, let’s talk about the moral reckoning that’s awaiting white America in the form of the November 2018 election. It’s been said that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme. Much like with the election of 1860, white America has reached a fork in the road and must choose a path.

One path is hope and change, embodied in the presidency of Barack Obama; the other path is to make America white again, represented by Donald Trump. These paths cannot be reconciled; they are alternate realities that cannot coexist. The instability we’re currently experiencing is because there are two objects trying to occupy the same space. The laws of physics don’t permit this: One must prevail, and the other ceases to exist.

Here is the black dilemma: There is nothing we can do to influence the decision of white America. That is an argument among white Americans about who they are and what America means. This argument is as old as the republic, and they have avoided this reckoning since that summer in Philadelphia in 1789.

When push comes to shove, a majority of white Americans will be with Trump and vote to make America white again. I don’t have a clue about the white over or under, but whatever it is, we are not without options. This is where we and all the other folk who are the nonwhite “other” come into play. There is a term in formal logic, the material conditional, that can help with understanding what has to happen in November of this year. In logic, necessity and sufficiency are implicational relationships between statements. The assertion that one statement is a necessary and sufficient condition of another means that the former statement is true if and only if the latter is true. The material conditional makes no claim that one statement causes the other. In political terms, it looks like this: the majority of white Americans will support Trump, and there are not enough black Americans to outvote the white Trump Americans. This is the given in this problem. In order to prevail in November, it will be necessary for enough anti-Trump white voters to show up to make the black vote sufficient to defeat the Republican “make America white” again vote. But you can also reverse the positions. You can assert that it’s necessary for us to produce enough black votes to make the anti-Trump white vote sufficient to prevail in

November. We can’t dictate or influence how many white people vote, but we’re in total control of how many black people vote. That’s what happened in the special election for U.S. Senate in Alabama: Black voters seized control of their fate by producing the necessary numbers to make the anti-crazy-Republican (Roy Moore) white vote sufficient to win.

Let’s understand why voting in historic numbers in 2018 is a moral imperative for us.

Trump’s America bears a striking resemblance to the Germany of the early 1930s. But the historical reality is that from 1619 to 2017 there has never been a majority of white Americans that has considered the welfare of nonwhite Americans to have standing equal to theirs (the power still ain’t on in Puerto Rico). Black people don’t participate in America’s politics to make our lives or the country better, we participate so our lives won’t get worse. We have survived in spite of America, not because of it. Everything you don’t control is a weapon to be used against you. Our failure to understand and act on this premise makes us accomplices in our own demise. We can’t dictate the outcome of future events but we are always masters of our fate, the captains of our soul. Mike Jones is a former senior staffer in St. Louis city and county government and current member of the Missouri State Board of Education and The St. Louis American editorial board. In 2016, he was awarded Best Serious Columnist for all of the state’s large weeklies by the Missouri Press Association.

to meet people like him. The president, Congress, and the mayor of St. Louis would benefit from the experienceparticularly in these times when we criminalize poverty and homelessness, cut supportive services while increasing spending on police and defense, in a city and a country with less and less affordable housing.

I agree with Rev. Martin Luther King: “Budgets are moral documents.” Not only budgets, but policies. In a time of divisiveness and economic inequality, what change could a little empathy make? What decisions could we make to insure that people like Grover Perry are protected, housed, supported, and given opportunities to thrive?

I would challenge those with political power, and those without, to think about what we can do to lift people out of poverty, increase access to affordable housing and medical care. What can be done to protect children in St. Louis from trauma and ACEs during their development? How else can we go about preventing the next person from dying alone, on the street, or in a port-apotty?

Joel Sjerven, who works in psychiatric research at Washington University, has nearly a decade of experience in case management serving adults with severe and persistent mental illness, physical health conditions, those experiencing homelessness, and youth transitioning out of corrections.

etters to the editor

Respect, don’t dismiss

In a recent mention of a Show-Me Institute essay on the efficacy of tax-increment financing, The St. Louis American opined, “It’s interesting to see the Show-Me Institute line up on the same side of the ball with the uberprogressive Team TIF. The difference is that Team TIF wants fewer, more equitable TIF deals, whereas Show-Me Institute wants, more or less, to put an end to taxes.” The first sentence may be true for those not familiar with the institute’s work, but the second is pure political caricature.

Researchers at the Show-Me Institute have been condemning the way economic development subsidies such as TIF are handed out since at least 2008 – long before Team TIF was founded. Our work examining TIF use in Kansas City was published by the Urban League of Greater Kansas City’s “2015 State of Black Kansas City: Picture of Health.” Our premise is that because tax revenue is so important in the funding of public schools, libraries, and other basic government services, it ought not be diverted to enrich private developers.

We are proud of our work with groups across the political spectrum to rein in the abuse of economic development subsidies; we hope that the coming legislative session will do much to protect cities’ valuable tax revenue.

Cities and states have several options for collecting the revenue they need to provide for roads, schools, and public safety. Some methods are more efficient and equitable than others. For example, the earnings tax levied on workers and residents of St. Louis

and Kansas City amounts to a regressive 1 percent flat tax on every dollar earned. The part-time, minimum-wage worker pays the earnings tax at the same rate that the wealthy attorney does. The earnings tax is unfair, inefficient, and poorly executed – but that is not the same as seeking to “put an end to taxes.”

There are areas beyond tax policy where progressives might find common cause with the Show-Me Institute, such as our advocacy of school choice and criminal justice reform.

These are worthy opportunities to solve very real problems and ought not be dismissed. While people may not agree with the Show-Me Institute on every matter, the opportunities to work together deserve more respect than a dismissive tone from The St. Louis American Patrick Tuohey Director of Municipal Policy The Show-Me Institute Kansas City, Mo.

L

Guest Columnist

Mike Jones

Guest Columnist

By Joel Sjerven

Photo by Wiley Price

St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Celebration Kick-Off Program at Harris-Stowe State University on Saturday, January 6.

Bingwa and brood

Bingwa, a 4-year-old cheetah at the Saint Louis Zoo, has given birth to eight cheetah cubs, three males and five females. Mother and cubs are doing well and will remain in their private, indoor maternity den behind the scenes at River’s Edge for the next several months.

In over 430 litters documented by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), this is the first time a female cheetah has produced and reared on her own a litter of eight cubs at a zoo. The average litter size is three to four cubs.

Bingwa is on loan to the Saint Louis Zoo from Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, and 9-year-old father Jason is on loan from White Oak Conservation in Yulee, Florida. The birth of these eight cubs is a result of a breeding recommendation from the AZA Cheetah Species Survival Plan, a program to manage a genetically healthy population of cheetahs in North American zoos.

Today, fewer than 10,000 cheetahs inhabit a broad section of Africa and less than 100 cheetahs remain in Iran. Over the past 50 years, cheetahs have become extinct in at least 13 countries. The main causes of cheetah decline are humancheetah conflict, interspecific competition and lack of genetic diversity. The Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Conservation of Carnivores in Africa is working with its partners in Tanzania and Namibia to coordinate cheetah conservation efforts.

Photos and more information can be found at stlzoo.org.

Trump had better jump – and pray

By Dorothy Dempsey For The St. Louis American

President Trump will not win. His few accomplishments are grounded in deceit and compromise. His debt to God, family and society is a war within his soul, the soul of a man who has lost his way and will forfeit nothing to regain it.

The people who surround him do not honor him; they only honor the prestige and power, and pay pagan homage to him. They are like vultures waiting to devour him, with his house of cards falling one by one, yet he continues on his path of destruction.

Trump’s daughter said that there is “a place in Hell for people like Roy Moore.” She was judging Moore, but her words fit the profile of her own father. Trump wants to lie and say that he did not do any of the things he has been accused of doing and that all of the women are lying.

How do you dispute the wrongs of this racist, sinful society when you have a privileged white man on tape telling about the things he did to women and young girls, and because of the color of his skin he is still allowed to become the president of the United States?

The ungodly world we live in has people who detested a black man sitting in the White House so much they would seat Satan there before they seated another person of color. Yet a white man, a reality television star with the credentials of a common criminal, is allowed to become the president of the United States.

They say that no one is above the law, but one wonders what law protects this president. Who are the Trump children? Are they puppets or pawns in Trump’s master game of life? It gives you pause to wonder that not one of his adult children would challenge the way he behaves. When the Mueller investigation hits the fan, will they too be thrown under the bus like so many before them?

Maybe Trump’s children think he’s the greatest father in the world and that money means everything, or that they are superior because of their skin color and that you can do anything to get ahead – lie, cheat, or steal. Do they believe there will always be an ivory tower and that their father is the only god they know?

It is also a question in the mind of many parents who really love their children and vow to protect them from all harm. How do you pull your children through all the quagmire that Donald Trump has made of this presidency?

The press feeds into Trump’s ego, but without the press, the truth would not be known. If there were a way that Trump could be ignored like a baby having a tantrum, he would probably digress.

The press, it seems, is the only challenge mechanism that keeps Trump in check because his family, the Republicans and the law do not seem to be able to stop Trump.

One thing for sure is that no matter how high Trump thinks he can jump, he sure can’t jump high enough to bypass God. Trump has a heck of a lot of jumping to do – and a lot of praying along the way.

Dorothy Dempsey

HAYDEN

Continued from A1

have no motive for that. What I hope to do by working with Forward Through Ferguson is to talk to protestors about things that they thought were helpful and things that obviously weren’t. Obviously, the kettling incident is something that people would refer to as something really awful. I wasn’t working that night. I’m not making any excuses for anything about that night. It’s under federal investigation. I am interested in future conversations. My conversations with protestors will be: How do we prevent you all from getting hurt and officers getting hurt? We don’t have to hurt each other.

The American: In the Milton Green shooting, here is a North City police officer who is very well respected. He gets shot (on June 21) by a white officer, and his shooting is lied about to the public. After it was revealed that what then-interim chief Lawrence O’Toole said was not true, there was no apology. In fact, he even got a promotion. How are you going to address the Milton Green shooting now that you are chief?

Hayden: I don’t know all the facts that surround the shooting. We know that at some point Milton Green was disarmed and given his pistol back by the people who were disarming him. And then someone came around the corner and that was the officer who shot him right away. At the end of the day, when I see the final report, I don’t know if that is going to look like discipline is more needed or training is more needed. Or

a combination of both. What I promise you is in my six years as commander in the Internal Affairs Division that I’ve seen a lot of significant misconduct cases, and I don’t have any pause about taking the corrective action that needs to be taken.

The American: You know that the then-interim police chief knew what the situation was before he gave his public statement. Can you discipline him in some way now that you’re police chief?

Hayden: Certainly that’s possible. I now know that the statement he gave that night was different than the statement he gave the next day. It’s possible that in that review that he did something that was inappropriate. That’s certainly possible.

The American: When O’Toole was in front of the media, is there a possibility in any way that you were better informed than the police chief?

Hayden: He would have had to be better informed than me.

The American: What he said in its basic sense that night was not what you knew to be true even in that moment. And he had more information than you. He said that Green was shot during crossfire, when officers were shooting at the two individuals who were running and firing back. He did not say that the white officer walked up to two police officers talking at the scene, and Green was shot. He lied during his public statement and that has outraged the community. And you have an opportunity, because this man still works for the police department, to do something about it. Hayden: I don’t believe

the community is holding me accountable for something that came out of his mouth. However, I do have an opportunity to review it and make a determination on my own.

The American: Why I keep bringing you into this question is that he lied. And we know that he lied because you knew it … Hayden: I think here is the key. I didn’t know that he lied until the next day. When you’re standing there, you’re not like parsing his words. I was aware that there was a black and white officer involved. I wasn’t talking. He was talking. Now you’re saying that I heard him lying. I’m saying that he was being reserved in his statement. Hey, we are all being reserved in our statements when we are trying to make sure we are talking factually. I’m not sure when I read it that I would say, “Night one he was lying.” and “night two he was telling the truth.” We do know that he told two different statements. I will look at them to see if there is something that indicates some deception involved, as opposed to just not knowing what you’re talking about.

as assistant chief and give him a raise, which to anyone who has been watching this police department looks like it’s blessing someone who has blessed the worse. So if you are coming in as a change chief who has to get this community to trust this department again, and yet they’ve hung him around your neck, how can you actually lead this department towards sustainable change in community policing?

n “My conversations with protestors will be: How do we prevent you all from getting hurt and officers getting hurt? We don’t have to hurt each other.”

– Police Chief John Hayden

Hayden: I guess it’s getting a little warm in here, but I guess that’s part of the job. (Wipes sweat from brow.) My record when it comes to holding people accountable is impeccable. There’s nobody on this department –there’s probably no one in this region – that has more critical administrative experience in the area of dealing with misconduct. I’ve participated with the FBI to send people to jail.

I’m no stranger to that. Chief O’Toole, the fact that he’s around, is not going to hinder me to do the right thing. He’s not going to be an impediment to what I need to do to regain community trust.

The American: In a very short period of time, we believe O’Toole told this lie at a very critical moment. He blessed some really brutal, and what a federal judge declared to be unconstitutional, policing. Then they leave him

One of the things I’m going to do is all citizen complaints are going to be investigated by the Internal Affairs Division. We’ve always had situations where they can be district-level investigations. But at the end of the day, if someone works for me and I’m the one doing the investigation, there’s an implicit bias just because the person who works for me is the one I’m investigating. So I’m

taking it out of the district-level investigation.

The messaging is very important. My intolerance for misconduct. My intolerance for some of the things we’ve seen. Hey, my intolerance for the Jason Stockley case. Myself and Col. Paul Nocchiero were the first ones who made the reference, saying we need to let the Circuit Attorney’s Office look at this. We need to let the FBI look at this. We need to let the Department of Justice look at this. That was our referral. What people are saying is that when you have aberrant behavior, they want accountability and the IUD was pointing in the right direction. I’m not the judge and the jury. I’m saying this is the worst example of police work that I’d seen, and I wasn’t ashamed to say that.

The American: The three North Patrol officers who are under federal investigation for beating an undercover cop during the September 17 protest. One of them just got a promotion. If there’s a finding of wrongdoing, do you demote him? What do you do?

Hayden: It’s going to heavily depend on the findings. The federal investigators, what they are looking for now is whether or not folks’ civil rights were violated. When they are done with that, I’ll be able to read some stuff and I’ll be able to make a determination as to what will happen next.

The American: During the community forum, you talked about independent investigations of policeinvolved shootings. You said in the interim, before working with the Highway Patrol as the Ferguson report recommended, there could be some kind of task force. When do you plan on getting that task force up and going?

Hayden: Right now, we have a force investigative unit. Forward Through Ferguson recommends that the attorney general looks into all policeinvolved shootings, and that the investigative unit would be the Highway Patrol, unless they’re involved. At the forum, someone asked if I embrace the concept. Absolutely. Would that help restore public trust? Possibly. But I haven’t taken any steps to form a task force.

The American: You also mentioned anti-bias, antiracism training. When do you plan on implementing that?

Hayden: I’m very much open to that. We haven’t discussed a cost. I’ll have to sit down with the persons who organize our continued education. I saw a lot of meaning conversations in that room.

The American: How do you reach that cop who is who he is and no police chief is going to tell him to be any different?

Hayden: I should be able to govern the behavior through policy. But when you understand the story and when you understand that some of these communities

need empathy. We need to understand why these kids feel like they have no other choices other than drug activity. Those are things are very important as opposed to saying, “You’re doing this and I’m going to lock you up.” I was also a trainer in the academy for five years. I have a sphere of influence over people who have a sphere of influence. I’ve trained a lot of the lieutenants, sergeants and captains.

The American: Is there a timeline to when you might look into the Milton Green shooting?

Hayden: There is a legitimate impasse that prevents it from going any farther than it’s gone. I can’t tell you what the impasse is.

The American: But you will be reviewing the interim chief’s actions in the statement he gave?

Hayden: I don’t know that there is an allegation prepared already. What’s under investigation is whether or not the use of force was excessive.

The American: You are now chief and you can look into the actions of Lawrence O’Toole.

Hayden: I am able to look into the actions of department employees. Yes, ma’am.

The American: What were the years you were with Chief Mokwa and how closely did you work with him?

Hayden: I was his executive aide from 2001 to 2007.

The American: That was before the Metropolitan Towing scandal? Hayden: I was in IAD when that issue came up. It was a federal investigation, so I didn’t review it.

The American: When you were working closely with Mokwa, did you accompany him to Metropolitan Towing at any time?

Hayden: I can’t say that I never did because sometimes I drove as well. Most of my work was reading reports.

The American: Did you ever see anything improper?

Hayden: I never saw anything improper, but I can tell you that I could have driven there a couple times.

The American: Many African-American men of a certain age say that Mokwa was a dirty cop coming up, that he got involved in drug deals. What was the culture of the police department around this very persistent rumor that the police chief had been a drug-dealing police officer?

Hayden: I think that some of that might come up during his promotional process. I think several colonels were sharing information on each other. I was aware that has been said. But there was nothing that he had done around me that made me suspicious or concerned about my presence with him.

STRIKE

Continued from A1

“The grievances covered unjust terminations and suspensions, denials for scheduled time off, and policy changes with regards to sick leave,” said Lenny Jones, state director of SEIU HealthCare. He said the mediation on Thursday would deal with these outstanding grievances and hopefully include bargaining over contractual issues to resolve the strike.”

The NLRB ruling on the labor grievances is expected next month.

One grievance that came up at Christmas time concerns the sick-time buy-back program allegedly denied to striking workers.

“If you have a certain amount of hours built up for your sick time and you didn’t use it, they give you 40 hours of that the week or so before Christmas,” Harris said. “We have a lot of members out here that was eligible for the buyback program. We have a lot of people that depend on that 40 hours for their Christmas, and they refused to pay it.”

Day 40 of the strike was

HOMELESS

Continued from A1

“This is what we feel like the city is calling a 24-hour emergency walk-in shelter: a port-a-potty and a dumpster,” activist Lisa Winter said. “And we think it’s just a disgrace. Nobody should have to shelter themselves in a port-a-potty or dumpster, and really it’s the failure of the city, who for three years waged a battle against Larry Rice, saying that his shelter was inadequate, and then provided no viable alternative.”

Last summer, Rev. Larry Rice’s New Life Evangelistic Center – the largest homeless shelter in the area – was shut down by the city due to

marked on the picket line on Tuesday, January 9 with a giant “pink slip” for the Women’s Christian Benevolent Association, the owners of Christian Care Home. It urges members of the ownership group to “place management of the care facility in the hands of persons or an entity with the resources and experience to run the nursing home in a manner that upholds the rights

hygiene and overcrowding concerns, in an effort spearheaded by downtown residents who have homes. It left the city with 300 less shelter beds this winter than before.

“I understand,” Krewson said. “I’m very distressed at the entire homeless situation.”

Most of the protestors outside her house were volunteers who have been working every night for the past two weeks, unpaid, to get people on the streets into shelters or at least give them a good meal and a blanket.

“We’re not here to just judge you,” said Derek Laney of Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment. “We’re here to implore you to do something. Because it’s not adequate. What’s happening

of workers, which also is in the best interests of residents.”

In a statement, the union calls for the Christian Woman’s Benevolent Association to “permanently replace itself in its role of managing the facility – language that echoes the unlawful and unprompted notices that nursing home administration issued to striking workers just days before Christmas, notifying

is not adequate. We are here because we see it. We’re going out every night and we’re finding people. We are finding people on the street who would otherwise freeze to death or have hypothermia.”

“Well, this does take volunteers and government,” Krewson responded.

The activists wanted to know why so much of the burden has fallen on volunteers to do this life-or-death job of helping our city’s most vulnerable residents. Three new churches opened their doors as emergency shelters this past week, without any funding or official sanction from the city.

“We find money to do the things that people with

them that they had been permanently replaced.”

The “pink slip” is being used to collect signatures from community leaders and will be presented to the Ferguson City Council on Tuesday night to ask for signatures from the mayor and council members. It will then be presented to the owners of Christian Care Home.

Donna Cooper, the

resources want to have done,” Laney told the mayor. “We find money for stadiums, we find money for tax incentives, we find money for all those things. But we’re saying that the homeless population is as important or more important than those people who have resources.”

Before heading back inside, Krewson told the protestors if they wanted to get things done, they should schedule an appointment at City Hall.

“I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t wake up all my neighbors,” Krewson said. “They didn’t run for mayor, I did.”

As the mayor requested, the group took their concerns

administrator at Christian Care home, and Vi Wieble, board president of the Women’s Christian Benevolent Society, had not responded to a request for comment by press time.

Harries said the facility housed about 130 patients when the workers went on strike, but only about 70 remain.

A couple of weeks into the strike, the union reported

to City Hall about three hours later. They tried to bring their cardboard port-a-potty and dumpsters inside City Hall, but were stopped in their tracks by a guard at the metal detector.

Organizer Elizabeth Vega explained that the mayor asked them to come to City Hall to schedule an appointment, “so we are.”

“What rule says we can’t bring a box into the building?” one protestor said. “I don’t have a firearm, I don’t have a knife, I don’t have mace.”

As it became increasingly clear they would not leave the lobby, a harried representative from the mayor’s office was sent to speak with the group.

that vehicles from St. Louisbased Midwest Geriatric Management HealthCare removed a number of Christian Care Home residents to other MGM facilities in the area. Jones said MGM has a consulting agreement with Christian Care Home. MGM Healthcare is a subsidiary of MGM Management. MGM HealthCare owns eight locations in Missouri: BentWood Nursing and Rehab Center, Hidden Lake Care Center, King City Healthcare, Oak Park Care Center, Springfield Skilled Care Center and The Lodges, Sunset Health Care Center, The Quarters at Des Peres and St. Sophia Health and Rehabilitation Center in Florissant. St. Sophia in Florissant lost its Medicare funding for new patients recently following deaths of two residents. The most recent incident occurred in September, when a resident bled to death after pulling out a dialysis catheter. The second death occurred in 2016 when an 88-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease died after allegedly after being left in a whirlpool bath for eight hours. MGM also owns at six centers in Iowa, eight in Oklahoma.

A meeting with the mayor was scheduled tentatively for January 16.

“We had a guy in a couple nights ago that they could not take off his shoes because his shoes had frozen to his feet,” Winter said. “They could not remove his shoes to warm them up. We’re seeing frostbite so bad, there’s open wounds all over people’s hands and feet from trying to survive on the street. And they are our neighbors. I know that Lyda says she cares, and that’s amazing. But I want to see more than her just saying she’s sad in a tweet from the city. We want to hold the city accountable to its plan. We want it to be transparent.”

Lisa Cunningham, a Ferguson resident and SEIU worker on strike against Christian Care Home, rallied supporters during a protest in front of the facility on Tuesday, January 9.

Photo by Wiley Price

Battle over: taxpayers are backing Scottrade improvements

It seems that the battle is over. All those fighting to protect the city’s challenged budget and declining credit rating have laid down their swords, and the St. Louis Blues and Kiel Center Partners will finally get the $67.5 million in taxpayer money – or $105.9 million with interest over 30 years – for making improvements at the Scottrade Center, the home of the Blues hockey team.

On Friday, January 5, Comptroller Darlene Green released a statement announcing a settlement that resolves the lawsuit that Scottrade’s owner Kiel Partners filed against her in August, after she refused to sign off on the deal’s financing agreement and bonds because it would hurt the city’s credit rating. A judge ultimately ordered her to do so in November.

Green said that the agreement is in the “best interest of city taxpayers.”

“I am pleased that all parties were able to come together, and grateful for the hard work of my staff and others who made this agreement possible,” Green said. “It is my hope it will mitigate impact on the city’s general fund and credit rating.” Kiel Partners also rejoiced in the agreement.

“We are pleased to have resolved all the issues necessary

to allow us to complete the financing and construction of our Phase I improvements to Scottrade,” said the Kiel Partners spokesman. So what was the agreement? What changed? Not much.

Alderwoman Cara Spencer of the 20th Ward said the new agreement takes pressure off the city’s credit rating by allowing the city to use additional revenue sources to pay back the bonds, rather than just the city’s general revenue fund.

In the settlement, it states that these revenue sources could be “incremental city tax revenues generated from the Scottrade Project” and “parking revenues contributed from the Parking Commission of the city.”

A representative with the Comptroller’s Office told The American that the incremental tax revenues meant “a revenue stream that the Blues hope to attract by doing the renovations.”

But that’s not new. It says so in the agreement itself:

“The parties understand and agree that the provisions of this agreement do not change or alter the terms of the financing agreement or any other agreements pertaining to the Scottrade Center that were subject of the lawsuit with the sole exception of the revised

in

indenture terms.”

And then in bold and underlined print, it states, “which simply confirm the City’s existing right to offset the general revenue payments with other revenue from other sources.”

So Green, who had been putting up a good fight all year, finally decided to bow down rather than appealing the judge’s decision.

Spencer, along with two city residents, also threw in the towel in their lawsuit against the Blues, which claimed it was illegal to use public dollars to help private companies. She feared they would have to pay legal fees if they lost.

Upon hearing about the comptroller’s settlement, Spencer said that she remains disappointed that the city is backing these bonds.

“We don’t see that for the coffee shops in my neighborhood and the convenient stores,” Spencer

told The American. “Doing it for one of the largest forprofit entities in the region puts the general revenue fund at significant peril at a time where our net position has continued to decrease and our credit rating is continuing to decrease. This is not the time to be backing bonds with the general fund.”

Team TIF warns

As far as the “net position,” Spencer was pointing to the FY 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) that Green recently released.

It showed that the city’s net position, which looks at its investment into capital assets, has seen a dramatic decline. In 2013, the city’s net position was valued at $1.32 billion. As of June 30, 2017, it had halved to $646.5 million.

Team TIF St. Louis, a grassroots watchdog group of the city’s economic incentives, recently released a report about Green’s findings.

“This declining position is especially concerning, as the comptroller notes that the Scottrade bonds hadn’t been signed,” the group states, “which would have added another $64 million in obligations to the city’s books.”

Some of the dramatic decline could be attributed to the large debt load that was taken on in order to win the NGA site selection process, Team TIF stated.

But the group’s main takeaways are that some of the revenues from the two new sales tax increases that would have be put towards community development will now be going to keep the city afloat and balance the budget. And the decline in the net position could cause more downgrades from rating agencies, making it more costly to borrow in the future.

“It is safe to say that the city’s fiscal troubles are not only continuing, but appear to be escalating,” Team TIF states.

Did you say parking revenue?

Yes, parking revenue and the Parking Commission were named in the settlement as

“additional revenue” sources that the city could use to pay back the bonds. This very interesting.

Let’s go back the August 24 Political EYE titled, “All kinds of messed up on the Scottrade deal.” That was a lengthy review of the squabbles between the Green, Mayor Lyda Krewson and City Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones. The argument began in the spring with Jones saying she would be willing to use her bonding authority through the Parking Commission to help the deal. But one of her conditions was that the Blues agree to a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), which was one of Jones’ most widely supported ideas during her mayoral campaign. Basically, if the public is going to dole out money for stadiums, then those sport teams’ owners need to give something back to the community – other than promises of new revenues from area hotels and restaurants, etc.

Linda Martinez, the mayor’s director of economic development, supposedly told Jones that there would be no CBA. A spokesman for Krewson told The American that was because the deal was already done and signed into law. (Interestingly, Martinez was the attorney who represented the Blues when they signed the original lease in 1992.)

Well, now the deal again includes the Parking Commission chipping in to take the weight off the city’s general fund. But this time, there’s no involvement from Jones at all and no CBA.

Jones told The American “I’m intrigued by the fact that my office has not been a party to any of the negotiations of this settlement.”

The American asked Green how she was going to secure the parking revenues, and she has not yet responded.

Another thing that stifled the conversation about using the Parking Commission as a bonding authority was a lawsuit filed a year ago by James J. Wilson, the former city counselor under Mayor Vincent

Schoemehl Jr. His suit questions whether the Parking Commission is constitutional.

The city counselor then filed a motion this summer that supports some of the claims in the suit.

Jones basically said that the city had tied her hands legally to help secure the deal. In an August 9 letter to Green, Jones stated, “We are confounded by the request to help Scottrade Center renovations through state statutes that the City of St. Louis interprets as unconstitutional and board bills that are in direct conflict with state law.” Now in the settlement, the Parking Commission is being named as a potential aid to the city’s credit rating – even though the city has joined a lawsuit to dissolve the Parking Commission.

And it gets messier: Wilson’s attorney, Elkin Kistner, is also Green’s attorney. Another worrisome facet to this deal. Judge Joan Moriarty initially found that Green had a “ministerial duty” to sign the financing agreement. As part of the settlement, the judge vacated her decision. Still, never before has a judge ordered a St. Louis city comptroller to sign a financing agreement as Moriarty did on November 27. The comptroller complied on December 5 at the judge’s threat of holding Green in contempt of court. (The settlement outlines these actions.)

This should scare all taxpayers. Though Judge Moriarty agreeing to set aside her original order “allows for a clean slate and a new day in court if Comptroller Green or any future comptroller finds an expenditure imprudent,” as Green’s spokesman stated to The American, which means “Comptroller Green is now and remains the city’s checks-andbalance when it comes to our finances and the city’s credit,” the fact remains that a judge ordered a comptroller to sign an agreement and got it signed. That’s scary.

After a series of legal defeats and capitulations, the St. Louis Blues and Kiel Center Partners will finally get the $67.5 million

taxpayer money – or $105.9 million with interest over 30 years – for making improvements at the Scottrade Center, the home of the Blues hockey team.

Brian D. Smedley, PhD, cofounder of the National Collaborative for Health Equity in Washington, D.C. is the keynote speaker at the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Lecture at Washington University School of Medicine on Monday, January 15.

Confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health

Brian D. Smedley to keynote WUSTL Medicine’s MLK celebration on January 15

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis

American

The man who wrote the book about poorer health outcomes for persons of color will be in St. Louis on Monday, January 15 as the MLK celebration keynote speaker at Washington University School of Medicine.

Brian D. Smedley, Ph.D., is cofounder and executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity in Washington, D.C. The project connects research, policy analysis, and communications with on-the- ground activism to advance health equity and, he said, “undo the health consequences of racism.” He is the author of “Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare” (2002).

n “We need activists and advocates on the ground to understand these issues and to pressure local governments to find regional solutions.”

– Brian D. Smedley

“In a clear and convincing manner, this book laid out evidence that racial and ethnic minorities receive a lower quality of healthcare than non-minorities, even when controlling for factors such as insurance

Why isn’t health a greater priority in Missouri?

The state has tumbled 16 places in national ranking for health in 27 years

By Robert Hughes Of Missouri Foundation for Health

United Health Foundation’s latest America’s Health Rankings of states came out in December, and as the leader of a health-focused foundation in Missouri, I have to say that the results were disheartening. Put simply, from a health and well-

Robert Hughes

being perspective, Missouri is not doing well, and we’ve been getting worse. We ranked 40th for our overall health ranking, and the long-term trends make the situation even more serious. In 1990 we were squarely in the middle – 24th place – meaning that we’ve tumbled 16

See HUGHES, A11

status and incomes,” said Will Ross, M.D., associate dean for Diversity and professor of Renal Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, whose office sponsors the annual MLK lecture.

“The publication was a clarion call for action to identify and reduce systemic barriers to healthcare for racial and ethnic minorities.”

So far, Smedley said, not so good.

“We are not making significant progress, because we still see evidence of systematic equities, in health care systems as well as outside of health care systems,” Smedley said. “The very kinds of structures and systems that helped to create poorer health

See SMEDLEY, A11

Sharonda McMullen ran 230.5 miles in 28 races in 15 cities, 12 states and 2 countries

By Donnea Meyer For The St. Louis American

n Through every half-marathon, she was inspired by a quote from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just the first step.”

Sharonda McMullen has been inducted into the 2017 class of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series Hall of Fame. Some 500,000 people run in Rock ‘n’ Roll races throughout the year with 4,600 people attempting to reach the Hall of Fame. Only 150 people made it through, and this St. Louis native is one of them. Sharonda ran 15 half marathons, which qualified her for the Hall of Fame. In total, she ran 230.5 miles, earned 50 medals, running 28 races in 15 cities across 12 states and 2 countries. McMullen, 43, has been running for only 2 years. She offered two tips on running this kind of distance. First, find a training plan and stick. Then, and more importantly, get your mind right. She feels that mental drive far outweighs physical ability. The thought process she follows in running long distances can be applied to anything you pursue, she said. She said to focus on acting in a productive way towards making the image you see in your mind become a reality. Through every step, every trip, every race, every ache, every finish, and every victory, she was inspired by a quote from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just the first step.” Don’t let the massiveness of a major project discourage you, she advised. Get your mind right, and succeed.

Missouri’s 16-point fall in overall health rankings among states in the past 27 years was the single largest drop anywhere in the country outside of North Dakota, which fell 17 places.

Sharonda McMullen

HUGHES

Continued from A10

places in 27 years. We should all be alarmed by this decline, yet focused on answering a difficult but fundamental question: How and why is our state failing to fulfill its obligations for the health of its citizens, and what can be done?

The decline in Missouri’s health since 1990 was little noticed from year to year, but is startling when viewed in totality. It hasn’t been a steady drop; we hit 40th place in 2011 and 2012 before rising briefly again, but we’ve ranked 30 or worse since 1991. Our 16-point fall in overall health rankings among states was the single largest drop anywhere in the country outside of North Dakota, which fell 17 places, from 1st to 18th.

The rankings use a comprehensive view of the issues that influence health outcomes. Factors such as clinical care, policy, personal behaviors, and community/environment are all combined to give a broad look at the health of the region. Particular challenges like high rates of smoking, violent crime, and low immunization rates were issues that led to our state’s poor ranking, but Missouri’s showing across the board was sub-par. Why are we losing ground compared to other states? The list of contributing factors is long; here are some well-known highlights:

n Particular challenges like high rates of smoking, violent crime, and low immunization rates were issues that led to our state’s poor ranking.

• One of the lowest per-capita spending rates for public health funding in the country

• Lowest-in-thecountry tobacco taxes that, if raised, could significantly reduce smoking rates and generate needed state revenue

• An opioid epidemic, firearm violence, and rising suicide rates

• Lack of affordable health insurance coverage

• Climbing rates of obesity

• Unacceptable levels of infant mortality

• Decades of underinvestment in our human capital via education and job training, as well as basic community infrastructures that support health

• Inadequate access to clinical care

• A fraying social safety net

The suffering is widespread. Early in 2018 we will publish a report on the unprecedented rise in mortality rates for white Missourians, particularly in rural areas. African Americans in urban St. Louis also face a difficult set of challenges, as was reported in the For the Sake of All project. Though these two reports show a dire situation, they both include recommendations for a path forward. We as a society must heed these calls to action. In Missouri we have many strengths, but they have been insufficient to prevent our decline. We all play a part in being responsible for the factors contributing to our poor health outcomes, and we all have a role to play in changing our state’s downward trajectory. We can make changes through personal behavior, policy opportunities, organizational improvements, community action, and working together across societal sectors. It will require sustained attention and commitment. It will require leaders from business, government, and the nonprofit community to work together. And, it will require citizens from all walks of life to engage and participate vigorously in moving the state toward a healthier future.

America’s Health Rankings are produced to stimulate action for improvement. Will Missouri heed the wake-up call provided by these latest findings? For the benefit of our children and the future of our state, I hope so.

Robert Hughes is president and chief executive officer of Missouri Foundation for Health.

SMEDLEY

Continued from A10

for many communities of color, unfortunately, persist.”

That is where the National Collaborative for Health Equity is focusing its current work.

“We know that health care accounts for about 10 percent of population health,” he said. “When we look overall at the health status of populations –statistics like longevity, like disease burden – we know that health care in itself doesn’t create those inequities.”

He said we must recognize the systematic challenges that are barriers to opportunities for good health for communities of color.

“Communities of color are too often overrun with environmental health threats,”

‘Changing

the culture of the pediatric visit’

SLU project connects families to resources while training med students on community needs

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

Saint Louis University researchers are tackling hunger in the community by tracking it in a SLU medical clinic, and through training and connecting health advocates to children and families in need of available resources.

A $580,000 grant from Missouri Foundation for Health will support this work, including improving screening practices and follow-up care.

In the city of St. Louis, 26 percent of households regularly do not know whether they will be able to feed their family. A 2015 survey of patients at Danis Pediatric Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital found that 57 percent of caregivers experienced some level of household food insecurity.

“A lot of pediatricians and other primary care providers are starting to screen for social determinants, using a standard questionnaire that families fill out in the waiting room, but the challenge with that is a family might fill that out, but what happens next?” principal investigator Ellen K. Barnridge, PhD, said. She is associate professor of behavioral science and health education at Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice.

“It is not just individual things that are happening in one family, but there are actually systems in place that are creating patterns among families,” she said.

The three-year grant will fund researchers, social workers, students and community partners to create, implement and refine a system that will improve screening and follow-up with families struggling with food insecurity, as well as other resource insecurities. SLU students in medicine, public health and social work will be trained as health advocates for the families, sharing information on opportunities for food, banking, training, transportation and social work.

“We need a sustainable way to make connections, and one of the assets that we have at Saint Louis University is our students,”

Smedley said. “Too often we see communities of color are in so-called ‘food deserts’ –lacking access to nutritious, inexpensive or affordable foods. And, in contrast, they are overrun with vendors selling unhealthy products, like fast food and carryout, and disproportionate alcohol and tobacco advertising and sales.”

He said communities of color also face an inequitable criminal justice system that is disproportionately warehousing men of color, which has broad negative consequences for entire communities, not just young men and their families.

Community disinvestment and lack of economic vitality are other systemic issues that negatively affect heath, as well as education.

“Kids of color find themselves segregated in high-poverty schools that lack

Barnridge said. “And it’s an opportunity for us to think about how we train students to understand the systems that are in place that keep people from reaching their optimal health, and really being able to navigate systems to find resources for things like food and diapers, help with utilities – that we know influence how healthy kids can be.”

Early interventions to provide safety net services have the potential to deter future health problems by providing basic needs and services to families in need, she said. Providing supportive referrals and connections before a family is in crisis can provide long-term stability and health.

“Our hope is that part of what we are doing

n “It’s an opportunity for us to think about how we train students to understand the systems that are in place that keep people from reaching their optimal health.”

– Ellen K. Barnridge

is changing the culture of the pediatric visit,” Barnridge said.

Children who live in resource-limited households have more cognitive, emotional and physical health challenges throughout their life and face a greater risk of multiple chronic diseases, including obesity, she said. Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest that pediatric clinical settings may create optimal screening opportunities for the identification of household food insecurity.

“Screening alone does not address food insecurity or other resource insecurities,” Barnidge said. “Taking advantage of the fact that most families with children interact with the health care system, we can identify families who may need support and actively link them

n “When youth don’t see meaningful opportunities in their communities, we can expect violence as a way of acting out and trying to create opportunity where there is none.”

– Brian D. Smedley

the resources to help prepare them for higher education and beyond,” Smedley said.

“Some people might think that does not have much to do about health, but researchers have long known there is an important relationship between educational attainment and health.”

Conditions in neglected, marginalized neighborhoods play a role in fomenting the violence that plagues so many communities.

“Violence has been

created, in no small part, by government policies that have concentrated poverty into certain neighborhoods – and in particularly in communities of color,” Smedley said.

“Violence is not something that is natural or innate or should be expected. It comes about as a result of a lack of opportunity and as a result of youth being disconnected from school or jobs. When youth don’t see meaningful opportunities in their communities, we can expect violence as a way of

to community-based resources, increasing the likelihood that families will get the support they need.”

Josh Arthur, M.D., a SLUCare pediatrician in the Danis Center and a co-investigator on the project, said the students working on the project will benefit as much as the community.

“This program is a unique opportunity for SLU students to not only connect families to crucial resources, but also be formed into future practitioners invested in empathetic, evidence-based care for families vulnerable to poor health outcomes,” he said.

SLUCare pediatrician Gene LaBarge, M.D. and professor at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, is also a co-investigator.

Barnridge said that health advocates also are needed to bridge the gap between needs and resources. “Healthcare providers themselves have responsibilities elsewhere, so they can’t be the ones to make that connection,” she said.

The advocates will help families and caregivers complete applications for federal food subsidies, find financial products and debt consolidation opportunities, obtain public transportation vouchers or identify training for parents of young children, among other support opportunities. Health advocates will follow up with families for one year to ensure success.

Operation Food Search, Parents as Teachers, St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, St. Louis Community Credit Union and St. Louis Area Food Bank are the community partners on the project. Operation Food Search will provide emergency meal kits, and the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank will provide diaper packs immediately to families that need them. The partners also will form a community advisory committee of nonprofit service providers.

The goal is to reach 60 families in the first year and, in the long-term, reduce food insecurity among Danis’ 9,000-plus pediatric patients.

acting out and trying to create opportunity where there is none.”

Using facts and data about the St. Louis area, Smedley said he wants to draw a line between the kind of inequity that we see in health care systems to broader social, economic problems and policies.

“The fact that government has been complicit with the private sector, historically, in creating highly segregated neighborhoods, is at the root of many of the problems that we see,” Smedley said. “We can see these are some of the problems at the root of why many communities of color have a higher burden of disease and disability and shortened life spans.”

He said communities did not get there by accident, and it will take community advocates

working with government officials to make changes.

“We need activists and advocates on the ground to understand these issues,” Smedley said, “and to pressure local governments to find regional solutions around housing, around transportation, around education, criminal justice.”

“Bending the Arc: Harnessing Research and Engagement for Health Equity” with Brian D. Smedley as keynote speaker will take place 4 p.m. Monday, January 15 at the Eric P. Newman Center, 320 S. Euclid. To R.S.V.P. and for more information, call (314) 3626854, email ginabiondo@ wustl.edu, or visit mlk18. splashthat.com. There is validated parking at the North Euclid Parking Garage.

Photo by Wiley Price

Josh Arthur, a SLUCare pediatrician at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, does a wellchild checkup on Skyler Hendrix, 8.

NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION

A Closer Look at Ingredients

PRESENT:

Healthy Kids Healthy Kids

You get home from school and you’re hungry. You grab the closest snack you can find. But do you really know what’s in the food you’re about to eat? Take a look at the Ingredients Listing found on all food labels. Two key things to remember are: What comes first? — Ingredients are listed by the amount of that item the food contains. In other words, if the first ingredient is sugar (or corn syrup, fructose, etc.) you know that food contains a lot of “empty” calories. This means that the food probably won’t provide many nutrients, just a lot of calories.

Start Small!

It is often said that the hardest part about exercising is getting started!

So, start small. For example, if you want to be able to run 5 miles, you can’t just go out and run that far on your very first try. First, start by walking

Monday, January 15, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Why not celebrate by not just enjoying a day off school, but deciding to use the day to make a difference for your community?

Cocoa Puffers Cereal

INGREDIENTS:Whole

Grain Corn,Sugar,Corn Meal,Corn Syrup,Canola and/or Rice Bran Oil,Cocoa Processed withAlkali,ColorAdded,Salt,Fructose,Natural andArtificial Flavor,Trisodium Phosphate,BHTAdded to Preserve Freshness. Vitamins and Minerals:TricalciumPhosphate,Calcium Carbonate,Zinc and Iron (mineralnutrients), Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), A BVitamin (niacinamide), Vitamin B

Keep it short! — You want the list to be short: not many ingredients. Generally the shorter the ingredient list the more natural the food, and healthier for you. Avoid foods that contain a lot of chemicals and preservatives in the ingredients list.

Discussion: Why aren’t there ingredients lists on fresh fruits and vegetables?

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 4, HPE

farther and faster each day. When you can walk briskly for thirty minutes, slowly add in some running along the way.

Try walking 10 minutes and then run for three and walk for 10 again. When you can do that pretty easily, switch it to walking for five minutes and running for five. Finally, you’ll

switch to walking for three, running for 10, and eventually you can run the entire 30 minutes! Remember that this could take a few months to accomplish, and always ask your doctor if it’s a good idea to do the kind of exercise you’re choosing.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

Healthcare Careers

Cynthia Allen-Bryant, Clinical Nurse Supervisor

Where do you work? I work for Deer Valley Home Health Services. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Soldan High School. I then earned a respiratory therapy degree from Maryville University, an Applied Science in Nursing degree from Florissant Valley Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Saint Louis University.

What does a clinical nurse supervisor do? I supervise over 40 nurses daily. This includes training new nurse, staffing, and completing monthly reassessments for the state of Missouri. I also take care of our children in the Healthy Kids and Youth Program when needed. I am an advocate for our clients and I participate in free neighborhood health screenings.

Why did you choose this career? I followed in my mother’s footsteps. My mom and aunt were nurses and I always wanted to be a pediatric nurse.

P.B. Snack Wrap

Ingredients:

6 Whole Wheat Tortillas

1 Cp Low-Fat Peanut Butter

Variety of fillings: Dried fruit, nuts, coconut, etc.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, NH 5

Research online and in the newspaper for events taking place on Monday that reflect the ideals and causes that were so important to Dr. King. Are there any community/ neighborhood projects that would appreciate your contribution? Can you think of your own project?

Directions: Spread 1-2 tablespoons of the peanut butter down the center of a tortilla. Top with raisins, cranberries, nuts or other fillings, and roll up like a burrito.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I love communicating with our parents. Although I’m a supervisor, I actually get to do nurse visits with our clients. One of my favorite things is taking care of our disabled children for the day; you get to build a rapport with the parent, along with bonding with the child.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

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

The Saint Louis Zoo is currently accepting applications for Zoo ALIVE, our teen volunteer program. High school students 15 and older may apply. As a Zoo ALIVE volunteer, you can share your love of animals with our diverse audiences by helping at classes, camps, overnights, birthday parties, and special events. Volunteers can also participate in group conservation activities, camping trips, and more. This is a year-round program for dedicated and responsible teens.

For more information, visit stlzoo.org/education. Join Zoo ALIVE: Active Leaders in Volunteer Education!

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

Normandy Schools

In the Normandy Schools

Teachers, if you are using the St.

SCIENCE CORNER

What Is Nutrition For The Brain?

Dr. Brown was a neurophysiologist who studied the brain. To picture the size and shape of your brain, place two fists together with your inner wrists touching. The brain is grayish in color and soft, composed mostly of fat and water. Neurons are brain cells that control thinking, learning, and feeling; there are over 100 billion of them in the brain! Neurons are shaped like an open hand with the fingers spread. Dendrites are represented by the fingers. Dendrites receive information from other neurons and send them through the axon to another neuron. In order for this transfer of information to move quickly and smoothly, you need proper nutrition.

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

Conduction is the transfer of heat from one material to another through direct contact. Heat spreads through some materials better than others. In this experiment, the spoon that loses its bead first is the best conductor.

Materials Needed: Tall Glasses • Plastic Beads • Wooden Spoon • Plastic Spoon • Metal Spoon • Drinking Straw • Pitcher of Hot Water • Butter or Margarine

MATH CONNECTION

What does your brain need to function effectively?

q Healthy fats found in fish, nuts, and seeds.

w Protein found in lean meats and beans.

e Carbohydrates found in whole grains, such as brown rice.

r B vitamins found in dark, leafy greens.

t Calcium found in milk and yogurt.

One of the most important nutritional needs is water. The brain is made of 75% water. When you do not drink enough water, the brain becomes dehydrated and the neurons, dendrites, and axons do not function efficiently. Remember… good nutrition is not only good for your body, it is also important for your mind.

Learning Standards: I can read a nonfiction text to find the claim (main idea) and evidence (supporting details).

Conduct with Spoons!

Process:

q Use the butter to stick a bead to the end of each of the spoons and the straw.

w Stand them upright in the glasses. e Pour hot water in so it covers the bottom third of each spoon/straw. Observe what happens to the beads over the next few minutes.

Reflect: Describe the process of conduction in this experiment. Which type of spoon was the best conductor? Why?

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

Sharpen Your Brain with math!

Dr. Emery Neal Brown applies statistics to his studies of the brain (neurophysiology). Statistics involve collecting, organizing, and analyzing data. Complete these math activities to sharpen your statistic skills.

Activity One: A restaurant owner surveyed his customers for their favorite pizza topping. Look at this pie chart to analyze favorite pizza toppings. Which topping was the most popular? Which was the least popular?

Activity Two: The prices of 4 different shirts at a store are $10.99, $9.99, $14.99, and $19.99. What is the range in prices of these shirts? ___________ What is the average price?

Activity Three: Jake earned a 95, 92, 88, and 89 on his latest science exams.

DID YOU KNOW?

SCIENCE STARS

AFRICAN

AMERICAN MATHEMATICIAN AND NEUROPHYSIOLOGIST:

Emery Neal Brown

Emery Neal Brown was born in Ocala, Florida, in 1957. Both of his parents were math teachers. In 1974, he graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy. Four years later, he graduated magna cum laude (meaning with great distinction and honor) from Harvard College with a degree in applied mathematics. After working as a fellow at Institut Fourier des Mathematiques Pures in France, Brown returned to Harvard Medical School to earn his master’s and doctorate degree in statistics.

In 1988, Brown completed his internship in internal medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Four years later, he completed his residency in anesthesiology (giving patients medicine to put them to sleep before a surgery or procedure) at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Next, he joined the anesthesiology staff in the Department of Anesthesia at MGH, and the faculty at Harvard Medical School as an instructor. In 1999, he joined the faculty of Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he was a professor of computational neuroscience and professor of health and sciences. Brown is well known internationally for his use of math to study neuroimaging. He was able to see how the brain transfers information and how the brain responds during anesthesia.

Brown is one of the most cited African-American mathematicians. In 2000, he won the National Science Foundation (NSF) Minority Career Advancement Award and also a National Institute of Mental Health Independent Scientist Award. In 2007, he won the National Institute of Health Director’s Pioneer Award. He is a fellow of several organizations, including the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the American Statistical Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Brown is also a member of the National Academy of Science and the Institute of Medicine.

Discuss:

q What part of Dr. Brown’s story do you find most interesting?

w How would you describe him?

Learning Standards: I can read a biography to learn about a person who has made contributions in the field of science and mathematics.

What is his average score for these 4 tests? __________

Activity Four: The average daily temperatures in degrees over one week were 40, 44, 50, 38, 58, 42, and 39, respectively. What is the range of temperatures? _______ What is the average temperature?

Activity Five: Survey your classmates to determine their favorite fruit. Create a bar graph to display the results of your research.

Want More Statistic Fun? Check Out: http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/statistics-games.html

Learning Standards: I can collect and analyze data.

If you could harness the power used by your brain, you could power a 10watt light bulb.

Information travels at different speeds within different types of neurons. Transmission can be as slow as 0.5 meters/sec or as fast as 120 meters/sec.

Use the newspaper to complete these activities:

Activity One — Writing for Different Purposes:

Write a personal letter, business letter, letter to the editor, postcard, and email message about one topic featured in the newspaper. How does your writing style change with the mode of writing and intended audience? You can also write thank you notes, sympathy messages, invitations, or other personal correspondence based on topics in the newspaper.

Activity Two — Who Am I?

Riddles: Fold a piece of paper in half. On the outside flap, write a riddle about a character/person featured in the newspaper. Paste the article on the inside, and share your riddle with your classmates. They will use their newspaper to solve the riddle.

Learning Standards: I can write for various purposes and audiences. I can make deductions and inferences to solve a riddle.

Scenes from The Edwardsville-Collinsville Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc.’s 2017 Black & White Gala

The Edwardsville/Collinsville Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. hosted its 5th Annual Black and White Scholarship Gala at the Four Point Sheraton in Fairview Heights, IL on Saturday, December 16, 2017. The stately gala raised funds in support of academic scholarships and mentoring programs for local youth.

The evening began with a festive social hour, which included professional photography and rhythm and blues music by Press Play, featuring Greg Lewis. Welcome and introductory remarks were made by Vice Polemarch Marvin Lampkin, who acknowledged community leaders and dignitaries.

The Black and White Scholarship Gala recognizes individuals whom have contributed to our community and society. Honorees must have demonstrated social responsibility and impact on our youth and community. We thank them and salute them for all their hard work and dedication at the banquet.

This year’s honorees were Ms. Lashonda Coleman (Edwardsville High School Counselor), Dr. Thomas B. Cason III (Soldan High School Principal), Mr. Anthony D. Gray Esq. (Attorney and Social Activist), and Mr. Arthur Grist Sr. (Community Leader, Social Activist, and Nupe Extraordinaire).

Terry Palmer was also awarded the Arthur Grist Award for dedication and service to the community, fraternity, and chapter.

‘An economic solution to inequalities in the workplace’

Linda F. Harris, senior vice president of Administration and Compliance at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis;

Jones Jr., director of Community Organizing, Michael Holmes, vice president of Workforce Development; and Jamie Dennis, director of the Save Our Sons program.

Local Urban League focuses on workforce development

By Jessica Karins

For The St. Louis American

In a time when getting a college education seems more important to securing a job than ever before, Michael Holmes of the Urban League wants to help young people find alternatives. Holmes, the former executive director of the St. Louis Agency on Employment and Training (SLATE), recently joined the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis as its vice president of Workforce Development and Strategic Partnerships. Holmes wants to help fight unemployment, and he wants to do it through sticking to the practical rather than theory.

“Soft skills are important, but you can’t get a job based on soft skills,” Holmes said. For students who are leaving high school and either can’t go to college, don’t want to go to college or aren’t ready for college, the Urban

n “It’s about companies understanding their talent needs. We’ve got to know what they are and what they’re looking for.”

– Michael Holmes, Urban League

League’s Save our Sons program aims to provide a different choice that can still lead to a longterm and stable career.

“How do we make school-to-workforce development work for these kids?” Holmes asked.

The way to do that, he said, is to help these students gain practical skills, skills they can

turn into a career, at a young age. Holmes draws on the apprenticeship programs that were available to earlier generations, using automotive maintenance as an example. Students in those apprenticeship programs, he said, would start working in auto shops by the time they were in 10th grade. Holmes said the earlier students can be exposed to these options, the better.

“You really want to start when they’re in kindergarten,” Holmes said.

The Urban League is hoping to partner with a wide range of organizations to put these ideas into practice, including private companies and school districts. They are already working on partnerships with St. Louis Community College and Ranken Technical College.

They are also working with organizations like the Missouri Hospital Association, the

See URBAN, B2

ESL native earns rank of U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer

By U.S. Navy Office of Community Outreach

Navy Chief Culinary Specialist Ferlissia Hunnicutt from East Saint Louis was recently promoted to chief petty officer, an accomplishment that only one in five eligible sailors achieve each year.

Chief Hunnicutt, a 2006 Pebblebrook High School graduate, is currently serving aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

“Being selected for chief petty officer means that my job has really just begun,” said Hunnicutt. “With these anchors come more responsibilities and I owe to everyone to be that example and build and bring as many sailors with me as possible.”

Achieving the title of Navy Chief is a major honor and milestone. According to Navy

See HUNNICUTT, B2

Jamala Rogers was named executive director of the Organization for Black Struggle. She is one of the founders of the organization and served as its longtime chairperson. The OBS Board of Directors accepted the membership’s recommendation after a lengthy search by the group’s transition team, headed by Ashli Bolden.

Steven Cousins was named among the Missouri Lawyers Weekly Influential Lawyers of 2018. He is a Financial and Real Estate Services partner at Armstrong Teasdale, which he joined in 1980 as the firm’s first AfricanAmerican lawyer. He became its first African-American partner in 1987 and later the first African American to serve on its Executive Committee.

Kimberly Brown was named executive director of The Haven of Grace, a home to young, pregnant, homeless women ages 18 and above who are looking for a fresh start in life. She has held leadership positions with Cardinal Ritter Senior Services, Creve Coeur Assisted Living and Interfaith Residence (dba Doorways).

Michael Kennedy Jr. will continue to serve on the Board of Directors of the Associated General Contractors of Missouri. He is president of the Up Companies. The association is the leading voice of the construction industry in Missouri.

Kalisha Turner was a facilitator with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Sister Circle Program, which received the 2017 Outstanding Project Award from the Great Lakes Association of College and University Housing Officers. The award is given to a member institution that has implemented an innovative approach to enhancing diversity awareness, understanding and education. The program provides a connection for female students of color to university professionals and peers as a line of support.

Ladd was

Navy Chief Culinary Specialist Ferlissia Hunnicutt with family and friends

of

Jamala Rogers

Kimberly Brown

George Ladd

Kalisha Turner

Steven Cousins

Michael Kennedy Jr.

Darryl

Photo by Richard Davis

Promises made by for-profit colleges may lead to bad investment in education

By Charlene Crowell Columnist

Mounting student debt is a nagging problem for most families these days. As the cost of higher education rises, borrowing to cover those costs often becomes a family concern across multiple generations including the student, parents, and even grandparents or other relatives.

Today’s 21st Century jobs usually demand higher education and specialized skills to earn one’s way into the middle class. In households where educational loans are inevitable, it becomes an important family decision to determine which institutions are actually worth the debt incurred. Equally important is the institution’s likelihood of its students graduating.

Undergraduate borrowing by state showed that the percentage of students that borrow from the federal government generally ranged between 40 to 60 percent for public colleges, compared to 50 to 80 percent at for-profit institutions.

Additionally, both public and private, not-for-profit institutions on average lead to better results at a lower cost of debt, better earnings following graduation and the fewest loan defaults.

Higher education institutions that do not provide its students and graduates with requisite skills and knowledge become money pits that lead to deeper debt and likely loan defaults.

New research by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) analyzed student debt on a state-by-state basis. An interactive map of CRL’s findings reveal on a state basis each of the 50 states’ total undergraduate population, for-profit enrollment, and the top for-profit schools by enrollment for both four-year and two-year institutions.

Entitled The State of For Profit Colleges, the report concludes that investing in a for-profit education is almost always a risky proposition.

“In many cases, for-profit students are nontraditional students, making sacrifices and struggling to manage family and work obligations to make better lives for their families,” noted Robin Howarth, a CRL senior researcher. “Forprofit colleges target them with aggressive marketing, persuading them to invest heavily in futures that will never come to pass.”

CRL also found that women and blacks suffer disparate impacts, particularly at for-profit institutions, where they are disproportionately enrolled in most states. For example, enrollment at Mississippi’s for-profit colleges was 78 percent female and nearly 66 percent black. Other states with high black enrollment at for-profits included Georgia (57 percent), Louisiana (55 percent), Maryland (58 percent) and North Carolina (54 percent).

Focus group interviews further substantiated these figures, and recounted poignant, real life experiences. Brianna, a 31-year-old black female completed a

Medical Assistant certificate at the now-defunct Everest University. Once she completed her MA certificate and passed the certification test, she found she could only find a job in her field of study that paid $12 per hour, much less than the $35,000-$45,000 salary that Everest told her would be her starting salary as a medical assistant. She was also left with $21,000 in student debt. As a result, she has struggled since matriculation with low credit scores and cramped housing conditions for herself and three children. For her, public

schools, according to Brianna, are “better in the long run” due to their lower cost despite having more requirements for attendance.

Similarly, Elena, a 35-yearold Latina enrolled in a forprofit institution after seeing television commercials for the local branch of Everest College targeted at those without a GED, like herself. Assured by Everest that she would earn between $13-15 an hour working as a pharmacy technician, she thought that wage would have been enough for her to repay tens of thousands of dollars in student loans and interest she incurred. Yet, the best wage she could find with a pharmacy paid only $10.50 an hour.

Elena also shared that the financial aid officers at Everest encouraged her to apply for “all these monies [grants and loans] that I could get. And they took it all – all of it. And yes, I am left with this bill.”

These two personal experiences are magnified across the country with high

URBAN

continued from page B1

St. Louis Regional Chamber and St. Louis Development Corporation so the Urban League and employers can understand each other’s needs.

“It’s about companies understanding their talent needs,” Holmes said. “We’ve got to know what they are and what they’re looking for.”

The Urban League is a non-profit organization that was founded to fight racism in 1910 as the Committee on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, making it the oldest organization of its kind in the United States. Holmes said helping African Americans find jobs is part of the organization’s foundation, including its efforts to end barriers to black employment in the 1920s and its fights to diversify America’s workplaces and boardrooms during the Civil Rights era.

The Urban League wants

HUNNICUTT

continued from page B1

Personnel Command, there are only 8.5 percent of sailors currently serving at the chief petty officer rank. To be selected for this promotion, sailors must be a petty officer 1st class, and successfully navigate through two qualifying factors: a jobbased exam and a selection review board. A sailor’s record can only proceed to the review board after they score high enough on the exam. Once the

female for-profit college enrollment. For example, the Midwestern states of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin have female-dominated for-profit enrollment and disproportionate black enrollment too. These were also states with some of the lowest for-profit graduation rates after six years of study.

In Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi and North Carolina, median forprofit student debt levels at graduation in these five states was much higher than that of their public peers, ranging from $29,947 to $34,891 for for-profit students compared to $21,605 to $23,638 for public students.

Public colleges and private, nonprofit institutions in these same five states combined also had average black enrollment rates that were noticeably smaller: Georgia (32 percent), Louisiana (31 percent), Maryland (28 percent), Mississippi (38 percent), North Carolina (23 percent).

These disparate outcomes are even more grievous when

to bring quality jobs to St. Louis and the surrounding region, including the Illinois community of East St. Louis.

Daphne Moore, the city manager of East St. Louis, is hoping to get on board with that mission. Moore wants to bring more jobs to East St. Louis, but she said job training programs do not always lead to actual employment.

“We’re trying to see how we can be more effective in offering programs that lead to something,” Moore said.

Doing that, she said, will mean bringing more businesses to East St. Louis itself. Moore said the community has seen positive changes in the last few years, cleaning up the city’s appearance and bringing in more revenue. East St. Louis recently regained authority over its own housing authority for the first time in 30 years.

“East St. Louis is really working hard to revitalize our community and to help our citizens be financially empowered,” Moore said.

Moore thinks the Urban

exam is passed, their records are reviewed by a panel of senior navy leaders who meet for six weeks to determine if the individuals meet the standards for selection as a chief petty officer. A sailor’s performance is evaluated for at least five years, and each sailor attributes different experiences for their selection.

“I would have to say I supported my sailors, leadership and command,” said Hunnicutt. “I pushed myself beyond my limits and made sacrifices even when they made me uncomfortable.” During the ceremony, the

A new report by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) concluded that investing in a for-profit education is almost always a risky proposition.

one takes into account that forprofit colleges are primarily funded by taxpayers, receiving up to 90 percent of their revenues from federal financial aid such as Pell Grants and federal student loans. Veterans educational benefits are additional taxpayer-paid revenues. Finally, three years following graduation from a for-profit institution, former students in 44 states had double-digit default rates. These states included: Kansas, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. These and other findings document how Americans are investing heavily in higher education. But in large part, the choice of institution determines whether they will receive what they paid for: gainful employment.

Charlene Crowell is the communications deputy director with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene. crowell@responsiblelending. org.

League’s commitment to regionalism and outreach to East St. Louis could help with that mission. She said she thinks the Urban League’s initiatives could be more productive than other job training programs that have come to East St. Louis.

Jamie Dennis, the director of the Save our Sons program, said his work has borne that out. Dennis said men graduate with work and life skills from the Save our Sons training program. Most go on to find employment or to higher education.

Many of them, Dennis said, find employment within one or two weeks of graduating.

“It’s almost like a foolproof plan,” Dennis said. Dennis said the demand for programs like Save our Sons came from St. Louis’ black community and addresses their specific needs. He said, “It’s designed to be an economic solution to the problem of inequalities in the workplace.”

honored sailors invite friends and family members to pin on the two gold anchors that adorn the newly appointed chiefs’ uniforms, while the sailor’s sponsor places the combination cover on their heads.

“I would have to thank everyone from friends, family, mentors and most importantly my sailors,” said Hunnicutt.

“This never would have happened if it wasn’t for their hard work and dedication. So I thank them for allowing me to lead them, and supporting me in my decisions.”

Charlene Crowell

“When they just called everybody’s number, we were ready.”

— Alabama freshmen receiver DeVonta Smith, after his game winning catch in the national championship game

Sports

‘Sky is the limit’ for rowing standout Jeri Rhodes

Holds St. Louis Rowing Club junior records, won national

By Tashon Reed

For The St. Louis American

Jeri Rhodes was in gym class when St. Louis Rowing Club head coach Tim Franck showed up for his annual visit to Ladue Horton Watkins High School. Franck brought rowing machines as well as additional information about the program.

Rhodes, a sophomore at the time, tested herself on the rowing machine along with her fellow classmates. She finished with the fastest time of them all. Her older sister, Ginette Rhodes, rowed with the club in the previous year and now attends Ohio State University.

Franck was dead set on getting Jeri to join as well. She was just as talented as Ginette, but boasted greater size and strength.

“He told me, ‘Wow, she would be a great person to row. Oh, my God,” Jeri’s father Jeffrey Rhodes said. Luckily for Franck, Jeri was interested in following in her sister’s footsteps. “She came to me and said, ‘Dad, I want to win as many medals as my big sister did,’” Jeffrey Rhodes said.

Two years later, Jeri has done just that. She’s the St. Louis Rowing Club’s current junior female record holder for the 2k, 5k and 10k indoor rowing times. She’s a member of the junior United States Rowing Team, attended the 2017 Junior National Team High Performance Camp, and signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Michigan. Jeri is one of the most accomplished rowers in club history, but her favorite honor of them all came in June when she attended the high-performance camp in Connecticut. She was a part of the eight-boat team that won a gold medal in the 2017 Intermediate Club Nationals.

“I learned a lot about myself, working in a different setting, with different coaching styles,” Jeri said.

Harris transfers from Mizzou to NC State

Somebody, somewhere must have put roots on Mizzou’s athletic program. How else is it possible to explain the infamous Fifth Down Game, Tyus Edney’s shot, Kelly Thames’ injury, Ricky Clemons’ and Dorial GreenBeckham’s legal woes or Michael Porter Jr.’s hernia? It seems that whenever the prospect of Mizzou sports is looking bright, it always finds a way to come crashing down. The latest proof of the Missouri curse came to fruition last week when Blake Harris, the Tigers’ highly-touted freshman point guard, decided to leave the program. Harris was a part of Cuonzo Martin’s tremendous recruiting class, which also included Michael Porter Jr., Jontay Porter, Jeremiah Tilmon and C.J. Roberts Halfway through the season, Michael Porter Jr. is out after back surgery, Harris has transferred to N.C. State, Roberts

is gone to Texas Tech and the talented Tilmon has racked up nearly as many fouls (52) as field goals (59). The loss of Harris is a tough pill to swallow. His numbers weren’t eye-popping at just 3.8 points, 3.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game. However, with his extraordinary speed, athleticism and aggression, Harris could have developed into the perfect complement to Missouri’s impressive three-point shooting attack. At his best, Harris showed the unique ability to turn the corner and break down defenses. His own threepoint shooting was non-existent (0-7 on the season), but by getting to the basket, he could create layups for himself or wide open shots for Mizzou’s cache of shooters. Harris’ minutes were never consistent though. While he started nine games, he was forced to share the point guard duties with Jordan Geist,

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Jeri Rhodes is the St. Louis Rowing Club’s current junior female record holder for the 2k, 5k and 10k indoor rowing times. She is a member of the junior United States Rowing Team, attended the 2017 Junior National Team High Performance Camp, and signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Michigan.

Photo by Emily Nevils / Columbia Missourian

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

Martin’s Mizzou Tigers can make March Madness without Porter Jr.

Call me an optimist, but I’m still confident Missouri will march into the NCAA Tournament – and coach Cuonzo Martin’s team won’t need Michael Porter Jr., accomplish the feat.

Porter, for whatever reason, is keeping Mizzou fans on pins and needles with statements such as “My time is coming.

“I just can’t rush it,” as he told the Post-Dispatch.

This is a personal, straightout guess – Porter will be physically able to play by seasons end following November back surgery, will suit up for a handful of SEC games and go full blast in the SEC Tournament. The tourney just happens to be in St. Louis. Missouri topped South Carolina last week to end an unbelievably long road losing streak, and battled Florida at home to the final 0.1 second before giving the game away and losing 77-75 last Saturday.

dribbling skill in a 75-75 tie, he fired a pass in the direction of Kassius Robertson. It was intercepted by the Gators’ Chris Geist who calmly dribbled the length of the court and laid the ball in with a fraction of a second left in the game. Ouch.

If the Tigers had followed up the South Carolina win with a Florida victory, the NCAA Tournament talk would have gone national. It didn’t happen, and now Mizzou better have found a way to beat Georgia on Tuesday night or its momentum will be stalled.

Key contests against SEC teams with NCAA Tournament hopes include games at Arkansas on Saturday; Tennessee at home, Jan. 17; at Texas A&M, Jan. 20, at home Feb. 13; Auburn at home, Jan. 24; at Alabama, Jan. 31; Kentucky at home, Feb. 3 and on road, Feb. 24.

Mizzou can win the SEC Tournament with Porter Jr., which would give them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

More importantly, the Tigers can earn a tournament berth without him with a solid run over the next six weeks.

Bitten by the Gators

The between-the-legs dribble to set up a shot or pass is all the rage in college basketball, thanks to Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. It looks good when it works. It can be disastrous when it doesn’t.

Jordan Geist learned that painful lesson in the Florida loss. After demonstrating his

The latest AP top 25 poll has Kentucky 21st, Auburn 22nd and Tennessee 24th Kentucky, playing without key starter Quade Green on Tuesday night, trailed throughout the second half, but rallied to beat Texas A&M 74-73 at home. Until they are beaten in the tournament, the Wildcats should be favored to garner the automatic bid.

While once in the Top 10, the Aggies’ loss to Kentucky dropped them to 0-4 in the SEC. Missouri, with all its ups and downs, was 1-1 in league play and 11-4 overall heading into the Georgia game.

Martin miffed at refs Mizzou fans snapped out of their collective shock to pour boos upon the referees following the Florida game.

Freshman center Jeremiah Tilmon fouled out in less than 12 minutes of action – the same

was true against South Carolina – and there was a dubious foul call when it appeared a Gator guard Jalen Hudson stuck his leg out to create contact on a late-game jumper.

Blaming the refs for a loss –or the loss of a player - is not a good look, but Martin couldn’t help himself.

“I guess I have to keep my mouth closed on a lot of (foul calls). I’ve never been one to say anything, but it was very, very tough for me. Very tough for me, if you know what I’m saying. It was probably the toughest I’ve ever been a part of.”

“We have to figure out a way to allow Jeremiah Tilmon to play basketball,” he added, “because some of those (fouls), just watching him, man, he’s a 19-year-old kid. He’s doing the things we’re asking him to do. I just hope he doesn’t get a reputation.”

I’m sorry, Cuonzo, but it seems like most of Tilmon’s fouls are fouls. If that gets you a “reputation” – so far it has been one that he deserves.

A day or so later, Martin had eased up – just a bit.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it: Officiating is a tough job, just like coaching. I think those guys do tremendous jobs, and I’m not just saying that to say it. It’s not an easy thing to do. But we have to take a tremendous amount of pride in doing our job …

because every possession counts,” he said.

“We’ve got to make sure we get it right. We all make mistakes. But I think in critical situations, especially when it’s on the line – over the course of a game things can happen – but down the stretch we’ve got to make sure we get it right.

Mizzou good news

Jordan Barnett never hung his head during last season’s struggles under coach Kim Anderson and led the Tigers with 12.1 points per game.

With Porter’s injury and absence and Tilmon’s constant foul troubles, Barnett has not only held steady, he has improved his game.

Barnett is averaging 15.9 points a game and shooting a very respectable 43.3 percent on three-point attempts.

Anderson should be praised for landing the former Metro Player of the Year from CBC after he spent two seasons at Texas. He has flourished under Martin, scoring more than 17 points in his last six games.

Mizzou bad news

Freshman Blake Harris, who Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin convinced to come to Mizzou after leaving Washington along with Porter Jr., is gone and will transfer. He told the Post-Dispatch,

“It was the best decision for me and my family to leave this program.”

“I’m not going to say anything’s wrong with the program. I just think I can thrive and do better things at a different place.”

He said he first thought of transferring “since probably Thanksgiving.”

It’s not rare for a player to decide he’s had enough at midseason – but it’s usually not a guy or gal who has started the majority of their respective team’s games.

“We will support and assist him in any way possible,” Martin said in a prepared statement. My guess is that he caught the Porter Jr.-to-Columbia train without giving it enough thought.

The North Carolina native will play for the N.C. State Wolf Pack when he becomes eligible again.

Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, is a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and can also be heard on Frank Cusumano’s “The Press Box.” His Twitter handle is #aareid1.

Alvin A. Reid

Freshman Blake Harris has decided to leave Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin and transfer to N.C. State.

With Earl Austin Jr.

Title games fill weekend before MLK matchups

The Webster Groves Statesmen became a much better basketball team once again with the return of elite point guard Courtney Ramey to the lineup. The 6’4” Ramey had missed the month of the season with a broken wrist and the Statesmen limped along with a 4-4 record. In the two games since Ramey’s return, Webster Groves defeated Marquette 73-43, then, defeated a powerful Wheeler (Georgia) team 74-62 in the Cancer Research Classic in West Virginia.

Ramey had 15 points and 13 assists against Marquette and followed up with 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Wheeler. With Ramey back in the lineup, the game has become easier for everyone around him. Senior forward Carte’are Gordon scored 22 points in the victory against Marquette. In the victory against Wheeler, junior guard Ray Adams scored 23 points and made an event-record seven 3-pointers. Senior guard R.J. Wright added 20 points. Webster Groves will continue its national schedule

CLUTCH

Continued from B3

concerned about Harris. Even during his starts, it was apparent that Martin had trust issues with his young PG. The Tigers often played Geist or Phillips during crunch time.

The transfers of Harris and Roberts show that luring top recruits isn’t enough. A challenge for Martin will be to manage the egos, confidence and playing time for highly-touted recruits.

At 11-4, Mizzou is still light years ahead of where the program was a year ago. The team still appears on track to make a return to the NCAA Tournament. If Martin can somehow pull off some more recruiting magic and convince Webster Groves’ standout Courtney Ramey to join his AAU teammate Torrence Watson in Columbia next year, the Tigers’ backcourt should prove formidable. While he’s on the recruiting trail, maybe Martin and his staff can find someone to

RHODES

Continued from B3

“That was a memory I think I’ll keep 20 years from now, because I think that was one of my first steps for competition rowing outside of St. Louis.” Her father concurred.

“With my work schedule, most of the regattas happen while I’m at work,” he said.

“That was the first one that I got to see from start to finish. To see her race and finish as a gold medalist is probably something that I’ll always cherish.”

Being a member of the St. Louis Rowing Club requires traveling outside of Missouri for every race, but the monthlong camp was the first time that Jeri spent an extended period of time away from home. The team participates in at least three competitions during both the fall and spring seasons, with practice being held at Creve Coeur Lake six times a week.

this week when it competes in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Missouri. After that, the Statesmen will head to Springfield, Massachusetts to play Mount Vernon (New York) at the Hoop Hall Classic. MLK Events around the area

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday will bring about many basketball showcase events around the St. Louis area next Monday.

St. Louis University High will be hosting its “Remembering the Dream” Classic with three games. University City will take on Ritenour at 2:30 p.m., followed by DuBourg vs. Hazelwood East at 4 p.m.; and host SLUH vs. St. Mary’s at 5:30 p.m.

Vashon High will also be hosting a triple-header. Confluence Academy will play Huntsville (Alabama) Lee at noon; Hazelwood Central will face Jefferson City Helias at 2 p.m. In the finale, host Vashon will play Bloomington (Illinois) at 4 p.m.

There will also be a big girls MLK Showcase event at Miller Career Academy, which will take place on Monday and Tuesday. It features teams from all over the region. The schedule for Monday is as follows: Hazelwood Central vs. Chicago Kenwood, 11 a.m.; KC Hogan

remove the Mizzou curse once and for all.

Ball Brothers live on Facebook

A day after Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr called LaVar Ball the “Kardashian of the NBA,” Ball proved him right – sort of. Whether you love him or hate him, when it comes to drawing interest and publicity, nobody does it better than LaVar Ball. Tuesday, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball’s first game for Prienu Vytautas in Lithuania drew 1.6 million viewers on Facebook Live. The game was part of the Big Baller Challenge, a series of five exhibition games against other Lithuanian clubs.

Prienu Vytautas rearranged its schedule, bypassing the Baltic Basketball League in lieu of the Big Baller Challenge after Big Baller Brand was able to secure a deal with Facebook to live stream the games. According to ESPN, “Prienu Vytautas expects the Ball brothers to generate about 100,000 euros ($120,000) in revenue for the team.”

All-State guard Courtney Ramey of Webster Groves returned to the lineup last week after missing the first month of the season with a broken wrist. The Statesmen are 2-0 since Ramey’s return and will head to Springfield, Missouri to play in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions this weekend.

Prep vs. Soldan, 1 p.m.; KC Lincoln Prep vs. Chicago North Lawndale, 2:40 p.m.; Fairdale (Kentucky) vs. Ladue, 4 p.m.; Charleston vs. Kenwood, 5:20 p.m.; Edwardsville vs. Chicago

With the Big Baller Brand logo emblazoned all over the court, the referees uniforms, the company can expect to see a huge come up in terms of brand awareness and potential sales.

Enough about the business aspect, how did the Balls fare in their first taste of international competition?

First, I must point out that the team’s opponent, Kauno Žalgiris-2, was comprised of mostly 16-to-19-year-olds. With that disclaimer, I’d say the Ball brothers displayed a mixed bag of results in their team’s 90-80 victory.

Former UCLA Bruins guard LiAngelo Ball scored 19 points on 8-for-19 shooting. At times, ‘Gelo looked too strong for his opponents in the paint. At other times, he looked downright terrible. He missed a wide open layup and shot an embarrassing air ball.

Josh Eberley of NBA’s Hoop Magazine tweeted, “Lorrrrdd, LiAngelo hoops like a retired fire fighter at the Y.”

He wasn’t hating either. There were times when

It’s been a valuable experience for Jeri, but it puts an enormous amount of pressure on her to keep up with her academics. For her parents, the primary stressors are time and expenses. Both have responded well to their respective challenges. Jeri currently has a 3.5 GPA and she has taken several AP courses for college credit. Jeffrey’s work as a pharmacist (St. Louis College of Pharmacy graduate) helps fund his daughter’s rowing ventures, while his wife Valarie Rhodes has also taken a leading role. Valarie graduated from the University of Missouri – St. Louis with a master’s degree

in elementary education. She once taught in Chicago and in Ohio, but has now turned her full attention to raising and nurturing her five children.

“I was the one that would take Jeri to practices six days a week,” Valarie said. “She needed that support or she couldn’t really be a rower.”

The Rhodes family’s primary concern is the success and happiness of their children.

Bolingbrook vs. Huntsville Lee at 1 p.m.; Ladue vs. Chicago Harlan at 3:40 p.m. and Miller Career Academy vs. Kenwood at 5 p.m.

Another great basketball tradition on MLK Day is the annual doubleheader between Cardinal Ritter and McCluer North. Cardinal Ritter will be the host this year with the girls’ game at noon, followed by the boys’ game at 1:30 p.m.

Belleville East Tournament set for next week

The Chick-fil-A Classic at Belleville East will bring together some of the top programs from both sides of the river. The tournament will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 16 and will conclude with the championship game on Saturday, Jan. 20.

Defending tournament champion Chaminade and Class 4 state contender St. Mary’s will come over from the St. Louis side. Leading the metro east contingent is a powerful Belleville West team while coming from the Central Illinois is a good Champaign Central team.

Whitney Young, 6:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, it is Hogan Prep vs. Fairdale at 9 a.m.; Soldan vs. North Lawndale at 10:20 a.m.; Lincoln Prep vs. Gateway STEM at 11:40 a.m.;

LiAngelo looked like a rec league reserve. Considering that it was his first actual game since Nov., when UCLA played an exhibition game versus Cal State, I’ll give him a pass on his rusty moments.

Still, his play in the post is promising considering that play will become much more physical once Vytautas enters the Lithuanian league.

For 16-year-old LaMelo Ball, his showing was more impressive. ‘Melo dropped 10 points and nine assists in the game, include a few eye-popping finishes at the rim. He also made some impressive assists that garnered “oohs” and “aahs” from the sold out crowd.

LaMelo Ball seems to have a similar and stellar court vision as his oldest brother, Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball. What he lacks though are discipline and defense. If he develops in those areas as a professional in Europe, the sky his dad’s mouth may be the only limit to how far he goes.

Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk

“We never try to let (Jeri) feel that stress that we’re going through,” Jeffrey said. “We want her to focus on what she’s doing and not worry about it.”

That’s been the formula ever since Jeri started playing basketball at the YMCA in fifth grade, and it’ll continue throughout her rowing career as a Michigan Wolverine and beyond.

“I wanted the most wellrounded school,” Jeri said about her decision to pick Michigan. “There were schools that excelled in one area, but in Michigan they had everything. I felt like I would be the most comfortable there and have the most support in rowing as well as any other activities.”

Jeri has an interest in criminology, law enforcement, and psychology. She’s excited to start her college career, but her main goal is to improve at the next level. She’s already won at Nationals, but her aspirations are to win internationally.

“There’s so much that Jeri has to uncover,” Valarie said. “There’s just so much left in her body to give. I just think that one day she will be in the Olympics. I just feel that with her determination and the gift that God’s given her, the sky is the limit.”

Mary’s, 6’2” guard Malachi Smith of Belleville West and 6’2” Keyyaun Batchman of Chaminade.

Tournament championships this weekend

Several tournaments are being held around the area this week with the championship games set for Friday and Saturday.

• The Denver Miller Classic at Kirkwood will hold its championship game on Friday at 7 p.m. Several excellent teams are in the tournament, including Jennings, Duchesne, Ladue, McCluer North and host Kirkwood.

• The Flyers Invitational at Lindbergh will have its championship game on Friday at 8:30 p.m. Confluence Academy, Jackson and Vianney are the top seeds.

• The Rotating 8 Tournament at Oakville High will have its championship game on Friday at 8:30 p.m. Whitfield, Columbia Battle and Lutheran North are the top seeds.

Some of the top players in the field include 6’7” E.J. Liddell of Belleville West, 6’7” forward Jericole Hellems of Chaminade, who scored 47 points in last year’s championship game; 5’11” point guard Yuri Collins of St.

• The Washington Tournament will hold its championship game on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. St. Charles, Borgia and Westminster are among the top teams.

the st. louis americaN college athletes of the Week

Nate Rigmaiden

The junior guard from North Tech sparked the Hornets to a pair of big victories in American Midwest Conference play last week. The 5’10” Rigmaiden scored 18 points in a 77-54 victory over Park University. He also added 25 points, including five of eight from 3-point range, in a

70-68 victory over Hannibal LaGrange. He also scored 14 points in a loss to nationally ranked Columbia College.

As the big spark of the Hornets’ bench, Rigmaiden is averaging 9.1 points a game in 18 minutes of action. He is also shooting a team-high 90 percent from the free throw line.

Donshel Beck

SIU-Edwardsville – Women’s Basketball

The senior forward from Ritenour High has led the Cougars to an impressive start in Ohio Valley Conference play. The 5’9” Beck had 23 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 62-60 victory over Eastern Kentucky. She also added 20 points, eight rebounds

Harris-Stowe – Men’s Basketball and five assists in a 75-70 victory over Murray State. For the season, Beck is averaging 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds a game in leading the Cougars to a 4-0 start in OVC play. As a junior, Beck was a All-OVC Second Team pick after averaging 14 points a game.

with 19 points, 14 rebounds and 12 blocks in a 70-32 victory over Bishop DuBourg. For the season, Flowers is averaging 19.4 points, 14.3 rebounds and 6.7 blocks while shooting 53

Earl Austin Jr.

Photo by Leon Algee

Jeri Rhodes in action seated third from rear.

Allstate agents help renovate school library in Normandy

Local Allstate agents donated $25,000 to the Normandy Schools Collaborative and put in 25 hours of community service, along with volunteers from The Gathering Church, to renovate the library at Washington Elementary School. The donation was used to purchase new furniture, 25 Chromebooks, two digital cameras, shelving, video production equipment and software, and books. Pictured: Evie Troupe, library media specialist; Allstate agents Deborah Johnson, Yolanda Lockhart-Gibbs, Traci Bibbs, and Lisa Clemente; Pamela Hollins, Washington principal; and Charles Pearson, Normandy superintendent.

Scholarship Foundation receives $50K grant from Newman’s Own

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis was awarded a $50,000 grant from Newman’s Own Foundation to support its interest-free loan program.

The $50,000 grant will be used to provide financial assistance to students in need. In 2017, the Scholarship Foundation awarded $3.8 million in direct financial support through interest-free loans and grants.

The Scholarship Foundation began its long relationship with Newman’s Own Foundation through A.E. Hotchner, a long-time friend and business partner of Paul Newman, who received an interestfree loan from The Scholarship Foundation to attend college nearly 80 years ago. Hotchner graduated from Washington University with degrees in history and law and went on to become a renowned writer and playwright with dozens of books, plays, and movies to his credit. For more information, visit www.sfstl.org or call 314-725-7990.

Financial Focus

By Roger Macon, AAMS

With

Time is a key factor in investing

have some shorter-term goals

making a down payment on a home, sending your children to college, taking a round-the-world trip, and so on. Each of these goals has a specific time limit and usually requires a specific amount of money, so you will need to choose the appropriate investments.

• Risk tolerance – The element of time also

•

STL’s Sterling K. Brown makes history with Golden Globes win

‘This Is Us’ star becomes first black man to win ‘Best Actor in a TV Drama’

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“I still think of myself as this regular kid from the Meadows,” Emmy-winning actor Sterling K. Brown said as he prepared to star in the Explore St. Louis campaign promoting his hometown. He’s gone from his stomping grounds in Olivette to making history. The MICDS alum broke new ground at the 75th Annual Golden Globes Sunday night when became the first African-American to win in the “Best Actor in a TV Drama” drama category for his portrayal of Randall Pearson in the NBC drama “This Is Us.”

“To be the first of something is really interesting because I never considered myself to be a trailblazer,” Brown told ABC. “I just try to stand in my truth all the time and if I come from a place of truth, that’s all I can do. I can’t worry about trying to be Jackie Robinson or anything else, but I’m honored.”

Last year, he became the first black actor in two decades to take home the “Best Actor in a Drama Series” Emmy Award for the same role.

n “To be the first of something is really interesting because I never considered myself to be a trailblazer.”

- Sterling K.Brown

His portrayal of Randall Pearson has captured the hearts of television fans and helped make the show a pop culture phenomenon in addition to a top-rated drama.

As the black adopted son in a white family, Randall constantly fights the perfectionism that has been his coping mechanism to deal with the insecurities that stem from his complicated family dynamic.

Randall’s quest to connect with his biological roots has made for must-see television from the start of inaugural season of “This Is Us.” The show’s focus on the relationship between Randall and his birth father as an adult brought hope and broke hearts as he was inserted into Randall’s family’s life while facing down a terminal illness over the course of the show’s inaugural season. His identity as a black man – compounded by his unique life experience – continues to be a

See BROWN, C4

Living It

A manifesto for black art

Portfolio’s ‘All Colors’ exhibit opens Saturday at St. Louis Artists Guild

By Sylvester Brown, Jr. For The St. Louis American

It’s been almost 30 years, but Robert A. Powell still clings to a powerful, mission to enhance African American culture in the region. In 1989, Powell founded Portfolio Gallery & Education Center. The Kansas City native and renowned sculptor said he noticed a cultural void in St. Louis.

“Even black superstar artists like Gordon Parks, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden and Richard Hunt were relatively obscure in the visual arts world here,” Powell told me.

To address the issue, Powell started Portfolio with a mission to “educate, enrich lives and foster a greater awareness of American artists of African American heritage.” Portfolio was never a stand-alone gallery. Powell created an entity with creative tentacles that spread throughout the region.

n “We’ve spent 30 years bringing exposure to talented local and nationally known and budding African American artists.”

- Robert A. Powell

“We’ve spent 30 years bringing exposure to talented local and nationally known and budding African American artists,” Powell said. “We’ve used art as a tool in public schools for children, we’ve done mural projects, pottery and wood-carving classes and other art-making endeavors. We’ve expanded the concept of black art throughout this community.”

With his upcoming January 13th exhibit, “All Colors,” featuring the work of 66 national and local artists, Powell at the age of 72, hopes Portfolio will reach a new, all-encompassing plateau. In the revitalized Grand Center Arts District, an area once dominated by low-

See ART, C4

Sydney ‘Iking’ Bateman signs with Cirque du Soleil

Pro circus performer from North City helps Circus Harmony prepare

for ‘Legato’

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“Tumbling was just something I did for fun,” said Sydney “Iking” Bateman. “I never thought it would take me anywhere.”

The intricate flips he mastered in his northside neighborhood as a child have taken him all over the globe – and will continue to do so thanks to a new contract with Cirque du Soleil.

For his last stop before he headed to Canada for training with the world’s premier circus performance troupe last month, Bateman was back where it all began for him.

He chose to spend his final days before heading abroad helping Circus Harmony prepare for their upcoming show Legato: Circus Thru The Decades 1920-2010 – which runs through January 21 at City Museum.

“I enjoy coming back and teaching. It’s a joy and it’s fulfilling,” Bateman said. “I’m not just doing what I love, I’m also helping the community in some way.”

As they rehearsed, he gave the students direc-

tion during the tumbling sequences, transitions and body pyramids. He was also open for suggestions from the youth performers. “What if we do it this way?”

one of the students asked as he modified the direction and landing of a somersault sequence.

Photo by Wiley Price

Sydney “Iking” Bateman helping Circus Harmony prepare for their upcoming show Legato: Circus Thru The Decades 1920-2010 – which runs through January 21 at City Museum.

See CIRCUS, C4

The national tour of ‘Kinky Boots’ is coming to the Peabody Opera House this weekend (Jan. 13-14) and the musical’s star Jos N. Banks was eager to share the moral of the heartwarming story.

Sterling K. Brown

Dean Mitchell’s ‘Carolyn’ is among Portfolio’s ‘All Colors’ Visual Arts Invitational & Juried Exhibition at The St. Louis Artists’ Guild. ‘All Colors’ highlights the work of predominantly African-American artists and will be displayed from Jan. 13 – Feb. 28.

How to place a calendar listing

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

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

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

MLK day activities

Jan. 11 – 14, JPEK

CreativeWorks Theatre presents The Meeting Stage Play. A depiction of a supposed meeting of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as they debate their varying approaches to social problems. .Zack, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Fri., Jan. 12, 11:30 a.m., Christian Hospital presents the First Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Luncheon. Proceeds help support Christian Hospital Foundation’s community health and patient care initiatives. 11133 Dunn Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www.christianhospital. org.

Through Sat., Jan. 13, Microsoft Store is honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a series of events focused on the community, youth and Dr. King’s Dream.

Field trips slots are available 10a-12p, 1p-3p and 4p-6p while they last. Contact Arika Parr at Arika.Parr@Microsoft. com to reserve your space. Field trips are open to all grade levels.

Jan. 13 & 15, 10 a.m., Missouri History Museum presents the MLK Family Celebration. Kids 14 and under can take part in Youth Activism and Engagement Workshops, create peaceinspired art projects, and dive into St. Louis history. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

Mon., Jan. 15, 9 a.m., The Novel Neighbor presents St. Louis Civil Rights MiniCamp. Children in 3rd – 5th grade will dig in to the hidden history all around us through fun, interactive activities and games. 7905 Big Bend Blvd., 63119. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Mon. Jan. 15, 5:30 p.m., Coalition of Black Trade Unionists St. Louis Metro Chapter presents The 40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther

The Guide

Kenya Vaughn recommends

King Jr. Human Rights Awards Banquet. Sheet Metal Workers Hall Local 36, 2319 Chouteau Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. cbtustl.com.

Fri., Jan. 19, 7 p.m., The Saint Louis Art Museum presents Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Celebration – 1960Now: Social Justice Movements,

Past and Present. Sheila Pree Bright’s #1960Now, depicts photographs linking today’s protest movements to those of the 1960s. St. Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www.slam.org.

concerts

Tues., Jan. 16, Steve Litman

St. Louis Office of Financial Empowerment hosts author John Hope Bryant, author of ‘The Memo: Five Rules for your Economic Liberation.’ See LITERARY for details.

Center, 3754 Pennridge Center, 63044. For more information, visit www.dst-slanews.org.

Sat., Jan. 13, 10 a.m., Winter Homeless Outreach. We are asking for donations of coats, blankets, scarves, socks, etc. We are also asking for personal hygiene products and book bags. Thomas Dunn Learning Center, 3113 Gasconade St., 63118. For more information, call (314) 353-3050.

Sat., Jan. 13, 6 p.m., A Conscious STL presents Black Girl Heal: A Night of Sharing, Story Telling, and Sisterhood. Mindful Movements, 1400 N. Market St., 63106. For more information, visit www. consciousfest.net.

Jan. 13 – 14, 2018 St. Louis Motorcycle Show. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

presents Lalah Hathaway, The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com.

Sat., Jan. 20, 7 p.m. The All Stars of Hip-Hop featuring DMX, E-40, Scarface, MC Lyte, Young Bloodz, Murphy Lee & Kyjuan, Tela, Chaifetz Arena. For more information, visit www.chaifetzarena.com.

Sat., Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m., Delmar Hall presents Kahsan 6133 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

local gigs

Fri., Jan. 12, 9:30 p.m., Late Night with Anita Jackson. Dark Room at the Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www. thedarkroomstl.com.

Sat., Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m., Blue Bayou – The Music of Linda Ronstadt & Legends Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Fri., Jan. 19, 9 p.m., One in a Million: A Soulition Tribute. Featuring music influenced and performed by Aaliyah. Blank Space, 2847 Cherokee St., 63118. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sun., Jan. 21, 6 p.m., Back in Stride: The Music of Maze feat. Frankie Beverly. BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups, 700 S. Broadway, 63102. For more information, visit www. bbsjazzbluessoups.com.

Sat., Feb. 10, 2 p.m., A PreValentine’s Day Celebration feat. Tim Cunningham and Courtney Loveless Moore Proceeds benefit the Sumner High Science Department Enrichment Program and other programs. Henry Givens Administrative Building, Harris Stowe, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

special events

Thur., Jan. 11, 11 a.m., National Career Fair presents the St. Louis Career Fair Live Hiring Event. DoubleTree at Westport, 1973 Craigshire Rd., 63146. For more information, visit www. nationalcareerfairs.com.

Thur., Jan. 11, 6 p.m., New City School Open House. Hear from the Head of School and more. 5209 Waterman Blvd., 63108. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.newcityschool.org/ winter-oh.

Fri., Jan. 12, 11 p.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Alumnae Chapter invites you to our Ole Skool Stake Groove. Coachlite Skate

Jan. 13 – 14, 11 a.m., St. Louis Bride & Groom Magazine presents The Wedding Show. Over 200 exhibit booths, a runway show, prize drawings, wedding food samples, and more. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., Jan. 20, 10 a.m., Missouri History Museum hosts Girl Scout Day. Girl Scouts are invited to participate in merit-assistance programs to complete badge requirements with other scouts. Registration required. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

Sat., Jan. 20, 11 a.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Alumnae Chapter’s Founders’ Day. The RitzCarlton, 100 Carondelet Plaza, 63105. For more information, visit www.DST-SLA.org.

Sat., Jan. 20, 5 p.m., 6th Annual An Evening with the Cardinals. Join featured guests Whitey Herzog, Willie McGee and Keith Hernandez as they reminisce about the 1982 World Series. St. Louis Union Station Hotel, 1820 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. thenccs.org/cardinals.

Sat., Jan. 20, 8 p.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Omicron Eta Omega Chapter presents the Pink & Green Experience. Entertainment by The Dirty Muggs and DJ Quinn. 10701 Lambert International Blvd., Concourse B, 63145. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Jan. 20, 10 p.m., Sauce: An Event for The Young Professional. The Olive Bar, 3037 Olive St., 63103. For more information or to RSVP, call (314) 387-3568 or visit www.eventbrite.com.

Jan. 26 – 28, COCA presents Momentum. A mix of cutting-edge hip-hop and contemporary dance across a broad range of styles brings members of COCAdance and the COCA Hip-Hop Crew together. 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www.cocastl.org.

Sat., Jan. 27, 4 p.m., The Organization for Black Struggle & the Youth Council for Positive Development present their 38th Anniversary Celebration. The theme for this year is “Organizing Black Voters into a Radical Electoral Strategy.” The Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow Blvd., 63120. For more information, visit www.obs-stl.org.

Wed., Feb. 7, 11 a.m., DJC, LLC presents the XXI Annual Diversity Job Fair Interview for positions in optical care, transportation, healthcare, and more. North County Recreation Complex, 2577 Redman Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Feb. 8 – 11, 2018 Progressive® Insurance St. Louis Boat & Sportshow Featuring more than 400 of the latest model boats, the newest marine products, and outdoor

gear. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, visit www. stlouisboatshow.com.

literary

Thur., Jan. 11, 7 p.m., The Saint Louis Poetry Slam. All poets are welcome to compete. Urb Arts, 2600 N. 14th St., 63106. For more information, visit www.urbarts.org.

Fri., Jan. 12, 3 p.m., St. Louis Office of Financial Empowerment hosts author John Hope Bryant, author of The Memo: Five Rules for your Economic Liberation. St. Louis Public Library – Central Branch, 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Tues., Jan. 23, 7 p.m., Wordup! Open Mic. Live music, poetry, and comedy. Lowes Entertainment, 8911 Natural Bridge Rd., 63103. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Tues., Jan. 23, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author R. Marie Griffith, author of Moral Combat: How Sex Divided American Christians and Fractured American Politics. A history of how the Christian consensus on sex unraveled, and made our political battles so ferocious.

Thur., Feb. 8, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library hosts author Dr. Jonathan Quick, author of The End of Epidemics: The Looming Threat to Humanity and How to Stop It. Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www. slcl.org.

Mon., Feb. 12, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Morgan Jerkins, author of This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.leftbank.com.

comedy

Jan. 11 – 13, Helium Comedy Club presents Preacher Lawson! 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., 63117. For more information, visit www. heliumcomedy.com.

Fri., Jan. 26, 7 p.m. & 10 p.m., Steve Litman presents #SheReady Tour starring Tiffany Haddish, The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit thepageant.com.

Kenya Vaughn recommends

theatre

Jan. 16 – 28, The Fabulous Fox Theatre presents School of Rock The Musical. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. fabulousfox.com.

Through January 21, The Black Rep presents Fences by August Wilson starring Ron Himes and Linda Kennedy, Edison Theater, Washington University, 6465 Forsyth Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www. edison.wustl.edu.

Wed., Feb. 7, 6:30 p.m., Lila: The Life of a Missouri Slave Lila’s story is tragic, but it is also a story of survival, strength, and success as she takes control of her future. Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer, 63143. For more information, visit www. maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.

art

Sat., Jan. 13, 7 p.m., Opening reception for Portfolio Gallery’s presentation of All Colors Visual Arts Invitational & Juried Exhibition, the exhibition runs through February 28 and features the work of invited

African-American and juried artists from across the country. St. Louis Artists’ Guild, 12 North Jackson Ave., 63105. For more information, visit www.stlouisartistsguild.org.

Thur., Feb. 1, 11 a.m., Black Masculinity and the Black Speculative Arts Movement. Join us for a day exploring the image of the black male within the context of the Black Speculative Arts Movement. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

Through Feb. 4, National Blues Museum presents The Blues in Black and White –The Blues Photography of Kirk West. 615 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, visit www. nationalbluesmuseum.org.

lectures and workshops

Sat., Jan. 13, Second Saturday Divorce Workshop with Laura Boedges, Financial Advisor, HighTower St. Louis (Magna Place Building), 1401 S. Brentwood Blvd., Ste. 550, St. Louis, MO 63144. For more information, call 314-

598-4068 or e-mail lboedges@ hightoweradvisors.com.

Thur., Jan. 18, 6 p.m., Aligning our Work with Action: Communicating During Unrest and Uncertainty. A free panel discussion for nonprofit agencies to learn to deliver appropriate messages during civil unrest. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.csprc.org/events.

Sat., Jan. 20, 9 a.m., JLW Sr. District invites you to a Tax Law, Fundraising, and Tax Law Seminar. Open to Pastors, Church Leaders, and Trustees. Green Memorial Church of God in Christ, 113 Clayton Ave., Sikeston, MO 63801. For more information, call (314) 805-3480.

Sat., Jan. 20, 10 a.m., First Time Homebuyers Seminar. Learn the ins and outs of what it takes to find a home, get into a home, and financing options. 8001 Dale Ave., 63117. For more information or to register, visit www.eventbrite. com.

Mon., Jan. 22, 6 p.m., SCORE St. Louis presents Developing Financial Projections for External

The Saint Louis Art Museum Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Celebration – #1960Now: Social Justice Movements, Past and Present. For more information, see MLK DAY ACTIVITIES.

Awareness and Education Night. Learn what human trafficking is and how to recognize signs. International Institute, 3401 Arsenal St., 63118. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Thur., Feb. 1, 6:30 p.m., Becoming a Part of the Community: How Do I Become Involved? Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer, 63143. For more information, visit www. maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.

Mon., Jan. 22, 8:15 a.m., Siteman Mammography Van. Mammograms at no cost to women over 40 who qualify. O’Fallon Park Rec Complex, 4343 W. Florissant Ave., 63115. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (314) 747-7222 or (800) 600-3606 (option #2).

Sat., Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m., Heart & Soul: A Hollywood Affair Be whisked away to Old Hollywood and reminded of the mission of Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch, 315 Chestnut St., 63105. For more information, visit www. glennon.org/heart-and-soul.

Financing. Business owners and entrepreneurs will learn to raise funds from external lenders to finance their business operations. AnheuserBusch Hall, Fontbonne University.

Thur., Jan. 25, 7 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents Let’s Get Legal: From Dred Scott to the Missouri Human Rights Act. University of Missouri law professor Charles Henson will explain the importance of Dred Scott trial as it relates to the Missouri Human Rights Act. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit mohistory.org

Tues., Jan. 30, 7 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents Justice in the Prison System: From the 1972 Sit-In to Today. Join us for a panel discussion to learn more about the 1972 protest and engage in conversation about how it connects to contemporary issues in the prison system. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit mohistory. org

Wed., Jan. 31, 6 p.m., Human Trafficking

Jan. 12 – 13, R.E.S.E.T. 2018: Redeeming the Times. Join us for worship, fellowship and restore God’s power and authority. Pentecostal Power Church of Lebanon, 208 N. Madison St., Lebanon, IL. 62254. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com

Sun., Jan. 21, 10 a.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Alumnae Chapter’s Founders Day Ecumenical Service. Ward Chapel AME Church, 11170 New Halls Ferry Rd., 63033. For more information, visit www.dst-sla. org.

film

Fri., Jan. 12, Proud Mary starring Taraji P. Henson opens in theatres nationwide. Mon., Jan. 15, 7 p.m., The First Congregational Church of Webster Groves, United Church of Christ hosts a screening of Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light. 470 E. Lockwood Ave., 63119. For more information, call (314) 962-0475 or visit www. facebook.com.

Bateman was open to the idea.

“We encourage their input,” Circus Harmony founder and director Jessica Hentoff said as Bateman engaged with the young tumbler. “That’s how they become good at choreographing. Iking used to do the exact same thing when he was here.”

His origins in the Circus began with Circus Harmony thanks to a connection with Bateman’s childhood mentor Dr. Diane Rankin.

“In the beginning, he was so shy, he couldn’t even carry on a conversation,” Rankin said. “I asked him to tell me about himself – and he said ‘backflips.’”

She met him as a 10-yearold through a program called Discovering Options. She was to pair with him for 10 weeks. Fifteen years later, they are still together. He considers her and Hentoff to be his surrogate mothers.

“They are amazing women,” Bateman said of Rankin and Hentoff.

Rankin introduced him to the circus after being blown away by the tumbling passages he performed for her in an elementary school gymnasium. She has since seen him perform several times as a professional entertainer. She even traveled to Montreal to watch Bateman as a member of the famed Seven Fingers troupe. On this chilly day in December, she was on hand to see him instruct the next generation of Circus Harmony performers – and see him off to Cirque du Soleil.

“He’s now a citizen of the world. I can’t even put the words together to describe how I feel,” Rankin said. “It’s been an incredible, heartwarming and gratifying experience to be a part of his life’s journey.”

Iking’s next chapter

Rankin talked about Bateman being so shy that it took her a year-and-a-half to

n “If there was no Circus Harmony, there would probably be no success story for me,” Bateman said. “I can’t even picture my life right now without it.

convince him to meet Jessica Hentoff.

Hentoff took him under her wing as a member of Circus Harmony and the St. Louis Arches tumbling troupe. He blossomed – and found his future in the process.

“When you think of a young African American man from north St. Louis city, you would never think circus would be my ticket out or my escape,” Bateman said. “But thanks to Jessica, that’s exactly what happened.”

After graduating from Beaumont High School, Bateman was accepted into the extremely competitive professional circus college National Circus School in Montreal, Canada. Soon after graduation from the National Circus School, he joined the FrenchCanadian circus Seven Fingers (known in French as Les Sept Doigts).

“If there was no Circus Harmony, there would probably

be no success story for me,” Bateman said. “I can’t even picture my life right now without it. This program is amazing. It gives kids like myself opportunities that they wouldn’t have.”

He counts the opportunities that have grown out of Circus Harmony as one of his many blessings that he gives thanks for daily.

“I never imagined that I would be a part of Cirque du Soleil,” Bateman said. “To have it come to life is pretty exciting. In fact, I can’t even find the words to share how excited I am about it.

I’m just ready for this new chapter and new journey.”

Circus Harmony’s presentation of Legato: Circus Thru The Decades, 1920-2010 will take place through January 21 at City Museum, 750 N. 16th Street. For full schedule and additional information, visit wwww.circusharmony.org or call (314) 436-7676.

ART

Continued from C1

income and working-class blacks, black arts organizations like Portfolio and the Black Repertory Theatre saw no energized support from the region’s “epicenter for the arts.”

As hard as it was to shutter the gallery in 2015, Powell embarked on a new, bigger vision: the creation of an African-American arts sub-district under St. Louis’ Zoo-Museum District, which oversees the distribution of $76 million in tax revenue. As Nancy Fowler with St. Louis Public Radio recently reported, the bill which allows a new sub-district has languished in the legislature for more than 17 years. To have it enacted, city and county voters must approve the bill which will more than likely increase property taxes slightly.

“Our yet-to-be-met challenge is to institutionalize black art in the region. Think about the Art Museum, the History Museum, Grand Center, the Botanical Garden or the Symphony Orchestra. These are all cultural destinations supported by tax dollars. I’d like black art to be a part of the city’s portfolio of cultural attractions for locals and out-of-towners.

Powell said the legislative

BROWN

Continued from C1

central theme of the show.

“So, what I appreciate so much about this is that I’m being seen for who I am and being appreciated for who I am,” Brown said during his Golden Globes acceptance speech. “And it makes it that much more difficult to dismiss me or dismiss anybody who looks like me.”

“All of this has been a dream come true,” Brown told The American while promoting his film “Marshall,” which was directed by East St. Louis native Reginald Hudlin. “And I don’t know if it was a dream

effort needs a committed leader, “in a position of power” is needed to push it forward.

“We need a champion who would pick up the banner,” Powell said in the Public Radio interview. “If you have a good champion, someone who has the ear of civic progress, who has the ear of corporate America, then it gets done.”

In a city that has yet to capitalize off its rich, cultural history and contributions, Powell has become that local “champion” of black art. After Portfolio Gallery closed, he shifted his attention to not only showcasing black artists but economically supporting artists and organizations as well.

“What we want to do is provide an opportunity that the mainstream seems to have forgotten, or has little or no interest in,” Powell told Fowler.

Powell hopes “All Colors” which features the work of national, predominantly African-American artists such as Ed Johnetta Miller and Dean Mitchell as well as local artists like Cbabi Bayoc, will draw a national audience. His desire is to reinforce and promote the idea of supporting black art, art institutions and the need for a black arts sub-district. In a city with complex and deep racial and cultural disparities are palpable, Powell’s nonprofit offers a refreshing and muchneeded antidote.

“I would like to see Portfolio play a lead role in creating and maintaining a black arts district somewhere in the region. The Missouri revised statute can be used to fund an African American sub-district to the Zoo Museum District that could include museums, galleries, dance and theatre companies, the whole artistic gamut in one specific area,” Powell said, adding, “I want to see Portfolio spear-heading and managing an effort that will create an artistic space in the region that institutionalizes black art and culture in the region and provides grants and funding for many deserving artists and art organizations in our region.” Portfolio’s “All Colors” Visual Arts Invitational & Juried Exhibition opens with a special reception at 7 p.m. at The St. Louis Artists’ Guild on Saturday, January 13. The show runs January 13-February 28 at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, 12 North Jackson Ave., Clayton, MO 63105. For more information, visit www.stlouisartistsguild. org. Sylvester Brown, Jr. is a long-time St. Louis journalist, community activist and founder of the Sweet Potato Project an entrepreneurial program aimed at empowering at-risk youth through the growing and marketing of fresh food.

that I dared to dream until I booked The People vs. OJ.”

A graduate of Stanford and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Drama School, Brown had been a journeyman television actor with 15 years of credits that include “Third Watch,” “Person of Interest” and “Army Wives” to name a few.

But his breakthrough role as Christopher Darden in the 2016 FX True Crime Anthology that dramatized the infamous O.J. Simpson trial caught the attention of the mainstream.

The role earned him an “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie” Primetime Emmy Award. He became a back-to-back Emmy Award winner thanks to his “Outstanding Lead Actor in a

Drama” award for “This Is Us,” which hadn’t gone to a black man since Andre Braugher won for his portrayal as Detective Frank Pembleton on NBC’s “Homicide Life on the Street” in 1997. And as the “kid from the Meadows,” lives his dream, he has now blazed a trail for others to follow.

“I’ve never been the first person to win anything, so to be the first black man to win best lead actor in a dramatic series is kind of amazing to me,” Brown said in an interview about the impact of the victory posted on the official Twitter account of the Golden Globes.

“Hopefully it won’t be another 75 years before another black man wins this.”

Photo by Wiley Price

‘Quiet Time’ by Lonnie Powell is one of the works by the 66 local and national artists featured in Portfolio’s ‘All Colors’ Visual Arts Invitational & Juried Exhibition. The Exhibition opens on Saturday, January 13 and runs through February 28 at The St. Louis Artists’ Guild.

Celebrations

Birthdays

Reunions

Beaumont Class of 1968 will celebrate its 50-year reunion June 8-10,2018. Yes, Class ‘68 will begin Milestone celebration 6th month on 8th day. Our 2018 meetings in preparation will be held at STL County library located

Happy Birthday to this “Shirley Temple” who turns 80 years old on January 16! This simply elegant lady’s celebration gets our stamp of approval.

7606 Natural Bridge at 1:00 p.m.. Dates are (Saturdays) January 13, February 17, March 17, April 21, May 19 and June 2. For more information call (314) 8698312 or email bhsco1968@ att.net. Pass the word and lets celebrate!

Homer G. Phillips and St. Louis Municipal School of Nursing is planning an all class reunion in June 2018. Please send your name, address and telephone number to: Homer G. Phillips Nurses Alumni, Inc., P.O. Box 8033 St. Louis, Missouri 63156.

McKinley Class of 1978

Anniversary

will celebrate its 40-year reunion July 27-29, 2018 at the Embassy Suites-Airport. For more information please contact Barbara Lindsey, Barbara_Lindsey@icloud.com or Marvin Woods, mwoods@ projectcontrolsgroup.com , (314) 647-0707.

Northwest High Class of 1978 is planning its 40-year reunion for next year. If you have any questions please contact Sly at (314) 397-0311 or email us at northwestbluedevils@78gmail. com. Check us out on Facebook Northwest High School-Class of 1978.

Soldan Class of 1978 is

Bennie Moore and Paula E. W. CareyMoore will celebrate their wedding anniversary on January 16. “We love on purpose and we live on point. May the Lord continue to bless our marriage!”

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 Pine St. St. Louis, MO 63103 FREE OF CHARGE

planning their 40th class reunion. The dates are June 1, 2 and 3. For more information: call (314) 413-9088.

Sumner Class of 1976

Annual Christmas Party Saturday, December 23, 2018, 7 pm at DEJAVU II Cafe, 2805 Target Dr. 2 for 1 drink specials (5:30 - 7:30pm), free parking, No cover charge but $5 (40-Yr Class Reunion Attendees & Guest) or $10 for all others for the Catered Food. Limited Reserved Seating AVAILABLE until 10pm. (Doors open 5pm/closes 1am) For more info, call B. Louis at 314.385.9843.

University City Class of 1978 will hold its 40th reunion May 25-27, 2018. For more information please email ucityhs1978@gmail.com

Vashon High School will celebrate its 90th anniversary October 5-7, 2018 for alumni, students and community activities to celebrate educational commitment and tradition. For additional information, go to Vashonhigh. org or contact Elvis Hopson, elvishopson@att.net, (314) 535-0243, Pearl Lake, lakep6@ aol.com, (314) 388-0743 or Cozy W. Marks, Jr., jr3810@ sbcglobal.net, (314) 383-5682.

Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us! However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103 Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us. Our email address is: reunions@ stlamerican.com

Ka’Liyah Jamelle Henderson will celebrate her 4th birthday on January 15. She loves going to church, daycare and playing with her uncle, Martrez Henderson. Happy Birthday from her Mommy, Granny, Dee Dee, and Uncle.

Centennial Christian Church honors Dr. King in Fountain Park

Theme of January 13 event is ‘Being the Dream –A Call to Unity’

American staff

The celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is coming to a statue of him in Fountain Park, thanks to a neighborhood church.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 13, Centennial Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Fountain Park community will host a Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance at the statue of Dr. King adjacent to the church at 4950 Fountain Ave. This statue is the oldest of the three local African-American statues placed in 1978.

The theme of the event is “Being the Dream – A Call to Unity.”

There will be a brief service with speakers from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, National Benevolent Association of the Disciples of Christ denomination, state Rep. Bruce Franks Jr., 18th Ward Alderman, Terry Kennedy and others. Prior to a neighborhood march, a balloon release will take place. Upon return to the church, light refreshments will be offered as the transition to the panel discussion on the relevance of Dr. King’s philosophies to the present day, moderated by Chuck Alphin of Building Life Foundations Non-Violence Center.

In an effort to reach all ages, an essay and art competition is being extended to Washington Montessori School, Lewis Place Afterschool Program and the surrounding area for grades K-5, with prizes being awarded during Centennial’s worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 14.

Normandy High School Men’s Ensemble will render “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” with a unique arrangement. The St. Louis Marching Cobras of St. Louis’ 27th Ward

Centennial Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), located at 4950 Fountain Ave., has made it its mission and purpose “to stand in solidarity with others by doing what we can to transform lives, communities and the many oppressive realities that exist.”

will lead the gathering in a one-mile march to promote peace and unity in the Fountain Park and Lewis Place neighborhoods.

Centennial Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a 113-year-old congregation located in the Central West End community of St. Louis that believes in engaging the love of God by serving and supporting others, empowering our neighbors, and standing with those in need.

“Centennial has made it our mission and purpose to stand in solidarity with others by doing what we can to transform lives, communities and the many oppressive realities that exist. We are a church that is concerned about the plight of humanity and

community, and use the Holy Scriptures for our foundation for engaging service and mission as a key tenet of our faith,” organizers said.

“We are the people of God who love one another and share that love by building ministries that reach, teach, and win souls for Christ. Our vision continues to be ‘a lighthouse for all who will seek the Lord’ as we remain an anchor in the Fountain Park community.

Centennial Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is located at 4950 Fountain Ave. Rev. Derrick L. Perkins Sr. is servant and pastor. Call 314-367-1818 or email cccstl@ sbcglobal.net.

The Message Lack wisdom?

Ask God

Whenever I find myself at a loss for understanding, or I’m lost period, I inevitably pray for wisdom. It was just something I started doing when I began this walk and something I continue to do. In my own way, I believed if I asked the Lord for wisdom to understand why I was going through this or that, then maybe I’d learn my lessons quicker. At the very least, I should come to know something that might bring me to a conclusion about a particular situation or circumstance. I tend to ask God for help in understanding, rather than blindly asking for elimination of something because that might be the only way for me to learn. It’s called experience. From experience comes testimony. James 1:5 tells us that if you ask for wisdom, God will give it generously without finding fault: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

It is my understanding that Solomon had his choice of anything and he chose wisdom, which gives great meaning to Proverbs. I heard a remarkable sermon one Sunday that allowed me to be thankful for pleading with God for what appears to be the right thing. The minister broke it down like this. Through wisdom you can get everything you want. It’s all contained in Proverbs 3:1318. I was amazed. There it was. Wisdom is more valuable than precious jewels; nothing you could want can compare with it.

Wisdom offers you long life, wealth and honor. It can make your life pleasant and lead you safely through it. Those who become wise are happy. Now the minister’s message of course dissected this small bit of scripture in a marvelous way that I cannot. But I came away from service with a whole new view of how to approach life. My prayers for wisdom took on a new sense of urgency. I mean long life, wealth, honor, pleasure, security and ultimately happiness are all obtained via the acquisition of wisdom. I found it of particular interest that Proverbs, written by Solomon who was granted wisdom by God, is all about how to live. If ever there was a road map, here it is. As the pastor stated, the key is to do what it says. The key to becoming wise, as with everything else, starts with fear and reverence for the Lord.

I interpret fear to mean “be in awe of.” That’s just me of course. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ... if you are wise, your wisdom will reward you.” That’s it for me. It answers my need to know and gives me the insight I need to help me navigate a very dangerous and confusing world. In your spare time reread Proverbs and tell me if you agree. For the next thirty days, that’s what I’ll be doing in hopes of gaining further insight. You can help me as it says in Proverbs 9:9 “Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still.”

Columnist James Washington

St. LouiS american Career Center

GENERAL COUNSEL

This is an exempt position requiring legal and administrative work of considerable difficulty including supervision. The General Counsel serves as the chief legal advisor to the Board of Commissioners, the Executive Director and all Department Directors on all legal matters involving or relating to the Authority. These matters include litigation, public housing, Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), HUD rules and regulations, landlord and tenant issues, fair housing issues, ordinance violations, risk management, compliance, real estate transactions, development, contracts and procurement, personnel, employment, labor relations, relevant local and federal statutes, inter-agency issues and other administrative functions. Mandatory graduation from an accredited law school and licensed to practice in Missouri. Minimum of four (4) years litigation experience and two (2) years transactional experience. Familiarity with local, state and federal regulations impacting public housing. Salary $100,182 - $118,147

Annually. Apply or send resume to: St. Louis Housing Authority, HR Division, 3520 Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63106 by 5:00 p.m., February 8, 2018 via website www.slha.org or email athomas@slha. org. A Drug Free Work Place/EOE.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

A small, volunteer based not-for-profit is seeking application for the position of Chief Operating Officer to open February 1, 2018.

The candidate must possess a comprehensive understanding of not-for-profit organizational functions and systems that include planning, administration, resource development and marketing. The position assist the CEO in the effective management of the agency. Candidates who have a least three years of demonstrated effectiveness in a nonprofit setting will be considered. An undergraduate degree is required, with an advanced degree such as MBA or Masters in Nonprofit Management highly desirable. Recent retirees can also apply. Send resume and salary requirement to Community Women Against Hardship, Inc.

P.O. Box 23247, St. Louis, Mo. 63156 NO TELEPHONE CALLS

PART-TIME FAMILY LAW

ATTORNEY POSITION

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Inc. (LSEM), a non-profit law firm that provides free legal assistance to persons living with low income/low opportunity, seeks a part-time attorney (24 hours/week) to work in the LSEM St. Louis office’s family law/ domestic violence program known as the Lasting Solutions Program, in all substantive aspects of family law in Missouri. For more information and application instructions, please go to www.lsem.org

DIRECTOR OF UMBRELLA CLAIMS

Overall responsibility for runoff operations related to the Umbrella program. Position reports to Senior Vice President - Claims.

To apply, please visit: www.safetynational.com and click on the Careers tab.

ASSISTANT – PSA POLICY OPERATIONS

Responsible for monitoring and follow through of service related requests for the Policy Operations unit, and tracking all Primary Workers’ Compensation, Commercial Auto, and General Liability transactions to include: New Business, Renewals, Endorsements, Cancellations, Reinstatements and Non-renewals. This position includes the accuracy in which transactions are issued and distributed to our customers. To apply, please visit: www. safetynational.com and click on the Careers tab.

ALGONQUIN

NURSES HOME HEALTH CARE

is looking for Nurses, C.N.A’s and Home Health Aides for full or part time positions to care for elderly and disabled individuals in their home. Applicants must have reliable transportation with a valid driver license and proof of insurance. Clear background screening, clean drug test need only apply. * Competitive wages /one on one client care /paid holidays medical/dental insurance /paid wkly /referral bonus & much more! Please call 314-822-8158 or go online to register www.algonquinnurses.com

FT PROJECT MANAGER

St. Louis city Non-profit seeks applications for a FT project manager. This individual will manage projects for the Minor Home Repair program, submit invoices, manage compliance and correspondence with all contractors and residents receiving home repair. They will also conduct HUD income verifications and inspect completed contractor jobs for seniors living in the city. If interested, submit a cover letter & resume to Andy@missionstl.org Mission: St. Louis is an EOE

NORTHWEST DISTRICT ENGINEER

The Missouri Department of Transpor-

tation (MoDOT) is seeking applications for the Northwest District Engineer.

This senior management level position is responsible for planning, organizing, and delivering all operations, design, and support activities in the Northwest region with a team of approximately 500 employees. The Northwest District Engineer leads the development and delivery of transportation programs; builds and sustains effective partnerships with city and county officials, the Metropolitan Planning Organization/Regional Planning Commission, and other transportation constituents; represents MoDOT to leverage resources and innovation to solve the transportation needs of the area; serves as a champion, change agent, results driver, and key public relations agent on transportation issues and other major organizational issues as needed; responds to the public, legislators, community leaders, and city and county officials on transportation needs and operations; and communicates the department’s goals and objectives to the public and district employees. For more information and to view the entire job description, please visit our website www.modot.org/jobs.

Requirements include a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Candidates must be licensed or be prepared to achieve licensure as a Professional Engineer in the state of Missouri and have over nine years of experience in highway or transportation engineering, including at least five years of supervisory experience, with knowledge and experience in delivering innovative transportation solutions. MoDOT offers an excellent benefits package.

Respond in strict confidence by submitting resume and cover letter by JANUARY 22, 2018, to:

Michaelene (Micki) Knudsen, Human Resources Director

MoDOT Human Resources Division

P.O. Box 270, Jefferson City, MO 65102

Phone (573) 751-7449

Fax (573) 526-0058

NWDistrictEngineer@modot.mo.gov

Equal Employment Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer, M/F/D/V

To learn more about this opportunity contact us at (314) 782-7311 or via email at info@medstarcds.com

information for you and your company to andy@missionstl.org Mission: St. Louis is an EOE

Position for qualified applicant with knowledge of property main-

tenance, residential building construction methods and proper use of building materials and installation. Examples of work performed include initial, annual and follow-up inspections of residential rental units and maintaining rental data base to determine rent reasonableness for units on the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program. Position will have daily contact with owners, agents and residents, scheduling inspections and general communication. Applicants should have a college degree or certificate from technical school specializing in construction courses or any equivalent combination of experience and training in building construction technology. Knowledge of Microsoft WORD, EXCEL, OUTLOOK and YARDI VOYAGER software preferred. Applicants must have excellent customer service skills, good oral and written communication skills. Must be a self-starter with the ability to work independently and have a history of good attendance. Valid driver’s license, excellent driving record and daily use of a vehicle required. Employee benefit package includes: medical, dental, vision, long term care and life insurance, retirement plan, tuition reimbursement and 19 days paid vacation. Starting salary $37,300 negotiable.

EQUAL OPORTUNITY EMPLOYER, SECTION 3 COMPLIANCE

Send resume and salary requirement to: job@haslc.com or mail to:

Housing Authority St. Louis County

ATTN: Human Resources PO BOX 23886 ST. LOUIS, MO 63121

All resumes/applications must be received by 5:00 pm, January 26, 2018

CITY CLERK/FINANCE OFFICER JOB OPENING

The City of Northwoods has an opening for the position of City Clerk/Finance Officer. This position is responsible for all municipal clerical functions, including but not limited to, the minutes of all Board of Aldermen proceedings, the maintenance of all City records, the general accounting of the City’s finances, the preparation of an annual budget and monthly financial statements. An understanding of the basic functions of governmental finance including QuickBooks accounting software and Microsoft Suite is desired.

ASSISTANT CITY CLERK JOB OPENING

The City of Northwoods has an opening for the position of Assistant City Clerk. This position is responsible for supplying support for all municipal clerical functions, including but not limited to, administrative assistance to the City Administrator, processing payroll, data entry of city business, licensing, event planning, appointment scheduling and other housing and community services.

Candidates should submit a resume and cover letter via email, fax, or standard mail to: City of Northwoods City Administrator 4600 Oakridge Blvd. Northwoods, MO 63121 cityadmin@cityofnorthwoods.com (314) 385-8000-phone (314) 385-8144-fax

The City of Northwoods is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Thompson Coburn LLP has the following positions available in our St. Louis office: Litigation Clerk Perfect for someone planning to attend law school who wants to get a foot in the door of

EMPLOYMENT

REGISTRATION SPECIALIST

Affinia Healthcare is seeing a Bilingual (Spanish speaking) registration specialist. Responsible for completing the patient registration process by patients collecting demographic information, determining appropriate fees and collection of payment. High School graduate or equivalent. Two years experience in a health care setting or related field; and two years experience in customer service. Information, visit www.affiniahealthcare.org or contact Anthony Gonzalez, Affinia Healthcare Recruitment Coordinator, at 314-814-8516.

LAUNDRY SHIRT INSPECTOR/ASSEMBLY

Will train. Competitive pay, Clayton location. Call 314-725-4500.

DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

The Missouri Historical Society seeks a Digital Communications Manager. Visit www.mohistory.org for position details and to apply. An Equal Opportunity Employer

WE’RE HIRING!

Webster Groves School District is looking for a dedicated and creative thinker to serve as Assistant Principal at Hixson Middle School.

Qualifications

Missouri Administrative Certificate

Minimum of 5 years of teaching experience Administrator experience preferred

Notice to MBE

Businesses

Plocher Construction Company, Inc.

2808 Thole-Plocher Road

Highland, IL 62249

PH: (618) 654-9408

Fax: (618) 654-6454

bids@plocherco.com

is seeking MBE (African American and Hispanic American) businesses for the MSD Grand Glaize WWTF Building, Switchgear, Tank and Screen Repairs for Union Subcontracting & Supply opportunities in the following areas: Earthwork, Concrete Pavement, Seeding, Structural Concrete, Rebar, Masonry, Structural Steel, Carpentry, Insulation, PVC Membrane Roofing, Sheet Metal, Caulking, Aluminum Doors, Glazing, Hollow Metal Doors, Louvers, High Performance Painting, Specialties, Aluminum Canopy, Mechanical, Pumping Equipment, Plumbing, Heating and Electrical

All interested and qualified business should contact Chuck Wagner or Russell Zurliene in writing or via email to discuss the subcontracting and supply opportunities. All quotes are requested to be received one day prior to the bid opening date of February 7, 2018

All proposals will be reviewed for the lowest, responsive, and responsible quote.

MSD will host a non-mandatory Pre-Bid conference, including site visit. It will be held at 1:30PM on January 25th, 2018 at the Grand Glaize Administration Building, 1000 Grand Glaize Pky, Valley Park, MO 63088

Plocher Construction will hold its own Prebid meeting on January 22nd, 2018 at 10:00am at Plocher’s office: 2808 Thole-Plocher Rd, Highland, IL.

Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.”

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The St. Louis County Port Authority (the “Authority”) is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors to purchase salvage rights to materials located in the former Sears (100 Jamestown Mall), former Dillard’s (400 Jamestown Mall) and former Main Mall (101 Jamestown Mall) at the Jamestown Mall site in Florissant, Missouri 63034.

To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 3:00 PM on Thursday, January 25, 2018. Proposals should be sent by e-mail to hbean@stlpartnership.com, or to St. Louis County Port Authority, c/o St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, ATTN: Howl Bean II, 7733 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 2200, St. Louis, Missouri 63105. DBE, MBE, and WBE firms are encouraged to bid.

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

St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

Remedy for the St. Louis Ordnance Plant, Former Hanley Area, St. Louis, Missouri

Public Comment Period

January 10 through February 10, 2018

Public Meeting

January 24, 2018

The Army is seeking public input on a Proposed Plan to address contamination at the St. Louis Ordnance Plant, former Hanley Area in St. Louis, Missouri. The site lies approximately three miles west of the Mississippi River and 0.25 mile south of the intersection of I-70 and Goodfellow Boulevard. Between 1941 and 1979, historic waste handling, generation, and disposal practices resulted in soil and groundwater contamination consisting of primarily metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In 2012, the Army completed site cleanup activities to eliminate unacceptable human health risks from construction worker exposure to contaminated soil and groundwater. A potential future unacceptable risk to human health from vapor intrusion (VI) of residual VOCs in soil and groundwater remains and is the basis of the Proposed Plan. The former Hanley Area is a Department of Defense property and is eligible for environmental cleanup activities.

Interested members of the public are invited to review and comment on the Proposed Plan, which presents a summary of investigations and cleanup actions performed at the site and outlines cleanup alternatives to address the VI pathway. A public comment period will be held from January 10 to February 10, 2018.

A public meeting to discuss the Proposed Plan will be held on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Omega Center at 3900 Goodfellow Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. Comments received at the public meeting and during the public comment period (postmarked by February 10, 2018) will be thoroughly reviewed and evaluated before selecting a final cleanup alternative.

The proposed plan is part of the Administrative Record, which is located at:

St. Louis Central Public Library 1301 Olive Street

St. Louis, MO 63103

Phone: (314) 241-2288

To submit written comments on the report, contact: Ms. Josephine Newton-Lund

CENWK-PM-ES

USACE-Kansas City District

601 East 12th Street

Kansas City, MO 64106

Phone: (816) 389-3912

Josephine.M.Newton-lund@uasce.army.mil

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The St. Louis Philanthropic Organization (SLPO) invites 501 (c) (3) organizations to submit an application for its 2018 Responsive Grants cycle. Grant requests cannot exceed $10,000 and must be used solely for programs that provide services to St. Louis city residents. Agencies may submit only one application per grant cycle.

The original and two copies of the application, along with one copy of the required attachments, must be received before 4:30 p.m. on Friday, February 9, 2018, at the SLPO office located at 20 South Sarah Street, St. Louis, MO 63108. Please ensure that the required number of copies and all attachments are included. All grant requests must be submitted on the SLPO application form. The application form, along with instructions for completion and required attachments, may be found on the SLPO web site at www.stlphil.org as a fillable PDF and in Microsoft Word. Agencies may also request that a copy of the application and instructions be emailed to them by contacting the SLPO office at stlphil@ sbcglobal.net. SLPO office hours are Mondays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Applications will not be accepted by email or fax. They may be delivered to the SLPO office by U.S. mail or hand delivered.

SLPO will host an Informational Session for Prospective Grantees via conference call on Tuesday, January 16th at 10:00 a.m. Please see the St. Louis Philanthropic Organization website for further information.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for Baur Boulevard – Guelbreth Lane Infrastructure, St. Louis County Project No. AR/CR-1582, 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 2:00 p.m. on January 31, 2018)

Plans and specifications will be available on January 8, 2018 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.

DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for ROXBURY I/I REDUCTION PART 2 under Letting No. 11680-015.2, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, at a place designated.

Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: SEWER CONSTRUCTION – St. Louis County drainlayer’s license 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.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for Grand Circle Dr 69 Storm Sewer (IR) under Letting No. 12812-015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Thursday, February 15, 2018, at a place designated.

Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for:

SEWER CONSTRUCTION – St. Louis County drainlayer’s license 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.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for 2017 CRS Cape Seal Program, St. Louis County Project No.CR-1758, 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 2:00 p.m. on January, 10, 2018 Plans and specifications will be available on December 18, 2017 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.

DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for 2018 CRS Concrete Replacement Program, Area A, St. Louis County Project No. CR-1762, 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 2:00 p.m. on January 17, 2018.

Plans and specifications will be available on December 25, 2017 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.

DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for Hanley Road (B) Resurfacing, St. Louis County Project No. AR1484, 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 2:00 p.m. on January 31, 2018.

Plans and specifications will be available on January 8, 2018 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.

DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BID

Goodwin Bros. Construction Co. is requesting subcontract bids and/or material quotations from qualifying minority business enterprises for relevant phases of work for Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Grand Glaize WWTF Building, Switchgear, Tank and Screen Repairs, Contract Letting No. 12495015.1. Interested parties should contact the Goodwin Office at (636) 931-6084. A pre-bid meeting for all interested MBE’s will be held at Goodwin Brothers office at 4885 Baumgartner Road, St. Louis, MO 63129 at 8:00 am on Tuesday, January 23, 2018. Subcontractor/Supplier bids are due February 6, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. An Equal Opportunity Employer

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for Dellridge Ct 1627 Storm Channel Repair (IR) under Letting No. 12739015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Wednesday, February 21, 2018, at a place designated. There will be a Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting on January 30, 2018 @ 9:00 am at 1627 Dellridge Ct, St Louis, MO , 63136 (Dellwood).

Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: CONCRETE CHANNELS, WALLS, AND STRUCTURES

Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1712 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid.

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

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

The City of St. Louis, Department of Health (DOH), Bureau of Communicable Disease is requesting (2) proposals from local organizations, community agencies, universities, local governmental entities and other interested parties eligible to receive funds to provide the following services: STI Testing and Treatment Services and STI Testing and Treatment Services for Youth.

Request for Proposals (RFP) may be obtained beginning January 5, 2018 from Franda Thomas at the City of St. Louis Department of Health, 1520 Market Street, Suite 4027, St. Louis, MO 63103, or downloaded from the St. Louis City website at http://stlouis-mo.gov/, or by contacting Franda Thomas at thomasf@stlouis-mo.gov or (314) 657-1461.

All questions must be submitted in writing no later than January 12, 2018 to Franda Thomas, City of St. Louis Department of Health, 1520 Market Street, Suite 4027, St. Louis, MO 63103 by contacting her at thomasf@stlouis-mo.gov or at (314) 657-1461. All questions will be addressed through addenda posted on the St. Louis City website at http://stlouis-mo.gov/.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Great Rivers Greenway is requesting proposals from interested and qualified non-profit(s), organization(s) or firm(s) to provide seasonal native landscape care and greenway facility maintenance on an as needed basis. Check https://greatriversgreenway. org/jobs-bids/ and submit by January 16, 2018.

PENROSE PARK VELODROME

pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held on January 23, 2018 at 9:00 A.M. in Room 305, City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). All bidders must regard Federal

forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).

LETTING NO. 8655

TERMINAL 1 GARAGE, BROWN LEVEL DRIVE LANE REINFORCEMENT

At St. Louis Lambert International Airport

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on Tuesday February 13, 2018, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org/planroom. aspx (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased

Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).

LETTING NO. 8657

IMPROVEMENTS AT FRANCIS PARK ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 63109

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 February 13, 2018 then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org/planroom.aspx (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

A pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held on January 30, 2018 at 9:00 A.M. in Room 305, City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103. Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies).

All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).

Macklind Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110 or at Tarlton Corporation’s website at www.tarltoncorp.com.

An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure FY18 Year 2 - Hosting Services for our Pretreatment Systems. The District is proposing single source procurement for this service because Enfo Tech & Consulting completed implementation services. Any inquiries should be sent to strenz@stlmsd.com.

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

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 January 19, 2018. Interested parties should contact Keller Construction at (618) 656-0033. All quotations must be submitted by 4:30 PM Wednesday January 17, 2018. Keller Construction is an equal opportunity employer.

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for DESIGN SERVICES FOR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING DRIVE LIGHTING AND SIGNAL INTERCONNECT – PHASE III, FEDERAL PROJECT STP-9901(643), ST. LOUIS, MO. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM, CT, January 5, 2018 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from website www.stl-bps. org, under On Line Plan Room – Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535. 14% DBE participation goal for this project.

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

Advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, imitation, or discrimination because of race,color, religion, sex, handicap, familial\status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference,limitation, or discrimination.“We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.”

Call Angelita at 314-289-5430 to place your rental/real estate ad today!

INVITATION TO BID

Great Rivers Greenway is soliciting sealed bids for Maline Greenway: Bridges in Bella Fontaine Park in St. Louis County, Missouri. Bids for Project #286 must be submitted electronically via BidExpress.com no later than 10 am CST, January 26, 2018. See https://greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids/ for the full invitation to bid.

GRG reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

EOE

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: Repair of laboratory equipment. The District is proposing single source procurement to Teledyne Tekmar for this equipment. Any inquiries should be sent to ltreat@stlmsd.com.

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

BID NOTICE

DowntownSTL, Inc. is seeking bids for providing security patrol services. A copy of the RFP can be found at downtownstl.org/bids

SEALED BIDS

Services Program L a b

y , Jefferson City, Missouri, Project No. O1407-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 2/15/2018. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

for Exterior Building Repairs, Harry S Truman Building, Jefferson City, Mo, Project No. O1710-02 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 2/8/2018. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities

REQUESTS

CITY OF ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Solicitation For Bids (SFB) for Fleet Maintenance & Auto Body Repair Bids Wanted

Bid documents may be obtained at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Airport Properties Division, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by calling (314) 426-8184. This SFB may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.flystl.com/ business/contact-opportunites.

p.m. bid deadline.

The work to be done under these contract documents consists of:

• Flow meter replacements, • Return activated sludge pump replacements,

• Replacement of plant power and control circuits,

• Replacement of motor control centers, electrical and control panels,

• Addition to Dewatering Building Electrical Room,

• Miscellaneous building and tank structural repairs.

• All associated civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation installations as well as demolition. The Engineer’s Opinion of Probable Construction Cost is $4,647,000.

Note that the screen repairs identified in the project title have been removed from the project.

Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: Building Construction or Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing.

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 1710 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to

Swag Snap of the Week

Who else is ready for an old-fashioned hip-hop show? I don’t know about y’all, but I shole (yes, I said shole) am excited for the throwback hip-hop variety show being billed as the All Stars of Hip Hop at the Chaifetz Arena Saturday after next (Jan. 20). MC Lyte has never failed me on stage. And I

don’t care what DMX is going through – and we know he stays going through something – he puts it all the way down on stage! The last time he was here, he hit the Coliseum (R.I.P.) fresh off “Iyanla Fix My Life,” and tore the roof of the club with that high energy show. It might have been one of my favorite shows from that year – whatever year it was. Murphy Lee always puts it down, so I know to expect the same as a duo with brother Kyjuan. I honestly can’t remember if I’ve ever seen E-40 live or not, but no news is good news when it comes to me. And I’m certain I’ve never seen Tela or the Young Bloodz live, but I’m claiming in advance that they live up to their jams. The bill is full, so the show will start at 7 p.m. I know the lineup is different, but I had a ball at the similar show we had last New Year’s Day. And I’m glad that I don’t have to be wore down from New Year’s Eve for this year’s throwback rap revue. Go to ticketmaster.com for more information.

Empty boots entertainment scene for week one of 2018. Speaking of New Year’s Eve recovery, y’all must still be doing it – because it was empty boots up in these streets this weekend. Real talk, it was to the point where I thought I was going to have to run a Partyline repeat on y’all. Element Saturdays at the Marquee was about the only thing crackin’. I knew that the folks were in rest mode when the Zodiac Freak Party at the Obar wasn’t filled to the max. I couldn’t get over there fast enough when I saw that preview clip on social media. Rushed down Olive only for it to be a few little folks taking their final twerk bows. Now you in the streets are doing a siesta if the Capricorns ain’t tearin’ the club up. I’m just sayin.’ Did y’all make a New Year’s resolution to stay out of the club and not tell me?

Local vocals at .Zack. Friday night I made my way to catch Drea Vocalz live at the .Zack with special guest Lyrique and Domino Effect. The show got a late start, but it gave me a chance to chat it up with a few of my faves – though I would be lying if I said we didn’t run out of things to catch up on by the time the show finally got started. The show was cool and gave a hint to the kind of potential that lies in the Lou as far as the music scene. I will say that I while appreciate Drea’s effort in giving us fashion unloaded, the lag time between costume changes brought the energy down every.single.time. If you don’t have a team of professional dressers, but you still want to show off a bunch of outfits just layer them all on reveal your wardrobe change by taking them off one by one. That way I won’t have to get bored between songs. The laser show was cute, but not enough to fully distract me from the dramatic pauses between freakum dresses. On a positive note, I want to say congratulations to Drea and her boo Jizzo. He popped the question at the end of her performance. The room was filled with raw emotion as she accepted his hand in marriage.

Paige and Mo in the dark (room). Local music was clearly my theme this weekend, because Saturday night I stopped by The Dark Room at The Grandel to see what all the fuss was about as far as local vocalist Paige Alyssa. She was doing a late-night set with Mo Egeston and his crew of musicians. I’ve heard Mo, so I know he throws down on those keys. I had only seen a teeny clip or two of Paige on somebody’s Instagram. I’m so glad I stopped through. There were only about 20 people in there – before y’all accuse me of shading, that’s how it’s supposed to be as an intimate venue – but they threw down like it was a sold-out crowd at The Dome. Paige has a great tone to her voice, and I especially appreciate singers know better than to waste it by doing too much with the runs and what not. And she really had me at hello with her totally 90s R&B snippet with an ode to SWV and Tevin Campbell. “I’m So Into You” is the jam – and she did it just right. And I have a new appreciation for Tevin after hearing her hit those notes as a soprano. I wish he would come from out of his crypt and get on one of these shows where the throwback R&B acts are arbitrarily smashed together.

Lalah’s coming back. Since I’m on the subject of live music, I might as well let you know that on Tuesday (Jan. 16) I will be in R&B bliss when the one and only Lalah Hathaway brings that beautiful contralto voice of hers to the Pageant. Am I the only one who low key claims her as an honorary St. Louisan because of her dad, the late soul legend and St. Louis native Donny Hathaway? Of course not. I’ve seen her just about every single time she’s come to town and I can’t say that I’ve ever not been blown away with her live performances. She sounded so good that I wasn’t even mad when she came to the Lights on Broadway (RIP) took her shoes off only to sing two songs and hit it. Who else remembers that? Her voice was so glorious for that snippet I can’t remember anyone complaining. Anyway, she’s been to town plenty more times since then and slayed with ever visit. I like to think I’m pretty good about incognito, but I will be extra easy to spot at this show – because I will be the one trying (and failing) to harmonize with the background vocalists at the top of my lungs for “I’m Coming Back.”

Unlimited The Poet and Twisted Elegance had a chance to catch up just before the Word Up Open Mic started Tuesday @Lowes

Lola supported photographer Shabez Jamal at the opening reception for ‘A Free Space Between Intersections Friday’ @ Erica Popp

Host DJ Smooth, Innergy and Louis ConPhliction were elated to celebrate Word Up Open Mic’s 3-year Anniversary Tuesday @Lowes

Makeda Mari Hope and Andrea were all smiles as they prepared to kick it with the Kappas Friday @ The Marquee

Ebony and Sharonda dared not miss Drea’s album release concert and were excited to see her get engaged Friday @. ZACK

Tre G, Golliday and Lauron of TLT Productions were excited to host their first event of 2018 @. ZACK Friday night

Eboni and Anthony were excited and pulled up early @. ZACK for the Monogamy album release concert Friday

Author Erica Williams, blogger Markees Bassett stopped by Erica Popp to see Shabez Jamal’s ‘A Free Space Between Intersections’ Friday

The Kappas were celebrating Founder’s Day so Ace Kahala Chris joined in the turn up @ The Marquee Friday night

The audience went from grooving to the music to celebrating black love Friday night at .Zack when Hello Jizzo popped the question to fellow artist Drea Vocalz during her ‘Monogamy’ release concert presented by TLT Productions. The proposal fit with the theme of the album – and she happily accepted his hand in marriage.

Photos by V. Lang

The BOA Nupes seriously turnt up @The Marquee Friday during the Kappa Alpha Psi Founder’s Day

ceLebrATing

The DreAm

‘We must’ do the right thing

A continued commitment to King’s dream at statewide celebration kickoff

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

The 32nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Celebration KickOff Program for Missouri was one of reflection, reality and hope Saturday, January 6 at Harris-Stowe State University.

True to this year’s theme – “Stay Focused, Stay Committed … The Pathway to Justice” – awardees, guests and keynote speaker Bakari Sellers reminded the audience to look beyond the romanticized portrayal of Dr. King’s legacy and acknowledge that there is still much work to be done. The recurring message was that many battles still lie ahead before King’s dream of a beloved community – where all people are treated as equals and judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin – becomes a reality.

“We must root the cause of

discrimination, inequality, poverty and injustice in order to move and achieve social change in this region,” said commission chair and Harris-Stowe State University President Dwaun J. Warmack. But in the same breath, all those who stood upon the podium pointed to signs that while there have indeed been setbacks

along the way, change is not too far beyond the horizon.

U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO) pointed to new St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief John Hayden as a positive sign.

“You have the full support of my office,” Clay told Hayden. “And I fully expect that you will require that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department take

See KICKOFF, D11

Honor MLK by standing with Ferguson nursing home workers

By state Rep. Cora Faith Walker

Louis

n “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had the audacity to oppose the rich and powerful to make the dream real.”

– Lew Moye, president emeritus of St. Louis CBTU Chapter

Ozier, president of the St. Louis CBTU Chapter. Cecil Roberts, international president of the United Mine Workers of America and a 6th-generation coal miner, will serve as keynote speaker.

“We have all been enriched by the life of Dr. Martin

Above: Harris-Stowe State University President Dwaun J. Warmack addresses Constance Gully, chairwoman emeritus of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. State Celebration Commission of Missouri; keynote speaker Bakari Sellers; and Dr. Henry Givens Jr., HSSU president emeritus.

Left: Bakari Sellers delivers the keynote speech.

Photos by Wiley Price

Photo by Wiley Price

Tory Russell – seen here speaking at the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., with Zaki Baruti on October 10, 2015 – will be honored by the St. Louis CBTU Chapter at its 40th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Award Banquet on Monday, January 15. Ashli Bolden and Halbert Sullivan also will be honored.

State Rep. Cora Faith Walker (D-Ferguson) speaking at the People’s Session direct action on July 29, 2017. Photo by Wiley Price

‘‘ Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’

– Martin Luther King Jr.

MLK was a champion for equity in education

‘Dr. King laid down the case for affordable education for all Americans’

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s influence on the Civil Rights Movement is indisputable, but his fight for equity in education remains a mystery to some. That fight began with his own education.

“He clearly had an advanced, refined educational foundation from Booker T. Washington High School, Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University,” said Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., the founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. “His education in his speeches and sermons and writings were apparent and he wanted us all to have that type of education.”

King completed high school at 15, college at 19, seminary school at 22 and earned a doctorate at 26.

“Dr. King laid down the case for affordable education for all Americans, including Polish children – from the ghetto and the barrios, to the Appalachian mountains and the reservations – he was a proponent for education for all and he believed that strong minds break strong chains and once you learn your lesson well, the oppressor could not unlearn you,” Jackson said.

Rev. Al Sharpton, the founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), said that NAN works with Education for a Better America to partner with school districts, universities, community colleges, churches, and community organizations around the country to conduct educational programming for students and parents.

“The mission of the organi-

zation has been to build bridges between policymakers and the classrooms by supporting innovations in education and creating a dialogue between policymakers, community leaders, educators, parents, and students,” Sharpton said. “We’re promoting student health, financial literacy, and college readiness in our communities, just like Dr. King did.” King was a figure to look up to in both civil rights and academia, Sharpton told the NNPA Newswire.

“Then, when you look at his values, he always saw education, especially in the black community, as a tool to uplift and inspire to action,” Sharpton said. “It’s definitely no coincidence that a number of prominent civil rights groups that emerged during Dr. King’s time, were based on college campuses.”

Sharpton added that King routinely pushed for equality to access to education.

“Just as importantly, he always made a point to refer education back to character –that we shouldn’t sacrifice efficiency and speed for morals,” Sharpton said. “A great student not only has the reason and education, but a moral compass to do what’s right with his or her gifts. It’s not just important to be smart, you have to know what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Wornie Reed, the director of Race and Social Policy Research Center at Virginia Tech who marched with King, said when he thinks of King and education, he immediately considers the late civil rights leader’s advocating that “we should be the best that we could

be.”

“King certainly prepared himself educationally,” Reed said. “Early on, he saw that education played a crucial role in society, but perceived it as often being misused. In a famous essay that he wrote for the student newspaper at Morehouse in 1947, he argued against a strictly utilitarian approach to education, one that advanced the individual and not society.”

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), who remembers running home from church on Sundays to listen to King’s speeches on radio, said King had a tremendous impact on education in the black com-

munity.

“Dr. King worked tirelessly to ensure that African Americans would gain the rights they had long been denied, including the right to a quality education. His fight for equality in educational opportunities helped to tear down walls of segregation in our nation’s schools,” Cummings said.

“He instilled hope in us that we can achieve our dreams no matter the color of our skin. He instilled in us the notion that everyone can be great, because everyone can serve and there are so many great advocates, who embody this lesson.”

In support of education equality, civil rights leaders

across the country are still working to ensure all students, regardless of color, receive access to experienced teachers, equitable classroom resources and quality education, Cummings noted further.

For example, the NAACP has done a tremendous amount, across the country, to increase retention rates, ensure students have the resources they need, and prepare students for success after graduation – whether it be for college or a specific career path, Cummings said.

During his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Oslo, Norway, King said: “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three

meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.”

The need for high quality education in the black community is universal and the route to get there may be different, but education does matter, Jackson said.

“Dr. King told me he read a fiction and a non-fiction book once a week. He was an avid reader and, in the spirit of Dr. King, today we fight for equal, high-quality education,” said Jackson. “We fight for skilled trade training, affordable college education and beyond.”

Abernathy Family Photos

Civil Rights Movement co-founder Ralph David Abernathy and his wife Juanita Abernathy (not pictured) follow with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King as the Abernathy children march on the front line, leading the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965. The children are Donzaleigh Abernathy in striped sweater, Ralph David Abernathy III, and Juandalynn R. Abernathy in glasses. Name of the white minister in the photo is unknown.

Public Library to host Rev. Jesse Jackson at Christ Church Cathedral

Will speak twice in free events on Feb. 18

American staff

The St. Louis Public Library will celebrate Black History Month with featured speaker

Rev. Jesse Jackson, who will speak twice – 1:15-2:45 p.m. and 3:10-4:40 p.m. – on Sunday, February 18 at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust St. FOX 2’s Kim Hudson will interview Rev. Jackson about his life as a civil rights pioneer and his thoughts on the work yet to be done for equality in America.

Rev. Jackson has been called the “conscience of the nation” and “the great unifier.” He challenges Americans to establish just and humane priorities and is known for bringing people together across lines of race, class, gender, and belief.

A hallmark of his work has been his commitment to youth – inspiring hope and challenging young people to award themselves with academic excellence and to stay drug-free—and the American labor movement – working with unions to organize workers and mediate labor disputes. A renowned orator, Rev. Jackson has received numerous honors for his work in human and civil rights and for nonviolent social change.

In his most recent column for The St. Louis American in September 2016, Jackson wrote about legal challenges to Republican voter disenfranchisement efforts targeted at blacks.

“A panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently rebuked the North

Carolina legislature for acting with ‘discriminatory intent’ in passing restrictions on the right to vote that ‘target African Americans with almost surgical precision.’ Reinforced by similar rulings in the appellate court in Texas and a district court in Wisconsin, the decision was a victory for our democracy and our Constitution,” Jackson wrote.

“The voting impediments were passed by North Carolina in 2013 in the wake of the U.S. Supreme decision in Shelby v. Holder, which struck

down the central provision of the Voting Rights Act: the requirement that areas with a history of discrimination gain prior approval from the Justice Department before changing voting regulations.

“Chief Justice John Roberts, the activist Republican judge, argued that since we now live in a ‘post-racial society,’ requiring prior approval for voting law changes was no longer justified. The flood of legislation that followed – all erecting barriers to make voting harder for African Americans

in particular – proved the chief justice’s fantasy was a lie.

“In North Carolina, the legislature acted immediately after the Supreme Court decision came down. Its motivation, the Fourth Circuit panel found, was clear.

African-American turnout had surged in 2008 and 2012 (with Barack Obama at the head of the Democratic ticket), nearing parity with the turnout of white voters for the first time. Obama had taken the state in 2008 and lost it closely in 2012. But in 2010, conservative Republicans had taken control of the legislature and the statehouse.

“The new majority acted aggressively to fend off the threat posed by growing African-American turnout. As Judge Diana Motz, writing for the unanimous panel, summarized, the legislators ‘requested data on the use, by race, of a number of voting practices. Upon receipt of the race data, the General Assembly enacted legislation that restricted voting and registration in five different ways, all of which disproportionately affected African Americans.’

“The three-judge panel in Richmond, Virginia, unanimously concluded that the law was racially discriminatory, overturning a requirement that voters show photo identification to vote and restoring same-day voter registration, a week of early voting, pre-registration for teenagers and out-of-precinct voting.”

Rev. Jackson’s appearance in St. Louis is made possible by the support of U.S. Bank and the St. Louis Public Library Foundation.

Each engagement is free and open to the public, but reservations are required at https://www.brownpapertickets. com/event/3201803. Tickets should be presented at the door in paper or electronic form.

CBTU

Continued from D1

Luther King Jr., not because he had a dream of human equality based on social and economic justice, but because he had the audacity to oppose the rich and powerful to make the dream real,” stated Lew Moye, president emeritus of St. Louis CBTU Chapter.

“The poverty Dr. King opposed is still with us, and

WORKERS

Continued from D1

in hand with 50 years ago – are striking.

All of the Ferguson nursing home workers I spoke with – most of whom are AfricanAmerican – love their jobs, and the senior and disabled residents, at Christian Care Home, many of whom are African-American, too. They are just simply looking for a fair, living wage.

And like the Memphis sanitation workers 50 years ago, the Ferguson nursing home workers are striking in response to the unjust treatment they have received at the hands of the management, under the direction of the Christian Woman’s Benevolent Association. The Christian Woman’s Benevolent Association has allegedly violated several unfair labor practices since the strike began, including sending letters of termination to strikers just days before Christmas informing them that they had been permanently replaced.

Lastly, the Memphis sanitation workers strike was about dignity and respect. Now 50 years later, the Ferguson nursing home workers are marching on the picket line demanding the same thing.

so is the racism, war and arrogance of the rich and powerful. Therefore, the best possible tribute we can pay to Dr. King is to continue in 2018 his fighting spirit for peace, justice, jobs and equality.” January 15, 2018 will mark the 33rd observation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. birthday as a National Holiday. The St. Louis CBTU Chapter tradition predates the holiday by 7 years. For ticket information, contact Lew Moye at lewcbtu@aol.com or 314-495- 5635.

In King’s final public speech, he urged people in Memphis and throughout the country to stand with the sanitation workers. He invoked the Good Samaritan parable, stating, “The question is not, ‘If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?’ ‘If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?’ That’s the question.”

As thousands across the St. Louis area prepare to honor King, I ask you the same thing – if you do not stop to help the Ferguson nursing home workers on strike, what will happen to them?

In the words of Dr. King, “You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.”

That is why I have joined the striking workers and concerned families in the community. We are calling for the Christian Women’s Benevolent Association to do the right thing— support the men and women who are on strike or step aside and allow new leadership to step in who will. I ask that you join me and stand with the Ferguson nursing home workers so that we all may be closer reaching Dr. King’s dream.

Cora Faith Walker (D-Ferguson) represents District 74 in the Missouri House of Representatives.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR DAY OF SERVICE

Centene Corporation presents A Day ON, Not A

What is the Day Of Service?

Day Off

Only three people in U.S. history have ever had a national holiday observed in their honor: Christopher Columbus, George Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation creating a holiday honoring the birthday of beloved civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. By1986, MLK’s birthday was officially celebrated as a national holiday, to be observed every year on the third monday of January. In 1994, congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act as a part of President Bill Clinton’s United We Serve initiative. This legislation named King’s birthday the first and only national day of service. Americans and people the world over honor King’s legacy by serving other people within their communities on this day.

“Life’s most persistant and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?” - ReverendDr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.

What Can I Do For Others?

When a lot of people pitch in, making a difference in your community as an individual becomes easier than you think. Here are four suggestions for how you can help this MLK Day:

•Help an elderly family/ community member use the internet for their needs.

•Collect canned goods at your school for community shelters.

•Make plans to grow a community garden this spring to feed people.

•If you’re reading this, then you can also spend this day teaching someone else how to read and/or read to another person who cannot.

We are proud to have made quality, affordable housing the cornerstone of our mission to rebuild central cities across the United States and in our home city of Saint Louis.

North Sarah Apartments St. Louis, Missouri

Reverend Jesse Jackson with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Cleveland in 1967.

A speech that changed the nation, touched the world

Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr., delivered his most famous speech on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.

One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.

So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.

This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bank-

rupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.

The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining

our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march

ahead. We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas

where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to workwiththefaiththatunearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be selfevident: that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain,

and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.” And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

How the Supreme Court could embolden police to silence free speech

By Jacob J. Hutt Guest columnist

In 2017, a photojournalist headed to a Black Lives Matter protest in Times Square against the New York Police Department, and took out his camera to film it. As he approached a crowd of protesters, he heard a police supervisor instruct his officers to “just take somebody and put them in handcuffs.” An officer stopped the journalist and placed him under arrest for failure to comply with an order to disperse. He was soon released, and sued the NYPD for arresting him in retaliation for exercising his First Amendment rights. He pointed out the NYPD supervisor’s explicit order to make an arbitrary arrest, and proved that police barricades were positioned to block people from dispersing, making compliance with the dispersal order physically impossible. In all, the evidence of retaliation was strong.

Yet the court not only ruled against the journalist, but told him he was barred from bringing the lawsuit in the first place. Even though the dispersal order may have been faulty, the officer could have had probable cause to arrest him for a separate pedestrian traffic violation, which automatically rendered irrelevant any evidence of

retaliation.

The court was relying on what’s called the “no probable cause” rule, which has the force of law in New York. The rule states that in order for an individual to sue for retaliatory arrest, she must prove at the outset that the officer had no probable cause to arrest her for any crime - even one the officer hadn’t thought of at the time of the arrest. The Supreme Court will soon decide whether to make that rule the law nationwide.

The Supreme Court will specifically consider the case of a Florida man, Fane Lozman, who alleges that his arrest for disorderly conduct at a Riviera Beach city council meeting was made in retaliation for his

n If the probable cause rule becomes law nationwide, retaliatory arrest lawsuits will become much harder to win.

vocal opposition to a municipal redevelopment plan and for his accusations of corruption on the council. If the court endorses the “no probable cause” rule, it will effectively immunize governmental officials from liability even when they engage in clear-cut retaliation.

There are several reasons why this rule is both unconstitutional and bad policy. First, it allows law enforcement to use an “arrest now, justify later” strategy in which an arresting officer can use a probable cause theory that

was not even on the officer’s mind or communicated to the plaintiff at the time of arrest. This rule would bar retaliatory arrest lawsuits even when there is overwhelming evidence of a retaliatory motive. The enormity of the criminal code, and the ease of mistakenly violating it, practically guarantees this result. Are you carrying a sign attached to a stick thicker than 3/4 inch during a protest? You may have committed a crime, which the police could use against you in defending against a lawsuit for retaliatory arrest. That’s true even if, say, a police officer told a group of racial justice protesters that the real reason for their arrest was his disdain for Black Lives Matter. If the rule stands, this evidence would be useless in a lawsuit against the officer if he had probable cause to arrest the protesters for any crime. If the probable cause rule becomes law nationwide, retaliatory arrest lawsuits – a primary tool for deterring police misconduct – will become much harder to win. As a result, police officers who wish to silence political speech will be emboldened and First Amendment rights will be chilled.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2006 that “the law is settled that as a general matter the First Amendment prohibits government officials from subjecting an individual to retaliatory actions.” Let’s hope the court doesn’t cripple an important tool for enforcing this principle.

Jacob J. Hutt is William J. Brennan Fellow for the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project.

Jacob J. Hutt

Meaningful MLK Weekend Programs at MHM

By Lindsay Newton For The St. Louis American

In 1983, Coretta Scott King shared her vision of how our country should observe the holiday honoring her husband.

“The holiday must be substantive as well as symbolic. It must be more than a day of celebration,” she said.

“Let this holiday be a day of reflection, a day of teaching nonviolent philosophy and strategy, a day of getting involved in nonviolent action for social and economic progress.”

In this spirit the Missouri History Museum will offer several activities on Saturday, January 13, and Monday, January 15, that celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy and encourage learning, contemplation, and intention.

This fifth annual MLK Family Celebration is free of charge and intended for families with children ages 14 and under. The first 100 kids in attendance will receive a book about Dr. King Caregivers are asked to attend all activities and participate alongside their children. Throughout each day families will have opportunities for creative expression and reflection with peace-inspired art projects, such as advocacy buttons, painted peace signs, and handwritten dreams.

Local educator Tabari Coleman will facilitate Youth Activism and Engagement workshops meant to empower kids to stand up for something they believe in and make changes in their communities. Through open conversations kids will explore the qualities of MLK and other activists, some famous and some less well known. On Saturday and Monday at 10:15 a.m., a workshop led by Coleman will

take place for kids in grades 2 through 5, and an 11:15 a.m. workshop is available for kids in grades 6 through 9. At 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. each day, Gentlemen of Vision will take the stage for a high-energy step performance inspired by the life and legacy of Martin Luther King. The Gentlemen of Vision’s mission is to prepare disadvantaged males from across the St. Louis area to complete high school and successfully transition into higher education or trade through demonstrating leadership skills, academic excellence, community service, and career readiness. At 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and Monday, professional storyteller and dancer Lisa Gage will lead

The Missouri History Museum will offer several activities on Saturday, January 13, and Monday, January 15, that celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy and encourage learning, contemplation, and intention.

Rights: The African American Freedom Struggle in St. Louis

This exhibition provides an up-close look at the local civil rights movement and the city’s rich, complex history of advancing the cause of racial justice. Families with kids ages 4 and older are invited to explore the exhibit using Family Gallery Bags, which contain storybooks, parent resources, and activity guides designed to encourage critical thinking and meaningful conversation.

interactive workshops that explore MLK’s famous March on Washington, as well as local history through movement, song, and story. More widely known as Mama Lisa, Gage is the president, founder, and artistic director of Fundisha Enterprises, an organization that empowers the community through the preservation of African culture and the celebration of performing arts traditions from the diaspora. Mama Lisa’s Marching on the Move in Missouri sessions will highlight the story of A. Philip Randolph, an activist from the 1940s who spoke out about the need for better treatment of African Americans in the workplace and the military. Throughout the weekend, guests can also visit #1 in Civil

While walking through the #1 in Civil Rights gallery, you’ll likely encounter an ACTivist. These performers portray real-life historical figures from St. Louis, such as George L. Vaughn, a local civil rights attorney who represented the Shelleys in the 1948 landmark US Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kraemer You might encounter Charlton Tandy, a conductor on the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War and a leader of the St. Louis streetcar boycotts of the late 1860s and 1870s. Kathryn Magnolia Johnson, an NAACP field agent sent to St. Louis to organize against the 1916 residential segregation ordinance, is also portrayed by an ACTivist throughout this special weekend.

As 2018 marks the 50th anniversary Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, we recognize that his work is as important now as it has ever been before. We hope that you are able to make a trip to the Missouri History Museum with family and friends to celebrate, reflect, and set intentions to better our community.

Be sure to check www. mohistory.org/mlk for a fully updated schedule of each day’s activities.

Martin Luther King Jr. CeLebration aCtivities

Thurs., Jan. 11, 7 p.m.,

Becoming King: The Inspiration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.A panel discussion with community members each representing a major influence on King’s life will be led by Gregory Carr, a King scholar and professor of oration from Harris-Stowe University. St. Louis Public Library –Schlafly Branch, 320 N. Euclid.

Jan. 11 – 14, JPEK

CreativeWorks Theatre presents The Meeting Stage Play

A depiction of a supposed meeting of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as they debate their varying approaches to social problems. .Zack, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Fri., Jan. 12, 11:30 a.m.,

Embracing The Dream –The Beloved Community Place MLK Celebration and Scholarship Luncheon, Christian Hospital Foundation will award to deserving students who aspire to enter healthcare careers. One scholarship each will be awarded to Jennings, Normandy, Hazelwood, FergusonFlorissant and Riverview Gardens school districts, Trinity Catholic High School and St. Louis Community College. Paul F. Detrick Building Atrium Christian Hospital 11133 Dunn Road. For more information, visit ChristianHospital.org/ MLK-Celebration or call 314653-4410.

Fri., Jan. 12, 5 p.m., 5th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Program and Essay Contest, open to students from grade 6-10. The Youth and Family Center 818 Cass Ave Middle school – sophomore in high school. Compositions should be 500

words or less. Headings should be legible 57 and include name, address, phone number, grade, school and date. Winners will make an oral presentation of their compositions at the program. 1st Prize - $75 – 2nd Prize - $50 – 3rd Prize - $25. For more information, e-mail throwingandgrowing@gmail. com or call 314-650-1008.

Fri., Jan. 12, 6 p.m. 32nd Annual University City Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration University City High School Auditorium 7401 Balson Ave. For more information, call 314290-4001.

Fri., Jan. 12, 7 p.m., Chaminade College Preparatory School and the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts present The 6th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Jazz Workshops and Concert featuring Good 4 The Soul. 425 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63131. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit chaminade-stl.org or call 314-9934400 x1302. Through Jan. 13, Microsoft Store is honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a series of events focused on the community, youth and Dr. King’s Dream. Field trips slots are available 10a-12p, 1p-3p and 4p-6p while they last. Contact Arika Parr at Arika.Parr@ Microsoft.com to reserve your space. Field trips are open to all grade levels.

Sat., Jan. 13, 10 a.m., Centennial Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Fountain Park community will host a Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance, “Being the Dream – A Call to Unity,” at the statue of Dr. King adjacent to 4950 Fountain Ave. There will be a brief ser-

vice with speakers from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, National Benevolent Association of the Disciples of Christ denomination, Missouri State District 78 Representative, Bruce Franks, Jr., St. Louis’ Ward 18 Alderman, Terry Kennedy and more.

Jan. 13 & 15, 10 a.m., Missouri History Museum presents the MLK Family Celebration. Kids 14 and under can take part in Youth Activism and Engagement Workshops, create peaceinspired art projects, and dive into St. Louis history. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.mohis-

tory.org.

Sun., Jan. 14, 9:30 a.m., St. Augustine of Hippo Catholic Church Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, 408 Rev. Joseph A. Brown Blvd, East St Louis, IL 62205. For more information, call 618274-0655 or email: staugustineofhippo@sbcglobal.net

Sun., Jan. 14, 11 a.m., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Morning Worship Event: Justice: No HocusPocus, Just FocusFocus, Compton Hill M. B. Church, 3141 LaSalle St. For more information, call 314-239-5786.

Sun., Jan. 14, 2 p.m. CMI Program – Martin Luther King Day Celebration and Teach-In, Downtown St. Louis Join the CMI staff for a time of celebration and reflection on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and prophetic engagement of issues of injustice race in our city and nation.

Sun., Jan. 14, 1:30 p.m., 6th Sunday Supper – A Salute to Veterans and Military Families, In commemoration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Gamma Omega Chapter and the men of Omega

Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, and Upsilon Omega Chapter will host their 6th annual sitdown Sunday Supper in honor of 300 veterans and military families. The Omega Center 3900 Goodfellow Blvd. Saint Louis, MO 63120. For more information, visit MLK-2018VSS.EVENTBRITE.COM or call 314-282-8018

Sun., Jan. 14, 7 p.m. City of Hazelwood’s 16th Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Hazelwood Civic Center, East 8969 Dunn Road. Mon. Jan. 15, 7 a.m., The Monsanto YMCA will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at its annual commemorative breakfast. The guest speaker will be Osei Kweku, on-air personality at 100.3 the Beat STL, and the YMCA will present the Human Dignity and MLK Tribute awards to local leaders who have made an impact on the community. Breakfast will be served 7- 7:45 a.m. with the program starting at 8 a.m. and a Community BBQ Lunch to follow from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 5555 Page Blvd. For more information, call (314) 3674646 or visit www.gwrymca. org.

Mon., Jan. 15, 9 a.m., City of St. Louis Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Committee National Holiday Celebration Pre-ceremony begins at 9:00 a.m. Civic Ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m. at the Old Court House, 4th and Market Street. Elected Officials, Dignitaries, and Community Leaders with statements of concern and greetings. 11:00 a.m. Memorial March of Celebration through the streets of downtown Saint Louis to: 12:30 p.m. Interfaith Service at Leonard Baptist Church located at Compton Ave. and Dr. Martin Luther

Fri., Jan. 12, 7 p.m., Chaminade College Preparatory School and the Skip Viragh

Center for the Arts present The 6th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Jazz Workshops and Concert featuring Good 4 The Soul.

Martin Luther King Jr. CeLebration aCtivities

King Drive.

Mon., Jan. 15, 9 a.m., The Novel Neighbor presents St. Louis Civil Rights MiniCamp. Children in 3rd – 5th grade will dig in to the hidden history all around us through fun, interactive activities and games. 7905 Big Bend Blvd., 63119. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Mon., Jan. 15, 10 a.m., University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL) Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. For more information, call 314516-5695.

Mon., Jan. 15, 10 a.m., Southern Mission Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration featuring guest speaker Pastor Arbie Peterson of Memorial Tabernacle Christian Life Center, 8171 Wesley Ave., Kinloch MO.

Mon., Jan. 15, 12 noon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 50th year Observation and Program, East St. Louis Senior High School band and Choir Little Ralph will performing. This event will be sponsored by East St. Louis Commemorative MLK committee. 4901 State Stereo East St. Louis, IL 62203. For more information, Contact: Dr. Lillian A. Parks at 618-3976314 or lilpark@aol.com

Mon., Jan. 15, 1 p.m., City of Berkeley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Day of Service, Reverend Robert Lloyd, pastor of new perfect peace Baptist church will speak at the event, Berkeley City Hall, 8425 Airport Road. For more information, call 314-524-3313.

Mon., Jan. 15, 1 p.m., Meacham Park Neighborhood Improvement Association

Martin Luther King, Jr. Musical Celebration, in partnership with The Kirkwood School District and the city of Kirkwood. Keating Auditorium, 801 W. Essex Ave. For more information, email: meachamparknia@gmail.com or call 314-690-1691.

Mon., Jan. 15, 4 p.m., Washington University School of Medicine Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Lecture featuring Brian D. Smedley, cofounder and Executive Director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity, a project that 55 connects research, policy analysis, and communications with on-the-ground activism to

advance health equity. Eric P. Newman Center at Washington University School of Medicine 320 S. Euclid Ave. For more information, call 314-362-6854 or e-mail medschooldiversity@ wusm.wustl.edu.

Mon. Jan. 15, 5:30 p.m., Coalition of Black Trade Unionists St. Louis Metro Chapter presents The 40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Awards Banquet. Sheet Metal Workers Hall Local 36, 2319 Chouteau Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. cbtustl.com.

Mon., Jan. 15, 7 p.m., Washington University’s 31st

Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Visions Gospel Choir, Black Anthology, and other student groups will perform. A reception will follow the program in the Danforth University Center. The keynote Speaker is Dr. Vernon Mitchell Jr., Curator of Popular American Arts at Washington University Libraries. Graham Chapel, Washington University in St. Louis, Danforth Campus One Brookings Drive. For more information, call Rudolph Clay at 314-935-5059, rudolphc@ wustl.edu

Mon., Jan. 15, 7 p.m., “Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light,” by Blue

Lion Films, will be presented for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, Winifred Moore Auditorium of Webster University, 470 E. Lockwood Ave. in Webster Groves.

Mon., Jan. 15, 4 p.m., Washington University School of Medicine Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Lecture featuring Brian D. Smedley. C

Tues., Jan. 16, 11 a.m., STLCC-Florissant Valley hosts MLK Awareness Day with interactive experiences for students designed to emphasize the historical context of King. Student Center Multipurpose Room, St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, 3400 Pershall Road. St. Louis, MO 63135.

Thurs., Jan. 18, 6 p.m., STLCC-Florissant Valley Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Terry M. Fischer Theatre, St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, 3400 Pershall Road. St. Louis, MO 63135.

Fri., Jan. 19, 7 p.m., Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Celebration – 1960Now: Social Justice Movements, Past and Present. Sheila Pree Bright’s #1960Now, depicts photographs linking today’s protest movements to those of the 1960s. St. Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www.slam. org.

Sat., Jan. 20, 3 p.m., The King in Me, New Perfect Peace Missionary Baptist Church, 3540 Marcus Avenue, 63115 Refreshments Served. For more information, Contact Nikki Lloyd at 314-652-7894.

February 1-28, Exploration Center: African American Inventors, drop in to the children’s room each week to learn about a different inventor who changed history with their ideas and complete hands on activities. St. Louis County Library –

Indian Trails Branch. St. Louis Public Library 8400 Delport Dr. St. Louis, MO 63114.

February 1-28, Freedom Quilt, Celebrate Black History Month by adding your own square to the freedom quilt. St. Louis County Library –Jamestown Bluffs Branch, 4153 N. Highway 67 Florissant, MO 63034.

February 1-28, Black History Scavenger Hunt, stop by the teen area each week to complete various scavenger hunts and other activities. Turn in your completed scavenger hunt to the front desk to receive a prize. For ages 12-17. St. Louis County Library – Jamestown Bluffs Branch, 4153 N. Highway 67 Florissant, MO 63034

February 1-28, Freedom Quilt, St. Louis County Library – Oak Bend Branch, 842 S. Holmes Ave. St. Louis, MO 63122.

Date: February 1-28, African American Author & Illustrator Scavenger Hunt, Celebrate Black History Month with a scavenger hunt for famous black authors and illustrators. St. Louis County Library – Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Rd. Ellisville, MO 63011.

Thurs., Feb. 1, 6 p.m., Black Music International, Explore Black music from all seven continents and learn about musical artists and traditions from across the globe. Presented by Freedom Arts and Education. St. Louis County Library –Oak Bend Branch St. Louis Public Library 842 S. Holmes Ave. St. Louis, MO 63122.

Dr. King compels us to fight for economic fairness

By Jake Zimmerman For The St. Louis American

We rightly celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to honor Dr. King’s extraordinary leadership in civil rights for African-Americans, and indeed for all Americans. We also celebrate this holiday to rededicate ourselves to continue the struggle for freedom and opportunity. The times demand our renewed commitment to the cause of justice in our community and elsewhere.

It is no secret that we still have a lot to do in our own backyard to assure fairness and justice for all. Whether it’s criminal justice reform, making municipal courts work for citizens first, or simply building a community leadership that looks like the people it serves … we have unfinished business in this region.

But we also need to remember that Dr. King was fighting for much more than just equality under the law. He knew that the struggle must also focus on economic opportunity. Today, some have forgotten the event where he said, “I have a dream” was officially the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

His aim was not merely an end to the legal barriers to full rights for all Americans. He was also fighting to put jobs and economic opportunity within the grasp of AfricanAmericans and all others who had been shut out of prosperity.

When Dr. King was cruelly taken from us, he was putting all his energy into building a national coalition through the 1968 Poor People’s March to demand a path to economic prosperity for Americans who had been left behind.

Dr. King’s message was that we will not be fully free until all Americans have an equal chance to share in this country’s economic bounty. This is a banner which we must continue to hold high and do everything possible to make a reality. It is time we recognize that hard truth of our own local government: far too often the poor pay more. I see it every day in my work as St. Louis County Assessor. Residents of some of our most economically hard-pressed communities – especially in more predominantly AfricanAmerican communities in North County – pay much higher property tax rates than in some affluent areas. Since the largest share of property taxes supports schools, a prime reason for this disparity is the state’s failure to fully fund the school foundation formula. Because the state isn’t doing its part, local tax rates go up for some of the region’s most financially challenged residents.

It’s time we all demand that the governor and the Legislature meet the state’s school funding obligations. As assessor in St. Louis County, I don’t set tax rates, but I do work hard every day to make sure the playing field is fair for everyone. That’s why I have fought the big interests to make sure that all properties are assessed fairly. That’s why I have taken on battles against deep-pocket interests – like fake farmers who try to claim property tax breaks for what are actually commercial properties, or casinos trying to dodge paying their fair share, or highend retirement communities pretending to be charities when they’re not. When the well-off and wellconnected don’t pay their share, the rest of us pay too much –especially those with limited incomes. I am doing and will continue to do all I can to fight for the ordinary citizen to make sure property assessment is fair for all. Dr. King’s call to action for economic fairness requires nothing less of me, and all of us. Each of us, no matter what we do, have opportunities to strike blows for justice, to live up to Dr. King’s ideals. On this day of remembrance, we all must recommit ourselves not just to his fight for civil rights but also to his fight for economic freedom for all.

Jake Zimmerman (D-Olivette) is St. Louis County assessor.

When Dr. King was cruelly taken from us, he was putting all his energy into building a national coalition through the 1968 Poor People’s March to demand a path to economic prosperity for Americans who had been left behind.

Jake Zimmerman

KICKOFF

an honest look in the mirror to reveal both the good and the bad. In St. Louis, and in many other communities across this country, young African Americans continue to interact with police officers and wind up dead with zero consequences – and that has to change.”

Hayden nodded from his seat as Clay spoke to the fractured relationship between law enforcement and minorities.

“We have to train local police to deescalate before they become violent,” Clay said. “And we must train them to have a greater sensitivity and empathy for minorities, disabled Americans and new immigrants.”

Clay reminded the crowd of the power of working together, and used the $2.3 billion NGA site coming to North St. Louis as a demonstration of the type of partnerships needed to enact change.

“We have to build coalitions with those who are ready and willing to stand with us,” Clay said. He offered kudos to U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) for his willingness to cross party lines for what he said was the largest federal investment in the history of the city of St. Louis.

Keepers of the dream

Clay’s reminder of the importance of working together for the greater good segued into the presentation of the 2018 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. State Celebration Commission Awards.

“This year the commission chose to recognize four individuals and/or organizations whose body of work answers what Dr. King called life’s most urgent and persistent question: What are you doing for others?” said Carol Daniel, KMOX news anchor, who emceed the event. “Our awardees are everyday heroes

focused and committed to the ideal of service to others –striving, each in their own way, to create avenues and pathways to justice.”

The 2018 honorees included Distinguished Community Service Award recipient Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Eta Boule, Distinguished Drum Major Award recipient Bernie Hayes, and Distinguished Social Action Award honoree state Rep. Bruce Franks Jr. (D-St. Louis).

“He has indeed stood up and laid down for social equality,” Daniel said of Franks.

The Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Legacy Award was posthumously awarded to St. Louis native, comedy legend and human rights activist Dick Gregory. His brother Ron Gregory accepted the award on his behalf.

“For him to receive an award with Dr. King’s name on it, it would just overwhelm him,” Ron Gregory said. “If he could, he would have come back to get this award himself.”

He spoke of the joy his brother felt in 1976 when he had a street named after him that intersected with Dr. Martin Luther King Drive.

“He got involved in activism at an early age, but when he got involved with Dr. King, it took him to a new level,” Ron Gregory said. “Rather than just fighting for conditions on his home front, he found that what he was fighting for was the rights of people on this planet.”

He also gave insight on Dick Gregory’s decision to abandon his trailblazing comedy career.

“It was no longer an offshoot of his entertainment career,” Ron Gregory said. “Comedy became something he would do when he wasn’t marching. It got to the point where he gave up comedy completely because he said, ‘People are laughing at what I’m saying, but it’s not changing anything.’”

He said his brother’s legacy should prompt the living to act: “If he were here today, he would say, ‘I’ve hope I’ve inspired enough people to get out and do something, because

if one person can do so much, then how much can masses of people do?’”

Dr. King’s legacy matters

“The struggle for equality is not just a Southern story, but an American one,” attorney and CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers said in his brief but compelling keynote address.

In a few bullets he reminded the audience of St. Louis’ rich history of activism. He pointed to examples that ranged from Mary Meachum to the Civil Rights Movement to the Ferguson unrest.

“I think about Congressman Bill Clay, I think about Frankie Freeman, I think about Mary Meachum, Percy Green, Bernie Hayes, the Eta Boule. I think about Rep. Bruce Franks, Dick Gregory and all of those names that are lost to time and history,” Sellers said. “The stories are innumerable; the sacrifices are unimaginable and

Ron Gregory, brother of honoree Dick Gregory; keynote speaker Bakari Sellers; and Harris-Stowe State University President Dwaun J. Warmack.

Photo by Wiley Price

unforgettable. We all have a piece of this puzzle – in victory and defeat alike.”

Sellers shared his own piece of the puzzle by laying out the details of his father Cleveland Sellers’ involvement as an organizer for the protest that would become known as the Orangeburg Massacre.

The 1967 protest of a segregated bowling alley left three dead and 27 wounded when law enforcement opened fire on the group of protestors in South Carolina.

“The night of hope and change turned to desperation and despair,” Bakari said. “Lives were forever altered, and dreams were forever deferred.”

The officers stood trial for firing into the crowd, but were found innocent. His father was the only person who served jail time because of the tragedy.

“My father is the only oneman riot in the history of this country,” Sellers said.

Sellers reminded the crowd that April will mark 50 years since Dr. King was assassinated.

“A half-century later, that moment stands before us – a little less than three months away – as a moment that begs reflection,” Sellers said. “As we reflect, we must pose the question that we’ve asked many times before: How do we bring Dr. King’s dream to a new age and make it relevant to a new generation?”

Sellers then took a bitter turn. “I don’t want to talk about that question anymore,” he said, “because I believe that if we are honest there is another question that we must ask ourselves: Does it even matter?”

Sellers told the crowd that it was a question Dr. King often asked himself towards the end of his life. “He was a man struggling with his own legacy,” Sellers said. “He struggled with the question of: Does it matter?”

He said King found it hard to escape the delusion and betrayal of watching his dream be constantly deferred – and used today as an example that the deferment continues and escalated under the presidency of Donald J. Trump, who was

endorsed by Blunt.

“While I can point – and I wish Senator Blunt was still here, to be honest – while I can point to the steps forward from the civil rights act to the election of Barack Obama,” Sellers said, “the fact is that 50 years after Dr. King, the three evils of society – systemic racism, generational poverty and unchecked militarism –continue to plague our national conscience.”

As a sidebar, Sellers also told the audience to take stock of who was in the building –and more importantly, who wasn’t – to commemorate Dr. King’s life and legacy when elections roll around. Among those noticeably absent were Gov. Eric Greitens and U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO).

He said his father’s generation saw the ghost of Emmitt Till – and this generation is haunted by Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown and Walter Scott.

“The parallels aren’t that far away: Four children killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963 and nine gunned down at Mother Emanuel in 2015,” Sellers said. “They pay us minimum wage for maximum production while convincing us we are lucky to have a job at all.”

He spoke of the war on terror being for this generation what the Vietnam War was for Dr. King.

“And the war at home is that our police become militarized and our prisons become privatized and every felony and misdemeanor – Ferguson – is monetized,” Sellers said. He closed by telling the audience that whether King’s Dream matters is not the point.

“You don’t do the right thing because of its personal benefit or reward,” Sellers said. “You do the right thing because it is simply the right thing. Tonight, we must rededicate ourselves to continuing our struggle and continuing our story. Not because we can, but because we must.”

Why we need protest

Too often, civil debate is not enough to bring change

By Stefan M. Bradley

For The St. Louis American

In his address on Tuesday at Georgetown University last September, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke out for “freedom of thought and speech on the American campus,” a value that he believes is under threat. He decried how “protesters are now routinely shutting down speeches and debates across the country in an effort to silence voices that insufficiently conform with their views.”

In one sense, the attorney general is right: Protest and direct action have erupted seemingly everywhere (his Georgetown address was not immune). But the battles being fought are hardly unfamiliar. They may be sparked by recent developments - an Ann Coulter speech here, a Charles Murray lecture there - but the skirmishes echo protests of the past, and remind us that such upheavals have long defined the campus.

Sometimes you have to disrupt the immoral status quo to find justice.

Not that the critics remember this. Sessions is merely the latest in a long line of naysayers who have assailed students for their disruptive tactics and have urged the restoration of civil discourse in our polarized time. They invoke the capitalist principle that allows competition, a so-called marketplace of ideas, to determine the best ideas — a hardy perennial for

those who pine for the good old days, when civil debate mythically led to vast changes in inequitable policies.

As Sessions put it, “The American university was once the center of academic freedom — a place of robust debate, a forum for the competition of ideas.”

He’s been echoed by politicians on both sides of the aisle. In a U.S. Senate hearing regarding free speech on campus, the Republican Ted Cruz of Texas claimed that higher education now operates by way of the “heckler’s veto.” The Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut declared that “respect for the rule of law is really so fundamental to this conversation.” The insistence on law and order was the underlying message of these Ivy League-educated legislators (Cruz went to Princeton, Blumenthal went to Harvard).

But campus disruption is not the exclusive terrain of the left, as Sessions and critics like him would imply. In 1946 white Princeton University students threw snowballs at the executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Walter F. White, after he had been invited to the northern institution to introduce new ideas about race. Consider those students the early snowflakes.

Today, pundits and scholars are calling on students to employ the tactics of moral suasion — that is, appealing to

the sympathies of opponents and decision makers to change policies they disagree with.

Moral suasion is rooted, partly, in the philosopher John Stuart Mill’s call to allow good ideas to defeat bad ones via civil discourse.

The methods associated with moral suasion include public debates, meetings with powerbrokers, letterwriting campaigns, and other such appeals that would allow better ideas to prevail.

evidence, and making arguments.” They regretted that students are disrespecting the sacrosanct exchange of ideas with their raucous demonstrations and asked:

The progressive Harvard philosopher Cornel West and the conservative Princeton scholar Robert P. George wrote in a joint statement of the necessity to “do business in the currency of truth-seeking discourse by offering reasons, marshaling

“Might it not be better to listen respectfully and try to learn from a speaker with whom I disagree? Might it better serve the cause of truth-seeking to engage the speaker in frank civil discussion?”

Well, that depends.

Moral suasion works only when the opposing party is sympathetic and willing to act upon that which is just. Where civil dialogue failed, it took activism and agitation to create the positions in AfricanAmerican studies that Professor West has held throughout his career. An undercurrent in these

concerns over activism is the threat of escalation — of peaceful demonstrations veering into violence and property destruction. To be sure, disruption should not be mistaken for violence, and inflicting physical harm (not counting self-defense) on opponents and property often derails a just cause. At times, though, it is the violent or destructive demonstrations that draw the attention of the wider public and motivates decision makers to act. The response of the institution to nonviolent disruption often determines the reaction of agitators. Some will quibble about what constitutes self-defense or even violence, but America’s past has proved that the powers of persuasion do not often yield just results.

For black students and people in particular, moral suasion historically has

not been effective. James Meredith, a U.S. Air Force veteran, appealed to a common humanity when he sent a letter of application to the University of Mississippi, underscoring that he was a U.S. citizen, a Mississippian, who just happened to be black. Upon discovering his race, the registrar rejected his application. It took Meredith suing the flagship institution (funded by the taxes he paid), a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to admit him, hecklers rioting, the arrival of U.S. marshals, the shooting deaths of two people, and $4 million for Meredith’s protection before he could enjoy higher education at Ole Miss.

To whose morals could he appeal? The fact is that he and fellow activists had to disrupt the immoral status quo to find justice.

Photo by Vincent Lang

Civil debate works “only when the opposing party is sympathetic and willing to act upon that which is just,” writes

Stefan M. Bradley, chair of the Department of African American Studies at Loyola Marymount University. “Where civil dialogue failed, it took activism and agitation” – like these police accountability protestors in St. Louis on September 25, 2017.

Stefan M. Bradley

The failures of moral suasion have been especially profound for black students. Activists in the Movement for Black Lives and their peers have come to understand that they will never be able to convince some people of their humanity, and that even if they could, those who hold the keys to the gates of power would not necessarily feel inclined to yield to their demands.

The 1960s and ’70s were filled with examples of activist agitation in the face of indifferent campus administrations, actions that have now become part of radical lore. There were building takeovers to protest university ties to war research during the Vietnam War (Columbia University); the institutional usurpation of land in urban black neighborhoods (University of Pennsylvania); and university investments in apartheid South Africa (Princeton University). Black women at Pembroke, Brown University’s women’s college at the time, led a successful walkout to protest for increased black admissions.

During the height of Black Power and what the scholar Ibram X. Kendi called the Black Campus Movement, black students at San Francisco State University and Cornell University shut down campus operations in demonstrations

to enhance traditional curricula with black and ethnic studies.

At Dartmouth, students, motivated by the news of turbulent demonstrations at other institutions, negotiated for the Shabazz (Malcolm X) Center — a notable victory considering the very conservative reputation of the New Hampshire colonial college.

Moral suasion works only when the opposing party is sympathetic and willing to act upon that which is just.

The protests of recent years recall those actions — and heed the lessons of past student activists. Princeton students demanded that the university change the name of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs because of the racist past of the Princeton alumnus and U.S. president. In response to student pressure, Princeton officials announced the renaming of its West College for the Nobel laureate and black author Toni Morrison. The university also named an auditorium in the Wilson school after Nobel laureate and black economist Sir Arthur Lewis. Similarly, at Yale University, concerned students petitioned the university to rename John C. Calhoun College, a residence hall. They decried the fact that the Yale alumnus was a slaveholder and pro-secessionist

Photo by Vincent Lang

politician. University leaders rejected the students’ request. Taking their cue from a black custodial worker who had broken a stained-glass panel depicting enslaved people that hung in the building where he worked daily, the young agitators chose disruption by blocking traffic, among other protests, drawing further national attention. Earlier this year, the trustees finally agreed to remove the name of the white supremacist from the building, exchanging it for that of the eminent scientist and U.S. Navy admiral Grace Murray Hopper.

Flagship and elite institutions expect their graduates to become world leaders. We should expect, then, those students to take the lead on controversial and contentious issues. Authorities want students to confront issues of racism and imperialism using civil methods and “proper” forms of communication. But civility and speaking quietly allowed racial bigotry to rule for decades in these spaces. In recent months, American University, the University of Maryland, and Bowie State University have experienced overt racism. At American, bananas were found hanging from nooses on campus on the same day a black woman took office as the student body president. On the bananas were

scrawled the letters of her historically black sorority. At the University of Maryland, someone placed a noose in the kitchen of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house. Worse yet, a white Maryland student who was affiliated with a Facebook group called “Alt-Reich Nation” is accused of killing a black Bowie State University student in May.

In response to the incidents, the University of Maryland’s president, Wallace D. Loh, denounced the acts and declared that the university valued diversity. Students staged a sit-in at the administration building and demanded more transparent communication on race issues with the entire student body and immediate consequences for perpetrators of racist acts.

A statement from the Black Student Union immediately after the stabbing death of the Bowie State student said, “This is not the first incident exposing the escalating racial tensions at the University of Maryland.”

In response to earlier acts of racism on campus, officials only called for dialogue and civil discourse. But, the letter argued, that call for civil discourse ended up allowing racial hate to be classified as an idea worthy of debate — which resulted in death. The lesson: moral suasion had failed to prevent racist behavior on campus.

Sessions, in his speech, bemoaned the “permissive attitude toward the heckler’s veto [that] has spawned a cottage industry of protesters who have quickly learned that school administrators will capitulate to their demands.”

But what recourse do students have when moral suasion has failed?

The culture war places black and other marginalized students in the unenviable position of having to compete academically while also acting as soldiers guarding against racial terrorism. They must be nonpaid educators, sharing their knowledge with

the white majority regarding race relations. Reasonably, some black students become frustrated when they observe administrators, hoping not to offend donors and critics, moving lackadaisically on issues of racial bias. So, they employ the disruptive tactics of yesteryear, even if it makes the campus community — and American society — feel uncomfortable.

But these student agitators have concluded that if they do not feel welcome, no one else will either — and that their humanity and safety are no longer up for civil debate.

Stefan M. Bradley is chair of the Department of African American Studies at Loyola Marymount University. He is the author of Harlem vs. Columbia University: Black Student Power in the Late 1960s (University of Illinois Press, 2009).

Reprinted with the author’s permission from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Thurs., Feb. 1, 7 p.m., American Girl Book Discussion: “Gabriela,” St. Louis County Library – Samuel C. Sachs Branch, 16400 Burkhardt Pl. Chesterfield, MO 63017 Registration required.

Thursdays in February, 10

a.m. Black History Month Story Time. St. Louis County Library – Weber Road Branch, 4444 Weber Rd. St. Louis, MO 63123. Adult must accompany child.

February 2, 9, &23, 10 a.m. Lap Time, Stories, songs and play time to help develop early literacy skills. Ordinary objects created by extraordinary African American inventors will be featured each week. St. Louis County Library –Rock Road Branch, 10267 St. Charles Rock Rd. St. Ann, MO 63074.

Fri., Feb. 2, 12 noon, Jazz Age: Josephine Baker Story Time, St. Louis County Library –Bridgeton Trails Branch, 3455 McKelvey Rd. Bridgeton, MO 63044. For children ages 5-12.

Fri., Feb. 2, 2 p.m., Flashback

Friday Movie: “Cooley High” (1975), St. Louis County Library – Lewis & Clark Branch, 9909 Lewis-Clark Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63136.

Fri., Feb. 2, 2 p.m., African American Inventors, St. Louis County Library – Samuel C. Sachs Branch, 16400 Burkhardt Pl. Chesterfield, MO 63017. Ages 3-6. Registration required.

Sat., Feb. 3, 2 p.m., Donuts and a Movie: “Ruby Bridges,” St. Louis County Library – Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Rd. Ellisville, MO 63011

Sat., Feb. 3, 2 p.m., Advanced Techniques for African American Research, The usual technique can often lead to roadblocks in African American genealogical research. Dan Lilienkamp will use case studies to demonstrate how researchers can fill gaps in missing information. St. Louis County Library – Natural Bridge Branch, 7606 Natural Bridge Rd. St. Louis, MO 63121.

Sat. Feb. 3, 2 p.m., Black Music International, Explore Black music from all seven continents and learn about musical artists and traditions from across the globe. Presented by Freedom Arts and Education. St. Louis County Library – Rock Road Branch, 10267 St. Charles Rock Rd. St. Ann, MO 63074. Registration required.

Sat., Feb. 3, 2 p.m., Gentlemen of Vision performance, performance by the nationally acclaimed dance troupe Gentlemen of Vision as they take us on a journey with

Fri., Feb. 2, 4 p.m., Collaborative Art Project, children ages 5-12 are invited work on collaborative posters celebrating African-American heroes, St. Louis County Library – Cliff Cave Branch, 5430 Telegraph Rd. St. Louis, MO 63129. Sat., Feb. 3, 10 a.m., Tracing Your African American Ancestors, learn basic techniques for researching African American ancestors. Dan Lilienkamp will demonstrate how to get started, solve common road blocks, and use additional records to deepen research. St. Louis County Library – Natural Bridge Branch, 7606 Natural Bridge Rd. St. Louis, MO 63121.

stepping, St. Louis County Library – Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd., South Florissant, MO 63031.

Mon., Feb. 5, 6 p.m., Family Movie Night: “The Princess and the Frog” (2009), St. Louis County Library – Natural Bridge Branch, 7606 Natural Bridge Rd. St. Louis, MO 63121.

Mon., Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m., West African Drum and Dance, experience the authentic music, dance and culture of West Africa with a performance by Rainbow Repertory Company. St. Louis County Library – Samuel C. Sachs Branch, 16400 Burkhardt Pl. Chesterfield, MO 63017.

Mon., Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m., African Heritage Diversity Cooking, Learn about healthy eating and healing through the art of food and culture. St. Louis County Library – Natural Bridge Branch, 7606 Natural Bridge Rd. St. Louis, MO 63121.

Mon., Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m., Tween Book Group: “Courage Has No Color” by Tanya Lee Stone, Ages 10-14. Registration required. Meeting Room 3. St. Louis County Library – Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd., South Florissant, MO 63031.

Tues., Feb. 6, 10 a.m., African Authors and Illustrators, this special story time will highlight Black authors and artists. Ages 2-6. Children must be accompanied by an adult. St. Louis County Library – Cliff Cave Branch, 5430 Telegraph Rd. St. Louis, MO 63129.

New law authorizes national network to preserve civil rights sites

The National Park Service has been authorized to establish a program to preserve and protect historic sites connected to the Civil Rights Movement, as the African American Civil Rights Network Act was signed into law on Tuesday, January 9.

The bipartisan legislation was championed by U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-Missouri), U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and U.S. Rep. Jason Smith (R-Missouri), with 72 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle in the U.S. House.

“The African American Civil Rights Network Act will recognize, preserve, protect and share the remarkable American

story of the modern struggle for civil rights, a unique national experience that touches every American, regardless of their age, ethnicity or heritage,” Clay said.

“The historic network will create tremendous educational opportunities by recognizing those brave souls from all walks of life who fought to make the promises enshrined in our constitution finally ring true.”

The new law is similar to legislation that created The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998, presently administered by the National Park Service.

“In too many places across this country, precious historic

n “The African American Civil Rights Network Act will recognize, preserve, protect and share the remarkable American story of the modern struggle for civil rights.”

waypoints along the routes of that still-largely-untold story are at risk of being lost forever,” Clay said. “My hope is that the historic civil rights network and the programs that will grow from this law will honestly tell the full and sometimes painful story of the struggle for civil rights, not just for African Americans, but to foster healing, tolerance and understanding among all Americans.”

The law is supported by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Urban League, the NAACP and the National Parks Conservation Association For more information, visit https://www.congress.gov/ bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1 927?q=%7B%22search%22%3 A%5B%22HR+1927%22%5D %7D&r=1.

American staff

The real deal on minority participation programs

Remedying the lingering effects of past discrimination

By Adolphus M. Pruitt

For The St. Louis American

The recent Post-Dispatch

article titled “Minority business contracts proposal concerns Latino business leaders” by Mike Faulk raised my heckles; the articulations attributed to Latino business leaders and university experts run counter to well-established case law.

The courts have had a strong impact on the implementation of these programs. The Constitutionality of Minority Participation Programs began with the landmark case Richmond v. Croson and continued in numerous decisions of state and federal appellate and trial courts across the country, it’s no secret that judges have ruled on whether the implementation of these programs are supported by sufficient evidence to meet constitutional standards.

need to document the existence and extent of those effects. The courts have also recognized that the central tool for this purpose is the “disparity study,” which evaluates whether a particular jurisdiction has a documentable pattern of underutilizing minority contractors, and if so, what level of effort is justified to remedy the imbalance.

Disparity studies focus on four main questions: (1) Is there substantial evidence of discrimination against the targeted group? (2) If so, is there evidence of government participation, active or passive? (3) Have race-neutral alternatives been ineffective? If so, why? (4) Can the proposed remedy be narrowly targeted to benefit the group that is a victim of discrimination while minimizing the adverse effects?

distinctions is between prime contractors and subcontractors.

Government agencies have continuously modified and improve their programs in response to each new court decision, requiring a key focus on the documentation of past discrimination, which has been recognized as a compelling governmental interest, as required under the strict scrutiny standard of constitutional review.

The Supreme Court has recognized that government agencies have a compelling interest in creating programs to remedy the lingering effects of past discrimination in contracting giving rise to the

Every court decision has restated the language used in Croson, stressing the importance of using availability figures based on the number of qualified minority firms; in this context, “qualified” means firms that are ready, willing, and able to compete for contracts (Richmond v. Croson). And when governments don’t use this caveat as the basis for the availability portion of their disparity indices, it’s nearly impossible for them to survive strict judicial scrutiny, Thus availability and utilization databases should contain as many specific categories as possible. One of the most important

POWERING

In Jackson, Mississippi, for example, the city made the mistake of relying on a study that contained figures only for prime contractors (Scott Construction v. City of Jackson). Because the relevant pool of construction firms included both prime and subcontractors, both of those needed to be included and analyzed separately.

out payments by prime and subcontractors, the city listed only payments to prime contractors, with a minimum of information about each firm (Associated General Contractors of America v. City of Columbus). Using census sales and

n When minority groups are aggregated, it is hard to determine where discrimination is occurring or which groups are benefiting from a jurisdiction’s policies.

documenting discriminatory practices. Also, the lowest census unit of analysis is the county, not the firm, making it nearly impossible to discern if one firm is receiving a disproportionate amount of revenue.

Avoiding a combination of minority groups in databases is also vital because all of the targeted groups in a locality’s ordinance or program need to be evaluated separately. When groups are aggregated, it is hard to determine where discrimination is occurring or which groups are benefiting from a jurisdiction’s policies.

Instead of relying on census data, localities should keep their own vendor payment files recording all public contracting costs, as well as data on contractors that bid on or are available to bid on public work; a detailed summary of all costs so that subcontracting firms and other vendors can be identified; and the characteristics of firms that receive public contracting dollars as specifically as possible, such as the number of employees, the type of firm, and the category of construction.

In Columbus, Ohio, the city used vendor payment files to compile its utilization data. Instead of breaking

receipts figures as an indicator of a minority group’s utilization is also suspect because the data do not delineate between revenues from public versus private sources or prime versus subcontracts. Both of these distinctions are critical for a locality when

In Denver, for example, study consultants combined minorities and women into one group to form an availability database. Merging these two groups created availability numbers that the court deemed insufficient (Concrete Works of Colorado v. City and County of Denver).

Once a local government decides to adopt a minority participation program, the administrative challenge is to understand the legal requirements that will shape the program and prepare to defend it in the event of legal of challenge.

Adolphus M. Pruitt is president of the St. Louis City NAACP.

Adolphus M. Pruitt