July 11th, 2013 edition

General to address engineering students

For the speaker at its 17thAnnual Scholars Reception and Awards Program to be held 2-4:30 p.m. Sunday, July 14 at Washington University School of Engineering, the St. Louis Gateway Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) chose a take-charge guy: Lieutenant General Darren W. McDew, Commander of the 18th Air Force at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. With nearly 40,000 personnel and approximately 1,300 aircraft, the 18th Air Force manages the nation’s military air mobility system. Its Commander knows a thing or two

Lieutenant General Darren W.McDew is Commander of the 18th Air Force at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

and

Residents grill EPA overSuperfund site

By Bridjes O’Neil Of The St.Louis American

Frustrated

The lingering smell permeating the air for miles – best described as a mixture of rotten eggs and burning cardboard.

Next meeting about West Lake Landfill

is tonight

high school auditorium. Simone claimed she has an undiagnosed neuromuscular disease and wondered if her health problems could be attributed to living in close proximity to radioactive waste. She believed that radioactive material could be polluting drinking water by seeping into groundwater.

“I got out of my sick bed to find out what’s happening,” Simone said. “I just want to connect the dots.”

Brentwood H.S. hires first black principal

Edward M. Johnson Jr. was assistant principal and athletic director

By Bridjes O’Neil Of the St.Louis American

On July 1, Edward M. Johnson Jr. became the first African-American principal of Brentwood High School. He was named unanimously by the Brentwood School District Board of Education to replace retiring Principal Don Rugraff at a board meeting in April. Rugraff stepped down June 30 after serving the district for five years.

“Dr. Johnson is the right choice as the new principal,” said David Faulkner, superintendent of the Brentwood School District. “He has worked in the district for eight years and understands and values our mission to serve every student.” In 2012, according to data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Brentwood High School was two-thirds (66 percent) white and one-third minority, with 27 percent black students, 2 percent Hispanic and 1.2 percent Asian.

The school had 244 students, and 32.9 percent were on free or reduced lunches, an indicator of

Normandy-Francis Howell transfers stir deseg memories and fears

ByRobert Joiner Of The Beacon

David Glaser wasn’t in St. Louis three decades ago during the height of public opposition to the region’s first interdistrict school desegregation program. He’s learning about some of the old outcry as emotions rise in St. Charles County where the Francis Howell District is preparing to take students wishing to transfer there from Normandy. Francis Howell is acting in the context of a state lawrequiring districts to educate students wishing to transfer out of unaccredited school systems. Normandy, which is unaccredited, has chosen Francis Howell as the receiving district of choice, agreeing to pick up the transportation costs for

DeAndre Singletary,branch manager for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund Division,talked with Jim Kolve

other concerned citizens at a public hearing about the West Lake Landfill held recently at Pattonville High School.The next public hearing is tonight.

residents in Bridgeton and neighboring Maryland Heights are still at odds with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials regarding the removal of radioactive waste at West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton.

Karl Brooks, EPARegion 7 administrator, led a heated panel discussion recently at a West Lake Landfill public meeting held at

Pattonville High School. Gena Simone, of Maryland Heights, sat next to her motorized wheelchair inside the

Edward M. Johnson

Photo by Wiley Price

Lauryn Hill locked up for tax evasion sentence

According to TMZ.com, former Fugees member and Grammy winner Lauryn Hill has reported to federal prison to begin her threemonth sentence for tax evasion.

Hill is serving her time in the Federal Correctional Institution, a “minimum security type facility” in Danbury, Conn.

She pled guilty last year to three counts of tax evasion for failing to file returns on earnings between 2005 and 2007.

Siovaughn sues

D. Wade for $1M

The Chicago Tribune

Siohvaughn Wade is suing her former husband Dywane Wade his attorney, his financial adviser and companies with which she believes he has endorsement deals for allegedly

refusing to uphold an agreement that required the money to be placed in a joint bank account.

The suit alleges the ex-couple had a contract that required that all of the Miami Heat shooting guard’s income from endorsements and marketing contracts plus half of his July 2006 NBA contract income be deposited directly into a “mutual account.”

Instead, the lawsuit alleges, Wade and his agents and attorneys have made an “end run” around the agreement by deciding “when and how much of those funds should be deposited into the mutually agreed upon account.”

Was Denzel caught creeping on Pauletta?

and pulls her in for a kiss on the lips in one. The woman is not identified and Radar was not able to verify the authenticity of the photographs. There have been other reports and allegations of infidelity regarding the superstar – who has been married for more than 30 years to Pauletta Washington

“Denzel has always sweet-talked his way out of it,” an insider told Star magazine in their latest issue, which has details of the new cheating scandal. “She (his wife) confronted him, and once again he denied he did anything wrong,” the source said of Denzel’s latest situation.

Kirk Frost says Rasheeda is rolling out on their marriage

Kirk also told TMZ that his wife is now “done” with him.

50 Cent loses MLB All-Star deal amid family drama

50 Cent is having the worst week ever. First he was charged with abusing the mother of his secret child. Then embarrassing text messages between 50 and his 16-year-old son Marquise turned up online where 50 disowns his son via SMS.

According to RadarOnline.com, married Denzel Washington is now caught up in a cheating scandal as photographs of Denzel apparently with and kissing another woman are being shopped.

Several photos are said to have been shopped to various media outlets appear to show Denzel with another woman and kissing her on the lips.

Four photographs reportedly show him sitting on a couch with a young lady, and then throughout the series of pictures he grabs her arm

After getting caught cheating on his wife on national television, “Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta” star Kirk Frost says his wife Rasheeda is filing for divorce.

On the latest episode of the show Kirk and Benzino go to a cabin at the lake with a bunch of girls and the show ends with Kirk heading to the bedroom with two women.

“Not only was doing it on the show inappropriate ... but it was inappropriate period,” Frost told TMZ. “And I hurt my wife.”

“Delete my number” and “you never call what the [f-word expletive] I’m suppose (sic) to call you to give you something sorry.” 50 reportedly said. “You are your mother’s son. I don’t have a son anymore. Tell your mother she won. She has you and I’ll make another. I will have nothing to do with you. Don’t text me ever again.” Now at least one of the ordeals seems to have started affecting his pockets.

According to TMZ, 50 Cent just got dropped from Major League Baseball’s upcoming All-Star Bash in New York July 14. Insiders told TMZ that the MLB decided to drop 50 as a direct result of his domestic violence charges.

BFL gears up for Better Family Week

Festivities

Aug. 3-10 include return of popular Amnesty Project

By Bridjes O’Neil

Of The St. Louis American

Better Family Life will soon kick off its annual Family Week festivities. Each year, BFL selects two or three families to provide leadership, logistical and technical support needed to help make Family Week one of the largest events of the summer.

The 2013 BFL Co-Chair families consist of Nicole Colbert-Botchway and her husband, Ibrahim Botchway; Cathy and Tom Hogan; and Shirlyn and Michael Myles. These families recently hosted the BFL Family Week Co-Chair Reception at the BFL Cultural, Business and Educational Center, 5415 Page Blvd. The co-chairs are all dedicated public servants, ready to serve. “We are here because we work, we believe, and we strive,” co-chair Shirlyn Miles said on behalf of all three families.

James Clark, vice president of community outreach of Better Family Life, thanked corporate sponsor Mid-America Transplant Services, Family Week’s most generous sponsor last year, and presented an overview of this year’s events. Family Week begins on Wednesday, July 31 with a kick-off reception to be held from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the BFL Cultural, Business and Educational Center. The Tyrone Thompson Community Service Award will be awarded at the reception.

and and Michael

are

basics, Clark said.

“We lost a good brother in Tyrone Thompson who was an avid member of the Family Week host committee,” Clark said. The former police officer, mentor and nonviolence advocate was killed by gun violence in June 2010; his untimely death inspired BFL’s Put Down the Pistol initiative.

Each year, Thompson’s surviving family members personally select deserving recipients of this award. In attendance at the co-chair reception was former State Rep. Betty L. Thompson, Tyrone’s mother, who spoke briefly to the audience. She appealed to community to “put down these guns and stop this violence.”

“We’ve got to stop all these killings that are going on in the city of St. Louis,” she said. “Something is wrong. It’s going to take all of us working together to do better.”

This year’s Family Week theme is “Faith, Family, and Neighborhood.” It all boils down to getting back to the

“We’ve got to renew our faith in the Creator, we’ve got to begin to reconnect with and strengthen our families and focus on the crisis of our neighborhoods,” Clark said.

On Monday, August 5, BFL will host the St. Louis Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Crime Summit

from 6–8 p.m. The summit will also be held at the Cultural, Business and Educational Center.

On Tuesday, August 6, Family Skate Night will be held from 6–10 p.m. at Skate King Roller Rink, 6025 Natural Bridge Blvd. The St. Louis Professional Networking Mixer will be held from 6-11 p.m. Thursday, August 8 at the Rustic Goat, 2617 Washington Ave. To attend the Networking Mixer, BFL is requesting a $10 donation. BFL is again partnering with St. Louis Community College to host its St. Louis Metropolitan Area Amnesty Project, a BFL social responsibility effort to help reengage individuals with misdemeanor warrants into the workforce. The three-day event will be held at SLCC campuses August 3 (Meramec), 7 (Florissant Valley) and 10 ( Forest Park) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There’s a $10 processing fee to attend. PeaceFest be held at Forest Park on Sunday, August 25. It will feature both national and local recording artists, a children’s play zone, a variety of team sports competitions and the St. Louis Arch Idol Competition. Food vendors and PeaceFest merchants will sell their goods from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. BFL encourages the participation of small businesses and booth registration fees will be based on a sliding-fee scale. “We don’t necessarily want to sell all vendor space to corporations,” Clark said. To reserve a vendor booth at PeaceFest, contact James Clark at 314-381-8200. For more information, visit http://www. betterfamilylife.org/. Follow this reporter on Twitter @BridjesONeil.

Ibrahim Botchway, Nicole Colbert-Botchway, Tom Hogan, Cathy Hogan, Shirlyn Myles

Myles

co-chairs for the 2013 Better Family Life Family Week.

Editorial /CommEntary

We should welcome immigrants

It’s understandable that when some African Americans hear regional leaders call for more immigration to St. Louis – as St. Louis regional leaders are doing now – they fear more competition for jobs and consequently even less economic opportunity for blacks. However, we reject that notion today and the thinking that was reflected in an analysis in 2006 by the late political science professor Ron Walters. Aware of high unemployment among black men in U.S. cities, Walters pointed out that black men and Latino workers compete for low-wage jobs, and he criticized immigrant workers for not joining labor unions and thereby depressing all laborers’ wages. We should not take the narrow view of anti-immigrant sentiment that was warranted historically. In 2013, African Americans in this region are more compromised by a lagging, slow-growing economy and inferior education than by any anticipated growth in immigration. The St. Louis region faces the challenges of many regions in the Midwest who have seen a dramatic decrease in manufacturing that provided good paying jobs for many years in the past. According to a 2012 study by Jack Strauss, professor of economics and director of the Simon Center for Regional Forecasting at Saint Louis University, immigration expands a region’s productive capacity by stimulating investment and promoting specialization. “This in turn leads to efficiency gains, higher profits and wage raises for all workers,” Strauss said. St. Louis has less than 5 percent foreignborn individuals living in the region. It ranks in the top 20 in population but 42nd in terms of immigrants. If St. Louis had experienced an influx of immigrants similar to other large cities, its income growth would have been 4 to 7 percent greater, and the region’s income would be 7 to 11 percent larger, according to Strauss’ statistical analyses. This is true even when the immigrants are from a demographic with whom blacks traditionally have felt themselves to be in direct economic competition: Latin Americans. Despite this deeply held feeling, African Americans are actually helped – not hurt – economically by Latino immigration. African Americans in metropolitan areas with more Latino immigration experience significantly higher wages, lower unemployment and higher job creation, according to Strauss’ June 2013 study, “Allies, Not Enemies: How Latino immigration boosts African American employment and wages.” For every 1 percent increase in a city’s share of Latinos, AfricanAmerican median and mean wages increase by 3 percent. St. Louis has only 1.5 percent of its population from Latin America. If St. Louis had a Latino population as large as other large metropolitan areas, African-American wages would be approximately 30 percent higher, according to the report. Also, African-American unemployment rate would be about two percent lower.

Strauss knows these findings contradict the prevailing view that immigrants, including

County Executive Charlie A. Dooley was presented the Niagara Foundation’s 2013 Leadership Award by Bob Fox (founder of NewSpace Inc. and Casa de Salud) for his support of immigrants in the St. Louis region. Dooley and Fox are among the regional leaders calling for more immigrants to bolster the regional economy.

Photo by Maurice Meredith

Latinos, are willing to work for less, and therefore have taken jobs away from African Americans. “To the extent that there really is a ‘black-brown’ divide, it is rooted in politics and perception – not economics,” Strauss said. We understand that politics and perception speak louder, to most people, than macroeconomics. But we are making a foolish and damaging mistake, given all the actual problems we do have, when we cling to an imagined problem that might, in fact, provide part of the solution to our biggest crisis, which is catastrophic levels of unemployment in our community. The black unemployment rate for June rose to 13.7 percent while the overall unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.6 percent, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Regional leaders have their hard work cut out for them after decades of xenophobia and backward thinking have contributed to making many immigrants feel unwelcome here. Though long overdue, this initiative deserves our cooperation, not resistance, in supporting a more robust, accelerated solicitation of immigrants of all ethnic backgrounds. Attracting greater numbers of immigrants, with greater inclusion of them in the fabric of the St. Louis region at all levels should be a priority. It is short-sighted not to recognize that greater economic growth and a more vibrant St. Louis economy holds out greater promise for increased employment opportunity and more prosperity for everyone, including the African-American community. Our great challenge is to prepare better for jobs and opportunity in the expanded economy that immigration will help foster.

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Health disparities in the heartland

Three years after the conclusion of Healthy People 2010, the United States still lacks a sustainable, evidencebased action plan and the necessary data to monitor and track progress in the reduction of health disparities. Although substantial improvements have been made in the health status of African Americans over the past 10 years in major health indicators such as overall mortality, heart disease, cancer, stroke diabetes, infant mortality, lead poisoning, gonorrhea and asthma, substantial racial disparities continue to persist.

In St. Louis, these health disparities are pronounced, with blacks having a higher death rate compared to whites in almost every major health category, including heart disease, HIV/AIDs, diabetes and all cancers. A recent St. Louis Regional Health Commission study indicates that black children are approximately seven times more likely to visit the emergency room for asthma than white children. Few would dispute the existence of health disparities; however, there is disagreement at the national, state, and local level concerning how successful we have been at reducing and eliminating health disparities.

Leaders from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa have come together to form the Heartland Regional Health Equity Council (Heartland RHEC), working toward a collective vision of a region without inequities in health and health care. This effort is a part of the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities throughout the

United States. In order to tackle the lofty goal of eliminating regional health and health care disparities, our council has been strategically mapping needs, gathering localized data, and will use this data to identify a targeted set of priority areas. We have completed the first step by developing a Blueprint for Action which includes broad state and regionallevel data and proposes a series of key products, including an environmental scan of local data, to guide our path forward. This Blueprint is based on research, and the environmental scan will enliven the research by refining data and identifying the specific issues that the Heartland RHEC intends to tackle.

The Blueprint for Action lays groundwork for our council’s work, which will: Fulfill the need for locallevel health data focused on minority groups The Heartland RHEC is collecting quality data on hard-to-reach populations. The process has allowed for local feedback on how data is collected – including variables in data sets and how the data is housed – which is not typically considered. You may see our

We can handle the truth

I don’t believe government officials when they say the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs do not invade our privacy. The record suggests that you shouldn’t believe them, either.

I just wish our government would start treating us like adults – more important, like participants in a democracy –and stop lying. We can handle the truth.

The starkest lie came in March at a Senate intelligence committee hearing, when Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked Director of National Intelligence James Clapper a simple question: “Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?”

Clapper replied, “No, sir.”

As we’ve learned from former NSA analyst Edward Snowden, Clapper’s answer was patently false. The agency collects metadata – essentially, a detailed log – of many and perhaps all of our domestic phone calls.

Following Snowden’s revelations, Clapper said that an honest answer to Wyden’s question would have required him to divulge highly classified secrets, so he gave the “least untruthful” answer he could come up with.

In a recent letter to the intelligence committee, Clapper said he thought Wyden was asking about the content of domestic communications –which the NSA says it does not collect “wittingly,” for what that’s worth – rather than about the metadata. “Thus, my response was clearly

erroneous,” Clapper wrote, “for which I apologize.”

Clapper’s defenders say Wyden unfairly asked a question that he knew the director could not answer.

group in your community gathering information over the upcoming months.

Adopt a collaborative process In the past, the successful elimination of health disparities has been thwarted by many well intentioned entities working on the same issue while competing for resources, study participants, and political capital. The Heartland RHEC will work with various organizations and entities including state, county, and local government, academia, private and public organizations, and various faith groups that all prioritize one goal – the elimination of health disparities.

Inform strategies in health care delivery, policies, and programs. The Blueprint for Action and environmental scan will identify key focus areas that we can tackle in order to ultimately end health disparities. These documents will serve as a foundation to address health disparities in our region through social determinants of health including education, jobs, and housing. The Blueprint and environmental scan will also help to identify priority areas for future research and provide background data and justification for potential grants to support health disparities elimination.

Our council will be successful when we have identified and implemented strategies that allow everyone an equal opportunity to be healthy. With collaboration and a roadmap for moving forward, we hope to claim success at reducing and eliminating health disparities in the Heartland Region.

to compile a record of our contacts, associations and movements? The government refuses to tell us.

But Wyden says he sent the question to Clapper’s office a day in advance –and gave him the chance to amend his answer afterward.

Also untrue is President Obama’s assertion that the NSA surveillance programs are “transparent.” They are, in fact, completely opaque – or were, until Snowden started leaking the agency’s secrets.

By what authority does the government collect data on our private communications? We don’t know. More accurately, we’re not permitted to know.

Section 215 of the Patriot Act allows the FBI to seek warrants “requiring the production of any tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents and other items) for an investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities.”

Seizing records that pertain to an investigation is not the same thing as compiling a comprehensive log of billions of domestic phone calls. How has the law been stretched – I mean, interpreted – to accommodate the NSA’s wish

Letters to the editor

Strategize, galvanize and organize

Widespread voter suppression efforts throughout the Southern states during the 2012 election prove beyond a doubt that the Voting Rights Act is still relevant today. By striking down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, this conservative court has dealt a devastating blow to the Civil Rights Act of the ‘60s. It will set us back for decades to come if Congress does not act immediately. Now is the time for the people to strategize, galvanize and organize to protect everyone’s right to vote.

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, chairwoman, Missouri Legislative Black Caucus St. Louis

Drones and cops

Police Chief Sam Dotson wants to acquire drones (small, unmanned aircraft) to patrol the city. Using drones is law enforcement keeping up with technological advances, according to Dotson. The ACLU disagrees, contending that drones will be abused by law enforcement.

Compared to the helicopters now used by police, drones are cheaper to purchase and cheaper to operate. Like police choppers, the drones are certain to have telephoto and video recording capabilities. Therein lies the crux of the argument against drones.

The police department enjoys a veneer of respectability. But beneath that façade is a core of ruthless politicians and selfserving business people who control the police department and its activities. These folks crave power, and the ability to intimidate people equates to power. Drones will provide another means to intimidate.

Michael K. Broughton Green Park

Senator admirer

I just read your newspapers story on state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal and wanted

We know that permission for this surveillance was granted by one or more judges of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court. But the court’s proceedings and rulings are secret. We don’t know what argument the government made in seeking permission to conduct this kind of vacuumcleaner surveillance. We don’t know what the court’s legal reasoning was in granting the authority.

We do know that the court’s secret hearings are not adversarial, meaning that there is no push-back from advocates of civil liberties. And we know that since its inception the court has approved more than 30,000 government requests for surveillance warrants and refused only 11.

I accept that the administration officials, Justice Department lawyers, federal judges, FBI agents and NSA analysts involved in the phone call surveillance and other programs are acting in good faith. The same is true of members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, who are supposed to be providing oversight. But honorable intentions are not enough.

The biggest lie of all? That the American people don’t even deserve to be told what their laws mean, much less how those laws are being used.

Eugene Robinson’s email address is eugenerobinson@ washpost.com.

All letters are edited for length and style.

to thank you for shedding light on the work she does. I first came to admire her while she was trying desperately to get her fellow senators to slow down and actually read a really bad bill pertaining to charter schools. She was alone in that effort and ultimately lost, and of course a year later it was discovered that she was in fact correct and the bill was flawed. What I don’t understand is why the Post never writes about her, except as you point out as part of some drama with state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed. In fact, I actually see her name come up more in the Kansas City Star than the Post-Dispatch. Not sure what that says about our local paper.

Paul Tanner, Via email

Normandy on school transfers

The Normandy School District Board of Education, administration and legal staff are currently reviewing the Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling on the “unaccredited district tuition statute” to determine its implications for the district. Unaccredited districts will have to provide funds to cover transportation of students to at least one accepting district, and tuition costs that would normally be paid to the unaccredited school district will be paid to the school district to which students may transfer. This type of change in resources would impact any district that is in the process of planning and developing student programs, staff development, and all relevant support systems.

Parents, students, staff and other individuals within the Normandy footprint have shown a tremendous amount of support and pride in the district. This was recently evident when voters overwhelmingly supported the passage of Prop T, allowing the district to further enhance its services and programs. We are confident that with a focus on doing a few things and doing them well, will move us

towards accreditation.

Charlene Goston Normandy School District

Guest Columnist Melody S. Goodman

Guest Columnist Keith Elder

Columnist Eugene Robinson

Parent Child Academy at Flo Valley

The David L. Underwood Library at St. Louis Community CollegeFlorissant Valley and the Ferguson Public Library will host the 2013 Parent Child Academy. Akick-off event will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 27, at the Ferguson Public Library, 35 North Florissant Rd. Karen Moore, 2011 St. Louis Storyteller of the Year, will host the session. The remaining sessions will be held from 10-11 a.m. Aug. 3, 10 and 17 in the library (IR building) at the Florissant Valley campus, 3400 Pershall Rd. There will be three sessions where parents and children will have an opportunity to interact through art, reading and cooking exercises. Parents will learn ways to enrich family story and dinner times.

The classes are designed for children ages four to six. Prizes and certificates will be given to attendees for all three sessions. Parents or guardians are required to attend with their children.

The event is free and registration is strongly encouraged.For more information and to register contact Karen Wade at 314-513-4494 or kwade@stlcc.edu.

Monsanto Fund grants

$212K

to Science Gone Mad

The YMCAof Greater St. Louis has received a grant from The Monsanto Fund in the amount of $212,000 to fund the Science Gone Mad program over the next two years.The program, founded in 2007 with support from Monsanto, works with middle school students to improve math and science skills. Over the past five years, Science Gone Mad has impacted more than 600 middle school children at five schools in the St. Louis community.The program includes a science and math curriculum that is supplemental to the traditional school curriculum.This curriculum focuses on energizing students’ interest in math and science subjects through hands on projects and inquiry based lessons.

The little lemonade sisters

Back-to-School Fairin Hazelwood

The Hazelwood School District and HSD PTACouncil will hold the seventh annual Back-to-School Fair at the St. Louis Outlet Mall on Saturday, August 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fair is free and open to HSD students, parents and the entire community.

The HSD Back-to-School Fair features information booths for all school sites. Schools will provide details about uniform policies, school supplies, clubs, activities and more. District departments such as transportation, child nutrition services and residency will have information booths. The fair will also feature a health and wellness booth, offering school immunizations to Medicaid-eligible students.

In addition, the fair will showcase music and dance entertainment from student groups and prize drawings throughout the event.

The St. Louis Outlet Mall will also host a No More Bullying event that same day. The anti-bullying program includes guest speaker Tina Meier of the Megan Meier Foundation. There will be an anti-bullying pledge wall and many special guest appearances.

Blacks, gays and justice

By Gloria J.Browne-Marshall

For The St.Louis American

Witnessing gay activists celebrate their legal victory was bittersweet for African Americans left stunned by the U.S. Supreme Court’s two civil rights decisions. I struggled through the crowded Supreme Court plaza as the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. sang “America” and couples made wedding plans.

Perhaps it is selfish to ask gay rights leaders to acknowledge a civil rights defeat even while celebrating their well-earned victory. But, throughout their case, gay rights activists had argued that their right to marry was like Loving v. Virginia the inter-racial marriage case. Their secondclass treatment was like Plessy v. Ferguson, the racial segregation case. Their attorney, Ted Olson, was heralded as another Thurgood Marshall.

Now, civil rights activists were left assessing damage and developing strategies. Within 48 hours, the U.S. Supreme Court had gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and rejected affirmative action as discriminatory to white applicants. Colleges must now find a race-neutral solution to the race-based problem of diversity in education.

Disappointed civil rights groups had hoped Justice Anthony Kennedy would support legal protections for African Americans as well as gay marriage. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Justice Kennedy is known for his ability to swing between conservative and progressive issues. He explained how the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) deprived gays of Federal benefits by illegally defining marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Justice Kennedy, a California lawyer and judge during the high mark of gay activism, may have less personal experience with racial justice struggles. He probably knew of gay rights activist Harvey Milk who began by fighting injustices in Greenwich Village, NYC, before moving to San Francisco.

Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors becoming one of America’s first openly gay politicians. In 1978, the nation was shocked when Harvey Milk was assassinated, along with Mayor George Moscone, by Dan White, a conservative.

Judge Kennedy must have witnessed the San Francisco riots following White’s mere six year sentence for killing both Milk and Moscone. He witnessed the inequality suffered by gays in California. Defeating DOMAmeant Justice Kennedy could right that wrong.

But, then, as a long-standing professor at McGeorge Law School, Justice Kennedy should also know the difficulties in achieving classroom diversity without affirmative action.

Blood was shed to gain voting rights. When the Court rejected the formula by which states had to prove their voting laws were fair, it wiped away that bloodline. Gone is the memory of voting rights volunteer Viola Liuzzo killed in Alabama; three college students killed in Mississippi. Gone is the sacrifices of Harry and Harriette Moore killed in their Florida home on Christmas Day.

Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, a writer covering the U.S. Supreme Court, is an associate professor of Constitutional Law at John Jay College.

Gloria J. BrowneMarshall

Little Sisters Taylor and Tabatha worked the Lemonade Cart when Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri recently celebrated its fifth anniversary in Grand Center.

JOHNSON

Continued from A1

poverty.

Johnson started out on his educational career path as a business major. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management at Missouri Baptist University.

Believing his life’s purpose to serve people was not being fulfilled, he turned his back on business and spent two years as a substitute teacher with the St. Louis Public School District.

“At that time, a couple of people were saying I had a major influence on kids and that I needed to consider going to school to get myself certified,” he said.

He heeded their advice and re-enrolled at Missouri Baptist, where he became certified in physical and driver’s education. He then landed a job at Ladue Horton Watkins High School where he taught PE and Driver’s Ed and was a football and basketball coach.

“People all across St. Louis thought I would coach forever,” he said. “But, I had the desire to work even closer with kids on the academic side.” So he went back to school

TRANSFERS

Continued from A1 those students wishing to transfer there. Normandy won’t pay for transportation to other accredited districts in the county or an adjoining county.

The coming influx of students from Normandy hasn’t pleased some in the Francis Howell district, notes Glaser, CEO of theVoluntary Interdistrict Choice Corp., which oversees the voluntary desegregation program. “Some of the staff that have

again, this time earning master’s and doctorate degrees in Education Leadership from Lindenwood University and Maryville University, respectively.

After a nine-year tenure with the Ladue School District, he was hired into the Brentwood School District. During his first year he served dually as assistant vice principal at Brentwood Middle School and Brentwood High

“People thought I would coach forever, but I had the desire to work even closer with kids on the academic side.”

– Edward M.Johnson Jr.

School. Subsequently the athletic director position was merged with the assistant vice principal position at the high school, and that became his full-time job.

“As far as I know, it’s the first time they had created a position with those two duties combined,” he said.

Before officially starting as a newly promoted principal, Johnson assisted in filling several key positions, including his former position. At the

been part of the organization for a long period of time tell me it’s a little bit like déjà vu,” he says of the reaction in Francis Howell. “When the program was initiated back in the early 1980s, there were similar concerns from districts and families.”

He and others say the region has learned lessons from that first school transfer experience even though the reason for the latest transfers is different.

“The program we started (in the 1980s) was an integration program. It was put in place in response to a federal court

beginning of June, the school board announced that Stephen Ayotte would assume that role. Ayotte previously served as director of secondary education and assistant principal for Confluence Charter Schools in St. Louis.

“I am very excited about recruiting Stephen to our team,” Johnson said of Ayotte. “He brings a wealth of experience and a great energy to a very challenging position.”

Next, he plans to meet with his administrative staff to discuss formulating a vision for how to move the school forward. His priority is ensuring that students obtain a high-quality education rooted in individualized instruction that incorporates the new Common Core State Standards. He said that student success is not entirely based on content knowledge gleaned from a classroom; students also must learn survival skills such as resilience and self-assessment.

Having broken a racial barrier, he said, is important only in terms what good he can do in his new position. “I can’t say that my focus was to become the first,” Johnson said of his promotion, “as much as it was to make a positive impact on society.”

order to give black students access to better academic programs,” Glaser says. The new program isn’t racebased, Glaser says. “It doesn’t matter if you are African American, Caucasian, Asian or whatever your ethnic background. If you live in an unaccredited district, you are entitled to attend a school in an accredited district.”

“We have to look at the long range of what happens to kids, whether they will be successful if they transfer.”

– John Wright

However, the student population of the Francis Howell District – located in the southeast corner of St. Charles County – is 87.4 percent white. The Normandy School District is 97.6 percent black.

Referring to the current opposition, Glaser says, “You have to measure the noise and recognize that sometimes the folks that make comments are not necessarily a sample of the entire community.”

Among those offering broad praise for the new transfer model is Susan Uchitelle, the first director of the St. Louis voluntary school desegregation program. The program’s goals included boosting the percentage of black students attending predominantly white schools in the county and upping the number of white county students enrolled in city schools, especially through the magnet schools program.

Normandy and some other county districts were excluded

from that program because they already had high percentages of minority students.

“It may be the next phase of desegregation, by including those districts that couldn’t participate,” Uchitelle says. “Allowing students in those districts to have opportunity to participate in school choice is a very good thing.”

She said that the one big lesson of the original program was the way it “led to more integration between AfricanAmerican and white students, not only in schools but long after graduation.”

Others praising the new model were more cautious.

“It’s a mixed bag,” says John Wright, an author who has been a superintendent in several area districts including Ferguson-Florissant and Normandy. “Normandy and Riverview have no choice because the law says in schools that do not meet accreditation, the kids can leave.”

Wright worries that this development might worsen the plight of unaccredited districts because “those students who are leaving tend to be among the best and have parents who

tend to be more active in school activities.” Those left behind, he says, include lowperforming students who might have been motivated by those transferring from the district.

“We have to look at the long range of what happens to kids, whether they will be successful if they transfer,” Wright says. And if they are problem kids, will they end up back where they ran from?”

Glaser also is concerned about how this transfer program will affect students left behind in unaccredited districts.

“Not all of the students are going to transfer,” he says.

“The unaccredited districts are going to have to pay out huge sums of tuition to the accredited districts. It will have a huge financial burden on those districts and ultimately on the kids who remain in those districts.”

He says the issue raises a question of whether “there is maybe a different and better solution, such as providing resources to those districts to get them accredited.”

Edited for length and reprinted with permission from stlbeacon.org.

Edward M.Johnson Jr.,the new principal of Brentwood High School,visited with sophomore Michael Mills toward the end of last semester,when Johnson was assistant principal and athletic director.

Photo by Wiley Price

GENERAL

Continued from A1 about the value of an engineering education – and scholarships.

“Education is one of the best foundations you can give a young person,” Lt. General McDew said. “For me, education took a shy kid and gave him his first set of achievements. It lit a fire of discovery in me that led me to continually seek new knowledge, which led to more opportunities.”

The son of an Airman born on an Air Force base he enjoyed and excelled in math and science, which eventually drew him toward civil engineering.

“I didn’t have money for college at first, but each time I achieved something new, that opened another door,” he said. “Agood, strong academic background led to the National Honor Society, which led to a four-year scholarship to attend college.”

He earned a bachelor’s of science degree in civil engineering from Virginia Military Institute in 1982, then accepted his Air Force commission. He later earned a master’s degree in aviation management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1994.

Engineering – as he will explain to NSBE scholars –was the basis of his success.

“Engineering is a discipline, a methodology for organizing problems to come up with solutions,” he said. “That dis-

LANDFILL

Continued from A1

Brooks reassured residents that drinking water is safe because it does not come from groundwater at the West Lake Landfill. Further, he said, radioactive waste does not pose a public health threat, as long as people remain outside the secured, fenced area. In 1973, radioactive waste from the Manhattan Project were dumped in West Lake Landfill. Since 1990, the site has been under the jurisdiction of the EPAas a Superfund

Since the last public meeting held in January at the Machinists Hall in Bridgeton, Brooks acknowledged that odorous emissions generated from the “subsurface smoldering event” at the Bridgeton Landfill have been “intense.”

The lingering smell permeating the air for miles – best described as a mixture of rot-

cipline has helped me in every aspect of my career and life over the years.”

Lt. General McDew began his Air Force career in 1982 as a pilot at Loring Air Force Base, Maine. He has since served in a variety of positions, including in the Air Force Chief of Staff’s Operations Group, as an aide to the President of the United States, as Chief of the Secretary of the Air Force’s Senate Liaison Division and as

“Engineering is a discipline, a methodology for organizing problems to come up with solutions.”

– Lieutenant General Darren W.McDew

the Air Force’s Director of Public Affairs.

He has also previously served as the Scott Air Force Base installation commander, the 18th Air Force’s vice commander, and has deployed in support of operations in Central and Southwest Asia.

Prior to his current assignment, he was the Commander of the Air Force District of Washington, headquartered at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

In his current billet leading the 18th Air Force, he is responsible for providing the rapid global mobility of America’s armed forces through the airlift of personnel and cargo, aerial refueling of

ten eggs and burning cardboard – is caused by elevated temperatures that accelerate the decomposition of waste.

Brooks emphasized that the EPAimplemented control measures that seem to be keeping the landfill fire away from the radioactive material.

Brooks said the EPAis working closely on the situation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Attorney General Chris Koster. The DNR conducts continuous monitoring of air emissions at the site. Brooks cited DNR air sampling data showing that no contaminants or radiation released from the landfill are in violation of state or federal laws.

Representatives from the DNR and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) were present at the meeting to address any health-related concerns. Jonathan Garoutte, environmental specialist with

U.S., allied and Coalition aircraft, and the aeromedical evacuation of wounded warriors and other patients. He himself has logged more than 3,000 flying hours in a variety of aircraft.

“We are looking forward to the General’s address to our scholarship recipients, other members of our youth program, their parents and guests,” said Ronald Moore, Pre College Initiative director for the St. Louis NSBE chapter.

“It’s important that our students have an opportunity to meet, up close and personal, an accomplished man with an impressive resume, distinctive character and superior leadership. It’s no doubt that he will impart valuable lessons, motivate and inspire them.”

At the event, NSBE will award scholarships to deserving students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and present awards to NSBE’s corporate partners who have supported NSBE programs.

“TheNSBEmission statement charges us to ‘impact the community’by developing our youth in the early stages of life,” Moore said.“NSBE-St. Louis has been successful over the last 17 years in providing 122scholarships and guiding over 600 students into engineering and or college programs across the country.”

For more information, contact Moore at 314-229-3713 or visit nsbe-stl.org.

DHSS, said unpleasant odors can cause temporary health effects that include headaches, nausea and fatigue. The DHSS recommends that sensitive individuals stay indoors as much as possible and seek medical advice for any acute symptoms like asthma.

Dawn Chapman, a member of the community activist group St. Louis Radiation Waste Legacy, said she is concerned about low-level exposure to these toxins over a long period of time. Yet, she said she has more pressing issues to contend with in terms of a new Contingency Plan for the site.

Bridgeton Landfill LLC, which operates the site, is a subsidiary of Republic Services, a waste and recycling company based in Arizona. On June 27, two days after the public meeting, Republic Services submitted part 1 of its Bridgeton Landfill North Quarry

Contingency Plan to the DNR.

The Contingency Plan details the construction of an excavated isolation barrier between the North Quarry and the West Lake Landfill that may prevent the smoldering fire located in the South Quarry portion of the site from advancing into the West Lake Landfill. The Contingency Plan was released pursuant to a court order with the State of Missouri. Chapman said the activist group plans to petition Koster and the DNR to throw

out the Contingency Plan. Chapman said it would make more sense to remove the radioactive waste, rather than dig into it.

“They can’t dig here without the EPAallowing it,” she said. “If the EPAallows it, then that means that they can no longer say that the fire isn’t their concern.”

She said most residents would like to see the EPA relinquish its authority of the Superfund site to the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers.

Gov.Jay Nixon was in St.Louis on Tuesday to sign two bills focused on the health and safety of children at St.Louis Children’s Hospital.SB 230requires all infants born in Missouri to be screened for critical congenital heart disease, and HB 505 requires certain individuals to report child abuse directly to the Missouri’s Children’s Division.

As of July 1, the Bridgeton Landfill LLC project team announced that it had successfully installed more than 15 acres of an ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) capping system. When completed, the EVOH cap will help reduce the odor and improve the collection of gas and liquids, they said. The next public meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday, July 11) at Pattonville High School, 2497 Creve Coeur Mill Rd., in Maryland Heights.

Photo by Wiley Price

Obituaries

In Loving Memory of Elizabeth Red Pruitt

Sunrise: 10/19/21Sunset: 07/12/12

On July 12, 2012, my mother Elizabeth Red Pruitt transitioned from labor to reward at the age of 91. I joined so many others that lost their mother as a best friend and precious bond. A letter can’t bring my mother back. But thinking of her and knowing her love for her eleven kids and others brings me comfort and even joy.

For the many lives she has touched. The ones who is reading this can still feel the depth of your personal loss. You can always think of an interaction and memories with your loved ones that made you laugh and smile. I always knew my mother would always tell me the truth even when I did not want to hear it. For those of you who had a wonderful mother like mine. There are so many precious memories within all of us. I have so many friends who have lost their mothers. When I talk to them about it I can see on their faces how much we cherish each day that God gave us with our mothers. If you still have your mother never take her for granted and cherish her each day she is with you. For when you lose your mother you will think of all the things you could have done or said before it’s too late. Time does not always wash away your sadness. But if you have God in your life joy will come. God gave you a mother please don’t treat them like it’s

just another day. Pray and seek Jesus before she goes away. Your loving son, Jimmy Jackson

Marlin Rae Washington

Marlin Rae Washington, 71, was called home on June 26, 2013 at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis County, Missouri. She was born on August 11, 1941 in St. Louis, Missouri to Ruble and Lula Alice Steele.

Marlin was a true St. Louisan. She graduated from Soldan High School in 1959. After high school she attended Harris Stowe Teachers College in St. Louis where she pursued a degree in teaching. She worked for the Saint Louis Metropolitan Sewer District 30 years rising to role of Chief of Billing.

Marlin was an active member of Steele Temple Church of God in Christ, pastored by her father Bishop Ruble Steele Sr. for over 30 years in St. Louis, Missouri. Her kindness, generosity and passion continued throughout her life and at her most recent church home, the Spirit Church pastored by Aeneas and Tracey Williams. Marlin was the bereavement counselor further evidencing her kind, generous spirit.

Marlin began her career at the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) as a clerk and rose through the ranks to become the Chief Billing Officer for the multimillion dollar organization. Marlin’s passion for nurturing young women led her to establish Little Angel Learning

Academy with her daughters, a $1.5 million child care facility focused on serving families from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Marlin is survived by her wonderful daughters LeiLani Rae Gray (Anthony) and Najaun Vanessa Thomas (Keith), her brothers Lynn Steele (Hilda) and Marvin Steele (Kathy), and her grandchildren Kevin Street (Kathrine), Asia Thomas, KaLaun Gray, Charles Gray and Ndia Eaton; her brotherin-law Archie Washington and sister-in-law Maureen Smith, her many nieces and nephews as well as a host of other relatives and friends. Marlin was preceded in death by her husband Ralph Washington, her parents, Ruble, Sr. and Lula Alice Steele, siblings; Ruble Steele Jr., Arnold Steele and her sister Marilyn Scott.

William H. Gray III

William H. Gray III, a thirdgeneration Baptist minister from Philadelphia who won a seat in Congress in 1978 and rose to become the highestranking black lawmaker in the country, died on July 1 in London. He was 71. He died while attending the Wimbledon tennis tournament with his son Andrew, said William Epstein, who was Mr. Gray’s communications director in Congress. Mr. Epstein said that Mr. Gray had not been ill and that the cause was not immediately clear.

Mr. Gray, who served in the House from 1979 to 1991, was a persistent voice for equal rights, education and services for the poor, in the United States and abroad. He pressed for more economic aid for Africa and was a leading critic of South African apartheid, helping shape United States policy, including sanctions, against that country. He led

the House Budget Committee in the 1980s, and his fellow Democrats selected him as majority whip in 1989, the third-ranking House leadership position.

Two years later, Mr. Gray surprised many people when he resigned to become president and chief executive of the United Negro College Fund. He went on to lead the nonprofit group to record fundraising. According to the fund’s Web site, Mr. Gray raised more than $2.3 billion while he led the fund, from 1991 to 2004. Six years before he was elected to Congress, Mr. Gray became pastor of Bright Hope Baptist Church in North Philadelphia, and he would serve as pastor for 35 years. While in Congress, he would return to Philadelphia on weekends to preach.

William Herbert Gray III was born in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 20, 1941. He spent part of his childhood in Florida, where his father was president of Florida Normal and Industrial College, in St. Augustine, and later Florida A&M College, now university, in Tallahassee. The congressman received his bachelor’s degree from Franklin & Marshall College, in Lancaster, Pa., and divinity degrees from Drew Theological Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary. He worked as a minister at Union Baptist Church in Montclair, N.J., for much of the 1960s while teaching at several colleges. In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Mr. Gray as a special adviser on Haiti. In addition to his son Andrew, survivors include his wife, the former Andrea Dash; two more sons, William IV and Justin; his mother, Hazel; and several grandchildren.

Source: The New York Times

Elizabeth Pruitt

Marlin Washington

William H. Gray III

Fear of a black transfer student

The American does not hear much from state Rep. Mark Parkinson and state Rep. Chrissy Sommer, both Republicans from St. Charles County who represent very few African Americans. According to 2010 Census numbers, St. Charles County is only 4.4 percent African-American.

That’s much less than half the statewide percentage for blacks (11.7 percent), which is below the national demographic of 13.1 percent.

In fact, The American only seems to hear from St. Charles officials when they fear more black people are headed their way – to attend school, in this case, rather than to live out there.

Parkinson and Sommer both sent press releases to this newspaper, alarmed that the Normandy School District will be sending students to the Francis Howell School District in St. Charles County.

Normandy has designated Francis Howell as the district to which it will pay transportation costs and tuition for students transferring out of Normandy, according to a state law that requires accredited districts to pay for its students to attend an accredited district in the same or adjoining county.

The Normany and Riverview Gardens school districts, both in St. Louis County, are unaccredited. This new school transfer activity was spurred by a recent Missouri Supreme Court ruling that upheld the state law.

Parkinson calls this situation “an unacceptable breach of the public trust, and a slap in the face to the taxpayers of St. Charles County and the families living in the Francis

Howell School District.”

The EYE questions if this vehement language of face slaps really is prompted by economics, given that Normandy is mandated to pay transportation costs and tuition, not Francis Howell or the taxpayers who support the district. Perhaps race has something to do with it? The student population of the Francis Howell District is 87.4 percent white, while the Normandy School District is almost completely (97.6 percent) black.

Sommer does admit to having concerns about the incoming students, but not directly in terms of race. “I’m concerned about children who come into the school district and what learning level they are on at the time,” she writes in her release. “What becomes of the student who may be in fifth grade but is really at a third grade level and what comes of the children who are learning at an accelerated rate? It takes time for children to get acclimated if they move from one school district to another.”

The EYE suspects it is the adults in St. Charles County, rather than the youth in Normandy, most in need of getting “acclimated” to the situation.

Parkinson and Sommer both called for Gov. Jay Nixon to call a special session of the Legislature (which is not due to resume business until January 2014) before students report to school in August.

One problem is that state law says nothing about districts being able to limit the number of incoming transfers, which could raise serious capacity issues if students

elect to transfer en masse from Normandy to Francis Howell – despite having to travel some 25 miles and cross the Missouri River to get there.

“Our job as legislators next year will be to talk about what districts have how much space available,” State Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, told The Beacon

Note he said “next year,” as if taking it for granted that Nixon would not heed two riled up state reps from St. Charles County and call a special session. State Sen. Scott Rupp R-St. Charles County, told The Beacon he doubted that the Legislature would be able to pass any fixes to the state law, given the contentious fights over education legislation in the last session. Also, Cooperating School Districts previously has failed to pass changes in this legislation designed to ease the effect on receiving districts.

On the other side of the aisle (and the Missouri River), state Rep. Tommie Pierson, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors – a former president

of the Riverview Gardens school board – is worried about the financial impact on unaccredited districts like Normandy and Riverview.

“I don’t even know if the transfer is going to give them a better education,” Pierson told The Beacon. “What I’m thinking about is the money the district has to spend. You could bankrupt the district. If all of the money follows the students, I don’t see how that district is going to survive financially.”

It seems clear that Normandy administrators tried to limit their losses by choosing to pay for transfers to such a distant district. Twenty-five miles is a long way to ride in a bus every day before home room.

Meanwhile, David Glaser, CEO of the Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corp., has a suggestion that would inspire gales of laughter from the Republicans who dominate the Missouri Legislature. Glaser wonders whether “there is maybe a different and better solution, such as providing

resources to (unaccredited) districts to get them accredited.” That’s a good one!

Saggin’ and lunging

KSDK and KMOV did good reports on former St. Louis Police Officer Rory Bruce, who was acquitted by Judge Teresa Counts Burke of thirddegree assault. Bruce had been dismissed from the force and charged after he was caught on video from the back of a transport vehicle chucking a handcuffed teenager in the head with his forearm in 2012.

The judge, who decided the case without a jury, did not allow the police surveillance video to be shown during Bruce’s trial. The victim – no doubt fearing future retaliation from officers still on the beat –chose not to testify.

Jeff Roorda of the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association defended Bruce’s actions, saying the officer delivered “one forearm blow as he’s trained to do” after the

handcuffed youth “lunged” at the cop. The problem with this theory is that the youth clearly did not lunge. In fact, the youth’s pants were saggin’ so low it is doubtful he could have managed a lunge even if his hands were not handcuffed behind his back. Between the saggin’ and the back-handcuffs, the youth could never manage a lunge at the cop or offer anyone any threat.

Bruce himself suggested this alibi on tape, presumably after he realized that he was caught on candid camera when he viciously cracked this handcuffed kid in the face. “I told you I wanted to search you and you came out of the thing and started lunging at me,” Bruce says on tape.

Roorda says that Bruce should get his job back. That’s another good one. All Bruce deserves is a spot – on tape, of course – on the curriculum of the police academy, showing recruits what not to do if they want to get the community to cooperate with them in solving crimes.

Maria fan

State Sen. Maria Chappelle Nadal has a fan who was provoked to write a letter by the EYE’s recent look at her work behind the scenes in the Missouri Senate.

“I first came to admire her while she was trying desperately to get her fellow senators to slow down and actually read a really bad bill pertaining to charter schools,” writes Paul Tanner “She was alone in that effort, and ultimately lost, and of course a year later it was discovered that she was in fact correct and the bill was flawed. What I don’t understand is why the Post never writes about her, except as you point out as part of some drama with Sen. Jamilah Nasheed. In fact, I actually see her name come up more in the Kansas City Star than the Post-Dispatch. Not sure what that says about our local paper.”

U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (right) visited recently with Massachusetts Governor Deval L.

Patrick when they both spoke at the Jefferson-Jackson Day event in St. Louis.

BUSINESS

17, 2013

Rebranding the Gateway Classic

The

20th anniversary will not be her grandfather’s

By Chris King Of The St.Louis American

Dawn Fuller has in essence taken over the family business – the Gateway Classic Sports Foundation – but she is looking outside of her family and city for ideas on how to turn it around.

The foundation was founded by her grandfather, the late Earl Wilson Jr., and she took over the reins from her father, Richard Gray, who is retiring. But she is looking around the industry for best practices to improve the foundation’s core production, the Gateway Classic football game.

Online resource shows how much insurers increase rates for driving infractions

By Michelle Singletary Washington Post

AAAestimated that last 36 million Americans traveled by car during the July 4th holiday. With that many cars on the road, traffic violations are bound to happen. The thing is, you don’t generally know how much a traffic ticket will affect your car insurance. Now, the website Insurance.com has created an online tool that allows drivers to estimate the percentage increase to their auto insurance rates for 14 common violations. It’s called the

See TICKET, B2

PEOPLEON THE MOVE

Bruce Green has been hired as the principal of Hazelwood Central High School. Green has more than 12 years of educational experience and has served as the principal of Carnahan High School in St. Louis Public Schools since 2009. He received a 2010 Salute to Excellence in Education Award from the St. Louis American Foundation and teaches at HarrisStowe University.

Bola Akande has beennamed president of the St. Louis Area City Management Association, which oversees 75 municipalities. Akande is city administrator for Brentwood. She will help further the mission of the organization to improve the quality of local government by providing opportunities for professional development and personal support.

Lawndale Thomas has been hired as the head varsity basketball coach for Hazelwood East High School. Thomas has been a guidance counselor at HEHS for the past seven years and is currently the guidance department chair. While at HEHS, he has served as the head junior varsity boys basketball coach and varsity assistant boys basketball coach.

Olive Mukabalisa was recognized as a HateBraker by HateBrakers, an organization that spotlights “witnesses of acts of hate who transform themselves into healers, heroes and leaders.” Mukabalisa witnessed her entire family being killed in the Rwandan genocide. She was honored with Dr. Lawrence Jehling, who moved her to St. Louis and helped her attend Webster University.

HBCU football game

“I want to turn the Gateway Classic into a money-maker by selling more tickets and then give the money back to St.Louis as scholarships.”

– Dawn Fuller

The Classic is coming back in 2013 – the game itself will be played on September 28 –after a year hiatus that was needed, Fuller

said, to reassess the foundation’s mission and finances and to strategize for kicking off an improved Classic for its 20th anniversary.

In that regrouping last year, her predecessor as foundation president (and father) put into action one obvious way to improve the impact of a football game: attract teams that more people would get exciting about watching and supporting. He succeeded in signing Tennessee State University.

When Fuller went to Nashville to sign the contract for the 2013 Classic with Tennessee State officials, she began to form

See CLASSIC, B6

Discrimination in the credit market

Part 2 of a 3-part series, ‘The SBAand us’

By Adolphus Pruitt For The St.Louis American

Credit market discrimination impacts the likelihood that Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) will succeed, and the adverse impact for minority communities must never be understated. Moreover, discrimination in the credit market often prevents such businesses from opening in the first place. This assumption has been held by the courts to justify a public entity’s compelling interest in remedying discrimination.

Qualitative and quantitative evidence supports the view that DBE firms, particularly African American-owned firms, suffer discrimination in the credit market.

loans reveals trends in small-business borrowing patterns among racially-defined owner subgroups.

Timothy Bates, professor emeritus at Wayne State University, and Alicia Robb of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, prepared a report for the Federal Reserve System Community Development Research Conference on April 11, 2013 titled “Loan Availability Among Small Businesses Operating in Urban Minority Communities.” Their examination of bank lending in the form of SBA-guaranteed

The SBAin 2009 increased its lending substantially, particularly in its 7a program, providing banks with guarantees against loan default. Particularly noteworthy is the increase in SBAloan volume to existing small firms in 2010, in comparison to 2009. Overall approvals rose from 30,513 to 38,464. Loans to Asian-owned firms increased from 4,439 to 5,261. Among black-owned small firms, in contrast, SBA7a loan approvals fell from 2,711 nationwide in 2009 to 1,601 in 2010. This decline continued in 2011 (and again in 2012), generating a drop in the black-business relative share of SBA7a loan approvals nationwide from 8.9 percent in 2009 to 3.7 percent in 2011. During the years that SBAloans to minorities declined (2002-2007) there was a slight – some may say, significant – jump in minority-owned franchises, from 19.3 percent of the total to 20.5 percent.

See PRUITT, B2

BUSINESS BRIEFS

RBC accepting applications for$100K in grants

The St. Louis Regional Business Council (RBC) is accepting applications for It’s Our Region Fund - 2013. Last year, the RBC invested $111,000 in projects for 20 non-profit organizations. Money must be used to support capital improvement projects and not general operating expenses.

“We realize that capital improvements in the $5,000 to $20,000 range can be difficult to fund, and we want organizations to know we value their hard and will work step up to help achieve their goals,” said Kathy Osborn, executive director of the RBC.

Applications will be accepted until August 15. Winners will be announced by October 1. The allocation will be approximately $100,000 in grants.

Interested groups and municipalities must submit a Request for Proposal (RFP) describing the desired capital project and the anticipated budget. For guidelines and an application, visit www.stlrbc.org/bigimpact.

Legal Services gets federal grant to enroll children in health insurance

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri received a grant of $379,589 from the Department of Health and Human Services to reach out, enroll and retain eligible children in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, as part of nearly $32 million in new Connecting Kids to Coverage Outreach and Enrollment Grants funded by the Affordable Care Act. The average grant award is $775,000, with a range of $190,000 to $1 million. Since 2008, 1.7 million children have gained coverage and the rate of uninsured children has dropped to 6.6 percent in 2012.

Stifel: fixed-rate mortgage rates still nearrecord lows

Stifel Bank & Trust notes that mortgage rates are still near record low interest rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, according to HSH.com, the nation’s largest publisher of mortgage and consumer loan information. The rate for May 2013 was 3.78 percent, compared to 4.18 percent two years ago, 6.02 percent five years ago, 6.86 percent 15 years ago and 10.20 percent 25 years ago, though rates are up slightly from 3.34 percent in 2012.

Bruce Green

Bola Akande

Olive Mukabalisa

Lawndale Thomas

Gateway Classic Sports Foundation staff with President and CEO Dawn Fuller (seated):Arthur Tyler,Jan Banks,Richard Gray,Samimah Houston,Eddie Holman and Tony Mason.

Adolphus Pruitt

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Michelle Singletary

Don’t get ‘spoofed’by rogue callers

By Jason Alderman

When caller ID first arrived on the scene it seemed like a godsend to many people: Now you could easily identify who was on the line and ignore unwanted calls, whether from telemarketers, an ex-boyfriend or an unfriendly collection agency. But as often happens, unscrupulous individuals soon began manipulating the technology to defraud people by pretending to be someone else. Their scheme is called “caller ID spoofing” and disturbingly, it’s perfectly legal in many cases. Here’s how caller ID spoofing works and what precautions you should take to avoid being victimized:

PRUITT

Continued from B1

Franchising as a entry point for African Americans into entrepreneurship is no longer theory. This sector is and has been an important contributor to the U.S. economy, and has served as a viable avenue through which African Americans became entrepreneurs and built wealth.

In 2001 there was only one branded hotel owned by an African American. Today the number of African Americanowned hotels exceeds 500, and the majority are franchises. The major brands such as Marriott, Hilton and Choice established Emerging Markets Divisions offering franchise opportunities and financial incentives to African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans.

Black Enterprise developed a list of the 40 Best Franchises for African Americans, after consulting with the International Franchise

For a very low cost, businesses and individuals can use widely available caller ID spoofing software to generate calls that alter the telephone number and/or name which appear on the recipient’s caller ID screen. Police, private investigators and collection agencies have used legal spoofing services for many years. Others who might have a legitimate reason to hide their identity when making a call include domestic violence victims and doctors returning patient calls who don’t wish to release their private telephone numbers. Beyond that, the lines of legality begin to blur. The Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009 prohibits anyone from

transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongfully obtain anything of value. Violators can be penalized up to $10,000 for each infraction. Unfortunately, such penalties haven’t dissuaded many scammers.

One common scam involves spoofers pretending to represent a bank, government agency, insurer, credit card company or other organization with which you do business. They count on you being reassured after recognizing the company’s name on your screen.

Under the pretext of warning about an urgent situation (breached account, late payment, pending insurance claim,

missed jury duty summons, etc.), the spoofer will try to coax you into revealing personal or account information, supposedly to verify their records.

Often these are robocalls, where a recorded voice asks you to stay on the line to speak to a representative or call another number for more information. Do not. If you suspect the call might possibly be genuine, contact the company yourself at the toll-free number found on your card, account statement or the company’s website.

You should never reveal your full Social Security number, mother’s maiden name, credit card number, passwords or other private information over the phone unless you ini-

tiated the call yourself.

Someone possessing such information could use it to gain access to your existing accounts to withdraw or transfer money, raise credit limits or snoop around your recent activity, among other intrusions.

ID thieves also can use your personal information to open new credit accounts (e.g., credit cards, mortgage or car loan), create a new identity or even obtain a job fraudulently. Often, you won’t even realize something’s wrong until a collection agency – or the IRS –starts hounding you for unpaid bills or taxes.

Another common caller ID spoof involves hacking into someone’s voice mail

cent

account. Many cellphone users never bother to set up passwords on their voice mailboxes. And, since many voicemail systems grant access to callers phoning from their own number, a hacker could easily spoof your number and gain access to your messages. Bottom line: You wouldn’t give your personal information to a stranger on the street. Take the same level of precaution with strangers on the phone – or online.

Association (IFA) to determine which sectors are experiencing the greatest growth in franchise unit sales and revenue generation. Approximately 500 IFAmember franchisors were sent a proprietary franchise survey in which they provided further clarity regarding costs and sales potential of franchises. The surveys also requested diversity and inclusion efforts made by the franchisors. Black Enterprise editors rated the franchises according to affordability, revenue potential, effectiveness of diversity programs, and marketing/advertising support. An examination of the Portfolio Performance by Franchise Codes for the Top 40 Franchises approved for SBA7(a) & 504 Loans

between 2000 and 2008 compared against Black Enterprise’s 40 Best Franchises for African Americans found only two in common: Subway Sandwich Shops (the No. 1 franchise securing SBA funding for the period) and Wingstop Restaurants.

Among black-owned small firms, SBA 7a loan approvals fell from 2,711 nationwide in 2009 to 1,601 in 2010.

The number of SBAbacked loans to minority businesses in the United States fell over the past fiveyears. Unfortunately, the 2013 minority lending numbers reflect the sad reality that, as a percentage of the population, not enough minority-owned businesses are receiving the capital they need. What the numbers do not tell is how many minority business enterprises apply and are declined. Stay tuned for more about that and the St. Louis-area numbers.

To be continued in next week’s St. Louis American.

Pruitt is president of the St. Louis city chapter of the NAACP.

TICKET

Continued from B1

“‘Uh-Oh!’Calculator.”

Get a ticket for not wearing your seat belt and that could increase your insurance rate by about 3 percent, according to Insurance.com, which provides consumer insurance information and quotes.

“We decided to develop the calculator because average rate increases for common traffic violations were not widely known or reported, yet everyone is curious about it,” said Michelle Megna, managing editor of Insurance.com.

“Naturally, you know how much the ticket costs and you realize your car insurance rates are likely to go up, but after that, it’s a bit of a black hole. No one really knows what to expect in specific dollar amounts.”

To come up with the averages, the company said it analyzed nearly half a million auto insurance quotes provided to its users from 2009 to 2011. Drivers with common violations were compared with folks with no infractions. Insurance.com then used this information to figure out annual premiums that also took into account people’s personal information such as age, where they live, and length of time with their insurance provider.

If you get a ticket, you will likely get a surcharge on your car insurance premium upon renewal, Megna said.

Percentage increases a ticket might cost:

ï Reckless driving: 22 per-

ï First offense for driving under the influence: 19 percent

ï Driving without a license or permit: 18 percent

ï Careless driving: 16 percent

ï Speeding 30 miles per hour or more over the posted limit: 15 percent

ï Failure to stop: 15 percent

ï Improper turn: 14 percent

ï Improper passing: 14 percent

ï Following too close/tailgating: 13 percent

ï Speeding 15 to 29 miles per hour over the limit: 12 percent

ï Speeding one to 14 miles per hour over limit: 11 percent

ï Failure to yield: 9 percent

ï No car insurance: 6 percent

“We decided to develop the calculator because average rate increases for common traffic violations were not widely known or reported.”

– Michelle Megna

Of course the caveat to the calculator is that the average percentage increases will vary depending on your own personal information, including your overall driving record. Still, this tool is a great guideline for two reasons.

First, you can put a figure on the likely premium hike of a driving violation without calling an agent and alerting the insurer to your ticket. In

addition, you can also find the points and penalties that may be imposed in your state. Let’s say I got a ticket for speeding one to 14 miles per hour over the posted limit. But I wanted something more specific to me.

Using the calculator, I answered six questions about myself: my ZIPcode, marital status, residence type, age, length of time with my current insurer and, finally, current premium amount. Based on the information I provided, my rates might increase 12 percent. I suspect it was higher than the overall average because of where I live.

Second, you can use the information to help compare quotes if you want to change providers because your rate has increased. Very conveniently and strategically, the site has a link right below the calculator results for free rate quotes to find cheaper coverage. “Insurers calculate risk differently, so the same driver can get rates from different insurers that differ by hundreds of dollars,” Megna said. You may also be wondering how long it will take before you see a decrease in your premium because of a ticket. How long you’ll pay a higher premium depends on your insurance company’s policies and your state’s laws. But three years is the typical length of the surcharge unless state laws dictate some other time period, according to Megna.

Michelle Singletary: singletarym@washpost.com. Follow her on Twitter @SingletaryM.

“I think it was a safe move for him to go to a little town like Houston.That’s right, little town.I said it.”

– Shaquille O’Neal,on Dwight Howard’s free agent move from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Rockets

Sports

INSIDE SPORTS

Hoops junkie’s dream

Earl en route to Nike

Peach Jam

I will be spending the weekend in Augusta, GAwatching many of the nation’s top high school basketball players compete at the Nike Peach Jam. The tournament features 24 of the top summer basketball clubs in the country with hundreds of top collegiate coaches in attendance. The St. Louis Eagles 17Us will be in one of the teams competing in the Peach Jam as will the Eagles 16U team. I will be filing several reports on the Peach Jam. You can follow me at the Peach Jam at twitter.com/earlaustinjr or my basketball website, www.earlaustinjr.com for updates. Some of the top high school national talent in the Peach Jam will include Chicago’s dominant low-post duo of 6’10” Jahlil Okafor and 6’9” Cliff Alexander, top point guard Tyus Jones of Minnesota, 6’7” Stanley Johnson of California, 6’6” Justice Winslow of Houston, 6’10” Chris McCullough of New York and many, many more. For a hoops junkie like myself, it is a dream.

Good local basketball

If you want to see some good local basketball this weekend, Lindenwood University in St. Charles is the place to be. It will be the site of the Mullens High Profile Tournament and Junior College Showcase. National talent scout Jerry Mullens is bringing close to 100 top summer basketball teams from the Midwest Region in the 15U, 16U and 17U divisions. In conjuction with the high school tournament, Mullens is also presenting his annual Junior College Showcase, which features 100 of the top juco prospects in the country. For a schedule of this weekend’s events, you can visit Jerry’s website at mullensports.net.

Verbal commitments

Several area high school athletes gave verbal commitments in recent days. Parkway Central football standout Jonathan Bonner has given a commitment to Notre Dame. A6’4” 245-pound defensive end, Bonner had 64 tackles and 12 quarterback sacks for the Colts, who advanced to the Class 5 state semifinals last season.

MICDS basketball standout Robin Thompson has committed to Missouri State University. The 6’6” Thompson averaged 13.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks as a junior en route to earning All-State honors. He is playing with the St. Louis Eagles 17U team this summer. Oakville High’s Austin Gillmann committed to Saint Louis University. The 6’11” Gillman was an All-Suburban West Conference performer as a junior. He plays with the Gateway

CBC’s Jordan Barnett (#33) and Chaminade’s Jayson Tatum will be two of the top local players who are playing in the Nike Peach Jam this weekend in Augusta,GA. Barnett is a top player for the St.Louis Eagles 17U team while Tatum is the leader of the Eagles 16U squad.

Basketball Club in the summer. Freeburg’s 6’9” center Justin Diecker is headed to Kennesaw State, which is outside of Atlanta. Diecker also plays for the St. Louis Eagles.

ILCoaches All-StarGame

The Metro East area was well represented as last week’s Illinois Basketball Coaches All-Star

IN THE CLUTCH

With Ishmael H.Sistrunk

Game, which was played in Bloomington, Ill. Malcolm Hill (Belleville East), Garret Covington and Tre Harris (Edwardsville) and Nick Van Osdale (Belleville West) all had big games in leading the South All-Stars to a 152-142 victory over the North All-Stars. Covington earned Most Valuable Player honors after scoring 18 points, including four 3-

Rams free from lease after2014

By Ishmael H.Sistrunk Of The St.Louis American

St. Louis Rams fans are on

with the revelation that the team can vacate its lease with the Edward Jones Dome after the 2014 season. The team received its freedom after St. LouisConvention & Visitors Commission rejected a proposal that would have forced the city to toss $700 million at a facility nobody seems to like. The move was a nobrainer, as the CVC did not have the funding nor the support of taxpayers and politicians. The decision gives the franchise a legitimate bargaining chip as negotiations shift from renovation to new stadium funding. Theoretically, if Rams owner Stan Kroenke doesn’t get a deal he likes, he’s free to jump ship after next season. In reality, the team is likely to begin a series of year-to-year leases at the Dome until they find the funding and location for a new stadium in St. Louis or elsewhere. For the immediate future, the rumored escape routes are murky. None of the purported destinations are NFL-ready. Los Angeles has an awful stadium and limited support for a new one. London would be a nightmare for travel. San Antonio and Portland lack stadiums as well.

So St. Louis fans can look forward to a few more years of football alongside this riveting game of “chicken” between Kroenke and local politicians.

Mrs. Pujols and Mr. Brock

Dances to self-destruction

Clowning sends Spider to the canvas –and defeat

Anderson “Spider” Silva bathed in greatness. The greatest fighter in UFC history was undefeated under the UFC umbrella, which houses nearly everybody who’s anybody within the sport of MMA. Silva probably woke up Saturday morning and ate excellence for breakfast. He

brushed his teeth with brilliance before hopping in his V12-powered dominance and driving himself to work, aka The Octagon. Somewhere along the line, though, he forgot to pack his glass of humility. It wasn’t the first time either. Over the past few years, we’ve seen Silva increasingly malnourished of the nutrient. Symptoms include dancing during fights, smiling when hit and dropping hands

The man who has won fights in nearly every way imaginable just lost in title in a manner which was inexcusable.

during the action. Many fighters have suffered from humility malnourishment. Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. was famously served a glass by Antonio Tarver back in the day. Marco Antonio Barrera delivered a pint to Prince Naseem Hamed. Even St.

Louis’own Cory Spinks got a sip in front of the home crowd courtesy of Zab Judah back in 2005.

Yet none of those instances had the impact of what happened Saturday night when Silva was caught mid-taunt, with his hands down, and knocked out by Chris Weidman

Yes, Mr. UFC was too busy trying to make his opponent look bad to avoid the punches Weidman winged his way. So, during the second round, while Silva was busy doing the (original) Harlem Shake, Weidman

During the second round,while Anderson “Spider”Silva was busy doing the (original) Harlem Shake,Chris Weidman caught him with a looping left hand that sent the dizzy champ down hard to the mat.

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Deidre Pujols,wife of former Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols,visited with Cardinals great Lou Brock at Albert Pujols’Celebrity Golf Classic at Meadowbrook Country Club in St. Louis on July 8.The tournament benefits the Pujols Family Foundation.

Earl Austin Jr.

With Earl Austin Jr.

Photo by Wiley Price

CLAIB’S CALL

With Mike Claiborne

Dwightmare overforthe Lakers

Well, he is gone. Yes, the Dwight Howard nightmare has come to an end – and I could not be happier. I was never comfortable with the acquisition of Howard. His track record as a coach killer, his suspect fundamentals and his failure to live up to what the Los AngelesLakers expect made this nearly a mission impossible for the Lakers.

Howard looks good on paper, and you would have thought that theLakerhistory of being the most successful pro team franchise in the world over the last 35 years would have turned him into a player who could join other greatLakercenters like GeorgeMikan, Wilt, Kareem and Shaq. Instead the names C.J.Kupec or VladeDivac come to mind. Come to think of it, those guys got to the Finals. For Howard, it was one excuse after another. WhenShaq took shots at him, publicly challenging Howard to be great and not just good, Shaqwas not hating, after all. He was right. Howard was never aLaker. Even when Kobe Bryant tried to get him to stay and theLakers put on a PR press including a willingness to pay him more than any other team, it was good that he went elsewhere.

have an aging Kobe at 100 percent for a while. Pau Gasol can still play, if Mike D’Antoni has confidence in starting him instead of having him come off the bench. Steve Nash has one more run in him. Other than that, this team is short on talent. The Metta World Peace experiment is over with a failing grade, and Steve Blake can’t stay healthy. After next season, a number of good players will be free agents, including Carmelo and – yes– LeBron. The Lakerswill be well under the cap and able to sign anyone they choose.

TheLakersthey may have to play second fiddle behind the LAClippers. A taste of that for a year would inspire them to climb back in it, but quick. Anything else, and there will be a full-scale mutiny on Jim Buss.

Carpenter the competitor

Five – count ‘em, five –Cardinals made the All Star team, and there was certainly a good argument for a sixth in Cardinal closer EdwardMujica All were certainly deserving. Matt Carpenter is the most impressive, given that he went to spring training simply hoping to compete for a spot at second base.

WhenShaq took shots at him, publicly challenging Howard to be great and not just good, Shaq was not hating, after all.He was right.

TheLakers, thanks to Howard and Sr. VP Jim Buss (Jerry’s son) – who thought it was a good idea to bring back Phil Jackson – were not going to win an NBAchampionship. When the going got tough, Howard and his game got going ... in the wrong direction on too many nights.

Now Howard has moved on to Houston, where he will be in the shadows of Hakeem Olajuwan and Ralph Sampson. Does anyone think these Rockets are real contenders? Can they count on Howard?

TheLakers will face a difficult season. They will not

Gridiron crimes

It must be the off-season for the NFLagain, as you can find a player in trouble with the law on a weekly basis. The Aaron Hernandez situation is the latest front page attraction, and rightfully so. The NFLhas a problem. How do you fix it? The entrance rules to the league have to be more stringent. The punishments for doing wrong have to be harder. Wrongdoers should be required to perform community service to remind them what idiots they are and how playing this game is a privilege.

The players’association has to step up and be more forceful. The excuses by the people who cover this league have to stop, and reality really needs to set in here.

Go,governor

Last week it was announced that Governor Jay Nixon will

step in and handle negotiations for the St. Louis stadium issue with Rams owner Stan Kroenke. Due to term limits, Nixon can’t run for governor again, so he is free to do something that does not hold voters hostage. It will be a feather in his political cap if the taxpayers are not duped like they were in the past to enable the building of what is

When the going got tough with the Lakers, Dwight Howard and his game got going ...in the wrong direction on too many nights.

currently the worst stadium in the league.

Nixon is a sports fan who understands that an NFLfranchise is a coveted asset for the state. If there are more tax dollars coming in than going out, it is a good deal. Anything else, and it will be time to look for options.

Speaking of options, most seem to think that the current stadium setup is now a Plan B with the hope of building something new. New, huh? OK, where will you build it?

How long will it take? Who is going to pay for it?

Spare me with the whole “this could bring a Super Bowl to St. Louis” talk. That is a one-time event for one week, like many well-attended conventions, but this show costs hundreds of millions of dollars to put on. While I am a sports fan, I never thought I would say I was glad to see this negotiation in the hands of a politician, but I am. Just don’t give away the store, governor.

Mike Claiborne

F.O.R.C.E. wins title

Girls’basketball team wraps up inaugural season with championship

Amerrican staff

The Saint Louis F.O.R.C.E. Athleticz, Inc.’s Sixth Grade girls’basketball team wrapped up their inaugural season with a 2013 AAU Division II National Championship Title after competing in the national tournament in Hampton, Virginia June 23- 28. The team went undefeated (7-0) for the tournament and fought back from a half-time deficit to defeat the Jacksonville Lady Rams 47-40 in the championship game. In addition, during its first program year, The F.O.R.C.E. has achieved victories in several local tournaments and secured first place titles in the USJN Midwest National Qualifier in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and the Baden Classic in Chicago, Illinois.

Saint Louis F.O.R.C.E. Athleticz was established in 2012 with the mission to “provide a competitive basketball program for girls with a holistic approach that will enhancebasketball ability/knowledge, confidence, selfesteem, and leadership by offering mentoring, programming, service opportunities and athletic exposure.”

The F.O.R.C.E. is a sister organization to the St. Louis Eagles high school boys’basketball program.The F.O.R.C.E. leadership team is comprised of Program Director Chalana Ferguson, Coach Rich Gray, Coach Marvin “Kester” Hay and Coach Lathon Ferguson.

The F.O.R.C.E. is seeking experienced coaches to join their staff and will be holding team try-outs for the 20132014 season.For more information, please visit www.stlforceathleticz.org or contact The F.O.R.C.E. at stlforceathleticz@gmail.com or 314-740-1306.

CLUTCH

Continued from B3

caught him with a looping left hand that sent the dizzy champ down hard to the mat. While he was still trying to figure out how his “I bet you can’t hit me” defense failed him, Weidman jumped on top and finished his opponent with a barrage of blows to the head. Even sadder than the referee’s stoppage was the image of Silva semi-consciously tapping the referee’s leg to signal defeat. In a single word, it was embarrassing. It was bound to happen sooner or later. With athletes

Continued from B3

pointers. Hill scored a teamhigh 23 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Harris scored 15 points while Van Osdale added 12 points for the South.

Help for Leon Watkins

On Thursday night, July 4, basketball standout Leon Watkins was wounded in a shooting in what was a senseless act of violence. Watkins was a three-year starter at McCluer High ('12) who just finished an excellent freshman season at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo. Watkins remains in the hospital as he fights for his life. If you would like to support Leon and his family in their time of need, visit gofundme.com and type in Leon Watkins, Jr. to make a donation. And say a prayer for young Leon as he continues on the road to recovery.

Basketball Academy

Former Saint Louis University basketball greats Anthony Bonner and Roland Gray will be featured coaches at a Summer Basketball Camp at the West County Basketball Academy (140 Long Road) in Chesterfield. The camp, which is for boys and girls between third and 12th grades, run from July 15-18 from. There will be two sessions. The first will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and the second from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The cost of the camp is $165 for a half day or $235 for a full day. Former SLU coach Rich Grawer will be a special guest speaker. For more information, visit the website www.westcountybasketball. com.

Madison Fuller,Alayna Daniels,Coach Marvin “Kester”Hay, Program Director Chalana

Ferguson,Kourtney Hay,Yani Curry,Imani Vails,Samantha Eaker.Not pictured:Coach Lathon Ferguson,Lucy Bloomstran,Cailyn Stacker.

repeatedly pushing the limits of clowning to the next level, it was only a matter of time before a big-name athlete paid the price in a major way. Silva finally wrote the check, and hopefully other athletes will learn from his colossal mistake.

Afew weeks ago, an exciting boxing match between loose-lipped Paulie Malignaggi and Adrien Broner was marred by the two arguing like an old married couple during the fight. They took turns shaking their heads, vogueing for the crowd and making other idiotic gestures that made a genuinely interesting bout annoying.

Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez also has an

Prep football standouts

Congratulations to the prep football standouts who will represent St. Louis at the upcoming NFLHigh School Player Development 7-on-7 National Tournament, which begins this weekend in Cleveland. The 12-member team consists of: Devin Alexander (Ritenour), Jonathan Bonner (Parkway Central), Brandon Brice and Jimmy Jones (Hazelwood East), Markel Smith (Vianney), Justin Andrews (Normandy), Brandon Moore (Mehlville), Kyle Kinner (Westminster), Cole Sigmund (MICDS), Sam Frelich (Chaminade), Zach Muniz (CBC) and Brett Siebenshuh (Francis Howell).

Surging to a close

The St. Louis Surge will close out its regular season in Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League play on Saturday night against the Missouri Arch

affection for putting his hands down and inviting his opponent to hit him. It’s no coincidence that he’s tasted the canvas at least once in the last three bouts.

Sure, athletes in other sports clown as well, and to be fair it adds excitement to the game Every blue moon you’ll see LeBron James miss a dunk, Chris Paul throw away a no-look pass attempt, a football player trip and fall trying to high step into the end zone. Those athletes end up on SportCenter’s “Not Top 10” and often chuckle about it.

But it’s rare that those small blunders will cost them a game and almost certain that it won’t cost them their

Angels. The game will be played at the University of Missouri-St. Louis at 7:05 p.m.

The Surge are currently 6-0 on the season. The Illinois Shooting Stars also close out its regular season on Saturday by hosting the undefeated Auburn Flyers at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis. Tip off is at 2 p.m.

The Shooting Stars will also be hosting the WBCBLRegional Tournament in East St. Louis on July 20.

Women’s Football

The St. Louis SLAM will host the Dallas Diamonds in the semifinals of the Women’s Football Alliance Playoffs on Saturday night at Oakville High (5557 Milburn). Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

(You can also follow Earl Austin Jr. on twitter.com/earlaustinjr or on his basketball website, www.earlaustinjr.com.)

consciousness. For Silva, his cockiness cost him that plus his cloak of invincibility. The man who has won fights in nearly every way imaginable just lost in title in a manner which was inexcusable.

After the bout, jilted fans screamed foul and accused Silva of throwing the match. Silva was so ashamed he said he did not want a rematch and just wanted to go home and rest. It’s ironic that a man who danced and teased under the bright lights, in hopes of gain-

ing more fame and money, now wants nothing more than to go home and get away from the spotlight. It’s too bad Silva didn’t recognize that his marvelous Macarena skills were never responsible for the heights he reached in the UFC. It was his dominance.

Still, if Silva can regain his hunger, the embarrassing loss may be a blessing in disguise.

No longer will fans be forced to watch the lame lulls in action as “Spider” dances around like an idiot. Mike

Tyson, one of the most popular and exciting fighters in the world, gained his fame and acclaim off one thing: crushing skulls. If more MMAfighters and boxers focus on stopping their opponents instead of starting a Soul Train line, the world of sports will be a better place.

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

Top L-R:Coach Rich Gray,Marshi Baird,Rickie Woltman,Kennedy Fortner,Caitlin Anderson,Zoey Little,Olivia Proctor,

Ferguson.Bottom L-R:Raevyn

GATEWAY

Continued from B1

other ideas for how to improve their home game. One good idea was pretty down-home. When Fuller was asked, “When is the fish fry?” she knew that the Gateway Classic needed a fish fry – and this year, it will have one, on Friday night in the parking lot at the Edward Jones Dome.

“Tennessee State does fish fry fundraisers that draw 40,000 people,” Fuller said. She also learned how Tennessee State works with host hotels to create game-specific branding and to hype the overall experience of the Classic. Fuller came home and worked with St. Louis hotels to do just that for Tennessee State’s appearance in St. Louis – with the team’s expected traveling fan base of 17,000. She found a willing partner in Mark Woolford at the Union Station Doubletree, which is putting up the Tennessee State team; their band is at the Ramada Plaza and their opponent, Central State University (Ohio), is at the Millennium Hotel. Woolford is willing to break out paint in the team color of blue and, Fuller said, his bell staff will wear “whatever we want them to wear” during Classic weekend. Fuller is not rebuilding and rebranding the Gateway Classic alone. She has a staff of five – all new on her watch, other than Arthur Tyler, director of operations. “They are all younger,” Fuller said, “idealists.” She also has hired an industry veteran as a consultant: Tony Mason, who used to run the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis.

Central State. He also is showing Fuller and her staff in St. Louis the importance of working closely with both the presidents and the athletic directors of the two teams. And he brings to the table experience with successful branding ideas, like the host hotel in Indianapolis that serves Circle City Margaritas on Classic weekend.

Fuller has not forgotten talent and resources in her home city. She said the Gateway Classic owes its ability to take a break last year to the continued support of Ameren, as brokered by Richard Mark, president of Ameren Illinois.

Fuller intends for the Gateway Classic under her leadership to be a net moneymaker, in service of its mission to provide scholarships.

Among local black-owned businesses, Andy’s Seasoning was an early supporter that has remained strong. AnheuserBusch was an early, major sponsor that is hosting a reception this year – under the initiative of Vanessa FosterCooksey, senior director of community affairs at AnheuserBusch InBev

– after the relationship had cooled in recent years.

But Fuller emphasized she isn’t counting on sponsors to hold up the foundation without help. She intends for the Gateway Classic under her leadership to be a net moneymaker, in service of its mission to provide scholarships. So far this year, the foundation has made money on every event, she said.

“I want to turn the Gateway Classic into a money-maker by selling more tickets and then give the money back to St. Louis as scholarships,” she said.

Entrepreneur and author

King L.Taylor Jr.discussed his book “Pennies,Nickels & Dimes – A Historical Prospecitve of the African American Entrepreneur and the African American Economy”with C.Christopher Lee at Taylor’s recent book signing in St.Louis.The 81-page self-published book features profiles of entrepreneurs such as Madam C.J. Walker,who built a company of hair care products,and owners of Negro Leagues baseball teams.Only 7 percent of U.S.businesses are currently owned by African Americans,according to the Minority Business Development Agency(MBDA). Of those businesses,only 1.8 percent are firms that are big enough to have employees.

Based on Mason’s experience with HBCUs, he brings strong rapport with alumni from both Tennessee State and

Though she wants to remake the Gateway Classic, she does not want to do it in her own image. Unlike her grandfather, its founder, whose image and voice dominated the foundation and its flagship game, she does not want to become a local icon.

“I have no desire to be the face of the Gateway Classic,” she said, despite the fact that she has the classic physical beauty of a model. “I want to take a back seat to the cause.”

One of her mentors –

Richard Mark – insists she can’t disappear from view entirely as president and CEO of a non-profit corporation.

“Richard tells me the events I absolutely have to go to,” Fuller said. So she goes to

some public events, but only for the sake of business.

“My personal business is at home,” she said, which for her is a downtown loft on Washington Avenue, where she is raising two young children,

a girl and a boy, Madison and Gray. “I’d rather stay away from the chicken dinners.”

For more information, visit http://www.stlgatewayclassic. org/.

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.

concerts

Sat., July 20 8 p.m. (7 p.m. doors), Café Soul Live II starring R&B Diva Keke Wyatt, also featuring Nikko Smith, Aloha Mi’sho, Ms. Kriss, Cherise Carroll, Wildmann, Mz. N.V., C. Jay Conrod, Rhoda G. Silky Sol and more. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar.

July 27, 8 p.m., All White AffairConcert and Party starring Tank, Ginuwine and Tyrese, Chaifetz Arena. Tickets on sale Thursday, June 20 at 10 a.m. at TheChaifetzArena.com, the Chaifetz Arena box office and charge by phone at 314-5341111.

Aug. 3, 8 p.m., Nelly featuring Karmin, The Pageant. 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com

Oct. 8, Live Nation presents the “So You Want ATour?” tourstarring Drake with special guest Miguel. Tickets on sale Friday, June 28. For more information, visit www.livenation.com

local gigs

Sat., July 12 – Sun., July 13, Jazz St. Louis presents and Jazz at The Bistro welcomes Anita Jackson, Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

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, 6:30 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)3612116.

special

events

July 11, The Drum Corps Alumni Organization (DCAO) will be making a turnaround bus trip to the University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg MO, forthe Tourof Champions DCI show.Seven of the top drum corpses in the nation will be performing.We will be leaving from New Beginning Missionary Baptist Church, 4055 Edmundson Rd.For further information contact: Rodney Williams @ cwowms@aol.com, 314-8691622.

July 12 – July 14, Tee Masters Golf Club proudly presents: The Bell Will Ring No More 31st Annual Golf Tournament in memory of Black Legends of Golf Probstein Golf Course Forest Park Registration Options: Online: gatewaygolfassociation.org or contact Anthony Coleman at 314-437-1906 and/or anthony_coleman@ us.aflac.com or Charles Smith at 314.853.5091 and/or Csmithjr57@gmail.com

July 13, 12 noon, Bryan Cox and Club 51 present the 3rd Annual C.O.X. Celebrity Golf Tournament, “Creating Opportunities for eXcellence”, Invited guests include: Fred Baxter, NFLveteran (Jets, Bears, Patriots and Redskins), Andy Dickerson, NFLveteran Coach (St. Louis Rams), Larry Webster, NFL veteran (Dolphins, Browns, Ravens), Brandon Marshall, NFL(Bears, Dolphins), Dana Howard, NFLveteran (Cowboys, Bears), Marcus Coleman, NFLveteran (Jets, Texans), Bobby Hamilton, NFLveteran (Jets, Raiders and Patriots), Carey Davis, NFL veteran (Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers), Far Oaks

CALENDAR

Golf Club, 419 Old Collinsville Rd, Caseyville, IL 62233. For more information, visit www.faroaksgolf.com or http://bryancoxgolf2013.eventfast.com/

Sat., July 13, 6 p.m. The Igbo Community of Nigeria in St Louis presents Igbo Cultural Day, Bridgeton Banquet Center 12259 Natural Bridge Road, Bridgeton, MO 63044. For more information, call Mrs. Otuoma Onyema314283-2974, Mrs. Stella Oparaji 314-303-9931 or Dr. Isaac Onyema314-443-3544.

Sun., July 14, 3 p.m., First Bapt. Church of Robertson Scholarship Musical Invited guest for the afternoon will be TLTProductions, as they present STANDAGAINSTVIOLENCE!Also, joining us will be Salt Covenant Bapt. Church and the New Northside Bapt. Church Expressions of Praises. Theme: God is ..... Scripture: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1Rev. Cornelius J. Osby, Pastor/Teacher. First Bapt. Church of Robertson, 356 Woodlawn Ave. St. Louis, MO 63136 For more information, e-mail mrs.focus2011@gmail.com

July 19 – July 21, Classmates of the SumnerClass of 1988 are invited to join for “The Main Event” 25 year reunion celebration, July 19–21, 2013 in St. Louis, Missouri. For details/registration information

please email sumnerclassof1988@sbcglobal.net.

Fri, July 19, 7 p.m., “ELEVATION” – RAW:St.Louis’ one-yearanniversary bash and artists showcase, 2720 Cherokee, 2720 Cherokee Street, St. Louis, MO 63118. For more information, visit www.RAWartists.org/stlouis/el evation

Jul. 21, 3rd Annual I’m A SurvivorAll White Cancer Gala, The History Museum in Forest Park. For more information, visit www.survivorstl.com

Sat., July 28, 8 p.m., The 13 Black Katz present “The Black White Explosion,” The Millennium Hotel, 200 South 4th, St. Louis MO 63102.

TLTProductionsalong with NCCD Corporation presents Youth Take the Stage, an after school arts program that focuses on artistic development at a young age. The Arts and Culture Initiative will provide both a creative and practical outlet for youth ages 6-17. The mission is to provide entry level knowledge of the arts in the areas of vocal, dance, and theater in order to build self esteem, public speaking skills, and overall confidence in children.Classes begin AUG 8OCT8.Enroll Now! Under The Annointing Dance Studio, 7502 W. Florissant St. Louis, MO 63136. For more information, e-mail tltproduc-

tionsllc@gmail.com

Sat., Aug. 24 – Sun. Aug. 25, 10 a.m., Festival of Nations, Amultiethnic celebration featuring dance, music, food, cultural and educational exhibits, folk art demonstrations, and craft market. Presented by the International Institute and 125 community organizations, Tower Grove Park on the City’s South Side. The event will take place nearest S. Grand and Arsenal. A free shuttle service will be available throughout the Park.

Aug. 18 – Aug. 19, The Jack Buck Golf Classic, benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the exclusive Country Club of St. Albans. The Golf Classic is comprised of two events – the Jack Buck Classic Dinner & Auction on Sunday night and the Jack Buck Golf Tournament on Monday morning. olfers also have a chance to win a car from TriStar Mercedes and Johnny Londoff Chevrolet. More information and tickets to both events are available online at http://gateway.cff.org/jackbuck or by calling the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at 314.733.1241.

Through Sept. 3, Missouri History Museum presents Gridiron Glory; The Best of the Pro Football of Fame Exhibit. The exhibit will also include spectacular footage from NFLFilms’unparalleled archives. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 746-4599 or visit www.mohistory.org

Sept. 25, 6 p.m., The 2013 Signature Chefs Auction, Sample unique and delicious culinary creations by dozens of our town’s top chefs and enjoy the live auction with fabulous items up for bid! More than 600 guests are expected to attend the annual event that raises more than $250,000 for the Missouri Chapter of March of Dimes. Contact Missy Tillman, 314-513-995, to make your reservation or visit: www.marchofdimes.com/missouri

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

literary

Thurs., July 11, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library is

pleased to present young adult authorLaura Nowlin, Ms. Nowlin, a St. Louis native, will read from and discuss her debut novel, “If He Had Been With Me.” The program is part of the Reading Garden Event Series sponsored by the St. Louis County Library Foundation. Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd. in Ladue.

Sat., July 13, 12 noon, New African Paradigm Study Group Presents Dr. David Imhotep, author of “The First Americans were Africans.” Meet and Greet and book signing at Afro World from 12p.m. - 1p.m. on July 13th. The lecture to follow at Better Family Life, 5415 Page Blvd at 3:30p.m. Tickets available at Afro World, Sabayet, Inc., and Napps. Contact James Steward at (618) 977-8191 or Greg Harris at (314) 877-9252 for more information.

Sat., July 13, 4 p.m. Author Larry Earl Toombs booksigning and live public speaking event. Legacy Books and Café, 5249 Delmar.

Thurs., Aug. 1, 7 p.m., Shirley Bradford Leflore reads and discusses herbook of poetry”Brassbones and Rainbows.” LeFlore, a founding member of the Black Artist Group, has been actively involved in the St. Louis performance art community over the past 5 decades, St. Louis Public Library - Schlafly Branch,225 N. Euclid Ave. St. Louis, MO 63108.

The New African Paradigm Study Group will meet every 3rd Sunday forbook study. Sabayet, 4000 Maffitt. They are starting a new book, “The first Americans Were Africans: Documented Evidence,” by David Imhotep, Ph.D.

comedy

Thurs., July 11, The All Star Comedy Kick Off featuring Joe Torry, Melanie Camarcho and more, The Ambassador. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

Thursdays, 9 p.m., 2 Funny Thursday Comedy & Open Mic,P3 Platinum Plus Playhouse, 5411 Virginia, Free all night. Hosted by Comedian Spinks. For more information, call (314)-440-9262. theatre

July 11 - July 14, JPEK

Fruitvale Station starring Michael B.Jordan and Octavia Spencer opens in theatres nationwide. See FILM for more information.

Creative Works presents Through The Eyes, a dramatic journey of love, destruction and truth.Based on a true-life story.... Seating is limited. There are a total of 4 shows to choose from 1 Friday-8pm, 2 Saturday 3pm and 8pm, Sunday 4pm. Kranzberg Theatre (inside of Big Brother Big Sisters) 501 North Grand Boulevard St. Louis, MO 63108. Please go to www.jpektte.eventbrite.com to get your ticket.

July 12 – July 20, 8 p.m. Union Avenue Opera Theater presents one of the world’s most beloved operas, “Madama Butterfly,” Puccini’s tragic tale of love and heartbreak returns to the Union Avenue Opera stage. Friday Night Lecture Series:

July 12 & 19 in the Fellowship Hall presented by Glen Bauer, Ph. D., Associate Chair, Department of Music at Webster University. Lectures are free and open to the public. Union Avenue Opera,722 Union Boulevard Saint Louis, MO 63108. For more information visit unionavenueopera.org.

July 13 – July 30, The St. Louis Black Repertory Company presents The Wiz, The Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, 63108. For more information, call (314) 534-3810 or visit www.metrotix.com

Through July 14, Gitana presents So Yo, An Afro Latina Suite, written by Mariah Richardson and directed by Vivian Anderson Watt, Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand. For more information, visit www.gitanainc.org or call (314) 721-6556.

The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) and Gateway Foundation are pleased to announce a call to artists for the sixth edition of Great Rivers Biennial. Winners will receive a grant of $20,000 and will be featured in the

Great Rivers Biennial 2014 exhibition at CAM (May–August 2014). Artists in are invited to submit work from any of the following categories: drawing, painting, photography, film and video, printmaking, sculpture, installation, mixed media, and multi-media. Artists must reside in the metro area for at least one year prior to the application deadline of August 26, 2013. Artists meeting the eligibility requirements are invited to apply. For more information, visit camstl.org/grb

lectures

Through July 12, 7 p.m., Avenues of Activism, Aweek of powerful events with the purpose of engaging the community, gaining understanding and examining different perspectives of people throughout St. Louis presented by the Missouri History Museum. Thursday: 1968: When Reggae Hit the Town Discussion. Explore the pivotal year of 1968 in Jamaica, where a new music was taking over: reggae. KDHX DJs Ital-K and Michael Kuelker discuss reggae from the roots to the fruits, focusing on 1968 as a year of musical birth and cultural ferment.Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell in Forest Park. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org.

July 13, 20 and 27, 9:30 a.m., Woman’s Place will offer a free, 3-session series for adult women who want to release their fears, boost their selfesteem, befriend themselves and expand their human potential. Group will meet for 3 Saturdays - July 13, 20 & 27, from 9:30 to 11:30 am. Preregistration is required. Space is limited. Call by July 10. 314-645-4848. Visit our website at www.womansplacestl.org

Wed., Jul. 17 – Sat., July 20, 9 a.m., National Black State Troopers Coalition 28th Annual SummerTraining Conference & Membership Meeting, Providing members

with personal enrichment, professional development skills, through training, networking, community service and history. This year’s theme is “Mentoring: Aclear Vision Today, For Tomorrow.” Active and retired state troopers from various states, many of america’s first black state troopers. Join us for our Public Safety Event, Saturday, July 20, 2013, Location-TBA. Follow us on FaceBook @ National Black State Troopers Coalition. The Renaissance Hotel St. Louis Airport, 9801 Natural Bridge Road St. Louis, MO. For more information, e-mail NBSTC.President@gmail.com

Fri., July 19, The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) will be hosting a special Humanities Resource Day in Hartford, Illinois. Representatives of local Illinois museums, libraries, historical societies, and other non-profits are invited to attend this half-day workshop. Event is free, though registration is required. Registrations can be made online by emailing to events@prairie.orgor at (312) 422-5580.

Sat., July 27, 10 a.m., Women of Evolution and

Café Soul Live II starring R&B Diva Keke Wyatt,also featuring Nikko Smith, Aloha Mi’sho and more. See CONCERTS for details.

Destiny Empowerment Conference, a gathering of women on an annual basis to receivethenecessarytools to overcome the mental stigma of abuse of all types., Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar Blvd St. Louis, MO 63132. For more information, visit www.lavitabell.com

health

July 15, 1 p.m. MU

Extension’s Eat Well Be Well with Diabetes, this series of 4 classes provides practical information and skills needed to manage diabetes and promote optimal health. It also benefits spouses and other family members of those with diabetes. As a participant in the class you will learn how to manage your blood sugar, meal-planning and the importance of diabetes self-care. 10650 Gateway Boulevard, Creve Coeur, MO 63132. Cost is $30. Contact Damaris Karanja at 314-400-7298 or email karanjad@missouri.edu

Sat, July 27th 11-3pm, Trinity Mt Carmel Church presents: Healthy Families 2013Health & Back To

School Fair. This event will offer free cancer screenings for men & women, diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, hearing, vision, dental and healthy eating and exercising tips. Free school supplies, haircuts & safety helmets will be given out to the children along with free food, entertainment and giveaways for all.Over 40 participating vendors on site: For more information: 314837-7878

The 11th Annual March of Dimes Metro-East Bikers for Babies is July 27th! Start your engines at Ted’s Motorcycle World in Alton and end at Hawg Pitt BBQ Barn in Grafton! Registration starts at 9:00am, kick-stands up at Noon!Take a ride down the Great River Road and support stronger, healthier babies.To pre-register, donate or learn more, please visit: www.bikersforbabiesmetroeast.org

Fri. Aug 9, Sat. Aug 10, 7:30 p.m., The Bright Side of Life, annual student musical revue forJDRF, Pillsbury Chapel and Dale Williams Fine Arts Center, Missouri Baptist University, One College Park Drive, St. Louis,63141. Features 39 students (third grade through high school) from 20 area schools who act, sing and dance; features songs from such classic Broadway musicals as Hairspray, King and I, Memphis, Little Shop of Horrors, Sound of Music and Children of Eden. For more information on this free event, visit www.archcitytheatertroupe.org.

Oct. 11, 6:30 p.m., Sounds Of Unlimited Love Ministry PresentsFrom “Bach to Gospel” RECITALBENEFIT Fundraiser To Stop Diabetes, Emerson Performance Center, Harris-Stowe University. Every 2nd Saturday through December, 9 a.m., Create a New You! “Changing Your Mind to Change YourLife” Workshop, Each goal requires its own set of tools. You’ve tried several diets and gyms but you didn’t get the results you wanted. You’re not a failure. You just didn’t BELIEVE

you had what it took to be successful. Lewis and Clark Branch Library,9909 LewisClark Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63136 Reserve your seat at www.eventbrite.com/org/3262 273172

Saturdays through Oct. 2, 10 a.m., North City Farmers Market, they grow community health in North St. Louis by offering affordable fresh produce, free health screenings, free kids activities, and healthy cooking demonstrations while encouraging community participation and being a stabilizing force in the community – and an array of diverse musical guests each week! Located across from Crown Candy Kitchen in Old North St. Louis at the intersection of St. Louis Ave. and N. 14th Street (two blocks east of Florissant). For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/pa ges/North-City-FarmersMarket/129815293783

Through Friday, July 12, Three Church Revival featuring First Missionary Baptist Church of Kinloch, Inc.-4400 Parker Road, Black Jack, MO 63033,Southern Mission Baptist Church-8171 Wesley Avenue, Kinloch, MO 63140, Liberty Community Worship Center-11221 Larimore Rd. For more information, call (314) 521-3951.

Sat., July 13, 11 a.m., Southern Mission Baptist Church presents their9th AnnualClassic CarShow, All cars, bike, motorcycles and SUVs are welcomed. Southern Mission Baptist Church-8171 Wesley Avenue, Kinloch, MO 63140. For more information, call (314) 521-3951

Sat., July 13, 5 p.m. (4 p.m. doors) The 88th Anniversary of Scruggs Memorial C.M.E. Church, Downtown Ramada Plaza Hotel. There will be music, food and a silent auction.811 N. 9th St. For more information, e-mail smithjrzion@aol.com

ART

Continued from C1

Center. Clay also awarded a winner, runner up and two artists who tied for 3rd place.

Madeline Green of Parkway North High School won 1st place with her acrylic on canvass piece Night Out.

Leah Schaffer of Clayton High School won 2nd place with her photograph Hello World.

And Devin Upchurch of McCluer High School (Sphere, oil on canvas) and Moni Buford of Parkway North High School (A‘more, watercolor on canvass) tied

JACKSON

Continued from C1

moved to Off Broadway. So I ended up doing recording session work for Whitney and Cissy Houston, Erika Badu and others, and enjoyed it a lot.”

When Jackson’s daughter was born, she decided to move back to St. Louis. Since then, she has appeared in several productions at the Black Rep (“Caroline, or Change,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Blues in the Night”) and built a following as a club and concert performer.

This month, Jackson headlines at Jazz at the Bistro July 12 and 13, performing with Kyle Kelley on piano/keyboard, John King on bass, Fred Spencer on drums and Jason Swagler on saxophone.

She also performs at the University City Starlight

for 3rd place. Madeline Green’s colorful acrylic painting on canvass, entitled Night Out, was unveiled on Thursday at the U.S. Capitol Complex. She traveled to Washington, D.C., courtesy of Southwest Airlines, to unveil her winning entry.

“As you can see from the artwork on display here, the level of talent is truly impressive,” Clay said an overflow crowd of young artists, parents and teachers at Portfolio. “Your work is inspiring, and I encourage all of you to continue to develop your creative talents.”

To participate in next year’s contest, contact Clay’s office at 314-3671970.

Concert series at Heman Park on July 22 with Brock Walters on keyboards, Terry Coleman on bass and Bwayne Smotherson on drums. Jazz at the Bistro (3536 Washington Ave.) performances are at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. each evening. Reserved seat admission is $20, $10 for students. For regular admission, buy tickets at www.metrotix.com. For student tickets, call 314289-4030 during regular business hours or purchase at the door with a valid student ID.

Heman Park Starlight Concert Series take place on Monday evenings from 6:308:30 p.m. on the south side of Heman Park (Midland/ Shaftsbury entrance). For more information, visit www. ucityartsandletters.org, or call 314-863-6333 or 314505-8625. Edited and reprinted with permission from stlbeacon. org.

Black

& Single

I am ‘Mary Jane’

New BET drama nails the single black female

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

I know for a fact that I wasn’t the only one thinking I was watching Gabrielle Union reenblact my life as the title character on the BET Network’s movie premiere of the upcoming series “Being Mary Jane.”

How do I know? Because of all of the hot phone calls and texts I got from the time the show started until almost 2 a.m. saying so.

I thought it was some type of family emergency when my cell began vibrating. But I looked at the phone and was met with:

“OMGEEEEEE! It is scary how the Mary Jane character is ME!”

On a regular night, I would have been furious. Luckily I was up thinking the same thing – at the exact same moment.

I was watching the show saying, “Mara Brock Akil

ESSENCE

Continued from C1

But Beyoncé didn’t bring in the masses to the Mercedes Benz Superdome all by herself. More than 50 acts– performed between the main stage and the Super Lounge side stages over the course of three days (July 5–7). They ranged from icons like LL Cool J and New Edition, established soul acts such as Maxwell and Jill Scott to rising stars Janelle Monae. There was even a reinvention found in the form of TGT – a new group comprised of R&B heartthrobs Tank, Ginuwine and Tyrese.

And all of them collectively showcased the brilliant diversity within black music.

Beyoncé’s return

Much has changed in the six years since Beyoncé last graced the Essence stage.

Most obvious is her graduation from rising R&B diva to international music superstar.

Those who didn’t attend the Mrs. Carter Tour closing are dying to know if her performance was worth the hype. It depends on who you asked.

The Beyhive (Beyoncé’s hardcore fans) will naturally offer a resounding yes. But many others responded differently for most of the night.

Beyoncé emerged with all of the bells and whistles of a sold-out world tour –pyro, lighting, video, intense choreography, smoke – when she introduced herself to the crowd by way of “Run the World (Girls).” The masses could have

(the show’s creator), how did you yank this out of my head, my life and my spirit?” I was looking around my basement and backyard for satellites. And y’all expressed as much on every social media platform.

The sensation of “Being Mary Jane” lies in how familiar our story is amongst us. The husband and wife creative team of Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil (who also directed) nailed it. And seeing some element of our lives unfold on the television screen really hit home, didn’t it?

BET presented a non-music video for the universal sad song we sing in unison while searching for not only love, but happiness, fulfillment and peace.

For those of you who didn’t tune in, Gabrielle Union stars in the title role as a super successful cable television news host and producer who has it all together on air. But when she goes off the air she has to deal

Gabrielle Union in “Being Mary Jane”

with all types of mess in her personal and family life. Sound familiar?

But the show grabbed us with its refreshing authenticity and how it steps outside of the frame of frustrated singleness without ever totally abandoning the notion. “Being Mary Jane” also touches on matters that are faced but not often highlighted – especially not on film or television.

Her love life is the pits, but she must also bear the burden of success in her family, having her authority and expertise challenged on the job, the frustration of what she feels to be unwarranted eternal singleness and the moral compromises she makes to get

lived without the poetical video interludes (which bought her time during her nine or so wardrobe changes) – or their storylines that illustrated personal evolution, discovering one’s inner queen and the power of feminine seduction. They came to hear good music and felt personal videos were an unwarranted interruption of the musical flow.

Because of her stage prowess, usually all it takes is one live performance from Beyoncé to carry an individual from indifference to fandom. But the set list was working against her with the Essence Festival audience Sunday night.

“Me, Myself and I,” “Déjà Vu,” “Dangerously In Love,”

“Ego” and a slew of hits from urban adult contemporary radio were absent from the set list. A technically scaled down experience with a set list modified to cater to the audience’s musical taste would have made all of the difference. As she could see herself after the entire Superdome erupted when she jumped into “Love On Top” and continued with “Crazy in Love” and “Single Ladies.” She even laced the women’s anthem with the theme song lyrics from The Jeffersons and a second line band tribute.

“It took me a while to warm y’all up, but thanks for getting up out your seats,” Beyoncé said. “I appreciate you for that.”

her physical and emotional needs met.

“Being Mary Jane” presents the complexities of the single black female – which was the project’s original title – in a way that I haven’t seen before. That aha moment of hers when she had a breakdown after seeing those babies on the commercial … what? I believe she realized that even though her family members are so jacked up with respect to ambition and self-sufficiency, ALL of them have her love life clocked. I’ve been there so many times I was singing Tamela Mann’s “Take Me to the King” to the television screen for Mary Jane during that particular raw emotional moment.

Gabrielle Union must have channeled her own experiences – because this was her best portrayal of any character … ever. Now I can’t say that I would hem up my boyfriend’s wife in the Whole Foods, but just about everything else was me to a tee! In my opinion, Akil included this meltdown/lapse in judgment as a manifestation of the constant stress of having to hold it together and be everything to all people. I mean, how can you go from being the superwoman on the job and the family’s saving grace to the tragic side chick and not have a moment? I said all of that to say: Yes. Yes. Yes. The only bad thing is that we have to wait until January for new episodes!

More musical high notes

For the second year in a row, Trey Songz used the Essence Festival main stage to showcase his growth and maturity as a performer. Songz emerged on stage with “Say Ahh,” wearing a Rat Pack-inspired classic tuxedo. He connected with fans through selections such as “Dive In,” “Can’t Help But wait,” “I Invented Sex,” “Bottoms Up” and “Love Faces.” Fans wouldn’t find out until after the show that he was performing with an injured ankle.

Essence Music Festival veteran Charlie Wilson is evolving into a highly anticipated staple among the performance lineup. Wilson gave fans an extra helping with “There Goes My Baby,” “Charlie Last Name Wilson,” “Beautiful,” “You Are” and “Keep Running” among some two dozen stretching back to the Gap Band and including newer hits from his revived solo career.

Meanwhile, the Super Lounge side stages offered the best among classic R&B and rising soul stars. Avery Sunshine and Chrisette Michele and Tamia were among the performances that belonged on the main stage. But the best in show would undoubtedly belong to Faith Evans, who ripped the Coca Cola room to pieces. IN “Come Over,” “Soon as I Get Home,” “I Love You” and “Used To Love Me,” she displayed a tone and vocal charisma unique among her R&B female contemporaries. Visit www.stlamerican.com for complete coverage of the 19th Annual Essence Music Festival – including concert reviews, photo galleries and features surrounding the festivities.

2nd place winner, “Hello World” by Leah Schaffer, Clayton High School

Beyoncé

‘They always get away’

Last week afforded another grim reminder that life in America for black youth is intensely harsh. Smack dab in the middle of the George Zimmerman trial came the video of a then-St. Louis police officer, Rory Bruce, sucker punching a handcuffed teen as the kid exited a police van.

The videotape of the 2012 alleged assault of the teen was released recently only after KSDK TV filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act. Bruce is shown hitting this teen so hard I felt my own jaw twinge. Then, as if he remembered the van’s cam was rolling, Bruce can be heard saying, “I told you I wanted to search you and you came out of the thing and started lunging at me.” There was no such lunging, but Judge Teresa Counts Burke didn’t admit the tape as evidence before she cleared Bruce of third-degree assault. However, Bruce was fired anyway and now is seeking his job back.

To her credit, Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce has re-opened the assault case. We’ll see what happens with Bruce’s future as a St. Louis cop. The assault victim in the above case seems to be hiding out for fear of police retaliation. He remains at large,

nameless and faceless, but still may get justice. Maybe not. U.S. courts are unpredictable when it comes to justice for African Americans.

The world knows the story of Trayvon Martin, a black teen who told his friend on the cell phone that he was being followed by a “creepy *** cracker.” It turned out to be neighborhood-watchcaptain-turned-vigilante George Zimmerman, who shot Martin at point-blank range just a few houses from his intended destination. Zimmerman faces a second-degree murder charge. This is a different situation than most cases black folks find themselves in. The prosecution is usually not in our corner and often works to gain a conviction by any means necessary, including unethical and illegal means.

The burden of proof is on the state in a murder case. The prosecution has an added weight with seconddegree murder that is not required with a manslaughter change: “unlawful killing of the victim by an act imminently dangerous to another and demonstrating a depraved mind without regard for human life.” Proving Zimmerman had a depraved mind can’t be a subjective notion.

I’ve said all along that this not a slam-dunk case.

Yes, Zimmerman racially profiled Trayvon Martin—as he had done with other blacks. Yes, Zimmerman was told by a police dispatcher not to follow Martin, yet he persisted anyway. Yes, Zimmerman exaggerated his injuries to

Community Brief

justify his self-defense claims. Yes, an unarmed Martin is dead, shot through the heart. Yes, the forensic photo of Trayvon after his death doesn’t jibe with Zimmerman’s statement that he extended the youth’s arms out. Yes, Zimmerman told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that he had no regrets and would do nothing differently on that night.

This is not enough to get a conviction. There are known variables that can cumulatively lead to an acquittal.

You have a jury with six women, five white and one of unknown ethnicity. The trial is in Florida, home of the Stand Your Ground law. Trayvon can’t tell his story. Defense attorneys only have to poke holes in the state’s witnesses to raise reasonable doubt. Zimmerman’ attorneys have been very good at this, resulting in legal observers giving Mark O’Mara and Don West the upper hand in the trial so far.

I recently talked to local attorney Justin Meehan about the case; Meehan is also a martial arts expert. He raised that fact that Zimmerman is trained in mixed martial arts and was capable of doing a number of moves on young Trayvon before bringing a 9 mm gun into the situation.

This and other little-known facts – like Zimmerman taking Temazepam and Adderall, which may have caused his aggressive and anxious actions – will have to be rolled into a crisp, clear, hard-hitting, factheavy closing statement by the prosecution.

United Way funds three new agencies

United Way of Greater St. Louis recently added three new agencies into its fold of locally funded health and human service organizations: College Bound, Redevelopment Opportunities for Women and St. Clair County Child Advocacy Center. Since 2006, College Bound has provided promising students from under-resourced backgrounds the academic enrichment, social supports and life skills needed to succeed in college and careers. Redevelopment Opportunities for Women’s mission is to empower

women and their families to build safety, skills, economic security and hope for the future.

St. Clair County Child Advocacy Center coordinates the multi-disciplinary response to the sexual and serious physical abuse of children. The center also serves children who have witnessed violent crime. Seventy organizations applied. The process took four months with more than 50 volunteers working to ensure that the funds entrusted to United Way will be invested wisely.

“These new agencies and

programs were selected out of a rigorous evaluation process and meet the high quality standards that are a hallmark of United Way agencies region wide,” said Dayna Stock, community investment volunteer chair with United Way.

The new agencies, which bring the current number of funded agencies to 176, will begin to receive funding in January 2014.

The 2013 United Way campaign is underway. For information or to donate, visit https://www.stl.unitedway.org/

Jamala Rogers

~ CELEBRATIONS ~

Birthdays!

Happy 5th Birthday Ma’Kenzie Bailey on July 10! May God continue to bless my little granddaughter with many more wonderful and healthy birthdays.

Love Always, Your Grandmother& Grandfather (Sunday and James)

Florence Wilson — July 11

Jewell Turner (59) — July 7

Janya’h Shelton (4) — July 9

Reunions

Beaumont Classes of 1965, 1966 and 1967 join us for dinner and dancing at the Embassy Suites Hotel (St. Louis Airport) on October 12, 2013 from 7:30pm to 12:30am. Hosted by Beaumont Class of 1966. For further information contact: Jacque’Hughes-Hayes 314-971-7012 orJosh Beeks 314-303-0791.

Beaumont High School Class of 1973 is holding its 40th reunion on Aug. 16-17. Contact Randy Sanderson, at 314-393-8510, rsanderson1954@sbcglobal.netor Shelia Owens Pargo, 314-7240073, sheliap4@sbcglobal.net.

Beaumont High School Class of 1983, Save the Date! Please prepare for our 30 year Class Reunionon October 4, 5, and 6.Please send emails with home address to bhsco1983@gmail

Cardinal RitterCollege Prep, c/o 1988, 25-year reunion, July 26-28. Please check the CRCP class of ‘88 web page for the details for the weekend. Contact: Nathaniel Thomas at nathanielthomasjr@gmail.com or 636-399-3053, Sean Camp

Kenyae Shelton Stephanie Jimerson

Happy Birthday to Miss Kenyae Shelton on July 11! You are growing into such a beautiful, strong young lady. We love you and are so proud of you. Daddy, Mommy, & Kennedy

at seancamp31@yahoo.com or 314-479-9370, Angela D. Williams at adw13414@yahoo.com or 314-374-6625.

Central High School All Class Reunion “Return to the Prom”weekend August 9-11. For Tickets and Information contact Laura Joiner at 3237833 or Ada Livers at 2292961 or send e-mail to centralallclass2009@yahoo.com.

East St. Louis SeniorHigh Class of 1974:The Steering Committee is diligently planning our special 40-year reunion in June 2014.Contact dyj54@yahoo.com to be added to the class Facebook page to stay informed.For additional information, contact:314-4065354 or 618-580-2006.

Happy Birthday to Stephanie Jimerson! Stephanie celebrated “42” on July 9.

Happy Birthday to Gwendolyn V. Walker on July 13! She is a wonderful person who always helps everyone. We need more Gwendolyns in this world!

From: All your friends

Congratulations to Anthony L. Martin and Brittany A. Jones who were engaged on June 2, 2013. Both are graduates of the University of Missouri.

Anthony earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Brittany earned a Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies.

Kinloch All Schools Picnic, Saturday August 17, 2013, Noon at Norman Myers Park, 8700 Midland Blvd. For more information, Please contact Lester Wilson at 863-2180, MC McKinnnies at 524-0126, Reuben Melton at 239-5202, or Arlene (Owens) Davis at 792-0659.

Riverview Gardens Senior All reunion announcements can be viewed online!

Normandy SeniorHigh School Class of 1973 40-year Reunion Announcement Event is Planned for Saturday, August 3. For details send email to:normandyreunion73@yahoo.com or check the Normandy High School Alumni Website at www.normandyhighschoolalumni.net.

Northwest High School Class of 1973 will celebrate its 40th Class Reunion July 19-21, 2013.If you have not received the specific details, pleasesend your contact information including email address, phone and mailing address to northwesths1973@gmail.com. Information has also been posted on Classmates.com and Facebook Group: Northwest High School 1973. If you have questions feel free to call Cornelia Clark Stephens at 314 580-1114.

High Class of 1993 20-year Reunion, Friday July 26-28. Please go to http://rghs93.classquest.com to register.

Soldan is having its 9th AllClass Alumni Picnic Saturday, August 10, 2013 at Blanchette Park in St. Charles, MO, from 10 am- 6 pm. The price is $10 adults, $5 4yrs12yrs, free 3 and under. Tshirts with the graduation year on the sleeve are $13. This picnic is for all who attended Soldan High School. For more information call(314) 4139088 or (314) 322-6406.

Soldan Class of 1963 50-year Reunion, August 2-3 2013, Renaissance Airport Hotel, St. Louis. To register or obtain additional information, please contact: Walter McElroy 314725-9335 or Joe DuBose 314727-3951.

SumnerHigh School Class of 1968 is celebrating its 45th class reunion the weekend of July 26-28, 2013 at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel.To register or obtain additional information, please contact Herman Jonesat 314435-3434, Ronald Buford 314837-4284 or Chrisena Bolden Brown 314-388-3324.

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, graduation, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to: St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 4242 Lindell Ave St. Louis, MO 63108 FREE OF CHARGE

Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us! However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 4242 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108. 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

University City High School Class of 1973 40th High School Reunion July 12-13, 2013; Cost: $40 per graduate, $35 for spouse/significant other($50/$45 after July 1). Call (314) 726-6737 or email ucclassof73@gmail.com to register and for more information.

Pastor launches Toy Gun Buy Back Initiative

Plus, Joint Neighborhood Ministry hosts health clinic

American staff

Local faith communities will host a Toy

Gun Exchange Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 13 at three locations: O’Fallon Park Recreation Complex, 4343 W. Florissant; North County Recreation Complex, 2577 Redman; and Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center, 101 JJ-K Circle, East St. Louis.

Parents and children are invited to exchange violent toys for nonviolent ones and enjoy food, music and fun activities for children and youth.

“The goal is to spark meaningful conversations about the culture of violence and change the way kids engage in dramatic play by replacing violent toys and video games with non-violent ones,” said the Rev. Rodney T. Francis, pastor of Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church.

“This initiative is an effort to bring awareness to the implications and impact of violent toys, games and movies on today’s youth.”

Volunteers and donations are needed. Individuals, congregations and organizations are invited to support by hosting a toy drive to collect new nonviolent toys that will be distributed on the Exchange Day, making a financial donation to help cover the cost of non-violent toys and other Exchange Day activities, and volunteering at any of the Exchange Day Sites. To volunteer, host a drive, make a donation or get more information, please visit www.toygunbuyback.org or contact

Rev. Rodney T. Francis, pastor of Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church

The Toy Gun Buy Back Initiative, P.O. Box 23325, St. Louis, MO 63156, call 314-2256990 or visit info@toygunbuyback.org.

Joint

Neighborhood

Ministry hosts health clinic

The Institute for Family Medicine launched its 16th community health clinic recently to serve the disadvantaged clients of Joint Neighborhood Ministry, a south

Library

city-based food pantry.

The collaboration between the two nonprofit organizations allows the Institute for Family Medicine to maintain an on-site clinic at Joint Neighborhood Ministry, where a physician and community health nurse team will address health concerns and connect disadvantaged patients to needed resources. The Institute for Family Medicine physician will see patients at the clinic twice per month, and a community health nurse will be on site three days per week to build rapport with patients and provide continuity of care.

“This new clinic is providing care that this community has needed for a long, long time, because we see so many people who are uninsured and don’t have access to health care,” said Joan Hensley, executive director of Joint Neighborhood Ministry.

Joint Neighborhood Ministry, which operates with the motto “More Than Just a Soup Can,” provides food, clothing, financial assistance and referrals to other resources to low-income individuals and families in the 63118 and 63104 zip codes.

The organization identified health care as a major need for its largely uninsured population, which is exactly what the Institute for Family Medicine provides.

“While this is our newest clinic, and our first at a food pantry, it is a classic example of a community organization that represents an underserved population coming to us for help with providing health care for its clients,” said Dr. David Campbell, president and CEO of Institute for Family Medicine.

This collaborative effort allows Institute for Family Medicine to provide care to its target population at a community location where they are already receiving trusted services.

“My role is to help people sort through their needs to see if health care should be prioritized,” said Margie Diekemper, the community health nurse with Institute for Family Medicine. “I can help refer them for HIV testing, additional care, etc. and it really rounds out the work at Joint Neighborhood Ministry.”

Genesis 50:20: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me: but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

In Christendom, we often quote the cliché, “what the devil meant for evil, God turned around for my good.”

This story is about Joseph and how his brethren had a hate on him and sold him. We can look at Joseph with much pity and his brethren as scoundrels.

We are not ignoring what happened to Joseph, because at one point we have either been in Joseph’s shoes or was acting like one of the brethren.

But Joseph gave the real reason as to why God allowed him to be tested.

Joseph’s life, he understood it wasn’t about him, it wasn’t about his brethren, but it was about God!

Joseph understood that God permitted his test:

1. To preserve life.

2. To preserve posterity in the earth

Genesis 45:5, 7, 8 declares, “5Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. And God sent me before you to preserve you posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and He hath made a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”

At first, we don’t always see the “big picture” of God’s plan, but once submission and maturity was worked in

3. To bring about a great deliverance. There was a famine coming and God needed a vessel to use to preserve life! There are souls in our families, friends and people that we don’t know that need Christ and God is looking for someone that He can trust to stand in the gap to preserve life! (Ezekiel 22:30, Isaiah 59:16.) Do not confuse the word posterity with prosperity The meaning of posterity is a residual remnant, descendants, and future generations. God’s intent is that our seed be blessed from generation to generation. But we must teach our children how to prosper in God first and in return He will give them wisdom on how to prosper in all things (Genesis 18:18-19; Deuteronomy 4:5, 6, 9,

Annie Blum

Me.

An incident in middle school puts Finn and Autumn in separate social worlds. Autumn has always wondered “what if.” She has the chance to find out when another incident reunites them during senior year. Will Autumn and Finn lose their love or will they remain bonded forever?

Books available for purchase courtesy of Left Bank Books.

July 20 • 10 a.m. • Buder • 4401 Hampton Ave. • 63109 • ‡$

Annie Blum discusses and signs her book, The Steamer Admiral and Streckfus Steamers.

Blum worked on the Admiral from 1962-1978. The huge, beautiful, allmetal boat with an Art Deco design was the flagship of the Streckfus family company, which ran boats on two major rivers. Live bands provided fun and memories to countless visitors for over 35 years. Using personal reminiscences and historical data, Blum tells the story of the Streckfus and the story of the remarkable Admiral.

Books available for purchase courtesy of the author.

SAVE THE DATE:

October 9, 2013

An Evening With Nicholas Sparks and KSDK’s Heidi Glaus Discussing The Longest Ride

Support the St. Louis Public Library when you spend a special evening with one of America’s most beloved authors, New York Times bestseller Nicholas Sparks. The event takes place at Central Library on October 9, at 7 p.m.

This is an on-stage conversation with a Q&A and meet & greet to follow.

Nicholas Sparks’s appearance is a ticketed event. Tickets are $30, will be available online through Left Bank Books beginning August 1, and will include one pre-signed copy of The Longest Ride. An additional, limited number of pre-signed books will be available for purchase at the event.

The author will not be signing at the event, but ticketed guests will have the chance to greet the author after the evening’s presentation.

A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to

Joyce Nash