July 25th, 2019 Edition

‘Abandoning the people of Wellston is not an option’

County executive fights Trump Administration’s plan to demolish public housing

By Rebecca

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page refused to sign off on the Trump Administration’s plan to demolish about 200 public housing structures in Wellston, which would have displaced about 530 people or 174 families — about one-fourth of Wellston’s residents.

The news comes after a year of anxiety and worry for Wellston residents, after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced in August 2018 that the housing

– St. Louis County Executive Sam Page

demolition was inevitable, with the backing of then-County Executive Steve Stenger. On July 10, Page sent a strongly-worded letter to James Heard, n “I cannot and do not support the proposed demolition application.”

The heat index was around 100 degrees for Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers’ 2019 Community Resource and Health Fair at its Delmar Boulevard location on Saturday, July 20, so the St. Louis Fire Department opened up a sprinkler to help neighborhood children in attendance cool off. Keep it cool

St. Louis police officer charged with felony assault for pepper-spraying protestors

St. Louis Police Officer William Olsten became the first city cop to be charged with unlawfully assaulting civilians during

September 17 protest downtown. However, Olsten is the first to be held accountable for

his actions against everyday citizens, said attorney Javad Khazaeli, who represents six people who were arrested during the September 29 protest that led to Olsten’s charges. “Up until this happened, the only people

‘The toughest battle was with myself’ Bruce Franks

Jr. is

leaving

St. Louis to heal

By Chris King Of The St.

n “If something happens, I can come back. But I need to be able to come back, not wake up to it each and every day.”

– Bruce Franks Jr.

himself. He had been sunk down to his lowest depths by two violent deaths. In the past few months, both his best friend, Sylvester Hamilton, and then his godson, Gerrian Green, had been killed in St. Louis. While his godson lay dying, the boy’s mother — Lisa Townsend, now

Rivas

Of The St. Louis American

Wellston residents Herman White, Sammy Alford, Anna Thorp and Edward Arch live in Wellston Place Apartments and are part of a community effort to stop the Trump Administration from demolishing about 200 public housing structures in Wellston, which would displace about 530 people or 174 families.

Photo by Wiley Price

By Rebecca Rivas

Of The St. Louis American

Photo by Wiley Price

R. Kelly crisis manager quits after interview raises eyebrows

On Monday (July 22), R. Kelly crisis manager Darrell Johnson, announced his resignation from Kelly’s camp. The news came just a few hours after telling Gayle King of “CBS This Morning” that he would never leave his own daughter alone with Kelly –who is facing federal sex crime charges stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct with minors.

“I step down as crisis manager for personal reasons. Mr. Kelly is in good hands with Mr. Greenberg,” Johnson told CBS News, referring to Steve Greenberg, the head of Kelly’s legal team in Chicago.

That morning, Johnson was asked if he would leave his daughter, who is in her twenties, alone with his now-former client and he swiftly responded, “absolutely not... I would

not leave my daughter with anyone that’s accused of being a pedophile. I would not.” King then noted that his words could be seen as contradictory, given the fact he has been proclaiming Kelly’s innocence. “I wouldn’t leave my daughter with anyone — I’m going to say it again — that’s accused of being a pedophile,” he responded. During the same interview, he called Kelly a “normal person,” saying, “I haven’t seen anything that would cause me to be suspicious.”

“They’ve indicted Mr. Kelly. He’s in jail right now. He will have his day in court,” he continued. “And they’ll have to bring the evidence. And that’s what has to be done. If the evidence stick, Mr. Kelly will spend the rest of his life in the penitentiary.”

Wendy Williams breaks down discussing divorce, biopic coming to Lifetime

In an interview with Karen Hunter on Sirius XM, talk show diva Wendy Williams couldn’t hold back her emotions when attempting to discuss her divorce

from Kevin Hunter (no relation to Karen). Karen Hunter asked about the drama surrounding her marriage, which would result in Williams becoming visibly emotional more than once.

you can’t take away twenty… don’t make me cry….next question.”

“So, how is Wendy right now,” Karen Hunter said as her follow up question during the interview.

“Happy,” Williams exclaimed.

Antoine Fuqua, film director and current husband of actress Lela Rochon Fuqua and Murphy were spotted getting up close and personal, but Murphy says the photos of the two locking lips was not what it seemed.

Karen Hunter also attempted to ask if there was any hope of reconciliation between Williams and Kevin Hunter.

“My name is Wendy Hunter. That’s my son’s name. And

“No. Don’t ask,” Williams said before Karen Hunter could finish her question.

“Girl, no. Don’t ask. I know what you are saying. No. But my family is good. And we will always be family.”

Lisa Raye implies Nicole is a homewrecker, Murphy denies Fuqua affair

The internet exploded when pictures surfaced of reality television star Nicole Murphy ex-wife of Eddie Murphy, and

“Antoine and I are just family friends,” Murphy told celebrity news site Love B. Scott. “I ran into him in Italy and we exchanged a friendly hello and that was it.” Actress Lisa Raye implied otherwise in a comment regarding the photos on the Instagram account of urban celebrity gossip site The Shade Room.

“Gurl, you went after Lela Rochon’s husband too,” Lisa Raye said in the comment, which has since been deleted. “SMH…So wrong….again!” (sic)

Sources: CBS.com, ComicBook.com, Instagram. com, LoveBScott.com

THE STUFF THAT HAS PEOPLE TALKING

Gayle King

Nicole Murphy

St. Louis teens on a ‘Quest’ to see the world

Local program funds study-abroad summer trips for lower-income students

By Suzanne Sebert

For The St. Louis American

Nine teens from the St. Louis area have won full scholarships from the local Quest scholarship project to spend the summer in countries around the world. The students come from high schools across the metropolitan area. They have chosen Italy, Ghana, Costa Rica, Japan and Argentina as their international destinations.

Antoinette Bates and Kahalia Adams are in Ghana this summer exploring the roots of that nation’s culture and learning about community issues in Africa.

“We are working on a project to bring clean water to a school,” Bates said. “I am very excited about that.”

Opportunities to study abroad have been available to students in the St. Louis area for many years but the cost has prohibited many outstanding students – including those from low-income neighborhoods, those of color, and those with immigrant parents.

That changed in 2017 when local volunteers learned that national matching scholarships for study abroad were available to students from diverse backgrounds.

“A study-abroad experience greatly increases a student’s confidence, language skills and global awareness,” said Debbie Veatch, one of the Quest project’s founders.

“Intercultural skills and a global perspective will be

important components of success in business, science, education and technology in the years ahead. St. Louis needs to nurture and grow a fully diverse talent pool for the next generation.”

Shyla Granberry from Carnahan High School is taking an intensive course in Japanese while she lives with a host family in Tokyo.

“The language school says that within 30 days we will be able to have a simple conversation in Japanese,” Granberry said.

Jayla Fitch from University City High School is studying Spanish and attending high school with a host sister in the small mountainous community

of Tarrazu, Costa Rica.

“I am thinking about a college major in international relations with a focus on Latin America,” Fitch said. “I hope that studying in Costa Rica this summer will start me on the way.”

AFS Intercultural Programs provides the international programs in which the Quest students participate. AFS is a non-profit, non-sectarian, nongovernmental organization that has been providing educational exchange opportunities for high school students since 1947.

National donors to the AFS Faces of America program contribute 50 percent of the fee for low-income students from under-represented groups if the

local community provides the other 50 percent. Quest was founded to raise money for the required community match for St. Louis area students. Quest is a component fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation. It is the only scholarship fund at the foundation that is focused on pre-college study.

The project not only provides equity of opportunity for high-achieving teens from low-income high schools, it allows countries abroad to gain a more accurate picture of the strength and diversity of American youth.

All of the exchange students live with host families during their stays to gain a deeper

Joshua Rhodes, Shyla Granberry, Antoinette Bates, Kahalia Adams, Jayla Fitch, Catalina Mundin, Taylor Marshall, and Gyasi Bromley-Perry are studying abroad this summer on Quest scholarships.

high schools in three different regions of Argentina.

Seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere, so the three St. Louis students are experiencing the cool of winter while St. Louis endures summer heat. To be considered for a Quest scholarship, St. Louis students must be nominated by their high school counselor or pre-college mentoring program. Teens must be near the top of their class and have demonstrated outstanding character and leadership skills. They must live in a neighborhood in which at least 75 percent of the students are eligible for free lunch.

Quest students go abroad after their junior year so they will return to share their experiences with their classmates during their senior year.

understanding of the culture of their host countries.

Joshua Rhodes from Clyde C. Miller Career Academy and Kaitlan Agins from Metro High School selected Italy as their summer destination because they wanted to explore the history and experience the daily life of that country.

“The host family is awesome,” Rhodes said. “They are really helping me learn Italian. The days are going so fast.”

Catalina Mundin from Ritenour High School, Gyasi Bromley-Perry from Carnahan High School and Taylor Marshall from Vashon High School are five thousand miles south of St. Louis attending

Quest currently partners with the St. Louis Public Schools, University City Schools, Ritenour School District, East St. Louis Charter School, Lift for Life Academy, the Boys and Girls Club of St. Louis, and the Marian Middle School program.

Additional schools and organizations are waiting to join the project as funds become available.

Counselors in the St. Louis area can obtain nomination forms when school opens in August. For more information or to get involved, email QuestScholarshipFund@gmail. com or visit www.qsfstl.org.

The American endorses Rita Heard Days and Kelli Dunaway for County Council

As we approach the five-year anniversary of a black-led police accountability movement in St. Louis County, the United States is led by an increasingly blatant white nationalist who is deepening the racial divide in this country and making it an international pariah when it comes to human rights. So it should be taken as something of a miracle that at least some voters — those who live in St. Louis County Districts 1 and 2 — have a chance to elect progressive change agents (one of them black) just three days before that anniversary.

On Tuesday, August 6, there will be a special election to fill two open seats on the St. Louis County Council. Those seats were opened by moves that also were unmistakably changes for the better for African Americans (and anyone else who values fair, progressive government). The District 2 seat was opened when the council elected Sam Page to succeed the disgraced fraud Steve Stenger as county executive, and the District 1 seat was opened when Page appointed Hazel Erby to lead the county’s diversity and inclusion efforts.

The Democratic candidates nominated by the Democratic committee members in those districts to stand in the August 6 election are very promising candidates in different ways. Rita Heard Days, the candidate in District 1, is a proven progressive black legislator who

has served ably in the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives. One could scarcely imagine a more capable and established legislator to succeed Erby. Kelli Dunaway, the candidate in District 2, is a political unknown. However, she is running a racial equity campaign straight out of the Ferguson Commission playbook. Indeed, no white candidate in St. Louis County has ever presented such a brashly progressive face to voters. She is an attorney at Bryan Cave, so she knows the law well enough to put these values into legislative practice.

We see much to fear as we look at the nation, the State of Missouri, and even the City of St. Louis, where leadership is either lacking or charging in a dangerously wrong direction. But since we buried Michael Brown, St. Louis County has made drastic improvements in the influential positions of county prosecutor (Wesley Bell), county executive (Page) and another County Council seat (Lisa Clancy in District 5). Nearly on the anniversary of Brown’s death and the birth of a new civil rights movement, some voters have a chance that they should seize to further the political transformation of the County. WE STRONGLY ENDORSE RITA HEARD DAYS AND KELLI DUNAWAY FOR COUNTY COUNCIL

AS I SEE IT – A Forum for community Issues

Celebrating Professor Wole Soyinka at 85

By Benjamin Ola. Akande For The St. Louis American

One of my favorite works of Professor Wole Soyinka’s is “Telephone Conversation,” a poem written more than 50 years ago while he was a student in London. “Telephone conversation” is a hilarious take on a very serious subject of racism encountered by African students from prospective landlords in 1950s London. It is engrossing, brilliant and as relevant today as it was back then.

The poem begins this way: “the price seemed reasonable, location indifferent. The landlady swore she lived off premise. Nothing remained but self-confession, ‘madam,’ I warned, ‘I hate a wasted journey, I am African.’ Then, further down, the poem continues: “‘Are you dark? Or very light?’ The landlord asks. The response: ‘you mean like plain or milk chocolate?’” The poem ends this way: “Facially, I am brunette, but madam you should see the rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet are peroxide blonde.” For nearly 60 years, Professor Soyinka, who turned 85 this month, has championed freedom, justice and human rights. He has been an advocate for the voiceless, vigorously opposed censorship and served as a drum major for democracy worldwide. He has used his poems, plays, novels, memoirs and essays as vehicles to challenge repressive and incompetent leaders, skewer pomposity, challenge our assumptions and to take on a wide range of subjects, many of these uncomfortable, but necessary.

In “Kongi’s Harvest,” his prize-winning play which was later made into a movie by Ossie Davis, Soyinka satirizes a West African dictator who apparently plans to be president for life. He has confronted crooked civilian leaders, mediocre civil servants and brutal megalomaniac military dictators. In mid-

1967, he was arrested and imprisoned without trial for nearly two years by Nigeria’s military dictator for trying to negotiate a peace deal with the leader of a breakaway region.

Shortly after his release from prison, he was forced into exile in the United Kingdom, where he taught at Cambridge University. While in exile, he published “The Man Died: Prison Notes of Wole Soyinka,” a critically acclaimed memoir and searing indictment of military dictatorship.

An equal opportunity critic, he opposed Soviet hegemony in Eastern Europe, fiercely campaigned against apartheid in South Africa and scolded the United States for intervening in Nicaragua. He was a vocal critic of Sudan’s atrocities in Dafur. And he has long opposed the notion that African and Asian countries should be held to lesser standards on human rights violation for the ridiculous reason that Western culture is still relatively new to them.

Soyinka once told an interviewer: “I have one abiding religion, and it is human liberty.... Conditioned to the truth that life is meaningless, insulting, without this fullest liberty….”

Soyinka has also used literature as a channel for exploring, explaining and celebrating his native Yoruba culture – and, by extension, African tradition.

In “Ake,” a heartwarming 1982 memoir about the early years of his life, Soyinka entertains readers with tales of growing up in his hometown, Abeokuta, in southwestern Nigeria in the 1930s and 1940s. The New York Times named Ake one of the 12 best books of the year. Unlike many of the literary titans of the last 60 years – novelist Toni Morrison, playwright August Wilson, poet Derek Walcott and short story writer Alice Munro – Soyinka has consistently distinguished himself as a master of several literary genres. He is a celebrated playwright, poet, memoirist and novelist, an actor, filmmaker and journalist. Soyinka may well be the most versatile writer in the English language today.

Why blacks can’t

afford to sit out the immigration debate

By Mike Jones Of The St. Louis American

In “I Am Not Your Negro,” the Oscar-nominated documentary by filmmaker Raoul Peck about the work of the late James Baldwin, Baldwin makes the this observation: “What white people have to do is try and find out in their own hearts why it was necessary to have a nigger in the first place, because I’m not a nigger, I’m a man, but if you think I’m a nigger it’s because you need it.”

Baldwin’s question is at the heart of beginning to understand why the United States is in the middle of a polarizing and paralyzing debate about immigration. It also sets up the ability to explain why Donald Trump and his trolls are not a moral anomaly but the expected consequence of a society undergoing the stresses of major structural change.

Hostilities between different groups is a feature common to all forms of human social organization. Group conflict can be separated into two subcategories: inter-group conflict, in which distinct groups of individuals are at odds with one another, and intra-group conflict, in which individuals who are part of the same group clash with one another.

into play. This is where one person, the scapegoat, is singled out as the cause of the trouble and is expelled or killed by the group. Social order is restored, as people are contented that they have solved the cause of their problems by removing the scapegoated individual. While scapegoating solves no real problem, it does serve as a psychological relief for a group of people.

America has been fundamentally changed by the evolution of American capitalism since the mid1970s and the not-unrelated demographic changes that began at the same time.

The United States economy after WWII was a regulated market economy with heavy public investment and a strong social safety net. That economy not only produced extraordinary growth but also extraordinary benefits for average workers (including structurally-discriminatedagainst black workers). That changed in the mid-1970s when a libertarian, semifascist economic and social philosophy began to dominate America’s political and intellectual paradigm.

is white Americans. The changing American economy, and the rationale for it, has decimated working middleclass white Americans. The changes in cultural norms resulting from the changing ethnic makeup of America has had a major impact on what W.E.B. DuBois called the “physiological wages of whiteness.”

To resolve tensions of this intra-group conflict a scapegoat was required, and that scapegoat had to be clearly identifiable as “the other.” That scapegoat became immigrants of color, specifically those from south of the United States.

This is an inflection point for the Hispanic or Latino community. The Hispanic community is far from monolithic. It’s extraordinarily culturally and geographically diverse, which is why thinking in terms of “the Latino vote” is inaccurate and leads to flawed political strategies. But all that could be changing at light speed.

In 1986, his prodigious body of work earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature –making him the first black African (Albert Camus, born in Algeria, won in 1957) and the first black person to win the world’s most important literary award.

In awarding him the prize, the Swedish academy singled out his plays “Death and the King’s Horseman” and “A Dance of the Forests” as evidence that Soyinka is “one of the finest poetical playwrights to have written” in the English language.

The literary critic Thomas Hayes wrote: “(Soyinka’s) drama and fiction have challenged the West to…. accept African standards of art and literature.”

But Soyinka is more than just a brilliant writer and activist. He is a teacher who has shaped and influenced many lives.

For half a century, he has taught at some of the world’s finest universities, including Harvard, Yale, Cornell and Emory universities. Henry Louis Gates Jr., the distinguished Harvard scholar, has repeatedly described Soyinka as his mentor. Writing in The New York Times, the historian Adam Hochschild described Soyinka as “among the Africans who deserve a secular sainthood….”

For me, Professor Soyinka exemplifies much of the ideals of a liberal arts education and much of what we try to instill in our students: broadmindedness, selflessness, courage, determination, vision and creativity. These pillars are critical not only for success in this increasingly global, highly competitive environment and uncertain times, but they are vital to ensuring that they create a legacy that is both meaningful and significant.

Wole Soyinka personifies success, significance, sacrifice and selflessness. He is one of the world’s greatest men of letters – the playwright, novelist, poet, actor, social critic, human rights activist, teacher and Nobel Prize laureate Professor Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka. Happy 85th! Benjamin Ola. Akande is vice chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis.

The answer to Baldwin’s rhetorical question is provided by Rene Girard, French historian, literary critic and philosopher of social science, whose work belongs to the tradition of anthropological philosophy. His thinking regarding group conflict provides the intellectual construct we can use to give this moment the appropriate context.

Girard’s foundational ideas are that human desire is mimic behavior: we want what others want or have. This mimic rivalry is the basis of all social conflict. When the conflict caused by mimic rivalry becomes destabilizing, his other seminal idea – the scapegoat mechanism – comes

In 1950, when the population of the United States was 75 million, 89.5 percent of that population was white and 10 percent was AfricanAmerican. In 2010, when the population was 310 million, 61 percent was classified as white non-Hispanic or Latino (Trump’s base) and 34 percent was classified as people of color, with 16 percent being Hispanic or Latino.

This major change in the demographic makeup of the United States was fueled by immigration. There were 40 million immigrants (14 percent of the population) in the country in 2010. Of that total, 14 million came to the United States between 2000 to 2010. It’s no understatement to say this is not your father’s America, especially if you’re white.

What’s the correlation between these seismic economic and demographic changes and the current immigration crisis? The immigration crisis is a function of intra-group conflict, and the group that’s in conflict

Letters to the Editor

The Africans forcibly brought to America during the trans-Atlantic slave trade were also a culturally and geographically diverse group of people, but 350 years of slavery and Jim Crow created a common group social identity needed to survive individually. Hispanic immigrants are now confronted with the same dilemma; how they respond will be determinative for the United States’ political future. African Americans can’t afford to sit out this existential battle about immigration.

As James Baldwin wrote to Angela Davis, explaining why he stood with her: “For, if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night.”

Mike Jones is a former senior staffer in St. Louis city and county government and current member of the Missouri State Board of Education and The St. Louis American editorial board. In 2016 and 2017, he was awarded Best Serious Columnist for all of the state’s large weeklies by the Missouri Press Association, and in 2018 he was awarded Best Serious Columnist in the nation by the National Newspapers Association.

Beneath the dignity of the office

What Donald Trump said about Democrat women in Congress is deplorable and beneath the dignity of the office. We all, including Republicans, need to speak out against these kinds of

I am pleased that the Trump administration will abandon its unconstitutional and discriminatory effort to place a citizenship question on the census. The Constitution requires the federal government

comments that do nothing more than divide us and create deep animosity - maybe even hatred. At the base of America is a Jewish and Christian tradition that says that we must realize that we are all brothers and sisters. Rhetoric like the president’s works against that foundation of our country and all that we teach our children. John Kasich Via email

Census is fundamental to our democracy to count every person in this country every 10 years, and an accurate count is fundamental to our democracy. I strongly encourage all Illinois residents to participate and ensure that our diverse state receives fair

access to federal resources and representation in Congress. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul Via email

Guest Columnist Benjamin Ola. Akande

Columnist

Mike Jones

A Salute to the Black Family on July 27

Fathers United to Raise Awareness will present A Salute to the Black Family 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, July 27 at Union Memorial United Methodist Church Campus, 5436 Bartmer Ave. in St. Louis. The event will feature community forums, resources, children’s activities and enrichment programs, a computer village with robotics for kids, music workshop, free clothes, a Youth Holy Happy Hour, and free food and beverages! The theme is “Celebrating Our History, Our Heritage, Our Culture and Our Future!” For more information, call 314-367-8314.

Binoculars available at St. Louis County Library

St. Louis County Library started offering binoculars for check-out on Monday, July 22. The program is a partnership with the St. Louis Astronomical Society. Adults with a valid library card will be able to check-out a pair of binoculars for a 14-day period at any library branch. The binoculars are great for beginners and are perfect for viewing both wildlife and the night sky.

Twenty pairs of Vortex Cross Fire 8X42 binoculars have been added to the collection for the lending program. Each pair comes a waterproof case, a night sky viewing guide and a Backyard Birds of Eastern/Central North American guide. Patrons can check out the binoculars for use in their own backyards, at the zoo, concerts or sporting events.

The County Library offers a variety offers of interesting items for check-out with a library card, including telescopes, musical instruments, Wi-Fi Hotspots and Sci-Finders kits. For additional information on the Binocular Lending Program, call 314-994-3300 or visit www.slcl.org.

Quilting stitches together a community of women

By Karla Evangeline Frye

For The St. Louis American

It’s a rainy Wednesday afternoon, and the thunder, lightning and downpour are no match for the steady hum of sewing machines and cacophony of conversations filling the room at the Sankofa Cultural and Art Wellness Village.

It’s a large room filled with an eclectic mix of chairs, sofas and loveseats arrayed around an old wool rug. There’s even an old restaurant foyer banque against one wall. It gives the feel of an eccentric old great aunt’s home.

In that atmosphere, a group of older black women, ages 50 to 82, quilt. And talk. And laugh.

The women, part of the Sankofa Cultural and Art Wellness Village Summer Camp for Adults over 50, have bonded and grown in knowledge of quilting, each other, and life. And although founder Paulette Sankofa envisioned similar outcomes for this and other classes, what has blossomed in this group has even outpaced her own imagination.

“The quilting group has taken over,” Sankofa said.

With conversations touching topics ranging from personal life events such as death, raising children, and former careers to current events, the state of the community and country and the latest entertainment news, the room is electric.

The instructor, Cheryl Brown Smith marvels at how the history of quilting touches home for many of the women.

A woman named Vaughn said she welcomed the structured activity.

“I’m not used to getting out. I sit at home all day every day, doing nothing,” Vaughn said. “This is definitely a good thing for me.”

Vaughn noted that she had no experience with quilting or sewing. The first day she observed, “getting used to what was going on,” but Vaughn has since learned quickly, stitching together bright strips of material, exchanging materials and ideas with the other women, and becoming comfortable with both hand stitching and machine sewing.

“I look forward to getting up every day and getting out,” Vaughn said with a smile. “I am so glad I’ve met all these people.”

Karla Evangeline Frye is a senior consultant and writer in St. Louis.

Solar oven scientists

Karla Evangeline Frye

Photo by Wiley Price

Taylor Wayne, a student at Brittany Woods Middle School in the University City School District, and Caleb Farr, a student at Andrews Academy, participated in the Aim High program at John Burroughs School last week. About 380 St. Louis-area middle schoolers enrolled in a tuition-free summer academic and character-building summer enrichment program.

Officer

Continued from A1

that anyone was looking to punish was those who beat up an undercover cop,” Khazaeli said. “Dozens of people that were beaten have had no support from law enforcement.”

On September 15, 2017, Jason Stockley was acquitted of murdering Anthony Lamar Smith in 2011 — and major protests ensued in the weeks following.

The incident in question occurred on September 29, 2017 at a protest outside of Busch Stadium. The July 2 probable cause statement explains the following. The entire incident leading up to the charges was captured on video by a number of sources. Video shows that a person (Calvin “Cap” Kennedy) was tazed, and Amir Brandy began yelling and cursing at Olsten. Another officer tried to restrain Olsten, but he broke away and sprayed Brandy with a can of pepper spray right in his face.

Olsten then sprayed Rasheen Aldridge, committeeman of St. Louis’ 5th Ward, who was standing next to Brandy and then sprayed other members of the crowd.

Olsten did not “stop spraying until he has completed his sweep of the crowd,” according to the statement.

Heather DeMian, a livestreamer and independent journalist, is seen in the background in a wheelchair being struck by pepper spray.

Olsten is charged with three counts of assault in the 3rd degree, a Class D felony, because the pepper spray caused temporary blindness in Brandy, Aldridge and DeMian.

“No clear warnings and/or orders to disperse were given,” the probable statement reads.

“In addition the defendant started spraying the pepper spray within seconds of approaching [Brandy and Aldridge.] There was not an opportunity to heed the warnings, if such orders were given.”

Olsten is seen as being

angry — not frightened — in the videos, it states, and Olsten did not attempt to arrest anyone.

Khazaeli said the videos clearly show that Olsten went after the protestors to retaliate against them.

“And he did it all within a few feet from our now chief of police, John Hayden,” he said. Then-Major John Hayden commanded the protest scene at Busch Stadium on September 29, 2017, and can be seen in videos and photographs watching Olsten assault civilians with pepper spray without reacting or intervening.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department did not respond to request for comment on the charges. In a January 2018 interview, The American asked Hayden why protestors were maced and arrested at the September 29 protest, but

n “Up until this happened, the only people that anyone was looking to punish was those who beat up an undercover cop.” – Javad Khazaeli

police did not do the same during the “white ally night” when protestors appeared to be even more aggressive.

Hayden said, “I can’t speak to what people say they experience as a disparity when they encounter the police. I just know there was none of that going on when I was working. I have no motive for that.”

It’s been almost two years since the incident. A spokeswoman for the Circuit Attorney’s Office said that it took this long to charge Olsten because “it was a complex investigation.”

Khazaeli represents more than 20 people who are making various allegations of excessive force during the Stockley verdict protests. On October 2, 2018, Khazaeli filed six lawsuits stemming from the September 29 protest, and the city declined to comment on those suits.

The lawsuits state that protestors had lawfully and peacefully entered Busch Stadium on September 29 with tickets and unfurled a giant banner as a sign of protest. They left voluntarily and then rejoined protestors who were

marching outside the stadium.

At one point, police officers grabbed a white female clergy member, and Rev. Darryl Gray yelled out against the action.

“Instantly and without warning, an SLMPD officer wearing an SLMPD baseball cap violently threw Reverend Darryl Gray to the ground, breaking the Reverend’s glasses,” the lawsuit states.

An officer then shot protestor Calvin Kennedy with a Taser. The lawsuit states that Olsten was taunting protestors with obscene language and then, without warning, Olsten pulled out “a large fogger-like canister of pepper spray.”

The lawsuits are supported by the findings in the order that U.S. Judge Catherine Perry wrote in the ACLU’s classaction lawsuit filed over the September 17, 2017 “kettling” arrests.

On November 15, 2017, Perry issued a preliminary injunction, ordering the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to immediately stop using chemical weapons on protestors.

In her order, Perry stated that the ACLU is likely to succeed on its claim that the city police have “a custom or policy” of deploying pepper spray against citizens who record police or exercise their rights of free speech to criticize officers. Perry also found that the ACLU presented “sufficient, credible testimony and video evidence” of people being maced without warning and who were not “engaging in violent activity” or “in defiance of police commands.”

Then-interim chief

Lawrence O’Toole, who is now assistant chief, supervised the chemical-weapon offense, beating and arrests of more than 120 people on September 17, 2017 in downtown St. Louis, where afterwards he boasted about the police “owning the night.”

He told the press that the “unruly crowd became a mob” after dark – a statement that a federal judge found false a couple months later in the ACLU’s class-action lawsuit against the police department. The federal judge cited video that showed the scene was “calm” before the police began kettling the protestors to arrest them.

The City of St. Louis now faces nearly 25 lawsuits alleging police misconduct –and the current police chief and current assistant chief were supervising the police actions that are at the heart of the pending lawsuits. If these lawsuits succeed, the city could be paying millions of dollars in damages and attorney fees – especially because there will likely be more people who come forward, Khazaeli said. “If these all went to trial, you are looking in the millions and millions of dollars in damages and attorney fees,” Khazaeli said. “It depends on how long the city wants to drag this out.”

St. Louis Police Officer William Olsten has been charged with felony assault for unleashing pepper spray on Amir Brandy and two others during Stockley verdict protests at Busch Stadium on September 29, 2017.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Wellston

Continued from A1

HUD’s St. Louis field office director.

“Abandoning the people of Wellston is not an option,” Page wrote to Heard. “My administration will do everything it can to protect St. Louis County’s most vulnerable residents from the Trump Administration’s political agenda and from policy decisions made by former County Executive Steve Stenger. Accordingly, I cannot and do not support the proposed demolition application.”

Since then, Page has been able to secure a 120day extension to analyze the Wellston properties. His action follows discussions with U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis), HUD Secretary Ben Carson and Wellston Mayor Nathan Griffin, among others. Page’s administration will make sure that any resident who wants to stay in Wellston will have the opportunity to do that, Page’s spokesman said on July 23.

“We commend the county executive for his intervention and his respectful response to multiple phone calls, emails and visits from residents,” said Farrakhan Shegog, the

Franks

Continued from A1 Franks’ best friend still alive — begged him to go wake up the boy and tell him to get up because his momma loved him and needed him.

“If anyone can do it, you can do it,” she told Franks. “You’re Superman.”

As she knew, Franks had embraced the identity of Superman. It wasn’t a declaration of personal superiority but rather a quirky motivational idea that every human being, even a poor

Wellston Mayor Nathan Griffin thanked St. Louis County Executive Sam Page at a St. Louis County Council meeting on Tuesday, July 23 for negotiating with the Trump Administration to postpone planned demolition of public housing in an attempt to save most of the dwellings.

vice president of community development for the grassroots group Wellston Community Coalition. “We hope the delay will help the city and St. Louis County come up with a better plan that will best help Wellston residents.”

Shegog said that the community has never been completely opposed to any demolition because some of the units are beyond help. But a majority of the units just need some maintenance, he said. The plan to tear all the units down and leave the residents with vouchers was unacceptable, he said.

black kid from the dangerous streets of St. Louis, possesses superpowers. As Franks watched his godson die on a St. Louis street with no power to save the boy, this had never seemed less true.

“I had been struggling to save all these people I didn’t know,” Franks said, “while I kept losing all these people I loved with everything in me.” Franks didn’t kill himself. And he didn’t resign from the legislature before the session that opened in early January, as he wanted to do. Instead, he went back to work and then announced just before the session ended in May that he

“You can give a person a voucher to move in any other public housing in the county, but if public housing is being minimized on every level and it’s slowly being eradicated due to the Trump Administration, there will be no place to use these vouchers,” Shegog said. “That’s the concern that the community has.”

The demolition plan was a move to meet the president’s “artificial deadline” of closing more than 100,000 public housing units nationwide by September, Page said in his

would resign, followed by the announcement in July that he would leave St. Louis.

His goal is to get well. He sought professional help for depression and anxiety over the winter after he nearly killed himself. “I fought a lot of battles,” he said. “Growing up on the streets. As a battle rapper. On the streets of Ferguson. Running for office. As a legislator. As a husband. As a father. But the toughest battle I fought was with myself.”

But he does not believe that he can win this battle and get well here.

“My grandma used to say

you can’t iron dirty clothes. They’ll still be dirty,” he said. “It’s so hard to heal when you’re smack dab in the middle of it.”

He is sensitive to the criticism that he is running away from his problems and the struggle to save his community, but insists that is not the case.

“I am not running away,” he said. “If something happens, I can come back. But I need to be able to come back, not wake up to it each and every day. Not wake up to gunshots each and every day.”

He is the father of five

July 10 letter. Page referenced a meeting that he and his team had with Heard on July 3, where Heard acknowledged that the Trump Administration is attempting to move as many public housing residents as possible out of public housing and into the private market through the use of vouchers under the Housing Choice Voucher program.

“That plan, however, ignores the fact that a voucher is worthless if a resident cannot obtain housing using it,” Page stated, citing a 2018 study that found it’s difficult to identify a landlord who will participate in the program.

“Moreover, vouchers do not address the other challenges financially struggling people face when looking for housing in the private market, like credit score checks, racial and ethnic bias, eviction history, and the overall time investment.”

Page also said that the Trump Administration’s new proposal, the Making Affordable Housing Work Act, would gut the voucher system. And rent for the most vulnerable residents would increase regularly and dramatically — increasing the risk of homelessness.

“In fact, the Associated Press reported that the Trump Administration’s proposal would result in rent increases

children, ages 15 to 5, but said they will still see their father — whose work has kept him away from them on and off for years anyway. Already he is a better provider, he said, earning more money through his new printing business, Blaque Ink Printing, than he did as a state legislator, and the business is mobile. He said that he and his ex-wife, Dana KellyFranks, remain close and mutually supportive.

He also said the Missouri Legislature is well served by a new crew of black state representatives — Kevin Windham, Raychel Proudie,

of at least 22 percent in St. Louis, increases that could happen year after year,” Page wrote. “That would be an increase of over six times the growth in average hourly earnings.”

In his letter, Page said that HUD, the Housing Authority of St. Louis County, the City of Wellston, and St. Louis County need to work collaboratively to engage the community, gather public input, and develop a shared vision.

He also aims to upload all relevant documents and public records to an online transparency portal so the public can see the building evaluations, studies, assessments, and plans, and then make their own judgments about the best approach.

Shegog said that the Wellston Community Coalition has already begun researching development options. The group meets every second Sunday and attends every council meeting and every Housing Authority board meeting.

Shegog said, “I tell the residents to keep up the pressure on all their elected officials to demand that their voices be heard and their thoughts be considered in this community event that will have a large and great impact.”

LaKeySha Bosley,

— and St. Louis has a strong black

Aldridge, Marty

and Jay Nelson. He hopes that they and others can learn from his example, both what to do — be “unapologetically yourself” — and what not to do.

“Everything I came into politics with, I sacrificed for my community,” he said. “I put everything on the line for this. My only choice personally is to step back and take care of myself. It’s hard. But it can be done.”

Wiley Price

bench with Rasheen

Murray

Photo by Wiley Price

The Black Doughboys of World War I

Panel discussion at Soldiers Memorial on Sunday, August 11

By Ellen Kunkelmann

For The St. Louis American

When the United States entered World War I in 1916, some African Americans saw President Woodrow Wilson’s goal of making “the world safe for democracy” as hypocritical after decades of Jim Crow and governmentsanctioned violence. But for many, military service was a way to prove their equality and right to full citizenship and voting privileges. More than 1 million African Americans responded to draft calls, and 370,000 enlisted, joining the millions of American “doughboys”—a reference to Red Cross cakes that could be shipped overseas.

n MarvinAlonzo Greer of the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum will be one of the featured speakers at The Contributions and Legacies of Black Doughboys on Sunday, August 11.

Most of the black doughboys were assigned to manual labor duties in a heavily segregated, openly hostile army. Because many white Southern units refused to serve alongside African Americans, two African American-only combat units were created to serve overseas. The 92nd Division remained under U.S. military jurisdiction and was restricted to manual labor such as digging trenches and graves and unloading ships. The 93rd Division was assigned to the French Army, which rejected the propaganda about “savage” black soldiers that had been circulated in France by American segregationists. The 93rd Division received a warm welcome in France, especially the 369th Infantry Regiment, the Harlem Hellfighters.

“The 369th spent more time in the trenches and in combat than any other American unit, sustained more casualties than any other unit, and was one of the most – if not the most – decorated units,” says Marvin-Alonzo Greer, education and visitor experience lead at the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum in downtown St. Louis.

Greer will be one of the featured speakers at The Contributions and Legacies of Black Doughboys, a panel discussion at Soldiers Memorial on Sunday, August 11. He notes that at least two St. Louisans, Pvt. Calvin Hyde and Pvt. Ulysses Tebbs Jr., were part of the Harlem Hellfighters. Both were killed in action and buried at the MeuseArgonne American Cemetery in Romagne, France.

The Harlem Hellfighters were the first Americans to receive the Croix de Guerre –the French war cross – and are still honored in France. They were welcomed home with parades and national acclaim, but there it stopped. Once they were back in the land of Jim Crow, African American veterans’ assertion of equality was often violently resisted.

“Like in the post-Civil War era, black soldiers who fought thought that by serving their country they would be treated like citizens. That was not the case,” says Greer. “In December of 1918 a white mob lynched Private Charles Lewis in Kentucky, who was wearing his uniform. In 1919 at least ten World War I veterans were lynched.”

Photographic postcard of three AfricanAmerican soldiers during World War I.

That was the Red Summer of 1919, when hundreds of African Americans were attacked by white supremacists. The U.S. government kept close tabs on the New Negro movement, which emphasized racial pride, cultural expression, and political advocacy. After the most famous Hellfighter, Pvt. Henry Johnson, spoke out against racism in the military on a visit to St. Louis in March 1919, he was targeted by the Military Intelligence Division’s Negro Subversion Unit and immediately stripped of benefits.

Yet veterans had the courage to keep pushing for the New Negro vision, connected by a broader worldview they had formed during the Great War. Local records prove that St. Louis’ black doughboys continued to inspire their families to define patriotism. A 1923 St. Louis city directory lists Pvt. Tebbs’s father, Ulysses Sr., as the vice president of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, St. Louis Division—an organization formed during the Great War to promote African American economic and political independence. And Pvt. Hyde’s nephew Frank joined the Army in 1946, the year he turned 18.

“Each generation learned from the next,” Greer observes. “Many veterans became leaders of their communities. They wrote newspapers, and they used their veteran platform to demand that America act on its promise that all are created equal. Many World War I soldiers’ fathers served in the Civil War; their sons would serve in World War II and Korea. They knew that military service would help show the country what true patriotism looked like: Knowing your country is not perfect, demanding your country do better, but fighting for it regardless.”

The Contributions and Legacies of Black Doughboys will be presented at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 11, in the Jack C. Taylor Assembly Hall, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, 1315 Chestnut St., in downtown St. Louis. This free, accessible event is open to the public.

Ellen Kunkelmann is associate editor at the Missouri Historical Society.

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

Upcoming Community Festivals and Exhibits in St. Louis throughout the summer

By Kiara Bryant For the St. Louis American

St. Louis has so much to offer as the backto-school season arrives with community resources and fascinating exhibits. Learn more about upcoming events and plan one more outing before students return to the classroom.

Everyone get ready for the return of Urban Expo 2019. The Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis has you covered with their Urban Expo: Back to School & Community Festival (Aug. 9-11) at America’s Center The expo is an effort to support the Urban League’s mission of empowering their 100,000 plus clients with vital access to programs and resources that serve as a catalyst for positive change within the African-American community. There is truly something for everyone at this event including: live entertainment such as Yolanda Adams and Dorinda Clark, job fair, book bags, empowerment seminars, family resources, food, games, prizes, health screenings, literary corner, school supplies, senior services, women’s empowerment summit, workshops and more.

n Make time to visit the whimsical world of the Mo Willems exhibit at The Magic House, on view through Sept. 8.

mathematics) and build a habitat for a mythical creature using mixed media activities and art projects, including painting, movement, map-making and theatre games. Make time to visit the whimsical world of the Mo Willems exhibit at The Magic House, on view through Sept. 8, featuring the pigeon best known from the children’s book Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Through stories, art and play children learn how to face the challenges of growing up, like learning to make yourself understood or figuring out what it means to be a good friend.

Friday nights in August will be filled with the sounds of music at the Gateway Arch as Blues at The Arch takes center stage on the riverfront Aug. 9-30. Stay tuned for these local artists: Kim Massie, Kennedy Holmes and Annika Chambers on Aug. 9, followed by Kenny Neal, Ms. Hy-C and Fresh Start on Aug. 16, after that Big Mike Aguire and Johnny Rawls on Aug. 23, and the grand finale will be Marquise Knox and Taz Niederauer on Aug. 30.

On the entertainment front, we invite you to see The Muny’s final show of the summer Matilda (Aug. 5-11) before the curtain closes on the 101st season. In the musical, Matilda shows how imagination is exactly what we all need to navigate life’s many challenges. The Muny is beginning its second century as the nation’s largest and oldest continually operating outdoor theatre in our community with state-ofthe-art enhancements that will be completed in 2020.

It’s also your last chance to see The NEST exhibit at the St. Louis Public Library as it closes on Aug. 4. The exhibit is an interactive makerspace for young and the young-at-heart to explore and create together. The NEST encourages children to use their STEAM skills (science, technology, engineering, art and

Keep the party going all summer long with Garden Party Lights at the Missouri Botanical Garden, your after dark destination for drinks, lights, music and a dynamic multimedia experience Thursday-Sunday evenings until Oct. 16. Enjoy an international experience in Tower Grove Park when the Festival of Nations returns on Aug. 24 & 25. From Spanish flamenco to a Vietnamese lion dance, celebrate different cultures with over 40 ethnic food booths, dancing, music, arts and gifts from around the world. Look forward to a Labor Day staycation with the Big Muddy Blues Festival, a Cardinal’s game, Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden and many other events. From live music to fascinating exhibits at our world-class museums, go to explorestlouis.com for more help with your summer plans.

St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission

The 2018 Urban League Expo

Missouri Historical Society Collections

Stay cool, hydrated, informed

Reduce heat risks by taking precautions, checking on neighbors and pets

Neighborhood children ran through a St. Louis Fire Department shower sprinkler to stay cool during the Betty Jean Kerr Community Resource and Health Fair on Saturday, July 20, when the heat index was around 100 degrees.

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

With the first big extreme heat wave smothering the St. Louis area in mid-July, health advisors in Missouri and Illinois urge residents to take precautions to avoid heatrelated and possible life-threatening medical emergencies. An Excessive Heat Warning means that a prolonged period of dangerously hot temperatures and high humidity will occur. In addition, nighttime conditions will remain warm and muggy providing little chance for relief.

Symptoms

Dangerously high temperatures and humidity can quickly cause heat stress or heat stroke if precautions are not taken. People experiencing heat exhaustion may have some or all of the following common symptoms – heaving sweating, weakness, muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting; thirst, clammy skin, dark colored urine; fainting, fatigue, headaches and confusion. Without proper intervention, heat exhaustion could lead to heat stroke, which can damage the brain and other organs and can be deadly.

By Bob Hughes Missouri Foundation for Health

Recently, we’ve had no shortage of news reports about all the ways that the health and social safety net should be re-evaluated and strengthened. Most times, that translates into a push for stricter regulations for programs like WIC, SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid, making it more difficult for families in need to lead healthy lives.

As the president of a foundation devoted to improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities most in need across Missouri, I’ve been reflecting on why this country, and this state, give so much attention to the perceived weaknesses of these programs that serve poor or vulnerable families. The constant assault these programs receive put essential services at risk and have the potential to corrode the social fabric of our communities.

Indeed, the Missouri Foundation for Health has devoted considerable effort to documenting and communicating the vibrant, supportive social sector that is vital to our state’s health through our #TheNetBenefit campaign. We’ve highlighted the crucial role of federal and state governments, the indispensable network of nonprofit organizations, and the invaluable front-line work of people who care for others throughout our region. Most importantly, #TheNetBenefit has focused on the people – those who benefit and those who serve. We are proud of this work and humbled by the gift of engaging with people from across Missouri who have shared their stories and spoken openly about their experiences with the safety net. But I have come to believe that we inadvertently used a common, but incomplete, picture of the health and social safety net, and in so doing have reinforced a view that it benefits only low-income families. This incomplete picture, in turn, limits our public understanding and ideas for improvement that could remedy the pervasive health inequities across Missouri. It’s time to revisit how we think about our health and social safety net, understand the many ways it works, and

How to help If a person is suffering from the heat, Web.MD says immediately get out of the heat and rest, preferably in an air-conditioned room. If you can’t get inside, try to find the nearest cool and shady place. Drink plenty of fluids, especially sports drinks to replace lost salt (avoid caffeine and alcohol); remove any tight or unnecessary clothing; take a cool shower, bath, or sponge bath; try using fans or ice towels. If such measures fail to provide See HUGHES, A11

County exec asks to eliminate fees for booking, bond and medical care

By Chris King Of The St. Louis

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page has asked the St. Louis County Council to eliminate six types of fees charged to people in the St. Louis County Justice Center’s custody dealing with getting booked, posting bond and receiving medical care. The fees that will be eliminated, if approved by the County Council, are: a $70 booking fee, charged to those who have already been sentenced; a $20 bond fee, charged to a person posting bond for an inmate; a $2 fee charged each time an inmate is seen by a nurse; a $5 fee charged each time an inmate is seen by the dentist; a one-time $5 fee for dispensing medication; and a$20 medical assessment fee charged for each incarceration. Eliminating the fees was suggested by Lt. Col. Troy Doyle of the St. Louis County Police Department, who is acting director of County

n “Eliminating a financial burden on people coming out of custody will help them find a job, housing and a better way of life.”

– St. Louis County Executive Sam Page

Justice Services, who called the fees predatory.

“Eliminating a financial burden on people coming out of custody will help them find a job, housing and a better way of life,” Page said in a statement. The decision to reform fees comes as the

Eliminating the fees was suggested by Lt. Col. Troy Doyle of the St. Louis County Police Department, who is acting director of County Justice Services, who called the fees predatory. See HEAT, A11

A10

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JULY 25 – 31, 2019

Bob Hughes

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Wiley Price

Heat

Continued from A10 relief within 15 minutes, call 911 and seek emergency medical help, because untreated heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke.

The very young, the elderly, chronically ill, persons without air conditioning, and those participating in strenuous outdoor activities will be most susceptible. Also, car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes. The elderly and chronically ill are often more vulnerable to heat and humidity because they perspire less and are more likely to be taking medications that can impair the body’s response to heat. In Missouri last year, 19 Missourians died from heatrelated illness.

“As Missouri faces excessive heat forecasts over much of the state, it is important that we remain vigilant about the dangers of heat exhaustion and heat stroke,” said Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Department of Health and Senior Services. “Missourians have had to face significant severe weather events this year and now, as temperatures rise, we are again urging residents to stay safe and look out for each other. We encourage everyone to check on elderly family, friends and neighbors to make sure they are staying cool and hydrated.” Williams urges Missourians to use the state’s toll-free abuse and neglect hotline at 1-800-392-0210 and report any elderly or adults with disabilities suffering from the heat and needing assistance. Local cooling centers in Missouri are posted

If you can’t get under a sprinkler like these youth at the Betty Jean Kerr Community Resource and Health Fair on Saturday, July 20, when the heat index was around 100 degrees, you can get information on cooling sites by calling 1-800-427-4626 or (if on a land line) 2-1-1.

on the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website at https://tinyurl.com/ MoCoolingCenters. To stay cool during the summer season, wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing; stay in air-conditioned places as much as possible. Don’t wait until you are thirsty – stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids regardless of your activity level. Avoid sugary and

alcoholic beverages because they actually cause you to lose body fluids. Plan outdoor activity for morning or evening hours as much as possible when the temperature is coolest. Reduce exercise or physical activity during the hottest part of the day and take frequent breaks in the shade or in an airconditioned place. Wear sunscreen because sunburn affects your body’s

ability to cool down and can make you dehydrated.

In your home, change air conditioner filters, cover windows that receive morning or afternoon sun with drapes or shades, and make sure you have portable fans if necessary. Look before you lock Summer heat can quickly cause the temperature of your car to become deadly,

especially for children. The inside temperature of your car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes. Parents should always check the back seats of your vehicle before you lock it and walk away. Keep a stuffed animal or other memento in your child’s car seat when it is empty, and move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat.

Pet safety Pets need an air conditioned environment in extreme heat as well. The St. Louis Department of Health says never leaving pets alone in a vehicle. If you see a pet in an unattended vehicle, call 911.

Watch for coolant leaking from your vehicle. A pet drinking just a small amount can cause death.

Do not force your animal to exercise after a meal in hot, humid weather. Limit exercise to the early morning or evening hours, when there are typically cooler temperatures. Never leave your pet standing on asphalt surfaces, as they can burn their paws. For cooldown assistance

The City Health Department reminds residents of services available to assist in extreme temperatures. Cooldownstlouis. org helps area older adults and the physically disabled by providing air-conditioners (while supplies last) and utilities. Area low-to-moderate income households may also apply for utility assistance only, at CoolDownStlouis. org. There’s a seniors-only automated hotline at 314-2417668.

The United Way of Greater St. Louis Information Referral Line has information on cooling sites by calling 1-800427-4626, or if calling from a land-line phone, dial 2-1-1. For help with a serious heatrelated illness, call 911. Immediately report animals in distress to the City of St. Louis Citizens’ Service Bureau by calling 314-622-4800, online at www.stlouis-mo.gov/ csb, or tweet to @stlcsb. You can also contact Stray Rescue of St. Louis at 314-771- 6121, ext.255.

SLPS, New Heights recognized by USDA for serving healthy summer meals

Saint Louis Public Schools and New Heights Community Resource Center in Florissant were two of 81 institutions recognized by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service with a Gold or Silver award for providing healthy and appetizing summer meals in its Turnip the Beet awards. SLPS and New Heights were two of three summer meal providers in Missouri recognized with a Silver award; none of the 15 Gold awardees is from Missouri. Children’s Mercy Kids Eat Free Program in Kansas City was the other Missouri. Another 37 institutions won Bronze awards.

Fees

Continued from A10

county weighs a new jail phone contract. The proposed law that abolishes the fees also would designate any revenue made from the new phone contract to go toward improving healthcare for inmates.

Page said his administration is looking at contracts executed or proposed under the Stenger administration, including the phone contract. Stenger and members of his senior staff pleaded guilty to fraud in the awarding of contracts and are waiting to be sentenced by a federal judge.

Hughes

Continued from A10

realize it serves all of us. Let me explain.

“Turnip the Beet award winners are summer meal sponsors who are going above and beyond to ensure their meals are both nutritious and appetizing,” wrote Veniqua Stewart and Rachel Polon of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

“They showcased their excellence by serving a variety of vegetables and fruits throughout the week; serving whole grains and dairy products; and serving culturally-appropriate meals. Sponsors also conducted taste tests with the children (and incorporated the feedback into the menus); and offered nutrition education activities

Conventional safety net programs help an estimated one out of every six Missourians; 45 percent are children. But, the basic idea of a safety net – how we develop ways to care for each other to address basic human needs – includes more than just the programs that are regularly referred to as those only helping the poor. An additional “unseen safety net” provides benefits to middle class and higherincome families for health care, housing, and other basic needs through subsidies delivered via the tax code. The term of art for these deductions, exclusions, and other tax preferences is “tax expenditures.”

In the federal budget, tax expenditures are simply another way of spending public funds, i.e., financial resources used for the public good. The largest tax expenditure is employersponsored health insurance, at $172 billion. This amount dwarfs the spending for SNAP,

along with the meals.”

They cited some best practices by Gold award winners. Kids Unlimited from Medford, Oregon, offers culinary classes five days per week so participants can learn to cook a variety of foods from scratch; often, ingredients for the culinary classes come straight from the garden that the participants have planted and harvested. Michigan-based Waterford School District hosted “Two Bite Tuesdays” as well as regular taste tests during which participants would try new recipes, as well as foods from the site’s garden and the local farmers’ market.

WIC, and TANF combined.

But, because it’s embedded in the tax system and tied to employment, it gets scant public attention, and those struggling to make ends meet don’t see it. Workers employed by higher-paying jobs are more likely to work for companies that offer pensions and other health benefits subsidized by tax payers, while many lowerincome workers are employed at small businesses that do not offer benefits. In brief, tax expenditures are a mostly invisible, unseen safety net for middle-and upper-income families.

Tax expenditures such as mortgage interest deductions and capital gains deductions for the sale of a principal residence disproportionately benefit higher-income taxpayers. These deductions are in place to encourage people to buy homes, but for those working low-wage jobs, buying a home, let alone benefiting from selling a home, is not an

Saint Louis Public Schools and New Heights Community Resource Center in Florissant were two of 81 institutions recognized by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service with a Gold or Silver award for providing healthy and appetizing summer meals in its Turnip the Beet awards.

option. They instead depend on the help provided by programs such as Section 8. Of these main ways that housing is subsidized, Congress frequently and publicly debates and decides expenditures for low-income Americans, but not for tax expenditures like the mortgage deduction or home sale capital gains deductions, both part of the unseen safety net. The Section 8 yearly expenditure is $22 billion; the home mortgage tax expenditure is $33.9 billion; the home sale capital gains tax expenditure is $36.3 billion.

Once implemented, tax expenditures are in place forever, unless a vote from Congress overturns them. Our fraying conventional health and social safety net, on the other hand, is regularly attacked and dismantled. Efforts to change the poverty level to reduce the number of people

eligible to receive SNAP, Social Security, and other benefits based on income is just the most recent example of changing the rules to undermine our health and social safety net for lowincome people. Imagine the outcry if federal officials administratively changed the employment-based insurance tax expenditure to eliminate hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of middle and upperincome Americans from receiving that benefit!

Discussions of our safety net should include the benefits that all income groups receive, i.e., both the conventional safety net and the unseen safety net. When we talk about expanding Medicaid and closing the health insurance “coverage gap,” we should highlight that the country’s largest tax expenditure benefits all those with employer-based insurance and their employers. When we talk about adequate

affordable housing and the funding of HUD’s Section 8 program, we should start that conversation with the reminder about tax deductions for mortgage interest and capital gains from the selling of a principal residence. When we use the phrase “safety net” we should begin with the simple fact that virtually all Americans benefit from public funding to help address health, housing, and other basic needs. Our task should be moving toward greater equity, based on the understanding that our current public safety net resources are tilted toward the wealthy, not the poor. Only then will we see progress in caring for those most in need and realize #TheNetBenefit of more thriving neighborhoods, vibrant communities, and a healthier state. Bob Hughes is president and CEO of the Missouri Foundation for Health.

Photo: Saint Louis Public Schools

Photo by Wiley Price

Gardner: ‘we have to attack crime as a public health crisis’

When Redditt Hudson was working as an undercover St. Louis cop trying to bust drug dealers in North City, he had a conversation with a father that he’ll never forget.

Hudson started choking up when he started to tell the story, as a panelist during St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner’s public forum at Saint Louis University on Thursday, July 18. Hudson, a cop turned human rights activist, is now a community liaison as part of Gardner’s diversion and alternative prosecution programs.

“The brother was about the age that I am now,” Hudson said. “I’m 54, and at the time I was in my 30s.” Hudson was sitting in a car about to give the man money for drugs and call in his police team. Then, the man suddenly stopped.

“He turned to me and said, ‘I hate what I’m doing, man. I hate it. But this is what I have to do to keep a roof….’” At that point, Hudson lowered the microphone and tried to compose himself, while the audience yelled, “Stay strong.”

In a whispered voice, he continued, “‘...over my daughters’ head. I’ve got two daughters, and I’m all they have. Their mother is a drug addict and hasn’t been in their lives for a while. The neighborhood we live in is so dangerous, I fear for their lives all the time. But I’m their protector. I do odd jobs, but I have to do this to make ends meet.’” Hudson took another minute to say the last line, “‘Brother, I don’t know what would happen to my daughters if something happened to me.’” Since then, Hudson has raised daughters, he said, and he’s found himself thinking about that man and his daughters, while spending time with his own.

“What the hell happened to his daughters after we sent him to prison?” Hudson said, looking defeated. “So that saturation approach and the criminalization of poverty breaks families and communities apart. And it targets those who have not.” Hudson said Gardner’s Justice 2020 plan gives St. Louis the chance to be part of a national movement to break this cycle.

“This has been Ground Zero for criminal justice reform ever since Michael Brown was murdered 10 minutes from my house,” Hudson said.

At the public forum, Gardner explained what her administration is doing to make

sure the justice system isn’t just working for the rich.

“We have to tear down the system,” Gardner said. “The system is going to do what it’s going to do, and that is to cause harm. The system has caused harm by what is called ‘mass incarceration.’ And we have to look at how we stop the cycle of victimization. You’re a victim today and a perpetrator tomorrow; and you go back and forth between those two roles.”

Since January 1, there are 207 fewer people in St. Louis Justice Center and the Medium Security Institution, known as the Workhouse, Gardner said. Advocates and even Public Defender Mary Fox have given Gardner much credit for this reduction. Gardner was hitting all the talking points that criminal reform advocates have been pushing for decades.

“As a registered nurse, we have to attack crime as a public health crisis,” Gardner said.

She has instituted the jurisdiction’s first pre-plea/ post-plea diversion programs and the first domestic violence review board. She explained that a year of participation in the office’s diversion program costs the city 95 percent less than a year in the Justice Center, which costs more than $30,000 a year.

Her office received federal funding for Gardner’s

conviction integrity unit that investigates allegations of innocence in old cases, working in partnership with the Innocence Project. The office’s diversion programs for youth offenders are robust, she said. Hudson and several felonsturned-mentors are successfully keeping young offenders 17 to 25 from getting snared in the criminal justice system.

“Their brains are not developed, so they make those quick decisions that will affect their life,” she said. “If we get them earlier, we can make a difference in their lives.”

n Since January 1, there are 207 fewer people in St. Louis Justice Center and the Medium Security Institution, known as the Workhouse.

By the end of 2019, 429 people will have successfully completed diversion since 2016, according to her office. She initiated a program specifically for cases regarding child support. SLATE also operates within her office, as do several counselors.

“What you’re hearing is ‘within our office,’” Gardner said. “This is not just referralbased. This is establishing that network inside our office, and that’s important.”

More than 4,000 people have utilized training, treatment and

counseling services to address mental health issues, addiction issues, anger management, educational gaps and job skills, according to Gardner’s spokeswoman. Since August, SLATE has serviced 207 people at the courthouse and Gardner’s office. And since January, 2,350 people have received services from Victim Services. This has not gone unnoticed by those who are entrenched in the fight to provide sufficient resources for people with mental illnesses and drug addictions, said Joe Yancey, longtime executive director of Places For People.

“It affects our work greatly because jails and prisons are the de facto mental health and addiction treatment institutions, and they are ill-prepared for that work,” Yancey said in an interview while he was leaving the forum. “We need to get upstream and start dealing with our families and addressing the toxic stress and trauma that people have experienced, because that is what ultimately results in the issues that we are dealing with here.”

Agencies like Places For

People have been waiting “way too long” to see these initiatives come out of the criminal justice system, he said.

“It takes a person that understands where this all comes from and what is the origin to be able to see a different path,” Yancey said, “and Kim has done that and will continue to.”

Exclusion list expands to 59

During Gardner’s presentation, she mentioned the controversial exclusion list known, as a Brady List, that prohibits untrustworthy officers from presenting cases to the Circuit Attorney’s Office. The term “Brady List” is named for John Leo Brady, the defendant in the landmark 1963 U.S. Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland. The decision in that case required prosecutors to inform the defense of any evidence that might exonerate the defendant. This includes a police officer who is known to be biased or racist, and Gardner added 22 names to the exclusion list following Buzzfeed’s publication of the Plain View Project story that tracked officers’ biased social media posts. There are 59 officers on the exclusion list “for actions that have

caused concerns to the pursuit of justice,” according to her office. Her office and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department have established a review process for officers on the list, Gardner said. St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden and Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards attended the forum. In an interview with The American afterwards, Hayden said that 50 percent of homicides are drugrelated.

“I realize that people are selling drugs to supplement income,” Hayden said. “I can appreciate a public-health approach as it relates to violent crime. Some of this reform will help address crime.”

When asked about the exclusion list, he said, “She feels certain officers do not meet the bar of integrity that they are expecting. I can’t interfere with that. She certainly is entitled to have that viewpoint of certain officers.” Hayden has appointed a person to be in contact with Gardner’s office about the list and is “working towards understanding if that’s a permanent situation or could it be re-evaluated over time,” he said. When asked if he sees himself as a reform agent, Hayden said, “I don’t know if I see myself as a reform agent; I certainly have some goals as respect to our agency.”

Jamestown to STL Before Gardner began her presentation, Adolphus Pruitt, president of the St. Louis City NAACP, set the mood for why her initiatives are so important to the black community.

African Americans have always had to look at the justice system with a “crooked eye” because the scales have never been balanced for black folks, he said. When the NAACP examined Gardner’s Justice 2020 plan, Pruitt realized that things could be changing. He sees a glimmer of “some magnificent things that black folks have been trying to see come out of the justice system since the day we got off the boats in Jamestown.”

And that’s why the NAACP and black leaders are fighting so hard against the political attacks targeted at Gardner since she got in office.

“We’re not going to let anyone take that away from us,” Pruitt said, “especially not because somebody allegedly lied in a deposition. When people say, ‘Why do you all bring race into this?’ Well, in the history of the city, the first time they’ve ever prosecuted someone for this particular crime, they just happen to be black. I’m glad to know nobody white has ever lied in a deposition in this town.”

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner was surrounded by supporters, including state Senator Karla May, at a July 11 press conference.

Photo by Wiley Price

House passes bill to raise federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025

A bill that would gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, July 18 and now heads to the U.S. Senate.

House Resolution 582, the Raise the Wage Act, would raise the hourly minimum wage immediately from $7.25 to $8.55, then to $9.85 a year later, and then raise it yearly after that, to $11.15, $12.45, $13.75 and finally $15.

“After more than a decade without an increase in the federal minimum wage, the longest stretch in U.S. history, there is no place in America

n “There is no place in America today where a full-time worker earning the current federal minimum wage can afford the basics.” – U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay

today where a full-time worker earning the current federal minimum wage can afford the basics,” U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-Missouri), who co-sponsored the bill, said in a statement. According to the Congressional Budget

Office’s review of a similar proposal, the bill would lift 1.3 million Americans, including 600,000 children, out of poverty.

Craig K. Higgins was appointed associate circuit judge for the 22nd Judicial Circuit in St. Louis by Governor Parson. He is an associate city counselor for the City of St. Louis. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a master’s degree in Mass Communication from Drake University, and a juris doctorate degree from Drake University. He will fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Calea Stovall-Reid to circuit judge.

Monica WilliamsWoods was named assistant superintendent of Human Resources for the Riverview Gardens School District. She will be responsible for staff recruitment, employee relations and district procedures. Previously she served as director of Human Resources of Ritenour School District. She has more than 26 years of leadership experience in educational settings, including roles as a principal and district administrator after starting her career as a classroom teacher.

Ken Franklin joined Missouri American Water as its manager of Government Relations. He will be responsible for managing key relationships with local governments and community stakeholders in the St. Louis region. Most recently he served as vice president of Governmental Relations and Policy Initiatives at Bi-State Development. Missouri American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state.

Clay said it also would help secure fairness and equality for women, giving nearly 20 million working women a raise, and helping narrow the gender wage gap that disproportionately impacts women of color.

Clay stated, “I was proud to cosponsor the Raise the Wage Act because I know that raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour will restore a livable wage to millions across the nation and it will help lift over 677,000 of my fellow Missourians out of poverty.”

Mission: to revitalize St. Louis

By Francene Bethune

St. Louis Regional Chamber Vice President Gisele Marcus Clay: would ‘help lift over 677,000 of my fellow Missourians out of poverty’

after its civil unrest in 2001.

“The goal was actually to revitalize the area that had some civil unrest,” said Marcus. “So what it looks like now is an area where you have residential living that is affordable.” Marcus was struck by the idea after visiting Cincinnati with a working group from the chamber.

VP Gisele Marcus helps guide the Regional Chamber to boost development in STL See

State Senator Jamilah Nasheed will receive the 2019 Woman of Achievement Award from the Michael O. D. Brown We Love Our Sons & Daughters Foundation. “Throughout my career in the Missouri General Assembly, I have fought against injustice and strived to be a voice for the voiceless,” Nasheed said. The foundation’s mission is to catalyze multi-sector systemic change by building capacity at the intersection of four core outcome components: justice, health, education and family.

Clayton Evans received the Missouri Community Action Network’s 2019 Outstanding Community Service Award. He is senior vice president, Community Affairs officer, at Simmons Bank. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Community Action Agency of St. Louis County, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides services to help those who are low-income transition out of impoverished conditions and achieve self-sufficiency.

Staci Garrett Oliver was installed as the national president of Carrousels, Inc., a social and civic organization consisting of 25 chapters and a membership of over 600 women throughout the United States. She is an East St. Louis native, a graduate of Lincoln University and currently the chief Student and Community Development

Clayton Evans

Monica WilliamsWoods

Staci Garrett Oliver Jamilah Nasheed

Craig K. Higgins

Ken Franklin

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Photo by Wiley Price

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

An April 2016 protest in St. Louis calling for a $15 minimum wage.

The Muny represents St. Louis –onstage and behind the scenes

‘This institution represents an incredible level of diversity in all areas’

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

Walking into The Muny administrative offices, there was that similar feeling of joy rising that its productions deliver on stage every summer. The employees don’t sing or dance as they carry out the work that makes the stage productions possible, but they are intentional about making visitors feel part of The Muny family.

“When you walk through these hallways, it is truly a community of people,” Managing Director Kwofe Coleman said. “We all love the work that happens on stage, but we also love what that work means to people. So, we get to do a job that we can immediately come in here and see the tangible results on stage and in the faces of the audiences. This is a theater that belongs to the entire community – from the inside out.”

At the tender age of 36, Coleman was promoted to the high-profile position of managing director for The Muny. He has 20 years of experience with the organization that began as a teen who worked as an usher. He now works as a liaison between the administrative and artistic staff.

“This institution represents an incredible level of diversity in all areas,” said Coleman. “Look at my role, and our Director of Advancement is Courtney Simms.”

through my incredible team of coworkers.”

The Muny Board of Directors counts two African Americans – June McAllister Fowler of BJC and Michael P. McMillan of the Urban League – among its six officers, the highest tier of leadership when it comes to the institution’s board.

“The Muny puts people in the position to do their best and then gets the best out of them – that’s how I understand leadership based on my time in this organization,” Coleman said. “If you do that as a leader, they will give you beyond what you could ever imagine. We’ve found that to be a successful model for 100 years, so we are going to continue with it.”

As Coleman personally greets patrons alongside Reagan from right of the stage each night, he is overwhelmed by the reflection of St. Louis he has seen coming to the shows over the past decade.

has six generations represented in its audience.

“To understand that this has been a constant for the St. Louis community for more than 100 years, I don’t know anyone who would pass up an opportunity to be a part of something that already means so much, but also has the potential to be so much going forward,” Coleman said.

“There are 11,000 St. Louisans there [on any given night]. If my role can make sure that cross-section is even more representative, we will call it a success. To play any part in that means more to me than anything else.”

Pointing out that musical theater is a truly American art form, Coleman promises that “no matter what comes before the hyphen followed by American in how you classify yourself,” audiences will connect with it and the wide array of stories The Muny tells. He wants everyone to come and experience the shows so that they can see that the St. Louis region has sustained one of the greatest places on the planet to do musical theater – and is going into its second century of doing so.

“I believe whole-heartedly that it is equally important for our staff to be comprised of the best possible people for each position and to represent the diversity of the community this institution serves,” said Muny

The Muny has since hired yet another African American in a senior leadership role, Tali Allen in the newly created position of Director of Education.

President and CEO Denny Reagan. “We also employ that philosophy in our casting and seasonal hiring, so that everyone that comes to this theatre sees some reflection of themselves in all aspects of The Muny.”

It was a feeling Coleman recognized when he graduated from ushering to an internship

in the finance department during his college years at Emory University.

“This institution has said, ‘We believe in you as an individual and as a part of what can move this place forward and along – and how can we support that?’” Coleman said. “And that’s from the board, leadership and all the way

Marcus

continued from page B1

“We have an opportunity to go visit what we would call comparable cities and have the opportunity to learn what it is that they’re doing – if they have fixed some of the challenges that we have and how they’ve done that,” she said.

“They too, like us, have had some social unrest, I would say, from a racial perspective, longer ago than Ferguson. Moreover, they’ve had the opportunity to address that.”

Cincinnati’s project is a public-private partnership called 3CDC. It has spurred development in rental in the city where the ground level of buildings houses businesses and the upper levels are usually apartments or condominiums.

The learning between regional chambers is reciprocal, Marcus said. “They actually replicated programs we have here,” said Marcus.

The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber previously sent a working group to St. Louis and took back home two ideas that they adopted: the St. Louis Regional Business Council, where owners of midsized businesses collaborate to build a competitive world class region, and the St. Louis Mosaic Project, which helps immigrants integrate into the workforce and business culture and

“Like St. Louis, Cincinnati has a growing immigrant population, but Cincinnati did not know how to deal with the population until they visited St. Louis during a leadership trip,” Marcus said. “They saw

“I can stand at the side of that stage and look over the house, and from the free seats to the first row of box seats, there is such a large swath of the socio-economic representation of this city in one place,” Coleman said. “And for two hours or three hours – or however long the show is – it doesn’t matter who you are, how you got there, what your means are when you leave. There is a shared, singular experience that everyone is having.”

Coleman said that as the first season in the second century gets underway for The Muny, the organization now

St. Louis Mosaic Project, and ultimately made one of their own.”

Along with Alliance STL, the chamber recently launched a new initiative as a part of the effort to recruit students at universities and college within 250 miles of Saint Louis to stay in the St. Louis region.

The Chamber’s Project 250 will seek out opportunities for students from these universities and place them in corporations around the city to keep them in

n “We have an opportunity to go visit comparable cities and learn what it is that they’re doing – if they have fixed some of the challenges that we have and how they’ve done that.”

– St. Louis Regional Chamber Vice President Gisele Marcus

the St. Louis region in the area.

“We’re looking for about 10 corporations, to partner with us on that, in terms of internships and job opportunities,” said Marcus. “And a number of our membership organizations have raised their hand in terms of wanting to participate.”

The chamber also is trying to stimulate regional economic development by trying help diverse businesses in the St. Louis region develop with the Diverse Business Accelerator. The inaugural cohort, announced in February, includes Kayla Dennis of US Essential Supply & Services

“We make a point to make sure that theater is representative in that way and is continually representative in that way,” Coleman said. “The definition of ‘representative’ involves reflecting the identity of any constituency it is supposed to represent. And if you call yourself a St. Louisan, you get to own a piece of The Muny. Period.”

Sriram Devanathan of Medical Guidance Systems, Brittanie Goldsby of Speaker Leaks Shequana Hughes of The SAVA Group, Trish Jensen of milliCare, Kesha Kent of MrsKeshSpeaks and Emily Smith of Splaced.

“I believe we have a responsibility as the Regional Chamber, the region’s largest business organization, to play a role in the success of our region’s small diverse and women-owned businesses,” Lakesha Mathis, the chamber’s director of Inclusive Business Solutions, said when it was announced.

Marcus said the chamber also is partnering with Regions Bank in a program called Inner City Connections (ICCC). Its goal is to recruit and support small- and medium-sized businesses of all diverse backgrounds, including minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, LGBTQ-owned businesses, immigrant-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses and disadvantaged business enterprises.

ICCC will connect businesses to experts in fields such as marketing and smallbusiness finance to help them expand their companies and hire more people. David Christian, senior vice president and regional manager for Community Affairs at Regions Bank calls it “an MBA program on steroids” where business owners “get trained on strategic leadership, marketing –all kinds of valuable information.” Application for the program should be submitted by August 30. For more information visit www.iccapitalconnections.org.

Muny Managing Director Kwofe Coleman and President and CEO Denny Reagan

n “I want to win as badly as Tom Brady.”

— Cleveland Browns receiver Odell Beckham, Jr.

Sports

nsIde sporTs With Earl Austin Jr.

Cooper commits to Ohio St.

Follows Ezekiel Elliott, Kamryn Babb to Columbus

Trinity Catholic football standout Mookie Cooper recently gave a verbal a commitment to attend The Ohio State University.

The 5’9” 190-pound Cooper is an electrifying performer who is one of the top prospects in a talented crop of Class of 2020 players in the St. Louis metropolitan area. He had offers from many of the top collegiate football programs around the country.

Cooper was one of the key players on a star-studded Trinity team that won the Class 3 state championship last season. As a junior, Cooper caught 29 passes for 869 yards. He also rushed for 224 yards while scoring a total of 18 touchdowns for the Titans, who figure to be one of the top teams in the state this upcoming season. With Cooper’s commitment, Ohio State continues to successfully recruit top prospects from the St. Louis area. The Buckeyes signed former Cardinal Ritter star receiver Jameson Williams out of last year’s talented class, and former CBC star Kamryn Babb signed with the Buckeyes out of the 2018 class. Of course, the big fish to come out of St. Louis was former John Burroughs star Ezekiel Elliott, who led the Buckeyes to the first College Football Playoff National Championship back in 2014.

Justin Robinson wins double gold in Costa Rica

Hazelwood West star track and field sprinter Justin Robinson added to his growing list of achievements by winning a pair of gold medals at the Pan American U20 Championships in Costa Rica

INSIDE, B5

n The CluTCh With Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Pac Man gobbles up Thurman’s ‘0’

n Despite being 10 years older than his opponent, Pacquiao defeated Thurman via split decision in front of a raucous Las Vegas crowd. RIP Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker

“Remember when your mama was crying when you got slappedslapped – when you went night-night?” Thurman asked rhetorically on a video posted by FightHype.com.

But when fight night came, it was Thurman who nearly went night-night. With just under 30 seconds remaining in the first round, Pacquiao caught Thurman on the jaw with a right hand that sent the champion crashing to the mat. Thurman quickly rose to his feet, but old man Pacquiao

When Manny Pacquiao agreed to face WBA welterweight champion Keith “One-Time” Thurman, some believed “Pac Man” might be entering the ring one time too many. Though Pacquiao is a surefire future hall of famer, it’s just a matter of time before Father Time puts paws on the 40-year-old fighter and sends his boxing career down for the count. Saturday was not the day. Despite being 10 years older than his opponent, Pacquiao defeated Thurman via split decision in front of a raucous Las Vegas crowd. The loss was the first of Thurman’s (29-1-0, 22 KO) career. During the lead up to the fight, the charismatic Thurman talked plenty of trash in hopes of drumming up interest for the fight and getting under his aging opponent’s skin. “I’m doing to Manny Pacquiao what he did to Oscar De La Hoya,” Thurman stated at a pre-fight press conference. “Oscar De La Hoya never fought again!”

(62-7-2, 39 KO) had sent a message that the rumors of diminished speed and power were greatly exaggerated. Pacquiao controlled many of the earlier rounds. However, during the middle of the fight

Thurman seemed to pick up on Pacquiao’s timing and stormed back into the fight with solid defense and counter-punching. He landed numerous flush power shots to Pacquiao’s face. According to CompuBox,

Thurman out-landed Pacquiao in power shots 192-113. Unfortunately for Thurman, none of the power punches seemed to bother his opponent. Down the stretch, Pacquiao’s body attack paid

See CLUTCH, B5

Earl Austin Jr.

dividends. He landed several hard punches to the abdomen that sent Thurman grimacing, wincing and back pedaling to safety. In the end, Pacquiao

The 5’9” 190-pound Mookie Cooper is an electrifying performer who is one of the top prospects in a talented crop of Class of 2020 players in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Manny Pacquiao (right) lands a hard right hand to the face of Keith Thurman. The 40-year-old Pacquiao defeated Thurman via unanimous decision to win the WBA World Welterweight Title.

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

Time for Cardinals to honor Tom Alston as a MIP – Most Important Player

As the St. Louis Cardinals prepare to honor third baseman Scott Rolen, and pitchers Jason Isringhausen and Mort Cooper with enshrinement into its Hall of Fame on August 24, it’s time the team consider one of the most important players in franchise history.

He played in just 91 games for the Cardinals, compiling 66 hits and a .244 batting average. His four home runs and 36 RBIs as a Redbird certainly aren’t astounding. So, who is this guy and why on Earth should he be in the Cardinals Hall of Fame?

He’s Tom Alston – and on April 13, 1954 he became the first black player to take the field for the Cardinals.

Hailing from Greensboro, N.C., Alston served in the Navy from 1945-47 before enrolling at North Carolina A&T. He earned a B.S. degree in physical education and social sciences there, and also played organized baseball for the first time.

Primarily a first baseman, Alston caught scouts’ eyes and his first opportunity to play professional baseball came in 1952 with Porterville, Calif., of the Class C Southwest International League. He hit .353 in 54 games for that team before the Class AAA Pacific Coast League team in San Diego signed him midway through the season. He hit .244 in 78 games. In 1953 for San Diego, Alston hit .297 with 207 hits in 180 games. He totaled 101 runs, 23 home runs, 101 RBI

and the Cardinals coveted his talent.

On Jan. 26, 1954, Alston was obtained in a trade. The Cardinals parted with Dick Sisler, pitcher Eddie Erautt and $100,000 to secure the player who San Diego manager Lefty O’Doul called “a great prospect who can field as good as any first baseman in the big leagues.”

“He looks like he’s going to be a great hitter, too,” O’Doul told The Sporting News. Cardinals manager Eddie Stanky put it in more particular terms when he told The Sporting News, “I think we have a real ballplayer in this colored boy.”

Cardinals owner August Busch Jr. approved the move that made the team the 10th of 16 Major League franchises to integrate. It was eight years after Jackie Robinson played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

“When we purchased the Cardinals, I promised there would be no racial discrimination,” Busch said of Alston’s acquisition and his upcoming debut.

“However, Alston was not purchased because of his race. Our scouts and manager … believe he is a great prospect. While he may need more experience, we didn’t want him to slip away from us.”

Some members of the 1946 Cardinals were reportedly threatened with suspension by National League President Ford Fricke for refusing to play on the same field as Robinson.

Alston said of the 1954 team and front office, “They treat me here just the same as any other ballplayer and that’s how I want to be treated.”

Busch, who had purchased the team in 1953, was not ashamed of the signing, according to an article by Warren Corbet of the Society for American Baseball Research.

“The Cardinals made their acquisition of Alston a media event. The team rented a suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Hollywood, and Busch himself came out to sign the contract. Sportswriters sipped Budweiser with caviar on the side,” wrote Corbet.

“The only blacks in the room were me and the valet who served the beer,” Alston said later.

Alston got the Opening Day start against the Chicago Cubs, would get off to a quick start with the Cardinals, but soon slumped.

He went 0-for-4 in his first game at Chicago and dropped a pop up for an error. In his next game on April 17, he went hitless in his first four at-bats. In the eighth, he led off with a home run for his first bigleague hit.

“I guess I’ve come a long way in a short time,” Alston

said. “I guess I came up like a real rocket.”

Alston hit .301 (37-for123) in May, but he slumped in June, enduring a 2-for-27 stretch and batted .181 (15for-83) for the month. He had seven RBI in his last 42 games.

He roomed with another rookie pitcher, Brooks Lawrence, who told Corbet the struggles were weighing on Alston.

“I’d wake up some nights and hear him praying,” Lawrence said.

“He’d be saying, ‘I can hit. I know I can hit.’ And he’d go out the next day and he wouldn’t hit anything.”

Alston would later admit that he began hearing voices during the 1954 season, and, unknown to anyone, his mental health was deteriorating.

Alston made brief appearances with the Cardinals in 1955, 1956 and 1957 before his Major League career ended. He would later attempt to take his own life, burn down a church and spend years in a mental health facility.

Alston passed away at 67 on Dec. 30, 1993.

His life was troubled, and the pressure of being the Cardinals’ first black player must have taken some toll.

For his being a most historic Cardinal, Alston should ultimately find a place in the Cardinals Hall of Fame. The sooner the better.

Other Alston facts

Alston was actually one of 14 black players in the Cardinals’ organization, when he was on the 25-man roster.

On May 2, 1954 Alston was 5-for-6 with five RBI, an inside-the-park home run and three walks during a doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants. However, teammate Stan Musial hit five home runs with nine RBI, recording the best day of his Hall of Fame career.

Famed St. Louis sportswriter Bob Broeg wrote in The Sporting News, “His speed enabled him to circle the bases easily after Willie Mays misjudged his long wind-blown drive to left-center.”

Tom Alston became the first black player to take the field for Cardinals on April 13, 1954.

Sixteen firsts, 15 men?

Jackie Robinson took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, yet it would take 12 years for all Major League teams to integrate. Here are the men, the year and the teams. Yep, Boston was last.

Following Robinson was Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians. He played his first game in July 1947.

For as slow as the Cardinals were to field a black player, Hank Thompson played for the American League St. Louis Browns in 1947.

Now, here is a great baseball trivia answer. Following a trade to the New York Giants, Thompson became that franchise’s first black player in 1949.

A year would pass before Sam Jethroe joined the Boston Braves of the National League in 1950.

Born in Cuba, Minnie Minoso had a parent of African descent and is recognized as the Chicago White Sox first black player. A Hall of Fame member, Minoso first played in 1951.

Another two seasons passed before Bob Trice played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1953.

Ernie Banks, recognized as the greatest of all Chicago Cubs, would not integrate the franchise until 1953.

In 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first MLB team to field a starting nine with no white players. Curt Roberts did not become the team’s first black player until 1954.

Alston began his short and troubled career with the Cardinals in 1954.

Another Latino player with a black parent, Nino Escalera, also took the field for the Cincinnati Reds in 1954.

The Washington Senators, and racist owner Calvin Griffith, didn’t welcome a black player, Carlos Paula, until 1954. Again, a Latino with mixed race heritage.

The mighty New York Yankees didn’t see fit to have a black player on the field until New York Yankees Hall of Fame catcher Elston Howard took the field in 1955.

John Kennedy became the first Philadelphia Phillies black player in 1957.

Ozzie Virgil, whose son would play Major League baseball, became the first black player for the Detroit Tigers in 1958.

And finally, Elijah Jerry “Pumpsie” Green played for the Boston Red Sox in 1959. Green died on Wednesday, July 17.

The Reid Roundup I’m usually pro-player when it comes to contract negotiations and holdouts in the NFL. But if Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott holds out, I’ll be extremely disappointed. For all the headaches he has caused his franchise and teammates, any thoughts or a holdout should hold on until next season…Speaking of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones owns the most valuable sporting franchise in the world with a value of $5 billion, according to FORBES. The New York Yankees are second at $4.6 billion. Soccer franchises Real Madrid and Barcelona are third and fourth, respectively at $4.2 and $4.1 billion….If the NBA is dying and nobody cares about it, how are the New York Knicks worth $4 billion and fifth on the FORBES list?..The St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs are tied at No. 47 with a value of $2.1 billion… Of the 50 ranked teams, 26 are NFL franchises. The NBA has nine and MLB has seven. No NHL teams are in the Top 50... Dan Le Batard is in hot water with ESPN after chastising the president – and ESPN –following the president’s racist rants last week. “We here at ESPN don’t have the stomach for the fight. We don’t talk about what is happening unless there is some sort of weak, cowardly sports angle that we can run it through.”…As NFL training camps open, Alabama has 67 former players on active NFL rosters. The Tide has 28 former offensive players, 37 defensive players and two specialists included.

Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is #aareid1

Alvin A. Reid

St. Louis Eagles girls win Nike Tourney of Champions

Congratulations to the St. Louis Eagles 2021 girls basketball team on winning the championship at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chicago. The Eagles defeated the Minnesota/Wisconsin Force 43-36 in the championship game. The Eagles were also the runners-up at the Run for the Roses Tournament in Louisville. The team members are (in alphabetical order), Amelia Bell (O’Fallon), Marshaun Bostic (Gateway STEM), Kierra Brody (Rock Bridge), Jaliyah Green (Wentzville Holt), Brooke Highmark (Westminster), Samya Johnson (McCluer North), Ari Jones (Fort Zumwalt West), Lindsay Mason (Francis Howell Central), Vanessa Polk (John Burroughs), Jasmin Rayner (John Burroughs), Saniah Tyler (Incarnate Word). Not pictured are head coach John Albert and assistant coach Marvin Hay.

Clutch

Continued from B3 earned a hard fought and exciting victory that cemented his status as one of the most-exciting fighters in recent memory. Thurman was gracious in defeat.

“Like I always said -- I got an ‘O,’ I’m not afraid to let it go, if you can beat me, beat me.’ I was beaten tonight and that’s the sport of boxing, baby,” Thurman said at the post-fight press conference.

With the victory, Pacquiao won the WBA (Super) World Welterweight Title. It’s another feather in the cap of a career that has seen major championships in a record eight different weight classes.

What’s next for Pacquiao is unknown. Floyd Mayweather Jr. was present at the fight. Mayweather Promotions served as one of the promoters, but the rumor mill is churning that Mayweather could seek to come out of retirement for the 30th time to try to cash in on another big money fight.

Others are calling for Pacquiao to try to unify titles against Terence Crawford (WBO) or the winner of the upcoming unification matchup between Errol Spence Jr. (IBF) and Shawn Porter (WBC). Whatever Pacquiao decides to do next, by beating

Thurman at age 40, he cemented his status as a legend in the fight game.

RIP to Sweet Pea

Though I was traveling last week and took a week off from In the Clutch, I can’t possibly ignore the passing of another one of boxing’s all-time great fighters. Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker passed away last week after being struck by a vehicle in Virginia Beach, Va. He was 55-years-old.

Whitaker (40-4-1, 17 KO) is one of the most underrated fighters in boxing history. He was a defensive wizard who routinely frustrated his opponents and made them look foolish.

While defensive greats such as James Toney and Mayweather regularly caused opponents to miss with angles and subtle turns, Sweet Pea’s defense was different. His defensive dekes were more dynamic. He loved to duck under his opponents’ punches or lean straight back (normally a no-no in boxing), usually with his hands down by his side. His knees would sometimes come within inches of the mat as he ducked and dodged incoming punches. It was simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting to see. Watching Whitaker was akin to watching someone try to punch one of those wacky waving

inflatable thingies only set to smooth jazz the Old Town Road instrumental. If you’ve ever seen the clip of Muhammad Ali dodging 21 punches from Michael Dokes in 10 seconds, that is how Whitaker fought every single round. He embarrassed his opponents defensively then picked them apart with his crisp counter-punching skills. So why is Whitaker so overlooked? It’s simple. He was cheated by the politics of boxing.

In 1993, Whitaker faced off against Julio César Chávez, who was 87-0 at the time and one of the most popular non-heavyweight fighters in history. Whitaker boxed the socks off Chavez (who is one of my all-time favorite fighters) over 12 rounds but was forced to accept a bogus majority draw on the scorecards because...boxing.

Four years later, Whitaker faced another wildly popular Mexican-heritage fighter in Oscar De La Hoya. De La Joya had defeated Chavez and become “The Golden Boy.”

Not only did Whitaker drop De La Hoya during the fight, but he also out-landed his opponent in punch count and percentage. He also often left De La Hoya punching ghosts as Whitaker used his elusive defense to frustrate his opponent.

Continued from B3

last week.

Competing for Team USA, Robinson took gold in his specialty event, the 400-meter dash, in a sizzling time of 45.04 seconds. Robinson became the first American to win gold in the 400 at the U20 Pan American Games in a decade.

Robinson’s winning performance in the 400 was just the beginning. He came back later to anchor the USA 4x400-meter relay team to a victory and a new U20 world-record time of 2 minutes 59.3 seconds. Robinson sealed the world record by turning in an incredible 43.5 second anchor leg.

Robinson will now represent USA Track and Field at the 2019 Pan American Games, which will be held from July 26-August 11 in Lima, Peru. At 17 years old, Robinson will be one of the youngest athletes to compete in the track and field competition.

Napheesa Collier selected as WNBA All-Star

Former Incarnate Word Academy basketball star Napheesa Collier has been selected to play in the WNBA All-Star Game, which will be held on Saturday in Las Vegas. Collier was selected as an injury replacement for Las Vegas Aces star forward A’ja Wilson.

The 6’1” Collier has been enjoying an excellent rookie season with the Minnesota Lynx, where she has already established herself as an all-purpose impact player. She is currently averaging 11 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 block while averaging 32 minutes a game. She is currently third in the WNBA in steals. Collier was the No. 6 pick in the WNBA Draft after a stellar four-year career with the University of Connecticut.

Eric McWoods gets first pro hat trick

However, when the scores were read, De La Hoya was pronounced as the winner via ridiculously wide scores of 115-111, 116-110 and 116-110. For the second time, Whitaker was denied a career-defining victory over one of the most-popular fighters the sport had to offer.

Still, real fight fans know that Whitaker was the real deal and one of the best to lace up the leather. Rest in peace, Sweet Pea. Thanks for the memories.

Be sure to check In the Clutch online and also follow Ishmael on Twitter @ishcreates.

Former Kirkwood High soccer standout Eric McWoods is currently playing professionally for JK Narva Trans in Narva, Estonia, in the country’s top professional league. McWoods just achieved his first professional hat trick as he scored all three of his team’s goals in a 3-2 victory over Viljandi JK Tulevik. A 2014 graduate of Kirkwood, Woods left with many of the school’s scoring records. Woods enjoyed collegiate success at Xavier University (OH) and the University of Missouri-Kansas City before joining the professional ranks.

Three Stripes Alliance Tournament produces three local champions

The Three Stripes Alliance Basketball Tournament was held last weekend at the Center of St. Louis Sports in Affton. The grassroots tournament featured several top grassroots programs from around the Midwest Region. In the end, there were three championship teams from the St. Louis area. The Gateway Basketball Club won the championship in the 17U division, the Larry Hughes Basketball Academy won the championship in the 16U division and the Knights Basketball Academy won the championship in the 15U division.

Kwame Foundation Golf Tournament is August 29

The Kwame Foundation Golf Tournament will be held on Thursday, August 29 at Topgolf, 16851 N. Outer 40 Rd. in Chesterfield – for both experienced and rookiegolfers. It starts at noon and is a four-hour event, start to finish (no rain delays).

“Our tournament raises money for first-generation, minority, college-bound students,” said Tony Thompson, foundation CEO. “Your participation and generosity will help many students start their college careers off with less of a financial burden. Last year’s tournament raised over $90,000 and we are sure we can beat that number with your help.”

There will be a tournament-style scramble format, with teams comprised of four golfers. Bring your own clubs or use Topgolf’s. Food, beer and wine will be served during the event. Prizes will be awarded to top scoring teams. There will be a $25,000 prize for a hole in one.

Questions? Email swilson@kwamebuildinggroup.com. Register at https://tinyurl. com/kwame-golf.

Financial Focus

By Lucien Blackwell

BIG DATA DEVELOPER

MEETINGS AND EVENTS SPECIALIST

ARCHS, a highly respected not-for-profit funding agency, is seeking a full-time Meetings and Events Specialist with creativity and resourcefulness in organizing and implementing successful functions that strategically support ARCHS’ funded initiatives. The ideal candidate should have superior organizational/logistic skills, great leadership qualities, excellent multi-tasking skills, and superb interpersonal skills. Candidates must be proficient in Word Office Suite (Word, PPT, Excel), budgeting, vendor coordination, timeline/task assignments, sponsor/exhibitor recruitment, on-line registrations, survey tools, photography, data processing, and report writing. Position will include additional administrative support assignments. Requirements: Minimum of associate’s or bachelor’s degree, 3+ year experience and documented portfolio of meeting/event management. ARCHS’ benefit package includes a 401(k) match. Be prepared to provide examples of work upon request. EMAIL initial letter of application and resume, by August 9 to careers@stlarchs. org or FAX to ARCHS’ HR, 314-289-5670. No phone calls please.

THE CITY OF JENNINGS POSITIONS

The City of Jennings is accepting applications for Code Enforcement Inspectors, Correctional Officers, Public Works Street/Park Laborers, Part Time Bus Driver, and Youth Sports positions. Please see the full job descriptions online at www.cityofjennings.org. Applications are available at the Jennings City Hall or online at www.cityofjennings.org.

The City of Jennings is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

POLICE OFFICER AND FIREFIGHTER/ PARAMEDIC

The City of Clayton is now accepting applications for the full-time positions of Police Officer and Firefighter/ Paramedic. To apply, go to www.claytonmo.gov/jobs.

EOE

Vintech Solutions Inc has openings for the position Big Data Developer with Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering (any), Technology or related to design, develop, implement and support of Big Data applications using existing and emerging technology platforms. Work with large streams of data with tools like Hive, Spark, etc. Design and build data services to auto craft Hive structures, HDFS directory structures and partitions based on source definitions using a configuration and metadata driven framework. Use Cloud Era Distribution to distribute Data across the Internal Data Lake.

Work location is Olivette, MO with required travel to client locations throughout the USA.Please mail resumes to 9715 Olive Blvd, Floor 2, Olivette, MO, 63132 (OR) e-mail: legal@vintech.com.

DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIP SERVICES

Explore St. Louis is seeking a highly detailed and experienced individual with knowledge of the hospitality industry to join our team as a Director of Partnership Services. This position is responsible for directing and coordinating all activities of partnership sales & services, along with development activities which include planning, leading, and coordinating the events of Explore St. Louis and its partners in the hospitality community. Duties include: developing and pursuing partnership opportunities with public + private sector entities, determining prices for partnership levels and revenue-generating programs, formulating and administering policies, conducting meetings, making presentations, ensuring that all aspects of services provided to partners meets company standards, and supervising departmental staff. Managerial experience along with strong interpersonal, communication & analytical skills is required. Excellent presentation skills are essential. Familiarity with the St. Louis hospitality community is essential. Bachelor’s degree or 3 to 5 years related experience is preferred. To apply: go to https://explorestlouis. com/job-opportunities-internships/. NO PHONE CALLS! EOE

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Jewish Family & Children’s Service is looking to add to our dynamic staff!

Visit our job board at www.jfcsapply.com to view our exciting opportunities!

TEACHERS

Teachers with current pre-school CDA credential or current infant/toddler CDA credential. Please reply to Center Manager Linda Davis at (314) 679-5440.

EXECUTIVE

ADMINISTRATIVE

ASSISTANT

ARCHS is seeking an Executive Administrative Assistant reporting directly to the CEO, and secondarily providing administrative support to the senior leadership team and Board of Directors in a well-organized and timely manner. Responsibilities Include: Serving as the primary point of contact for internal and external constituencies on all matters pertaining to the CEO. Organizes and coordinates executive outreach and external relations efforts. Manages CEO’s calendar and makes company-wide travel arrangements. Maintains funding database, and provides minimal administrative support to CFO. Take dictation and minutes and accurately enter data. Produce reports, presentations and briefs. Develop and carry out an efficient documentation and electronic filing. Requirements: 5 yrs experience or executive level assistance (preferred). Full comprehension of office management systems and procedures. Excellent knowledge of MS Office. Exemplary planning and time management skills. Up-to-date with advancements in office equipment and applications. Ability to multitask and prioritize daily workload. High level verbal and written communications skills. Ability to be discrete and confidential. Email letter of application, resume and by August 15, 2019 to careers@stlarchs.org or Fax to HR, 314-289-5670. NO phone calls please.

The Housing Partnership, Inc. has an opening for a Program Manager. Responsible for the operation and administration of a first-time homebuyers program. For a full job description go to www.thehousingpartnershipstl. org

Please submit a cover letter, resume and three references to The Housing Partnership, Inc. P.O. Box 16356, St. Louis, MO 63125 or via email to kate@thehousingpartnershipstl. org

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: AQUARAY LAMPS. The District is proposing single source procurement for this equipment because SUEZ TREATMENT SOLUTIONS INC is the only known available source for the equipment. Any inquiries should be sent to gjamison@stlmsd.com.

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

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: AUGER, MUFFIN MONSTER, etc. JWC ENV PARTS. The District is proposing single source procurement for this equipment/ parts because JWC ENVIRONMENTAL LLC is the only known available source for the equipment/parts. Any inquiries should be sent to gjamison@stlmsd.com.

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on August 21st, 2019 to contract with a company for: Electrical Maintenance, Repair & Integrated Services.

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 10070 RFP. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid.

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive sealed bids in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 631032555 until 10:00am August 27, 2019 for: SCREEN BUILDINGS DUCTWORK MODIFICATION.

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com - click on “MSD At Work”, then “Bidding on Projects”. The bid document will be 10071 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call (314) 768-6314 to request a copy of this bid.

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

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: SAP Business Objects Software. The District is proposing single source procurement to SAP for this software. Any inquiries should be sent to ameyer@stlmsd.com.

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on August 26th, 2019 to contract with a company for: Stream Water Quality Monitoring Services.

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 10080 RFP. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid.

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive sealed bids in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 631032555 until 10:00am September 6, 2019 for: Roof Replacement (Primary Control Building) at Bissell Point Treatment Plant

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com - click on “MSD At Work”, then “Bidding on Projects”. The bid document will be identified as 10081 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call (314) 768-6314 to request a copy of this bid.

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive RFQ’s in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on August 26, 2019 to contract with a company for: GENERATOR REPLACEMENT AT RIVERPORT 2 PUMP STATION. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 10079 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid.

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

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING WITH RESPECT TO LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT QUALIFIED ALLOCATION PLAN

The Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) will hold a public hearing on modifications to the Qualified Allocation Plan for administration of Low Income Housing Tax Credits. The hearings will be held as follows:

Tuesday, August 6, 2019 – 10:00 a.m. Days Inn 3805 S. Baltimore St. Kirksville, MO 63501

Tuesday, August 6, 2019 – 11:00 a.m. Holiday Inn Convention Center 2720 N. Glenstone Ave. Springfield, MO 65803

Tuesday, August 6, 2019 – 6:00 p.m. St. Louis Marriott 800 Washington Avenue St. Louis, MO 63101

Tuesday, August 6, 2019 – 6:00 p.m. Holiday Inn Poplar Bluff 2781 N. Westwood Blvd. Poplar Bluff, MO 63901

Wednesday, August 7, 2019 – 11:00 a.m.

Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center 2601 S. Providence Rd. Columbia, MO 65203

Wednesday, August 7, 2019 – 6:00 p.m. Kansas City Public Library 14 W. 10th St. Kansas City, MO 64105

All persons within the state of Missouri having an interest in the subject matter of the hearing will be given an opportunity to be heard on the date and place specified. MHDC recommends that all of those appearing in person provide written transcripts of their comments. Those unable to appear may send their written comments to the Missouri Housing Development Commission, 920 Main Street, Suite 1400, Kansas City, MO 64105. Written comments will be accepted through August 9, 2019. For a copy of the proposed plan, please see our web site at www.mhdc.com or request it from our office by calling Gus Metz at (816) 759-6878.

If you wish to attend this meeting and require special aid or services under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please notify Lynn Sigler at (816) 759-6822 at least three (3) working days prior to the meeting.

Kip Stetzler Executive Director Missouri Housing Development Commission

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive RFQ’s in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 11:00 a.m. on August 27, 2019 to contract with a company for: OFFICE SUPPLIES, TONER CARTRIDGES, AND COPY PAPER. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 10004 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314-768-6254 to request a copy of this bid.

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

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

SEALED BIDS

for Construct Helipad, MissouriNational Guard,Camp Clark Training Site, Nevada,Missouri, ProjectNo. T1933-01 willbereceived byFMDC,State of MO,UNTIL1:30 PM,8/22/2019. Forspecificproject informationand orderingplans,go to:http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities

70,200 Newspapers printed Every Thursday and Online

SEALED BIDS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Altman-Charter Co., requests subcontractor/supplier proposals for the construction of Preservation Square Phase I in St. Louis, MO. This is a new development consisting of 131 New & Remodeled Apartment Units. Proposals are due at the office of Altman-Charter Co., 315 Consort Dr., St. Louis, MO 63011 on or before Thur., August 15, 2019 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, 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.

SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY ACCEPTING SEALED BIDS

Notice to contractors, Special School District is accepting bids for Door Replacements at Neuwoehner School. For details, please visit the website at www.ssdmo.org/rfps.html

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on August 20 th , 2019 to contract with a company for: Incinerator Repair Services.

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 10057 RFP. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive RFQ’s in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on August 14, 2017 to contract with a company for: P-158 Dickson Pump Station Roof Replacement. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 10064 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid.

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

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

E-bids for St. Louis Community College Invitation for Bid No. B0003842 for a Moving & Storage Service, will be received until 2:00 p.m. (local time) on August 5, 2019 at Purchasing@stlcc.edu, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing or call (314) 539-5226. EOE/AA Employer.

LETTING #8700 2020 CAPITAL MAIN REPLACEMENT PROGRAM

SIX (6) INCH MAIN IN MAURY AVENUE

CITY OF ST. LOUIS –WATER DIVISION

Sealed proposals will be received by the Board of Public Service in Room 208 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo. Until 1:45 PM, CT, on August 20, 2019, then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City,

forRepair, Sealcoat&Stripe AsphaltPavement, MissouriNational Guard,Camp Clark, CampCrowder, &IkeSkelton Training S

, N

, Neosho,Jefferson City,Missouri, Project No.T1925-01, willbe receivedby FMDC, StateofMO, UNTIL1:30PM, 8/1/2019 Forspecificproject information and orderingplans,go to:http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR ON-CALL DESIGN OF VIDEO CAMERA SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2019 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from website www.stl-bps.org under On Line Plan Room, Professional Services, or call Helen Bryant at 314-589-6214. 25% MBE & 5% WBE participation goals.

INVITATION TO BID

Brinkmann Constructors would like to invite you to bid on the Missouri S&T Student Design Center Expansion. Bids for this project will phased from June to late summer.

Please contact Andrew Lucas with Brinkmann Constructors at (636) 537-9700 for access to plans and further details on the bid date for your trade.

Plans can be found online at https://secure.smartinsight.co/#/ PublicBidProject/445648

TO ADVERTISE CALL

PROJECT NAME: AC HOTEL IN THE CENTRAL WEST END

A preconstruction meeting will be held on Monday July 29th at 9:00 AM at the following location: William J Harrison Center 3140 Cass Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63106

Bid Due Date: 08-12-19 @ 9:00 AM Plans and Specs can be found at Cross Rhodes Reprographics

MWBE PreBid Meeting Notice

The SITE Improvement Association is hosting a Prebid meeting for Qualified and Certified MWBE contractors to discuss working on MSD’s Bissell-ColdwaterMissouri-Meramec Public I/I Reduction (2020), Contract C Contract Letting No. 12027-015.1

This meeting is being held on behalf of the following SITE contractor member: SAK Construction 864 Hoff Rd., O’Fallon, MO 63366 636/385-1000

The meeting will take place at 10:00 a.m. August 1, 2019 SITE Improvement Association Office, 2071 Exchange Drive St. Charles, MO 63303

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

GSGBC Dutchtown Satellite ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

Sealed Bids for the GSGBC Dutchtown Satellite will be received by the Gene Slay’s Girls and Boys Club (the Club), 2524 S. 11th Street, St. Louis, Missouri, 63104 until 12:00 p.m. (prevailing central time) on Monday, August 26, 2019 and will thereafter be publicly opened and read aloud.

The project consists of renovating the former St. Hedwig’s School (now DiverseCity Church) located at 3214-16 Pulaski St., St. Louis, MO, 63111 to provide classroom and programming space as well as a gymnasium. The building was constructed in 1904, is three stories in height, and approximately 14,595 square feet in size.

A representative of GSGBC will be at 3214-3216 Pulaski St., St. Louis, MO, 63111 on Friday, August 2, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. for a mandatory walk through and to answer any questions.

Plans and contract documents will be available for 30 days commencing on July 25, 2019 for download from the Club’s website: https://www.gsgbcstl.org/ and from Cross Rhodes: https://www. sldcplanroom.com/ Hard copies may be purchased directly from Cross Rhodes.

Project plans are available from MSD. For questions regarding this prebid meeting, Contact the SITE Improvement Association office at 314/966-2950. LETTING #8701

MEP IMPROVEMENTS TO 12TH

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

A pre-bid

shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).

Notice

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: Motorola ACE Radio Mitigation. The District is proposing single source procurement to Electronic Controls Company Inc for this equipment and service. Any inquiries should be sent to ameyer@stlmsd.com.

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

Webster Groves School District

The WGSD is issuing a Request for Qualification (RFQ) from firms to provide “Elementary Redistricting and GIS Analysis Services.” RFQ submissions are due to the Webster Groves School District Central Office (400 E. Lockwood Avenue, 63119) no later than 4:30 pm on August 5, 2019. The RFQ will be available online Monday, July 22, 2019 at www.webster.k12.mo.us

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure service for water usage data fees for the residents of St. Louis County. The District is proposing a single source procurement for this service because American Water is the only supplier of this information. Any inquiries should be sent to strenz@stlmsd.com.

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

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure temporary help services from Amitech Solutions in an effort to support the IT Technology Plan. The District is proposing single source procurement for this service because it does not have the internal expertise to fulfill this Information Technology role. Any inquiries should be sent to strenz@stlmsd.com. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Downtown STL, Inc. is seeking bids for providing Marketing & Public Relations Services. A copy of the RFP can be found at downtownstl.org/bids.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

# 57819192, Customer Relationship Management software

Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) is requesting sealed proposals for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software built specifically for the needs of University Admissions and Enrollment Management professionals. A copy of the RFP is available by calling (314) 340-3325, emailing: barskys@hssu.edu or faxing a written request to: (314) 340-3322.

Proposals will be received until 10:00 a.m. on Monday August 5, 2019 and should be mailed or delivered in sealed envelopes clearly marked “Proposal for Customer Relationship Management software” to HarrisStowe State University, Attn: Shelley Barsky; 3026 Laclede Ave., Room 105, St, Louis, MO 63103.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS # 57819196

Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) is requesting proposals for an Executive Search Firm to assist with selection of the University President. Interested parties may obtain a copy of the RFP by emailing: morrowb@hssu.edu; calling (314) 340-5763 or faxing a written request to: (314) 340-3322.

Proposals must be received no later than 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 and should be mailed or delivered in sealed envelopes clearly marked “Executive Search Firm” to Harris-Stowe State University, Dr. Henry Givens, Jr., Administration (HGA) building, ATTN: B. A. Morrow, 3026 Laclede Avenue, Room 105, St. Louis, MO 63103. Proposals will be opened and the names read at 10:15 in room 123 of the HGA building.

Keller Construction Inc. Requests subcontractor and or material supplier quotations from Illinois Department of Transportation Certified subcontractors, suppliers and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises for the letting to be held August 2, 2019. Interested parties should contact Keller Construction at (618) 656-0033. All quotations must be submitted by 4:30 PM Thursday August 1, 2019. Keller Construction is an equal opportunity employer.

Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the

Purchased

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Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: Oracle Database Enterprise Edition Software, Renewal of Licenses. The District is proposing single source procurement to Oracle America Inc for this Annual Renewal. Any inquiries should be sent to bschubert@stlmsd.com.

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

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

E-bids for St. Louis Community College Invitation for Bid No. B0003842 for a Moving & Storage Service, will be received until 2:00 p.m. (local time) on August 5, 2019 at Purchasing@stlcc.edu, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing or call (314) 539-5226. EOE/AA Employer.

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: Lamps – Lemay TP. The District is proposing a 3-year single source procurement to Suez Treatment Solutions Inc. Any inquiries should be sent to acooper@stlmsd.com. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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

‘Canfield Drive,’

Ferguson play debuted by Black Rep gets broader audience

‘Canfield Drive’ among National Black Theatre Festival lineup in North Carolina

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“I’m always trying to pick work that speaks to issues that are relevant to the community,” said Ron Himes, founder and producing director of The St. Louis Black Repertory Company. “And over the past few years there has been nothing more relevant or more pertinent that Ferguson in St. Louis, on the national – and internationally.”

A week before the five year anniversary of the Ferguson unrest sparked by the killing of unarmed teen Mike Brown at the hands of then

Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson, local events that sparked global con versations on race and the relation ship between police and the African American community will once again get attention outside of city and county limits. This time it will be through a compelling stage drama that was inspired by the movement.

“Canfield Drive” was written by Kristen Adele Calhoun and Michael

Thomas Walker and was presented for the first time by The Black Rep last season. The company will take the show on the road to play The National Black Gathering biennially since National Black Theatre

Festival brings together the black theatre community from around the country to fellowship through workshops, award celebrations and the presentation of new and emerging works. Created by the late Larry Leon

also founded by Hamlin – hosts the festival in Winston-Salem.

“As we approach the five-year anniversary of Mike Brown’s killing, I am honored to continue to tell this story,” Calhoun said. “I am deeply grateful for The Black Rep’s investment in this

Earth, Wind and Fire showcased live performance staying power at Stifel Theatre

By Kenya Vaughn

Of The St. Louis American

n “After all these years, this music has become the soundtrack of most of our lives.”

– Philip Bailey

“Earth, Wind and Fire puts on a show!” That was the general consensus as fans made their exit from the Stifel Theatre Sunday night – and they were correct. The legendary band – often referred to as EWF or “The Elements” that bends inspirational, funk, soul, R&B, disco and pop is no stranger to St. Louis. In fact, their visits are so regular that their shows here can be classified as an annual affair. But the caliber of performance they bring with them each time they grace the stage means that despite the frequency of visits, they will always have a full house and a fully captivated audience that stands in awe of the vocals, musicianship and energy delivered with seemingly every show.

By Patricia Merritt Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

It was surprising to watch students rein in their excitement during the summer program, listen and follow instructions, work together, and focus to complete a

Students, ages 5-14, from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center’s (ESLC) Project Success program participated in The Children’s Quilting Project: Healing through Art, made possible through a grant from the SIUE Meridian Society.

Project Success is a comprehensive after-school tutorial enrichment childcare program, which services children ages 5-14. The Illinois Department of Children

Photos by Phil Hamer

Noted artist and SIUE alumna Edna Patterson Petty, of East St. Louis, helps a Project Success student with quilting.

Hamlin, The North Carolina Black Rep –

How to place a calendar listing

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

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

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

concerts

Thur., July 25, 8 p.m., The Fox Theatre presents Diana Ross: Music Book Tour. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. fabulousfox.com.

Sat., July 27, 8 p.m., Blac Youngsta Live. Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd.,63136. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Wed., July 31, 8 p.m., Live Nation presents Mary J. Blige and Nas. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, 14141 Riverport Dr., 63043. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Thur., Aug. 1, 6 p.m., Wiz Khalifa: The Decent Exposure Tour. With guests French Montana, Playboi Carti, Moneybagg Yo, Chevy Woods, and DJ Drama. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, 14141 Riverport Dr., 63043. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Mon., Aug. 12, 8 p.m., Fox Theatre presents Gary Clark Jr. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

local gigs

Fri., Aug. 2, 7 p.m., FarFetched presents Katarra Parson and Tonina. Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. pulitzerarts.org.

Sun., Aug. 4, 3 p.m., Louis Armstrong Birthday Celebration. Feat. Randy Holmes Quintet. Revisits the music of Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five, All Stars & the Dukes of Dixieland. Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., 63119. For more information, visit www. ozarktheatre.com.

Sat., Aug. 10, 6 p.m., Do Right Entertainment presents a Back 2 School Giveaway Concert. Feat. AMR Dee Huncho, La4ss, and Jizzle Buckz. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry, 63136. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

special events

Thurs., July 25, 11 a.m., The Community Action Agency of St. Louis County, Inc. (CAASTLC) is hosting an employment and resource fair at St. Louis Community College – Florissant Valley, Student Center Multipurpose Room, 3400 Pershall Rd. For more information, or job readiness assistance, contact James Ingram at (314) 4464431 or jingram@caastlc.org.

Sat., July 27, 10 a.m., Saint Louis World Day Against Trafficking. International Institute, 3401 Arsenal St., 63118. For more information, visit www.unausa.org.

Sat., July 27, 11 a.m., Girlz 4 Life Back 2 School BBQ and Bookbag Giveaway. Saint Ferdinand Park, 25 Saint Ferdinand Park Dr., 63031. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., July 27, 4 p.m., Queen Camp, Inc., presents Worthy: The 6th Annual Miss Divine Destiny Pageant. St. Louis University Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium, 3672 West Pine Mall, 63108. For more information, visit www. thequeensguidetolife.com.

Sat., July 27, 5:30 p.m., African Diaspora Council, Inc. invites you to their 6th Annual Diner Gala. 1425 Ferguson Ave., 63133. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., July 27, 6 p.m., Style-

Kenya Vaughn recommends

Taneous Styles 4th Annual Fashion Show. New Spring Church, 10229 Lewis and Clark Blvd., 63136. For more information, visit www. styletaneousstyles.com

Sun., July 28, 3 p.m., The Metropolitan St. Louis Fisk University Alumni Association Back to School Reception. Incoming and returning students of Fisk University are invited. West Side Missionary Baptist Church, 4675 Page Blvd., 63113. For more information, call (314) 226-6841 or (314) 503-2580.

Aug. 2 – 4, 5th Annual Ferguson Unity Weekend. Aug. 2, 10 a.m.: Career Fair, 1050 Smith Ave.; 6 p.m.: Souls Never Forgotten, 501 N. Florissant Rd. Aug. 4, 2 p.m.: Backpack giveaway, 3390 Persall Rd. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Aug. 3, 10 a.m., Monsanto Family YMCA Back 2 School Jam. There will be free school supplies, food, fun, fellowship, & community resources. 5555 Page Blvd., 63112. For more information, email realtalkwithdemingo@gmail. com.

Sat., Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m., Families United Community Benefit Megafest. Enjoy music and entertainment while helping raise money for local families in need. Crowne Plaza St. Louis Airport, 11228 Lone Eagle Dr., 63044. For more information, visit www. healthyrelationshipstl.com.

Sun., Aug. 4, 2 p.m., Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation presents The Rising Stars Showcase. An afternoon of amazing talent from local teens. Performances include singers, dancers, jugglers, and musical theatre. Sheldon Concert Hall, 3548 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. thesheldon.org.

Fri., Aug. 9, 7 p.m., Anita Jackson: This Woman’s Work! A candid conversation with hard-working women. The Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sat., Aug. 10, 11 a.m., George B. Vashon Museum 4th Anniversary: Thriving in Spite Of…Living in Segregated St. Louis Communities. 2223 St. Louis Ave., 63106. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Fox Theatre presents Gary Clark Jr. For more information, see CONCERTS.

much more. North County Recreation Complex, 2577 Redman Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Thur., Aug. 15, 10:30 a.m., United 4 Children invites you to their 7th Annual Golfing for Kids Golf Tournament Fundraiser. Norman K. Probstein Golf Course, 6141 Lagoon Dr., 63112. For more information, visit www. united4children.org.

Sat., Aug. 17, 1 p.m., 6th Annual St. Louis American Artifacts Festival and Bazaar. Celebrating the rich history and culture of people of African descent with prizes, art, music, and more. Crown Square Plaza, 14 th St. and St. Louis Ave., 63106. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Aug. 17, 2 p.m., Rise Up Festival 2019. A one-day street festival celebration of revitalization in St. Louis. 1627 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., Aug. 10, 1 p.m., Nobel Entertainment presents Henny Fest. Hosted by JStarr. Downtown St. Louis. For more information, call (314) 2625064 or (314) 479-9949.

Aug. 10 – 11, Saint Louis Public Schools and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis present Urban Expo: Back to School & Community Festival America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, visit www. slps.org.

Sun., Aug. 11, 9 a.m., Annie Malone Children & Family Services 2nd Annual 5K. Run, walk, ride. Forest Park Upper Muny, 1 Theatre Dr., 63112. For more information, visit www.anniemalone.com.

Sun., Aug. 11, 1 p.m., Made Moguls presents their 5th Annual Back To School Youth Summit 2019. Harris Stowe, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 951-8393.

Wed., Aug. 14, 11 a.m., Diversity Job Source Twenty Seventh Annual Diversity Job Fair. Employers will be hiring for engineers, education, retail management, web design, banking, and

Sat., Aug. 24, 9 a.m., Greater North County Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Career Fair. This event is open to high school students, college students & working adults. James J. Eagan Center, 1 James J. Eagan Dr., 63033. For more information, visit www. greaternorthcountychamber. com.

Aug. 24 – 25, 10 a.m., International Institute presents the Saint Louis Festival of Nations. Tower Grove Park, 4257 Northeast Dr., 63113. For more information, visit www. festivalofnations.org.

Thur., July 25, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Andrew Shaffer, author of Hope Rides Again: An Obama Biden Mystery. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.leftbank.com.

Sun., Aug. 11, 7 p.m., Churchboy Productions presents Lyricism: The Show. Church will infuse the smooth melodic sounds of R&B with the classy artistry of poetry. The Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sat., Aug. 3, 7 p.m., SPARC.

A curation of St. Louis based artists showcasing their work in the nature of art as activism. Good Shepherd Arts Center, 252 S. Florissant Rd., 63135. For more information, visit www.goodshepherdarts.org/ exhibits.

Sat., Aug. 3, 5 p.m., American Conversations Exhibition Reception. 43 artists from around the region will display works depicting what it is like to live in St. Louis in 2019. Exhibit runs through Sept. 5. Art St. Louis, 1223 Pine St., 63013. For more information, visit www. artstlouis.org.

Sat., Aug. 17, 1 p.m., 6th Annual Saint Louis African American Artifacts Festival and Bazaar. Crown Square Plaza, 14th Street & St. Louis Ave., 63106. For more information, visit www. saintlaaafab.com.

comedy

July 25 – 28, Helium Comedy Club presents Tony Rock 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., 63117.

Sun., Aug. 11, 6 p.m., Herb Middleton & Friends. Comedy & Concert Blast Peace Tour. Casa Loma Ballroom, 3354 Iowa Ave., 63118. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Aug. 15 – 18, Helium Comedy Club presents Luenell. 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., 63117.

theatre

July 26 – 27, Rockshow Productions presents Disney’s Frozen Jr. The Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

July 26 – 27, COCA 15th

Kenya Vaughn recommends

Annual Summer Musical: Into the Woods. Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www.cocastl.org.

Sat., Aug. 3, 7 p.m., Beyond Measure, LLC presents Soul of a Woman. A show that deals with the complexities of womanhood. Featuring members of Afroetics. Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Aug. 3 – 4, The Release: A Ritual by Basil Kincaid. In this Afro-surrealist performance, Kincaid creates an immersive sensory experience to encourage the release of internalized trauma. Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. pulitzerarts.org/program.

Aug. 5 – 11, The Muny presents Matilda. Forest Park, 1 Theatre Dr., 63112. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sat., Aug. 17, 3:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. StarFire Productions presents NOT MY SONS written and directed by Star Ellis. A full length play coupled with a served 2 course catered dinner by StarFire Catering. The Empowerment Center @ The Center for Divine Love 3617 Wyoming Street St. Louis, MO 63116. Tickets can be purchased online at www.StarFireHot.com or call 314.732.5146 for group/ organization rates.

Aug. 17 – 24, 8 p.m., Union Avenue Opera presents Glory Denied. Follow the life of a long held POW after he returns home. 733 N. Union Blvd., 63108. For more information,

to Implementation. St. Louis Public Library, 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Sun., Aug. 11, 2 p.m., The Contributions and Legacies of Black Doughboys. Join a panel of African American veterans to discuss how the sacrifices made by veterans of the First World War transcended race and influenced the lives of American veterans. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

Mon., Aug. 12, 6 p.m., SCORE Mentors host How to Handle Core Legal Issues Facing a Business. Busch Hall, Fontbonne University, 6800 Wydown Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

13820 Old Jamestown Rd., Florissant, MO 63033. For more information, call 314741-4222.

Aug. 2 – 4, Faith Miracle Temple Youth Department presents Evolve Worship Encounter. Aug. 2, 11 p.m.: Skate Night at CoachLite, 3754 Pennridge Dr. Aug. 3, 7 p.m.: Worship Encounter ft. Jonathan Taylor and Lloyd Nicks. Aug. 4, 10:30 a.m.: Worship Service ft. Isiah Williams. 870 Pershall Rd., 63137. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Aug. 7 – 10, Gidron Global Network presents Faith Alive 2019 in St. Louis. Holiday Inn St. Louis, 811 N. 9th St., 63101. For more information, visit www.gidronglobal.com. Thur., Aug. 8, 7 p.m., Kirk Franklin’s Long Live Love Tour.

www.unionavenueopera.org.

lectures and workshops

Thurs., July 25, 7 p.m.

(6 p.m. registration) The Comedy Credit Clinic with speaker Stacy C. Notley, President and CEO of The Manning Group, Room C, Brentwood Community Center, 2505 S. Brentwood Blvd. For more information, visit www. Manning-Group.com

Sat., July 27, 10 a.m., How to Dismantle the School to Prison Pipeline. Julia Davis Library, 4415 Natural Bridge Ave., 63115. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Wed., Aug. 7, 11 a.m., Business Plan Basics Ideas

Tues., Aug. 13, 6 p.m., Ending the City-County Divide: Pros and Cons Local journalists will lead a discussion with St. Louis leaders on whether the current structure is helping or hurting the region. St. Louis Public Library, 1301 Olive St., 63103. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Thur., Aug. 22, 8 p.m., An Evening With Iyanla Vanzant: Acts of Faith Remix Tour. Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 Touhill Circle, 63121. For more information, visit www. iyanlavanzantlive.com.

spiritual

Through July 26, Missouri Midwest Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction – C.O.G.I.C. invites you to the 4th Annual Holy Convocation. For more information, visit www.mmej. org

Sun., July 28, 3 p.m., The Celebration Choir of Christ Our Redeemer AME Church Annual Concert. This year’s theme: How Kind of God!

FarFetched presents Katarra Parson and Tonina. See LOCAL GIGS for details.

‘I think there’s great opportunity right now’

Designer and activist De Nichols heads to Harvard to enhance Griot Museum

By Nancy Fowler Of St. Louis Public Radio

Five years after a white Ferguson police officer shot and killed 18-year-old unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, there is no permanent, local display of the art sparked by the protests.

Designer and activist De Nichols wants to change that. Through a Harvard University fellowship, she will study how to transform the Griot Museum of Black History in north St. Louis into such a space. Nichols is known for the sculpture the “Mirror Casket,” a reflective casket-shaped piece she created with six other artists. It won such acclaim that it is now exhibited at

EWF

Continued from D1

The crowd was as blended as the musical styles the band serves from one selection to the next. All ethnic groups, age groups, walks of life. Earth, Wind and Fire is a unifier.

That was the part of the intention of late founder Maurice White and the original members when the band formed 50 years ago, according to lead singer Philip Bailey. He pointed this out as

the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. The sculpture’s move to the nation’s capital prompted Nichols to wonder why there was no major black-focused institution in St. Louis displaying significant local works.

A Loeb Fellowship from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design will allow Nichols to explore enhancing the Griot as a space for black arts, history and culture, while also increasing the institution’s overall capacity and sustainability. Her efforts coincide with the arrival of the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency, which promises to reinvigorate the area.

“As the northside might be changing over the next couple of years, what is the responsibility and the prioritization that we place on

he stood overwhelmed by the engagement of the crowd and their encouragement of his marvelous falsetto.

“He wanted to create music that is inspirational – music that brings people together,” Bailey told the crowd. “After all these years, this music has become the soundtrack of most of our lives.”

The music runs the gamut as far as musical styles and subject matter. Motivational, spiritual, nature driven, love songs – and songs with the sole intent of making the listener “boogie on down.”

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

black spaces and black-focused

cultural institutions?” Nichols asked. “I think there’s great opportunity right now.”

Nichols’ interest in the Griot is driven by her relationship with Lois Conley, who opened the museum in 1997.

The band got things started with “Sing A Song” and jumped right into “Shining Star” which included a brief blend of the Temptations classic “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” They managed to squeeze two dozen songs into their 90 minute show that was truly an evening with Earth, Wind and Fire as the show title suggested.

Original members Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson are in mint condition. Several younger members have been incorporated into

“Oh, my goodness,” Nichols said. “I light up when I think about Lois.”

The pair forged their friendship over a shared passion for seafood.

“We sit, we eat and we talk,” Nichols said. “A lot of it

EWF – including Bailey’s son Oshunde – and, as usual, they were given a fair share of the spotlight through vocal and percussion performances in particular.

EWF could actually be classified as a mini-orchestra with its trio of horns, pair of keyboards and rotating percussionists that back bass player Verdine White as he holds the rhythm section together with riffs that are essential to the band’s pioneering contributions to funk.

He took a few liberties to

Art

Continued from D1

and Family Services funds the program. It is designed to serve children who are in protective custody and are referred by the Department of Children and Family Services caseworkers. The program provides services to children living within the St. Clair County and Madison County areas.

The creative activity was a collaboration between SIUE, Project Success and the Greater East St. Louis Community Fund (GESLCF).

Celebrated artist and SIUE alumna Edna Patterson Petty, of East St. Louis, led the summer art classes at the ESLC campus. Assisting Petty were author Linda Jones, former GESLCF executive director, who read quilting books by national painter and mixed

Canfield

Continued from D1

piece and commitment to sharing this show with a national audience. I can’t wait to take this work to The National Black Theatre Festival, and I look forward to being a part of the conversations generated by this play in Winston-Salem and beyond.”

The festival draws tens of thousands of drama professionals committed to bringing the African American experience to the stage from every aspect of the many moving parts that make theater possible –including performance, artistic, administrative and technical/ production.

Calhoun also stars in the play that frames the events in Ferguson around two broadcast news personalities with opposing opinions on the unrest and the tragic circumstances that compelled the community to engage in months of nonstop protests.

She will be joined on stage by fellow “Canfield Drive” original cast members

Somber protesters deliver the mirror covered casket created by De Nichols to the Ferguson Police Department as hundreds gathered to kick off of ‘Ferguson October’ week of resistance in 2014.

is her talking about her family and her background and what drove her to start the Griot, and the sense of filling cultural voids that exist in our city.”

African Americans – who make up nearly 47% of the St. Louis population – are

show off his remarkable skills over the course of the evening, including early on in the show for “Shining Star” and a few other selections.

The rest of the awe was reserved for Bailey’s vocals –particularly his high notes on “Devotion” and “Reasons.”

Bailey appeared to be a bit under the weather, and there seemed to be some intention from him in being mindful of singing with that in mind.

But it was as if he wouldn’t allow himself not to give the audience what they came to hear and went for – and

media sculptor Faith Ringgold.

“I was pleasantly surprised at how well the students took to the art project. They were not bustling around. They were excited, but concentrated on their task at hand,” said Precious Grimes, Project Success director and licensed clinical therapist.

This year was the fourth quilting project for Project Success students, according to Pamela Coaxum, GESLCF executive director. Previous quilting classes have been funded through the GESLCF, St. Louis Arts and Education Council and other private donations.

“The purpose of the project was to introduce a little bit about measuring and understanding of how quilts are made,” remarked Coaxum, a longtime quilter. “Students traced hearts from paper templates. They were given three layers that make up a

Christopher Hickey, Eric Connors and Amy Loui.

And as with the Black Rep’s world premiere, Himes will direct the National Black Theatre Festival presentation.

The Black Rep presentation was met with rave reviews and sold-out audiences over its three-week run as part of the company’s 42nd season.

“One of the things that I’m committed to is making sure that we always celebrate the rich canon of literature in African American theater and that we are also adding to it,” Himes said. “I think this will be a very valuable addition to the canon of African American literature for the American stage.”

“Canfield Drive” is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by 651 Arts in partnership with The St. Louis Black Repertory Company, and NPN. The Creation & Development Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the

woefully unrepresented in exhibition space, Nichols said.

“The fact that we don’t have a cultural institution in this city, on the magnitude of some of our other museums and spaces, that is solely dedicated to the culture, the history, the heritage of black people in this city, sometimes is heartbreaking for me,” Nichols said.

As Nichols pursues the fellowship in Boston, her local initiatives, including Food Spark networking for social justice, will go on the back burner. She plans to return to St. Louis after the yearlong fellowship, and sees her work concerning the Griot as a longterm project.

“I’m someone who, when I get fixated on an idea, I just gotta make it happen,” Nichols said. “And so far, I’ve been good at executing on ideas.” Published and edited with permission of St. Louis Public Radio from news. st.louispublicradio.org

reached – his trademark high notes anyway.

The show started and ended on a groove, with the ballads and spiritual songs such as “Write A Song” “Keep Your Head To The Sky” and “After The Love Is Gone” reserved for the middle. They closed out the show with their black family cookout classics “Boogie,” “Let’s Groove” and “September.” For the encore, they opted for the lesser known, but equally funky “In The Stone.”

quilt and traced a heart onto the facing. Then they cut it out and stuck it onto a background square.”

“Edna will take all the squares and sew them into a quilt,” Coaxum said. . “The quilt is expected to be completed by the end of July and later displayed somewhere on the East St. Louis campus.”

“What’s great is that the students get to see their finished project. A lot of these children don’t get to see that, because they are so transient,” said Grimes. “The students’ success in completing the quilt speaks to their ability to be resilient in life, which was the theme of the project.”

“The art project allowed them to be mentally stimulated and focused on a task, which is very important in education,” noted Grimes. “It was therapeutic and educational, and provided an opportunity for socialization.”

National Endowment for the Arts. The play blends hundreds of interviews and first-hand accounts of those directly impacted by and engaged in the unrest and others with a depth of understanding of the historical framework of the region that created the simmering pot of racial tension, systemic racism and subsequent frustration that boiled over on August 9, 2014.

“If ‘riot is the language of the unheard’, this play aims to understand the killing of Michael Brown and the Ferguson protests by hearing the unheard voices and amplifying those stories,” said Walker. We hope this play will serve as a platform for the necessary conversations about race, culture, privilege, history, and healing.”

The Black Rep’s presentation of “Canfield Drive” at the National Black Theatre Festival will run August 1-3 in the SECCA- McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium in WinstonSalem, North Carolina. Tickets are available at www.ncblackrep.org/ or by calling 336-7232266.

De Nichols

Celebrations

Birthdays

Miss Jessie O’Bryant, a resident at Christian Extended Care & Rehabilitation in Florissant, celebrated her 105th birthday on Saturday, July 20, surrounded by family, friends and caregivers. Congratulations on this milestone celebration!

Reunions

yahoo.com or send your questions to P.O. Box 155, Florissant, MO 63032.

Beaumont High School Class Of 1969 will celebrate its 50 year reunion Sept 20-22, 2019 at Embassy Suites St. Charles.. Come join us as we celebrate these golden years, “Living Life Like It’s Golden.” For more information contact Dennis Hayden 314 276-6188 or beaumontclassof1969@

Beaumont High School Class of 1979 is planning its 40 year reunion. All activities are scheduled for the weekend of September 27-29. The location is The Airport Marriot at 10700 Pear Tree Drive, St. Louis 63134. For more information, contact Milton Jackson at 314-2764392 or Yolanda Lockhart at lockhartyo08@gmail.com.

Central All-Class Reunion Weekend will be held August 9-11 2019. Meet and Greet - Friday - Midtown Bar and Grille 5:00pm, Redwing Dance - Saturday - 7:00 pm, Alumni

Happy Birthday to my dad, Exford Parkins, who will celebrate his special day on July 27. Greetings from your children and grandchildren!

Picnic - Sunday - All Class Picture at 3616 Garrison 9:00am. Picnic following picture at St. Louis Place Park/Rauschenbach Park/ For more info: Contact Harri-o Jackson at 314-226-6332 or Phill Berry at 314-243-1927, St.louisheat52@yahoo.com.

Cole School Alumni Fourth Annual Cute and Casual Dinner Dance

“An Old Fashioned Big Show Reunion” Featuring: The Pure Image Band with songstress Carolyn Munson. Date: Sunday August 25, 2019, 3:00-7:00 p.m at Infinite Occasions Conference and Banquet Center, 3515 North Lindbergh (across from

Happy Birthday Bryleigh J. Staten, who turns 2 years old on July 25! May your day be filled with God’s favor on your life as you grow, may He bless you and keep you in perfect health. Our wish for you is that as you grow older that you be a blessing to others as you have been to us and trust God. Love you!

Granny Kenya & Grandpa Johnny

Northwest Plaza, St. Ann, MO 63074

Kinloch Class of 1969 is planning its 50th year reunion on August 21, 22 and 23. Dinner dance at Orlandos, 2050 Dorsett Village Plaza. For information call Ruben at 314-239-5202 or Ophelia at 314-280-6596. Classmates please respond by April 2019.

Northwest Class of 1979 is planning on cruising for our 40th class reunion and would love for you to join us! Date to sail is set for July 20, 2019 and you can feel free to contact: Duane Daniels at 314-568-2057 or Howard Day at 414-698-4261 for further information. Please don’t miss

Soldan is having its 14th All-Class Alumni Picnic, August 17, 2019, at Tiemeyer Park, 3311 Ashby Rd., St. Ann, MO 63074 from 10 am-6 pm. Bring your own basket or grill out there. Food trucks will be present. T-Shirts are $15—get your grad year on your t-shirt before August 3, 2019. For more information call: (314) 413-9088.

Soldan Class of 1974 Alumni Association is planning its 45-year reunion. Please get your contact information to dhblackjack@charter.net or call 314-749-3803.

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

St.

If you’d

Swag Snap of the Week

RIP Quinton Jackson. Man, I really don’t have the words to express how much I hate kicking off Partyline with an in memoriam. And to make matters worse, it always seems like I’m saying goodbye to folks who are so young, impactful and with so much to give that are gone too soon. Such is the case with Quinton Jackson of BPLR clothing. Q’s sudden passing Wednesday night still has me stunned. He was always everywhere with the biggest smile on his face and repped his beloved Phi Beta Sigma and BPLR to the fullest. His passion for his family, community and educating our youth should be a model for everyone to follow. Prayers up for Tony J. I wish I could just get on with my regularly scheduled programming, but I have to send out love and prayers to former St. Louis radio personality Tony J. For the sake of his privacy, I won’t go into specifics except to say that he is battling a health crisis that will require prayer warriors – and financial support for mounting medical costs. Tony J. is one of a kind with his “Trafffficccckkkkk” report and “bia bia check” during the Q 95.5 days. And he always went above and beyond in supporting the community with his Traffic Music Awards. There will be a fundraiser for him on Tuesday, July 30 at the LaRose Room (2723 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive) from 7 – 11 p.m. Stop through and show your support if you can. Tony J. is a class act –eager to reach out and lend a hand to rising radio personalities. What I love most about him is that he shows love to everybody, regardless of whether they were at competing stations or competing events or whatever. Let’s show him some love -and show him that his hilarity during his time on air and his continued support for the St. Louis music and entertainment scene is appreciated. Another win for Earth, Wind and Fire. Listen, I know it seems like Earth, Wind and Fire is in town all the time. I don’t care if it’s EWF overload for some of y’all that I continue to report on it. I promise, with the type of show that they put on, they could come through every week and it would be in Partyline each time. You can think I’m playing if you want to! Anyway, I was a wreck when Philip Bailey took the stage Sunday at Stifel Theatre and looked under the weather. I was like please Lord don’t let him serve me Frankie Beverly scratchy vocals because of whatever ailment he is suffering through. I don’t know why I bothered wor-

By Delores Shante dshante@stlamerican.com

by V. Lang

rying. Now he wasn’t prime, pristine Philip. But he gave me every high note I needed to let me know that he is a soldier! The entire band and the whole concert was life. Verdine was whipping that hair and slapping that bass for life in that bedazzled bellbottom get up. He is so extra – and everything to me. The thing that I love most about the shows, which probably has EWF founder Maurice White smiling from heaven, is the diversity that happens in the audience every time they come to our town – or anywhere else. It shows that music is not only an equalizer, but a unifier!

BPV bursting at the seams for Bone. I have been going to Ballpark Village for as its been around – and I must say that Sunday night’s Bone Thugs-n-Harmony show was one of the most packed that I have ever seen. I was handling some business downtown just before 5 p.m. and folks were already lined up, looking like they had been there for a while. Shout to Phil Assets 100.3 The Beat and whoever else was involved in bring that show, because they snagged a big win! I’m not saying I’m surprised Bone pulled a crowd, but this crowd was something else. And the crazy thing is that it was a truly blended crowd as far as the ethnic makeup. And it was so packed that the A/C couldn’t handle it. I was as hot as when I went to Frizz Fest, which I’ll get to in a minute. The crowd was so into the show that they sang along to every single word – I did not realize until the show they did at the Pageant that Bone had such a strong general population following, but this show set that fact in stone. Becky, Bruce and Chad were singing along to “1st of Tha Month” like they could really relate

and

to getting government assistance. Perhaps they could. At any rate, it was a great show once it finally got started. As usual, Bone reminded the folks that they have collabed with the biggest names in hip-hop over their 25-plus years in the game. Was anybody else a nervous wreck that Krayzie Bone was going to tumble off of that stage during his little dance sequence finale?

Hot fun at Frizz Fest. Listen, if you weren’t team natural when you stepped up in 3rd Annual Frizz Fest Saturday afternoon in Tower Grove Park, you were when you left! That heat and humidity had me trying to create a blueprint for a backpack A/C unit. But the heat advisory didn’t deter the folks from coming out to celebrate their kinks, coils, curls, twists, locks and fros. I was shocked by how packed it was. And the vendors had something for all types of natural beauties – from hair, makeup, jewelry, fashion and accessories. It was a beautiful thing – and seems to be getting bigger every year. Shout out to Miss Frizzy and all the folks who made it happen.

AfroSexyHot. Speaking of natural hair and heat, the air was out at Sophie’s for the latest installment of James Biko’s AfroSexyCool – so I technically can’t call it by its true name. But the heat didn’t stop that party. Honey, the folks said, “I can’t worry about getting any pit stains because of this here groove!” It was a piping hot house party on the second floor of the .Zack building Saturday night. They were dancing and carrying on like they were oblivious to us being in a lowkey sauna, and I am not the least bit mad. What else could you do, considering Biko’s skills on the wheels of steel?

Showcasing the creatives at AMP. Shout out to Seals Brock for once again bringing us Art, Mimosas and Pancakes (better known as AMP) with a grouping of fresh young artists – many of whom I hadn’t seen before. I did run into Alvin J. Lewis and Sean Alexander, who I meet back when ARTC was presenting their Frist Friday sets. Most of First Friday crew has been laying low since they phased out their event – which made it all the more impressive to see Brock and his team representing for the STL creatives.

Photos

Afua can mark an item off of her bucket list after meeting Verdine White, bassist and co-founding member of the legendary band Earth, Wind and Fire, following the band’s phenomenal performance Sunday night at Stifel Theatre.

Class was in session as performance artist Martel sharpened his lyrics during author Brandon Alexander Williams’ writing workshop @ UrbArts Sunday.

Armani and Dre hanging backstage at the Pageant Saturday for Summerbash ‘19

Alnedria, Karlin, Dre and Latoyia were in full kickback mode waiting for Bone to take the stage Sunday @ BPV.

Sharina was excited to snag a photo with Flesh-n-Bone Sunday @ Ballpark Village.

FrizzFest was once again a team effort as Ricky and Valarie supported Leslie “Frizzy” Hughes for the 3rd installment of the natural hair celebration Saturday @ Tower Grove Park.

STL rapper DaVyne Truth and fatherson dance duo Maurice Maurice opened up for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Sunday @BPV.

@CLEOJONES @IBEJAMESBIKO

@DJRICOSTEEZ rocked the crowd for another AfroSexyCool set Saturday @ Sophie’s.

Chanese, Kea, Kourtney and China posted up @ The Ready Room for Unfriendly Black Hottie Friday night.

Freddie and Chef Maurice met rising rap starlet LightSkinKeisha backstage @ The Pageant before her set @ Summerat the Pageant Saturday.

Seals Brock was back @ Mad Art Gallery Saturday for Art Mimosas and Pancakes 2019 with David Traci and Monica on deck to support the vision.