July 15th, 2021 edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

Thompson remembered as great civic leader

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, Cathy Daniels (aka Mama Cat) pose with longtime community activist and state representative the honorable Betty Thompson at Juneteenth in Fairgrounds Park June 19.

By

In the mid-1970s, Betty Thompson sought a permit from the city council to build a swimming pool in the backyard of her University City home. Her simple request was met with derision.

“Mrs. Thompson, no Black person who’s ever lived on the north side of University City can possibly afford to build a swimming pool,” she recalled in her

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By Sylvester Brown Jr.

almost in a war and a war demands action that otherwise we wouldn’t have to do,” he said. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the pandemic “has unequally affected racial and ethnic minority groups.” This

By JoAnn Weaver The St. Louis American

Psychosis is a symptom of psychiatric illnesses including schizophrenia and some forms of bipolar disorder. These illnesses affect an estimated 3% of the U.S. population.

Dr. Daniel Mamah, director of the Washington Early Recognition Center and associate professor of psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine, is a licensed psychiatrist who actively works in the community and conducts research in Africa.

Mamah completed his psychiatry residency and Masters of Psychiatric Epidemiology (MPE) at Washington University and received his medical degree from Semmelweis University of Medicine in Budapest, Hungary.

“My dad is from Nigeria and my mom is from Hungary; I grew up in both of those countries,” Mamah said.

Mamah’s interest in the medical field sparked from him seeing the need for healthcare in Africa.

“Growing up in Nigeria opened my eyes,” Mamah said.

“In Africa, death at a young age was common because of relatively minor things like malaria due to the lack of healthcare.”

This lack of access to healthcare made Mamah want to pursue work in medicine.

“I wanted to help, which is what made me interested in the medical field,” Mamah said.

Medicine brought Mamah, who has lived in St. Louis for 20 years, to the U.S.

“When you’re in other countries, you look to the United States as being the land of opportunity where you can take your career wherever you want to,” Mamah said. “There are lots of great opportunities for healthcare and research in the U.S.” Mamah’s specialty area of medicine is psychiatry, which is the branch of medicine focused on the diagnosis, treatment and pre-

Gloria Ross St. Louis Public Radio

Dr. Daniel Mamah

Photo by Jennifer Sarti / St. Louis American

Dawn Cole, a teacher at

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Juvenile rolls out vaccine awareness song, “Vax That Thang Up”

Juvenile knows how to make a classic hit. Now, one of his most successful record ings is back thanks to a new rendition.

He has joined Mannie Fresh and Mia X on a remake of “Back That Thang Up.” Lyrics have been changed to create a vaccine anthem called “Vax That Thang Up.”

Due to vaccine hesitancy among many people of color during the pan demic, the song has been updated with lyrics such as Mannie Fresh saying, “Girl you can be the queen...after quarantine.”

“I just wanted to do some thing positive for my people and to stand in the front to show that I’m willing to sacrifice my life, not just for me, but also for my family,” Juvenile said in a statement.

“We don’t know what we’re facing right now, but we really do all need to be vaccinated so we can

continue to do our thing and survive.”

“Back That Thang Up” was released in 1999. The new version’s campaign is a collaboration between Atlanta-based creative agency Majority, co-founded by Shaquille O’Neal and BLK, a popular dating app for Black singles.

Tour, Las Vegas residency in works for original New Edition members

There’s good news for all the New Edition fans out there. You could have the opportunity to see the six original members perform together next year.

The Creative Artists Agency (CAA) announced via Instagram that it will represent the group for its upcoming tour and Las Vegas residency. “New client: the legendary Pop & R&B kings, New Edition! Featuring Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill. From Roxbury, MA to superstardom, a 2022 arena tour is already in the works along with their own Las Vegas residency. Stay tuned… and welcome to the fam!,” CAA wrote.

New Edition first rose to prominence with the 1983 debut album, Candy Girl

Nick Cannon fathers multiple children by different women with no remorse

Nick Cannon proudly admits there’s no mistake about his growing number of offspring.

He addressed his fatherhood of numerous children on his Power 106 show, Nick Cannon Radio, and he asked JT from the rap group City Girls for life advice.

Her response was that he should “wrap it up,” which translates to he should consider wearing condoms. Cannon responded, saying his children aren’t accidents.

“I’m having kids on purpose,” Cannon said. “I don’t have no accident.”

His comments came after welcoming a child, Zen, with model Alyssa Scott on June 23. Zen is his seventh child, and his fourth child in less than a year with three different women.

Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence’s eldest children ‘happily in love’

Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence’s eldest children are dating and “head over heels in LOVE.”

It’s unknown the amount of time Eric Murphy and Jasmin Lawrence have been seeing each other, but they seem to be serious. Last weekend, Jasmin shared a birthday post celebrating Eric’s birthday, showering him with love. She shared photos of them cute and cozy.

“Happy Birthday, my love! I’m so incredibly blessed to know you, to love you, and to have you by my side,” she wrote in the post. “Cheers to many more blessings, laughs, and beautiful memories! I love you so much!! *black heart emoji*” Late last month, Eric professed his love for Jasmin on Instagram.

Cannon said “You only live once. That’s true. I always say you only get one trip around the ride.”

Ten days before Zen’s birth, Cannon had welcomed twin boys Zion and Zillion with Abby De La Rosa. He also had a baby girl in December with ex-girlfriend Brittany Bell, their second child, following 3-year-old son Golden

He also has 9-year-old twins with his exwife Mariah Carey, son Moroccan, and daughter Monroe

“Head over heels in LOVE with YOU @ jasmin_lawrence *four red heart emojis* #myo therhalf#equallyyoked#iloveyou

The posts were the first time each publicly acknowledged their relationship.

Eric Murphy, 32, and Jasmin, 25, are the first children of their respective iconic parents. Eric is Eddie’s son with Paulette McNeely and Jasmin is Martin’s daughter with former beauty queen Patricia Southall.

Sources: AOL.com, Essence.com, TheGrio. com, TheJasmineBrand.com, CNN.com

Juvenile

Cannon

Protests, uncertain reopening plans part of SLPS Board meeting

By Sophie Hurwitz

The St. Louis American

As St. Louis Public Schools

Board of Education members met to discuss the district’s reopening plans Tuesday, two different protest groups gathered outside to express their grievances with the district.

Inside, board members worried over the Delta COVID-19 variant’s impact on reopening plans and announced initiatives to bring students back to school with masks and vaccinations.

Outside, activists with the Communities One Project continued their quest to save the historic Paul Lawrence Dunbar Elementary School from becoming an online-schoolonly facility, a demand for which they have been marching and protesting against since this change was announced months ago.

Bridge 2 Hope, a parent empowerment group, demanded more personalized reading and mathematics plans for their children in order to increase the number of SLPS students reading at grade level.

Both groups said that members of the board have been unresponsive and would not meet with them to discuss alternate plans for the district in a timely manner. Bridge 2 Hope, according to representative Makayla Gray, tried to meet with Superintendent Kelvin Adams on May 5. He never showed up to the meeting, she said. The Individual Academic Recovery Plan (IARP) the group proposed to the district was developed by parents.

“The schools are doing something like individualized reading, but only in kindergarten through third grade,” parent

Samantha Simpson said. For her children, though, that’s not enough.

“I do believe that the IARP would have, actually, saved my youngest. He doesn’t have any developmental disabilities…but he couldn’t read,” she said.

His test scores, however, were not low enough to warrant extra support.

“Now, he’s going into the fourth grade and reading on a first-grade level, and the district still doesn’t want to provide him with reading services.”

Krystal Barnett founded Bridge 2 Hope because, as a 19-year-old single mother, she felt there were no good options for her kids within the district.

Now, she trains “powerful parent advocates” like Angel Were to go into the schools and advocate for their children’s needs.

Were said that she had to go into the schools ‘five times in one week’ in order to make sure her children’s academic needs were being served.

To Barnett, this shows a certain “hypocrisy” in the district’s efforts to connect with parents. “What the district has done a good job [at] is pretending to care, pretending to listen, but moving in a way that… shows that they don’t value community, they don’t value parent engagement and input,” she said.

Board members themselves expressed concerns about lack of parent involvement in the district’s plans.

“I think that institutions can always do a better job at including community and including the stakeholders, I think that’s something that… folks in the institution have to always be open to and listening,” said the Board’s newest

to the SLPS population. Right now, he estimated, “about 60 to 80%” of teachers and administrators are vaccinated.

Every student and staff member will still be required to wear face masks in the fall, as was announced last week “because of the variants.” The Urban League will also partner with the district on providing those masks (some of which, Board members suggested, could be “fun animal masks” in order to encourage younger students to wear them). The district currently has over 100,000 masks in warehouse storage, and is acquiring more.

Adams also emphasized that the school will be able to move smoothly into a fully virtual format if necessary.

“If we ever have to switch, or quarantine a school, we will have the ability to do so,” he said. “We are cognizant of what’s happening in our region…and we want to be ready in case we have to switch.”

member Alisha Sonnier.

Some things, though, “are just tough,” she added. “School closings and school closures are always tough. Nobody wants it to be the school in their community.”

Adams announced that efforts are being made to involve parents in back-toschool planning: teachers with AFT-Local 420 are hosting a “back to school” phone banking session to inform parents of their options, which currently consist of either in-person school or the virtual “edmen-

tum” program.

For whichever schooling option families choose, the ‘one to one’ technology program that was implemented during the first year of the pandemic—in which any student can be loaned a laptop and WiFi hotspot—will continue into this academic year.

Adams also noted that, while recent surveys indicated that “only about 30 families” were interested in virtual schooling, families who may be considering that option more seriously now in light of the

Delta variant should contact the district. Blended schooling, in which students attended class in-person sometimes and online sometimes, was “incredibly difficult” for students and staff, Adams said, and as such will not be an option in the coming year. All schools will be testing students prior to their return to the classroom in August. There is no vaccination requirement in place for students or staff, though Adams hopes to partner with the Urban League in providing more vaccine access

For the families organizing with Bridge 2 Hope, though, the prospect of a more normal start of the school year in the fall is not enough. “In 2019, 88% of the Black and brown children in this district could not read on grade level,” Samantha Simpson said. “And that’s my kids, at the end of the day. And that’s why we’re out here, that’s why all of these parents are coming together— because the more we get educated, the more powerful we become.”

“School closings and school closures are always tough. Nobody wants it to be the school in their community,” SLPS Board member Alisha Sonnier said.

Photo by Sophie Hurwitz/St. Louis American

Editorial

A white press mea culpa is missing in St. Louis

In December 2020, the Kansas City Star apologized. Its “I’m sorry” moment was part of a six-part series called “The truth in Black and white.”

“It is time that we own our history,” wrote Make Fannin, Star editor. “It is well past time for an apology, acknowledging, as we do, that the sins of our past still reverberate today.” He admitted the newspaper “disenfranchised, ignored and scored generations of Black Kansas Citians,” for most of its 140 years in print.

In September 2020, the L.A. Times addressed its longstanding racial biases, as well.

“On behalf of this institution, we apologize for The Times’ history of racism,” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote.

“We owe it to our readers to be better, and we vow to do so. A region as diverse and complex and fascinating as Southern California deserves a newspaper that reflects its communities.”

Brent Staples, who is Black, is a member of the New York Times editorial board. He wrote a full-page lead editorial titled “How the White Press Wrote Off Black America” that ran last Sunday, July 11.

of its current publisher, editor and staff. The constant editorial page criticism of the city’s first Black mayor, Freeman Bosley, Jr., and first Black woman mayor, Tishaura Jones is troublesome. The lack of an apology for decades of journalistic irresponsibility targeted at African Americans can only lead one to believe that the Post-Dispatch couldn’t care less about what it put Black people through then – and now.

It is a poignant, thoughtprovoking must read, regardless of your race. It is a truth which remains too difficult for many Americans to face.

“Since the early 2000s, historically white newspapers in Alabama, California, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and North Carolina have apologized with varying degrees of candor for the roles they played in this history,” Staples wrote.

“When read end to end, these statements of confession attest to blatantly racist news coverage over a more than century-long period that encompasses the collapse of Reconstruction, the rise of Jim Crow, the two world wars, the civil rights movement, the urban riots of the 1960s, the Vietnam era and beyond.”

While the apologies and admittance of guilt do not erase these newspapers’ respective pasts, they do illustrate how disheartening, disappointing and disgusting it is that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has not felt the need to address its long history of similar shameful coverage of the Black community.

The local newspaper’s relationship with the Black community remains strained, regardless

The Black Press was vital to Black people for many decades when major white newspapers published false, racially insulting stories (that sometimes led to Black murders) or simply ignored the success of African Americans. It still is a viable and muchneeded source of information you will not find in white daily newspapers.

Staples wrote that Black newspapers like The St. Louis American, The Baltimore Afro-American

The Chicago Defender and The Pittsburgh Courier (and other members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association)

“served as a haven against white press hostility, while incubating and advancing the early civil rights movement.”

“At a time when African Americans had to commit crimes to appear in the white press, (Black) papers filled their society pages with scenes of the Black middle class succeeding at business, convening civic organizations or taking their leisure at tony vacation spots,” he wrote.

“In other words, the Black press was a century ahead of the news media generally in discovering the African American middle class as a marketable subject of journalism.”

Hopefully, the Post and other major daily newspapers will someday find the courage to admit their own respective mistakes and apologize to Black members of their communities.

While shame might not be enough, financial concerns might be the factor that makes publications see the proverbial light.

“News organizations that were not moved to address this problem when the business represented a license to print money have come to see things differently since the business model has collapsed,” wrote Staples.

“The apology movement represents a belated understanding that these organizations need every kind of reader to survive.”

Print that.

Commentary

Black churches have moral authority to defend the Black vote

By Ben Jealous

During the civil rights movement’s struggle against discrimination and voter suppression in Jim Crow America, the Black Church was a source of refuge and resolve. Today, a new wave of voter suppression laws is targeting Black voters, and new generations of Black clergy are bringing their moral authority to a campaign to defend the Black vote.

We need these prophetic voices. The new Jim Crow doesn’t look exactly like the old Jim Crow, but it is grounded in the same assault on the dignity, humanity, and citizenship rights of Black Americans. We need our communities’ truth-tellers to speak out. Because the new Jim Crow is grounded in layers of lies. The Big Lie told by former President Donald Trump and his supporters is that he won the 2020 election, but had his victory stolen by corrupt election officials and Black and Brown people casting fraudulent votes. The existence of widespread voter fraud is itself a lie. It has been debunked over and over again. But Republicans in dozens of states are using that lie to justify new restrictive voting rules. They claim to be protecting “election integrity” but they are really trying to make

it harder for some Black and Brown people to cast a ballot and have it counted. The right wing’s voter suppression machinery really kicked into high gear after the 2020 election. Republican lawmakers saw that Black voter turnout helped President Joe Biden win key battleground states. And they vowed not to let that happen again. Republican lawmakers’ strategy for holding onto power is not to reach out to Black voters, but to shut them out. But we won’t be shut out. We will push Congress to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, two laws that are needed to overturn the new Jim Crow laws and prevent future restrictions on voting.

The late Rep. John Lewis told us in his farewell message last year that if we don’t use our right to vote, it can be taken from us. This year we are seeing new efforts to take the vote from us because we voted. And we will continue to be

Barbershop talk: More Black Mambas in Black politics

The Barbershop: Socrates, you’ve helped us understand something. White folks are always talking about American Exceptionalism and how American democracy is the standard that the world should aspire too. So why when their democracy is attacked like on January 6, or Republican legislatures suppress Black voters, white people by and large got little or nothing to say?

The reason for that is now clear, the America they’re talking about is an illusion, a figment of their imagination.

Socrates: A few months ago, St. Louis American columnist Mike Jones put white Americans into three broad historical categories; hardcore beyond redemption racists; social/racial justice white people; racially ambivalent white people.

None of these represent a most white folks, but the racially ambivalent cohort is the biggest and they are perpetually swinging between hardcore racism and racial justice. And wherever a majority of morally ambivalent whites align is where the majority of white America is on the issue of race.

The Barbershop: That makes sense! But what makes them swing back and forth?

Socrates: Hell, if I know. I don’t think morally ambivalent whites really know either, it would require too much honest introspection. I think Jones, like jazz musicians, was improvising off a rift somebody had played before him.

The Barbershop: Really, who?

Socrates: Everybody in here knows about the 1963 March on Washington and the famous speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., which has the ‘I have a dream’ ending. White folks liked it so much they named it the ‘I Have A Dream Speech.’ Black people began calling it that too.

The Barbershop: I can see you headed somewhere.

Socrates: The most important thing Dr. King had to say to us in 1963, wasn’t from the Lincoln Memorial, but from a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama in April of that year.

And he was addressing morally ambivalent white folks, ‘the white moderate”, that Jones was referencing in his column. But let’s have Dr. King speak for himself: “I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Council or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace, which is the absence of tension, to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says, “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action;” who paternalistically feels that he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time; and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a “more convenient season.”

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”

What’s instructive about this is, in spite of the criticism and angst of moderate white supporters, Dr. King didn’t back off or ease up in Birmingham. In fact, he amped up the pressure. We saw him expand his call from civil rights to include economic justice and opposition to American imperialism. Which leads to your question about us. Are we up for this moment? I said I was gonna tell you how I felt about it and what I thought about it.

But on further reflection, I’m only gonna deal with what I think, because what or how you feel about something should never dictate how you think about it or what you do about it.

The Barbershop: Ok, we’ll have it your way.

Socrates: Y’all know two things you can always get me to talk about is the NBA and Black politics. This generation of NBA players are probably the most skilled and physically gifted players in the history of the game. This generation of Black political leadership is easily the best educated, most accomplished and politically successful in our history.

Socrates: What today’s NBA players and today’s Black political leaders have in common is that they are toilet paper!

The Barbershop: Lol.

Socrates: What was Kobe’s nickname?

The Barbershop: The Black Mamba, the most lethal snake on the planet, one bite and you’re dead, no antidote!

Socrates: MLK, Malcolm, Stokely, Huey and othersMamba mentality. When you think about Black political leadership, either individually or collectively, who’s the Black Mamba?

The Barbershop: Ah man, I…we….uh got nothing to say to you on that

Socrates: Here’s why that’s an issue. If you look at that racist cohort, you see white folks like Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Marjorie Taylor Green and Matt Getz. They’re ignorant and incompetent, which means they’re beatable. But they’re also dangerous because they’re mean and nasty. To beat them, we have to be tough, smart and ruthless.

I look at Black political leadership, and I don’t see enough dog in them. The Barbershop: Yeah, you’ll never be a champion, unless you got enough dog in you!

Socrates: What’s understood doesn’t have to be explained. With that understanding, you can answer your own question.

inspired by the vision and leadership of Black clergy such as the Rev. Timothy McDonald, who launched the African American Ministers Leadership Council and its Souls to the Polls movement more than 20 years ago. When Georgia Republicans tried to shut down Souls to the Polls by banning early voting on Sundays, Rev. McDonald called them out as “the Klan in three-piece suits.” Rev. McDonald’s righteous truth-telling shamed Georgia Republicans into dropping that part of their voter suppression plan. But the rest of it became law—including the infamous ban on groups providing water to people forced to wait in long voting lines. Voting rights activists have gone to court to challenge the Georgia law and others like it. Organizers will do everything possible to help Black voters overcome any new obstacles.

And the Black church will once again give voice to the aspirations of our people, drawing on a long tradition of prophetic witness against injustice combined with strategic organizing on behalf of freedom and equality.

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation.

Columnist Ben Jealous

Columnist Mike Jones

n “The Black Press was a century ahead of the news media generally in discovering the African American middle class as a marketable subject of journalism.”

-Brent Staples, member of the New York Times editorial board

St. Louis VA hosts COVID-19 vaccination event for veterans, adolescents

The Veterans Administration St. Louis Health Care System will host a free walk-in COVID-19 vaccination event from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 17, at the Jefferson Barracks VA Medical Center.

Adolescents, age 12-17, related to or a caregiver of a Veteran are eligible. No appointment is required. Adolescents must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Veterans, including 8e/8g category veterans, guard and reserves (retired or still serving), caregivers and spouses may also receive a vaccine at this clinic. Close to 44,000 area Veterans and VA staff have already received the vaccine.

“We welcome the opportunity to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents of Veterans and encourage them to come to this special walk-in clinic on our Jefferson Barracks VA campus.” said Keith Repko, Medical Center director.

“With school starting soon, now is the best time to receive the vaccine and help make our communities and schools that much safer

against further community spread. And if you as a parent, grandparent, or guardian have been putting off getting vaccinated for whatever reason, roll up your sleeve and our team will give you the vaccine also.”

The walk-in event is first come, first served. Upon entering the campus and passing through the wellness screening stations, a VA staff member can direct you to the vaccine site. Masks are required on campus. If you do not have one, ask at the screening station.

The vaccine available is Pfizer, which has been approved for use in adolescents and adults. The Pfizer vaccine is administered in two doses, 21 days apart, with second dose scheduled for August 7 at same location.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specify that because of the differences in formulations of the various COVID vaccines available, this two-dose series should be administered at the same location for safety and to ensure maximum vaccine effectiveness.

St. Louis has lost a true icon in Mrs. Betty Thompson

By Tishaura Jones

Betty Thompson was a true St. Louisan through and through.

She was a product of the community she loved in St. Louis through her education at Sumner High School, Harris-Stowe State University and Washington University. At the same time, St. Louis is a product of Betty Thompson.

As a business owner and radio host, an elected councilwoman and state representative, an active and engaged member and a leader of numerous boards, her impact can be felt throughout the region through the deep and meaningful connections she built with the people and communities she served. Throughout her life and her career, Betty was a beacon of light and hope for those who most needed it. And while she often took it upon herself to lift up young people, women and African Americans in our region, she also made space for those of us who wanted to follow in her footsteps -- or better yet, stand and fight for what’s right alongside her.

Betty also was not one to mince words. Earlier this year, in spite of her health, she insisted on making a video in support of my campaign for mayor.

So, she had someone drive her to the campaign’s office in South City. From the passenger seat of the car, she held up a large campaign sign and stated plainly, “We want you to wake up! Get up! Sit up! Look up! Dress up! Eat up! Pray up! Pay up! And if you can’t do that, then you should just stay home and shut up!”

I know I’m not alone when I say she inspired multiple generations of leaders, legislators, activists and community-minded individuals who will carry on her legacy of lifting up the least of all of us.

I am one of them. It was an honor to see her beaming with pride from the floor of the rotunda in City Hall as I was sworn in, standing on stone that was not built for me, speaking in a building never meant for people like me to ascend to leadership.

While our civil rights icons laid the foundation for us to succeed, Betty Thompson was the walls, the roof, the floors, the windows and doors that made our ascension to leadership feel like home.

We will miss her and her strength, her wit, her drive and her style. But her spirit is still here with us and can be felt throughout the St. Louis region. May she rest in power, and in her memory may we all live to serve and lift up others as she did.

Tishaura Jones is the first Black woman mayor in the history of the city of St. Louis

Boeing manufacturing scientist Michael Georgen assists peer leader Chaz Willis with his paper rocket at the St. Louis American Science Camp at Little Creek Natural Area in the Ferguson-Florissant School District.

Rock it!

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Tishaura Jones

Continued from A1

tions from diabetes.

Her visitation is scheduled for 2-9 p.m. at Park Baptist Church, 825 Graham Road in Florissant.

Thompson’s funeral service is at 9 a.m., Saturday, July 24 at the Sumner High School Auditorium, 4248 Cottage Ave, St. Louis.

Her interment will be at St. Peter’s Cemetery, 2110 Lucas and Hunt in St. Louis.

At first, her fellow aldermen saw her as “that social-service woman, that welfare-giveaway person,” she told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1990.

That changed during 18 years on the city council. Then she was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives, where she served eight years.

Great glory

With an infusion of compassion from her mother and a “get-it-done” attitude from her father, Thompson spent her life outwitting challenges.

Born prematurely, her first crib was a shoebox. Growing up in St. Louis in Carr Square Village and Pruitt-Igoe housing developments, she wore bonnets to dissuade playmates’ taunts about her total alopecia.

As conditions deteriorated and dreams faded, Thompson’s father organized the White Caps, a citizens patrol to help keep Pruitt-Igoe safe. Thompson was by his side at White Caps meetings, learning how to plan and organize.

She also got a taste of politics from her father. Thompson, along with all of her siblings, helped him distribute campaign materials for Missouri Rep. James “Pal” Troupe.

But it was many years before Thompson considered politics herself. Instead, she chose community service.

In high school, she worked summers at a government-funded community clinic and honed her speaking skills in the Baptist church.

“Wherever there was a need, I was sure to be there,”

Thompson wrote in her autobiography.

Her “greatest glory,” she said, came through her work at the Human Development Corporation, a government-funded program. She began the work in 1964, the year that President Lyndon B. Johnson declared his war on poverty.

Her office was across the street from where she grew up, now known simply as “the projects.” The program distributed butter and cheese and other government commodities and helped people pay their utility bills and find jobs.

‘’My office was bombed and shot up,” she told the PostDispatch in 1990. “We worked in the projects when the water froze or flooded the units. We tried to keep the drug pushers and the murderers away.”

It didn’t always work.

Once, gang members threatened her life. They wrongly believed that she, along with her friend and housing co-manager, Ruby Russell, and U.S. Rep. William “Bill” Clay Sr., were telling police where they stored and sold their drugs.

Clay told The St. Louis American that Thompson was a dedicated person who made a positive difference in countless lives. He said in the late 1950s and 1960s the two decided that Black people were going to be elected and speak for Black people, instead of labor leaders and white liberals defining their agenda.

“She was an elected official who promoted the interests of the people she represented, but she wasn’t influenced by any particular lobbyists or any particular movement. In conference with various people that she represented and respected, she decided what her agenda was going to be, and she followed that,” he said. She said it was all worth it as, over the years, she was often approached by people who thanked her, usually for helping them get their first job. Among the grateful were St. Louis’ first Black mayor, Freeman Bosley Jr., and heavyweight champion brothers Leon and Michael Spinks.

“My heart is broken in piec-

es,” St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones wrote on Twitter.

“Even in your sickest days, you found the strength to celebrate me and many others. You never lost your wit, your spark or your humor. Thank you Mrs. Betty Thompson. May you rest in eternal peace and love.”

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page also expressed his condolences on Twitter and told The St. Louis American that Thompson was one of the kindest people he has ever known. He met her in 2003 when they sat next to each other in the legislature. They kept in regular contact throughout their lives and throughout the pandemic.

“She was certainly very engaging,” Page said. “She had strong opinions. She understood the importance of elections and she got involved in elections. But once somebody was in office, she expected to be able to talk to them and she expected them to hear what she had to say. She knew that you might not always agree — but should she have the chance to explain her position that most likely you would.”

Stepping up

It was the civil rights era, and Thompson joined other St. Louisans — Percy Green, Norman Seay, Charles and Marian Oldham and others — in picketing to desegregate eateries like Howard Johnson’s. They fought for jobs for Black workers at places like

Jefferson Bank. She marched for fair housing beyond public housing and led rent strikes. She also marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and developed a friendship with Coretta Scott King. For years, she led the local King support group. In 1988, Thompson was the first African American woman arrested in Washington, D.C. for protesting against apartheid in South Africa.

Thompson didn’t consider a political career until her husband, Jack, an Air Force veteran who later worked as the chief of security for General Motors, was severely injured.

Following a company party in 1973, Jack broke his neck, arm and leg in a car accident. After he spent months in traction, his doctors recommended swimming as therapy.

The Thompsons decided to put a pool in the backyard of their home; the University City City Council thought otherwise.

When Thompson requested a building permit, she said council members laughed.

The incident angered her and “sparked a burning desire within me to run for city council just so I could change that.”

Several years later, she mounted a campaign with no fundraising. All she had was a legion of young people getting the word out and a 10-block parade.

She took her seat on the council in 1980.

Former Missouri State Rep. Betty L. Thompson seen here with St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones at the Black Wall Street celebration in Fairgrounds Park on June 19. Thompson passed away on July 11.

No ‘stop’ button

Thompson, a Democrat, narrowly lost a mayoral race in 1988, the same year she served as a Jesse Jackson presidential delegate. But in 1997 she won a special election to the Missouri House of Representatives. She represented District 72 in St. Louis County.

During her four two-year terms, the maximum allowed by term limits, she served as the House’s majority whip and vice chair of the state’s Ethics Commission.

She sponsored legislation that dealt with health care, education, public utilities and housing. She helped pass bills to help prevent racial profiling.

Not generally known as a corporate supporter, Thompson “took some hits” for her support of the successful legislation to help fund the Cardinals’ new stadium and Ballpark Village.

“I can handle it; I’ve got strong shoulders,” she told the St. Louis Business Journal in 2002, citing simple economics as the reason for her support.

One bill she sponsored was personal: legislation that requires health insurance to pay for wigs for people with alopecia. The bill passed in 2003.

The summer before she entered high school, Thompson said, a family friend, Ms. Cecil, gave her her first wig. That kind gesture, she said, “opened up a whole new world for me.”

“I don’t have a ‘stop’ button,” Thompson said of her widespread legislative efforts. “I didn’t really consider myself a politician, but more so a community servant.”

Battle scars

“I don’t know why people go to jail and use their one phone call to call my mother,” Thompson recalled her son Tony musing.

He knew why. They called her because they knew she’d spent a lifetime running interference for others and had the

scars to prove it — and some wounds were personal.

In “Rising Above the Battle Scars,” part memoir, part inspirational, self-help manual, she devoted a chapter to the death of her son, Tyrone Thompson, and her grandson, Tyrell Thompson.

Both were victims of gun violence, a scourge she’d spent her life trying to reduce. During the trial of one of Tyrone’s killers, the young man’s mother begged for her forgiveness. Thompson told the woman that it wasn’t her fault. With her sons Tony and Kwame, Tony’s wife, Kim, and her daughter Sonja, Thompson established the Tyrone Thompson Institute for Nonviolence.

The institute is a program of the Kwame Foundation, which provides career assistance to public school students. Thompson served as director of the foundation.

The good life

Betty Lou Bolden Thompson was born Dec. 3, 1939, in Helm, Mississippi. She was the fourth child and first daughter of William Sam Bolden Sr. and Lubirtha Bolden’s 13 children. She was six months old when the family moved to St. Louis. Hers was one of the first families to move into the new Carr Square Village public housing complex in 1945. The family later moved to PruittIgoe development, where, she said, “life was good.” Thompson attended Vashon High School for two years before transferring to Sumner High School to be with her best friend, Elaine Webb, who became her sister-in law. Tina Turner, whom she knew as Anna Mae Bullock, was in her 1958 graduating class. She attended Harris-Stowe State College and received a certificate of business from Hubbard’s Business College and a certificate of managerial management from Washington University.

In addition to 26 years at HDC and a political career, Thompson worked six years for St. Louis County government and hosted a public service program on KATZ for 25 years. She and her husband owned K&M Delivery Service.

While dancing with her future husband, a would-be rival pulled her wig from her head. She rushed from the dance floor and didn’t reappear for two hours. Jack was waiting for her and proposed. Thompson is survived by her husband and her children, Anthony Thompson, Sonja M. Thompson-Branscom and Kwame Thompson; and seven grandchildren.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

vention of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders.

“I have always been interested in the brain,” Mamah said. “I initially wanted to be a brain surgeon, but over time, I realized I was less interested in surgery and more interested in trying to solve the problems that occur in more complex brain functions.”

As the founder and director of the Washington Early Recognition Center [WERC] at the Washington University School of Medicine, Mamah’s goal is to accurately identify young people early in the course of their illness or disorder and provide evidence-based interventions to reduce symptoms and improve social, educational, and vocational functioning. Services at the clinic are free of charge.

“Launched in January 2020, WERC is the only early psychosis center in the state of Missouri,” Mamah said. “When you have been in this field for

Urban

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Stretching McMillan’s analogy further, he serves as the general of a unit tasked with protecting marginalized communities throughout the region. The Urban League’s headquarters in Jennings is one of three locations in the region. Its Ferguson location serves as a community empowerment center designed to help individuals improve their economic situations.

The Urban League has provided food, mortgage, rental, weatherization, utility assistance, child support, unemployment assistance and other services for people in need. That need increased exponentially with the coronavirus outbreak.

“When COVID shut down all in-person activities, and we

as long as I have, you realize where the needs are; I realized that this was one thing that was missing.”

WERC is a specialized treatment clinic in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University Medical School.

It is the only clinical service in the St. Louis region specializing in the comprehensive mental health care of adolescents and young adults, ages 13-25, who have been recently diagnosed with a psychotic disorder or are experiencing early signs of psychosis.

Three major foundations have funded WERC, including the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund.

Emily Koenig, executive director of the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund spoke highly of Mamah and his receiving the Dr. John M. Anderson Excellence in Mental Health Award, which is presented by the Children’s Service Fund in partnership with The St. Louis American Foundation.

“Dr. Mamah has been addressing the needs of the community,” Koenig said.

were all told to shelter in place and do as much as possible to stay healthy, all the issues our clients face every day were amplified to a level we had never seen before,” McMillan said.

“Some issues we were already addressing, but the situation was taken to a whole new level with this virus.”

Even so, McMillan said the Urban League rose to the challenge.

Through strategic partnerships with government and health organizations, the agency pivoted to provide mass scale food giveaways, toiletries and PPE distribution. It also offered testing and vaccination events throughout the region.

Recently, the organization unveiled a public education campaign focused on vaccine hesitancy in the African American community, partnering with the National Urban

“He most notably has served as a psychiatrist for many of our non-profit providers who serve underserved communities through child and adolescent psychiatric services.”

An example of a non-profit organization Mamah works with is the Covenant House Missouri Youth Shelter.

“I initially started psychiatry work, which was needed in the community, at a youth center located in the Central West End

League, the National Action Network and CDC to promote the “ALL IN” campaign. The goal is to address concerns and inform communities of color about the coronavirus vaccine and encourage them to consider getting vaccinated.

According to Dr. Frederick Echols, interim health director of the St. Louis City Health Department, there has been a serious uptick in coronavirus cases in ZIP codes for south St. Louis and St. Louis County. The areas have the lowest rates of vaccinated individuals.

The spread of the Delta variant from the northern and southwestern parts of the state has added an additional sense of urgency to prevent further outbreaks. McMillan feels the Urban League is in a unique position to help spread the pro-vaccination message to its targeted clientele.

“We are one of many voices

called the Spot, then started my work at the Covenant Youth Shelter,” Mamah said.

Schizophrenia rates are two to three times higher in the African American community from a national standpoint.

Mamah has worked at the Covenant House Missouri Youth Shelter for 13 years in order to provide psychiatric services to individuals who may not have the means to seek help for mental health disorders

in the community that has a long track record of serving the community,” he said.

“As a result of that relationship and having 20 different facilities throughout the region, 350 staff members, thousands of volunteers and many community partners, we have the unique opportunity to get the word out about vaccine hesitancy. We must do all we can in our circles of influence to do as much as we can to get people to take the vaccine to get us back to where we were in the pre-pandemic days.”

Even after the pandemic is contained, McMillan confessed there will be an abnormal normal. Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted.

For example, according to an April 2021 Pew Research Center study, some 61% of Hispanic Americans and 44%

on their own.

Additionally, Mamah’s work has involved developing assessment tools for early identification psychosis, including the WERCAP Screen.

“I helped create three different screening tools for mental health disorders, including the WERCAP Screen. It measures the severity of psychotic symptoms, even subtle ones,” he said.

The purpose of this screening tool is to help estimate who is at-risk for developing disorders like schizophrenia.

“If your goal is to identify the at risk population, you need a tool to capture that information,” Mamah said. “We’ve used it here in the U.S., but we are now using it in our studies in Africa because it was designed with cross-cultural applications.”

Mamah has worked on his research in Africa for 12 years. His goal was to fill a need in early psychosis research on the continent. So far, he is the only researcher studying this clinical high-risk population on the continent.

“The problem with the lack

of Black Americans reported losing a job or experiencing wage loss due to the coronavirus outbreak. Just 38% of white adults had the same experience.

“We’ll still have a lot of work to do,” McMillan said speaking of the economic devastation wrought by COVID19. “We will continue to work to keep people from becoming homeless; help people who can’t pay rent and landlords who have trouble paying their mortgages. We will continue offering educational opportunities, health and childcare services, job training and employment assistance because some of the jobs people lost don’t exist anymore.”

It is because of these COVID-related outreach efforts that the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is the 2021 recipient of the St. Louis American Foundation Salute to Excellence “Health Advocacy

of research in Africa is that we are missing an understanding of how psychotic disorders may present in another population. There is research in Europe and Australia. If you cut out an entire continent, you are missing out on culture-specific issues that may not be the same among other populations.”

Mamah’s other notable achievements include his involvement on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Task Force from 2006 to 2013 in addition to being the president and founder of the Eastern Missouri Psychiatric Society.

“My thought has always been ‘How can I advance this field?’ because I think we can always move forward and do more in mental health,” Mamah said. The St. Louis American Foundation’s 21st Annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards will be celebrated as a free virtual event at 7 p.m., July 29. For additional details and registration, please visit givebutter. com/2021HealthSalute

Organization of the Year” award.

McMillan said he is humbled and encouraged by the recognition:

“We are truly honored to receive this award because of its history in our region. Anytime you receive an award, it’s a blessing because no one has to acknowledge you whatsoever. But, in my opinion, this is something to motivate us going forward as opposed to us resting on our laurels of the past.”

The St. Louis American Foundation’s 21st Annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards will be celebrated as a free virtual event at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 29. For additional details and registration, please visit givebutter. com/2021HealthSalute Sylvester Brown Jr. is The St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow.

Dr. Daniel Mamah says growing up in Nigeria opened his eyes to lack of healthcare in Africa and led him to pursue a career in medicine.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

The perversion of Critical Race Theory

Professor Derrick Bell has probably been turning in his grave. The late Harvard scholar’s study on the complexities of race culminated in the development of Critical Race Theory in the 1970s. Others, like feminist Kimberle` Crenshaw, have continued to develop the theory. CRT has been thrust into the national spotlight by conservatives who have twisted its meaning to suit their own perverted motives.

I don’t have enough space to expound on CRT, but trust and believe that the white folks talking negatively about critical race theory don’t have a clue what it is. They have reduced the theory to the mere teaching of Black history in schools. They perpetually line up in opposition to Blackness.

In short, CRT validates the existence of racism in every facet of American life. Race is a social construct built on white supremacy and is foundational to this country’s history and institutions. Most tragic is the legal complicity to keep white supremacy in place.

their children to know the facts about Black life in America.

In Missouri, Attorney General Eric Schmitt pushed for the Department of Education to oppose teaching CRT and the 1619 Project in Missouri schools. The GOP-dominated House proposed HB114 to prohibit teaching CRT. The Rockwood School District superintendent buckled under the pressure of white parents who were “appalled” at the books their children were reading. (There was no acknowledgment of the centuries when non-white kids saw no characters that looked like them in their schoolbooks.)

History and the accurate telling of it is crucial. In his book How the Word is Passed:

A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, Clint Smith asserts the centrality of African enslavement to U.S. history.

CRT proponents believe it is why, after centuries of Black people fiercely fighting for equality, the gains have been less than transformational. They certainly have not been permanent.

CRT is the Right’s latest bogeyman. The damage can be real and enduring. The fight for equality and dignity by those of African descent is fully documented. The overthrow of Reconstruction. The re-segregation of public schools after Brown v. Board of Education. The attack on affirmative action.

The Republican Party is desperately seeking a unifying message for 2022, when it hopes to galvanize white voters. In the interim, its activist rightwingers are kicking it up at school board meetings. Books that have anything to do with Black people are being banned, burned or both.

Just like they didn’t want their white children sitting next to Black children in a classroom, they don’t want

Writes Smith, “The history of slavery is a history of the United States. It was not peripheral to our founding; it was central to it. It is not irrelevant to our contemporary society; it created it.”

Those of us with a political consciousness, along with those of us who are committed to truth, have a responsibility to interrupt the racist narrative that has under developed our humanity as a nation and demonized Blacks as a people.

This history is now our present and will be our future as long as discussion of the system of chattel slavery is suppressed, romanticized and white-washed, and as long as there’s legal justification as to why Black folks are subhuman.

The reckoning of slave history is inevitable. There is no easy, quick or comfortable way to address it. What we must end is the continued devastating impact already done on generations who have gone before us.

The past damage is real, measurable and irreparable. Our destiny includes creating not just a different narrative but a different society for those of African descent to live and prosper.

ARCHS awards $450,000 in support of summer enrichment programs

St. Louis American staff

Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS) has given $450,000 in funding to provide summer enrichment programs for more than 740 youths at 22 St. Louis area locations managed by 10 area youth development organizations. They include Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis, Gene Slay’s Girls & Boys Club, Midtown Community Services, Northside Youth & Senior Service Center, Provident Behavioral Health, Unleashing Potential, SPROG/ Horizons, Stray Dog Theatre/ Arts in Mind, Wesley House Association and Youth & Family Center.

ARCHS is also partnering with HealthWorks! Museum (a traveling health/wellness exhibit,) Operation CEO (an entrepreneurship program), and Mentors in Motion (a math and music mentorship program) to further enhance summer programs. The programs will address learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on academic support/ enrichment, social and life skills, health and recreation, character development and par-

Summer enrichment programs at 22 St. Louis area locations are celebrating $450,000 in support from Area Resources for Community and Human Services [ARCHS].

and family involvement. A daily nutritious meal or snack will be provided.

Holmes, Pharm. D., CHCEF SVP and Chief Operating Officer Affinia Healthcare

Columnist Jamala Rogers

St. Louis American holds STEM camp for 4-6th graders

The St. Louis American Foundation recently held its fifth annual Summer Science Academy for high-achieving 4th - 6th grade students. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Camp was held at Little Creek Nature Area in the FergusonFlorissant School District. Participating students were a part of The St. Louis American’s nationally-acclaimed Newspaper in Education program and were nominated by their teachers as a “Science Star,” with a high interest in, and excitement for, science. The intensive summer science program was free to the participating students, through a partnership with the Boeing Company, and featured guest speakers from organizations including the Boeing Company, the Illinois State Police Forensic Science Lab, and Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge! Participating students experienced self-directed research, handson lessons, individual and group experiments, engineering projects, indoor and outdoor challenges and environmental education.

Students research different types of viruses.

Teacher Dr. Georgene Collier assists students with their protective box for an egg-drop.

Students working together to create their egg-drop box.

Teacher Dr. Bouchard assists students as they create their egg-drop boxes.

Students testing their egg-drop designs.

Students make adjustments to their designs after their first egg-drop attempt.

A natural egg-drop box creation.

After selecting a virus to research, students create a presentation to share with others.

While studying Newton’s Laws of Motion, students select materials to create a safe container for an egg drop.

Gathering natural supplies for a second egg-drop attempt.

Students design and create their air-powered car.

Students receive guidance from Boeing manufacturing engineering scientist, Callyn Couture.

Boeing manufacturing engineering scientist Michael Georgen and project management scientist Ethan Coloma help students with their rocket design.

Boeing manufacturing engineering scientist Callyn Couture assists students building a paper rocket.

Testing their air-powered cars (using balloons) as part of the study of Newton’s Laws.

James Riggins, trace chemist for the Illinois State Police Forensic Science Laboratory, demonstrates the different methods used to test evidence.

Industrial engineering scientist Nicholas Mueller shows students how to create their own rockets.

Students launch their rockets with the help of industrial engineering scientist Nicholas Mueller.

Drug chemist Thanarat Viriyakul from the Illinois State Police Forensic Science Laboratory shows students one way he tests evidence for illegal substances.

Illinois State Police Forensic Science Laboratory drug chemist Thanarat Viriyaku teaches students one way that he tests evidence.

Peer leader Chaz Willis looks at trace substances under the microscope.

Bob Dietrich (Ranger Bob) of the Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge teaches students how to use a compass. Learning how to use a compass.

Display of completed virus presentations.

All Photos by Wiley Price and Cathy Sewell

Documenting locations at Little Creek Nature Area using a compass.

Peer leader Chaz Willis assists drug chemist Thanarat Viriyakul as he presents information about different types of illegal substances.

“Taking Care of You”

Son of fallen firefighter continues father’s legacy

COVID claimed Roderic

By Sylvester Brown Jr.

The St. Louis American

“He was a superhero that we didn’t know was a superhero.”

As a child, Roderic Heard, 32, never really considered his father, Rodney Heard, a 20-year veteran of the St. Louis Fire Department, “a hero.” When one of his sisters recently made the comment, Roderic, the youngest of Heard’s six children, realized that his father was indeed a champion of family, community and public service. Heard’s tour of duty ended on June 15,

Heard’s dad but he won’t be forgotten

2021, after losing his battle with the coronavirus. By all accounts, Heard, 54, was a soft-spoken, deeply religious and family-oriented man.

Since his father’s passing, the youngest Heard has been blessed with countless stories from loved ones, firefighters and people in the community about his father’s influence on their lives. Heard grew up in the Cochran

One unit can save lives

By JoAnn Weaver

St. Louis American

The

Sickle cell disease affects about one out of every 365 Black children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rosemary Britts, founder and executive director of the Sickle Cell Association in St. Louis, works with the American Red Cross Chapter’s Dr. Charles Drew Advisory Board to spread awareness about the importance of Black blood donors, as well as encourage people to give life-saving donations.

“Individuals with sickle cell disease often receive regular blood transfusions to keep them out of pain and to avoid some of the complications due to the disease,” Britts said. “It works best when you receive blood from someone like you.” About one in 13 Black babies are born

with sickle cell trait (SCT). Donors are needed to help ensure lifesaving blood products are available for patients, according to the American Red Cross website. Hospital demand currently outpaces blood donations.

“Due to the fact that a greater part of the population that is affected by sickle cell disease is of African descent, it would be most helpful and advisable that they would receive blood from other African Americans,” Britts said.

“They can get blood from others, like they have the potential to start building up antibodies that could be dangerous as well as it can be difficult to find matching blood for them in the future.”

Britts joined the Dr. Charles Drew Advisory and Planning Committees because of her passion for helping others with the disease,

Gardens public housing complex on the near north side of downtown. Like many low-income individuals, Black fathers are often missing from homes.

“One of my friends from Cochran recently told me that my dad was his father figure,” Heard recalled. “He filled that role of love and structure that most Black boys are missing. I didn’t realize the role he played for the whole community until I was an adult.”

His father was always “positive and spiritual,” Heard added. “He always put God first,

One of my favorite parts of primary care is women’s health. Contraception, cancer prevention and sexual health and wellness are all important subjects I cover with my female patients. However, the subject that elicits the most conversation and distress is that of fibroids.

Uterine fibroids, or leiomyomas, are benign tumors originating in the muscle or surrounding tissue in or around the walls of the uterus. They are the most common noncancerous tumors of childbearing women. These tumors vary in size and can be as large as a melon. They occur in women usually in their 40s and Black women are more likely to be affected than white women. Heavy, painful periods are the hallmark of these pelvic masses, but some women experience no symptoms at all. Other symptoms include a feeling of pelvic fullness, infertility or frequent miscarriages, pain during intercourse, frequent urination or low back pain.

n Uterine fibroids or leiomyomas are benign tumors originating in the muscle or surrounding tissue in or around the walls of the uterus.

Both reproductive and environmental risk factors influence the development of fibroids. Low-fat dairy products and eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk. Whereas having a high body mass index may increase the risk.

Women who started their periods early during puberty also have an increased risk. In contrast, women using progestin-only injectable contraceptives may have a lower risk. However, the major risk factors continue to be increasing age and Black race.

It is often during a routine pelvic examination that these fibroids are detected.

A past medical history of large amounts of bleeding during menses should also raise suspicions about the likelihood of benign

St. Louis City Fireman Roderic Heard works in Engine House No. 33 in the city’s Baden neighborhood Tuesday, July 13.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Emily Owens donates blood during an event sponsored by the American Red Cross and the St. Louis Cardinals. Black blood donors are especially needed to provide transfusions for patients with sickle cell disease.

See ANDERSON, A13

Photo courtesy of American Red Cross

Denise HooksAnderson, MD

“Taking Care of You”

Missouri ranked least-safe state

for COVID-19; Parson plays politics

By JoAnn Weaver

The St. Louis American

With around 48% of the U.S. population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of July 7, and vaccination being an essential component for a full reopening of the economy, Missouri is one of the lowest ranked states for vaccination rates.

As of Monday, the seven-day average of new cases in Missouri was near 1,400 new positive cases, up more than 150% from a month ago. The Show-Me state also has the second-highest positive COVID-19 testing and death rates in the country.

“I understand the hesitancy and concern,” Dr. Sandeep Rohatgi, a pediatrician in St. Louis, said. “However, people are taking a greater risk by not being vaccinated.”

While most states have fully reopened, people will only be able to get back to life as it was before the pandemic once most of the population is fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

“I think almost 90% of the population should receive the vaccine,” Rohatgi said.

A recent study compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics in order to find out which states are the “safest” during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, Missouri was ranked at the bottom due to the recent

Red Cross

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including her child.

spike in COVID-19 positive tests and deaths.

“I feel we have an opportunity here that if more people get vaccinated that we can change the trajectory of the COVID here,” Rohatgi said.

“Unfortunately, the statistics show that we do not have enough people vaccinated here, but we have some time, although it’s getting shorter, to change this.”

Missouri is ranked number forty out of the states for vaccination rates, which is below the average of twenty-five, according to the study.

With Missouri being called “the epicenter” of spiking COVID rates, Gov. Mike Parson was critical of President Biden’s plan to have volunteers go door-to-door to provide information and speak directly with vaccine-hesitant residents.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that political games like those of Parson’s and Missouri Republicans are not helping with the crisis.

“What we’re trying to do is to just put politics aside, this is no time for politics,” he said.

“This is a public health issue and viruses, and public health don’t know the difference between a Democrat and Republican or an Independent.”

Fewer than half of Missourians are fully vaccinated and, as a result, the state is being called “the epicenter” of spiking COVID-19 rates. Its positive COVID-19 testing and death rates are both second highest in the nation.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll recently found that 93% of Democrats said they were vaccinated or planning to get vaccinated. Only 49% of Republicans said the same.

“Knowing that individuals with sickle cell often have blood transfusions to live their best life, it only makes sense for me to want to step up and help out with the mission and the purpose of the Dr. Charles Drew program,” Britts said.

Heard

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‘everything else will work itself out,’ he’d say.” Heard agrees with those who defined his father as soft-spoken. He wasn’t the type of father who physically punished his children.

“Dad was always a very calm and cool guy. He wasn’t rattled much at all. He didn’t really whoop us; it was pretty much talk. He’d make us explain why we did whatever we did. He’d talk us through why that decision was wrong.”

Heard said he was about 10 when his father became a firefighter. Before that, he served as a correctional officer at the city workhouse. At six feet, two inches, his father was a rather imposing figure. But Heard remembers

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tumors. Differentiating between a pregnant uterus, fallopian tube mass or uterine fibroid is best achieved with ultrasonography. Ultrasound testing is relatively inexpensive, provides immediate results and is safe for an unsuspecting fetus. Fibroid treatment can be divided into the following categories: expectantwatching/waiting, medicinal, surgical, and newer less invasive methods. Because women vary quite a bit

“We educate individuals and the community about sickle cell disease while encouraging a diverse population to donate blood for those who need it.”

Drew was an African American surgeon and researcher who organized

a dad who played basketball with his kids and refused to let them go outside and play until their homework was done. He recalled crying as his father sat there with him making sure the deed was done.

Out of Melissa and Rodney Heard’s six children, Roderic is the only one who joined the fire department. He was hesitant to consider the career choice for years.

“In my mind, firefighters were guys who rushed into burning buildings to save people. I was a bit nervous about joining when I was younger. But, as I got older and started a family of my own, I reconsidered,” he said.

Many attendees at last weekend’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) cheered when there was mention of low vaccination rates.

“We’ve got to get away

America’s first large-scale blood bank and trained hundreds of Black physicians at Howard University. He created uniform procedures and standards for collecting blood and processing blood plasma.

from the divisiveness that has really been a problem right from the very beginning with this outbreak,” Fauci said.

When asked about barriers, Rohatgi talked about community access to vaccines.

“Access has improved over the last four months,” Rohatgi said. “People can go to their local pharmacy and get vaccinated.”

According to Rohatgi, 99% of new COVID cases and deaths are attributed to individuals who have not received the vaccine. Vaccines are the main defense against COVID-19 and the Delta variant.

“There are clinics that are set up throughout the community that will offer individuals

the first shot,” Rohatgi said. “I think that there is a lot of vaccine hesitancy, which I appreciate since the vaccine is new and the fear surrounding it is natural, but hundreds of millions of people have already safely received this vaccine.” Vaccine hesitancy is a concern of some Americans, but Rohatgi talked about how safe it is for those who have received it so far.

“What we are seeing is that the safety of the vaccine is far greater than what we anticipated,” Rohatgi said. “The risk of getting COVID-19 right now is higher than any potential concern that we are seeing for the vaccine.”

“The Delta variant is showing to be virulent in addition to spreading more easily and causing more serious illness; the best way to fight this is to get the vaccine,” Rohatgi said.

Other notable disparities are the high rankings Missouri holds for hospitalization rates and transmission rate.

“Hopefully, if we can see a downward trend in COVID cases around the country, that will allow people to feel more comfortable to get out more,” Rohatgi said. “Unfortunately, we are seeing a reverse trend in Missouri, although I have hope that we still have an opportunity to change this by encouraging folks to get the vaccine.”

Among his innovations were mobile blood donation stations, which are now called “bloodmobiles.”

“I realized that Dad helped us achieve a better way of life by becoming a firefighter. Coming from the neighborhood that we did, everybody doesn’t make it out, let alone find a career. I came to realize that Dad was the reason I became a firefighter.”

regarding the severity of their symptoms from fibroids, treatment should be individually tailored. For some women, simply monitoring the progression of the tumor will be all the management that is needed. On the other hand, for those women whose symptoms have interfered with their employment and intimate relationships, and additionally caused embarrassment from soiled clothes, more aggressive treatment is warranted. Treatment for fibroids has advanced since I was a child. I recall several of my aunts who suffered with fibroids and were only offered the option of a hysterectomy for treatment.

Heard joined the fire department two years ago. He works out of Station 33 on Broadway and Halls Ferry in the Baden neighborhood. His mother and father lived near his firehouse, so he’d often go by and visit with his parents after work, he said.

Then his father suggested that he not come by the house. He’d been diagnosed with COVID-19 and didn’t want to risk infecting his children or grandchildren.

Britts is the mother of four children; her oldest daughter, Michelle, lived with sickle cell disease. Her daughter received regular blood transfusions and she saw how they helped her.

“It showed me the necessity of having blood available because my child needed it,” Britts said. “She has since transitioned but there are others who still need it.”

cinated. He does know his dad made the decision out of growing concern for his family.

n “He was there for everybody. He was a superhero, not just to us but the whole community.”

– Roderic Heard, son of fallen firefighter Rodney Heard

The late Heard was scheduled for a vaccination shot right before the diagnosis, his son has no explanation why his father, a first responder, waited so long to be vac-

If you had completed the childbearing phase of your life, this option was a viable choice. However, I have cared for many women who never had a chance to conceive due to their fibroid history.

For a subset of women, treating the painful periods with anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or Naprosyn is sufficient. Women who are experiencing bladder and pelvic pressure may benefit from fibroid volume reduction with Gonadotropin Releasing Hormones (GnRH). This hormonal treatment is limited to about three to six months due to the vasomotor side effects.

Heard kept up with his father’s condition through his mom or by phone.

“It got so severe; he couldn’t hold conversations; he had shortness of breath and couldn’t sleep when normally he’s so energetic.”

Rodney Heard was admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital on May 10, days before his and Melissa’s wedding anniversary. He was only allowed one visitor at a time. Although firefighters were constantly on the scene, only family members were allowed to see him. At first, Heard

Hysterectomy, surgical removal of the uterus, by far, is the most common procedure performed for fibroids. It is a permanent treatment and eliminates fertility as a future option. Three-fourths of women choose this method. Hysterectomy in the past was mostly done abdominally. Today it is done vaginally or laparoscopically reducing the rehabilitation time dramatically. For some women, replacing the large unattractive abdominal scars with tiny surgical incisions is an improvement from the historical procedures. Another surgical option for

On June 26, the American Red Cross held a blood drive at the Omega Center where they collected 33 units of blood, which exceeded their goal of 25 units.

“This blood will be used to potentially save up to 99 lives,” Britts said. “Each unit of blood can potentially save up to three lives.”

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive Sept. 25 from 10 a.m - 2 p.m. at the St. Paul Masonic Lodge in the memory of Britts’ daughter.

said, it seemed like his father was recuperating.

“It turned upside down almost overnight. His vital signs dropped, his lungs were failing, he was in a coma and on a ventilator. We sorta knew it was coming but nothing could prepare us for it.”

On that fateful day in June, the family received a call from the hospital telling them that things didn’t look good. They were urged to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Heard said 15 or 20 minutes, after the call, his father had passed away.

Due to the pandemic, Heard’s graduation ceremony was postponed until this year, June 9. His father’s absence was certainly dramatic, as Fire Department Chief Dennis Jenkerson told KSDK News:

“I know Rodney was looking forward to pinning the badge on his son.”

During the phone interview

treatment is a myomectomy.

This procedure spares the uterus and simply removes only the fibroid. In the U.S., roughly 30,000 myomectomies are performed annually as compared to 200,000 hysterectomies. However, women should be counseled that with a myomectomy the risk of recurrence is approximately 25%. Uterine artery embolization, an interventional radiologic procedure, is another method utilized for treatment that involves injecting particles in the arteries that supply the fibroids. Those particles adhere to the walls of the vessels and cause a clot to form, resulting

with The St. Louis American, Roderic’s seven-month-old son, vied for his attention, saying “Daddy, daddy!” Heard has five children, one less than his mother and father. He, too, seems to have the patience of a loving father, gently soothing his son while recalling memories of his father. Not only is he continuing his father’s legacy as a firefighter, he also plans to share his dad’s life lessons with his own children.

“He was there for everybody. He was a superhero, not just to us but the whole community.”

“One of his favorite sayings to us kids was: ‘Don’t be like me, be better than me.’

“I don’t know if that’s possible, but I’ll probably pass that along to my family.”

Sylvester Brown Jr. is The St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow.

in a disruption of blood supply thereby causing the fibroids to shrink. Uterine artery embolization, although slightly invasive, is an additional form of treatment for women who desire methods that spare the uterus. Although the cause of fibroids is unknown, greater options are now available for treatment, but more research is needed to help improve the disparity that exists between Black and white women. Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D., FAAFP is an associate professor, SLUCare Family Medicine, and interim assistant dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Photo by Steven Vargas / California Black Media

The extraordinary life of Betty Thompson, a remarkable highly respected public servant

Undated photo of Betty Thompson and Dick Gregory.

Photo from The St. Louis American archives

Alderwoman Betty Thompson and Jesse Jackson. Sep. 13, 1986.

Betty Thompson at a press conference with Coretta Scott King and others.

Mo. State Rep. Betty L. Thompson served in the Missouri General Assembly from 1997-2002. She is with her husband, Jack Thompson, and her sons (L-R) Kwame, Tyrone and Tony Thompson.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo from The St. Louis American archives

Another photo from the St. Louis American archives.

Photo from The St. Louis American archives

University City Alderwoman Betty L. Thompson during her mayoral run, March 24, 1986.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo from The St. Louis American archives

About 300 supporters, including former state Rep. Betty L. Thompson (front), marched against violence in the community in October 2014 in the Mother’s March for Justice.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

The Power of NPower

Technology training that gets your foot in the door of World Wide Technology, AT&T and more

By Art McCoy STL.works Leader and Champion

Amenta Christian-Robertson has always loved science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). She was a star student in the biotechnology career pathway at Clyde C. Miller Career Academy on Grand in the heart of St. Louis.

“I was in the St. Louis Internship Program since my sophomore year of high school. So, I had that core of how to carry myself and do interviews. I had an engineering internship with Emerson. I graduated as valedictorian in 2011,” she recalls with a smile.

Eager to follow her passion for the sciences, Amenta went to the University of Missouri-Columbia for a dual degree in chemical engineering and computer science. After completing two years of college, she came home.

“I was career and college ready and prepared for the best, but only to a

n Since his retirement in 2009, Mutombo has been about giving instead of taking away. He was one of the league’s great humanitarians during his playing days and he’s taking it to another level in his post-basketball life. sPonsored Content

certain extent,” Amenta explained.

“Columbia, Missouri and the rigorous curriculum of chemical engineering [at Mizzou] were a little overwhelming. No one wanted to hire me in Columbia.”

Amenta took a break from education. To pay off some of her student loans from Mizzou, she began tutoring students and gigging as DJ MentiFresh at parties and events. In 2015, she started driving for Postmates, an American q-commerce company owned by Uber. It is known for quickly delivering small quantities of restaurant-prepared meals and other goods.

Although Amenta made about $150 per day a few days a week, the income was often inconsistent and below full-time pay at minimum wage.

One spring day in 2017, while in a significant stall of no work or education activities, Amenta received an email from her mom about NPower, a robust national nonprofit organization providing free technology training

Mutombo grinding out success in international coffee market

Former NBA star partners with local Black entrepreneur

By Earl Austin Jr.

Throughout his Hall of Fame 18-year NBA career, Dikembe Mutombo had a passion for blocking shots. He rejected 3,289 of them and built his game on taking points from the opposition. Since his retirement in 2009, Mutombo has been about giving instead of taking away. He was one of the league’s great humanitarians during his playing days and he’s taking it to another level in his post-basketball life. He works tirelessly to improve living conditions for the people in Africa, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, his native homeland. At 7 2 , Mutombo struck an imposing figure on the basketball court with his signature finger wave after every blocked shot. He has become an even larger figure off the court through his Dikembe Mutombo Foundation. An example is the 300-bed hospital named after his late mother, Biamba See MUTOMBO, B2

PeoPle on the Move

Pitts joins Lindenwood as chief diversity officer

Emily Pitts has been named the chief diversity officer at Lindenwood University. Previously, Pitts served with Edward Jones for 25 years, including being named the first African-American woman general partner there. Her recent position at Edward Jones was general partner over inclusion and diversity, where she established the firm’s first Courageous Conversation Program to support the CEO Diversity Action Plan. Also, Pitts developed Edward Jones’ first Women’s Leadership Forum, Minority Leadership Forum and Inclusion Mentoring Program, and oversaw the firm’s Inclusion Council and Business Resource Groups.

LaGrone named director of school age initiatives

has joined Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS) as Director of school age initiatives. ARCHS funds and strategically enhances initiatives that improve the lives of children and families facing disparities and disadvantages in St. Louis’ most resource deprived communities. ARCHS works to disrupt ongoing cycles of intergenerational poverty and trauma by advancing lifelong learning. ARCHS’ work is further supported by serving as one of Missouri’s 20 officially designated community partnership organizations.

The Normandy Joint Executive Governing Board has approved the selection of Dr. Tina Hamilton as the new building principal of Jefferson School. Dr. Hamilton has been recognized for her role on the leadership team responsible

Weber Shandwick hires Jamonique Johnson

Johnson

Jamonique Johnson has recently been hired as a junior associate at Weber Shandwick. Weber Shandwick is one of the world’s leading global public relations firms with offices in major media, business and government capitals around the world, including St. Louis. Weber Shandwick delivers next-generation solutions to brands, businesses and organizations in major markets around the world. Led by world-class strategic and creative thinkers and activators, the organization has won some of the most prestigious awards in the industry.

Anecia Henry, Shaylon Moorehead, Eduardo Guerrero, Tyler Kump and Executive Director Wendell Covington Jr. attend an NPower meeting at Harris-Stowe State University June 29.

Christina LaGrone

Emily Pitts

Christina LaGrone

Jamonique

Hamilton

Dr. Tina Hamilton

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

NBA star Dikembe Mutombo (left), at Northwest Coffee Roasting Company, with owner Jason Wilson (center) and former St. Louis NBA star and Cardinal Ritter grad Jahidi White in the Central West End July 12.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Black Americans’ chances of economic success overestimated

By Jeff Grabmeier The Ohio State University

Americans consistently believe that poor African Americans are more likely to move up the economic ladder than they are, a new study shows.

People also overestimate how likely poor white people are to get ahead economically, but to a much lesser extent than they do for Black people.

“It’s no surprise that most people in our society believe in the American Dream of working hard and succeeding economically,” said Jesse Walker, co-author of the study and assistant professor of marketing at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.

“But many people don’t know how much harder it is for African Americans to achieve that dream than it is for white people.”

The good news in the study was that making people aware of economic racial disparities, or merely having them reflect on the unique challenges that Black Americans face in the United States, helped people calibrate their beliefs about economic mobility.

Walker conducted six studies with Shai Davidai, assistant professor of management at Columbia Business School at Columbia

University.

In one study, they asked participants to estimate the chances that a randomly selected child born to a family in the lowest income quintile (0 to 20%) would rise to one of the four higher income quintiles. They made two predictions, one for a white child and one for a Black child.

Results showed that participants overestimated upward mobility for the white child by about 5%, but overestimated mobility for the Black child by about 16%. white Americans’ actual likelihood of moving up from the bottom quintile is 69%, compared to 52% for Black Americans.

The researchers also measured how likely the participants thought the randomly selected poor child would be able to rise to the top of the economic heap—one of the two highest income quintiles (those in the top 40% in terms of income).

Here participants again overestimated the odds of the Black child reaching those heights but underestimated the chances of the white child doing so.

It wasn’t just white Americans who held these misperceptions. A separate study found that Black participants were similarly inaccurate in their estimation of

a Black child’s probability of moving out of poverty. While the results cannot say why this happened, Davidai said it may be that Black Americans—particularly those in the lower economic groups themselves—want to believe in their chance at economic success.

“No one wants to believe there is no American Dream out there for them,” Davidai said.

Results from other studies in the series suggested that people can more accurately assess the chances of poor Black people moving up if they are reminded of economic racial disparities or even just think about the problems Black people face in the United States.

In one study, participants were shown one of two graphs before they estimated the probability of poor white or Black Americans moving up economically. One showed the distribution of wealth by income quintiles, revealing that the richest 20% of Americans own 81% of private wealth.

The remaining participants were shown a graph of the distribution of wealth in the United States by ethnicity, revealing that white people own 89% of private wealth, compared to Black people, who own 1.3%.

Mutombo

Continued from B1

Marie Mutombo, in 2007.

Another great passion in life is coffee. Not only is he an avid coffee drinker, but he has also launched his own company, Mutombo Coffee.

Mutombo visited St. Louis on Monday and attended a reception at Black-owned Northwest Coffee Roasting in the Central West End.

Mutombo and Northwest owner Jason Wilson greeted fans, autograph seekers and people who wanted to learn more about the coffee industry.

It was through mutual friends that Mutombo and Wilson connected on this endeavor, and a partnership developed between two Black entrepreneurs who share a common goal of making an

impact socially as well as making good coffee.

“As you know in St. Louis, we’re about our business when it comes to coffee,” Wilson said.

“We take our coffee seriously and the relationship with Dikembe works out really well. The main thing is that Dikembe and I both focus on the impact, and that’s what has me excited.”

Mutombo launched his company, Mutombo Coffee, to improve trade practices in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Coffee beans are one of that nation’s leading exports.

His goal is to provide economic sustainability to farming communities in Africa and help the farmers have a greater economic benefit in the industry.

With the birth of Mutombo Coffee, he is also putting his

support behind women farmers in his native land. Many do the painstaking work of climbing several thousand feet above sea level on a regular basis to collect the beans. Yet, they are not being rewarded economically for the effort.

“The majority of people growing our coffee are women,” Mutombo said.

“These are our mothers, our wives and our sisters and they are working very hard. We’re trying to do what is necessary to improve their lives. That has become our mission.”

Mutombo also made it clear that if people want Mutombo Coffee, it is available at Northwest Coffee Roasting.

“You can get Mutombo Coffee where I am, and that is Northwest Coffee,” he said.

“You don’t have to go online or go far away, just drive up here to see my man Jason and you can get Mutombo Coffee.”

Although he was in town to talk about coffee, Mutombo didn’t mind talking a little basketball, especially after the events over the weekend.

Nigeria stunned the USA Olympic team 90-87 in an exhibition game in Las Vegas. Mutombo was quite excited to see Nigeria pull off the biggest victory ever for an African nation in an international competition.

Earlier this year, he became an investor in NBA Africa, which manages the league’s business on the continent, including the Basketball African League.

“It was big,” Mutombo said. “It gives us hope that there will be more success to come from the African countries. I always look at Africa as a new continent that is still being discovered for the talent that we have.”

Ah!TV Network host Cardell Whitlock (left) interviews former NBA star Dikembe Mutombo at Northwest Coffee Roasting Company to promote his Mutombo Coffee brand in the Central West End on Monday. At right is owner Jason Wilson.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Four of the area’s top prep basketball players have given verbal commitments to the schools of their choice.

Pattonville High standout Kellen Thames has committed to Saint Louis University. The 6’6” Thames is former Jennings High and University of Missouri standout Kelly Thames’ son.

As a junior in 2021, Thames averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.5 steals in leading the Pirates to a 22-2 record and a Class 6 district championship.

Joining Thames in

2012 at Saint Louis U. will be fellow guard Nick Kramer. He will be a senior at St. Louis University High this fall. The 6’4” Kramer is a top player in the powerful Metro Catholic Conference. As a junior, Kramer averaged 19.2 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting a sizzling 52% from 3-point range.

East St. Louis Senior High guard Christian Jones committed to the University of Missouri. A 6’4” point guard, Jones averaged 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting 48% from the field.

Fort Zumwalt North standout Connor Turnbull is headed to Butler University of the Big East Conference. The 6’10” Turnbull helped lead the Panthers to their first state tournament Final Four appearance. As a junior, he averaged 14.9

InSIdE SportS

By Earl Austin Jr.

SLU, Mizzou land top area basketball talent

points, 7.3 rebounds and five blocks, which led the St. Louis metro area as the Panthers finished fourth in the Class 6 state tournament. The four players are also teammates on the Brad Beal Elite 17U team, which is in Augusta, Georgia, this week to compete in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

Napheesa Collier an All-Star

It has been a great month for former Incarnate Word Academy basketball star Napheesa Collier. She was recently named to the U.S. Olympic team, the favorite to win the gold medal in Tokyo. Collier also was selected to play in the WNBA All-

Star Game, which was held Wednesday night and featured the Olympic team against a team of WNBA All-Stars.

In her third season with the Minnesota Lynx, Collier is averaging a career best 17.3 points a game. She is also averaging 6.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 48% from the field. She was the WNBA Rookie of the Year in

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

East St. Louis guard Christian Jones has committed to Cuonzo Martin’s Missouri Tigers after averaging 11.2 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Flyers last season.

University.

After becoming the SEC’s youngest player the moment he took the mound for Vanderbilt last season, 17-year-old Little then became the youngest player to play in the College World Series.

The 6’4” 210-pound topflight pitching prospect throws a fastball in the high 90’s. He graduated from CBC a year early and enrolled in Vanderbilt in January to play for the powerful Commodores’ program. Little was the starting pitcher for Vandy in an elimination game against Stanford in the Nashville Super Regional. He then started Game 2 of the College World Series against fellow SEC member Mississippi State. In 11 starts, Little had a 3-2 record with 49 strike outs and 22 walks.

Kalkbrenner brings home gold

2019 and a WNBA All-Second Team selection in 2020.

Christian Little appears in CWS

Former CBC standout baseball player Christian Little became the youngest player to perform on college baseball’s biggest stage during his freshman year at Vanderbilt

Former Trinity Catholic basketball standout Ryan Kalkbrenner was a member of the USA U19 basketball team that won a gold medal at the FIBA World Cup in Riga, Latvia. The 7’0 sophomore at Creighton University was a valuable reserve that posted 10 points and two blocks in a semifinal against Canada. Jaden Ivey, a sophomore at Purdue, was a teammate and was named to the five-member All-Tournament Team. Ivey is the son of former Cor Jesu and Notre Dame basketball star

Niele Ivey, who is head coach of the Fighting Irish women’s team. Ryan’s mother, Lynn (nee’ Frank) Kalkbrenner was a star at Aquinas High and played at Saint Louis U.

Racism remains rampant in England, throughout international soccer

International soccer’s ongoing battle against racism has overshadowed Italy’s thrilling Euro 2020 victory over England. With the score tied 1-1 after regulation and extra time, Italy missed its first penalty kick and England made its first two. It looked good for host England, but Marcus Rashford Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka’s attempts were turned away. Italy went on to prevail 3-2, and the team’s three Black players were racially attacked on social media.

to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible.”

Prince William, the Queen of England’s grandson, heir to the throne and president of the English Football Association, wrote on Twitter, “I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match.”

Alvin A. Reid

In case you are wondering, white players scored England’s penalty kick goals.

The disgusting actions drew a rebuke from the England Football Association, which released a statement reading, “FA strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and is appalled by the online racism that has been aimed at some of our England players.”

“We could not be clearer that anyone behind such disgusting behaviour is not welcome in following the team. We will do all we can

“This England team deserves to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media. Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter.

England coach Gareth Southgate saluted the play of Rashford, Sancho and Saka during a Monday press conference.

“We heal together as a team now, and we’re there for them, and I know that 99% of the public will be as well, because they will appreciate how well they played,” he said.

England’s respected Financial Times published a commentary titled “Football, Racism and the England team”

on Monday blasting the racist attacks.

“Sadly, in defeat, the evil demons that have stalked English football for decades — racism and hooliganism — have resurfaced. Such bile must not be downplayed.”

“Yet, the very fact that it has captured attention in both conventional and social media is paradoxically a sign of progress in both English football and wider society.

“In past decades, racist barracking was routine at English football grounds and was, shamefully, largely ignored by the football authorities and by television commentators. Black players, including those who represented the national side, were expected to react uncomplainingly.”

Also on Sunday, a mural dedicated to Rashford in Manchester for his campaign

England’s

Marcus Rashford missed a penalty kick in a shootout against victorious Italy at the Euro 2020 soccer championship final at Wembley stadium in London, as did two of his Black teammates. They were then subjected to vicious racial attacks on social media.

for free school meals for children in need in Britain was vandalized.

The Reid Roundup Milwaukee snapped out of its funk and topped Phoenix 120-100 on Sunday, but the Suns still held a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 41 points, making 13-for-17 from the foul line. He also had 13 rebounds and six assists. Game three was scheduled for Wednesday night… Former MLB All-Star pitcher CC Sabathia says in his upcoming memoir that baseball “doesn’t like the flair that Black and Hispanic guys bring to the field; right now, this sport is not for us, and we know that. If the game doesn’t change, it’s going to be in trouble, and not just with Black people.”… Kelsey Koelzer, a former star at Princeton and in the National Women’s Hockey League, is now the first Black woman NCAA hockey coach. She leads the women’s hockey program at Division III Arcadia near Philadelphia… Online casino company Casumo has established a timeline for when 10 athletes will become billionaires. Tiger Woods is No. 1. His current estimated wealth is $800 million, and he would reach billionaire status in three years and three months. Other Black athletes in the ranking, with current wealth, are LeBron James ($500 million; five years and eight months), Steph Curry ($130 million; 11 years and eight months), and Kevin Durant ($170 million; 13 years).

Earl Austin Jr.

Photo courtesy of kpvi.com

Photo courtesy of the AP

to underserved communities, coming to St. Louis to recruit trainees. In March of 2017, World Wide Technology (WWT), a Regional Business Council member and STL. works Collaborating Partner, was instrumental in bringing NPower to the campuses of Harris-Stowe State University and later to St. Louis Community College for accessible training in cloud computing, cybersecurity, coding and more as an alternative fast-track to tech jobs with the Fortune 500 companies committed to diversity.

The St. Louis Regional Business Council (RBC), comprised of over one hundred corporations like AT&T and WWT, was also very committed to this cause.

“There are thousands of tech jobs in St. Louis that require technology skills, but not necessarily a four-year degree,” explained RBC President and CEO, Kathy Osborn. “The RBC is pleased to be a funder of NPower because they find the young people who have potential, yet need the resources, opportunity and training to have successful employment.”

“I procrastinated for a week or two and waited until three or four days before the deadline to complete the application. “I got in and excelled. Math, science, and technology are me,” said Amenta. In three months, she completed the course, was the commencement speaker for the second cohort of graduates, and started an NPower paid internship earning $17 per hour at Zero Day Technology Solutions, a turnkey IT solutions organization with a focus on network architecture efficiency as a proud member of the Keeley Companies.

By 2019, having mastered many technical skills from the NPower course and two years of technology work experience, she earned the Comp Tia A+ Certification, one of the many industry-recognized credentials

(IRC) for a gateway technology position with excellent wages. NPower later created an alumni advanced training program in security. Amenta took the initiative to work fulltime during the day and attend classes at night from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for 12 weeks to earn her second IRC, Security+. With her experience and this second certification, Amenta gained the confidence and creditability to seek a position with a Fortune 500 company with higher earning potential.

“I applied to a few positions on my own outside of the NPower program, and I did not get many calls back. But when NPower directly sent over my resume to WWT in December

2020, I got an interview the next day and was hired that same day. So, I can definitely say that NPower will help get your foot in the door and provide you with opportunities that would be a lot harder for you to get for yourself,” Amenta added. Today, she has seven months of gainful employment at WWT, one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2021 for the 10th consecutive year by the Great Place to Work® and Fortune.

Amenta is paying off old college tuition debts, finishing

a third IRC in networking, and earning a wage above the starting salaries of many people with four-year degrees. She has the earning potential to well surpass $80,000 in cybersecurity. This is the power of NPower.

Wendell Covington, NPower Missouri regional executive director, shared that 60 NPower students graduated in the last 2021 cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic with at least two cohorts per year.

“We’ve had nearly 600 trainees since 2017. We are trending toward 150 trainees this year. We have a 76% IRC certification rate, 90% 2021 retention rate and a 74% Spring 2021 job placement rate. WWT, AT&T, MasterCard, Accenture are some of our major partners hiring NPower graduates

NPower graduate Amenta Christian Robertson poses July 14, at her north county home.

with stackable credentials in tech fundamentals, cloud computing, software development, and cybersecurity,” Covington outlined.

NPower is actively recruiting for the next cohort of trainees. “This is an opportunity to build bridges and change lives. We have an aggressive goal to reach 1000 graduates by 2024,” Covington said. “So, we need more corporate partners. We want more participants.”

NPower is a proud STL. works Collaborating Partner, helping to increase our skilled workforce in technology. “The best advice I can give is to get started. Get started. You have to make movement to see movement,” said Amenta. “If you are going to say it, then do it. Don’t just speak on it, actually move on it. Get something started and get something in the works.”

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

‘It’s meant to move you’

SLAM exhibition

highlights creative

genius of Oliver Lee Jackson

By Kenya Vaughn

The St. Louis American

The creative influence of Black people cannot be overstated in the realm of American and global culture. And it can fairly be said that the St. Louis region has provided more than most. Popular music was forever changed by Chuck Berry – as was jazz music thanks to Miles Davis. Modern dance was revolutionized by the work of Katherine Dunham. Dick Gregory created an intersection of politics and comedy and his focus on the plight of Black Americans during the infancy of the civil rights movement that paved the way for the likes of Dave Chapelle.

St. Louis native and Vashon High School graduate Oliver Lee Jackson stands in front of ‘Fig 6 Triptych, 2015.’ The multipaneled piece was among the works displayed during the 2019 exhibition ‘Oliver Lee Jackson: Recent Paintings’ at the National Gallery of Art on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

n “If we were in Japan, Oliver Lee Jackson would be what they call a living national treasure.”

- Harry Cooper Senior curator and head of the department of modern art at The National Gallery of Art

An equally influential giant among these culture shifters of Black St. Louis is Oliver Lee and Jackson Jr. For nearly six decades Jackson has created on canvas, with three-dimensional sculpture

and other mediums in the same transformative, innovative and distinctive manner that Chuck Berry sang, Miles Davis played, Dick Gregory joked and Katherine Dunham choreographed and danced.

Starting this week, audiences will have the opportunity to see a range of some of his work at the Saint Louis Art Museum

The exhibition consists of 12 paintings, drawings and prints including works created from the mid-1960s until 2020 that traces what the museum catalogue describes as, “Jackson’s aesthetic evolution over five decades and demonstrating his significance as a highly experimental artist working across a range of media.”

See Jackson, C8

‘I Believe the Children Are Our Future’

Urban Sprouts raises more than $200K in financial assistance

By Danielle Brown The St. Louis American

Children ranging from early infancy to six years old have the freedom to be independent thinkers and creative visionaries at Urban Sprouts Child Development Center.

The center is unique because it emphasizes the Reggio Emilia Approach, an educational philosophy that allows children and educators to learn side-by-side in a collaborative environment. Children can be innovative, young leaders. “I think what’s special about the Reggio Emilia dynamic is that it gives children their rights,” Ellicia Lanier, executive director and founder of Urban Sprouts, told The St. Louis American. “It gives children the opportunity to be expressive and confident in their own knowledge, we just help to guide that.”

In various quirky-themed imaginative classrooms with names such as the dragonfly room and the sunflower room, youths study magic and wonder. They craft fairy and unicorn costumes, create secret concoctions and paint their own versions of what a Picasso piece looks like to them. Outside of the classroom, they learn to be more eco-friendly by gardening and recycling. They also have a front-row seat to watch a cat-

During a selection of one of his most classic songs, “Best Of Me,” Hamilton sang many high praises to Ellicia Lanier and presented her with a bouquet of flowers at Urban Sprouts Child Development Center’s benefit concert July 8 at The Sheldon Concert Hall.

Therapy Sessions

Andrae’Co “Dre’Co” Craig released his sophomore album, “Therapy Sessions,” last month on all streaming platforms, where he’s refreshingly transparent about his everyday struggles of chasing his dreams to rap stardom and the pressure of wanting to leave behind an impactful legacy for his future children.

Dre’Co, local rapper, socialite releases project about his daily struggles

By Danielle Brown

The St. Louis American

Andrae’Co “Dre’Co” Craig has a personality and aura people are drawn to: From his warm, welcoming demeanor to the big, charismatic energy he brings to a room where he entertains as an emcee and host. Upon meeting him, he makes you feel like you’re talking to a lifelong friend.

Undeniably, Dre’Co makes you want to learn more about who he is and what he does. His ability to be relatable shows in his music as much as it does in his personal life. Last month, he decided to take his relatability up a couple more notches with the release of his second album, “Therapy Sessions.”

n “People will be able to find themselves in this album, while they listen to him tell his story. I think that’s what makes this album special.”

- Howard “Wes Hill” Williams

The 14-song project takes listeners on a quest as they follow his storyline of meeting with a therapist to discuss some of his dayto-day issues. They include working too hard, not fully enjoying the fruits of his labor and the pressure of figuring out what will be his legacy.

“It’s set up as a storyline that’s relatable,” Dre’Co said. “It’s untapped. I challenged myself with the different flows, cadences and the delivery I used on this project. But I’ve always wanted to challenge myself by debunking the myth of mental health and therapy being taboo in the Black community.”

“It felt right to name the project Therapy Sessions because during my studio sessions, my producer, engineer, and I always talk about what we’re going through, and that always feels true to us at that moment.”

Engineer Howard “Wes Hill” Williams, and his producer, Deandre “Martie Beatz” Martin share those feelings.

“A lot of the things he goes through, Dre and I go through as well,” Williams said. “People will be able to find themselves in this album, while they listen to him tell his story. I think that’s what makes this album special.”

Martin said he felt it was game-changing for Dre’Co to be as open and honest as he is about obstacles he faced. Most people tend to keep those things to themselves.

erpillar transform into a butterfly in the center’s butterfly garden. “It’s all about teaching children how to think for themselves and problem solve so that when they get out here in the world they’ll be ready to handle what comes at them,” Kelly Wiggins, building floater, said. Urban Sprouts’ demographic is diverse, with

African American children comprising more than 50% of participants. Two-thirds of the center’s children come from low or moderate-income families and receive financial aid. To raise more funds for

Sprouts, C8

“I think the album shows you it’s okay to speak on different things, but often we shelve how we really feel instead of talking about the problem and getting to the root of it,” Martin said.

“The vibe you’ll get from the album comes to you in a way where you can really vibe with it.

Photo by Fred Sweets/St. Louis American

Photo by James Stinnell

Photo by Danielle Brown/St. Louis American

FREE ACCESS TO THE WORLD

• Access to Books, Movies & CDs

• Free Access to eBooks, eAudiobooks, Streaming Movies, TV Shows, Comic Books, Newspapers & Magazines

• Streaming & Downloadable Music

• Free Online High School Diploma Program

• Reservable Computers, Laptops & Hotspots

• Printing, Scanning & Copying

• Free Wifi at all locations

• And more!

Learn how Black artists transformed Art Museum’s collection

By Victoria McCraven, Romare Bearden Fellow, 2020 - 21

We invite you to join the Saint Louis Art Museum for an exciting virtual program, Art Speaks: Prints and Mural by Black Artists in the WPA, on Thursday, July 22, at noon. Victoria McCraven, 2020-2021 Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow, and Clare Kobasa, assistant curator of prints, drawings, and photographs and Study Room manager, will discuss works of art in the Museum’s collection by Dox Thrash, Selma Day, and Raymond Steth.

In 1943, the Saint Louis Art Museum, known then as the City Art Museum, was gifted more than 40 prints, paintings, drawings, and watercolors by Black artists from the Federal Works Agency, Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Chicago, IL. This allocation of works was transformational to the Museum, marking the first artworks by African American artists to enter the Museum’s collection and remains critical to the Museum’s collection of twentieth-century American art today. This lunchtime Art Speaks virtual program will focus on the artistic creation and experimentation for Black artists during the New Deal Era, which shifted art appreciation from an exclusive experience reserved for wealthy private audiences to a wide range of cultural media available to the public. One of the most recognized New Deal Arts projects, the Federal Arts Project, remained a valuable arts funder from 1935 to 1943. During this period, there were four main WPA arts centers for Black artists: Playhouse Settlement/Karamu House (Cleveland), South Side Community Art Center (Chicago), Harlem Community Art Center (NYC), and the Federal Arts Project Graphic Arts Division Workshop (Philadelphia).

The Art Speaks program will address printmaking and mural practices developed during the 1930s and 1940s with funding from the Works Progress

Dox Thrash, American, 1893–1965; Charlot, c.1938–39; Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of the Federal Works Agency, Work Projects Administration 334:1943

Administration and key artists including Dox Thrash. In 1925, Thrash moved to

Art Speaks: Prints and Murals by Black Artists in the WPA

Virtual program via Zoom. Register at slam.org/ events to receive the Zoom link.

Philadelphia to work at the Federal Arts Project Graphic Arts Division Workshop and became a pivotal artist in the Fine Print Workshop from

1937-1941. Pictured above is Thrash’s well-known work Charlot, which showcases a cutting-edge printmaking technique that he invented, carborundum mezzotint, and etching. Other artists discussed in the program include Selma Day, who worked at the Harlem Community Art Center in New York City, and Raymond Seth who also worked at the Federal Arts Project Graphic Arts Division Workshop, each gaining national recognition for their creative innovations.

Please join the Art Museum for Art Speaks: Prints and Murals by Black Artists in the WPA, a virtual program via Zoom. Register at slam.org/ events to receive the Zoom link.

Ivy Alliance Foundation Awards $55,000.00+ 37th Annual (Virtual) FASHIONETTA™ Scholarship Cotillion

Jordan Elaine Davis Crowned Miss FASHIONETTA™ 2021

The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Gamma Omega Chapter presented its 37th Annual (Virtual) FASHIONETTA™ Scholarship Presentation on Sunday, May 30, 2021. Event and souvenir journal presently available @AKAGOSTL.com.

Ten amazing young ladies were presented: Lauren Agnew, Torriona Baker, Landis Bingham, Kristyn Bills, Victoria Brown, Jordan Davis, Lauryn Donovan, Fatou Guisse, Amour Jones and Lauren White.

FASHIONETTA™ is a trademark of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® and a fundraising activity for the chapter’s philanthropic endeavors of the Ivy Alliance Foundation (IAF).

Debutantes participated in an eight month virtual experience which included, college preparation workshops, community service, entrepreneurial workshops, church service, Mother Daughter Luncheon and a slumber party. Debutantes received over $55,000 in monetary and scholarship awards at the Virtual Presentation.

Jordan Elaine Davis crowned Miss FASHIONETTA 2021 received a scholarship of $12,750. Jordan is the daughter of Claudia Davis and Ronald Davis (Wanda). Jordan is a 2021 honors graduate of Pattonville High School. She will attend Stephens College and major in Psychology. Jordan’s career goal is to become a clinical psychologist.

First runner-up is Miss Landis Rachelle Bingham, the daughter of Galen Bingham and Monique Garris-Bingham. Landis is a 2021 graduate of Mary Institute and Country Day School (MICDS). She will attend Spelman College in the fall and major in biochemistry. Landis’ career goal is to be a biochemical researcher.

Second runner-up is Miss Amour D’mirajoi

Jones, the daughter of Addam and Miranda Jones. Amour is a 2021 graduate of Clayton High School. She will attend Tennessee State University in the fall and major in Early Childhood Education. Amour’s career goal is to own a daycare center and teach preschoolers.

Third runner-up is Miss Ndeye Fatou Guisse. The daughter of Rhonda BeLue, Ph.D., and Alioune Guisse is a 2021 honors graduate of Incarnate Word Academy. She will attend Hampton University in the fall and major in graphic design and criminal justice. Fatou’s career goal is to be a visual communications specialist for the FBI. Fourth runner-up is Miss Torriona Baker. The daughter of Kevina Townley and Torriono Baker. She is a 2021 honors graduate of Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School. She will attend Loyola University New Orleans and major in psychology. Torriona’s career goal is to be a clinical psychologist. Other debutante participants and college choices for fall of 2021

Lauren Agnew – North Carolina A & T State University: major in Computer Science Kristyn Bills – Alabama A & M: major in Computer Science

Victoria Brown – University of Missouri Kansas City: major in elementary education Lauryn Donovan – Howard University: major in Political Science

Lauren White – University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff: major in nursing Chairman for the Virtual FASHIONETTA™ 2021 is Ruby Grady. Co-Chairmen are Michelle Sanders and Carla Baker Moore. Lonita Blackman, President and Betherny Williams, Vice President of The Gamma Omega Chapter and Ivy Alliance Foundation.

Amour Jones

Lauren White

Lauren Agnew

Torriona Baker

Fatou Guisse

Kristyn Bills

Lauryn Donovan

Jordan Davis

Victoria Brown

Landis Bingham

Miss Fashionetta Jordan Davis and her Parents

St. LouiS american Career Center St. LouiS

DEVELOPMENT POSITION

The Gateway Arch Park Foundation is seeking to fill the following open full-time position. Stewardship Manager for Individual Giving: Position requires a bachelor’s degree with 3-5 years of professional experience. View full job descriptions and application process at www.archpark.org

EDEN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST

Summary

The Administrative Specialist reports directly to the deans, providing a variety of services which relieve them of administrative details. This position supports deans and various directors of school-wide initiatives by performing a wide range of complex and confidential administrative and clerical support duties. Consistent with excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to provide information and service to a wide range of contacts. This position requires the ability to be self-motivated, initiate and learn the school’s and departmental policies and procedures. A successful candidate must be committed to working with a diverse and inclusive community. This position is subject to a 90-day trial period. Interested candidates email resume and cover letter to dstauffer@eden.edu

INTAKE SPECIALIST

HS Diploma and two (2) years of experience, preferably related to administration of the Housing Choice Voucher or the affordable housing programs. Process assigned applicants for the Housing Choice Voucher program in a manner that provides accurate information, and responsive customer service. Duties include scheduling appointments, interviewing applicants, organizing large volumes of data, tracking different types of information, performing calculations and maintaining data on the computer system. Good communication skills and ability to deal with the public. Starting Salary $36,855 Annually. Apply via our website www.slha.org Position will be open until filled. A Drug Free Work Place/EOE.

BUILDING INSPECTOR

The City of Maplewood is seeking a dedicated and qualified professional to perform occupancy permit, building and property maintenance inspections. Applicants should have a minimum of two years building or property maintenance inspection experience, construction experience can be used in lieu thereof. Must obtain property maintenance certification within six months of employment.

The city offers a comparative salary and benefits package. Starting salary is negotiable based on qualifications and experience. For application, contact the Public Works Department at (314) 646-3640 or visit www. cityofmaplewood.com. Applications accepted until July 16, 2021. Equal Opportunity Employer.

STUDENT LOAN COUNSELORS

$17.50/HR. + FULL BENEFITS

Please email your resume to hr@mohela.com

MOHELA, a student loan servicing agency, is seeking Student

Loan Counselors for our facility in Columbia to counsel student loan borrowers. Agents will be making outgoing calls to delinquent borrowers in order to receive payments and counsel them on their federal student loan debt. We are also seeking individuals able to assist our Spanish speaking customers. Comprehensive training ($17.50 an hour) will be approximately 10 weeks long from 8am-5pm Monday through Fridays. Offered shifts after training either 9am-6pm or 10am-7pm

x3571, TDD 7-1-1, or email hr@mohela.com

ASSISTANT CLAIMS CALL CENTER

Responsible for various support tasks related to: providing phone support for claimants and providers for the Large Casualty unit.

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

DEVELOPMENT SERVICES MANAGER

Youth In Need is hiring a Development Services Manager; Full Time; Full Benefits: $24.88/ hr” and then direct them to our website. Here’s the link to the opening if you want more info: https://youthinneed.hrmdirect. com/employment/job-opening. php?req=1542008&&&nohd#job

Twain Financial Partners is hiring a Client Services Accountant. Bachelor’s degree required. For more information or to apply, please visit https://twainfinancial.com/ about-twain/careers-2/

JENNINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPPORT STAFF HIRING FAIR

Thursday, July 22, 2021 from 11 am - 1 pm

Gary Gore Community Center 2545 Dorwood Drive, Jennings, MO 63136

We will have onsite interviews for custodians, general maintenance, food service and substitute teachers.

For more information contact Human Resources at 314-653-8000 Maintenance Worker

FRONT DESK AND LOBBY ATTENDANT

HS Diploma with ability to use a computer. Excellent Customer Service Skills. Position involves heavy public contact. Responsible for greeting all Authority visitors and staff with a professional demeanor and ensures all visitors are signed in via applicable sign-in protocol. Must operate multi-line telephone system, routing telephone calls and directing clients while maintaining and providing a safe and secure environment for employees and visitors of the building. Position requires professionalism, timeliness, organization and the ability to learn and explain Authority policies. Starting Salary $31,187 Annually. Apply via our website www.slha.org. Position will be open until filled. A Drug Free Work Place/EOE.

The maintenance worker performs routine, entry-level duties related to the maintenance of the state’s roadways and facilities. Responsibilities are performed under direct supervision.

Minimum/Required Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or GED

• Valid Driver’s License

• Class B Commercial Driver’s License (Permit) w/tanker endorsement - no air brake restriction

Locations: St. Louis city and county, St. Charles, Franklin and Jefferson County

BENEFITS

• Medical

www.modot.mo.gov/careers

NOTICE OF APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM OPEN ENROLLMENT

You may have what it takes to be successful in the construction industry if you are…

- Dependable

- Someone that enjoys hands-on work

- Someone that works well in a team environment

- Someone that is looking for a career with room for growth

- Someone that wants to help build their community

Associated Builders and Contractors Heart of America is accepting applications for its Pipefitting and Plumbing Apprenticeship programs. All programs take place at our Eastern Missouri Training Facility.

To apply you must be 18 years or older, attend a scheduled orientation, and submit an application including the following documents in person: Valid Driver’s License High School Diploma or Transcripts or a GED Certificate DD214 – Veteran Documentation (if applicable)

Please visit www.abcksmo.org for more information and to complete an interest form in your trade of choice. Staff will contact you to schedule a time for you to attend an orientation.

All minorities, including women, are encouraged to apply. The recruitment, selection, employment and training of apprentices during their apprenticeship shall be without discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, creed, disability or sexual orientation. All contractor members are Equal Opportunity Employers.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Paric Corporation is seeking proposals for the following project: Missouri Teaching Hospital Fitout Space 2W for the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO.

This is the renovation of the 2nd floor of the Teaching Hospital. The project consists of approximately m 7,770 SF of space and includes but is not limited to demolition, carpentry, architectural woodwork, fire stopping,Doors/frames/hardware, drywall, tile, acoustical ceilings, flooring, painting, fire sprinklers, plumbing, HVAC and electrical work.

This project has a diversity participation goals of 10% MBE,m10% combined WBE, DBE, Veteran Owned Business and 3% SDVE.

Bids for this project are due on July 27th, at 2:00 p.m. For any questions or would like to find out more detailed information on this opportunity, please contact John Davis at 314-704-6075 or jcdavis@paric.com.

All bids should be delivered to Paric via e-mail (bids@paric.com) or fax (636-561-9501).

PARIC CORPORATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Detailed Plan for Twin Cities Great Streets Project

East-West Gateway is seeking submittals from consultants to develop a detailed plan for the Twin Cities Great Streets Project. A DBE goal of 18% has been set for this project. Submittals are due no later than 1:00 p.m. on August 2, 2021. Submittal details and specifications can be obtained at www.ewgateway.org

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for CONTRACT NO. F 22 501, Humanities Renovation, at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley Campus, until 2:00 p.m. local time Thursday, July 29, 2021. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park, St. Louis, MO 63110-1314. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office, at the above address or by calling (314) 644-9770. An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

VOLUNTARY PREBID MEETING: July 16, 2021

9:00am, Humanities Building West Entrance at Florissant Valley

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Altman-Charter Co., requests subcontractor/supplier proposals for the Renovation of Winter Garden Senior Apartments in St. Louis, MO. This is the renovation of 112 units and common areas throughout the building. Proposals are due at the office of Altman-Charter Co., 315 Consort Dr., St. Louis, MO 63011 on or before Thur., July 22, 2021 at 3:00 PM (CT). Qualified Minority, Section 3, and Women owned businesses are encouraged to submit proposals. Plans can be viewed at FW Dodge, Construct Connect, SIBA, MOKAN, Cross Rhodes Reprographics and the Altman-Charter plan room in St. Louis. Bidders should contact Mr. Greg Mehrmann with any questions or to submit a proposal at gregm@altman-charter.com. Our telephone # is (636) 207-8670, and our fax # is (636) 207-8671.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for Sub-Trunk #3 Sanitary Relief (Muriel Dr to Jenner Ln) under Letting No. 11669-015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Thursday, August 19, 2021

Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: Deep Sewer Construction Unincorporated St. Louis County Drain Layers License Required Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 2731 S. Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118 or at www.stlmsdplanroom.com. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

BID

Great Rivers Greenway is issuing this Request for Proposals to purchase the properties at 1245 – 1251, 1246 and 1300 Lewis Street. Go to www.greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids and submit by August 10, 2021.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

3049 Processing Facility – Notice is given that FiCON, Inc. St. Louis, MO, General Contractor, will receive proposals for the 3049 Processing Facility at 3049 Chouteau Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63103, including building infill for new food processing facility, until July 22, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. CDT. A live prebid walk through will be held on site on Tuesday July 13 between 8 and 11 a.m. Proposals will be accepted at FiCON, Inc.’s office at 181 Northwest Industrial Ct, Bridgeton, MO 63044 (314 427-4099), by mail, fax (314 427-6646), email (info@ficoninc. com), or hand delivery. Plans and specifications can be viewed at ficoninc.com and sldcplanroom.com

WILDCARE PARK HAZARDOUS MATERIALS / ASBESTOS ABATEMENT RFP 2021

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified contractors to submit proposals for WildCare Park Hazardous Materials / Asbestos Abatement RFP 2021. Bid documents are available as of July 9, 2021 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor

BID REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Sealant Replacement Argyle Garage

Will be received by City of St. Louis Treasurer UNTIL 3:00PM 7/29/2021

For specific project information, go to https://www.stltreasurer.org/ Request for Proposals/

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Roof R e p l a c e m e n t , Kennett Readiness Center, Project No. T2002-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 7/22/2021 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Replace

R2111-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 8/5/2021 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

REIMAGINED

CHILDREN’S ZOO FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

SESSIONS RFP 2021

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified firms to submit proposals for Reimagined Children’s Zoo Family Engagement Sessions RFP 2021. Bid documents are available as of 07/14/2021 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

Bissell & Lemay WWTF Fluidized Bed Incinerators

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive electronic Statements of Qualifications for Design-Build Services for the Bissell & Lemay WWTF Fluidized Bed Incinerators under Letting No. 12565-015.8, at its plan room, WWW.STLMSDPLANROOM.COM, until 2:00 PM on Friday, September 24, 2021. All Statements of Qualifications are to be addressed to the Attention of Mr. Rich Unverferth, Director of Engineering and must be submitted and received by the Plan Room. No submittals will be accepted after the 2:00 PM deadline.

The Project is summarized as follows:

The District desires to qualify Design-Build (DB) teams for the design and construction of a fluidized bed incineration (FBI) system through a Fixed-Price Design-Build contract at two (2) of its treatment facilities: the Bissell Point Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF); and, the Lemay WWTF.

The new FBI systems will include the incinerator reactors, heat exchangers, blowers, emissions control equipment, ash handling equipment, ductwork, controls, and associated items. The District has pre-qualified Suez Water Technologies & Solutions USA, Inc. as the FBI Vendor / ISS Lead.

Preliminary FBI capacities (firm) are as follows:

• Bissell Point 240 dry tons per day (dtpd) with four units nominally sized for 80 dtpd each.

• Lemay 160 dtpd, with three units nominally sized for 80 dtpd each.

New sludge dewatering processes will also be provided at both WWTFs as part of the design-build contract. Centrifuges will be used to dewater a combined blend of primary sludge, WAS, and scum flow prior to incineration. Sludge cake conveyance from the dewatering centrifuges will be by hydraulically driven piston pumps and will include screw conveyors as needed.

All new equipment and related systems associated with the new incineration and dewatering processes will be located in a new Solids Processing Building constructed at both Bissell Point and Lemay facilities.

Both facilities will be procured as one project using a fixed-price design-build project delivery method. A design-build team will be selected based upon a technical scope of work and fixed price submitted by proposing design-build teams in response to a request for proposal issued by MSD.

Statements of Qualifications will be received from all companies meeting the requirements of the RFQ Documents. Prequalification of DB teams is not required in order to submit a Statement of Qualifications.

RFQ Documents are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s Planroom (www.stlmsdplanroom.com). RFQ Documents are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 2731 S. Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis MO 63118. All DB teams must obtain a set of RFQ Documents in the name of the entity submitting the Statement of Qualifications. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

AUCTION NOTICE

The following people are in debt to Gateway Storage Mall of Belleville. The contents of their storage unit(s) will be sold at auction to compensate all or part of that debt.

Auction at the Belleville Royal Heights location will be held online with www.storageauctions.com on, July 27th 2021, at 10:00 AM. A cash deposit will be REQUIRED for all winning bids. Royal Heights --Belleville: F04 – Twansley Lashley

For all rules, regulations and bidding process, please contact www. storageauctions.com . All other questions, please call 618-233-8995 or mail: 17 Royal Heights Center, Belleville, IL 62226.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Sealed Proposals for B22-1205 56 Passenger Buses will be received at Lincoln University Purchasing Dept 1002 Chestnut St, RM 101 Shipping & Receiving Bldg, JCMO 65101 until 2PM CT on 26July2021. Download Proposal Request at http://www.lincolnu.edu/web/ purchasing/bids

WILDCARE PARK MASTER PLAN RENDERINGS RFP

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified firms to submit proposals for WildCare Park Master Plan Renderings RFP. Bid documents are available as of July 14, 2021 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor.

NOTICE TO CONSULTANTS

The St. Louis County Department of Transportation is requesting the services of a highly-qualified consulting engineering firm to perform professional engineering services for the North Villanova Drive Sinkhole Repair, St. Louis County Project No. CR-1846.

Full details for this project, including submittal requirements and deadline, will be available on July 12, 2021 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www.stlouiscountymo.gov)

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice

Letting No. 10366-015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Wednesday, August 04, 2021, at a place designated.

Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: Sewer Construction unincorporated St. Louis County Drain Layers License Required Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 2731 S. Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118 or at www.stlmsdplanroom.com. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid.y submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

WAITLIST OPENING

We will have a Pre-Application WAITLIST OPENING on the following dates and times:

ST LUKE’S PLAZA APARTMENTS

June 15th thru July 30th, 2021

9AM to 12PM & 2PM to 4PM

STUDIO, ONE (1) & TWO (2) BEDROOMS

Our pre-application WAITLIST will be CLOSING on the following date and time:

ST LUKE’S PLAZA APARTMENTS

5602 ENRIGHT AVENUE

ST LOUIS, MO 63112

July 30, 2021 @ 4PM

BID

K&S Associates, Inc. is soliciting MBE/WBE/SDVE/DBE/VBE for the following projects for July, STL CO Police #3, Special School District-So County Technical HS & City of Olivette-Warson Park –Plans and Specs can be viewed at www.ksgcstl.com-submit bids to estimating@ksgcstl.com or Fax 314-647-5302

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Bailey Foundation invites the submission of sealed bids from qualified food service management companies for the preparation and delivery of meals to its centers. Prospective bidders must be capable of providing breakfast, lunch, snacks and suppers for up to 2,000 children ages 1-18, 7 days a week for 365 days per year. The bids should take into account all applicable U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements.

Bids must be received by 9:00 am on Monday August 2, 2021 at 4625 Lindell Blvd. Ste. 200. St. Louis, MO. 63108, at which time they will be opened to the public, read, and recorded. Interested parties may obtain the service specifications and bid forms by calling Ciara Warren at (314) 470-8295 or sending an email to programs@ thebaileyfoundation.org

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for Big Bend Woods 730 Storm Main Replacement (IR)

SEALED BIDS

Bids for HVAC R e n o v a t i o n , Albany Regional Office, Project No. M1905-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1 : 3 0 P M , 7/15/2021 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered t o b i d . F o r specific project information, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

Questions over the phone will not be accepted.

The Owner reserves the right to waive informalities in bids and to reject any and all bids.

Construction Estimates: $60,000 - $100,000 ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

Center, Mineral Point, MO Project No. C1923-01 will be received by FMDC, State of

UNTIL 1:30 PM, July 22, 2021 For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

Sealed Bids for: ST. LOUIS

Will be received by the Administration of the St. Louis Art Museum, Owner, at 1 Fine Arts Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63110 at 2:00 p.m. on August 12, 2021. The bids will be privately opened and read. Bids from certified M/WBE contractors are encouraged.

Electronic copies of the drawings, specifications and other related contract information will be available beginning on July 13, 2021 and may be downloaded at no cost from Sharepoint (https://bit.ly/3yudY1W).

A mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting will be held on Thursday, July 15, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. on the West Loading Dock, 1 Fine Arts Drive, St. Louis, Missouri. Masks will be required for all non-vaccinated attendees.

Questions regarding the scope of work should be directed, in writing, to Jeff Scott, McClure Engineering, jscott@ mcclureeng.com. Questions over the phone will not be accepted.

The Owner reserves the right to waive informalities in bids or to reject any and all bids.

Construction Estimate: $400,000

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

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

Call Angelita Houston at 314-289-5430 or email ahouston@stlamerican.com to place your ads today!

“Oliver Lee Jackson” is curated by Simon Kelly, curator of modern and contemporary art, and Hannah Klemm, associate curator of modern and contemporary art, with Molly Moog, research assistant. This exhibition at the Saint Louis Art Museum comes after a triumphant exhibition of “Oliver Lee Jackson: Recent Paintings” at Washington D.C.’s famed National Gallery of Art in 2019.

“If we were in Japan, Oliver Lee Jackson would be what they call a living national treasure,” Harry Cooper said during his opening remarks for the 2019 exhibition. “And that really involves mastery of techniques, of genres and of traditional methods. He has done that not just in painting – which is the focus of this show – but sculpture, printmaking of all kinds, drawings and collaborations of artists in many other mediums.” Cooper is the senior curator and head of the department of modern art at The National Gallery of Art. “You will see in so many of these paintings, things that nobody has really done before,” Cooper continued.

In a gallery talk in conjunction with the National Gallery exhibition, Cooper and Jackson discussed his origins in the visual arts. He had already received a BFA from Wesleyan University near Bloomington, Illinois, in 1958 and an MFA from the University of Iowa in 1963.

But the Vashon High School graduate credited the St. Louis collective known as the Black Artists Group for helping him find and operate in sync with his creative compass.

It was somewhere around 1968 and he was unclear on how to proceed with making

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It’s like he’s talking about mental health and making it cool to bop to.”

All the studio sessions Dre’Co, Martin and Williams have, are always very organic and are orchestrated by starting everything from scratch and

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those families, Lanier and Naretha Hopson, external affairs committee members of Urban Sprouts, hosted a benefit concert July 8 at The Sheldon Concert Hall. Grammy Awardwinning singer and songwriter Anthony Hamilton performed.

“I believe in being there

“what people call art.”

“The Black Artists Group were also makers and musicians and we came together to reinforce each other as we were developing how to make our way doing what we wanted to do,” Jackson said. “That part was difficult, but I had great friends, which gives you a lot of strength to carry on when you don’t quite know how to carry on.”

Jackson and members of BAG, a multidisciplinary arts collective, quickly got about the business of paying forward the gift of creative expression –in many forms – to Black children, teens and young adults.

“We were clear that we had to do something for our com-

building along the way. The session for “Therapy Sessions” was no different than how they typically operate.

The height of the coronavirus pandemic motivated Dre’Co to work on the project even more. The collaborative trio began laying down its groundwork in February 2020.

“The pandemic put me in the mindset of wanting to release it,” Dre’Co said. “Shows started slowing up, I wasn’t outside

for my people and using my platform for something good,” Hamilton told The American Urban Sprouts is doing a lot in terms of educating kids and starting at an early age.”

Their goal was to raise $30,000 and the benefit reaped more than $200,000.

During one of his most classic songs, “Best Of Me,” Hamilton sang high praises to Lanier and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

“You give your best to so

as much, that was the perfect opportunity for me to tap in and hone in on this project. It was the driving force for me to get this message out.”

Outside of being a rapper, Dre’Co is also an in-game ambassador/emcee for his alma mater, Saint Louis University where he majored in business. He also is an event host in the local nightlife scene and is featured on CloseUP TV, a show on the STL TV network.

many,” Hamilton said during the concert. “We came here tonight to give our best to you. Ellicia, we just wanna say we appreciate you. You’re changing lives, we thank you and we honor you.”

Dapper as usual in a navy blue tailored suit with his signature fedora, Hamilton sang a bevy of hits, both old and new. The set included “Comin’ From Where I’m From,” fanfavorite “Charlene” and newer release “You Made A Fool Of

munity,” Jackson said. “And what we had to give was training in music, poetry and theatre.”

BAG helped young people with limited access find a pathway to the arts, and the type of training necessary for them to continue to use the experience.

“The young people were hungry for something, and we

His familiarity throughout the city has lasted more than a decade. But what about those moments where people don’t see him or the grind that’s happening behind the scenes?

Those intimate moments inspired his debut album, “SeenUnseen,” which was released in 2019.

“I showed them who I was in public, but they didn’t know the struggles or the story behind how I was trying to get to that

Me,” which was produced by Jermaine Dupri. He paid homage to legendary icons Rick James and Prince with twists on “Adore,” and “Mary Jane.” He proved at age 50 he’s not slowing down his stellar artistry and musicianship.

“I just turned 50 and I feel really good,” Hamilton said to the audience. “I can still run real good and I always smell real good.”

A private dinner was held

The Saint Louis Art Museum presentation of ‘Oliver Lee Jackson’ will open July 16 and continue through February 22. The exhibition comes on the heels of the 2019 presentation of ‘Oliver Lee Jackson: Recent Paintings’ at the National Gallery of Art, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Photo courtesy of the National Gallery of Art

could provide it,” Jackson said. “We had to do something to make sure this generation of young people who had these capacities had some kind of training. I’m proud of that.”

Finding Oliver Jackson

The pair also discussed how Cooper was introduced to Jackson’s work indirectly through BAG composer, musician and World Saxophone Quartet co-founder Julius Hemphill.

It was 1977. By then BAG had disbanded, but the collaborations between Jackson ad some of its members continued. Jackson’s art served as the illustration for Hemphill’s “Blue Boye” album. Cooper, who was still in high school at the time, purchased a copy of the record.

“I bought this album, and the music just changed my life quite honestly,” Cooper said. “And that drawing just burned itself into my mind. It became fused with the music.”

More than 20 years later Cooper was associate curator of modern art at Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum. He decided to seek out Jackson, who had long since developed a very substantial reputation as both an artist

point,” Dre’Co said.

“The ‘seen’ part is more of a turn-up vibe. You see me hosting and performing. Unseen comes with me working 9-5s on Mondays or taking a trip to L.A. to find myself and connections. Unseen is telling that story of everyday struggles, cause it’s a relatable thing.

Having this mentality of you guys know me for this, but let me also show y’all this.”

Dre’Co said his music is uni-

for the guests who purchased $10,000, $1,500 or $1,000 sponsor tickets, which included a variety of other incentives and perks.

Students from The Best Dance and Talent Center and violinist Bell Darris offered a musical presentation to “Stand Up,” by Cynthia Ervio from the feature film, “Harriet.” Skylar Slater, a dancer from the studio, was presented with a $1,000 college scholarship during the concert.

and art educator. Cooper’s successful search ultimately resulted in an acclaimed exhibition “Duo: Oliver Jackson/Marty Ehrlich.” The exhibition was a collaboration with Ehrlich, (also a former St. Louisan and fervent devotee of Hemphill) and a tribute to Hemphill (who passed away in 1995.) It forged a close personal and creative connection between Cooper and Jackson that spanned two decades.

Jackson dismisses the politics and categories often assigned to his craft – even with art as a definition.

“It’s meant to move you in here,” Jackson said, pointing to his chest.

“It’s a contemplative act on your part and a making action on my part. These works are, as far as I’m concerned, for the spectator – and I’m a spectator after I finish.”

He refers to art instead as a “language for the eyes.”

“It requires me to have something for the eyes [to see],” Jackson said, “I have to make something – and I have to make it the way that I see it.”

Although Jackson discourages the practice of giving him any credit for the work, Cooper makes no secret of his appreciation for Jackson’s contributions to the canon of modern art.

“Jackson draws beautifully from life and yet he is not afraid to deploy the simplest, most childlike of icons,” Cooper said in his 3000-plus word essay entitled “Parallel Processing with Oliver Lee Jackson.” “Jackson likes to say that his paintings are ‘for anyone who has eyes’—and, I would add, for anyone who has a body.”

“Oliver Lee Jackson,” will be on view in Gallery 249 and Gallery 257 of the Saint Louis Art Museum from Friday through Feb. 20, 2022. For hours and additional information, visit www.slam.org.

versal and isn’t limited to just one demographic of people.

“It’s something for everybody,” Dre’Co said. “I’ve had people who are 50 and up, non-Black people and my little cousins rocking to my music. I make good music that relates to everybody to some degree.”

Dre’Co releases all his music under his independent label and publishing company, Classics Only LLC.

Judy Best, Best Dance and Talent Center owner, was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award. Orlando Watson, coowner of Prime 55 Restaurant garnered the Resilience Award. Barbara Wilson, a Boeing executive, and Jackie Green, child care provider and consultant of Kids World, received Early Childhood Champion awards.

“This night was all about Urban Sprouts, but it’s really about the deeper work that we’re connected to, which is regional work to ensure all children have access to early care,” Lanier said.

Hamilton toured the building and was impressed. He also was treated with a showstopping snippet of Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All,” performed by local singing sensation Morgan Taylor. Like the Reggio Emilia approach, Hamilton, a father of six, said he always encouraged his children to be their full authentic selves even if they didn’t want to follow in his musical footsteps.

“I allow them to be individuals and offer my support, instead of being a dictator and creating puppets,” Hamilton said.

“I don’t want a bunch of puppets. I want a bunch of independent amazing kids, that’s what I have.”

“We’re trying to create a space where children know that they matter and that they know that education is a right,” Wiggins said.

Learn more about Urban Sprouts Child Development Center at urbansproutscdc.org/.