January 30th, 2014 Edition

Young Leaders to be honored Feb. 13

‘Urbanist’ educator appointed vice provost

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

“My

n “Partnerships between the university and the business community strengthen the safety net that keeps talented people in St. Louis.”

– William F. Tate, vice provost for graduate education at Washington University

Education, said he considers himself “an urbanist.”

“In the most simple terms, I try to figure out what is wrong with urban education and try to fix it,” he said. His research and teaching have addressed disparities in fields other than education. He holds academic appointments in American Culture Studies, Urban Studies, and African and African-American Studies, as well as in the Institute for Public Health.

“I look at social determinants of science and math attainment and what happens with people, and the social determinants of health outcomes,

OBS stresses economic justice

By Bridjes O’Neil

City police downsize districts

By Rebecca Rivas Of The

n “No one is going to come here if all we say is, ‘St. Louis has a crime problem.”

– Police Chief Sam Dotson

reflect on the past and plan for the future.

“If your 2013 was anything like my 2013, you were busy,” Simmons said. “And a lot of us were out there standing shoulder to shoulder.” OBS was active in the Show Me 15 campaign to increase the

Maureen Taylor, state chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, gave the keynote speech at the Organization for Black Struggle’s 34th anniversary celebration held on Saturday at the St. Louis Gateway Classic Foundation.

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Wiley Price

William F. Tate is the new dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and vice provost for graduate education at Washington University.

Toni picks up $3M listing months after crying broke

Months after closing the chapter on her bankruptcy case, Toni Braxton reportedly purchased a $3 million mansion next door to Justin Beiber, in an exclusive gated community in Calabasas, Calif.

The home, which is 5,323-squarefeet, includes four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a pool.

Braxton’s purchase comes six months after she settled her bankruptcy case. The entertainer, who claimed her debt totaled between $10 million and $50 million stemming from taxes and property, filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

it. I’m a little odd.” Before the new case, Braxton filed for bankruptcy in 1998.

Mary J.’s father’s ex charged with attempted murder

A woman accused of stabbing the father of singer Mary J. Blige has been arraigned on a charge of attempted murder in Michigan.

A judge set $500,000 bond Friday for Cheryl White of Battle Creek.

Police say she stabbed 63-year-old Thomas Blige in the neck Thursday outside his Battle Creek apartment. He was rushed to a Kalamazoo hospital and listed in critical condition.

Police say Blige was attacked while confronting White, who was deflating his vehicle tires in the parking lot of the apartment complex where they both live.

.Thomas went outside to confront her, they argued and she stabbed him in the neck three times.

and charged with assault with intent to murder.

In August the girlfriend was charged with aggravated domestic violence after she hit Blige in the head with a glass candle stick. She pleaded no-contest in that case and was given six months of probation and ordered not to have combative contact with Blige.

Peter Thomas breaks down Apollo’s beat down of Brandon

On the last episode of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” a melee ensued at Nene Leakes’ pajama party after Apollo Nida used Kenya Moore’s assistant Brandon DeShazer as a punching pillow.

Muhammad Ali Jr. gives blow-by-blow on troubles with his dad

Muhammad Ali Jr. says his distant relationship with his famous father came after he married his fourth wife.

“He slipped out my life the moment he got married to Lonnie. The trips to see me stopped immediately,” Ali Jr. told The New York Post

“She once said that they couldn’t afford to come and see me. How can a man who’s well respected in the world, bigger than Elvis, with all the money he’s made, not afford to travel?”

During a 2012 interview with ABC News, the 46-year-old singer blamed her money troubles on business issues and a home-decor addiction.

“I love dishes and house things, so I kind of lost it a little bit on the houseware,” she said, adding that she spent her money on plates, Faberge eggs and 1,000 thread-count sheets.

“That’s what I indulged in. I loved that part of

Mr. Blige was rushed to the hospital and was listed in critical condition.

Police officers found the girlfriend inside her apartment wearing bloody clothes with the alleged weapon. She was arrested

Cynthia Bailey’s husband Peter Thomas explains why Apollo flipped out.

“Apollo [Nida] got up to help me hold Brandon back while Gregg [Leakes] and Todd [Tucker] took Christopher the other way, but Brandon was so aggressive and so hype that he accidentally hit Apollo and that’s what made Apollo flip,”

Thomas told Sister2 Sister Magazine. “If I’m breaking up a fight and I accidentally get hit, I’m probably not going to react that way, but it wasn’t just the accidental hit. You can hear [Brandon] say, ‘Oh, you wanna fight, too.’”

The relationship with the elder Ali was so distant that Ali Jr. said his father spent much of his spare time with his daughters rather than him. As a result, he felt like an “outcast” in his own family.

“Even in the only picture I have of all the family together, they’re all wrapped close, and I’m far out to the left,” he said. “I felt like the outcast. I still do.”

“My life now is crap. I survive off handouts and food stamps,” said Ali Jr. “I’ve tried for a job, but there’s no hiring. I go on the Internet, but I’ve never been taught how to use it, so it always messes up. I’m stuck. If my father was still around and was coherent, he’d help me. But that’s not the case, is it?”

Sources: Battle Creek Inquirer, The New York Post,

Taking the teacher home

Teacher Home Visit Program tries to engage parents in education process

By Bridjes O’Neil

Of The St. Louis American

Karen Kalish is on a mission to foster parental engagement in students’ education because, she says, “When parents and teachers work together, kids do better – period!”

Kalish, a former school teacher and self-described “serial social entrepreneur,” is the founder and executive director of Home Works! The Teacher Home Visit Program.

“We just can’t have a PTA meeting and have everybody show up. It doesn’t happen that way,” Kalish said. “There are a million reasons why parents don’t come to school, so we go to them.”

Kalish said reaching parents and other caregivers is crucial because children spend the majority of their time with family and friends, and only 12 percent at school. Parents are unaware of what their children should be learning at various ages and how that knowledge can have a drastic impact on their child’s academic success, she said.

A lack of parental engagement was a trend Kalish said she noticed most in low-income and underperforming schools. Nearly 80 percent or more of black and Hispanic public school students in the fourth, eighth and 12th grades are unable to read or do math at grade level, according to a Children’s Defense Fund: State of America’s Children 2011 report.

“Education is the only way to break the cycle of poverty,” Kailish said.

Home Works! trains, supports and pays teachers to conduct home visits, and is designed to improve academic achievement, attendance and classroom behavior. Home Works! is a “continuation” of the Parents as Teachers Program, Kailish said.

“We are focused on giving parents the tools, the strategies, the skills they must use at home so their children will

Money is power

By Roosevelt Mitchell For The St. Louis American

Every time I turn the radio on, a song is playing that tells me that it’s cool to buy expensive cognacs, drugs, overly priced cars or clothing. What is so cool about wasting money? Nothing!

This capitalistic society that we live in convinces us, through celebrities, radio and television, that being in debt is okay, and that buying stuff that you don’t need is good because it stimulates the economy.

Businesses even spend millions of dollars in ads to convince people to waste their money on fictitious deals like Black Friday.

succeed in school,” she said.

The school-based program has grown to over 400 teachers in 33 schools in seven districts across Missouri, including eight schools in the St. Louis Public School (SLPS) District. The program is based in schools ranging from early childhood centers to high school. She said schools are selected when at least 50 percent of classroom teachers agree to participate in the program.

Kalish has created a close-knit partnership with SLPS Superintendent Kelvin Adams. When Adams became superintendent in 2008, he said, he was approached by a number of people, including Kalish, regarding programs. Adams said he believed the Home Works! partnership would be a good fit for the district because many of the district’s students need that “extra boost.”

“It can be really challenging for students to catch up in the comparatively small amount of time children are at school,” Adams said. “Parents can support the efforts of the teachers and vice versa.”

Home Works! is a voluntary program for both teachers and parents. Catherine Moore, a kindergarten teacher at

Wilkinson Early Childhood Center at Roe Elementary School in SLPS, shares Adams’ opinion that the program “provides teachers with another lens” into the students’ lives.

“It gives me the opportunity to get familiar with the child in a way that I wouldn’t be able to at a parent-teacher conference because the parents are more relaxed at home,” Moore said. “They’re more willing to share information about the child.”

Home Works! incorporates a comprehensive 2-2-2-2-2 model: two mandatory trainings for teachers; two home visits per student, per year; two teachers on every visit; two site coordinators; and two family dinners at each school. Family dinners are held at school and serve as another form of relationship-building between students, parents and teachers.

Kalish said her goal to increase the literacy rate among African-American youth. She said parents can help by reading to and engaging in dialogue with their child on a daily basis, starting from the time a child is born.

“This is not easy; it’s hard work,” Kalish said. “This is changing a culture.”

In a capitalistic society, your money is power. Therefore, you shouldn’t be so quick to give it away because it leaves you powerless.

In a recent article by Kimberly Amadeo titled “What is Black Friday,” she states that 92 million people shopped on Black Friday last year. Black folks are lined up outside of Wal-Mart like everyone else, waiting to give our power away to yet another corporation. We spend all of our money the holiday weekend padding the pockets of Sam Walton’s children, yet the AfricanAmerican unemployment rate is high. Some black scholars associate the high black unemployment rate with the lack of black-owned businesses. If more of us owned our own businesses, we would have the power to hire and support our own instead of asking the government or someone else to do it.

For example, Jackie Robinson was a great breakthrough for our culture, but it eventually hurt our communities by giving away our ownership and power. The Negro Leagues employed many African Americans, and the integration of baseball killed the Negro League, leaving many black folks unemployed. We then had to start lobbying for jobs within the integrated MLB because we no longer had any ownership or hiring power. We have to get that type of Negro League power back as a culture. The younger generation of black men has the power to change today’s current dilemma by becoming financially literate and making conscious decisions to become business owners and job creators instead of workers for someone else.

The days of carrying your lunch pail to work and retiring after 30 years is a thing of the past. I met a guy at the Ram’s football game not long ago who told me that he had worked for Boeing since 1992 and had received a pink slip that previous Friday stating that he was being laid off. He said at the age of 55 it is almost impossible to find a job making the same money that he had been making for the last 21 years. Situations like that are becoming common today in America. Now is the time to learn how to save and invest, as opposed to spend and waste, your money so you can be like Sam Walton’s heirs and not the guy at the Rams game.

Catherine Moore, a kindergarten teacher at Wilkinson Early Childhood Center at Roe Elementary School in the St. Louis Public School District, works with Ruby Jackoby, Janiya Ellis, Emani Key and Nicholas Jackson. Moore participates voluntarily in Home Works! The Teacher Home Visit Program. Photo by Wiley Price

Roosevelt Mitchell

Editorial /CommEntary

Normandy Schools crisis needs fixing now

We agree with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the Missouri Legislature has created the current crisis in unaccredited public school districts, and it is the responsibility of the Legislature to solve the immediate crisis by keeping these struggling school districts solvent until a long-term solution to the crisis is put in place.

We also agree with the Post that if nearly all of the school children affected by the school transfer law responsible for this crisis were not black and poor, this situation would never have disintegrated to the present crisis mode. Finally – and it is rare for us to agree so completely with the Post on so many points in a matter concerning African Americans in St. Louis – we agree that it is Gov. Jay Nixon’s responsibility to find a way to save these school districts, at least temporarily, if the Legislature fails to act. As we have reminded Nixon before, it would reflect badly on his tenure as governor if Missouri makes national news by its public school districts imploding one after another. Most immediately, Normandy Public Schools will not survive this school year intact without an infusion of $5 million in operating funds.

State Sen. David Pearce, a Republican from Warrensburg, chairs the Senate Education Committee. He told the Post that getting the $5 million approved in a supplemental budget to keep Normandy Schools intact through the end of the year would be difficult because of the precedent it would set. We agree with the Post that it would set a good precedent. As the Post argued, “It would show that the Missouri Legislature actually cares about poor, black kids. It would prove that lawmakers who disparage public schools and teachers and families stuck in poverty are willing to fulfill their constitutional duty to educate all

It may fall to Governor Jay Nixon, who visited St. Louis on January 23 to attend the St. Louis Auto Show, to avert a crisis in unaccredited public school districts created by the

children in the state of Missouri.”

And if the Legislature fails to act, this governor must set his own precedent and make a move that keeps these 4,000 youths in the schools where they started the school year. The alternative could spell disaster for many schoolchildren and, eventually, misfortune for Nixon.

Supreme Court needs to decide

We encourage the Missouri Supreme Court to take up the matter of conflicting lower court rulings on the legal procedures for operating red light camera programs. The 30-plus cities operating these programs and their vendors are anxious to get the green light to operate their red light camera programs, mainly because of the revenues they bring. The cities’ police chiefs, in addition, want these programs in place because, as St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson told us, a red light camera program is a valuable “force multiplier” that frees up police officers for duties such as hot-spot policing in high-crime areas rather than hiding around a corner to ticket a traffic scofflaw.

The question before the court, as we see it, is whether this is a matter of constitutional rights

or of public safety. If it is a matter of public safety (and we are persuaded it is), then it is not a question for the courts, ultimately, but for local municipalities. We feel it ultimately is a question of public safety that the local municipalities should decide for themselves, weighing the benefits in public safety and city revenue against the political risks, as many citizens resent the notion of an inanimate object, in essence, writing a traffic ticket. While reasonable people may disagree on the value of these programs, it is clear that their legal standing has become muddled in Missouri courts. Our municipalities and citizens need some clarification. The Missouri Supreme Court should provide it.

Commentary

It took two to tango

It strikes me as illogical, sexist and just plain wrong to blame former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell’s ruinous legal woes on his wife Maureen. She may be the one with the champagne taste, but he sipped the bubbly, too –knowing that the family budget barely had room for beer. McDonnell’s fall from grace has been stunning and sad. Not long ago, he was on the short list of candidates to be picked as Mitt Romney’s running mate. Now he and his wife are under indictment on more than a dozen federal charges and could go to prison if convicted. How did it happen? The most popular explanation seems to be what I’ll call the Dragon Lady Thesis – the scenario that McDonnell, previously known as a man of courtliness and rectitude, was led unwittingly down the path to perdition by his flashier, more statusconscious spouse.

Maureen McDonnell seems to fit the profile. She grew up in modest circumstances with eight siblings. She has blond hair, lots of it. She once was a Washington Redskins cheerleader. News reports have noted that she insisted her official portrait as Virginia’s first lady be touched up to make her look younger and thinner.

Indeed, according to the indictment released by federal prosecutors Tuesday, she

played the starring role in some of the couple’s most egregious alleged transgressions. The whole case is about the couple’s relationship with a Virginia businessman named Jonnie R. Williams, the former CEO of a company called Star Scientific that makes dietary supplements. Williams, apparently wanting to back a winner, allowed Robert McDonnell to use his private jet during McDonnell’s successful 2009 campaign for governor. According to the indictment, Maureen McDonnell asked Williams for help in finding a designer dress to wear to her husband’s inauguration. Williams agreed, the indictment alleges, but the gift was vetoed by a member of Robert McDonnell’s staff who is identified only as “JE.”

Maureen McDonnell then allegedly wrote an email to “JE” that said: “We are broke, have an unconscionable amount in credit card debt already, and this Inaugural is killing us!!”

In April 2011, according to the indictment, Maureen McDonnell asked Williams to “take her shopping in New York City for the designer dress by Oscar de la Renta” –the one that “JE” had nixed for the inauguration. Prosecutors allege that on this one trip, Williams spent more than $19,000 buying shoes, clothes and accessories for Maureen McDonnell.

The indictment says that Maureen McDonnell was the one who asked Williams for $15,000 to pay for catering her daughter’s wedding. She is allegedly the one who first asked Williams for a $50,000

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

A candid discussion with candid leaders

Michel Martin, the host of “Tell Me More” on NPR, was scheduled to give the Washington University School of Medicine’s 2014 Martin Luther King Lecture. Unfortunately, she contracted a severe case of the flu and called to cancel her engagement 24 before the lecture.

As I walked into the auditorium at the medical center, I saw over 300 faces anxiously waiting to be enlightened by Michel Martin. I recalled what Rahm Emmanuel, President Obama’s former chief of staff and current mayor of Chicago, is fond of saying: “You never let a crisis go to waste. It’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”

Facing me was a golden opportunity to engage a critical mass of St. Louis residents in a conversation about the inequities that preclude so many St. Louisans from living the American Dream.

Using Michel Martin’s theme of “Telling the Hard Truths,” we elaborated on the hard issues facing St. Louis and the country, such as providing basic funding for public education and mental health services. We were able to address the ongoing debate on improving public education as a way of expanding healthcare workforce diversity. There is a critical need for physicians of color to serve in our communities. According

to the Association of American Medical Colleges’ 2010 Center for Workforce Studies, by 2020 there will be an estimated shortage of 20,000 primary care physicians. It is also estimated that 250,000 more public health workers will be needed by 2020. Many of these workers are essential to providing services to communities of color.

The concern is that the pipeline of African-American students in our public schools who are interested in medicine and public health has slowed to a trickle. Only a few states have demonstrated the necessary concern and compassion to restore requisite funding to public schools in disadvantaged communities in order to enhance the quality of science and math education needed to create the next generation of physicians, scientists and engineers. Public education reform is thus as vital as health care reform in ensuring the health of our communities.

Afterwards, we transitioned into a town hall forum, with Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton and Washington University School of Medicine Dean Larry Shapiro seated front and center. Without any planning (and knowing their good natures), we put them on the spot. The audience of well over 300 posed questions to the dean and chancellor on the subject briefs covered in the new report on the health of African Americans in St. Louis, “For the Sake of All.”

This was the first time that the community was able to offer candid, often biting questions directly to the leaders

Letters to the editor

Promoting Medicaid reform

The Missouri hospital community applauds Gov. Jay Nixon on his continued leadership in promoting Medicaid reform to improve the health of Missourians and Missouri’s economy.

loan so that the McDonnells could keep up with the mortgage payments on several beachfront properties. She was the one who noticed the Rolex that Williams was sporting, according to the indictment, and asked him to buy one just like it for the governor.

Dragon Lady Thesis proved?

Not so fast.

The 43-page indictment alleges that McDonnell used his office as governor to help seek publicity and legitimacy for one of Williams’ products – a new dietary supplement for which Williams was making extravagant claims. Legal experts say it might be difficult to prove McDonnell’s guilt in a court of law. But based on the indictment, he was no bystander. His actions, legal or not, were disgraceful.

It was Robert McDonnell, according to the indictment, who had a follow-up discussion with Williams to finalize arrangements for that $50,000 loan – no paperwork, just a promise to repay with interest. It was Robert McDonnell who allegedly asked Williams for subsequent loans of $50,000 and $20,000. It was Robert McDonnell who allegedly took his sons golfing at Williams’ private club – and charged Williams’ account for merchandise in the pro shop worth hundreds of dollars.

You’re broke, your spouse comes home with armloads of designer dresses and shoes and you don’t freak out? You’re governor of Virginia, your wife asks a businessman for $50,000 and you don’t go ballistic?

Nobody’s as stupid as Robert McDonnell pretends to be.

In 2014 Missouri will forgo $2 billion in federal funds that would have provided health coverage to 300,000 Missourians and created jobs and economic activity throughout the state. In addition, this coverage would have improved the health of the state’s workforce and increased productivity among lowincome workers – those who are not offered health insurance coverage through their employer and cannot afford health insurance coverage in the marketplace.

Missouri’s hospitals are already paying for part of the cost of this coverage through payment cuts imposed by the Affordable Care Act. However, the coverage is being blocked in Missouri, and Missouri’s funds are being used to fund coverage in other states. Moreover, hospitals continue to provide more than $1 billion in uncompensated care annually to care for the states uninsured and under insured. This isn’t sustainable. Supporting Medicaid reform is the right thing to do for working Missourians. It’s also the smart thing to do for Missouri’s economy. We need legislative action this year.

Herb B. Kuhn, president and CEO, Missouri Hospital Association

No longer trust DESE

Confidence in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the department’s leadership is at an all-time low. Many senators, including myself, no longer trust the department and Commissioner Chris Nicastro to act in the best interest of our children. Unless and until there is a change in leadership at DESE, the legislature will have no choice but to reign in the

of Washington University. The forum turned out to be illuminating, enriching and quite therapeutic. In the course of over two hours, the auditorium remained near capacity and engaged. The audience wanted immediate answers on how one of the nation’s preeminent universities and medical schools could help heal the deep social wounds that afflict the St. Louis African-American community. While the chancellor and dean squirmed just a bit at some of the jabbing questions, they were poised, eloquent and forthright in speaking about the myths of Washington University’s prowess (with little power over recalcitrant Republican legislators in Jefferson City) as well as its ability to foment positive change (look at the transformation of the Forest Park Southeast and Central West End neighborhoods over the past two decades). We do not need any more hand-wringing and suffering from the paralysis of analysis as we debate policy issues that affect the African-American community. Instead, we need to engage in more candid discussions with candid leaders who agree to be held accountable for the change they can effect. And we must acknowledge, as my grandmother used to say, “When life serves you lemons, you make lemonade.” Will Ross, MD, MPH, is associate dean for diversity and associate professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine.

agency’s vast powers.

State Sen. Maria ChappelleNadal, University City

Step towards responsible service

The NAACP applauds the decisions of Wells Fargo, US Bank, Fifth Third and Regions to discontinue their deposit advance loan programs. These high-cost products are counterproductive for a banking industry invested in helping clients accumulate wealth. These banks have taken an important step towards responsibly serving the banking needs of their customers by helping them avoid unsustainable debt. It is our sincere hope that other institutions which still offer these high-cost options for their customers will reconsider their product offerings.

Dedrick Muhammad, director NAACP Economic Department

Help kids succeed

As a St. Louis Rams player, I’m proud to represent the St. Louis region for Team NFL, a nationwide effort among the NFL to raise awareness about education.

I invite you to become a mentor, tutor, reader or homework helper for a local child through United Way of Greater St. Louis. A lot of kids right here in our region need help with schoolwork, but with even a little help they can achieve and become the next great leaders in St. Louis and beyond.

Please consider joining me to help kids succeed. You can find out more online at www. stlvolunteer.org or by calling United Way at 314-539-4063.

Robert Quinn, defensive end St. Louis Rams

Expanding access

The evidence is overwhelming that if students start kindergarten ready to learn, they’re more likely to succeed in schools and get a

good job. By expanding access to early childhood education, this smart investment will generate a huge return for our economy.

Gov. Jay Nixon, Jefferson City

Columnist Eugene Robinson

Guest Columnist Will Ross

Missouri Legislature. (UPI/Bill Greenblatt)

The gift of instruments

Students from East St. Louis Senior High school’s jazz and concert bands pose with Play It Forward Founder/Director Sam Fisher. Play It Forward donated $30,000 worth of musical instruments to the bands. The instruments consisted of keyboards, trumpets, bass guitars, electric guitars, saxophones, clarinets, and trombones. The students will also be receiving more clarinets and a full drum set. “We would like to thank Montez Coleman, a well-known jazz artist who is from East St. Louis and a graduate of Lincoln High, who contacted Play It Forward about the donation,” said Jazz Band Director Delano Redmond. The bands still need more flutes, clarinets and trumpets.

Meeting of prisoner advocates

Missouri Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE) will meet at 1 p.m. Saturday, February 1 at the University City Public Library, 6701 Delmar in the Loop. CURE advocates for prisoners and their families and loved ones. State Rep. Rory Ellinger has filed House Bills 1318 and 1319 to reform the law that requires many inmates to serve 85 percent of their sentences before parole consideration. The group is planning a Criminal Justice Advocacy Day at the State Capitol in Jefferson City in April. They will urge legislators to support these and other bills that aim to reduce mandatory minimum sentencing. For more information, call Hedy Harden at 877-525-2873 visit www.missouricure.org.

CityArchRiver 2015 report to the community

CityArchRiver 2015 project partners will speak to milestones achieved in the last year as well as upcoming activity 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 5 at Ferrara Theatre, America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza.

Representatives from the National Park Service, Missouri Department of Transportation, Great Rivers Greenway District, CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation and lead landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates will provide updates to the public. After the event, project representatives will be in the lobby to provide additional information and answer questions. This event is open to the public. For more information, visit www.cityarchriver. org.

American Lung Association sues EPA

The American Lung Association is putting pressure on the government to protect public health from ozone hazards.

Last week, the ALA asked a federal court to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to complete its review of national air quality standards as required by the Clean Air Act.

The EPA reportedly missed the March 2013 deadline required under the Clean Air Act to complete the review of the current science and set official limits on the amount of ozone that can be in the air while protecting public health.

The ALA joined with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Sierra Club, all represented by Earthjustice, to seek court-ordered deadlines for the EPA to complete the work.

The action does not address the level of the ozone standard. Rather, it is asking the Court to set dates when the EPA must propose and set the final standards. All interested parties will be able to provide comments on the proposed standards.

Young and out of touch

By Tyler Gilyard For The St. Louis American

Just 60 years ago, African Americans were fighting for their rights with boycotts, sit ins and marches, led by people like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, E.D. Nixon and Malcolm X.

Now African Americans have equal rights and many can afford to live better lives. With the reelection of Barak Obama in 2012, the first black president, many blacks have been under the impression that they have made it. Many believe the fight is over. They are sadly mistaken.

With that in the minds of many African Americans, our history and our struggle have not been stressed to the new generation. The newest age group is mostly out of touch with our history. As a high school student myself, I have seen it with my own eyes.

Tyler Gilyard

Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week (which evolved into Black History Month) in 1926. His motive was to inspire blacks to learn more about their history. Now that February is Black History Month, many of us look forward to February for the NFL Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day or the monthly release of the newest shoes.

I am a strong believer that you can’t know where you are going until you know where you have been. We must know our history in order to build a life for ourselves in the future. If we do not educate ourselves, we will be ignorant instead of enlightened.

I have been in class and watched countless times as my peers complained when the instructor mentioned something about black history. Every time I witness it, I grow sad. Our ancestors fought for so many years for simple things like having equal access to public facilities or being able to sit in a classroom and gain access to education. Hearing my classmates say things such as, “This is stupid,” or “We don’t want to learn this” makes me wonder. Would people like Dr. King and Rosa Parks be happy to hear that? What would their response be?

This is our fault. We are accountable for making sure our kids and their kids know our history. They must know who paved the way for us to do simple things such as sit in the front of the bus, attend movie showings with other races or shop in the same stores. My generation must know this in order to grow and become enlightened. After all, that is what Mr. Woodson wanted.

Tyler Gilyard is a senior at Soldan International Studies High School and a St. Louis American intern.

Continued from A1

established, the city’s population was around 750,000, and the department employed more than 2,200 sworn police officers. In 2014, some 318,000 residents live in the city and the department employs around 1,250 police officers.

“Reducing the number of police districts will allow the department to consolidate command structures, put more officers on the street and deploy resources in areas that need it most,” Dotson said.

The redistricting emerged out of a study of calls for service and data-driven analysis. The six districts will also allow more officers to focus on “hot-spot” policing, he said.

“District captains need additional resources to go block by block to address neighborhood issues,” Dotson said. “Each captain can tailor their strategies for fighting crime.”

LEADERS

Continued from A1

supporting the Young Leaders event as the presenting sponsor.

This year’s impressive class of Young Leaders includes a partner at one of the area’s largest CPA firms, an analytical chemist and a senior vice president from one of the nation’s largest brokerage firms.

Other Young Leaders include the local executive director for Teach for America, the special events director for a local boys’ and girls’ club, and the founder and executive director of an organization that educates youth and professionals in leadership, business etiquette and professional branding.

Under the new patrol configuration, Districts 1 and 2 will operate out of South Patrol, 3157 Sublette; Districts 3 and 4 will operate out of Central Patrol, 919 North Jefferson; and Districts 5 and 6 will operate out of North Patrol, 4014 Union.

“We redrew the districts to balance the workload,” Dotson said. “Nobody was fired, nobody was laid off.”

Citizens can view Dotson’s redistricting presentation, district maps and learn more about district captains at www.slpmd.org. Citizens are also encouraged to leave feedback on redistricting on the department website or at the three area patrol stations.

Crime and eco devo

Dotson has heard the criticisms of the city’s rollout of crime statistics leveled by Alderman Antonio French and others – namely, that city officials were too upbeat

Yet another leader currently manages the development of Boeing Research and Technology projects for implementations in India.

While their career paths are diverse, they have one thing in common. They are all highperforming, young AfricanAmerican professionals who have distinguished themselves in their professional field while also giving back to the community. They are deserving of this accolade from their own community.

“A critical element of sustainable progress and success in a community is able, committed leadership,” said Donald M. Suggs, president of the St. Louis American Foundation. “These young people represent our best hopes and aspirations for the future of our community.”

The 2014 Young Leader

about a 5.4 percent decrease in overall crime when murders went up and are still well in the triple digits at 120. But he stands by his stance.

“I’m sympathetic for every family that is a victim of violent crime,” Dotson said. “But the fact is, the city is getting safer.”

He also insists the Slay administration’s focus on the city’s image – trying to portray the city in the safest possible light that the facts will permit – is in the long-term best interests of the city’s safety.

“The city needs economic investment, and that doesn’t come unless people understand that the city is getting safer,” Dotson said. His case in point is Wells Fargo Advisers’ decision to relocate to St. Louis.

“The biggest hurdle was crime,” Dotson said. “We had to reassure 800 families that crime is not an issue. We did it, and it worked. And when we do that, the tax base

grows, wages go up, the city has better jobs. We need economic development to solve the systemic problems that result in crime.”

In fact, Dotson said that his first career ambition was economist, not police chief.

“Look at the behavior of people in places where there is economic development: Crime is reduced. There is tons of proof that this theory works,” he said.

“St. Louis is not going to grow unless there are significant inflows of new capital, and no one is going to come here if all we say is, ‘St. Louis has a crime problem, St. Louis has a crime problem, St. Louis has a crime problem.’ The message has to be: ‘Yes, we have a crime problem, but it is getting better, and here is what we are doing about it.’”

Meanwhile, the corpses keep piling up. As French tweeted on Tuesday, “28 days into 2014 and already 14 homicides in the City of St. Louis. And that doesn’t include shootings that didn’t result in death.”

n The 2014 Salute to Young Leaders Networking Awards Reception will be held Thursday, February 13 at Four Seasons Hotel.

awardees are:

Jeffrey L. Bickley

Human Resources Consultant McDonald’s Corporation, USA

Danielle Y. Blount

Senior Analyst, Diversity and Inclusion Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Cedric Cobb Business Consultant EDGE Business Solutions & YP

Vanessa F. Cooksey

Senior Vice President, Head of Community Affairs

Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club

Henry A. Johnson, III

Assistant Vice President Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

Wells Fargo Advisors

Irasa L. Downing Central, U.S. Area HR Leader Edward Jones

Timon W. Edwards Senior Manager The Hackett Group

Sheena R. Hamilton Attorney Armstrong Teasdale LLP

Steven L. Harris

Partner RubinBrown LLP

Naretha Hopson Founder & Executive Director Ever-Appropriate Etiquette Institute

William E. Fronczak, CSEP PR & Special Events Director

Keisha Mabry Business Development Manager Dot Foods

Alexandria McCuien Specialist-Applications Developer AT&T

Clarissa Okpaleke Sr. Recruiter Farm Credit Bank

Brittany N. Packnett

Executive Director Teach For America

Kewana Regans AVP Financial Center Manager UMB Bank

Ronald L. Roberts Vice President

McCormack Baron Salazar Development, Inc.

Candice M. Smith Project Manager The Boeing Company

Ramon T. Stewart Vice President Securities Trading Citi

Tasha Turner Analytical Chemist II Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals

The St. Louis American Foundation’s 4th annual Salute to Young Leaders Networking Awards Reception will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, February 13 at Four Seasons Hotel in downtown

The Liturgical Leaders in Motion Dancers performed at St. Alphonsus Liguori “The Rock” Catholic Church, 118 N. Grand Blvd., as part of its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. program held on Sunday afternoon.

Liturgy in motion

Photo by Wiley Price

OBS

Continued from A1

minimum wage to $15.

Glancing at two reserved tables of Show Me 15 activists and supporters, Simmons joked that he had spent “an awful lot of time” with the young fast-food workers. He said they were an inspiration to him for courageously demanding a living wage, better working conditions, and the right to form a union without fear of retaliation.

Rasheen Aldridge was a key organizer and participant in the Show Me 15 campaign, formerly the STL735 campaign (referring to the $7.35 minimum wage).

Aldridge was presented with OBS’s 2013 Jamala Rogers Young Visionary Award, which recognizes young adults, age 17-24, who have made efforts to promote social justice, equality, diversity and human rights.

“It takes so much courage for you to stand up against these big corporations,” Aldridge told the fast-food workers and their supporters.

Aldridge received a $2000 scholarship to continue his studies at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park. Past awardees include Jessica Burns, Simone Bernstein, Sharifa Taylor and Jonathan Long, who presented the award to Aldridge.

Also in 2013, after “a long, hard struggle,” Simmons said, the City of St. Louis regained control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department after 152 years of governance by a Board of Police Commissioners appointed by the governor.

TATE

Continued from A1

and then try to work with different groups to intervene so that people who did not have an opportunity, because of social parameters, may have an opportunity to do better,” he said.

Many of the “social parameters” that determine opportunities and outcomes for people in the United States, as research by Tate and countless others have shown, are based in race and the legacy of racial discrimination. So much of his research has been dedicated to improving the educational and health outcomes of African Americans. That is the kind of specialist that Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton, Provost Holden

Mayor Francis G. Slay pushed for the final passage of local control via ballot initiative, though OBS and the Coalition Against Police Crime and Repression had led the local control movement for decades.

“That wasn’t Francis Slay’s victory,” Simmons said. “That was your victory.”

This year is looking just as busy for OBS. On February 4, the Missouri Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on

Thorp and Dean Barbara A. Schaal decided they want to oversee all of their graduate programs.

“I share the chancellor’s, provost’s and dean’s desire to make sure we create opportunities for students who are African-American – or of any background, or who may not have the financial wherewithal – to participate in graduate study,” Tate said.

In fact, Tate was appointed to an expanded version of the position, which now includes all graduate students on the Danforth Campus, as well as those pursuing a PhD at the schools of medicine, business, social work, and engineering & applied science. He has personal knowledge of the graduate experience at Washington University, having earned a master’s degree in psychiatric epidemiology from

n “When you select a campaign slogan that says ‘economic rights,’ you’re in trouble.”

– Maureen Taylor, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization

Reginald Clemons’ petition for his freedom or a new trial. OBS’s activism in the Justice for Reggie campaign was critical in opening a new evidence phase for Clemons, who was convicted of murder

the School of Medicine in 2011.

The university has more than 1,800 graduate students enrolled in more than 50 programs leading to the PhD and in 19 programs leading to master’s degrees.

About 3 percent of Washington University’s graduate students are noninternational African-American, according to the university.

About 6.5 percent of the graduate student body is a noninternational minority (black, Hispanic, Native American or multi-racial minority).

Diversifying those ranks is on Tate’s agenda.

“I want to help the university bring the best talent we can bring to graduate education, and that includes looking for outstanding African-American students who might be interested in

in 1993 and sentenced to death in a case marred by police and prosecutorial misconduct. Simmons and keynote speaker Maureen Taylor also said that the fight for economic justice continues in 2014, and

matriculating here,” he said.

Tate said he also embraces the symbolic value of being an African-American male who now oversees graduation education at one of the nation’s elite research institutions.

“To the extent to which I can provide an example for others to aspire to participate at a high level in the research and discovery process at a world-class university, it’s an honor,” he said.

“The feedback I have been getting from some friends and colleagues is that it sets an example that others might aspire to lead in the research and discovery process. I embrace that. I never shied away from that.”

Tate added a recruiting note, for talented students from the St. Louis area who might not have considered

Rasheen Aldridge, a key local organizer in the campaign to raise the minimum wage, was presented with the Organization for Black Struggle’s 2013 Jamala Rogers Young Visionary Award at its 34th anniversary celebration held on Saturday at the St. Louis Gateway Classic Foundation.

it’s not solely a black issue.

“We have to get more Latinos in this fight,” Taylor said. “We have to get more Native Americans in this fight. The broad net needs to say, ‘We’re not looking at the color of the skin, as much as we’re looking at the content of the character.’”

Taylor brought greetings from the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, which she serves as state chair. She is also treasurer of the National

returning home for their graduate study.

“This is an exciting time to be involved with discovery and research as linked to the human condition,” he said. “I hope that bright and talented AfricanAmerican students from the community will consider Washington University.”

He also understands the value of keeping some of these talented people in St. Louis once they complete their graduate studies, even if that is not necessarily an institutional mandate.

“It’s really the broader community’s job to figure out how to keep our people here, universities don’t do that,” he said. “Many people who come here for graduate study may get involved in industry right here, and that’s a positive thing.”

Building partnerships with area businesses does fall into

Welfare Rights Union. Taylor said she also brought “grave warnings.”

“When you select a campaign slogan that says ‘economic rights,’” she said, “you’re in trouble. You’re going to get parts of your body handed to you when you fight for economic rights.”

The Michigan Welfare Rights Organization is a union of public assistance recipients, low-income workers and the unemployed fighting for equal rights and poverty elimination. Jamala Rogers, OBS chair emeritus, worked with Taylor on the National Planning Committee for the 2010 U.S. Social Forum that was held in Detroit, Mich.

Taylor’s comments, as colorful as the lime green scarf she wore, centered on this year’s celebration theme: “Black Liberation and the Fight for Economic Justice.” She said she travels nationwide as an organizer, and everywhere she goes people are fighting for economic justice.

She said the fight for economic justice is about “straight up survival.” She said the richest 85 individuals (not corporations) in the world have as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion, according to an Oxfam report. She said the needs of the many must always outweigh the needs of the few. But, she said, past activist efforts are not enough.

“It’s not enough!” she repeated several times during her address. “If we were doing what we should be doing, people would be laying on this ground tired. But, we’ve still got energy.”

Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil.

his new purview, and those partnerships are likely to result in St. Louis retaining more of the graduate students that Washington University educates.

“Our graduate schools have to have partnerships – that’s a big deal. When a company decides it wants to fund the studies of graduate students, then there will be opportunities for those students to work, say, in plant science and have a greater chance of staying here,” he said.

“Part of my job is to build those partnerships, which means more of our graduate students will have an opportunity to stay. That’s why partnerships between the university and the business community are so important. That strengthens the safety net that keeps talented people in St. Louis.”

Photo by Wiley Price

NAFTA on steroids

The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is the latest concept in advancing the biggest, potentially most destructive corporate trade agreement ever. It’s been called “NAFTA on steroids” because

it dwarfs the North American Free Trade Agreement in scope and impact. Protestors have renamed TPP to “Trading People for Profits” and made demands to “Flush the TPP!” January 1, 1994 marked the

20th anniversary of NAFTA, yet you rarely hear politicians touting its glory. Groups like Pubic Citizen have tracked and exposed NAFTA’s failures. We can start with the one million U.S. jobs lost, a flood of unsafe imports, a decrease in wages, an increase in wage inequality and a staggering $181 billion U.S. trade deficit with NAFTA partners Mexico and Canada. All this and more happened with just two countries! TPP includes 11 countries. The economic power of

the partners is 40 percent more than the European Union. If ever there was a plan to consolidate corporatocracy, this is it. Corporations operating in the countries of the TPP will have the right to sue those governments and other entities in private tribunals if those

corporations believe the ability to make unfettered profits are being stifled by regulations and laws of the host country.

The TPP has been developed over the last three years via a secret process and is scheduled for Fast Track, thereby bypassing democratic review and public scrutiny. The full text of the trade agreement is unknown to all except the national negotiating teams and the 600 corporate “advisors” who have been unsurprisingly mum on the details. There

have been enough leaks to give us a peep about what’s planned. Last week Wikileaks dropped chapters from the plan devoted to the environment and intellectual property. Our Congress, as impotent as it is, doesn’t even have the TPP documents. Local opponents have been pushing U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay to take a firm stand in the pushback. Darryl Piggee, the congressman’s chief of staff, told me Clay is trying to support President Obama on this one. President Obama, with vanishing transparency advocacy, is supporting TPP. Still, Clay was one of 130 Democratic members of Congress who signed off on a letter to Trade Ambassador Ron Kirk asking for transparency.

Fair-minded citizens must keep our processes open and transparent and keep the pressure on our elected officials to put TPP under a microscope. There are many issues to take into consideration when you have to navigate through the laws, customs, cultures and histories of peoples in 11 different countries.

Forward-thinking people in the U.S. have natural allies in New Zealand, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, Mexico and Canada because we have a common enemy. Those who produce the labor that produces the wealth have the power to stop the theft of wages, land and other resources. The Trans Pacific Partnership is no friend to those working the land or working in the factories. We’ve seen a dozen of such trade agreement movies and we don’t like the endings. Let’s flush the TPP.

Crisis Nursery thanks supporters

American staff Saint Louis Crisis Nursery recently announced that 1,800 children benefitted from its annual Holiday Hearts and Holiday Help gift collection programs in 2013. Supported by generous sponsors, the programs helped cover many high-priority needs and special wishes of low- to no-income families with children from birth to age 12. Donations included housing and utility assistance, household needs, diapers, food, shoes, clothing and toys.

“Many parents that have no other support systems depended on Saint Louis Crisis Nursery to keep their family strong,” said DiAnne Mueller, Crisis Nursery CEO. “Our success depended greatly on our generous community and corporate supporters.”

Hundreds of individuals, families, businesses and community organizations pooled resources to collect wish lists items. Many organized toy drives, special events and holiday celebrations solely to benefit the Crisis Nursery.

“Friends of the Nursery – including Shop ‘n Save, Club Fitness, Landers Toyota, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Missouri American Water and Just Bills Place – were instrumental to our success,” Mueller said. The Crisis Nursery serves thousands of children and families annually at its five safe-havens and seven outreach centers. Wish List items are often needed for daily care, and can be donated seven days a week at any Nursery location. Visit www. crisisnurserykids.org for a complete list. For more information on Crisis Nursery programs and services, visit www. crisisnurserykids.org or call 314-292-5770. Parents in need of crisis or emergency intervention services can contact the 24-Hour Helpline at 314-768-3201; in St. Charles, call 636-947-0600.

Jamala Rogers

Interim mayor tries to lock down Kinloch

The alleged interim mayor of Kinloch tried to lock down the city hall and police department, at 5650 Jones Ave., on Tuesday to address what she described as “corrupt practices” and “to restore citizens’ trust” in the government, she said.

Interim mayor and alderwoman Theda Wilson said that the Kinloch city manager and other city officials have been uncooperative in providing documents and financial information to the aldermen.

On Tuesday Wilson planned to call an emergency meeting with the board to address these concerns but was unsuccessful.

“There have been a lot of violations,” Wilson said. “Money is going places where I have no knowledge of.”

In October, St. Louis County Circuit Judge Steven Goldman ruled that former Kinloch Mayor Darren Small had forfeited his office when he pleaded guilty to a felony count of failing to pay child support. The Kinloch Board of Aldermen then appointed alderwoman Theda Wilson to serve as interim mayor.

However, City Manager Justine Blue said that Wilson was voted out of her office on Dec. 17.

“Theda Wilson is not the interim mayor,” Blue said. “She just doesn’t want to accept that.” Wilson said the city manager, who is former mayor Small’s cousin, called an emergency meeting soon after Wilson complained that the city’s police department

“ignores her calls for service.”

In a phone interview with the St. Louis American, Alderwoman Evelyn Carter said that Kinloch has another mayor and a “president” that replaced Wilson. When The American asked who those people were, she said residents have to come to the Board of Aldermen meetings to find out. She refused to provide names.

The American has submitted a Sunshine Law inquiry to the city manager requesting the board minutes from Dec. 17, when those decisions were made. The city has not yet responded. City Attorney James Robinson also declined to comment on Tuesday. Robinson is legally representing Small, who has appealed Judge Goldman’s order to the Missouri Court of Appeals. Wilson said that the former mayor is still using a city vehicle. Wilson is concerned that Blue has refused to provide information about Small’s vehicle and other city expenses to the board, she said. Blue declined comment on Wilson’s accusations.

“This is not shining a positive light on the city,” Wilson said. “My goal is to do what is proper.”

Slay picks new fight

Now that Missouri’s governor no longer appoints the commissioners who govern the St. Louis police department, Gov. Jay Nixon and Mayor Francis G. Slay have one less thing to fight about. But Slay

picked a new fight (pointlessly) last week when he announced his endorsement of Jeffrey Boyd for license collector –long before filing even opens on February 25.

What does that have to do with Nixon? The incumbent, License Collector Mavis Thompson, was appointed by Nixon after Michael McMillan resigned from the office to accept Jim Buford’s old job at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Boyd had petitioned for the appointment, and Nixon passed him over for Thompson, who was presented to Nixon, convincingly, as the consensus black candidate to replace an African American who had been elected to the office. Nothing new for Slay in going against the black consensus.

Thompson has more endorsements in her pocket than were willing to come forward so early in a campaign that really should not have begun yet, but aldermanic President Lewis Reed, St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones, state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed and Alderman Antonio French were willing to confirm their endorsements to the EYE at this early date.

Reed said he is “supporting Mavis based on her experience, independence and long

Alderwoman Theda Wilson – until recently the interim mayor of Kinloch – tried to lock down the city hall and police department, at 5650 Jones Ave., on Tuesday to address what she described as “corrupt practices.”

Photo by Wiley Price

history of public service. As a practicing attorney, former circuit clerk and former president of the National Bar Association, she’s intimately familiar with business law and government law and she has experience in managing large departments.”

“I believe Governor Nixon made a good choice when he selected Ms. Thompson,” French said. ‘She is a very intelligent woman with the skills and integrity to lead that office for many years. And she will do so with the kind of independence and commitment that the people of St. Louis want and deserve.”

That “independence” bit mentioned by both Reed and French is a dig at Boyd, who has been viewed as Slay’s boy for several election cycles. Thompson hammered that point home herself.

“Considering Mayor Slay’s longstanding relationship with Alderman Boyd his endorsement comes as no surprise,” Thompson told the EYE. “However, as the incumbent license collector, I look forward to the endorsement of the people. I will continue to serve in the best interest of the citizens of St. Louis by ensuring that businesses remain in the city, the process to do business in

the city is streamlined, and rogue businesses are brought into compliance.”

The Post-Dispatch report on Slay’s endorsement included one very humbling paragraph: “Boyd has $52,135 on hand. Thompson has $2,467.” And Slay’s endorsement will have cash value for Boyd’s campaign. Thompson has her work cut out for her on the fundraising trail. She does have a head start in one respect, however – she was the first (and, as of Tuesday morning, only) candidate to have a surrogate standing in line at the election board, ready to file. If her surrogate holds that place at the front of the line, the incumbent will be at the top of the ballot. The primary election will be held August 5.

Stritzel sentenced

Thomas Stritzel, former chief of the St. Louis Park Rangers for the Slay administration, got through the holidays a free man, thanks for a continuance of his sentencing. That went down on Monday, when the fraudster was sentenced to 36 months in prison on charges that he and his partner in crime, Joseph Vacca, former deputy commissioner of the city’s Parks Division under Slay, defrauded city taxpayers of approximately one-half million dollars. Stritzel also was ordered to pay restitution of $472,722. Vacca received the same sentence just before the holidays.

Missouri’s secret death

drug

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, which is challenging Missouri’s execution protocol in court, says the laboratory that has (secretly) tested Missouri’s execution drug may be Analytical Research Laboratories of Oklahoma City. The ACLU filed documents with the court which reveal that

the certificate of analysis from that lab reports that Missouri’s supply of compounded pentobarbital contains an unknown substance.

“These documents once again demonstrate the danger of allowing Missouri to procure execution drugs in secret,” says Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of ACLU-MO. “They reveal serious questions about the credibility of the secret lab that Missouri has hired to vouch for the quality of its execution drugs. No serious medical professional or pharmaceutical company in the United States is willing to participate in killing by the government. Missouri’s insistence on irresponsibly rushing into executions anyhow requires it to associate with secret rogue providers operating outside the ethical norms of their professions. Under these circumstances, Missouri is incapable of carrying out executions in a constitutional manner and should stop.”

220K could be disenfranchised

Secretary of State Jason Kander says approximately 220,000 registered voters could be disenfranchised with the passage of Senate Joint Resolution 31 & Senate Bill 511, proposed legislation that would require voters to present a current government-issued photo ID before being allowed to cast their ballots.

“This proposed legislation could keep hundreds of thousands of current Missouri voters from voting, which is not only just wrong, but unconstitutional,” Kander said. The disenfranchised would include students with current school-issued photo IDs, senior citizens who no longer drive, Missourians who rely on public transportation, and women who have changed their last names due to marriage or divorce. And how about that? Seniors are a more mixed bag, but young people, poor people and women are more likely to vote Democrat than Republican.

Rosie Mae Edwards

VanBuren Crenshaw

February 17, 1936January 30, 2012

We are missing you as we celebrate your eternal life anniversary and remember your earthly birthday! Your memory lives on in each of our lives. Carmichael/ Angela, Gary, Amber/ Perry, Pamela, Deborah and your Grandchildren

Fannye Bernice Houston

Fannye Bernice Houston transitioned from this life to her heavenly home on January 23, 2014 after a brief hospital stay. She was born April 2, 1938 in Memphis Tennessee, the third child of Alonzo and Ardie Mae Dillon.Mrs. Houston has lived in the St. Louis area since age two, attending schools in Webster Groves and graduating from Sumner High School in 1957. She married Robert C. Houston III on September 1, 1957 and their union produced four children, Michael, Kimberly, Robert IV and Troy.

Fannye was employed by St. Louis Public Schools for 31 years, retiring in June 2000. She was a member of Antioch Baptist Church for over 50 years. She was a church Trustee and was actively engaged in numerous ministries. She was extremely active in her home community of University City. She supported community beautification, the city’s police department, the school district and also worked on political campaigns. Fannye enjoyed life and people; she was very gracious and gregarious. She enjoyed theater, collecting antiques, home decorating, planting flowers and Friday afternoon card club. One true desire she expressed was to assure her 12 grandchildren knew her personally as their “Nana”.

Services will be held on Friday, January 31 at Spirit of Love Church, 2741 Dayton Street. Visitation at 9 a.m.; Service at 11 a.m. Interment at Lake Charles Park Cemetery.

Robert Rowry

In remembrance of my loving husband, born on May 4, 1954 to the union of Jimmy Lee Rowry Sr. and Florida Cage at Homer G. Phillips Hospital, who died on January 18, 2014, shackled and chained to a hospital bed at St. Mary’s in Jefferson City, removed from his caring and concerned family, deprived of his human dignity.

Robert, a non-violent offender, died of delayed diagnosis and treatment of his liver cancer in the belly of the beast of the state prison industrial complex, but in peace with God, nine days after denial of medical parole. We will seek justice. Robert was educated in the St. Louis Public Schools. Exceptionally intelligent and talented in so many ways, he completed his GED at MECC at the age of 54. In prison he

wrote two books. In 1974 Robert first met Angie Mueller, who left for Germany and returned in 1999, whom he married at ERDCC in 2005. Robert had a son, Mileke, with MaryLou Wysinger in 1979.

A highly gifted, self-taught percussionist, Robert performed with Albert King, Bootsy Collins and Ice-T. For most of his life he played in bands, was appreciated for his excellent mechanic work and loved playing baseball.

Robert was a free spirit, well liked, respected for his ever present willingness to help and compassion for the plight of others. His charisma, great sense of humor, entertainment and story-telling enriched so many lives, although he himself lived with a broken heart from witnessing his North Side and East Side communities fall apart during decades of deliberate neglect, decay and blight.

Robert is loved and dearly missed by his wife, Angelika Mueller-Rowry; his second Mom, Ora Lee Robinson, Auntie Lillie Cage and Ms. Mae; his children Mark, Mitzie (Antonio), Mileke (Kiody) and Miracle (Larry) Wysinger; his grandchildren Jermel, Kierra, Melissa, Noel, Robert, Marcus, Maer’us and Zodric; his sisters Lillie, Florida Lee (Paul S.), Shirley Ann, Valerie, Jackie, Laura Anette and Cynthia; his brothers Ellis, Jimmy and Michael; his German in-laws, as well as a host of family and friends. He will always be in our hearts.

Wake: on January 31 from 5–8 pm, home coming and home going celebration will be held on February 1 at 10 a.m. at Reliable Funeral Home, 3964 Washington. Reception: at the Community Arts and

Movement Project (C.A.M.P.), 3026 Cherokee.

Carl Alexander Herman, Jr. December 15, 1969— January 7, 2014

Carl Alexander Herman Jr., son of Carl Herman Sr. and Joan Elizabeth Crawford, went from labor to reward after a seven year struggle with mitochondrial disease, diagnosed as an inherited disease. He is no longer in pain. Mr. Herman’s service will be held on February 13, 2014, 10 am at Westside M.B. Church, 4675 Page Blvd. Carl was deeply loved and truly missed.

Eunice J. Andrews

Eunice James Andrews was born Oct. 31, 1919 in St. Louis, Mo., to the union of the late Rev. Alfred J. Adkins and the late Fannie E. Adkins. (CQ name Adkins).

Eunice graduated from Charles Sumner High School. During World War II, Eunice worked at the U.S. Army Small Arms Ammunition Plant. She was a licensed cosmetologist and worked for many years at various beauty shops in St.

Louis city and county.

Eunice was baptized at a young age and attended Newstead Ave. M.B. Church. She tirelessly worked many years to better God’s kingdom. She helped prepare many meals in the church’s kitchen and sang for many years in various choirs at the church. She was a regular in Sunday School, as well as at classes and gatherings of the Antioch district and state Baptist convention. Her annual vacations for decades centered on attending the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education.

Eunice was united in holy matrimony to the late Norman A. Andrews in 1983. He preceded her in death in Jan. 2000. She was a tireless caregiver and devoted many hours caring for the needs of many who were ill, including her parents; sisters; cousins; and husband.

Eunice decided to move to Atlanta, Ga., in 2009 to live with the family of Andre Jack-

son, whom she had raised from age 3. Although she missed her home church, Eunice came to enjoy attending the Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga., where her family had united. After several years of declining health, Eunice went home to be with the Lord in Stockbridge, Ga., at about 1:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014. She leaves to mourn her passing: a brother, Leroy J. Adkins, of St. Louis; Andre Jackson, of Atlanta, Ga.; his wife Lisa

Rosie Mae Crenshaw

Fannye Houston

Robert Rowry

Eunice J. Andrews

Herman, Jr.

NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION

Planting the Seeds for Success!

PRESENT: Healthy Kids is a weekly series that focuses on nutrition, exercise, safety and more.

Nutrition Challenge:

If you watch TV at all, you’ve probably seen commercials for kids’ vitamins and minerals.

But does every kid need to take a daily vitamin? Fruits and vegetables are filled with natural vitamins and minerals, which is why it is so important to make smart choices when filling our plates.

Here we list just a few natural sources for the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

> Vitamin D — Eggs, fish, milk

> Vitamin C — Citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli

Exercise

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

Healthy Kids Kids

> Potassium — Bananas, green leafy vegetables, peas

Keep a food diary for a few days, listing everything you eat.

Visit http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_ fitness/nutrition/vitamins_minerals.html to find a chart that shows the benefits of different vitamins and minerals — and what you should eat to supply your body with these health perks! Looking back at your diary, see how many vitamins and minerals you are getting with the food choices you’ve made.

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

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

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

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

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

Where do you work? I work at Washington University School of Medicine.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Carver High School in Memphis, Tennessee and received a Bachelor of Science from Yale University, Doctor of Medicine from Washington University and a Master of Public Health from Saint Louis University.

What does a kidney specialist do? I take care of people who have problems with their kidneys, which include kidney stones, infections, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Why did you choose this career? I realized that people don’t appreciate how much they need their kidneys until they stop working, then their bodies build up with salt, water and waste products. I can make them better by helping them urinate again.

Go to http://www.stlamerican. com/newspaper_in_education/ and download our Weekly Fitness Challenge Journal page.

track of your positive

and

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

Bermuda Elementary School 5th grade teacher

SCIENCE STARS

AFRICAN

AMERICAN SAFETY MANAGER AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEER: Clay Doze

SCIENCE CORNER Fire Safety Tips!

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, every hour approximately 14 children are injured from fires or burns. Every day, at least one child dies from a home fire. Home fires account for ninety percent of all fire related deaths. Once the fire alarm sounds, families have an estimated two minutes to escape.

So, what can you do to be sure your family is safe?

Follow these tips listed below:

q Make sure your fire alarms are working effectively. Change the batteries often and keep them dust free. Fire alarms should be installed in every level of the home and in every bedroom. Safe Kids Worldwide reports that

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

In winter weather, stay safe by using caution in snow and ice. Dress in layers to stay warm and dry. In this experiment, you will use common household items to build a snow crystals.

Materials Needed: String

• Wide Mouth Jar • White Pipe Cleaners

• Blue Food Coloring (optional)

• Boiling Water (adult use only) • Borax

• Small Wooden Rod or Pencil

Procedure:

q Grab a white pipe cleaner and cut it into three equal sections. Twist these sections together in the center so that you now have a shape that looks something like a six-sided star. Make sure the points are even.

w Take the top of one of the pipe cleaners and attach a piece of string to it. Tie the opposite end to your small wooden rod or pencil. You will use this to hang your completed snowflake.

e Have an adult carefully fill the jar with boiling water.

MATH CONNECTION

Solve the following word problems using safety statistics from AAA auto club.

q “Every day, 872 children are injured in motor vehicle crashes.” Using this statistic, how many are injured in one week? ________ In one month? _________

w “Of the pedalcyclists injured in motor vehicle crashes, 39 percent were under 15 years old.”

If there were 25 reported injuries, how many pedalcyclists were under 15 years old?

If there were 60 reported injuries, how many pedalcyclists were under 15 years old? _________

DID YOU KNOW?

working fire alarms reduce the chance of dying in a fire by 50 percent.

w Never play with matches or lighters. Be sure these items are placed out of reach of young children.

e Create a fire escape plan for your entire family. Practice the drill so you will be able to repeat it quickly in the event of an emergency. Use a timer when you practice and see how quickly your family can escape. Try to improve your time with each practice.

For More Information, Visit: safekids.org/fire.

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

r For each cup of water, add three tablespoons of borax, adding one tablespoon at a time. Stir until the mixture is dissolved. If you’d like a blue tinge of color, add some blue food coloring at this time.

t Put the pipe cleaner snowflake into the jar so that the small wooden rod or pencil is resting on the edge of the jar and the snowflake is sitting freely in the borax solution.

y Leave the snowflake overnight and when you return in the morning you will find the snowflake covered in crystals.

Evaluate: Crystals are made up of molecules arranged in a repeating pattern that extends in all three dimensions. Borax is usually found in the form of a white powder made up of colorless crystals that are easily dissolved in water. Because Borax dissolves more quickly in warm water, it creates more space as it dissolves. When the water cools, the molecules move closer together and crystals appear.

Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete a science experiment. I can evaluate the results.

Clay Doze is a St. Louis native that currently works as the Hydro Safety/QMS (Quality Management Services) Safety Supervisor at Ameren, a company he has served for the last 32 years. His job requires him to administer, implement, and evaluate safety procedures. He also assists supervisors and workers when safety questions arise. Doze chose this job because he felt safety trainings often had a good message, but left employees feeling bored and unmotivated. Knowing that safety is important, Doze wanted to change that fact to get everyone enthused about safety. He had a professor that helped him learn to use psychology to motivate his employees to change their behaviors and value safety more. Doze enjoys this position because he has always enjoyed problem solving and challenging himself.

After graduating from Beaumont High School, Doze earned a bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University in Industrial Engineering Technology. He also holds certification from the National Association of Safety Professionals (NASP). Doze has earned the following awards: Andrew P. Neuhalfen Memorial Individual Leadership Safety Award in 2003, and the Ameren President Performance Leadership Award in 2004. He is also the current president of the ANME (Ameren Network of Minority Employees). His hobbies include model trains, photography and video, volleyball, basketball, football, and cycling.

His advice to you, “Challenge yourself to learn about new things and people. Take advantage of those opportunities to practice speaking in front of the class to practice your presentation skills. Safety is about people and you cannot be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone because safety impacts every business or job you can think of. Your choice to pursue a career as a safety supervisor can have a positive impact in so many lives. The guidance and information you provide can help many stay healthy and safe at work and at home.”

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

MAP CORNER

Use the newspaper to complete the following activities to help prepare you for the MAP test.

Activity One —

e “Within 10 minutes, the inside temperature of a vehicle can be up to 20 degrees hotter than the outside temperature; after 30 minutes the vehicle’s temperature can be up to 34 degrees hotter.” If it is 95 degrees outside when you leave your car to enter the store, what is the temperature inside the car when you return 30 minutes later?

Discuss: As a class, discuss safety reminders for each of the word problems above.

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

78,303 children ages 19 and under had skateboard related injuries, and 4,703 had skating related injuries, in 2011.

More children ages 5 to 14 are seen in emergency departments for injuries related to biking than any other sport.

Reminder: Always wear a helmet when skating, skateboarding or bike riding to reduce injury.

For more information, including videos and safety tips, visit: http://www. safekids.org/.

Past Present Future IBowled IamBowing IWillBowl ISkiied IamSkiing IWillSki

Tenses: Use a piece of paper to create a threecolumned chart labeled past, present, and future. Use the newspaper to find examples of verbs for each column. As an added challenge, when you find a verb (ex: run), write the verb in another tense to complete the columns (ex: ran, will run).

Activity Two —

Calculations: Locate the sports section of your newspaper. Record all the final scores shown for a particular sport, such as basketball or football. Arrange the final scores in order from least to greatest. Calculate the median, mode, and range of the numbers. Discuss your results.

Learning Standards:

I can identify verbs and label the correct tense. I can calculate median, mode, and range for a set of numbers. I can use the newspaper to locate information.

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

Mathew Williams looks over the work of Jordan Anthony 10, Kolby Coleman 11, Issaac Roberts 10, and Ariel

Sutton 10. The school is in the Ferguson/Florissant School district. Photo:

Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Business

In December Vanessa Foster Cooksey accepted a new leadership role directing Wells Fargo Advisors’ nationwide program for charitable giving, volunteerism and community and civic involvement. In 2012, the firm and its employees donated $12.5 million to non-profits across the country and invested 133,000 volunteer hours in more than 1,200 charitable organizations nationwide.

‘Our business thrives because of the community’

Cooksey leads Wells Fargo Advisors’ program for charitable giving, volunteerism

By Rebecca Rivas

Of The St.

By Charlene Crowell Center

keep things in perspective,” she said. “A lot of my career roles have been transitional or newly-created positions, so they involve a level of risk. To be able to lean on my faith is important.” Her newest leadership role is leading Wells Fargo Advisors’ nationwide program for charitable giving, volunteerism and community and civic involvement. She accepted

the position in December.

n “We have so many ways that St. Louis can continue to grow, and I am so glad I can be part of that.”

– Vanessa Foster Cooksey

“Vanessa’s experience and leadership is essential to our efforts in taking our philanthropy and volunteerism to the next level,” said Mary Mack, incoming president of Wells Fargo Advisors. “I am confident that she will quickly add value to this important work through our key partnerships and initiatives.” Cooksey has never shied away

from new experiences, and that mindset has landed her in a large variety of industries – including nonprofit, city government, public schools, broadcast, grocery, philanthropy and consumer packaging.

“My hope is to contribute a different level of strategic thinking that helps to connect the dots,” she said. “My perspective is very diverse. I bring creative ideas to the table and know how to get them done because I’ve done them before.”

Cooksey leads a four-person team that focuses primarily

See COOKSEY, B2

Banks bid farewell to payday loans

Consumer

advocates

claim victory after two-year campaign for reform

Charlene Crowell

per $100 borrowed, amounting to an annual percentage rate (APR) of 300 percent; has a one in four chance of also being a Social Security recipient; is twice more likely to incur overdraft fees than bank customers as a whole; and often remains in debt for six months of a year. Consumer advocates and civil rights leaders have been shining a bright light on banks that chose to engage in this kind of lending over the past two years. Here are a few examples of that consumer activism. In early 2012, 250 organizations and individuals

Brandon Hayes

Brandon Haynes has joined Deaconess Foundation as director of Community Engagement. He has served as a program auditor for the cities of Atlanta and Kansas City. He completed doctoral studies in urban policy at the University of New Orleans and master’s degrees in public administration and business administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia and Kennesaw State Universities, respectively.

Timothy McDonald has been promoted to the rank of major in the Missouri State Highway Patrol and will remain in his current position assigned to the superintendent’s office serving as chief of staff at General Headquarters. He was born in St. Louis, graduated from Central High in 1977 and attended the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He was appointed to the patrol on January 5, 1981 as a member of the 54th Recruit Class.

Jalilah Otto has been appointed by Gov. Nixon as Associate Circuit Judge for the 16th Judicial Circuit, which covers Jackson County. Most recently she was the chief trial assistant for the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, where she supervised more than 20 criminal prosecutors and support staff. She also was cross-designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, permitting her to conduct criminal trials in both state and federal court.

Mary Elizabeth Grimes has been appointed president of Marian Middle School, a Catholic girls school. Most recently she serves as the state director of the Greater Missouri Chapter –March of Dimes. Before that, she was director of Corporate Marketing for BJC Healthcare and development director for Fair St. Louis. She graduated from Spelman College and received an Executive MBA from Washington University.

Business Briefs

Minority business owners host trip to Jeff City

The National Association of Women Business Owners and the Missouri Coalition of Minority and Women Owned Businesses are hosting a trip to Jefferson City to meet state legislators and procurement officials on Tuesday, February 4. The bus leaves from the Home Depot Lot at 390 THF Boulevard in Chesterfield at 7 a.m. and will return 6 p.m. The $50 fee includes transportation, lunch and event materials. Visit www.nawbostl.org to register before January 31.

SIUE business plan competition deadline Feb. 14

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is hosting its first regional business plan competition. The Start-Up Challenge invites entrepreneurs from the information technology, manufacturing and health care sectors.

For an existing business to be eligible, it must have been established after January 1, 2011 and headquartered in the nine-county Metro East region of Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Washington, Monroe and Randolph. Proposed new businesses will need to be located within the same nine counties.

The first-place winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize. The second-place winner will receive $5,000. Both awards also include an array of in-kind professional services. The entry deadline is Feb. 14. Semi-finalists will be announced Feb. 28, with winners announced April 28. Apply at siue.edu/ metroeaststartup.

Comptroller hosts free tax preparation Feb. 4 and 19

Comptroller Darlene Green, PNC Bank and the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) will host free tax preparation for St. Louisarea residents 4:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4 and Wednesday, Feb. 19 at the William J. Harrison Education Center, 3140 Cass Ave. Taxpayers should come prepared with

Timothy McDonald

Jalilah Otto

Mary Elizabeth Grimes

Photo by Wiley Price

By Jason Alderman

Moving is already traumatic and expensive enough; the last thing you want to worry about is getting ripped off by your mover. Yet each year, the Better Business Bureau receives thousands of complaints against moving companies, mostly alleging lost or damaged property, not showing up on time, overcharging – or, in extreme cases, stealing or holding customers’ possessions hostage while demanding more money than originally agreed upon.

Before you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars and entrust your valuables with strangers, here are a few tips for ensuring a

BANKS

Continued from A911

sent a letter to federal banking regulators expressing concerns.

In 2013, over 1,000 consumers and organizations told the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about elder financial abuse, including bank payday lending. CRL in coordination with CREDO delivered a petition with 150,000 signatures in an appeal to federal regulators.

By April 2013, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency proposed regulatory guidance on bank payday loan criteria. Weeks later, amid still-growing consumer concerns, Florida’s U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and

How to spot a bad moving company

positive moving experience, as well as scams to avoid: Screen potential movers. All companies that do interstate moves must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (www. protectyourmove.gov). You can use its search engine to screen for complaints, safety information and company contact information by company name or by the state where its primary business office is located.

Moving companies that don’t cross state lines aren’t governed by federal regulations, but rather, by individual state laws. Go to the State/Local Resources tab at FMCSA’s site for links to each state’s regulatory resources. Also make sure

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in May 2013 sent a joint letter to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

“As Chairman and member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, we take very seriously our responsibilities to seniors and elderly consumers who expect and deserve fair and transparent financial services,” said the senators.

“Social Security was created to provide seniors with financial support to help them cover basic living expenses not for banks seeking new sources of revenue by exploiting retirees with limited means. Therefore it is critical that banks be discouraged from using government benefits as proof of income, and we would hope such a provision would be

the company has at least a satisfactory rating from the Better Business Bureau. Get written estimates. No reputable mover would ever give a firm estimate by phone or Internet, sight-unseen. Always insist on in-home inspections of your household goods and detailed, written estimates from at least three to five moving companies so you can get a sense of true market rates.

Movers need to know how much stuff you have, whether particularly heavy, valuable or awkward pieces need to be moved, if stairs are involved, and many other details that will affect their costs. Beware if an estimate is significantly less: This is a common ruse by unscrupulous companies to bind you to their service,

included in the final guidance.”

By November 2013, FDIC and OCC finalized regulations and advised banks that a borrower’s ability to repay a loan must be considered when issuing these loans.

In December 2013, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR), representing more than 200 diverse national organizations, unanimously adopted a resolution urging states, Congress and federal agencies to increase regulatory oversight and enforcement of all payday lenders.

“We’re simply advocating for reasonable regulatory oversight that ensures that low-income people won’t be swindled out of the little money they do have at their disposal,” said Wade Henderson, LCCR president

then later hit you up for hidden fees – perhaps even refusing to unload your furnishings until you pay up. By law, movers must assume liability for the value of property they transport. Ask for proof your mover has insurance and make sure you understand what’s covered. Base-line coverage they should provide is called “released-value protection.” It’s free, but if something is lost or broken, they only have to pay you 60 cents per pound. For an additional fee you can purchase “full-value protection,” where the mover must repair, replace or provide cash settlement for damaged items. Also consider thirdparty moving insurance. A few additional tips:

and CEO.

It was the constant call for consumer protections that ultimately led to banks foregoing payday loans. By combining efforts on a single issue, advocates accomplished together what none might have done alone.

Here’s hoping the rest of 2014 will be energized by the success of these early 2014 consumer victories. Perhaps federal regulators will soon put an end to all consumer debt traps. As we celebrate this key consumer victory, let us strive towards more financial reforms.

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

• Ask if the moving company will handle the entire move itself or hire subcontractors. Apply the same due diligence to any subcontractors.

• Ask whether crewmembers are employees or temporary hires and ask to see verification of background checks, either way.

• Ask to see the company’s “tariff,” which outlines the maximum costs and how they’re calculated, as well as a list of all items for which you could face additional charges.

• Be suspicious if the mover asks for a large cash deposit or full payment in advance. Also, don’t make the final payment until you’re sure everything was delivered undamaged.

• Be wary if the company’s website has no local address or license and insurance information, they refuse to put everything in writing or they use an unmarked truck rather than a company-owned vehicle.

Interstate movers are required by law to give you a copy of the FMCSA’s booklet, “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move.” Even if your move is only local, be sure to read it for valuable tips.

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

Education.

Continued from A911

on community investment opportunities in financial education, healthy aging, workforce development and arts and culture. In 2012, the firm and its employees donated $12.5 million to non-profits across the country and invested 133,000 volunteer hours in more than 1,200 charitable organizations nationwide.

“It makes good business sense,” she said. “What’s in it for Wells Fargo Advisors is growth and innovation. Our business thrives because of the community. It is necessary to invest in the community because we have a relationship.”

n “A lot of my career roles have been transitional or newly-created positions, so they involve a level of risk. To be able to lean on my faith is important.”

– Vanessa Foster Cooksey

Always recruited

When Cooksey graduated with a bachelor’s degree in radio/TV/film from University of Texas at Austin, she applied for only one job.

“My mother was so scared, but it was the job I wanted,” she said.

It was an apprenticeship at Turner Broadcasting, which was also coupled with a management training program. They selected 10 graduates from across country out of 4,000 applicants, and Cooksey was one of them.

From there, she spent several years as a freelance consultant and producer, working for various media outlets and some retailers, including Mary Kay Cosmetics. She made a big shift into the public realm in 2001, when she became the communications director for the Atlanta Committee for Public

Cooksey hasn’t had to apply for a position in many years because she’s been recruited for all her positions since 2003, when she served as a sales marketing specialist at CNN Newsource. She has acted as senior marketing manager for Cartoon Network in Atlanta and the e-communication manager in the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Communication. Her parents were born and raised in Kansas City, but she had never ventured to St. Louis until she was recruited here by SaveA-Lot Food Stores in 2008 as the director of communications and community relations. She left St. Louis for about a year to work with SUPERVALU, and then was soon hired back by AnheuserBusch in 2011 as senior director of community affairs. From Anheuser-Busch, she joined Wells Fargo Advisors.

“Some people say St. Louis is kind of hard to break into, but my experience has been that I feel welcomed,” she said. “We have so many ways that St. Louis can continue to grow, and I am so glad I can be part of that.”

Out of all the companies Cooksey has worked for, she said Wells Fargo Advisors is “the top” when it comes to “walking the talk of diversity.”

Mack’s selection as president of the company was a clear sign that it values diversity, she said.

“There’s not much separation between diversity and inclusion and true business practice,” she said. “It’s one of our core values. We are bringing that to life and acting on it. I’ve been enough places where diversity has not been practiced that this is really special.”

COOKSEY

n “No need to talk about it. Game time, though, I’ll be there.”

– Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, on his very brief appearance at the Super Bowl’s mandatory Media Day

PreP BasketBall NoteBook

showdown

Chaminade vs. CBC

Friday night

The big game in area basketball this week takes place on Friday night when Chaminade pays a visit to CBC in a Metro Catholic Conference (MCC) showdown. It will be the second meeting between the two schools.

CBC took the first game 80-73 on Dec. 12 at Chaminade. The Cadets withstood a Chaminade 3-point shooting barrage to take home the victory. The Red Devils hit 14 3-pointers in that game, but CBC prevailed behind 22 points from senior forward Jordan Barnett.

CBC is currently in first place in the MCC. The Cadets are 14-6 while playing a national schedule. Chaminade is currently 15-1 with three tournament championships to its credit. Sophomore sensation Jayson Tatum leads the Red Devils at more than 25 points a game. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Get there early, folks.

Another excellent season

The Cardinal Ritter girls have quietly put together another excellent season under the guidance of head coach Darren Wade. The Lions are currently 11-0 after two big victories last week over McCluer North and Archdiocesan Athletic Association rival Lutheran St. Charles.

The Lions are led by senior guard Chastity Franklin, who is averaging 12.4 points, seven assists and five steals a game. A four-year starter, Franklin has displayed a keen ability to take over games in the fourth quarter, which she did last week against McCluer North and Lutheran. Franklin is the only senior on a young team.

Junior Cayla Yates is averaging 10.9 points a game while junior forward Romekia Wallace is averaging 8.1 points, 13 rebounds and 2.6 blocks a game. Wallace is among the St. Louis area leaders in rebounding. Juniors Jayla Davis and Kdjah Brown are averaging 8.3 and 5.3 points a game, respectively.

First losses

The area’s two undefeated nationally ranked girls’ teams suffered their first losses of the season against nationally ranked opposition. Incarnate Word was defeated 58-49 by Blackman (TN) on Saturday in Louisville. It

was a rematch of the championship game of the Naples Holiday Tournament in Florida, which was won by IWA 53-44 on Jan. 1. The loss snapped the Red Knights’ 47-game winning streak dating back to last season. IWA was ranked No. 1 in the country.

IN the ClutCh

With Ishmael H. Sistrunk

for

Earlier in the season, many fans and sportswriters pointed to budding superstar Paul George as a favorite for MVP. George has been stellar in leading the Indiana Pacers to the best record in the NBA for most of the season. Others have fawned over the emergence of LaMarcus Aldridge as a legitimate MVP candidate after the Portland Trailblazers’ surprisingly strong start

As wonderful as each of the Ishmael H. Sistrunk

With Palmer L. Alexander III

Which Sam Bradford?

Are the Rams waiting on a franchise QB – or a mere game manager?

St. Louis Rams general manager Les Snead says it’s Sam Bradford as quarterback for 2014 and beyond. Unfortunately, the Rams have yet to crack the .500 barrier or qualify for the playoffs under Snead. And the offense still hasn’t yet taken off. Remember when the Rams went from pass-happy to ground-and-pound? Sam Bradford became a game manager. The Rams started having some success. So it’s only natural to feel a little bit of disappointment. This quarterback was chosen number one overall in 2010. He was AP Offensive Rookie Of The Year and a Carl Rosenbloom Award winner in 2010 and had the Rams within one win of making the playoffs. We were ready to see Bradford evolve into one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. It still hasn’t happened yet. I know Bradford was one of the last rookies to receive that huge sum of money for being a top draft pick under the old collective bargaining contract. And there is good news that he has started light running again. However, there is nothing light about his contract. He is due to collect $17.6 million this year and $16.5 million in 2015, according to Spotrac.

n Les Snead said the Rams are willing to listen to offers for the number two pick in the 2014 NFL draft. There are plenty of names out there.

Edwardsville went down to defeat for the first time last Friday night at Columbia Rock Bridge 60-34. The Tigers are now 17-1 on the season.

Snead said the Rams are willing to listen to offers for the number two pick in the 2014 NFL draft. There are plenty of names out there, and none of us knows what any of these great athletes will be able to do. Snead pretty much dismissed the idea the Rams will be drafting a quarterback early in the draft. I hope it works out for all parties, because Snead is putting his reputation on the line with an already apathetic fan base. Snead must be quite a gambler, considering some of the things that occurred to Bradford prior to Snead’s arrival. The injury list for Bradford is short, but every injury has cost him some significant playing

See RAMS, B5

n It’s not like Durant has only been feasting on the bottom of the food chain, either.

aforementioned players has performed, they all far short of the man known as “K.D.” There’s an unconfirmed rumor that Thunder games will now be televised by the Food Network after watching Kevin Durant repeatedly roast defenders on the court. In his last 13 games (a baker’s dozen), the perennial MVP candidate is averaging nearly 38 points with a couple of game-winners to boot. Most recently, Durant grounded the Houston Rockets after

dropping a game-winning shot over three overmatched defenders. To make matters worse, despite the triple coverage, it wasn’t a forced shot. Durant made it almost look easy, forcing Rockets’ fans to wonder why the coach had the two other guys guarding anybody else. It’s not like Durant has only been feasting on the bottom of the food chain, either. During Durant’s impressive run, he’s dropped 30-plus on the playoff-bound San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets, 40-plus on the Portland Trailblazers and Atlanta Hawks, and 50-plus on the Golden State Warriors. Furthermore, he’s shooting nearly 54 percent from the

With Earl Austin Jr.

Palmer L. Alexander

Photo by Wiley Price

Earl Austin Jr.

Kevin Durant seems determined to put the Oklahoma City Thunder on his slender shoulders and carry the team back to the NBA Finals.

Metro High School forward Tayler Miller (4) takes the jumper just outside the paint Tuesday night against the Lady Cougars of Carnahan High School. The Panthers of Metro went on to defeat Carnahan 67-22.

Kevin Durant on fire for Oklahoma City Thunder

Claib’s Call

With Mike Claiborne

How to watch the Super Bowl

Now that the Super Bowl is upon us, it’s time to regale in festive events, be it watch parties at a bar or a good, oldfashioned house party. Here are some helpful hints on how to conduct yourself.

For the guys, please refrain from having your team’s jersey on that may be a size too small. In some cases, two sizes too small. Then again, why are you wearing a football jersey in the first place? Even if you lay the claim that you once “played,” you are not playing in this game. Jerseys on outof-shape guys are a bad idea, especially when you have the name of Manning or Wilson or some other participant on your back.

Excuse me, sir, but that’s not you. By the way, aside from a charity event or a paying appearance, have you ever seen a real player sporting a jersey when it was not during actual competition? Not a good look. There are some other fashion penalties that you could certainly be flagged for. but the jersey thing is a major infraction here. Go the cap or sweatshirt route, if you must. Have you ever been to a party and there is one guy who wants to remind you that he was a

Madden video champion and show off his football jargon? Yes, there are some showoffs who take themselves that seriously. Congratulations, you are now the smartest guy in the room ... or at least you are in your mind. Yep, you will be part of the conversation during the car ride home. Heaven knows what the people who just met you for the first time will think. While many of us have played ball at some level, not all playbooks are alike when it comes to terminology. So keep it simple, so that most of the people in the room can follow you. Remember, they will be paying Joe Buck and Troy Aikman of FOX Sports the big bucks for sharing their insights. Yours will not be needed.

As for the wagering part, spare me the act that tried to make us think you have a direct line with the Vegas bookies. All y’all, if this is a house party, bring something that people will appreciate. A six pack of Falstaff would not be a top item unless you are visiting senior citizens. It is not going to cut it at a Super Bowl party. When it comes to food, if it is good be sure to bring enough so that you do not get shut out. Too many times you set

For the guys, please refrain from having your team’s jersey on that may be a size too small. In some cases, two sizes too small.

less. Bring your own stash. Nothing wrong with sharing, but you are not Jesus, nor should you be expected to multiply bread and fish to feed the masses. In all, the Super Bowl is an event we should all enjoy with our friends, family and whoever else we get stuck with. Then again, you can take some very different advice from me: Cook up your

n Refrain from having your team’s jersey on that may be a size too small. In some cases, two sizes too small.

another couple, and that’s it. I learned long ago that the big events are vastly overrated and can be real bummers if your team loses. So why sit through it with a bunch of people in badfitting jerseys bragging about their Madden victories using unnecessarily complicated football jargon?

favorite dish, invite one person over, perhaps

Mike Claiborne

the wings down and then hang up your coat only to see your goodies practically looted. Now you are settling for something

East St. Louis Senior High football standout

Gregory Taylor (#7) will sign a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Missouri next week. Taylor led the Flyers to the IHSA Class 6A state semifinals.

With Maurice Scott

Flyers set for signing Day

Taylor to Mizzou, Watson to Kansas, Prater to Syracuse

Several East St. Louis Flyers will be signing National Letters of Intent to further their education, and continue their football careers next week. The first day of the national signing period for football will be next Wednesday. Leading the way is Gregory Taylor, who will sign with the University of Missouri. Game after game, Taylor proved why he was a threat every time he touched the football.

The twoway domino combined his speed and toughness for a team-high 1,782 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns for Darren Sunkett’s IHSA Class 6A semifinalist.

Taylor will play defensive back at Mizzou. He was also a monster on defense for East St. Louis, where he was credited with 94 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions for the Flyers defense. The No. 19-ranked prospect in Illinois by Rivals. com, Taylor chose Mizzou because of the loyalty the Tigers showed to him.

“Coach Gary Pinkel was the first coach to offer me

PREP

Continued from B3

Both Incarnate Word and Rock Bridge are on a collision course to meet in the upcoming Webster Groves Classic. They are the top two seeds and barring upsets, should meet in the championship game on Saturday, Feb. 9.

Big week for Suggs

Washington High’s Ronnie Suggs enjoyed a big week in leading the Bluejays to victories over GAC Central

a Division I scholarship my junior year,” Taylor said. “Sure, I had several offers during my senior season. But at the end of the day, I felt loyal to them. It’s a great fit and I’m feeling being wanted as a student/athlete. And Pinkel and coach (Cornell) Ford are great.”

Linebacker Kyron Watson will be signing with the Kansas Jayhawks. The 6’2” 226-pound Watson should step in and play

n The two-way domino combined his speed and toughness for a team-high 1,782 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns.

right away for the Jayhawks. He turned down Syracuse, California, Illinois, TCU, Mizzou and Michigan State, among others.

Ranked No. 20 in Illinois by Rivals.com, Watson was one of the most feared downhill linebackers in the state. Watson recorded an impressive 165 tackles, four sacks, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Watson feels he’s ready to play his freshman year. Defensive back Trevon

n CBC took the first game 80-73 on Dec. 12 at Chaminade.

Division rivals Fort Zumwalt North and Fort Zumwalt South. The 6’6” Mizzou commit had 21 points, 9 rebounds, five assists and three steals in Washington’s 52-42 victory over Fort Zumwalt North. He added 35 points in a 75-66 victory over Fort Zumwalt South. Washington is now 4-0 in the GAC Central. Suggs is averaging more than 22 points a game on the season.

Prater will sign at Syracuse after originally committing to Western Michigan. After one look at the Carrier Dome, and the school’s famous Communications program, Prater made the switch to Syracuse after a recent visit. Prater was impressive on the secondary for East St. Louis with 70 tackles. He was one of the area best ball hawkers with seven interceptions. He also had seven touchdowns on offense. Prater also had offers from Kansas, Indiana State, Illinois State and others.

Despite the loss of such talented players, Darren Sunkett’s team will be loaded once again in 2014. It will feature one of the best defensive lines in the country with returning starters Kenny Knight, Leon Hyde and Terry Beckner Jr., who is ranked the No. 2 defensive end in the country by ESPN.

In addition, tailback Natereance Strong, one of the nation’s top running backs, returns after a leg injury that ended his season midway through the 2013 season. Strong, at 6’2” and 220 pounds, finished second in the state in the 200 meters for the Flyers’ 2013 State runnerup track & field team.

Cross-town rivals

In a battle of crosstown rivals, Belleville East defeated Althoff 70-61 to win the championship of the Belleville East Tournament. Senior guard Darreon Reddick scored 27 points to lead the Lancers while senior forward Cameron Hunter scored 17 points. Althoff was led by sophomore forward Brendon Gooch with 22 points and freshman Jordan Goodwin with 20. (You can follow Earl Austin Jr.’s basketball reports daily on his website, www. earlaustinjr.com or on twitter @earlaustinjr.)

CLUTCH

Continued from B3 field during the impressive stretch and is leading the league in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) this season. Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder watched its title aspirations spiral down the drain when All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook suffered a season-ending knee injury during the playoffs. Sure, Durant was still there to lead the squad, but the loss of such a valuable contributor so late in the season spelled doom. This season, though Westbrook has once again been bitten by the injury bug, Durant seems determined to put the squad on his slender shoulders and carry the team back to the NBA Finals. His stellar play should help the team be patient with Westbrook and ensure that he is fully recovered before he returns from his third knee surgery in the past nine months.

RAMS

Continued from B3 time. In 2009 while playing for the Oklahoma Sooners, he had a shoulder injury and missed the rest of that season. In 2011

Assuming Westbrook returns shortly after the AllStar break, he’ll be back in plenty of time to re-gel with his team before the playoffs begin. However, his time away has given Durant more time to establish himself as the guy in Oklahoma City. It’s also helped fast-forward the development of youngsters

n Thunder games will now be televised by the Food Network after watching Kevin Durant repeatedly roast defenders on the court.

Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb. Both have received valuable playing time and increased responsibility in Westbrook’s absence. That experience will be invaluable during the Thunder’s playoff push, especially if Westbrook aggravates an injury.

Speaking of pushes, there’s been a recent one to find a new nickname for Durant. Over the years he’s most often been

referred to as “K.D,” but other nicknames such as “Durantula” and “Iceberg Slim” have made the rounds. The next nickname destined to fail is Reddit-born “Slim Reaper.”

Sure, it’s catchy in a sense but Durant announced via Twitter that he’s not a fan and there’s nothing I want to see less than Durant in some cheesy ESPN or Nike commercial wearing a lame reaper costume. Might as well throw a chef’s hat on him and call him “Slimeril” the way he’s cooking the competition like jerk chicken. Cheesy nicknames aside, let’s move back to the MVP race, if we can still call it that. At this point Durant is doing his best Usain Bolt impression and leaving the rest of the field in the dust. Regardless of whichever nickname is left standing once that dust clears, the smart money is on Durant being called MVP at season’s end – and possibly even NBA champion.

Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk and on Google+.

he had a high ankle sprain and only played six games. By the end of the 2012 season, he had been sacked a number of 105 times and was hit more time than that. In November 2013 he tore his ACL and is now on the road to recovery. But what will he recover to be? Is it as a highly priced game manager? Or a franchise quarterback? I’m telling you now, 7-9 is not going to cut it. For more Rams Roundup please subscribe to our page www.stlamerican/youtube videos.

Prep Athletes of the Week

Chastity Franklin

Cardinal Ritter – Girls Basketball

The senior guard led the Lions to a pair of impressive victories last week to preserve her team’s undefeated record.

Franklin had 19 points, six assists and four steals in Ritter’s 44-35 victory over McCluer North in the Martin Luther King Classic last at Ritter. She followed up with 16 points as the Lions defeated Lutheran St. Charles in an Archdiocesan Athletic Association showdown in St. Charles.

For the season, Franklin is averaging 12.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, seven assists and five steals for Ritter, which entered the week with an 11-0 record.

NiSean Rigmaden

North Tech – Boys Basketball

The senior guard led the Golden Eagles to the championship of the Orchard Farm Tournament last week and earned Most Valuable Player honors.

Rigmaden scored a tournament-record 35 points in the championship game in a victory over Winfield. In the semifinals, he had 19 points, four rebounds and three steals in a 68-38 victory over Confluence Academy. In the first round, he had 34 points, nine rebounds, seven steals and five assists in a 60-37 victory over McCluer South-Berkeley.

For the season, Rigmaden is averaging 22.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and four steals in leading North Tech to a 12-3 record.

Maurice Scott

License Collector briefs businesses on ACA

American staff

Over 60 businesses were represented at a recent breakfast briefing on the Affordable Health Care Act for Small Businesses hosted by the St. Louis License Collector’s Office.

Aaron Phillips, chief of staff for License Collector Mavis Thompson, gave an overview of taxpayer dollar disbursements.

Thompson, an attorney, presented the chronology and historic perspective of the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA). During her term as national president of the National Bar Association, she reviewed and provided recommendations for the original draft of the legislation. Thompson also outlined the ACA goals, significant reforms, and business/employer mandates.

Richard Gaines and Rick

Gary, certified insurance brokers, addressed how the law would impact business owners and employees as well as the most efficient ways to navigate the system. Mary Timmel, is the Midwest outreach manager of the Small Business Majority, emphasized the tax credits available through ACA, the new marketplace for purchasing health coverage, and opportunities and resources for business owners to receive personalized counseling on the ACA. Jeremy Milarsky, navigator program manager at Primaris – one of two organizations in Missouri to receive federal funds to provide free individualized counseling for the insurance marketplace – discussed the nuances of ACA and offered counseling to uninsured attendees.

Labor participation for black men declines

By Frederick H. Lowe North Star News

The labor-market participation rate, which refers to individuals who are employed or looking for work, mostly declined in 2013 for black men, according to data released recently by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the labor-market participation rate in December was 65.6 percent for black men 20 years old and older, compared to 66.3 percent in November and 66.6 percent in October. In September, the labor-market participation rate

‘Millions of lost opportunities,’ says

increased to 67.9, following a decline of 66.4 percent in August.

December 2012’s labor participation rate for black men 20 years old and older was 67.5 percent, compared to December 2013’s 65.6 percent, which was lower year-over-year.

Heidi Shierholz, a labormarket economist for the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., said the numbers mean the labor market is still weak.

“It is very troubling,” Shierholz wrote in an email to The NorthStar News & Analysis. “Potential black workers have been sidelined,

n “Potential black workers have been sidelined, not gotten work. This means millions of lost opportunities.”

– Heidi Shierholz, Economic Policy Institute

not gotten work. This means millions of lost opportunities.”

The unemployment rate in December for black men 20 years old and older was 11.5 percent, compared to 12.1 percent in November. Shierholz attributed most of the decline in labor-market participation to people either leaving the workforce and not looking for

economist

another job or not bothering to enter it.

The nation’s nonfarmpayroll employment expanded by 74,000 jobs in December.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics each month surveys approximately 60,000 households to determine labormarket activity, including the unemployment rate. An

individual is considered unemployed if he or she did not have a job during the survey week, but was available for work and sought work during the preceding month, according to “Work in the Black Community,” which is published by University of California at Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education.

The unemployment rate represents the percent of the civilian workforce who are unemployed but actively looking for work.

As black men’s laborparticipation rate has declined, their employment-population

ratio, which measures the percent of the population who is employed, has been up and down, according to “Work in the Black Community.” In December, the employment population ratio for black men 20 years old and older was 58 percent, compared to 58.3 percent in November and 58.1 percent in October, 58.3 percent in September, 57.6 percent in August and 58.1 percent in December 2012.

Edited slightly and reprinted with permission from The NorthStar News & Analysis, www.thenorthstarnews.com.

Charlotte VM Ottley, Office of the License Collector; Jeremy Marlarsky, Primaris; Richard Gaines, broker; License Collector Mavis T. Thompson; Aaron Phillips, chief of staff, Office of the License Collector; Mary Timmel, Small Business Majority; and Rick Gary, broker.

“For Colored Girls…” returns to Black Rep

Harris-Stowe hosts first Artist in Residence

Synthia Saint James designed Kwanzaa stamp, ‘Waiting to Exhale’ cover

American staff

Harris-Stowe State University will host its first artist in residence, Synthia Saint James from February 2-8, with a lecture presentation 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 5 in the Emerson Performance Center’s Bank of America Theatre, 3101 Laclede Ave. Saint James is a world-renowned multicultural visual artist, author, popular speaker and architectural designer who has garnered numerous awards over her 40-plus year career, including the prestigious Trumpet Award and an honorary doctorate degree from Saint Augustine’s

College, both in 2010.

She is most celebrated for designing the first Kwanzaa stamp for the United States Postal Service, for which she received a History Maker Award, and for the international cover art for Terry McMillan’s book Waiting to Exhale.” Her paintings have graced the covers for more than 70 books, including books by Alice Walker and Iyanla Vanzant.

“Ms. Saint James has the ability to capture and illustrate the ‘black experience’ in stunning and colorful ways, and I have been a fan of hers for many years,” said Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Michelle McClure. “It is an honor that

we will have her on campus during Black History Month so that she can share her expertise.” During Saint James’ stay in

STL designers to

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“If you can’t say it, Ntozake says it for you,” actress Phyllis Yvonne Stickney proclaimed when she spoke of her upcoming role in the Black Rep’s latest adaptation Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.”

“Plus, she’s from St. Louis – so support your homegirl. We’ve got to learn to celebrate our prophets at home.” Stickney will be taking the stage as The Lady in Purple when “For Colored Girls…” makes a limited engagement run at the Missouri History Museum through February 9.

“For Colored Girls…” carries the audience through a range of emotion through a series of vignettes performed by seven women.

The Black Rep’s production also stars Marsha Cann, Evan De-Bose, Chelsea Drape, Linda Kennedy, Patrese McClain and Andrea Purnell.

“It’s not all young girls; it’s not all mature women. It’s a truly integrated cast, which is something that I think is very different and very exciting,” Stickney said.

“This production brings all the colors together, but it also brings all the generations together – which gives us different perspectives and vantage points.”

Shange dubbed the work a “choreopoem.” Its unique blend of song, dance and monologue quickly captured the theatre scene in the early 1970s and never let go.

“What is brilliant about this

By Danie Rae, Style Broker For The St. Louis American

When it comes to becoming a certified designer brand, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. One has to be mindful of so many factors, ranging from fabric selections and thread quality to logo design and model selection.

That’s why my hat goes off to these three up-and-coming designers/ brands right here in the St. Louis area. Shan Keith, Traces of Truth, and N3VRMND the BRAND are three of the area’s most promising apparel brands. We shot them and their premiere pieces to give a glimpse into

what they have in store for 2014.

Shan KeithShan Keith Designs

As a contestant on Lifetime’s reality show “Under the Gunn,” designer Shan Keith is destined for fashion greatness. Now, I have a tendency to be a design snob when it comes to fabric usage, garment construction and pattern pairings, and Shan slays all three categories. His line “Shan Keith Designs” consists of garments for women, men and children, and he plans to expand his

Dancing for Dr. King

line to include licensing and branding of other apparel items like home goods, and cosmetics.

“I want to capitalize on my 15 minutes of fame and make Shan Keith a household name,” he said. Follow him on social media sites @ShanKeith and catch him on “Under the Gun” every Thursday on Lifetime at 8 p.m.

Tracie McKeownTraces of Truth Jewelry

When asked about her niche as a

Afriky Lolo performers Kyleigh Patrick, Jordan Young, Christian Kelly, Najaah Muhamad and (back) Caph Gueu

St. Louis, the artist will interact with Harris-Stowe students in the

See ARTIST, C4

Phyllis Yvonne Stickney

Artist Synthia Saint James will speak about her life and work 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 5 at the Emerson Performance Center. She will be Harris-Stowe State University’s first artist in residence February 2-8.

Traces of Truth JewelryShan Keith DesignsN3VRMND the

Hair: Ronnisha Britton MU: Keisha Reece

Photos: Lawrence Bryant

Models: Candace Kohl of West Model and Talent, Von Ricco Lane and Aneesah Warfield

Dana G. Randolph

How to place a calendar listing

1. Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican. com OR 2. Visit the calendar section on stlamerican.com and place your listing

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

black history month

Fri., Feb. 7, 7 p.m., The Black Rep presents Witnesses to Freedom. Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www.slcl.org/black-historycelebration.

Feb. 8, 1 p.m., In honor of Black History Month, Sabayet’s sister organization, New African Paradigm has partnered with the Missouri History Museum to present a FREE screening of Hidden Colors 2 with a panel discussion following, Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell in Forest Park. For more information, visit www. sabayet.org.

Sun., Feb. 9, 1:30 p.m., Community Women Against Hardship presents A Jazz Brunch: In Celebration of Black History Month. Jerome “Scrooge” Harris, drums; Freddie Washington, saxophone; Bob DeBoo, bass; Anita Jackson, vocals. With special guest Willie Pickens. The Bistro in Grand Center, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 289-7523 or visit www. cwah.org.

Sun., Feb. 9, 2 p.m., The St. Louis Public Library presents its Black History Month Keynote Address by Wil Haygood, author of the The Butler. Central Library, 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, call (314) 2066779 or visit www.slpl.org.

Fri., Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m., Powell Symphony Hall presents Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration starring the InUnison Chorus and featuring Jennifer Holiday This annual concert celebrates AfricanAmerican cultures and traditions that have influenced the history of St. Louis, as well

as cities around the world. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. stlsymphony.org.

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

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

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

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

Fri., Feb. 28, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library Black

History Celebration 2014 presents Set the Night to Music with Wendy Gordon & Friends. Florissant Valley Branch, 195 S. New Florissant Rd., 63031. For more information, visit www.slcl.org/black-historycelebration.

concerts

Fri., Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m., Jazz St. Louis presents Jazz at Lincoln Center Quartet. Featuring veteran JALC Orchestra musicians Vincent Gardner on trombone, Walter Blanding on tenor sax, Kenny Rampton on trumpet, and Herlin Riley on drums, this is sure to be one of the best swinging shows of the season. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

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

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

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

Sat., Feb. 15, 8 p.m., The Sheldon presents Terence Blanchard. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more

information, visit www. metrotix.com.

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

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

Fri., Feb. 28, 8 p.m., The Sheldon presents Habib Koite and Raul Midon. This inspired cross-genre pairing unites Malian superstar Habib Koité with American singer/ songwriter Raul Midón. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Fri., Feb. 28, 8 p.m., The Chaifetz Arena presents 2 Chainz & Pusha T. One S. Compton Ave., 63103.

Thur., Mar. 20, Kwame Foundation presents Live Your Dream Concert Hosted by Jade Harrell of Magic 100.3/Hallelujah 1600. Performances by Brianna Elise & Trio. Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com.

local gigs

Wed., Feb. 12, 7 p.m., Blueberry Hill presents J Boog. 6504 Delmar Blvd., 63101. For more information, visit www.blueberryhill.com.

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

Powell Symphony Hall presents Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration starring the InUnison Chorus and featuring special guest Jennifer Holiday. See BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS for details.

more information, visit www. grandcenter.org.

Fred Walker and his Saxy Jazz Music Show returns to Ms. Piggie’s Smokehouse on Sundays with the best in live and recorded Jazz and Gospel. 12noon - 4pm 10612 Page Ave. St. Louis, Mo. 63132 call (314) 428-7776 for information.

Saturdays, 3 p.m., The Kendrick Smith Quartet, Premier Lounge, 5969 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. For more information, call (314)385-5281 or e-mail crusadersforjazz@hotmail. com.

Sundays, 6 p.m., Chuck Flowers Live, InSpot, 5854 Delmar. For more information, visit www. artistecard.com/cflowers

Sundays, 6:30 p.m. (6 p.m. doors) Jazz @ Eventide, featuring Black and White Trio. Sip N Savor, 286 DeBaliviere, 1/2 block north of the Forest park Metro link. For more information, call (314)361-2116.

special events

Sat., Feb. 1, 11 a.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. St. Louis Metropolitan Chapters present Founders’ Day Celebration: Celebrating Our Past, Securing Our Future with keynote speaker Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson. Rededication followed by luncheon at noon. Open only to members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel, 191 Westport Plaza, 63146. For more information, call (314) 862-8877.

Sun., Feb. 2, 5 p.m., The Empowerment Network presents a Super Bowl Party for the men, BYOE (bring your own eats) Ten Cancer Center, 6000 West Florissant.

For more information, call (314) 385-0998.

Thurs., Feb. 6, 6 p.m., 360 St. Louis Hilton at the Ballpark hosts The 5th Annual St. Louis Dining in the Dark. This sensory awareness dinner honors St. Louis visionaries, Matt Holliday and Bob O’ Loughlin. One S. Broadway, 63102. For more information, visit www.FightBlindness.org/ DiningInTheDark.

Fri., Feb. 7, 8 p.m., Alive Magazine presents Buzz List Party 2014. Buzz List celebrates St. Louis’ most influential people, organizations and ideas of the year. This is your chance to meet, greet and party with the go-getters enriching the city. Lucas Park Grille, 1234 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com for tickets.

Sat., Feb. 8, 6 p.m., University of Missouri Columbia Black Law Student’s Association hosts 28th Annual Lloyd L. Gaines Scholarship Banquet. This year’s keynote speaker will be Administrative Hearing Commissioner Mary E. Nelson. Additionally, MU BLSA will present two scholarships to exceptional law students. Stotler Lounge, Memorial Union, 518 Hitt St., Columbia, MO. 65201. For more information, call (205) 641-9987 or visit law.missouri. edu/blsa.

Feb. 8 – 9, 11 a.m., Bridgeton Machinist Hall hosts I Do! I Do! Wedding Show. The first 500 pre-registered brides-tobe will receive a free gift bag during the event. 12365 Saint Charles Rock Rd., 63044. For more information, visit www. asyougoevents.com.

Sat., Feb. 8, 6 p.m., Bishop DuBourg High School hosts 16th Annual Annie’s Hope Trivia Night. Proceeds support programs for grieving kids and their families. Annie’s Hope—The Bereavement Center for Kids provides family support groups, schoolbased support groups, retreats, a community resource library, grief referral service, camps and an anticipatory grief program for kids ages 3 – 18. There will also be a silent auction *50/50 * attendance prizes & more. 5850 Eichelberger St., 63109. For more information, call (314) 965-5015 or visit annieshope. org.

Sun., Feb. 9, 4 p.m., The North County Community Development (NCCD) Corporation will sponsor their 2nd Annual Community Awards Banquet and Concert, “Unsung Heroes”, Those Who Make a Difference in the Community New Northside Baptist Conference Center, 5939 Goodfellow Blvd. The honorees are Rev. Rodrick Burton, Pastor of New Northside Baptist Church; Oficer William

Munson, Safety Resource

Oficer at Hazelwood Central High School; Mayor Viola Murphy of the City of Cool Valley; Mrs. Ebony BeattleBenson, Cuetopia II; Mrs. Joyce Eaton, The Millennial Tutoring Academy. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 314-780-0721, 314-882-0667 or visit the agency’s website at www. northcountycdc.org.

Thur., Feb. 13, 5:30

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

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

Fri., Feb. 14, 8:30 p.m.,

K.I.S.S. Fitness Studio hosts Christian Night Out: A Valentine’s To Remember. Festivities include: Game time, old school dance off and a special musical performance by Christian artist Jonathan Jefferson. Seating is limited. 2318 N Us Highway 67, 63033. For more information, call (314) 837-8136 or visit www.kissfitnessstudio.com.

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

Fri., Feb. 15, 9 p.m., Laclede’s Landing presents Run for the Chocolate. This exciting and fun 4 mile run/ walk returns to the streets of Downtown St. Louis to spice up Valentine’s weekend for couples and singles alike. 710 N. Second St., 63160. For more information, visit www. runforthechocolate.com.

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

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

March 16 – March 20, Black College Tour, Colleges/ Universities on the tour include: Tougaloo, Jackson State, Alcorn State, Southern Dillard and Xavier. For more information, Please visit the website: akagammaomegastl. com or call 314-721-2708.

Thursdays, 7 p.m. (6 p.m. practice), The Cultural Bop Society Of St. Louis Continuing the Bop with Style (CBS) (BOP the official Dance of St. Louis, Free Bop Lessons and Bop Set Every Thursday Night, 7555 Olive Blvd. in U-City, St. Louis, MO 63130.

comedy

Sat., Feb. 1, 7 p.m., Lumiere Place presents Keenen Ivory Wayans. 999 N. Second St. Feb. 22, 3 p.m., New African Paradigm presents A Comedy, Poetry,

Entertainment Showcase at Better Family Life, the event will serve as a fundraiser for the clinic in Ghana. For more information, visit www. sabayet.org.

theatre

Jan. 30 – Feb. 9, The Black Rep presents For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit metrotix.com.

Feb., 6 – 8 at 8 p.m., and Feb., 9 at 2 p.m., Mustard Seed Theater presents Gee’s Bend. The story of the Pettway women, quilters from the isolated community of Gee’s Bend Alabama. Beginning in 1939, the play follows Alice, her daughters Sadie and Nella, and Sadie’s husband, Macon, through segregation, family strife and the Civil Rights movement. 6800 Wydown Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www. mustardseedtheatre.com.

Fri., Feb. 7, 8 p.m., The Fox Theater presents Mamma Mia. 527 N Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit metrotix.com.

Fri., Feb. 14, 8 p.m., The Black Rep presents Laughter + Lyrics with Phyllis Yvonne Stickney. Blended evening of conscious comedy and original spoken word accented with music and song. 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, call (314) 534-3810.

Feb., 14 – 16, Peabody Opera House presents Shen Yun. The words evoke a sense of wonder, magic, and the divine. Discover the glory of a fantastically rich culture, that of classical China, brought to life through brilliantly choreographed dance and mesmerizing, all-original orchestral compositions. 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. shenyun.com.

Feb. 19 – March 2, The Fox Theater presents Jersey Boys, The musical about Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. This is the story of how four blue-collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. 527 N Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit metrotix.com.

Thurs., Feb. 20 – Fri., Feb. 21, The Gaslight Cabaret Festival featuring stage and screen veteran Ken Page, The Gaslight Theater 358 N. Boyle St. Louis MO 63108. For tickets, go to www.LicketyTix. com.

Sat., Feb. 22, 2 p.m., Tower Grove Abbey presents The Little dog Laughed. A devilishly hilarious Hollywood agent, a movie

star with a recurring case of homosexuality, and a hustler and his ambitious girlfriend struggle to uncover the truth about what they really want. 2336 Tennessee Ave., 63104. For more information, visit www.straydogtheatre.org.

literary

Mon., Feb. 3, 7 p.m., Greg Kot signs and discusses I’ll Take You There Greg Kot presents the untold story of living legend Mavis Staples-lead singer of the Staples Singers. St. Louis County Library, 1640 S. Lindbergh, 63131. For more information, visit www.left-bank.com.

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

Thurs., Mar. 6, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Ishmael Beah, author of Radiance of Tomorrow. Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone, discusses his first novel, Radiance of Tomorrow, an affecting, tender parable about postwar life in Sierra Leone. 650 Maryville University Dr., 63141. For more information, visit www. left-bank.com.

arts

Fri., Jan. 31, 6 p.m., Julia Davis Branch Library hosts Miles from Here. Ron Young presents a series of paintings of legendary jazz trumpeter

and East St. Louis native Miles Davis. Ron’s uses color in his compositions to express the emotional energy created in Miles‘ music. 4451 Natural Bridge Ave., 63115. For more information, visit www. fabulousartbymeronyoung. com.

Sun., Feb. 2, 11 a.m., The Contemporary Art Museum hosts Artist Talk: It is What it Is: Conversations About Iraq. The unique discussion brings together key participants in artist Jeremy Deller’s 2009 project about the war in Iraq. The discussion will reflect on how the active engagement of the audience in the experience of art can transform one’s understanding of the world. 3750 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.webster.edu.

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

lectures

Sat., Feb. 1, 10 a.m., Mary Institute Country Day School hosts Summer Opportunities Fair. Discover exciting programs for children ages

3-18. Over 150 day and overnight camp representatives from local, national and international camps, foreign study and travel, specialty camps, academic enrichment, and volunteer opportunities will be on hand. 101 N. Warson Rd., 63124. For more information, visit www. summeropportunitiesfair.org.

Sat., Feb. 1, 1:30 p.m., Missouri Progressive Action Group (MOPAG), St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 South Lindbergh Avenue. For more information, visit http://www.MOPAG.infoTHE

Sun., Feb. 9, 2 p.m., Catholic Action Network for Social Justice presents Mass Incarceration: Slavery Revisited Part II – A Call to Action. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. catholicactionnetwork.org/ forums.

Sat., Feb. 15 – Sun., Feb. 16, 9 a.m., The Business of Art a two-day workshop with Jason Horejs, Regional Arts Commission,6128 Delmar Blvd. St Louis, MO 63112. Select the workshop fee that best applies to you. Pay online with PayPal or Credit Card. For more information, visit http://www.art-stl.com/

health

Sun., Feb. 2, 1:30 p.m., As part of its ongoing Parkinson Education there will be a panel presentation on Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson Disease. Topics for the panel discussion include: who is a candidate for DBS, what is DBS therapy and how does it work, what is involved in DBS surgery, and what can be expected after the stimulators are turned on. Congregation Shaare Emeth, 11645 Ladue Rd in Creve Coeur (63141). For more information, call 314-362-3299 or visit www.stlapda.org

Fri., Feb. 7, 6 p.m., Washington Tabernacle hosts and The Missouri Foundation for Health and People’s Community Action Corp. presents a Healthcare Exchange Education and Enrollment Symposium and a screening of the film SiCKO! Washington Tabernacle, 3200 Washington Blvd St. Louis, MO. For more information, visit www. washtabmbc.org

St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in Ferguson is partnering with the Muslim Community of St. Louis physicians to provide free basic healthcare to adults. The clinic is offered at the St. Peter’s UCC at no charge each Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on a walk-in basis Call 314-521-5694 for more information.

Monday – Thursday, 9 – 12 a.m. & 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., Free

Confidential HIV Testing. Results are available in 20 minutes. No appointments necessary. Anyone testing positive will be linked with quality HIV medical care and there is assistance available for those who are uninsured. Washington University Infectious Disease Clinic, 4570 Childrens Place, 63110. For more information, call (314) 747-1237 or (314) 747-1237. Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m., Alcohol and Drug Information Meeting, a certified substance abuse counselor talks about the addiction of alcohol and drugs, warning signs and symptoms, treatment and recovery, how families are affected by addiction and common problems families experience during the recovery process. Meetings are free and open to the public. Christian Hospital Building 2, Suite 401 (I-270/ Hwy 367 interchange) For more information, call 314839-3171 or 1-800-447-4301.

Sundays, 10 a.m., Alcoholics Anonymous Group 109 meets in the 11th floor conference room at Christian Hospital. This is an open meeting for alcoholics, drug addicts and their family and friends. Christian Hospital, 11133 Dunn Road at the I-270/Hwy. 367 interchange.

Christian Hospital Mental Health Evaluations— Psychiatric and chemical dependency evaluations are confidential and offered free by the Christian Hospital Center for Mental Health. Christian Hospital has a geriatric psychiatric unit dedicated to serving the mental health needs of geriatric patients. Call 314839-3171 or 1-800-447-4301.

spiritual

Sun., Feb. 2, 11 a.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. St. Louis Metropolitan Chapters Founders’ Day Celebration: Morning Worship. Central Baptist Church, 2842 Washington Blvd., 63103.

Sat., Feb. 15, 1 p.m., 100th Birthday Celebration for Ms. Sarah Jane Stafford lifelong member of The Mercy Seat Baptist Church, The Mercy Seat Baptist Church, 4424 Dr. James Brown, Sr. Dr., St. Louis, MO 63108.

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

Fri., Feb. 14, About Last Night starring Kevin Hart, Regina Hall and Michael Ealy opens in theatres nationwide.

St. Louis County Library presents Black History Celebration 2014 with featured speaker Ayana Mathis author of ‘The Twelve Tribes of Hattie.’ See BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS for more information.

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classroom and serve as a guest lecturer in art classes. She will even participate in a fingerpainting session with children enrolled at the William L. Clay Early Childhood Development/ Parenting Education Center.

Her February 5 lecture presentation, “The Creative World of Synthia Saint James,” will give the audience an in-depth look into her life and work, while viewing her art on exhibit. Displayed works of art will be sold that night, with 40 percent of the proceeds to be donated to HSSU. The lecture and reception is free and open to the public.

n “My favorite Kwanzaa principle is selfdetermination.”

– Synthia Saint James

but a means by which we arrive at that goal “and “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

The distinguished guest preacher for the day was Dr. Jeffrey O. McCune Jr. Dr. McCune is an associate professor at Washington University where he teaches Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, African American Studies and Performing Arts classes. Dr. McCune is also a performer, playwright and director. His message titled “What Shall We Tell Our Children in the Midst of All This Mess?” was very powerful. He recited lines from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and focused on Dr. King’s quest for peace in all nations. He stated that he became enthralled with Dr. King’s s messages when he was eight years old. A teacher asked him to memorize and recite Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech for MLK Day at school, and his life’s focus was changed forever.

The celebration’s finale showcased young students from Afriky Lolo a local West African Dance Company. The youngsters led by drummer Caph Gueu included Christian Kelly, Najaah Muhamad, Jordan Young and Kyleigh Patrick. They were simply inspirational.

It was great to hear St. Louis Songbird Lynne Fiddmont performing backup on the Grammy’s Sunday night. She sang back-up for Queen Latifah, Madonna, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Very cool! Dr. Pam Jackson always has the inside scoop on Lynne’s accomplishments. Thanks for keeping us posted, Pam!

The Love Boat is sailing on Valentine’s Day and the cruise will feature a

Valentine’s Dinner, Dance and Silent Auction. Hosted by the Auxiliary to the Mound City Medical Forum, this annual event raises funds for St. Louis medical school and nursing students. The Jazz Edge will entertain through the evening. The festive event will be held February 14 at the Hilton Frontenac Hotel. For ticket or table information please call 314-265-8556 or 636-8870210. The Black Rep will present “for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enough” written by St. Louis native Ntozake Shange This special presentation runs January 30 through February 9 in the E. Desmond Lee Auditorium at The Missouri History Museum. African-American women starring in the play will include Linda Kennedy, Marsha Cann, Patrice McClain and Chelsea Draper who will portray the Lady in Yellow. Chelsea is the daughter of Judges George and Judy Draper Yes, that was St. Louis’ homegrown Brandon Glover (aka Hotsauce the Comedian) from Chicago with Darius Bradford at the Rustic Goat Sunday night. Darius has been featuring poets, artists and national comedians; everything goes at this popular downtown location on Sunday nights. Darius’ guest Hotsauce is just in from a productive week in Los Angeles. He performed at the Comedy Store, had a meet-and-greet with Stevie Wonder, taped Russell Simmons’ new comedy show “Def Digital,” did a five minute segment on TMZ (so silly), and auditioned for the Arsenio Hall Show. Great start to the New Year for Hotsauce Keep this young man on your radar. He is destined for more success in 2014! Happy Black History Month. Dana Grace: dgrandolph@live.com.

“She’s gutsy and soulful, witty and meaningful. She answers questions as if it’s the first time responding to such an inquiry,” said Glenda Masingale Manson, president of Sisters & Friends in Bloomington-Normal, IL, which hosted Saint James for a lecture in 2010.

“She made us feel at home,

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work, as we look back on it in its fortieth year, is that she dealt with our colors of the rainbow,” Stickney said.

“At that time black women didn’t have an outlet to do that in this way. We had Lorraine Hansberry, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker and even Octavia Butler from the sci-fi world, but they were linear stories. Here we have a poem that just has snatches of the characters’ lives.”

Stickney speaks of “For Colored Girls…” like a lifelong Shange disciple, but this is her

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designer, Tracie McKeown spoke with pride about her line “Traces of Truth Jewelry” and its brand image.

“My customer is not the normal person that might wear dollar store jewelry,” she said.

“They are trendy, but they like classic pieces that pop. I see how my work is compared to some crap that’s being sold in the stores, and I know my quality of work can contend with major name brands.”

Tracie plans to expand her jewelry line to cater to the high end boutique retailer nationwide and build a stronger, more notable brand.

as if we had traveled the diverse journeys with her and been equally important in her enjoyment of each and every experience. Nobody imagines life, or visualizes all of its grand possibilities, better than her.”

A native of Los Angeles, she was crowned as the first African-American homecoming queen at Los Angeles High School. She briefly attended

first time tackling the text.

“Because it was so overdone, I never wanted to do it,” Stickney admitted. “Every time you turned around somebody was doing a monologue from ‘For Colored Girls…” in auditions and in shows. Now it’s a chance for me to celebrate a celebrated writer that I didn’t get to do back then.”

“For Colored Girls…” also gave her an opportunity to make her performance debut with the Black Rep. Though her relationship with producing director Ron Himes goes back more than 20 years, this is her first time as an ensemble member of a Black Rep production.

She has appeared in some of the most beloved black

Los Angeles Valley College, worked as a writer for Shelter Records and later worked in the media department of Disney Studios. Her career as an artist began in 1969 when she sold a painting in New York to one of her co-workers. For years, she continued to work in corporate America in the accounting department, only painting in her spare time.

“My favorite Kwanzaa

television shows and movies in recent history, including “Malcolm X,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “The Inkwell,” “Women of Brewster Place” and “A Different World.” So she often appeared as a celebrity guest for the Black Rep’s gala “The Woodie Awards.”

Stickney recently returned to her roots of Little Rock –after living in Los Angeles and New York – to work with a new television network. In the meantime she was looking to do some regional theater. So she called her old friend, and Himes cast her in “For Colored Girls…”

Immersing herself in the work, along with her co-stars, gave Stickney a new

n “Never conform to the perception of popular belief. Basically, do you.”

– Kurt Brady

principle is self-determination,” Saint James once told an interviewer. “The most important thing is you must be prepared.”

Following Saint James’ week of residency at HSSU, her paintings will continue to be featured in the university’s AT&T Library and Technology Resource Center until March 1. For more information about Synthia Saint James visit synthiasaintjames.com.

perspective on it.

“This piece gives us sexuality, sensuality, humanity and laughter in a way that we know we experience it, and it was from a voice that we recognize,” Stickney said.

“That’s why it continues to be so popular, because it speaks to the personal struggles and the discovery of one’s importance – of one’s “womanness” if you will – the discovery of your voice as a woman.”

The Black Rep’s presentation of “For Colored Girls…” continues through February 9 at the Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell. For tickets or more information, call 314-534-3810 or visit www.theblackrep.org.

Keeping in line with the gothic, somewhat sinister overtones of the streetwear genre, N3VRMND is leading the pack in fresh gear.

“It began as a hobby,” she said, “but I’ve taken it more seriously since I’ve been in constant production.”

You can check out her pieces in apparel retail tradeshow events throughout the Midwest, as well as on “Traces of Truth” website at www.tracesoftruth.bigcartel. com and via social media @ TracesofTruthJewelry.

Kurt BradyN3VRMND the BRAND

Nowadays, streetwear brands come a dime a dozen – and very few stand out in a crowd.

But this young gent has a jewel on his hand.

N3VRMND the BRAND is the area’s hottest streetwear line, and it hasn’t even dropped in stores yet. Designer Kurt Brady isn’t new to the streetwear game. His former line, Koncrete Clothing, was an underground favorite throughout the region. Now, he’s back with a vengeance.

“The idea behind N3VRMND is never conform to the perception of popular belief,” he said. “Basically, do you.”

N3VRMND the BRAND plans to officially launch in April exclusively at DNA Boutique. For now, you can check for it on social media outlets @N3VMND_THE_ BRAND.

For more info on St. Louis’ hottest design talent, follow Danie Rae on Instagram and Twitter @DanieRae_ StyleBroker and like the Facebook Fan Page at www. facebook.com/brokerofstyle.

Gal pal Kelley Powell with Hotsauce (aka Brandon Glover) at the Rustic Goat

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission

Celebrating St. Louis’ Black History

St. Louisans of African descent have played a large role in the area’s development since St. Louis was founded in 1764. Early census figures show blacks, both free and slave, lived in St. Louis from its earliest days under French and Spanish colonial rule. In fact, black settlers were listed among those killed defending St. Louis from the British in the Revolutionary War Battle of Fort San Carlos, which took place on what are now the Gateway Arch grounds.

If you had a day to explore St. Louis’ rich African-American history, what would you do? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Old Courthouse

Plan to stay: 30 min.-1.5 hours

For more information: www.nps.gov/jeff

Visit the site of Dred Scott’s historic slavery trial. Begun in 1847, the case focused national attention on the slavery issue, and is considered one of the flashpoints for the start of the Civil War. Copies of court records, period newspaper articles and other artifacts of the case are on display in the second floor rotunda gallery, and groups can participate in reenactment of the infamous trial held in one of the restored courtrooms.

2. Museum of Westward Expansion Plan to stay: 1.5-2.5 hours

For more information: http://www.nps.gov/jeff/ planyourvisit/museum-of-westward-expansion.

htm African Americans played significant roles in the founding of the American West, and the Gateway Arch is a monument to all who helped create our nation. The Museum of Westward Expansion, located beneath the Arch, has a display on the Buffalo Soldiers and other black pioneers who conquered the western plains. After visiting the museum, take a tram ride to the top of the Arch for a view 630 feet high above the mighty Mississippi River.

3. The Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Plan to stay: 10-15 mins

Named after a free African-American St. Louisan who helped slaves flee to freedom, this is the first Missouri site on the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. A plaque on St. Louis’ Riverfront Trail, just north of Laclede’s Landing, marks the place where Meachum helped the enslaved get across the Mississippi River to free territory.

4. Griot Museum of Black History and Culture Plan to stay: 1-1.5 hours For more information: http://www. thegriotmuseum.com/ View lifelike figures of African-American leaders, scholars and entertainers who had strong roots in Missouri. Life-size models tell the stories of botanist George Washington Carver and the Rev. John Berry Meachum among others. Groups can see a replica of a ship which brought African slaves to America, the remains of an authentic slave cabin from rural Missouri, displays depicting the lives of African Americans during and after the Civil War, and an exhibit on Dr. Martin Luther King’s life.

5. National Historic Landmark J.D. Shelley Home Plan to stay: 5-10 minutes In 1930, the J. D. Shelley family migrated to St. Louis from Mississippi. What they found at the time was a city whose available real estate was characterized by racially restrictive covenants that limited equal access to housing for people of color. The Shelleys directly challenged this discriminatory policy by purchasing a home at 4600 Labadie Avenue. In 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racially restrictive housing could not be enforced, opening the door to equal housing for everyone in America. Visit the National Historic Landmark J.D. Shelley Home.

6. Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery Plan to stay: 15-20 mins

For more information: http://www.cem.va.gov/ cems/nchp/jeffersonbarracks.asp

At the fourth-largest cemetery in the country, visitors can pay their respects at the burial site of 1,068 members of the 56th U.S. Colored Infantry, which was organized in St. Louis in 1863 during the Civil War.

8. Scott Joplin House Plan to stay: 45 min. – 1 hour

For more information: www.mostateparks.com/ scottjoplin.htm

Tour the home of Scott Joplin, the “King of Ragtime.” A National Historic Landmark, the Scott Joplin House was home to the composer from 1900 to1903. His original compositions are displayed, along with an exhibit on the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair in Forest Park. It was during the fair that Joplin premiered his new-style music to the world. Visitors can “play” some of the famous rags by pumping a vintage foot-powered player piano.

9. Calvary & Bellefontaine Cemeteries Plan to stay: 30 mins.

For more information: www.stlcathcem.org

Visit the gravesites of Dred Scott and Madame Pelagie Rutgers, an African-American woman who grew to become one of St. Louis’ wealthiest land-holders in the mid-18th century at Calvary and right next door Bellefontaine Cemetery houses the grave sites of two prominent ministers: the Reverend John Richard Anderson, a witness to the 1837 murder of the Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy, an abolitionist newspaper publisher; and Reverend John Berry Meachum, founder of the First African Baptist Church and a “freedom school” on the Mississippi River.

10. Missouri History Museum Plan to stay: 1 hour

For more information: www.mohistory.org

The Missouri History Museum features several exhibits documenting the lives and contributions of black St. Louisans. Of note are a stylized re-creation of the home of Jeannette Forchet, a free black woman who was one of the first landowners in St. Louis; exhibits about Dred Scott and his freedom trial; plus iconic representations of cultural contributions to modern society by artists such as Katherine Dunham, Miles Davis and others.

There’s even more to see and explore!

Log onto www.explorestlouis.com to immerse yourself in history of the region.

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

~ Celebrations ~

com.Send your ideas as well as the best time for meetings.

Beaumont High Class of 1968 is invited to plan and organize the June 2014 46th Class Reunion Family Picnic, Jan. 25, 2014 3- 5 p.m. at Cookies n Popcorn Factory 8149 Delmar. For more information email bhsco1968@att.net or call 869-8312.

Beaumont High Class of 1969 reunion planning committee meeting is set for Sat, Jan. 25, 2014 from noon—3 pm at the Vagabond House, 4315 Westminister Pl. Contact info: LaDonne at 314 277-5095 or

beaumontclassof1969@ yahoo.com.

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

Soldan Class of 1965 Presents Washington, DC: Our Nation’s Capital, June 19-24, 2014. For more information contact: Corinne Parker-Stukes 636-294-4373, Brenda Wallace-Yancey 314-830-1334, Isaiah Hair, Jr. 314-387-7592 or email: soldanclassof65@gmail.com. SumnerAlumni Association

hosts its 11th Annual RoundUp of Sumner Alumni Sunday, February 23, 2014, 1 - 4 p.m. at Sumner High School. This year’s honorees are alumni that have served in any area associated with the Transportation Field. Also, we will honor alumni that have volunteered at Sumner on a regular basis from 2008-14. A Reception will be held in the gym from 12:45 - 1:45 p.m. with displays, souvenir items, photographer, and more. New and renewal of alumni memberships accepted in the foyer. Program starts at 2 p.m. in the auditorium. For more info, contact P. Mason at 314.556.3944, J. Vanderford at 314.454.0029 or email: sumnersince1875@yahoo.com. Vendors are welcome ($50 in

advance); contact B. Louis at 314.385.9843.

Sumner High Class Of 1974 has started planning its 40th class reunion. Meetings are held each third Saturday of the month from 2-4 pm at New Beginnings Missionary Baptist Church, 4055 Edmundson Rd. 63134. Please contact Marsha D. Roberts-Moore at sumnerclassof1974@ yahoo.com, 314-367-3159 or Joyce Bush-Cruesoe at cruesoe2195@att.net, 314484-1552.

Sumner High Class of 1969 has started planning its 45th class reunion. Please email shsclassof69@yahoo.

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

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

Demaro Sr. and Ebony Isom celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary on January 15. Ebony also celebrated her birthday on January 14 and Demaro Jr. on January 19. God bless you all! From Mom and Granny (Wilma)

Expecting Christian behavior from Christians

Getting harder to tell the saints from the sinners

By Raynard Jackson Of The NNPA

Last year, actress Meagan

Good created a controversy when she wore an extremely revealing blue dress at the BET Music Awards show. The dress was low-cut and she was wearing no bra.

BET asked Good to present the award for best gospel artist during the show, so I assume she wanted to get attention for her outfit, which is pretty common in Hollywood – and attention she did get. Meagan has always professed her Christianity in public and had recently married Devon Franklin, a Sony Pictures executive and Seventh Day Adventist pastor.

Her attire set off a firestorm of criticism on social media, with many saying her dress was inappropriate for someone who claimed to be a Christian, married to a preacher and presenting a gospel award. Good went to her Instagram to respond, “I’m not any less holy because the dress I wore – I may not be who people think I should be – but I’m morphing into exactly who God wants me to be… My excuse is never ‘I’m going to do me’ and I don’t feel that I need to make an excuse or defend or what I wore .. I know I have a responsibility – and I’m working daily to fulfill the full potential of all God has created me to be.”

A similar controversy is brewing about Christine Vest. She is a wannabe gospel singer who recently had a baby by Dwight Howard,

have gangsta Christian rap music, we have Christian punk rockers and Christian nude models, etc. It’s hard to distinguish Christians from sinners.

Meagan, “Let not then your good be evil spoken of” (Romans 14:6); Dwight, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12); Christine, “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

Meagan, yes, you have a right to wear whatever you choose, but remember you have a responsibility to represent the best of Christendom. Or, as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

Dwight you came into the NBA talking about being a witness for Christ to your teammates; maybe now it’s time for someone to be a witness to you.

Maybe you’ve heard people talk about a transformative process as they begin to have a different view of the world because they’ve moved from unsaved to saved. “Walk” seems to be a good description for continued enlightenment and personal growth. The walk reference just really intrigues me. The Bible had many a truth revealed during a walk, on a journey, while going from one place to another, or in the mental travelling of a dream. And why not? What is more meaningful than a walk with someone you respect, admire, love or know you can learn a lot from?

laid down by Christ. The best example I can think of is Enoch. “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more because God took him away.” Genesis 5:24. The Bible talks about walking humbly, walking in Light, walking with the wise, walking together, walking in counsel and walking on water.

One of the most memorable experiences I’ve had was to walk with either one of my children when they were toddlers. There was something about them discovering and exploring the world around them with no fear because they knew I was with them every step of the way. Have you ever witnessed this?

center for the Houston Rockets of the NBA. Her only claim to fame is getting pregnant by Howard. People have been calling her out for having a kid out of wedlock while calling herself a gospel singer. Vest lashed out at her critics. She vented on her Instagram, “I’m sorry, but I just have to address all the…people…that consider ‘having a child out of wedlock’ a ‘sin.’ Having fornication is the sin, people. FORNICATION…If you want

to rebuke me for fornicating, thanks, but I have repented already.”

If you publicly profess to be a Christian, then people automatically and rightfully expect you to comport yourself in a certain manner. It has nothing to do with judging you or about degrees of sin (fornication vs. lying, etc.). Proclaiming to be a Christian used to conjure up a lot of very positive images – trustworthy, loving, caring, modest, etc. Now we

Christine, I don’t think people are trying to judge you rather than to remind you that just because you feel you can doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

Each of you injected your Christianity into the public arena, therefore is it not reasonable for us to expect you to live up to what it means to be a Christian?

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC. He can be reached at http:// www.raynardjackson.com or on Twitter at raynard1223.

Have you ever been a part of the experience of walking and talking with another human being with whom you are in total sync? I just have to believe that must be one of the reasons people refer to discovering God as being on a journey, a walk in faith, if you will. The walk reference is an excellent description of trying to follow a spiritual direction

The point seems to be that life is a journey, and being able to actually walk and talk with God is a desirable and wonderful thing. Searching for Him while we are here on earth is part of one’s spiritual awakening. Once you take the first step life changes. You change. I know I did. A Faith Walk is both a public and a private acknowledgment that you are letting God order your steps through this world. I’m relatively sure that if you can do that, He will lead you right to Him. “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12. So this walk thing can literally be interpreted as a way to connect to God. You can walk with Him as Enoch did. Trust me God will show up in some of the strangest places, in some strange faces. “This is what the Lord says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls…” Jeremiah 6:16

be patient; we will run columns in the order received.

James A. Washington

Actress Meagan Good and her husband Devon Franklin, a Sony Pictures executive and Seventh Day Adventist pastor.

Celebrity Swagger Snap of the Week

Tez of Black Star and Phil of Liquid Assets with Rapper and reality television star Jim Jones, who became the latest celebrity to hit the stage for Coliseum Fridays.

Two weeks ‘til Young Leaders. We’ve named names – and so now I’m even “more” excited about The St. Louis American Foundation’s Fourth Annual Salute to Young Leaders Networking & Awards Reception. I don’t have the space to name all twenty of the folks under forty who are on their way to big things (or doing them already), but peep the front page and the special ad in the paper to find out for yourself. But I will say that some of my favorite folks in the city made the cut for year four and I can’t wait to celebrate with them in the swank, swagged out surroundings of the Four Seasons in two short weeks! If you want to connect, come to Young Leaders. If you want to be inspired, come to Young Leaders. If you want to catch the folks who will run this town while they’re on their way up….you know the rest. I mean, seriously, the networking reception is one of a kind and a must attend for those who want to get wind of what it takes to get on the path for greatness – and make connections with the power players early in the game. It’s going down Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m. Understand that these tickets are only $25, and it will sell out, so visit www.stlamerican.com or call (314) 533-8000 – for tickets or e-mail kdaniel@stlamerican.com for more information.

Getting ConnectED with care. Since I’m already talking about future leaders and inspiration, I might as well mention that I stopped through inspireSTL’s fundraiser happy hour, The ConnectED Social Thursday night. Most of my job is spent on the sidelines watching folks tear the club up, but every now and again I feel it’s my appointed duty to show love to something with a little more substance – which lead me over to Mandarin last Thursday afternoon once I was made hip to it by the lovely Sarita Moody. For those who don’t know, inspireSTL is a nonprofit organization that helps underserved, high achieving high school students gain access to college-preparatory schools and the funds raised at last week’s event helped aid them in their mission. I was thrilled by how sexy and sophisticated the vibe was – but I know not to expect anything less from anything suggested by Sarita. Needles was on the tables and some of the movers and shakers of the city including Marlon Lee, Halima Martin, Darius Chapman and more. It was a good look to see people getting together for the sake of giving back!

Mr. Chrissy centerstage. I know by now you’re probably thinking “when is this girl going to get to her usual disgracefulness”….ready, set go! I made my way to the Coliseum Friday night for their regular rotation of C minus list celebs for their extremely popular Friday night shindigs. This past week rap/ reality star Jim Jones moseyed on into town. I must say that he looks leaps and bounds better than the last time he came to town and was serving YMCA resident swag. I’m convinced that he could be open-casket sharp in gators and a three-piece pinstriped suit and still look like there was a trail of dust and fleas following him like a shadow (or a thirsty groupie). He was serving his best Vin Diesel “XXX” impersonation with the bulky coat with fuzzy trim as he and his football team of an entourage made their way into the building. It wasn’t as full as it was for Fabolous, though it came close when you counted Jones’ entourage. He had the Coliseum pretty packed out, though I must admit I was saddened that his boo Chrissy decided to stay home. Chingy and Guccio were just a couple of the faces I recognized within the masses. It was a cool time, even though the sound system started tripping in the middle of Jim Jones’ show. But what I quietly caught life from is that he didn’t complain or try to hide it. He just stopped lip syncing and started bouncing around and basking in the “turn up” body language.

Shindigging with style. On Sunday I stopped through Studio Posh for our own Danie Rae’s exclusive mixer for the most stylish in the city. As usual, I caught life from Danie’s rare brand of swag! On this night she was quietly giving me a voluptuous Storm from “X-Men” thanks to her flowing black cape and silver fox bangs. I was able to make mental notes for the sake of jacking the swag of folks from the super popular Style File series (like Hasina Starks) and other fashionistas who came to toast to Danie Rae.

Screening, chatting and feedback. I think I’m gonna ask Craig, Chris and Teri to set me up a trundle bed in the back of the Coliseum because my weekend started and ended there and I’ll be repeating the same action as we go into Super Bowl weekend. My first visit was Wednesday for a special screening of blactor/director Ka’ramuu Kush’s latest film “And Then…” It turned into “Chocolate Skinemax” for a hot second and the A/V was tripping, but I had a great time watching the film and catching the feedback from the sisters (and scattered brothers) that came through. Phyllis Stickney, one of the founding mothers of the naturalista movement was an awesome host and I loved seeing how the film created a platform for dialogue among the single black females.

Staying put at the Coliseum. This really does feel like the Coliseum edition of Partyline – so I might as well keep it going. I don’t know how that crew sleeps with all that they have popping off over there – especially these past few weeks. I’m getting exhausted just thinking of the lineup they have this week. Trina and her famous cakes will grace the stage as part of the Eye Candy Party on Friday. Kandi from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” will host and 8Ball & MJG are slated to hopefully redeem themselves after that subpar performance at the Loft perform on Saturday. Then they will pack the club out all over again for their 2nd Annual Super Bowl Bash that will also serve as the official b-day party for Hot 104.1 FM’s Boogie D. I’m exhausted just looking at how often I’ll be driving back and forth. Does anybody have a loft in the area they would be willing to sublet to me for three or four days?

Kim, Kim and Shannon sit back and enjoy the live tunes being served up Friday night @ The Rustic Goat

Drew and fashion stylist Jaron soak in the scene Friday night for the Umbrella Group’s Ciroc Life party Saturday night @ The Rustic Goat

Beauties Jasmine and Melissa offer service with a smile each week @ The Coliseum

Areina and Antonio of AHolland Group threw

a bash in honor of The St. Louis Trotters IBA Professional Basketball team Saturday night @ EXO

Derrty Ent’s City Spud and Kyjuan were in the building with Tricky and his Close to Famous crew for the Let’s Get Dirty party Saturday night @ Lola

Cornell Boone of Ciroc and the Umbrella Group’s Raphael teamed up to pack out the Rustic Goat for a special Ciroc Life party Saturday night

St. Louis American’s own Danie Rae, The Style Broker gathered the STL’s most fabulous fashionistas, including Phea Monae, for her special Shindig @ Studio Posh Sunday night

LaShone and Julian came to mingle with some of the city’s trendsetters along with Danie Rae, The Style Broker Sunday evening @ Studio Posh

Yonni and Quin await their taste of throwback hip-hop courtesy of Jim Jones Friday night @ The Coliseum

Tosha, Keegan, Nya and Kristen kicked their weekend off with a grown vibe, good music and great food Friday night @ The Rustic Goat

Photos by Lawrence Bryant

St. LouiS AmericAn t

‘Make

time to pursue your passion’

Career advice from Toyota attorney who moonlights as author

American staff

In January, the job search websites go crazy as people start the New Year resolved to find work that’s more satisfying.

“While thousands of people are dealing with the tragedy of unemployment, many others are looking for jobs that are more fulfilling than the ones they have,” says attorney and author Pamela Samuels Young, whose newest novel, “Anybody’s Daughter,” is one of five nominees for NAACP Image Awards’ Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction.

In January 2013, job search website

Indeed.com had a record 17.3 million unique visitors – a 24-percent jump, and January 2014 will likely see a similar increase. Many of those job seekers won’t be looking for just a job, but one they’re passionate about.

n “There are tons of professional groups whose sole function is to help their members develop their creative talents and business goals.”

– Pamela Samuels Young

“It’s great if your day job is your passion,” Young says. “But if it’s not, you don’t have to give up a position that pays the bills in order to pursue your dream. You can do both.”

Since 2006, Young has pursued her passion –writing legal thrillers – as well as her day job as managing counsel for Labor and Employment Law for Toyota Motors Sales, U.S.A., Inc. She was described by one reviewer as “John Grisham with a sister’s twist.”

“I enjoy practicing law and I didn’t want to leave Toyota, nor could I afford to. But I also had a burning desire to write mystery novels,” says Young.

“Anybody’s Daughter,” her sixth novel, is described by Kirkus Reviews as a “fast-paced, well-written thriller that’s grounded in social issues.” The book takes readers inside the world of

Pamela

child sex trafficking in the United States.

“I’ve always believed that if you have a dream, you should formulate a plan and make it happen,” she said. “So that’s what I did.”

Young’s plan included rising at 4 a.m. to squeeze in some writing time before heading off to work, and turning weekends and vacation time into creation time.

“Sometimes it’s hard to believe that I’ve published six novels, while still practicing law,” she says. “The hard work and commitment have definitely paid off.” Young offers these tips for busy professionals itching to pursue their own passions.

• Schedule time to devote to your passion. “On my calendar, you’ll find a few hours or full days blocked out as ‘Writing Time’ every week,” Young says. “You have to schedule time for your passion. If you don’t, the day-today demands of life will get in the way.”

• Put “passion” time ahead of “pleasure” time. If you’re working full-time and pursuing another “job,” you won’t have a lot of free time. “You’ll have to cut back on watching television, socializing with friends and even family time,” Young says. “Explain your goals to friends and family.

People who have your best interests at heart will support you. “But do take an occasional break to relax. Otherwise, you’ll burn yourself out by working around the clock.”

• Learn from others. Surround yourself with people who share your passion. Sign up for newsletters, read books and join communities of other like-minded people, Young says. “There are tons of professional groups whose sole function is to help their members develop their creative talents and business goals.” Young is a diehard member of Sisters in Crime, an organization that promotes the advancement of women mystery writers. “Not only

will you get energy and inspiration from networking with others, you’ll grow.”

• Don’t put your day job on the backburner. Young says it’s important to give your day job 100 percent. “I never want my co-workers to think I’m phoning it in because I also have a writing career.” That attitude has paid off. “I have a strong support system at work. My co-workers read my books, critique my manuscripts and come to book signings.” Many of the people Young thanks in the Acknowledgements in each of her books are co-workers. Her fourth novel is even dedicated to another Toyota attorney.

“Don’t just dream about pursuing your passion,” Young says, “make it happen!”

Pamela Samuels Young is a novelist, motivational speaker and Managing Counsel for Labor and Employment Law for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the sales and distribution arm for Toyota and Lexus vehicles in North America. Visit www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com.

February 27 deadline for scholarship app

Regions Bank is offering high school seniors and college freshman, sophomore and juniors an opportunity to both celebrate the contributions of African Americans and earn money to attend college.

Regions will award a total of 32 Regions Riding Forward Scholarships to high school and college students across the 16 states served by the company. The selection is based on a competitive essay contest.

High School seniors are eligible to apply for a $5,000 scholarship based on an essay about an AfricanAmerican who has inspired them. College freshman, sophomores and juniors are eligible for a $2,500 scholarship based on an essay about an African-American who has inspired them and influenced their college career.

Additional entry details, official rules and complete eligibility requirements are available on the campaign’s website, regions.com/ ridingforward.

To date, Regions has awarded 57 scholarships to high school and college students totaling nearly $250,000. Applications for the Regions Riding Forward Scholarship will be accepted from January 20 through February 27. Scholarship awards will be announced in April 2014. For more information or to see last year’s winners and essays, visit www. regions.com/ridingforward.

For questions about the application, submission process or technical questions, please contact ISTS Customer Care at 855-670-ISTS (4787) or via email at contactus@ applyists.com. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. CT. All phone calls and emails are returned within one business day.

Samuels Young is managing counsel for Labor and Employment Law for Toyota Motors Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and the author of six mystery novels.