June 29th, 2017 Edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

Black officer shot by white officer

By Rebecca Rivas

Of The St. Louis American

Why would a white St. Louis police officer fear for his safety when the “threat,” a 38-year-old black man, was already in the care of his two fellow officers?

That’s the

front steps on June 21.

“Take the fact that he’s

Cleaning up the neighborhood

Volunteers cleaned up the corner of Montgomery and Garrison streets on Saturday, June 24 as part of Clean Sweep: JVL, a partnership between Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, Better Family Life, Inc., St. Alphonsus Liguori “Rock” Church, Leonard Memorial Church, The Tabernacle Church, Thessalonian Church, Torchbearers 2, the City of St. Louis, the JVL Neighborhood Association, area businesses and families in the neighborhoods. Clean-Sweep: Hamilton Heights / Wells-Goodfellow is planned for Saturday, July 29. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Better Family Life Cultural Center, 5415 Page Blvd. For more information, call (314) 391-8200.

‘Our resolve must be to unite and fight’

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters calls for resistance to Trump at County NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner

By Sandra Jordan

Of

The

St. Louis American

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)

filled the Ritz Carlton banquet hall on Thursday, June 22 for the 81st annual St. Louis County NAACP Freedom Fund Leadership Dinner. Waters, a Kinloch native, received a Margaret Bush Wilson Lifetime Achievement Award, along with former Missouri Governor Bob Holden. John Gaskin, III, Freedom Fund dinner chair, said that Waters has led the way in “opposing the oppressive and the discriminatory practices and language of both candidate and

n “If Jeff Sessions wants to get tough on crime, he should start right in the White House.”

– U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters

President Donald J. Trump.” Gaskin, who also serves on the NAACP’s National Board of Directors, said her life’s work speaks directly to the event theme, “Rise Together.” During her rousing keynote remarks,

See WATERS, A6

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) preached to her hometown choir on Thursday, June 22 as the keynote speaker and Margaret Bush Wilson Lifetime Achiever honoree at the 81st annual St. Louis County Freedom Fund Leadership Dinner, held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Clayton.

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

More than a year and a half after the Missouri Civil War Museum offered to take the City of St. Louis’ Confederate Monument off its hands, the deal is finally done. By Friday, June 30, the museum will remove the monument from Forest Park and put it in storage – with the museum, not the city, paying for its removal and storage.

n Only in attempting to resolve that suit out of court, Krewson said, did the Missouri Civil War Museum agree to pay for the removal of the monument.

On Monday, June 25, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson announced this resolution to a suit the museum had filed against the city, in a press release followed by a press conference. At the press conference, Krewson said she still believes that the city owns the monument, which was the subject of the legal dispute, but it will become the

Missouri Civil War Museum will take down Confederate Monument by Friday See

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Wiley Price

Suge suing Chris Brown over shooting

Marion ‘Suge’ Knight is suing Chris Brown over a shooting at a nightclub in 2014. The 51-year-old record producer suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the incident at the 1 Oak Club and in his lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, he has accused Brown – the host of the bash –of failing to provide adequate security.

The lawsuit reads: “As a result of the negligence of the defendants, one or more unknown individuals were allowed access to the event with weapons, including firearms.”

shooting and has not made any public comment on the lawsuit.

Knight was charged with murder and attempted murder following a fatal hit-and-run incident in Compton, California, back in February 2015.

The controversial music mogul has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges brought against him, while his attorneys have claimed the shooting in the nightclub led him to flee the scene when his car was attacked, running down two men and killing one in the process.

Knight – co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records – is currently in jail awaiting trial for murder, but he is asking that Chris and the owners of 1 Oak foot the cost of his past and future medical expenses for his wounds.

Brown has not been implicated in the

Throughout pre-trial hearings, Knight complained of complications from injuries suffered in the shooting, including a blood clot.

Halle Berry says Academy Award ‘meant nothing’

Being the first and only black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress would seem like a watershed moment, but for Halle Berry it means “nothing.”

Berry sat down with the Teen Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Elaine Welteroth at Cannes Lion and reflected on the night she took home the top prize for a female actress at the

74th Academy Awards in 2001. Her excitement for her own achievement waned when she saw that the 20 actors nominated in the lead and supporting acting categories in 2016 were all white. It was the second year in a row that no minority actors were nominated for the four acting Oscars.

“I sat there and I really thought, ‘Wow, that moment really meant nothing,’” Berry told Welteroth. “It meant nothing. I thought it meant something, but I think it meant nothing.”

She described it as one of her “lowest moments.” Fifteen years after Berry’s win, she is still the only black actress to take home a Best Actress Oscar.

“It’s troubling, to say the least,” Berry said.

LaLa hasn’t thrown in the towel on husband Carmelo

Earlier this year Carmelo Anthony was rumored to have impregnated his side chick, which prompted

wife LaLa to move out of their family home. In an interview with Wendy Williams on Tuesday (June 27), LaLa says that divorce is not in the foreseeable future.

“I’m not divorcing Melo right now. I’m not,” LaLa told Williams. “You know, marriages are tough, you know that. We all know that. It’s filled with ups and downs. We are just going through a time right

She says that they are working through their issues for the sake

“Him and I are the best of friends and our number one commitment is to our son ” LaLa said. “We have to set an example for Kiyan and that’s what’s most important to me. That’s my son’s father and he is an amazing dad. I could not ask for a better Sources: CNN.com, Wendywilliams.com, celebritainment.com

Marion “Suge” Knight

Halle Berry

LaLa Anthony

Open letter to black law enforcement officers

By Redditt Hudson Guest columnist

This is our fight. This is our challenge. We have to work and we have to work now to make accountability real for those officers that unlawfully kill in our communities, abuse their power in our communities, plant guns in our communities, plant drugs in our communities, sexually abuse in our communities, and humiliate the people in our communities.

There is nothing that separates the subjugation of black people that is at the foundation of American history from what we see now as we watch jury after jury clear officers after they have killed our brothers and sisters.

n The system isn’t broken –it works exactly the way it was meant to work. It has to be remade.

Yes, we have serious problems with violence in our communities at our own people’s hands, and I know personally many of the committed soldiers who have taken to our communities to address it. But we lose vastly more lives and futures in our community to a criminal justice system that is institutionally racist at its core and in all of its parts than we do to violence committed by our own in our communities.

The prisons are flooded with our bodies. But the new opioid epidemic is a “health issue.” The exoneration of police murderers just hammers home that our lives ain’t worth much in the trade-off between, say, our humanity, such as it is, and the overarching system of white supremacy that continues to not see it.

Officer Jeronimo Yanez would have been in more trouble if he had shot his neighbor’s dog.

It’s always been that way when it

comes to black people and police use of force. It was always meant to be that way. It has been maintained that way. Your current Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, has made it clear that he loves it that way, as have the many police apologists who will absolve any officer of any crime committed against a black body, man or woman, in any circumstance. I know you know it. I respect your service and your sacrifice and I know the challenges you face professionally relative to just doing your work every day. And I’m grateful that you have made it home today. But today is not promised to anyone, police officer or not, and we were black before we were anything else. As I listened to some of our counterparts fervently demonize the movement for Black Lives, describing it as a war against police officers (which is a damn lie – that war is being waged by white men who kill police officers more than anybody else), as I watched some of our counterparts attack Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem, while failing to acknowledge the fact that those wars that they claim are why we have our freedom were never about my freedom, or yours. When you got home from those wars you helped to fight abroad, it was back to black. It was back to subjugation. It was back to white supremacy. But Colin better rise for that anthem. What a sick piece of national denial.

And the NFL re-hires Hank Williams Jr. because it’s “what the fans want.” The NFL is right, that is what a lot of their fans want. You see it in the election to the presidency of

a lying, draft-dodging clown (who will salute the flag, though), who leveraged the racism and ignorance of his base with a pliant media while he was selling the full restoration of white supremacy here at home.

Now. Now is our time to challenge the system we serve everywhere and every way that you can. You must. In a big way. In a small way. In a vocal way. In a silent way. We need unity in the service of destroying institutional racism, joined to the movement for Black Lives, joined to any work that is about bettering the human condition by bettering our people’s condition. We must begin to break down this failed, racist “justice” system and the institutional racism you know exist in your own department. The system isn’t broken – it works

exactly the way it was meant to work.

It has to be remade. But wherever you are, you have to do this together even if it’s just two of you. Don’t let your sister stand alone. Don’t let your brother stand alone. You hold authority. You are authority. When you get a misconduct allegation, that Blue Wall stuff never applies to you unless your incident also included the actions of a white officer. Why in the hell would we ever co-sign with those who abuse their power in our communities? We never shoot their unarmed children. We never choke them to death on the corner while they tell us they can’t breathe. We never fire over 100 shots at two unarmed people, some after we jump on the hood of their car, killing them both, yet talk

about fearing for our lives. When was the last time you knew of a black officer shooting at a white person, period? Are there black officers who abuse their power? Of course. But they abuse their power in the black community.

Law enforcement has to begin to acknowledge the racism that many times shapes both their decisions and the outcomes that result from those decisions, and then decide that they want to work with the community to rebuild trust through actions we can see. It starts with you and me.

Reddit Hudson is a former St. Louis police officer and cofounder of the National Coalition of Law Enforcement Officers for Justice Reform and Accountability.

Photo by Wiley Price

Reddit Hudson, center, listened to Sgt. Heather Taylor, president of The Ethical Society of Police, at forum on police issues held last October at Oak Hill Presbyterian Church in South St. Louis.

Editorial /CommEntary

The American endorses Celeste Vossmeyer for 28th Ward alderman

On Tuesday, July 11, voters in St. Louis’ 28th Ward – or at least those tuned into civic life enough to be aware of a special election with only this one race on the ballot – will elect the new alderman for the ward. This special election was prompted by the resignation as 28th Ward alderman by Lyda Krewson after she was elected mayor. Voters in the ward will have four choices – the Democratic nominee, two independent candidates and a Green Party candidate. We believe only two of these candidates deserve serious consideration for this seat.

The Democratic nominee, Heather Navarro, was selected by the 28th Ward Democratic Committee and confirmed by the St. Louis City Democratic Central Committee on May 18. She was the city Democrats’ second choice, in fact – they first chose Elise Miller Hoffman, president of the St. Louis Young Democrats, who withdrew when she learned she did not satisfy the city’s residency requirement to serve as alderman.

Navarro, who was endorsed by the Young Democrats and Sierra Club, is a solid choice. As executive director of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment and a former civil rights lawyer, she is young but proven progressive fighter for the collective good. She embraces the region’s increasing focus on racial equity as the pivot on which we must seek change. “Racial equity is not another bucket,” she told the Young Democrats. “It’s a part of every decision, and it has to become who we are.” With every decision facing her as alderman, Navarro said she would ask the question, “How is this decision either perpetuating or healing racial injustice in our cities and communities?” We believe that she is asking the right questions and has the abilities and temperament to help lead the Board of Alderman in a more progressive direction in its search for solutions.

We are, however, even more impressed by one of the independent candidates, Celeste Vossmeyer, an attorney at Thompson Coburn law firm. She is just as committed to racial

equity as Navarro – but is more experienced in the practical difficulty of achieving positive change in addressing the status quo in this region. As then general counsel for the Bi-State Development Agency, she strategized to increase minority participation for contractors and their workers on Bi-State jobs. “We figured out that we can break these contracts into smaller pieces, and we could allow minority contractors to bid on these projects that they typically were not able to get bonding to do,” Vossmeyer told the Young Democrats. “These are the types of things that we need to do to level the field.”

We appreciate the savvy and hard-fought realism she brings to these crucial issues.

“I hear the term ‘racial equity lens,’ and I understand what that means on one level, but I also think that we need to go beyond the words,” Vossmeyer told the Young Democrats. “We need to start figuring out how we apply that and what does that means in terms of action.”

We believe, if elected, this seasoned progressive battler would report to the Board of Alderman on day one ready for action in pursuit of racial equity and needed economic progress in a city hobbled by a high level of poverty and stagnant economic growth.

We see no reason to seriously consider the Green Party candidate, Jerome Bauer, a perennial candidate for various elected positions, or the other independent candidate, Steven Roberts Sr. Roberts served as St. Louis alderman a lifetime ago and does not deserve a second chance, especially given how little St. Louis – especially North St. Louis – has to show for varied developments and endeavors structured to enrich Roberts and his family business that left poverty all around them.

Either Heather Navarro or Celeste Vossmeyer would be a strong addition to an evolving Board of Aldermen. Because of her deeper experience, more demonstrated grasp of complex issues surrounding development, we endorse CELESTE VoSSmEYEr for 28Th WArd ALdErmAN

Greitens wastes taxpayer money

By State Rep. Michael Butler Guest columnist

At a time when Missourians are worried about their personal safety or making sure their kids are getting a quality education, the last thing we need is politicians who put their own extreme ideological agenda ahead of the best interests of the people they’re supposed to represent. But that’s exactly what Gov. Eric Greitens and the Missouri GOP are doing by convening an emergency special session to shame women and further restrict abortion access in our state.

As an elected official who represents St. Louis in the legislature and a man who understands that our rights and our prosperity are fundamentally connected to our ability to decide whether, when and with whom to start a family, I take issue with this egregious example of just how out of touch Missouri Republicans are with the people they serve. Their dangerous agenda is about nothing more than controlling women by allowing landlords and bosses to discriminate against us for our reproductive healthcare choices and by passing restrictions intended to close clinics that offer a full range of healthcare options.

Gov. Greitens and his Republican allies kicked off their emergency special session by forcing their dangerous agenda on St. Louis in a classic example of government overreach. Their first order of business was to overturn a St. Louis ordinance that simply protects our residents from discrimination by telling bosses and landlords that they can’t fire someone or kick out a tenant because of their reproductive healthcare decisions.

After that, they sought to espouse their own ideology as sound medical advice by imposing medically unnecessary restrictions on the only clinic in our state that makes abortion care available to its patients.

After the restrictions they tried to impose were shot down by a judge for being unconstitutional, they simply came up with more – because this has nothing to do with actual concern for our health and everything to do with controlling and punishing women.

Finally, Gov. Greitens and

Letters to the editor

They know how bad it is

African Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans all had disproportionately high uninsured rates before the Affordable Care Act, and made huge gains under the current law. Drastic cuts to Medicaid and cuts to subsidies that help low- and moderate-income Americans buy coverage would wipe out those gains, for no reason other than to fund a whopping tax cut for the wealthy.

The “health care bill” that Republicans are trying to pass in the Senate, like the one approved by the GOP majority in the House, isn’t really about health care at all. It’s the first step in a massive redistribution of wealth from struggling wage-earners to the rich – a theft of historic proportions.

Is the Senate version less “mean” than the House bill, to use President Trump’s description of that earlier effort? Not really. Does the new bill have the “heart” that Trump demanded? No, it doesn’t.

Fundamentally, what Republicans in both chambers want to do is cut nearly $1 trillion over the next decade from the Medicaid program, which presently serves almost 70 million people. Medicaid provides health care not just for the indigent and disabled but also for the working poor – low-wage employees who cannot afford health insurance, even the plans offered through their jobs.

Additionally, about 20 percent of Medicaid spending goes to provide nursing home care, including for middle-class seniors whose savings have been exhausted – a situation almost any of us might confront. Roughly two-thirds of those in nursing homes have their care paid by Medicaid. Why would Republicans want to slash this vital program so severely? You will hear a lot of self-righteous huffing and puffing about the need for entitlement reform, but the GOP’s intention is not to use the savings to pay down the national debt. Instead, slashing Medicaid spending creates fiscal headroom for what is

euphemistically being called “tax reform” – a soon-to-come package of huge tax cuts favoring the wealthy. That’s the basic equation in both the House and Senate bills: Medicaid for tax cuts. Both bills start with various of the taxes imposed by the Affordable Care Act, but those are mere appetizers. The main course is intended to be big cuts in individual and corporate tax rates that would benefit the rich.

Neither the House nor the Senate bill fully dismantles the scaffolding of Obamacare; rather, they allow the states to do most of the dirty work. Philosophically, Republican majorities in both chambers want to erase the central concept that the ACA established: that health care is a fundamental right, not a privilege depending on one’s income.

It says something that the worst cuts don’t kick in till after the next reelection campaign for these senators. They know how bad it is. Under Obamacare, the uninsured rate for Asian Americans dropped by half, for African Americans it fell by 8.4 percentage points and for Latinos it dropped by an amazing 11.3 points. Americans of color know exactly what the Senate leaders are doing, and believe me, we will remember.

passed the House, negotiated in the dead of night and out-ofsight of the Missourians it will most affect, is a disgraceful blow to women and families. This bill will do nothing to expand access to healthcare or improve the lives of Missouri residents. Instead, it puts Gov. Greitens’ personal political ambitions and out-of-touch agenda ahead of the needs of hard-working Missourians. NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri members across the state will continue to fight back against GOP efforts to restrict access to abortion and discriminate against women for their personal reproductive healthcare decisions.”

Alison Dreith executive director NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri

Stop interfering with private medical decisions

the GOP – self-proclaimed fiscal conservatives – wasted taxpayer money by funneling more of it to deceptive antichoice “crisis pregnancy centers” that exist only to shame women and trick them out of getting the healthcare they need.

For women to prosper, for our families to prosper, and for Missouri to prosper, we need policies that will protect and expand access to reproductive healthcare, not policies that shame women and limit their healthcare options. Women deserve to have the same chance as men to determine whether, when, and with whom to start or grow their families. We all deserve access to resources like paid family leave and affordable child care to make it possible for us to raise happy and healthy families when we do decide to start them.

I am proud to stand with organizations like NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri as a man for choice. I will keep fighting for policies that will actually help Missourians get ahead –and I will keep fighting against Gov. Greitens’ and the GOP’s wasteful and cynical attempts to force their extreme agenda on others.

State Rep. Michael Butler (D-St. Louis) represents District 79 in the Missouri House of Representatives.

Supreme Court was clear and concise in its Whole Woman’s Health decision nearly a year ago: any medically unnecessary restrictions on safe, legal abortion, like those in Senate Bill 5, are unconstitutional. It’s time for Missouri lawmakers to stop following Gov. Eric Greitens’ lead, spending $20,000 a day on political games. The money spent on just one day of the special session could have provided well-woman exams to 100 Missourians. If the governor is interested in improving women’s health, he should prioritize increasing access to health care over paying politicians to pass medically unnecessary laws. Missourians are tired of politicians ignoring the Constitution and denying access to health care in order to climb a political ladder. Lawmakers need to stop interfering with Missourians’ personal, private medical decisions and go back to work creating policies that promote citizens’ health and well-being.

There is no other point to this whole exercise. All the “Obamacare is in a death spiral” talk is Republican wishful thinking, aided and abetted by active sabotage.

The ACA is far from perfect, but recall that it was designed with input from the insurance industry. The main reason so many insurers are pulling out of the program is that Congress and GOP-dominated state governments refuse to live up to their end of the bargain. Congress will not commit to funding promised subsidies to cover treatment for the poor and those with expensive ailments, or to keeping in place the mandate forcing individuals to buy insurance or pay a penalty. Republican governors and state legislatures refused to set up exchanges that would make insurance more affordable and declined the opportunity to expand Medicaid coverage.

Like the House, the Senate wants to offer tax credits rather than subsidies to help the needy afford insurance. Like the House, the Senate wants to leave up to the states whether policies must cover such services as emergency, maternity and mental health care. Like the House, the Senate wants to eliminate the requirement that large employers offer insurance plans to their workers. There are a few distinctions. The Senate would determine who gets tax credits to help buy insurance by income, rather than age. And the Senate bill would take more time to phase out the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid coverage. Ultimately, however, the impact is the same: sacrificing Medicaid for tax cuts. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had the bill drafted in strict secrecy and hopes to ram it through as early as next week. The ACA, by contrast, was drafted over the course of a year, with more than 100 public hearings. Does McConnell have the votes? Wavering senators should know that we’re not fooled. We see exactly what you’re doing – and you should expect to be held fully accountable.

Anthony Galace, health policy director Greenlining Institute Berkeley, California

Non-stop unethical behavior

Eric Greitens and Josh Hawley are proving that they’re just run-of-the-mill politicians only looking out for themselves as they continue running hand-in-hand away from their campaign promises to clean up Jefferson City. Greitens has been a complete and total let down for Missourians with his non-stop unethical behavior and growing allegations of corruptionand it should worry all of us that Josh Hawley thinks that’s more deserving of praise than of investigation.

Stephen Webber, chair Missouri Democratic Party

Greitens’ personal political ambitions

Gov. Eric Greitens and his GOP colleagues should be ashamed of their wasteful ‘emergency’ special session and their continued efforts to restrict a woman’s access to basic health care. The bill that

In addition to rolling back local nondiscrimination protections, Senate Bill 5 imposes additional, medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion providers. The U.S.

M’Evie Mead, director of policy and organizing Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri

Columnist Eugene Robinson

Guest Columnist

Michael Butler

Celeste Vossmeyer

Blacks must have police power

“Blacks must have the power to hire, train, fire and sanction the police in their communities,”

Kalambayi Andenet, president of the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement, said at a press conference at Canfield Green Apartments in Ferguson on Wednesday, June 21. “America is drenched in blood, and the United States government is protecting the police.” The locally based community organization was responding to the acquittal of Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez in the July 2016 fatal shooting of Philando Castile, a St. Louis native, in suburban Minneapolis.

Kirkwood Human Rights Award deadline is July 28

The Kirkwood Human Rights Commission (HRC) has extended the deadline for nominations for its Human Rights Award to 4 p.m. Friday, July 28.

The HRC presents awards to individuals who have worked to promote respect for the awareness and appreciation of diversity, encouraged positive human relationships within the community, and eliminated discrimination based on economic status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, marital status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, familiar status, or gender identity.

Individuals who have lived or worked in the City of Kirkwood and have been actively involved in the City for the past three years are eligible. Nominations should include the name of the nominee, a description of why they deserve the award, including specific examples of achievements, and contact information for both the nominee and the person nominating. Nominations should be delivered to Kathie Valentine at Kirkwood City Hall, 139 S. Kirkwood Rd., no later than 4 p.m. July 28.

The Hometo-Prison Pipeline

By Bolanle Ambonisye Guest columnist

There is a great deal of concern about the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and rightfully so. Our children are being arrested, detained and imprisoned at a staggeringly disproportionate rate compared to every other group. No doubt; there exists a racism- and capitalism-driven system that supports and profits from imprisoning us, children and all.

Our children get sucked into this pipeline - that’s one thing. That we serve our children up for the prison-picking is quite another. I’m humbly asking us to consider that the pipeline actually starts at home.

People believe schools are sending our children to prison, but we parents are roughly 87 percent responsible.

There are 8,760 hours in a year, with roughly 1,129 being school day hours. That means 7,631 hours are spent outside school hours. That’s 87 percent. Which has more impact on our children’s attitudes, behaviors and habits – how they spend 13 percent of their time, or how they spend 87 percent of it?

Let’s talk about how what happens inside the school day. Firstly, we parents determine how our children show up to school; if they are punctual, late or absent; if they’re adhering to the dress code; have their supplies, homework, etc. We also determine the attitude, habits and intentions – positive and negative – our children bring into the building.

Secondly, remember, learning is a cooperative relationship. Learning can only happen if our child gives the teacher attention and cooperation. If we parents prepare our child with the habit of giving both attention and cooperation when asked, we can realistically expect our child will do well in school. If we do not prepare our child by instilling both, our child will likely get in trouble – a lot of it. In fact, enrolling our child in a school without preparing them with those habits is a disservice not just to our child, but also to the entire school.

The School-to-Prison Pipeline doesn’t begin at school. It begins at home. The reason it’s incorrectly named and defined is because school is where our lack of prioritizing the preparation of our children comes to a head. where our non-structure clashes with school’s structure. And, depending on how we parents respond to structure, it can get pretty ugly.

Schools have rules to establish and maintain order. Schools have to have order, or they’re wouldn’t be schools. Teachers are in charge of their classrooms because they carry the responsibility of teaching all their students. Our overarching responsibility is to send a child prepared for learning. We parents are the ones who initiate the home-school relationship. We go to school, school doesn’t come to us. We complete paperwork to enroll our children into an institution with rules, policies and procedures. Then we do everything we can to help our children ignore them.

We didn’t create the pipeline. That’s the doing of the cowardly, psychopathic, soul-rotted people who continually seek ways to live and thrive on our backs. However, that we allow our children to be disruptive, disrespectful, lazy and violent, allow them to wreak havoc in schools and the community, then act surprised when they end up in prison, is no one’s fault but ours.

No wonder our children are so angry. We are teaching them to fail, and I believe they know it.

Bolanle Ambonisye is founder of U&I-RISE, which facilitates “Tapping Our Parental Power” workshops for parents. She can be reached at bolanle@uandirise.com.

Bolanie Ambonisye

Photo by Wiley Price

AMERICAN

Continued from A1

Excellence, the Black Press’ top national honor. With the award comes the bragging right of the “Best Black Newspaper in the Nation.” The American has held the distinction for 10 of the past 13 years.

“What we do is made possible by a committed, dedicated and talented group of people who contribute to The American in varied capacities and multiple roles on a daily basis, as well as the acceptance and support of the community we serve,” said Donald M. Suggs, publisher and executive editor of The St. Louis American. “We will continue to work hard to bring our audience credible, relevant news content through our print, digital and social media platforms – and provide a voice for our community’s needs, grievances and aspirations.”

The American placed in 10 of the 15 categories for this year’s Merit Awards – taking

WATERS

Continued from A1

Waters said rising together is something everyone can do, by resisting the injustice of the current administration.

“As a people and community, we cannot sit back and allow our country to be destroyed by Donald Trump,” Waters said. “Our resolve must be to unite and fight so that we can ‘rise together.’”

She said incompetent millionaires and billionaires, white supremacists and Jim Crow-era throwbacks are included in Trump’s cabinet and leadership team, including his Attorney General, former Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions.

“This attorney general wants to do away with everything that we have

home first place honors in Best News Photo and Best Use of Photos and second place for Community Service, Special Sections, Best Column Writing and Best News Story, among other honors.

“The practical rewards of this work are real, but the emotional rewards that come with celebrating this community are truly priceless,” said Chris King, managing editor of The St. Louis American Other publications taking home multiple awards included The Philadelphia Tribune, The Houston Defender, The Miami Times, New Pittsburgh Courier, The Houston Forward Times, The Los Angeles Sentinel and Insight News Jackie Hampton of The Mississippi Link was named the 2017 Publisher of The Year.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Hampton said as she fought back emotion after being surprised with the award.

This year, 2017, marked the inaugural award of the

tried to do. He wants to reinstate mandatory minimum sentencing all over again,” Waters said.

“Jeff Sessions has the audacity to start rolling back criminal justice reforms while he, Donald Trump, Mike Pence and others had time to hire personal lawyers because they are embroiled in their own legal issues related to the Russia investigation. If Jeff Sessions wants to get tough on crime, he should start right in the White House.” Her advice met thunderous applause in agreement.

Waters said she is looking forward to U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary and retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson coming before the Financial Services Committee, of which she is the ranking member. Carson’s comments that poverty was “a state of mind” have drawn strong criticism.

NNPA Foundation Chair and Insight News Publisher Al McFarlane; 2017 Publisher of the Year Jackie Hampton of The Mississippi Link; Kenya Vaughn, website editor of The St. Louis American; and Rosetta Perry, co-chair of the 2017 NNPA Merit Awards and publisher of The Tennessee Tribune at the 2017 National Newspaper Publishers Annual Merit Awards on June 22.

George E. Curry Scholarship.

Curry, former editor in chief of the NNPA Wire Service and a former editor of The American, passed away last August. The $2,000 award was set up to honor the memory of Curry and his commitment to training young black journalists – which began in St. Louis when he founded the Minority Journalism Workshop 40 years ago. The inaugural award went to August Willis, a senior at Pennsylvania State University.

‘Legacy, Innovation

“Putting him in charge of a complex federal agency responsible for ensuring access to safe, decent and affordable housing for our nation’s most vulnerable households makes absolutely no sense,” Waters said.

n

“I’ve had some African Americans say, ‘Don’t be too hard on him when he comes before your committee.’

I’m going to take him apart.”

and Empowerment’

The Merit Awards were one of the culminating events of the NNPA’s annual convention. This year commemorated the 190th anniversary of the Black Press – which was birthed with the 1827 publication of The Freedom’s Journal by John B. Russwurm and Samuel Cornish.

The theme for the historic conference was “Legacy, Innovation and Empowerment.”

“When you think about all that black newspapers endured,

consumer protections.

Waters sees her role in this unprecedented time in history is “opposing the most unqualified, the most dishonorable man to ever serve in the office of the president – Donald Trump.”

“As a people and community, we cannot sit back and allow our country to be destroyed by Donald Trump.”

She has major concerns about Trump’s staggering proposed budget cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, housing, earned income and child tax credits, funding for the disabled and veterans, as well as efforts to restore predatory banking practices and undermine

– U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters

“Donald Trump is a bully, he’s a demagogue and a disgusting and indecent man who has no genuine concern for the African-American community and all they have contributed to this country,” Waters said.

“As Donald Trump parades around this country, claiming that he, and he alone, will make American great again – what he really needs to understand is that African Americans have

I just have a great sense of pride to be part of a black paper, but there is also an awesome responsibility,” said Shannon Williams, president of The Indianapolis Recorder “We have to continue to carry that mantle. We have to continue to be advocates and a voice for the voiceless.”

The Black Press faced terrorism from its very inception as an institution. As blackowned newspapers printed painful realities, they were under constant threat from the racist terror they spoke out against. Nevertheless, they persisted – and after nearly two centuries, the Black Press continues to advocate on behalf of the readers it serves.

“We tell our story. We tell what is happening in our community,” said Rod Doss, publisher of the New Pittsburgh Courier. “And we do it because we are connected to our community. We are constantly fighting those who want to put down the legacy that we have – but it’s a great legacy.”

Norfolk Journal and Guide

already done more to make this country great than he ever will.”

Waters shared the St. Louis County NAACP Margaret Bush Wilson Lifetime Achiever award with Former Missouri Governor Bob Holden.

The St. Louis County NAACP presented Steve and Holly Cousins with the Frankie M. Freeman/Norman R. Seay Commitment to St. Louis Award. The organization The Links, Inc. received the Daisy Bates Commitment to Education Award. The 2017 Minority Entrepreneur of the Year Award was presented to James “Jimmy” Williams Jr., president of Estel Foods. The Medgar Wiley Evers Legal Advocacy Award was presented to attorney Ronald Norwood, a partner at Lewis Rice, LLP. Lodging Hospitality Management received the Corporate Community Partner of the Year award.

publisher Brenda Andrews said the mandate of the Black Press is to make sure the African-American community is informed and educated about itself despite being often ignored or misrepresented by mainstream media.

“How many of you saw the movie ‘Hidden Figures?’ If you haven’t, you should,” Andrews told the audience. “Margot Shetterly, who wrote that book, got her research from the Journal and Guide We were telling the story of Dr. Katherine Johnson back in the 1940s. This whole story of it being hidden – it wasn’t hidden – it was deliberately not allowed to be popularized in the majority press.”

According to Andrews, it continues to be responsibility of the Black Press to be documentarians of the community.

“That’s why we exist,” Andrews said. “Not for just today, but for those who come after us – for those who will look in the history books and say, ‘What was Black America doing in 2017?’ We tell those stories.”

Five Legacy Award recipients were honored: Laurna Godwin, co-founder of Vector Communications; Jason Hall, managing director of the Arch to Park Collaborative; state Sen. Gina Walsh, who represents North St. Louis County; Ken Franklin, vice president of governmental relations at Bi-State Development; and Tina Clark-Scott, assistant superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Support Services in the Normandy Schools Collaborative. Jackie Hill Crawford received the President’s Award for Member of the Year. Esther Haywood, president of the St. Louis County NAACP, said all of the night’s honorees, “Your accomplishments and commitment to inclusion and equity make us all stronger.”

Photo by Mark Mahoney

MONUMENT

Continued from A1

museum’s property after it is removed from city property.

According to Krewson, the agreement also states that the monument’s permanent location must be at a Civil War museum, battlefield or cemetery – though not one in the City of St. Louis or in St. Louis County.

Mark Trout, president of the Missouri Civil War Museum, first expressed interest in acquiring the monument in a letter dated October 2, 2015. He was answering a Request for Proposals (RFP) from the Confederate Monument Reappraisal Committee that was formed by then-Mayor Francis G. Slay.

In his letter, which has an abrasive tone, Trout rightly predicted that the city would get no takers for the monument other than his museum, because of the protests against the display of Confederate monuments in several American cities. He said his museum was the only proper institution to acquire and display the monument. However, he did not comply

SHOT

Continued from A1

issued weapon, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s incident statement.

At that time, three black males, two of whom were 17, had crashed a stolen car on the 5900 block of Astra.

The young men fled on foot, and two officers chased and fired shots at them. One of the young men was hit in the ankle.

When the black officer came out to assist, two officers ordered him to the ground and he complied. They soon recognized the 11-year veteran on the force and told him to stand up and walk toward them, according to the statement.

But then, another officer, a 36-year-old white officer, arrived on the scene and “observed this,” the report stated.

Somehow, the officer “feared for his safety,” and he shot the black cop in the arm, according to the statement.

The police department did not release the names of any of the officers involved.

However, it did state that seven officers went on administrative

with the formal requirements of the RFP, declined to provide any plans for the monument’s future use, and said the city would need to pay for its removal and transportation.

Slay’s committee recommended that the city either take Trout up on his offer, or pay to remove the monument from view and store it as city property – at an estimated cost of $129,280 for either outcome. The Slay administration took no action and left the monument standing in Forest Park for the next mayor to deal with. Now, the museum will acquire the monument it wants – but at its own expense, and with some limited agreement as to its future display: at an historical site dedicated to the Civil War that is not in St. Louis city or county. (Trout’s October 2015 letter revealed that he had been told by the St. Louis County Parks director that he was not to display the monument on County property either.)

Krewson said her administration had not heard from Trout or his museum until the museum filed suit. Only in attempting to resolve

leave after the incident, as per department policy. The Force Investigative Unit, which focuses on officer-involved shootings, responded, and an investigation is ongoing.

Many things about this night don’t make sense, some officers who did not want to be named told The American That night, Acting Police Chief Lawrence O’Toole –surrounded by the mayor and some top-ranking officers –told media at the scene that the off-duty officer was shot in the arm “during the exchange of gunfire” between the suspects and the officers. This statement angered black and white officers alike, according to several officers.

“They released a statement that wasn’t accurate, and it didn’t mirror the facts,” one officer said. “They knew he wasn’t injured in crossfire. And this is with one of our own. Imagine how these investigations are going when these are not our own.”

The source said that O’Toole knew that the “coverup story” would be leaked eventually because of the internal turmoil his statement caused. At noon the next day, the department tweeted out the incident statement that revealed the fact that the white officer had shot the black officer.

that suit out of court, she said, did Trout offer for the museum to pay for the removal of the monument.

The City of St. Louis faces an anticipated $17 million budget shortfall, with both the mayor and the Board of Aldermen touting controversial proposals to bring in more revenue. For Krewson, the priority is to pay, not to remove an old monument, but for more police officers and police pay raises, with St. Louis County police expecting 30 percent pay raises in the wake of a ballot initiative to fund public safety.

A crowd-funding effort to pay for the monument’s removal started by St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones has raised $17,545 at press time. Though that’s more than $100,000 less than the cost of removal that Slay’s committee had estimated, Jones said she had an offer to remove the monument for $25,000.

Krewson said it now appeared as if these funds would not be needed.

Jones told The American that the only plan for those funds is to donate them to the city to defrays any costs of removing the monument.

O’Toole said he was “unavailable for an interview” with The St. Louis American Koran Addo, Mayor Lyda Krewson’s spokesman, said she had no knowledge that the white officer could have shot the black officer before she gave her statement to the media that night. She received her information about the incident solely from O’Toole, Addo said.

The black officer who was shot is both a member of the St. Louis Police Officers Association (SLPOA), a union with a majority-white membership, and the Ethical Society of Police, a police association made up of majority African-American officers. Both the Ethical Society and the SLPOA have offered to legally represent the black officer, but he has not yet chosen a lawyer.

It is believed that the shooter is being represented by SLPOA, but SLPOA lawyers did not respond to The American’s request to confirm this.

“The union has no comment on the incident other than to say: We hope that everyone awaits the completion of the investigation of this unfortunate incident before reaching any conclusions as to what occurred,” said Jeff Roorda,

spokesman for SLPOA.

The shooter, the injured officer and the other officers involved have not given their statements at this time.

The Ethical Society said they are going to wait until these statements are given – along with the “accident reconstruction” – to comment on the case.

Many believe the officer was “fearful” because the man was black – making him an automatic presumed or imagined threat.

“Was the shooting racially motivated?” Rufus Tate, attorney for the Ethical Society of Police, asked. “I don’t know what his motivation was. It is what I would call a teachable moment. Part of the reason it’s

a teachable moment is that he lived to tell about it – which is significant from all the other national cases, where black men are shot and killed.” Franks said that the police department must address this as a race issue. He understands that when police arrive on a crime scene, their “threat assessment is high.”

“But that’s not an excuse,” Franks said. “Your fear doesn’t work for anyone else. It doesn’t work for a regular citizen. It’s a racial issue. It’s a person who could be compassionate but just doesn’t get the community that they police. If this incident doesn’t drive change on the force, I don’t know what will.” Franks said that the injured officer is a well-respected

Workers descend after dismantling the top of the Confederate Monument in Forest Park on June 8. The Missouri Civil War Museum has agreed to pay for the removal, transportation and storage of the monument, which includes as “Angel of the Confederacy” watching over the soldiers who defended American slavery.

officer in the community.

“He’s still recovering and getting it together,” Franks said. “He’s a strong dude, a man of conviction. It’s sad to see this officer – or any officer, but him in particular because he’s someone in the community that folks really care for a lot –in this situation.”

The community, along with officers, are angry at how the department handled this situation, he said.

“I’ve talked to black and white officers who see it as a black-and-white issue,” Franks said. “We have to stop shying away from the truth. If we are going to sit and fake like this isn’t an issue, then that’s a problem.”

Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Scenes from Eta Boule Foundation Fundraiser

The Eta Boule Foundation’s Salute to Fathers & Mentors benefit concert was a rousing success. The near capacity crowd at the Sheldon last Friday, laughed and enjoyed good music all night. Gerald Albright delivered a Grammy winning performance with his R&B straight ahead jazz sound that had the audience dancing in the aisles, and comedian James Stephens III had the audience laughing and amazed at his many impersonations. The show opened with a stellar jazz performance by Tim Cunningham, St.Louis’ own jazz diva Denise Thimes performed an emotional tribute to the Eta Boule James L. Usher Community Service Award Honorees: James Buford, Dr.Henry Givens, Becky James-Hatter and Dr. Homer Nash. “We thank the community for supporting our first major fundraiser for our Eta Boule Foundation. Our goal was to have fun while saluting fathers and mentors... as well as raise funds for the foundation to help support young black men in our community” said Johnny Furr,Jr. Sire Archon (President) of Eta Boule of Sigma Pi Phi. “We look forward to seeing everyone out again next year for another outstanding concert and party”, said Furr.

are facing an epidemic IN THE ST. LOUIS REGION

Since 2007, the number of people dying from opioid (heroin, prescription painkillers & fentanyl) overdose has skyrocketed. We all know someone who’s been affected.

Overdoses don’t have to happen

Know the risk factors: a period of sobriety, an illness, injecting, mixing with alcohol or other drugs, or any amount of fentanyl.

Overdoses

don’t have to be fatal

Naloxone (Narcan®) can reverse an overdose, and is available without prescription at many pharmacies –or for free through the MO-HOPE Project.

we can save lives

For more information on overdose risk factors, treatment options, or to get resources to reverse an overdose, visit mohopeproject.org or call NCADA at 314.962.3456.

Photos by Maurice Meredith

Choices

Truck driver on the fast track

Accelerated training at community college puts new father in the pro driver’s seat

American staff

Rommel Haynes became a professional truck driver in only two weeks. Last summer, the 23-year-old graduated from the Class B Commercial Driver program through St. Louis Community College, and the timing couldn’t have been better – his daughter was born the very same day he started classes.

“I missed the birth of my daughter so that I could go to class,” said Haynes. “Passing (the test) for my

CDL was something I wanted to do to make sure I have a steady job to support her.” Quick transition into the workforce

is a core component of all accelerated training programs offered through SLATE. While the agency does not provide training directly, it connects

Rommel Haynes moved swiftly from a tuition-free Class B Commercial Driver program to full-time employment at a St. Louis MoDOT Maintenance Facility, where he has been ever since.

qualified participants with training vendors like MoDOT and many others.

Because Rommel qualified under the U.S. DOL-ETA’s Career Pathways Bridge program, his $1,750 tuition was covered, allowing him to earn his CDL tuition debt-free. The accelerated program includes classroom instruction at STLCC, and hands-on driving experience through by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).

“Once I got my CDL, it allowed me to drive pretty much every vehicle,” he said. Because area employers are eager to hire qualified drivers, Rommel did not have to go far to find a job. His employment offer came from

MoDOT, through an interview offered as part of the training program. Rommel was immediately hired to work at a St. Louis MoDOT Maintenance Facility, where he has been ever since.

Haynes admitted truck driving wasn’t his plan from the beginning, but rather something he stumbled upon. “I was at the point where I needed a better paying job to get on my feet,” he said. When Rommel looks at his nine-month old daughter, he knows he did the right thing by stepping onto a new career path.

“You never know what you can do if you don’t do it. It’s not going to hurt you if you just try, but it could help you achieve greatness,” he said. “I got a good job, and I am providing for my daughter. It definitely makes me happy.”

Interested jobseekers are invited to learn more about the many training and apprenticeship programs available through SLATE by calling (314) 657-4800, or coming by the SLATE Missouri Job Center on the third floor of 1520 Market Street. To learn more, visit stlworks.com.

NPower pioneers IT Apprenticeship program in St. Louis

Labor Dept. partners with SLATE, HSSU

American staff

NPower, the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship are partnering to bring new regional IT employment opportunities to the St. Louis area.

NPower is a national nonprofit providing free technology training and job placement assistance. NPower St. Louis is now the official sponsor on record for this program, and the inaugural class will be among the first in St. Louis to be eligible to participate.

“I am overjoyed by this accomplishment and what it means for the students who have entrusted us to help bridge the gaps they face in skills and opportunities,” said Trina Clark

James, NPower’s regional director.

“This is one of the few times we get to say to them, ‘You are the first to blaze this cutting-edge trail.’”

The IT Generalist Apprenticeship is an industry-recognized credential earned via a structured technical training program consisting of classroom instruction, a paid internship (the NPower Tech Fundamentals program), additional online learning, and paid employment with an employer who agrees to

support the apprenticeship program.

Dwaun J. Warmack, president of Harris-Stowe State University, said he is proud to have NPower on the campus.

“Our shared mission is to provide education, skills and training that open doors to new opportunities for young people from underrepresented and under-resourced communities,” Warmack said. “We are preparing future leaders who will significantly contribute as competent and

Matt Horner, World Wide Technology; Kathy Osborn, Regional Business Council; Michael K. Holmes , St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment; Trina Clark James, NPower; Bertina Cecceralli, NPower; and Dwaun Warmack, president, Harris-Stowe State University.

conscientious Americans in the workforce, and in a global society.”

“This program will help our existing pool of talented citizens to gain vital work experience in pursuit of technical employment and prepare the next generation of IT professionals, ensuring regional industry competitiveness for years to come,” said Michael K. Holmes, executive director of SLATE.

“It is my hope that this program will allow more businesses to diversify their talent recruitment, helping those who have previously been excluded from opportunity to become valuable members of the St. Louis business community, inspiring

innovation and increasing economic prosperity throughout the region.”

St. Louis is the latest expansion site for NPower, which has offices in seven regions and 11 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. It was selected because of the booming technology industry as well as the high percentage of unemployed and underemployed young adults in the region.

“The U.S. Dept. of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship is proud to register NPower as the newest apprenticeship program in the Information Technology Industry here in St. Louis,” stated Stephanie Schmitt, Apprenticeship & Training representative for the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship.

“This program demonstrates how business, educational institutes, state and local government collaborate to strengthen America’s workforce and our local economy.”

For more info or to apply, visit NPower.org. For student admissions. Contact Anthony Lemons at Anthony.Lemons@npower.org. For corporate partnerships, contact Trina Clark James at 314-339-7900 or Trina.James@npower.org.

Photo by Wiley Price

East St. Louis Upward Bound students research

By Patricia Merritt

For The St. Louis American

Makyla Green eagerly files out of her classroom at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center (ESLC). The SIUE Upward Bound student is participating in the placebased environmental research project led by SIUE’s Danielle N. Lee, a visiting assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biological Sciences, who has been internationally recognized by the National Geographic Society as an Emerging Explorer.

The project is one of six at the ESLC that is funded by CAS’ Targeted Funding Initiative (TFI). Also working with the students was Ben Greenfield, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.

“The students have been doing a wonderful job,” Lee said. “We have been doing BioBlitz training, where the students do a quick ecological survey of the area and describe the wildlife community on and near the SIUE East St. Louis Center campus.”

Students observed and recorded plants and animals by taking photographs, making sketches and collecting plant samples. They were divided into a mapping team, a plant and tree identification team and an animal and insect identification team.

“The class has reinforced the science skills they are learning at their schools and in their Upward Bound classes,” Lee added. I am excited that our Upward Bound students had an opportunity to work with professors from the SIUE campus to learn about and explore environmental science,” said Javonda Quinn, Upward Bound Program EC/ BEM director. “It is projectbased learning opportunities like this that I hope will spark interest in those students looking to explore the field of STEM.”

“This class has been helpful and enjoyable for me,” said Green, a sophomore at East St.

July 2 deadline for Leadership in Health Award

By Matthew Kuhlenbeck Guest columnist

One is a medical doctor who helped create the SPOT, an organization giving underserved young people in St. Louis a safe place to receive free health care, counseling, social support, and more. One is a nun who is the co-founder and director of the healthfocused nonprofit Whole Kids Outreach in rural southeast Missouri. Another has a PhD, works as a professor, and is the project director of For the Sake of All, a multi-disciplinary project on the health and wellbeing of African Americans in St. Louis.

What do Dr. Katie Plax, Sister Anne Francioni and Jason Purnell have in common, other than an obvious passion for helping others? All three are recipients of Missouri Foundation for Health’s Dr. Corinne Walentik Leadership in Health Award, and soon a new name will be added to that prestigious list, but the search is still on.

The Walentik award, now entering its fifth year, was created to honor the late Dr. Corinne Walentik’s commitment to serving vulnerable groups, especially children. As an MFH Board member, a professor of pediatrics and a physician,

Louis Senior High School. “I like that I get to study animals, because in the future I want to be a veterinarian or someone who helps animals. It’s been a great experience to be close to what we’re researching.”

Students gave the presentation on the results of their research efforts and had a panel discussion, facilitated by ESLC Executive Director Jesse Dixon on Friday, June 2 at the SIUE East St. Louis Center Resource Center, Building B, 601 James R. Thompson Blvd. Lee and Greenfield also participated in the discussion.

“We are incredibly excited to have Dr. Lee and Dr. Greenfield working with our Upward Bound students on this project,” Dixon said. “It’s inspiring to see them apply scientific methods to data collection and analysis using the nature that exists in their community. This initiative is part of a broader effort at the SIUE East St. Louis Center to utilize the expertise of University faculty to create highly-engaging learning experiences for our young people.”

she received significant local, regional and national recognition for her tireless efforts. In 2013, a year after her passing, the foundation created the award in her name and named her as the first recipient. Every year since MFH has asked its friends and partners to nominate someone who inspires them – a person who has shown their passion, dedication, and leadership skills toward generating and accelerating positive changes in health.

Guest Columnist

As you can see from the previous recipients, MFH takes a broad perspective on the concept of health. For example, Purnell’s work involves investigating the underlying determinants of health, which include everything from toxic stress to quality neighborhoods to education. This view of health as a bigger issue than just health care extends into all the work of the Foundation, and allows us to honor those doing exemplary work toward accomplishing health equity.

The honor comes with a personal $2,500 award, but for any worthy recipient the real gift is the gift of giving – they are able to award $25,000 to an organization of their choosing. Sister Francioni stated that, “It is one thing to have my work acknowledged and even sometimes celebrated, but it is surely another, more amazing thing to me that this acknowledgement comes with such a wonderful prize.” We rely on the communities we serve to nominate their most worthy candidates. We believe in recognizing those that share our mission of improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities most in need, celebrating those who have taken a leadership role in the field, and dedicated their lives to making health a priority in Missouri. However, time is running out for this year’s search. The deadline for applicants is July 2. To learn more and begin the application process, visit mffh.org/walentik. Nominate someone who inspires you today. Matthew Kuhlenbeck is a program director at Missouri Foundation for Health and a member of the selection committee for the Dr. Corinne Walentik Leadership in Health Award.

Rx Outreach offers alternative for low-income people filling prescriptions

American staff

On July 1, more than 60,000 older Missourians will lose their prescription drug coverage through the Missouri Rx Plan, which assists with out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for low-income seniors.

With the Missouri Rx Plan discontinuing, Rx Outreach is a resource for people struggling to afford medications. Rx Outreach is a nonprofit, mailorder pharmacy that provides free and low-cost generic medications for low-income people.

Eligibility is based on income. People qualify with annual income of $36,180 or less for a single person, $48,720 or less for family of two, $61,260 or less for a family of three, $73,800 or less for family of four

Headquartered in Maryland Heights, Missouri, the organization provides nationwide access to over 800

medications. For a full list of medications and prices, visit http://rxoutreach.org/findyour-medications. There are no hidden charges – no enrollment fees or mailing charges.

To enroll, visit www. RxOutreach.org or call 1-800-

769-3880. Once enrolled, people can easily have their prescriptions transferred to Rx Outreach to fill and mail directly to their homes. Previous feature story on Rx Outreach.

Danielle Lee, a visiting assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biological Sciences (left) and Makyla Green, SIUE Upward Bound student, survey a frog that students discovered during an environmental research project, funded by CAS’ Targeted Funding Initiative.

Matthew Kuhlenbeck

Comptroller reports lack of oversight in police overtime pay

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department repeatedly violated the law and went over budget on overtime pay by almost $5 million between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016, according to an audit of police overtime by the Comptroller’s Office released on May 10.

“There is no oversight review to control overtime pay budget, therefore, no incentive for section leaders to stay within the budget,” the audit stated.

The department spent $13.4 million on overtime, instead of the budgeted $8.5 million amount. This is because management of overtime was “inadequate,” it stated.

staff confirmed that the chief, sergeants and police commanders approved the lieutenants’ hours because they were paid from outside grants or contracts. However, auditors were not able to find evidence that the lieutenants were included in five contracts that they reviewed.

The audit gave examples of three officers who earned between $62,800 and $77,000 in overtime pay. The 342,400 of overtime hours in the audit’s timeframe “could not be verified whether or not the officers actually worked these hours because detailed time sheets and adequate supporting documents were not maintained.”

Police management failed to comply with required procedure when they didn’t request approval from the Comptroller’s Office or the Board of Estimate and Apportionment to transfer funds to cover the excess overtime budget.

In response, the department told the auditor that staff shortages caused the excessive overtime hours.

The department also violated city law by paying 30 lieutenants – who are exempt from overtime by law

– $183,389 in overtime pay for 5,181 overtime hours. And these hours “could neither be verified nor tracked because of inadequate supporting documents,” the audit stated.

During interviews with the auditors, department

The department also didn’t comply with a special order that requires overtime to be authorized before officers worked the hours. The auditors found that 10 officers worked 319 hours without prior consent, and there were 106 instances where officers did not get permission to work overtime but were still paid for it.

The department responded that it does have a process that requires “verbal approval” from the officer’s supervisor that the overtime was permitted.

Sales tax increase for police salaries

The comptroller’s damning audit came about a month before Alderman Steve Conway introduced a bill that would put a half-cent sales tax increase for public safety on the ballot in November. It’s a plan pushed forward by Mayor Lyda Krewson

If city voters approve the sales tax increase in November, then Krewson estimates that it would generate about $19.5 million every year – which would go mainly towards police and firefighter salary raises. An increase in sales tax would also trigger an automatic rise in the city’s business tax, or use tax. And that estimated $3.9 million in revenue would go towards social workers for the police department, afterschool programs, summer jobs, public defenders and recreation programming.

What do we want in a police chief?

St. Louis residents gave input on what they want in the next police chief and the city’s overall public safety “vision” at a community forum, held on June 27 at the International Institute. Photo by Rebecca Rivas

“We are working every day to reduce violence in our city,” Krewson said during her testimony at the Ways and Means aldermanic committee meeting on June 22. “It’s one piece in that plan. It’s an important piece.”

Krewson and Acting Police Chief Lawrence O’Toole told the aldermen that St. Louis County’s recent sales tax increase to pay for higher police salaries has put the city in dire need to raise their own officers’ salaries – or lose them to the county.

Currently, the starting salary for a police officer in St. Louis County is $40,162, and in the city it’s $43,140. With the sales tax increase, the county will now start at $52,208, according

to data provided by the county.

With the city’s increase, city officers could get about a $6,000 raise, said Paul Payne, the city’s budget director. However, Payne said he has repeatedly tried to include one point into the conversation: “Our pensions are way better,” he said.

The city’s cost for police pension is at 45 percent of payroll, he said. For comparison purposes, St. Louis County’s pension cost as of the year ended 2015 was just under 23 percent of payroll, he said.

Conway’s bill (BB60) estimates that the police would get 66 percent, or $12,825,000, of the sales tax revenue and the fire department would receive 28 percent, or $5,475,000.

Firefighters always receive the same pay raises as police by law; there are just fewer of them.

The money for police would go towards filling the 111 empty spots open on the force and towards pay raises, Krewson said.

The Circuit Attorney’s Office will get a small bone – $1.2 million – because reducing crime isn’t “all about cops,” Krewson said. The funds for both the prosecutors and public defenders ($975,000) will help get people to trial more quickly – rather than being detained in jail for long periods of time, she said.

“Faster justice is better justice,” she said.

Circuit Attorney Kim

Gardner said in a statement to The American that their work is critical to reducing violence and the office has been “significantly underfunded through the years.”

“The smart strategic approach to reduce crime includes proper funding of both the police department and the Circuit Attorney’s Office,” she said.

When asked if she feels the $1.2 million is enough for her office, she said she is still reviewing Board Bill 60.

“While I’m concerned about putting additional financial burdens on people who are already shouldering so much, I remain open to a variety of funding solutions,” Gardner said.

Alderman John CollinsMuhammad, of the 21st Ward, said that he’s concerned with the long time that many people spend in jail awaiting trial.

“Right now in the city, as even our commissioner of Corrections has said, we have a mass incarceration problem,” Muhammad said at the committee meeting.

“We have people sitting in the Workhouse and Justice Center for nonviolent crimes because we don’t have adequate services in the Circuit Attorney’s Office. So right now we are just locking people up, and we don’t need to be.”

Collins-Muhammad also said that there are officers on the street who are not truly serving the community.

O’Toole basically responded that his officers need to get know their communities better.

“We know who the bad people are,” O’Toole said.

“We don’t know who the good people are. It’s my goal to get more officers in the neighborhoods to work with the good people.”

Board Bill 60 passed out of committee on June 28 with a 7-0 vote. Alderwoman Marlene Davis, of the 19th Ward, voted “present.”

BESt pharmacy program celebrates 10th anniversary

Since its inception, the BESt pharmacy program has trained 300 St. Louis metropolitan area high-schoolers to be future healthcare professionals.

are

from the 2016 summer

The acronym “BESt” represents the three

their resources to the program: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Express Scripts, and St. Louis College of Pharmacy.

Summer institute aims to diversify healthcare fields

By Sophie Hurwitz

For The St. Louis American

Steven Player has some advice for young people considering healthcare careers.

“Look at the changing demographics of our country, and look at some of the opportunities we have to improve not just the health outcome of our community, but our families and our friends,” Player said.

“Do you want to play an active role in that? And if healthcare and math and science are things you enjoy doing and are strong at, I would strongly encourage you to consider a career in healthcare or in another STEM profession. If that is the case for you, or if that might be something for you, here is a great opportunity.”

n “The needle has not moved much in terms of ethnic minorities. So this is another conscious effort to hopefully take a stab at that.”

– Steven Player, BESt Pharmacy

Summer Institute

That opportunity is the BESt Pharmacy Summer Institute, which Player cofounded. A residential summer institute dedicated to helping high school students from minority groups

enter careers as pharmacists, BESt celebrates its 10th anniversary this upcoming year. Since its inception, BESt has trained 300 St. Louis metropolitan area high-schoolers to be future healthcare professionals. BESt has grown over the past 10 years, and now trains about 60 students per year.

The requirements for joining the program are simple: Students must be sophomores, juniors or seniors who live in the St. Louis area (including St. Charles, Madison County and St. Clair County), with at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. They must also be part of a minority group historically underrepresented in healthcare professions, which BESt defines as American

See BESt, B2

The future for Missouri workers will be decided today

By Alexis Straughter Guest columnist

What Missouri looks like 10 or 20 years from now will be decided within the next year. Think I’m exaggerating? Missouri’s leaders and Missouri voters have three big choices to make in the months ahead that will decide the future of our state. We don’t have any time to waste. First, Governor Eric Greitens must choose whether to stand with the workers and families of St. Louis, or to do the bidding of big corporations and campaign donors who want to roll back our minimum wage increase. We fought for and won St. Louis’ higher minimum wage – even passing our law before the deadline set by the state legislature. But then politicians in Jefferson City decided that they didn’t want parents like me earning higher wages, and sent the governor a bill to take away the bigger paychecks I’m receiving right now.

Will Missouri be a state that supports working parents trying to make ends meet for their kids? Or will Missouri’s governor put his campaign donors before his people, literally taking money out of the paychecks of the people he was elected to represent? That’s one big fork in the road for Missouri’s economy, and we’ll know where Governor Greitens stands very soon. A second big decision that we will get to decide for ourselves as voters is whether Missouri will join the ranks of so-called “right to work” states that have lower wages, fewer health insurance benefits, and more workplace accidents. You may have encountered workers in your neighborhood collecting signatures to veto the law passed by Jefferson City politicians to

n Will Missouri’s governor put his campaign donors before his people, literally taking money out of the paychecks of the people he was elected to represent?

weaken labor unions and lower wages. See, the politicians in Jefferson City who have been pushing for this law have been really misleading with their smoke and mirrored talking points. So-called “right to work” laws were originally developed to keep workers segregated, prevent African Americans from getting access to union jobs. These laws aren’t a partisan issue – they

See WORKERS, B2

Justin Moore

Eric Madkins

Maria WhiteBurton

Jimmie M. Edwards

Kiaundra Smith

Pictured

students

cohort.

institutions that dedicate

Alexis Straughter

Tifani Brown

Sporting events on a budget –it’s possible with a plan

By Nathaniel Sillin

Season ticket holder or first timer, watching your team take the field or visiting new teams in a different venue, gripping your seat tightly during the finger-biting last minutes of a close game or cheering on a decisive win – sports can certainly be some of the best entertainment possible.

Whether you enjoy baseball, football, soccer, hockey or any other sport, the roaring crowd, sights and smells that fill a stadium have something to offer everyone.

A little planning can help keep your costs under control, and you can apply the ideas below to almost any sporting event.

Save money on the tickets. You may be sticking with your home team through thick and thin, but you can still look for ways to save money. Avoiding the most popular games, such as those on the weekends and when you’re playing against big-name teams, can be help.

To further maximize your savings, consider the following tips:

• Find tickets on reseller websites. Buying tickets from a scalper could save you money, but it also opens you up to the possibility of getting scammed. Instead, you could look for secondhand tickets on legitimate reseller websites that verify authenticity and guarantee your purchase.

• Connect with a season ticket holder. Try to connect with a season ticket holder who can’t make a game and offer to buy their tickets. Even

if they’re going to the game, a season ticket holder might be able to get you a good deal. For instance, Major League Soccer (MLS) season ticket members can sometimes get a discount on additional tickets.

• Check for an employee discount. Some companies offer their employees discounted tickets to sporting events as a benefit.

Government employees and current military members or veterans may also be eligible. However, sometimes you can only choose from a limited list of games.

• Join the fan club. Becoming a member of a team’s official fan club can cost $20 to $40 a year and could more than pay for itself with discounts on tickets or

gear and access to special events.

• Go during the preseason. Preseason tickets can be especially cheap. In 2016, you could buy preseason NFL tickets for less than $10. You may not get to see your favorite players on the field, but it you could still save money while spending quality time with your kids or friends.

• Try the minor league. A minor league game can be a fun alternative to a major league game. Some of the teams have an enthusiastic and

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will impact everyone, not just workers who choose to join unions. When CEOs and their allied politicians are successful in weakening unions, wages are driven down for everyone. Will folks be duped into passing a misleading law demanded by big campaign donors, or will we reject these attacks to keep our paychecks from getting even smaller? I sure hope it’s the latter.

This is a huge choice for our state, but we have an amazing chance to stand up for working families and strong middle class. So the next time you have a chance to sign the

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Indians or Alaskan Natives, African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders.

The acronym “BESt” represents the three institutions that dedicate their resources to the program: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Express Scripts, and St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Together, they put together a summer experience which includes both elements of technical pharmacy training, and academic work. That academic work includes preparation for the ACT, which might help explain the 100 percent college acceptance rate of BESt graduates. Of those graduates, 65 percent pursue pharmacy as their profession, but the other 35 percent get something out of their time in BESt, too.

“Curriculum for a BESt One student [entering 10th grade] consists of advanced chemistry and college level algebra, professional development, a sort of

if you’re going with a large group. Carpooling or splitting the cost of a ride from a carsharing app could be cheaper. If you’re driving, look for off-premises parking lots. You may need to walk a bit, but you’ll also be able to save money and might avoid some of the post-game traffic.

Eat before and bring snacks. Everyone knows stadium food is expensive and filling up on a big meal before the game can help you avoid cravings. Unbeknownst to some fans, stadiums might let you bring in outside food. However, there’s often a strict bag policy, which could limit the size of your bag and may require bags to be transparent. Check the stadium’s policy closely and call the team’s office if you need clarification.

loyal fan base and the stadiums are often smaller, which lets you get closer to the action. The extras, like parking and snacks, are often cheaper as well.

Timing your purchase can also be important. If you suspect a game will sell out, it may be better to buy early than risk having to pay above face value on a reseller site. With less popular games, ticket prices tend to drop as game day approaches.

Compare transportation options. Public transportation isn’t a guaranteed money saver

petition to repeal the so-called “right to work” law, I strongly encourage you to do so, the future of worker rights depends on it.

The third big choice is whether hardworking families will get the wage raises we’ve long-fought for and deserve. Right now, a minimum wage worker earning $7.70 an hour only takes home about $300 per week – that’s if he or she can get full-time hours. We all know that isn’t enough to live on. But by coming together to put a raise on the ballot, we can help hundreds of thousands of families take a big step towards livable wages, and jumpstart our local economies in the process.

So what’s it going to be Missouri? Do we want an

introductory pharmacy 101 course, and College Edge, which is an offering by Princeton Review for ACT prep,” said Player.

BESt curriculum also includes hands-on experience. After all their academic courses, on Friday afternoons the students visit real healthcare providers to see firsthand where their pharmacy education might take them. Those places have included the Academic Medical Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Express Scripts, the Poison Control Center and even the veterinary hospital at the St. Louis Zoo.

BESt coursework is rigorous. Many students earn college credit from the work they do in only 6 weeks in the program. To make sure students coming from any school are able to cope with the workload, however, BESt provides peer tutors and office hours with teachers to make sure all students have the resources they need.

The supportive environment and competitive coursework of BESt is now “bearing its fruit,” as Player puts it. Three

Bottom line: A sporting event can be a wonderful way to build memories and spend a day with your friends or family. However, the expenses from a single game can quickly stack up if you’re not careful. Luckily, there are many ways to save money on tickets, transportation and food and still have a memorable experience.

Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa’s financial education programs. To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www. twitter.com/PracticalMoney. This article is intended to provide general information and should not be considered health, legal, tax or financial advice. It’s always a good idea to consult a tax or financial advisor for specific information on how certain laws apply to your situation and about your individual financial situation.

economy that just works for the CEOs and small group of people who keep getting richer as the rest of us fall behind? Or do we want an economy that works for everyone, where moms and dads take home good wages for a good day’s work?

This year, it’s actually up to us. Join me in the fight for a stronger Missouri.

Alexis Straughter is a 26-year old nursing home worker at Royal Oaks in St. Louis, who just starting earning $10 per hour with St. Louis’s new minimum wage law. She has been a nursing home worker for almost five years and is the mother of two daughters.

BESt graduates have been hired in the past year by St. Louis healthcare providers. One graduate was hired as a pharmacist, and one was hired in human resources for BarnesJewish Hospital, and a third was hired in health information acquisition by Missouri Baptist Medical Center. BESt also hopes to begin offering internships at Express Scripts and Barnes-Jewish to program graduates within the next few years, to make sure BESt students are supported even after they leave the program. And summer programs like this one are critical now more than ever, since there are still relatively few ethnic minorities in STEM fields like pharmacy.

“The needle has not moved much in terms of ethnic minorities,” said Player. “When you look at ethnic and cultural diversity, it’s not there. We just all happened to be in pharmacy, the program directors for BESt, but that’s universal for pre-med, physicians, nursing, for all of our STEM-based professions. So this is another conscious effort to hopefully take a stab at that.”

Avoiding the most popular games, such as those on the weekends and when you’re playing against big-name teams, can be help.

Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

n “I’m honored to be joining a franchise with so much history.”

– Jayson Tatum, on being drafted by the Boston Celtics

Larry Hughes has

Tatum now a Celtic

A big round of congratulations once again to Jayson Tatum, who was selected by the Boston Celtics with the No. 3 overall pick in last week’s National Basketball Association Draft.

The former Chaminade College Prep All-American joins a growing list of players from the St. Louis area who are in the NBA. He is also the third player from Chaminade’s program in the professional ranks. Former Chaminade stars Bradley Beal and David Lee are with the Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs, respectively. Former CBC standout Patrick McCaw is a member of the world champion Golden State Warriors. Former Wellston High star Ben McLemore currently plays for the Sacramento Kings. The 6’9 Tatum will bring an element of big-time scoring to the Celtics team that is built on toughness and defensive intensity. For Celtics fans, Tatum’s ability to get buckets will remind them of former Celtics great Paul Pierce and the late Reggie Lewis. Congratulations also go out to Jayson’s parents, Brandy Cole Barnes and Justin Tatum, on the success of their talented young son who became one of the best ballers that the St. Louis area has even seen. They have to be very proud.

Tatum is expected to play with the Celtics’ entry in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Boston’s first summer league game will be on Saturday, July 8 against the Los Angeles Lakers, which will be televised on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. (St. Louis time). The Celtics will also be in action on Sunday, July 9 against Portland (7:30 p.m., ESPN2); Tuesday, July 11 against Philadelphia (5:30 p.m., ESPN2).

Malcolm Hill to play with OKC in Summer League

Former Belleville East basketball star Malcolm Hill did not get selected in the NBA Draft last week, but he was quickly signed by the Oklahoma City Thunder to play in their NBA Summer League entry in Orlando, which will be held from July 1-6. Hill recently completed a tremendous four-year career at the University of Illinois, where he finished his career with 1,846 points. The 6’7” Hill averaged 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds as a junior and 17.2 points and 5.1 rebounds as a senior. You can catch Malcolm in action on Saturday vs. Detroit (4 p.m. St. Louis time on NBA-TV), Monday, July 3 vs. New York (noon on

During the NBA playoffs and the Golden State Warriors’ record-setting 16-1 run to the title, many fans and sports personalities bemoaned how the Warriors’ “super team” was ruining the NBA. However, the dominance by the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers over the past three seasons has sent other franchises scrambling to improve their ball clubs. If anything, super teams have helped make the NBA offseason great again. The 2017 NBA offseason is off to a bang. Last week’s draft featured a staggering 15 trades. Four deals stood out.

First, the Boston Celtics (No. 1) and Philadelphia 76ers (No. 3) swapped first round picks for a future first-rounder to the Celtics. Next, the Atlanta Hawks traded Dwight Howard and the No. 31 pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Marco Belinelli Miles Plumlee and the No. 41 pick. Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers made a splash by dealing former No. 2 pick D’Angelo Russell and the terrible contract of Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez and the No. 27 pick. The deal paved the way for Johnson to draft Lonzo Ball to usher in the next era of the Showtime Lakers. The headliner though was the Chicago Bulls sending AllStar forward Jimmy Butler and the No. 16 pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 7 pick, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn

Jackson moonwalks his way out of New York If the wheeling and deal-

Earl Austin Jr.

Photo by Wiley Price

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

Larry Hughes has big week; Reaves deal gives fans the Blues

Larry Hughes probably thought his professional basketball days were behind him, but last winter the former Saint Louis University and NBA star got a call from Ice Cube and representatives of his Big 3 basketball league.

He announced via Twitter on March 6, “Can’t wait to get some @thebig3 action. It’s on!!!!” Before Sunday’s opening day games at Barclay’s Arena in Brooklyn, Hughes told Michael Sap’s DailyMixReport “(The league) reached out to a few of my people. I’m still involved with basketball, I do an academy in St. Louis. I guess they figured I was still in some shape.” Hughes said, “The competition and being out there in front of the fans,” is what drew him to the Big 3.

“(The Big 3) will allow (fans) to see guys a few years out of the league and up there in age but still can get after it.” Hughes plays for the Killer 3s, which features co-captains Chauncey Billups and Stephen Jackson. Their history together helped land him with that squad.

“I actually just got off the phone with Chauncey just a minute ago. Me and Jack go back to when I got drafted by Philadelphia in 1998 he was one of the guys that was trying to make the team. We all got history, that’s why it’s good to get together,” Hughes said.

Billups did not play and was not in Brooklyn as he contemplates whether to accept the Cleveland Cavaliers general manager position.

The Killer 3s got the worst beating of Sunday’s opening day games, losing to Al Harrington and Kenyon Martin’s Trilogy squad 60-45. Hughes must be working his way back into game shape, as he only mustered three shot attempts in the contest.

The other members of the Killer 3s are player-coach Charles Oakley Reggie Evans, Brian Cook and Eddie Robinson

Along with the launch of the Big 3, Hughes was also thrilled that his godson, Jayson Tatum, was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft.

“I told him congratulations right now,” Hughes said.

“In a couple of weeks, we could talk about what he needs to do or the kind of things that go on, but right now I told him

to enjoy it. Me and his dad are real close, any knowledge I have it gets to Jayson.”

Hughes played with Tatum’s father, Justin, at CBC and then SLU.

Hughes played the 1997-98 season at SLU and averaged 20.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.16 steals per game. He led the Billikens to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after beating Massachusetts in the opening round. He was drafted eighth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers and also played for the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Bobcats, and Orlando Magic Reaves deal gives fans blues

The St. Louis Blues gritty

forward and fan favorite Ryan Reaves was traded to the twotime defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins last week to the chagrin of many fans.

Include me in that group, as I certainly hate to see the Blues lone player-of-color head to Pittsburgh.

The Blues received center Oskar Sundqvist and the 31st pick of draft. The team used the pick to select Russian forward Klim Kostin, the top ranked skater from Europe in this year’s draft. It will be Reaves’ responsibility to protect Penguins stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who were repeatedly roughed-up by opponents during the regular season and playoffs. Crosby suffered a concussion on a questionable hit during the seven-game series against the Washington Capitals.

Reaves, who scored a career

high seven goals and tallied 13 points last season, had six fights and refuses to be intimidated by any player –which is why many Blues fans hate to see him go.

“I’m always playing physical. I play physical before anything else,” Reaves told the Pittsburgh Tribune.

“I think that buys guys on my team a little extra room, maybe a little more security on the ice, knowing that if you go run one of our guys, I’m coming and I’m 230 pounds coming at you. Maybe think twice.”

In January, Reaves scored a skillful breakaway goal in Pittsburgh and when he returned to St. Louis, he told his wife, “I keep having good games against Pittsburgh. They’re probably going to trade for me one day.”

“I was literally just joking, but here we are.” Reaves said the trade “shook me emotionally.”

“I call St. Louis home now. It was a little shocking to be traded.”

All-Star Game update

Voting ends today (June 29) for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Miami on July 11 and the American League starting outfield will most likely be comprised of three black players.

The New York Yankees Aaron Judge, who so far has put together one of the most impressive rookie seasons in MLB history, is the AL’s leading voter getter. He is followed by Mike Trout, but his hand injury will keep him out of the game. The No. 3 and 4 vote getters, respectively, remain George Springer of the Houston Astros and Michael Brantley of the Cleveland Indians.

In the National League, Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward has dropped to fourth in outfield balloting. He trails NL vote leader Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals, Charles Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies and Marcell Ozuna of the Miami Marlins.

He is the only black play-

er in the NL with a remote chance of being a starter in the game and, if he doesn’t make up ground, he most likely won’t be selected to the roster. There should be at least one African American player on the National League roster though. After playing two seasons in Korea, Eric Thames returned to the Majors this year with the surprising Milwaukee Brewers and has helped them remain in first place in the NL Central for more than a month. Heading into a midweek series with the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, Thames had 20 home runs, 40 RBIs and had scored 50 runs. With each team having a player on the All-Star game roster, Thames is a shoo-in to be the Brewers representative.

Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows, including Frank Cusumano’s “The Press Box” on KFNS. His Twitter handle is #aareid1

Alvin A. Reid

The St. Louis Blues gritty forward and fan favorite Ryan Reaves was traded to the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins last week to the chagrin of many fans.

2017 prep athletes of the year

By Earl Austin Jr. Of The St. Louis American

In last week’s American, we took a look at some of the top events from the 2016-17 high school season in sports. This week, we will take a look at the 2017 St. Louis American prep Athletes of the Year in their respective sports.

Football: Jeff Thomas (East St. Louis) – One of the top wide receivers in the country, Thomas had 1,158 yards of receiving and 15 touchdowns to lead the Flyers to the Class 6 state championship. His last-second touchdown catch against Glenbard North in the state quarterfinals was the play of the year for the football season. The prep All-American is headed to Miami (FL).

Boys Basketball: Courtney Ramey (Webster Groves) – The 6’4” junior guard led the Statesmen to the Class 5 state championship with his all-around play and clutch shooting. Ramey averaged 19.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting 53 percent from the field. He has already committed to the University of Louisville.

Girls Basketball: Lauryn

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Patrick Ewing. Putting him on the block after two successful seasons was not only foolish, it was suicide. Maybe Jackson realized that he was in over his head and wanted out.

Jackson is the greatest NBA coach of all-time, but his philosophies of running a team are stuck in the 1990s. Jackson tried to force the triangle offense on the Knicks despite the obvious fact that there’s no Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal to anchor it. He also is not a fan of the three-point shot, despite its overwhelming importance in today’s game. Knicks fans are undoubtedly celebrating Jackson’s departure.

CP3 to Houston

A surprising post-draft trade occurred Wednesday morning. The Houston Rockets acquired Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers for Sam Dekker, Patrick Beverley, Louis Williams and a (topthree protected) 2018 firstround draft pick.

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NBA-TV), Tuesday, July 4 vs. Charlotte (noon, NBA-TV), Wednesday, July 5 vs. Dallas (noon, NBA-TV).

Gwen Berry to IAAF Worlds

Former McCluer High track and field standout Gwen Berry earned a spot on Team USA for the upcoming International Association of Athletics (IAAF) World Championships in London, which will be in August. Berry punched her ticket to England by winning the women’s hammer throw at last weekend’s USA National Championships in Sacramento, Calif. Berry unleashed a winning throw of 245 feet, 3 inches to win her first outdoor national championship. She is a three-time indoor national champion and a member of the USA Olympic Team in 2016.

Ja’Mari Ward repeats as a junior national champion

Former Cahokia High track and field star Ja’Mari Ward is a junior national champion in the long jump for the second consecutive year. Ward had a

Earl Austin Jr. picks the year’s best, sport by sport

Miller (Kirkwood) – The 6’2” senior forward led the Pioneers to their first ever Class 5 state championship. She averaged 18.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks while shooting 54 percent from the field. A fouryear starter at Kirkwood, Miller has signed at UCLA.

Baseball: D.J. Stewart (Westminster) – The standout pitcher/outfielder led the Wildcats to a third-place finish in the Class 4 state tournament. On the mound, Stewart had an 8-1 record with 76 strikeouts, only 10 walks and a 0.53 earned run average. At the plate, Stewart batted .409 with 35 runs batted in. An Eastern Illinois signee, Stewart was also drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Major League Baseball Draft.

Boys Track: Rayvon Allen (Rockwood Summit) – The senior jumper led the Falcons to the Class 4 state championship. He recorded an effort of 50 feet 10 inches in the triple jump, which is among the best marks in the country. He is also a 24-foot long jumper and a state-champion both events. He also anchored the Falcons’ 4x400-meter relay to a first place finish, which clinched the overall team state title. Allen is headed to Wichita

Paul was expected to optout of his contract to become a free-agent. However, he agreed to a sign-and-trade to Houston due to his desire to play alongside James Harden For the Clippers, the move was a no-brainer. The team was going to lose Paul for nothing in free agency. Acquiring Beverley Williams and a first-rounder must be considered a win. The Rockets remaining offseason moves will determine whether the deal is a win. Adding a perennial All-Star is always a good thing. However, both Harden and Paul are very ball-dominant players. The Rockets thrived this past season because the team brought in a bunch of complimentary shooters.

Coach Mike D’Antoni allowed Harden to push the pace and attack the basket at-will. When double-teams inevitably came, he found the open shooters. Though Paul is extremely unselfish, he works best when he’s facilitating the offense with the ball in his hands. As of now, the move doesn’t do much to close the gap between the Warriors and the Rockets in the West.

winning jump of 25 feet 7 ½ inches at last weekend’s USA Junior Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, Calif. With the national title in hand, Ward earns a berth for Team USA at the Pan American Junior Championships in Lima, Peru from July 21-23. Ward finished sixth in the long jump at last year’s IAAF World U20 Championships last year. Ward just completed his freshman season at the

State University.

Girls Track: Alicia Burnett (Fort Zumwalt South) – Burnett was one of the most talented freshman sprinters in the country. She has gone from a national age group star to a young high school phenom. In her first state meet, she won the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes at the Class 4 state meet.

Wrestling: D.J. Shannon

St. Louis American boys basketball Player of the Year Courtney Ramey led Webster Groves to the Class 5 state championship.

(CBC) – Shannon was the Class 4 state champion at 160 pounds as a junior. He recorded a 48-0 record this season. He was the state champion at 152 pounds as a sophomore.

Volleyball: Leketor Member-Meneh (Lutheran South) – The senior outside hitter led the Lancers to a 34-3 record and the Class 3 state championship, the first in school’s history. She was a dominant performer as she

led the St. Louis area with 610 kills and 7.8 per set. She has signed with the University of Missouri.

Boys Soccer: Aliff Rush (John Burroughs) – The senior midfielder led the Bombers to the Class 2 state championship. Rush scored 34 goals and added nine assists, including eight game winning goals. He recorded four goals in the state semifinals and championship game.

Girls Soccer: Naomi Ferguson (MICDS) – The talented freshman forward scored 20 goals and had eight assists to lead the Rams to a Class 3 district championship and a surprise run to the state quarterfinals.

Field Hockey: Amanda Isom (St. Joseph’s) – The senior forward played a key role in the Angels’ run to the state championship. She finished the season with 22 goals and 16 assists while earning All-MWAA honors.

Softball: Makayla Hurst (Timberland) – The junior catcher/first basemen finished the season with a batting average of .559 with five home runs and 36 runs batted in. An All-Gateway Athletic

Acquiring a player of Paul’s caliber is never a bad thing.

The Rockets are hoping Paul and Harden can co-exist. Otherwise, Paul will be a oneyear rental since he can become a free-agent again next season.

Melo to Houston?

There is talk that Anthony could obtain a buyout from

University of Missouri, where he was the surprise winner in the long jump at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships.

Class of 2018

football commitments

Several members from the St. Louis area’s loaded Class of 2018 in football have been making their college commitments as of late. The latest to commit this week is Pattonville

Conference performer, Hurst has already given a commitment to the University of Utah.

Lacrosse: Olivia Proctor (MICDS) – The talented sophomore midfielder helped lead the Rams to the state championship by scoring 41 goals, including nine during the Rams postseason run to the title.

Tennis: Janel Dean (Parkway North) – The talented junior was a Class 2 state qualifier at No. 1 singles as she was a district runner-up and a winner at the sectional tournament.

Boys Cross Country: Clinton Heffner (McCluer North) – The senior earned All-State honors after finishing 18th in the Class 4 state meet. Heffner was also a district runner-up and third-place finisher at the Class 4 sectional meet.

Girls Cross Country: Lizzie Dejoie (Parkway Central) – The senior earned All-State honors after finishing ninth at the Class 4 state meet. The was also a runnerup finisher at the Suburban Central Conference and district meets.

Gordon Hayward and Paul George could both join the Boston Celtics during this crazy NBA offseason.

the Knicks and head down to H-Town to join Harden and CP3. Though the deal would give the Rockets three perennial All-Stars, Anthony would be another ball-dominate player added to the mix.

If any coach can make it work, it’s D’Antoni. The reigning NBA Coach of the Year’s “seven seconds or less” offense would ensure that Harden and

High quarterback Kaleb Eleby, who has selected Western Michigan University. A prolific passer, the 6’3” Eleby has been a starter since his freshman year for the Pirates.

Wide receiver Arther Green of Parkway Central has committed to Arkansas State. The 6’3” Green is an impressive three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track for the Colts. Green joins Lutheran North running back Donovan Marshall, who also gave a

Anthony get their shots. From a talent standpoint, the Rockets would be a formidable threat.

From a team chemistry standpoint, it seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

Hayward and PG-13 to Boston?

Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski is on a role. The

commitment to Arkansas State. Standout defensive end Ayodele Adeoye of Ritenour has give a verbal commitment to Texas while linebacker Devin Ruffin of Lutheran North gave a verbal pledge to Bowling Green.

Brandon Gilmore to lead Hazelwood

Central hoops

author of The Vertical broke the stories about the Jackson firing and the Paul trade. He’s also reporting that the Boston Celtics are expected to make a push to sign Utah Jazz G/F Gordon Hayward in free agency and make a strong play to acquire Paul George via trade from the Indiana Pacers.

Pairing Hayward and Paul together in the Eastern Conference would be huge, especially if the team is able to keep Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum

The idea of netting George without losing any of its most valuable players may seem preposterous, but the Celtics’ plethora of first-round draft picks in the next two years means that it is not impossible. The Pacers realize that if George is not moved by the trade deadline, the franchise will lose him for nothing. If the Celtics can’t make magic happen with Hayward and George, Blake Griffin may be on his way to Boston. That’s one heck of a contingency plan.

Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk

Congratulations to Brandon Gilmore, who was just hired as the head basketball coach at Hazelwood Central. Gilmore replaces Josh Martin, who will become Central’s new Athletic Director. Gilmore has been Martin’s top assistant for the past decade. It is a well-deserved opportunity for Gilmore, who has been one of the hardest working young coaches in the area at the high school and grassroots levels as well as his work as a basketball trainer.

Photo by Leon Algee

Seeking ‘Global Positioning for Success’

Consortium for Leadership Development partners with Focus St. Louis, Business Diversity Initiative

American staff

The Consortium for Leadership Development (CLD), Focus St. Louis and the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative held the second annual conference on “Global Positioning for Success” on Friday, June 2, at the Wells Fargo building in downtown St. Louis. Over 100 attendees – including high-potential individuals, business leaders and emerging executives –gathered together for a daylong program to discuss the challenges and volatility of the global marketplace.

For the second year in a row, the conference made a bold statement within the St. Louis business community by demonstrating how cooperation and collaboration amongst business leaders, stakeholders and advocates initiates productive dialogue and positive changes to address the challenges all businesses face in today’s society.

“We are thrilled at the success of the conference and honored to have so many representatives from the St. Louis business community participate,” stated Sharilyn Franklin, executive director of CLD. “This was an important undertaking, given the nature and pace of change within the global marketplace. The conversations that took place in workshops, breakout sessions and networking provides us with a great foundation to build upon for later discussion.”

Throughout the day,

conference attendees participated in a comprehensive program complete with networking, high-level interaction, and transformative workshops.

Keynote speakers and presenters included Dennis Kimbro, author of “Think & Grow Rich, A Black Choice”; Gladys Hankins, author, diversity expert and global consultant, who led attendees in a powerful guided exercise; and David Greene III, executive coach and strategist, who gave a call to action to participants saying, “The success of individual leaders is inseparable from an organization’s goals.”

“It’s wonderful to see powerful leaders come together for the common good,” said Angela Tate of BHR, a conference participant. “Each speaker brought unique but complementary perspectives, and each of them gave me practical tips that I can put into action right away.”

“Across the globe, visionary companies are investing in a pipeline of emerging executives who can excel in market conditions that are volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous,” said Franklin. “As community leaders, we must do our part locally and regionally to ensure our own businesses can sustain and thrive during these unsettled times.”

For more information on this year’s event or to obtain information about future events, visit http://cldleader. com/.

David Green III, executive coach and strategist; Sharilyn Franklin, executive director, Consortium for Leadership Development; Gladys Hankins, author and global consultant; Yemi Akande-Bartsch, president, FOCUS St. Louis; Vanessa Cooksey, senior vice president, Wells Fargo Advisors; Rosalind Reese, program director, St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative; and Dennis Kimbro, author and consultant, at the “Global Positioning for Success” Leadership Conference at Wells Fargo in downtown St. Louis on June 2.

Photo by Wiley Price

American staff

A continuing series of commemorative activities to mark the 100th year anniversary of the East St. Louis, Illinois race riots will be held Saturday, July 1 – Monday, July 3 in East St. Louis, St. Louis and atop the Eads Bridge. According to historical accounts, East St. Louis broke out into race rioting from July 1 to July 3, 1917. Most historians agree that July 2 was the worst day of the rioting, fighting, property destruction, killings and mass black exodus. The East St. Louis race riots have been referred to as “race war” by many of the survivors.

Saturday, July 1, 2017 – Day of Remembrance Films and discussion begin at 1p.m. at Better

Two decades Dru

A conversation with Coffee Wright, festival founder

By Charles Henry Pointer

For The St. Louis American

Coffee Wright, author of a book of poetry called “Free Your Mind” and film producer, is an activist in the Saint Louis community, who showed much enthusiasm as I interviewed her about how she planned Juneteenth, which took place on June 18 at Beckett Park (located on Page and Taylor on the city’s North Side).

St. Louis American: What made you come up with the idea for a first Juneteenth parade and celebration?

Coffee Wright: After a hundred and fifty two years, I felt it was long overdue. The history of Juneteenth started in Galveston, Texas in 1865 .The citizens started this celebration because black people were no longer slaves.

St. Louis American: Who did you speak to about celebrating this event?

Coffee Wright: I tried to speak to many people, and most of them were disappointed because they had never heard about Juneteenth and its purpose. I spent a lot of time educating people about Juneteenth and they got interested when I told them about the history. They wanted to take part in the celebration.

St. Louis American: Were there any symbols designed to illustrate Juneteenth?

Family Life Facility (BFL), 5415 Page Blvd in St. Louis. This event includes drumming, refreshments, the viewing of two independent short films about the East St. Louis race riots by directors Bryan Sparkman and Denise WardBrown and a question-and-answer period with the two film directors.

Sunday, July 2, 2017 - Day of Commemoration

“Reviving and Renewing East St. Louis” begins at 4:30 p.m., outside at the SIUE East St. Louis Education Center, 601 James R. Thompson Blvd., (Brady Ave,) in East St Louis. The opening activities will include historical accounts, music, cultural presentations, prayers,

Andre Leon Talley speaks on three centuries of style displayed at SLAM

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

Style legend Andre Leon Talley is everything you would want him to be during a live talk: over-the-top, ostentatious

name in the industry in his own right

Coffee Wright

Famed musician, Sheila E. will headline the fourth annual An Evening with Cedric the Entertainer and Friends gala. The event, which benefits the Rosetta Boyce Kyles Women’s Pavilion at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital-St. Louis, will be held Saturday, October 21 at the Peabody Opera House.

Photo by Veronica Banks

St. Louis Alderman Terry Kennedy speaking atop the Eads Bridge, which many blacks in East St. Louis used in 1917 to escape race riots.

Photo by Vincent Lang

Eric Johnson, executive director of the Saint Louis Fashion Incubator, and Genevieve Cortinovis, Saint Louis Art Museum’s assistant curator of decorative arts and design and co-curator of the St. Louis Art Museum’s presentation of “Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015” discuss the exhibition with style great Andre Leon Talley Saturday afternoon at The Saint Louis Art Museum.

Dru Hill lead singers Sisqo and Jazz lived up to expectations for their 20th anniversary concert presented by RockHouse Ent. Sunday night at The Pageant. The R&B quartet burst onto the scene in the late 1990s with their breakthrough mid-tempo hit “Tell Me.” Photo by Vincent Lang of the

How to place a calendar listing

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

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

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

concerts

Fri., July 7, 9 p.m., Liquid Assets presents Jeezy. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

July 7 – 8, Jazz St. Louis presents Good 4 the Soul –The Music of Prince. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103.

Sat., July 8, 8 p.m., The Fabulous Fox presents Jill Scott. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com.

Sun., July 9, 8 p.m., Live Nation presents the Against All Odds Tour feat. Meek Mill and Yo Gotti. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, 14141 Riverport Dr., 63043. For more information, visit www. concerts1.livenation.com.

Sun., July 9, 8 p.m., 95.5 The Lou and RockHouse Entertainment present Ladies Night Out with After 7. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Sun., July 9, 8 p.m., Live Nation presents the Against All Odds Tour feat. Meek Mill and Yo Gotti. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, 14141 Riverport Dr., 63043. For more information, visit www. concerts1.livenation.com.

Wed., July 12, 6:30 p.m., The Fox Theatre presents Santana. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Wed., July 12, 7 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents Songs of the Civil Rights Movement Live. St. Louis’ best musical artists take you on a journey through America’s continuing struggle towards freedom and justice. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

Fri., July 14, 6:30p.m., Now 96.3 presents Now Night Out feat. Flo Rida, AJR, and Allen Gates. St. Charles Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway, 63303. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

July 14 – 15, Jazz St. Louis presents Erika Johnson. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103.

Thur., July 20, The Pageant presents Waka Flocka Flame 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com.

Fri., July 21, 8 p.m., 95.5 The Lou District Rhythms Concert Series feat. Jon B and Silk. Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave., 63102. For more information, visit www. stlballparkvillage.com.

Fri., July 21, 8 p.m., Platinum Power Moves After Hours presents Lyfe Jennings & David Holister. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, call (314) 8699090.

Wed., July 26, 7 p.m., The Ready Room presents The Wailers. 4195 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314) 8333929.

Sun., July 30, 7 p.m., United Negro College Fund of St. Louis presents An Evening of Stars Benefit Concert with Chante Moore Additional performances by Denise Thimes, Cedric the Entertainer, and more. Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

local gigs

Fri., June 30, 8 p.m., Blank Space presents Valee, 3 Problems, and more. 2847 Cherokee St., 63118. For more

information, call (314) 3008831.

June 30 – July 1, Jazz St.

Louis presents Anita Jackson Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. Sat., July 1, 8 p.m., Tish Haynes Keys Unplugged. Bar Code, 10806 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63074. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sun., July 2, 3 & 6 p.m., JPEK CreativeWorks Theatre presents A Legends Revue: Marvin Gaye Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. kranzbergartscenter.org.

Thur., July 6, 7 p.m., The Ready Room presents Mark Battles. 4195 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314) 8333929.

Sat., July 8, 6 p.m., Swinging in the Summer Breeze Jazz Concert feat. Danita Mumphard. North Side Community School, 3033 N. Euclid Ave., 63115. For more information, call (314) 3859502 or visit www.eventbrite. com.

Sat., July 15, 7:30 p.m., Straighten Up & Fly Right: Chuck Flowers Salutes the Nat King Cole Trio. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Wed., July 19, 8 p.m., PHE L!VE presents OpenMicChallenge - St. Louis. First round: 10 Artists perform and judges choose top 3; second round: Top 3 artists perform one song and crowd picks winner. Blank Space, 2847 Cherokee St., 63118. For more information, call (314) 300-8831.

special events

Sat., July 1, 1 p.m., Reclaim and Reconnect - Neighborhood Social. There will be a kiddie corner, vendors, resource tables, and more. Hyde Park, 20th & Salisbury, 63107. For more information, call (314) 833-9913 or visit www. hydeParkNeighbors.org.

July 5 – 7, “This Is Hunger” Free National Exhibit. Come on a compelling journey into the lives of everyday Americans, and gain awareness about who struggles with hunger and why. United Hebrew Congregation, 13788 Conway Rd., 63141. For more information, visit www. thisishunger.org.

Sat., July 8, 8 a.m., Antiques Roadshow. The hit Nine PBS series stops in St. Louis in search of hidden treasures for an all-day appraisal event. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101.

Liquid Assets welcomes Jeezy to The Ambassador. See CONCERTS for details.

For more information, call (314) 512-9021 or visit www. ninenet.org.

Sun., July 16, 12 p.m., St. Louis’ Best Bridal Show. Find creative ideas and services from the area’s best wedding specialists. Sheraton Westport Hotel, 900 Westport Plaza, 63146. For more information, call (314) 4751202.

Thur., July 13, 10:30 a.m., United 4 Children invites you to their 5th Annual Golf Tournament. Norman K. Probstein Golf Course - Forest Park, 6141 Lagoon Dr., 63112. For more information, call (314) 531-1412 or visit www. united4children.org.

Thur., July 13, 11 a.m., CAASLC invites you to an Employment & Resource Fair. Confirmed employees include General Motors, Whelan Security, and more. St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley, 3400 Pershall Rd., 63135. For more information, call (314) 4464431 or visit www.caastlc.org.

Tues., July 14, 11 a.m, Missouri History Museum presents Fundisha Family Dance Workshop. Wiggle and wind with Mama Lisa in this free community dance class driven by the rhythms of the drums. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org.

Wed., July 19, 10:30 a.m., Project Pinx presents

Dance Black America: St. Louis. This performance will highlight several locally initiated civil rights movements through dance presentation by area youth. Missouri History Museum.

Sat., July 22, 5 p.m., African Diaspora Council Annual Dinner: Honoring Nelson Mandela’s Life & Legacy African Cultural Center, 1425 Ferguson Ave., 63133. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., July 22, 5 p.m., Dancing with the Stars Live: Hot Summer Nights. 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. peabodyoperahouse.com.

Sat., July 29, 7 p.m., Mind Over Magic. A modern, edgy, family friendly, interactive magic show that features LamontMcgee - Mystifier, and Metro the Magician. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sun., July 30, 7 p.m., Peabody Opera House presents Bring It! Live. They’re back with hotter than ever, never before seen performances. 1400 Market St., 63103.

comedy

July 6 – 9, Funny Bone St. Louis presents Guy Torry 614 Westport Plaza, 63146.

Fri., July 7, 8 p.m., Precise

Entertainment presents Chris Mosley Jr.: Big Chris Son. Hosted by Mike Gerdine and featuring comedians Larry Greene and Jarrel Cooper. Voce, 212 S. Tucker Blvd., 63102. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sun., July 16, 7 p.m., Helium Comedy Club presents Meet Me in St. Louis…Dammit feat. Anthony Session. 1151 St. Louis Galleria St., 63117. For more information, visit www.helimcomedy.com.

Sat., July 22, 7:30 p.m., Burlesque Bad & Bougie Comedy. Sugar Brown, discloses her diaries through standup comedy and sexy burlesque dance. Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Fri., July 28, 7 p.m., The Laugh Lounge Comedy Club presents Paul Mooney Live. 11208 W. Florissant Ave., 63033. For more information, call (314) 921-2810.

literary

Sat., July 8, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library hosts author Roxane Gay, author of Hunger. Explore what it means to be overweight in a time when the bigger you are, the less you are seen. 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131.

Tues., July 11, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library hosts author Matthew Quick, author of The Reason You’re Alive A Vietnam vet embarks on a crusade to track down his nemesis from the war in this examination of how the debts we carry from our past define us. 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131.

Wed., July 12, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Joanna Dee Das, author of Katherine Dunham: Dance and the African Diaspora Das examines how Dunham

struggled to balance artistic dreams, personal desires, economic needs, and political commitments in the face of racism and sexism. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108.

Thur., July 13, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Edward Moore, author of The Supremes Sing the Happy Heartache Blues A paradoxical marriage brings together the people of Plainview with Blues guitarist Eli Walker, who once vowed to never set foot in the town again. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108.

Wed., July 19, 7 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents The Making of an All-American City: East St. Louis at 150. Hear from the book’s contributors about this collection of insightful essays that cover East St. Louis’s turbulent history. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

Wed., July 19, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Bruce Olson, author of That St. Louis Thing: An American Story of Roots, Rhythm and Race, Volumes 1 & 2. Over 100 years of the city’s famed musical development placed in the context of its civil rights movement. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108.

art

Fri., July 7, 5:30 p.m., 6th Annual Contemporary Night Out. A collaborative evening of short, informative programs about contemporary art centered on the theme Artist & Urbanism. 1 Brookings Dr., 63130. For more information, visit www.camstl.org/nightout.

Thur., July 16, 6 p.m., Good Journey Development Foundation cordially invites you to Art in Our World Beauty Ngxongo is an exceptional artist from South Africa and will demonstrate the wonders of Zulu Basket Weaving. Exodus Art Gallery,

5075 Delmar Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www. goodjourney.org.

Through October 7, The Pulitzer Arts Foundation presents Blue Black curated by Glenn Ligon, The Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington Blvd. For more information, visit www. pulitzerarts.org.

lectures and workshops

Wed., July 12, 9 a.m., The Basics of Writing a Business Plan. The session will cover key elements of a business plan, writing techniques, instructions on using a business plan, and more. SLATE American Job Center,

For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Thur., July 20, 7 p.m., St. Louis Rogues’ Gallery. Join Shayne Davidson as she shares how she scoured various sources to track down information about the accused people depicted in the St. Louis Police Department’s rogues’ gallery. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112.

theatre

June 29 – July 1, JPEK CreativeWorks Theatre presents Topdog/Underdog Abandoned by their parents as teenagers, Lincoln and Booth, were forced to learn to survive on their own. Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.kranzbergartscenter. org.

Through July 2, Stages St. Louis presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Follow the ragsto-riches story of Joseph, his eleven brothers, and the miraculous coat of many colors. 111 S. Geyer Rd., 63122. For more information, visit www.stagesstlouis.org.

1520 Market St., 63103. For more information or to register, call (314) 657-3599.

Sat., July 15, 8:15 a.m., SCORE Seminar – How to Start and Manage Your Own Business. Learn to assess your prospects, define the initial direction you need, and determine how to move forward to realize your dream. Fontbonne University, Anheuser Busch Hall, 6800 Wydown, 63105. For more information, call (314) 539-6601.

Sat., July 15, 10 a.m., First Time Homebuyers Seminar. Join Tiffany Hamilton and Nisaa El-Hasaan to learn ins and outs of what it takes to find a home, get into a home, and financing options. 8001 Dale Ave., 63117.

July 7 – 16, First Run Theatre presents Dreaming in Black and White. In 1963 Virginia, dreams and fears collide when Pearlene, a black caretaker, is hired to help care for Sonny, a white man with heart disease. 726 LeLand Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www. firstruntheatre.com.

health

Through July 9, Small Business Majority’s Missouri Healthy Business Healthy Community Workplace Wellness Challenge, FREE communitybased competition where small businesses in southwest Missouri l compete against St. Louis area businesses to win

special prizes, which will be awarded at the end of the competition and provided by local sponsors. Visit http:// smallbusinessportal.org/ benefits/wellness or call 314718-0377 to register.

Sat., July 15, 11 a.m., African Community Health Fair. We will have health screenings, fitness demonstrations, wellness workshops, entertainment, and more. James Milton Turner Park, North Sarah, 63113. For more information, call (314) 875-9277 or visit www. eventbrite.com.

Mon., July 17, 8 a.m., Project AWARE Youth Mental Health First Aid Training. This is the initial help offered to adolescent youth developing a mental health or substance use problem, or experiencing a mental health crisis. Behavioral Health Response, 12647 Olive Blvd., Ste. 200, 63141. For more information, call (314) 628-6229 or visit www.bhrstl.org.

Sun., July 2, 5 p.m., BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups invites you to Valiant Rising African Gospel Concert 700 S. Broadway, 63102. For more information, call (314) 436-5222.

July 5– July 7, 7 p.m. nightly, Southern Mission Baptist Church presents a Three Church Revival Wednesday, July 5, Southern Mission Baptist Church with Bishop Arthur Jones, 8171 Wesley Ave., Kinloch, MO 63140; Thursday, July 6, Liberty Community Worship Center with Pastor Jason Durham, 11221 Larimore Rd., Spanish Lake, MO 63138; Friday, July 7 First Missionary Baptist Church of Kinloch with Bishop John Mitchell, Jr., 4400 Parker Rd., Florissant, MO 63033. For more information, call (314) 521-3951.

St. Louis County Library hosts author Roxane Gay, author of ‘Hunger.’ For more information, see LITERARY.

Continued from C1

was because of more than just his personal connections.

“One of the great things about ‘Reigning Men’ is that you realize that through the history of the show is that men are equally important and can be as individualistically dressed as a woman,” Talley said as they went through a few slides from the exhibition, which is on display through September 17.

“That’s what makes this show very poignant.”

As he talked with Eric Johnson, executive director of the Saint Louis Fashion Incubator, and Genevieve Cortinovis, Saint Louis Art Museum’s assistant curator of decorative arts and design and co-curator of the St. Louis presentation of ‘Reigning Men,’ it was clear that Talley had a depth of knowledge that spanned the three centuries that the exhibition covered.

His memory and recall were amazing.

When Cortinovis asked him about how he initially connected with Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he remembered the outfit she was wearing the day they met as if it were earlier that morning as opposed to more than 40 years ago.

“She had this wonderful navy blue Yves Saint Laurent pea coat. She had a fabulous Gucci bag and these extraordinary red boots inspired by Mick Jagger,” Talley said.

As the discussion returned to the exhibition, he knew the type of silk with which the 18th century jacket was spun – and was within the decade of when the garment was produced. He owes his knowledge of the 1700s to Karl Lagerfeld, creative director for Fendi, Chanel and his own eponymous fashion house.

Talley met Lagerfeld as a reporter for Interview Magazine.

“This is the way that the men in the 18th century dressed – and this is the way Karl Lagerfeld dressed in his everyday life,” Talley said, pointing to the slide.

Talley took it upon himself to learn everything he could about 18th century France to prepare for his interview with Lagerfeld, and became obsessed with the era himself.

Talley was well-versed in every century covered by the exhibit.

“I so love the fact that there is a rich variety of things,”

Legendary fashionista Andre Leon Tally with designer and fashion show producer Jacqueline Craig during a post-show meet and greet following Talley’s talk as part of the opening festivities for “Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015” at The Saint Louis Art Museum Saturday afternoon.

Talley told The American in an interview the afternoon before his talk. “We see how men can be as creative in their way of dressing.”

One of his favorites was the Zoot Suit from the 1930s.

“This is a great example of black culture that transcends

n “Juneteenth was about networking, sharing information about social issues, improving the quality of education for our children and combating crime.”

– Coffee Wright

into fashion – and a shining example of the show,” Talley said of the suit. “A sterling example of how a man can be as fabulous as a woman.”

Talley pointed out black culture as a major style influencer in contemporary fashion. Sean “Diddy” Combs, Drake, Jaden Smith and Kanye West seem to be in the forefront for Talley.

“Kanye’s music is genius,” Talley said. “Kanye’s marriage was genius.”

The first black president and first lady are also important style influencers for today –and will be for generations to come.

“President Obama is one

of the best-dressed men in the world. He was elegant in the old school movie star kind of way – like a Cary Grant or Gary Cooper.” Talley said.

“And Mrs. Obama singlehandedly gave lessons on fashion. She mixed high and low and had a sense of style that was affordable and approachable. She was the most influential First Lady after Jackie Kennedy.”

Outside of the Obamas, the disrupters of fashion are the influential ones of today according to Talley.

His favorite piece in ‘Reigning Men’ is the gold G-string bathing suit Tom Ford created for Gucci in 1997 – which is anything but traditional – second to a white suit jacket paired with a matching white skirt.

“It’s 2017, why shouldn’t a man wear a skirt?” Talley asked. “Men in Africa and India wear skirts.”

Whatever a man wears, he must own it – which an audience member with a question learned the hard way when he asked about the intersection of architecture and fashion.

“What’s architectural about this outfit?” Talley asked.

“What building inspired this in your mind? What building inspired those flip flops?”

It was all taken in good fun.

“Your clothes must make you feel fabulous,” Talley said. “Everyone might not like the way you dress, but with everything you put on you must feel that you are absolutely the most fabulous thing walking down the street.”

Saint Louis Art Museum’s presentation of “Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015” is currently on display through September 17 at the Saint Louis Art Museum. For more information, visit www.slam.org.

discussions, healing rituals and special recognitions to reenergize East St. Louis. Commemorative Procession begins gathering at 6 p.m. to depart by 6:30 p.m. The silent procession (with drumming) will depart from the SIUE East Louis Education Center and proceed to the center of the Eads Bridge. Eads Bridge was used by many refugees from the rioting to escape to St. Louis. The drum procession is symbolic and reminiscent of the procession held in Harlem by the NAACP to bring attention to the mass killings of African Americans during the East St. Louis race riots. Participants in the procession

and bridge activities are asked to wear all white apparel like worn by some of those in the 1917 procession in Harlem. The Program & Wreath Placement will begin at 7 p.m. At the top of Eads Bridge a memorial wreath will be placed in the Mississippi River; the program will also highlight historical accounts, music and songs. Flying Sky Lanterns will be lit and released (from Eads Bridge) at the conclusion of the program. The releasing of the lanterns is in honor of those who lost their lives during the riots and in recognition of how a community united to end the violence and provide relief to survivors and their families.

Monday, July 3, Monday –A Day of Resurrection “Communities of Color Taking Control of Their Own

Destinies” begins at 1 p.m. at Greater St. Mark Family Church, 9950 Glen Owens in Ferguson. This event includes an open community dialog, drumming, refreshments, networking, sharing ideas and experiences and finding solutions.

This event is sponsored by Freedom Trails-Legacies of Hope, TEACH, Sudan Illustrators and Progressive Emporium & Education Center in coordination with the East St. Louis 1917 Centennial Commission and Cultural Initiative (www.estl1917ccci. org), which has held events throughout 2017. For information contact Johnson Lancaster – TEACH Society at (314) 875-9277 or email progressiveemporium@yahoo. com.

JUNETEENTH

Continued from C1

Coffee Wright: Juneteenth has its own flag. The flag has a blue and red background with one white star in the middle of it.

St. Louis American: Where did the parade start and end at?

It started at Delmar and Vandeventer and ended at Beckett Park. Cars in the parade were decorated alerting the citizens about what was taking place and what Juneteenth means. Many of the citizens watching the parade came to Beckett Park to help celebrate the event.

St. Louis American: What activities took place at Beckett Park?

Coffee Wright: All the fathers were saluted. Larry

Rice spoke in behalf of the homeless. Thea Wilson spoke in behalf of missing people. I spoke on behalf of sickle cell patients and Percy Green II

n “Juneteenth was about networking, sharing information about social issues, improving the quality of education for our children and combating crime.”

– Coffee Wright

gave a speech. Several local bands played at the event, and some of the men played

basketball. Juneteenth was about networking, sharing information about social issues, improving the quality of education for our children and combating crime in the Saint Louis community. For more information on sponsoring or donating for the 2018 Juneteenth event, contact Coffee Wright at 314-769-6067 or visit www. Juneteenthholiday.com. Charles Pointer is the author of three books: “The Making of a Black Belt Karate Champion,” “The Autobiography of Charles Henry Pointer: His Life, His Legacy” and “A Time to Remember,” a novel of the Civil Rights Movement. This article is submitted in loving memory of the late George Curry, former editor of The St. Louis American, who published Pointer’s first article in 1980.

Coffee Wright organized St. Louis’ celebration of Juneteenth on June 18 at Beckett Park (located on Page and Taylor on the city’s North Side).

Photo by Vincent Lang

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

Fair Saint Louis returns to Forest Park July 2-4

Summer has officially arrived! Let’s celebrate with the ultimate summer holiday. It’s time once again for our annual Independence Day celebration, Fair Saint Louis!

We invite you to check out the fair when it takes over Forest Park July 2-4 with music, fireworks and more. Celebrate America’s birthday at this free and open to the public celebration with the sounds of hip-hop recording artist Akon, alternative rock band 3 Doors Down, country music star Jake Owen and more.

The festivities begin with the 135th Annual VP Parade on Saturday, July 1 at 9:30 a.m. in downtown St. Louis at Broadway and Market Street. Since 1878, this parade has been a tradition in the St. Louis community. The theme of the parade will be “Great Things Are Happening!” The parade will feature 12 marching bands from across the region, 17 magnificent floats, larger than life balloon characters and more. KMOV 4 will broadcast this event for millions to watch at home in 29 different markets.

Fair Saint Louis, will offer many familyfriendly activities throughout the day and conclude with musical entertainment and fireworks every night. Each day, family entertainment will be provided in the Purina/ Ameren Festival Zone; STEAM Exhibit; zip line; human slingshot rides; The Fairway; and the Interactive Zone.

Here’s the schedule of events for this year’s Fair Saint Louis.

On Sunday, July 2, the fair will open in Forest Park at 1 p.m. Enjoy the daytime familyfriendly festival fun, a special performance by the Missouri National Guard and musical guests Dirty Muggs, SuperDuperKyle and Akon on the main stage. The fireworks display will begin at 9:35 p.m.

On Monday, July 3, Fair Saint Louis opens in Forest Park at 4 p.m. In the evening, you can listen to musical performances by Eve 6, Sister Hazel and 3 Doors Down on the main stage. The fireworks are set to start at 10 p.m.

For the grand finale on Tuesday, July 4 the fair will open at 1 p.m. During the day, enjoy a variety of family entertainment. A Salute to the Troops will take place on the main stage at 5:35 p.m. and music by Ben Morgan, Matt Stillwell, Dan + Shay and Jake Owen will follow.

Fireworks will close the fair at 9:35 p.m.

The fair is made possible by this year’s sponsors: Anheuser-Busch, Edward Jones, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Purina, Emerson, Maritz and Ameren in collaboration with the City of St. Louis.

Find more details about the fair including a map of Forest Park, parking and transportation information at www.fairsaintlouis.org/ and enjoy your summer to the fullest by visiting www. explorestlouis.com.

The Ringing of the Bells

Black self-defense in the East St. Louis race riot

By Missouri History Museum staff

“The black skin, without regard to age, sex, or innocence, was the mark for slaughter.”

–St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 5, 1917

Shortly after midnight on July 2, 1917, East St. Louis police received a panicked phone call from a white grocer named James Reidy. He told the dispatcher he had witnessed more than 100 armed black men gathered near the corner of 10th St. and Bond Ave. as church bells were ringing. “It’s ringing now,” he reportedly said. “If you listen you can hear it.”

To Reidy and other white East St. Louisans, those bells elicited fear. It had been rumored that blacks were plotting an uprising in retaliation for a riot in May when white mobs had shot and beaten African Americans at random. (Miraculously, no black lives were lost.) Racial tensions were also mounting over competition for jobs, living space, and political power. Whites were demanding an end to black migration, and they hoped that terrorizing blacks would force them to flee. Sporadic attacks against African Americans continued throughout June, and whites feared that blacks were on the brink of an aggressive counterattack – the ringing church bells, they contended, was the signal for the rising.

Black East St. Louisans were more concerned with protecting their families and community than seeking revenge. Just hours before Reidy’s call to police, two carloads of white joyriders in black Model T Fords sped through a neighborhood and randomly shot into homes.

A second attack occurred, but the shooters retreated when blacks returned fire. If the intruders came back, residents were prepared to meet force with force. The church bells were indeed a signal – not to attack but to defend.

A black Model T Ford did return. It was an unmarked squad car with four policemen and a reporter responding to Reidy’s call. The black residents, fearing a repeat of the night’s earlier violence, opened fire on the darkened street. The volley claimed two lives: Sergeant Samuel Coppedge died immediately, and detective Frank Wadley died the following day.

The killings set off the deadliest riot the

United States had ever seen. Thousands of whites brutally murdered an untold number of African-American men, women and children. The official count was 39 blacks and 9 whites dead, but those numbers have been called absurdly low. Some estimated that 200 African Americans had been massacred, and Congressman L. C. Dyer, who represented St. Louis’s 12th District, testified it was more than 500.

Whatever the number, it would have been much higher if it weren’t for the church bells that called men into the street, determined to resist mob violence and prevent whites’ deeper penetration into black neighborhoods. The men helped an estimated 4,000 to 7,000 people reach the Eads Bridge and find refuge in St. Louis. The name of the church that signaled the community and saved countless lives isn’t often identified in studies of the East St. Louis race riot. Roy Albertson, the reporter who was in the unmarked police car, noted only that it was an African Methodist Episcopal church at 16th St. and Boismenue Ave., “deep in the South End and six blocks south of Bond Avenue.”

Albertson previously reported that people had called police about the ringing bells since the May riots, but the exact church wasn’t named then either. It seems doubtful that Albertson would have explored where the ringing came from or its meaning. And though East St. Louis was Albertson’s beat for the St. Louis Republic, he might not have been as familiar with the city’s black neighborhoods. Further, the newspaper accepted without question the white majority view that the bells signaled an offensive act rather than a defensive one.

It’s now widely accepted that True Light Baptist Church rang the bells on the night of July 2. The church was located at 1510 Tudor Ave., only a few blocks from where Reidy saw the armed black men gathered. One scholar has speculated that the church was a community meeting place where residents formulated a plan in response to the ongoing attacks. During recent commemorations of the East St. Louis race riot, True Light has been recognized for its critical role in saving black lives and for shifting an important aspect of the massacre’s narrative: one from black victimhood to one of heroic black resistance.

Reginald Phillips and Reverend Timothy J. Chambers, pastor of True Light Baptist Church, contributed to this article.

St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission

Fair Saint Louis takes over Forest Park July 2-4 with music, family fun, fireworks and more.

Photo courtesy True Light Baptist Church

The church bell at True Light Baptist Church.

Celebrations

Pattonville Star Student

Pattonville High School incoming junior Abby Surlet was accepted into the Harvard Pre-College Program. The two-week summer program provides high school students an introduction to college life while attending challenging classes, living on campus and enjoying excursions and activities. Abby will study law while living on the Harvard campus.

Reunions

397-5570. You may also use Facebook , BHS72 Reunion Committee.

Beaumont High School, Class of 1978 will celebrate its 40-year reunion in 2018. For further information, please contact: Marietta Shegog Shelby, 314-7995296, madeshe@sbcglobal. net.

Beaumont High School Class of 1972 is celebrating 45th class reunion August 11 -13, 2017. Activities have been planned for a fun filled weekend you don’t want to miss. Please direct all inquiries and registration request to Sharon Webb Steele at (314) 757-2799 or Linda Howard at (314)

Cleveland High School is hosting a reunion for all attending 1980-1984 on August 19, 2017 at Catering To You Banquet Center (12775 New Halls Ferry Rd., Florissant, MO 63033) For information, please contact Babette Perkins-Anderson at 314-345-0939.

Nuptials

Congratulations to newlyweds Danielle Kimberly Haskins and Frederick Haskins III! The couple exchanged vows on June 4, 2017 at the Provincial Chapel on the UMSL Campus and the reception was held at the Renaissance Hotel-St. Louis. The couple spent their honeymoon sailing on the Royal Caribbean Cruise line. Frederick Haskins III is local pipefitter of 10+ years and Danielle Haskins is Licensed Salon Stylist at B’Relvent Salon.

Boys & Girls Club Honors

Hadley Tech Classes of 1962-1963 are having their 55th year reunion on October 13-15, 2017 at the St. Louis Airport Marriott. For more information, please contact Hellon (Merritt) Jefferson at 314-307-3681, Ora (Scott) Roberts at 314-222-3662, Wilhelmina (Gibson) Baker at 314-630-9647, Pearl (Tillman) Holden 314-6850466 or Virdell (Robinson) Stennis at 314-773-8177.

Mr. Eldridge Bryant, Sr. is hosting a reunion for his students at Lafayette and Monroe Elementary Schools in SLPS from 19992000. For more information, please contact him at: 314489-0532 or eldridgbrya@ sbcglobal.net.

Robert “Bob” Fulstone received the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis 2017 Richard H. Amberg Award. Fulstone has served as a dedicated board member and volunteer for over 25 years.

McKinley Goldbugs Class of 1987 is planning their 30-year reunion, July 7-8. 2017. For details please contact Freddie Clemons at freddieclemons568@yahoo. com or go to McKinley Goldbugs Facebook site for more information.

O’Fallon Technical High School Class of 1967, will be celebrating its 50th reunion on September 15-17, 2017. If you have not received a letter or e-mail, please call 314630-8452 with your contact information, and a committee member will contact you. Save the date, there will not be another 50th.

Soldan High School Class of 1967 will be holding its 50th

class reunion September 29-30, 2017. For additional information, please contact Nona Binion Simpkins at 314-361-3799or Melvia Forniss at 314-725-8103.

Soldan is having its 12th All-Class Alumni Picnic August 12, 2017 at Tiemeyer Park, 3311 Ashby Rd., St. Ann, MO 63074 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The picnic is free. Bring your own basket or grill and grill out there. Food truck will be on site. T-Shirts will be sold for $15.00. You have until August 6, 2017, to get your grad. year put on the sleeve. For more information, call (314) 413-9088.

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to: St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315 Pine St. St. Louis, MO 63103 FREE OF CHARGE

Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us! However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103 Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us. Our email address is: reunions@ stlamerican.com

Happy Birthday to A’ziyah who will turn one-year-old on July 7, 2017. May God Bless you, from your Great, Great Grandpa Bob White

Swag Snap of the Week

Six years on top. Before I get to being disgraceful, I want to give a shout out to the entire St. Louis American team for being named The Nation’s Best Black Newspaper yet again. This marks the sixth year in a row that The American has taken home the top honors. I’m not saying this to gloat, though I would be lying if I said it didn’t feel good to have such an awesome streak. But I’m letting y’all know so that you can join in the celebration. This award belongs to all of us. Without your continued support and willingness to trust us with the telling of your stories, we would not be able to have held on to the crown so long. We are so appreciative to have a region that has our back and never ceases to show us love –it’s amazing to have our city be the shining example for the black press.

Miss Robbie Rocked the House. I was absolutely delighted to catch souldiva- turned-soul-food-mogul Robbie Montgomery return to the stage Friday night at BB’s for her “Meet Me in St. Louis” concert. The venue was at capacity – as it should have been. It was so tight in there that I barely got a chance to mingle with the who’s who of STL that stopped through to show Miss Robbie some love. I did manage to exchange hellos with Carol Daniel and KiKi The 1st Lady. Speaking of who’s who, who knew that Gentry Trotter was a man of song? Miss Robbie gave him his time to shine with a solo as she did her thing performing some old school soul, R&B and blues classic. Was I the only one that belted “Wang Dang Doodle” at the top of my lungs…all the way home?

Return of the Dru. Dru Hill made their annual return to the city thanks to RockHouse Ent Sunday night for what was billed as their 20th Anniversary tour. It’s been longer than 20 years, but I’ll give them that it’s the 20th anniversary of “Never Make A Promise” and keep it moving. Before I say anything else, let me just say that sound was a mess. Now that I have that off of my chest, I can carry on with the rest of my take on the show. They look fantastic. Sisqo is a lowkey vampire. If I hadn’t seen them hopping around to “Tell Me” from the jump, I wouldn’t dare believe they’ve been at it so long. They did their thing Sunday night – singing all of their songs and a few others that I wouldn’t have thought I would be in the mood to hear. And I was thrilled that it was a live band. The sound made worse by a few wayward notes is the only negative thing I have to say. Oh, well except for Nokio being dressed like the royal prince of some Arab nation? I get his desire to be the “boy, you so different” member of the group –but he always takes it a tad too far.

Flexin’ with the Quan. I might be partial because “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)” and “Type of Way” are my jams, but I secretly got my life from Rich Homie Quan’s little set at the Marquee Friday night. He hasn’t had a hit in a hot little minute – at least not one that I’m aware of – but the folks still packed it out on the strength of his club hits, including the one that inspired the dance that bears his name. Now I honestly didn’t know what to expect because of his Ben Carson hair game aka the standard hairline for the corny conservative black man. I’m so glad I didn’t hold it against him, because by the end of the night I “hit the Quan” all across the Marquee – and I wasn’t alone. It’s not saying a lot for me to say I got my money’s worth. But based on the energy of the crowd people who actually paid to get in – they would co-sign with me as far as saying he gave a solid show for a club gig. Actually I’d consider it decent if it were at a concert venue.

Eat.Drink.Chill and traffic. I should’ve listened to the folks who told me to make sure I considered the Cardinals game traffic when I planned my stop to see what Mo Spoon, Rhashad and Teddy were serving up for Eat.Drink.Chill at Ballpark Village Sunday. At first I thought most of the people thought of the Cardinal Nation stomping through taking up all the good parking spaces. I know the promoters breathed a sigh of relief when the folks filed in telling the same story about spending thirty minutes to find a spot. It was a cool set. If I had it to do again I would have been two hours ahead of the baseball fans, but I most certainly would have still stopped through.

Birthday props in order. I want to take just a moment to give shouts out to two of my favorites on the scene who celebrated their respective special days with intimate gatherings with all kinds of glamour honey. I spent my Saturday night with Scotti, one of my favorite makeup artists. And she was snatched from head to toe for her set at Element. On Sunday night socialite Lee Haynes proved that 50 is the new 30 with her bash at Clayton on the Park. Both of them gave me ideas for my next milestone birthday – which is none of your business! Living large at the Laugh Lounge. I’m so proud of my boy Jessie Taylor for his next chapter as a comedy club owner. And he has some serious names on the lineup too! I knew I was stopping by next month to check for comedy great Paul Mooney (July 28-29). But I almost fell over in my seat when I saw the Facebook video from The Laugh Lounge where Melanie Comarcho said she was coming there to headline from June 29 – July 2. Her performances at the last two Martin Lawrence shows were the only thing that kept me from rounding up a bunch of folks for a class action suit against him for false advertising – because had she not been on the bill there wouldn’t have been a sip of laughter to be had. I know she’s going to bring the house down at The Laugh Lounge. I know I have the whole weekend to see her, but I just might make my way over there tonight.

Jeanelle and Nick partied with Mo Spoon, B Free and Rashadism @ Eat.Drink.Chill Sunday afternoon @ Ballpark Village

GRLNTN and Aloha Misho presented HoneyBunz: The Party @ Blank Space on Friday and bandmate Rockwell Knuckles of The Knuckles was there to support her

Shirley and Monty were summertime fly and all smiles as they stepped into The Pageant for Dru Hill Sunday night

Jenni, Monique and Kamile started their week off just kicking it @Shi Sha on Sunday

Keely, Karin, Kaysha and Belinda reminisced on good times and created new memories @ Eat. Drink.Chill Sunday afternoon

Mikey B of Awi Studios had an opportunity to present Rich Homie Quan with a portrait he painted of the rapper Friday night @The Marquee

Victoria and Darius waited for Rich Homie Quan to take the stage Friday @ The Marquee

Sabrina came out to help Scotti Scott celebrate her birthday on Saturday @ Element STL

Founder of “Tea and Incense” Lecx Curry and NeferTiTi showed off their magic during the monthly gathering @Blank Space on Saturday

Travon accompanied Ja’ Nae to see Sisqo, her favorite member of Dru Hill, Sunday night @The Pageant

Chartashia and Kawana of Style-taneous couldn’t help but beam with joy when they were greeted by Dru Hill following their performance at The Pageant Sunday.

Photos by V Lang

St. LouiS american Career Center

SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS

Normandy Schools Collaborative

Now Hiring School Bus Drivers

We offer paid training and a starting rate of $15.00 per hour Apply at: www.normandysc.org

POLICE OFFICER

The City of Kirkwood, MO seeks Police Officer applicants. Minimum Requirements: Must be a U.S. citizen; be 21 years of age on or before the date of appointment; have no felony or serious misdemeanor convictions; possess a valid driver’s license; meet the POST training requirements for a first class county in the State of Missouri, or currently be enrolled in a qualified academy graduating during calendar year 2017; and be in excellent physical and mental condition. Starting Salary: $55,656.51 per year or depending on experience, plus benefits. E-mail mcfatrmc@kirkwoodmo.org or call 314/984-6975 by 5:00 p.m. CST; Friday, July 7, 2017 for the application. EOE

PUBLIC WORKS LABORER

The City of Richmond Heights is accepting applications for Public Works Laborer. Apply at www.richmondheights.applicantpro.com/jobs/ by Wednesday, July 5th.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Application for the position of Adminisrative Assistant at Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, 4300 Delmar Blvd. are being accepted. Please call the church for an application and further information (314.531.6390). Or email your request to: galileedelmar@aol.com

DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

De Smet Jesuit High School seeks highly qualified candidates for the full-time position of Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the 2017–2018 school year. Successful candidates will have a master’s degree in education or academic field and a minimum of three to five years of experience in providing diversity-related programming to adolescents. More information is available at https://www.desmet.org/ about/careers. Send a resumé, cover letter, and three references to Katie Martin, Assistant to the President, at kmartin2@desmet.org. Application materials will be accepted through July 14.

ADMISSIONS REPRESENTATIVE

Webster University has an Admissions Representative position available within the Office of Admission. Please apply online at http://webster.peopleadmin. com/postings/2532. No phone calls please. Webster University provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, ethnicity, age, protected veteran or disabled status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

YOUTH LEADER SPECIALIST I/II

Youth Leader Specialist I/II positions at the St. Louis City Family Court Juvenile Division - Includes Full Benefit Package detailed info at www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com EOE

VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNSELOR

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with the State of Missouri wanted in St. Louis. Salary $38,808-$40,776 (depending on qualifications). Master’s degree preferred. Will consider bachelor’s degree in counseling with social service background. Please apply online at dese.applicantpro.com/jobs/

PARTNERSHIP SALES & SERVICES MANAGER

Explore St. Louis has an immediate opening for a Partnership Sales & Services Manager within our Partnership Department. Primary duties include; generating new partners and secure retention of current partners, through telephone, email and personal visits. This position will generate new sales and work to maintain lasting partners. Will be required to conduct sales visits to potential clients and locations and will identify and develop accounts as assigned.

The ideal candidate will be able to build and maintain business relationships; must have knowledge of the St. Louis community, area attractions and venues. Experience with the hospitality industry preferred. Bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years sales/marketing experience. Must be able to work a flexible schedule and obtain and keep a valid driver’s license. Applicants please email resume with cover letter to jobs@explorestlouis.com. NO PHONE CALLS! EOE.

MANAGER

Webster University is seeking a Manager in the Accounts Payable Department. Please apply online at http://webster.peopleadmin. com/postings/2543. No phone calls please. Webster University provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, ethnicity, age, protected veteran or disabled status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

HEALTHCARE OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Full Time. Reports to Director, Medical & Research Initiatives. Responsible for outreach to ancillary healthcare and service providers for the Alzheimer’s Association, St. Louis Chapter. The position has primary responsibility for conducting outreach to social workers and case managers as well as local Area Agencies on Aging, home care service providers with the goal of developing mutually beneficial direct referral relationships. Measurable outcomes are increased referrals from service providers to Association programs, increased Care Consultation delivery and expenditure of the respite funds.

SCHOOL BUS DRIVER NEEDED

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis is looking for a school bus driver. Interested? Apply at bgcstl.org/careers OR call 314-335-8017.

LIFE GUARDS NEEDED

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis is looking for Life Guards to monitor swimmers in our INDOOR pool. Interested? Apply at bgcstl.org/careers OR call 314-335-8017.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE REPRESENTATIVE, P-T

The Missouri Historical Society seeks a part-time Visitor Experience Representative. Visit www.mohistory.org for position details. An Equal Opportunity Employer

NHPRC DIGITIZATION SPECIALIST AND CATALOGER

The Missouri History Museum seeks a temporary, part-time NHPRC Digitization Specialist and Cataloger. Visit www.mohistory.org for position details. An Equal Opportunity Employer STAFF ACCOUNTANT

The Missouri History Museum seeks a Staff Accountant. Visit www.mohistory.org for position details. An Equal Opportunity Employer

for licensing as a peace officer, as determined by the Missouri Department of Public Safety, Peace Office Standards & Training (POST) Program. Bi-weekly rate of pay for a Police Officer (Trainee) is $1,539.00. For Police Probationary Officer, the annual rate is $41,815.28. To apply, visit the City web site at http://stlouis-mo.gov/jobs. Additional information concerning the Police Officer (Trainee) process can be found on the St. Louis Police Division’s website at http://stmpd.org.careers.shtml Or contact: City of St. Louis Department of Personnel 1114 Market Street, Room 700 St. Louis, MO 63101 (314) 622-4308

Applications will be accepted until a sufficient number are received to fill the anticipated vacancies. Applications can be submitted on the Internet. Please submit Employment Application as soon as possible.

Position requires City residency within 120 days of completion of the initial working test period. An Equal Opportunity Employer.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Bachelor’s degree with 2 years post graduate work experience. Background in social services, sales, marketing and dementia with knowledge about the goals of the Alzheimer’s Association helpful.

Demonstrated professional networking / relationships management skills and experience. Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications including Word, Outlook and strong ability to use Excel. Experience with Access database application preferred. Strong organizational skills, detail oriented and ability to plan, coordinate and manage budgets and programs Experience working with clerical staff and volunteers.

Please submit your résumé and cover letter, including salary requirements and a minimum of two professional references to Stl-hr@alz.org

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Assistant Teaching Professor

The Department of Biology at the University of Missouri–St. Louis invites applications for a full-time, nine-month position as an Assistant Teaching Professor. The position is a non-tenure track, renewable appointment beginning in August of 2017. Teaching responsibilities will include Introduction to Biology, Vertebrate Anatomy lecture and lab, Vertebrate Physiology lecture and lab, and additional courses to be selected based on applicant expertise and department need. Teaching will involve lecture, laboratory, and supervision of graduate teaching assistants. Some evening teaching is to be expected. The successful candidate also will participate in advising of undergraduate Biology majors. Optional summer teaching is possible.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. in an appropriate discipline and previous teaching experience, with relevant post-doctoral experience desirable. Salary with benefits will be commensurate with experience. The application should include a cover letter, Curriculum Vitae, a statement of teaching interests and experience, and contact information for three references. The application materials should be combined into a single PDF or Microsoft Word file and uploaded online at http://www.umsl. jobs. For additional information, contact Dr. Wendy Olivas at olivasw@umsl.edu. Review of applications will begin June 30, 2017 and continue until the position is filled.

UM-St. Louis does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability or status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam Era in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities. UM-St. Louis is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to excellence through diversity.

The Gatesworth is HIRING Full-time Housekeepers Full-time Houseman/ Floor Tech Days, Evenings, and Over-nights Please send your resume to recruiting@thegatesworth.com.

FIELD EDUCATION COORDINATOR

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis invites applications for Field Education Coordinator in the Office of Field Education.

A primary purpose of this position among others is to develop, affiliate, support, maintain and monitor local, national, and international graduate-level practicum placements for the Office of Field Education.

For a full job description and to apply, please visit https://jobs.wustl.edu and search for job posting 37082.

To find out more about our excellent employment benefits, please visit http://hr.wustl.edu.

Washington University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

ATTENTION MBE/WBE FIRMS

Renovations Unlimited, LLC is seeking licensed, bonded and insured bids for the following construction items: Supply and installation Finish Carpentry, Roofing, Windows, Interior & Exterior Doors, Flooring & Tile, Interior & Exterior Painting, HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, Garage-Carport Framing & Siding, Appliances and Final Cleaning.

For our project located at 2330 South 12th Street, St. Louis MO 63104. The bid package is available by contacting bids2330s12thst@gmail.com Bids due by 07/19/2017

The owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive informalities therein to determine the lowest and best bid and to approve the bid and issue a contract. MBEs / WBEs are encouraged to submit bids. This project will comply with Mayor’s Executive Order #28, as amended.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for Musick Avenue Bridge No. 412, St. Louis County Project No. CR1452, will be received at the Office of the Director of Procurement for the County of St. Louis, County Government Center Administration Building, 41 South Central Avenue, 8th Floor, Clayton, Missouri 63105, until 2:00 p.m. on July 12, 2017.

Plans and specifications will be available on June 19, 2017 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www.stlouisco.com), or by contacting County Blue Reprographics, Inc., 1449 Strassner Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63144, (314) 961-3800.

DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

Castle Contracting requests bids from qualified and certified MBE and WBE subcontractors and suppliers for the following project:

Next NGA West Soil Remediation and Grading Project in the City of St. Louis SUB/SUPPLIER BIDS DUE: Monday, July 3, 2017 by 5:00 PM CST Contact Brian Carlson at Brian.Carlson@digcastle.com or (314) 656-0206.

Project plans and specs can be obtained through the Project Connect – Next NGA West website, MOKAN, AGC of Missouri, or by contacting Castle Contracting.

Castle Contracting is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

INVITATION TO BID

Ferguson-Florissant School District

Elevator Modernization 8855 Dunn Road, Hazelwood, MO 63042

Sealed bids for the above project are being requested from the Ferguson-Florissant School District. All sealed bids will be received until Friday, July 14, 2017 at 10:30 A.M. CST by the Ferguson-Florissant School District, and will be publicly opened and read aloud at the Facilities Department 7469 Mintert Ind. Dr. Ferguson, MO. 63135. Submit your request for specs at the Ferguson-Florissant School District Web site http://new.fergflor.k12. mo.us/facilities-rfq. Contact Matt Furfaro at 314-506-9184.

CITY OF ST. LOUIS

BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, DRAFTING, AND ESTIMATING SERVICES AT ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, July 13, 2017 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from BPS website www.stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan Room-Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535. 25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals.

Notice

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive RFQ’s in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 631032555 until 10:00 a.m. on July 27, 2017 to contract with a company for: 2018 Front Wheel Drive Compact 4 Door 5 Passenger Automobile. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 9030 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.6250 to request a copy of this bid. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

BIDS

KCI Construction Co is requesting proposals for the work as shown on bid documents for the Next NGA West Soil Remediation and Grading project from qualified M/WBE subcontractors. Plans are available for review at our offices during normal business hours and at the City of St. Louis Website WWW.stlouis-mo.gov/nextNGAwest. Bids are due in KCI Construction Co.’s office no later than 10:00 am July 7, 2017. KCI Construction will hold a prebid meeting at 10315 Lake Bluff Drive, St louis, Missouri for interested subcontractors and suppliers to discuss project scope and answer any questions regarding the project. KCI Construction Co, 10315 Lake Bluff Drive, St Louis, Mo 63123 314-894-8888

CITY OF ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Solicitation for Bids (SFB) for Snow Removal Services

Bids Wanted

Bid documents may be obtained at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Airport Properties Division Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by calling (314) 426-8184. This SFB may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.flystl.com/ business/contact-opportunites.

Robert Salarano Airport Properties Division Manager

INVITATION FOR BIDS #: 57817179

Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) is requesting bids for removal and replacement of existing flooring in Gillespie Residence Hall student bedrooms. A mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. in the Clay Education Center 204 Professional Development Room located at 10 North Compton, St. Louis, MO 63103. A copy of the IFB is available by calling (314) 340-5763 or (314) 340-3325, emailing: morrowb@ hssu.edu or barskys@hssu.edu or faxing a written request to: (314) 340-3322. Bids must be submitted to room 105 in the Dr. Henry Givens, Jr., Administration (HGA) building no later than 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 and will be opened and read at 10:00 a.m. in room 123 in the HGA building.

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive RFQ’s in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 631032555 until 10:00 a.m. on July 28, 2017 to contract with a company for: 2018 Survey Crew Cab Pick Up Truck. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 9025 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.6250 to request a copy of this bid. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

METROPOLITAN ST LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

MISSOURI RIVER WWTF ADMINISTRATION ENTRANCE CONTRACT LETTING 12709

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer

District (District) will receive sealed bids for Missouri River WWTF Administration Entrance under Letting No. 12709, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Thursday, July 27th , 2017.

The work generally includes the demolition and replacement of the Missouri River WWTF Administration Entrance, as described in the Drawings and Specifications. The Engineers Opinion of Probable Cost for this project is $92,000.

Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing or Building Construction Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1710 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

A non-mandatory Pre-Bid conference, including site visit, will be held on Thursday, July 13th, 2017, at 10:00 AM CT, at the Missouri River Treatment Plant, 3455 Creve Coeur Mill Road, Maryland Heights, Missouri, in accordance with Article 6 of the Instructions to Bidders.

Lemay Housing

REQUEST FOR BIDS

abatement of asbestos containing material, the abatement of household hazardous waste, the demolition of the structure, the removal of demolition debris, site clearing and grading. Bid documents may be obtained by requesting said documents from Cross Rhodes Reprographics website at www.x-rhodes.com. LHP will accept sealed bids for the work at its office submitted to Attn: Executive Director until Friday, July 14, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. at which timeand place bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. Any questions and/or clarification should bedirected to the Executive Director, Lemay Housing Partnership Inc. at (314) 631-9905. The project will be funded in part through a grant from the St Louis County Port Authority. All related funding regulations shall be in full force and effect. LHP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Unit Preparation Services

Issue Date: Monday, June 12, 2017after 2:00 pm

Pre-Bid Conference Thursday, June 22, 2017, 10:00 am

Bids Due Date: Friday, June 30, 2017, 3:00 pm

NO BIDS ACCEPTED AFTER DEADLINE

For more information, contact Cassandra Coulter at 618-646-7110, ccoulter@eslha.org or visit www.eslha.org. TDDY 1-800-545-1833 ext. 471.

ESLHA reserves the right to cancel the IFB reject any or all bids, and waive minor informalities for bidders as deemed necessary by ESLHA and the public’s best interest.

ESLHA is a fair housing and equal opportunity employer.

Submitted by:

Mildred A. Motley

Public Notice of Single

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure funds as described in Ordinance 14612: in agreement with SMARTGEOTECH, Inc; The District is proposing Single Source Procurement to SMARTGEOTECH Inc. for Technological Upgrade to the current Everest application. Any inquiries should be sent to ltreat@stlmsd.com Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Religion

SoulFisher Ministries receives $11K from Dollar General Literacy Foundation

Will fund literacy training for 50 women who are incarcerated or on parole/probation

American staff

The Dollar General Literacy foundation granted The SoulFisher Ministries $11,266 to support their Adult General Academic Program of Education (AGAPE) to help improve the literacy component of those who are incarcerated or on parole and/ or probation in St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Through the adult literacy program of AGAPE, The SoulFisher Ministries expects to serve at least 50 women in the Women’s Eastern Reception Diagnostic & Correctional Center in Vandalia, 40 incarcerated and 10 on parole or probation. The classes will be offered two hours a day, twice a week for one year. Using evidence-based curricula, the adult literacy programs are expected to significantly increase the literacy level of each woman.

“So many women involved with the criminal justice system are well below the literacy level,” said Shawntelle Fisher, founder and CEO of The SoulFisher Ministries. “This grant will allow us to continue providing holistic services that work to meet the needs of the whole person. The women will have an opportunity to increase their literacy level while improving their chances for successful reentry to the community.”

Fisher said the SoulFisher Ministries is both humbled and grateful to receive this grant to continue their work with AGAPE and WERDCC. The adult literacy program will not only help enrich the lives of those women who are or have been incarcerated, she said, it will also provide an environment that fosters character building, supports critical thinking, and offers the tools necessary to obtain and

Shawntelle Fisher (right), founder and CEO of The SoulFisher Ministries, with Jeanne Zarucchi, professor of art history and French at UMSL, during a book drive Fisher organized in 2015 that allowed each Koch Elementary student to take home a new book to read over Spring Break.

surpass their goals.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has offered The SoulFisher Ministries their support over the past two years by also providing them with grants for their Youth Literacy program.

“Dollar General is excited to provide these organizations with funding to support literacy and education throughout the 44 states we serve,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO. “Providing these grants and supporting the communities we call home reflects our mission of Serving Others and it’s rewarding to see the impact these funds have.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation supports initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and

education. Since its inception in 1993, the foundation has awarded more than $135 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 8.6 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.

The SoulFisher Ministries is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization committed to helping youth and formerly incarcerated individuals to become and remain positive, productive, and socially responsible members in the community. Its mission is to respond to the needs of youth with incarcerated parents and to promote restorative justice for those currently or formerly incarcerated. For more information, visit www. thesoulfisherministries.com.

Power awaits you

I have come to believe that confidence and discipline are spiritual concepts. Better yet, confidence coupled with discipline must surely be Godly. This coupling should by no means be confused with arrogance and ego. Faith requires discipline and together with spiritual confidence, the Godly result is power.

The example I’d like to use is what happened in the Upper Room on Pentecost.

When the Holy Spirit came upon the saints present, confidence and discipline is what resulted. These were already faithful people, but their lives would be forever changed as they received the power to spread the Word of God, a Word that changed the world.

When you internalize this in a before and after scenario as I have, you begin to see their confidence coupled with a newfound Holy Spirit-driven discipline that takes their faith to new heights. Prior to this, the faithful huddled in secret, being faithful to the belief, that Jesus was truthful in His Word. He would send another. The “other” we know, turned out to be the Holy Spirit. Their faith was fortified with confidence and discipline which manifested itself in a unique ability to communicate and the world has not been the same since. If this is true, then it might prove valuable to you to understand where you might find this kind of discipline and confidence.Without spiritually based confidence and discipline, it is practically impossible to stand up to the

daily challenges of life and the temptations that sometimes control our out of control behavior. The good news of the gospel is that wherever the Holy Spirit chooses to take up residence, change must occur. Of those 40 or so saints in the Upper Room, many were faced with the opportunity to make their own lives easier if they would deny God in favor of man. Like Peter said before the Sanhedrin after the day of Pentecost, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19. This is the same Peter who denied Christ three times – an act of cowardice or simply the challenge put before a man not yet buoyed by the power of the Holy Spirit? Boy, what a difference a day makes. You remember Paul at Ephesus? “When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.” Acts 19:6. Now these 12 men were already baptized but the Holy Spirit was not yet in them. After that we are told they began to preach the gospel. Can you see the point? Look inwardly and make room for the Holy Spirit. Then seek his face. Discipline coupled with the confidence of knowing you are a candidate for housing the Holy Spirit gives you the power of the faithful as promised by God. That is the power that awaits you.

Columnist James Washington

Photo courtesy of UMSL