March 31st, 2022 edition

The St. LouiS AmericAn

Cori Bush ready for Steve Roberts’ challenge

‘Such men do not belong in public service’

By Sarah Kellogg St. Louis Public Radio

Democratic state Sen. Steve Roberts, D-St. Louis, is challenging Congresswoman Cori Bush, D-St. Louis County, to represent Missouri’s 1st Congressional District. Roberts submitted his paperwork on Monday, the second-to-last day of candidate filing to run for the seat.

Roberts said he didn’t intend to run for Congress when he was initially elected to serve in the Missouri Senate, but Bush’s actions changed that.

“It’s become pretty apparent to me that Congresswoman Cori Bush is not interested in serving as a U.S. Representative,” Roberts said. He added: “She made a comment that she wanted to defund the Pentagon. The NGA (National Geospatial Intelligence Agency) is a

VP Harris praises Black Press at Emmett Till Act signing

Ida B. Wells relative on hand

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire

With Michelle Duster, the great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells, by her side, Vice President Kamala Harris went off-script to praise the Black Press during the bill signing ceremony for the Emmett Till Antilynching law.

“Ida B. Wells,” Harris said, interrupting her prepared remarks midway through her speech. “The courageous nature of that incredible American who used her skill, her profession, her calling, as a journalist to help open the eyes of our nation to the terror of lynching which speaks to the role – going off script – and the importance of the Black Press and making sure that we have storytellers in our community, who will tell the story when no one else is willing to tell it.”

Named after Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American savagely murdered by a group of white men in Mississippi in 1955, the legislation received pushback from three Republicans – Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Chip Roy of Texas.

Each was the lone vote against the bill. Emmett Till’s murder sparked the civil rights movement, leading to bills like the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other social justice laws.

And while the story of Emmett Till is widely known, Harris noted other incidents of lynching throughout American history.

“So those heroes who petitioned presidents to pass anti-lynching legislation, after the murder of Mary Turner in 1918, Emmett Till in 1955, James Byrd Jr. in 1998, and James Craig in 2011, and it failed again and again and again,” Harris remarked. “Anti-lynching legislation was reintroduced in the

multimillion-dollar project that’s in my Senate seat, in the 1st Congressional [District], those folks don’t have a voice.”

In a statement after Roberts’ announcement, Bush’s office said the people of St. Louis have a clear choice in the election.

“Their Congresswoman who loves them and delivered hundreds of millions of dollars to St. Louis, and a host of ego-driven men who seem to think all that Black women leaders do is never good enough,” the written statement said.

Anita Manion, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said seeing a more establishment candidate isn’t that surprising.

“Representative Bush has made some choices on votes that hav-

and Keira Watt Freeman, 11, lead the Better Family Life Kuumba Youth Performance Ensemble into the auditorium for a tribute to well-known poet, writer, and civil rights activist Alice Windom Saturday, Mar. 26. The event took place at the Better Family Life Education and Cultural Center.

Salute to Excellence in Health Care in person on April 14

By Raven Whitener

The St. Louis American

The St. Louis American Foundation will honor seven outstanding health professionals from a wide range of organizations, including federally qualified area medical centers, dentistry, and university medical centers in person, at the 2022 Salute to Excellence in Health Care Luncheon on Thursday, April 14, at the Frontenac Hilton.

Ketra Collins is a registered nurse at Gateway Regional Medical Center while also serving as the coordinator of Shalom Church City of Peace Health Fair and Health Ministry. She says she feels “incredibly blessed to be able to provide free health care screenings and services to my church and the community at large.” Since the COVID-19 pandemic, her coordination has aided in providing COVID-19 testing, education and vaccination clinics routinely at the church. Collins has worked as an RN for 40 years and was the first African-American nurse on the Labor & Delivery/ Obstetrics/Newborn Nursery Unit; she has worked the last two years on the Surgical Services Unit. Collins received her ADN from Lewis and Clark Community College in 1980 and her BSN degree from Chamberlain University in 2013.

Dr. Michelle Grimes is a doctoral-prepared board-certified family nurse practitioner and chief nursing officer at CareSTL Health Care in St. Louis. Dr. Grimes has more than 40 years of experience as a nurse in various clinical areas. Her clin-

By Karen Robinson-Jacobs

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Cori Bush

Steve Roberts

R&B Singer Keith Martin dies at 55

R&B singer Keith Martin most famous for his ballad “Because of You,” was found dead in The Phillippines. He was 55.

According to The Phillippine Star, Martin’s body was discovered by building workers in his Quezon City condominium last Friday.

Neighbors were alarmed by what they say was a foul smell coming from his home. Officials believe he had been dead for about a week.

His 1995 hit record “Never Find Someone Like You,” charted on Billboard and was promoted in “Bad Boys.”

He relocated from America to Manila in 2004 to develop Asian artists as an in-house producer.

An ongoing investigation is in progress for his death.

Black News Channel abruptly closes

Black News Channel abruptly terminated 230 employees last Friday. The show first aired in early 2020.

The L.A. Times reports the Tallahassee, Florida-based news organization, whose majority stockholder is Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, failed to meet payroll. This came a day after Khan reportedly told employees he would defer their paychecks.

“During the past few months, we have endured very painful workforce reductions at all levels of the network as we worked to achieve our financial goal of a break-even business,” Princell Hair, BNC chief executive said in a correspondence acquired by The Times

“This has forced all of you to do more with less, and your contributions have been remarkable. Unfortunately, due to challenging market conditions and global financial pressures, we have been unable to meet our financial goals, and the timeline afforded to us has run out.”

Anthony Anderson’s wife

Alvina Stewart files for divorce a second time

Second time’s a charm, perhaps?

Anthony Anderson’s wife Alvina Stewart has filed for divorce from her husband for a second time.

On March 25, 2022, Stewart submitted a request to terminate her

marriage of 22 years to the “Black-ish” actor.

This isn’t the first time there’s been trouble in paradise for the couple. The two wed in 1999 and were separated from 2014 to 2016, according to TMZ. Stewart applied for a dissolution of marriage in 2015 and extracted the appeal the following year.

She is asking for spousal support and attorney fees in the disunion. The couple share two adult children Kyra, 26, and Nathan, 22.

While taking lie detector test, Tyler Perry admits he speaks in a Madea tone during intimacy

Oddly enough, Tyler Madea character not only plays out on TV and in movies, he recently admitted in an interview with Vanity Fair that he acts in her essence during intimacy. He initially denied the question but admitted to it when he remembered he was taking a lie detector test. He revealed he says ‘Heller’ in Madea’s voice

and sings Adele songs.

Donald Glover hires Malia Obama as a writer on forthcoming show

Donald Glover has hired former first daughter Malia Obama to be a writer on a show he’s developing about a character that uses Beyoncé’s likeness. He told Vanity Fair Obama will work sideby-side with him on an Amazon television series possibly called “Hive.”

“She’s an amazingly talented person,” Glover said about Obama. “She’s focused, and she’s working hard.” Glover praised Obama’s work and said she has a bright future.

“I feel like she’s just somebody who’s gonna have really good things coming soon,” he said. Obama isn’t new to the entertainment industry. In past roles, she interned on the HBO series “Girls” and as a production assistant on Halle Berry’s show “Extant.”

Sources: Hollywood Unlocked, Vanity Fair, The Hill, Cosmopolitan, B. Scott, L.A. Times, Ice Cream Convos, TMZ, NY Post

Anthony Anderson Alvina Stewart

Renouncement of Dred Scott decision celebrated at Central Baptist Church

By Isaiah Peters

The St. Louis American

On March 22, 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Dred Scott v. Sandford denied Dred Scott’s family their freedom and stated American citizenship did not include Black people “enslaved or free.”

The ruling also stated Black people had no right to file lawsuits seeking freedom.

“It’s an articulation of the most virulent racist argument by the federal court. Prior, no federal court had ever said anything like this [the ruling],” said Lynne Jackson, Scott’s great-great-granddaughter and Dred Scott Heritage Foundation president.

170 years after the ruling, Central Baptist Church in St. Louis on Saturday, March 26, 2022, hosted a large congregation celebrating Missouri’s official and overdue recognition of the Scott family’s fight for freedom.

The service commemorated a unanimous Missouri state legislature renouncing the ruling in both chambers on April 29,

2021. The church also celebrated its 175th anniversary. It was founded on March 22, 1846.

The 1857 Scott case ruling maintained that the federal government could not limit slavery to certain territories, which was a factor in prompting the Civil War. Scott lived a year as a free person, six years before the Emancipation Proclamation.

The Central Baptist event included speakers Peter Blow, Charles and Louis LaBeaume, Oliver Brown, Judge John Ferguson, Homer Plessy, state Sen, Mike Moon, and state Reps. Dottie Bailey, Steven Roberts Jr. and Raychel Proudie. Roberts Jr. and Proudie introduced the Scott decision renouncement legislation in 2020. It eventually passed the chamber’s judiciary and rules committees unanimously, but a final vote was delayed because of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Sister [Circuit Attorney] Kimberly Gardner and sister [St. Louis Mayor] Tishaura Jones and all Black women carry the burden of ‘Dred Scott city’ on their shoulders,” Julia Davis, director of Black Power

since then, we’ve been working together, to bring Black and white Americans together. And as Jackson likes to say at the end of our talks, ‘if the Scotts and Taneys can come together in America, anyone can.’”

“This church provided crucial support for the Scott family in their fight for freedom,” said Louise LeBourgeois, the daughter of Charlotte Blow. Blow is the great-great-great granddaughter of Charlotte Blow, a daughter of Dred Scott’s enslavers. She would later help free Scott.

“[That] we can draw a direct line from this church, to the Scott v. Sanford case to Civil War to emancipation is a testament to the ministry nurtured here for 175 years.”

“They [Blows and Scotts] were able to love and nurture each other as was their innate human rights,” LeBourgeois said.

for the International Black Freedom Alliance (IBFA), said.

“We are here from this Old Courthouse, where it all started to go bad for Black people, down to the Carnahan Courthouse, where the tradition continues, but we are the curse

breaker.

Charlie Taney, the greatgreat nephew of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, who as a sitting Supreme Court justice ruled against Black human rights in the Scott case, shared his experience with the Scott fam-

ily, and deemed his relative’s ruling, “the worst-ever.”

“I asked for forgiveness from the Scott family and they forgave us,” Taney said.

“They hugged me and that became the basis of trust between our families. And

“The Blows as Dred Scott’s enslavers denied human rights. The Blows also assisted the Scott family in their fight for freedom. Between these truths lie the tension between acknowledging the horror of slavery and reaching for redemption, justice and reconciliation between the past we must reckon with and the future we envision, we move through the present holding the light of possibility.”

Photo by Isaiah Peters | The St. Louis American

Minister Brenda Young, Dred Scott Heritage Foundation Board Director, speaking Saturday at the Central Baptist Church in St. Louis.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s

French connection

This commentary’s title gives the impression that I’m writing about the 1971 film, “The French Connection,” starring Gene Hackman. I’m not.

This is about the utterly insulting relationship between the newspaper and former alderman and newspaper publisher, Antonio French.

The region’s daily newspaper, via Tod Robberson, its editorial page editor, has demonstrated a vexing animosity toward Mayor Tishaura Jones, even before she was elected in 2021. The incendiary coverage of Jones as a mayoral candidate and elected official has received humongous backlash, mostly because Jones has had the chutzpah and talent to fight back and call the newspaper out through national media outlets.

As mayor, Jones has publicly committed to upset the apple cart that has, for centuries, benefitted powerful white men. I suspect that the P-D, which survives off the city’s old, white establishment guard, feels obligated to protect its interests. Since the newspaper has been called out for its sexist, demeaning, and scandal-seeking coverage of Jones, it is searching for another way to take her down.

Enter Antonio French, who serves as a parttime editorial writer for the publication.

Through French’s words in personal commentaries, the newspaper itself is claiming Mayor Jones and Comptroller Darlene Green are blocking efforts to send millions of dollars in federal aid to “some of the poorest neighborhoods in the city.”

Many readers were critical of the newspaper’s coverage of the death of former state lawmaker and St. Louis County official, Cora Faith Walker. This newspaper – the city’s largest Black weekly – accused the Post-Dispatch of “fabricating controversy” with a “vile web of unsubstantiated rumors and lies.”

To beat back criticism from Black readers, the Post trotted out its Black editorial voice, French, to justify its coverage. He did so by targeting the mayor’s father and former comptroller, Virvus Jones, who bluntly lambasted the P-D and some other local media outlets for respective displays of “gutter journalism.” Jones is a former member of the St. Louis American editorial board.

alleged ties to billionaire and self-appointed “guardian of St. Louis,” Rex Sinquefield.

By early 2020, the newspapers were no longer in print and were online-only. A few months later, French joined the Post-Dispatch editorial staff as a writer, columnist, and Editorial Board member. Coincidence? I think not.

French, who was stomped in the mayoral contest against Jones and has a close connection with Reed, serves as the perfect candidate – the newspaper’s Black writer who will happily support its nasty coverage of the city’s first Black female mayor.

French may be a perfect fit for the newspaper but he’s an insult to the Black community.

Take for example his March 25 commentary “North St. Louis continues to wait as Jones, Green again delay funds.” In this piece, French did what his white bosses could not. He directly claimed that Jones and the city’s Black female comptroller, Green, were impeding progress in North St. Louis.

His condescending commentary alleged that Jones and Green are the sole reason that more than half a billion dollars in federal aid through the American Rescue Plan has been stalled, therefore not reaching Black neighborhoods in need of immediate “rescue.”

The entire piece ignores legitimate disagreements between Jones, Green, Reed, and the board of aldermen. French dismisses Jones’ and Green’s concerns that federal guidelines must be met before dispersing funds. He offered a juvenile response claiming that other places like Alabama, Colorado Springs and Florida have taken advantage of the federal government’s “loose” guidelines to do things like build new prisons, boost tourism, and build golf courses and high-end hotels.

French’s examples had nothing to do with investing in Black neighborhoods which would surely invite more government and media scrutiny. But, as a Black face in a high journalistic place, he attempts to undermine the credibility of two intelligent, Black female elected officials with purposeful misinformation.

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Ukraine, refugees, and racism

By John E. Warren

Our hearts, prayers and support are with the people of Ukraine. No one should suffer such violence and loss in what is supposed to be a civilized global society. We as members of humanity are doing the right thing in providing support for all we can help. But there is also an even greater tragedy occurring which we have seen played out repeatedly during human suffering and loss.

That tragedy is the one of “racism” and we see its presence amid this war. First, the incidents of African students residing in Ukraine being denied departures even though they have been waiting as long as the Ukrainians. The reason given: Ukraine citizens first. The test of citizenship, the color of the skin of those seeking to leave.

The Nigerian mother and her daughter who waited just as long as the white Ukraine mother should not have been denied exit because she was Black. The 1700 Black students in Ukraine should not be denied exit because they are students or Black, when such tests have not applied to any Ukrainians other than the men being required to report for military service between the ages of 18 and 60.

Next, we see the president of Ukraine put out a call for military help in terms of manpower to fight the Russians. Would-be fighters from several African countries seek to volunteer as “mercenaries” but are told

they must pay $1000.00 and get visas to come to Ukraine. Reason given: the fee is for airfare and visas to neighboring countries since they can’t fly directly into Ukraine.

But none of this became an issue until Africans volunteered. As if Africans were not alone, several students from India, some in medical school, have also complained of being denied transportation to make room for “white” Ukrainian citizens when all were waiting equally for transportation. This is racism. It is interesting to see how the European (white) world appears to have no limits on the outpouring of housing, food, clothing, and every need that such refugees are having. This is truly the humanitarian thing to do. But where was the same level of outpouring for the Afghan people when America pulled out or, even closer, how is it that at the Mexican/American border of San Diego, California and Tijuana that Haitians who have been waiting, some as long as two to three years, are still denied refugee status under the same Title 42 used by President Trump to keep people out?

It now appears that border officials have some

Commentary

discretionary authority under that very law, which is now being used to admit Ukrainian refugees who have made it to the very same Mexican border where Haitian and other refugees are still waiting to cross. Here is the pattern of racism: in Ukraine, if you are Black, you are denied exit. At the Mexico/American border, if you are Black, you are denied entrance because Ukraine refugees can go ahead of you in the line. The common factor in all these cases is the racism of putting white refugees ahead of people of color for no reason other than the color of their skin.

Here we sit in America with white Republican lawmakers blocking dollars for Child Tax Credits which will help working families; universal school lunch funding expiring; and the failure to fund so many things needed by the American people seeking to exit the pandemic, but we appear to have funds with no limit for Ukraine. We should help them, but “charity starts at home and then spreads abroad.” If we are going to provide global help, and we should, then let’s make sure that we have policies that treat all fairly without making the color of one’s skin the determining factor in establishing their humanity. Something to really think about.

John E. Warren is publisher of The San Diego Voice and Viewpoint

To these charges, French wrote: “A message to Mr. Jones: Your threats and attempts to intimidate will not stop reporters from doing their jobs.”

This was just one example of French doing his job as the P-D.’s Black go-to guy.

Through my experience as a former newspaper publisher and editor, I find French to be a self-serving, opportunist who would go to great lengths to get his face in the press. This was the guy who, in 2014, made national news during the protests that followed Mike Brown’s death by positioning himself as a leader with plans to bring about needed change in Ferguson.

He wasn’t and he didn’t.

French has been a long-time supporter of and consultant to Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed. French allowed his ego to convince him to run against Jones, Reed and two other Black candidates in the 2017 mayoral race. He received the endorsement of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which bolstered his decision to remain in the race. With four Black candidates running against one well-known, well-funded white candidate, Lyda Krewson, the outcome was inevitable: Krewson won.

After giving up his aldermanic position to run for mayor, French resurrected his newspaper, the Northsider, adding a companion publication, the Southsider. Rumors circulated about who was funding the publications because of French’s

French, like his boss Robberson, willingly engages in false narratives to spite Jones. But unlike Robberson, French camouflages his missives as “concern” for the Black community. He pretends that Jones did not clearly lay out how she planned to spend the first $80 million-plus on social service programs which include summer jobs, direct cash payments and housing assistance for seniors and residents facing eviction and vaccination programs. Just because Jones wisely didn’t use the word “Black” doesn’t mean that her public commitment to provide $6.5 million for public health infrastructure, $58 million for economic relief and $11.5 million for public safety and wellbeing have nothing to do with Black people or Black neighborhoods.

Yes, there are disagreements between Jones, Green and the aldermanic board about how federal money should be distributed. But as Green mentioned during the March 23 Board of Estimate and Apportionment meeting, she wants elected officials to “work together” behind the scenes before going public with their grievances. Another fact apparently missed by French and the Post-Dispatch.

There was a time when I proudly supported French as an alderman and journalist. Not anymore. Today he insults me. The “French Connection” has further cemented my opinion of the former politician as just another egotistical opportunist for hire.

Sylvester Brown is the former publisher of Take 5 magazine and is the St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow

Not letting anyone steal our joy; jubilant for Brown Jackson

By Ben Jealous

A congressional meeting room might be the last place people would expect to find joy.

But joy was in the air on the opening day of the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Joy was in my heart and in the hearts of so many friends and colleagues who were in the room that day.

Why were we feeling joyful?

We were joyful because this brilliant judge is about to become the first Black woman ever to serve on this country’s highest court.

We were joyful because we could feel the love and pride from Judge Jackson’s parents, brother, husband, and daughters.

As a father, I was joyful because my Black daughter can look to a new role model. She has a new reason to believe that her dreams, talents, and hard work can take her wherever she wants to go.

We all knew that the week ahead would be a difficult one for Judge Jackson. There would be grueling 12-hour days. There would be disgraceful lies. There would be examples of barely concealed racism. All of that happened.

And none of it broke Judge Jackson’s spirit or calm professionalism.

In the face of smears and false accusations, she gracefully explained the truth about her record and her commitment to applying the law fairly. She showed Americans a strength grounded in faith. She demonstrated a self-confidence built over years of perseverance and accomplishment.

She spoke about her love for our country and for the Constitution. We live at a time when the Court is dominated by judges who do not share a commitment to justice for all. We live at a time when white nationalism and bigotry are openly promoted by powerful politicians and pundits. Judge Jackson’s nomination gave us a reason for renewed hope that our country can and will continue to make progress toward the ideal of equal justice under law and equal opportunity for all Americans.

It was also a reminder that millions of Americans played a part in making this moment possible.

Millions of us voted to replace former President Donald Trump with President Joe Biden, who made a commitment to putting a Black woman on the Supreme Court.

Millions of us contributed to the effort to elect Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in runoff elections in Georgia. Those elections kept Republicans from controlling the U.S. Senate. They kept Sen. Mitch McConnell from being able to abuse his power to prevent President Biden’s nominees from even getting a vote, as he did so often with President Obama’s judicial nominees. All of us who donated time and money, knocked on doors, made phone calls or sent texts to potential voters, and who cast our ballots—we all helped bring about that joyful morning on Capitol Hill. And we can all look forward to celebrating when she is sworn in as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way

Columnist Ben Jealous

Columnist Sylvester Brown Jr.

Guest Columnist

By John E. Warren

Legacy Institute classes begin Saturday, April 2

Legacy Institute St. Louis and Tony Thompson’s Kwame Foundation will begin a 10-week series of Saturday classes on April 2, 2022, at Confluence Preparatory Academy, 310 North 15th Street in St. Louis.

The “Legacy Institute” offers age-appropriate classes for students ages 5 to 21. There is a $100 fee. The organization is offering financial aid and scholarships.

A free breakfast and lunch are provided, and free counseling tutoring and mentorships are are part of the program.

Classes are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, with breakfast being served at 8 a.m.

Terran Rome, Legacy Institute executive director, said the weekend academic endeavors are designed to “empower youth to build legacies.”

“We will help participants build a greater sense of self, self-worth and understanding of their history and culture. They are paired with mentors and gain exposure to a variety of career and occupation opportunities,” Rome says on the Legacy Institute website.

The program also “shares different pathways to make college accessible to our program participants.”

Rome said Legacy Institute “serves as an intellectual think tank for youth to teach, encourage and

mentor them so they are able to break generational curses and achieve an unsurmountable amount of success.”

Over the 10 weeks, 24 courses will be offered. Subjects include Black history, leadership, credit and financing, chess, and journalistic/creative writing.

We’ll have debate, so they can build the verbal confidence,” Rennell Parker, a Legacy Institute boar member told KSDK.

“Chess [class] so they can understand strategy and leadership so they can understand decisionmaking.”

After the session ends, connections to job opportunities, tutoring, advising, and counseling will be available, according to Parker.

In its inaugural year, the program needs community support.

“We need corporate sponsorships, individual sponsorships and grant writers,” he said.

“This is a time to invest in our children. For them to leave their own legacies. Knowledge, information, and wisdom that can last a lifetime.”

For additional information or enrollment in the Legacy Institute contact www.legacyinstitutestl.org infor@legacyinstitutestl.org, or (314) 337.1230.

Past is prologue on pay equity

March 15 was National Pay Equity Day. It’s the day when women have to work into a new year to earn the same amount that men earned the previous year.

While National Pay Equity Day came earlier this year than last, meaning that the gender pay gap is narrowing, the general pay equity day does not address the pay differences that Black, Latina, Asian and Native American women earn. Black women will work into September to make the same amount that a man earned last year. Latina women will work into October. Native American women work almost until the end of the year (or nearly twice as long) to get equal pay!

One of the reasons we have pay inequality is that employers tend to make salary offers based on what people made in their previous job. In other words, an underpaid woman who reports her salary is likely to get an offer based on her last salary. Instead of valuing the job, no matter who holds it, too many employers value the person who holds it based on their prior pay, not their qualifications or prior experience.

President Biden’s March 15 Executive Order on Advancing Economy, Efficiency, and Effectiveness in Federal Contracting by Promoting Pay Equity and Transparency addresses some of the ways the gender pay gap is maintained and develops policies to ensure that past salary is not a consideration in current salary for federal contractors.

This is a policy that other employers should consider. Too many women, especially Black, brown, Native and Asian women, are viewed through a lens darkly, pun intended. Too many employees feel that these women should be “grateful” or “lucky” to be employed with reasonable salaries. Without salary transparency, too many workers earn much less than their peers, even though they are doing the same job.

According to the Economic Policy Institute (epi.org), women earn 22% less than men, but grocery stores don’t charge women 22% less for groceries. Utilities don’t give us a break on our telephone, water, or electricity bills because we are women and earn less. The pay gap contributes to women’s economic insecurity. When the pay gap is combined with the effects of COVID on women’s employment, the result is a precarious existence for too many women.

The gender pay gap is not just a women’s issue; it is a family and a human problem. Lily Ledbetter, the outstanding activist who sued the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for pay discrimination. When she sued, the law required that lawsuits be filed within 180 days of experiencing discrimination, so her case was dismissed.

The first piece of legislation that President Obama signed was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. The late Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, had a framed copy of the legislation in her chambers.

The Biden executive order is a step in the right direction, but it is a step that affects just a fraction of the workforce. More women need to be more like Lily Ledbetter, prepared to sue exploitive employers. Unfortunately, too many need their jobs more than they need justice. Too many fear negative repercussions if they complain or sue. Too many men turn a blind eye to pay inequity, although they have working mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives. Too many think gender discrimination is acceptable.

Our National Pay Equity Day recognition reminds us of how much work remains to close the pay gap and combat gender discrimination. But, as the great abolitionist and civil rights leader Frederick Douglass said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand.”

Where are the people who will forcefully demand an end to gender discrimination? And do those who work for the White House, the House and the Senate experience pay discrimination or earn equal pay?

Julianne Malveaux is an economist and dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at California State University, Los Angeles

Photo by Taylor McIntosh

Tony Thompson Rennell Parker

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Carla “Coffee” Wright blasted Sen. Josh Hawley’s record and treatment of Supreme Court Justice nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson during Senate hearings at a March 24th rally at the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse downtown.

Julianne Malveaux

Hot Coffee

Continued from A1

en’t always sort of toed the Democratic Party line. So, I don’t think it’s surprising that there would be a challenger in that district,” Manion said.

In the statement Monday announcing the campaign, Roberts’ spokesman Ryan Hawkins spoke against Bush’s voting record, including her vote against President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City, Missouri’s other Democratic member of Congress, voted yes on the bill, as did outgoing Republican Sen. Roy Blunt.

Bill

Continued from A1

U.S. Congress by leaders who understood that our past must not and cannot be forgotten. That the truth must be spoken no matter how difficult it is to speak, and certainly no matter how difficult it is to hear.”

“Voting NO on so many issues that affect families in the 1st district like fixing our roads and bridges, clean air, clean water, support for Ukraine during a time of war, and Capitol security after January 6, for nothing more than political theater, clearly shows the Congresswoman is only concerned about Twitter likes and seeking the celebrity status,” Hawkins said in a written statement. In a statement released after she voted against the bill, Bush said a vote for the infrastructure plan jeopardized any leverage on the Build Back Better Act.

“Each and every one of my votes here in D.C. has been in the interest of saving lives. And tonight was no different,” Bush said.

She praised Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), and Congressman Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) for their role in seeing the bill through to passage. Harris also shouted out Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott for supporting the effort.

“The people of our nation deserve the protection of this anti-lynching law,” Harris demanded. “I believe so often, and it has been said, the victims of lynching were targeted because they were working to

Smith

Continued from A1

“toxic masculinity.” Rock has not commented publicly, but his brother, Tony Rock, answered “no” on Twitter to questions about whether Tony Rock approved of the apology.

Moments after the slap, Smith gave a tearful acceptance speech as he won a gold statue for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams in the biopic “King Richard.”

In the speech, which lasted several minutes, Smith apologized to his fellow nominees and to the Academy but said nothing about Rock.

That changed Monday with a two-paragraph Instagram post.

“Violence in all its forms is poisonous and destructive period. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith wrote in the post. “Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.

“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love

Bush first ran for Congress in 2018, losing to longtime incumbent Lacy Clay in the primary. Bush challenged Clay again in 2020 and won before going on to win the seat in the general election. She is running her first reelection campaign.

Manion says Roberts is fashioning himself as a more moderate candidate.

“He’s going to be looking for maybe an older voter, a more traditional voter, but I think he’s going to have to figure out how to get the enthusiasm to have them turn out in a Democratic primary,” she said.

Manion still believes Bush has the advantage in the primary.

“I think she has a lot of enthusiasm in her base. And that’ll be really difficult for Senator Roberts to overcome,

build a better America,” she stated.

“That’s what they were doing, and it was in everyone’s best interest. But unfortunately, the cowards couldn’t see and couldn’t understand. “So, today, we recognize them, our history, and let us recommit ourselves to that unfinished business as well to continue to fight for freedom, opportunity, and justice for all.”

and kindness.”

Rock’s response was not immediately apparent. He declined to file a police report in the case, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Before Smith’s Inst-apology, the Academy said in a statement it “condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show,” adding that it has “officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”

A spokesperson for the Academy did not answer additional questions.

Actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg, who has

particularly in a Democratic primary,” Manion said. Roberts served in the Missouri House from 2016 through 2020, when he was elected to the Senate. He is currently in his second year as a Missouri state senator.

Before his term in the House, Roberts was accused by fellow freshman lawmaker Cora Faith Walker, who died this month, of drugging and sexually assaulting her. Prosecutors did not press charges against Roberts, and both Walker and Roberts dropped their lawsuits against each other.

Manion says Walker’s recent death has brought more attention to the allegations.

“I think that makes it a more of an uphill battle for him. And particularly when we

know that Black women are the core of the Democratic Party in St. Louis and elsewhere. And in a primary election, it’s about energy and turnout,” Manion said.

The statement from Bush’s office mentioned Roberts’ assault allegations, saying, “Such men do not belong in public service, much less representing the incredible people of St. Louis in Congress.”

Roberts’ post on Twitter about his candidacy was met mostly with criticism; most replies and interactions to the tweet called for support of Bush or referenced the assault allegations.

“They can try to distract voters from her indefensible voting record by recycling old false stories about me, but I don’t think it’s gonna work,”

hosted the Oscars, predicted on her show The View, “there will be consequences” for Smith, but added “we’re not going to take that Oscar from him.”

Meanwhile, The Los Angeles Times ran an Op-Ed that declared, “Will Smith’s attack on Chris Rock shows toxic masculinity boiling over.”

The “slap heard ‘round the world,” launched a torrent of social media posts and podcast comments during the week, with some calling out Smith for the violence. Others lauded Smith for supporting his wife, though the slap came after Smith first laughed at Rock’s joke about Pinkett Smith appearing in “G.I. Jane II,” a made-up reboot of a film in which actress Demi Moore’s

head was shaved. Many online posters focused on alopecia, a condition that results in sudden hair loss that can impact anyone but is said to be especially common among Black women. Pinkett Smith spoke about her issues with hair loss on her Red Table Talk show at least as far back as 2018. She said that is why she cut her hair and initially wore turbans.

Chris Rock has not said publicly if he knew about the medical condition before making the joke.

Smith followed up his slap with a string of F bombs that were bleeped out in the U.S. but aired uncensored in Australia, according to a Twitter post.

Roberts said. As to why he waited until near the end of filing to run, Roberts said he was waiting to see how the 1st Congressional District map was going to turn out.

However, neither Bush nor Roberts know whom exactly they are running to represent, as the Missouri Legislature has yet to pass a congressional redistricting map.

Three Republicans have filed so far this year in the heavily Democratic 1st:

In that post, Rock can be heard explaining that it was a joke to which Smith responds twice, “Keep my wife’s name out your F-ing mouth.” Rock, trying to reclaim the room and his composure, declared that it was the “greatest night in the history of television.” Moments later, in Smith’s acceptance speech, he spoke about Richard Williams being protective of his family, and talked about love.

Karen Robinson-Jacobs is The St. Louis American / Type Investigations business reporter and a Report for America corps member.

Andrew Jones, a St. Louis mayoral candidate last year; Steven Jordan, also of St. Louis, and Laura MitchellRiley of north St. Louis County. George Zsidisin of Creve Coeur has filed as a Libertarian candidate.

Michelle Duster, the great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells delivered remarks alongside U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S Vice President Kamala Harris, after Biden signed the “Emmett Till Antilynching Act” in the Rose Garden of the White House on March 29, 2022.

Photo courtesy of the AP

Salute

Continued from A1 ical expertise is in med-surg, dialysis, and obstetrics and as a hospitalist. Grimes tells us her fulfillment comes from “being highly visible and innovative while promoting core values to direct quality care, excellence in service, accountability, integrity and QI while making a significant impact that is meaningful to all.” Grimes has obtained an immense amount of education, receiving her associate in nursing degree from St. Louis Community College at Forest Park in 1987, bachelor of science in nursing in 2002 as well as her master of science in Nursing with a certification as a family nurse practitioner in 2014, both from University of Missouri St. Louis, as well in business administration with an emphasis in finance from Fontbonne University in 2004, and her doctor of nursing practice in advanced clinical practice leadership from Chamberlain University in 2017.

Angela Klocke is a recently retired RN case manager from Christian Hospital Northeast where she worked collaboratively with all medical and hospital services and patient’s families to achieve the best possible health outcome for

patients. Klocke also worked as an RN clinical care coordinator, with the SYNCHRONY Project; Strengthening Young Children by Optimizing Nature/ Nurture In Infancy; Department of Pediatric Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine. Klocke tells us being a nurse “was not on my radar in the beginning. I was studying psychology” however while working part-time in a closed adolescent psychiatric unit she experienced a patient having a seizure. “The nurses immediately called the Emergency Department and began to attend to the patient. The ED staff arrived, stabilized the patient and took him off the floor. It was the most exciting work I had ever seen and immediately went to talk with my advisor to change my degree to nursing.” Klocke went on to work forty years in the health care industry by the time she retired.

Dr. Dwight McLeod is the dean of A.T. Still UniversityMissouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSUMOSDOH), vice chair of the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health Board, and member of the board of directors for the Jamaica Consulate (Chicago) Medical Needs Committee and Midwest Jamaica Diaspora Committee. McLeod has a long list of responsibilities, including creating access to oral health

care, providing opportunities for outreach programs which promote the dental profession and oral health literacy, serving communities in need, ensuring excellence in dental education, protecting ATSUMOSDOH’ s reputation and integrity and much more. He has made history as the first Jamaican and Black dental dean of ATSU-MOSDOH, the first Black dean for one of ATSU’s seven colleges/schools, the first Black dean of a predominantly majority dental school where the dean is not an alumnus nor has any other previous affiliations. McLeod says “I feel privileged to be granted the opportunity to oversee ATSU-MOSDOH, a relatively new dental school. The possibilities are exciting, and I look forward to continuing in the service tradition of the excellent osteopathic heritage set forth by ATSU’s founder, Dr. Andrew Taylor Still.” Dr. McLeod earned his doctor of dental surgery degree from Howard University College of Dentistry, a general practice residency certificate from the Washington VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and a certificate and master of science degree from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry.

Marilyn Peaston is a recently retired case manager for the Health Resource Center,

a free clinic for eighteenyear-olds. There she worked with social services to address the social services needs of patients, such as referrals to organizations for food, clothing, and rent/mortgage assistance. In addition to those responsibilities, Peaston also identified and strengthened clinic collaborations with area community-based organizations which further provided resources for patients, and made referrals to clinic partner IHN (Integrated Health Network) to secure health insurance for patients. Throughout her career Peaston is proud of being able to make a difference by being able to “resolve many conflicts with patients with displaced issues to effectively communicate their conditions to doctors and nurses. I actively listened to patients who ,most times, was key to getting services for them and their families.” Peaston tells us she got into the health care field because “I wanted to address the growing health disparities in the community.” Peaston was in health care for 18 years before retirement.

Wilma Saunders Schmitz is the regional liaison and trainer for Missouri’s state health insurance assistance program, known as Missouri CLAIM. Missouri CLAIM is funded through federal and state programs to provide

unbiased Medicare information. In addition to this role, Saunders Schmitz also works with Community Volunteer Counselors and Partners to assist people with Medicare to understand their health insurance options. She is also the president of Family Care Health Centers’ Board of Directors, and is involved in the Missouri Primary Care Association. She serves on several national committees with the National Association of Community Health Centers and was a member of the Missouri Foundation for Health’s Community Advisory Council 2016-2021. She tells us “I always enjoyed older people and had the opportunity to work as an intern with older adults while I was a student at Southern Illinois UniversityEdwardsville, and I was hooked. I worked for the Area Agency on Aging to develop and manage an apartment complex for older people in Jennings.” Saunders Schmitz has worked in the social services field specializing in working with older adults and their families for 42 years. She received a BS in education from SIU-Edwardsville, and an MA in gerontology from Lindenwood University.

Ursula Wright serves as vice president, care redesign and optimization for Mercy, at

the Mercy Quality and Safety Center. He duties include oversight of the development, implementation, analytics and optimization of evidenced based processes and process improvement tools used across the Mercy System including the entire continuum of care. This includes 40+ clinical pathways, 350+ order sets, interdisciplinary care plan and other clinical documentation tools/workflow processes. These tools and workflow process improvements resulted in decreased mortality and ~$20 million in cost savings for Mercy Health Systems during fiscal year 2019. Wright is also a family nurse practitioner at Mercy Go Health Urgent Care Clinics where she works approximately every other week, performing evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, management, intervention, education and care for patients in an urgent care setting. She is also a clinical adjunct faculty member at Maryville University’s McAuley School of Nursing, where she teaches undergraduate, graduate nursing and nurse practitioner students pathophysiology, quality and leadership, health promotion and clinical rotations. Of her many awards, in 2016 Wright received the Mercy Health System Patient Outcome Award and the 2019 Missouri Hospital Association Aim for Excellence Award Improving Sepsis Care.

Ketra Collins Dr. Michelle Grimes Angela Klocke Dr. Dwight McLeod

Marilyn Peaston Wilma Saunders Schmitz

Ursula Wright

Holding our political leaders accountable

By Jeanette Mott Oxford for the St.

Louis American

Good government starts with accountable leaders who work on behalf of the people. Elected officials who work to benefit themselves are not the kind of leaders who can move our city forward at this important crossroad. To decrease the influence of big money and bring transparency and accountability to our city government, we need comprehensive ethics reform.

This is why I will vote “yes” on Proposition R on April 5, and why I encourage you to do the same. A diverse group of local grassroots organizations and leaders agree. The League of Women Voters, SLACO, Forward Through Ferguson, Women’s Voices Raise for Social Justice, St. Louis Young Democrats, the 8th Ward Democrats, the 24th Ward Democrats, Reverend Darryl Gray, Yinka Faleti, Dr. Gena Gunn McClendon, Alderpersons Annie Rice, Christine Ingrassia, Megan Green, Anne Schweitzer, Bill Stephens and many more all strongly endorse a “yes” on Prop R. This isn’t my first time looking at the issue of ethics and accountability in government. When I served in the Missouri House of Representatives, I was responsible for investigating and issuing reports on potential ethical violations by my colleagues. As the Vice Chair of the Ethics Committee,

I saw firsthand how important character and integrity were to the governing process, and I also saw what happened when it failed. I was affirmed by the trust my colleagues placed in me to be a watchdog for abuse and corruption. I believe that responsibility did not end when I left office.

Current laws in St. Louis allow Alderpersons to engage in conflicts of interest that are outlawed in other cities.

Alderpersons can take official action on legislation that personally benefits their own business interest. This is illegal in other cities, and it doesn’t have to be this way.

Proposition R would:

Prohibit alderpersons

n Presently, the Board of Aldermen can vote to silence our voices, repeal approval voting, and go back to the days when 35% could win an election.

from taking official actions where they have a personal or financial conflict of interest related to the legislation being considered.Give power to draw ward boundary maps to an independent citizens commission composed of diverse, qualified city voters who must hold public hearings and keep neighborhoods together. Prohibit lobbyists, aldermen, and others with conflicts of interest from serving on the commission.

Prohibit the Board of Aldermen from overriding the will of the people on voting methods for municipal offices.

The same politicians who

want to continue gerrymandering their own districts and oppose an independent, community-driven process are protecting their self-interests once again by opposing Proposition R. The truth about Prop R is that it was written for the people, by the people. The League of Women Voters, Show Me Integrity, and a dozen volunteers crafted Proposition R by surveying 800 St. Louisans, including placing ads on the St. Louis American’s Facebook page to solicit responses from across the city. The proposition reflects what the people of our city asked for: a policy that finally addresses conflict of interest abuses across the board.

In addition to cleaning up conflicts of interest in redistricting to ensure equitable representation, particularly in North City, Prop R will also prevent our elected officials from overriding the will of the people on the way we vote for municipal office. Presently, the Board of Aldermen can vote to silence our voices, repeal approval voting, and go back to the days when 35% could win an election. Proposition R will make sure that never happens without first giving the people a vote.

Our alderpersons should work for our interests, not the other way around. It should be common sense that they cannot use their office to benefit themselves. Ethical, transparent, and accountable governance would move our city forward, and that is why I encourage you to vote yes on Proposition R for Reform on April 5.

Jeanette Mott Oxford was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 20042012, served as House Ethics Committee vice chair, and resides in St. Louis.

Guest Columnist Jeanette Mott Oxford

“Taking Care of You”

Cori Bush says Congress should mandate ‘Medicare for All’

Congresswoman Cori Bush called Medicare for All proposals “transformational

health care coverage to every American during her

and Oversight Committee hearing

By Alvin A. Reid

Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-St. Louis) said Tuesday that America’s “broken health care system should be replaced by ‘Medicare for all.”’

“Medicare for All is transformational policy change,” Bush said during her opening statement at a House Judiciary and Oversight Committee hearing entitled “Examining Pathways to Universal Health Coverage.” Bush is championing proposed bills by Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) called the Medicare for All Act, calling it “the boldest legislative [healthcare] proposal to date.”

“It would establish a national, single-payer universal health system that guarantees comprehensive health care coverage to every person in America,” Bush said.

Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said during the hearing

n “It would establish a national, single-payer universal health system that guarantees comprehensive health care coverage to every person in America.”

– Congresswoman Cori Bush

“the pandemic has made it clear now more than ever that we must guarantee healthcare as a human right with no copays, no deductibles, and no premiums.”

“We need Medicare for All now, when nearly 100 million people are uninsured or underinsured in the richest nation on the planet,” she said.

where parents have to choose between taking their kid to the doctor or paying rent. The path ahead is tough, but Medicare for All is necessary, popular, and most importantly will save thousands of lives.”

On Monday, Bush released a statement saying “Systemic racism perpetuating health inequities cannot be overstated. Black women are three-to-four times more likely to die during childbirth.”

“We are more likely to have rates of asthma and cancer from generations living next to pollution centers. We are more likely to have foregone routine screenings and medical appointments for a real fear of having our pain dismissed.”

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D,} Committee on Oversight and Reform chair, said in her opening statement Medicare for All “offers a bold vision for an America where no patient

Addressing

By Lashawnda Thornton

Death is a topic that most people try to avoid. Death by suicide is also something that that remains rarely discussed. This is probably because suicide is scary, particularly if we have thoughts of being the loved one left behind. People considering suicide don’t take the time to let people know that they are considering suicide; they tend to keep all these things bottled up to themselves.

n Suicide among white residents decreased by 45% during early 2020, while suicide among African American residents increased by 94% in early 2020.

The recent suicides of Chelsea Kryst, former Miss USA, and Ian Alexander Jr., actress Regina King’s son, were a shock to many individuals, especially the African American community. It had long been assumed that African Americans did not commit suicide. The numbers, however, tell a different story. Both Kryst and Alexander struggled with mental health issues. Then there are others that we don’t know who are struggling with mental illnesses, such as the recent death of Miss Alabama 2021 Zoe Sozo Bethel, who reportedly fell out of a third-floor window in Miami after taking an unknown amount of narcotics. This young African American woman was becoming remarkably successful, and suicide was not something that her family was expecting.

Adverse childhood experiences are beginning to be higher and higher in the African American communities, which can later cause a continuous increase in suicide rates. Within the current pandemic alone, there have been studies of suicide deaths by race, and it was found that suicide among white residents decreased by 45% during early 2020, while suicide

“Examining Pathways to Universal Health Coverage.” See THORNTON, A13

“There’s no excuse for this broken system,

CDC reports Black community vaccine hesitancy on decline

St. Louis American staff And NNPA

A13

Race/Ethnicity of people with at least one dose administered Booster rate remains

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] is reporting that vaccine hesitancy in Black and brown communities has taken a positive shift.

n The vaccination rate among Black people has risen in the last two weeks, and is now at 16 percent.

The CDC reports that nearly 74 percent of the total population in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. As of March 7, African Americans made up 10 percent of people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine compared to 12 percent of the total population. However, the vaccination rate among Black people has risen in the last two weeks, and is now at16 percent.

The Hispanic community makes up a larger portion of the vaccinated population at 21 percent, with newly vaccinated members among the community rising to 38 percent compared to their share of the total population at 17 percent.

The numbers remain relatively low for African Americans and Hispanics receiving their third additional booster. According to the CDC, “62% of booster recipients were White, 8% were Black, 8% were Asian, and 15% were Hispanic.”

That news comes as the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] has granted permission for a second COVID-19 booster shot – a fourth for those

See VACCINE, A13

Data from 255,362,450 people with at least one dose administered. Race/Ethnicity was available for 189,896,801 (74.4%) people with at least one dose administered.

policy change” that would guarantee

opening statement Tuesday in Washington, D.C. at a House Judiciary

entitled

Photo courtesy of Cori Bush Congressional Office

Lashawnda Thornton

“Taking

Care of You”

Bill could cut down poisonous lead in school drinking water

Children especially vulnerable

By Niara Savage and Allison Kite Missouri independent/NPR Midwest

Missouri children would be better protected from lead poisoning under a state legislative bill to require schools to nearly rid their drinking water of the dangerous toxin.

The bill, heard Monday, by the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, would require schools to test drinking water, remove old coolers and filter water where lead is found. The goal is drinking water with a lead concentration of less than one part per billion. The state’s current action level for drinking water is 15 times that.

In telling her colleagues about the bill on Monday, Rep. Dottie Bailey, R-Eureka, said the legislation would require schools to test their water and then mitigate. Typically, she said, adding filters would be the best fix. Lead is a colorless, odorless, poisonous heavy metal and neurotoxin that can have irreversible effects on organ systems in the body. Children are especially vulnerable and may suffer slowed growth and development, as well as hearing, speech and learning problems because of exposure — even at low levels.

“This is truly a kid-first bill,” said Rep. Paula Brown, D-St. Louis, who worked on the legislation with Bailey.

A bill heard Monday by the state House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee would require schools to test drinking water, remove old coolers and filter water where lead is found.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends lead concentration in school drinking not exceed one part per billion because it is the lowest detectable level, although there is no known safe blood lead concentration. The Environmental Protection Agency requires public water systems to take action if more than 10% of routine samples have 15 or more parts per billion of lead.

The primary lead hazard to children in Missouri is exposure to deteriorated leadbased paint, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

“We’ve been working on that,” said Bridget Sanderson, director of Environment Missouri and supporter of the legislation. “And now we just have to update our aging infrastructure to help protect our children.”

State governments already have funds, provided by federal grants, for schools that voluntarily test their water. But if the bill passes, Missouri will stand apart from peers in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska by requiring action at such low levels.

Bush

Continued from A12

is denied necessary medical care because it is too expensive, and no family has to decide between putting food on the table or paying their medical bills.”

“Medicare for All would contain skyrocketing costs across our health care system

Continued from A12

The prevalence of lead poisoning has declined steadily in the last several decades. Forty years ago, more than 80% of children had lead levels above 10 micrograms per deciliter in their blood, more than double the level

and provide a sustainable path to more equitable and accessible health care, especially for communities where access has historically been pushed out of reach.

“Congressional Democrats have enacted sweeping policies like the Affordable Care Act and the American Rescue Plan, which drastically expanded access to affordable health care coverage to millions of people in the United States. My col-

approved fourth doses for those 12 and older with severely compromised immune systems. The agency noted that a third booster – or fifth shot – would also be available for that group.

modern health professionals consider elevated, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. But while lead has been banned in gasoline, paint, and pipes for decades, it remains in older homes and buildings.

Between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018, more than 2,500

leagues and I continue to champion policies that will build upon this progress—including by guaranteeing access to public coverage to every person in the United States.”

Among hearing witnesses was Christopher Wilcox, MSW, a mutual aid and policy associate at A Red Circle in St. Louis.

He said he was testifying from the perspective of being a patient who dealt with the

Missouri children — just over 3% of those tested — were found to have blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter.

Eradicating the remaining environmental lead has been a priority for President Joe Biden’s administration, bringing about a national

financial struggle of purchasing his own depression medication and from the view of a health care provider.

“I know what it is like,” he told the committee.

The hearing assessed how uninsurance and underinsurance negatively impacts health outcomes and examine how moving toward universal coverage could advance health equity in the United States.

Even after President Biden’s

discussion about the toxin’s legacy of contamination. The infrastructure law passed by Congress and signed by Biden last year allocates $15 billion in funds to replace lead service lines in the next five years.

Bailey and supporters of her legislation noted federal COVID-19 relief funds could help pay for the efforts in Missouri schools. A House budget subcommittee discussed adding $20 million for lead filtration to an appropriations bill still being weighed by the larger Budget Committee.

American Rescue plan expanded the Affordable Care Act’s financial assistance for patients and families more than 27 million people in the United States remain uninsured, according to Mahoney.

“And even for some who do have insurance, it’s not enough to insulate them from the significant cost of getting health care in this country,” she said.

Bush said, “Congress must implement a system that pri-

Lead in school drinking water is common in states across the country. Harvard School of Public Health researchers found that of the 12 states included in the 2019 study, 44% of schools had at least one water sample test above the state’s lead concentration action level. The Missouri Independent and the NPR Midwest Newsroom are jointly exploring the issue of high levels of lead in the children in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.

oritizes people over profits, humanity over greed, and compassion over exploitation.”

“This policy will save lives; I want to make that clear. I hope this hearing will be one more step forward in our commitment to ensuring everyone in this country, and particularly our Black, brown, and Indigenous communities, have the medical care they need to thrive” already receiving the additional dose. The authorization is for individuals 50 and older, which health officials said would provide extra protection for the most vulnerable population if infections spike again. The FDA previously Vaccine

Thornton

Continued from A12 among African American residents increased by 94% in early 2020. To reduce these rates, let’s gain the “buy-in” from the community. Focus groups can be beneficial. It allows the individuals or families in communities of color to discuss what their mental health needs are and how to work together as a community to provide the resources needed.

The FDA will hold an advisory committee meeting on April 6 to discuss the future of booster shots in the U.S. and whether the vaccines need an update to offer better protection against variants.

But although they recognize it as a need, only one in three African American adults who need mental health care will receive it, according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Mental Health Facts for African Americans guide. African American adults are also less likely to receive consistent care and prefer to go to an emergency department to seek care rather than a longterm mental health specialist. There have been messages circulating in the African American community about being “strong” and “super-

“It would not be surprising if there is a potential need for people to get an additional booster in the fall along with a more general booster campaign if that takes place,” Dr. Peter Marks, head of the FDA office responsible for vaccine safety said in a Tuesday release.

“It may be that a decision is made that rather than the vaccines we currently have, which are called vaccines against the prototype virus,

woman,” which have resulted in some keeping their problems to themselves. Such as the Sisterella complex, which describes a black woman who is a hard worker who prioritizes the needs of others but deep inside, she suffers in silence. This only compounds the problem as her legitimate mental health needs go undiagnosed and untreated. It’s now time for mental health issues to be addressed head-on in African American communities. The best way to begin to accomplish this is through education. Youth need

that we will move to a vaccine that is either against one of the variants or something else.”

According to an Associated Press report, the latest expansion, regardless of people’s health, allows an extra shot to millions more Americans. The report noted that there’s “limited evidence to tell how much benefit another booster could offer right now.”

“There might be a reason

to be educated on what the different mental health illnesses are and how to notice the signs or symptoms. A mental health curriculum is needed to be incorporated into every high school for youth to receive psychoeducation on mental health. Mental health curricula within schools can help to de-stigmatize mental health services in communities of color. Minorities have a greater risk for mental health disorders later in their adult life than those of the non-Latino white populations. Education needs to start before adulthood.

to top off the tanks a little bit” for older people and those with other health conditions, University of Pennsylvania immunologist E. John Wherry, told the wire service.

But while he encourages older friends and relatives to follow the advice, the 50-yearold Wherry, who is healthy, vaccinated and boosted, told AP “I’m going to wait until it seems like there’s a need.”

Further, the AP reported

Mental health services in minority communities are often viewed as a weakness. Much of the pushback comes from believing that seeking mental health treatment is correlated with “it’s something wrong with me?” One way to counter the pushback is to utilize more persons of color in the mental health world. People of color often want to work with others that look like them. Providing therapeutic services early in their education with diverse practitioners can help with their comfort level. Mental health has become

that none of the COVID-19 vaccines are as strong against the omicron mutant as they were against earlier versions of the virus. Also, protection against milder infections naturally wanes over time.

“But the immune system builds multiple layers of defense and the type that prevents severe illness and death is holding up,” the news service noted.

more relevant and a prominent issue due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. In African American communities, there is a realization that individuals 30-years old or younger are at risk. Hopefully, through education and greater access, we can reduce the number of lives ending through suicide.

Lashawnda Thornton is a clinical social worker in the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Photo courtesy of Eat Right Nutrition

PRESENT:

PRESENT:

Nutrition Challenge:

Nutrition Challenge:

When we’re lucky enough to have a chance to go out for dinner, there are a few ways to stay healthy with our food

Dining Out.

What Is ASize?Serving

GRAINS

RightEatingon a Budget

Keep ‘em Whole!

The Smart Way!

Warm Up & Cool Down

Balloon Juggle!

Do This. Not That!

First Day of Spring!

Exercise Game

We often hear people talk about how hard it is to eat healthy on a budget. Let’s look at some ways to be successful at this challenge!

See if the restaurant will let you “share” a meal. Many meals are two, three or more times an actual serving size.

We each need at least 3 servings per day of whole grains. But what does that mean? How can we know what foods contain whole grains?

Auto Safety

for several different reasons.

Tech-Neck

In our “Super-Size” world, we can easily lose track of what an actual serving size means. When reading labels on a food or drink product, you can determine the nutrients, sodium, fiber, sugar and calories of a serving size. But be careful; just because it looks like one small bottle

Look at the ingredients list of a package of food you are about to eat. If the word “whole” is used, then there is most likely a whole grain ingredient. A few items that don’t use the word whole

As soon as you’ve divided your plate into the right size servings, ask your server for a to-go box. Go ahead and box up what you don’t need to eat right away. You can enjoy

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

those leftovers for lunch the next day!

are popcorn, wheatberries, brown rice and wild rice.

Cocoa Puffers Cereal

INGREDIENTS:

> Ask the server how the different menu items are prepared. Fried, sautéed, and

> Cook from “scratch” whenever possible. This is the best way to know exactly what ingredients go into a dish. And it is usually cheaper than buying pre-packaged products.

lifestyle. You can do this by forming new habits. For example, if you decide to eliminate sugary drinks completely, it only takes a few weeks until this becomes what you’re used to.

> Use coupons and buy the healthy items in bulk when they’re on sale.

Here are the steps to making a healthy permanent change. We‘ll use the sugary drink change as an example.

Let’s make a game out of exercise!

First, locate either a deck of cards or two dice.

It’s important that before you embark on any kind of exercise to remember two things: warm up and cool down. Start with some slow stretches and movement (like walking) to increase your heart rate a little. Warm up for

Getting plenty of whole grains in your diet can improve your health and reduce your chance for some chronic illnesses such as stroke, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Visit wholegrainscouncil.com for more information.

As spring approaches, warmer weather allows us all to get more outdoor exercise. Here are some ways to become a more active person.

> Decide you’re going to switch from soda to water.

> Start by substituting one drink per day to water.

> Avoid gravies, cheese sauces and other kinds of toppings that often just add fat and calories.

> Comparison shop — use the grocery ads found in The St. Louis American to compare prices for similar, healthy food choices at different stores.

> Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. These will be the lower-cost options.

Weekly Newspaper in Education Program

Latoya Woods, DNP, APRN, FNP-C

> Every few days increase the amount of water and decrease your soda intake.

> After 3-4 weeks, this change will become a habit.

of soda — it may not be considered one serving size. For example, a 20-oz bottle contains 2.5 servings. So if the bottle states “110 calories per serving,” that means the entire bottle contains a total of 275 calories! Remember to watch those serving sizes and you’ll have better control over what you’re eating and drinking.

> Stick with water to drink. Not only will you save money, but you won’t be adding in extra calories from a sugarfilled drink.

> Think about packaging. For example, a head of lettuce will make more salads than a smaller, more expensive bag of lettuce.

> What are other ways that you can save and shop smart?

Learning Standards: HPE 2,

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 3, NH 5

> What are other ways to stay healthy while dining out?

When you automatically reach for water instead of soda, it has now become a lifestyle change!

even simmered can all mean, “cooked in oil.” Instead, choose baked or grilled options.

Learning Standards:

HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

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

Douglass, MSW

Where do you work? I am a family nurse practitioner for BJC Medical Group.

Where do you work? I am a school nurse at Monroe Elementary School.

Secondly, when you are finished with any kind of strenuous (very active) exercise, take some time to cool down. You can slowly stretch your arms and

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

March 20, 2021, is the first day of spring. With spring comes warmer weather and longer days (later sunset). Make it a habit to spend as much time playing outside as the weather allows.

A fun way to stay active and burn calories indoors is as simple as blowing up a few balloons. Here are a couple of balloon challenges to try.

good five minutes before increasing your heart rate.

play. Blow up a balloon and take turns hitting the balloon to see how long you can keep it in the air. If it falls to the floor on your turn, you get a point. The first to reach 10 points loses.

Instead of playing video games — play baseball, football, badminton, or some other active game.

Instead of watching TV — ride your bike with friends.

legs again, and continue with reduced speed movements until your heart rate begins to slow down.

and breathing. You want to have fun, but it’s also a great way to help keep your heart, lungs and body healthy.

balloon one time to make it go to your friend’s side of the net. See how many times you can both hit it (counting as you go) before it hits the ground.

> Have each person in your group count off to decide the order you will

Some fun outdoor games to play include tag, kickball, basketball, Frisbee, and bicycling. Choose activities that increase your heart rate

Next you’ll need to make a list of different types of exercise: jumping jacks, sit-ups, lunges, etc. Write each exercise item on a small piece of paper or index

Instead of surfing the ‘Net — go for a brisk walk around the neighborhood.

> NEVER walk on a “frozen” pond, lake, river or any other body of water. Just because it looks frozen does not mean it is safe.

When you are riding in a car, there are a number of things you can do to keep you (and other people in the car) safe. Here are just a few:

> Stay seated on the car seat and ALWAYS wear a seatbelt.

Break into small groups and define what it means to be a bully. Share your ideas with the class. Did you have the same things listed (as the other groups) that you would consider as bullying behavior? Now back in your groups, create a newspaper ad that includes at least two of the following:

How much time do you spend each day looking down at a phone, laptop or video game?

> Do not fight, yell or throw things — this could distract the driver.

A BMI (Body Mass Index) is a generic way to calculate where your weight falls into categories (thin, average, overweight, obese). However, it’s a good idea to remember that a BMI may not take into consideration many things such as athleticism (how athletic you are), your bone density and other factors. Discuss your BMI with your

Chiropractors around the country see young patients every day suffering from back, neck and head-aches resulting from the extra strain you put on your body when you look down for long periods of time.

> If you are with someone that falls through the ice, first run (or call) for help. Do not try to go out onto the ice to help your friend. You can fall through the ice too.

> How bullying hurts others.

> What to do if you are bullied.

card and fold into a small square. Put these squares into a bowl. Take turns rolling the dice (or drawing a card) and selecting an exercise from the bowl. The total number on the dice or card tells you how many of the exercise you must do. Face cards (king,

Make a list of your favorite 10 activities to do outdoors. Compare your list with your classmates and create a chart to see what are the most popular.

> Set up a kind of volleyball “net” between a couple of chairs. Sit across from a friend and take turns hitting the

This warm-up and recovery period is important for your heart health. It also helps to reduce the amount of muscle pulls and strains.

Can you think of other ways to be more active? Going outside and staying active not only increases your heart rate and burns calories, but it also helps you build friendships!

> Create your own balloon game and share your idea with your classmates.

Learning Standards:

HPE1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

queen or jack) should all count as the number 10. Aces are “wild” and you can do as many as you want! To really challenge yourself, have one person roll the dice and the second can select the exercise. See who can complete the exercise challenge first!

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

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

> What to do if you see someone else bullied.

> Keep your arms inside the vehicle at all times.

> Never toss anything out the window — No Littering!

> What to do if YOU are the bully.

> Can you think of other Car Safety Tips?

doctor if you have any questions. The formula to calculate your BMI is 703 X weight (lbs) ÷ height (in inches/squared) or search “BMI Calculator” to find an easy fill-in chart online. If your number is high, what are some ways to lower your BMI?

1. Most importantly — take breaks! Have a goal of a 3 minute break every 15-20 minutes. Move around, stretch your neck and relax, without looking down!

> Also — remember to look up! Icicles injure numerous people every year. If you see large icicles forming over your front steps, ask your parents to use a broom handle to knock them off to the side before they break loose from your gutters.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5, NH 7, SC 4

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 4, HPE 5, NH 1

Cracker-wiches

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Banana Mini Rice Cake Sammies

Easy Hummus Dip

Ingredients:

Frozen Yogurt Blueberry Bites

Ingredients:

Ingredients: 8 Mini Rice Cakes Peanut Butter Banana Slices

1 15-Oz Can Garbanzo beans

1 cup blueberries

Directions:

> What other ice hazards are there?

Look through the newspaper for examples of ad layouts and design. Discuss the words “compassion,” “empathy” and “sympathy.” How do they each play into your response to bullying at your school?

2. Set your tech device in a holder to keep it at eye level, reducing the need to look down.

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, NH 5

1 Garlic clove, crushed

1 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt

Ingredients: 1/2 Cp Vanilla Greek yogurt, 3 Tbsp Natural peanut butter, 1 Ripe banana (sliced and frozen), Splash of vanilla (optional) 6 Ice cubes

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 4

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

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

A couple of quick tips that will reduce that strain on your neck are:

> When walking on icecovered roadways or sidewalks, take baby steps. Walk carefully and slowly.

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

2 Tsp Cumin, 1 Tsp Olive oil, ½ Tsp Salt Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Enjoy with baked tortilla chips or raw vegetables.

Directions: Blend all ingredients until Smooth. Makes 2 yummy smoothies!

Directions: Drop each blueberry into the yogurt. Using a spoon, swirl around to coat and place each blueberry on a cookie sheet topped with parchment paper. Freeze for at least an hour.

Directions: Spread peanut butter on four of the crackers and top with sliced strawberries. Drizzle with honey and top with the other crackers to make four cracker-wiches.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from McCluer High School. I then earned a Bachelor of Nursing and a Master of Nursing Practice from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. And finally, I earned a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Maryville University.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Sumner High School. I then earned Associate Degree in Nursing from Forest Park College and a BS in Business Administration from Columbia College.

Where do you work? I am a school nurse with St. Louis Public Schools.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from McCluer North High School. I earned an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from Meramec College in Kirkwood and completing my bachelor’s degree at Webster University in Webster Groves.

Where do you work? I am the founder and distance counselor for Goal Driven Counseling, LLC. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Whitney Young Magnet High School in Chicago, IL: same as former first lady Mrs. Michelle Obama. I then earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, and a Master of Social Work from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. I also completed two more years of supervision and exams to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Missouri.

Where do you work? I am a Registered Nurse First Assistant at Christian Northeast Hospital. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Ritenour High School. I then earned a surgical technician degree from Forest Park Community College, St. Louis, a nursing degree from Lutheran School of Nursing, St. Louis, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona.

What does a school nurse do? I love giving students medications, so they’re able to focus on learning. I clean and bandage wounds. I use medical equipment like a stethoscope, for example, to evaluate whether or not my asthmatics are breathing well. Moreover, I teach and promote healthy habits to my students.

What does a school nurse do? I assess the concerns of students who are ill, injured or experiencing alterations in their normal health. Nurses screen daily staff, students and visitors for safety. Monroe School is a pilot school for Covid-19 test sites in partnership with the city.

What does a family nurse practitioner do? Each day I have office visits with patients to help treat new health conditions and/or manage established health conditions. I perform physical examinations on patients, order labs, read x-rays results, and more.

What does a registered nurse first assistant do on the job? I get to meet awesome patients! I work with great surgeons and assist them during surgery.

Why did you choose this career? I’ve always had an interest in the anatomy of the human body, and I love helping people.

What does a Licensed Clinical Social Worker do? I use technology to help teens and young adults explore their emotions, better understand their feelings, work through relationships, and address common challenges completely online through a computer, tablet, or smart phone. Similar to a Facetime call, I support and guide my clients from the comfort of their home or private location where they are comfortable

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career to help improve the health of my community.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I love to get lost in my work, because I love what I do. During surgery, I am completely focused on my patient and what’s best for them. Nothing else matters at that moment.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

Why did you choose this career? I love nursing because there are many opportunities in hospitals, schools, clinics and offices, insurance, legal and research. My passion is working in the schools with students, parents, staff and community partners.

Why did you choose this career? I am a St. Louis native, and was an asthmatic child who experienced frequent hospitalizations. Besides having the influence of nurses in my family, the local nurses who helped take care of me were my “angels” and always managed to nurse me back to health, thus sparking my interest.

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because I enjoy being a support to teens and young adults in a very challenging phase of life that can be overwhelming. I enjoy teaching them how to best take care of themselves so they can live healthy and fulfilling lives.

What is your favorite part of the job you have?

What is your favorite part of the job you have? Many chronic health conditions (diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure) are preventable, and early detection is key. Thus my favorite part of the job is partnering with patients to establish and manage a plan to help them each live a long and healthy life.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I enjoy when a child tells you, “I want to be a nurse.” And best of all, I love the smiles, hugs and “thank-yous”.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I love that my job makes talking about mental health not as scary and even makes it kind of cool. I love that I get to build valuable relationships with so many people that trust me to be there for them. I love that no matter where my clients are, we can simply connect with a video call and I can not only support them through hard times, but lots of good times as well.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3 Melissa

My childhood health challenges have given me sensitivity to children suffering with illness. After being given a new lease on life, I consider it an honor to be in a position to promote health to the children of my community, in whatever capacity I serve – in turn, being their “angel.”

Learning Standards: HPE 6, NH 3

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

Yonniece Rose, Registered Nurse

Banana PB Smoothie

Deborah Edwards, School Nurse

Kadija Muhammad, BSN, RNFA

The

Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 618-910-9551

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

Teacher Rhonda Stovall provides the tools for Gateway Elementary School third grade student Jade Lee to study how plants and animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. Gateway Elementary School is in the Saint Louis Public Schools District.

Photo by Rhonda Stovall

What Is Civil Engineering?

Civil engineers design and create a variety of structures — not only buildings, but tunnels, dams, highways, water and sewer systems. They use computer programs and a variety of materials to create designs to meet the needs of a specific population. Civil engineers must be sure that their designs protect against environmental elements, like wind and sun, as well as storms. Examples of projects for civil engineers include managing a community’s water reservoir to be sure there is clean drinking water, designing skyscrapers, building shelters for victims of floods and hurricanes, building the Olympic stadium, and constructing roadways.

Civil engineers must obtain a college degree and specialize in structural, hydraulic, water resources, environmental, transportation, or management. A good civil engineer is strong in physics and math. They have visual strengths and understand the logistics of how a structure will affect the flow of daily activities, such as the layout of an airport. Civil engineers need to be good listeners to understand the needs of their clients.

Visit Engineer Girl’s Website Here: http://www.engineergirl.org/.

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting details

SCIENCE STARS

AFRICAN-AMERICAN CIVIL ENGINEER & EDUCATOR: Oliver McGee

Oliver G. McGee III grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, in 1981. McGee then went to the University of Arizona to earn his master’s degree in civil engineering and his doctorate degree in engineering mechanics and aerospace engineering. While at the University of Arizona, he worked as a graduate teaching associate in the civil engineering department. In 2004, he earned an MBA degree in business administration and finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

McGee worked in many different positions. He was an assistant professor at Ohio State University, teaching civil engineering, where he was the first African American to be promoted as a teacher with tenure. He taught at MIT and was a special assistant to the President at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also worked at Howard University as the school’s first vice principal for research and compliance.

McGee served the Executive Office of U.S. President as a senior policy analyst and the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of transportation for technology policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION Build A GumDrop Dome!

Background Information:

In this experiment, you will build a geodesic dome. You will then decide a variable to change—such as changing the number of sides in the base or the shape of walls— and predict what you think will happen. This prediction is your hypothesis. You will then test your hypothesis.

Materials Needed:

• 25 toothpicks • 11 gum drops

Process:

q Use gumdrops to connect five toothpicks as your base.

w Use two toothpicks and one gumdrop to create a triangle from one side of the base.

e Repeat step two until you have created five triangles around the base.

MATH CONNECTION

Engineers use a variety of math in their jobs. A common math formula that is used is area. Area is calculated by multiplying length times width. Try your hand at these area word problems.

z A square has an area of 36 inches. What is the length of each side?

r Use toothpicks to connect the gumdrops at the tops of the five triangles.

t Push 1 toothpick into each of the top gumdrops.

y Use the last gumdrop to connect these toothpicks at the top. You have created a geodesic dome.

u Create a variable to change—such as the number of sides in the base or the shape used in the walls. How will this change your structure? Write your hypothesis. Create your new structure to test your hypothesis.

Analyze: Why are triangles used in building structures?

Learning Standards: I can follow directions to complete an experiment. I can create and test a hypothesis.

McGee earned more than 8 million dollars in grants for research. His research has been published in many academic journals, such as ASME Journal of Turbomachinery, ASME Journal of Fluids Engineering, ASME Journal of Applied Mechanics, International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, International Journal of Solids and Structures, ASCE Journal of Engineering Mechanics, and Civil Engineering Systems. McGee is also the author of the book Bridging the Black Research Gap. He founded the consulting firm Partnership Possibilities for America, which focuses on education, economics, and politics. For his contributions to the field of civil engineering, McGee has received awards from many organizations, including American Council on Education, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, National Science Foundation, and National Aeronautics & Space Administration.

For More Information About Civil Engineers, Visit: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineeringcareers/engineering/civil-engineers and http://www.ice.org. uk/What-is-civil-engineering.

To View Videos of Dr. McGee Speaking About the Missing Malaysia Flight 370 Mystery Story, Visit: http://greatblackspeakers.com/author/olivermcgee/. Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made contributions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

MAP CORNER

c A room whose area is 24 feet squared has a length that is 2 feet longer than the width. What are the dimensions of the room?__________

v The area of a rectangular rug is 60 yards squared. If the width of the rug is 10 yards, what is the length of the rug?

x Your classroom has a length of 25 feet and a width of 38 feet. Your teacher decides that new tiles will look good in the class. If each tile has a length of 24 inches and a width of 36 inches, how many tiles are needed to fill the classroom?

b Terrence is making a display board

DID YOU KNOW?

A civil engineer created the slippery part of the water slide. A civil engineer designed a pumping system to circulate just the right amount of water to support the weight of people, the water, and even the force of the wind blowing on it.

The Ferris Wheel, created by engineer George W. Ferris, is considered one of the greatest engineering wonders in the world.

Theme park engineers are involved in designing, building, lighting, and even controlling the crowd flow in theme parks around the world.

for the school play. The display board is a 9 feet by 9 feet square. If ribbon costs $1 per foot, how much will it cost to add a ribbon border around the entire display board? __________

n Patricia has a rectangular flower garden that is 10 feet long and 2 feet wide. One bag of soil can cover 10 feet squared. How many bags will she need to cover the entire garden?

Learning Standards: I can calculate area. I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem.

The word engineer comes from a Latin word meaning ‘cleverness,’ which is appropriate because engineers solve problems by applying mathematical and scientific knowledge.

Use the newspaper to complete the following activities.

Activity One

Writing to Persuade: Newspapers are a great source for persuasive writing. There are advertisements persuading you to try a product or service. There are opinion columns challenging your beliefs on a topic. There are letters to the editors about a variety of issues. Find an example of persuasion in the newspaper. Who is the author? What are they trying to persuade you to do? What techniques do they use? Are they effective? Why or why not?

Activity Two — Area and Perimeter: Locate three pictures in the newspaper. What is the area of the pictures (length x width), what is the perimeter (the length of all sides added together)? Are the pictures on the front page the same size as the pictures found in other sections of the paper?

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can identify point of view. I can find the area and perimeter of a shape.

St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.

Roberts brings baggage to race against Bush

The filing deadline to run for Congress passed on Tuesday, and as expected first-term Congresswoman Cori Bush saw a series of men lined up to challenge her. Although Rep. Bush is well-liked by her constituents and has represented St. Louis phenomenally in Congress, her campaign is most seriously challenged by state Sen. Steven Roberts, Jr. Roberts, who waited until late Monday afternoon to file, and his family are sometimes allies of former Rep. Lacy Clay, the 20-year incumbent that Bush ousted in 2020. Since her election to Congress, Bush has stood strong for St. Louis in a way that Clay could never seem to do, including sleeping on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to demand an extension of the federal eviction

moratorium, showing up in the community in protest of the execution of Ernest Johnson, and co-sponsoring the Green New Deal legislation, which seeks to improve air quality in cities like St. Louis and would allocate additional resources for remediation of toxic waste sites like the West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton. Notably, Clay was heavily criticized for his failure to help North County residents take on Republic Services, the company that runs the landfill. But Roberts represents more than just a Clay surrogate in this race, and his quest seemingly extends beyond getting revenge for the defeated congressman. Sure, Roberts can count on Clay’s supporters, like controversial developer Paul McKee, conservative billionaire Rex Sinquefield, and a host of dark money donors. His congressional candidacy has some heavy lifting to achieve as far as protecting his family’s legacy, which in the last few years has included funneling tens of thousands of dollars to Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed through shell corporations, creating the “St. Louis Progress” PAC that has moved large sums of money between campaigns.

primary. Roberts’ timing raises several issues, mainly how much of his Missouri campaign treasure he has expended in preparation for his federal challenge to Rep. Bush.

Specifically, a review of Roberts’ most recent campaign finance report filed in January shows that he had a little less than $79,000 cash-on-hand, but he spent $45,000 for the final quarter in 2021. While Roberts is not up for re-election to his senate seat until 2024, his state (or MEC) expenditures in the last six months raise red flags.

reported to police that Roberts tried to forcibly put his hand inside her pants and underwear and was consequently arrested for second-degree sodomy.

Roberts worked as an assistant prosecuting attorney under then-Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, but was fired a few months after the allegations became public.

Roberts also has his own reputation clean-up to do, as he twice has been credibly accused by women of sexual assault and recently got caught by national media trying to scrub those stories from his Wikipedia page. The first accusation against Roberts was in 2015, when a then-law student

Even the date Roberts filed would seem to indicate that his team is making all efforts to conceal his campaign-related activities: by filing on March 29, Roberts may be trying to evade quarterly filing requirements, which would include activities through March 31. The next filing deadline isn’t until July 15, which is less than a month before the August

For example, the web address, RobertsForCongress.com, was purchased in October 2021, but that domain purchase has not been logged with the MEC or FEC. Roberts’ reports across 2021 also show “media relations” expenditures paid out to Clay’s political machine, Media Magic, exceeding a total of $22,000 - for just the one year. The argument that Roberts has been planning to launch his congressional run can easily be made by just looking at open records, but if he is so confident for his run for MO-01, why the secrecy and misrepresentations to the public?

The University of Missouri–St. Louis Bridge Program is a unique, comprehensive college preparation service for students and families in the St. Louis community.

This award-winning program helps high school students successfully transition to college – and our Summer Academy is your first step!

Enroll in the Summer Academy session today!

June 20-July 15, Monday-Friday, 7:45 am-12 pm

In-person instruction at the University of Missouri–St. Louis North Campus Application due by Friday, May 13, 2022

Students must be enrolled in grades 9 or 10 at a St. Louis metropolitan area high school, enrolled in or completed algebra, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.

To apply, visit umsl.edu/precollegiate. For more information, call 314-516-5196 or email precollegiate@umsl.edu

program opportunties.

Speaking of candidates that no one asked for: Jane Dueker, the scandal-mongering political consultant and strategist for disgraced former County Executive Steve Stenger, filed her paperwork to run as a Democrat for the seat that Stenger once held. Dueker, a lawyer, most recently worked as a lobbyist for the St. Louis Police Officers Association - the white police union - and finds herself among the list of donors to Steve Roberts Jr.’s campaign. Although Dueker claims to be an advocate for domestic violence victims, her MEC reports show a much different story, including a $500 donation to Roberts in 2020, a series of campaign contributions to Jeff Roorda’s 2018 campaign, and, of course, the unknown sums of money that she received from Mike Kelley’s Show Me Victories group as a consultant for Steve Stenger’s 2014 and 2018 campaigns.

“It’s a surprise, but a good one,” said Richard Callow, campaign spokesperson for current (and not indicted) County Executive Sam Page. “I didn’t have ‘Steve Stenger’s campaign manager runs for county executive’ on my bingo card this year.” Other responses to Dueker’s candidacy have been less light-hearted, instead pointing out how hard Dueker recently has campaigned for County Republican candidates and her relentless support for abusive police officers, alongside an infamous photo that saw Dueker sitting with Stenger, former mayor Lyda Krewson, and Kelley’s staff members as they watched for election results. Before running for the office held by her former boss, Dueker helped Stenger respond to inquiries about the Northwest Plaza deal, which included a cast of characters who also got indicted and/ or pleaded guilty to federal white collar felonies related to that deal. Dueker is reliably transactional and has a history of working for the highest paycheck, including working for Stenger’s former rival, Mark Mantovani, in 2020. Given how involved Dueker was with his campaign and messaging, the Eye isn’t quite clear on how her candidacy will differ from the mess that Stenger left behind.

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University of Missouri–St. Louis Serious Education. Serious value.

Jane Dueker Steve Stenger

Fulfilling an ice cream dream during a pandemic

By Sylvester Brown Jr.

The St. Louis American

Nestled in the scenic town of Park Hills, in St. Francois County, MO., sits a unique, niche 100% Black-owned business called “Bold Spoon Creamery.”

In January 2021, Rachel Burns and her husband, Corey Wilkinson, decided to sell their University City home and move Rachel’s business to the historic antebellum town about seven miles northwest of Farmington.

Rachel, who started making “premium small batch” ice cream in 2017, had grown the business to a point where she needed more commercial and garden space for her product. The fact that she officially started selling ice cream at the beginning of a global pandemic that crippled thousands of businesses nationwide, speaks to Rachel’s tenacity, resolve and, most important, ability to “pivot.”

n “I wouldn’t call it a set-back. It was more of a pivot. I had to find a new avenue.”

– Rachel Burns, founder of Bold Spoons Creamery

her basement for years and, on a whim, decided to grab some mint and make a batch of homemade mint ice cream for their visitors.

It was a hit. Rachel began tinkering with ingredients, brainstorming combinations, and making notes of her original recipes. In early 2019, a group of friends who nicknamed themselves “The Spoons” served as official taste testers for Rachel’s unique, multiple-flavored ice cream recipes.

PeoPle on the Move

Melton named COO at CareSTL

CareSTL Health recently welcomed Derrick J. Melton as the new chief operating officer (COO). He comes to CareSTL Health from Washington University School of Medicine, where he worked as the director of clinical operations. Before arriving in St. Louis, Melton spent five years as the director of ambulatory operations for orthopedic surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson, Mississippi.

YWCA’s Winfield wins human resources award

Sharon Winfield, chief human resources officer for YWCA Metro St. Louis recently won the 2022 St. Louis Business Journal Individual Human Resources Award. The award recognizes human resources professionals that have gone above and beyond to assist their companies and organizations during one of the toughest periods. Winfield worked to keep employees safe during the Covid-19 pandemic with several new initiatives, including a vaccine mandate for the nonprofit organization.

Phillips named to NSBA Leadership Council

“Initially my business plan was to sell primarily to restaurants,” Burns explained. “So, you can imagine in March 2020 that was not a viable option because restaurants were closing or only doing curbside services. I wouldn’t call it a set-back. It was more of a pivot. I had to find a new avenue.”

“I wasn’t making flavors like vanilla or strawberry; not that there’s anything wrong with them. I was making flavors like goat cheese and fig, or spiced honey or salt cheese & chocolate.” The name “Bold Spoons,” originated from the Spoons comments about her “bold” flavors.

The Bold Spoon Creamery story speaks to the spirit of entrepreneurism. It began in 2017 when one of Corey’s college friends brought his family to the couple’s house for a summer swim. A year or so earlier, Corey had planted mint that came to dominate the backyard. Rachel remembered the Cuisinart ice cream maker she had in

Positive reviews from the Spoons motivated Rachel, a business consultant, to enter the retail ice cream business. She had just ordered a professional ice cream machine in March 2020 when the pandemic hit. Given the unknowns of the

City, SLDC set criteria for ARPA small business support

Grants will be $5000

St. Louis American staff

The City of St. Louis and the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) have released eligibility criteria for small businesses relief allocated under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). About 900 city-based businesses will receive $5,000 grants, which can be used to cover operating costs including payroll, rent, utilities, personal protective equipment acquisition, and securing inventory.

Paper and electronic applications will be accepted. In-person application events will begin on Monday April 4, 2022, with the online application portal opening at 8 a.m. Thursday April 14. Neal Richardson, SLDC executive director, is encouraging business owners to gather required documents necessary for an application before the online portal launch. These include a current W-9, a current business license, and bank statements demonstrating an adverse economic impact resulting from COVID-19.

“Small businesses are at the center of building a more resilient and vibrant economy in response to COVID-19,” Richardson said in a release.

“These grant dollars will provide business owners with the ability to support their employ-

Jackie “JP” Phillips

Jackie “JP” Phillips, founder and CEO of Unheard Media LLC and Unheard TV, was recently selected to serve on the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council. NSBA is the nation’s oldest smallbusiness advocacy organization. Phillips, a recognized leader in the small-business community, joins the NSBA Leadership Council alongside an exclusive group of small-business advocates from across the country who engage with policymakers in Washington, D.C, state and local government, and the media to promote the interests of small business.

SLU’s Govan named Newman Civic Fellow

Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has named 173 student civic leaders who will make up the organization’s 2022-2023 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows. Marquis Govan, an undergraduate student studying social work and sociology at Saint Louis University, will join students from 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Mexico to form the cohort. Govan currently is a community organizer and policy fellow with Action STL, a nonprofit policyfocused organization working to improve living conditions in St. Louis.

In January 2021, Rachel Burns and her husband, Corey Wilkinson, decided to sell their University City home and move Rachel’s Bold Spoon Creamery to the historic antebellum town of Park Hills, MO., about seven miles northwest of Farmington.

Derrick J. Melton

Sharon Winfield

Photo courtesy of Bold Spoon Creamery

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, a former small business owner, says the city cannot move forward from the pandemic “if we leave our entrepreneurs and small business owners behind.” See ARPA, B2

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Marquis Govan

Ice Cream

Continued from B1

coronavirus, Rachel abandoned her plan to strictly market to restaurants and took to the streets. She rang doorbells and before residents answered she’d run across the street and yell, “Hi, my name is Rachel, I’m your neighbor. We’re starting a new business…just wanted to give you a little treat. Hope you enjoy.”

She left cards with an online address with the samples and soon she started receiving orders. In about three weeks Rachel, Mark and their son, Harrison, 24, were delivering ice cream every Saturday. Shortly afterwards, Rachel started participating in local farmer’s markets. After positive press from magazines like Sauce and Feast, Bold Spoons gained entrée into dozens of local markets such as Straub’s, SmokeHouse Market in Chesterfield and Fresh Thyme Market at the City foundry as well as regional retailer Schnucks.

She rented hourly space at St. Louis Food Works, a commercial kitchen in the midtown area, and bought a much bigger ice cream machine to meet the growing demand for her products. Last year, mostly because Corey wanted to move to the country, Rachel said, they bought a 57-acre farm in Park Hills.

ARPA

Continued from B1

ees, better serve their customers and contribute to the economic growth of the neighborhoods in which they operate.”

Applicants must own a business located in the city, have 25 or fewer employees, be current on all city taxes, demonstrate COVID-19 hardship, and must have and maintain an active St. Louis Business License at the time of application and receipt of grant funds. No City employees or members of their immediate family can apply for funding.

“As a former small business owner, I know how challenging running a business can be, and

Surrounded by hilly terrain, a gushing river on their property and in plain sight of the Ozark Mountains, Rachel said it’s a treat to have people come to the farm, enjoy ice cream by the lake and leave with products in hand. They have the space to grow apples, pears, strawberries, mint, and other fresh fruit and herbs that immediately go into her ice cream creations. With a small staff and much more space, Rachel manages to provide her products to almost 25 locations in St. Louis city and county and St. Francois County. Rachel said she’s not even considering taking her products nationally, yet. She, Cory and Harrison plan to branch out and seize other local opportunities first. She’s getting requests to secure their kitchen space for baby showers and private parties where customers can make their own custom ice cream. She’s revisiting her earlier plans to deliver to restaurants and making custom recipes for local wineries. Bold Spoons is also a member of “Harvest Hosts” a network of wineries, farms, breweries, and other unique attractions that invite RVers to get off the beaten path and visit and stay overnight at various member locations.

For a Black-owned business born in the midst of a global pandemic, Bold Spoons is holding its own. Early in the pandemic experts predicted that at least 40% of Black business-

the pandemic has made the chances for success become even more difficult,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones.

“St. Louis cannot move forward from the pandemic if we leave our entrepreneurs and small business owners behind.

This fund is just one of the creative ways I’m using ARPA dollars to support them.”

SLDC will host a virtual town hall at 5:30 p.m. Thursday March 31 outlining the application process. The webinar link is at www.stlouis-mo/government/departments/ sldc. A full list of eligibility requirements is available too.

Applicants can deliver completed paper applications from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 14 ,15, 18, and 19 at the SLDC Office, 1520 Market St.

Rachel Burns started making “premium small batch” ice cream in 2017 and later sold it through her Bold Spoon Creamery. Bold Spoon launched just as restaurants were impacted by the pandemic, but she and her business persevered.

es would succumb to the crisis. Although COVID-19 did disproportionately hurt preexisting Black businesses, ironically, according to a 2021 report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, it also spurred the creation of a surprising number of new Black firms. That growth, according to the report, speaks to the resiliency of African American business-owners like Rachel.

“I don’t know if it was a problem for us because we started in it. But, honestly, the benefit of starting in the pandemic was that it forced us to be scrappy, resourceful and to think quickly,” Rachel said. The challenges of the pandemic, she added, prepared her to move forward.

“I think that it [COVID] was a benefit,” she said. “Because when times are kind of normal again and you’re still able to hold on to those attributes, that way of thinking forward, then it can only be a good thing.” Rachel was concerned when told of the number of Black businesses predicted to fail due to the pandemic. She knows she’s one of the fortunate ones and hopes others will be able to pivot and creatively survive through the ongoing crisis. For other Black-owned businesses, Rachel shared one wish:

“Hopefully they can still hold on to their dreams.”

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

There will be two in-person application events for business owners, and they are limited to the first 120 participants. The first is from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday April 4 at The Central Library, 1301 Olive St. The second is 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday April 6 at The Youth and Family Center, 818 Cass Ave. A series of town halls and an online survey to help determine how St. Louis County residents think ARPA funds should be spent ended last week. More than 2,400 surveys were submitted, according to the county.

“We’ve been encouraged by the turnout for the town halls as well as the responses we’ve received for the online survey,” County Executive Sam Page said in a release.

“We look forward to hearing from more residents and then sharing the results of the survey with the community.” Biden budget helps SBA

President Biden’s proposed 2023 budget includes a $71.5 billion allotment to the Small Business Administration, a 15% increase from fiscal 2022, according to the administration.

The largest increase, $5 billion, is allocated to the agency’s flagship loan guarantee program, which would be authorized to guarantee $35 billion of loans.

The budget also would boost 504, SBA’s second-largest program, providing $9 billion for regular 504 loans, up from $7.5 billion in fiscal 2022, and $7.5 billion for the commercial real estate refinance program.

n “This is it for me. This is my last run.”

– Albert Pujols after signing a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals

InSIdE SportS

By Earl Austin Jr.

Show the Love

Tar Heels’ Caleb Love finally gets his Final Four chance

St. Louisan Caleb Love is at last getting his opportunity to play in a Final Four and compete for a championship.

The former CBC basketball star has been tremendous throughout the NCAA Tournament in helping lead North Carolina to the East Regional championship and a berth in the Final Four.

The Tar Heels will meet longtime rival Duke in a national semifinal game at the Superdome in New Orleans following the Kansas-Villanova contest.

For Love, he will get the chance participate in a Final Four that was denied to him two years ago at the end of his stellar high school career with the Cadets.

I take you back to March 14, 2020, at Francis Howell Central when Love and his Cadet teammates defeated Francis Howell 62-53 in the quarterfinals of the Class 6 state tournament. Love scored 23 points to lead CBC, including a pair of clutch jumpers down the stretch with the game in the balance.

Normally, a state quarterfinal game of that magnitude would attract a packed gym of rabid basketball fans. But this was no ordinary day. There were less than 150 people in the gym. With the COVID-19 pandemic first raging across the country, events were being cancelled, including high school activities. And those that still went on were held in front of small gatherings, like the one in St. Charles on that night.

I had just come back from New York early because the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament had been cancelled. But I did get out to Francis Howell Central two days later because I wanted to see Love at least one more time in high school He delivered one more virtuoso performance to get the Cadets back to the Final Four. The Cadets advanced to the state championship game the previous season and were defeated by Columbia Rock Bridge in a close game. Caleb was looking forward to getting back to Springfield to close out his career with a state championship. However, it was becoming clear that he would not have that opportunity. It became official a few days later when the Final Four was officially cancelled.

I spoke with him after the quarterfinal game, and you could see the disappointment on his face. As excited as he was, it was starting to sink in that he had probably played his last high school game and that he would not get the opportunity conclude his dream season the way he wanted to. No state championship; No

McDonald’s All-American Game. It was over, just like that. I felt crushed for the young man and all the other kids who were in that same position on March 14, 2020.

Here we are two years later, and Caleb Love is getting to go to the Final Four and the stage could not be bigger. He is going to play in what may be the most anticipated Final Four game in recent memory. The North Carolina-Duke rivalry is the biggest in college basketball, yet it will be the first time that these two storied programs have played in the NCAA Tournament. And with the retirement of legendary Duke head

coach Mike Krzyzewski looming, it is a game that everyone will be tuning in to. It was Love who had a big hand in making sure the Tar Heels are headed to the Big Easy. He is currently averaging 18 points a game in the tournament, which is up three points from his regular season average. He started off the tournament with a bang as he scored 23 points and made six 3-pointers in the Tar Heels’ 95-63 victory over Marquette.

As good as that performance was, it his Caleb’s epic 30-point performance against UCLA in the regional semifinals that will

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

will lead his

into an NCAA Tournament national semifinal game against archrival Duke on Saturday, April 3, 2022.

etch his name into Carolina folklore. After a tough-shooting first half, Love changed his shoes at halftime, then proceeded to score 27 points in the second half to lead the Tar Heels to a 73-66 victory over the Bruins. It was Love’s back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minutes of play that turned a 64-61 deficit into a 67-64 lead that the Tar Heels would not relinquish. He followed up with 14 points in the Tar Heels’ victory over St. Peter’s in the regional final. Welcome back to the Final Four Caleb Love. Good things come to those who wait.

NCAA ‘Graduation Success

Rates’ still have stark racial gaps

The respective Graduation Success Rates [GSR] for men’s and women’s NCAA basketball players on 2022 NCAA Tournament teams rose compared to the previous year. But a sizeable gap remains between Black and white players, according to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida “Keeping Score When It Counts” study. The annual study compiles academic progress and graduation success rate for Division I men’s and women’s basketball teams in the NCAA Tournament.

13.4 percent for 2021 NCAA Tournament men’s teams.

The women’s overall graduation rate increased to 93.9% for 2022 tournament teams from 93.1% last year. That 93.9 percent rate is distinctively better than the men’s 87.2% mark.

Alvin A. Reid

Male players overall graduated at an average rate of 87.2%, increasing 4.8 percentage points from last year. Black players had an 83.7% graduation rate, up 3.4% from last year. While that is good news, it is shadowed by the fact white male student-athletes graduated at a 95.1% rate, 11.4% higher than Black male student-athletes. The gap was at

The racial difference in graduation rates is also present with women, but the gap is lower than with men. Black women players graduated at a rate of 92.5% compared to 98.8% of white players. The difference of 6.3% is slightly higher than last year’s 6.1% Richard Lapchick, TIDES director, called the upward trend in graduation rates “encouraging” in the report’s executive summary. “Not so encouraging and totally unacceptable is the fact that 11 teams (16.2%) of men’s teams had a 30% or greater gap between the graduation rates of their white and Black basketball student-athletes,” he said. There were four women’s teams with a 30% or higher gap.

The TIDES study lists teams in respective 2022 NCAA Tournaments, meaning Missouri and St. Louis University graduation rates are not included in this year’s report.

The NCAA created the GSR in 2005. It tracks student- athletes for six years following entrance to an NCAA member institution to monitor the graduation rates of member institutions and their athletic programs, according to TIDES. All APR/GSR data is currently available from the NCAA

The New York Rangers’ K’Andre Miller is one of the NHL’s best young Black players.

National Office Research department.

“The disparities in GSR have racial implications that cannot be ignored. It’s paramount that universities hire more head coaches of color for men’s and women’s teams,” Lapchick said.

“We need to advocate to make educational success equally represented across all students, including male and female student athletes of all races.”

To review the TIDES study, visit www.tidesport.org

The Reid Roundup

I’m with Earl Austin in congratulating Caleb Love for helping the North Carolina Tar Heels and coach Hubert Davis reach the Final Four…This time next week I hope to be celebrating the KU Jayhawks either beating North Carolina or Duke in the championship game…Brittney Griner, a member of the Phoenix Mercury WNBA franchise, remains in custody in Russia after her February 17 arrest for allegedly having cannabis oil cartridges in her luggage at an airport. OK, Putin, you proved your point. Send her home. The U.S. will pay for an airline ticket and a fine… Ben Proudfoot, director of the Oscar-winning documentary “The Queen of Basketball,” asked President Joe Biden to “bring Brittney Griner home” during his acceptance speech on March 27. The documentary honors Lusia “Lucy” Harris, the first woman officially drafted by the NBA in 1977 and the first Black woman to be honored in the James Naismith Memorial

Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992…The New York Rangers are headed to the playoffs and sport one of the NHL’s best young Black players in K’Andre Miller. Miller’s overtime goal on March 27 gave the Rangers a 5-4 win against Buffalo. It was the second-year player’s sixth goal of the year to go along with nine assists. He seems to get better every game,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said of his budding star…St. Peter’s, the underdog Cinderella team of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, is losing coach Shaheen Holloway to his alma mater Seton Hall. Reports have it Holloway, who starred at guard at Seton Hall and served there as an assistant coach, was headed back after the season regardless of what his Peacocks accomplished in the tournament…Albert Pujols is returning to the St. Louis Cardinals for at least the 2022 season. He will make $2.5 million and serve mostly as the team’s designated hitter [DH]…I’m livid the National League approved the DH rule. I’ve hated it since the American League adopted it in 1974.

Earl Austin Jr.

Former CBC star Caleb Love

North Carolina Tar Heels

Photo courtesy of carolinablitz.com

UMSL, SLU to co-lead research and development for AMICSTL

The St. Louis Regional Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center (AMICSTL), an organization created to establish a robust advanced manufacturing sector in the region, has tapped the University of Missouri–St. Louis and Saint Louis University to co-lead research and development for the venture.

“Having Saint Louis University and the University of Missouri–St. Louis as co-leads for R&D is absolutely ideal,” said John Hixson, a former vice president of Defense Initiatives at the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and a member of AMICSTL’s board. “Both universities have impactful research programs and active, mature innovation programs.

Both universities, at their highest levels, agreed to take on this role enthusiastically.”

The research partnership begins as the physical center is being planned in a location adjacent to the campus of Ranken Technical College in the City of St. Louis’ Vandeventer neighborhood. Ranken is serving as the operational partner for AMICSTL.

AMICSTL will form an innovation triangle in the heart of the St. Louis region, along with the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency’s West campus northwest of downtown and the rapidly growing biotechnology sector in the Cortex Innovation District. The manufacturing innovation center will add to the region’s longheld strengths in aerospace, transportation and agriculture

technology. SLU and UMSL will coordinate with AMICSTL’s university and industry partners to manage the research and development agenda, including the selection process for R&D projects, dissemination of findings, and translation of research into commercial applications. The two universities will represent AMICSTL to the national and international advanced manufacturing R&D community.

In partnering with the region’s research universities under the leadership of SLU and UMSL, AMICSTL will take advantage of science and engineering programs as well as robust business programs including accounting, marketing, and supply chain and analytics.

STLCC and PepsiCo announce program to support Black and Hispanic students

St. Louis Community College and The PepsiCo Foundation recently announced the launch of the Uplift Scholarship program to support Black and Hispanic students pursuing two-year degrees and professional certificate programs. In addition to finan-

The Economic Development Committee of the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., presents the virtual Mad-City Money Simulation, April 30, 2022, 10 a.m. – noon.

Dr. Grant C. Black, associate director of the

cial assistance, the program provides students with dedicated success coaches, access to emergency grants, and financial literacy courses. New and current students can apply for the scholarship, which also includes support for programs that are not currently

covered by federal student aid. Scholarship applications for summer and fall 2022 semesters will be accepted beginning May 2 and eligible students can apply directly at stlcc.academicworks.com

“These community partnerships—such as the one

with PepsiCo—are critical for our students, our future workforce and for our region,” notes Tiffany Davis, director of workforce and talent development, STLCC. “PepsiCo’s commitment will allow us to connect students to opportunity and employers to trained talent.”

The program is designed with a holistic approach to promote access to education advancement by addressing the obstacles – retention, completion, and workforce readiness –that disproportionately impact Black and Hispanic students’

Deltas to host youth financial literacy event

Economic Education Center at Lindenwood University, will serve as the facilitator of the event, which is open to youth ages 13-19. Created by the Credit Union National Association, the budget simulation learning program will teach teens how to create and follow a realistic

budget and manage monthly expenses, making it easier to save for the future. The interactive gathering will feature budget activities and breakout room conversations, offering participants a chance for hands-on engagement and learning. The simulation offers teens an opportunity

to role play and address adult situations dealing with salaries, transportation, housing, occupations, and more.

“Healthy financial habits will take you a long way,” said St. Louis Alumnae Chapter President DeJeanette Williams. “If we can start teaching our youth the value

of having good money-management skills early on, we can get ahead of them being financially responsible adults.”

At the conclusion of the program, participants should have a better understanding of how decisions made early in life may have long-term

educational and professional journeys. The Uplift program at St. Louis Community College aims to guide students to jobs in high-growth industries including information technology, advanced manufacturing and transportation.

impact on finances and how to handle individual needs and debts as we advance in life. To register for this event, please visit the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter of DST, Inc website at www.dst-sla.org no later than April 28, 2022.

The St. Louis Regional Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center is being planned in a location adjacent to the campus of Ranken Technical College in the City of St. Louis’ Vandeventer neighborhood.

By Danielle Brown

The St. Louis American

Boisterous cheers echoed louder and louder against the walls of the Chaifetz Arena Wednesday night while guests anticipated the man of the hour, Maxwell.

In walks a dark silhouetted figure, suavely dressed, through a cloud of smoke onstage in an all-black suit with a bouncy, larger-than-life curly afro.

The 48-year-old trailblazer of the neo-soul movement – a subgenre of R&B – approached his audience looking the same way he did when he launched his music career 26 years ago with his 1996 debut album “Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. “

Journeying down memory lane with the songs a then 22-year-old Maxwell sang on his breakout project, his performance began with “Sumthin’ Sumthin’” “Dancewitme,” and “Lifetime.” Sincere appreciation showed on his face when he told fans he was the luckiest man in the world

because he was in St. Louis with them.

“She came from St. Louis,” Maxwell sang, offering a pretend song he made up on the spot.

“She came to hear some music. She told me if you have a voice, then use it and count your

Multi-generations belted lyrics from pure R&B crooners

blessings; don’t abuse it.”

His love for the city speaks for itself as he had two natives on stage with him: organist Shedrick Mitchell and trumpeter Keyon Harrold. He

shouted both out and spotlighted the Ferguson native with a moving solo on “Stop the World.”

He effortlessly performed “Fortunate” with a rendition that paid tribute to the late Minneapolis icon Prince’s classic “Do Me, Baby.”

He didn’t stray away from his Caribbean roots.

The crooner of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent demonstrated Megan Thee Stallion isn’t the only one with undisputed squats and impressive knee strength.

He danced in a slow seductive way, slowly winding, then twerking to the rhythmic sounds of “Get to Know Ya” and “Lake By the Ocean.” Maxwell entranced with heavenly falsettos in “Bad Habit” and “Fistful of Tears.”

While serenading the crowd with a stream of his hits and accentuated classic R&B covers, the standout of the night was his stellar presentation of his sophomore single “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder).”

When he stepped away from the mic during

Golden Oscar moments and issues that resonate beyond the noise of the slap

woman, and Afro-Latina, to do so in the history of the awards, live at the Academy Awards show in Hollywood, California, on Sunday evening, March 27, 2022.

By Danielle Brown The St. Louis American

Convincing people you’re funny while telling jokes in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t an easy task. It’s a skill that takes time to master. If unsuccessful there is no laughter or crowd interaction.

It is no different on stage in St. Louis or another city. Over the years comics including

Dudes Be” and videos with his fan-favorite character, an imaginary friend named “Parlay.”

He sold-out five shows March 18-20, at Helium Comedy Club during his “Beyond the Internet” Tour, leaving the audience with their sides hurting and tears in their eyes from laughter. His set was anything but politically correct. It was witty, controversial, and relatable. Topics

included cannabis, race, coronavirus, and pop culture.

Megan Thee Stallion’s ongoing case to decide whether Tory Lanez shot her has been discussed since news surfaced about it in 2020.

By Dawn Suggs St. Louis American

Sound glitches aside, The 94th Oscar award show started off like the shows of yesteryear before the pandemic with nominees and celebrities decked out in bold fashions and finery being interviewed, maskless, as they strolled down the red carpet leading to the Dolby Theatre, the traditional venue for the film industry’s biggest event of the year.

Notably, a Black producer, Will Parker was at the helm of this year’s Oscars, just the second time in the Academy’s history that a Black producer was hired for this role. The first was East St. Louis native Reginald Hudlin, a consummate Hollywood director and producer and Black trailblazer in the industry, largely behind the scenes. Hudlin had the unenviable task of co-directing and producing The Oscars in 2016 when the #OscarSoWhite hashtag and movement surged and cast an unflattering spotlight on the awards program’s lack of racial diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, the institution behind the Oscars has historically fallen short in honoring and acknowledging the masterful contribution of Blacks, and other marginalized groups working within the film industry. Interestingly, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith were big proponents and outspoken in support of the #OscarSoWhite movement while Chris Rock hosted the Oscars, under Hudlin’s watch in 2016, the year the movement jumped off when the hashtag was first tweeted after Academy Award nominations were officially announced. Oscar shows typically have impressive opening acts, and this year was no exception, offering a monochromatic and stunning presentation of Black girls in lime green outfits, dancing in formation with Beyonce, who sang “Be Alive” the Oscar nominated original song from the motion picture King Richard. The production paid homage to the Williams sisters and their

Photo courtesy of ABC

DeBose,

Maxwell took his fans on a journey down memory lane, starting his performance with “Sumthin’ Sumthin’” “Dancewitme,” and “Lifetime.”

Photo by Taylor McIntosh | St.Louis American

the song’s second verse, the entire arena sang a capella in unison. He stood in amazement at the fans’ genuine love for the music. After basking in the moment, he returned to the mic and finished the song with grace.

Another gratifying revelation for Maxwell was the vast age range of those in attendance.

“Shoutout to the ‘70s babies, ‘80s babies, ‘90s babies, ‘60s babies, ‘50s babies,” Maxwell said. “Wow, do you understand what’s happening right now? It’s multi-generational; that’s wild.”

Many of the guests left the venue when he rounded out the tour with “Whenever, Wherever, Whatever,” thinking his set was over since he took a brief break before closing.

He surprisingly didn’t perform two of his most famous songs, “This Woman’s Work” and “...Til the Cops Come Knockin.’”

His performance was solid with exuberant energy showing he’s still passionate about his craft two decades in and cares about his core fan bases’ satisfaction.

North Carolina native, unapologetic southern gentleman and Grammy-winning soul singer Anthony Hamilton approached his supporters decked head-to-toe in a white silk blouse, matching trousers, and his signature statement piece, a fedora.

His physical aesthetic was cool for his show opener of “I’m Cool.”

His former background vocalists “The HamilTones,” are no longer his backing support, but his replacements understood the assignment. He and the new collective were melodic and impressive with their cover of H.E.R.’s “Best Part.”

“St. Louis, if you love me, won’t you tell me?” Hamilton sang, and the crowd went crazy. His distinct grit was evident in his version of Luther Vandross’ “Superstar,” a remake duet with Jennifer Hudson off

his latest album, “Love is the New Black.”

“It’s amazing you should download it, stream it, whatever you gotta do, listen to it,” Hamilton said. “It’s six minutes, and it can get you in trouble on a short lunch break. You might wanna choose wisely.”

The “country boy” proud of his beginnings took the audience back with Nappy Roots’ “Po’ Folks” and “Comin’ From Where I’m From.”

He concluded with a stretched-out version of “Charlene,” an apparent crowd favorite as it seemed everyone in the place sang word-for-word at the top of their lungs. It’s fair to say he gave fans the best of him.

Opening act Joe Thomas immediately had the ladies swooning when he approached the stage in all-black and a halfbuttoned shirt with his chest showing.

The “Power” was in his hands when he opened the show’s theme song, “Big Rich Town,” the theme from the

popular TV show. He transitioned with “Stutter (Remix),” “Faded Pictures,” “What If A Woman,” and “Good Girls.” He paid homage to rapper Big Pun’s Latin roots when he salsa danced to his smash single 1998’s “I’m Not A Player.”

Following his performance, St. Louis Aldermanic Board President Lewis Reed presented Black Promoters Collective, the company that organized the show, with a resolution from the City of St. Louis for the company’s efforts as Black promoters organizing Black talent on a national level.

“We wanna ask that you continue to support us as we recycle our dollars,” Sulaiman Mausi, S.V.P. of the Black Promoters Collective said. “We take our money, pour it back into our community. We can’t do that without you. Thank you, St. Louis, for supporting us. We’ve been doing shows for a long time, but we came together in partnership to elevate what we’re doing.”

Photo by Taylor McIntosh | St.Louis American

“Still I Rise”: A Tribute to Maya Angelou

By Cicely Hunter, Missouri Historical Society

Maya Angelou’s words “Still I rise” remain etched into the hearts and the minds of all who have read her poetry. The daughter of Bailey Johnson and Vivian Baxter Johnson, Marguerite Annie Johnson graced the world with her presence on April 4, 1928. Due to hardships within her parents’ marriage that led to their divorce, at age 3 she moved from St. Louis to Stamps, Arkansas, with her paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson. She and her brother Bailey—who gave her the nickname “Maya”—moved back and forth among the homes of their grandmother and their parents several times during their adolescent years. In addition to the turmoil between her parents, Angelou experienced trauma due to sexual abuse by her mother’s boyfriend.

At age 14, she and her brother moved to Oakland, California, with their mother. Two years later Angelou became the first Black woman streetcar conductor in San Francisco. She gave birth to her son, Clyde Bailey (Guy) Johnson, a few weeks after graduating from high school. After training as a modern and African dancer with Alvin Ailey and Ruth Beckford, she became a professional dancer and singer and changed her name to Maya Angelou in 1954. That same year, she traveled to Europe to appear in a production of Porgy and Bess and learned to speak many languages, including French, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, and more.

Upon returning to the US, Angelou joined New York City’s Harlem Writers Guild and produced songs, short stories, and poetry. She also became involved in the civil rights movement and worked within the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. As she expanded her mind and diversified her experiences, she traveled abroad again, this time to Cairo and Ghana. Both trips shaped her skills as a writer and teacher while strengthening her connection to her African ancestry.

In 1969 Angelou published her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in which she discussed her childhood trauma and how she developed strength in the face

of adversity. Angelou’s book was an instant success and appeared on the New York Times nonfiction best sellers list, was nominated for the National Book Award, and has since been translated into many languages. Angelou received additional awards such as the Pulitzer Prize for her 1971 poetry collection Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ’fore I Diiie, a Grammy for the best spokenword album for On the Pulse of Morning, a Tony nomination for her performance in Look Away, and many more. She recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993, the first Black poet and woman poet to serve in this role. In 2011 President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, considered one of the highest honors for civilians. Angelou was known for her ability to give stories life by painting an image from words, allowing the reader to envision the written text. She once stated, “I speak to the Black experience, but I am always talking about the human condition—about what we can endure, dream, fail at, and still

survive.”

Angelou passed away on May 28, 2014, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, at age 86. Her brilliance and legacy live on through her work as a writer, civil rights activist, performer, and mother.

Among her many accolades, she was posthumously chosen to be part of the US Mint’s American Women Quarters Program, a four-year program that celebrates women’s accomplishments and contributions to the development and history of the United States. One side of Angelou’s quarter, which will be the first coin in the series and will be issued this year, depicts Angelou with her arms uplifted, layered on a silhouette of a bird who has taken flight toward a rising sun. Symbolizing “Still I Rise,” the coin’s design invites viewers to reflect on Angelou’s life and how it embodied the words that she wrote:

“You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”

Banks didn’t shy away from the controversy, admitting he doesn’t believe Lanez shot her.

“All this time ain’t seen no bullet wound or crutches, you just see her shaking her a**,” Banks said. “If she did get shot, I bet she made that ahh noise [mocking Megan’s trademark ad lib she does on every song].

Real hot girl s**t Nah that’s real hot bullet s**t, yo foot on fire, that was crazy.”

In good fun, as most comedians do, he teased and poked fun at the front row audience members, including a young woman who rested her mask on her chin rather than covering her face.

“Your mask not on like COVID not going on, that’s on her chin ain’t save s**t she got on a chin strap,” Banks said.

He continued his routine saying when COVID-19 first hit, people weren’t taking it seriously because they got their stimulus check and PPP loan money.

Of course, being in St. Louis, he made some content suitable for the city. While it is an offensive term, countless natives and residents refer to

local Chinese restaurants as “Chinamen’s.” Banks said one of the establishments was his first stop off the plane.

He concluded his set with a hilarious storytime about his experience with a mature woman named Dorothy that went from 0 to 100 real quick. It was the perfect end to his performance of everyday scenarios and bizarre situations that intrigued the 28-year-old. Fellow Atlanta native Athlon Walker set the tone for the headliner’s appearance with remarks about today’s love making music differing from yesteryear’s and his reenactment of Black church pastors. He asked who makes the best love music. Someone from the crowd yelled R. Kelly, then he went on to ask who still listens to his music, and the response varied, with the majority admitting they still listen to his songs.

“Can’t get rid of R. Kelly; he wrote too many songs,” Walker said. “If you cancel him, you gotta cancel the songs he wrote for other people.”

He quoted what he called the Book of Cardi B similar to biblical testaments but much different. He referenced lyrics from “Bodak Yellow,” comparing her line about her wearing red bottom bloody shoes to the “Blood of Jesus.”

The crowd enjoyed him and received his routine well.

Deshawn Reid, known professionally as “Detroit Reid,” was the first act of the evening and immediately showed he has no filter, but in a funny way.

He said he has a deep love for St. Louis women because, from what he’s seen in other cities, local women view their bodies more positively and are more comfortable with their looks.

“I love St. Louis y’all got real women out here yeah, got real stomachs out here, we went to Mississippi, [they] got three-four body shapers on,” Reid said.

The rest of his content was most definitely suitable for a mature audience. It talked about his curious sexual explorations as a youth and reminiscing of BET Uncut, including Nelly’s infamous “Tip Drill” video.

He unapologetically revealed his admiration for ladies of a certain age.

[They] got a real bed in the house with the headboard,” Reid said.

“You spend the night at a young girl’s house; they got a blow-up mattress and make it up like a real bed.”

While his set was more raun-

filled with profanity, and over-the-top, the crowd found him funny.

Photo courtesy of The Missouri Historical Society Collections

Frankie Muse Freeman (left) and Maya Angelou (right), unknown date.

Religion

Keep on keeping the faith Black women

By Lyndia Grant

Remember Maya Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise”? Let me cite just the first stanza. It says, “You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies, you may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise.”

This poem reminds me of my days at Trinity University here in Washington, D.C., when we heard the chair of our communications department often talk about how those of us who are earning our master’s degrees from his department ought to speak out against some of the mistreatment that we all witness on television, especially the evening news. He said, “African American women are often portrayed by media as pregnant, promiscuous, povertystricken, welfare cases, overweight, or as prostitutes.”

In the entire history of America, we are only now considering a vote to confirm an African American woman for the Supreme Court. Another

history-making moment. We are so proud of you, Honorable Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Let us keep her lifted up in prayer.

There are others shown as successful, but the negative far outweighs the good. How do we continue to erase some of these hurtful and inaccurate stereotypes to reclaim a connection with our true selves? Black women are women of power and might!

According to findings compiled in a study by the National Center for Education Statistics, Black women have been obtaining degrees at a consistently high rate for the past eight years and counting.

Information collected about higher education among African Americans between 2009 and 2010 shows that Black women accounted for 68% of associate’s degrees, 66% of bachelor’s degrees, 71% of master’s degrees and 65% of doctorate degrees awarded to Black students during that time frame.

The article also stated, “By both

race and gender, there is a recent study that shows that Black women are enrolled in college at a higher percentage than any other group including white women, Asian women and white men.”

However, while the study does shed light on many positive aspects of Black women and education, some of the overall statistics are still immensely troubling. For example, as of 2012, only 15% of students enrolled in college were African American, a drastically low number relative to that of the 60% of white students enrolled. How many of us know we are queens, and that our strength, courage, persistence and faith propelled generations of our foremothers into

system is controlled by the master switch.

Me: I’m so embarrassed. I can’t believe I walked right by it.

Front Desk: No worries, Ms. Spencer. (Smile.) You are not the first one to ask.

Guess what happened?

In

During

and

with

I

my

similar switch several years ago. I entered a hotel room with my baggage and flipped switches, but nothing happened. I was beyond frustrated. I had a presentation the next day and due to a flight delay, I had even less time to do finishing

touches. I called the front desk, and the conversation went like this:

Me: I think something is wrong. The lights aren’t working. I am turning on all the switches and nothing is happening. There’s no light.

Front Desk: Ms. Spencer, did you turn on the master switch?

Me: The master switch?

Front Desk: Yes, it is the first switch and it’s positioned right by the door as you enter. Once you turn on the master switch, the in-room lighting will be activated. The room’s lighting

I turned on the switch and the room was flooded with light.

Have you ever had days where you forgot to activate the master switch? We wake up and open the door to a new day and immediately receive and respond to calls, text messages, emails, and family members. The day goes by in a blur; we are doing everything yet getting absolutely nothing accomplished.

When you finally have that

our own world where we raised families based on love, Christian faith, wisdom passed down through the generations, and virtues that empower us to raise strong families, and to have productive careers?

We have had to sacrifice our love lives, skip vacations to stay focused and do those things which make us better while others have fun. We have had to go to Weekend College to get degrees (as I did) that will give us more opportunities for growth at work, and now, according to some reports, Black women outnumber other ethnicities when it comes to going to college.

This modern-day Jim Crow era leaves so many millions of Black women without spouses. Allow me to share how I felt the day I sat on stage at Lorton Prison as Les Brown delivered his riveting message to our beautiful Black men.

Immediately following his show one day, Mr. Brown had a speaking engagement at Lorton Prison, formerly

moment and say to yourself, “I think something’s wrong,” and we receive the answer in a variety of ways, through a song, a statement or even in the stillness … Did you activate the master switch?

Sometimes, it means stopping what we’re doing and starting our day over. We pause, go back, and begin our day again … even if it is in the afternoon.

We have entered the Lenten season. It’s a season of preparing for the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. It is a time of prayer, fasting and intentional practices that are done for the 40 days.

My intention during Lent will be to focus on spiritual practices that I want to keep as a part of my life beyond the 40 days.

in Virginia, and invited me to attend as part of my training. As I looked out into the audience, seeing good-looking African American men, they reminded me of my brothers, my uncles and my father. It was that very moment I thought to myself, “So this is where all the Black men are! No wonder 70% of African American women like myself are without spouses.” Police can lock up our men yet poor African American women caring for families all alone are portrayed in such a negative light! Wonder what would be said if the TV producers could walk a mile in our shoes! Thank God for this opportunity to write the truth about my people! This column is to salute you, African American women! As Harriet Tubman always said, “Keep-a-going!” Still I Rise.

Lyndia Grant is an inspirational speaker and writer, and host of “Think on These Things,” on 1340 AM (WYCB) in Washington, D.C.

In the past, this has been the season where I have focused on what to release and then I pick it back up when the Lenten season ends. It has been the season where I embraced practices then put them aside when the Lenten season ends. But this season is different; I chose to let go of things that I don’t want to pick up again when the season ends. This season I want to embrace practices that I plan to continue to practice. This season the fast that I want to take will last beyond the Lent season and remain. This includes making sure I slow down and turn on the master switch before my day can begin. Lights on.

Rev. Sheila P. Spencer is also an author, poet, and teacher. You can contact her at www.sheilapspencer.

DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL

The City of St. Louis is seeking a new Director of Personnel. Qualifications include a Master’s degree in a related field, five years of human resources experience, at least two years of public sector human resources experience at a senior level, experience negotiating collective bargaining agreements and/or Memoranda of Understanding for represented employees and working with employee-defined benefit pension systems, including negotiating employee benefit contracts. View the full description and apply online at https://bit.ly/STLcityjob

EXECUTIVE

Provide analysis support to the Executive Management Team (EMT), focusing specifically in areas of most interest to Treaty Reinsurance Underwriting management. Projects and initiatives may require involvement of multiple other departments.

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

FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM MANAGER

United Way of Greater St. Louis hiring Financial Empowerment Program Manager. For details, please check out https://helpingpeople.org/ careers

NOW HIRING GIHC, LLC FOR HHA’S & CNA’S 833-205-CARE (2273)

SERVANT LEADER INTERN

Deaconess Foundation will sponsor a network of Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® programs this summer. The seven-week program provides summer enrichment for children and families. College-age young adults and recent college graduates play a key role as facilitators in the CDF Freedom Schools program in the position of Servant Leader Intern (SLI).

The Servant Leader Intern’s primary responsibility is to supervise and maintain the safety of children. The Servant Leader Intern will facilitate daily literacy activities; manage classroom spaces; establish and maintain a supportive, structured environment; serve as Harambe leader, afternoon activities facilitator, and field trip chaperone. Starting salary range is $15.00 to $18.00 per hour.

To apply for this position, submit cover letter, resume and references, all as one document, at: https://deaconess.org/joinus

CITY OF CLAYTON HIRING FOR FULLTIME POSITIONS

The City of Clayton is hiring for full-time positions. Apply at https://bit.ly/3pGDCgY.

EOE

EVENTS POSITION

The Gateway Arch Park Foundation is seeking t fill the following open, full-time position. Events Coordinator: Opportunity to work in public and private events! Position requires a bachelor’s degree and 2-3 years of relevant experience. View full job description and application process at www.archpark.org/ foundation/careers

FULL-TIME, PART-TIME AND SEASONAL POSITIONS

Laumeier Sculpture Park is an internationally recognized, nonprofit arts organization, located in Sunset Hills, Missouri that operates in partnership with St. Louis County Parks. Laumeier has a variety of full-time, part-time and seasonal positions available. For more information www.laumeiersculpturepark. org/job-opportunities

St. LouiS american Bids & Public Notices St. LouiS

St. Louis County Department of Human Services HOUSING URBAN DEVELOPMENTEMERGENCY SOLUTION GRANT FY2021 FUNDING

The St. Louis County Department of Human Services-Homeless Services Program is seeking proposals from suitably qualified entities to provide projects and programs that address the need for Street Outreach, Emergency Shelter, Homelessness Prevention, and Rapid Rehousing for St. Louis County individuals and families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.

The total Housing Urban Development funding available for the Emergency Solution Grant FY2021 is $483,239.00.

Proposals are due on April 5, 2022 by 2:00 p.m. Central Time Request For Proposal details and specifications can be obtained at the St. Louis County Bids and RFPs webpage located at https://stlouiscountymo.gov/services/ request-for-bids-and-proposals/

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Requests for Quotes, Bids and Proposals are posted online for public download. Please navigate to www.msdprojectclear.org > Doing Business With Us > View Non-Capital Bids (commodities and services) or >Visit Planroom (capital construction bids)

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

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR CASS AVENUE MULTIMODAL IMPROVEMENTS, PHASE 1, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, April 20, 2022 through the Bid Express online portal at https://www.bidexpress.com/ businesses/20618/home

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 314-589-6214. 25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals.

SOLICITING BID

Helix Realty is seeking proposals for bids for 28,000 sf of loft conversions. Scope of work includes Demolition. Carpentry, Drywall, Painting, Fire Protection, Plumbing, HVAC and Electrical and has diversity participation goal. Contact Stephen Levin 314 496-9150 slhelix@gmail.com

AUCTION NOTICE

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

Auction at the Dupo, IL location will be held online with www.storageauctions.com on April 26th, 2022, at 10:00 AM. A cash deposit will be REQUIRED for all winning bids. Gateway Storage-Dupo: P07- Crisseanna White, P12- Cody Bergman, 9-Erica Carner-Flanagan, 39-Mary Suschanke, 47-Nicole Wright, 150-Joe Barnhardt, 403- Roy/Amanda Venus, 477—Kimberly Young

Auction at the Columbia, IL location will be held online with www. storageauctions.com on April 27th, 2022, at 10:00 AM. A cash deposit will be REQUIRED for all winning bids. Gateway Storage-Columbia: A008—Brenda McDermont, 107—Krystal Bostic

For all rules, regulations, and bidding process, please contact www. storageauctions.com. All other questions, please call (618) 744-1588 or mail: 300 Rueck Rd, Columbia, IL, 62236.

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Parking Lot/Sidewalks/ ADA Compliance Rehabilitation, Missouri Lottery H e a d q u a

s , Jefferson City, MO Project No. N2101-01 will be received by F M D C , S t a t e of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, April 21, 2022. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Change of Scope Rebid Replace HVAC Barracks Camp Derricotte, Project No. X2115-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, April 19, 2022. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Renovate Restrooms and Showers, Sedalia Readiness Center, S e d a l i a , M O , Project No. T214001 and Renovate R e s t r o o m s a n d S h o w e r s Whiteman Air Force Base –Readiness Center Knob Noster, MO, Project No. T213401 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, April 21, 2022. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Change in Scope, Rebid, Repair Building Exterior, Project No. R2013-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, April 28, 2022 For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Replace A u t o m a t i c Transfer Switch a n d S e r v i c e G e n e r a t o r , N o r t h e a s t C o r r e c t i o n a l Center, Project No. C2002-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1 : 3 0 P M , 4/28/2022 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered t o b i d . F o r specific project information, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS: 2022-15-OC ON- CALL

ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES

ST. LOUIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS

The St. Louis County Department of Transportation and Public Works is seeking to retain the services of a highly qualified team of consulting engineering firms to perform professional architectural and engineering project management services in an on-call capacity. Services requested include project management, funding analysis, review of materials and work, feasibility assessments, value engineering, construction inspection, and procurement management for building facilities.

To participate, register for FREE as a Vendor, in Vendor Self Service. Register at https://stlouiscountymovendors. munisselfservice.com

Submittals are due at 11:00 A.M, Central Standard Time on APRIL 27, 2022

AUCTION NOTICE

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

Auction at the Dupo location will be held online with www.storageauctions.com on April 12th, 2022 at 10:00 AM. A cash deposit will be REQUIRED for all winning bids.

Gateway Storage-Dupo: 24–Kristal Higgerson, 65–James Kyle, 119–Dean Walthes, 141–Cody Bergman, 405–David Reese, 409–Christy Abernathy, 419–Justin Kruep.

Auction at the Columbia location will be held online with www.storageauctions.com on April 13th, 2022 at 10:00 AM. A cash deposit will be REQUIRED for all winning bids.

Gateway Storage-Columbia: 21– Matthew Tutor, 76–Eugene Boron, 184–Sherry Gogolek

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

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS:

2022-16-OC ON-CALL

ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING SERVICES

ST. LOUIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DIVISION

The St. Louis County Department of Transportation and Public Works is seeking to retain the services of a highly qualified team of consulting engineering firms to perform professional architectural and engineering services in an on-call capacity. Services requested include architectural and engineering general project management, pre-design, design, bid and award, and construction administration services for building facilities.

To participate, register for FREE as a Vendor, in Vendor Self Service. Register at https://stlouiscountymovendors. munisselfservice.com

Submittals are due at 11:00 A.M Central Standard Time on APRIL 27, 2022

NOTICE OF ELECTION SPECIAL ELECTION

CITY OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Special Election will be held at the designated polling place for each precinct in the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. The polls will be open between the hours of 6:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. for the purpose of voting on two propositions. There are no candidates on the ballot. The last day the Board of Election Commissioners can accept an application to vote an absentee ballot by mail in the April 5, 2022, Special Election is 5:00 P.M. on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Absentee voting in person will conclude at 5:00 P.M. on Monday, April 4, 2022. The office of the Board of Election Commissioners will be open on Saturday, April 2, 2022, from 9:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M.

THE OFFICIAL BALLOT WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE FOLLOWING FORM:

INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS: In today’s election, you have your choice of using either an electronic, touch screen voting machine or an optical scan voting machine to cast your ballot.

IF YOU USE THE OPTICAL SCAN VOTING MACHINE to cast your ballot, if you are in favor of a proposition completely darken the oval next to the word “YES.” If you are opposed to a proposition, completely darken the oval next to the word “NO.” Do not try to punch through the ballot. Use only the marking device provided to you. If you tear, deface or make a mistake and incorrectly mark the ballot, return it to the Election Judges and obtain a new ballot.

IF YOU USE THE ELECTRONIC, TOUCH SCREEN VOTING MACHINE to cast your ballot, follow the directions on the screen. If you are in favor of a proposition, touch the box on the screen to the left of the word “YES.” If you are opposed to a proposition, touch the box on the screen next to the word “NO.” If you need help in using the machine, please ask the Election Judges for assistance.

PROPOSITION R

(Proposed by Initiative Petition [the full text of which is available at all polling places])

Shall Article IV of the City of St. Louis Charter be amended to:

• Prohibit Aldermen from taking actions on matters pending before the Board of Aldermen where they have a personal or financial conflict of interest;

• Require that Aldermen’s financial disclosure statements be open to the public;

• Have ward boundary maps drawn by an independent citizens commission after each decennial census; and

• Prohibit the Board of Aldermen from changing voter-enacted voting methods for municipal offices without first submitting such changes to the voters?

( ) YES – FOR THE PROPOSITION

( ) NO – AGAINST THE PROPOSITION

PROPOSITION 1

OFFICIAL BALLOT – BOND ELECTION

Shall the following be adopted:

Proposition to issue bonds of The City of St. Louis, Missouri in an amount not to exceed Fifty Million Dollars ($50,000,000) for all or a portion of the following purposes: (1) improving, resurfacing, repaving and/or repairing streets; (2) designing and constructing public safety facilities; (3) designing and constructing pedestrian and bicycle transportation facilities; (4) maintaining and improving the safety and security of correctional facilities and improving public safety systems; (5) providing local matching share funds, where applicable and necessary, to utilize federal funds in furtherance of any of the cited projects herein; (6) replacing, improving, renovating and maintaining buildings, bridges, and equipment of the City of St. Louis, such as neighborhood recreation centers and firehouses; and (7) paying for expenses associated with the issuance of such bonds. If this proposition is approved, the property tax levy is estimated to remain unchanged.

( ) YES – FOR THE PROPOSITION

( ) NO – AGAINST THE PROPOSITION

YOU HAVE NOW COMPLETED VOTING.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF: The undersigned, comprising the Board of Election Commissioners for the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have caused this notice to be signed and the official seal of the office to be affixed at the office of the Board of Election Commissioners in St. Louis, Missouri, this 25th day of January, 2022.

BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS FOR THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS

JERRY M. HUNTER Chairman/Member

GERALDINE M. KRAEMER Member

(Seal) Attest: JOSEPH A. BARBAGLIA Secretary/Member

St. LouiS american Bids & Public Notices

ADVERTISEMENT FOR PROPOSALS

The City of St. Peters is seeking proposals for the “22-145 – Mid Rivers Mall Dr - St. Peters Howell Rd Lane Improvements (CMAQ 5615(602))” until 2:00 p.m. local time, April 21, 2022. This will be a Non-Public opening. The purpose of this project is to provide construction phase services and prepare all required plans and specifications required to acquire needed property rights and bid the construction of turn lanes and signal improvements at the Mid Rivers Mall Drive and St. Peters Howell Road signalized intersection.

The RFQ can be received by sending a request to Bids@stpetersmo.net and specifying in the subject line “22-145 – Mid Rivers Mall Dr - St. Peters Howell Rd Lane Improvements (CMAQ 5615(602))”, or by obtaining at City of St. Peters, One St. Peters Centre Boulevard, St. Peters, Missouri 63376 beginning Thursday, March 31, 2022.

If your firm would like to be considered for providing these consulting services, please prepare a Technical Proposal. This proposal should include any information which might help us in the selection process, such as the persons or team you would assign to each project, the backgrounds of those individuals, and other projects your company has recently completed or are now active. The proposal shall be submitted in quadruplicate, in a sealed container, and clearly marked with the Consultant’s name and “City of St. Peters – 22-145 - Mid Rivers Mall Drive – St. Peters Howell Rd Lane Improvements (CMAQ 5615(602))” The proposal must be received by the City of St. Peters Purchasing Department by 2:00 p.m., local time, April 21, 2022.

All questions regarding the project and proposal submittal are to be submitted via e-mail to Bids@stpetersmo.net and specify in the subject line “RFQ No. Q 5615(602))”, or by mail to City of St. Peters, One St. Peters Centre Boulevard, St. Peters, Missouri 63376 before noon local time, April 14, 2022.

The City of St. Peters will evaluate firms based on a) experience and competence, b) the capacity of the firm to perform the work in the timeframe needed, c) past performance.

Once a proposal is selected, a contract will be negotiated, with the firm, based on a mutually agreed upon scope of services. This project has received federal reimbursement funding through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) administered by the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council of Governments. A DBE goal of 12% has been determined by Missouri Department of Transportation for the Preliminary Engineering portion of the project.

DBE firms must be listed in the MRCC DBE Directory located on MoDOT’s website at www.modot.gov, in order to be counted as participation towards an established DBE Goal. We encourage DBE firms to submit proposals as prime consultants for any project they feel can be managed by their firm.

It is required that your firm’s Statement of Qualification (RSMo 8.285 through 8.291) and an Affidavit of Compliance with the federal work authorization program along with a copy of your firm’s E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding (15 CSR 60-15.020) be submitted with your firm’s technical proposal and with your firm’s Letter of Interest. It is also required that your firm be prequalified with MoDOT and listed in MoDOT’s Approved Consultant Prequalification List.

The City reserves the right to waive any informality and to accept the proposal most advantageous to the City.

Notice To Small (SBE), Disadvantaged (DBE), Minority (MBE), Women’s (WBE), Service Disabled Veteran Owned (SDVOB) & Veteran Owned (VOB) Businesses Advertisement River City Construction, L.L.C., 6640 American Setter Drive, Ashland, Missouri 65010, (573) 657-7380 (Phone) (573) 657-7381 (Fax) Is Seeking Qualified Small, Disadvantaged, Minority, Women’s, Service Disabled Veteran Owned & Veteran Owned Businesses For The University of Missouri – Vl Demolish Bldgs For Strategic Space Reduction, (CP219051) Columbia, Missouri: for subcontracting opportunities in the following areas: building and site demolition, excavation, paving, earthwork, asbestos, HVAC, electrical, utilities. All interested and qualified SBE, DBE, WBE, SDVOB, AND VOB businesses should contact, in writing, (certified letter, return receipt requested) Justin Beaty or Joe Seymour to discuss the subcontracting opportunities. All negotiations must be completed prior to the bid opening date 3/29/2022 @ 1:30 P.M. Proposals will be evaluated in order on the basis of low responsive bid received. CERTIFICATION OF DBE/WBE/MBE/SDVOB/VOB STATUS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH BID. BID DOCUMENTS MAY BE OBTAINED BY:

1) Email your company name, contact name and phone number, as well as the project you are interested in to bid@rccllc.com

2) You will then receive an email invitation for that project with a link to our SmartBidNet system.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

#NMSA-6, Design Services –HSSU AT&T Library and Technology Resource Center Renovation

Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) is requesting qualifications for architectural services for the AT&T Library and Technology Resource Center Renovation

A copy of the request can be obtained by contacting Corey Freeman at email address: freemanc@hssu.edu or telephone #: (314) 340-3325.

Qualifications must be emailed no later than 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 to freemanc@hssu.edu. Responses to the Request for Qualifications will be opened and the names read at a virtual bid opening on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at 10:15 a.m. The link to register for the virtual bid opening will be sent upon receipt of qualification. No award shall be made at the time the names are read.

This Request for Qualifications does not commit the University to award a contract or to procure or contract for the services. The University reserves the right to accept or reject any or all responses received, or to cancel this request in part or in its entirety if it is in the best interest of the University to do so.

REQUEST FOR BIDS

Sealed bids for the 2021 Accessible Ramp Improvements (2021-PW-02) will be received by the City of Chesterfield Department of Public Works, 690 Chesterfield Parkway W, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017-0760, until 10:00 a.m. (prevailing central time) on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 and will thereafter be publicly opened and read aloud.

This activity is funded in whole or in part with Community Development Block Grant funds pursuant to Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. All applicable federal regulations shall be in full force and effect.

Plans and specifications for this project will be available after 12:00 noon on Monday, March 21, 2022 on the City of Chesterfield’s website: https://www.chesterfield.mo.us/request-forproposals.html

ORTHWEIN ANIMAL

NUTRITION CENTER

PRODUCE RFP 2022

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified firms to submit proposals for Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center Produce RFP 2022. Bid documents are available as of 3/23/2022 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY

COLLEGE

St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for CONTRACT NO. F 22 402, Signage Replacement at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park Campus, until 2:00 p.m. local time Thursday March 31, 2022. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park, St. Louis, MO 63110-1314. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office, at the above address or by calling (314) 6449770.

PREBID MEETING: None

An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

REQUEST FOR SEALED BID

The YWCA St. Louis Head Start Program is accepting sealed bid packages through 12:00 pm (noon), 3/31/22, for contract food services for the 2022-2023 school year. Bid packages may be received from and returned to: YWCA St. Louis Head Start Program, Business Office, 1770 Beltway Drive, St. Louis MO 63114. Any questions may be directed to Michelle TurnerWatson at (314) 427-4940 – ext. 1043. All bids will be publicly opened at same office on 4/4/22, YWCA Metro St. Louis reserves the right to reject any or all bids. An EOE.

Notice To Small (SBE), Disadvantaged (DBE), Minority (MBE), Women’s (WBE), Service Disabled Veteran Owned (SDVOB) & Veteran Owned (VOB) Businesses Advertisement River City Construction, L.L.C., 6640 American Setter Drive, Ashland, Missouri 65010, (573) 657-7380 (Phone) (573) 657-7381 (Fax) Is Seeking Qualified Small, Disadvantaged, Minority, Women’s, Service Disabled Veteran Owned & Veteran Owned Businesses For The Design Build Project For The Missouri University of Science and Technology General Services Building, Rolla, Missouri; Project No: RC000211. All interested and qualified SBE, DBE, WBE, SDVOB, AND VOB General Construction and Subcontractors businesses should contact, in writing, (certified letter, return receipt requested) Joe Seymour to discuss the subcontracting opportunities. All negotiations must be completed prior to the bid opening date 4/12/2022 @ 2:00 P.M. Proposals will be evaluated in order on the basis of low responsive bid received. CERTIFICATION OF DBE/WBE/MBE/SDVOB/VOB STATUS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH BID. BID DOCUMENTS MAY BE OBTAINED BY:

1) Email your company name, contact name and phone number, as well as the project you are interested in to bid@rccllc.com

2) You will then receive an email invitation for that project with a link to our SmartBidNet system.

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

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

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

meteoric rise as greatest of all time tennis stars and pop culture heroes. An aerial shot of Compton, California, revealed Beyonce and the dancers, including Beyonce’s daughter Blue Ivy, on the tennis court in Compton which the Williams sisters played and trained on as girls. The girls performing in the opening number wore their hair braided, stacked and densely adorned with white beads reminiscent of the ones the Williams sisters wore when they first emerged as tennis phenoms. The message was clear, any of these Black girls from Compton or in any part of the U.S. with love, support, and nurturance of their determination, drive and playful spirits, can grow up to become fierce, accomplished, successful girls and women in their own right, as modeled by the Williams sister, and pop Queen Beyonce. With this memorable moment centering Black girlhood and calling attention to their aspirations, the show was off to a strong start.

Things moved along in a seemingly low key fashion, D-Nice, DJ and producer from Boogie Down Productions, spun tracks which provided a soulful musical ambience throughout the show. The ceremony was spiced up by some zingers -- astute and satirical, hit or miss broad comedy provided by three women hosts, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes; two of them, Hall and Sykes, are African American. The most biting remark came at the beginning when Shumer noted that hiring the three female comedians to host the Oscars was still less expensive than hiring one male – a piercing shot at the long history of pay inequity for women in the entertainment industry, which hit the mark.

One of the most riveting mo-

Beyonce performs “Be Alive” the Oscar nominated original song from the motion picture “King Richard.”

ments early on in the broadcast was the acceptance speech of Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner Ariana DeBose for her breakout performance of the role of Anita in the remake of the musical classic, West Side Story. Best Supporting Actress Nominees Anjanue Ellis, an African American actress known as an actor’s actor in independent film circles deserves mention for her portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’ mother, Oracene Price, in King Richard One of the Williams sisters’ most formidable early coaches, Ellis ably portrays a mother attending to her daughters and family’s holistic health. It was Ellis’ first Oscar nomination,

but it’s unlikely to be her last. Ariana Debose’s win was unique in that she won and was nominated for the same role, Anita, brought to life by Rita Moreno in the original West Side Story film made sixty years ago. Morena became the first Latina actress to win an Oscar for acting. One of the most triumphant moments of the evening was Debose openly asserting that she was the first “queer” Afro-Latina to win an Oscar for acting on the far reaching international platform that the Oscar provides. There’s a particular poignancy to this proclamation given the intensely divisive culture wars the U.S. is going through right

ROYAL VAGABONDS FOUNDATION, INC. and ROYAL VAGABONDS, INC.

11th Annual Leadership Awards Luncheon

Saturday, April 23, 2022 • 11:30 a.m.

Grand Ballroom • Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel 9801 Natural Bridge Road • St. Louis, MO

LT. GENERAL RUSSEL L. HONORE (RETIRED) Luncheon Speaker • Leadership Expert Known for commanding Joint Task Force Katrina.

THE 2O22 LEADERSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS:

Brian Davies, St. Louis Market President, Great Southern Bank Art Holliday, News Director, KSDK- TV

Alaina Macia, President and CEO, MTM Transportation

Valerie Patton, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Greater St. Louis, Inc. and President, Greater St. Louis, Inc. Foundation

Julio Suarez, Senior Director of Community Affairs and Better World, Anheuser-Busch In Bev

Colonel Kenneth Gregory, Chief of Police, St. Louis County

Colonel John W. Hayden, Jr., Chief of Police, City of St. Louis

Dr. Lynn Beckwith, Jr., educator • Alison Kindle Hogan, Founder and Chair, Rung for Women

Hon. Judge David Mason and Attorney Paul Venker, Organizers, Freedom Suits Memorial Neal Richardson and Michael Woods, Co-Founders, Dream Builders 4 Equity Mound City Bar Association

Emerging Young Leader Award to be announced at the event.

Purchase tickets online: $85 (Tables seat 8) royalvagabondsfoundation.org

Sponsorships and Advertising Opportunities Available For information contact Shirley Brown, 367-8739. Proceeds to benefit scholarships for high school seniors.

now, with Republicans having drafted and are introducing more than 200 pieces of “Don’t say ‘gay’” legislation, intent on suppressing the rights of teachers to mention the mere existence of LGBTQIA people to elementary students, even those who have LGBTQIA parents. Most readers and audiences of news media at the time of this writing have already heard about the infamous slap of Oscar presenter Chris Rock by Will Smith, who later that evening won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance of Richard Williams in King Richard and are aware of the fallout which seemingly overloaded and just about broke the internet. For those who don’t know, when comedian and veteran Chris

women, a disproportionately higher number of women than in the general population. If he understood the pain, ostracism and isolation women and many Black women suffer as a result of this condition, one wonders if Rock would have gone there. Ironically, Rock made a film, entitled Good Hair, about perceptions of Black hair which he observed had great impact and influence on the self-esteem of Black girls and women, his daughters in particular, which personalized this issue for him. It might seem hypocritical for him to shoot so low in mockery of Jada Pinkett and her closer cropped hair. She shaved her hair in response to losing her hair, a medical condition known as alopecia. Many Black women admire Jada Pinkett for taking a valiant path as a celebrity under intense public scrutiny by sharing her personal struggles with alopecia in the video Jada Pinkett Smith Embraces Hair Loss: ‘Me and This Alopecia Are Going to Be Friends’. She wisely took control of her image, shaped it and projected it in the best way she knew how to help transcend the trauma. A choice she found preferable to hiding the issue or isolating herself. She might be regarded as more fortunate than most women, with her movie star good looks, which some think her shortly cropped hair enhance, rather than takes away from; nevertheless, she has to deal with people’s judgment and insensitivity, whether or not it’s intentional. Granted, many people might not be interested in exploring how a wealthy celebrity feels personally, but that doesn’t not change the reality that Chris Rock’s joke crossed a line making fun of Jada Pinkett Smith’s look. Will Smith crossed a different line when he seized the Oscar podium and slapped Rock in the face, albeit in defense of his wife. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences released a statement on Monday that it is investigating the incident.

As part of the fallout from the incident was the presentation of the Oscar for best documentary to “Questlove”

quickly after the slap, called the incident, “The greatest television moment of all time,” but seemed rattled too; however, he professionally kept the proceedings of the live award show moving forward. Historic wins included a Best Picture Oscar for Coda a coming of age story, the first streamer to win best picture, about a young woman raised by two deaf parents. Troy Kotsur who co-starred in the film won The Oscar for best supporting actor, which made him the first deaf or hard of hearing man to receive an Oscar. Co-Star Marlee Maitlin was the first deaf or hard of hearing woman to receive an Oscar for acting. Coda also won best screenplay, scoring wins in all three categories where it earned nominations. Jane Campion, the only woman to be nominated for a Best Director Oscar twice, took home the Best Director Oscar for The Power of the Dog. Virtuoso Samuel Jackson received a Lifetime Achievement Oscar for his body of work.

“The slap” has already become iconoclastic and a part of Oscar lore and will surely be debated for its social complexity in perpetuity, bringing the intersection of many issues to the foreground, unfortunately played out on Black people’s bodies and psyches. No doubt, the incident will continue to elucidate issues around celebrity, Black superstardom, transgressions of boundaries, verbal and physical violence against those who live in the public eye, alopecia, constructs of beauty, Black beauty, Black womanhood and manhood, and what it means to have a partner’s back, for years to come. Yet, the historic moment of a Black queer woman winning an Oscar will also pave the way and hopefully inspire LGBTQIA people, women and people of color, throughout the world and will be remembered as perhaps the most courageous statement of the evening, particularly given the current political climate. When the dust from the slap settles, Ariana DeBose words will still resonate:

“Imagine this little girl in the cus. Look into her eyes, you see a queer, openly queer women of color, an Afro-Latina, who found her strength through art. That’s what I believe we’re here to celebrate (applause). So to tioned your identity, ever, ever, ever, or you find yourself living you this: there is indeed a place

Photo courtesy of ABC

ADVERTISEMENT FOR PROPOSALS

The City of St. Peters is seeking proposals for the “22-145 – Mid Rivers Mall Dr - St. Peters Howell Rd Lane Improvements (CMAQ 5615(602))” until 2:00 p.m. local time, April 21, 2022. This will be a Non-Public opening. The purpose of this project is to provide construction phase services and prepare all required plans and of turn lanes and signal improvements at the Mid Rivers Mall Drive and St. Peters Howell Road signalized intersection.

The RFQ can be received by sending a request to Bids@stpetersmo.net and specifying in the subject line “22-145 – Mid Rivers Mall Dr - St. Peters Howell Rd Lane Improvements (CMAQ 5615(602))”, or by obtaining at City of St. Peters, One St. Peters Centre Boulevard, St. Peters, Missouri 63376 beginning Thursday, March 31, 2022.

please prepare a Technical Proposal. This proposal should include any information which might help us in the selection process, such as the persons or team you would assign to each project, the backgrounds of those individuals, and other projects your company has recently completed or are now active. The proposal shall be submitted in quadruplicate, in a sealed container, and clearly marked with the Consultant’s name and “City of St. Peters – 22-145 - Mid Rivers Mall Drive – St. Peters Howell Rd Lane Improvements (CMAQ 5615(602))”. The proposal must be received by the City of St. Peters Purchasing Department by 2:00 p.m., local time, April 21, 2022.

All questions regarding the project and proposal submittal are to be submitted via e-mail to Bids@stpetersmo.net and specify in the subject line “RFQ No. Q 5615(602))”, or by mail to City of St. Peters, One St. Peters Centre Boulevard, St. Peters, Missouri 63376 before noon local time, April 14, 2022. performance.

mutually agreed upon scope of services. This project has received federal reimbursement funding through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) administered by the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council of Governments. A DBE goal of 12% has been determined by Missouri Department of Transportation for the Preliminary Engineering portion of the project. s website at www.modot.gov, in order to be counted as participation towards an program