June 23rd, 2016 Edition

Swinging at MathewsDickey

Coltrane Stallings took a swing at the Children at the Center event hosted by The Deaconess Foundation recently at the Matthew-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club in North St. Louis.

Fowler awarded for broadcast journalism

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

From North STL to London

Room13Delmar connects local youth artists with peers in England

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

Anaijiah Knox, 10, tried to quiet her doubts as she stepped on the plane to London on June 3.

“I was nervous about meeting the other kids,” said Knox, who lives in the Renaissance Place at Grand neighborhood. “What if I don’t fit in?” Knox and her friend Laiyla Johnson, 11, are members of Room13Delmar, an afterschool art studio at the Renaissance Place at Grand’s community building in North City. For the two years that Knox has attended the studio’s Monday gatherings, she’s heard about Room13Harclive in Bristol, England – where the studio’s founder Ilene Berman first got the inspiration.

n “There are so many kids who are alone, and Room13 can bring kids together.”

– Laiyla Johnson

While St. Louisbased sculptor Berman and her family were living in Bristol for one year, she volunteered at the student-run Room13Harclive art studio, which is inside Harclive Primary School and funded through grants and donations. This year, Berman decided that these two worlds needed to collide, and she raised funds for Knox and Johnson to

Knox, 10 and a Room13Delmar art studio member, traveled to London on June 3 to meet with other Room13 members.

Thurmon recognized as hero

Bradley

twists of fate shaped this particular day. Against the judgment of her mother, Terry Wallace, Thurmon ventured off to the public pool in Marquette Park in South City.

“I told her she wasn’t allowed to leave my house, but she left anyway,” Wallace said. Once Thurmon arrived at the pool, there were issues with her registration. “They kept trying

Ethnic media discuss hate speech

New America Media hosts panel at investigative journalism conference

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

NEW ORLEANS – Minhaj Hasan offered dramatic new evidence of hate speech in the United States during a panel discussion of hate speech and ethnic media organized by New America Media at the 2016 Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference held June 16-19 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hasan is editor in chief of The Muslim Link, a

11-year-old girl saved Dutchess Brand from drowning at city pool See SPEECH,

Anaijiah

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Photo by Erika N. WIlson

Andrew Fowler is now a video producer for Insider, an online lifestyle journalism venue in the “Business Insider” brand family, based in New York.

Michael Jackson’s estate blasts rumors of alleged porn collection

Radar Online posted an 88-page police report Tuesday (June 21) that appears to be from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department in 2005 revealing disturbing and graphic details of Michael Jackson’s pornography collection, seven years after the singer’s death.

The Estate of Michael Jackson blasts the news report as false.

“Seven years ago this coming Saturday, the world lost an amazing artist and humanitarian devoted to helping children in need in all corners of the world. Michael Jackson’s fans, including the Executors of his estate, prefer to remember the wonderful gifts Michael left behind instead of having to once again see his good name dragged through the mud by tabloid trash.”

A rep for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department told Billboard.com that the documents obtained by Radar

Online appear to mix actual official reports with unsourced content from the internet.

“Some of the documents appear to be copies of reports that were authored by Sheriff’s Office personnel as well as evidentiary photographs taken by Sheriff’s Office personnel interspersed with content that appears to be obtained off the internet or through unknown sources,” said the rep.

Gladys Knight distances herself from restaurant raid

and his business partners will rectify the situation. As always, her main concern is for her family’s well-being and she is making sure the family has the guidance they need to assess the situation and move forward.”

Did Kenya Moore meltdown after chop from celeb cooking show?

On Tuesday, all three Gladys Chicken and Waffles restaurants in Atlanta were shut down after a raid by the Georgia Bureau of Revenue. A felony arrest warrant was issued for the owner, Gladys Knight’s son, Shanga Hankerson Knight wants the world to know she had no part in the scandal.

“Gladys Knight lent her name to her son’s restaurants in the Atlanta area, similar to a celebrity endorsement,” reps for the singer told WSBTV. “Ms. Knight was not involved in any way with the operation of the restaurants and

Insiders have revealed to several celebrity news and gossip sites claim that “Real Housewives of Atlanta” co-star Kenya Moore caused chaos on the set of Food Network’s reality show, Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition. The ninth season of Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition has been filming in New York City and Moore was said to have had a meltdown on set when she was eliminated after the first episode.

Insiders said she held up production on the series for two hours after refusing to leave the set, declaring: “I’m calling my agents and they better fix this [expletive]” while stomping around.

wearing an inappropriate wardrobe and six-inch stilettos in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Moore denies the rumors regarding the meltdown.

“It’s mostly made up. Yes, I had on six inch heels. I cooked fish. But the temper tantrum?... That’s not me,” she told Atlanta’s V 103 FM. “I’m not gonna do that. That’s unprofessional. I think people just love to put out crazy stories because people will believe them so they can get clicks.”

Moore was outraged that the show’s judges –

celebrity chefs Anne Burrell and Rachael Ray - sent her home early for preparing what they called “an overcooked piece of fish.”

Evelyn Braxton approves of Toni’s alleged boo

For the past few months, there have been rumors that Toni Braxton and Cash Money CEO Bryan “Birdman” Williams are a couple. Toni’s mother, Evelyn Braxton, told Rickey Smiley Morning Show co-host Headcrack that she hopes the rumors are true.

“I think he is a nice man. I don’t care what others

Was it suicide by hanging – or not?

By Rebecca Rivas

Louis American

Of The St.

Hugging and crying together, the family members of Cordney Buck, 30, met in front of the St. Louis County Justice Center on June 14 demanding answers about Buck’s reported suicide in his cell on May 2.

“Nothing anyone can say or do can will bring my son back,” said his mother Cynthia Buck, who had a stroke after learning about his death, “but at least a change in policy may prevent another mother from feeling as insigniicant and alone as I felt.”

Buck said the Clayton Police Department has not kept the family informed of the investigation, and the lack of transparency breeds mistrust in the community. The family also questioned why they were not able to see his body until a day before his funeral on May 12.

Police completed their investigation into his death on June 15 and concluded that Cordney died of fatal asphyxiation, according to the police report obtain by The St. Louis American However, public oficials’ statements to The American about Cordney’s death seem in conlict with one another.

On May 2, Cordney attended a court hearing where he waived extradition – meaning he agreed to be transferred to Illinois to face charges for the warrant. At approximately 10 a.m. on May 2, a corrections oficer brought him back to his cell on the 8th loor, which also includes solitary coninement, said Justice Center Director Herbert Bernsen. Cordney was not in solitary coninement but was alone in the cell, Bernsen said.

At 10:32 a.m., Corrections Oficer Danielle Smooth found him “faintly breathing” on the ground with a brown towel wrapped around his neck, according to the report. Medical personnel were not able to revive him.

n Corrections oficial and medical examiner initially differed on how Cordney Buck died

On April 29, Maryland Heights police oficers arrested Cordney at the St. Louis Bread Co. in West Port Plaza, where he allegedly crawled into a stall of the restaurant’s women’s restroom while someone was using it, according to the Post-Dispatch. Prosecutors had not yet iled charges in the case at the time of his death.

The Justice Center held him because of a warrant out of Collinsville for failing to register as a sex offender, said Lt. Mark Smith, of Clayton Police.

The family’s attorney, Jerryl Christmas, said his charges are not what the family questions but how he died and how he was treated in the Justice Center.

Medical examiner Mary Case completed her autopsy report on June 7, she told The American, and declared that it was a “hanging.”

The towel cut off the circulation of the blood to the brain, she said.

However, Bernsen told The American that it was not a hanging because there was no place he could have hung the towel – and he was found on the loor. It appeared that he strangled himself with the towel, which all inmates are given, Bernsen said.

“We have taken measures to reduce the possibilities to attach anything to hang,” he said. “We’ve changed all the vents so you cannot fasten anything to them. We’ve removed all the shelves so people can’t hang from shelves.”

The American questioned Case again about her conclusion and she said, “That was not the information I was given.”

She also said that if he strangled himself, there would have been marks on his neck.

“There were no marks,” she said.

Smith of Clayton Police said that the towel was wet, which would have helped him tighten the towel.

“He may have pulled at both ends around his neck,” Smith said.

Christmas said that would be highly

unlikely, because Cordney would have passed out before the situation became fatal.

Correction oficers who responded stated that the towel around his neck was “dificult to remove,” according to the report.

Case also found small contusions or bruises on the back of his head, as well as on the right temporal lobe, according to the report.

“She believed those contusions may have been the result of [Cordney] falling to the loor and striking his head once he became unconscious from the lack of oxygen circulating to his brain,” the report stated.

Bernsen said there are no video cameras in the area where Cordney was being held, and few cameras in the facility are meant for recording. Most are for security guards to view who is coming into an area before granted permission, he said.

Smith said that there were no inmates who could have seen him because the only way to look into his cell is through a window. Police interviewed one inmate who heard Cordney “making unusual statements” on the way to his court hearing, Smith said, and a corrections oficer heard the remarks as well.

According to the report, Cordney did not want to leave his cell for the hearing because he wanted to “speak with God.” He also made statements such as “God is with us” before being placed back in his cell.

Christmas said that those statements could have meant that Cordney simply wanted to pray, not commit suicide. When he arrived at the Justice Center on April 30, nurses assessed that he did not have a history of mental illness and he refused psychiatric care. He has no history of suicide cautions in his previous incarcerations, the report stated.

Both Smith and Bernsen said they had no knowledge of any altercation between Cordney and the guards.

However, after Cordney’s death, the family received a phone message from an inmate who said that Cordney did have a confrontation with a guard over a cigarette. Christmas said that he has not been able to get in touch with the 20-year-old since he left the message. The message also said that the incident occurred on the fourth loor, and Cordney was then moved to the eighth loor into solitary coninement.

The American also reached out to the man and has not received a response.

Both Smith and Bernsen said that there is no record of Cordney being on the fourth loor. Bernsen said that he was put into a cell on the eighth loor 12 hours after arrived at the justice center and remained there.

However, Christmas asked, “Why would he be sent directly to the 8th loor when he arrived?”

After The American’s reporting had uncovered the discrepancy between the medical examiner’s and the correc-

tions director’s respective explanations of Buck’s death, the Clayton Police Department amended its investigative report and sent the new version to The American. The new version stated that “based on the entire investigative report and other information she received today,” the medical examiner “amended the Cause of Death to read: Neck Compression by Cloth Ligature (towel). The manner of death remains a suicide.”

Grieving family

“He was a father,” said Brandi Beaver, Buck’s sister, at the June 14 press conference. “He had two kids. His kids were his world. There is no way he would leave them.”

Beaver said that Buck was the glue that held the family together, and suicide was out of character for him. Beaver remembers the day that her mother received the phone call from Bernsen while she was at work.

“She was barely making it through the tears to tell me,” she said. “One of her co-workers had to take the phone and tell me what happened. This was the hardest day of my life.”

Cynthia said that receiving the news via phone was “extremely impersonal.”

“I ind it downright unacceptable,” she said. “If I had been driving when I received the call, I may have had an accident.”

Bernsen said that he relayed his regret to Cynthia that her son died in their custody.

“I know it’s not ideal, but my concern is that I don’t want the family to ind out from another source, like an inmate or media,” he said. “I’m willing to try to work out a solution that would be better – that would be timely and in person.”

The family also didn’t understand why they could not see Cordney’s body until almost two weeks after he died.

Bernsen said when there is an investigation, the body goes straight to the medical examiner. It would be dificult for the facility to arrange security for the family to view the body before that happens, he said. The medical examiner’s ofice is not a viewing facility, Case said. Even if they need someone to identify a body, then they only show the deceased on a monitor, not in person.

Christmas said he plans to meet with the family about the report’s inding.

“Something just doesn’t add up,” he said.

Follow this reporter on Twitter @ RebeccaRivas.

Photo by Michael Hart

Brandi Beaver - the sister of Cordney Buck who died while in custody at the St. Louis County Justice Center on May 2 - grieved with their mother, Cynthia Buck, during a press conference on June 14.

Editorial /CommEntary

Who’s

afraid

of Donald Trump? Not us

The St. Louis American was fortunate and honored to be included on a panel discussion of hate speech and ethnic media organized by New America Media at the 2016 Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference held June 16-19 in New Orleans. Sandy Close, executive editor and director of New America Media, organized the panel in the context of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign – and, more specifically, the rise of Donald Trump to secure the Republican nomination. Trump has singled out Muslims and Mexicans in direct attacks, calling for a ban on Muslim immigration into the United States and mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. The real estate developer-turned-demagogue has described Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and said as president he would build a wall along the Mexican-U.S. border.

Close – who does as much as anyone in this country to promote the value of ethnic media, including this newspaper – said she organized the panel as a challenge for mainstream investigative journalists attending the conference to cover the impact of Trump’s hate speech on ethnic communities. As she told the audience assembled for the panel, to have extreme degrees of ignorance and hatred broadcast from that high –from a major party’s presidential nominee – has an impact on the ethnic populations targeted by Trump, and ethnic media should not be alone in covering the damage he has been doing.

Two of the panelists ably illustrated Close’s premise. Minhaj Hasan, the editor in chief of The Muslim Link, a monthly publication based in Washington, D.C., said, “There is a different environment for Muslims in this country, and it is getting worse.” He pointed out that hate crimes against Muslims in the United States are indeed influenced by American politics, precisely as Close suggested. And Juan Esparza Loera, editor of Vida en el Valle, a weekly Latino newspaper based in Fresno, California, said that the “hatred” toward Mexican immigrants expressed by Trump and his supporters – and the threat of mass deportations, in the event of Trump’s election –has left many undocumented immigrants “shaken with fear.”

While granting all of this to be true, important, disturbing and essential to report as widely as possible, we adopted a different stance when given our opportunity to speak, which we will reprise here. Donald Trump is a bully, and like any bully, he chooses targets that he presumes to be weak. While undocumented immigrants are vital to our economy – there about 11.3 million, roughly half of them Mexican – they are politically powerless. When Trump attacks them verbally, he knows that he is attacking a group of people who cannot identify themselves publicly for fear of being deported (even under the present, relatively reasonable administration). And, of course, they can’t vote in this country. When Trump verbally attacks Muslims, he also knows he is attacking a tiny minority – there are an estimated 3.3 million Muslims of all ages

in the United States, or about 1 percent of the national population. Needless to say, Muslims in this country have been widely profiled and vilified since 9/11 – they were under routine suspicion and attack before Trump’s campaign.

We, however, represent African Americans, especially those in St. Louis. While Trump, an early birther who sought to de-legitimize Barack Obama, has made a few patronizing and offensive remarks about blacks during his campaign – for example, using the phrase “my African American” to describe a black man at one of his rallies – we have not seen him blast black people with the full force of his ignorance and hatred. Black people do indeed fear the possibility of a Trump presidency, but have not been the targets of his direct bullying pronouncements recently. Indeed, speaking from an empowered black community in St. Louis that feels its strength more than ever after Ferguson, we would like to see how much Trump and his campaign would suffer if he turned on black people the way he has turned on undocumented immigrants and Muslims.

Two of our fellow panelists made important points that put the Trump campaign, for all its bullying hatefulness, into perspective. Jenise Morgan, senior editor of Florida Courier, a black weekly based in Tampa, Florida, said that by the sheer force of changing demographics, Trump will not prevail. “Minorities will soon be the new majority in this country,” she said. Blatant white racists like Trump and his supporters are the new American minority, and minorities without allies – of which Trump has fewer every time he opens his mouth – lose elections. Loera made a similar point, based on the electoral power of Latinos and other minorities. He described the “Pete Wilson effect,” also known as the “Prop 187 effect,” named after the anti-immigrant ballot proposition in California and the governor who pushed it. “They passed the proposition,” Loera said, “but, in the end, it was bad for the Republican Party.” A new Washington Post-ABC News poll, whose results were published while we were in New Orleans for the conference, reported that 70 percent of Americans had an unfavorable view of Trump, and a majority (56 percent) hold this view “strongly.” That’s very bad for the Republican Party.

It’s impossible to ignore Donald Trump or the damage he is doing to the communities he targets with his bigotry and hatred – and, by extension, the entire nation. It is necessary and important to rise in defense of those embattled communities, whose struggles to be treated fairly in this country have been worsened by this Trumpedup version of the Republican Party. But Trump is doing even worse damage to the electoral prospects of the Republican Party, which already neglected or opposed ethnic communities, though more subtly. We are not afraid of Donald Trump, because justice – and the reality and ineluctable force of demographics – are on our side in this fight.

Commentary

Assault weapons must be banned

The only reasonable response to the massacre in Orlando is to ban the sale of military-style assault weapons. All else, I’m afraid, is just noise. If this ensconces me in an ideological corner, I’m fine with that. If it insults the Constitution, so be it – any other response would do far greater harm to our freedoms. Or we could argue for a while and then do nothing. We’ve tried that course of action many times, and it doesn’t work.

An Islamic State sympathizer was able to go into a gun store and buy both a pistol and an AR-15-style semiautomatic assault rifle, which he used to kill 49 men and women at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Had he been armed with the pistol alone, he still would have killed people – but not so many. Keeping military-grade combat weapons out of the hands of maniacs should not be a controversial idea.

The Second Amendment enshrines the right to keep and bear arms, and the Supreme Court has ruled that this is an individual right, not a collective one. The court has made clear, however, that this does not preclude reasonable gun control measures. Not all weapons must be considered suitable for private hands. When the framers wrote of “arms,” they were thinking about muskets and singleshot pistols. They could not have foreseen modern rifles or high-capacity magazines. They lived at a time when it was impossible to imagine one man barging into a crowded room and killing more than

one or two people before having to reload and surely being subdued. Today it is not only imaginable but tragically commonplace.

No hunter needs an AR-15 to bring down a deer. None of us needs such a weapon to defend our families against intruders. And for those who believe assault rifles offer protection against a tyrannical government, I have sobering news: If and when the black helicopters come, they will be accompanied by tanks. Why focus exclusively on the guns? Because other proposed solutions would violate the letter and spirit of the Constitution – and surely wouldn’t work anyway. One of the presidential candidates has suggested a ban on Muslim immigration. The idea would be laughable if it were not so dangerously un-American. First, it would be useless. The Orlando murderer – I don’t want to use his name – was born not overseas but in New York, just like the presidential candidate in question. And in the San Bernardino killing spree, also inspired by the Islamic State, the wife was an immigrant but the husband was born in the United States. The self-radicalization of American citizens is not going to be solved by banning all believers in Islam from entry. Which would be impossible,

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Fighting black unemployment

By Michael P. McMillan For The St. Louis American

Despite our advances as a country, young men of color continue to face significant challenges. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2014 black men over the age of 20 had an unemployment rate of 10.9 percent compared to 4.4 percent for white males. In urban metropolitan areas, the rates were even higher: 16.6 percent for black males in St. Louis, 17.2 percent in Chicago and 19.1 percent in Birmingham.

Compounded with the fact that black men often face higher mortality, incarceration rates and lower household income, we have a continuing crisis in the African-American community.

At the time of Michael Brown Jr.’s killing, unemployment was at crisis levels. In Missouri, black unemployment was 15.7 percent in the fall of 2014triple the state’s 4.5 percent white unemployment rate at the time. The National Urban League’s 2014 State of Black America report featured the St. Louis area as having a seven percent equality index in terms of social justice compared to the national index of 18 percent.

According to the East West Gateway Council of

Governments, St. Louis was listed as the sixth most segregated city in the United States amongst its peer cities in terms of education, health, labor market and wealth. With these factors in mind, there is little wonder why Ferguson became the powder keg that sparked demonstrations against police brutality nationwide.

The National Urban League is often viewed as the first responder to any crisis in the black community. In Ferguson, the St. Louis affiliate immediately began to operate in this role to meet the needs

n The Save Our Sons Workforce Development Program had a 99 percent success rate in 2015 among men who were previously unemployed or underemployed.

of the Ferguson population and its surrounding counties. While we distributed food, toiletries and utility assistance, we also focused on the prevailing needs of the people for jobs.

Hence, from the civil unrest, the Save Our Sons Workforce Development Program (SOS) was born. Entirely funded by private and corporate dollars, the SOS program focused on helping African-American men living in Ferguson and St. Louis County to find viable

Letters to the editor

Hope in the face of hate

Like all caring Americans, I am deeply grieved by the senseless terror attack that took place in Orlando. Now is the time to actively purge our society of spiteful rhetoric and hasten toward what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called the “beloved community,” where all can be safe and live in peaceful coexistence with our brethren of different nationalities, faiths and gender identities.

of course. I suppose immigration officers could ask every foreign visitor whether he or she is a Muslim, but then what? If the answer is no, wave them through? Stop them for further questioning if they “look” Muslim, whatever that means? Don’t you think Islamic State operatives might be smart enough to have Bibles in their carry-on rather than Qurans?

Attempting such a prohibition would also be obscene in a nation that enshrines religious freedom in the First Amendment.

Another possible response would involve more vigilant surveillance. By all means, Congress should immediately ban gun sales to anyone on such a watch list. But that wouldn’t have helped in Orlando. No level of surveillance remotely permissible under the Constitution would allow authorities to detect all instances of self-radicalization and act on them. We put people in jail for what they do, not what they think. Should there be universal background checks for gun purchases? Yes, of course. But the Orlando killer passed a background check. It is not possible to have a free society without the presumption of innocence.

Freedom is possible, however, without the right to buy military weapons designed for killing sprees. Banning them would not end mass killings, but it would mean fewer deaths. If we do not act, the blood of future victims will be on all of our hands.

If our nation is to heal, we must all exhibit acts of unity – this is our collective responsibility. I am proud that Harris-Stowe students took a public stand toward that goal. Students led a vigil at which we called for peace and pledged solidarity with members of the LGBTQIA community, our Latino brothers and sisters, and all those in Orlando and around the world who believe that love conquers hate and that good will always triumph over evil. Our campus is welcoming and accepting. We encourage ongoing, healthy dialogue to foster understanding between a diversity of voices.

While we continue to grapple with the aftermath of this tragedy, we pray for peace and try to find hope in the face of hate.

Dwaun J. Warmack, president Harris-Stowe State University St. Louis

Veto – or violence will increase

Dear Governor Nixon,

As the representative of over 6,400 law enforcement officers across the state of Missouri, I am imploring you to veto SB656.

We are staunch supporters of the 2nd amendment. We feel, however, that the enactment of SB 656 – specifically, the allowance of giving anyone not currently prohibited from possessing a firearm the ability to carry a concealed firearm without a permit – will cost not only citizen lives, but will also be extremely dangerous to law enforcement officers.

We support the right for citizens to carry concealed

employment. In January 2015, the program began, and since that date, we have helped 200 men find and maintain jobs. SOS offers four major tenets of its four-week workforce education program: how to find a job; how to keep a job; how to get promoted; and how to remain marketable in the workplace.

We are proud to report that the program had a 99 percent success rate in 2015 among men who were previously unemployed or underemployed. It is also important to note that 55 percent of our SOS participants had prior felony convictions. Additionally, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis will soon open a Community Empowerment Center of Ferguson to house the Save Our Sons program, along with four social service organizations that will offer empowering services to the St. Louis area.

While we are thrilled with the success of SOS and other upcoming programs, we believe that programs such as SOS can be scaled across other National Urban League affiliates and across the nation to significantly lower the unemployment rates of black men in our communities and strengthen African-American families as a whole. For more information or to enroll in the Save Our Sons program, please call 314-3889840 or 314-679-3500 McMillan is president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

weapons – those who have had the training and education, mandated by state law, and comply with all of the requirements necessary to secure a concealed carry permit. SB 656 would allow anyone not currently prohibited by state or federal law to possess a firearm, to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

This is an extreme concern to us across Missouri, but particularly so in the urban areas of our state. We have a severe gun violence problem in St. Louis and Kansas City. Enactment of SB 656 will allow any non-felony convicted person (which includes suspended imposition of sentence verdicts) to carry concealed weapons with impunity.

You will hear arguments that “criminals will carry guns, regardless of laws.” I agree with that. However, we can currently charge those who we arrest with violation of the current statute. We do that

and the courts convict them. If SB656 becomes law, we can no longer take guns out of the hands of violent persons. Gun violence will increase.

Please show your support to the citizens of Missouri and Missouri law enforcement officers by vetoing SB 656. Kevin Ahlbrand, president Missouri Fraternal Order of Police, St. Louis

Policing panhandlers

It is disappointing that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is targeting panhandlers when there are real public safety issues facing the city of St. Louis. We all have first amendment rights, including the most vulnerable among us. Let’s get to work on policing that actually keeps our communities safer.

Jeffrey Mittman, executive director ACLU of Missouri

Guest Columnist Michael P. McMillan

Columnist Eugene Robinson

Omega Psi Phi awards scholarships

Clay Job Fair set for June 2

U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay will present his 11th Annual Career Fair from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, June 27 at Harris-Stowe State University’s Emerson Physical Education & Performing Arts Center, 3026 Laclede Ave. Clay said it will feature over 100 employers seeking to fill over 1,000 current job openings. Employers on tap include Ameren; the Boeing Company; Express Scripts; BJC Healthcare Systems; Charter Spectrum; World Wide Technology; iHeart Radio; CBS Radio; Emmis Communications; Radio One; Centene Corporation; Wells Fargo Advisors; Lodging Hospitality Management; Launch Code; Lumiere Place; Hollywood

Casino; PNC Bank; the U.S. Postal Service; and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management will provide a one-stop shop for interested job seekers to apply for thousands of federal jobs worldwide, and the Veterans Administration will also offer assistance to veterans transitioning back to civilian life.

“Last year, over 5,000 job seekers attended,” Clay said. “I would advise guests to arrive early, dress for success and have your resumes ready.”

For more information, please call 314-367-1970.

‘Walk the Wharf’ on Thursdays

Great Rivers Greenway, in partnership with CityArchRiver, Downtown STL and STLBlues.net, is bringing entertainment, food trucks and other activities to the transformed St. Louis riverfront. Every Thursday through July 28, “Walk to the Wharf” will be held along the recently reopened riverfront on Leonor K. Sullivan

Boulevard from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

For detailed driving directions and parking information, visit http://greatriversgreenway.org/your-new-riverfront-isopen/. For the complete band and food truck lineup, visit www. GreatRiversGreenway.org.

St. Louis needs a Crime Prevention Fund

By Comptroller Darlene Green Guest columnist

n The city must find innovative ways to fund its critical public safety needs.

throughout the region as partners, both public and private, to fight violent crimes. The timing couldn’t be better for making the case for a Crime Prevention Fund. The city budget allocations are already dedicated to infrastructure, police, fire and community-building. Because downtown St. Louis is a regional asset, the new fund will have its own dedicated source of revenue that flows from throughout the region. Let’s do it!

Darlene Green

The St. Louis Graduate Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Upsilon Omega Chapter Foundation awarded 16 $1000 scholarships to college-bound seniors. The students are: Cordell Billups, Justin Brown, Jordan Butler, Tiara Coleman, Alexis Cushon, Sierra Downing, Zoe Griffin, Christopher Harris, Aunjanee Irvin, Carnell Kinnie, Chamaya StewardMoore, Michael Parks, Tamera Shelton, Nile Trice, Ronald Walter and Travaughn Watson.

LONDON

Continued from A1

make the eight-day trip.

Both Knox and Johnson are the first ones in their immediate families to leave the country. Once Knox arrived at the Bristol studio, she said, she felt like she was home.

“It was so amazing,” Johnson said of the Bristol studio. “You can create whatever you want, and so many kids come and go.”

Everywhere you look, you see art projects in progress, she said. The students initiate what they want to work on, not the adults. Students also run a store to raise money for the studio’s supplies.

The big difference between the two studios is that Bristol has a designated room in an elementary school, said Erika N. Wilson, coordinator of the Renaissance Place community building, who also went on the trip. There, the students do nothing but art projects, and they can access it daily during the school day. At Renaissance Place, the pop-up studio is only open every Monday.

Wilson was impressed with the fact that the Bristol studio is fully student-run. The older

FOWLER

Continued from A1

students serve as the board of directors, and the younger students have management roles as well. In fact, when they introduced themselves, Wilson

video producer for Insider, an online lifestyle journalism venue in the Business Insider brand family.

“It’s my job to find human interest stories, people that will go viral in some way,” Fowler said. “On a typical day I’m looking for stories, anything with a human interest angle, contacting people, and finding a way to get their footage or shoot footage if needed.”

Unusual for a first full-time staff position, he is a one-man shop for his stories.

“I have a couple of editors I report to,” Fowler said. “They approve a project before I get too far into it, and look at it when it’s done and make suggestions, but a lot of it happens in my head.”

The place to view his current work is the Insider People page on Facebook.

For someone with a graduate degree from a prestigious journalism school and a job at Business Insider, Fowler was surprised to find that his high school and college internships with The St. Louis American, a community weekly in his hometown,

said, they would also state their titles.

“They have meetings and positions,” she said. “It helps move the mission forward. It

prepared him well.

means a lot to them.”

Knox noticed that the art projects are different. Bristol does more portraits, while the Delmar studio does more spray

“The parallels are obvious,” Fowler said. “I learned my basic reporting skills doing human interest stories at The American, which is essentially what I focus on solely now. Knowing what questions to ask in an interview to reveal how people feel is something I learned at The St. Louis American before I went to journalism school.”

Though Fowler did considerable business reporting in graduate school, as well as a major investigative piece on train derailments, his capstone project was a human interest feature, a short documentary produced and directed with his fellow Medill students Yining Zhou and Avinash Chak.

Shot completely in Chicago, “My Muthaland” follows the journey of actress Minita Gandhi. In early 2015 Minita decided to write her first-ever play, a one-woman show about her family, culture and being stuck between two worlds as a secondgeneration, Indian-American woman. Because she had been sexually assaulted during a family visit to India and addresses this on camera, it becomes a documentary about the importance of talking about sexual violence.

“It was a passion project,” Fowler said. “At the initial screening, it was cool to see the reaction. Some people were even brought to tears. I had never worked on something that elicited

painting.

“They’d never done spray painting,” she said.

Knox said one student’s story really stuck with her. The girl’s mother is dying from an incurable illness, she said, and the art studio helps to keep her mind off that reality. One of the students in the St. Louis studio had a similar experience. Her friend, Victoria, lost her mother, and the studio helped her through that hard time.

“It makes her feel better,” she said. “She always tells us that she wants us to treat our parents good because you never know when you’re going to lose them.”

The two studios will now begin an art-making collaboration, Berman said, which will be installed in exhibition spaces in London and in St. Louis early 2017.

“It was important for the artists to meet each other so that the collaboration would be real to them,” she said.

The trip was sponsored by Urban Strategies, which helps facilitate programs at the girls’ community building, McCormack Baron Salazar, which built the 512-apartment Renaissance Place development, Saint Louis University and the Regional Arts Commission.

such an emotional response.”

Room 13 International is an arts project with worldwide outposts that first started at a Scottish grammar school that had canceled its art classes. The children raised money to hire an artist to teach them, and the school let them use Room 13.

Room13Delmar goes beyond just Renaissance Place. Berman also has a mobile studio on a vending tricycle –which she first saw in Bristol –that she takes to neighborhoods north of Delmar.

She said it’s like “a ‘Mary Poppins’ bag that unfolds to create a space for creativity on the sidewalk,” as well as at the Senior Living Apartments of Renaissance Place, Renaissance at Grand Community Building and John Cochran Veterans Administration Medical Center. Johnson said Room13 has created an environment of kids who “stick up for each other” and support each other.

“There are so many kids who are alone, and Room13 can bring kids together,” Johnson said. “There are so many kids who don’t have the opportunity that we are having. Room13 can help bring kids together by being creative.”

Follow this reporter on Twitter @rebeccarivas.

Fowler was corrected on this point. In fact, he wrote a story from The St. Louis American that reduced some readers to tears. When an 18-year-old student on winter break following his first semester as a college freshman, Fowler spent the day after Christmas 2009 with exoneree Darryl Burton and his grown daughter, Tynesha Lee. Burton had been released from prison after being incarcerated for 24 years for a murder he did not commit.

Fowler was there when Burton had the first opportunity to give his 26-year-old daughter a Barbie doll for Christmas. His story about their bond was so powerful that it went on to win a national journalism award. The National Newspaper Association, a trade group for community newspapers, awarded it as the Best Feature Story for all large weeklies in the nation published in 2009. Fowler remembered.

“That was the first time,” he said. “I was shocked that anything I had a hand in – my story was heavily edited – affected readers and an audience, and that’s something I grabbed a hold of. And I am doing emotional stories now. It’s something I’d like to continue to do.”

Follow this reporter on Twitter @chriskingstl.

Anaijiah Knox and Laiyla Johnson, 11, are members of Room13Delmar, an afterschool art studio at the Renaissance Place at Grand’s community building in North City. On June 3, they met with students at the Room13Harclive studio in Bristol, England, where the St. Louis studio’s founder Ilene Berman irst got the inspiration.

Photo by Ilene Berman

SPEECH

monthly publication based in Washington, D.C. He took his wife to dinner on Thursday, June 16, the evening before the panel, after sunset, since the conference fell during Ramadan. His wife – who covers her body, but does not veil her face – drew the unwelcome attention of a white woman sitting on the sidewalk in New Orleans’ alcoholsoaked French Quarter.

“Her facial expression changed,” Hasan said of the white woman. “Then she started to mumble, ‘No, you don’t.’ Then, she flipped. She started swearing. I thought she was going to attack, but thankfully, she didn’t.”

Hasan – who said his family had never experienced anything like this before – made a general point based on their personal experience.

“There is a different environment for Muslims in this country,” Hasan said. “There is a different environment, and it is getting worse.”

THURMON

Continued from A1

Continued from A1 to send me home,” Thurmon said. “They kept saying I wasn’t registered to be there, until another official arrived to confirm I was registered to the pool.”

“God knows what He’s doing,” Wallace said. “I told her not to go, and there were issues with her registration, yet she still made it into the pool as if she was just supposed to be there that day.”

When finally allowed to swim, Thurmon was standing in the 5-foot portion of the pool, barley touching the bottom. She felt something at the tip of her toes. At first, she thought it was a girl playing underwater, until she noticed

Sandy Close, executive editor and director of New America Media, organized the panel in the context of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign – and, more specifically, the rise of Donald Trump to secure the Republican nomination.

Trump has singled out Muslims and Mexicans in direct attacks, calling for a ban on Muslim immigration into the United States and mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. Trump has described Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and said as president he would build a wall along the Mexican-U.S. border. Close said that New America Media organized the panel as a challenge for mainstream investigative journalists to cover the impact of Trump’s hate speech on ethnic communities.

A Latino perspective was offered by Juan Esparza Loera, editor of Vida en el Valle, a weekly Latino newspaper based in Fresno, California. He described the growing electoral power of Latin Americans in California, where there is

no further movement.

“I looked down,” Thurmon said, “and I noticed she wasn’t moving at all. And I knew she wasn’t playing.”

She began to use her lower body to scoop the young girl from the water with her foot. She then grabbed her as she surfaced. When she checked for a pulse on the girl’s temple, she felt nothing. She yelled for help as foam rushed from the nose and mouth of six-yearold Dutchess Brand, who was unconscious.

now a Latino plurality and 13.1 million Latinos will cast a vote in 2016.

Yet the state’s agricultural industry, in particular, is driven by the labor of undocumented immigrants from south of the border, and they are politically powerless. Loera said the “hatred” toward Mexican immigrants expressed by Trump and his supporters – and the threat of mass deportations, in the event of Trump’s election – has left many in this community “shaken with fear.”

Joe Wei, managing editor of The World Journal, a 350,000-circulation daily Chinese-language newspaper based in New York, described the struggle of “filtering out all of the hate speech” in this election cycle to “inform and educate” his readers.

He also described Chinese Americans as an immigrant group – unlike Hispanics and African Americans, who poll as massively opposed to Trump – that has more mixed feelings about the Republican nominee. Wei said that older, more settled Chinese Americans tend to support

Lifeguards then pulled Brand from the water and started CPR. Paramedics arrived promptly and began to

shock her heart at the scene. They were able to recover a heartbeat, but she was taken to the hospital still unable to breathe on her own. Authorities are still unsure how long she was left underwater before Thurmon found her. Thurmon’s biggest concern after the incident was Brand’s wellbeing as she recovered in the hospital. “Every hour, she would ask, ‘Is she okay? Is Dutchess okay?’” Wallace said.

Less than a week after the ordeal, Brand was able to leave the hospital after a full recovery. Both girls were honored

Democrats, but about onethird of Chinese Americans – especially newer, younger entrepreneurial immigrants – support Trump and Republicans generally.

“Chinese don’t like abortion,” Wei explained. “Chinese don’t like homosexuality. Chinese favor going tough on crime. And Chinese want less taxes.”

Jenise Morgan, senior editor of Florida Courier, a black weekly based in Tampa, Florida, described two Americas that she had witnessed in her reporting this year.

One America is the America of Trump rallies, the other is the America of victim vigils. She covered a Trump rally in Tampa where she saw about 20 African Americans in a crowd of some 4,000, and half of those were working media. The atmosphere of fear and hatred at that rally was contrasted by the unity and love she felt at a very diverse vigil held in Tampa for the victims of the Club Pulse massacre 85 miles away in Orlando, Florida.

By the sheer force of demographics, Morgan

at the St. Louis Board of Alderman in City Hall on Friday, June 17, along with the paramedics, fire officials and park rangers who assisted that day.

“It is not often that the board recognizes everyday citizens,” said Alderman Cara Spencer, who introduced the resolution. “A resolution is the highest honor that the Board of Alderman can bestow, and every single alderman added their name to this resolution.”

Both families plan to keep the girls in touch, as they are connected forever now, though Thurmon said that her biggest wish for Brand is that she doesn’t remember what happened to her. She also doesn’t feel like a hero.

“I don’t like to think about it too much,” Thurmon said. “I’m just happy she’s okay.”

suggested, Trump and his supporters will not prevail. “Minorities will soon be the new majority in this country,” she said.

Loera made a similar point, based on the electoral power of Latinos and other minorities.

He described the “Pete Wilson effect,” also known as the

“Prop 187 effect,” named after the anti-immigrant ballot proposition in California and the governor who pushed it.

“They passed the proposition,” Loera said, “but in the end it was bad for the Republican Party.”

Follow this reporter on Twitter @chriskingstl.

Neisha Thurmon

Trump and the last stand of white male privilege in America

By Mike Jones Of The St. Louis American

As both political parties have chosen their presumptive nominees, Hillary Clinton for the Democrats and Donald Trump for the Republicans, the battle lines are now formally drawn for the 2016 Presidential campaign. In thinking about the upcoming election, it’s important the black community develop a perspective informed by our historical experience in America.

Mark Twain once said, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” Americans believe the organizing principles of this country are capitalism, democracy and freedom. They will refer to the founding document of the American experiment, Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, arguably the most eloquent words ever written about the political context of the human condition.

Since Americans have been told this since the crib, it must be true. Except, it’s not.

Since the creation of the republic, America’s cultural, economic and political systems have rested upon one never-changing principle: white male privilege. If you were a white man (or, relatively speaking, a white woman married to a white man), the system worked.

A patriarchal racist culture will function rather efficiently in a country where people who are identified as white are 88 percent of the population. It’s the general acceptance of this principle that made genocide of the Native American population and hereditary chattel slavery for the African Diaspora morally acceptable collateral damage in the creation and growth of the American nation state.

Which brings us to the clown act known as the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary. In a long list of mediocre men who have sought

the office and/or served as president, Donald Trump is unique in the annals of American history. With the possible exception of Sarah Palin, there has never been anyone representing a major political party for national office as totally unfit as Donald Trump. Trump is a narcissistic, ignorant, bigoted, ill-tempered, megalomaniacal bully. His public persona has the emotional development of a two year old. Only babies and puppies are as self-absorbed as Donald Trump. There is no person of color with the aforementioned qualities who could get nominated to run for bathroom attendant.

So how did Trump pull it off? Only white male privilege explains

Donald Trump. Trump is not only a white man, he was born a rich white man. For men like Trump, any requirements of intelligence, competence and character are not necessary for achievement or advancement. Hereditarily rich American white men are the most privileged species on the planet. Not all Republicans are pathologically committed to white male privilege, but everyone pathologically committed to white male privilege seems to be a Republican. With the current and projected demographic trends of the United States, that privilege is structurally unsustainable. This is the reason Donald Trump could slice

through a Republican Primary field of 17 like a hot knife through butter.

If you are African-American, Latino, Asian, Muslim or a member of the LGBT community, voting for Hillary Clinton for president is a matter of self-defense – selfpreservation, really. If you are an American who identifies as white, you face a choice latent with profound moral and social implications, much like the election of 1876.

Back then, the Civil War resolved the issue of slavery, but raised the question: What is the status of the freed slave population? The 13th, 14th, 15th amendments to the constitution and Reconstruction were the country’s progressive and morally

n Not all Republicans are pathologically committed to white male privilege, but everyone pathologically committed to white male privilege seems to be a Republican

correct answer to that question. Call it the country’s first attempt at inclusion. There was a virulent reaction in substantial parts of white America to Reconstruction. The effort at doing the right thing was too much work for the majority of white America, so the election of 1876 reversed the reforms of Reconstruction and marked the beginning of the American system of apartheid – aka, Jim Crow for blacks and the reservation system for Native Americans.

The election of Barak Obama in 2008, in a sense, was a 21st century Reconstruction Redux for America. Obama’s elevation to the presidency could be viewed as a present-day attempt to redefine and expand the American experience. And like postCivil War America, there has been a vitriolic, borderline sociopathic response to the idea of Barak Obama as president.

There is only one way to understand this reaction to the idea of a black man assuming the iconic mantle of POTUS: It’s because it drove a stake in the heart of white male privilege. The election of 2016 raises the same question as the election of 1876. Will white Americans who know better have the stamina and moral courage to prevail over white Americans who won’t do better?

Stay tuned.

Mike Jones, who has held senior policy positions in St. Louis and St. Louis County government, is a member of the St. Louis American editorial board, as well as the Missouri State Board of Education.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

A white, male Donald Trump supporter looked ready to throw a punch when Trump’s March 11 rally in St. Louis was protested.

Guest Columnist Mike Jones

The St. Louis Delta Foundation And The St. Louis Alumnae Chapter Of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Held The 4Th Annual Spring Gospel, Jazz And Blues Brunch

On Sunday, March 13, 2016, the St. Louis Delta Foundation and the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. held the 4th Annual Spring Gospel, Jazz and Blues Brunch at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in the St. Louis Union Station.

The brunch, by far the largest to date, was beautifully orchestrated, genuinely entertaining and superbly executed due in large part to the dedication and resolve of the Foundation’s membership and the extraordinary skills of the Mistress of Ceremony, the “unforgettable” Ida Goodwin Woolfolk.

Mitchelle Price, President, St. Louis Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., began the afternoon festivities with a sincere thank you to those in attendance for their continued support of the brunch. In addition, she thanked members of the St. Louis Delta Foundation for

their unwavering commitment and extremely generous donations in support of the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter’s youth programs. Shirley Brown, Brunch Co-Chair, followed with a concise and succinct narrative on

the “Occasion.”

The Invocation/Blessing by Reverend Jonell Calloway was both inspirational and motivational.

“THE BUFFET” -- The buffet , spread across the hotel

foyer, was all encompassing and offered breakfast and lunch menus as well as dinner cuisines. Everyone enjoyed the ultimate dining experience while being entertained by the incomparable Knez Jakovac

Trio. ENTERTAINMENT”

-- The finest entertainers that this community has to offer were presented in three segments: Part 1 -- Black & White Blues Band, Good for the Soul featuring Cheryl Brown and Anita Jackson, Gregg Haynes, “Happy Guitar”; Part 2 -- James Carter, Jazz Organ/Saxophone Group with Gene Dobbs Bradford, President and CEO, Jazz St. Louis; Part 3 -- Ptah Williams, Denise Thimes, Nancy Kranzberg, Gene Dobbs Bradford, the Bozman Twins.

The St. Louis Delta Foundation extended special thanks to all contributors and participants: MAJOR SPONSORS -- World Wide Technology, Inc., Steward Family Foundation; PATRON SPONSORS -- Ameren Missouri, Andy’s Seasoning, Barbara and Andrew Taylor, Centene Corporation, Home State Health, Lodging Hospitality Management, Inc.;

SPECIAL DONORS -- Carol and Tom Voss, Nancy and Kenneth Kranzberg, People’s Health Centers, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Wells Fargo; PRODUCTION TEAM -- Maurice Falls, Co-Producer Production Manager, Marsha Jones-Terrell, Co-Producer Stage Manager; Ironman Sound Industries , Sound Engineers; Kerrie Schaefer, Jazz St. Louis; Mollie Jones, Special Effects/Graphic Designs

The St. Louis Delta Foundation and the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. look forward to a successful 5th Annual Spring Gospel, Jazz and Blues Brunch, 2017 that will be renamed “THE IDA GOODWIN WOOLFOLK MEMORIAL SPRING GOSPEL, JAZZ AND BLUES BRUNCH” in honor of our beloved soror.

African-American Male Initiative

St. Louis Community College invites African-American males ages 13 to 18 to attend a FREE leadership summit.

Monday, June 27 - Friday, July 1 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. STLCC - Forest Park

Gardner, Carl stand out at circuit attorney candidate forum

Ronni Zimmerman, an eighth grader in Ritneour School District, sat beside her mother on Saturday, June 18 as they listened to the four St. Louis circuit attorney candidates talk about why they would be best to replace incumbent Jennifer Joyce, who will not seek reelection.

She heard from long-time city prosecutor Mary Pat Carl; Patrick Hamacher who has been a prosecutor in Joyce’s office for five years; state Rep. Kim Gardner, who previously tried cases when she worked in Joyce’s office; and Steve Harmon, a former city police officer and municipal prosecutor.

The two-hour forum held at Saint Louis University covered topics ranging from the death penalty to alternative sentencing. Yet, in the end, one thing fell heavy on Zimmerman’s heart, she said.

“Steve Harmon,” she said.

“Everyone else said, ‘Black lives matter,’ but he said, ‘All lives matter.’ Part of me got really hurt, especially him being a black man. I agree all lives matter, but currently black lives are the ones that are being killed and oppressed.”

About 300 people attended the forum organized by young, black activists with Decarcerate STL, who drafted a series of questions. They also invited about 15 community organizations – most of them also participated in the postFerguson Commission’s public accountability forums – to submit and ask questions at the event.

In a pre-survey to the candidates, organizers asked them to pick between the All Lives Matter or Black Lives Matter statements. All except Harmon chose the latter.

At the forum, Kayla Reed one of the event’s organizers, asked all of the candidates to explain their answers. Harmon said that he wanted to be unbiased and his Christian faith

led him to choose that answer.

“I think many people stop listening to him after that,” said activist and former Ferguson Commissioner Rasheen Aldridge, who attended.

A people’s forum

The forum was meant to get the candidates off their talking points and to face questions they aren’t as polished and comfortable answering, said Reed.

The other main organizers were Blake Strode, an attorney with ArchCity Defenders, Nabeehah Azeez of Decarcerate STL and Michelle Higgins of Faith for Justice.

The group of four allowed all candidates to submit answers to their core questions in writing. Everyone who attended the event received a copy of these answers at the door. From there, Reed and Strode asked follow-up questions.

For example, Hamacher had stated in his answers that he received the endorsement from the black police union, the Ethical Society of Police. Reed asked him if he would support the union’s call for Police Commissioner Sam Dotson’s resignation. Hamacher meandered around a direct answer before Reed finally asked him point-blank, “Yes or no, Mr. Hamacher?”

He replied, “I can’t answer that because I’m going to have to work with him regardless.”

(Of course, so do the black police officers who made a stand – every day.)

At the circuit attorney’s office, Hamacher currently works in the armed offender unit, where he focuses on homicides, assaults and robberies. He has tried one homicide case.

He seemed to want to make sure the audience understood that he wasn’t the “establishment candidate,” even though he currently works

in the office. He promised that he would “modernize” the office if elected through expanding the drug court, championing a mental health court, decriminalizing the misdemeanor possession of marijuana and exploring alternative sentencing programs (which, in fact, Joyce recently instituted – Hamacher has a habit of promising to create programs that already exist). He also said he supports calling for special prosecutors in officer-involved shootings.

‘Squeaky wheel’

So far, Carl has been pegged as the establishment candidate, having served over 13 years working in the circuit attorney’s ofice. She also has the endorsements of both Joyce and the St. Louis Police Oficers Association.

However, at every turn, Carl seemed to surprise the audience. Some who are less supportive of Joyce came away feeling that her endorsement is doing Carl a disservice by making her mistakenly look like she walks in Joyce’s shadow.

Carl currently serves as a member of the violent crimes unit and is now the lead homicide prosecutor. In her extensive trial record in Joyce’s office, Carl has tried 36 cases of forcible rape / forcible sodomy and eight homicides (in addition, she has tried three homicides as a manager training new homicide prosecutors).

The question that was meant to knock her off balance concerned her alleged comment at a recent North City ward meeting. Residents said that if there is a murder downtown, the police chief immediately amps up resources. Yet that’s not the case in North City. She allegedly responded that the “squeaky wheel” gets the resources. Reed asked her to explain that response.

Carl said she never said that, and the statement came from the moderator. Her actual response was that the “greater community takes notice when this happens downtown, and that frustrates me,” she said.

She told a story of being the prosecutor in the case of 18-year-old Aniya Cook, a black North City resident who was killed on July 31, 2012 – 15 days before she was meant to go to Missouri State University.

About two weeks later, Megan Bohen, a white Saint Louis University graduate, was killed in the Central West End.

“I was livid as a prosecutor, because I had Aniya’s ile on my desk and a colleague had Megan’s ile on her desk,” Carl said. “And that ile I knew got more resources from the community and the police department and my ofice. And I’m still to this day angry about it.”

In her closing statement, Carl said, “The reason I’m running is that I’m a mom and I’m tired of sitting across the desk from other moms and they have lost their children to violence in our city.”

180 murders

Gardner represents Missouri’s 77th District, which includes part of North City and the Central West End. She quickly established herself as the person who has the deepest understanding of the neighborhoods where the crimes takes place and how the lack of resources in impoverished areas affects the crime levels.

She said she would use diversion and restorative justice programs and specialty courts to “stop low-level offenders from becoming hardened criminals.” She also believes in providing re-entry assistance to lower recidivism rates.

Though she was apparently

the audience’s darling, organizers did not spare her direct questions.

“Ms. Gardner, why do you feel you are capable of doing the job of circuit attorney without having prosecuted a single felony?” Reed asked.

“Well, first of all, that’s a mistake,” she said. “I have prosecuted felonies.”

Like Hamacher, she worked in the circuit attorney’s office for five years. She said she worked her way up to felony cases, such as burglaries and drug cases, while in the office from 2005 to 2010. She said she assisted on three murder trials and two assault cases.

“The highest-level cases she handled were burglaries and car thefts,” Joyce said of Gardner. “She prosecuted no violent felonies. She has handled hundreds of cases that did not go to trial.”

However, Gardner also has served as a lawyer in other settings and is a state representative and a registered nurse. Those experiences combined give her what the office needs to address “new challenges,” she said.

“When you talk about this career prosecutor rhetoric, that’s what we’ve been using for decades and we still have 180 murders and most of those murders are unsolved,” she said. “We still have a lack of trust in the whole system. When you talk about experience, I would love experience from a variety of places.”

Gardner continually drove home the point that the circuit attorney’s office needs witnesses to prosecute cases, and people won’t come forth if they don’t trust the office. Gardner said she is the

candidate who can gain that trust.

Violent by design

Newly-elected Pine Lawn Councilwoman Roslyn Brown listened to the candidates with her daughter (Zimmerman). While she doesn’t vote in the city, she understands that this position will affect the entire region. In the end, the two candidates who stood out to her were Carl and Gardner.

“I really liked their more humanistic responses,” she said. “It seemed like they were more in tune with how it felt from a victim’s perspective. I feel they may implement more programs and services that will reach into the community before the crimes are being committed.”

Just after Hamacher finished his closing statement, an African-American woman shouted that she was sick of hearing the word “violent” to describe St. Louis and the people who have committed crimes.

“You as prosecutors, you need to know the root of the problem,” she said. “It is by design that you are dealing with violence. These people are abused and deprived.” The disparities in resources cause these problems, she said. The woman went on screaming and crying out of turn for several minutes. After she was done, Reed said, “We are not interrupting people. This is an emotional situation, especially when you are a person of color, especially when you a mother who has lost children. We are going to honor her and respect the fact that she did that.”

Kimberly Gardner Mary Pat Carl

Say ‘Ah’

Dentists speak out on children’s oral health

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

The St. Louis American contacted St. Louis area dentists, with basic questions regarding children’s oral health. All agree that care of children’s teeth, from that first break through of a baby tooth – is crucial to proper development of strong, healthy teeth and gums, which should last a lifetime.

Providing insight: Kim Butler Perry, DDS, dental director for Affinia Healthcare and associate vice president of strategic partnerships for A.T. Still University; Duane Dilworth, DDS, a dentist at St. Louis County Department of Public Health; Kelli D. Dorsey, DDS, a dentist at Affinia Healthcare; Karen Richardson, DDS, chief dental director at Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers; and Candace Wakefield, Children’s Dental Zone!

These dentists are just a few of the health professionals that address excellent oral health checkups of patients, as well as tooth decay, fillings, extractions and painful oral health problems of children and adults. The answers they provide are practical advice for positive, informed decisions to support good oral health care for children. It starts at infancy – and leaves passed down fears and apprehension behind.

How early should dental care start?

Butler Perry: Starting at birth, clean your child’s gums with a soft infant tooth brush or cloth and water. Once a child begins to develop a few of their baby teeth, the caregiver can wipe off their teeth with gauze and as they develop more teeth, they can brush them with a soft toothbrush. A toothbrush will remove plaque bacteria that can lead to decay. Any soft-bristled tooth brush with a small head, preferably one designed specifically for infants, should be used at least once a day at bedtime.

Dilworth: Dental care should start when the first teeth erupt. Milk bottle caries can occur when parents leave a bottle of milk in

See DENTISTS, A13

Help combat sickle cell disease

By Rosemary Britts For The St. Louis American

Ronicia, my 25-year-old daughter, was diagnosed with sickle cell disease at nine months old, which has caused her severe pain almost every day of her life. Hospital visit after hospital visit, we struggled to find Ronicia the medical help and treatment that she needed to feel better and lead a “normal” life.

Ronicia is just one of approximately 100,000 Americans who suffer from sickle cell disease – an inherited blood disorder caused by abnormally shaped red blood cells.

Where healthy red bloods cells are soft and round, these hard and sickle-shaped cells have difficulty flowing and carrying oxygen throughout the body. The oxygen deficit causes severe and intense pain that can last up to multiple days at a time. Sickle cell patients are also at higher risk for anemia and strokes.

Unfortunately, I am not the only parent or patient that has felt that there are extremely limited resources available when trying to combat the suffering of our loved ones with sickle cell disease. Today, there are very few primary doctors who are familiar with the treatment and management of my daughter’s condition – causing long and painful waits in the emergency room. Many adults are simply unaware of the dangers and complications of sickle cell disease.

n Where healthy red bloods cells are soft and round, these hard and sickle-shaped cells have difficulty flowing and carrying oxygen throughout the body.

It was not until Ronicia’s diagnosis that her father and I knew we both carried the trait for the condition. If both parents carry the sickle cell trait, there is a 25 percent chance their baby will have the disease. In order to assure the health and well being of a child, it is imperative to have both parents tested for the sickle cell trait before making the decision to have children.

In 2011, I founded the Sickle Cell Association in an effort to improve the lives of those living with the disease, like my daughter, and to inform adults about the significance of trait testing. I have a passionate desire to help those who are facing the same challenges our family has continued to face in trying to help Ronicia.

Far too often, patients and their advocates feel that sickle cell disease is misunderstood. The St. Louis community needs to become more aware of and educated about this life-altering disease. I desperately urge those considering children to first get tested for the sickle cell trait. No father or mother should have to watch his or her child suffer, as I have had to watch Ronicia suffer. To learn more about sickle cell disease and how to get trait-tested, visit http://sicklecellassociation.org.

Rosemary Britts is executive director of Sickle Cell Association. You can contact her at rbritts@sicklecellassociation.org

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JUNE 23 – 29, 2016

Rosemary Britts

Candace Wakeield,DDS

Karen Richardson,DDS KelliDDSDorsey,

One-third of American adults never floss, study says

By Morgan Manella Special to CNN

(CNN) – Do you floss your pearly whites every day? A recent study found that nearly one-third of American adults never do. The study looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to determine the percentage of American adults who neglect to floss their teeth. Researchers examined self-reports of more than 9,000 adults, ages 30 and older, who gave the number of days they flossed the week before.

The results showed that 32.4 percent of adults reported no flossing, 37.3 percent reported less than daily flossing and 30.3 percent reported daily flossing in the past week.

The study also found that failure to floss was higher in men than women, higher for those age 75 or older than those age 30 to 44, and higher among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic adults than non-Hispanic white adults. Low-income participants were also less likely to floss than

higher-income participants.

Study author Dr. Duong Nguyen said the results call for stronger patient education to inform people about the benefits of flossing.

“I think everything goes back to education,” said Nguyen, an epidemic intel-

n The results showed that 32.4 percent of adults reported no flossing, 37.3 percent reported less than daily flossing and 30.3 percent reported daily flossing in the past week.

ligence service officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

He also said that flossing should be discussed with primary care physicians, not just at dental visits.

“Repetition is the key to mastering,” Nguyen said. “If you hear it more and hear it

from different places, maybe it will stick a little more.”

Flossing removes food between the teeth and prevents the buildup of plaque. According to Nguyen, if you don’t floss every day, over time, the plaque will turn into tartar, which can’t be removed at home with toothpaste. Tartar can eat away at the tooth and gums that surround the tooth, breaking it down and creating pockets where the tooth becomes loose and eventually falls out, he said.

“I think it’s one of those things people don’t know enough about,” Nguyen said.

“We are telling people to floss, but if we don’t tell them why and what it prevents, that could be one of the barriers. We need to improve health practices and make sure people understand something as easy as flossing can prevent a whole host of other dental issues for you as you age and grow up.”

The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

A Sour Note

Nearly all food, beverages marketed by music stars are unhealthy, study finds

By The American Staff

Recording artists are frequently the face of commercial products – and children and adolescents are frequently their target audience. A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center found that the vast majority of the food and beverage products marketed by some of the most popular music stars are unhealthy. This type of advertising is contributing to the alarming rise in childhood and teen obesity, the authors warn.

The analysis evaluated healthfulness of food and drinks marketed by music stars, reviewing dozens of advertisements that were disseminated over a 14 – year period. Soda and other sugary drinks, fast food, and sweets, are among the most common food and beverage products endorsed by famous music personalities, according to the study, published June 6 in Pediatrics. Equally alarming, none of the music stars identified in the study endorsed fruits, vegetables, or whole grains. Only one endorsed a natural food deemed healthy – pistachios.

DENTISTS

Continued from A12

the mouth of a baby while the baby is asleep.

Dorsey: As early as the eruption of the child’s first tooth or at the age of 1 year. At that time they can get introduced to a dentist and get familiar with the instruments that may be used on them.

Richardson: The American Pediatric dental association recommends that children should see a dentist no later than six months after the eruption of their first tooth and or no later than twelve months of age. The six-month visit is to establish a “dental home” for the child so that the child is allowed to get acclimated to the dental office, the dentist and the dental staff. At the six-month visit, parents learn how to care of their child’s

“Because of our nation’s childhood and teenage obesity public health crises, it is important to raise awareness about how companies are using celebrities popular with these audiences to market their unhealthy products,” said lead author Marie Bragg, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone and a faculty member at the NYU College of Global Public Health. “Research has already shown that food advertising leads to overeating, and the food industry spends $1.8 billion per year marketing to youth alone.”

To identify popular music stars, the investigators went through Billboard Magazine’s “Hot 100” song charts from 2013 and 2014. The researchers also verified their popularity and marketing appeal with teens by reviewing Teen Choice Award winners and quantified the number of YouTube video views associated with the celebrities’ food and nonalcoholic beverage brand endorsements. The investigators then catalogued every endorsement

teeth, what to anticipate as the dentition erupts, and how to maintain good oral health as the child grows. Early education and exposure to the dental arena is important because it has been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that dental caries (tooth decay) is the most prevalent infectious disease for our nation’s children. More than 40 percent of children are affected by dental caries by the time they reach kindergarten. Therefore, it is imperative that we start prevention of this disease as early as possible.

Wakefield: The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children should have their first dental appointment by the age of one or six months after the first tooth erupts, whichever comes first.

What are the typical services for young children, and

between 2000 and 2014 using AdScope, an advertisement database, and also searched for official commercials or endorsements on YouTube and in media sources.

Endorsements were defined to include a celebrity’s participation in a concert sponsored by a product.

To assess nutritional value of the endorsed food products, the investigators analyzed nutrition information on food labels using the Nutrient Profile Model, which has been used in other food marketing research studies and provides a score that represents nutrient content. The study deemed 21

why?

Perry: After that initial visit, a check-up every six months is recommended in order prevent cavities and other dental problems. However, your pediatric dentist can tell you when and how often your child should visit based on their personal oral health. Services usually provided are: Exams – allow the dentist to determine the status of your child’s oral health and see if there are problems that need to be addressed Cleanings– allow for the removal of bacteria which causes cavities and the loss of teeth

Sealants – are placed on the biting surfaces of the back teeth to help prevent cavities. They are usually first placed at the age of 6 in children on the child’s first molars and later premolars and other molars as determined by a child’s risk of developing cavities and the dentist’s recommendations.

Marie Bragg,

PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone

out of 26 food products – or 81 percent, as “nutrient poor.”

The investigators determined a beverage’s healthfulness by looking at calories from added sugar. Of 69 beverages endorsed, 49 or 71 percent were sugar-sweetened. In contrast, water – related endorsements appeared only three times.

Food and beverage companies spend $2 billion a year on youth–targeted ads, with American children seeing approximately 4,700 ads each year and teens viewing 5,900 ads per year, according to Institute of Medicine research. There were about 313 million

In more severe cases, children may need, fillings, baby root canals, baby crowns and extractions as needed as a direct result of untreated dental cavities.

Dilworth: Children should have Oral examinations, dental prophylaxis (cleanings) and fluoride treatments as preventive measures every six months. Children should have sealants placed on permanent molars when the molars erupt and dental x-rays when needed.

Dorsey: Typically, we will perform lap or comprehensive exams for children as young as 1 year. We will examine the mouth, check the eruption pattern of teeth, give at home oral health instructions and show them how fun, as well as, important brushing your teeth can be. There are some incidences where children around the age of 3 - 4 that will need restorative treatment such as fillings or pulp therapy (some-

views of the YouTube video versions for food and beverage endorsements associated with celebrities in this study’s sample, although unique views could not be counted. Celebrity food endorsements promote higher product preference, and exposure to any kind of food advertising is linked to “excessive consumption,” according to research.

“These celebrity endorsement deals are often worth millions of dollars each, suggesting companies find them critical for promoting products,” Bragg said.

Food and beverage marketing has been identified in a variety of epidemiologic and psychology studies as a significant environmental contributor to childhood obesity. In 2012, over one – third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese, according a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Public Health Service.

Although many food and beverage companies have taken voluntary pledges not to target children under 12 years old with certain marketing, teens are not included.

times called baby root canals) or stainless steel crowns. Kids that young can receive nitrous prior to treatment, or even be sedated if there is extensive treatment needed.

Richardson: A typical dental visit for a child involves introduction to the dental environment, where the dentist gathers medical and dental information, performs a caries risk assessment and conducts a comprehensive examination that includes an oral cancer screening and evaluation of the oral cavity. Kids will have their teeth polished to remove plaque and proper hygiene practices are taught to parents and are reinforced by the dental staff. Based on the child’s caries risk factor, a fluoride varnish application may be given. This serves as an adjunct to help prevent tooth decay to individuals who are at the greatest risk.

Nutritional counseling and

“Given the heavy targeting of adolescents and the amount of money they spend on foods and beverages, voluntary food marketing reduction pledges should expand to include teens,” Bragg said. “This also would be consistent with American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations, which encourages pediatricians to support local and national efforts to reduce food marketing while also counseling patients to limit screen time.” Celebrities also should use their influence to promote more healthful marketing and encourage consumption of healthy foods, the authors suggest.

“The popularity of music celebrities among adolescents makes them uniquely poised to serve as positive role models,” said Alysa N. Miller, MPH, study co – author and research coordinator in the Department of Population Health. “Celebrities should be aware that their endorsements could exacerbate society’s struggle with obesity—and they should endorse healthy products instead.”

dental education is given to parents so that they can be armed with information and resources necessary to prevent dental disease such as tooth decay and periodontal disease.

Wakefield: It is important to note that tooth decay is not based on the age of the child, but whether or not the child has teeth. The services we provide for children are based on preventive procedures (clinical exam, radiographs were appropriate, dental prophylaxis, fluoride applications) as well as educating and gaining information from the parent on topics such dietary choices, medical conditions, craniofacial syndromes, growth and development milestones, speech aberrations and the presence of any developmental dental anomalies or congenitally missing teeth. Next week, the dental experts will discuss invasive procedures and the care of baby teeth.

Planting the Seeds for Success!

The weekly Healthy Families series is presented by the Missouri Foundation for Health to encourage your family to work (and play) together to improve your health.

Picnic Time!

Summer is a great time to plan a family picnic! Pack some healthy cut-up fruits and vegetables into a cooler with ice, and include some tortillas, lunchmeat and cheese. Bring along a tablecloth or blanket and you can have a fun and healthy

Long, Long Days!

PRESENTS:

Healthy Families

picnic lunch with your family. Just remember, according to the FDA, if the temperature is above 90° — you should not allow foods containing mayonnaise to sit out more than an hour before you eat it.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5, NH 7

Monday was the longest day * of the year. And even though the days will start to very slowly get shorter, you can spend time outdoors well into the evening each night. Longer days provide even more opportunities for you to take a walk, ride your bike, play baseball or enjoy any number of outdoor activities. But during the really hot days, remember to drink plenty of water and follow the safety guidelines listed below.

Now that we are officially into summer, the St. Louis area forecast calls for hot and humid days! To help your family stay safe in this heat, follow these easy-to remember tips:

> Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to take a drink. Carry a bottle of water with you and take drinks regularly while you’re in the heat.

> Stay indoors when the temperature soars. If your home does not have an air conditioner, go to a mall or public library, or check with the local health department to find a heat shelter.

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5 * Technically,thedaywiththelonge st daylighthours.

> Taking a cool shower or bath can also be a way to cool off.

> Wear light, loose-fitting clothing.

> NEVER leave any person or pet in a closed, parked vehicle.

> Check on elderly relatives or neighbors who don’t always realize when they’re getting over-heated.

> Restrict your outdoor activity time to mornings and evenings.

> If you must be outdoors, stay in the shade and wear a widebrimmed hat.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 3, HP 5, NH 5

Laumeier Sculpture Park

Located not far from downtown St. Louis, you’ll find the Laumeier Sculpture Park. Stroll through one of the park’s hiking or walking trails and you’ll enjoy the unique mix of beautiful nature and interesting large outdoor sculptures featured in this 105-acre park. Check the park’s website (below) for future dates that you can participate in the Guided Walking Tour for free. Hint: The next date is July 3rd!

LOCATION 12580 Rott Road, Saint Louis, Missouri

8:00 a.m. – 30 minutes after sunset

There is no charge to explore the park, and it is open year-round, except for special events. PLAN YOUR VISIT http://www. laumeiersculpturepark.org/

Business

Brigadier General Turner’s turnaround

Brigadier General C. David Turner meets with staff and partners aboard a Corps of Engineers survey vessel in the harbor at Jacksonville, Florida. Turner is commander of the South Atlantic region of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, overseeing projects that support the military in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and all or part of eight southeastern states.

Brig. Gen. C. David Turner to speak at NSBE’s Annual Scholars Reception June 26 at WUSTL

By Shantana Stewart

Louis American

For The St.

Looking at Brig. Gen. C. David Turner, the commander of the South Atlantic region of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, you would never guess he was once a college dropout. His chest is embellished with so many colorful military ribbons and medals that the left side of his uniform looks like a rainbow. His awards and decorations include the 2012 Defense Superior Service Medal; 2009, 2011 and 2014 Legion of Merit Awards; and the 2016 ROCK of the Year Award from ROCKS Inc., a mentoring organization. Turner was also awarded the 2014 Black Engineer of the Year Stars and Stripes Army Award and the 2009 Black Engineer of the Year for Professional

n “NSBE is working to develop the next generation of leaders to fill the general’s shoes and move our county forward.”

– Ron Moore, NSBE

Achievement in Government Award.

On Sunday, June 26, Turner will give the keynote address at the 20th Annual Scholars Reception and Awards ceremony sponsored by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), St. Louis Gateway Professionals chapter. The celebration begins at 2 p.m. at Whitaker Hall

for Biomedical Engineering on the campus of Washington University. At the event, NSBE will award scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 to nine local youth and name the Corporate Leader of the Year.

“The NSBE family is pleased to have Brigadier General Turner as a speaker at this year’s event,” said Ron Moore, pre-college initiative director for the St. Louis Gateway Professionals chapter. “His extraordinary life’s work is a testament to his intellect, tenacity and courage. NSBE is working to develop the next generation of leaders to fill the general’s shoes and move our county forward.”

Turner, 56, plans to talk about how he might have missed the success he now enjoys –

Middle schoolers develop apps to address social problems

Normandy Schools partners with NFTE and Verizon to teach coding

teens encountering real-life challenges, many may use their smartphones to find

For seventh graders in the Normandy Schools Collaborative, they did more than visit the app store. They designed the app themselves. Seventh graders at the Normandy 7th-8th Grade Center recently participated in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Business Expo. The result of a partnership with Normandy, NFTE and Verizon, these middle schoolers are learning an entrepreneurial mindset and app building through Startup Tech, an app development program.

“Startup Tech asks student to identify ways to improve their world and build marketable

Michael Williams was appointed to the University of Missouri System Review Commission by Missouri Senate Leader Ron Richard. He is a partner of Williams Dirks Dameron LLC who specializes in labor and employment law. The commission will review the UM System’s rules, regulations, administrative structure, campus structure, auxiliary enterprise structure, degree programs, research activities and diversity programs.

Lee Haynes is now the director, Resource Development –Annual Campaign for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis. She is a St. Louis native and a seasoned, veteran media specialist in sales and marketing. She has also worked for St. Louis Magazine, KPLR-TV Channel 11 and KSDK-TV News Channel 5.

Denzel D. Martin has joined the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team. He served as a graduate assistant for the University of Missouri-Columbia football team this past season. While at Mizzou, he received his undergraduate and graduate degree. A former standout at Chaminade College Preparatory School, he received an All MCC conference award.

Kenya Haney was appointed director of Governance and Policy for the National Student Nurses’ Association. She was Cardiology and Respiratory Care Service Line director at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters and Progress West Hospital, where she leads and manages cardiac catheterization labs, cardiopulmonary rehab terms, invasive and noninvasive cardiology, and respiratory therapy teams.

Jeffrey A. St. Omer joined the St. Louisbased law firm Mickes O’Toole. He focuses on education law and commercial litigation. He has advised more than 100 Missouri K-12 public school districts and higher education institutions. This experience includes negotiating labor agreements with the largest teachers union in Missouri and responding to teacher and student civil rights matters.

Danyelle Williams joined Kwame Building Group as human resources manager. She is responsible for hiring, employee benefits, and managing the firm’s 401K and Employee Stock Ownership Plan. She holds a Master of Business Administration from

Michael Williams

Denzel D. Martin

Kenya Haney

Jeffrey A. St. Omer

Lee Haynes

Danyelle Williams

Normandy 7th graders Keejia Hill and Angelique Davis presented their winning app, Attack Asthma, to judges at the recent NFTE Business Expo. Students developed smartphone applications to help combat societal problems challenges like asthma, crime and bullying.

TURNER

continued from page B1

overseeing projects that support the military in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and all or part of eight southeastern states – if he hadn’t given college another try.

Kevin Walker, 56, director of Project Appleseed, which promotes parental involvement in the nation’s schools, said he always expected great things from Turner. The men were classmates in the Webster Groves School District.

“David was one of those students that you expected to succeed and, when you saw how well he did, he exceeded any expectation you had of him,” Walker said. “The same man you see in front of you now, somewhat selfdeprecating, that’s how he was as a kid.”

Another childhood friend and classmate – Russell Mitchell, 56, managing editor and lead anchor of the evening news for WKYC in Cleveland – described Turner as serious, dedicated and thoughtful.

“To think that I know somebody who has done as much as he has for all the right reasons, who has served his country in an amazing way, made me feel good,” Mitchell said. “And it made me feel good about the community we grew up in.” Mitchell (1989-90), Walker (2007) and Turner (2015) are all Webster Groves School District Wall of Fame inductees, an honor bestowed on fewer than 100 graduates in the district’s more than 100year history.

About-face

An active member of the Boy Scouts of America who earned the rank of Eagle Scout, Turner didn’t have a plan for life after high school. He only enrolled at the University of Central Missouri after a fellow Scout shared his plans to attend the school.

There wasn’t any outside pressure to continue either. His

school. And it was only last month that Turner returned home to witness his mother,

to high

Rosemary Turner, graduate from St. Louis Community College with an associate degree in general studies. Turner’s mom retired from the United States Postal Service after 42 years of service.

Many youth from his neighborhood dropped out of high school, so following his freshman year Turner stopped going to college and instead worked at a grocery store and fast food restaurant.

“There was no real reason,” Turner said. “I was just looking for something different.”

Then a night on the town gone wrong convinced Turner that he needed to change directions.

“I was in East St. Louis one night and experienced a bad situation – I heard shots fired inside the nightclub. It was a mad scramble afterwards,” Turner said. “I decided this is not the life for me. I better get back in college.”

Turner returned to college, where he pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., met his future wife Marsha and joined ROTC. He would graduate, go on to earn a Masters of Science in industrial engineering at Wichita State and ultimately climb the ranks of the military elite who must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as senior military officers.

Serving in the military, he learned that nightclubs are not the only dangerous places that can lead to a mass scramble for safety. Turner was at the Pentagon on 9/11 and is lauded as a hero for saving lives.

“The U.S. Army chief of staff was out of the country and called in via a secure telephone line for an update on the situation. I was delayed, trying to wrap up a few things in the office, and David knew we needed to get down there, and he grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘We got to get you downstairs now,’” said retired Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Hammond.

“Moments later, the plane hit us and killed all the people in the front office. David is the bravest man I know, because he tried to rescue them. You talk about a close call. This was an act of God that is

Brigadier General C. David Turner is commander of the South Atlantic region of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

beyond description. God used David Turner’s hands to save my life and the life of another officer.”

The director of veteran and military affairs for the University of Southern Mississippi makes it a point to call Turner each year to express his appreciation for Turner’s act of heroism.

“My kids still have a dad because of David. My wife

n “I heard shots fired inside the nightclub. It was a mad scramble afterwards. I decided this is not the life for me. I better get back in college.”

– Brigadier General C. David Turner

still has a husband because of him,” Hammond said.

Turner marvels at the farreaching consequences of a single decision he made so long ago.

“It’s amazing when you think about my story, because the University of Central Missouri has more than 90,000 graduates, and they only pick

n “It’s never too late to make a difference in your life and change your direction.”

– Brigadier General C. David Turner

two distinguished graduates a year, and I was one of the two that they picked,” Turner said.

“You’re talking about a guy who didn’t want to go to college. It’s pretty bizarre when you think about it. It’s never too late to make a difference in your life and change your direction.”

Turner initially was an aviation management major. Poor eyesight and the observation of a college

Brigadier General C. David Turner was inducted into the Webster Groves School District Wall of Fame in 2015. To Turner’s left is Webster Groves High School Principal Jon Clark. To his right is John Simpson, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

professor who told Turner he was “pretty technical” helped him settle on a career in mathematics. This personal experience led Turner to encourage youth to seek out mentors.

“People see things in us that we don’t necessarily see, and I think that’s why mentorship is so important,” Turner said. “Part of being a mentor is not to make decisions for people, but to explain to them where you believe they have the most potential. That college professor thought I had the most potential to go into a technical field, and I listened to him.”

Turner also is a passionate advocate for STEM education, as he will relate at the NSBE reception. He advises parents of young children to start exposing children to STEM early, so they are not intimidated.

“When I was in my graduate program at Wichita State, I would walk the hallways trying to encourage particularly minority students to get into STEM, and a lot of them were just intimidated,” Turner said. “The reason is, I believe, a lack of exposure at an early age.” Turner intends one day to become even more closely involved in shifting this trend as a high school math teacher.

“I won’t even be successful in life until I do that, because that was my original goal,” Turner said. “You know it still burns me that I haven’t done it yet.” Advance tickets for NSBE St. Louis Gateway Professionals’ 20th Annual Scholars Reception and Awards ceremony, which includes live entertainment and food, are $40 for adults and $20 for students; visit https://www.eventbrite. com/e/nsbe-st-louis-gatewayprofessional-chapterannual-scholars-receptiontickets-22712099501. Prices increase at the door. For more information, visit nsbe-stl.org or call Jan Walker, president of the St. Louis Gateway Professionals chapter, at 314691-2956

dad, Laffayette Turner Sr. was part of the Fanandos singing group and didn’t go

In 2014, Lieutenant General Thomas P. Bostick awarded Brigadier General C. David Turner his third Legion of Merit Award.

n “I came back for a reason. I came back to win a championship for our city.”

– LeBron James

Sports

JUNE

What a year it was

Earl looks back at the year’s best in prep sports

By Earl Austin Jr.

Of The St. Louis American

It was a very exciting year of high school sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Not only did the athletes from the area reach statewide and regional prominence, but also broke through on the national stage as well. Before we put the equipment away for the summer, here is a look back at some of the top highlights of the 2015-16 school year.

Chaminade breaks through: The Red Devils finally captured that elusive Class 5 state championship in boys’ basketball to culminate a fantastic season against a national-level schedule. All-American performer Jayson Tatum put his personal stamp of a spectacular career with one 40-point performance after another, including 40 points in the state-championship game against Springfield Kickapoo. The Red Devils also featured Division I recruits Tyler Cook, Michael Lewis and Will Gladson.

Earl Austin Jr.

V, get ready to roll: Vashon returned to the basketball mainstream by winning the Class 4 state championship. Head coach Tony Irons followed in the footsteps of his legendary father Floyd Irons as he brought back the tradition of winning at “The V.” Led by junior standouts Daniel “Peanut” Farris and Levi Stockard, the Wolverines defeated Sikeston in an epic overtime contest in the state semifinals and St. Joe Lafayette in the championship game.

Cahokia track dynasty continues: It was another year and another state championship for the Cahokia boys’ track and field program. Despite losing superstar jumper Ja’Mari Ward to a knee injury, the Comanches used their superior depth to win their sixth consecutive Illinois Class 2A state championship. The previous week, Cahokia girls’ won their second consecutive Class 2A state championship.

Bombers break the cycle: John Burroughs has been chasing a Class 3 state championship in football for several years, finishing second in their past four appearances in the Show-Me Bowl. Last fall, the Bombers broke through in a big way as they defeated Odessa 30-6 for the state title at the Edward Jones Dome. The Bombers were led by record-setting tailback Jake Bain, quarterback Tyler Foote and dynamic athletes Ronald Smith and Chris Brooks. In the spring, the Bombers won the Class 3 state championship in boys’ track and field.

See ALI, B5

H. Sistrunk How the Warriors choked away a

title

The Golden State Warriors completed the most epic choke job in NBA history when the darling franchise of the NBA dropped three games in a row to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. As with any choke job, the victors deserve credit for squeezing the throats of their opponents. However, with exception to a catastrophic injury to a star player, any team that loses a series after a 3-1 lead is guilty of a gargantuan gag. In this case, the MVCs (Most Valuable Chokers) are none other than Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr

Let’s start with the reigning, defending league MVP. Regular readers of In the Clutch know my affinity for Curry. I have been adamant that he’s been the best player in the game for the past two seasons. I play ball in Curry Ones. I even PhotoShop the oh-so-adorable Riley Curry into all my family photos. OK, that last sentence was a lie, but you get the point. Still, there’s no denying the fact that in the past two Finals, Curry has not lived up to the standard of being the best player in the game. Looking at the numbers, during the 2014-15 regular season, Curry averaged 23.8 points, 7.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 3.1 turnovers. His numbers in the 2015 Finals looked OK, with averages of 26 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 4.7 turnovers. However, keep in mind that he averaged 42.5 minutes per game in the Finals vs just 32.7 in the

This year, Curry averaged 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 3.3 turnovers during the regular season and became the first unanimous MVP in league history. In the See CLUTCH, B5 Finals though, he averaged just

Ishmael

Sistrunk

Stephen Curry attempting to guard LeBron James is always a bad idea. The Cavaliers exploited the Warriors inability to adjust to the pick and roll all the way to a NBA title.

The Vashon Wolverines returned to the winner’s circle of boys basketball when they won the Class 4 state championship.

Photo by Wiley Price

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

Cardinals desperately need Oquendo back in St. Louis

Retired catcher Bengie Molina won two Gold Glove awards, played on three World Series teams and, of course, is an older brother of St. Louis Cardinals star Yadier Molina

For some reason he is out of baseball this season, even though he is a former assistant batting coach for the Cardinals and first-base coach for the Texas Rangers, a team he once played for.

Asked earlier this season, “Should there be more Hispanic managers?” he swiftly replied, “Of course, man.” He listed Jose Oquendo Sandy Alomar Jr., Joey Cora and Edwin Rodriguez as qualified candidates – also himself. Oquendo, the Cardinals’ loyal, longtime third-base coach, was an obvious candidate to replace Tony La Russa when he retired after the 2011 championship season. The front office went with Mike Matheny, who had never coached or managed in the Majors.

Matheny, and you get a team that was just two games over .500 after being swept by the Rangers last weekend. “I don’t care what you say. I know we have a good team,” he said following his team’s 5-4 loss to the Rangers on Sunday.

The Cardinals also found themselves 12-and-a-half games behind the rampaging Cubs as the teams began a threegame series in Wrigley Field on Monday night.

The search is on for what the problem is with this team. The answer becomes more obvious with each lackluster performance. It’s Oquendo.

Adrian Burgos Jr., of the Sporting News recently wrote, “In Oquendo’s case, his turning from the next Latino likely to be a team manager into a candidate who has been bypassed so many times (even by the Cardinals) that he is now tainted by the notion that ‘since the Cardinals would not hire him, there must be something wrong with Oquendo.’” If that is correct, it is shameful. But there is good news. Oquendo’s resume is being given a boost by the sorry play in St. Louis. If Cardinals fans didn’t realize how important Oquendo is to the Cardinals, they (me included) now do. Something is missing from the 2016 Redbirds. The Cardinal Way is way out of sight. Poor defense, mad-cap base-running, mental errors on the field and in the batter’s box appear almost every game. Add a sometimes delusional

n Something is missing from the 2016 Redbirds. The Cardinal Way is way out of sight.

What isn’t obvious is why Oquendo chose to be absent from the team following a complicated knee surgery last spring. He couldn’t be the hands-on, on-field coach he has been in the past, but he certainly could be an additional bench coach for the at-times overmatched Matheny. Is he upset that he didn’t get the Cards’ job in 2012? Is he fed up with Matheny? We don’t know. We do know that he is in Florida, not St. Louis. We do know the Cardinals are one-third of the way through the season and doing nothing. There is a relationship between the two, folks. Do whatever it takes to convince Oquendo to return to the team by the All-Star Break or possibly not come close to a wild-card playoff berth.

In the meantime, MLB has zero Hispanic managers and Oquendo should be a prime candidate to get his first managerial title. My choice for him would be the floundering Chicago White Sox. They have some talent and they have a no-experience-when-hired manager in Robin Ventura.

Matheny has found more success than Ventura, but he inherited a world champion team stocked with veteran players and leadership. That

Mike Shannon tabbed Jose Oquendo as “the secret weapon,” back in the 1980s. The Cardinals are desperately missing Oquendo’s sharp baseball mind as the team flounders this season.

was then, this is now.

Again, I’m late to the knowledge party on Oquendo’s true value. I realize it now, and GM John Mozeliak and Cards’ owners should also.

Oquendo said in late May, “I’m just a telephone call away” from talking with players who might need a “kick in the butt.”

Jose, the entire team and manager need that kick in the butt. My advice to management? Do whatever it takes to convince Oquendo to return to the team by the All-Star Break or prepare to not make the playoffs.

What’s the ‘Matter’ with him?

The University of Missouri football team will receive the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award on July 12 at ESPN’s second annual Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards in Los Angeles.

“Racial tensions were becoming increasingly strained at the University of Missouri last fall,” ESPN said in a statement.

“Frustrations gave rise to protests – one of the most notable coming when a student at the school began a hunger strike. Students were demanding action, and the Mizzou Tigers football team stepped in and announced that they would boycott their upcoming game unless changes were made.

“The players took a huge risk – their scholarships could have been revoked and their futures hung in the balance. But their actions indicated it was a risk worth taking to help bring action to this critical issue.”

Scott, one of ESPN’s most

popular SportsCenter anchors and host of its NBA coverage, died last year after a lengthy and heroic battle with cancer.

David Matter, PostDispatch Mizzou sports beat writer, covered this story and wrote a whopping 163 words before mentioning the award.

It was more important to him to editorialize, saying, “A boycott that lasted less than 48 hours will reverberate on campus for countless years as the university, the athletics department and football program work to recover from the polarizing event that triggered months of rhetoric in the state legislature, helped cripple campus finances and turned off legions of fans.”

Harbaugh not happy with NCAA

This isn’t about fairness, in Harbaugh’s mind – it’s about football receiving far more attention because far more of its players are black.

“Football gets the majority of the scrutiny and the rules that are intended to hurt the student-athlete and it makes no sense,” Harbaugh told ESPN. com.

“That’s why I’m pointing this out, because some of these other sports aren’t getting it. Let’s take lacrosse for example. White sport, rising, affluent sport. Recruit ’em in the eighth grade, dark period for a couple days in August, and it’s a totally different situation.” Them’s fighting words, Jim. Better be careful.

Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows. His Twitter handle is #aareid1

Add Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh to the mounting number of critics taking on the NCAA and its ridiculous rules and regulations. Harbaugh is upset that the NCAA is taking a dim view of satellite football camps that are sponsored by universities far from respective campuses. What makes Harbaugh’s complaints important is the fact he feels race is playing a role.

Alvin A. Reid

East St. Louis track coach Barry Malloyd came back to coach this past school year with a promise to his student athletes to bring a state title back home in to the “City of Champions.”

The Flyers didn’t disappoint him as they won the Illinois High School Association 4A State Championship. A former All-American from East St. Louis Lincoln, Malloyd retired in Charleston, Illinois after his team captured the team title. It was the 11th State Championship for East St. Louis’ storied track and field program, and first since 2008.

On a warm and sunny May afternoon, the Flyers put on a performance that thrilled a large crowd at O’Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

The Flyers were impressive early in the day by winning the 4x100-meter relay with a sizzling time of 41.64 seconds. In addition, East St. Louis got outstanding performances from Deonte Anderson and Marlowe

PREP

From The easT side

With Maurice Scott

Flyers return to glory

ESL wins first track & Field state title since 2008

Mosley in the 400 meter dash, placing third and fourth, respectively. In addition, the Flyers’ 4x800-meter relay team placed ninth.

‘We put in a lot of work during the indoor season, and ran in some outstanding meets during the spring to get us ready,” Malloyd said. “Meets like the Holt Invitational, New Orleans, Kansas Relays, and of course the Southwestern Conference meet and the St. Clair County meets have some of the top teams and individuals right here in our own back yard in the state. The young men were on a mission when it was snow on the ground during conditioning, and they proved they were not going to be denied.”

distance. But with the 4x400meter relay team lining up for the final event of the day, coach Malloyd had confidence his boys would put on a show in front of the overflow crowd. The sensational team of Marlowe Mosley, Kevin Johnson, Roosevelt Davis and Sanchez Rhodes gave the fans their money’s worth with an outstanding performance and a winning time of 3 minutes 15.35 seconds to give the Flyers the team title for 2016.

Malloyd.

“It was a great way to hang up the whistle and the stopwatch and call it a career.”

Scott’s notes

Defending state champion Edwardsville finished second with 42 points. A.J. Epenesa, a three-sport star and one of the top football recruits in the country, set an IHSA record in the discus with a toss of 205 11inches. Epenesa, the No. 1 football recruit in the state, has given a verbal commitment to Iowa.

The Flyers were a bit worried heading into the last couple of events with Southwestern Conference rival Edwardsville in striking

“I owe it all to the alumni, the community, the staff, and the coaches who were thirsty for a winner at East St. Louis. The administration made sure those young men didn’t need anything so we could compete at a high level. But more importantly, it was the hard work and dedication of those young men. They deserve to be champions and I love each and every one of them,” said

His teammate Travis Anderson won the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 13.71, nipping Belleville East standout William Sessions, who finished with a time of 13.72

Sessions is the son of a former East St. Louis Flyer football and track & field standout, the late Rodney Sessions. Sessions came back to win the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.

Althoff’s historic title run: Belleville Althoff was dominant in winning the Illinois Class 3A state championship, the first in the school’s history. After finishing runners-up in 2015, the Crusaders came back in 2016 with a vengeance, defeated Lincoln Way 64-37 for the state title. Junior forward Jordan Goodwin was a dominant force in leading the Crusaders. Goodwin got great support from senior Division I recruits Tarkus Ferguson and Brendon Gooch.

East Side returns to the top: East St. Louis returned to the winner’s circle in boys track as they won the Illinois Class 3A state championship. The Flyers were a true team as they dominated the sprint relays in winning the school’s 11th state championship in boys track and first since 2008.

A goal to remember: Antoine Givens of Webster Groves enjoyed a moment that every high school athlete dreams about in late November. Givens scored the dramatic game-winning goal in overtime to give the Statesmen a 3-2 victory over St. Dominic in the Class 3 state-championship game. Givens’ goal gave the Statesmen back-toback state championships.

CLUTCH

Continued from B5

Continued from B3 excuse for so many unforced turnovers for trying to be cute. The Cavaliers were just not having it.

More importantly, they pressured Curry on the defensive end of the court. Coach

Tyronn Lue, made a concerted effort to run pick and roll action with James towards Curry. For some strange reason, it took Kerr six games to figure out that his team should stop switching Curry onto James during picks. The 6’8” modern-day Hercules versus the 6’3 version of Olive Oyl just isn’t ever going to be a good matchup. Much of the Warriors defensive success is based on the fact that Klay Thompson, Draymond Green Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguoldala are fairly interchangeable when it comes to defensive switches. Curry is not.

MICDS spring cleaning: It was quite a spring for the athletic program at MICDS. The Rams won five state championships in what was an incredible run of success.

MICDS won state titles in baseball, girls track, boys lacrosse, boys golf and boys tennis. They also took home a second-place trophy in girls’ lacrosse during the spring.

McCluer South-Berkeley girls: The Bulldogs fell one point short of winning a Class 3 state championship in 2015, but came back and broke through to win the state championship in 2016 after a spirited battle with John Burroughs. The Bulldogs won the state title on the last event when they won the 4x400-meter relay. Junior Raheema Westfall brought home the state title with a big anchor leg to bring the Bulldogs back from behind.

Area track superlatives: There were some incredible individual performances in area track and field during the spring.

Senior Ja’Mari Ward of Cahokia delivered an effort of 53 feet 5 ½ inches, which was the best in the country. Junior A.J. Epenesa of Edwardsville threw the discus 206 feet to become the best in the country while Brentwood star thrower Sophie Rivera qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the javelin with a throw of 180 feet 4 inches.

The Cavaliers also ran pick and roll action with Kyrie Irving towards Curry. While Thompson and Green are the Warriors’ resident stoppers, Curry is usually a decent defender of guards. However, Irving morphed into Uncle Drew in the Finals and cooked Curry and Thompson almost at will. King James may have led both teams in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks during the Finals, but it was Irving who repeatedly made jaw-dropping, contested shots that took the heart out of the Warriors. It wore Curry down and shook his confidence. It also caused him to miss a number of wide open jumpers, which are usually layups for Curry. Meanwhile, James’ defense was key as he had several key blocks during the Cavaliers run that helped the choking Warriors go to sleep.

Fixed or nah?

Many Warriors fans are complaining of a fix, mainly around Green’s suspension from Game 5. I agree that the suspension was petty. Sure, Green took a swipe at the king’s family jewels, but only because James walked over him and draped his business all across Green’s neck. A slam dunk situation is the only time that type of behavior is allowable. The referees reviewed the play on video and surely saw Green’s attempted swipe, but

knew that his reaction was just a natural reflex to crotch being shoved in his face. Would the NBA have assessed a postgame flagrant if that had happened in Game 6? Absolutely not. The Green suspension was predicated on extending the series. However it cannot explain or excuse the Warriors collapse.

The Warriors also never recovered from Andrew Bogut’s injury. Beside the 6’7” Green, Bogut is the Warriors’ only legitimate rim protector. Festus Ezeli gets the job done

at times, but couldn’t stay out of foul trouble. Bogut’s absence made it much easier for James and Irving to do as they pleased in the paint.

Barnes, you da real MVP

Speaking of absences, I fully expected LeBron James to give a tearful thanks to Barnes for his complete garbage performance in the Finals. To call Harrison Barnes Finals’ performance garbage, would be an insult to landfills around the world. Earlier in the year,

performer

put his personal stamp of a spectacular career with one 40-point performance after another, including 40 points in the statechampionship game.

Barnes turned down a 4-year, $64 million contract offer. Now heading into free agency after an awful Finals, I bet he’s wishing he’d taken the money. Golden State would be

The East St. Louis Flyers won the Illinois High School Association 4A State Championship under the leadership of track coach Barry Malloyd – their 11th State Championship and first since 2008.

Maurice Scott

All-American

Jayson Tatum

APPS

continued from page B1

digital solutions,” said NFTE St. Louis Director Angela Lewis. “For the Expo, every student creates an app, develops an abbreviated business plan and marketing materials, and pitches their idea.”

Students were charged with developing apps to help solve real-world problems. They confronted serious societal and health issues, developing apps to combat crime, bullying and asthma.

Passion Bragg, career pathways teacher at the Normandy 7th-8th Grade Center, sought programming experts to assist her students. She approached Launch Code for volunteers, and Launch Code connected Bragg to technology firm Blue 1647, a Chicago-based tech firm that works to spread technology skills to underserved communities.

“I wanted the students to have the best experience,” Bragg explained. “Blue 1647 was able to work with the students and really help them

understand what the project is all about.” Jason Ivie of Blue 1647 taught students the basics of the app-building language, referred to as coding. Students used the programming software Java for Android apps.

n “There is so much opportunity in this field and because it’s growing and developing, we want to expose as many students to the possibilities.”

– Passion Bragg

“All the students showed a lot of promise and were really focused,” Ivie said. “There were some tough days, but we hope this will get them to really thinking about coding.” Bragg offered this opportunity to any student who had an interest.

“Because of this program, two of our eighth grade students went on to participate in hackathons (competitions

where students break into computer programs by using coding skills),” Bragg said. “There is so much opportunity in this field and because it’s growing and developing, we want to expose as many students to the possibilities.”

Student teams presented their apps to a panel of judges, who determined the Expo winner. The judges included staff members with the Normandy Schools Collaborative, Jennings School District, and representatives from NFTE and MasterCard International.

The winners were: 3rd Place – Normandy PBIS, an anti-bullying app (team members: Ashlee Lotts, Se’maj Nelson, Ky’Shon Thompson); 2nd Place –Anonymous, an anonymous crime reporting app (team members: Arianna Lee, Brandon Stephens, Diamond Robinson); and 1st place – Attack Asthma, a health information app (team members: Keejia Hill, Angelique Davis). Each of the teams that placed received a cash award. The fourth place team was also recognized with a prize.

Jazz according to Joey Alexander

12-year-old Indonesian piano prodigy wows St. Louis audiences at the Bistro

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

When he was presented to the crowd, Joey Alexander could have been mistaken for any youngster playing an intermediate piano recital.

“Hello. Thank you very much,” he said sheepishly, in response to the rousing applause from the sold-out crowd at the Ferring Jazz Bistro Saturday night.

But when his fingers touched the keys, it was as if the soul of jazz legend Oscar Peterson guided his hands through a performance that none of the audience would soon forget.

“That boy sure knows how to beat that piano,” said Cornelius Davis as he was

n “That boy sure knows how to beat that piano.”

– Cornelius Davis

He watched for a while, but he and his friends would return towards the end of the 7:30 p.m. performance to secure overflow seating for the 9:30 p.m. performance.

As a piano player himself, Davis has clearer insight than most with respect to the phenomenon the prodigy presents with his astonishing gift.

leaving.

Davis knew the show was sold out, but he assumed that he and his friends visiting from out of town could catch Alexander’s performance by way of the overflow area. When he arrived, there was only one seat left – for him.

He just shook his head as Alexander showcased left hand dexterity through a series of chord progressions.

“That boy is bad,” Davis said with a big belly laugh. Davis was just getting comfortable with the keys when he was 12 – and

The self-taught take over SLAM

• Only Online • National Blues Museum hosts ‘Daughter of a King’ talk

The event pays homage to the life and legacy of the “King of Blues,” B. B. King with an intimate conversation between Shirley King, daughter of B.B. King, and Dion Brown, Executive Director of the National Blues Museum on Saturday, June 25. www.stlamerican.com

African-American artists well represented in new folk art show

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

“Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum,” which opened June 19 at the Saint Louis Art Museum, includes in its vast treasures work by 15 African-American artists in a wide range of styles and media that we expect when we veer into the terrain of the “self-taught” or “outsider” folk artist.

The oldest pieces by black artists in the show date back to the mid19th century. These were history’s ultimate “outsider” artists in that they were slaves. We know the name of one artist in the show who was a slave because he carved his name – Dave, which was expanded to Dave Drake after emancipation – on the large jug he sculpted. Signing his work was a radical act, as the curators from the American Folk Art Museum point out, because slaves were denied literacy. It’s also remarkable that he dated his work – October 26, 1853 – given that, as Frederick Douglass and other slave autobiographers noted, slaves typically lived outside the conventions of time recorded in calendars.

“Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum”

Exhibit hangs at the Saint Louis Art Museum through September 11. Admission is free for members. For the general public, tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, $6 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children age 5 and under. Tickets are available in person or through MetroTix.

We’re not so fortunate to know the names of the enslaved artists who made the so-called Whig Rose and Swag Border quilt, though at least a scrap of documentation pointed out that the piece was made by slave artisans, rather a slaveholder, who would more typically get credit for their work. The calm beauty of their quilting belies the oppressed condition of the artists.

The other African-American quilt in the show could be a response to the tradition of slave quilts. Jessie B. Telfair simply titled her piece “Freedom Quilt” (1983), and the pattern is simply the word “FREEDOM” repeated seven times in capital letters, as if she could

Midsummer’s black girl magic

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis features

African-American leading ladies

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

In 2016 it seems a bit cliché to point out that the idea of black actors appearing in Shakespeare is no longer relegated to “Othello.” Though black and brown thespians are the minority within a minority among performers of Shakespearian works, opportunities have in fact marginally grown. The crack in the door as far as actors of color who rise to the ultimate challenge of the stage doesn’t make what the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis has done any less remarkable – particularly with their 2016 season production of “A

Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The play is currently on stage in Forest Park’s Shakespeare Glen outdoor stage and continues through Sunday, June 26. When it comes to diversifying the pool of talented actors and actresses being brought to their productions each season, Shakespeare St. Louis’ commitment has been obvious. But the organization, under the artistic and executive direction of Rick Dildine, has outdone themselves with their latest play. Dildine also serves as director of the production where not one, not two, but three of the principal roles are acted by

See PLAY, C4

See JAZZ, C4

Indonesian prodigy Joey Alexander, age 12, wowed St. Louis with two sold-out sets at the Ferring Jazz Bistro on Saturday, June 18

A scene from Shakespeare Festival St. Louis’ 2016 season production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Sam Doyle, 1906-1985; Rocking Mary/Mr. Fool (double-sided), St. Helena Island, South Carolina, c. 1983; enamel house paint on corrugated roofing tin; 52 x 26 x ½ inches;

Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York; Gift of Elizabeth Ross Johnson, 1985.35.23; photo by John Parnell, New York

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

Fri., June 24, 8 p.m. Café

Soul welcomes PJ Morton for Black Music Month, The Lux, 2619 Washington Ave. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/cafesoulstl

Sat., Jun. 25, Mo

Investment Ent. presents Brian McKnight Live, The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Fri., July , The Marquee welcomes Trick Daddy, The Marquee Restaurant and Lounge, 1900 Locust. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sun., July 3, 7 p.m., Club

Riviera Productions presents The Whispers with special Guests The Dirty Muggs, The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry. For more information, call (314) 5341111 or (314) 869-9090 or visit www.metrotix.com.

Sun., July 31, 6 p.m. (5 p.m. doors) Community Women Against Hardship Summer Jazz Benefit Concert with Johnny O’Neal, Anita Jackson, Eric Slaughter, Jerome Harris and Jeffrey Anderson. Harold and Dorothy Steward Center For Jazz, 3536 Washington. For more information, call (34) 571-6000 or visit www.jazzstl.

org.

Sat., Aug. 27, 7 p.m. An Evening with Chaka Khan and El DeBarge, a benefit concert for Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, The Fox Theatre. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

local gigs

Sun., June 26, 4 p.m., The Griot Museum of Black History presents Groovin’ at the Griot feat. Lamont Hadley, Sr. Reservations required. 2505 St. Louis Ave.,

63106. For more information or to make your reservation, call (314) 241-7057 or visit www.thegriotmuseum.com.

Sun., June 26, 6 p.m., 28th Annual Carondelet Concerts in the Park feat. Kingdom Brothers Band 3900 Holly Hills Dr., 63116. For more information, call (314) 752-6339 or visit www. carondeletliving.com.

Thurs., June 30, 7 p.m., Ocean Wealth Management Entertainment presents A Love Reborn starring Soulo, Kimberly Smooth and Alercia Anderson. The Lux. 2619 Washington. For more information, call 314.368.3242.

special events

Thur., June 23, 9 a.m., HireLive presents the St. Louis Sales & Management Career Fair. This is your opportunity to interview face to face with 15+ Fortune 500 and Industry Leading companies seeking talented, experienced and enthusiastic sales, retail and management candidates. Opportunities include Account Executives, Retail Managers, Insurance Sales, Customer Service, Merchandiser, Financial Planner, Human Resources and much more. DoubleTree Westport Hotel, 1973 Craigshire Rd., 63146. For more information or to register, call (949) 599-1867 or visit www.hirelive.com.

Sat., June 25, 7 a.m., Haven House City of Refuge Church Bazaar, Barbeque, and Carwash Building Fundraiser. We will have items for sale for the entire family, fabulous BBQ, and great carwashes. Vendors are welcomed to setup merchandise tables, vendor fees are $40 or $20 if vendor supply their own table. 11115 New Halls Ferry Rd., 63033. For more information, call

Calendar

Featured Event

June 25 – 26, 10 a.m., Midwest Natural Hair Expo. Come out for natural hair and skin care products, the latest styling techniques, demonstrations, hair maintenance, vendors, and more. Hotel Lumiere, 999 North 2nd St., 63102. For more information, call (314) 643-7336 or (618) 580-8407.

(314) 299-1641.

Sat., June 25, 9 a.m., 150th Anniversary of the Buffalo Soldiers Bike Ride. We will conquer all 11.8 roundtrip miles of the St. Louis Riverfront Trail taking in the sights of the cascading river, various scenery, and artwork. We will meet at the trail entrance at the northern end off Riverview Drive & 270. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

June 25 – 26, 10 a.m.,

Midwest Natural Hair Expo. Come out for natural hair and skin care products, the latest styling techniques, demonstrations, hair maintenance, vendors, and more. Hotel Lumiere, 999 North 2nd St., 63102. For more information, call (314) 643-7336 or (618) 580-8407.

Sat., June 25, 4 p.m., Reggae Fest Day Party: Carnivãl Edition. This is not just a day party, Carnivãl is a vibrant experience full of color, dance, and of course Caribbean food. The Office, 5917 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Sat., June 25, 8 p.m., United Way’s Summer Bash. Come out for food, dancing, and a celebration of summer. All proceeds will help buy school supplies for local kids. St. Louis Zoo, One Government Dr., 63110. For more information, email leanne. pacheco@stl.unitedway.org.

Fri., July 1, 5 p.m., Original Black Katz presents the Empire White Party Episode 2. The Marquee Restaurant & Lounge, 1911 Locust St., 63103. For more information,

Kirkwood High School and Loyola University. Proceeds benefit Gateway chapter of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and other local charities. The deadline to register is July 3. Kirkwood High School, 801 W. Essex, 63122. For more information, call (314) 281-9818 or visit www. keepwatching50.org.

Fri., July 29, 8 p.m. Martin Lawrence, Chaifetz Arena. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com

visit www.facebook.com.

July 2 – 4, Fair St. Louis. Enjoy stunning fireworks over the Grand Basin, popular music by big-name stars and tasty food. Art Hill, 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www. fairsaintlouis.org/events.

Wed., July 6, 10 a.m., UMSL Transfer Quick Admit Day. Come to Undergraduate Admission Office anytime between 10am – 2 pm with copies of all transcripts from anywhere you have college credit and fill out an application to be admitted on the spot. After admission you’ll be able to meet with an advisor in your degree program that will be able to enroll you for the Fall 2016 semester. After you enroll you will have the option of attending our Transfer Student Orientation at 4 pm. 351 Millennium Student Center, 63121. For more information or to register, call (314) 5166943 or visit www.umsl.edu/ transferservices.

Sat., July 9, Anthony Smith Memorial Basketball Tournament. This is a charity 3on3 tournament in the memory of Anthony Smith who died of Cancer in 2008. He graduated from

Mon., June 27, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Alison Flowers, author of Exoneree Diaries: The Fight for Innocence, Independence, and Identity. News stories continue to emerge about people who spent years or decades in prison only to be proven innocent – but what happens when the wrongfully convicted are set free, emptyhanded into the unknown? Through intimate portraits of four exonerated prisoners, Flowers boldly gives a name to those who do not have one, as the word “exoneree” does not exist in the English dictionary, and sheds new light on the collateral damage of wrongful convictions on families and communities. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108.

Tues., June 28, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library hosts author Diana Nyad, author of Find a Way. At the age of 64, Nyad emerged onto the sands of Key West after swimming 111 miles, Cuba to Florida, in an historic feat of both endurance and human will. In her book, she shares her unique, passionate story of this heroic adventure and the extraordinary life experiences that have served to carve her unwavering spirit. Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, call (314) 994-3300 or visit www.slcl. org.

Wed., June 29, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Natashia Deon, author of Grace. For a runaway slave in the 1840s south, life on the run can be just as dangerous as life under a sadistic Massa. That’s what 15-year-old Naomi learns after she escapes the brutal confines of an Alabama plantation. Striking out on

Mo Investment Ent. presents Brian McKnight Live. For more information, see CONCERTS.

her own, she takes refuge in a Georgia brothel and falls into a star-crossed affair with a smooth-talking white man. The product of their union is Josey, who becomes caught in the tide of history when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reaches the declining estate.

399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108.

Saturday, July 2nd 12 to 2 p.m. Barnes & Nobel hosts author Theresa E. Cobb author of Uncloseted Love. 113 West County Center Des Peres, Mo 63131. For more information contact event calendar BN or call 314-8680233.

Sat., July 2, 8 p.m., FINC Entertainment presents A Night of Poetry & Spoken Word. The very talented Lady Re will host this event & DJ “Siddall Tha Selecta”, will supply the music. Legacy Books and Café, 5249 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information or to register to perform, call (314) 690-3462.

Thur., July 14, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts authors Greg Jobin-Leeds, Jose Jorge Diaz, and Deymirie Hernandez, authors of When We Fight, We Win!: Twenty-First Century Social Movements and the Activists That Are Transforming Our World. The book captures the stories, philosophies and art of six of today’s most pressing movements: immigrant rights, the LGBTQ movement, the fight for quality education, the prison justice movement, the struggle for economic power, and the environmental movement. The event will also feature performances and presentations by local and national activists and artists.

399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-6731 or visit www. left-bank.com.

theatre

Through June 22, The Muny presents The Wizard of Oz Fly “over the rainbow” for this all-time American and Muny classic. Whenever Dorothy and her friends follow their hearts down the yellow brick road, you’re guaranteed an evening of enchantment. 1 Theatre Dr., 63112. For more information, call (314) 361-1900 or visit www.muny.org.

Through June 26, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 6604 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, call (314) 5319800 or visit www.sfstl.com.

arts

Fri., June 24, 6 p.m., 5th

Annual Contemporary Night Out. This is a collaborative evening of short, informative programs about various aspects of the world of contemporary art. This year’s theme explores the role of the artist as activist, specifically examining the issue of identity. There will be a opening reception at 5:30 p.m. at Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum (Washington University, 1 Brookings Dr., 63112) followed by a presentation at 6. There will also be presentations at Contemporary Art Museum (3750 Washington Boulevard, 63108) at 7, and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation (3716 Washington Boulevard, 63108). For more information, call (314) 935-4523 or visit www.kemperartmuseum.wustl. edu/events.

Sat., June 25, 10:30 a.m., St. Louis Art Museum will host a lecture with Dr. Alvia J. Wardlaw who will discuss African American Expression in Folk Art. Dr. Wardlaw is the curator of the groundbreaking exhibitions The Quilts of Gee’s Bend for the The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial with the Indianapolis Museum of Art. 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information or to purchase a ticket, call (314) 534-1111 or visit www.slam. org.

The National Blues Museum presents A Cast of Blues Created by artist Sharon McConnell-Dickerson, the exhibit is composed of the life-cast masks of 40 blues musicians, including Big George Brock, David “Honeyboy” Edwards, and Ruth Brown The exhibit also includes a bronze sculpture of the hands of blues artist Johnny Winter. 615 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, call (314) 925-0016.

The Griot Museum of Black History presents Lady Leaders and Legends. Artist Daniel Hodges honors 20 outstanding St. Louis women including Maya Angelou, Katherine Dunham, Frankie M. Freeman, Ida Woolfolk, and others. 2505 St. Louis Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314) 241-7057 or visit www.thegriotmuseum.org.

lectures

Sat., June 25, 2:30 p.m., New African Paradigm Study Group Lecture Series presents Breaking Through the Matrix. Professor Kaba Kamene will speak on the topic of “Preparing Our Community and Children for the Next 100 Years.” The Better Family Life’s Cultural, Education and Business Center, 5415 Page Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (618) 977-8191.

Mon., June 27, 9 a.m.,

St. Louis Art Museum will host a lecture with Dr. Alvia J. Wardlaw who will discuss African American Expression in Folk Art. For more information, see ART.

ChallengeHER Event for Women Business Owners. This free event will educate attendees on growth opportunities in government contracting as well as how to participate in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s WomenOwned Small Business Federal Contract program. Additionally, business owners can sign up to participate in Contract Connections – one-on-one meetings with procurement officials, government buyers and large prime contractors. Webster University Gateway Arcade Building, 812 Olive St., 63101. For more information, call (212) 388-7674 or visit www. wipp.org.

health

Fri., June 24, 6 p.m., Sickle Cell Association Quarter Auction Fundraiser. What is a quarter auction? It is a cross

between an auction (where you hold up a numbered paddle to bid on an item), a raffle (where you are trying to win a prize), Bingo (using chips or a ball with a number on it), and a home party (a gathering with friends). This is a fun and easy way to raise money for a great cause, while bidding on great items from various vendors, like Partylite, Miche, It Works, Thirty-One Gifts, Created, Tupperware, and many, many more. Bidding Paddles are 1 for $5 or 2 for $8. Bring lots of quarters to bid with (we will have extras rolls, if you run out). 5615 Pershing Avenue, Ste. 29, 63112. For more information, call (314) 277-3950 or visit www.sicklecellassociation. org.

Sat., June 25, 8:30 a.m., St. Louis Walk to Defeat ALS. Welcome and Announcements will begin at 10:00 am with the Walk immediately following. There is a 3 mile and a 1 mile route that you can choose. Visitors & Education Center, Forest Park, 5595 Grand Dr., 63112. For more information, visit www.web.alsa.org.

Mon., June 27, 5 p.m., Community Action Forum: Disease Prevention and Management: Better Models for Better Health. This event will include a discussion on how the coordination and expansion of disease prevention and management can make St. Louis a healthier place to live. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 N. Warson Rd., 63132. For more information or to register, visit www. forthesakeofall.org/events.

Wed., June 29, 8 a.m., The Alzheimer’s Association presents Alzheimer’s Care Consultation Day Consultations discuss dementia and Alzheimer’s related issues including caregivers stress, diagnosis questions, resources and services, coping with

behaviors and learning how to communicate with someone with dementia. Consultations are conducted by a social worker for an hour to answer your questions and address concerns. If unable to attend, care consultations can also be conducted by telephone or at the Alzheimer’s Association office, 9370 Olive Blvd, 63112. Appointments are required. To register, call (800) 272-3900. James J. Eagan Center, 1 James Eagan Dr., 63033. For more information, visit www.alz. org/stl.

Wed., June 29, 1 p.m., The Alzheimer’s Association and Saint Louis University’s Geriatric Education Center present Free Geriatric Screenings. Screenings are for anyone age 65 years or older and will include assessment of frailty, nutrition, and cognitive function. Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., 63146. For more information, call (314) 8010416 or visit www.alz.org/stl.

Sat., July 9, 1 p.m., Sickle Cell Association presents a Sickle Cell Baby Shower. Play games, meet other parents, enjoy cake and punch, and most importantly be educated on the important facts for the road ahead. This event is primarily for those parents of a newly diagnosed infant, however it is open to parents of children 5 years and under, also diagnosed with sickle cell disease. RSVP required. 5615 Pershing Avenue, Ste. 29, 63112. For more information or to RSVP, call (314) 833-6751 or visit www. sicklecellassociation.org.

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., Get Sexy Movement Boot Camp. Station styled boot camp with 1 minute at each station for three rounds. North County Recreation Center, 2577 Redman Rd., 63136.For more information, call (314) 8988898.

not get enough of the idea or proclaim it boldly enough.

Freedom runs throughout this body of work – freedom taken with perspective, scale, materials and vision. Sticking with three dimensions, Lonnie Holley and Thornton Dial both created jarring assemblages, working roughly a decade apart. Holley’s “Don’t Go Crossing My Fence” (1994) is a humorous piece that incorporates a mop, garden hose and lamp base, while Dial’s beautifully titled “Birds Got to Have Somewhere to Roost” (2012) makes artistic use of carpet scraps along with metals and wood.

The show includes a number of artists who painted or otherwise made marks on wood and steel. William L. Hawkins painted house imagery onto Masonite with house paint and incorporated collage elements into an untitled piece from 1989. Made only a few years later, “People Celebrating” (1990s) by Purvis Young is a piece where it’s difficult to see where the frame stops and the actual art image starts, as he fashioned frames within frames with castoff wood and then painted stick figures in the indistinct, repetitive fashion of a child. The free hand of a child may also be seen in two works on metals crafted a few years apart. Mary T. Smith’s untitled human figures painted on metal (1976) look like a child’s wideeyed impression of African power figures. Sam Doyle painted cartoonish human figures (“Rocking Mary/Mr. Fool,” ca. 1983) on either side of a piece of corrugated roofing tin, with the charming feel of the hand-painted signs that advertise roadside businesses in Africa.

There is, however, no charm in Ronald Lockett’s haunting rusted sheet metal composition “Pregnant Lady” (1996), as the female figure collapsed in the

dark rust tones in the center of the piece is a pregnant woman dying of AIDS.

The show also features two works on paper and two works on cardboard by AfricanAmerican artists. Melvin Way’s “Singlair” from the late-20th century looks like colorful psychedelic doodles on paper, with scattered numerals and letters contributing to a mystical atmosphere. From the same period and in a similar vein, J.B. Murray’s untitled work on paper takes a child’s dream palette of media –crayon, watercolor, ink – to create a colorful burst of letters and what look like the ghosts you can make by smudging water colors on paper with your thumb and dotting on eyes in ink.

The works on cardboard look like the most classic examples of outside art, if that’s not an oxymoron, partly because cardboard is such a typical, homely medium for the selftaught artist. Bill Traylor’s untitled excursion in poster paint and pencil (c. 1941) gives me as much pleasure as anything in this show of treasures.

Sister Gertrude Morgan brings the prophetic vision one expects from African-American

folk art in “New Jerusalem” (c. 1970), acrylic and tempera applied to cardboard in dazzling reds and yellows. At the bottom of the piece, holy ghosts leave their graves. The evangelist herself strides up toward the center of the image, preaching from Mathew: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” Blessed, too, are the self-taught artists, the outsiders, for they show us the earth and its inhabitants as we have never seen them before.

“Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum” hangs at the Saint Louis Art Museum through September 11. Admission is free for members. For the general public, tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, $6 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children age 5 and under. Tickets are available in person or through MetroTix.

Alvia J. Wardlaw, professor of art history at Texas Southern University and curator of the University Museum, will deliver the free lecture “African American Expressions in Folk Art” in the museum’s Farrell Auditorium on Saturday, June 25 at 10:30 am. For more information, call 314721-0072 or visit slam.org.

Continued from C1

African-American women.

With the exception of Nancy Anderson’s exceptional performance as fairy queen Titania, all of the female leads are assumed by black women. It’s also worth noting that another of the fairies is portrayed by actress Raina K. Houston, as well as two supportive roles being performed by AfricanAmerican men, Reginald Pierre and Myke Andrews.

In the opening scene of the play Jacqueline Thompson is first to emerge on stage as Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Her role is the smallest of the three leads, but her presence – and as the queen, no less – sets the tone.

Cassia Thompson as Hermia comes next. She is the object of two characters’ affection, though her heart and her father’s choice for her future husband are in direct opposition.

Rachel Christopher rounds out the trifecta of leading ladies with her portrayal as Helena. She is lovesick over one of Hermia’s suitors, but the feeling is far from mutual.

In Shakespeare’s lighthearted comedy – often described as a play within a play –supernatural beings attempt to aid the mortals in matchmaking.

A miscommunication sets off a chain of events that leads to hilarity –and the main actor of a ragtag cast of tradesmen turned performers working on a play being unwittingly swept up in the mischief.

2016 marks the second time

JAZZ

Continued from C1

here was Alexander playing favorites from his 2015 Grammy Award-nominated debut album “My Favorite Things” to sold-out shows across the country.

The energy buzzing from the audience Saturday at the Bistro could be likened to the live audience who can be heard clapping and shouting in the background on the then13-year-old Stevie Wonder’s live performance of his first Motown hit single “Fingertips Part Two.”

These patrons of jazz carried on as if they knew this was an experience they would be sharing with future generations as a moment of history in the making.

Backed by a bass player (Dan Chmielinski) and drummer (Eric Harland), Alexander’s performance assured the audience that the genre was in good hands – and had not been entirely lost on the younger generations.

He pounded with precision and intention, getting so swept up in the transitions that his accompanists had to stay on their toes every second of the 70-minute set to stay with him.

The fact that most young people Alexander’s age are using their hands to manipulate Xbox One and PlayStation 4

that Shakespeare St. Louis has produced “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and there is a stark contrast between the current staging and when the play was presented as their second season in 2002.

The 2002 presentation was a colorful, whimsical ode to the supernatural element. For 2016, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis drew heavily on influences from the 1950s. The set and the costumes are less striking than their first presentation, but the sockhop dresses and Las Vegas concert formal wear worn by the ladies were a nice touch.

As far as the acting, there were no weak links in this large ensemble.

Timothy Carter as Oberon, King of the Fairies, Stephen Pilkington as Nick Bottom, Anderson’s Titania and Christopher’s Helena were standouts among the cast.

And in their moments of rivalry and conflict, Cassia Thompson rises to the caliber of Christopher’s performance.

The physical comedy element

controllers is only part of what makes his ascension to the top of jazz music’s “ones to watch” so extraordinary. He hails from a Bali, Indonesia. Jazz initially made its way into his household by way of his parents –particularly their affinity for Louis Armstrong. By age six Alexander had taught himself to play piano and could mimic the various

n For his first trip to St. Louis, Joey Alexander had already outgrown the Ferring Jazz Bistro. The two-show set was sold-out before he arrived.

playing styles of the artists among his father’s collection of jazz albums. There was no place to get formal training in his hometown, so Alexander’s education consisted of being thrust into jam sessions with the tiny fraternity of professional musicians in his native country.

n As far as the acting, there were no weak links in this large ensemble.

between them is fast-paced and high-impact.

At the climax of the action between the two characters, the physical demands their back and forth is reminiscent of when Venus and Serena Williams face off on the tennis court.

Cassia Thompson and Christopher are well of aware of the pace and rhythm requirements to keep the audience amused – and on their toes as they play to the entire audience.

The exchanges between the two actresses are as delightful to watch as a troupe of men vying for the affection of black women in a Shakespeare play.

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis’ presentation of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” continues through Sunday, June 26 at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park (adjacent to The Saint Louis Art Museum). Shows are performed nightly at 8 p.m. except for Tuesdays. For more info, visit https://www. sfstl.com/ or call (314) 5319800.

At age 8, he played for Herbie Hancock. The next year, Alexander won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Master-Jam Fest, an all-ages jazz music competition in Odessa, Ukraine, which included 43 musicians from 17 nations. Soon afterwards, the Alexander family packed up and moved to New York City so that their young prodigy could forge a professional career in jazz. In the three years since, he has become a Grammy Award-nominated musician (“Best Improvised Jazz Solo” for “Giant Steps” and “Best Instrumental Jazz Album” “My Favorite Things”) and one of the hottest tickets on the scene.

For his first trip to St. Louis, he had already outgrown the Ferring Jazz Bistro. The twoshow set was sold-out before he arrived. And with the area’s rich legacy and strong connection to jazz music –thanks to the likes of Miles Davis, Lester Bowie, Clark Terry and many others – the local audience is far from easy to please. By the end of his show, Alexander had them begging for another encore after he played so fervently while closing out the show with his original composition “Ma Blues.” He leapt from the piano bench and fervently mashed down on the keys with the entire weight of his body. For his final bow, he reverted the seemingly shy, prepubescent adolescent. “Thank you very much, and God bless,” Alexander said – though he could barely be heard above the unanimous standing ovation that brought even Bistro employees to their feet.

Mary T. Smith, 1904/5 – 1995; Untitled, Hazlehurst, Mississippi, 1976; paint on metal; 32 x 48 ¼ inches; Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York; Blanchard-Hill Collection; Gift of M. Anne Hill and Edward V. Blanchard Jr., 1998.10.4; photo by Gavin Ashworth, New York

By Melanie Adams

Jennifer Doyle, Contributing Writer Associate Educator

A range of extraordinary works created by self-taught American artists is featured in “Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum,” the Saint Louis Art Museum’s summer exhibition. Drawn from the permanent collection of the American Folk Art Museum, New York, this diverse grouping is comprised of unique works by artists who originate from the Deep South and Midwest to the East and West Coasts. The show includes more than 100 objects—including paintings, ceramics, furniture, sculptures, textiles, carvings, handmade books, and more—that date from the 18th century to the present day. Made by individuals who had no formal training in visual art, artworks in the exhibition display a high level of technical and artistic achievement comparable in integrity and feeling to the creations of academically trained professionals.

The exhibition includes works by numerous African American artists displaying both outstanding technical refinement and artistic expression. A large stoneware jug created by Dave Drake, also known as “Dave the Potter,” is certainly noteworthy due to its deceptively simple, yet skillful design. But perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that Dave

Jessie B. Telfair, American, 1913 -1986; Freedom Quilt, 1983, cotton, with pencil; 74 x 68 inches, Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York, Gift of Judith Alexander in loving memory of her sister, Rebecca Alexander, 2004.9.1;

Route 66 exhibit opens June 25

boldly signed his name on this high-quality pot—and over 100 more—during a time in our nation’s history when slaves capable of reading and writing could be killed for asserting their knowledge and individuality. Also exceptional is a 19th century needlework quilt handstitched by a pair of sisters who worked as slaves on a Kentucky plantation; the intricately stitched quilt underscores the anonymous legacy of artwork made by unidentified hands. The work of local Missouri artist Jesse Howard is featured, along with the paintings of Purvis Young, Sam Doyle, and Sister Gertrude, along with an exceptional graphic quilt by Jesse Telfair. Viewers also may recognize the work of two artists who were among the first self-taught black Americans to gain recognition from the national and international art world: draftsman and painter Bill Traylor and sculptor William Edmondson.

Midway through the exhibition you will find the Explore Lab, an activity space where

visitors of all ages can create an original work of art inspired by the exhibition. Discover your own inner creative genius by drawing, sculpting, or assembling a unique artwork from everyday items such as yarn, corks, beads, wire, paper, pencils, and more. These supplies are inspired by the inventive works in the exhibition, many of which were made from equally humble household items. You are also welcome to further explore your creative personality by taking the quiz “What Type of Genius Are You?” that will help you pinpoint your “genius personality.” Join us at the Art Museum this Saturday, June 25 for African American Expressions in Folk Art, a free presentation by scholar, author, and curator Dr. Alvia J. Wardlaw.

“Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum” will be on view through September 11 in the Main Exhibition Galleries at the Saint Louis Art Museum.

I remember my first long car trip. It was a drive to Eastman, Georgia to visit to my material grandparents in the summer of 1976. My mother drove the entire 16 hours with me and my brother in the back seat alternating between reading and playing the license plate game (you have to find license plates from all 50 states).

This trek down South happened almost yearly through my elementary school years. I don’t remember stopping though I’m sure we did for food and gas. Driving south from New Jersey, we traveled through down through Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Not exactly the Deep South, but south enough.

I thought of this yearly drive last week when watching the museum’s Teens Make History players perform their new play, “Whose Route 66.” This 30-minute play examines an African American’s family trip from Chicago to the Grand Canyon via Route 66. Heavily dependent on the travel guide created Victor Hugo Green entitled The Negro Motorist Green Book, the play looks at what the family had to do to be safe while traveling. From plotting out where to stay to bringing food in case they could not find a restaurant, travel for African Americans was not easy.

This new Teens Make History Play is in conjunction with a new exhibition at the Missouri History Museum examining the famed Route 66.

Route 66: Main Street Through St. Louis tells the story of this famed road and the role it has played in the region’s development and history. When I first learned of Route 66’s connection to St. Louis I was sure I had never been on the famed road until I learned Ted Drewes sits on Route 66 and realized I have been there more times than I want to admit. Aside from Ted Drewes, St. Louisans have memories of Route 66 that include the Parkmoor Diner and the Chase Hotel. If they think hard enough, most people in the region can tell a story about their time on Route 66. Even if you are not planning a road trip this summer, I hope you will take the time to come by the Missouri History Museum and take a walk through Route 66 and recall the memories.

Route 66: Main Street Through St. Louis Opens Saturday, June 25, FREE

Known as the “Mother Road” and the “Main Street of America,” Route 66 plays an important role in American history and myth. But the famous road also has a story to tell about the St. Louis area and how it has changed. In Route 66: Main Street Through St. Louis we explore the local history of this world-famous highway. Come get your kicks by learning stories about the motels, custard stands, and tourist traps that could be found along the road as it passed through St. Louis. Visitors will see a number of artifacts ranging from gas pumps to roadside signs and will even get a chance to drive the road themselves.

Whose Route 66 Thursday and Friday at 11am Saturdays at 2pm Summer Camp groups can reserve seats to Thursday and Friday morning performances on line • FREE Traveling along America’s roadways was not an easy endeavor for African Americans before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination in public accommodations. In this play, discover how African Americans used The Negro Motorist Green Book to guide their journey and find safe places to eat and rest throughout the United States. Written and performed by local high school students, this play is approximately 35 minutes long and is followed by a 10-minute Q&A session.

Route 66: A Lifetime on the Mother Road Sunday, June 26th 1pm to 2pm Lee Auditorium FREE

Best-selling author Michael Wallis takes the audience on an unforgettable journey as he examines the enduring allure of the historic highway. This St. Louis Native almost singlehandedly brought America’s Main Street back into the nation’s consciousness with his book Route 66: The Mother Road. Wallis also provided the voice of Sherriff in the Cars animated film ad is the co-founder of the Route 66 Alliance. A book signing follows the program. Books will be available for purchase.

Photo by Gavin Ashworth

Red Crown Service Station (Skinker and Clayton roads). Photograph by Joseph Hampel, 1946. Courtesy of Missouri Historical Society.

Mr. and Mrs. Marvin and Marlene Mosby will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary on June 28. They will host an All White Dinner Party with family and friends to celebrate on June 25.

Celebrations

Reunions

beaumont1971alumni@aol. com.

Beaumont High School Class of 1976 will have its 40th year reunion September 23-25, 2016. For more detailed information please email bhs1976@swbell.net or Facebook: Beaumont High class of 76.

Beaumont High Class of 1971 is planning its 45th year reunion for July 22-24, 2016. The reunion dinner dance is Saturday, July 23, 2016 at the Renaissance Airport Hotel, 9801 Natural Bridge Road. Please send your contact information (address and phone number) to Gladys Smith at

Beaumont High Class of 1984 can stay updated via our Facebook page “Beaumont Class of 1984”. We meet the last Friday of every month. Contact Rochelle Williams at rochellewilliams001@yahoo. com.

East St. Louis Lincoln High School Classes of 1966 will celebrate our 50 year class

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Brother James Stowers, born June 23, 1923 to the union of John and Annie Stowers in Macon, Mississippi. He is the only living sibling out of 14 children. Happy Birthday, Dad!

Mother Lucille Hall celebrated her 109th birthday with family and friends on June 5, 2016. Mother Hall is a member of First Baptist Church of Creve Coeur. She enjoys playing the piano and reading her Bible. We thank God for blessing you for another year!

Happy 1st birthday to Brandon “BJ” Johnson on June 27! BJ, you are the light of our world, and you have truly made us better people! Love, Mom and Dad

Happy 68th Birthday to Rosalyn McKissick on June 25!

reunion August 19 - 21, 2016 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Fairview Hts., Ill. The cost is $100 for classmates and $50 for guests. A late fee of $25 pp will be assessed after May 31. Please contact John Cunningham for details and reservations at: 618-692-6610.

East St. Louis Class of 1971 will celebrate its 45th class reunion Sept. 2-4, 2016 at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, IL. For more information, please contact Opal at 314-952-4729, Sandra at 314-249-7295 or Glenda at 618-781-4888 or email timac48@aol.com.

Hadley Technical High School Class of 1961 will celebrate its 55th class reunion,

September 16-18, 2016 at the Renaissance Airport Hotel. For more information, contact Ralph Johnson 477-2042, Shirley Woods 361-5351, or Jeffery Raybon 3821875. Send updated contact information to celiajteach@ gmail.com. Our Annual Picnic on Sunday, September 4th at John L. Brown Park, 4300 Calvert Ave 63134 (off Woodson Rd.).

Harrison School All Class Reunion Saturday September 10, 2016, 6:30 pm-10:30 pm at Ambruster Great Hall (6633 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, Mo 63117). Tickets are $60 per person.For more info contact; Judy Darris at 314-443-6741, Yolanda Beck at 314-346-8103 or Làshell Tolliver at 314-420-

3566.

Sumner High School Class of 1956 will celebrate its 60th reunion July 15-17,2016, at the Sheraton Westport Plaza Hotel. For more information, please contact Gloria at 314-438-7339 with your contact information (address, phone number, e-mail).

Vashon Class of 1967 is planning its 50th Year Class Reunion and is need of contact information for all interested alumni. Please contact JoAnn Alvoid at alvoidjoe8@gmail. com; Sarah (Taylor) Robinson at srobinson647@hotmail. com; or Sonya (Walker) Smith at 314.381.8221, with your address, email and phone number.

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. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315 Pine St. St. Louis, MO 63103 FREE OF CHARGE

Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us! However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103

Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us. Our email address is: reunions@ stlamerican.com

Rosalyn McKissick

Brandon “BJ” Johnson

Lucille Hall

James Stowers

Swag Snap of the week

Prince tribute and Theresa Payne at The Intersection. When I tell you I got all of my life thanks to the live music offerings happening around the STL this weekend. And the glorious thing about it all was that it was mostly locals involved. My first stop was Grand Center’s Music at The intersection. The monthly local music showcase paid homage to Prince by way of some of the biggest talents our city has to offer at some of the venues located in the Midtown arts district. Anita Jackson, Tre’Von Griffith and others slayed some of my favorite soulful classics from Prince’s catalog at The Bistro. Then I trotted over to the Kranzberg to catch Theresa Payne. She did a taste of Prince, but mostly focused on her new album “Get My Heart Back.” It was at capacity up in there and folks were trying to squeeze in anywhere they could – including the sound booth – so that they could get a sip of her singing that stage down. And based on their reactions, she should go ahead and get used to singing to sold-out crowds. I’m just sayin’.

A so-so Sinbad. I must say that I was a bit underwhelmed by the normally hilarious Sinbad when he skipped back through the Lou for a weekend of sets at the all-new Helium Comedy Club. I mean, he was funny enough I suppose. I was dying when he was talking about how things would have gone down if he had fallen into the gorilla pit – and how the boys ADHD was to blame and not the parents. But it seemed like all he talked about was his own ADHD. And he held his opening act Chase Anthony hostage on the stage for what I’m guessing was supposed to be a comedy duet, but all Anthony said was “What?” as response to most of Sinbad’s jokes. It was kind of awkward for the young man, who actually had a pretty solid set. When he was going on about the mannerisms he developed by growing up with four sisters in a single parent home, I was downright weak. Just the thought of him putting his hands on his hips, rolling his neck and walking around with a towel wrapped around his upper body at football practice still gives me a cackle or two. Don’t get me wrong, Sinbad was funny too, but I’m used to my face and shoulders hurting after seeing him live. It looks I’ll be perched at Helium for much of the summer because of acts like JB Smoove, Tommy Davidson and Faison Love.

Yasss to the Y.E.A.H. music festival. I know my folks on the IL side stay pressed about it, but I don’t get over to the Eastside nearly as much as some believe I should. Well, they can be quiet about it for a little while because I made it my business to hit up the Y.E.A.H. (Youth Empowerment Arts and Harmony) Music Festival at Moody Park in Fairview Heights. The T-Beats team had a hand in the festival and it was a glorious time. I got there just in time to catch East St. Louis’ own Andre Delano on saxophone and headliner Oleta Adams tear that festival down with her vocals and piano game. She’s one of the most underrated musical artists and I hate that she never got the shine she deserved. And she gave it her all like she was performing for a sold-out crowd at the world’s biggest outdoor stadium. And when Oleta and Andre teamed up...can you say everything!? I hope the festival becomes an annual thing because I’ll most certainly stop back through.

A mini-crowd for Rakim. It made my heart hurt a bit that the masses didn’t come out to check for legendary MC Rakim when he took the stage at The Marquee on Friday. I think the elderly ratchet crowd had their minds set on the raunchy catchy tunes of Too Short and couldn’t be bothered with a conscious rhyme session. The good thing is that he still moved the crowd. The bad news is that the size of the crowd made it easy to move.

Lee’s lovely birthday bash. It was a who’s who of the Lou as socialite Lee Haynes did it big for her b-day Saturday night at The Magnolia Hotel. Naretha Hopson, The Bosman Twins, Dionne Neal, Nichole Berlie from KSDK-TV, Kevin Johnson from The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mike Claiborne and a host of others helped make Lee’s birthday quite the classy grown folks gathering.

Celebrating ‘Soul Searching’ with Jon B. My last taste of live music for the weekend came courtesy of the Night of Soul Searching One Year Anniversary celebration at Lumiere Live Saturday night. Jon B was the special headliner for a show that featured Bell Darris doing Brownstone on the violin and Golliday singing his heart out in a jumpsuit made of dress slacks material with all of the top buttons open. Princeton Dew hosted. Rollyn Moore, Cory Allen and Trunesia Combs gave tastes of separate periods of throwback R&B/Soul. I had a good little time too. I would love to know the secret regimen of Klay Thompson’s biological father Jon B, because he looks EXACTLY the same as he did 20 years ago. His portion of the show was cute, but I don’t understand why he didn’t use the soul searching band because they were hot. Not singing along to tracks would have made a huge difference, because he still sounded pretty good. I don’t know why he decided to throw subliminal shade at Justin Timberlake, talkin’ about “this is our culture!” I was about to say “our culture, sir?” out loud, but then I realized that if I were to submit his DNA to Ancestry.com it would probably come out 78 percent DeBarge.

Brian McKnight is coming back. Speaking of Soul One of my favorite tall, dark and handsome crooners will make a long awaited return to St. Louis thanks to the Mo Investment Ent. Folks. Brian McKnight will be serving up his greatest hits and high notes on Saturday night (June 25) at The Ambassador and you best believe I will be in the building. My obsession for him stretches back about 25 years. He had most of y’all by “One Last Cry.” But I was already locked in with “Is This The Way Love Goes”… Y’all don’t even know that song, do you? Probably not…Anyway, I’m sure his falsetto will be in fighting form on Saturday. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Rockwell

Knuckles and Aloha helped Theresa Payne tear down the stage Friday @ Kranzberg

Angel of Night of Soul Searching and Jon B just before the singer hit the stage Saturday @ Lumiere Live

Hip-hop legend Rakim with promoters PB and Dee before Rakim ripped the stage with a few of his classic rhymes Friday night @ The Marquee

Anita, Hassie, Heather and Kathy came through The Kranzberg to catch Theresa Payne Friday night @ Music at The intersection

Shehla, reality star and vixen Deelishis and Mike kicked it in VIP for Mike’s b-day celebration Sunday @ HG

Theresa Payne and her band after a fire second set Friday @ The Kranzberg

Daronne and Alex stopped through the Night of Soul Searching Anniversary Party featuring R&B veteran Jon B Saturday night @ Lumiere Live

Bell and Jzanell came to show support for fellow performing artist Theresa Payne as she sang her heart out Friday night @ The Kranzberg

Diamond and Tiff Saturday night @ HG

Kim and Michelle celebrated Michelle’s birthday Saturday night @ HG

DJ Sweet Tee caught up with comedy veteran Sinbad when he stopped through Hot 104.1 FM studios before his Friday night set at Helium Comedy Club.

Photos by Lawrence Bryant & John Scott

Very Rev. Mike Kinman leaving Christ Church Cathedral Being a blessing

Last local sermon is Sunday, June 26

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

The Very Rev. Mike Kinman, who has led Christ Church Cathedral in downtown St. Louis for seven years, announced Sunday, June 12 that he has accepted a call to be the new rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California.

Kinman shared the news with the Cathedral congregation during Sunday services. He will preach his last sermon as dean of the Cathedral on Sunday, June 26 when his ministry and the life of the Cathedral will be celebrated. His final day in the office will be June 30. After that, he will resume his Cathedral-granted sabbatical, which ends September 6.

“I have come back this Sunday to begin to say goodbye. And that means that things will change here at Christ Church Cathedral. But what will remain the same is Christ’s call on us – on you and on me. And that is a call, wherever we are, to bring those of us who are most on the margins into the center and to let those voices be the church’s teachers and leaders,” Kinman said on June 12.

“To reject this pervasive culture of coercive shame and embrace a life of extravagant love, liberation and hospitality for all. To choose justice over respectability. The way of Jesus over the way of the Pharisee. This mission did not begin with my arrival and does not end with my departure.”

Kinman was called to the Cathedral in 2009. During his tenure, the Cathedral raised more than $750,000 for black churches burned in the South in 2015; opened its doors to Black Lives Matter activists after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown Jr. in Ferguson in 2014; and last year, helped open a residential center, Magdalene St. Louis, for women who had endured abuse,

congregation followed him on this journey. Some of Kinman’s parishioners have heard enough of this impassioned advocacy of protestors against the police and left his church.

“Some people have said, ‘You’re making me feel bad, guilty, ashamed,’” Kinman told The American. “I get that. Christ Church Cathedral is not always an easy place to go to church.

n “We go where God is calling us.”

– Very Rev. Mike Kinman

prostitution and addiction. He preached frequently about justice and reconciliation.

“As a church leader, I go where I see Christ,” Kinman told The American in an August 9 interview, in between leading two worship services on the one-year anniversary of Brown’s being killed. “And right now, I see Him in the young people. I see Him in the young people non-violently leading this movement.”

Not everyone in the

But we go where God is calling us. There is no way history could have come to St. Louis with this movement and us not throw open our doors and then go out into the street ourselves.”

Kinman first arrived in the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri in 1986 when he attended the University of Missouri–Columbia. After graduation, he took over as a full-time campus minister at Calvary Episcopal Church in Columbia in 1991. Beginning in 1993, he spent

The Very Rev. Mike Kinman prayed at a Ferguson protest in October 2014. On Sunday, June 26 he will deliver his last sermon at Christ Church Cathedral. He has accepted a call to be the new rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California.

three years at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University. After graduating seminary, he was ordained deacon in 1996 in a service at Christ Church Cathedral.

He began work as curate and then associate priest at the Church of St. Michael and St. George in Clayton. He was ordained a priest in 1997 and then helped start a campus ministry with students at Washington University. That ministry eventually evolved into a full-time campus ministry.

He later became involved in a national Episcopal movement to reorient the church toward seeking and serving Christ through ending extreme poverty. That movement became Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation, where he served as its executive director. He was called to Christ Church Cathedral, first as provost in 2009 and then, two years later, as dean.

A search will begin shortly for an interim dean.

For more information, please contact the Cathedral at 314231-3454.

Haven’t we all been taught that it’s better to give than to receive? Kindness and goodwill are attributes of all of God’s people, Christian or not. Mercy and forgiveness are true staples of the Christian diet. The result is supposed to be a reaping, if you will, of untold rewards for a life spent giving with little to no expectation of getting anything in return.

But life takes over, and we learn at an early age that life is cruel, unpredictable and, if you don’t watch out for yourself, your kindness will be taken for weakness and your generosity something to be taken advantage of. Some will testify that life and the people in it will use you, let you down.

Pain, more often than not, comes from an attempt to help somebody who doesn’t give a damn about you, someone you love who doesn’t love you back, situations you didn’t create but were drawn into.

These are situations and circumstances that have made some good people go bad because people will protect themselves and their feelings at all costs. We have all learned how to survive. We’ve learned to do this in a world where it appears nice guys finish last, takers succeed and, in order to win, cheating is rationalized.

You don’t know what kind of mother you’ll become unless you have a child. Likewise, you don’t know what kind of friend you are until you have a friend.

You can’t know the depths of your ability to love until you’re head over heels in it. You don’t really know yourself until you genuinely share of yourself without fear, without restrictions.

It’s unconditional love that I’m talking about. If you can give it, then you can appreciate it being offered to you. You cannot be blessed until you become a blessing. There is no chicken egg here. Being a blessing comes before being blessed.

If you go through life just existing based on your personal criteria for love, friendship, being in relationship to others, then what you’ll get is just that: life with strings attached. You can’t expect your prayer life to be answered if it only contains prayers of “gimme.”

If your prayers don’t include anyone but you and are only a reflection of the trials and tribulations of your life, then you’re blocking your own blessings. God shouldn’t have to ask you what have you done for Him lately? The reality of blessings is what have you done for someone else lately?

It’s that made in his image thing. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” John 12:13.

Being a blessing uncomplicates a world full of contradictions. If you let yourself understand the concept of giving by being a blessing, then you are fulfilling a purpose preordained for all of us by God. I know; easier said than done. Just think about God being a blessing to you and you are automatically on the road to becoming blessed. How could you not?

Columnist James Washington

Photo by Wiley Price