January 16th, 2020 Edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

‘We are not deterred’

Black female reform prosecutors come to St. Louis to defend Kimberly Gardner

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

When State’s Attorney of Baltimore Marilyn Mosby came into office in 2015, she immediately tried to use her power to address wrongful convictions and implement other criminal justice reforms.

She was met with more than just criticism of her agenda or her competency, she said. Her home and family were also attacked.

“They protested outside my house, published my children’s pictures online, including my address,” Mosby said. “When it comes to the types of attacks against black women, the type of venom is very personal.”

Mosby was among six African-American women reform prosecutors from around the country who gathered at a panel discussion at Harris-Stowe

See GARDNER, A7

OBS celebrates 40th

By Sophie Hurwitz For The St. Louis American

On January 25, the Organization for Black Struggle will celebrate its 40th anniversary. The group, which rose to national prominence during the Ferguson uprising, was founded in 1980 by a group of students, veteran activists, and union organizers, among others, who believed that the needs of the black working class in St. Louis were not being adequately addressed. They came together shortly after the FBI’s counterintelligence program, known as COINTELPRO, had effectively decimated the

State’s Attorney of Baltimore Marilyn Mosby speaks at a rally in defense of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner at the Carnahan Courthouse on Tuesday, Jan. 14. n Who was consulted in the decision to steal this name and use it for a 3-bed hospital on the Pruitt-Igoe site?

The late Al Lumpkins and Jamala Rogers were elected to serve as chairperson and cochairperson, respectively, in the early days of the Organization for Black Struggle.

By Sophie Hurwitz

By Julia Allen For

Richard Banks, Michael McMillan of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Maxine Clark of the Clark-Fox Policy Institute, and Marc Morial of the National Urban League mourned longtime Urban League leader James H. Buford at his memorial at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Liguori Church on Saturday, January 11.

Photo by Wiley Price

Mourning Jim Buford

Photo by Chuck Ramsay Callion Barnes

Photo by Wiley Price

Eviction hearing set for Pastor John Gray’s church and landlord

According to the Greenville Online, a hearing has been set for the ongoing dispute between Relentless Church, helmed by Pastor John Gray, and Redemption Church which owns the property where Relentless worships and conducts church operations.

The website says that a hearing has been set for January 31.

“Redemption filed a motion in court this week asking for a judge to issue an order for Relentless to provide its reasons for why it shouldn’t be evicted from the property. In the filing, Redemption reiterates its stance that Relentless was operating on a month-to-month lease and that it was given 30-days’ notice to leave the property before Redemption filed Jan. 2 to have Relentless evicted,” the website said.

option but to seek to regain possession of the property sooner rather than later,” attorneys representing Redemption Church reportedly said in a prepared statement after Redemption filed for eviction Jan. 2.

Oprah exits Russell Simmons accuser doc, says film won’t air on Apple TV+

Oprah Winfrey is no longer a part of the production team of the yet-to-be titled documentary featuring accusers of entertainment mogul Russell Simmons Winfrey issued fa statement to The Wrap detailing her decision to step away from the project.

“I have decided that I will no longer be executive producer on ‘The Untitled Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering Documentary’ and it will not air on Apple TV+,” Winfrey said in the statement.

“First and foremost, I want it to be known that I unequivocally believe and support the women. Their stories deserve to be told and heard.

“Redemption is unable to continue to absorb the mounting debts and past due accounts associated with the Greenville property during Relentless’ tenancy and therefore has no other

In my opinion, there is more work to be done on the film to illuminate the full scope of what the victims endured, and it has become clear that the filmmakers and I are not

aligned in that creative vision. Kirby Dick and

Amy Ziering are talented filmmakers. I have great respect for their mission but given the filmmakers’ desire to premiere the film at the Sundance Film Festival before I believe it is complete, I feel it’s best to step aside.”

Will Smith was jealous of Jada’s relationship with Tupac

was “deeply insecure” Jada Pinkett Smith’s Tupac Shakur.

Jada was close friends with the late music legend Tupac Shakur –whom she met in high school – and they remained close until Shakur’s death.

Will admitted it was hard for him to see her so close to another man.

He married Jada in 1997 and insists he knows there was never anything romantic between Jada and Shakur, but said their friendly bond made it hard for him to speak to the hip hop icon.

“I could never open up

to interact with Pac. You know, because we had a little bit of a thing,” Smith said during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” with Charlamagne tha God. “You know, they grew up together and they loved each other, but they never had a sexual relationship. But they had come into that age where now that was a possibility and then Jada was with me. So Pac had a little thing on that, but she just loved him like he was the image of perfection, but she was with the ‘Fresh Prince.’” Although Will had many chances to form a friendship of his own with Tupac, he says his ego held him back.

“It was like I never could even, we were in the room together a couple of times and I couldn’t speak to him. You know, he wasn’t going to speak to me if I wasn’t going to speak to him.”

Charlamagne then remarked that he thought Will and Tupac would have been kindred spirits. Will admitted he “regrets” not making more of an effort to befriend the late star.

“Yeah that’s what Jada would say all the time. Like, ‘I’m telling you, y’all are so similar you will love him,’ and I just never ... That was a huge regret of mine ... I couldn’t handle it. I was the soft rapper from Philly, and he was Pac. You know what I mean? I was deeply, deeply insecure, and I wasn’t man enough to handle that relationship.”

Sources: The Wrap, Greenville Online, Celebretainment.com

“We must walk on

in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

John Gray

Will Smith

Public libraries in STL and STL County stop charging fines

Patrons will still be billed for lost materials

By Evie Hemphill and Marissanne LewisThompson

Of St. Louis Public Radio

Two of the largest library systems in the St. Louis region are axing fines for overdue library materials.

St. Louis County Library and St. Louis Public Library join a trend of major metropolitan library districts across the U.S. — including those of Kansas City, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Chicago — that have eliminated fines for their users in an effort to increase access and equity within the communities they serve.

“We have seen a lot of studies out there that say fines are not the incentive to get people to bring their books back,” said Kristen Sorth, the director of the St. Louis County Library. “And so, we still want the books back. You just don’t have to come back and pay a fine.” The policy change does not mean library users are off the hook.

St. Louis County residents will receive reminders about when items are due and notices if they become overdue. After 45 days, an item will be considered lost, and the patron will have to pay for a replacement. However, if the patron does return the item, charges will be removed.

St. Louis city residents also will be notified when items

are due and again if they are overdue. Patrons will not be charged until 42 days after a book or item was due.

Waller McGuire, the chief executive officer of the St. Louis Public Library, said the change is good news for staff.

“That was painful for staff working at the desk to look across and say, ‘I’m sorry, but you can’t use your card,’” McGuire said. “So, now that won’t happen anymore. They’re absolved of that responsibility.”

Last January, the American

Library Association passed a resolution encouraging libraries to go fine-free, referring to the fines as “social inequity.” Last December, the Board of Trustees for the two library systems approved removing the fines.

McGuire hopes the change will help residents look at libraries differently.

“We’re not about fines,” McGuire said. “We’re not about rules. We’re about helping people learn. Helping people enjoy themselves.

Helping people gain access to information, which is vital to their lives.”

The Urban Libraries Council is tracking the number of libraries that are taking part in the effort through an interactive map at https://www. urbanlibraries.org/memberresources/fine-free-map.

To learn more about borrowing at St. Louis County Library visit www.slcl.org. To learn more about borrowing at St. Louis Public Library visit www.slpl.org.

JANUARY 20, 2020

American staff

n “Background checks are a common sense way to help to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.”

– State Sen. Jill Schupp

State Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, who has announced her candidacy to unseat U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Missouri), has filed Senate Bill 799 to make it illegal to buy a firearm in Missouri without passing a background check conducted by a licensed firearms dealer. Schupp’s legislation would make the transfer of a firearm without a background check a misdemeanor, subject to a fine up to $1,000 or six months imprisonment. Currently there is no such state law. Prior to 2007, Missouri required local law enforcement officials to conduct background checks on all transfers of handguns. The nonpartisan John Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research reported that Missouri’s firearms homicide rate increased 23 percent after that law was repealed in 2007. Federal law does not require a background check when guns change hands among individuals. Only transfers conducted by licensed dealers are subject to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Despite overwhelming public support for requiring background checks for all gun purchases, Schupp noted in a release, a study by Northeastern University and the Harvard School of Public Health found 22-40 percent of gun transfers nationwide still occur without a background check.

“Background checks are a common sense way to help to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals,” Schupp said in a release. “Unfortunately, under Missouri’s current gun laws, criminals can avoid a background check by purchasing a firearm online or at a gun show. Requiring background checks for gun purchases would uphold lawful citizens’ Second Amendment rights while stopping criminals from getting deadly weapons.” For more information, visit www.senate.mo.gov/schupp. Schupp files state bill requiring background check for all

Photo by Wiley Price

LaTonia Hall signed up for a new library card at the St. Louis Public Library’s Central Library downtown on Tuesday, January 7. In the background, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page visited with a patron before a press conference announcing that late fees at both the city and county libraries will no longer be collected.

Editorial /CommEntary

Those who want reform will defend Kimberly Gardner

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner can rightly claim a number of momentous firsts, and they are interrelated. She was the first African American elected as the city’s chief prosecutor. She was the first prosecutor to charge a sitting Missouri governor with a felony. And she was the first prosecutor to file a federal civil suit accusing much of the rest of the city’s criminal justice system (and a number of private attorneys) with colluding in a racist conspiracy to undermine her authority – taking a means of legal redress crafted in 1871 to combat the Ku Klux Klan.

Gardner’s race is not the only reason she has been targeted by the conspiracy that she alleges (and which we believe the facts to show is actual). St. Louis, for example, has had AfricanAmerican directors of public safety and chiefs of police who did little if anything to disrupt the status quo and who were tolerated by the majority-white judges, attorneys and cops who dominate the city’s criminal justice system. Gardner’s race, surely, is a trigger, but the real threat she poses is her bold, active opposition to the status quo. Perhaps most threatening is her publicly admitting to keeping a Brady List of uniformed police officers whose word she will not accept as fact in charging crimes because they have proven themselves to be biased or otherwise unreliable witnesses. She is not the first city prosecutor to keep such a list. She is, however, the first who did not deny keeping such a list, and she continues – righteously – to stand by it.

This is a bold break in ranks from the police department and the rest of the local criminal justice system, which continues to operate as if these armed agents of the law are reliable, when their conduct shows otherwise. Gardner charging – probably over-charging – then-Governor Eric Greitens animated some other critical enemies among Greitens’ powerful defense attorneys, who have close friends and allies everywhere in St. Louis’ legal ranks, including on the 22nd Circuit bench. That enlarged and strengthened what we believe the facts show to be a conspiracy to undermine Gardner’s authority and even deprive her of power (and, ultimately, of her license to practice law). But we believe that her defying the police for their patterns of bias and, indeed, criminality – as no black director of public safety or police chief has had the righteousness and courage to do – ultimately explains the intense, overwhelming aggression against her.

This aggression has verged on the physical. Consider the actions by police and attorneys that Gardner alleges when Judge Michael

Mullen issued the search warrant for the elected prosecutor’s computer files to be seized by a private attorney appointed as (very) special prosecutor. Consider St. Louis Police Officer Association business agent Jeff Roorda calling for Gardner’s removal from office “by force or by choice.” It’s bone-chilling to consider this language coming from the spokesman for police officers – with no consequences to his employment.

We are reminded of one of the core chants of the Ferguson protest movement: “The whole damn system is guilty as hell.” Gardner now has filed federal suit saying it’s racist as hell too. We believe that she has the facts on her side in making this damning claim. Much of the criminal justice system in the U.S. was institutionalized in the Jim Crow era to oppress black people, and the evidence of ongoing racial bias in St. Louis’ criminal justice is incontrovertible. And we have a word of warning for the forces arrayed against her: Kimberly Gardner was elected by a new progressive majority in the city that is sick and tired of a racist, oppressive criminal justice system, and we are here to defend her and the reforms she is trying to make. We will not stand down.

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

We don’t want this war. We don’t need this war.

By Marc H. Morial Of The National Urban League

“When the United States uses military force, the American people and members of the United States Armed Forces deserve a credible explanation regarding such use of military force. The War Powers Resolution requires the President to consult with Congress ‘’in every possible instance’’ before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities. Congress has not authorized the President to use military force against Iran,” states a War Powers Resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on January 9. “Congress hereby directs the President to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran or any part of its government or military, unless — (1) Congress has declared war or enacted specific statutory authorization for such use of the Armed Forces; or (2) such use of the Armed Forces is necessary and appropriate to defend against an imminent armed attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its Armed Forces, consistent with the requirements of the War Powers Resolution.”

The Trump Administration has said the death of Iran’s top military commander, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, was necessary to prevent American deaths the general was plotting, and the world is safer because of his death.

I don’t know a soul in America who feels safer now than we did before January

3. And that includes President Trump, who has spent the days

since Suleimani’s death issuing empty threats on Twitter, some of which are clearly war crimes.

The United States has been in conflict with Iran since 1979, when students stormed the American embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage for more than a year. In four decades since the Iranian Revolution, Iran has been the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. For 22 of those years, the last 40 years, Suleimani has led the Quds Force, a U.S. designated terrorist organization, which has armed and trained terrorist and paramilitary groups throughout the Middle East.

Yet Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama – and even Donald Trump, for the first three years of his term – all declined to kill or capture Suleimani, for a very good reason: such a move would be tantamount to a declaration of war, not only with Iran, but with its inestimable network of proxies around the globe – what Iran expert and Carnegie Endowment senior fellow Karim Sadjadpour has called “a Shia foreign legion.” We don’t want this war. We don’t need this war. We cannot afford this war, neither in blood nor in treasure. Nearly half a billion lives have been lost in the conflicts in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan since 9/11, including 15,000 U.S. troops and military

The American Empire and African Americans

By Mike Jones

Of The St. Louis American

What happens in the world has as much impact on African Americans as everyone else, yet there has always been an African-American school of thought that says foreign affairs is white folks’ business and we put our agenda at risk when we engage on that issue. Nothing could be more wrong.

The Civil Rights Movement coincided with the height of the Cold War, when the United States was competing with the Soviet Union for influence with the emerging nations of color in Africa and Asia. The American South had the same apartheid system as South Africa, so the U.S. couldn’t successfully contend with the Soviet Union with its own officially sanctioned apartheid system (Jim Crow). The U.S. abandoned Southern segregationists to protect the influence of an emerging American Empire, not to defend or promote our constitutional rights. You can’t discount the Cold War as a major factor in the early success of the Civil Rights Movement.

Mark Twain said it’s not what you don’t know that hurts you, but what you know for sure that isn’t true. John F. Kennedy put it more eloquently in his 1962 Yale commencement speech: “For the great enemy of truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest –but the myth – persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.” It is the myth of America that we teach as historical truth that makes Americans (black and white) so ignorant the role of

the U.S. in the world and how that role has changed what it means to be an American citizen.

Hegemony is the political, economic, or military predominance or control of one state over others. The dominant state is known as the hegemon. This is what the U.S. is, a hegemon. The world knows this; it’s average Americans who don’t understand what America is in the world.

At least since the end of the Cold War (you could argue since the end of WWII) the U.S. has been an empire with economic tentacles spread around the world that are defended by the world’s largest military and governed by an elected executive who is more emperor than president.

That empire has a governing ideology of globalized neoliberalism, which means a commitment to wealth creation for ruling elites by means of unrestrained corporate capitalism operating on a planetary scale with the unrestricted movement of capital, goods, ideas and people. What this means is we’re really no longer citizens of a republic but subjects of an empire.

The political calculus of a democratic republic is totally different than that of an empire. In a republic, a president’s first duty is to the citizens, the national legislative body

Letters to the editor

Correction

Isidore J. Lamothe Jr. was improperly identified as Dr. William Sinkler in the caption to the front page photo of staff from Homer G. Phillips Hospital. We regret the error.

Spotlight is on Missouri

contractors. More than 970,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veteran disability claims have been registered with the Veterans Administration.

The United States federal government has spent or obligated $5.9 trillion dollars on the wars in the Middle East.

“This total omits many other expenses, such as the macroeconomic costs to the US economy; the opportunity costs of not investing war dollars in alternative sectors; future interest on war borrowing; and local government and private war costs,” a study by the Watson Institute at Brown University noted.

“The current wars have been paid for almost entirely by borrowing. This borrowing has raised the US budget deficit, increased the national debt, and had other macroeconomic effects, such as raising consumer interest rates. Unless the U.S. immediately repays the money borrowed for war, there will also be future interest payments. We estimate that interest payments could total over $8 trillion by the 2050s.”

The Trump Administration has not articulated or advanced a strategy with respect to Iran. President Trump cannot keep us safe with a tweet, as he seems to believe.

The House on January 9 passed a resolution to force President Trump to come to Congress for authorization before taking further military action against Iran, but it will take the forceful involvement of Senate leadership to keep us out of another Middle East quagmire.

Marc H. Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

New leadership has given hope to thousands of Kansans who have lived with the insecurity of not having health insurance. There are nearly a quarter-million working Missourians living with the same fear of going broke because of medical bills they cannot pay, and they need that same kind of leadership here, but aren’t getting it. I applaud Governor Laura Kelly and legislative leaders in Kansas for doing this critically important work. Now, the spotlight is on Missouri where Governor Parson has for more than a year resisted expanding healthcare coverage to working Missourians and let nearly 100,000 kids lose access to healthcare.

If Governor Parson was willing to expand Medicaid he could have already done it. When I’m governor, Missouri will join nearly every one of our neighboring states and finally get this done.

Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway, Via email

Police under the governor?

The community didn’t work nearly 30 years bringing control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department back to its citizens to give it away. Police under the governor? Been there, done that. It didn’t work to take our concerns before a rural governor and legislators a hundred miles away. I’m not for turning my community over to the state or federal military who don’t have shared interests. Elected officials need to work with community stakeholders to develop a plan to hold the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department accountable. The

(the Congress) represents the collective interests and will of the citizens, and the administration is designed to serve the needs of the citizens. Other than national defense, there is no specific foreign agenda.

In an empire, the emperor’s duty on is to defend and promote the foreign economic and political interests of the empire. The national legislature of an empire’s only role is to support and approve the edicts and whims of the emperor. The role of the military is not national defense but protecting foreign economic interests and political control of foreign countries. The domestic agenda of an empire is maintaining order, not promoting the general welfare of citizens. If any of this sounds familiar, it should because this is the behavior of Donald Trump and Republicans. Trump and Republicans may be racist, xenophobic, misogynistic and homophobic, but they clearly understand who they are and what they want. They want a global empire ruled by white Americans. Their behavior may be hateful and immoral, but it is rational.

It’s the Democrats whose political behavior is irrational. Believing the myth of the American Republic, Democratic political tactics and strategy always miss the mark because none of that works in the reality of the American Empire.

As anyone who has ever seen a Star Wars movie knows, there are only two possibilities when you live in an empire: you support the empire or you join the rebellion.

Board of Alders have control over the police department including its budget. That’s a big, damn deal.

Jamala Rogers, Organization for Black Struggle, St. Louis

Help Parson come to a decision

Governor Parson has had mixed reactions when asked about plans for the LowIncome Housing Tax Credit. His stated support seems to be simply to appease his donors because when the time comes to take action, Parson refuses to act, hurting thousands of Missourians who are waiting for some solution. With HUD Secretary Ben Carson coming to the governor’s prayer breakfast, maybe Secretary Carson could voice his opinion and help Governor Parson come to a decision.

Lauren Gepford, executive director, Missouri Democratic Party, Kansas City

Guest Columnist Marc H. Morial

Guest Columnist Mike Jones

Photo by Wiley Price

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner

Photographic ‘Pride’ in transit

Taylor McIntosh was one of 10 local artists whose winning artwork will be showcased on the Metro Transit system as part of the MetroScapes Arts in Transit, Inc. program. “Rainbow Trail” is a colorful photograph she captured during the Pride STL parade last summer. It shows the legs of a group of people walking during the parade as the shadow of a falling rainbow flag hits the ground behind them, creating the illusion that the people are leaving a rainbow trail. She said she expected most people would be focused on capturing the image of the flag falling, so she was shooting for something different. “I like how the flag draping from the top of the image gives it movement, and the people walking creates movement too,” McIntosh said. The competition attracted 471 submissions from 224 artists who live within a 50-mile radius of St. Louis. For more information, visit artsintransit.org.

March 6 deadline for Arbor Award of Excellence

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Missouri Community Forestry Council (MCFC) are accepting nominations for the 2020 Missouri Arbor Award of Excellence. The annual award recognizes communities, institutions, businesses, organizations and individuals that make significant and long-lasting efforts to care for trees in their communities. Nominations are due by Friday, March 6.

“Trees bring so much value to our communities, but their overall health depends on people practicing good tree stewardship on both public and private property,” said MDC Community Forestry Program Supervisor Russell Hinnah. “The more we work to take care of our trees, the more trees work for us by increasing property values, improving our air, saving energy, protecting our watersheds, and more.”

The Arbor Award of Excellence shines the spotlight on anyone

who has improved trees in their community. Any significant program, project, or event that contributes to the care or maintenance of trees could qualify for an award.

“This award recognizes projects that demonstrate a sustained overall effort to care for trees,” said Hinnah. “I encourage everyone to consider the wonderful tree work in their communities and to nominate those who made it possible.”

Winners receive a framed award, a full registration scholarship to the 2020 MCFC conference in October, an extra ticket to the award banquet during the conference, a community forestry reference book, a $50 gift card, and a 5-percent-bonus-cost-share if selected for funding through MDC’s Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance cost-share program.

For more information and nomination forms, visit mdc.mo.gov and search Missouri Arbor Award of Excellence.

Donald Trump, impeached warrior

By Dorothy Dempsey For The St. Louis American

The world we exist in today is a sad reminder of what the prediction was of “rumors of war” in Matthew 24:6: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

The mass shootings, school shootings, Charlottesville uprising, mass killing of Jews and immigrants are just a few examples of rumors of war

The killing of the Maj. General Qassem Soleimani ordered by President Donald J. Trump is a declaration of war. Every intelligent, thinking person in the world should be cringing in their boots at the action of this defunct president. If there has to be a war, who in God’s name wants Trump to be the one calling the shots?

n If there has to be a war, who in God’s name wants Trump to be the one calling the shots?

Everyone should be leery of his actions. All he has ever done has been in his best interest. It is very reasonable to assume that a war to Trump is like a victory lap in his head. Of the mother lode of distractions, this one will be his most triumphant of all. Never mind the craziness of it; his evil mind tells him it is the thing he must do. If he felt that General Soleimani should pay for his crimes, then why not hold him accountable in court? The United States has to be accountable for its deeds too. No one is snow-white, squeaky clean. President Trump has been

Impeached, and he does not care about anything other than how to save Donald Trump; he will accomplish this by any means necessary. A war to him is necessary. After all, he is being impeached. A war invades the mind of everyone in a very negative way and does not leave room for the likes of Donald Trump.

Republicans and Democrats have a war going on. It will be groundbreaking testament to the democracy of our country as to which one of them will win the war. Even after he is gone from office, the stink will linger on and many will wonder if things will ever be the same. If we ever come from under the reign of this president, it will be a joyful, shouting, stomp your feet celebration because four more years of his reign of terror is enough to last a lifetime.

Dorothy Dempsey

Workhouse

Continued from A1

per St. Louis Department of Corrections data, and 239 at the Workhouse. The Justice Center has a total capacity of 860, while the Workhouse was built to house 1,138 (meaning it is currently operating at 21 percent of capacity).

Michael Milton, St. Louis site manager for the Bail Project, said that redirecting that $16 million to social services would help ensure that more people have the support they need to avoid ending up in the court system.

“We wanted to help the city reimagine what public safety could look like and really double down on this investdivest framework,” Milton told The St. Louis American “We’re talking about how we could re-invest the $16 million [per year] that have gone into the Workhouse and reinvest it in something that would actually help with the root causes of crime.”

Milton said the money could be invested in a pretrial services agency, such as those that currently exist in New York City and Washington, D.C. Pretrial services agencies collect information about recently arrested individuals and evaluates options –including pre-trial confinement, but also considering possibilities such as release on a defendant’s word that they will return and drug treatment programs – for the time between the individual’s arrest and trial. Currently, St. Louis has no pretrial services agency, meaning that the vast majority of those arrested here are automatically sent to jail until their trial, unless they are able to pay cash bail.

Inez Bordeaux, a Close the Workhouse organizer who spent six months in the Workhouse herself, said that the current moment comes as part of a long history of attempts to shut down the jail.

“The Workhouse has existed in this city since 1853,” she said, “and since 1854 people have

been trying to close it.”

At press time, the Workhouse (also known as the St. Louis Medium Security Institution) housed 239 detainees. On average, over the past year, 99 percent of those in the Workhouse were detained there pre-trial, mostly for lowlevel charges, advocates claim.

“Over-policing and overcriminalization of poverty is what has allowed the Workhouse to thrive in this city,” Bordeaux said. The new report details several options for re-allocating funds from the Workhouse to various city services, analyses potential budgetary savings through closing the jail down, and also provides plans for continued employment for current Workhouse employees if the facility were to close.

“We encourage everyone in this city, especially our elected officials, to read the report,” said Bordeaux. “We’ve done

the work for you – all you have to do is follow our plan.”

Close the Workhouse is a collaborative campaign between the advocacy organization Action St. Louis, the cash bail abolitionist group The Bail Project, and the civil rights law firm ArchCity Defenders. The group’s first research report was published in 2018 and focused primarily on conditions inside the jail, which included reports of chronic mistreatment by guards, chronic issues with mold, oppressive temperatures, and rat infestations. This first report was produced after a group of inmates sued the jail over inhumane incarceration conditions in November 2017. Some plaintiffs in the lawsuit were involved in a wave of protest that previous summer, after a video of a man waving a white towel out the window of the Workhouse and

screaming, “Help!” went viral and triggered public pressure around jail conditions.

The man in that video, who later became one of the plaintiffs in the Workhouse conditions lawsuit, is now an organizer with Action St. Louis. Callion Barnes, who had been in and out of the Workhouse between 1992 and 2017, said in an interview with The St. Louis American that conditions in the jail did not meaningfully change during his times there over two decades.

“It hasn’t changed from ‘92 to now,” Barnes said. “No hot water, no cold water in the summer, rats big as cats. And the mold issue has always been there.”

Now, Barnes said that he has found his “purpose” in spreading the word about closing the Workhouse.

“A lot of us, including myself, are not afraid anymore to speak,” he said. “At first,

I’m not going to lie, I was a little skeptical. I was afraid of backlash, of retaliation by officers out there on the street.

But I’m not afraid anymore, because it’s not just about me anymore.”

However, there is a contingent that suggests that the Workhouse has been renovated enough that closing it would not be necessary.

Mayor Lyda Krewson, as recently as November 2019, tweeted a report saying that the jail’s conditions are “clean,” “transformed,” and “professionally run,” as reported in The Riverfront Times.

Kayla Reed, lead organizer with Action St. Louis, hopes the facility can be closed within this year.

“Our hope is that this year we’re able to see the Board of Alderman move to close the facility –taking action to close it and sell it, and the creation

Action St. Louis co-founder Kayla Reed laid out a plan for closing the jail.

of a fund that is the line item amount of the Workhouse. Each year we can move through participatory processes in the city and vote on how that money is spent on crime prevention, social services, and so on.”

Towards that end, Aldermen Guenther, Spencer and Todd have submitted Resolution 205 to the Board of Aldermen. At press time, they said that seven aldermen have come out in support of the resolution out of the 15 required to pass it. While the resolution itself will not change the law, it could, if passed, show broad legislative support for reallocating the Workhouse budget. Then, Reed said, the city can move on to using its resources differently. “The goal of the campaign,” she said, “was never just to close the jail and walk away.”

Photo by Chuck Ramsay

Homer G

Continued from A1

worshiped, worked, and been associated with every major institution in The Ville. I was born at Homer G. Phillips Hospital in 1949 and worked there for nearly 10 years after graduating from Sumner High School. I have fond memories of my friendships at Homer G. I used to babysit for Dr. Mary Anne Tillman, and, when my daughter died of breast cancer (long after the hospital closed), she was one of the first to console me in my time of sorrow. These are the kinds of memories that make the Homer G. Phillips name mean so much to so many people.

I recently learned about the “new Homer G. Phillips Hospital,” and it shook me to my core. It felt like salt on an open wound. Here I stand cemented in my neighborhood, determined to restore pride and stability in my community — only to see a stranger co-opt our legacy in an attempt to placate the black community.

To many of us, the name and the grounds of Homer G. are sacred. We demonstrated all year to keep that hospital open. We held a sit-in at Mayor Jim Conway’s office and were then carried out on stretchers, herded into the city jail like cattle. But we

Gardner

Continued from A1

State University on Tuesday, January 14 to talk about the criminal justice reforms they have implemented. They also openly talked about receiving death threats, lawsuits and pushback from legislators.

“A public official said I should be lynched on Facebook,” said State’s Attorney Aramis Ayala, Orange and Osceola County in Florida. “This is the stuff that we have to endure that is much different than any white female, any white male, any black male. The camaraderie, the sisterhood that you see (referring to the panel) is because the level of strength and the level of attack is higher.”

The panel included District Attorney Rachael Rollins of the Boston area, District Attorney Diana Becton of Contra Costa County, California; State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy of Prince George’s County, Maryland; Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephanie Morales of Portsmouth, Virginia; Mosby and Ayala.

Earlier in the day, the prosecutors rallied in support of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner at the Carnahan Courthouse, along with the NAACP and other civil rights activists.

“We all stand here, armin-arm, ready to fight for change with the urgency that it requires and demands,” Rollins said at the rally. “When people that look like me demand change, they call us radicals. When we point out

were willing to sacrifice our livelihood to save a place that was more than just a hospital to us. Nonetheless, our pleas ultimately fell on deaf ears. Like the last Homer G. patients, our jobs were transferred to City Hospital — one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. When the hospital closed, my life and my community changed forever.

In 2017, my neighbor Thomasina Clarke and I founded 4theVille. After witnessing our neighborhood deteriorate for two generations while its history was used by others to prosper and transform distant communities, we thought it was time to speak up. We are based in The Ville neighborhood where the real Homer G. Phillips still exists, and we intend to remain here along with our proud history. Although the hospital is no longer serving its original purpose, it still stands as a legacy to its founder, the people who worked and trained there, and the community it serves.

Paul McKee Jr. using the Homer G. name for his clinic is just another example of developers exploiting African Americans, our culture, and our institutions for their own commercial gains. It is one of those silent forms of institutional racism that planners, politicians and developers have used to

that institutional racism is alive and well in the criminal justice system, they call us angry, desperate or frantic. But we are not deterred.”

Gardner gave the closing remarks at the Harris-Stowe panel, saying that having her “sister warriors” come to St. Louis to support her “choked me up.”

“We’re fighting for equality in the criminal justice system,” Gardner said to the full-house audience at Harris Stowe, “fighting for young people who are dying in our respective communities — though people want to use them as examples of how we aren’t doing our jobs.”

Although black reform female prosecutors face “unthinkable challenges, unthinkable attacks,” Gardner said that they are not victims.

“We’re saying, ‘No longer are we going to sit here and let the powerful get together and choose to take out the people’s voice,’” Gardner said. “We stand together. This is not just about criminal justice reform. This is a new civil rights movement.”

The event comes on the heels of Gardner filing a 33-page federal civil rights lawsuit through the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act against city officials, police and Special Prosecutor Gerard Carmody. The lawsuit alleges that Gardner’s attempts to address St. Louis’ long history of racial inequality and prejudice in the criminal justice system have been met with a “broad campaign of collusive conduct” from the police union, city officials and Carmody to get her out of office before she can implement her progressive agenda.

The mayor’s office

cripple and devalue historic black communities. It distorts what this legacy means to the African Americans who trained and worked at Homer G, who lived in The Ville and nurtured community around that institution.

Homer G. Phillips, Esq. gave his life so that African Americans could have equitable healthcare in their own community. McKee’s decision insults his legacy.

I am now 70 years old and still living in The Ville. I’ve done my best to be a model citizen. Many of us in the neighborhood followed the

so-called playbook of The American Dream. Yet, the unfortunate reality is that we have gotten no return on our lifelong investment and sacrifice except the pilfering of our most endeared institutions for the benefit of others.

What we get are brands like “MurderVille” and “Hayden’s Triangle.” Our blocks are plagued with vacancy and abandonment. Our home investments have vanished. That home I welcomed the reporter into the day that Homer G. was closed — my childhood home — was lost to predatory lending and is now

n “A public official said I should be lynched on Facebook. This is the stuff that we have to endure.”

–State’s Attorney Aramis Ayala, Orange and Osceola County

“vehemently” disagreed with the claims, and the St. Louis Police Officers Association called the suit “the last act of a desperate woman.” Carmody did not return the St. Louis American’s phone call.

The coalition of black women prosecutors is supportive of Gardner’s lawsuit, said Jamila Hodge, director of Vera Institute of Justice’s prosecutor reform program.

“Every woman was excited to see one of their own go on the offense,” Hodge said. “They are constantly on the defense responding to attacks. This is really the first time that it’s an offensive action to say, ‘What you’re doing is wrong, it’s racist and we don’t have to stand for it.’ This is history, and I do think everyone is watching.”

Mosby explained that 95 percent of the country’s elected prosecutors are white, and only 1 percent are women of color. The panel audience gave roaring applause to the expressions of the prosecutors’ programs and ideas. Many of the prosecutors have led cases to hold police accountable for using excessive force, which received national attention.

Becton has focused heavily on the removal of old felony convictions, which have prevented residents from obtaining decent housing, jobs and education for many years.

This week, her partner Code for America helped deliver over 3,200 old convictions to the court, she said. Morales said her team goes into jails to reach the “people who have

owned by the City of St. Louis Land Reutilization Authority (LRA). All these circumstances are results of our community being stripped of its dignity. McKee’s extraction of the Homer G. Phillips legacy is more of the same.

To reconcile the disappearance of The Ville’s legacy from the region’s collective memory, 4theVille began offering walking tours of “The Heart of The Ville.”

We take tourists by the notable institutions in the neighborhood as we narrate the story of a resilient African-American community that, despite

just made mistakes” and help them from reoffending by getting them housing, food and job opportunities.

Braveboy believes African Americans are over-sentenced, and she has started a sentencing integrity unit in her office.

“People are different when they are 16 to when they’re 40,” Braveboy said.

On Dec. 18, a 16-year-old who was sentenced to life was released after serving 29 years in prison, Braveboy said. She has also moved to stop cash bail and implement diversion

institutional racism, produced a history that has impacted the world. The tour often ends in the lobby of Homer G. Phillips, where senior citizen residents eagerly share their joy of being able to live in the same place they were born. Is McKee willing to take that away from them?

McKee’s decision also disparages the legacy of Captain Wendell O. Pruitt, who posthumously became the namesake of the most notorious housing project in America, ironically constructed on the same soil as McKee’s three-bed hospital. Pruitt was an honorable man, a World War II veteran and Tuskegee Airman whose legacy was tarnished by the government’s mismanagement of the PruittIgoe housing projects. Now his name will be completely erased by developers and politicians. Pruitt is deserving of a more respectable legacy. So, if McKee’s gesture is really an act of respect for the black community, why not honor his name? Why not name it Wendell O. Pruitt Hospital? Better yet, why not ask the community for their input? McKee must not continue the behavior of destroying one community to create another one. The legacy of Homer G. Phillips deserves to remain where it stands. McKee must honor this request and rename his three-bed hospital. Co-written by the 4theVille Team.

programs to help the youth make better choices.

“You wanted us to make these changes, that’s why,” Braveboy said. One of the loudest moments of applause came after a comment made by Rollins.

“Many of the people who have problems with progressive prosecutors are not elected,” Rollins said. “Police are not elected. The police chief is appointed by the mayor. When you have a problem with your police department, vote for a new mayor.”

Julia Allen giving a tour of the Ville with her community group 4theVille.

My fellow St. Louisans,

I want to begin by saying thank you for all your support throughout my 14 years of public service, first as your State Representative and then as your State Senator.

Because of term limits, 2020 will be my last year in the Missouri Legislature.

Going into my final session, I am driven by the same goal that has kept moving me forward all these years: to make St. Louis better than the one I grew up in. To make sure that a child born like me – into violence, into poverty, into despair – will not just survive, but thrive.

That’s why I’ve worked for better schools and safer streets. It’s why I’ve brought millions of state dollars back home to St. Louis to lift up our communities. And it’s why I’ve never been shy of speaking truth to power –especially when it gives a voice to the voiceless.

I have filed several bills in 2020 to continue this work, and the legislation detailed below will be my policy priorities throughout this legislative session. Over the next five months, I will be working to get these bills through the legislative process and to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.

I have one year left in the State Senate, and I intend on using it to keep fighting for the City of St. Louis. Because Black Lives Matter. Each of you matter. And what we do together matters.

If you have further questions about these legislative proposals, please feel free to contact my office at (573) 7514415. As always, I welcome your feedback and am honored by your support.

• Senate Bill 541 – This legislation modifies the Missouri Supreme Court rule regarding the timing of motions for a new criminal trial to allow a prosecuting attorney to file for a new trial at any time.

• Senate Bill 542 – This bill allows former felons to vote, except those with felonies connected to the right to vote.

• Senate Bill 543 – This bill allows a law enforcement officer, family member or household member to petition a court for a firearm restraining order for an individual believed to be a threat to themselves or others. If approved by the court, the restraining order prohibits the individual from purchasing, possessing, receiving or having in their custody any firearms for a period of time.

• Senate Bill 626 – This legislation requires public schools in St. Louis City to develop intensive reading instruction programs for students struggling to read. It also allows students not reading at a second grade level to be promoted to the third grade only if certain conditions are met.

• Senate Bill 627 – This act requires that members of the St. Louis City Board of Education be elected from seven sub-districts from the city starting in April 2021. These sub-districts will be created by the Board of Election Commissioners of the City of St. Louis; must not cross ward lines; and be compact, contiguous and as equal in representation as possible.

• Senate Bill 814 – This legislation requires those incarcerated in jails or prisons to be assessed for substance abuse disorders and have access to medication-assisted treatment services.

• Senate Joint Resolution 35 – This proposed constitutional amendment, if approved by voters, would allow incarcerated individuals to be counted as residents of their last known address before their incarceration, rather than as a resident of a correctional facility, for matters related to the census.

Sincerely,

Senator Jamilah Nasheed 5th Senatorial District

Gardner sues police, city, Roorda, Carmody via Ku Klux Klan Act

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner has filed a federal lawsuit through the Ku Klux Klan Act, alleging a civil rights conspiracy at the hands of a lengthy list of entities: the City of St. Louis, the St. Louis Police Officers Association (SLPOA), the police union’s spokesman Jeffrey Roorda, retired police officer Charles Lane, Special Prosecutor Gerard Carmody, and his children and employees Patrick Carmody and Ryann Carmody Gardner alleges that her attempts to address St. Louis’ long history of racial inequality and prejudice in the criminal justice system have been met with a “broad campaign of collusive conduct” to get her out of office before she can implement her progressive agenda. This allegedly includes the “unprecedented appointment of a white, ethically-conflicted special prosecutor to investigate the activities of Gardner’s office and a patently overbroad and unconstitutional ransacking of the office’s electronic files.”

A section of the Ku Klux Klan Act specifically allows for federal judicial enforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment to “curb conspiracies of white citizens who sought to interfere with state authorities’ efforts to expand racial justice and equality in the former Confederacy,” the lawsuit states.

department’s “overwhelmingly white” Force Investigative Unit. Gardner alleges that Roorda and the police union threatened to reduce protection for aldermen if they supported Gardner’s proposal. As a backdrop, the lawsuit provides data on racial bias in vehicle stops and arrests, as well as the Plain View Project’s research on police officers’ racist social media posts.

It alleges that Roorda was aware of these racist and offensive posts, and neither SLPOA nor the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department allegedly took any action against the vast majority of the members or officers who have made racist or offensive posts.

It considers former city officer Randy Hays’ plea agreement, where he admits that he and other officers beat undercover black cop Luther Hall in September 2017, not because they suspected criminal activity but because they thought he was a protestor.

Then when Gardner’s office charged city officers William Olsten and Joseph Schmitt in January 2019 with first-degree assault and armed criminal action for shooting a man at a bar, Roorda called Gardner a “criminal,” it states.

appointed as part of the Special Prosecutor’s investigation,” it states.

It is unclear who requested the second search warrant, it states, because both Carmody and the police department pointed fingers at each other as being responsible.

On April 29, 2019, prior to receiving Judge Mullen’s decision about the constitutionality of the search warrant, about 10 to 15 police officers entered the Circuit Attorney’s Office to execute the search warrant.

“Among other things, they threatened to kick in the door to the IT room, forced a CAO employee to provide passwords to the CAO’s entire computer system, videotaped numerous other passwords, and physically took the server containing every email for every employee of the CAO, including the most obviously privileged emails— emails between the Circuit Attorney and her outside counsel for the investigation being done by Carmody,” it alleges.

“The Ku Klux Klan Act was adopted to address precisely this scenario: a racially motivated conspiracy to deny the civil rights of racial minorities by obstructing a government official’s efforts to ensure equal justice under law for all,” it states. “The stakes are high. This case cries out for federal enforcement.”

The 33-page lawsuit covers a lot of ground, from police bias to the William Tisaby case —much of which she wasn’t able to discuss because of the court’s gag order.

“This is a lawsuit that is based on the fact that Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner wants to improve the criminal justice system and ensure that it is fair for all of St. Louis, regardless of race,” said Gardner’s attorney Roy Austin. “While Circuit Attorney Gardner being the first African-American circuit attorney is relevant, it is not a necessary fact. If any elected circuit attorney were to be unconstitutionally interfered with in the way Circuit Attorney Gardner has been, the same lawsuit would be proper.”

According to the mayor’s spokesman, “The City Of St. Louis vehemently denies what it considers to be meritless allegations levied against it by Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. The City fully expects to be vindicated once this case is adjudicated in a court of law.”

Roorda issued a press release on behalf of the police union calling the lawsuit “the last act of a desperate woman” and claiming that Gardner has “declared war on crime victims and the police officers sworn to protect them.” In fact, the lawsuit begins with the SLPOA and Roorda.

One of the centerpieces of Gardner’s plan to achieve racial justice was to institute a protocol for independent investigations of officerinvolved shootings, the lawsuit states.

“Police control of officer-involved shooting investigations are a recognized factor in the under-prosecution of police violence,” it states. “Police officers are often reluctant to testify against fellow officers, or even provide investigators with any evidence, leading to what is known as ‘the blue wall of silence.’ Officers who do cooperate with investigators risk alienation or retaliation.”

The police union allegedly put pressure on St. Louis aldermen to vote down a bill that would allow her office to implement an independent department to look at officerinvolved shootings, it states. It would have replaced the police

On Sept. 9, 2019 during a radio interview, Roorda said of Gardner, “This woman needs to go, she’s a menace to society.” In the same interview, the lawsuit states that Roorda threateningly called for Gardner’s removal from office, “by force or by choice.”

The Carmodys

One-third of the lawsuit focuses on the case of former governor Eric Greitens in early 2018.

The news broke that Greitens had been accused of taking illicit photographs of a sexual partner against her will, and Gardner’s office opened an investigation on Jan. 11, 2018, the lawsuit states. That time period was right when the resistance to Gardner’s agenda of reform and police accountability had “reached a fever pitch,” it states.

After the police department, FBI and U.S. Attorney allegedly refused to provide investigative support, Gardner hired former FBI agent William Don Tisaby, an AfricanAmerican former FBI agent, U.S. Air Force veteran and private investigator, to assist in the investigation.

On March 19, 2018, Greitens’s counsel deposed Tisaby about his interview of Greitens’ alleged victim. Two months later, Greitens’ team announced they would be filing a police report accusing Tisaby of committing perjury during his deposition. Police opened an investigation into the Tisaby allegations that same day.

The lawsuit explains that Gardner did not receive the same concern or reaction time from the police department, even though she was facing serious threats.

Around this time, Gardner began receiving racist threatening letters, calling her the N-word and demanding that she resign or “something will be done about you,” it states. Gardner reported these letters to the police, the lawsuit states, but the department allegedly did not investigate the threats, even though at least one of the letters had a name and return address on it.

Police also waited months to open an investigation into threats made by Greitens’ attorneys that they would “ruin” her if she didn’t drop the case, it states.

On June 7, 2018, the police department, through the City Counselor’s Office, formally asked the Circuit Court for an order appointing “an impartial” Special Prosecutor to investigate allegations of perjury against Tisaby. Circuit Judge Michael Mullen appointed Gerard Carmody. “Carmody’s appointment was particularly unusual

because his practice was focused almost entirely on commercial real estate and civil litigation,” it states, and he was a private attorney.

Mullen did not look into Carmody’s potential conflicts of interest. Had he done so, the lawsuit states that it would have revealed: Carmody and Greitens’ attorney Ed Dowd are lifelong friends going back to their days graduating in the same class of 1967 and playing on the same sports teams at Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis, from which Mullen also graduated.

Ryann Carmody allegedly acknowledged the closeness between her family and Dowd and how it could be seen as a conflict with respect to Dowd’s representation of Greitens, in a text message to a Circuit Attorney’s Office employee.

“The unfairness of Carmody’s close relationship with Dowd goes beyond the fact that the special prosecutor’s very close friend was essentially the complainant in the very matter under investigation,” it states. “As the Police Division knew at the time, members of the Dowd Bennett law firm had told Gardner in March 2018 that they would ‘ruin’ her, ‘personally and professionally,’ unless she dismissed the charges against Greitens. They repeated their threats in April 2018. This made the appointment of Dowd’s close friend and former law partner wildly unfair.”

A special prosecutor — “yet another private lawyer with a close relationship to Dowd’s law firm” — looked into the threats that Greitens’ attorneys allegedly made against Gardner and declined to pursue charges, it states.

Gerard Carmody did not return a request for comment.

According to the union’s response to the lawsuit, the union believes it is a “grand distraction meant to misdirect the attention” from Gardner’s deposition in the Tisaby case this week.

“The union believes that a thorough investigation will show that Gardner suborned perjury in the Tisaby case and that she also suborned perjury in the Bomber O’Brien’s case that was recently dismissed by a St. Louis judge in a scathing rebuke of Gardner and her office,” the union statement reads. The Bomber O’Brien case refers to the charges Gardner brought against officers Olsten and Schmitt.

Abuse of power

The lawsuit alleges that Gerard Carmody abused his authority as special prosecutor. On January 24, 2019, Carmody issued a first search warrant to the Circuit Attorney’s Office for all of Tisaby’s correspondence, and Gardner’s team provided them on February 4, 2019. Less than three weeks later, Carmody sought a second search warrant, “which had the effect

of expanding the universe of requested documents far into the past, covering many open police investigations but without any conceivable tie to Tisaby or Greitens,” it states.

The second search warrant, by its terms, allowed any “law enforcement personnel, or other individuals assisting law enforcement personnel” to execute the warrant. “Such expansive language means that Carmody could share what was found with anyone ‘assisting’ the effort, regardless of whether such person has been vetted for conflict of interest, safety, security, and privacy concerns, and regardless of whether that person has been duly

Contrary to the law prohibiting prosecutors from being present for searches, Ryann Carmody and Patrick Carmody were present at times during execution of the warrant, it alleges.

As of the date on which Carmody and the police took possession, custody, or control of all the information on the servers of the Circuit Attorney’s Office, Gardner’s team was investigating approximately 40 cases of alleged police misconduct, including approximately 25 incidents in which people in the City of St. Louis claim either to have been shot by police officers or to have been subjected to some other kind of excessive force, it states.

“The CAO’s investigative files therefore contain highly sensitive information, such as the health and financial information of witnesses, subjects, and targets of grand jury investigations,” it states. This information is believed to remain in the possession, custody, and control of Carmody and the police department, it states. Ryann Carmody allegedly told the Circuit Attorney’s Office that Carmody did not need the server anymore because he had “mirrored” it. The lawsuit accuses the Carmodys of abuse of power, “by instituting a baseless criminal investigation of Gardner, groundlessly seeking and obtaining the appointment of a Special Prosecutor, and searching and seizing the files of the Circuit Attorney without probable cause.” It also accuses the Carmodys of making “false representations to the court to obtain unlawful and fraudulent authorization to conduct unreasonable searches and seizures of the Circuit Attorney’s Office and electronic files.” Austin said that overall what Gardner is saying is: enough is enough.

“The purpose has always been to interfere with her ability to bring reform,” Austin said, regarding continued probes into the Tisaby case, “but we are now long past the decision to bring criminal charges and the continuation of the open investigation is solely to prevent her from doing her job.”

Responses from others accused in this suit will continue to be reported when and if received.

Photo by Wiley Price

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner

Continued from A1

Jamala Rogers, the group’s current executive director and one of its founders, said the group has lasted much longer than many other grassroots organizations due to its shared values and emphasis on promoting democratic structures both inside and outside of OBS.

“The founding members came at a time when we took this freedom struggle very seriously, because that was what our elders had told us and we believed it,” Rogers said.

“We were very young. But we really did take it seriously, and a number of us had been involved in predecessor groups. So, for example, at least three of the founding members were also part of the Congress of African Peoples, which was founded in 1970.”

That work was then able to inform and ground OBS.

“I think the shared vision, the shared values really help,” Rogers said. “You need to have as clear a path to democracy even within your organizations as possible, because your organization is a reflection of what you’re fighting for in the broader society. So if you have no democracy there, if you have no fairness there, then people really don’t learn how to do that in the broader society.”

OBS works on many campaigns related to its primary founding principle: the idea that black workingclass people should have full human rights according to the United Nations definition, which many in St. Louis still do not. The group works primarily towards dismantling the prison-industrial complex, advocating for workers’ rights, and supporting the needs of women and youth.

Since the 1980s, OBS has played a role in a wide array of struggles: everything from the movement against apartheid governance in South Africa to the 1998/99 Black Radical Congress to

the more recent Show Me $15 movement and the Coalition Against Police Crime and Repression (CAPCR). It worked to elect the first African-American prosecutors in both the St. Louis and St. Louis County, as well as bringing local control back to the city police.

This year, OBS will organize young people as the 2020 census approaches. Census population reports are important in determining how much money is allocated to different wards and municipalities by the federal government, and young black people are often among the most under-counted.

Janis Mensah, Youth Empowerment organizer with OBS, explained the importance

n “I would say that for the work that we’ve done we’ve seen the electorate become more educated, a little bit bolder, a little bit more assertive.”

–

Jamala Rogers

of the census to OBS’ mission. “This 2020 census will be the first time a lot of millennials are going to have the chance to fill out the census for themselves,” Mensah said.

According to an October Pew survey, young black people are among the least likely to fill out the census, which can determine how federal funding – including Section 8 housing funds, grants to educational institutions, and

infrastructure grants for roads and highways – are distributed.

“Especially in the black community, there’s a general distrust of the government and of intrusive questions,” Mensah said. “So we’re really showing people that, yeah, these are intrusive questions, but it really helps a lot with your community, and it affects you for the next 10 years.”

Rogers and the rest of the OBS hope that their upcoming

gala will be an opportunity to strengthen and connect their community – along with being a party.

“We realized that 40 years is a mighty long time for an organization like this to be around,” Rogers said. “And not just around, but in our estimation and the opinion of our community, impactful. So we wanted to do something a little bit different.”

As such, the gala will not have a keynote speaker, but will instead include presentations about each aspect of the work of OBS, as well as an extended amount of time for attendees to socialize and network.

“I would say that for the work that we’ve done we’ve seen the electorate become

more educated, a little bit bolder, a little bit more assertive,” Rogers said.

“So I’ve seen changes in the way people vote, who they vote for. So we want to contribute to that change. Because as long as Trump is in the White House and he has the ability to change courts, he has the ability to change funding, then we’re going to be on this little treadmill, always fighting for more crumbs.”

OBS will celebrate its 40th Anniversary at 6 p.m. Saturday, January 25 at the Machinist Hall District 9, 12365 St. Charles Rock Road. For more information and to buy tickets, call 314.367.5959 or visit www.obs-stl.org.

Organization for Black Struggle activists led the way when Ferguson protestors took the mirrored casket made in honor of Michael Brown to St. Louis County Police headquarters on October 22, 2014.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Hazelwood School District celebrates 70th Anniversary

Hazelwood School District (HSD) celebrated a milestone on December 14 at the HSD 70th Anniversary Hall of Fame Awards Gala and Dance at the Renaissance Hotel, where nine individuals and organizations that were inducted into the Hazelwood School District Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame honorees included: Individual Alumni Athletic Award – Carey Davis, Hazelwood Central High School Class of 1999, member of Super Bowl XLIII winning Pittsburgh Steelers, current head football coach at Central High School Team Alumni Award – 1995 Hazelwood East High School Football Team, Missouri Class 5A State Champions Individual Alumni Award –Missouri State Senator Brian Williams, Hazelwood Central High School Class of 2001,

Missouri State Senate District 14; Charles “Ed” Brown and Dan Brown, Hazelwood East High School Class of 1977 and 1980, respectively, Brown & Brown Attorneys at Law Distinguished Retired Educator Award – Chris (Wright) Nicastro, former HSD superintendent and retired Missouri DESE commissioner of Education Lifetime Humanitarian Award – Ann Gibbons, former HSD Board of Education Director and 40-year District volunteer Community Partnership Award – Hazelwood PTA Council, for raising almost $3.5 million in student scholarships, impacting more than 3,500 students; Ameren, for a long history of community partnership, scholarships, and offering utility assistance to District families in need Superintendent’s Hall of

Fame Award – Lottie Wade, director for Spanish Lake Community Association and a longtime volunteer and advocate for HSD.

“In our 70 year history, there are so many who have given their time and talents to the Hazelwood School District in an effort to provide quality education for our children,” HSD Superintendent Nettie Collins-Hart said.

“We are grateful for the contributions our Hall of Fame inductees have made to our schools, and are honored they will forever represent the Hazelwood School District and our mission of providing high expectations, excellence, and equity for all.”

All proceeds from the event will go toward HSD student scholarships.

CAUSES HAVE ADVOCATES.

No more lies, no more lives lost, no war with Iran

By U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay For The St. Louis American

Spoken on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of H.Con.Res 83, a War Powers Resolution he co-cosponsored, limiting the president’s military actions regarding Iran.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of Congresswoman Elissa Slotkins’s War Powers resolution, which I am proud to cosponsor.

And to also express my support for legislation introduced by Congresswoman

Barbara Lee and Congressman Khanna to repeal the much-abused 2002 AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force) and prohibit funding of any offensive military operations against Iran.

President Trump’s incoherent strategy has brought us to the brink of another disastrous war in the Middle

East. I have seen this madness before. In 2002, I stood here to oppose the use of force in Iraq because I knew that tragic war was based on a lie. The Constitution is clear. Donald Trump needs Congressional authorization to use force against Iran. So, I say to you all today: No more lies. No more lives lost. No war with Iran! Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time.

U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-Missouri) represents Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.

Discovering Community in North St. Louis

By Winston Wright For The St. Louis American

I recently moved to St. Louis (in June 2019) after graduating from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. I was shocked at how prevalent the disparities in the region were. Many of my peers had a hard time believing what I was being exposed to. So I created a video as a way to display the beauty of communities in St. Louis, but also to provide a lens for others.

While I had a hard time adjusting, I now find St. Louis as a place ripe with opportunity for young black professionals like myself.

n While I had a hard time adjusting, I now find St. Louis as a place ripe with opportunity for young black professionals like myself.

Moving to St. Louis has been eye-opening. The city has both a rich and complex history that has directly shaped the disparities present within the region. Initially, I was surprised at how disparate certain parts of the region were. Trying to talk about the various issues almost seemed taboo, so I began to wonder why? My video intends to provide a lens for everyone, both those familiar and unfamiliar. As someone new to the city, I wanted to illustrate the innocence and vibrancy of a community often forgotten or avoided. Hopefully the content shared begins to generate ideas on how we can transform the social norms around visiting places like North City and aid in reviving the community and residents for the betterment of us all. See his video “Discovering Community in North City” at https://tinyurl.com/ul395rf.

Introducing Vivent Health, founded on the combined expertise of AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, Rocky Mountain CARES and St. Louis Effort for AIDS. And steadfastly dedicated to serving anyone and everyone affected by HIV through our comprehensive prevention, care and treatment programs. Learn more at ViventHealth.org

The 1995 Hazelwood East High School football team accepts its Hall of Fame Award

Guest Columnist Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay

Guest Columnist Winston Wright

“TakingCareofYou”

Hepatitis C cure expands donor organ viability

‘You might get transplanted in weeks or months instead of waiting for years’

By Sandra Jordan

Of The St. Louis American

A pharmaceutical cure for hepatitis C and the availability of otherwise healthy donors have expanded opportunities for lifesaving organ transplants for persons who could spend years waiting or even die while on a transplant list.

Henry Randall, M.D., executive director of Abdominal Transplant Center at Saint Louis University Hospital, said the hospital has been using hepatitis C-positive donations for about 18 months.

“We embarked on this journey to meet the needs of the local and regional community,” he

n “A lot of these donors we are using are young, healthy people who have been entangled in the opioid crisis and drug use from opioids or from heroin.”

– Henry Randall, M.D.

said. “To date, we’ve performed roughly 20 such transplants, both liver and kidney, using hep-C positive donors and have

successfully treated a group of patients.” Randall said the other reason these organs are more readily available is a result of the opioid crisis – they are overdose death donors.

“A lot of these donors we are using are young, healthy people who have been entangled in the opioid crisis and drug use from opioids or from heroin,” Randall said. “They are young, healthy people otherwise. They’ve shared needles, they’ve contracted hep C; so from an organ utilization standpoint, these are essentially really perfect donors other than having overdosed on some

By Pilar Marrero Of Ethnic Media Services

The 2020 census is this year’s most empowering and democratic event for the United States.

As ordered by the U.S. Constitution, the census counts everyone living in the country, no matter who they are: the undocumented, the transient, people living in remote areas or off the grid, foreign students and embassy personnel. The only people here who don’t count for the census are tourists and shorttime business visitors.

The year 2020 also includes presidential elections that will set the country’s future course. But whereas not everyone can vote, everyone can and should participate in the census. It determines everything from political representation to access to basic services like education and health care and highways that work for all.

Recent estimates peg the amount of federal spending that is directed by census data at more than $1.4 trillion annually.

n The census determines everything from political representation to access to basic services like education and health care and highways that work for all.

“Given that the House of Representatives is apportioned based on the population of each state, our ability to have representatives in Congress depends on all of us being counted,” said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). The census is a self-portrait of the nation. The U.S. Constitution requires that the federal government count everyone living in the country every 10 years. Counting everyone means everyone: people of all races and ethnic groups, citizens and non-citizens, all adults and all children, regardless of age. There are very few exceptions to this.

Every person who lives in United States territory on April 1 needs to be counted. Short-time visitors aren´t counted but longerterm visitors, such as foreign students and temporary workers, are.

SLU starts state’s first addiction medicine fellowship

‘It will be very much a community-based experience’

By Sarah Fentem

Of St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis University is starting a program to train doctors to treat patients with addictions. The university’s school of medicine will operate the state’s first addiction medicine fellowship. Fellowship doctors will compete rotations at the city’s hospitals, clinics and community health centers. They’ll also learn how to treat addiction in pregnant patients and newborns and receive training in telemedicine.

“It’s exciting, because addiction psychiatry has been around since 1991, but addiction medicine now is open to any specialty in medical education,” said Dr. Fred Rottnek, a SLU family medicine professor and director of the fellowship. The Missouri Foundation for Health, SLU,

n “It will be very much a community-based experience, with focus on getting folks into outpatient care and helping people access medication treatment.”

– Dr. Fred Rottnek

SSM Health and the State Opioid Response program are funding the fellowships, which cost nearly $100,000 a year, including salaries and administrative costs. Fellowships are post-graduate programs

See SLU, A13

“Addiction psychiatry has been around since 1991,” said Dr. Fred Rottnek, a SLU family medicine professor and director of its new addiction medicine fellowship, “but addiction medicine now is open to any specialty in medical education.”

Pilar Marrero

Dr. Henry Randall, director of surgical transplantation at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and SLUCare, harvests a kidney from a living donor in a November 20, 2019 transplant.

Photo by Jason Merrill?SSM Health

Photo courtesy St. Louis University

“TakingCareofYou”

People living with mental health challenges sought for auditions

This Is My Brave coming to STL Jan. 17-18

American staff

People who live with mental health challenges or substance use disorders have a chance to tell their stories through spoken word, poetry, music, dance, and more. No performing experience is necessary.

This Is My Brave, Inc., which is dedicated to ending the stigma surrounding mental illness through storytelling, will host auditions 4-8 p.m. Friday, January 17 and 12-5 p.m. Saturday, January 18 at Kirkwood Community Center. Auditions can encompass perspectives on any form of mental illness or substance use including depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, schizophrenia, PTSD, and more. Stories can be shared via spoken word essay, original poetry, comedy or original music; caregivers and loved ones are also encouraged to audition. Pieces should be limited to five minutes.

The resulting performance will be held at Robert G. Reim Theatre (Rooms 300 and 302), 111 South Geyer Rd. on April 16. Performances will feature area community members.

“This is an incredible opportunity for community members to be a part of ending the stigma of mental illness, as well as starting the conversations surrounding it,” said Katie Grana, St. Louis co-producer and This Is My Brave program manager.

Hepatitis C

Continued from A12

opioid.”

Hepatitis C is a viral infection of the liver, contracted and spread by contact with contaminated blood or other bodily fluids. Sharing of needles in drug use is one of the most common ways to get hep C. Sharing straws to snort cocaine, improperly sterilized medical equipment and items shared that pierce the skin can also transmit the virus.

Just last week, the American Heart Association (AHA) announced that heart transplants from donors who had hepatitis C may be safe for transplanting.

“The dramatic increase in the rate of [overdose

Continued from A12

that doctors can use to further specialize in a chosen field. For decades, doctors have been able to complete fellowships in specialties such as pediatrics and cardiology. But the American College of Graduate Medical Education only certified addiction medicine fellowships in 2018, in part

Census

Continued from A12

The U.S. Census counts people by their “household,” which includes every person or persons living in a “single living quarter.” Every household will get a unique I.D. number that identifies it, and this is tied to a mailing address or physical structure, not to an individual name or a family. A household can be made up of one person, or one

As

death donor] utilization was striking, and it has increased concordantly with the rate of overdose deaths,” Nader Moazami M.D., a heart transplant surgeon at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York said last year in a publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. “The significant impact of the opioid epidemic on transplantation is one of the major reasons that organ transplant numbers have increased over the last several years.”

Research published in the AHA Journal found the one year-survival rates for adults with severe heart failure who received heart transplants from donors with hepatitis C and those without hepatitis C had similar survival rates. Their study included more than 7,800 adult heart

as a response to the nation’s opioid overdose crisis.

SLU has selected one fellow, Dr. Kate Austman, for the first year of the program. Starting next year, the medical school will select two fellows to complete the training.

“It will be very much a community-based experience, with focus on getting folks into outpatient care and helping people access medication treatment,” Rottnek said. Fellowships can help

family and the family friend who lives in a back room, or a group of roommates. At the time of response, all of them, including babies born by April 1, should be included as part of the same household. Again: babies need to be counted Children age 0-4 were significantly undercounted in 2010 because, among other reasons, people mistakenly believed they didn´t have to be included.

Since its first show in 2014 in Arlington, Virginia, This Is My Brave: The Show has featured more than 800 people sharing their stories in 67

transplant patients at 128 medical centers from January 2016 through December 2018. Four percent of those recipients received hearts from donors who were infected with hepatitis C. The research revealed that 90 percent of patients whose donors had hepatitis C survived, compared to a 91 percent survival rate for the patients whose donors did not have the infection. The rates of drug-treated organ rejection, kidney dialysis to remove toxins from the blood and stroke were also similar between the two groups of patients.

“We are encouraged by these results and believe this is a landmark change in our ability to better meet the demand for heart transplantation by increasing the donor supply,” said Arman Kilic, M.D., lead

rural doctors in particular learn skills to take back to their communities, Rottnek said. That’s true of Austman, a family medicine physician from Gibson City, Illinois.

Austman has been practicing medicine for 15 years. In recent years, she’s seen an increasing number of patients with addition problems, particularly opioid use disorder.

Being a primary care doctor gives her a unique ability to reach patients, she said. “When

performances across the United States and in Australia. More audition information: https://thisismybrave.org/ auditions/. Audition tips:

study author, assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery, director of surgery quality and analytics, and co-director of the Center for Cardiovascular Outcomes and Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania. “It is our hope that more centers will use hepatitis C-positive donors for heart transplantation.”

Randall said about six weeks after an organ transplant from a donor who had hepatitis C, patients undergo an eightweek treatment for hepatitis C.

“We’ve done kidneys, we’ve done livers. We’ve not done any pancreases –we don’t do hearts here, or lungs, but several places around the country have started doing heart and lung transplants using these hep C-positive organs,” Randall said. “It’s already expanded

I look at it, I have my own patients with addiction; this is something that we should be doing inside our own space,” she said.

Austman hopes to become an ambassador for thoughtful addiction treatment at her 20-bed hospital in eastern Illinois. By teaching other physicians what she’s learned, she hopes to create a “no-wrong-door” environment, in which patients will be able to find addiction help with any

n The U.S. Census counts people by their “household,” which includes every person or persons living in a “single living quarter.”

https://thisismybrave.org/blog/ audition-tips. Register to audition at http://bit.ly/auditionsbravestl (parental consent form

over to thoracic, to heart and lungs; we use it in livers and kidneys; we may eventually start to consider kidneys and pancreases or pancreas as a transplant .”

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network reports overall organ donations again hit a record high in 2019.

“Deceased donation has increased by 38 percent since 2014,” said Maryl Johnson, M.D., board president for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

“This staggering increase is a tribute to the dedication of donors and their families nationwide who make the courageous decision at a time of great personal loss to give the gift of life to people who are awaiting organ transplantation. While we recognize the sacrifices

doctor they encounter.

It’s rare for a mid-career doctor to go back to school, Austman said. It’s difficult for doctors with families and work obligations to commit to the rigorous program.

com/watch?v =qDpkUb6OKHI.

required for those under 18). Video submissions are also welcome; email katiegrana@ thisismybrave.org.

that have been made to make the increase possible, we are steadfast in continuing to serve the needs of nearly 113,000 people who are still awaiting a transplant.”

“If you need an organ transplant that, because of the research that has been done and the addition of these new antivirals, we always talk to patients about whether or not they will accept the hep C organ,” Randall said. “Be open to accepting a hep C organ because the antiviral treatment is so good. It shortens the amount of time sometimes people have to wait for an organ. In this area, let’s say for a kidney or liver, it’s about three years, and if these organs become available, you might get transplanted in weeks or months instead of waiting for years.”

She thinks that older doctors and their patients could benefit from more addiction training. “We really didn’t get much education on this; it’s not tackled in traditional medical schools and residencies,” Austman said. “The opioid crisis has really brought this to the forefront … I feel like we should become more comfortable with it.” For information about the fellowship, visit https:// www.slu.edu/medicine/familymedicine/addiction-medicine. php or contact Dr. Rottnek at fred.rottnek@health.slu.edu. Follow Sarah on Twitter: @ petit_smudge. Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.

All households will have the chance to “selfrespond” to the census either by internet, telephone or the “traditional” paper questionnaire that, until now, has been the most common

“Please include everybody in the household in the questionnaire,” said NALEO’s Vargas. “Getting everyone to count is extremely important for our communities.”

method of collecting census data for more than a century. Starting March 12, 95 percent of households will get a package in the mail from the Census Bureau. Most people (80 percent) will get a letter with a unique ID inviting them to respond online; 20 percent of homes

get a similar letter plus a paper questionnaire in the first mailing. The mailings will be sent in four waves (March 12, 13, 19 and 20). When the Census Bureau does not hear from a household in the self-response phase, which starts March 12 and ends April 30, there will be a follow-up operation to try to get everyone else counted. That includes doorto-door visits, conducted from May 9 until the end of July. By law, the Census Bureau may not share personally identifiable information with

any other governmental agency (at any level of government), any private business, or any other party outside the Census Bureau, for any reason or purpose. “We know many people don´t trust this administration to follow the law,” Saenz said, “so MALDEF and others are part of a coalition of organizations and respected leaders who have pledged to step in ‘early and heavy’ if there´s any hint of violation of census data.”

Photo Credit: This Is My Brave

Jhas WilliamsWood shared her story about living with depression and bipolar disorder in This Is My Brave’s show in Philadelphia in June 2018. See a video of her performance at https:// www.you tube.

NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION

A Closer Look at Ingredients

Start Small!

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.

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 farther and faster each day.

Monday, January 20, 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?

Research online and in the newspaper for events taking place on Monday

Cocoa Puffers Cereal

Meal,INGREDIENTS:WholeGrainCorn,Sugar,Corn CornSyrup,Canolaand/orRiceBranOil,CocoaProcessedwithAlkali,Color Added,Salt,Fructose,NaturalandArtificial Flavor,TrisodiumPhosphate,BHTAddedto Preserve Freshness. Vitamins and Minerals:Tricalcium IronPhosphate,CalciumCarbonate,Zincand (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:

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

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?

Learning Standards: HPE 2, NH 5

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

Fruit Pizzas

Ingredients:

1/2 c non-fat plain Greek yogurt

2 tbs natural peanut butter, creamy or crunchy 1 tb honey, Rice cakes

Toppings: any of your favorite fruits; granola

Directions: In a medium bowl, stir together the yogurt, peanut butter, and honey until smooth. Spread over rice cakes. Top with sliced fruit, granola as desired.

Healthcare Careers

Mark Ammons , EEG Tech

Where do you work? I am a neurodiagnostic technologist for St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Christian Academy of Greater St. Louis. I attended Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. I also earned a certification needed for my current position.

What does an EEG Tech do? I work in concert with physicians to monitor and interpret the EEGs of patients in our Intensive Care Units. I get to observe and interpret the brain waves of our patients daily. I’m afforded the rare opportunity to truly see how our brain interacts with and controls our bodies. Why did you choose this career? The truth is, the career chose me. I was unaware that the field of EEG interpretation existed. While working as a Patient Care Tech on the NeuroRehab floor at Children’s, I was exposed to the vocation and took an immediate interest in it. I’ve always loved working with children, coupled with the medical background I had acquired through job experience, a career in pediatric neurodiagnostics was a perfect fit.

What is your favorite part of the job you have?

My favorite part is knowing that my work directly helps improve the quality of life for a child. I also enjoy being a part of a team that takes on the challenge of finding out why children are experience the symptoms they are. It’s very satisfying when your work has aided in giving a physician the ability to tell parents exactly what’s going on with their child.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

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

The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.

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

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

At KIPP Inspire Academy 6th grade teacher

Dean Ardell

Williams shows students Areil Mitchell, Treyvon Bobbitt, Jeremiah Adkins and Jamiya Jones-Collinson how to use their microscopes for a science lesson found using the newspaper’s STEM page..

would like to nominate your class for a Classroom Spotlight, please email: nie@stlamerican.com.

SCIENCE CORNER

Arachnids are a classification of invertebrates (animals without a backbone).

All About Arachnids

The posterior section is called the abdomen and contains modified gills for breathing and limb pairs used for walking.

SCIENCE STARS

African-Canadian Zoologist Maydianne Andrade

Maydianne Andrade was born in Kingston, Jamaica. When she was just three years old, she immigrated to Canada with her parents. As a young child, she was very interested in science and chose to study medicine in college. Although she began a pre-med program at Simon Fraser University, a lecture in biology class encouraged her to change career paths. Andrade was interested in studying spiders and insects.

Arachnids have 8 legs and include animals such as spiders, scorpions, mites and ticks. Their bodies are divided into two segments — the anterior (front half) and the posterior (back half). The anterior section is called the cephalothorax and contains the mouth part, any organs used for senses, and pairs of limbs (including pincers or poison fangs).

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

In this experiment, you will create a spider web effect on boiled eggs.

Materials Needed:

• Boiled Eggs • Bowl • Fruit Juice

Procedure:

q Choose a brightly colored fruit juice, such as grape juice. Fill a serving bowl with the juice.

w Take the boiled eggs and lightly crack them against the counter (leave the shell on the eggs).

e Place the eggs in the bowl of fruit juice for 3 hours.

MATH CONNECTION

z Spiders have 8 legs. If you have 8 spiders, how many legs are there total?

x How many spiders does it take to have a total of 96 legs? ______

c Multiples of 8: Use a 100s chart to color all of the multiples of 8.

v Spider Symmetry: Use graph paper to draw half of a spider. Trade papers with a partner to see if you can each complete the symmetrical spider.

DID YOU KNOW?

Arachnids are predators. They hunt for small insects. Arachnids typically eat their food by breaking it apart, secreting fluid on it to help dissolve it, and then sucking it in. There are over 70,000 known species of arachnids. Most of these are harmless and help reduce the population of insects which can prey on plants and other animals. There are, however, a few species of arachnids that are poisonous to humans.

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

Spider Web Eggs

r Peel the eggs and observe the spider web pattern.

Variation: Try this experiment with different juices. Try letting the eggs sit for longer or shorter periods of time. Try boiling the eggs with fruit, such as blueberries. How does this affect the pattern? Does it matter if the eggs are warm or cooled when they soak in the fruit juice?

Learning Standards: I can follow a procedure. I can make observations and draw conclusions. I can test a hypothesis.

Spider Math!

b Graphing a Spider: Make a list of the ordered pairs of coordinates so the spider can be drawn by connecting the points in sequence. (Use a symbol to show where the pencil should be lifted between certain points.)

For an activity to measure spider web angles, visit: http:// www.math-drills.com/halloween/ hal_spiderangles.php.

There is a spider so small that you could fit 10 of them on the end of a pencil. They are called the Patu digua.

For an activity to use geometry to complete a spider web, visit: https:// sites.google.com/site/ hsd2014david12/

Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem. I can use symmetry and ordered pairs to create an image.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Simon Fraser University, then a Master of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Toronto. In 2000, she earned her Doctorate degree in Neurobiology and behavior from Cornell University. Andrade was grateful to have her parents’ support as she switched degrees and career paths. Her brothers were surprised by her sudden interest in spiders, since they made her a bit squeamish as a child. Currently, she is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Toronto. She uses spiders to teach her course content—specifically black widow spiders and the Australian Redback poisonous spider. Andrade is considered an expert in the behavior of the Australian Redback spiders and has been featured in PBS documentaries. She has approximately 1,500-2,000 Redback spiders in her lab, along with a few pet tarantulas. Her husband, Andrew Mason, shares an adjoining lab. His research focuses on hearing and signaling systems in flies and crickets. Together, they are raising their two young kids who Andrade labels “fellow bug nerds.”

Andrade has contributed to the guide

“Spiders of Toronto” and has received many awards, such as Popular Science magazine’s 2005 Brilliant Top 10, the Outstanding New Investigator Award, the Pitelka Award for Excellence in Research, and the Ontario Government’s Premier Research Excellence Award. Her hobbies include going to the gym, gardening, and spending time with her family. Her advice for students is this: Pursue your passion and interests—even if they are very different than anyone else you know. Develop your knowledge by reading and making observations. Scientists notice details and patterns. Seek support from friends and family. Find a teacher or expert to be your mentor. Learning Standards: about an African American who has made contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math.

50% of women and 16% of men suffer from arachnophobia, which is a fear of spiders.

Spider silk is made with strong strands of protein. It can support more weight than bone and half as much weight as steel. There are approximately 75,500 species of arachnids alive today.

MAP CORNER

Enjoy these activities that help you get to know your St. Louis American newspaper.

Activities —

Create a Dictionary: person in the class will be given a letter of the alphabet.

Once you have your assigned letter, find 5 unfamiliar words in the newspaper that begin with that letter. Create a dictionary page for your five words. Include the part of speech, definition, example sentence, etc. Be sure your words are in alphabetical order and that you have used guide words.

Current Events: Newspapers are a great way to keep current on local, state, and national events. Read three news stories and come up three current events questions about them. Next, use the caption on two pictures to create a question. Share your questions with your classmates and see how many you can answer.

Learning Standards:

I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can use reference materials to determine the meaning of unknown words. I can read for main idea and supporting details.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Teachers, if you are using the St. Louis American’s NIE program and

If I could do one thing, I’d tell the world she counts.

Communities are as rich and diverse as their needs. That’s why completing the 2020 Census matters. It’s a safe and confidential step toward having an impact on how public funds flow through our communities. That could mean more resources in your area for special needs. It’s within your control.

Learn more at:

Jo-Elle Mogerman, director of Saint Louis Zoo North Campus, and Jeffrey P. Bonner, president and CEO

discussed plans for the new 425-acre property in Spanish Lake on Monday, January 13.

Zoo hosting Community Input Sessions for North Campus

‘We want to hear the types of experiences people want to have’

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

The Saint Louis Zoo wants the public to advise its leadership on how to develop its new 425-acre North Campus in Spanish Lake.

The Community Input Sessions will be held 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, January 18 at North Campus, 12385 Larimore Rd. in Spanish Lake, and 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, January 23, at the zoo in The Living World building at the North Entrance. RSVP is required by January 17 for the Saturday session and by January 22 for the Thursday session. Time slots are one hour; attendees may show up any time during that timeframe.

“These will be interactive sessions,” said Jo-Elle Mogerman, director of North Campus.

n “They want us to be a good neighbor. They are already telling us ways that we can have an impact.”

— Jo-Elle Mogerman, director

of North Campus

“We want to hear the types of experiences people want to have, the types of feelings, their thoughts on the animals.”

A few matters have been decided. There will be a safari-type experience.

“At the zoo, the animals are there and we walk around them,” said Jeffrey P. Bonner,

president and CEO. “Here, you’re here and the animals will walk around you.”

And there will be an animal science and conservation component. But what animals will walk around visitors and be the subject of conservation efforts remain to be determined.

Bonner envisions three basic groups: amphibians, birds and hoofstock (the latter, he said, “will drive the public programs”; it would be difficult to sell the public on a frog and bird safari). The poster animal of the zoo’s early renderings, however, appears to be the cheetah.

Mogerman said that the zoo’s conservation mission forces a priority on “animals where we can move the needle on their status in the wild.”

The notion of large wild animals, including

See ZOO, B2

Katrina Peoples joined Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS) as vice president of School Age Initiatives. She previously served as the chief program officer for Epworth Children and Family Services, adjunct instructor at Washington University’s Brown School of Social Work, and senior director of Programs at Wyman Center’s. ARCHS funds and enhances initiatives that improve the lives of children and families facing disparities and disadvantages in St. Louis’ most impoverished communities.

Kelvin Taylor joined Midwest BankCentre as executive vice president-chief information officer. He works at the intersection of information technology, lines of business and finance to apply data science to strategic decisions for bank services and products. He also contributes to the development of business processes for implementing analytical solutions that include technology. He founded Taylored Analytics in 2007 to help Fortune 500 companies capitalize on and leverage their data.

Hope E. Whitehead was sworn in as St. Louis County Circuit Court’s first AfricanAmerican judicial administrator. With 43 judges and nearly 400 employees, the 21st Judicial Circuit is the largest circuit in the state of Missouri, serving nearly one million residents of St. Louis County. Prior to her appointment she was in private practice at the firm she founded, Whitehead & Associates, LLC. She has the distinction of being appointed by four different governors to positions in their administration.

Barry Draper joined Explore St. Louis as the director of Partnership. He will direct and coordinate activities of the partnership department, which encompasses partnership sales, events, and development activities. Previously he served as Partnership Manager for the DuPage County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Explore St. Louis is the destination marketing organization of St. Louis city and county and operator of the America’s Center Convention Complex.

Equal Housing and Opportunity Council asks for $10M

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

The City of St. Louis is bound by federal law to take steps towards desegregation, advocates told members of the Affordable Housing Commission at a January 6 meeting.

“As rents and land values in many parts of the city continue to climb, the needed increase in funding necessary to generate affordable housing opportunities will be costly,” said Glenn Burleigh, with the St. Louis Metropolitan Equal Housing and Opportunity Council (EHOC).

That’s why EHOC, Community Builders Network and other organizations called on the commission to request a minimum of $10 million in the upcoming budget year.

“The need is far greater, but an increase to a minimum of $10 million would show a commitment from the city towards making real progress towards the kind of funding necessary to tackle this growing problem,” Burleigh told commissioners.

Four days later, Mayor Lyda Krewson released a statement that she had increased the budget for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which the commission oversees, from $5.76 million to $6.6 million in 2020.

“Everything about who we are and who

Kiara Johnson was installed as president for the Mortgage Bankers Association of St. Louis on December 6 and will serve as president for 2020. This is historic for this chapter as she is the first African American president. In addition to leading the organization, she will continue to originate mortgage loans and educate her clients under First Integrity Mortgage Services.

Jefonte “Jay” Nelson joined St. Louis County government as the Regional Relations coordinator. He will work on identifying the best people in St. Louis County to serve on more than 80 boards and commissions. When he took over there were over 350 vacancies and expired terms on boards and commissions; the county executive has since filled 100 slots. Previously he was director of Community Affairs for state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed.

On the move? Congratulations! Send your good professional news and a color headshot to cking@stlamerican.com

of Saint Louis Zoo,

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Tyson Pruitt

of

new 425-acre North Campus property. “You can imagine

continued from page B1

some carnivores, roaming 425 open acres lends the image of escaped wildlife on the hoof in the neighborhoods of North County.

“We’re really good at keeping things in,” Bonner said.

The zoo has a vast array of considerations and regulations in deciding what animals to populate this beautiful landscape. The public’s opinion is welcome on the critters but even more needed regarding

other amenities and visitor experiences.

The zoo intends to offer “glamping” (camping with glamor). Should there also be a lodge? The property has a large lake. Should there be kayaking? Other water rides? Horse rides? A gondola lift? A nature boardwalk?

The input process already is quietly underway. The zoo sent direct mail inviting every resident of Spanish Lake to visit the property, which formerly was owned by the United Association of Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562 and best known to the public for its Emerald Green

n Jo-Elle Mogerman, director of North Campus, said that the zoo’s conservation mission forces a priority on “animals where we can move the needle on their status in the wild.”

Golf Course. Many came.

“They want us to be a good neighbor,” Mogerman said.

“They are already telling us ways that we can have an impact.”

She said local residents asked for early childhood education and workforce

opportunities at North Campus. Mogerman said that has the zoo thinking ahead about workforce development “so we can have a local workforce trained.” Bonner said North Campus won’t open to the public for another five or six years. Mogerman said the zoo’s

feasibility study estimated a need for about 300 staff positions, with a mix of fulltime and seasonal. Already a cadre of staff from the zoo’s architectural and planning departments have moved north and are on the ground working.

The economic impact stands to be huge. Bonner estimated the existing economic impact of the zoo at more than $200 million a year and said that North Campus could approach those numbers. “There could be a large spillover impact,” Bonner said — “restaurants, hotels.”

(The attraction will be free for St. Louis County residents,

Housing

continued from page B1

we become begins at home,” Krewson said. “That’s why we must ensure access to safe, affordable, and decent housing.”

The increase funding comes from the unallocated tax revenue that resulted from passing Prop 1 in 2017 – a half-cent sales tax increase for a North-South light rail extension, public safety cameras, and neighborhood development. A local-use tax automatically increases when the sales tax does, and that increase generates an additional $4 million a year. Since city voters rejected funding a new soccer stadium with this money, the $4 million was left unallocated.

Two years ago, Burleigh and advocates urged a $7-million allotment for the fund. Now they have finally gotten near that, but data shows that the need for affordable housing has grown even in the last two years, he said.

Affordable housing has long been underfunded in St. Louis.

In 2002, city voters approved a proposition to allocate the use tax revenue for affordable housing, public health, public safety, and neighborhood preservation. The Board of Aldermen established that $5 million would go towards affordable housing, $5 million to public health and $3 million for building demolition. The remaining amount could be used as the aldermen see fit.

However, since 2013, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has received about $10 million of the use tax revenue every year, while the Affordable Housing Trust Fund was underfunded, only receiving between $4 and $4.5 million. In total, the use tax fund for budget year 2020 is $37.7 million, and the largest portion — $11.23 million — will go to the police department, according to budget documents. At the January 6 commission meeting,

who approved a 1/8 of one percent sales tax increase in 2018 to fund the development of North Campus and repairs to the zoo.) There is another and perhaps ultimate source of information about how to develop the land, though it can’t RSVP for an input session: the land itself.

“You turn a corner, and a vista opens up,” Bonner said. “You can imagine the herds. The land will dictate a lot of what we do. The environment dictates a lot to us.” For more information and to RSVP for a Community Input Sessions, visit https://www. stlzoo.org/about/inputsession.

commissioners announced the grant recipients for this year. The increased funding allowed the commission to award funding to 48 community programs and six housing developments, which is double the number of housing construction proposals the commission was able to fund in 2019, Krewson said. The housing developments include three single-family home construction projects by Habitat for Humanity and three rental housing projects. With a nearly $2 million contribution from the Trust Fund, the total cost of the six projects is valued at $25.6 million, according to Krewson’s statement. The projects will help create 19 affordable, single-family homes that will be sold to low and moderateincome families, 100 affordable rental homes, and 15 marketrate apartments, she said. Some of the other community programs and services receiving funding include: Justine Petersen, Places for People, St. Patrick Center, Peter & Paul Community Services, Inc., Employment Connection, Rebuilding Together St. Louis, Mission: St. Louis, ArchCity Defenders, and Biddle Housing Opportunities Center. The programs work citywide to address housing-related issues like tenants’ rights, education, and counseling, foreclosure prevention, neighborhood stabilization, rent, mortgage, and utility assistance, and critical home repairs. Some also work in conjunction with the city’s Department of Human Services to provide shelter and transitional housing and serve at-risk and/or chronically homeless veterans, individuals, and families.

“These programs build human potential and forge new opportunities for individuals and their families,” Krewson said. “Together, with funds from the Affordable Housing Commission, our partners are helping us solve affordable housing problems that cannot be solely addressed by the city or the private market.”

Photo by Wiley Price

“You turn a corner, and a vista opens up,” Jeffrey P. Bonner, president and CEO of Saint Louis Zoo, said

the zoo’s

the herds. The land will dictate a lot of what we do. The environment dictates a lot to us.”

n “I’m tired of hearing excuses for why I’m great. In the playoffs, in big games, I show up.”

— San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman

Sports

McKinney making his coach and home city look bad with his antics

MLK birthday brings with it a

prep basketball events

Vashon wins ‘Border War’ against East St. Louis

The celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday also brings about a bevy of high school basketball events around the St. Louis metro area. East St. Louis Senior High will be hosting a big four-game boys’ MLK event on Saturday. The opening game will be Lovejoy (Illinois) vs. Lincoln Prep from Kansas City at 2 p.m. It will be followed by Normandy vs. Alton at 3:45 p.m. and Cardinal Ritter vs. Chicago Orr Academy at 5:30 p.m.

Earl Austin Jr.

In the finale, the host East St. Louis Flyers will take on CBC at 7:15 p.m. The girls will then take center stage with a special two-day MLK event on Sunday and Monday at Miller Career Academy. The schedule for Sunday will be: KIPP vs. Miller Career Academy at 11 a.m.; Cahokia vs. Gateway Legacy at 12:30 p.m.; Springfield Southeast vs. Gateway STEM at 2 p.m. and Lincoln Prep vs. Cardinal Ritter at 3:30 p.m.

On Monday, the schedule is as follows: Lincoln Prep vs. Miller Career Academy, 11 a.m.; Huntsville Lee (Alabama) vs. Gateway Legacy, 12:30 p.m.; Cahokia vs. Gateway STEM, 2 p.m.; KIPP vs. Trinity, 3:30 p.m. Cardinal Ritter vs. Vashon, 5 p.m.

St. Louis University High will be hosting its annual “Remembering the Dream” MLK Classic on Monday with four boys’ games. The opening game will pit Cahokia vs. Ritenour at 12:20 p.m. That game will be followed by Soldan vs. DuBourg at 2 p.m.; SLUH vs. Madison at 3:30 p.m.; and Hazelwood East vs. St. Louis Christian at 5 p.m.

Vashon’s National Schedule continues

The Vashon Wolverines have taken their talented team on the road to play yet another rugged, national schedule. The Wolverines

Ladue Rams Jaylen Boyd (1) goes up against Kirkwood’s Kannon Nesslage (35) for 2 of his 20 points on the night during game action Tue. Jan. 14, 2020 at Kirkwood. The Ladue Rams would defeat the Pioneers of Kirkwood 60-54.

A sad secret of the WNBA is that many of the league’s players spend the offseason playing for professional teams across Europe because their WNBA salaries are just a tiny fraction of their male counterparts.

One example is former Mizzou standout Sophie Cunningham Instead of spending her first WNBA offseason recuperating and training, she is currently getting buckets Down Under while playing in Melbourne, Australia. According to Sportrac. com, Cunningham earned just $42,570 in salary during her rookie season in the WNBA.

Former Incarnate Word Academy standout Napheesa Collier was an All-Star and the WNBA’s 2019 Rookie of the Year. The Minnesota Lynx star earned a salary of $49,539. There have been reports that Collier will suit up for the Turkish team Fenerbahçe during the offseason. Those days of double duty for WNBA players may soon be coming to an end. Tuesday, the league announced that it has reached a tentative eight-year agreement with the player’s union that will significantly increase player salaries. In a statement, the WNBA claimed that the deal will represent “a 53 percent increase in total cash compensation” for its players. According to the Washington Post the average salary for WNBA players was just $70K in 2018. Under the new CBA, the average WNBA salary will rise to nearly $130K. That is a monumental rise. DeWanna Bonner of the Phoenix Mercury was the

Napheesa Collier and WNBA players across the league should be cheering after a new tentative CBA agreement was announced that will see a 53 percent increase in player salaries.

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

McKinney making his coach and home city look bad with his antics at Mizzou

It’s difficult enough to be Cuonzo Martin, head coach of the Missouri basketball team. He’s been on the hot seat with some fans since the day he was hired. They would rather have him fail than lead Missouri to national prominence.

It’s a race thing, and it’s sad but true.

While students don’t return to campus until next week and snow was in the forecast, the attendance at Saturday’s impressive win over Florida was pathetic. Martin is having a tough time making his mark, and it will take another NCAA Tournament appearance (or two) to generate real interest in the program. The last thing he needs is for one of his black, St. Louis area recruits to start acting a fool.

High School graduate, had appeared in seven games and averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game before his suspension.

According to Kansas City Star sports writer Souichi Terada, who covers the Tigers, “the team’s plan for him was to transition him (from point guard) to more of a combo guard. But it’s been a struggle for McKinney to earn consistent playing time among the many talented Mizzou guards.”

After Martin announced his suspension and the game had started, McKinney took to Twitter to respond to a Twitter post featuring several Gators’ players saying, “My (boy) go get money.”

He said in a second post, “Y’all don’t really know what’s going on y’all just on the outside looking in.”

Before the Florida game, Martin sternly announced that freshman guard Mario McKinney is indefinitely suspended from the team.

McKinney had played 10 minutes in the Tigers’ SEC opening loss on Jan. 4 at Kentucky, then just two minutes in a Jan. 7 home loss to Tennessee.

“He’s not part of the team right now, so I’ll leave it at that,” Martin said as his team prepared for the Florida game.

While not much was made of it locally, McKinney did not leave the bench in Missouri’s win over Illinois in the Braggin’ Rights game here in St. Louis in late December. It was a hint that things aren’t going smoothly for the highly sought-after player.

McKinney, a five-star prep player and Vashon

Here’s something I do know – you’re suspended and you’re letting the black coach that recruited you down.

You’re letting people down, including Charlie Tuna and I, that chastise Mizzou for not being more active recruiting black players from this area. Most importantly, you’re letting yourself and your family down.

One last thought. Don’t enter the transfer portal because things are rough for you now at Missouri.

Adversity conquered is the sign of a winner. Running from challenges can become a habit that’s difficult to break.

However, on Tuesday afternoon, a team spokesperson confirmed to the Star that McKinney would be transfer-

ring to another program.

A fifth down

There were five head coaching positions open when the NFL regular season ended and no African-American coach was selected to fill one.

It’s not surprising. In this, the NFL’s 100th year, some team owners apparently have the attitude that hiring a black coach is bad for the bottom line.

Down 24-0 in last Sunday’s divisional playoff game against Houston, Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy didn’t panic and calmly mapped out the plays that led to a spectacular 51-31 win for the Chiefs.

He interviewed for the New York Giants job but it went to Joe Judge, former special team’s coordinator and receivers coach for the New England Patriots.

The most underachieving group of players for the Patriots during the season were Judge’s receivers. Yet, he is now a head coach.

Cleveland bypassed Bieniemy and hired former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski. In his last game with the Vikings, Stefanski’s offense gained just 147 total yards and was dominated by San Francisco in the 49ers’ divisional playoff 27-10 win.

“I think it’s discouraging, to say the least,” Bieniemy’s agent Brian Levy told Yahoo

“We’re really trying to find out what the standard is, and every year the standard changes. We’re just trying to swim against the current.”

Bieniemy surely will not divulge what his thoughts were about the Browns job, but it’s a real possibility that he did not want it.

Reportedly, the Browns are going to be an experimental team that relies heavily on analytics and other tendency formulas.

Stefanski will be required to turn in his game plan by Friday, so the analytics department can review the offensive and defensive plays call and tweak them where it seems fit.

That sounds crazy – which sounds like the Browns.

Young bros, please listen to Lynch

Most NFL fans know Marshawn Lynch was one helluva running back in his prime, a possible Hall of Famer and quite a character when it came to his contempt for media press conferences.

Unfortunately, Lynch is labeled like most black football players – great physically, but challenged when it comes to book smarts.

This is oh so wrong. Lynch earned a 3.5 GPA in high school, scored an impressive 1200 on the SAT and carried a 3.2 GPA at Cal-Berkeley – one of the nation’s top academic colleges – before departing to begin his NFL career.

He ain’t no dummy. This is why his press conference after the Seattle Seahawks bowed out of the playoffs with a road loss to Green Bay spoke to young, black players in a way

they can understand, and they should heed his advice.

“It’s a vulnerable time for a lot of these young dudes, you feel me?” Lynch said in his slow-talking style.

“They don’t be taking care of their chicken right. If they was me, or if I had the opportunity to let these young [guys] know something, I’d say take care of your money, because that s--- don’t last forever. Now, I done been on the other side of retirement and it’s good when you can get over there and you can do what the f--you want to.”

Chicken refers to money and when he said “guys” above, it was obvious he wanted to use some type of slang term for young brothers.

“While y’all at it right now, take care of your bodies, take care of your chicken, take care of your mentals, because look, we ain’t lasting that long,” he continued.

“I had a couple players that I played with that are no longer here. So, start taking care of your bodies, your mentals and your chicken. So, when you’re ready to walk away, you walk away and be able to do what you want to.” Lynch, who has earned almost $60 million during his career, endorses Skittles and BMX bikes. He owns a restaurant and has launched the Beast Mode clothing line. Lynch is also an investor in an upcoming Facebook series.

If ever there was a book that should not be judged by its cover, it’s Marshawn Lynch.

The Reid Roundup

MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred lowered the boom on Houston Astros manag-

While not much was made of it locally, Mario McKinney did not leave the bench in Missouri’s win over Illinois in the Braggin’ Rights game here in St. Louis in late December. It was a hint that things aren’t going smoothly for the highly sought-after player.

er A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow by suspending them for a season for their respective duplicity in the technological sign stealing that went on in 2017 – a year that ended with the Astros winning the World Series… Astros owner Jim Crane, who was born in this area, then fired Hinch and Luhnow. Regardless of the year-long suspension, I’d hire Luhnow, a former St. Louis Cardinals front office analytics genius, today if I owned a team… No players have been punished in regard to the sign stealing that Manfred said was concocted by players – not Hinch or Luhnow… One of the players implicated is now manager of the New York Mets – Carlos Beltran Maurice Linguist is a name for the future when it comes to possible black NFL head coaching candidates. The former Texas A&M defensive backs coach has joined Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy’s staff in the same position and is highly respected throughout the nation and was heralded as a future major college head coach... Marshawn Lynch and Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who both attended Cal, traded jerseys after their playoff game last Sunday night. Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1.

Alvin A. Reid

Sports.

‘NHL Black Hockey History Tour’ to visit during NHL AllStar week in St. Louis

Traveling museum to be at Kiener Plaza during Winterfest January 25th

In celebration of Black History Month 2020, the National Hockey League (NHL) has announced the return of the NHL Black Hockey History Tour presented by American Legacy for a second season. The Black History Month celebration is part of Hockey Is For Everyone, a joint NHL and NHLPA initiative that has celebrated diversity and inclusion in hockey since 1996.

This uniquely curated mobile museum will visit 14 NHL cities across North America to celebrate today’s stars, while also looking back at the pioneers and trailblazers who helped shape NHL history. It will stop in St. Louis at several locations, but will be open and free to the public at Kiener Plaza in Downtown St. Louis, during Winterfest, as part of the NHL All Star Game festivities. The Museum will be at Kiener Friday, January 25, from noon til 8pm.

This year’s museum has been refreshed and redesigned offering fans a new experience as they learn about some of the biggest moments, milestones, and playmakers in hockey. The museum will travel to schools, community rinks and NHL arenas, incorporating unique programming at each stop. A few museum highlights include:

Clutch

Continued from B3 care stipend, two-bedroom apartments for players with children, earlier free agency and more.

Retired WNBA legend and Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie was thrilled with the news and took to Twitter to congratulate current WNBA players.

“I am so happy for ever[y] single player in the @WNBA and ever[y] young girl on her way! This is such a blessing! I’m just happy to witness it! Congrats to all who helped fight the good fight! #Groundbreaking,” she tweeted. Current Los Angeles Sparks forward and ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike tweeted, “We did this for the next generation. This is our legacy…”

While the WNBA salaries still pale in comparison to their NBA counterparts (Steph Curry is earning more than $40M this season), it is a step in the right direction. The league’s new salary structure should allow players to rest and

Hoops

Continued from B3

competed in the prestigious City of Palms Classic in Florida for the second consecutive year and won the consolation championship. Last week, Vashon returned to the St. Louis area and won a couple of big games last week. The host Wolverines defeated East St. Louis 57-52 in their annual “Border War” game before a packed gym at Vashon last Thursday. Junior guard Nicholas Kern scored a game-high 16 points to lead the Wolverines.

Firsts and milestones: an entire wall dedicated to celebrating achievements in black hockey history including the first black NHL player, first captain, and first inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Every black player in NHL history: every player in history will be represented throughout the museum, including via a uniquely designed ‘Wall of Pucks.’

Team locker room: every stop will have a customized NHL locker room giving fans the opportunity to sit in a stall to take a photo.

NHL Diversity and Hockey Is For Everyone ambassador Willie O’Ree will make a special appearance at select tour stops. Since 1998, O’Ree – the first Black player ever to play in the NHL – has established 39 local grassroots hockey programs, traveling to more than 500 schools, community centers and rinks to share his inspiring story and the values hockey teaches: perseverance, teamwork, and dedication. Today, there are 26 Hockey Is For Everyone youth hockey programs serving 10,000 kids across North America each year. Hockey Is For Everyone is a year-round campaign with League, Club, and player participation.

train in the offseason. It will also allow them more opportunities to market the league during the offseason. More marketing should equal more fans which would equal even more money. Hopefully the salary increase can also help to prevent major injuries. Breanna Stewart led to Seattle Storm to a WNBA championship in 2018. She was the league’s regular-season and Finals MVP. However, she was forced to miss the entire 2019 season after she ruptured her right Achilles tendon playing in Europe during the off-season.

Though the injury was devastating to the Storm, it undoubtedly helped nudge WNBA executives into agreeing into a newer, fairer CBA agreement.

I guess the WNBA’s new slogan, “Make Way” isn’t just marketing speak. Congrats to the ladies!

GWOAT breaks record

Claressa Shields (10-0-0, 2 KO) became the fastest boxer - man or woman - to become a three-division champion.

Just two days later, the Wolverines defeated Chicago Simeon 80-71 in one of the featured games at the Highland Shootout. Senior point guard Phillip Russell scored a gamehigh 31 points and made six 3-pointers to lead the Wolverines while 6’7” senior University of Kentucky recruit Cam’Ron Fletcher scored 26 points, including 22 in the second half. The Wolverines will continue its national slate this weekend when they will compete in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. Vashon will take on Christ the King (New York) in the first round this evening at

The senior guard enjoyed two big games last week in leading the Titans to a pair of victories. The 6’0” Weekly scored 36 points in a 77-67 victory over Mehlville at the Highland Shootout last Saturday. He also scored a game-high 22 points in a 71-43

Shields breezed to a unanimous decision victory over Ivana Habazin (20-3-0, 7 KO) Friday night to earn the vacant WBC and WBO world super welterweight titles.

According to CompuBox, Shields landed 141 punches during the fight compared to just 49 by Habazin. The officials scored the bout 99-89, 100-90 and 100-89 in favor of Shields.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist achieved the fantastic feat in just her tenth professional fight. She broke the record of Vasiliy Lomachenko and Kosei Tanaka, who both needed 12 fights to become three-division champions.

“This feels great – I did it in 10 fights,” Shields stated after the fight. “Now I’m number one, the fastest boxer in history to become a three-division world champion.”

As the “GWOAT” continues to rack up victories and make history, her dream is to elevate the stature women’s boxing the same way that Laila Ali and Christy Martin did in the past.

“I want to grow women’s boxing. I want to share a card with Deontay Wilder and

4:30 p.m. Should they win, the Wolverines could meet perennial national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) on Friday night at 8 p.m.

Big games this weekend

Father Tolton at Cardinal Ritter, Friday, 4:30 p.m.

Chaminade vs. Trinity (at Maryville U.), Saturday, 7 p.m.

Denver Miller Tournament Championship Game (at Kirkwood), Friday, 7 p.m.

Rotating 8 Tournament Championship (at ChristianO’Fallon), Friday, 8:30 p.m.

Washington Tournament Championship Game, Friday, 8:30 p.m.

victory over Bishop DuBourg. For the season, Weekly is averaging 16 points, three assists and three steals in leading the Titans to a 10-2 season. He will be playing college basketball at Central Michigan University next season.

Spence,” Shields stated. Shields carries herself with the swagger and confidence of Muhammad Ali or Floyd Mayweather Jr. If she continues to rack up the historic victories, she certainly has the potential to carry women’s boxing to the next level.

There is talk of a crossover fight with UFC star Amanda Nunes, either in the Octagon or in a boxing ring. Shields has welcomed the fight. Like the WNBA players, Shields is trying to earn higher wages. Though I sincerely doubt there is a yellow bone in her body,

she’s just trying to take care of her chicken like Marshawn Lynch WNBA contract figures were sourced from Sportrac.com. Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch online at stlamerican. com and on Twitter @ishcreates.

Errol

Willie O’Ree, the first Black player to play in the NHL, visits with youths at a recent stop of the NHL Black Hockey History Tour

STL Community Development Financial Institutions awarded $4.4M

Stephen Westbrooks, IFF; Shawna Collier, Justine Petersen; and Tracy Verner, 1st Financial Federal Credit Union

Financial Focus

By Roger M. Macon, AAMS

achieve objectives such as, an increase in volume of products or services, to provide new products or services, expand operations into new geographic areas or service new targeted populations.

All three awarded CDFIs are members of the St. Louis CDFI Coalition, a partnership among eight institutions that offer an array of capital, development, and consulting services and share a common mission to empower a comprehensively healthy St. Louis community through support for nonprofits, small businesses, and communities facing disinvestment.

The coalition was born out of several calls from the Ferguson Commission report, including enhanced access to banking in order to build equity. All coalition members offer mission-driven loans and other resources which are more flexible and accessible than traditional financing. Loans and resources through these institutions are deployed across the region into some of St. Louis’ most economically distressed communities.

Established in 1968, 1st Financial Federal Credit Union is a full-service financial cooperative. Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, or worships within St. Charles county, St. Louis county, or the City of St. Louis. Justine Petersen partners with mainstream financial institutions, public entities and philanthropic organizations to impact the lives of families throughout the United States through credit building, home ownership and small business development

IFF is a mission-driven lender, real estate consultant, and developer that helps communities thrive by creating opportunities for low-income populations and individuals with disabilities. Since 1988, IFF has provided $701.6 million in flexible, affordable financing to nonprofits

In 2019 the CDFI Fund awarded $182,471,140 to 321 organizations in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

CDFI Fund Director Jodie Harris said that “almost half of the awarded organizations have chosen to provide services in areas of persistent poverty, which will lead to significant impact for residents in some of the most distressed communities nationwide.”

For more information visit www.thebetterwaytobank.org, www.justinepetersen.org or https://iff.org/.

‘Two Trains Running’ is language full speed ahead

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St.

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

August Wilson was to theater what the best of jazz composers are to music. The casual listener will appreciate the sounds and the beauty – or pain – of the music. But when the selection stretches beyond the concepts of the listeners’ understanding or imagination, they are ready to move on. However, a person with a true love for the art form is open to exploring and dissecting the ideas expressed, deconstructing concepts and broadening their understanding.

If Wilson could say it with one word, he’d use five instead. His decision to do so was not self-serving. He left no stone unturned as far as expressing the many ways black people can turn a phrase. The words could be used to mean more than one thing – or nothing at all. But

By Jason Rosenbaum

Of St. Louis Public Radio

like with all his plays, “Two Trains Running” –which is currently playing through January 26 at the Edison Theatre, thanks to the Black Rep – illustrates black people’s unique way with

words as the foundation for our culture.

The Black Rep knows the nuances of August Wilson’s words as well as just about any institution within the lexicon of American theater. When they completed his cycle of 10 plays that reflect each decade of black life within the 20th century, only two other theater companies in the nation had done so. More than halfway through their second cycling, The Black Rep was presented with the August Wilson American Century Cycle Award just ahead of Friday’s opening night performance by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Theater Critic Christopher Rawson. With their second staging of “Two Trains Running,” the company has another successful

A runway anomaly

Designs by J. Stocking seeks to create a ‘fashion experience’ with upcoming show

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“It’s going to be big,” Jasmine Brown, owner and creator of Designs by J. Stocking said with the excitement peering through her voice about the upcoming show she will be presenting.

Anomaly: The Runway Fashion Experience and Mixer will be taking place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, January 18 at the Last Hotel (1501 Washington).

“We decided that we didn’t want to just have a show,” Brown said. “A lot of times people will go to a fashion show and say, ‘Okay, that was cool’ and that’s pretty much the end of it.

Photo by Philip Hamer

J. Samuel Davis, (West) James A. Williams (Memphis) and Ron Himes (Holloway) in the Black Rep’s staging of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, now playing through January 26th at Washington University’s Edison Theatre.

Designs by J. Stocking creator Jasmine Brown will have 17 models

up to

looks at Anomaly: The Runway Fashion

Mixer on

The Last Hotel.

Tony J

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

Fri., Jan. 17, 7 p.m., St. Louis Art Museum Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www.slam.org.

Mon., Jan. 20, 7 a.m., 35th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. Keynote speaker, Missouri Chief Justice George Draper. Monsanto Family YMCA, 5555 Page Blvd., 63112. For more information, email charmane. brown@gwrymca.org.

Mon., Jan. 20, 10 a.m., University of Missouri St. Louis invites you to their Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration. Touhill Performing Arts Center, One University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com

Mon., Jan. 20, 10 a.m., MLK Day of Service. Create gifts for O’Fallon’s senior care facility residents and share in an act of kindness that brings the community together. Krekel Civic Center, 305 Civic Park Dr., 63366. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Mon., Jan. 20, 4 p.m. Washington University School of Medicine Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture with Adia Harvey Wingfield – the Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences and associate dean for Faculty Development at Washington University in St. Louis, Eric P. Newman Education Center, 320 South Euclid Ave.

Mon., Jan. 20, 5:30 p.m., Coalition of Black Trade Unionists – CBTU Saint Louis Chapter invites you to their 42nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Awards. Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 36, 2319 Chouteau Ave., 63103. For

more information, visit www. facebook.com.

concerts

Fri., Jan. 17, 7 p.m., The Sheldon Folk Series presents Ruthie Foster with special guest Clayton Jones. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sat., Jan. 18, 8 p.m., Liquid Assets presents Blac Youngsta. Pop’s Concert Venue, 401 Monsanto Ave., Sauget, IL. 62201. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Jan. 22 – 26, Jazz at the Bistro presents the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. Jazz St. Louis, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.jazzstl.org.

Sat., Jan. 25, 9 p.m., Rockhouse Ent. & Black Luxury present Jeezy In Concert. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Sat., Feb. 8, 7 p.m., The Sheldon Rhythm & Jazz Series presents Christian Sands’ High Wire Trio Remembering Erroll Garner. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Jan. 29 – 30, The Cabaret Project of St. Louis welcomes Tony-nominated Broadway veteran Norm Lewis. Jazz St. Louis, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For tickets or more information, visit at www. thecabaretproject.org or call 314-571-6000.

Sat., Feb. 8, 7 p.m., The Sheldon Rhythm & Jazz Series presents Christian Sands’ High Wire Trio Remembering Erroll Garner. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Kenya Vaughn recommends

Sun., Feb. 9, 6:30 p.m., Fox Theatre presents Who Is Jill Scott? 20th Anniversary Tour. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

local gigs

Thur., Jan. 16, 7 p.m., FUBAR presents Luh Kel Live. 3108 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., Jan. 18, 8 p.m., Yes We Can – A Tribute to Allen Toussaint. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Sun., Jan. 26, All Is Fair In Love: An Homage to Stevie Wonder. The Signature Club, 9002 Overland Plz., 63114. For more information, visit www.ifejacobsmusic.com.

special events

Fri., Jan. 17, 5 p.m., St. Louis Cardinals Lou Brock Public Signing. Dogtown Sports, 6410 Wise Ave., 63139. For more information, visit www.

dogtowncollectibles.com.

Jan. 17 – 19, Loop Ice Carnival. 5800 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.visittheloop.com.

Sat., Jan. 18, 8 p.m., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Sigma Chapter, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Phi Nu Zeta Chapter invite you to Shades of Blue: Celebrating the Zeta Centennial. Polish Heritage Center, 1413 N. 20th St., 63106. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sun., Jan. 19, 2 p.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. invite you to the 7th Annual Salute to the Veterans Sunday Supper. Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow Blvd., 63120. For more information, visit www. sundaysuuper2020.eventbrite. com.

Thur., Jan. 23, 5 p.m., Gateway Wedding Show. Gateway Center, 1 Gateway Dr., Collinsville, IL. 62234. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Thur., Jan. 23, 6 p.m., St. Louis Metro East FCA presents An Evening with

Washington University School of Medicine Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture with Adia Harvey Wingfield. For more information, see MLK DAY ACTIVITIES.

Isaac Bruce &Randy Karraker. Christ Church, 339 Frank Scott Parkway East, Fairview Heights, IL. 62208. For more information, visit www.fca.regfox.com.

Jan. 23 – 26, 2020 STL Auto Show. Over 500 different models from over 25 different manufacturers, motorcycles, kids’ activities, giveaways, and more. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Jan. 25, 7 p.m., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Xi Zeta Chapter - Centennial Gala, Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel, 9801 Natural Bridge Road. For more information about the Gala, please call 314-3695844 or send an email to zphibxizetaevents@gmail. com.

Thur., Jan. 30, 10 a.m., JobNewsUSA presents a St. Louis Job Fair Orlando Gardens Events and Conference Center, 2050 Dorsett Village, 63043. For more information, visit www. jobnewsusa.com.

Thur., Jan. 30, 4 p.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Adulting 101: Teen

Opportunity & Job Fair Explore volunteering options and meet potential employers or mentors. 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Thur., Jan. 30, 4 p.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Adulting 101: Teen Opportunity & Job Fair Explore volunteering options and meet potential employers or mentors. 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Fri., Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m., St. Louis Science Center presents National Geographic Live! With Wildlife Photographer Steve Winter: On the Trail of Big Cats. Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www. touhill.org.

Sat., Feb. 1, 9 p.m., Slumfest Awards 2020: The Four Element Party. Performances by Ricki G, KV the Writer, Katarra Parson, Jaee the Artist, and more. Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Fri., Feb. 7, 6 p.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Metropolitan St. Louis

Chapters invite you to Pink Goes Red Slide & Zumba Dance Event. In support of stroke and heart disease awareness. Normandy Senior High, 6701 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63133. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Sat., Feb. 15, 9 a.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Saint Louis Alumni Chapter presents Teen Summit: Squad Goals. Middle age to high school students are invited to learn about making money, staying fit, being your authentic self and more. University City High School, 7401 Balson Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Saturdays, 8 a.m., The Ferguson Farmers Market Plaza at 501, 501 S. Florissant Rd., 63135. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

literary

Sat., Jan. 25, 1 p.m., Book

Signing and Discussion for Brian Temple’s Product of STL, Afro Logic Art Gallery. For more information, visit https://www. productofsaintlouis.com/

Tues., Jan. 28, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Anissa Gray, author of The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls

A stunning portrait of the importance of healing past heartbreak in an effort to thrive when the worst happens. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www. left-bank.com.

Mon., Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m., St. Louis Poetry Center presents Observable Readings with TJ Jarrett and Gillian Parrish. Dressel’s Public House, 419 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.stlouispoetrycenter. org/observable/.

art

Sat. Jan. 18, 11 a.m., Artist

Talk: Liz Johnson Artur. The London-based artist talks about her compelling images of the African diaspora and her ongoing Black Balloon Archive with Drew Sawyer. Contemporary Art Museum, 3750 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.camstl.org.

Fri., Jan. 24, 7 p.m., St. Louis Art Museum presents Colored Frames: A Visual Art Documentary. This film chronicles black artists’ struggles for visibility and acceptance in mainstream art society. 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

comedy

Fri., Jan. 17, 8 p.m., Chris Bow Stand Up Comedy DVD Recording. Special Tymes Banquet Hall, 5950 Natural Bridge Rd., 63120. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Sun., Jan. 26, 7 p.m., Helium Comedy Club presents Shuler King. 1151 St. Louis Galleria, 63117. For more information, visit www.heliumcomedy.com.

theatre

Jan. 16 – 19, Ignite Theatre Company presents Peter Pan Jr. Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Sat., Jan. 18, 8 p.m., Smokin Da Mic presents I Am Queen. This story is told through poetry, music and comedy feat. personal stories and performances from an all-female line-up. Medici Mediaspace, 2055 Walton Rd., 63114. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Through Sun., Jan. 26, The Black Rep presents August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth. For more information, call (314) 534-3807 or visit www. theblackrep.org.

Through 26, Fox Theatre

Kenya Vaughn recommends

presents Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, Black Anthology presents Masquerade. An entirely student-run production focused on current issues and unhealthy dynamics that are being faced by the Black community. Edison Theatre, Washington University, 6465 Forsyth Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www. blackanthology.wustl.edu.

Feb. 7 – 8, Washington University presents Lunar New Year Festival 2020: Emerge. An annual studentrun production to showcase the diversity of individual Asian cultures through acts such as Lion Dance, Korean Fan, and Tinikling. Edison Theatre, 6465 Forsyth Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www.lnyf.wustl.edu.

lectures and workshops

Tues., Jan. 21, 5 p.m., Grace Hill Women’s Business Center presents a Legal Clinic. 2125 Bissell St., 63107. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Fri., Jan. 24, 8:30 a.m., The Soulfisher Ministries invites you to Successful Second Chances Employer Panel. Keynote speaker, Sen. Jamilah Nasheed. Panelists include Joseph McBride, LaToya Wilson, and Ken Chapman. STLCC Florissant Valley, 3400 Pershall Rd., 63135. For more information, visit www. thesoulfisherministires.com.

Sat., Jan. 25, 8:30 a.m., The Links, Inc., St. Louis Chapter presents The Relationship Spectrum: Good, Bad & Ugly. Kemba Smith will provide witness of her chilling accounts with her first love that led her to a 24.5 year prison sentence. Harris Stowe Administrative Building, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Tues., Jan. 28, 7 p.m., Immigration Then and Now: Exploring the Making of Undocumented Immigrants. Guest speaker will be Sociologist, Ariela Schachter. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. academyofsciencestl.org.

Wed., Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m., And You Didn’t Want Me to Vote: America’s Contested Site of Power. Professor Angela da Silva will discuss the history of the vote and the maintaining of power through the lens of conflicts. Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer, 63143. For more information, visit www.

maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.

Thur., Feb. 6, 6:30 p.m., 400 Plus Years of Fortitude: AfricanAmerican Contributions Since 1619. The Dred Scott Decision of 1857 was a lynch pin in history, explore the family’s contributions before and after 1857 from descendant Lynne Jackson. Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer, 63143. For more information, visit www. maplewoodpubliclibrary.com.

health

Sat., Jan. 18, 9 a.m., Yoga & Spa Magazine presents the 11th Annual Living Fit Expo Join us for health & wellness

speakers, 40+ vendor tables, a fashion show, giveaway, and more. Plaza Frontenac, 1701 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Wed., Jan. 22, 6 p.m., Opioid Epidemic Education Is Prevention. Q&A Panel, Narcan training, resource tables, and more. Ferguson Community Center, 1050 Smith Ave., 63135. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Sat., Feb. 1, 9 a.m., The Links, Inc., St. Louis Chapter presents Breast Health Equity Symposium. Learn how to advocate for breast health in your community. Barnes Jewish Hospital Parkview Tower,

4921 Parkview, 63121. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

film

Fri., Jan. 17, Bad Boys For Life starring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Theresa Randle, DJ Khaled, and more opens in theatres nationwide.

Sat., Jan. 18, 12:30 p.m., Connected Learning invites you to the For Ahkeem Film Screening. St. Louis Public Library, 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Jan. 23 – 26, 7 p.m., St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Star Wars: The

Helium Comedy Club presents Shuler King. See COMEDY for details.

Empire Strikes Back in Concert. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.slso.org.

Mon., Jan. 27, 6 p.m., National School Choice Week presents Miss Virginia Film Screening. Chase Park Plaza, 212 N. Kingshighway Blvd., 63108. For more information or to RSVP, visit www. nscwstlouismoscreening. splashthat.com.

Fri., Feb. 7, 7 p.m., St. Louis Art Museum presents Black is the Color. A highlight of key moments in the history of African American visual art. 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

entertaining as the topic they are discussing.

interpretation of Wilson’s work under its belt.

Set in 1960s Pittsburgh against the backdrop of the front end of urban blight, a group of characters are bound by the routine of a local diner that is among the few constants as their community becomes a casualty.

In director Ed Smith, The Black Rep has found the Quincy Jones of August Wilson plays. He is a gifted orchestrator that gives each of his players the opportunity to riff – and at the perfect cadence. Too fast, and the intention and interpretation would be lost on the listener. Too slow and the play would drag because the words themselves are responsible for most of the action.

Smith hits the sweet spot where the actors almost seem to be in song as they effortlessly express the natural rhythm and flow of the exchange that that makes listening to black people engaged in conversation as

Broadway veteran and St. Louis native James A. Williams delivers a grounded performance as Memphis, diner owner and anchor of the ensemble. Ron Himes and Williams play particularly well against each other with Himes’ portrayal as Holloway, the wise elder of the crop of personalities all too familiar to those familiar with the black American experience. Black Rep fresh faces Jason Little and Travis Banks made impressive debuts with their respective roles, especially Travis Banks as Hambone. He is charged with the task of the recurring character theme of Wilson that dances between madness and moral compass.

Little doesn’t present the street savvy that one would expect from Sterling, the young man trying to find his way in life after a brush with the law set him back. But what he lacks in grit and edge, he more than makes up for in charm – especially in his interactions with Risa. With his portrayal of West, the wealthy undertaker that is as stiff as one of the

corpses he prepares for burial, J. Samuel Davis’ reputation as one of the most brilliant stage actors in St. Louis continues. The role is brief and doesn’t require much more than a commitment to rigidity. But Davis manages to add charm to the dry character that serves as an antagonist of sorts. His few scenes leave an impression and add a special seasoning to the chemistry of the ensemble that is rounded out by the steady performances of Carl Overly Jr. as Wolf and Sharisa Whatley as Risa.

The production elements of the Black Rep’s “Two Trains Running” add a vibrancy that authenticates the experience of inner-city America in the late 1960s – particularly Peter and Margery Spack’s set and Daryl Harris’ costumes.

The Black Rep’s presentation of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running continues through Sunday, January 26 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. For more information call (314) 534-3807 or visit www.theblackrep.org.

Continued from C1

Missouri House was nominated for an Academy Award. He said he’s feeling “poetic justice” about the honor.

“When I was watching and they announced our names, I jumped across the room,” Franks said. “I was yelling. I was happy. I was screaming. I was so excited. I was pumped. And then I just started crying. Because I remember where I was at a year ago, and I remember in my head it was better off for me not to be on this Earth. And a year later, we are nominated for an Oscar. I’m healthy. I’m doing well. Life is good.”

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences announced Monday that “St. Louis Superman” was nominated for a Best Documentary Short Subject Oscar. The 25-minute film, directed by Sami Khan and Smriti Mundhra, chronicles Franks’ journey from being a protester in Ferguson to a member of the Missouri House. Franks said he hopes the nomination sends a message of hope to St. Louis residents who have struggled.

“When you see hope and you see hope that looks like you, that comes from where you come from, that resonates with you, that feels like you – that hope is what’s going to be inspirational,” Franks said. “We tell young people all

Fashion

Continued from C1

We want to create an experience for the guests.”

That experience includes 17 models serving up to 60 looks.

“We have a few day looks for everyday wear,” Brown said. “We have a few looks that could be work or church appropriate. We will be going from day to night.”

And guests will have the opportunity to make purchases straight from the runway.

“I know that’s not available. In past shows that I’ve done, I really didn’t make what I’ve done available,” Brown said. “We are trying to think smart and get the brand out to the people – and bring them something they like and enjoy. This is how I want to make my living and so I started to think broader and bigger.”

Brown’s journey as a fashion designer began when she was 12 years old and a woman

Tony J

Continued from C1

mation for rush hour commuters, but Tony J made you want to hear it, even if you were just sitting at home looking for a good laugh. His traffic reports were like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolate: you never knew what you were going to get. Sometimes he’d announce them in the speed of mid-tempo R&B jam. Other times he’d kick into them like a rap freestyle. He even announced them with the twang of a country song. The only thing that was constant was the hilarious way he would over annunciate the “traffic.” Loud and hard, with a high pitch, he emphasized the “c” sound to the added breath delivered an “a” sound at the end. He went with it – using the spelling “Traffica” to brand himself. He was funny and he loved St. Louis. Those were the two factors that kept him so connected to the city that adopted him as their own. Originally from Chicago, he set up roots in the region and developed a cult-like following. He lit up the airwaves of Q 95.5 and later Hot 104.1 FM for several years by bringing comic relief to morning and afternoon broadcasts on Q and Hot. He loved being a St. Louis celebrity – so much so that he had a custom painted Geo that served as his own mobile

out in the rain to vote for me. Everybody who donated to the campaign, because they felt that this was it. Anybody who ever stood for anything – and not just anything in St. Louis –with us being the building, we will all be there.” Franks was first elected as a state representative for parts of St. Louis in 2016, unseating state Rep. Penny Hubbard in a closely watched election. He was re-elected in 2018 but chose to resign last year to tend to his mental health. He said that he’s felt “amazing” since announcing that he was stepping aside from electoral politics.

the time that come from my community that it’s a big world and you can do it – but we don’t actually show them. And I think this is a way of showing them that there is hope.”

When asked if he plans to attend the Academy Awards ceremony, Franks replied: “Oh, hell yeah.”

“I don’t feel like it’s me there. I feel like the whole of St. Louis is there,” Franks said. “I feel like everybody who’s ever supported me. Everybody who shut down a highway. Got pepper sprayed. Tear gassed. Everybody who stood

from her church blessed her family with a sewing machine. She taught herself to sew and immediately took to stitching her own creations.

“I made my first dress out of old curtains,” Brown said.

Her latest design would be courtesy of whatever fabric her mother would let her cut up.

She mastered her craft through home economic classes in middle and high school.

She went on to study textile and apparel management and product development University of MissouriColumbia.

Designs by J. Stocking has been up and running online since 2014.

“My brand is for a woman of today who enjoys having a social life – she likes to travel and go to events,” Brown said. “She likes to look good. She likes to feel good. She’s classy and sophisticated. She likes to make a statement.”

Brown enjoys creating event wear most of all when it comes to her designs.

“When you are going to a

billboard. He extended his brand beyond the radio with the Traffic Music Awards in 2008.

The concept of the awards was to highlight the best and brightest of St. Louis. Unlike the name suggests, the recog-

n “The world will never know how much talent he had.”

“I haven’t felt like this in a long time, if ever. I feel like mentally and physically, I’m at 100% most days,” Franks said. “And even when I have those times where that anxiety may kick in, it’s only for a small second. Being able to have different breathing and different coping mechanisms, that helps me out a lot. Therapy helped me out a lot initially. And then it got to the point where I kind of could figure it out myself. But that’s still on deck if I need it.” The Academy Awards will be presented Feb. 9 in Los Angeles.

Republished with permission of St. Louis Public Radio: https://news.stlpublicradio.org/ post/documentary-about-former-rep-bruce-franks-st-louis-superman-gets-oscar-nomination#stream/0

gala, it’s going to be a little more extravagant and it’s one of those things to where you want to stand out.”

Her favorite of what she will be showing on the runway this Saturday is a look she calls a “modern vintage” collection.

“I love the polka dots and the furs of it,” Brown said.

She’s confident that the audience will catch her intention to help spotlight what his happening here on the style scene by way of her brand.

“I want people to feel St. Louis is bringing fashion to the forefront and I want them to feel like they are in one of those major fashion cities seeing a show when they come.”

Anomaly: The Runway Fashion Experience and Mixer takes place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, January 18 at 6 p.m. The Last Hotel located at 1501 Washington Avenue. For more information, visit https://www. designsbyjstocking.com/

nition was in more areas than music. In addition to nominations like “Best Album” and “Best R&B Artist,” some of the categories over the years included ‘Best Barbershop,” “Best Beauty Salon,” “Best

Publication,” “Best Television Personality,” and “Best Politician,” to name a few. The nominations created buzz and the ceremony often included the who’s who of the St. Louis hip-hop scene.

“I going to keep doing it because I love this city and it has as much talent as anywhere in the world,” Tony J said ahead of the 2012 Traffic Music Awards.

He kept them up for ten years – even after he parted ways with Radio One St. Louis.

“He was a genuinely good dude that helped bring all the DJs, artists and STL music scene together, “Kris “DJ Vodu” Hatten said via Facebook. Johnson also worked as an actor and comedian. Before his health declined, he was an on-air talent for Mix 99.5 FM. His diagnosis didn’t diminish his faith and optimism.

“The doctors said that there is nothing else they can do for me, so I’m going to need your prayers,” Johnson said, offering fans an update on his health several months ago. Condolences poured into Facebook and Instagram from his former listeners and the artists he supported through the Traffic Music Awards.

“When I was living in St. Louis and managing hip-hop artists, you were always so kind to me and my folks,” Jo Ann Smith posted on his timeline. “The whole city is in mourning today.”

Photo by Philip Hamer

James A. Williams and Ron Himes lead the cast of the Black Rep’s production of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running. The play runs through Sunday January 26 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre.

Photo by Carolina Hidalgo/ St. Louis Public Radio

Bruce Franks Jr. poses with a cape given to him by a supporter after he won election to the Missouri House in 2016.

Celebrations

HSD Hall of Fame

Reunions

Beaumont Class of 1970 has scheduled its 50-year reunion celebration for the weekend of 10/16/20-10/18/20. The banquet will be held at The Embassy Suites (downtown), 610 N. 7th St. We are currently working on finalizing plans to make this our best reunion yet! Please forward

your current contact info to: beaumontclassof1970@gmail. com, so that we can keep you informed.

Central High School Class of 1970 is in the process of planning its 50-year reunion in 2020. We are trying to locate former classmates. If you would like to receive additional information as we plan this momentous occasion, please provide your contact information to either Lillian McKinney at mamajoyce314@ icloud.com or (314) 335-9760, Eric Armstrong at elarmstr@ yahoo.com or (918) 650-

We, her children (spouses), grandchildren and great-grandchild, would like to wish Lorraine Diane Hill a Happy 70th Birthday on January 14.

Cheers to 3 years! Wishing our smart and caring baby boy, Brendan Bohannon, a very Happy 3rd Birthday on January 17. Your presence fills us with so much happiness and joy. We love you! Love always, Momma, Dadda and Spot

3385, Sabra Morris-Pernod at Saboots@centurytel.net or (314) 703-0812.

L’Ouverture School Class of June 1962 will host an event celebrating our historic L’Ouverture Elementary School. For organization and planning, please meet with us at 3245 Geyer Ave, 63104, Saturday, February 1, 2020, 2 pm. For information, contact: Valerie at (314) 664-6270, email: valeriemiller06179@ att.net; or Evelyn at (314) 7738702.

Soldan Class of 1975 Reunion

Committee is currently seeking all classmates to celebrate our 45-year reunion in September 2020. Additional details to follow. Please submit your current contact information to Committee members Ms. AnnieSue Preston (314) 6065618, Mr. Arvell Roberts, (314) 319-4937, or send info to SOLDANCLASS1975@ GMAIL.COM.

Vashon High School Class of 1974 is planning its next reunion. We are in the process of rounding up all classmates. To provide or update your contact information, please

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to

email ljbady@gmail.com or contact: Joe Verrie Johnson 314-640-5842, Jordan Perry 314-724-4563, or LaVerne James-Bady 314-382-0890.

Vashon High School Class of 1975 is planning for its 45-year reunion. We are in process of getting all classmates to provide or update your contact information. Please email Millicent, centbyme1@aol.com or Elvis, elvishopson@att.net. You can also send information by mail: Vashon High Class of 1975, P.O. box 8735, St. Louis Mo. 63101. Keep this date open: August 7-9, 2020.

The Hazelwood School District celebrated a milestone on December 14 at the HSD 70th Anniversary Hall of Fame Awards Gala and Dance at the Renaissance Hotel. Pictured: HSD Board Member Margo McNeil with Hall of Fame Honoree Lottie Wade and HSD Superintendent Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart.

United Methodist Mediation Team proposes protocol of separation

Would allocate $39M to ministries for communities historically marginalized by racism

By United Methodist Council of Bishops For The St. Louis American

A diverse group of representatives from United Methodist advocacy groups with contrasting views and bishops from around the world has collaborated on a proposed agreement for the separation of The United Methodist Church (UMC) that has the unanimous support of all the parties involved. The agreement, the Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation, was achieved on December 17.

The action comes amid heightened tensions in the church over conflicting views related to human sexuality after the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference failed to resolve differences among church members.

Legislation to implement the Protocol statement — an eight-page document detailing the terms of a split of the 13-plus0million-member denomination — is expected to come before the United Methodist General Conference for a vote at their legislative meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May.

The 16-member group came together as an outgrowth of a consultation initiated by bishops from Central Conferences located outside the United States. The parties sought assistance from attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who specializes in mediation and alternative dispute resolution. Feinberg, who served as special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and administrator of the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster

Victim Compensation Fund, along with a number of other complex matters, agreed to provide his services pro bono.

Meeting over several months, the unofficial group reached an agreement by signatories associated with all of the constituencies within the UMC for a mutually supported pathway for separation, bridging differences among other plans to be considered by the General Conference.

“The undersigned propose restructuring The United Methodist Church by separation as the best means to resolve our differences, allowing each part of the church to remain true to its theological understanding, while recognizing the dignity, equality, integrity, and respect of every person,” says the Protocol Statement.

The document’s signers include representatives from Europe, Africa, the Philippines, and the United States, and include persons representing UMCNext; Mainstream UMC; Uniting Methodists; The Confessing

Movement; Good News; The Institute on Religion & Democracy; the Wesleyan Covenant Association; Affirmation; Methodist Federation for Social Action; Reconciling Ministries Network; and the United Methodist Queer Clergy Caucus; as well as bishops from the United States and across the world. The representatives have pledged to work together to support the proposal and develop legislation to implement it.

The Protocol anticipates the formation of a new traditionalist Methodist denomination. Once formed, the new church would receive $25 million over the next four years and give up further claim to the UMC’s assets. An additional $2 million would be allocated for potential additional new Methodist denominations which may emerge from the UMC.

Acknowledging the historical role of the Methodist movement in systematic racial violence, exploitation and discrimination, the Protocol would allocate $39 million to ensure

there is no disruption in supporting ministries for communities historically marginalized by racism.

Under the Protocol, conferences and local congregations could vote to separate from The United Methodist Church to affiliate with new Methodist denominations created under the agreement within a certain time frame. Churches wishing to stay within the UMC would not be required to conduct a vote. Provisions exist for entities that choose to separate to retain their assets and liabilities. All current clergy and lay employees would keep their pensions regardless of the Methodist denomination with which they affiliate.

Under the Protocol, all administrative or judicial processes addressing restrictions in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist related to self-avowed practicing homosexuals or same-sex weddings, as well as actions to close churches, would be held in abeyance until the separation is completed. The Protocol also references a plan which

calls for a special general conference of the post-separation United Methodist Church. The purpose of the Special Session would be to create regional conferences, remove the current prohibitions against LGBTQ persons, and to repeal the Traditional Plan.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Bishop John Yambasu (Sierra Leone) stated, “All of us are servants of the church and realize that we are not the primary decision makers on these matters. Instead, we humbly offer to the delegates of the 2020 General Conference the work which we have accomplished in the hopes that it will help heal the harms and conflicts within the body of Christ and free us to be more effective witnesses to God’s Kingdom.”

The signatories to the Protocol have provided a FAQ document to provide additional information about the agreement available at https://tinyurl. com/rje6gaz. Comments and questions may be directed to the signatories at mediationprotocol@outlook.com.

The Women of Color and Male Partners Subcommittee is collecting winter items... ...that will be distributed inside of hygiene kits to the community during street outreach

This is an ongoing collaborative effort with partner organizations like the Restorative Justice Movement Center located at

Members of the United Methodist Church’s Mediation Team

CLIENT ANALYST

HS Diploma. Responsible for processing assigned caseload for the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). Conducts interviews, orientation sessions for applicants seeking assistance through Section 8. Process changes in client status to vacate, evictions, inspection action notifications, voucher issuance, program terminations, contracts, lease agreements, inspection requests, income changes, interim reviews, housing assistance payment adjustments and/or withholdings.

p.m. January 28, 2020 via our website www.slha.org or email athomas@slha.org. A Drug Free Work Place/EOE.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Ready Readers has an opening for a Volunteer Coordinator. Please visit https://www.theromegroup.com/ job/6145/ready-readers-st-louiscounty-22-volunteercoordinator/ for a complete job description. Deadline has been extended to Jan 24th. No phone calls please.

FULL-TIME PROGRAM MANAGER

Behavioral Health Network of Greater STL seeks a full-time Program Manager for Complex Care. We are committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce that represents the communities we serve. More info & apply at: bhnstl.org/career-opportunities

MUNICIPAL SERVICE FOREMAN II

The City of Clayton is now accepting applications for the full-time position of Municipal Service (Park Maintenance) Foreman II in the Parks Department. To apply, visit www.claytonmo.gov/jobs EOE

FRONT DESK AND LOBBY ATTENDANT

HS Diploma with ability to use a computer. Excellent Customer Service Skills. Position involves heavy public contact. Responsible for greeting all Authority visitors and staff with a professional demeanor and ensures all visitors are signed in via applicable sign-in protocol. Must operate multi-line telephone system, routing telephone calls and directing clients while maintaining and providing a safe and secure environment for employees and visitors of the building. Position requires professionalism, timeliness, organization and the ability to learn and explain Authority policies. Starting Salary $31,187 Annually. Apply or send resume to: St. Louis Housing Authority, HR Division, 3520 Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63106 by 5:00 p.m. January 28, 2020 via our website www.slha.org or email athomas@slha.org. A Drug Free Work Place/EOE.

RESIDENTIAL MONITOR

Residential Monitor needed for Supportive Housing Program. AAS degree desired. Please reply to Program Director Doris Magwood at (314) 679-5407.

LOCUST

BUSINESS DISTRICT SEEKS RFPS FOR SERVICES

The LBD is seeking vendors to provide a range of services. These services include:

• District Security

• Street Sweeping

• Weeding & Trash Removal

• Marketing Services

• Audit Services

For more information, go to the LBD website at www.locustbusinessdistrict.com or email us at info@locustbusinessdistrict.com.

ELECTRICAL INSTRUCTOR

Seeking individual with general knowledge of all aspects of the electrical trade. Teaching / training experience and or industry certifications desirable. Computer skills required. Must have a minimum of 9 years of experience at the Journey Level and be a current member in good standing with the St. Louis, Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council Local Union 57.

Send resume to address below by (date). No walk ins or email copy will be accepted.

The St. Louis American Newspaper 2315 Pine St., St. Louis MO 63103 BOX # 2020

Electrical Instructor

EOE/AA Employer

PRESIDENT –DE SMET JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL

De Smet Jesuit High School invites applicants for the position of President. Qualified candidates will demonstrate a history of driving results in a competitive environment, specifically in securing the School’s fiscal health and providing for innovation in the curriculum. The President will lead all members of the De Smet community to embody the very best qualities of Catholic, Jesuit education. For more information and to apply for this position, visit https:// www.desmet.org/about/careers. Equal Opportunity Employer Committed to Diversity and Inclusion – M/F/D/V

LEGAL ANALYST

Handle various operational needs of the Legal Department. To be responsible for the management and collection of data, and to develop and support Legal Department key performance indicators and analytics.

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

DIRECTOR-CUSTOM APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

Responsible for the management and direction of system application development for all custom applications. In particular, release planning, software coding, standards enforcement and supervisory duties. Ensures user satisfaction across all owners of custom applications in the organization. Ensures on-time delivery of SN Enterprise, IMS, Pricing model and public facing custom developed systems as well as other systems assigned to teams led. To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/careers-page/

PROJECT MANAGER & ASST. PROJECT MANAGER

Great Rivers Greenway is seeking a Project Manager and Asst. Project Manager. Go to www.greatriversgreenway. org/jobs-bids/ and submit by February 20, 2020.

DEVELOPMENT POSITION

The Gateway Arch Park Foundation is seeking to fill the following open full-time position.

Individual Giving & Membership Manager: Position requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years of professional experience View full job descriptions and application process at www.archpark.org.

ASSISTANT CLAIMS – LARGE CASUALTY MAIL

Responsible for various tasks related to: categorizing, imaging and processing incoming mail

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

ARE YOU A CHURCH LOOKING FOR AN PROFESSIONAL ORGAN PLAYER, PIANO PLAYER, TEACHER, DIRECTOR, OR MINISTER OF MUSIC?

If so, please call 314-652-1107

CITY OF ST PETERS, MO CAREER

OPPORTUNITIES

Join

To view all current openings and to apply, please visit www.stpetersmo.net/Jobs. AA/EOE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Seeking dynamic individual to direct one of St. Louis’ oldest community development corporations. See website for details. www.SkinkerD.org

ASSISTANT LPT OPERATIONS

Staff position in support of the Loss Portfolio Transfer Department. Works within established guidelines with limited supervision.

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

of members of the health care team. Prepares investigative reports for Director and Legal Counsel regarding potentially compensable events covered by the Self-Insured Professional Liability Program, and other reports as requested by Senior Management. Coordinates case development and case management. Participates in risk financing efforts. Develops and provides education programs to departments; coordinates communications with affiliated hospitals. Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree, 7 years of experience analyzing, interpreting and communicating medical information, 5 years of managing professional liability matters and/or patient safety measures for physician programs. Planning Manager – Joint Office of Strategic Planning – Job # 46029:

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for Contract No. F 20 502, New Flooring in SC206 Office Suite, St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, until 2:00 p.m. local time, Thursday, January 16, 2020. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park Drive (Plan Room). Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office, at the above address or by calling (314) 644-9770.

No PREBID Meeting

An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

CAMPUS-WIDE RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM RFP 2020

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified contractors to supply and install a “turnkey” radio communication system including required local, state or federal permits and licensing. Bid documents are available as of 1/15/2020 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for Bartolet to Paule Ave. Storm Sewer Replacement under Letting No. 11494015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Thursday, February 13, 2020, 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

CITY OF ST. LOUIS

ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Solicitation For Bids (SFB) for Ground Maintenance and Clean Up Services 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) 890-1812. This SFB may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.flystl. com/business/contract-opportunites.

Robert Salarano Airport Properties Division Manager

Paric Corporation is seeking proposals for the following project: University of Missouri Library Depository Construct Phase 2.

This is a 10,000 sf addition to the existing Depository. Project includes but is not limited to the following scopes of work: selective demolition, concrete foundations and flatwork, architectural precast, structural steel, rough and finish carpentry, casework, solid surface countertops, waterproofing, air barrier, sheet metal flashing and trim, caulking, doors, overhead doors, aluminum storefront, drywall, flooring, acoustical ceilings, painting, wall protection, toilet accessories, extinguishers, storage racks, roller shades, fire sprinklers, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, earthwork, utilities and concrete paving.

A prebid meeting will be held at 1:30 pm on January 24, 2020 in the General Services Building, Room 194B, University of Missouri. The prebid will be followed by a walk-through at the site.

This project has a diversity participation goal of 10% MBE and 10% combined WBE, DBE, Veteran Owned Business and 3% SDVE.

Bids for this project are due on February 4th, at 1:30 p.m. For any questions or would like to find out more detailed information on this opportunity, please contact Evan Chiles at 816-878-6003 or emchiles@paric.com.

All bids should be delivered to Paric via e-mail (bids@paric.com) or fax (816-878-6249)

PARIC CORPORATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

SEALED BIDS

BidsforWarrenton

ReadinessCenter, ReplaceRoof System&Paving, Warrenton, Missouri,Project No.T1902-01 willbereceived byFMDC,Stateof MO,UNTIL 1:30PM, February6,2020 via MissouriBUYS. Biddersmustbe registeredtobid. Forspecificproject informationand orderingplans,go to:http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

BidsforWindow R

WheelerHall, MOSchoolfor theDeaf,Fulton, Missouri,Project No.E1906-01 willbereceived byFMDC,Stateof MO,UNTIL1:30 PM,1/23/2020via MissouriBUYS. Biddersmustbe registeredtobid. Forspecificproject informationand orderingplans,go to:http://oa.mo. gov/facilitie

Equal Opportunity Employer.

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive RFQ’s in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on February 18, 2020 to contract with a company for: Cottage Avenue Storm Channel Permanent Fencing. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 10265 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.6269 to request a copy of this bid. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure Staffing Services for a Staff Augmentation Services. The District is proposing single source procurement for this service because Intervision is currently solely performing support for the network. Any inquiries should be sent to strenz@stlmsd.com.

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

INVITATION TO BID:

E.M. Harris Construction Company (EMH), 2600 Delmar Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63103, seeks subcontractor bids for Park East Apartments, located at various addresses in the Forest Park South East neighborhood of St. Louis. Scope of work involves rehab of 24 existing apartment buildings (73 apartment units), including, but not limited to, selective demo of flooring, cabinets, vanities and toilets, new flooring, painting, masonry, finish carpentry, roofing and gutters. Pre-bid walk through TBD. Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises are strongly encouraged to bid. All workers must be OSHA 10 certified. EMH is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Project plans & specifications are available for viewing online through an Invitation to Bid and at:

• MOKAN Plan Room, 4666 Natural Bridge, St. Louis, MO 63115

• EMH Plan Room, 2600 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103

All bids due to EMH office by 1 pm, Monday, January 27, 2020, fax: 314-436–6691. Project contact: Phil Krull: phil@emharris.com.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Donald Maggi, Inc. is accepting bids from Disadvantaged Business Enterprises for subcontracting opportunities on the Demo of University of Science and Technology located in Rolla MO

Bid Date and Time: Thursday, January 21, 2020 at 2:00

Plans and specifications are available for purchase from: www.adsplanroom.net

Or may be inspected at our office at 13104 South US Hwy 63, Rolla, Missouri 65401

Request for Email copies of plans and specs can be sent via drop box Our telephone number is 573-364-7733; fax 573-341-5065. An Equal Opportunity Employer. Email: maggiconst@gmail.com

Donald Maggi, Inc.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Donald Maggi, Inc. is accepting bids from Disadvantaged Business Enterprises for subcontracting opportunities on the Washington County Airport located in Potosi, MO

Bid Date & Time: Friday January 17, 2020 @ 10:30 Pre-Bid meeting January 8, 2020 @ 1:00 pm

Plans and specifications are available from: Jviation, Inc.

Direct 303.524.3030 Bid.Info@jviation.com

Or may be inspected at our office at 13104 South US Hwy 63, Rolla, MO 65401

Request for Email copies of plans and specs can be sent via drop box

Our telephone number is 573-364-7733; fax 573-3415065. An Equal Opportunity Employer. Email: maggiconst@gmail.com

Donald Maggi, Inc.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Paric Corporation will be seeking bids for the University of Missouri – Women’s & Children’s Hospital located at 404 N Keene St, Columbia, MO 65201. The project includes the following scopes; Metal Fabrications, Fire & Smoke Assemblies, Roof Accessories, Applied Fireproofing, Firestopping, Hollow Metal Doors & Frames, Door Hardware, Gypsum Board Assemblies, Acoustical Ceilings, Fire Suppression, Mechanical – HVAC, and Electrical.

The current drawings are available from Paric through our SmartBid software, or from http://operations-webapps.missouri.edu/pdc/adsite/ad.html. Please submit proposals and/ or questions to mwalburg@paric.com.

This project has the following participation goals: 10% MBE business participation 10% WBE/DBE/Veteran Owned business participation 3% SDVE business participation

PARIC CORPORATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

REQUESTS FOR QUALIFICATIONS

The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (the “Partnership”) has issued multiple open Requests for Qualifications (“RFQs”) for various projects initiated in 2020, including separate RFQs for MWBE professional-services firms, marketing and communications firms, legal-services firms, catering firms, printing-service firms, and a wide variety of other professional-services firms. These are “Open” RFQs from which the Partnership may refer during 2020, as projects become available.

The Partnership will accept qualifications throughout 2020; however, firms are encouraged to submit qualifications by January 23, 2020. Qualifications should include the information indicated in the applicable RFQ, which may be obtained from the Partnership’s web site at www.stlpartnership.com. Qualifications may be emailed to hbean@stlpartnership.com.

This RFQ shall not be construed as an offer. Submission of qualifications does not obligate the Partnership to consider a responding firm for any project or contract. Any questions should be directed to Howl Bean II at (314) 615-7663 or hbean@stlpartnership.com.

St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer

LETTING NO. #8714 CONCRETE & BRICK REMOVAL/ REPLACEMENT AND COMPLETE SIDEWALK INSTALLATION SP-113

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 25, 2020, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps. org(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 mandatory pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held on January 28, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. in Room 305, City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis MO 63103. NOTE: Contractors that attended the pre-bid conference for Project SP-111 or SP-112 are eligible to bid on Project SP-113 without attending the SP-113 pre-bid conference.

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).

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 25, 2020 then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). Mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, at 1:30 PM in the Ozark Conference Room at the Airport Office Building, 11495 Navaid Rd., Bridgeton, MO 63044.

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).

specialties, furnishings, fire suppression/protection plumbing, crane/hoist, HVAC, celectrical, communications. All interested and qualified SBE, DBE, WBE, SDVOB, AND VOB businesses should contact, in writing, (certified letter, return receipt requested) Justin Beaty or Joe Seymour to discuss the subcontracting opportunities. All negotiations must be completed prior to the bid opening date 1/14/2020 @ 1:30 PM. Proposals will be evaluated in order on the basis of low responsive bid received. CERTIFICATION OF DBE/

RIP Tony J. Look 2020, don’t start. I can’t tolerate another year of losing so many wonderful folks 2019 took us through. I thought I was going to get a break, but then this happened. Just like he would want me too, I’m claiming positivity, health and prosperity in spite of the devastating loss of STL radio favorite and all around good dude Tony J. I can still hear his “What Up Doe,” in my head as I type this. Man, we had a good one in him. Tony J used his brand – and his bread (yep, he went into his own pocket to keep the Traffic Music Awards going) to keep the talent in this city pumped up. Plenty of times, he put promoting their talent ahead of his own. Listen, I can’t tell y’all how hard I laughed at some of Tony J’s traffic reports, especially that one time when he broke the song, because he couldn’t figure out how to say Spoede and keep the rhythm going. My all-time favorite Tony J. memory was when that comedian A. J. Johnson, who played Ezal in “Friday,” kept trying to clown Tony. He was trying to be graceful about it, but then he gathered old boy like he was leaves in the front yard. “These are your little jokes? If you didn’t have any material, you should have let us know.” I still holler at how you could hear poor Ezal’s voice shrivel up on the radio. He probably wanted to fight Tony after that. But knowing Tony, he had a big grin on his face. That’s just one of many. We had a true gem rolling in that Geo. Tony J, with your “Trafficccaaa,” you forever left your mark on St. Louis radio. I hate to see you go, but I hated even more to see you suffer. Now soar with the angels. Sir Ervin’s open mic surprise. I promised y’all I would get to it – even though it is late at this point. But for matter of public record, I feel the need to share what a blast I had with poet/actor/director/playwright Sir Ervin Williams III a couple of Fridays ago at a private event space on the south side. The folks packed it out to the point where it was such a sauna in there that for the second half, I stood outside and ear-hustled the rest of the show. That’s the downside of being super supported, I suppose. I expected to hear some words masterfully turned, which I got. Shout out to all the poets who did their thing as Erv’s crew knows how to do. But I got a few things I didn’t expect. First off, I didn’t expect the wholistic well woman’s exam lecture. I can’t say that I was comfortable with any of it – even as the rest of the ladies seemed to get their life from the best practices of – well, let’s just say non-traditional ways of getting certain body parts primed for pregnancy. That poor child in the crowd was surely traumatized. I was thrilled with Ervin’s mother’s soulful birthday song to all the Capricorns. And whatever family member that was that caught a whole vibe from the drummer certainly set it off for the second half of the show. I’m glad you decided to pull the evening together. It was certainly unforgettable.

Happy b-day Word Up. Since I’m on the subject of spoken word, let me take a moment to shout out Word Up’s 5 year anniversary. I stopped though Legacy Books and Café to show love last Tuesday and they had a cute crowd – especially for a Tuesday. I caught up with some old friends and caught a vibe.

Celebrating with the frats and sorors. Listen, I felt like it was 19_____(mind your business) and I was rotating though HBCUs the way these black Greeks turned up throughout the city and the county in the name of Founder’s Day festivities. It’s been going on two weeks of me poppin’ in and out of parties just as the strolls got good. Kappa Alpha Psi kicked it off for me at Brennan’s on Sunday, January 5. Then it was the Sigmas at the Signature Club and the Deltas at the Grand Hall on Chouteau. Oh, and you divas have a Nupe to thank for me coming though and getting my whole life as y’all stomped down 90s style. If it weren’t for Jim Triplett telling his frat they should be ashamed for not showing love to y’all’s party, I would have totally forgotten about it. I’m so glad he had his moment, because I got a chance to see some of my favorite DST queens. LaWanda Hall, Romney, Jodi Squires, Angela Brown, Erica Bumpers, Trina Claggett, Alice Prince…yes, I’m talking about y’all. If I missed any of my faves – which I’m sure I did – please charge it to my head and not my heart. And while I’m on the subject of Founder’s Day celebrations, I am probably perched at an AKA J15 jam as you are reading this. I will tell you all about next week. I hate to pull another stay tuned, but it had to be done because J15 fell midweek. Rick Ross didn’t make the roll. I know folks have questions. I don’t have answers as to why Rick Ross absent from The Pageant. I have a feeling it was weather related. And even if it wasn’t, I must admit that I was quietly thrilled that I didn’t have to skate around these streets like I was at Steinberg just to catch Rozay. I would have done it (as long as they were only reasonably bad) to show my support for RockHouse. I can’t say that I would have braved the ice and been happy about it. Now the snow man (a.k.a. Jeezy) is a different story. You best bet I will be front and center on Saturday, January 25 – rain, sleet or snow…well, within reason.

Last laughs at the latest location. Sunday night I stopped through for the final night of the Laugh Lounge at its West Florissant incarnation after more than two years. They had a nice roster of rising stars and established comedy vets roll through. Some I wouldn’t have seen had they not brought them. My favorite introduction was D’Lai Jessie Taylor went out with a gut busting bang. I hollered at all of those NSFP (not safe for Partyline) jokes of his as usual. And I caught quite the cackle from his protégé Richie. I don’t know, it’s something about that prep school voice and baby face telling those grown folks only jokes had me giggling all night. He’s young, but I can see the potential Jessie sees in him. And his willingness to try jokes that may or may not work is not lost on me. When he talked about his old lady girlfriend having everything in her big purse, including that screwdriver bit – which I won’t ruin the punchline for in case he uses it when he’s famous – was hilarious. I don’t know what the Laugh Lounge team have lined up as far as a next location, but I will be sure to keep you posted.

Alice Prince was in the building with her Delta Sigma Theta sorors and joined by her wonderful husband Karlton as they kicked it for Founder’s Day Sunday @ The Grand Hall on Chouteau

It was a 90s type of night for Deltas Erica, Angie and Jodi as they celebrated Founder’s Day with their sorors Sunday @ Grand Hall on Chouteau

Proud mama Winnie Caldwell and her boo Marwin cheered Sidney Keys III @ a special watch party for his episode of “Marvel’s Hero Project” on Disney+ Friday @ Innovation Hall

Zetas Erica and Ebbi were on deck to show love to their Phi Beta Sigma frat at the Founder’s Day Happy Hour Thursday @ The Signature Club

The Nupes were deep in Brennan’s to celebrate their Founder’s Day with a special afternoon soiree on Sunday

Donaldson and Robert represented for Phi Beta Sigma at their Founder’s Day Happy Hour Thursday @ the Signature Club

Dacia and Louis Conphliction were all dolled up for the Word Up 5th Anniversary Celebration Tuesday @ Legacy Books and Café

Javania and April strolling through the Central West End on a Sunday afternoon

Melanie and Dre were the classic power couple @ 100 Black Men’s Winter Royale Gala recently @ The Renaissance Grand

St. Louis Red and Kween Niecy showed up for the Word Up 5th Anniversary Celebration Tuesday @ Legacy Books and Café

St. Louis’ own Willie Moore Jr. (center) with “Just Mercy” stars O’Shea Jackson Jr., Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Bryan Stevenson – the man whose life story and bestselling book the film is based upon – at a preview screening of the film in Atlanta. The film opened in theaters nationwide on Friday, January 10.

Photos by V. Lang

ceLebrATing

The DreAm

A dream under construction

as leaders call for change

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

The ice and snow that unexpectedly hit the region Saturday afternoon meant inclement weather closures for events across the area. But those willing to brave the roads in the name of Dr. Martin Luther King for the 34th Annual Statewide Celebration Kickoff in his honor were as committed to commemorating Dr. King as he was to the causes of justice and equality.

“This audience is small, but mighty,” mistress of ceremonies Carol Daniel proclaimed as she settled into her duties on stage of the Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Auditorium at HarrisStowe State University.

They gave a rousing applause of a crowd three times their size when State MLK Commissioner Lady Merdean Gales took a moment for a in memoriam for recently lost local freedom fighters – particularly the man who was responsible for them being in those seats in the first place.

“Norman R. Seay gave so much to so many,” Gales said. Because of Seay, St. Louis has the distinction of being one of the first cities to have a holiday designated in honor of King’s birthday – a full 16 years before the day became a federal holiday.

“Because of his efforts, he was the individual who was given the responsibility for hanging the sign during the name change of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive,” Gales told the crowd. “He committed his life to fighting injustice – from the Federation of Block Units to the Jefferson Bank demonstration that resulted in him receiving a three-month jail sentence. He would always say, ‘everybody must do something.’

Gales also honored longtime Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis CEO James Buford and Anita Banks, widow of beloved Senator Jet Banks before handing the podium over to new MLK Commission Chair Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith.

“Tonight, we spark the flame that will

ignite the burning fire that will spread throughout the state by honoring individuals and organizations who put into practice Dr. King’s high ideals and aspirations for peace, justice and equality,” Smith said. The crowd came from all over the state – from Kansas City to the bootheel.

“I heard we had a group from Hayti,” Daniel said. The group shouted from the back of the auditorium, purely delighted for be recognized for driving upstate to represent for their region.

The focus for this year’s celebration was on the music thanks to headliner Kirk Whalum and special guest Denise Thimes, but several civic and political leaders were given space to reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. King.

“We have a long way to go, but we are closer than we’ve been,” said U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, who said that the key to fulfilling King’s dream is unity and working together for the greater good of humanity.

Mayor Lyda Krewson said that moving beyond comfort zones is critical to continuing Dr. King’s vision.

“Celebrating the life of Dr. King is important every year – but it is especially important now, because it inspires us to meet the many challenges that we face today,” Krewson said. “We don’t often talk about racism and discrimination in public because it can be uncomfortable. But uncomfortable is where we must be.

See MLK, D4

‘On

1964.

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

“As you know, we have traditionally invited the nation’s leading scholars to reflect on Dr. King’s social justice legacy in contemporary times,” Dr. Will Ross of Washington University School of Medicine said of the school’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture. “This year our ‘leading scholar’ is right here in our midst.” Adia Harvey Wingfield – the Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences and associate dean for Faculty Development at Washington University in St. Louis – will present the School of Medicine’s 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture at 4 p.m. Monday, January 20 at the Eric P. Newman Education Center, 320 South Euclid Ave.

n “Our community will be riveted by what she has to say on achieving equity in a polarized society.”

– Dr. Will Ross, on Adia Harvey Wingfield

“Professor Adia Wingfield has emerged as one of the preeminent social scientists in the country. Her research interests are in the persistence of intersectional racial and gender inequalities in professional occupations, in particular the challenges facing African-American men in workplaces where they are in the minority,” said Dr. Ross, who is associate dean for Diversity, principal Officer for Community Partnerships and a professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, at the school.

“She is the author of several books, most recently the award-winning ‘No More Invisible Man: Race and Gender in Men’s Work,’ and is a contributing writer for The Atlantic. We had the honor of recruiting her to Washington University to reestablish our Sociology Department in 2015. Our community will be riveted by what she has to say on achieving equity in a polarized society.”

Wingfield has studied black professionals working as lawyers, doctors, engineers, and nurses. Her research challenges many sociological assumptions about workplace inequality: the idea that men advance in occupations dominated by women, that tokenism alienates members of minority groups from each other, and that black professionals are quick to attribute occupational challenges to their minority status rather than other factors. Her article “Racializing the Glass Escalator,” published in 2009 in Gender & Society, won the Distinguished

Photo by Mary Delach Leonard / St. Louis Public Radio

Awardees TraVonne Walker, Betty Thompson, Bonnie Barczykowski, James Clark, James Lally, Kelvin Adams.

MLK Commissioners

Sherry Maxwell, Rev. Earl Nance and Myrle Mensey Symonds

Photos by Wiley Price

Roland Martin to keynote Urban League, SLU MLK program

American staff

The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Saint Louis University will host the eighth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Tribute Breakfast Thursday, January 16, in the Wool Ballroom of Busch Student Center on the SLU Campus. Noted journalist, author and syndicated columnist Roland S. Martin will deliver the keynote address at this year’s tribute. During his career, Martin has been a host, guest and commentator on numerous major broadcast and print media outlets. As an author, he has written the books “Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America,” “Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith” and “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House as Originally Reported by Roland S. Martin.” Martin received his undergraduate degree in journalism at Texas A&M and went on to earn a graduate degree in Christian communications from Louisiana Baptist University. The program also will include a welcome by Fred

Church

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P. Pestello, president of Saint Louis University, prayers by Chris Collins, S.J., special assistant to the president, and a reflection by Jonathan C. Smith, vice president for diversity and community engagement.

7 and join Pestello to present this year’s awards. The following individuals and businesses will be honored for their contributions to the St. Louis community: • U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy

to preserve and perform music indigenous to the AfricanAmerican experience. Their performance repertoire covers more than four centuries, multiple genres, and many composers and styles of music.

Roland Martin

Clay: U.S. Representative from Missouri’s First Congressional District

• Denise HooksAnderson, M.D.: Family medicine physician and assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine, Saint Louis University

• Art McCoy: Superintendent, Jennings School District

• Wendell Kimbrough: Chief executive officer, ARCHES St. Louis and member of the Board of Directors for Gateway Center for Giving

• Michael Neidorff, CEO, Centene.

Breakfast begins at 8 a.m. and is followed by the program at 9 a.m. Complimentary parking will be available in the University garage located at Grand and Laclede.

RSVPs are requested for the event. To reserve a place, register at https:// tinyurl.com/rxqbkm4 or contact SLU diversity consultant Rita McMillan at (314) 977-2254 or rita.mcmillan@slu.edu.

turned-actors — presented by Bread and Roses Missouri – perform their historical reenactment of this strike to honor the legacy of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement in Missouri.

We have to move beyond our uncomfortableness so that we can make changes. We have to make sure racial equity is in our hearts and minds as we make our decisions.”

Krewson said keeping Dr. King and what he stood for in our hearts is critical towards ensuring a more equitable St. Louis “for our kids and their kids.”

“We’ve come a long way, but we haven’t come far enough,” Krewson said. “It is my sincerest commitment that we will be intentional in using the events of the past to help inform the decisions of today.”

The remarks among the dignitaries that seemed to leave the biggest impression came from State Senator Jamilah Nasheed.

“Today we are gathered here to honor the legacy of a man who continued to believe at a time when there was every reason to give up,” Nasheed said. “A man who freely preached about his dream, while living a nightmare. Through his dream

WUSTL

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Dr. King is still alive in us –though there is no doubt his dream and vision of a nation standing together remains under construction.”

She embraced King’s defiant optimism and hope as she told the crowd that they must actively pursue his vision.

“We cannot continue to sleep. Something is going to have to jolt us awake,” Nasheed said. “By the faith and belief of everybody who celebrates the legacy of Dr. King we will reach the end of that tunnel and be a beacon of light. We will continue to fight for his dream. We have a lot of work to do.”

scholarship, she has written for mainstream outlets other than The Atlantic including Slate, Harvard Business Review, and Vox

Last year, Vox asked her and 14 other experts, “What do we do think now that will be considered unthinkable in 50 years?” and she responded with an essay titled, “Abandoning public education will be considered unthinkable 50 years from now.”

the racial and economic disparities that desegregation was supposed to eradicate. School is viewed less as a public good and more and more as something we buy access to, and thus driven by income and wealth.”

Washington University recruited her from Georgia State University, where she had tenure, in 2015 as one of three professors who reestablished its sociology department. Previously she was a visiting professor of sociology at Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Japan and an assistant professor of sociology at Hollins University. She attended Spelman College as an undergraduate, studying English, then received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Johns Hopkins University. Dream” speech. Books related to the life of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement will be available for purchase.

The Legend Singers Choral Ensemble will perform songs in celebration of Dr. King’s birthday. The choral group was founded in 1940 by Dr. Kenneth Brown Billups and is led by Maestro Dwayne Buggs, director. The group’s mission is

The Workers Theater Project will present a scene from its upcoming “Workers’ Opera.” In 1938, the Civil Rights Movement was already beginning to unfold: The Tenant Farmers Strike in Southern Missouri is a story of people getting organized to fight for racial equality and workers’ rights. These workers-

Readings from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech will be given between performances and throughout the program.

“Please join us for this celebration of the life of this justice leader, activist and organizer whose influence is still felt today,” organizers said in a release.

A BLACK MAN DID THIS

Article Award from the Race, Gender, and Class section of the American Sociological Association. She later won the Distinguished Book Award from this same section for her book “No More Invisible Man,” a study of black professional men in culturally masculinized occupations. That book also won the Richard A. Lester Award from the Industrial Relations section of Princeton University. Wingfield is the recipient of the 2018 Public Understanding of Sociology award from the American Sociological Association. In addition to her academic

“Today, proponents of our current educational system of unfettered school choice argue that diverting local, state, and federal funding to these varied types of schools creates necessary options and gives parents more control over their children’s education,” she wrote.

“But this narrow, individualized focus maintains

Photo by Wiley Price

LaTonia Collins-Smith, chairwoman of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. State Celebration Commission of Missouri and interim provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Harris-Stowe, received her MLK Commissioner medallion from former Harris-Stowe State University President Dwaun J. Warmack.

Integrating into a burning house

Remembering the other MLKs

By Mike Jones Of The St. Louis American

The first of February usually denotes the beginning of Black History Month, which means we’ll round up the usual suspects to do the regularly scheduled programs that highlight African-American achievements and contributions to America that demonstrate our worthiness to be included in the American mosaic. However, you could argue that the opening ceremony of Black History Month begins in January with the activities around MLK Birthday holiday. I want to use this moment (meaning the next six weeks) to talk about how we think, or don’t think, of ourselves in the context of American history.

Columnist Mike Jones

I’ll begin with the disservice we do Dr. King’s memory and historical record every January as we insist America recognize him, and by extension us, as worthy of inclusion in the pantheon of American heroes. But is the Dr. King we memorialize every January, the Dr. King of history, or more importantly, is the history we’re memorializing worthy of the man?

The Dr. King we celebrate is an homage to the myth of America. The Dr. King of history, properly understood, is evidence of and testament to the indomitable spirit and will of black people in their struggle

against America’s endemic white racism.

America, with our complicity, has made Dr. King’s life and story about one moment in time, August 1963, that improvised closing of his speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington.

“I have a dream (yeah) [applause] that my four little children (well) 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 (my Lord). I have a dream today [enthusiastic applause].”

Every American of any ethnicity has had these words imprinted on their conscious to represent the totality of Dr. King, but why these words?

These words because they align with the myth that Americans have substituted for history. These words have black people accepting their condition in the hope that one day white Americans will include us in their story. We will spend the entire MLK weekend memorializing these words and teaching generations of black school children that this is who MLK was and this is the totality of what he was about.

The reality of that August day as reflected in the historical record tells a much different story about the man and the march. The official name for the March on Washington was the March for Jobs and Justice. And Dr. King’s speech was about way more than his eloquent improvised ending. Let’s have him speak for himself.

“Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand

The Dr. King of history, properly understood, is evidence of and testament to the indomitable spirit and will of black people in their struggle against America’s endemic white racism.

today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation....But one hundred years later, the Negro still is 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 languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.”

He continues, “In a sense we’ve 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 (Yeah), they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir...It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.”

So what would MLK birthday celebrations look and sound like if the beginning of his speech was the focus and not the end? What if there were essay contests for middle and high schools students in January on the importance and meaning of the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” for today’s America? What if there were panels on American foreign policy with his speech at Riverside Baptist Church as the predicate for the discussion?

Let’s remember what MLK said to Harry Belafonte, shortly before his assassination: “I have come upon something that disturbs me deeply. I’ve come to believe we’re integrating into a burning house. I’m afraid America may be losing what moral vision she had.”

And if we truly wanted to honor and remember his life, what if we engage in a community conversation about the Neoliberal American socioeconomic order, in light of the fact he was assassinated in Memphis supporting striking garbage workers while he was organizing the Poor Peoples March on Washington?

What would the MLK holiday ceremonies look and sound like if we understood his growth and political evolution over the arch of his too-short life? Let’s remember what he said to Harry Belafonte, shortly before his assassination: “I have come upon something that disturbs me deeply. I’ve come to believe we’re integrating into a burning house. I’m afraid America may be losing what moral vision she had. Until we assure the underclass has justice and opportunity, we will continue to perpetuate the anger and violence that tears at the soul of this nation.” Carter G. Woodson wrote, “If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.” What would it look like if we understood the multiple purposes that history serves, including providing context for the present that we’re experiencing? What if?

TUESDAY, JAN. 21

5 p.m. Reception | 6 p.m. Program

St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley

Terry M. Fischer Theatre

Pershall Road St. Louis, Mo. 63135

This

event

2020 Martin Luther King Jr. CeLebration aCtivities

Thurs., Jan. 16, 9 a.m. (8 a.m.

breakfast), The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Saint Louis University 8th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Tribute Breakfast with keynote address provided by Roland Martin, Wool Ballroom of Busch Student Center on the SLU Campus.

Fri., Jan. 17, 11 a.m., Embracing The Dream

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Luncheon presented by Christian Hospital Foundation, with keynote address provided by the Honorable Dr. Michael A. Battle, Paul F. Detrick Building Atrium, Christian Hospital, 11133 Dunn Rd. For more information, visit www. christianhospital.org/MLKCelebration or call (314) 6535162.

Fri., Jan. 17, 7 p.m., St. Louis Art Museum Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

The program includes a keynote address, “The Intersection between Art and Social Justice at the National Museum of African American History and Culture” by Tuliza Fleming, Interim Chief Curator of Visual Arts, NMAAHC, Smithsonian Institution as well as musical performances by Dello Thedford and the Gospel Symphonic Choir and Ronald Ollie, collector and vocalist.1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www.slam. org.

Sat., Jan. 18, 12 noon, The St. Louis Public Library and Connected Learning STL present of screening of the documentary For Ahkeem, St. Louis Public Library-Central Branch, 1301 Olive Street, St. Louis MO 63103. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Sat. Jan. 18 – Mon., Jan. 20, 6th annual MLK Community Celebration at the Missouri History Museum. Programming includes St. Louis Black Authors of Children’s Literature, Youth Activism and Engagement Workshops, a story-dance journey with Mama Lisa and more. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell at DeBaliviere. A full schedule of the weekend’s events is available at mohistory. org/events/mlk-celebration.

Sunday, Jan. 19, 1:30 p.m., Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, The Ivy Alliance Foundation and the Upsilon Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated will host the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 8th Annual Sunday Supper – a Salute to Veterans and Military Families, Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow. For more information, visit mlk2020vss.eventbrite.com or call (314) 282-8018 for reservations.

Sun., Jan. 19, 4:30 p.m., Webster Groves Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration, Festivities begins with a march from Webster Groves City Hall to the Steger Sixth Grade Center/Givens Elementary School auditorium, at 701 N. Rock Hill Rd. Program will commence at 5:45 p.m.

Sun., Jan. 19, 7 p.m., The City of Hazelwood Community Enrichment Commission 8th Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Hazelwood Civic Center East, 8969 Dunn Road. For more information, call (314) 731-0980.

Symphony artist in residence; and, the St. Louis Children’s Choirs. Touhill Performing Arts Center, One University Blvd., 63121. For more information, please contact the office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at 314-5165695.

Mon., Jan. 20, 10 a.m., MLK Day of Service. Create gifts for O’Fallon’s senior care facility residents and share in an act of kindness that brings the community together. Krekel Civic Center, 305 Civic Park Dr., 63366. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Mon., Jan. 20, 4 p.m. Washington University School of Medicine Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture with Adia Harvey Wingfield – the Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences and associate dean for Faculty Development at Washington University in St. Louis, Eric P. Newman Education Center, 320 South Euclid Ave.

5059.

Tues., Jan. 21, 12:30 p.m., Throwing and Growing 6th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Program, Essay Contest and Betty L. Thompson 3rd Annual Black History Program and Student Awareness Day, Northwest Academy of Law and Social Justice, 5240 Riverview Blvd. For more information, call (314) 650-1008.

Tues., Jan. 21, 6 p.m. (5 p.m. pre-program reception), St. Louis Community CollegeFlorissant Valley and North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, KMOX news anchor Carol Daniel, will speak on the celebration’s theme, “Let’s Build Bridges, not Walls.” Terry M. Fischer Theatre, located at 3400 Pershall Road. For more information, visit https://www. stlcc.edu/news/2019/2020-mlkbirthday.aspx

Mon., Jan. 20, 7 a.m., Gateway St. Louis YMCA 35th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. Keynote speaker, Missouri Chief Justice George Draper. Bayer Family YMCA, 5555 Page Blvd., 63112. For more information, email charmane. brown@gwrymca.org.

Mon., Jan. 20, 9 a.m., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee Civic Ceremony, March of Celebration and Interfaith Church Service and special tribute honoring the life and legacy of Norman R. Seay, Old Courthouse (4th

and Market) and Leonard Missionary Baptist Church, 1100 North Compton. For more information, call (314) 4586906, (314) 769-1211 or (314) 583-0532.

Mon., Jan. 20, 10 a.m., University of Missouri St. Louis Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration featuring Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, host of HuffPost Live, BET News, VH1 and former political contributor for CNN; Jasmine Huda, evening anchor/reporter for Fox 2 News/KTVI-TV, Brian Owens, soloist and St. Louis

Mon., Jan. 20, 5:30 p.m., Coalition of Black Trade Unionists – CBTU Saint Louis Chapter invites you to their 42nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Awards. Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 36, 2319 Chouteau Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Mon., Jan. 20, 7 p.m.

Washington University’s 34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration with keynote address by Washington University Chancellor Andrew D. Martin, Graham Chapel, Danforth Campus. For more information, call (314) 935-

Tues., Jan. 21, 6 p.m., MLK Jeopardy, St. Louis Public Library – Julia Davis Branch, 4415 Natural Bridge Ave. For more information, visit www. slpl.org

Fri., Jan. 31, 6 p.m., Maryville University Black History Month Kickoff, LJ’s, Maryville University, 650 Maryville University Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141. For more information, e-mail: mreyes@ maryville.edu

Sat., Feb. 1, all day, Community Conversations Black History Month 2020: African Americans and the Vote, St. Louis Public Library – Walnut Park Branch, 5760 West Florissant Avenue,

The University of Missouri St. Louis Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration for 2020 will feature author, social critic and commentator Marc Lamont Hill.

Martin Luther King Jr. CeLebration aCtivities

St. Louis MO 63120. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Sat., Feb. 1, 3 p.m., Make Your Mark, St. Louis Public Library – Central Branch, 1301 Olive. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Sat., Feb. 1, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library presents Rev Run and Justine Simmons, “Old School Love: And Why It Works,” St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 Lindbergh Blvd. Tickets can be purchased at Library Headquarters. For more information, visit https://www.slcl. org/black-history-celebration

Sun., Feb. 2, 10 a.m., Black History Observance, Solomon Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 4859 St. Louis Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63115.

Tues., Feb. 4, 4 p.m., I Can Vote! Listen to “Lillian’s Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by Jonah Winter, St. Louis Public Library – Buder Branch, 4401 Hampton Ave. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Wed., Feb. 5, 4:30 p.m., Postcards to the Past, design postcards inspired by images and words of African American Suffragettes. St. Louis Public Library – Bar Branch, 1701 South Jefferson Ave, St. Louis MO 63104. For more information, visit www. slpl.org.

Wed., Feb. 5, 4:30 p.m., Campaign for a Cause, St. Louis Public Library – Divoll Branch, 4234 North Grand Avenue, St. Louis MO 63107. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Wed., Feb. 5, 7 p.m., The Black Rep presents “Character Building”

a one-man musical is adapted from the talks Booker T. Washington gave students and faculty at Tuskegee University. St. Louis County Library –Lewis & Clark Branch, 9909 Lewis & Clark Blvd. For more information, visit https://www. slcl.org/black-history-celebration

Thurs., Feb. 6 4, 4 p.m., I Can Vote! Listen to “Lillian’s Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by Jonah Winter, St. Louis Public Library –Carondelet Branch, 6800 Michigan Ave. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Thurs., Feb. 6, 4 p.m., Road to the Vote: Doing My Part, St. Louis Public Library – Machacek Branch, 6424 Scanlan Ave, St. Louis, MO 63139. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Thurs., Feb. 6, 5:30 p.m., Rock the Vote!, St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid. For more information, visit www. slpl.org.

Fri., Feb. 7, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library Black History Month Keynote Address, with Valerie Jarrett author of, “Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward,” Health Advocate Valeda Keys will receive the Frankie Freeman Inspirational Award during the program. St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 Lindbergh Blvd. For more information, visit https://www. slcl.org/black-history-celebration

Sat., Feb. 8, 11 a.m., 2020 African Americans and the Vote – The City of Bellefontaine Neighbors Black History Month Celebration with guest speaker St. Louis

County Prosecutor Wesley Bell and Dr. John A. Wright, Bellefontaine Neighbors Recreational Center, 9669 Bellefontaine Rd. St. Louis, MO 63137.

Sat., Feb. 8, 1 p.m., Controlling a Man’s Mind: The Genius of Carter G. Woodson performed by Gregory S. Carr, St. Louis Public Library – Julia Davis Branch, 4415 Natural Bridge Ave. For more information, email rudolphc@wustl.edu.

Sat., Feb. 8 1 p.m., The Road to Vote, St. Louis Public Library – Buder Branch, 4401 Hampton Ave. For more infor-

mation, visit www.slpl.org.

Sat., Feb. 8, 7 p.m. Maryville University hosts An Evening of Art & Jazz, sponsored by the Association of Black Collegians, Gander Dining Hall, Maryville University, 650 Maryville University Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141. For more information, e-mail: mreyes@ maryville.edu

Sun., Feb. 9, 10 a.m., Black History Observance, Solomon Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 4859 St. Louis Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63115.

Mon., Feb. 10, 7 p.m., Jerry Mitchell, author of “Race

Against Time: A Reporter Reopens the Unsolved Murder Cases of the Civil Rights Era,” St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 Lindbergh Blvd. For more information, visit https://www. slcl.org/black-history-celebration

Tues., Feb. 11, 7 p.m. St. Louis County Library welcomes Gabriel Bump, author of “Everywhere You Don’t Belong.” St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 Lindbergh Blvd. For more information, visit https://www. slcl.org/black-history-celebration

Wed., Feb. 12, 4 p.m., Campaign for a Cause, St. Louis Public Library – Cabanne Branch, 1106 Union Blvd. For more information, visit www. slpl.org.

Thurs., Feb. 13, 4 p.m., Road to the Vote: Doing My Part, St. Louis Public Library –Buder Branch, 4401 Hampton Ave. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Thurs., Feb. 13, 5 p.m., Game Night: 15th Amendment, St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid. For more information, visit www. slpl.org.

Thurs., Feb. 13, 6 p.m., Association of Black Collegians Trivia Night, Buder Commons, 650 Maryville University Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141. For more information, e-mail: mreyes@ maryville.edu

Sat. Feb. 15, 3 p.m., Black Votes Count: Then & Now, Juried Art Show Reception, St. Louis Public Library –Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Sun., Feb. 16, 10 a.m., Black History Observance, Solomon Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 4859 St. Louis Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63115. Sun., Feb. 16., 3 p.m., Joys of Glory Black History Month Program, Solomon Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 4859 St. Louis Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63115.

Thurs., Feb. 20, 4 p.m., Game Night: Political Warfare, St. Louis Public Library – Julia Davis Branch, 4415 Natural Bridge Ave. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Thurs., Feb. 20, 4 p.m., Road to the Vote: Doing My Part, St. Louis Public Library – Carondelet Branch, 6800 Michigan Ave. For more information, visit www.slpl.org. Fri., Feb. 21, 7 p.m., Set The Night to Music featuring Love Jones The Band, St. Louis County Library – Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd., S. For more information, visit https:// www.slcl.org/black-historycelebration

Sat., Feb. 22, 3 p.m., The Importance of Voting: A Panel Discussion featuring Tishaura O. Jones, Treasurer, City of St. Louis; Michael Butler, Recorder of Deeds and Vital Records Registrar, City of St. Louis; Gena Gunn McClendon, Director, Voter Access and Engagement and Financial Capability, Center for Social Development, Washington University; Carol Strawbridge, League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis, A meet and greet with the panelists will follow immediately after the discussion. St. Louis Public Library – Central Branch, 1301 Olive. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Driven

Enterprise proudly recognizes the efforts of those

KMOX news anchor Carol Daniel will provide the keynote address for the St. Louis Community CollegeFlorissant Valley and North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

‘I Have a Dream’ scholarship applications accepted through April 17

WGU Missouri

More than half a century ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. laid out his vision for a future where people of all races and backgrounds were afforded the same rights, opportunities and privileges. He was devoted to fighting the injustices of racial and income inequality, and he opened minds and inspired people to strive for a more equitable society.

As we honor the late civil rights leader and reflect on his life and achievements, we are still inspired by his activism today.

It is in his spirit that WGU Missouri is committed to providing equal opportunities in higher education for working adults who dream of earning a college degree.

The university consistently receives recognition for its efforts in educating and graduating minority student populations, including recently being named among the top 100 minority degree producers in the U.S. by the publication, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Additionally, WGU works to provide students of all backgrounds with access to affordable, high-quality, careerboosting education. Most of the university’s students are underserved, and approximately 40 percent of graduates are among the first generation in their families to complete college. These students – who may not have otherwise been able to complete a degree through traditional means – have found success at WGU.

WGU Missouri offers more than 60 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in the areas of business, education, IT and

n “I Have a Dream” scholarships are open to new students enrolling in any of WGU’s undergraduate or graduate degree programs. Each scholarship is valued at up to $3,000.

health professions, including nursing. Its industry-leading, competency-based structure allows students to leverage previous education, training and work experience to graduate faster. Most students work fulltime and raise families,

and WGU’s innovative model allows them to move quickly through material they already know and focus on what they still need to learn, accelerating degree completion at low cost. WGU’s tuition is about $3,500 per six-month term, and it provides scholarships to many students to make tuition even more affordable. In celebration of Dr.

King’s legacy, WGU is currently offering $75,000 in scholarships to Missourians who have always dreamed of completing their college degrees and advancing their careers but have faced challenges that have prevented them from moving forward.

The “I Have a Dream” scholarships are open to new students enrolling in any of WGU’s undergraduate or graduate degree programs. Each scholarship is valued at up to $3,000, and applications are being accepted through April 17. To learn more about WGU, its programs or scholarships, visit Missouri.WGU.edu.

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

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.

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

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!”

Hazel Erby is U. City’s 2020 MLK awardee

This year’s theme is ‘Courage to Be Well’

American staff

The University City Board of Education has named longtime University City resident Hazel Erby as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award recipient for 2020. The award will be presented as a part of the 34th annual University City MLK community celebration on Thursday, January 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the University City High School’s main auditorium, located at 7401 Balson Avenue, 63130. This year’s theme is “Courage to Be Well.”

Erby is the director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for St. Louis County. Prior to this, she was the first AfricanAmerican woman to serve on the St. Louis County Council, becoming its longest-standing member (2004-2019).

She has also served as

executive director of the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Drug and Substance Abuse, site director for the Caring Communities Program at Barbara C. Jordan Elementary School, and as founder of the TAP City Program in University City. The TAP program pairs teenagers with senior citizens to assist the seniors with errands and chores.

This year’s keynote speaker is Terry Harris, executive

director of Student Services for the Rockwood School District. Harris joined the Rockwood School District in 2006 as a resource teacher and co-taught African-American History. From 2009-2015, Harris previously served as the district’s Coordinator of Educational Equity and Diversity. Harris is an advocate for equity, well-being and trauma-informed practices in schools.

“We’re excited for both of our participants in this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. program,” said Superintendent of Schools Sharonica HardinBartley. “Both Erby and Dr. Harris are dedicated to serving the public in their respective roles. We hope the community will join with us next Thursday evening as we remember the life and legacy of Dr. King.”

The celebration program will also include student performances. It is free to attend and open to the public. A brief reception will follow the program.

For more information, including photos and biographies of Erby and Dr. Harris, please visit www. ucityschools.org/MLK2020.

Michael Battle to keynote Christian Hospital Foundation MLK celebration

Lynn Beckwith Jr., Rev. Tommie Pierson Sr., Betty Thompson get Drum Major for Service Award

American staff

The Christian Hospital Foundation will host its third annual “Embracing the Dream” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Luncheon on Friday, Jan. 17 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Detrick Building Atrium, 11133 Dunn Rd., St. Louis, MO 63136. The event will be a celebration of inspiration, hope and healing. Michael A. Battle, former U.S. Ambassador to the African Union, will be the keynote speaker, and Evangelist Mary Tillman, “Your” Radio Angel 95.5 FM, will serve as mistress of ceremonies.

Scholarships will be awarded at the celebration to one deserving student from each of the FergusonFlorissant, Hazelwood, Jennings, Normandy and Riverview school districts; Incarnate Word, Cardinal Ritter, Lutheran North and Trinity Catholic high schools, and one student from St. Louis Community College. All scholarship winners must aspire to a career in health care.

The Drum Major for Service Award will also be presented at the celebration to honor the following unsung individuals who have given their time, talents and treasure in service of justice and equality:

• Lynn Beckwith Jr.,

chair, Riverview Gardens School District Special Administrative Board, and president, Saint Louis County Library Board of Trustees

Sponsorships are available for the celebration. Individual reservations are $50 and table reservations for eight are $400. The celebration includes lunch and complimentary valet parking. Proceeds will support Christian Hospital Foundation’s activities such as awarding Drum Major Scholarships to local high school and junior college students who aspire to careers in healthcare and improving the health and wellness of our community. Presenting sponsor is Centene Charitable Foundation, and Inspiration Partner sponsor is St. Louis Community College Foundation. For more information, visit www.ChristianHospital. org/MLK-Celebration, call 314-653-5162 or email chfoundation@bjc.org.

• Rosemary Hanley, chief executive officer and co-founder, The Little Bit Foundation

• Rev. Tommie Pierson Sr., mayor of Bellefontaine Neighbors and pastor of Greater St. Mark Family Church

• Betty Thompson, former state representative

• The Empowerment Network, resource center for patients and families affected by prostate cancer.

Michael A. Battle, former U.S. Ambassador to the African Union, with President Barack Obama

Hazel Erby

‘The Art of Freedom’

Saint Louis Art Museum celebrates Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Saint Louis Art Museum invites you to attend its Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Celebration: The Art of Freedom on Friday, January 17 at 7 p.m. This year’s free annual program is inspired by the vision and work of Dr. King and the collection of abstract art by black artists donated to the museum by Ronald and Monique Ollie. The program will include a keynote address on art by black artists and social justice by Tuliza Fleming from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), as well as musical performances by Dello Thedford and the Gospel Symphonic Choir and Ronald Ollie, collector and vocalist.

Tuliza Fleming is the interim chief curator of visual arts at the NMAAHC. During her tenure, she played a critical role in building its art collection, served as lead curator for the inaugural exhibition Visual Art and the American Experience (2016), curated “Clementine Hunter: Life on Melrose Plantation” (2018), and co-curated “Ain’t Nothing

Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment” (2010). Fleming received her master’s degree and doctorate in art history from the University of Maryland. Her keynote address will focus on “The Intersection between Art and Social Justice at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.”

Thedford and the Gospel Symphonic Choir members represent many denominations from the St. Louis and Metro East areas. Thedford, the choir’s founder and director, is a teacher, arranger, and noted composer and conductor. The choir has three recording releases, “Symphony of Praise,” “I Know It Was the Blood” and “Command Performance.” The choir has been voted Best New Artist by the Announcers Guild of GMWA (Gospel Music Workshop of America), St. Louis Chapter, and has appeared on the GMWA national conventions’ New Artist program. The Symphonic has appeared on national television at the NFL Divisional Championship game, and for three consecutive years they

Don Rice, Martin Luther King, Jr., half-length portrait, facing left, speaking at microphones, during anti-war demonstration, New York City, 1967; World Journal Tribune photo, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

were the musical artist at the Missouri State Martin Luther King Celebration. In 2017, St. Louisan, Ronald Ollie and his wife Monique McRipley Ollie donated 81 paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures to the Saint Louis Art Museum in honor of Ollie’s parents, Thelma and Bert Ollie. Half of the Thelma and Bert Ollie Memorial Art Collection is on view through March 22 in the exhibition “The Shape of Abstraction: Selections from the Ollie Collection.”

In addition to his passion for visual art, Ron Ollie loves music and trained as a singer. He and Dello Thedford were classmates in high school, and both sang in the choir. Ollie

will sing a spiritual during the celebration.

This program is supported by the Ronald M. and Monique M. Ollie Education Endowment Fund for Abstraction by Black Artists and the Trio Foundation of St. Louis. Tickets are free, but seating is limited. Advance tickets recommended. Tickets may be reserved in person at the Museum’s Information Centers or through MetroTix at MetroTix.com or 314.534.1111. All tickets reserved through MetroTix incur a service charge; the service charge is waived for tickets reserved at the Museum. Same day tickets, if available, can be obtained on site only.

Yoga for Dr. King

The Collective STL offers black yoga events for MLK weekend

By Sophie Hurwitz

For The St. Louis American

The Collective STL was founded three years ago by a group of yoga teaching students who shared a vision of a world in which yoga is an accessible healing mechanism for everyone, regardless of race or income status. Now, that vision has blossomed into North St. Louis’ only black-owned yoga studio.

At each of their classes, several of which are held each week in their North City studio, about two dozen people come in, donate what they can, and spend an hour or so on a yoga mat centering their minds and stretching their bodies. In age, they range from the 6-monthold son of Terry and Ericka Harris, two of the founders of the Collective, to retirees.

Representation is key in what The Collective does, according to Alonzo Nelson, one of the co-founders.

“I’ve been practicing yoga for 21 years now, and I’ve never been in a class led by a black person, let alone a black male,” Nelson said.

So, once the option to attend yoga classes led by black people was presented, people flocked towards The Collective.

“Honestly, once we started doing it and people saw that we were doing it, it was a really organic thing,” Nelson said. “It was one of those things where, when people see you doing it,

you give them permission to do it as well.”

This upcoming weekend, The Collective is holding multiple classes to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The first of these will be the kickoff event of the History Museum’s Martin Luther King weekend events, starting things off bright and early at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 18th and Monday, January 20 with a yoga class accompanied by a live gospel choir.

Ericka Harris said that, although The Collective has held classes with live musical accompaniment before, they have never done yoga to the music of a gospel choir.

“Gospel is spiritual music, yoga is a spiritual practice,” she said. “We’re just going to put the two together and see what happens!”

Terry Harris agreed. “Yoga is a dance, a dance with the self,” he said. “So if you have music, you just have to figure out how to dance.”

The second event, “Ahimsa,” will be the third yearly yoga tribute to nonviolent resistance that The Collective has hosted. “Ahimsa,” a word often used in yoga practices to refer to cultivating an observant and nonviolent relationship with one’s own body, can also be reimagined as part of the political and moral nonviolence Dr. King preached.

“We do it to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, his legacy, and the work that he did around nonviolence — yoga

is a very nonviolent practice,”

Yoga instructor Ericka Harris said that, although The Collective STL has held classes with live musical accompaniment before, they have never done yoga to the music of a gospel choir.

Porsche Cain balancing her mind and body during a yoga session with The Collective STL on Saturday, January 11.

really be, as a city.” And that vision of a future St. Louis, according to Terry Harris, depends on the mental and physical health of its people.

“We know that if we’re going to be a great city, then all people have to be well. And right now we know that’s not the case. The murder rate is up, kids are stressed, there’s trauma, unemployment — all of these things are impacting our region in a way that is devastating,” he said.

“And if we’re not going to come together to figure this thing out, then we’re going to all lose St. Louis. So how do we make sure that all people are well, and what are we doing to take care of our own vessels?”

And more and more people are coming to The Collective to do that work of caring for themselves.

Nisaa Elhasan attended class last weekend with her young daughter Nalani Doyle. This was Nalani’s first ever yoga experience, and she said it was “pretty cool,” though her favorite part was “getting food after.” Elhasan, for her part, said that the openness of the space keeps her returning to yoga class. “We’ll be back, we’re going to make this a Saturday thing for us,” she said. “I just like that it’s so open — even if there’s people that are newer versus more advanced, it still feels very welcoming.”

Terry Harris hopes that this open space for yoga will allow more and more people to engage in the work of making St. Louis a better place.

The yoga teachers at the Collective make extensive use of the word “love”: love for yoga, love for the space in which they practice it, love for the community they’ve built, and above all love for the black community in St. Louis. Terry Harris described their practice itself as “a love story”: “It’s a love of St. Louis, being a St. Louisan. It’s a love of black people. And it’s a love of the potential of what St. Louis can

“No one is able to do the work that King did if we’re not taking care of ourselves,” he said. “The first work to be a social justice activist and warrior and advocate is to make sure that you’re taking care of self. So this holiday event is designed to give people the tools to take care of themselves so they can go out into the world and do the work of King.”

Ericka Harris said.

Photos by Wiley Price

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Love and jazz in the name of Dr. King

Grammy winner delivers hope through music at 34th

Statewide MLK Kickoff

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“This year they decided to let the music be the message. Isn’t that wonderful?” Denise Thimes said after receiving a standing ovation for her performance of Nina Simone’s “Four Women.” She was part of the featured entertainment of the 34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statewide Celebration Kickoff Program for Missouri on Saturday, January 11 in the Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Auditorium at Harris-Stowe State University.

This year’s theme was “Music…A Universal Stepping Stone Toward Peace.” Dwaun Warmack, Kelvin Adams, James Clark, Betty Thompson, Enterprise Bank and Trust and The Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri were recognized for their contributions toward building the beloved community often referenced by Dr. King. City and statewide dignitaries offered remarks. But the crux of the program highlighted an element of the movement that doesn’t typically receive an adequate spotlight: the definitively defiant sounds of the creators of cool.

As part of the opening remarks for the event, members of the Missouri MLK Commission took turns reading excerpts from Dr. King’s address during the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival.

“Jazz speaks for life,” King said. Music was tethered to the Civil Rights Movement from

the very beginning in the form of spirituals, gospel and protest music that featured songs of freedom. But in his moment as an unlikely ambassador for jazz, King made a case for the genre’s critical role in the work of building his beloved community.

“When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument,” King said. “Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down.”

Thimes also dedicated her performance of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You” to Norman R. Seay, James Buford and Anita Banks and all the “heroes and she-roes” who fought for justice before the words and sounds of headlining Grammy-winning musician Kirk Whalum, nephew of beloved St. Louis music staple Hugh “Peanuts” Whalum, who passed away this past Christmas. He delivered a keynote that was equal parts speech and smooth jazz concert, supported King’s remarks to music lovers nearly six decades before. It was King’s vision for a beloved community that inspired Whalum’s latest album “Humanité” and the accompanying documentary “Humanité: The Beloved Community.” “This is what is so beautiful about this [album],” said

“As a 9-year-old growing up 14 or 15 blocks from the Lorraine Motel, I had no idea how to process what had happened.”

– Kirk Whalum

late uncle Hugh “Peanuts” Whalum. “It is for folks who have been on the battlefield for a long time, folks who are on the battlefield now and folks who are about to get on the battlefield for the beloved community.”

He played a version of “We Shall Overcome” on the flute after delivering his remarks about growing up in the city where King was gunned down.

“As a 9-year-old growing up 14 or 15 blocks from the Lorraine Motel, I had no idea how to process what had happened,” Kirk Whalum said.

“All I knew is that the people that I loved and admired, especially the men – even more especially the black men – in my life were in tears. It’s one thing to lose someone special. It’s another thing when a global, universal tsunami happens. And the fact that he was gunned down as he stood for non-violence. I just don’t want us to miss that.”

Kirk talked about the different types of violence that prevent society from achieving Dr. King’s envisioned beloved community that stretch beyond physical violence – including the financial oppression King was fighting against as his purpose for visiting Memphis on that fateful day in April of 1968.

Whalum, who dedicated his performance to Ronnie Whalum, the widow of his

“The policies that abuse and exploit are rooted in violence –especially for those who benefit from government welfare in the form of tax breaks and other

corporate welfare benefits to turn around and say to the most needy of the needy and say, ‘Why do you think you deserve a free ride?’” Kirk Whalum said.

“That’s a form of violence for which Martin was gunned down. It ought to frustrate us at this time that it is still happening – as we celebrate the incredible legacy of Martin King. Let us not do it in such a way that it castrates the very vision for which he died so violently for.”

Kirk Whalum said King began to broaden his vision to include people who were abused and marginalized all over the world – who were victims of so many kinds of violence – and that King took up the cause of fighting against the type of violence that “denies little black children a good head start.”

“Dr. King knew that that there is no other weapon efficacious enough to fail the giants of violence than love –love for each other and love for community,” Kirk Whalum said. “The thing I love about this community thing is that we have what each other needs. You have what I need, and I have what you need. We need each other.” He then encouraged the crowd to sing along with him as he played The Jackson 5 classic “I’ll Be There” on saxophone.

“Violence is all around us – and yet there we stand with love,” Kirk Whalum said. He asked his musical director John Stoddart to close the evening with a song Stoddart and his daughter wrote in response to the 2015 massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (known to many as Mother Emmanuel A.M.E.) entitled “Only Love Can Rescue Me.”

“Hate will never win,” Stoddart sang. “Only love can rescue me.”

Photo by Wiley Price

Grammy-winning musician Kirk Whalum – nephew of beloved St. Louis music staple Hugh “Peanuts” Whalum, who passed away this past Christmas –delivered a keynote that was equal parts speech and smooth jazz concert at the 34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statewide Celebration Kickoff Program for Missouri on Saturday, January 11.