The St. LouiS AmericAn
A gateway to liberation
Freedom Suits Memorial Monument unveiled as nation paused for Juneteenth
By Kenya Vaughn
Etta Daniels stood out among the hundreds who braved the heat and humidity and gathered downtown in front of
n He [Preston Jackson] entitled the 14-foot bronze statue “Freedom’s Home.”
Civil Courts Building early Monday evening. The courts were closed to commemorate the Juneteenth federal holiday. They came on a day set aside to honor the emancipation of Blacks in America to unveil, dedicate and bless the Freedom Suits Memorial Monument created by Preston Jackson. He entitled the 14-foot bronze statue “Freedom’s Home.”
“It’s important as we celebrate that this unveiling coincides with Juneteenth, because this date has always been a symbol of Freedom deferred,” said U.S. Congresswoman Cori Bush. “We know that dream is yet to be realized because the vestiges
The Honorable Judge David Mason, who spoke at the unveiling of the Freedom Suits Memorial sculpture, with sons Harrison and William on Monday, June 20.
Well grounded McKelvey digs working at Missouri Botanical Garden
By Ashley Winters The St. Louis American
Speaking to Daria McKelvey about horticulture and botany be prepared to be schooled because she has the knowledge and skill down to a deep understanding. A horticulturist/botanist at the Missouri Botanical Garden [MoBot], McKelvey serves in a supervisory role, and is a recent recipient of the Emerging Horticultural Professional Award. According to the American Horticulture Society, the award is “given in the early stages of an individual’s career and recognizes significant achievements and/or leadership that have advanced the field of horticulture in America.”
Laronda Griffin credits the St. Louis city and county public schools for fostering her love for educating. Griffin leads her family during music class (left to right): LaRonda Griffin, Urias Carryl, Zakira Carryl and Victoria Walker.
Homeschooling in COVID-19 era
‘We’re used to this lifestyle.’
– Laronda Griffin, homeschooling parent
By Sylvester Brown Jr.
The St. Louis American
Laronda Griffin was born to educate. As a child she remembers setting her dolls up in a make-believe classroom and playing teacher.
“I am literally a teacher by heart,” Griffin said. “I’m always trying to teach somebody. I just love doing it. Griffin’s mother was a music teacher for
more than 30 years but, she said, that’s not where her love for educating stems from. It was her experience learning in St. Louis’ city and county public schools that fostered her thirst for education.
“I got all the way to high school feeling like I couldn’t do the basics (reading and math). So, I had to figure out how to teach myself.” Griffin said after she flunked the second
grade she was heartbroken because her twin sister moved ahead of her in school. Griffin caught up in the 8th grade, by taking extracurricular classes. Because of that accomplishment she and her twin sister graduated together.
Griffin, who went on to earn a master’s degree in education, has five children that she
#BlackGirlMagic
“It’s a way to show people we can be in this field and we should be in this field,” said McKelvey. According to Zippia data, men outnumber women by 38% in the botany field. In addition, 76.2% of botanists are white and only 2.5% are Black. Nearly 70% of horticulturists are white and 11% are Black.
McKelvey has been a horticulturist/botanist for 10 years. A graduate of the University of TexasAustin. She majored in Plant Biology and Ecology. She then earned her master’s from Texas Tech University after studying in its Horticulture program.
McKelvey has worked at MoBot for four years after searching for a dream job that combined horticulture, ecology, and teaching.
“It was the call I had been waiting for, for so long. It was just perfect, a perfect fit. I love the culture, the people, and what the garden is trying to accomplish,” said McKelvey. So, what is a horticulturist/botanist?
A horticulturist is an expert in garden cultiva-
Missouri Protection
LAWSUIT, A6
The St. Louis American
the
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Daria McKelvey
Photo by Taylor McIntosh / St. Louis American
Willie Moore Jr., Steve Harvey partner on boys’ mentoring program
Love isn’t St. Louis native lie Moore Jr.’s only “Good Thang.” Mentoring and motivating the next generation of men is another passion of Moore’s.
The McCluer South-Berkeley alum (now STEAM Academy at McCluer-South Berkeley) has partnered with The Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation on a mentorship program.
Moore shared the big news on Instagram.
“My word for this year is FINISH,” Willie wrote alongside a screenshot of the announcement, “I’m so thankful for the power of partnership. This weekend I’m blessed to announce that we will be
pouring knowledge and wisdom into young boys throughout this Father’s Day weekend.”
Moore, also known as “Pretty Willie” and “P-Dub,” is a Grammy and Stellar Award nominated artist, author, host of the nationally syndicated weekly radio program, “The Willie Moore Jr. Morning Show.” He graduated from The University of Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Moore, who was a foster child and then adopted, is a strong advocate for foster families and adoption. Through his organization, WILFLO Foundation Inc., he brings awareness about adoption through school programs, scholarships, and more. He released his autobiographical documentary about his adoption story last year with the project “The Missing Peace.” He and his wife Patricia reside in Atlanta with their four children.
H.E.R. sues Jeff Robinson’s label over music rights
H.E.R. is suing MBK entertain-
ment, her longtime manager Jeff Robinson’s record label, for the rights to her music catalog. She signed with Robinson in 2011, when she was 14.
Legal documents cited by The Blast state she’s suing for “declaratory relief” based on Robinson “violating the business and professions code.” She’s also asking to be re moved from her contract with MBK. The lawsuit was filed in the Supe rior Court of the State of California in Los Angeles County last Thursday.
H.E.R., born Gabriella Wilson under her stage name per the MBK and distributes through Sony Mu RCA Records. Neither Robinson nor RCA reps had comments for Variety during publication.
Jhené Aiko, Big Sean spark pregnancy rumors
Could Jhené Aiko and Big Sean be expecting their first child together? The rumor mill seems to think so. While no confirmation has been made from the
longtime couple, a fan who recently spotted the pair speculates they have a baby on the way.
“I [just] saw Jhené Aiko and Big Sean at Whole Foods, and she’s very pregnant. [I know that’s right] Sean,” a Twitter user wrote.
The tweet has since been reposted several times on numerous blogs.
The Neighborhood Talk pointed out that while Aiko has been looking glamorous per usual, she’s also been wearing larger clothes than what she’s usually seen in.
Hot New Hip Hop also claims sources close to the couple confirm a baby is indeed on the If the rumors are true this will be Aiko’s second child. She shares a 13-year-old Namiko Browner O’Ryan Browner ’s younger brother). This would be Sean’s first child.
Sources: Praise DC, Variety, The Blast, Hot New Hip Hop, The Neighborhood Talk
Legacy
Institute’s impact on students can last for years
‘Learning
By Alvin A. Reid
The St. Louis American
Chris Hayden and his wife, Chamon, were so enthusiastic about their sons Michael, 9, and Christopher, 6, participating in the Legacy Institute program that they became involved as well.
“This is definitely something we wanted our sons to be a part of,” Chris Hayden said.
“We were looking for various options this summer and came away impressed with the initial interview process and orientation.”
Legacy recently completed its first year and will be returning in 2023. The 10-week Saturday mentoring program for youths, ages five to 24, includes courses on chess, Black history, politics, journalism, and technology. Classes were held at Confluence Academy in downtown St. Louis.
There is also instruction on debate, which played a role in Hayden’s future.
“Michael told me one day that I should spend more time with them. I said, ‘state your case, and I won’t rebut,’”
Hayden said.
His son’s structured argument was a winner.
“I told him and the family I will find the time to be with them more,” said Hayden, a Missouri Department of Transportation engineer.
Terran Rome, executive director of Legacy Institute, called the program “a family thing.”
“We must get families involved as much as the kids,” he said.
Rome said the younger students “jumped right in and wanted to learn everything.”
“With the older group, we had to get them to buy in. It took a little longer. We convinced them that we are not trying to take anything away, we are trying to add something.’
The close of the inaugural year doesn’t signal an end to the program’s impact on young lives.
“They have a success coach that they are linked with. We can assist with trying to find a job, and help determine opportunities for scholarships,” Rome said.
Nicolya Thomas, Legacy Institute program director and a
special education teacher in the Kirkwood School District, said the program helps the students excel and “helps build our community.”
“There is a misconception that [Black] families don’t want to learn,” she said.
“The program shows our young people are resilient and how willing they are to learn, retain, and share. This exposure gets them into things outside computer games and athletics. They need that.”
Thomas praised the parents and adult volunteers who participated and made the program’s first year a success.
“Learning is a journey. It is beautiful, and it never stops,” she said.
Taylah Qualls, a rising junior at Hazelwood East High School, said learning more Black history was what impressed her during the Saturday sessions.
“We learned things they don’t teach us anymore in school,” she said.
“Martin Luther King, we all know. We talked about other civil rights leaders and what they did.”
Qualls, who sees a future as a graphic designer, said she also “really likes chess.”
“It builds strategy and exercises your mind a little more.”
She added with a smile, “I’ve gotten pretty good.”
Ja’Den Carter, a rising senior at Hazelwood West High School, said he appreciates the challenge of chess and the role it now plays in his life.
“It makes you think ahead. I can apply it to regular life,” he said.
Legacy began before the school year had ended, and Carter said playing chess on his phone and then on a board on Saturdays played a role “in my grades coming up.”
Hayden summed it up by saying Legacy “is awesome.”
Rome said he crafted Legacy Institute “to give our kids the same resources that other communities give theirs.” He is thrilled that the program will be back next year but isn’t taking a bow.
“I’m not a genius. I’m just a Black man trying to help out,” he said.
“We also learned so much about Black history. They teach us stuff they don’t in school. We learned why the people in it were protesting, not just what they were protesting,” Carter explained.
L E A R N W H I L E Y O U E A R N
A variety of well-paying jobs are available in St Louis at companies including: Amazon Fulfillment Center - Deer Valley Home Health - Spectrum - First Student - BJC HealthcareUnited Health Group - Smart Pac Inc - SSM Health - Schnucks - The Home Quest GroupRevive Janitorial - Penske - Walmart - MediPlex Health and others Let us connect you to work and valuable resources through
SkillUP is a free program that helps Food Stamp (SNAP) recipients get help with skills, training, and employer connections to get a job (or a better job) A SkillUP job coach from the agencies below will work with you to create an individual plan to help you reach your goals and start a new career
Better Family Life
Ask for Ida Roundtree 5415 Page Avenue St Louis, MO 63112 314-367-3440 ext 500 iroundtree@betterfamilylife org
Mission: St Louis
Ask for Genesis Glover 3018 N Grand Boulevard St Louis, MO 63107 314-681-1130 genesis@missionstl org
Employment Connection
Ask for Christina Brewington 2838 Market Street St Louis, MO 63103 314-333-5665 brewingtonc@employmentstl org
Urban League of Metropolitan St Louis
Ask for Rosemary Batteast 8960 Jennings Station Road St Louis, MO 63136 314-227-1624 rbatteast@urbanleague-stl org
Eric Payne gives instructions to the kids during a chess class in the Legacy Institute program Sat. June 11, 2022 at the Confluence Preparatory Academy.
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Guest Editorial
“We know that in almost every segment of society — education, healthcare, jobs, and wealth – the inequities that
Reparations for Black Americans seeing unprecedented national support
By Rebecca Rivas Missouri Independent
Callie House walked out of the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City on August 1, 1918, and headed back to her five children and job as a “washerwoman” in Tennessee.
Her crime – mail fraud.
The federal government claimed that the organization she’d helped lead since 1894 –the National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty, and Pension Association – was essentially a fraudulent scam.
Formerly enslaved herself, House had been successful in rallying hundreds of thousands of people nationwide to call for federal pensions for formerly enslaved people as compensation and reparation for their unpaid labor and suffering. They were also asking the federal government to provide food and medical expenses.
After an attempt to sue the federal government in 1915, House and her colleagues were indicted because the feds claimed they were using their mailers to obtain money from formerly enslaved people and falsely proclaiming that pensions and reparations were a real possibility. In truth, the literature was promoting the passage of legislation for reparations.
An all-white, male jury sentenced her to a year and a day.
Buckling from the federal charges against it, the association dissolved. But the federal pushback against reparations continued for the next 100 years.
Yet this year, reparations advocates say they’re receiving “unheard of” support nationwide that could lead to long-awaited action.
Civil rights and religious groups are demanding that President Joe Biden sign an executive order to study reparations for Black Americans by Juneteenth –the national holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S.
the first time.
She noted that approximately 4 million Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United States and colonies that became the United States from 1619 to 1865.
Missouri had 114,931 enslaved people in 1860 on the eve of the Civil War. There were 3,572 free Black residents.
“While it is nearly impossible to determine how the lives touched by slavery could have flourished in the absence of bondage, we have certain datum that permits us to examine how a subset of Americans – African Americans – have been affected by the callousness of involuntary servitude,” she said.
“We know that in almost every segment of society — education, healthcare, jobs, and wealth – the inequities that persist in America are more acutely and disproportionately felt in Black America.”
The first step is to study the “enduring impact of slavery,” she said, so the country can begin “the necessary process of atonement.”
According to the United Nations, five conditions must be met for full reparations to exist: restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition.
California’s nine-member task force has used the United Nations’ framework for their study and released the first 500page report on June 1.
The California report describes how federal, state, and local government created segregation in California through redlining, zoning ordinances, decisions on where to build schools and highways and discriminatory federal mortgage policies.
As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues
A plan for transforming public safety, policing
By Ben Jealous
Communities across the country are facing public safety crises. Crime is rising in ways that leave many people feeling unsafe. At the same time, police violence and killings of unarmed civilians demonstrate that pouring more money into more-of-the-same policing is not the answer.
Here’s some good news. There is a new road map for public officials who are eager for solutions. And there is a growing network of mayors and other officials who are ready to do what it takes.
“All Safe: Transforming Public Safety” is a game plan for transformative change. This massive policy blueprint just published by People For the American Way is grounded in real-world data and the expertise of local elected officials, law enforcement experts, clergy, and other community activists.
There are two truths about authoritarian policing. They do not contradict each other. In fact, they point us toward the possibility of building coalitions that are broad enough to make change happen.
One truth is that Black Americans, Native Americans, and other people of color pay a disproportionate price. Black Americans are more than twice as likely as White people to be shot and killed by police officers. Racial profiling is experienced by communities of color throughout the United States.
White men, and they make up most of the people killed by police each year.
Four years before George Floyd died under the knee of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a white man named Tony Timpa called Dallas Police to ask for help during a mental health crisis. He was handcuffed, zip-tied, and killed by an officer who pressed his knee into Timpa’s back for 14 minutes while Timpa cried, “You’re gonna kill me!”
Every community is put at risk by systems that resist accountability for those who abuse their power.
Every community is put at risk by a police culture that promotes and tolerates an aggressive “warrior” mentality among law enforcement officers.
Those problems are compounded by overreliance on police. Through decades, we have added additional burdens to police officers that distract them from their primary purpose. That leaves all of us underserved and less safe.
committed to serving and protecting their communities.
A transformative public safety plan is moving forward in Ithaca, New York. It will replace the current police department with a new public safety department that will include armed officers and unarmed crisis intervention specialists.
It would allow police officers to be more focused and effective while minimizing the chances that police-civilian interactions will spiral unnecessarily into violence. The “All Safe” roadmap for transforming public safety demolishes the false narrative often promoted by police unions and their political allies to resist change and accountability. They claim that public safety reform is incompatible with effective crime fighting. The opposite is true. The system of authoritarian policing that we have inherited from our past is not aligned with our national ideals of equality and justice for all. It is a threat to our people, our communities, and even our democracy. And it is not working to keep us safe.
And supporters are optimistic it could happen.
The order would mirror the 30-year-old perennial bill known as H.R. 40 – for the “40 acres and a mule” promise made to formerly enslaved Black people by a Union general in 1865. It would establish a 13-person reparation commission in Congress, similar to the task force California established in September 2020.
The executive order is necessary because the federal legislation doesn’t have a viable path forward, said Kamm Howard, with the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America. Howard, who has supported the measure since the late Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) first introduced the bill in 1989, said the legislation has more support than ever – with 196 co-sponsors for the House bill and 22 for the Senate bill.
“This is the first time since Reconstruction has there been this type of federal support for reparations — that’s since 1887,” Howard said. “The type of support we have now, we have never seen this in the history of the modern reparations movement.”
The House bill’s current sponsor, U. S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), gave an impassioned speech on July 26, 2021 – a few months after the bill passed out of committee for
“From colonial times forward, governments at all levels adopted and enshrined white supremacy beliefs and passed laws in order to maintain slavery…” it states. “This system of white supremacy is a persistent badge of slavery that continues to be embedded today in numerous American and Californian legal, economic, and social and political systems.”
The task force’s six pages of preliminary recommendations to state legislators included providing housing grants, free tuition and to raise the minimum wage.
In St. Louis, a coalition of over 25 local community organizations recently asked St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones to establish a reparations commission to explore the history of race-based harms in the city and eventually propose a reparations plan.
Juneteenth is the right time for elected leaders to make their move and take action, said Mike Milton, one of the co-signers and executive director of Freedom Community Center in St. Louis.
“Juneteenth is a celebration of our freedom,” Milton said. “And what we know is that we’re still fighting for our freedom to this day. This is a united voice saying that our freedom is not yet realized. And we will get more free, if you repair what you’ve done.”
Rebecca Rivas covers civil rights, criminal justice, and immigration. She is a former senior reporter and video producer at the St. Louis American
A second truth is that people of color are not the only victims of authoritarian policing. As with so many other issues, Black and brown communities are the canaries in a much larger American coal mine. White people make up the second largest group in our prisons, disproportionately low-income
Transforming public safety requires policy change in four major areas: restructuring public safety systems to ensure communities’ underlying safety and social needs are met; holding unfit officers accountable for their actions; removing unfit officers, particularly those with a demonstrated history of violence, aggression, or other misconduct; and recruiting welltrained public safety personnel
Commentary
Making America safer and more just requires a commitment to address root causes of criminal activity and violence, including unjust laws, discriminatory enforcement, and insufficient effective investments in individual and community wellbeing. And it requires a lasting transformation in the U.S. public safety system, including mechanisms to hold officers accountable for excessive use of force. We know what kind of change is necessary. Let’s make it happen.
Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way
Kansas City P.D.
still flies with Jim Crow
By Marc Morial
In 2019, officers of the Kansas City Police Department investigating a traffic accident stormed into the backyard of Cameron Lamb’s home and shot him dead as he was backing his truck into his garage. Those officers, never prosecuted, still are on the force.
In 2020, a KCPD officer shot Donnie Sanders in the back as he fled from a traffic stop. The officer, who was not wearing a body camera, and who falsely claimed Sanders had a gun, was neither disciplined nor reprimanded.
Last year, Malcolm Johnson was shot execution-style in the head while face down on the ground with several police officers on his back. Officers allege that Johnson had a gun and shot an officer in the leg, but video captured at the scene raises questions about their account.
The list of similar incidents is appallingly long. KCPD officers have used deadly force more often than 98% of similarly sized departments, killing 36 people between 2012 and 2020. A Black person was more than four times as likely to be killed by police as a white person in Kansas City from 2013 to 2020. Does this staggering use of deadly force make the KCPD more effective? Far from it.
The department has cleared or solved only two out of every 10 violent crimes and placed 495th out of 500 of the largest law enforcement agencies in
the country. But the citizens of Kansas City, 30% of whom are Black, have little recourse because of a racist policy dating to the Jim Crow era that gives a state board control of the city’s police force.
Last week, the National Urban League took its 21 Pillars Tour — a nationwide initiative to promote our common-sense framework for safe and effective law enforcement — to Kansas City. We heard heartbreaking stories from the survivors of KCPD racism and violence. We engaged in substantive discussions with members of the law enforcement community. And we reiterated our wholehearted support for the tireless activists and advocates who are working to bring about much-needed reforms, most notably Urban League of Kansas City President and CEO Gwen Grant.
Grant, who helped lead a successful effort to oust former KCPD Chief Rick Smith, is suing to release the department from state control and has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the department’s disturbing patterns of misconduct, discrimination, and violence against communities of color.
As Grant explained in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, “During the Civil War, Missouri never seceded, but it was mostly sympathetic to the Confederacy. St. Louis, however, was Union-leaning. Claiborne Jackson, Missouri’s segregationist governor, didn’t want St. Louis to control its own arsenal, so in 1861, he encouraged the state legislature to pass the ‘Metropolitan Police Bill’ that gave the state control of St. Louis’s police department … one state representative called the bill ‘an effort to disenfranchise and oppress the people of St. Louis because they were not sound on the Negro question.’ One of Jackson’s appointees to the first police board confirmed that it was ‘adopted to enable our people to control St. Louis.’” In 1874, the state also seized control of the Kansas City force. The Missouri Supreme Court declared the Kansas City Board of Police unconstitutional in 1932, but another segregationist governor, Lloyd Crow Stark, reinstituted the board in 1939. St. Louis took back control of its police force in 2013, leaving Kansas City the only city in Missouri, and the only major city in the United States, without local control of its own police department. For Kansas City, the Jim Crow era persists.
Marc Morial is president and CEO of
Guest Columnist Rebecca Rivas
the National Urban League
Columnist Ben Jealous
Columnist Marc H. Morial
The 2022 Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis Alumni Hall of Honor inductees has been named. From left, Marquis Walker; Darnell Walker; Kia Brimer; Flint Fowler, BGCSTL president; Tia Brimer, Anthony Stallion, MD (accepting on behalf of brother Mark Stallion); and Angela Rhone (accepting on behalf of husband, Eric Rhone)
Boys & Girls Clubs celebrate new Hall members, dedicated volunteers
St. Louis American staff
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis (BGCSTL) recently announced its 2022 Alumni Hall of Honor inductees and service honorees.
“Board members, volunteers and supporters are acknowledged and celebrated for commitment to the Boys & Girls Clubs, as well as the kids and teens that we serve,” said Flint Folwer, BGCSTL president.
“It is an honor and privilege to recognize so many wonderful people for what they do to help our kids. It is particularly gratifying to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of our amazing alumni and the contributions they now bring to the community because of the Club’s impact on their lives.”
n “It is an honor and privilege to recognize so many wonderful people for what they do to help our kids. It is particularly gratifying to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of our amazing alumni and the contributions they now bring to the community because of the Club’s impact on their lives.
– Flint Folwer, BGCSTL president
“The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis is shaping the future of St. Louis by promoting the positive development of children and teens.”
The 2022 BGCSTL Alumni Hall of Honor inductees are Tia Brimer, Kia Brimer, Eric Rhone, Anthony Stallion, MD, Darnell Walker & Marquis Walker.
The Hall of Honor recognizes outstanding alumni for achievements in their respective fields, commitment to leadership, serving our community’s
youth, contributions to the St. Louis community and for living out the mission of the Boys & Girls Club.
Additional honorees include:
Richard H. Amberg Award
Recipient – David Aplington
Capture the Vision Award
Recipient – Nick Ragone of the Ascension Charity Classic golf tournament
National Award of MeritDr. Chauncey E. Granger, Hazelwood East High School principal; Cameron A. Coleman, Larimore Elementary School principal; David Stokes Grey Eagle Distributors; Travis Sarich and Matt Bynum, Heartland CocaCola.
Service to Youth Award – Five years - Teri Bascom, Angel Jackson, Marla Jeffries, Regina Knapp, Melody Majeed, Brandy Sandford, and Krystal Smith
10 years - Keisha Caruthers
30 years: Brenda “Joyce” Jones
Being rich is not as simple as working
hard
By Oseye Boyd
I recently wrote a column about the wealth gap between the super-rich and the rest of us.
Chances are if you’re reading this, you’re not included in the 0.00001% of the richest Americans. Not to rehash an old column, but I need to provide context. You may be doing “well,” but there’s a good chance you’re not even in the 90th to 99th percentile of income distribution, which is comprised of Americans who earn $120,000 to $425,000 a year after taxes. Many of us reside in the bottom 90%, and while we may experience income increases, it’s where we’ll reside for all of our lives.
This isn’t the racial wealth gap I’ve written about before. This is a wealth gap that affects all Americans.
National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial, in the organization’s annual State of Black America report, wrote about the Pulse of Black America survey. It found Black and white Americans have vastly different views on the wealth gap and economic disparities that affect Black Americans.
This wasn’t surprising, but it’s good to have the data to back up anecdotal evidence, and this survey provided that.
According to the survey, A majority of Black respondents, agreed with the statement, Wealth inequality between Black and white Americans is a cycle that creates never-ending economic disparity, no matter how hard an individual works.
Not so if you work harder, said white respondents: “But an even larger majority of white respondents, 71%, agreed with the statement, ‘Wealth inequality between Black and white Americans can be overcome, but it’s up to individual people to change their circumstances.
When I read that statement, I immediately wondered if it was that easy why haven’t white Americans overcome their circumstances to become billionaires? Why are so many in the bottom 90%?
Because it’s not so easy to overcome circumstances you’re born into. How many white people think they’re not billionaires because they don’t work hard enough? I’m willing to bet money — the billions I don’t have — that white people think they work pretty hard.
Black people are blamed for their circumstances. We’re poor because we’re lazy, and if we just work harder, don’t buy Jordans or weaves, we can change our circumstances and become rich one day. The thinking implies that Black people don’t believe in personal accountability, and all we need to do is adopt the bootstrap mentality.
The thinking also implies that white people are better off than they really are. If it was as simple as working hard, wouldn’t more white people be among the uber rich, hanging out with Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg?
The fallacy that most Americans have fallen for is it’s about work — hard work. But what is hard work? Depends on who you ask. It’s not about how hard someone works, but it’s about the value we assign to that work. A certified nursing assistant (CNA) works hard. It’s a physically demanding job — and it’s an important one — but you wouldn’t know it by the compensation. Poor people work hard.
Our disdain for poverty and our inability to acknowledge institutional racism allows us to blame individuals for their lack of “success” when it suits our narrative. It’s easy for white people to say Black people can change their circumstances because there’s a lack of historical knowledge of how those circumstances came to be for white people and Black people.
I call them excuses because that’s what those valid reasons are called when offered by Black people. If your parents didn’t leave you a trust fund and stocks worth millions of dollars, how can you be expected to grow that money to one day be as rich as Musk? He was born into wealth.
Getting rich isn’t as simple as just working hard. It’s not about work ethic. It’s about a system that is built and thrives on inequality.
Oseye Boyd is the former editor of the Indianapolis Recorder
Photo courtesy of BGCSTL
Oseye Boyd
has homeschooled since they were born. She is currently planning her eldest boy’s graduation party. This landmark coincides with her 18 years as a homeschooling parent.
Griffin said she chose to homeschool her children because she felt deprived as a public-school student. Her goal is to make sure her children have the necessary foundations of education so they can determine how they will navigate and succeed in life.
That objective was not derailed by the coronavirus.
Parents nationwide had to adhere to an educational environment that was drastically altered by COVID-19. Many, who were struggling financially, had to find ways to make sure their children could learn from home. They had to cope with educational and social interruptions while grappling with fears of their children getting infected during hybrid educational courses.
“That’s something we didn’t have to worry about,” Griffin said, underscoring the value of teaching her children at home. Also, she added, as a homeschooling mom, she was prepared for alternative education.
“We’re used to this lifestyle,” Griffin explained.
“When you’re homeschooling and trying to maneuver between costs and ways to support it, you have to do all sorts of classes anyway. There was one year where I did all virtual classes. I did hybrid learning before COVID. I’ve tried all kinds of curriculum. It all depends on the child’s needs. So, I was able to tailor what worked best for each child.”
Still, Griffin has sympathy for public school children.
“I felt sorry for those kids who are very sociable and couldn’t be around their friends. They went all virtual and had to sit in front of a computer all day and they’re not used to that,” Griffin said.
“I also felt for the parents who were so used to having their kids in schools who had to struggle to stay home and teach them. Because I found some good in it (the pandemic’s restrictions), I was like hey, ‘guys, you’ll be alright.’”
Griffin’s biggest challenge these past two years has been trying not to be perceived as
Lawsuit
Continued from A1 & Advocacy Services, and Missouri Voter Protection Coalition.
The suit is on behalf of individual voters and groups
a “bad mommy” because of her strict in-home safety protocols, the fact that she limited her kid’s social activities with their public-school friends and not being able to take them to the Boy’s & Girls Club or the YMCA where they usually socialized.
“I didn’t want my kids to think that mommy was the bad guy because they couldn’t comprehend what was going on in the nation. But, on the other hand, I didn’t want them bringing anything back to the house. So, I was between a rock and a hard place.”
Homeschooling has increased nationwide, mostly due to the pandemic. The most significant increase has been among Black families. The Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey found that in April 2020, 3% of Black households homeschooled their children. That number was up to 16% by October 2020 and is climbing still.
While COVID-19 was indeed a catalyst for more homeschooling Black parents’
that assist voters in that state, including the Missouri Protection & Advocacy Services, VozKC, and citizen plaintiffs Susana Elizarraraz, Manuel Rey Abarca IV, and Barbara Sheinbein. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court Western District of Missouri Central Division.
other factors apply. A February 2022 Time.com article listed concerns such as racism in schools, parent’s frustration with white-washed history lessons, disproportionately higher discipline rates for Black students, the lack of Black educators (only 7% of public-school teachers are Black). Another reason cited is the politically inspired effort to demolish critical race theory (CRT) in schools even though it’s not part of the public-school curriculum in this country.
uproar,” Griffin said matter-of-factly.
The determining element in her homeschooling decision was her desire to instill her values in what her children read, heard and what they were taught.
n “I felt sorry for those kids who are very sociable and couldn’t be around their friends. They went all virtual and had to sit in front of a computer all day and they’re not used to that.”
– Laronda Griffin, homeschooling parent
Griffin’s decision to homeschool came before most of those factors became “issues.” For example, she dismissed the CRT revolt as “nonsense.”
“People just want to find things that put them in an
“Like similar litigation MALDEF is currently pursuing in Arkansas, this lawsuit seeks to prevent the state from punishing some of democracy’s do-gooders – those who take time to assist voters who are informed and eager to cast a ballot,” said MALDEF President and General Counsel
“It’s more like my doctrine. For instance, I want my children to pray whenever they want. I don’t want them being told what they had to learn, what they couldn’t learn…I don’t want all of that.”
Although her motivation isn’t race-based, Griffin understands that “race” plays a role in the educational process.
“I realize that history is really ‘his-story.’ So, if I don’t think it’s really beneficial for what they are required to know, I don’t really stress it,” Griffin
Thomas A. Saenz
“Needing assistance in voting – and providing the same – is not fraudulent or a crime; instead, it is a demonstration of commitment to the essence of democracy.”
Attorneys argue that the restriction in Missouri’s current election law violates the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA) that guarantees any voter who requires assistance in voting, including those with limited English proficiency or voters with disabilities, may bring a person of their choice to assist them with casting a ballot.
The law impedes the ability of voters to participate in an election by limiting the number of voters an individual can assist to just one in an entire election, according to the complaint.
said, adding, “I give them history but if I don’t believe everything from his-story is going to add to their lives, then I don’t teach it.”
Griffin said she has willingly sacrificed the type of salary a teacher with a master’s degree can fetch. For almost 20 years, she’s had to find creative ways to finance her decision. Child tax credits were used to fund textbooks and curriculum materials each year. She experimented with running a daycare but had trouble tolerating parents who brought their sick children to her house. She did independent contracting and, before the pandemic began in 2020, worked from home booking passengers for Carnival Cruise Lines. When COVID-19 shut down cruises, it also ended Griffin’s gig.
Homeschooling hasn’t exactly protected Griffin from COVID. Late last year, she and her husband caught the virus. As cautious as she was about her children bringing the virus into the house, it was Griffin who got infected and infected
Hundreds of thousands of potential voters could be burdened by Missouri’s current restrictive rule.
As of 2020, nearly 850,000 persons with disabilities and 125,000 Latino voters were eligible to vote in Missouri. While many of those eligible voters may require assistance, Missouri’s election law effectively prevents organizations from conducting broad voter-assistance by threatening prosecution.
“These restrictions are a part of deeply rooted systemic barriers that impede access to the ballot of marginalized communities; in this case the right to vote for hundreds of thousands of Missourians with a disability or who are not proficient in the English language,” said Luz María
her husband. She’s not 100% sure, but Griffin believes she caught it from one of the workers at her financial services business.
“I was like, ‘OK, “who came here and didn’t tell nobody?’”
She laughs about it now but, Griffin said, it was scary for a little while. Although their children didn’t get infected, the fear was palpable for about two weeks. It took that long for the couple to rebound from the virus. All-in-all, Griffin said her homeschooling experience has left her “rich.”
“I love my children and really love my life,” Griffin gushed. “If my children get sick, mommy is going to nurse them back to health.
“So, I’m rich in mind, energy, and spirit. I’m rich because I’ve been able to be with my children and not have anybody tell me what I had to do and how I had to raise them.”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is The St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow.
Henríquez, ACLU of Missouri executive director.
“Not only do they deny eligible voters the right to be assisted by someone of their choosing in violation of federal law, but also prevent outreach from organizations to engage, educate, and assist by threatening to criminally penalize any individual who assists multiple voters.”
And unlike other states, Missouri polling sites are not required and do not provide information to voters about voting in languages other than English.
The lawsuit names Missouri Secretary of State John R. Ashcroft, Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, St. Louis County Board of Elections, and the Boone County Clerk as defendants.
LaRonda Griffin teaching her family at home (left to right): Zakira Carryl, Victoria Walker, Griffin, Urias Carryl, Xavier Carryl and Jeremiah Griffin.
Photo by Taylor McIntosh / St. Louis American
Continued from A1
of slavery continue to deny us reparations, liberation and freedom.”
As Bush was speaking, Daniels was holding up a small sign in tribute to one of the more than 300 cases where Black people used the court system as ammunition in their fight for freedom, known collectively as The Freedom Suits. The most famous of them was the Dred Scott case, which was unsuccessfully argued in the U.S. Supreme court – and said by many to be one of the inciting incidents for the Civil War.
“Lucy Ann Britton v. David D. Mitchell, Freedom Suit won 1844,” Daniels’ poster read. She held that sign up for the entire outdoor program, which neared two hours in length.
Britton, who later married to become Lucy Delaney, won her case more than a decade before the Dred Scott case –which originated in St. Louis courts in 1846 – had reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The Freedom Suits Memorial monument ensures that the others, like Delaney are also credited.
“This woman didn’t even know what she was leaving to the world,” said Daniels, who is a volunteer historian for Greenwood Cemetery, a local historically Black burial site.
McKelvey
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tion and management. They can help increase yield and improve the vigor, size, and taste of plants. They are “producers and providers of plants.”
A botanist studies the biology of plants, fungi, and other organisms, such as lichens and algae. Botanists can record the impact of human activity on the environment; the way plants breed and grow, as well as the structure and genetic make-up of various species.
“I think that’s why a lot of us choose horticulture because we get to play in the soil, we get to get our hands dirty and be outside like kids,” said McKelvey If you combine horticulturist and botanist, you get Daria McKelvey. She is darn good at what she does.
McKelvey gives much credit to her junior high and high school science teachers who sparked her interest in learning the science of plants. She thought her teachers were nerdy, but cool.
“They were very passionate,
“It is just amazing when you think about it.” Monday was a day nearly a decade in the making, according to Freedom Suits Memorial Steering Committee Chair Paul Venker. The initiative was spearheaded by 22nd Circuit Court Judge David Mason. “You’re not supposed to make a judge cry,” Mason said, offering a bit of comic relief. He fought back tears during his remarks after being praised by all of the speakers for his tireless work towards making the monument a reality.
Emotions ran high as dignitaries and political leaders shared their personal histories and made admissions that the nation is still far from fully honoring its promise of “liberty and justice for all” and its declaration that all men are created equal. Remarks included both history lessons and personal narratives.
State Senator Steve Roberts said that through the Freedom Suits in St. Louis, the “great American experiment” was confronted with its toughest challenge.
“The hundreds of enslaved people and lawyers memorialized here at this spot did so much more than file lawsuits for their freedom,” Roberts said. “ These men and women became part of the most pivotal test in our nation’s history – a test that sought to answer the question that had been asked
and I guess that rubbed off on me,” said McKelvey.
“Most people really don’t take an interest in plants, they don’t think about plants, they just walk right past them.”
Even though it’s not common for Black girls to have an interest in plant science and trees, McKelvey received support from her family and friends. Her interest became a hobby, and now a profession and passion.
“I got pretty lucky, it became a part of me. It was a part of my personality and they were totally on board with it,” said McKelvey. However, in a predominantly white male industry, McKelvey says she has experienced microaggressions and push-back from some colleagues. It makes her wonder if she hadn’t been a woman or Black would she be going through these types of challenges. Would she have to constantly prove herself as deserving.
“They just didn’t like having a young Black girl coming in telling them what to do,” said McKelvey.
And over the years she has experienced “Imposter
and debated since our founding. And that is, ‘what kind of country do we want to be?’”
The efforts of the Freedom Suits Memorial Foundation compelled St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones to further reflect on the life of her great-great grandfather, an enslaved man named Spencer Nash.
“I often wonder if he thought about suing for his own freedom, or knew an acquaintance who sued for their freedom,” Jones said. “The burden of proof was on the plaintiff, because black people in this country have always been forced to prove our humanity.”
enslaved,” Jones said. “In the Freedom Suits lies a duality –the promise of justice tempered by the fragility of progress. In the end, it was justice that prevailed, even if many plaintiffs did not see it in their lifetimes.”
Jones proclaimed herself – and this present generation – to be a dream realized.
Photo by Wiley Price
Freedom for the generations to come
According to Jones, St. Louis’ history of allowing enslaved people to sue for their freedom is a unique distinction for our city.
“Just as the Gateway Arch is the symbol of the gateway to the west, this monument stands as a testament to fairness –and how our courts served as a gateway to freedom for the
Syndrome,” when she questioned her skills and talents. She wondered if she belonged in that profession.
However, hashtags like #BlackBotanistWeek is a catalyst on social media highlighting, celebrating, and inspiring Black botanists.
Last July MoBot let Daria take over its Twitter account to participate in #BlackBotanistWeek. She put out tweets about being a Black botanist, took photos showcasing her work, and engaged with other Black botanists.
“I was amazed, I was so surprised,” said McKelvey. She felt empowered because she was a part of such a groundbreaking national conversation. Many Black horticulturists/botanists only have George Washington Carver as a reference for someone who looks like them in their field.
“We don’t have that many Black botanists in history. I’m sure there are some, but their work wasn’t recorded or considered,” said McKelvey.
McKelvey hopes to find ways to educate Black communities about horticulture and botany. She wants to show Black kids that these types of
“It is not lost on me, both the greatgreat granddaughter of a slave and the first Black woman mayor of St. Louis, that I am living a life that neither my ancestors, nor their oppressors, ever imagined,” Jones said. “There is a new vibrancy of Black culture – our resilience and our resistance – as we commemorate Juneteenth weekend. And it is a testament to how the Freedom Suits reverberate across history.”
The common theme among the remarks was that despite being constantly betrayed by the nation, Black people were committed to making freedom and equity a reality and encouraging America to live up to its ideals.
“If you study history, any place in the world where free-
jobs are available to them too. Also, that working in the soil is nothing to be ashamed of, as it provides freedom.
“Our ancestors cultivated the land, that concept of our history has been tainted and has been warped. We have to take that back, we come from gardening, we do belong. And that is a part of our history,” said McKelvey.
Like many professions, wage gaps are a factor in someone choosing a career or not.
Zippia data shows that Black botanists on average make $54,621, which is the lowest compared to any other
dom has been denied, you find that there are those who are fighting to get it. This is no less true than for the American slave,” Mason said. “They would run. They would rebel. They would sing. They filed these lawsuits when they heard that the law would allow it. Every open door, every parted bush, every treaded blade of grass that could lead to freedom, the slaves and my ancestors trod.”
Keynote speaker, retired Lt. General Russel L. Honoré, relied on his extensive knowledge of military history –and his 37 years, three months and three days of service – to drive home his point of the courage and sacrifice of the memorialized Freedom Suits plaintiffs he simply referred to as “the 300.”
“Most of what I tell you will not be taught as of this year in Florida and Texas – and that’s a damn shame,” Honoré said.
“I was a grown man in the army before I learned that 20 percent of General Washington’s army was African American. They were promised this concept of freedom, because the Declaration of Independence had been read to them. But the people who wrote that did not have the African American in mind when they wrote it.”
As Honoré continued with his speech that highlighted the betrayals of the Black men who
racial group, Asian and Latino botanists’ salaries are nearly $60,000 a year. Which might explain why McKelvey never met a Black male botanist until she started working at MoBot.
Matthew Norman has been a horticulturist/botanist for 10 years and worked at MoBot for the last four. His area of expertise is in Rosarian, he cultivates the rose gardens.
“I want to be seen, so people know they have a role model to look up to,” said Norman. He says that some Black people equate working in the
served their country, Daniels stood at attention with her sign. She engaged with those who had questions about Lucy Delaney and her Freedom Suit poster. She walked closer towards the statue as Pastor Anthony L. Riley laid hands on the statue for the culmination of the ceremony. “As we bless this monument, we confess the sin of our state Missouri, who compromised the integrity of God’s creation,” he said. “God created us in his image and in God’s image there is neither slave nor free. We remember the hundreds of enslaved persons whose names we know –and the scores of names we do not know – who sued for their freedom. Challenge us, Lord, to resolve not only to assert personal freedom, but also seek to protect those who are too vulnerable to protect their own freedoms.”
Several dispersed when the prayer concluded, but not many stayed – including Daniels – to get a closer look at the statue.
“I am just waiting so I can go up there and touch her name,” said Daniels, pointing to the artist’s rendering of Dulaney on the poster. “We have so many people who have given us so much. They are not famous people. These are everyday people that did such extraordinary things. They are the reason we are standing here.”
soil to slavery, and he knows those negative connections are trauma from slavery. But Norman is breaking down those barriers through education and mentorship. He created a network with the St. Louis Public School District. Through advocacy, McKelvey, Norman, and #BlackBotanistWeek can be that bridge to bring more Black people into the space of horticulture and botany.
“I just want Black people to think about plants and trees in a whole different way,” said McKelvey.
Etta Daniels holds a sign to recognize Freedom Suit winner Lucy Ann Delaney in 1844.
Calls for reparations renewed at Juneteenth; Coatar enters aldermanic president race, Spencer still unclear
The United States celebrated its first federal Juneteenth holiday earlier this week, following President Joe Biden’s June 2021 proclamation declaring the day as a holiday. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865more than two years and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation - that enslaved persons in Galveston, Texas, were informed that they were freed and the Civil War had ended. More than 150 years later, Juneteenth was finally recognized by the federal government, although only 17 individual states formally recognize the day as a paid holiday.
The Missouri legislature passed its historic bill, H.B. 2627, on its last day of regular session this year, but as of the date of print, Governor Mike Parson has still not signed the bill into law. The inaction, of course, means that Juneteenth will not be recognized as a paid state holiday until 2023.
Also commemorated this Juneteenth was the Freedom Suits Memorial, installed in front of the St. Louis City Circuit Court to honor the more than 300 enslaved persons in St. Louis who filed “freedom suits,” or lawsuits against slaveholders to gain freedom through the legal system. Historians estimate that around 120 persons were successful with their petitions for liberation in St. Louis. Dred and Harriet Scott were two of those 300, and although their freedom suit was unsuccessful, the infamous Dred Scott v. Sanford U.S. Supreme Court decision of 1857 was undoubtedly a contributing factor to the start of the Civil War.
But federal holidays and
memorials don’t begin to repair the generational traumas and economic harms forced onto Black Americans through the persistent government-sponsored institutions of slavery, Jim Crow, and every iteration between. Instead, civil rights groups and local leaders have begun to intensify their calls for reparations for Black Americans based on standards set by the United Nations: restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition.
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones has been one of the first elected leaders in Missouri to call for reparations for Black residents, and a 25-member coalition of community organizations has sent a formal request to the City to establish a commission to explore reparations. Jones previously supported two reparation funds established by the Board of Aldermen, one to “support African Americans who have been victims of the effects of slavery” and another to provide economic development funds to disinvested neighborhoods in St. Louis. At the state and federal levels, recommended legislative actions include housing grants, free tuition, and a livable minimum wage, as well as amending current laws for incarcerated persons forced to work without compensation (in other words: slavery) and reforming child welfare laws and their disparate impact on Black families.
Civil rights advocates have also called for legislative reforms that address historic and current redlining, gentrification, and displacement to repair past harm caused by housing
discrimination, and desegregation of public schools, scholarships and grants, and adoption of inclusive curriculum for discrimination in education.
Advocates have called upon President Biden to enter an executive order establishing a reparations commission at the federal level to study the possibility of reparations for Black Americans. Currently, there is not enough support in Congress for federal legislation to enact reparations.
• • • • • •
Following 15th Ward Alderwoman Megan-Ellyia Green’s announcement to run for Board of Aldermen president, Alderman Jack Coatar (Ward 7) has decided to throw his unwanted metaphorical hat into the ring. Coatar, who was hired immediately by law and lobbying firm Spencer Fane after his 2015 election, has spent the bulk of his elected career targeting the unhoused and winning sweetheart development deals for his
still unclear, the City Board of Elections has suggested that it will schedule a special nonpartisan primary election to narrow the candidate field to the two finalists, who would then be on the November 8 general election ballot. The timing of Reed’s resignation missed the deadline to put the aldermanic president race on the August 2 primary ballot, forcing either a board president primary on November 8 or a special primary in the meantime.
for political favors. Five of the fourteen businesses referenced in the federal subpoenas received grants through the funding program administered by St. Louis County, and the subpoenas were issued by the grand jury in September and January.
(other) employer’s clients. Even Coatar’s own law firm website bio says he “helps individuals and businesses navigate state and local governments” - something his voting record certainly supports.
Meanwhile, former unsuccessful mayoral candidate and absentee Alderwoman Cara Spencer (Ward 20) continues to tease her own run for aldermanic president, posting a rambling non-answer to her social media on Tuesday. In her statement, rather than address the question of whether she’s running, Spencer instead pointed to the cost of a special election and some of the legal problems created by the passage of the citizen initiative, Proposition D. She then went on to heap praises onto interim board president Alderman Joe Vollmer (Ward 10) for “an excellent job to steady the ship” and noting his “fair, unbiased and communicative manner.”
Despite Spencer’s efforts, Vollmer announced his support for Coatar’s bid for board president on Tuesday. Although
St. Louis County has released parts of grand jury subpoenas received as part of a federal investigation into the former jail administrator swept up in the same bribery scandal that forced three St. Louis City aldermen out of office. The subpoenas were received in September and January, related to 14 businesses that applied for one-time $15,000 small business grants, including four businesses owned by Muhammad Almuttan, the North St. Louis businessowner identified as the “John Doe” in the federal indictments of former board president Lewis Reed and former aldermen Jeffrey Boyd and John Collins Muhammad
A review of the subpoenas reveals the identities of several St. Louis County businessmen and developers who received some of the $15,000 grants possibly connected to Tony Weaver, the former county “jail change management coordinator” who is accused of accepting bribes in exchange
The release of the subpoenas marks the end of an embarrassing public fight led by St. Louis County Councilman Tim Fitch, the former St. Louis County police chief-turnedcouncilman who recently was drawn out of his district and has been spending his “lame duck” time watching his friends receive federal indictments for white collar crimes. Fitch, who himself recently hosted a fundraiser with federally indicted former aldermanic president Reed for the benefit of County Councilwoman Rita Heard Days, demanded the release of all federal investigation-related documents, including confidential records related to employees and former employees of St. Louis County. Never one to pass up the opportunity to waste public funds, Fitch even attempted to put the release of the records to a council vote on Tuesday.
Neither Fitch nor Days mentioned Days’ fundraiser co-host Reed, whose name remained on all fundraiser materials through the day of the event. No efforts were made by Fitch or Days to distance themselves from Reed and the numerous allegations against him of bribery and white-collar crime.
St. Louis politicians should certainly be known by the company they keep.
Cara Spencer Rita Heard Days
Jack Coatar
“Taking Care of You”
The Coronavirus strikes back!
Just as feelings relax, COVID-19 numbers rise again
Missouri lags many other states in number of vaccinations, and a rise in COVID-19 cases has caused area health officials to urge residents to wear masks in public places. According to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention, as of June 16, just 71.1% of city residents had received at least one vaccination shot. That number is at 75.8% in St. Louis County.
By Sylvester Brown Jr.
The St. Louis American
“Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in.” When it comes to relaxed anxieties regarding COVID-19, many people can relate to that iconic line uttered by actor Al Pacino in the Godfather Part III.
Despite feelings that the pandemic is finally winding down, a distressing surge in the St. Louis region has pulled medical experts and the optimistic public back into the “worry zone.” In a June 7 public statement, St. Louis
Health Director Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, urged city residents to once again mask up:
“The data is clearly telling us we have to take action to reduce the cases. We all need to do our part. We know that masks minimize the transmission of the virus, and we can expect a decline in cases and a decline in hospitalizations if our community voluntarily
masks up during this critical time.”
St. Louis County Acting Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan, who will be leaving the office later this year, issued a similar notice for county residents. In his latest newsletter, St. Louis County Executive, Sam Page noted “a steady rise of COVID-19 cases in the region.”
“The CDC Community Risk Level is currently at high for both the County and the City,” Page wrote with, “the rolling seven-day average of 414 new cases per day. On June 6 the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task
Don’t take COVID for granted –like me
By Reginald J. Cline
I believed, like many people, that the pandemic was over, and I let my guard down. I had been vaccinated and received one booster shot. After flying to the Washington, D.C., area on three occasions, I did not get sick. This was during the period when everyone had to wear a mask in the airport and on the plane.
More recently, I flew to the island of Grenada, where my father’s family is from, for a cousin’s funeral. Most people wore masks during the service, but no one did during the reception. We were required to undergo a COVID test prior to flying back to the states, and my wife and I were among the few to wear masks on the plane. On the day of our return, I had a cough and runny nose and noticed that I had lost my sense of taste. I used my government-provided home test kit and tested positive. For the next 2 1/2 weeks, I was home sick and quarantining. While I didn’t end up in the hospital, I did have a terrible cough for days and felt miserable.
But my COVID symptoms were mild compared to many, which I attribute to the vaccine and because I had the omicron variant. When I got sick, no one was talking about COVID; it was as if the pandemic had passed us by and there was no more chance of getting sick. I’d stopped using my mask, except when I traveled.
n I am a living testament to the fact that COVID is still out there and write this commentary to warn people to remain vigilant.
I am a living testament to the fact that COVID is still out there and write this commentary to warn people to remain vigilant. Yet the CDC is still advising people to wear masks in public, especially where COVID rates are above 5%. In Miami-Dade and Broward counties, we are in the 20% range. Yes, COVID is back, and it’s spreading quickly. We are experiencing contagion rates not seen since the height of the pandemic.
What is different is the omicron variant.
While it spreads easily, it’s not as deadly if you’re outside the high-risk groups and vaccinated. Although fewer people are dying, hospital ICUs are filling up again.
Feed the Babies Project fighting infant formula shortage
staff
St. Louis American
Offering relief to local families n “We are inspired by infant health partners rallying to provide solutions and the amazing milk donors for providing the gift of health and life.”
Nurses for Newborns is assisting nearly 200 families unable to feed their babies due to the formula shortage, a crisis in which people with low incomes and people of color are disproportionately affected. USDA projections indicate that solutions to get store shelves restocked with formula it may take as long as 10 weeks for store shelves to be replenished.
The St. Louis Integrated Health Network (IHN) and a host of partners have launched the Feed the Babies Project, a community-wide collaborative designed to address the formula shortage crisis and provide solutions for families.
The project will address three priorities: Breastfeeding Support for Birthing People and Families
While breastfeeding presents a safe and beneficial alternative (or complement) to infant formula, it is not always possible. Local doulas through the Missouri Community Doula Council and certified lactation counselors will support efforts to encourage, educate,
– Freedom Kolb, The Milk Bank executive director
and support breastfeeding for those who can.
“As we shed light on the difficulties, we must make sure that the solutions and the possibilities are readily accessible and tangible for Black families. We want to make sure that the challenges aren’t so daunting, that we don’t plant these seeds of hopeless, traumatic experiences,” said Okunsola M. Amadou, Jamaa Birth Village founder and CEO and Missouri Community Doula Council member.
“This partnership with the Feed the Babies Project will really help us to offer these solutions to our community. So many families have been affected by the
The infant formula shortage is disproportionately affecting people of color and people with low incomes, according to the St. Louis Integrated Health Network (IHN). It is joining with community partners in launching the Feed the Babies Project, which will address the formula shortage crisis.
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Photo courtesy of HealthyChildren.org
Reginald J. Cline
“Taking Care of You”
Children under 5 could soon receive COVID-19 vaccinations
Health and Human Services.
One hurdle to clear
By Jennifer Shutt Missouri independent
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized emergency use of two COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5, moving the country one step closer to having shots for all age groups.
The decision leaves just one hurdle, a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, before parents can begin getting babies and toddlers vaccinated against the virus. That CDC decision is expected this weekend.
“As we have seen with older age groups, we expect that the vaccines for younger children will provide protection from the most severe outcomes of
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Force reported a total of 201 COVID-19 patients across area hospitals, with six patients having died that week. Some Americans thought the country was coming out from under COVID’s dreaded cloud. According to a recent Gallup poll, 34% of respondents believe the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. is over, with 66% disagreeing with that sentiment. Part of the reason people’s attitudes relaxed was because of the reduction in daily COVID19 deaths. The United States Census reported that COVIDdeaths in the United States spiked almost 19% between 2019 and 2020. Deaths remained elevated in 2021 as the coronavirus mutated into more infectious states. In total, more than 1 million people in the U.S. have died from
COVID-19, such as hospitalization and death,” FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf said in a statement. “Those trusted with the care of children can have confidence in the safety and effectiveness of these COVID-19 vaccines and can be assured that the agency was thorough in its evaluation of the data.”
The FDA’s decision to grant emergency use requests for a two-dose Moderna shot and a three-dose Pfizer vaccine came two days after its outside panel of advisers unanimously voted on Wednesday to recommend use of the two vaccines.
White House COVID-19
Response Coordinator Ashish Jha said earlier this month that the federal government would begin shipping the vaccines to states as soon as the FDA granted the emergency use authorization.
He expects shots can begin
COVID-19. Now, in 2022, fewer people-roughly 300 per day nationwide-are succumbing to the virus. The fact that fewer people are dying from the pandemic since it began in 2020, is good news. However, the infection and death rates could have and could be much better if more people are immunized.
n “The data is clearly telling us we have to take action to reduce the cases. We all need to do our part.”
– St. Louis Health Director Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis
According to the University of Missouri Health Care, herd immunity (when a sufficient proportion of a population is immune to an infectious disease) is achievable if around 80-90% of the population is immune, either through prior infection or vaccinations. This fact speaks to another real “American problem,” CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently noted.
“Only 48.7% of Americans over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated and received at least one booster dose, Gupta wrote in his June 8, “Coronavirus Fact vs Fiction”
PDHM to be distributed to St. Louis families in need.
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infant formula shortage and time is of the essence. We look forward to providing equitable resources for breastfeeding counseling/support to many families in need.”
A George Mason University study released June 20, 2022, concludes that the percentage of white babies who receive all their food from breast milk during their first four months of life is double the percentage for African American babies.
Distribution of Pasteurized Donor Human Milk (PDHM)
The second priority is for infants 0-6 months who are in families where breastfeeding is not an option. There will be mass purchasing and storage of
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“The Milk Bank is proud to partner with the Feed the Babies Project to provide immediate relief for families during the formula shortage crisis. This collaboration is an expansion of our work to give babies their best chance to survive and thrive,” said Freedom Kolb, The Milk Bank executive director.
“We are inspired by infant health partners rallying to provide solutions and the amazing milk donors for providing the gift of health and life.”
Nutrition Support, Counseling for Families
The third priority focuses on families with infants from 6 months to 12 months. These families will receive nutrition counseling and support that will provide alternatives to infant formula.
as soon as the CDC issues its recommendation.
The Biden administration made 10 million doses of vaccine for kids under 5 available for states during a two-week pre-ordering period that closed Tuesday.
States, tribes, territories, pharmacies, and other federal partners ordered 2.5 million Pfizer doses, about 50% of those available, and 1.3 million Moderna doses, about 25%, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of
report. America, Gupta added, has “a lower rate” of vaccinations than other countries with similar access to vaccines. Sharing numbers from the CDC, Gupta cited that 69.6% of people over the age of 12 have been boosted in
the United Kingdom, 55.5% in Canada, and, across the 27 European Union countries, 62.6% of adults have been boosted.
Last week, the St. Louis American shared a Missouri Independent article stating that
that you may have.”
“Jurisdictions will have an opportunity to order additional doses if and when the vaccines are authorized by FDA and recommended by CDC,” an HHS spokesperson said in a statement.
Florida remains the only state not to have placed any pre-orders.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said June 23, 2022, that some pharmacies and community health centers in the state would have COVID19 vaccines for kids under 5 through federal distribution. But those options are limited for parents wishing to vaccinate their kids, she said.
“By being the only state, this is Florida, not pre-ordering … pediatricians, for example, in Florida will not have immediate ready access to vaccines,” JeanPierre said.
“Some pharmacies and community health centers in
vaccinations may have cut the state’s COVID-19 fatalities in half. In other words, if all of Missouri’s adults were vaccinated, more than half of the over 14,000 deaths attributed to the virus may have been prevented.
Missouri’s vaccination rates have remained largely stagnant since the start of the year. Nearly 66% of adults in Missouri have been fully vaccinated. That measure, according to the CDC, puts the state at the 10th lowest vaccination rate nationwide.
Stefanie Friedhoff, a Brown University School of Public Health professor, noted for The Independent the success of better-vaccinated states.
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut all have 95% vaccination rates, according to US News and World Report. Additionally, Vermont, Maine, New Jersey, and New York have between 93% and 90.4% vaccination rates.
These states, Friedhoff said, are much more successful than Missouri in vaccinating more of their residents and therefore having fewer vaccine-preventable deaths, especially among the most vulnerable popula-
the state get access through federal distribution channels, but those options are limited for parents. We encouraged Florida on several occasions to order vaccines. We’ve been aware of this, and we will continue to do so.”
Florida not pre-ordering, Jean-Pierre said, will “make it harder” for parents to get their children vaccinated.
“That’s why we continued to, on several occasions, encourage Florida to do this,” she said.
The Florida Department of Health said in a statement Thursday that its officials have “made it clear to the federal government that states do not need to be involved in the convoluted vaccine distribution process, especially when the federal government has a track record of developing inconsistent and unsustainable COVID19 policies.”
tions, like the elderly, immunocompromised and communities of color.
Although many people want it over, COVID-19 cases, powered by a rising tide of omicron sub variants are surging again. As summer begins, experts warn of at least four highly infectious sub variants of omicron spreading throughout the U.S. Like Pacino’s Godfather character, some may have thought we were coming out of the pandemic. But, as in the past two years, we’re back in the COVID worry zone. Experts warn that now is not the time to let our guards down. Getting vaccinated and practicing pandemic safety precautions should still be prerequisites this summer. As unwanted as this dreaded news may be, it may be wise to adhere to County Executive Page’s recent plea:
“Please get vaccinated and stay up to date on boosters, as vaccinations can prevent serious illness and death, get tested and stay home if you are sick, and mask in public indoor spaces.”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is The St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow.
“Feeding babies donor breast milk from human milk banks that take voluntary steps to screen milk donors, and safely collect, process, handle, test, and store the milk is a safe alternative for those that aren’t able to produce enough of their own breast milk, or for those impacted by the current formula shortage.
Nutrition and breastfeeding counseling are also highly recommended during this crisis,” said Dr. Maya Moody, Missouri Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics president-elect.
“Call your pediatrician or primary care provider to discuss any questions or concerns
One of my daughter’s classmates went on a school trip that led to 600 people contracting COVID. One child brought the virus home and his father died. The boy feels terrible, and now his family is without a father. My mother-in-law is 89. My secretary has bronchitis and asthma. I don’t want to make anyone else sick, especially when I think my lack of caution caused me to catch this highly contagious virus. One of the unintended consequences of my COVID diagnosis was that it caused everyone in my household to quarantine. My daughter works at Baptist Hospital, and she lost all her vacation time quarantining to make sure she did not bring the virus to her workplace. So did my son. My wife also caught COVID and was sick with me.
The St. Louis Area Food Bank and Operation Food Search are collecting donations of unused, unexpired rice cereal, baby foods, and infant formula to give away at Feed the Babies distribution events.
The St. Louis Area Diaper Bank will also participate in the community events to provide access to diapers for families in need. They will also accept diaper donations to distribute to their 60+ partners agencies and organizations who serve families in the St. Louis Region.
A capital campaign is underway to raise funds for the project. The purchase and
A lot of myths surround COVID-19. One fact I learned was that one can test positive for months after no longer being contagious. Some symptoms can also linger for a long time. My wife is still habitually coughing. Yes, there is a memory fog. You can also be fatigued for months after the illness.
storage of PDHM will make up a substantial portion of the costs to provide this service to families in St. Louis.
The campaign’s fiscal sponsor will be the Deaconess Foundation. The IHN will manage the other components of the campaign.
“Our mission at the St. Louis Integrated Health Network is to ensure everyone in our community has the potential to achieve healthy outcomes, especially the medically underserved. This collaborative will provide timely and equitable access to pasteurized human breastmilk and formula during the shortage crisis in the St. Louis area,” said Andwele Jolly, St. Louis Integrated Health Network CEO.
Jesse Davis, MD, MBA, senior clinical advisor for infant and maternal health Initiatives at BJC Healthcare Community Health
Improvement, is the project lead manager. Additional partners in the collaboration include Deaconess Foundation, St. Louis Regional Health Commission, Missouri Foundation for Health, BJC HealthCare, Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis, The Milk Bank, Missouri Community Doula Council, Missouri Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics, St. Louis Area Foodbank, Operation Food Search, SSM Health, St. Louis Metropolitan Hospital Council (MHA), March of Dimes, Nurses for Newborns, Affinia Healthcare, Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers, CareSTL Health, Family Care Health Centers, Missouri WIC, and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. To learn more about this initiative, visit www.feedthebabiesproject.com.
Finally, while you can develop antibodies during a bout with the illness, these antibodies do not ensure that you won’t contract the virus again. I have three friends who have each had COVID three times. One of my friends was in ICU during his first bout with the virus, but during the second and third he recovered at home. So, do not let your guard down. If you have not been vaccinated, get vaccinated now.
Reginald J. Clyne is a trial attorney who shared his COVID-19 experience with the Miami Times
Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, St. Louis health director, says area residents should wear masks in public to stem a surge in COVID-19 cases. “We know that masks minimize the transmission of the virus,” she recently said.
Andwele Jolly Jesse Davis, MD
Syringes of COVID-19 vaccinations are filled during a 2021 clinic sponsored by MU Health Care. The FDA has approved emergency use of two vaccines in children under 5.
Photo by Justin Kelley / MU Health Care
Barton appointed director of St. Louis CJCC
By St. Louis American staff
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones
appointed Nicolle Barton as the new Executive Director for the City of St. Louis’ Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (C.J.C.C.). Barton began serving Tuesday, June 21, 2022.
“As we transform public safety and make our communities safer, we need leaders who lead with equity and fairness,” asserted Mayor Tishaura O. Jones.
Barton previously served as Consent Decree Coordinator for the City of Ferguson, working closely with the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Monitoring Team on court and police reform.
“I wrote a curriculum and started the PEACE Program,” Barton said. “It was the first in the County geared towards helping chronically unemployed offenders overcome barriers to employment.”
She also served as the inaugural Executive Director for the St. Louis City Civilian Oversight Board.
“A Civilian Oversight Board had never existed before in our community,” said Barton and explained, “I had an ordinance, a volunteer board, and me. I hired investigators and a legal secretary. We wrote policies and procedures about how we would do everything from intake to closure of complaints. We worked with internal affairs divisions to help change how they were doing work.”
Barton said she will utilize her 16 years of experience in the Missouri Corrections Division of Probation and Parole in her new role.
“I saw so many talented, smart individuals who made mistakes and were trying to figure out their way in life,”
Nicolle Barton, Executive Director for the City of St. Louis’ Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
Barton said. “My father was a heroin addict. He was on drugs and in and out of prison my whole life. So I got upset watching the recidivism. It became my mission to figure out what I could do and what we could do as a community to help fix some of the problems we’re dealing with.”
Barton has a Master’s Degree in Legal Studies from Webster University in St. Louis and a Bachelor’s Degree in Administration of Justice.
“I am excited and honored to serve the citizens of St. Louis City,” said Barton. “I am grateful to be part of this continued effort to reimagine public safety in our community and hope to be a model for other cities to follow.”
“When I worked in probation and parole, there were five Black officers in the Ferguson Police Department,” Barton said. “Now it’s over 50%. The police department should look like the community. If the community is 60% Black, the police department should be 60% Black.”
Established in 2019, the C.J.C.C. works for the fair administration of criminal and juvenile justice by increasing effective communication, collaboration and planning while improving the criminal and juvenile systems’ operation through effective data collection, sharing and analysis, crosscutting the local criminal and public health systems.
This our job, let’s do it
“That’s our job.” These are a few words that former St. Louis Alderman John Collins-Muhammad allegedly said to ‘John Doe’ in a pay-toplay scheme that is rocking the city. Doe was being assured that he was going to get a big “hook-up” once he made a big payoff. This is where some elected officials get it wrong. Alleged bribery, political favoritism, and lining one’s pockets are not part of the job. Too many elected officials and political appointees feel that it is part of the job. It goes on under the noses of an unsuspecting public often too consumed with its own survival to notice. The public can also feel powerless to do anything about it.
The political careers of former Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed, former Aldermen Jeffrey Boyd CollinsMuhammad are most likely over. These African American elected officials were listed in a federal indictment, complete with transcripts of conversations detailing how they would assist business owner Doe in circumventing the system. In exchange they allegedly received monetary and material goodies to enrich themselves.
In anticipation of the impending indictment, CollinsMuhammad resigned from his post in May admitting he had made “mistakes.” Boyd followed suit two days after his indictment. Belatedly, Reed finally resigned as well.
The responses to the scandal seem to depend on one’s relationship to the three. An impromptu protest was organized at City Hall demanding Reed and Boyd’s resignations.
Reed was the longest serving BOA president, a powerful position of influence over city politics and finances. The position has a seat on the Board of Estimate and Apportionment with the Mayor Tishaura Jones and Comptroller Darlene Green.
There seems to be genuine sadness in some circles for Reed for allowing himself to be caught in such alleged political shenanigans. The impact on him could be much greater than his co-defendants.
n I do believe in holding people accountable for the harm they have done. The consequences should fit the harm or the crime.
For Collins-Muhammad, there were online comments about exchanging his impressive suits for an orange prison jumpsuit. These digs were based on his proposal to require dress attire for the Board of Aldermen meetings. He insisted that a dress code was needed, stating “we are professional legislators.”
For Boyd, many responses to his indictment were jubilant, especially from some of his constituents in the 22nd Ward. Many never saw themselves as the alderman’s priority despite
Boyd’s parting words of how well he had served them. There were reports of spontaneous dances throughout the ward as people chanted “Bye, bye Boyd.” The indictments drew a measured but stern a reaction from Mayor Jones, who often felt the brunt of Boyd and Reed’s political arrows. Boyd filed lawsuits to undercut her authority, and blocked bills Jones supported as treasurer and now mayor. Boyd lost two bids to unseat Jones as treasurer. Reed ran for mayor unsuccessfully three times.
It’s easy to be gleeful when karma knocks on the door of someone who has allegedly wronged us or our community. It is much harder to view a situation through the lens of “transformative change.” And no, I’m not getting soft in my old age. I still don’t believe in turning the other cheek or loving my enemy. I do believe in holding people accountable for the harm they have done. The consequences should fit the harm or the crime. In a spirit of restorative justice, it can be a struggle to balance or replace revenge with something more lasting and impactful. The Black community gets victimized in so many ways by so many different predators, we have scar tissue on top of scar tissue. It hurts double when the predator looks like you. This is a time to reflect on how we contribute to an environment that allows people to commit acts that dehumanize and exploit us. It’s time to reimagine our communities, and make people think twice before they double-cross us. This could be out of respect or fear. That’s our job.
Columnist Jamala Rogers
A sweet heart
Restaurateur Brandy Clay serves up fun fare, care for unhoused
By Ashley Winters
The St. Louis American
Welcome to Funnel Cake Factory St. Louis and Turkey Leg Factory St. Louis, the two name restaurant in downtown St. Louis. The carnival themed restaurant offers sweet and savory treats, and a helping hand to some of the area’s most vulnerable citizens, the unhoused.
“I want people to have the ambiance of pure fun. Our motto is ‘Big Top Eats, Where Batter, Sugar and Carnival Meet,” said owner Brandy Clay. The restaurant opened its doors in 2018 in Brentwood near the area’s shopping district. While in a high foot traffic area, Clay wanted her restaurant to be part of the rejuvenation of downtown St. Louis. So in 2019, she packed up her ‘tent’ and
Clay outside her Funnell Cake Factory in downtown St. Louis near Washington and 10th Street Monday, June 20, 2022. See CLAY, B2
headed toward the Arch.
“The ultimate goal was to contribute to the rehabilitation of downtown,” she said.
“And to be closer to the underserved community.”
Clay says her mission is two fold. A carnival brings fun, rides, and sugar and that’s the atmosphere she has created for her restaurant. Both children and adults love it.
“I love the whimsy people get when they visit,” she said.
Clays says in the middle of winter with six inches of snow outside, St. Louisans get the feeling of summer and the carnival. People support
Black owned EDURain aims high to keep student concerns low
By Isaiah Peters
EDUrain CEO
Burnea Lester joins Site Improvement
Burnea Lester has joined the SITE Improvement Association as director of communications and community relations. She will engage with key construction industry and community leaders to improve the effectiveness of workforce development programs, develop new minority contracting and workforce participation opportunities and assist contractors with diversity and inclusion efforts while also strengthening SITE’s internal and external communications outreach.
Barnes named RGSD Teacher of the Year
Pariss Barnes, a fifth-grade teacher at Danforth Elementary School was named the Riverview Gardens School District Teacher of the Year. Barnes has served as a teacher at Danforth for two years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University. Barnes will proceed as the representative for the Missouri State Teacher of the Year nomination. Cetina Banks, a physical education teacher at Koch Elementary School, was named the Second Place Winner for District Teacher of the Year. Pamela Barsh, a first-grade teacher at Moline Elementary, was named the Third Place Winner for District Teacher of the Year.
Faulk new chief of staff at Lincoln University
Lincoln University of Missouri announced the appointment of Jeremy Faulk as chief of staff. Faulk comes to Lincoln from Life University in Marietta, Georgia, where he served as senior director of Auxiliary Services. Faulk’s leadership will support and sustain a culture of service, professionalism and continuous improvement in all organizational departments at Lincoln University. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Faulk has spent more than 15 years working in higher education, specifically in student affairs, athletics and campus operations.
Dixon named associate provost at UMSL
Colette McLemore Dixon, PhD, has been named the associate provost for student success at the University of Missouri St. Louis effective July 1, 2022. Dr. Dixon is currently the assistant dean of student and alumni affairs for UMSL’s College of Nursing. Prior to working at UMSL, she worked at Saint Louis University as the director of diversity operations for the School of Medicine and Ohio University assistant director of multicultural affairs for the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
board appointment,
Brandy
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Burnea Lester
Pariss Barnes
Jeremy Faulk
Colette McLemore Dixon
Photo by Isaiah Peters / St. Louis American
Clay
Continued from B1
her restaurant because it offers almost everything a carnival does without standing in four different lines to get it.
The restaurant’s number one seller is, of course, the turkey leg. It’s the size of a forearm, smoked and braised with seasoning.
“It is a fall off the bone turkey leg,” said Clay. Clay is a chemist by education, and graduated from St. Louis University. There is a science behind the food she makes, she says.
“When I designed all the sauces in the restaurant it was designed to touch every taste bud on your palate,” Clay said. Her batter for fried sweet
EDURain
Continued from B1
back around,” Pierson said. What began as a site showing a plethora of scholarships soon expanded. After reading a hefty 160-page college selection research study, which highlighted 330 colleges across the country, Pierson said he wanted to make college selection for students easier. He then crafted a detailed college ranking system.
EDURain officially launched as a scholarship database in 2020, and the affordable off-campus housing analytic platform launched in
treats is made in house, which means her fried twinkies and oreos have a special taste that other restaurants can’t replicate. Not only is she offering good food, but it’s affordable too.
“I think it’s imperative to keep things affordable so people can enjoy it without feeling guilty,” Clay said. Clay says she has always strived to help others, and being a downtown resident gave her first-hand knowledge of the struggles of the unhoused.
She says it began with a friendly conversation with an unhoused man. Before I knew it, I started donating food to him. Then, more unhoused residents started asking for her help.
“I was very happy because I was in a position to be able to
March 2021. In addition, the firm offers zero-interest loans for students transitioning into a university on a case-by-case basis.
The long-term goal is to have a representative at each college in St. Louis. Currently, EDURain has its strongest affiliation with Washington University of St. Louis, with most of his staff either attending or graduating from the university.
“We want students to know there is a place to go to find a [school] and a way to pay for it,” Pierson said.
The start-up has a diverse 15-member team, and Pierson said the organization has worked with around 400 stu-
feed them,” Clay said. Her mission grew and she reached out to her circle of family and friends and asked them if they could donate a variety of toiletries to meet other needs the unhoused community may have. Clay has received winter hats and hand warmers for the colder months, and cooler bags to keep bottled water and refrigerated medicine cool. Surrounding hotels have pitched in too, donating toothpaste, soap, and shampoo.
“There are so many needs and I’ve had so many people come by and donate so that I can continue to give,” said Clay.
Rather you are stopping by to dine in or donate the ‘Big Top’ is bringing good food and humanity to the downtown area.
dents directly through scholarships, housing, and loans.
Front said the platform idea was for the team to be composed of young people in school or just finishing school who are creating a service they wish they had.
“Every person here is a student. So, in the summer, with a freer schedule, we’re ready to light the fire and open doors,” he said.
In addition to Pierson and Front, the staff’s undergraduate and graduate students are studying computer science, business, politics and more.
“It’s made for students by students,” Front said.
EDURain also partners with the Parkway School District’s “Parkway Spark!” program. Students interested in technology and or business can sign up for mentorship and create their first intern experience.
“We’re trying to give a small seed into that early stage of the higher educational system,” Front said.
Finding and helping students means more than canvassing area campuses. The start-up has branched out to politicians, parents, college access organizations, corporations, leasing agencies, and foster-care organizations.
Diversity is a key feature of EduRain and it is also in contact with Hispanic-oriented organizations, Black-oriented organizations, counseling services, student Support services, and organizations geared towards helping low-income families, and more.
For more information on the company and its services, visit www.edurain.org.
Brandy Clay inside her Funnell Cake Factory in downtown St. Louis near Washington and 10th Streets Monday, June 20, 2022.
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
n “This is going to be painful for me to say, but I think Steph Curry passes Isiah Thomas as the greatest small guard ever.”
– NBA analyst Charles Barkley after Curry led Golden State to fourth title
Sports
InSIdE SportS
By Earl Austin Jr.
Best is yet to come for disappointed Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum’s quest to win his first National Basketball Association championship came to a disappointing end when the veteran Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six games to win its fourth world title in eight seasons.
Superstar guard Steph Curry cemented his legacy as one of the best players ever as he led the Warriors to yet another championship. The Warriors also used a staunch defense, led by forward Andrew Wiggins, to bottle up Tatum and hold the St. Louisan to his lowest offensive output of the postseason. He finished with just 13 points in the series finale.
Although the season ended on a bitter note, it was otherwise a breakthrough year for Tatum. He established himself as one of the league’s best players at 24 years of age. As a fellow St. Louisan, it was exhilarating to see a local kid play such a prominent role in a team’s run to the NBA Finals. We’ve seen local players such as Patrick McCaw, David Lee, Robin Jones, and David Thirdkill earn well-deserved championship rings, but Tatum is the first player from “The STL” to lead a team on such a postseason run since JoJo White, who was a major player on those Celtics’ championship teams in the 1970’s. That’s a long time between drinks of water and I enjoyed every minute of it, regardless of the ending.
Tatum›s success began late last summer when he helped lead the USA to a gold medal at the Olympic games in Tokyo. He was the team’s second leading scorer behind Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant. Tatum’s summer success carried over to the regular season when he enjoyed career-high numbers across the board. He averaged 26.9 points, 8 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 45 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the free throw line. For his effort, he was chosen to the All-NBA First Team for the first time.
The regular-season success was just the beginning as he went on a remarkable playoff run to lead the Celtics to the Eastern Conference title and the franchise›s first berth in the finals since 2008. Tatum went toe-to-toe with star players including Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler en route
to his first appearance in the finals. He was the youngest player ever to tally score 600 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in a single postseason.
The game that moved Tatum into that next level of stardom was Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Milwaukee against the world champion Bucks. With the Celtics trailing in the series 3-2 and facing elimination, Tatum produced a 46-point, nine-rebound masterpiece to keep the Celtics’ season alive and bring the series back to Boston, where they easily won a Game 7. Tatum was able to counter Antetokounmpo’s massive 44-point, 20-rebound performance with his own career effort. In the Eastern Conference finals against Miami, Tatum earned the first ever Larry Bird Trophy as the Most Valuable Player after the Celtics’ series win in seven games.
Tatum›s rough experience in his first championship series will serve him well as his career continues to ascend to the next level. and hopefully compete for titles in the future. As history as shown, these are the growing pains that many of the league›s stars have experienced on their way to a championship. It›s been a pay your dues and wait your turn
league through history. Many stars had to wait several years and endure a lot of heartbreak before tasting the champagne for the first time. So, as you continue to watch the vitriolic, over the top criticism of Tatum’s finals performance on television and social media, these are a few things to keep in mind.
To give you a historic perspective, Tatum was trying to accomplish something that is rare. He is a young player leading a young team on a path to a world championship. Tatum is 24 and his co-star Jaylen Brown is 25. A pair of under25’s leading a franchise to a championship is next to impossible and the Celtics were two games away from doing it.
The last team to try this feat was Oklahoma City in 2012 with the big three of Kevin Durant (24), Russell Westbrook (24) and James Harden (22) driving the bus. The Thunder lost to the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in five games. Before that, it was 1995 when Shaquille O›Neal and Penny Hardaway, both 23, led the Orlando Magic to the finals. They were swept by the defending champion Houston Rockets, who were led by veterans Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.
The young stars who were able to win a
SportS EyE
With Alvin A. Reid
Whether you are a Golden State Warrior or Boston Celtic, the postseason journey you just completed is a testament to the NBA being the best basketball league in the world. The Warriors prevailed; the Celtics fell short. Yet both franchises brought the joy of basketball to a global audience. But sorrow sometimes accompanies the sports that bring smiles to many of our faces. The Purdue men’s basketball program confirmed on Monday night that former Boilermakers’ star and 2017 NBA first-round draft pick Caleb Swanigan had died at 25. No cause of death was released. Swanigan was Mr. Basketball in Indiana in 2015 and was one of the nation’s most highly sought recruits. After first opting for Michigan State, he decided to play close to home at Purdue. He was named Big Ten Player of the Year his sophomore season and was then drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers. Within a year Swanigan’s life and body changed. He gained weight. He
world title were usually accompanied by an older, veteran star. In 1971, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks to the championship in his second year with veteran star Oscar Robertson as his sidekick.
In 1980, Magic Johnson was a 20-year-old rookie who led the Los Angeles Lakers to the championship. Jabbar was a 10-year veteran on that team and still a superstar.
In 1999, when Tim Duncan led the San Antonio Spurs to the title in his second year, it was veteran star David Robinson right by his side in the Twin Towers set. Kobe Bryant was 22 when he won his first title with the Lakers and Dwyane Wade was 24 when he led the Miami Heat to the championship.
Both had Shaquille O’Neal roaming the paint on those championship teams. Larry Bird was 25 when he led the Celtics to the championship in 1981. He was accompanied by the likes of Nate “Tiny” Archibald (33) and Robert Parish (27), both future Hall of Famers.
Let me take you back to 1957 when a rookie named Bill Russell led the Celtics to their first world title at 23 years old. Also on that team were All-Stars Bob Cousy (28) and Bill Sharman (30), who both averaged 20 points a game.
Sports sorrow seems to happen when least expected
became too heavy to be an effective NBA player. A “then and now” pair of photos of Swanigan hit social media and went viral.
He was traded to the Sacramento Kings after two seasons, and only played three years in the NBA.
Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard reminded the social media community of the destruction callous online comments can bring to a person’s life.
Alvin
“Remember when that photo of Caleb Swanigan’s weight gain went viral and the entire internet [crapped] on him? Yeah, maybe we should stop doing that to people going through tough times,” Lillard wrote on Twitter.
Another basketball dream turned to nightmare on Monday in Harlem, New York.
Darius Lee, a basketball standout at Houston Baptist University who was home for the summer in his native Harlem, was killed in a latenight shooting that left eight other people wounded. He was at a Juneteenth celebration and barbecue. The site was also serving as backdrop
for a music video.
Lee, 21, was scheduled to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in December. He would have entered his senior year as the 2021 HBU Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
HBU coach Ron Cottrell, said in a statement, “We are devastated.”
“As great of a basketball player as he was, he was an even better person. I can’t
even think of basketball right now. I can only think of what a light Darius was during his short time on earth. He was a joy to coach, and we loved him so much. Please keep his mom, sister, and family in your prayers,” Cottrell said. Gun violence strikes again.
The Reid Roundup
Former NBA superstar
Houston Baptist University basketball star Darius Lee was shot dead in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City early on Monday.
Reggie Miller, who never won an NBA championship, had these words of advice for Jayson Tatum during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show: “Understand and relish in the disappointment of that series. It’s painful. I’ve been there. [Y]ou can’t discredit what he did throughout this postseason against some of the all-time greats in our game.”…
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr is an unabashed liberal. He catches heck from conservatives who apparently know nothing of his father’s tragic death in diplomatic service - and even less about basketball. He received thousands of congratulatory calls, texts, and emails after his team clinched its fourth NBA title in four years. But one stood out. “I got a text from President Obama, which was pretty cool. That was pretty special.” …Obama also shared a message of congratulations with Finals MVP Steph Curry through a telephone call…Jaylon Brown scored 34 points in the Celtics’ Game 6 loss, and consoled Tatum following the game. “I just gave him a hug, man. I know it was a tough last game.” It stings that we kind of didn’t play to our potential, but it is what it is. You’ve got to learn from it and move on.” …Celtics coach Ime Udoka is hardly discouraged heading into the 2022-23 NBAA season. “The future is bright and we’re just getting started,” he said on Twitter following his team’s season-ending loss.
A. Reid
Earl Austin Jr.
Jayson Tatum and Boston Celtics teammate Marcus Smart discuss their Game 6 and NBA Finalsending loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Photo courtesy of Houston Baptist University
Photo courtesy of NBA.com
North County Inc. celebrates new home on UMSL campus
A few dozen people gathered outside the Regional Center for Education and Work to mark the official opening of North County Incorporated’s new headquarters on the campus of the University of Missouri–St. Louis Chancellor Kristin Sobolik was on hand to welcome North County Inc. President and CEO Rebecca Zoll and her team to the new space. She also took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony surrounded by members of the North County Inc.’s board and representatives of other civic, business and community organizations.
“Community partners are essential as we provide high quality, affordable education and drive regional equity and upward mobility,” Sobolik said during brief remarks. “The collaborative partnership that UMSL has built with North County Inc. over the years represents the absolute best of what can be gained when community organizations connect and advocate for equitable economic development, education, health care and transportation in the St. Louis area.”
North County Inc., established in 1977, is a regional development organization that acts as a catalyst to define and advocate for economic and community development in north St. Louis County. UMSL and North County Inc. have worked together on numerous projects, including efforts to address the mental health crisis in North County and UMSL’s work to support small businesses through its role as an anchor network.
“North County is incredibly fortunate to have the university as one of our cornerstones and a foundation in our community for learning and workforce development,” Zoll said. “The chancellor and her team have focused on ensuring that the university is part of the community it calls home and part of advancing that community in an impactful and meaningful manner by looking not just at the needs of the university but the needs of the community itself.”
Cong. Bush hosting app challenge
Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) announced that her office is hosting a 2022 Congressional App Challenge, a competition designed to encourage middle and high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications. The challenge is designed to promote innovation and engagement in computer science. Students are encouraged to register online starting today and submit their application by November 1st.
Officially launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, this competition allows students to compete within their district by creating software applications (apps) for desktop/ PC, web, tablet, or other devices. Any programming language, such as C, C++, Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, or “block code’’ is accepted by the competition.
The Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle and high school students in the first congressional district of Missouri. Students entering the competition must submit their app to CongressionalApp-Challenge.us during the competition submission period. Students can register individually or in teams of up to four people. The winning app will be featured on the House.gov website and the CongressionalAppChallenge.us website. Winners are also invited to Capitol Hill where they showcase their apps to their representatives in a celebration called #HouseOfCode. During #HouseOfCode, students get the chance to see their apps displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building, meet their representatives, and connect with other talented coders across the nation!
Holliday inducted into MO Broadcasters Hall of Fame
KSDK 5 On Your Side’s Art Holliday was recently inducted into the Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. Holliday has been with 5 On Your Side for 42 years and currently serves as the first Black news director in St. Louis.
The Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame was created to salute broadcast leadership throughout the great State of Missouri. It recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the fields of radio and television broad-
casting.
Holliday’s broadcasting work has been recognized with numerous awards, including three sportscasting Emmys in 1985, 1988, and 1989. In 2001, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists. In 2009, Holliday was inducted into the St. Louis Media Foundation Television Hall of Fame. Holliday came to 5 On Your Side in 1979 and is the station’s longest-serving journalist.
Cori Bush
Art Holliday
Living It
A home-grown awakening
STL’s Adrienne Danrich delivers in OSTL debut, acclaimed opera closes Friday
By Kenya Vaughn
The St. Louis American
The most celebrated operas tend to have their greatness attributed to a particular identifying distinction. There is the vivid storytelling of Puccini’s La Bohème and the musical and emotional rollercoaster of his Tosca. There is the scope of music and themes within Mozart’s The Magic Flute, (which is among the lineup of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis offerings in its 2022 festival season) and the character richness of his Marriage of Figaro
But there is also a category of operas made spectacular by the sum of their parts. These works display a cohesiveness – and create a perfectly aligned, well-rounded musical and theatrical experience. Such can be said about the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis world-premiere of Awakenings. Composed by Tobias Picker with a libretto by Aryeh Lev Stollman, the opera is based on the book of the same name by Dr. Oliver Sacks – which was also the inspiration behind the 1990 Oscar nominated film. Awakenings will play at OTSL on Friday, June 24 as their 2022 festival season winds down this weekend.
As with the book and the film, Awakenings is based on the research and treatment for Encephalitis Letharigica – or the sleeping sickness – at Beth Abraham Hospital in the Bronx in the late 1960s. The patients he eventually treats are among the survivors of the sleep sickness global pandemic that took place from 1916-1927.
By the time Sacks publishes his landmark paper and begins administering the detailed treatment, his patients had been in a state of slumber for
A Rebirth
National drag star, activist legally changes name to Maximus Ademaus Glamour
By Danielle Brown
The St. Louis American
Walking to the beat of their drums with no regret, despite society’s traditional views on race, gender, and sexuality, has centered Maxi Glamour’s universe since childhood.
Glamour, a non-binary community activist, national drag star, and artist born Maxwell, adopted their confident alias fashioned with uncontemporary, progressive race, gender, and social ideologies at a young age.
They championed support for queer rights after coming out at 11, joining their school’s gay-straight alliance club.
“Coming out was different for every person I interacted with,” Glamour said.
“I didn’t come out to my mom. She was like, ‘there’s this cute girl down the street, and her car needs to be fixed. Maybe you should go help her, and I said ‘help with what? Her eyebrows?’”
Raised in a household with of a white Jewish mother and Black father, all while moving from district to district, they learned early they weren’t interested in following their peers.
“I was in the goth scene and hung around emo, skater kids, misfits, degenerates,” they said. “Those people were subversive and didn’t care about being gay, queer, or weird. They had their norm and were comfortable with it, making me surround myself with people who deliberately
decades. The story of his work, his patients and Sacks’ own life provide ideal conditions for a haunting tragic opera that lingers with the audience well after the curtain closes. The stunning
production elements and stellar performances give visual and musical stimulation. Meanwhile, director James Robinson gives the story such depth and emotional connection that view-
ers will be grateful for the problems and life circumstances they hoped to temporarily escape
At 14, they started going by their fictitious name and wearing women’s apparel to school.
“I came up with my name because I wanted something gayer, something for Myspace, something that was punk rock,” Glamour said.
“I idolized how Johnny Rotten and Marily Manson had cool names that stuck, so I chose to make up a weird name and morph into a different person.”
They came out as trans at 19 and drastically transformed their wardrobe into outfits that pushed the envelope. It was also during their teen
George Clinton plays The Big Top July 10
By Alvin A. Reid
The St. Louis American
If you’ve never seen a George Clinton Parliament/Funkadelic concert live, your final chance to do so in St. Louis could be nearing. Clinton said his final tour would be in 2018, but he is back on the road in 2022 – vowing that this time is the last time.
At 81, Clinton is not the on-stage force he was when younger. Yet, he remains very much in charge. It is still his funk, his sound, and his brilliance that made Parliament/Funkadelic one of Black America’s iconic concert bands.
Over the years, Clinton’s audiences have become more diverse. But the music is about Blackness, its trials, tribulations, a triumph.
The chilling tale of a mom who turns to prostitution to support her children in 1973’s “Cosmic Slop,” is a cautionary work for
those living in underserved communities.
“Chocolate City,” released in 1975, is a salute to Washington, D.C. and other major American cities that elected Black mayors. It also alerts white America that Black Americans were making progress economically and socially.
“Oh, can’t you feel my breath? All up and down your neck.”
The release of “Mothership Connection” in 1976 launched a new era in the band’s history. What began as a barbershop quartet in the late 1950s made a transformation, and the keyword was funk. Songs were laced with extraterrestrial play-on-words and wicked guitar solos.
Clinton did not shy away from lengthier tracks, which cost him some radio exposure. “Maggot Brain,” “One Nation Under a Groove,” Knee Deep,” “Who Says a Fund Band Can’t Play Rock?,” sometimes reached 10
It didn’t matter. The concerts sold out. People waited in line at Regal Sports in St. Louis and other St. Louis ticket outlets the day tickets went on On the current tour, Clinton is still with some “old heads” that have been with him since the delightfully delirious 1970s. Remember when “The Mothership” would land on stage and band members performed in
See OTSL, C8
Photo Courtesy of Maxi Glamour
Photo by Eric Woolsey
Adrienne Danrich’s character Miriam H. shares a laugh with Rose, portrayed by Susanna Phillips in the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis world-premiere of ‘Awakenings,’ which play the Loretto-Hilton on Friday, June 24th as one of the culminating performances of the 2022 season.
P-Funk, C8
St. Louis Community Activist and national drag star Maxi Glamour recently legally changed their name.
APGA members pictured (clockwise from top right): St. Louis native Christian Heavens, Willie Mack and Marcus Byrd.
St. Louis’s Forgotten 19th-Century Black Composer
By Magdalene Linck, Missouri Historical Society
The life and career of Joseph William “J. W.” Postlewaite are ambiguous and fascinating. For decades he and his various bands and orchestras entertained audiences across St. Louis. He composed and published works that were popular in the Midwest. However, his identity as a Black man was sometimes hidden, depending on the context.
Early details of Postlewaite’s life are few and far between. Based on census records and his burial certificate, he was likely born in Missouri between 1827 and 1829. In 1845, when he was in his late teens or early 20s, Postlewaite published his first work, Concert Hall Grand Waltz, followed by the Almira Waltz in 1849. These works mark the beginning of his career-long relationship with prominent local music publishers Charles Balmer and Henry Weber. The 1850 census notes Postlewaite’s race as mulatto and shows him working as a porter and residing in St. Louis’s 4th Ward alongside other people of color who worked as stewards, barbers, waiters, and house cleaners. On July 16 of that year Postlewaite’s freedom bond was filed, a requirement for free people of color in Missouri. The securities signature was provided by John Sarpy, a wealthy white trader. No sum was listed, implying that Postlewaite was not born enslaved or had been granted freedom at a young age. He signed the bond with his own name in an elaborate script at a time when most individuals merely signed with an X, indicating he was well educated.
Throughout the 1850s, Postlewaite worked with Francis Beler, a fellow musician and bandleader. City directories show that five bands were actively working in the city during this time, offering popular music such as marches, mazurkas, schottisches, and waltzes.
In 1857 Postlewaite and Beler co-owned a coffeehouse at the corner of 2nd and Convent streets. The following year their Brass and Quadrille Band provided the entertainment for a series of six excursions on the steamboat Edinburgh around Independence Day.
No record of Postlewaite serving in the Civil War could be found, but it’s likely that members of his and other local bands enlisted and fought for the Union. Lillie Polka Mazurka is his only known work from the 1860s, though he has 10 undated compositions known to have been published prior to 1870. Newspaper articles show he performed with his orchestra both locally and in Hannibal, Missouri.
The following decade, Postlewaite’s bands performed regularly at venues such as Schnaider’s Garden, Klausmann’s Cave, the Armory Hall, and Creve Coeur Lake under various names, including Postlewaite’s Quadrille Band and the Great Western Reed and String. City directories indicate that Postlewaite resided at various addresses south of downtown, mostly around Soulard, and kept band offices on 6th Street for many years before moving to Pine Street. Interestingly, Postlewaite shows up twice in the 1880 census. The St. Louis County census for Central Township shows a Joseph Postlewaite, musician, age 58, living with his wife Anna, age 28, and two children. The St. Louis City census shows a Joseph Postlewaite, musician, age 53, living with his wife Eliza in a rented room in Julia Clamorgan’s house on 7th Street. In both census records all members of the house are listed as white. The Veiled Prophets Grand March, published in 1880, is Postlewaite’s last known work. He continued performing regularly until a final illness in December 1888. Two days after his death on January 1, 1889, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published the details of his
funeral, which took place at Calvary Cemetery and was attended by the Musicians Union. A 100-piece band accompanied the procession from his residence with Eliza at 2343 South 9th Street to the cemetery. Anna attended his wake with her two children, only to meet Eliza and learn that Joseph was also married to her and that he was Black.
On January 4 the PostDispatch and St. Louis GlobeDemocrat detailed the “hidden lives” of J. W. Postlewaite, providing evidence of his race through interviews with his longtime friends and colleagues. Anna claimed to have married him in St. Louis, while Eliza said their marriage took place in Cincinnati. Neither woman could produce documentation of the nuptials, and there’s no indication that the dispute was resolved: In the years following his death, both women appear in city directories with “widow” alongside their names.
This Black Music Month, visit the Missouri History Museum’s St. Louis Sound exhibit to learn about other Black musicians and composers who influenced the sounds of the city we know today.
Photo courtesy of mohistory.org
J. W. Postlewaite’s freedom bond, 1850.
Website finds paths for Black pastoral candidates, churches to meet
By Abriana Herron
The Indianapolis Recorder
The Rev. John W. Woodall Jr. began his pastoral process, the journey every pastor must take to find the right church they will preach for, 15 years ago. With his resume ready, he asked his mentor if there were any websites that might aid him in this extensive process.
“Well, you’re the computer guy,” Woodall recalls a mentor saying. “Why don’t you make it?”
So, Woodall did. He is pastor of South Calvary Missionary Baptist Church the website he created, p4bc. com, connects pastoral candidates with Black churches that are seeking a pastor for their church community.
The acronym “P4BC” stands for Pastors for Black Churches, and by creating a profile on the website, both pastoral
candidates and church search committees can filter results by state and denomination to find the best suited church or pastor. In the past, listings for pastors were commonly found through word of mouth, taking two to three years or longer for pastors to find churches to preach for, Woodall said. He created this website to make the process smoother and more efficient for both parties.
Pastor Timothy Ramsey of Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church started his process in the winter of 2017, and while he found his church that summer, Ramsey helped Woodall assess the website. He said P4BC is an efficient tool to use to save time during the search.
“The information was very helpful because unlike other similar tools, it narrows it down to a specific job search,” he said. “It would have certainly saved me a lot of time.”
While this is a service to
help Black churches with their search for a pastor, Woodall plans to have a racially diverse group of pastoral candidates.
Rev. Tommy Birnell knows his pastoral process will be a challenging one because he wants to preach for the Black church community as a white pastor.
“I know there’s going to be Black churches that are not
By Aliyah Collins
Since February of this year, I have been collaborating with a team of Harvard graduate students to help the city of Jackson, Mississippi address increasing rates of gun violence within the community. I learned that Jackson hit a record number of 156 homicides last year. Even more disheartening is that 48 percent of those murdered were below the age of 30. I know too well the impact of gun violence
on Black communities. In my small hometown of Jackson, Tennessee, I’ve lost several classmates and childhood friends to gun violence. It’s painful to see so many of my friends who I laughed and joked with at the lunch table or on the bus buried before reaching the age of 21. It seems that reaching the age of 21 has become a milestone rather than the norm. In the face of this battle against gun violence, it is important to place spiritual care as a priority because, without
spiritual care, our communities will be unable to build and thrive. The community of Jackson holds a deep spirituality that is rooted in the strength of ancestorial connections. While the people of Jackson hold such a deep spirituality, we must understand that our spirit is always under attack. This makes spiritual care vital to the livelihood of the community. When we know that the spirit exists through the body, outside of the body, and no human being can contain it, create it, or destroy it, we would see the importance of spiritual care and how it can be used as a resource. Our spirituality is powerful, yet,
going to accept me because of the color of my skin,” he said.
“We can’t change people. Only God can change people. I want to be where God wants me.”
After being mentored by Woodall, Birnell has begun his search for a church. He has used websites like Pastors for Black Churches, but to him, none of them compare.
“I believe that this website
when we experience spiritual brokenness, we cannot function in the highest capacity of love and compassion. Now, what is spiritual care?
Spiritual care is any activity or practice that feeds the inner spirit. Spiritual care can certainly be meditating, praying, or fasting. But it can also be simply resting, sitting out on Big Momma’s porch.
Spiritual care could look like finding ways to explore our hidden talents and develop them in ways that are beneficial to the community. Spiritual care could look like learning about our history so that we understand and become inspired by the past. Spiritual care could look like learning
The Rev. John Woodall Jr., of South Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis is helping Black pastoral candidates and churches get a jump on connecting.
goes into a little more depth,” Birnell said. “When a church is looking, they get to see a lot more about you than they would with a resume.”
For their profiles to be seen, each church and pastoral candidate must upload an introduction video. Since the website’s launch in April, there are around 20 pastoral candidates nationwide with profiles viewable on the website, but no churches.
Woodall said he wanted to first focus on finding the pastoral candidates and would begin
different ways to communicate with each other that are life-giving instead of harmful. Spiritual care could look like pulling together as a community to house the unhouse and love the unloved.
The first step must begin with acknowledging that every person has their own spirituality. From the old saints to the murderers, yes, I argue, everyone has a spirit and holds a form of spirituality. At the same time, people experience various levels of spiritual brokenness.
Having spirituality doesn’t always mean that you are a regular churchgoer, saved and born again. Having spirituality means that you believe and experience a divine presence within your daily life. Without spiritual care, our spirituality becomes weak
pushing for more churches to join later. He also stressed the importance the church search committee has on “uncovering” their pastor.
“The purpose of the search committee is not to find a pastor,” he said. “It’s to reveal the pastor that God has already chosen.”
To aid the churches, Woodall created a free online course that teaches search committees the essential steps they must take to find their pastor on the platform. Some of the steps include a phone interview, multiple in-person interviews and praying for the pastor. It is free to set up a listing and/or profile, but Woodall said to make the search confidential and the platform trustworthy, there is a monthly fee for all pastoral candidates and churches. However, all fees will be waived for candidates and search committees for a limited time.
and confused by money, guns, and other material things. Through consistent spiritual care, our spirituality will be the most powerful way we can gain wealth, prosperity, and happiness for all our people. Our spirituality will push us to ask questions about contradictions through spiritual care. We would begin to understand that fighting for our right to adequate healthcare, better education, clean and safe neighborhoods, and the ability to create our own career opportunities comes from our spirituality and is essential to our spiritual care. Aliyah Collins is Master of Divinity candidate in the Harvard University School of Divinity. This commentary was originally published in the Jackson Advocate.
Visit one of our Ys on Thursdays to enjoy all the benefits of being a member for the day FOR FREE! Join a group fitness class, take a splash in the pool, shoot some hoops or check out the fitness center’s top-of-the-line equipment.
Photo courtesy of South Calvary MBC
Guest Columnist
Aliyah Collins
PRE-TRIAL RELEASE BOND OFFICER
Per Performance/hourly
Full time position at the 22ND Judicial Circuit Court includes full benefit package, plus no cost retirement plan
Please email resume to:
detailed info at www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com, click employment opportunities.
stlca.resumes@courts.mo.gov detailed info at www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com, click employment opportunities. EOE
COORDINATOR
Great Rivers Greenway is hiring a Volunteer Coordinator. Go to www.greatriversgreenway.org/jobs-bids to apply.
22ND Judicial Circuit Court
Please email resume to: stlca.resumes@courts.mo.gov
detailed info at www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com, click employment opportunities.
EOE
FACILITIES MANAGER
Full time position at the 22ND Judicial Circuit Court includes full benefit package, plus no cost retirement plan
Please email resume to: stlca.resumes@courts.mo.gov detailed info at www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com, click employment opportunities.
FAMILY DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
Good Shepherd Children and Family Services is seeking a Family Development Specialist to recruit, train, license, and support foster parents. For more information, please visit: https://goodshepherdstl.org/ employment-opportunities.
INSURANCE OPERATIONS ANALYST
Responsible for providing client / customer support to the operational functions of the Large Casualty unit. Responsible for the coordination, issuance and tracking of transactions and services provided to ensure customer service standards are maintained. Operates as a Subject Matter Expert for transactional issuance.
To apply, please visit: https:// www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/
ACCOUNTANT
This is an exempt, administrative position requiring thorough knowledge of modern accounting procedures and the ability to work on complex accounting projects independently. Position includes managing all fixed assets for the Authority, reconciling LOCCS draws, payroll, general ledger analysis, cash management, and financial reporting for various program. Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and at least three (3) years of experience in corporate or public accounting. Starting Salary $50,000 Annually. Apply via our website www.slha.org Position will be open until filled. A Drug Free Work Place/EOE.
GRAVOIS JEFFERSON CATALYST
A full job description and application requirements can be found on our website: https://www. dutchtownsouth.org/ work-with-us.
COORDINATOR – CLIENT ENGAGEMENT
Coordinator – Client Engagement serves as overall support for the operational needs of the Client Engagement initiatives. Assist in the daily tasks necessary to support the overall Client Engagement strategy and execution of initiatives. To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational. com/careers-page/
MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR
This is a non-exempt, supervisory position responsible for the maintenance, repair and preventive maintenance services of the Authority’s buildings, equipment and grounds. High school diploma and specialized training related to the repair of buildings/grounds; degree from a vocational school in construction trades is highly desired. At least 7 years of proven experience as maintenance supervisor or similar role. Professional Certifications (e.g., CMRP or HVAC certified) preferred. Starting Salary $55,000 Annually. Apply via our website www.slha.org Position will be open until filled. A Drug Free Work Place/EOE.
St. LouiS american Bids & Public Notices
LETTING NO. 8747
FOREST PARK ROUND LAKE RENOVATION
Electronic bids submitted through the Bid Express Online Portal will be received by the Board of Public Service until 1:45 PM, CT, on JULY 12, 2022, then publicly opened and read. Proposals must be submitted electronically using “Bid Express Online Portal” at https:// www.bidexpress.com/businesses/20618/home.
Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www. stl-bps.org (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.
An optional pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held onsite, at Round Lake, 5202 Grand Dr. in Forest Park, St. louis, MO 63110, on June 21, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.
Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies).
All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).
WILDCARE PARK GRASSLAND RESTORATION RFP 2022
The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified firms to submit proposals for WildCare Park Grassland Restoration RFP 2022. Bid documents are available as of 6/22/2022 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Sealed bids for Bayless Avenue Resurfacing, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1693, Federal Project No. STP-4900(635), will be received electronically thru the County’s Vendor Self Service portal at https://stlouiscountymovendors. munisselfservice.com/Vendors/default. aspx, until 2:00 p.m. on July 13, 2022.
Plans and specifications will be available on June 20, 2022 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www. stlouiscountymo.gov) or by contacting Cross Rhodes Print & Technologies, 2731 South Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118 (314) 678-0087.
DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY
NOTICE REGARDING TREATMENT COURT COMMISSIONER VACANCY TO ALL ATTORNEYS RESIDING IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI
The Circuit Court of St. Louis County, Missouri, announces that it is soliciting candidates for the position of Treatment Court Commissioner of the Circuit Court of St. Louis County.
The Circuit Judges will make the appointment for a term of (4) years, at an annual salary of an associate circuit judge, payable by the State of Missouri, pursuant to RSMo §478.003.
Missouri law requires the Treatment Court Commissioner(s) to possess the same qualifications as an associate circuit judge, including those set forth in the Missouri Constitution, Article V, Section 21, to wit, they must be qualified voters of the state, residents of St. Louis County, Missouri, at least twenty-five years old, licensed to practice law in Missouri; and possess all other qualifications as required by law. (See RSMo Chapter 478).
Questionnaires and Candidate Instructions may be obtained by sending a resume and cover letter to St. Louis County Circuit Court, ATTN: Human Resources, 105 S. Central Avenue, Clayton, Missouri, 63105, or via email to SLCCourtJobs@courts.mo.gov
Completed questionnaires must be submitted in writing to St. Louis County Circuit Court, ATTN: Human Resources, 105 S. Central Avenue, Clayton, Missouri 63105, or via email to SLCCourtJobs@courts.mo.gov on or before June 30, 2022.
The appointment is scheduled to take place upon a vote of the Circuit Judges en banc on or about July 13, 2022. EOE. Please contact the Human Resources Department at 615-4471 (voice) or RelayMo 711 or 800-735-2966 if you need any accommodations in the application process, or if you would like this posting in an alternative form.
INVITATION TO BID
Sealed bids will be received by the Construction Manager, S. M. Wilson & Co. at S. M. Wilson Main Office, 2185 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, MO 63139, until 11:00 a.m. local time on July 6, 2022 for the Projects and Bid Packages described herein for the Pattonville School District. Bids MUST be sealed and hand delivered to the above address no later than the date and time noted.
Pattonville School District work includes:
Bid Package #0: Geotechnical Services RFP
A total of (27) borings and geotechnical report at three Elementary Schools and one Middle School in the Pattonville School District.
Bidders are not allowed to visit the site unless prior arrangements are made with the Construction Manager.
The bid documents will be available for viewing after June 20th, 2022 at BuildingConnected.com. (https://app.buildingconnected.com/public/5913928fce945d0a00d28943)
You can view the project by logging into the BuildingConnected site by setting up a free account on their Website.
The Construction Manager for this project is S. M. Wilson & Co. and the main contact is Mr. Patrick Aylesworth, Preconstruction Manager, 314-633-9689, patrick.aylesworth@smwilson.com This is a prevailing wage project.
S. M. Wilson & Co. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Pattonville School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
BID NOTICE: POLICE PRECINCT #1 & #3
Precinct #3 Bid Date:
June 30th, 2022 @ 10:00 AM
MBE Goals: 29.6% WBE Goals: 11.7%
Precinct #1 Bid Date: July 13th, 2022 @ 10:00 AM
MBE Goals: 29.4% WBE Goals: 11.7%
PLEASE SEND ALL BIDS TO OFFICE@HANKINSMIDWEST. COM
PLEASE NOTE: MAKE SURE TO PUT ON YOUR BID IF YOUR BID IS FOR PRECINCT 1 OR PRECINCT 3
UNLEADED GAS AND RENEWABLE DIESEL FUEL SERVICES RFP 2022
The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified firms to submit proposals for Unleaded Gas and Renewable Diesel Fuel Services RFP 2022. Bid documents are available as of 6/22/2022 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Requests for Quotes, Bids and Proposals are posted online for public download. Please navigate to www.msdprojectclear.org > Doing Business With Us > View Non-Capital Bids (commodities and services) or >Visit Planroom (capital construction bids) Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
COMMUNITY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
ROOF REPLACEMENT INTERIOR RENOVATIONS
Sealed bids for the above project are being requested from the Community Fire Protection District and will receive sealed bids until 2:00 p.m. local time; July 5, 2022, at COMMUNITY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT 9411 Marlowe Ave., St. Louis, Missouri 63114. Bids will be opened publicly and read aloud at the above address at 2:00 p.m. local time on the day of receipt. They may also be read aloud at a Board of Directors Meeting subsequent to the bid opening. A formal Pre-Bid Conference will not be conducted, but bidders are invited to tour the existing site and structure(s) to familiarize themselves with the existing roofs there-upon prior to submitting a bid for the work. Contact the Construction Manager to coordinate a site visit. LCS-Steve Layne (636) 734-6968. Contract documents may be obtained from Custom Blueprint & Supply, 1632 South Broadway, St. Louis, MO., phone 314.231.4400
www.stlamerican.com
FULL SIZE BED FRAMES AND MATTRESSES FOR GILLESPIE HAL
RFP # 57322193
Harris-Stowe State University (hereinafter referred to as “University”) desires to obtain proposals from qualified organizations to provide 228 Full Size XL 54X80 16-Guage EcoSteel bed frames and 228 Full XL SoFlux OX Nylon Inverted Seam Mattresses for the campus. The successful contractor will be required to fulfill the requirements specified in this Request for Proposal (RFP) document.
Interested parties may obtain a copy of the RFP by emailing bids@hssu.edu and freemanc@hssu. edu or calling 314-340-3325.
Proposals must be emailed no later than 3pm on Monday, June 27, 2022 to bids@hssu.edu and freemanc@hssu.edu
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
Sealed BIDS for Bid 22-159 - MO 370 Interchange Ramp at Salt River Rd, Phase 1, Federal Project No. STP-7305 (619) will be received by the City of St. Peters, Purchasing Department, City Hall, One St. Peters Centre Boulevard, P.O. Box 9, St. Peters, Missouri 63376 until 2:00 PM local time, July 14, 2022 and then opened and read aloud.
Contract Documents will be available on June 23, 2022 and are on file at the office of Drexel Technologies at http://planroom.drexeltech.com and are open for public inspection. Copies of documents may be obtained from Drexel Technologies for the fee listed online.
All questions regarding this project shall be submitted to the City of St. Peters Purchasing Department in writing to Bids@stpetersmo.net under the subject line Bid 22-159 – MO 370 Interchange Ramp at Salt River Rd, Phase 1, Federal Project No. STP-7305 (619) or by mail to City of St. Peters Purchasing Department, One St. Peters Centre Boulevard, P.O. Box 9, St. Peters, MO 63376 before noon local time, July 7, 2022.
Special Needs: If you have special needs addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, please notify Bids@stpetersmo.net under the subject line Bid 22-159 – MO 370 Interchange Ramp at Salt River Rd, Phase 1, Federal Project No. STP-7305 (619), or through Missouri Relay System, TDD 636.477.6600, extension 1277, at least five (5) working days prior to the bid opening you plan to attend.
The wage rates applicable to this project have been predetermined as required by law and are set forth in this appendices. When Federal wage rates are applicable and included, this contract is subject to the “Work Hours Act of 1962”, (P.L. 87-581: 76 Stat. 357) and implementing regulations.
The City of St. Peters hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, ancestry, or national origin in consideration for an award. A DBE goal of ten percent (10%) has been established for this project. Only the work performed by approved DBE subcontractors at the time of the bid opening will be applied towards calculating the DBE goal.
All prospective bidders are required to complete the DBE Submittal Form, made part of Section V of this document, and submit it with the bid proposal or within three working days after the bid opening date. Failure to deliver the completed and executed DBE Submittal Form showing DBE participation by 4:00 p.m. on the third working day after the bid opening date may be cause for rejection of the low bid and the proposed guaranty will become the property of the City of St. Peters. If any DBE’s shown on the DBE Submittal Form are not shown on the approved listings, then that DBE’s work will not be counted as DBE participation work and may be cause for rejection of the bid.
An On the Job Training Goal of one (1) trainees at one thousand (1,000) hours has been established for this project.
All bidders must be on MoDOT’s Qualified Contractor List per Section 102.2 of the Missouri Standard Specifications for Highway Construction, 2021 Edition including all revisions. The contractor questionnaire must be on file 7 days prior to bid opening. Contractors and sub-contractors who sign a contract to work on public works project provide a 10-Hour OSHA construction safety program, or similar program approved by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, to be completed by their on-site employees within sixty (60) days of beginning work on the construction project.
A bid bond in the amount of 5% (five percent) shall be submitted with each proposal.
The City of St. Peters reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
No 2nd tier subcontracting will be allowed on this project.
This project will be awarded to the lowest, responsive, responsible bidder.
LETTING NO. 8748
CONCRETE & BRICK REMOVAL/ REPLACEMENT AND COMPLETE SIDEWALK REPLACEMENT; PROJECT NO. SP-115
Electronic bids submitted through the Bid Express Online Portal will be received by the Board of Public Service until 1:45 PM, CT, on JULY 12, 2022, then publicly opened and read. Proposals must be submitted electronically using “Bid Express Online Portal” at https://www.bidexpress. com/businesses/20618/home. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http:// www.stl-bps.org (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.
A mandatory pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held June 23, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. The pre-bid conference will be held in Room 305 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103.
Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies).
All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Paric Corporation is seeking proposals for the following project: KING’S HILL located at 4914 Daggett Ave.
PARIC Corporation is soliciting bids for the Demolition, Roofing, Windows, and Elevators ONLY for KING’S HILL located on 4914 Daggett Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110. The project consists of an existing building where we will be renovating the core/shell for tenant improvements. Access to documents is available from our SmartBid link. If you do not received a bid invitation please send your company information to tlalexaner@paric.com.
BIDS WILL BE DUE ON JULY 7th, 2022 at 2:00 PM.
Send all questions to Kory Kostecki (kKostecki@paric.com).
Goals for Construction Business Enterprise:
• 21% African American
• 11% Women
• .5% Asian American
• .5% Native American
• 2% Hispanic American
All bids should be delivered to Paric via e-mail (bids@paric.com) or fax (636-561-9501).
PARIC CORPORATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
The Dome at America’s Center is seeking bids from qualified companies to install four VFDs; four (4) 60-HP motors; BAS interface and automation on existing cooling towers. Interested bidders must attend a pre-bid on-site walk-thru of project completed by Thursday, June 30th, 2022. Contact bsmith@ explorestlouis.com. Quotes due, July 11, 2022, The facility reserves the right to reject any and all proposals. EOE.
NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY (NOFA)
The St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) is announcing the availability of $4M of its Citywide Housing Fund to facilitate the new construction or rehabilitation of affordable or mixed-income residential housing development projects with units reserved for households with income that does not exceed 30% AMI. This NOFA only applies to developments located within HUD designated Qualified Census Tracts, targeting North St. Louis neighborhoods.
“The City of St. Louis will achieve its greatest economic growth when all residents, businesses, and neighborhoods have equitable opportunities to reach their potential.” Executive Director, Neal Richardson
This NOFA is being funded by The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) allocated to SLDC and passed through the St. Louis City Community Development Administration. The application to apply for the funds will be available for download on SLDC’s website at https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/SLDC on Friday, June 17, 2022. Responses are due by 4:00 pm, Monday, August 1, 2022. SLDC is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity.
INVITATION TO BID:
E.M. Harris Construction Company (EMH) seeks subcontractor bids for Metropolitan Village located at 3114 Franklin Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63106. Scope of work involves renovation of a 147-unit apartment building, including, but not limited to, roofing, coping/cornice, canopies, exterior wall painting, fencing/gates, asphalt overlay, striping, concrete, landscaping, new floor finishes, countertops, mechanical equipment, plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, painting, and misc. repairs. Certified Minority and Women Business Enterprises and Section 3 Businesses are strongly encouraged to bid. All workers must be OSHA 10 certified. EMH is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Project plans & specifications are available for viewing online through an invitation to bid and at:
• MOKAN Plan Room, 4666 Natural Bridge, St. Louis, MO 63115
• EMH Plan Room, 2600 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103
All bids due to EMH office by 5 pm, Friday, July 8, 2022. Project contact: Vic Hoffmeister vhoffmeister@emharris.com or fax 314-436–6691.
SEALED BIDS
Improvements, M
Center, Moberly, MO, Project No. C1806-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, July 28, 2022. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities
SEALED BIDS
Bids for Upgrade
m System Missouri Supreme Court B u
g , Jefferson City, MO, Project No.O2008- 01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, July 21, 2022. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities
INVITATION FOR BID –STRUCTURAL REPAIRS AND UNIT UPGRADES TO 2900 PARK AVE.
The St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA) seeks bids to perform the following projects:
The General Scope of Work for this project will consist of, but will not be limited to, interior demolition, mold abatement, structural steel repair and replacement, rough and finish carpentry, exterior wall repairs, window repair, drywall repairs, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical equipment repairs and replacement, painting, flooring, and cabinetry in all four units at 2900 Park Ave., St. Louis, MO 63104
Bid information available at https://www.slha.org/ partner-with-slha/ on June 20, 2022.
Pre-Bid Meeting is June 30, 2022 at 9:00 AM (CT) on Zoom, with site visits to follow at 1:00 and 2:30 p.m. at 2900 Park Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63104.
Sealed bids are due July 21, 2022 at 3:00 PM (CT) at SLHA Offices at 3520 Page Blvd, Saint Louis, MO 63108.
Alana C. Green Executive Director/Contracting Officer AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PARKVIEW APARTMENTS – ELEVATOR REPLACEMENT
The St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA) is soliciting proposals from
in construction cost; experience maintaining occupant access during the elevator replacement and construction process; and evidence of performing such services on time and on budget.
Information available at https://www.slha.org/partner-with-slha/ on June 23, 2022
Pre-Proposal Conference is June 30, 2022 at 10:00 AM (CDT) on Zoom, with site visits to follow at 1:00 and 2:30 p.m. at 4451 Forest Park Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108. Proposals are due July 26, 2022 at 4:00 PM (CDT) at SLHA Offices at 3520 Page Blvd, Saint Louis, MO 63106. Proposals may also be submitted on QuestCDN.
Alana C. Green Executive Director/Contracting Officer AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:
Advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, imitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial\status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.
“We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.”
