May 11th, 2023 edition

The St. LouiS AmericAn

Amazing Grace

St. Louis native, opera legend Ms. Bumbry passes at 86

By Kenya Vaughn The

St. Louis American

See BOOK, A7

Mia Daugherty with her 7-year-old daughter, Zara, on the steps of their North Point neighborhood home. Zara just wrote a book called “Broken Promises” about growing up with an absentee father.

n “She was a trailblazer for opera in breaking the color barrier in many places all over the world.”

May 6, 2016 was officially declared Grace Bumbry Day by the city of St. Louis. Almost seven years to the day that the pioneering opera legend was honored by her hometown, she took her final bow. Bumbry passed away at a hospital in Vienna, Austria on May 7. Her death was the result of complications from an acute ischemic stroke she suffered due to a fall. She was 86. That day in May – her final appearance at home in a professional capacity – was a special one. The Grammy Resigning as Circuit Attorney June 1

– Robert McNichols, then OTSTL manager of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

‘Promising’ future

Mom, daughter team take on literary world

By Danielle Brown St. Louis American

Mia

wanting our business to be outside of our house,” Mia said. “There is an epidemic in this country. There are a lot of children who are suffering silently. I’ve seen my daughter suffer. I will never forget the times she was stood up [by her father.] I remember her looking out the window. She went out on the porch to look at the cars passing. She came into the house and asked why

[her father] didn’t say he wasn’t coming.” Zara wrote her book “Broken Promises,” to share the experience of having an absent parent. Her mother Mia and Mia’s brother are her guardians. “What inspired me to write this book is that I wanted kids to know its okay to cry,” Zara said. “And if somebody breaks their promise, then they can go outside and play

Five excellent awardees to be honored

23rd Salute to Health event is June 22nd SaluTe To healTh

By K. Michael Jones

The St. Louis American

Five outstanding, dedicated healthcare professionals will receive Excellence in Health Care Awards at The St. Louis American Foundation’s 23rd annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Reception, June 22 at the Frontenac Hilton. They have diverse backgrounds in the medical field, ranging from an RN, to a doctor of internal medicine, a plastic surgeon, an assistant VP at a local Federally Qualified Health Center, and a native St. Louisan who came back to St. Louis to create one of the first culturally responsive pharmacies in the country.

While they may have different responsibilities at different organizations, they all share in their diligence, devoted service and commitment to the community that will be highlighted at this annual recognition event.

Anna Bailey, M.D.

Dr. Anna Bailey has known she wanted to be a doctor since her kindergarten days. As she grew older she was exposed to healthcare through nurses in her family

See SALUTE, A7

By Sylvester Brown St. Louis American

tive on June 1 after a months-long effort to remove her from office by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. Gov. Mike Parson has said he would collaborate with Mayor Tishaura O. Jones on his selection to fill the remainder of Gardner’s term, but See GARDNER, A6

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Kim Gardner

Nelly

best out of their reconnection after being seen together at a boxing match last month.

“Nelly and Ashanti are back together and both of them are very happy,” one source told ET.

“Nelly and Ashanti are really enjoy ing their time together,” another source told ET

The two first started dating in 2003 during the prime of their careers. Their relationship lasted for ten years before breaking up in 2013.

Nelly described their relationship as casual in an interview with ET earlier this year.

“Time does wonders for a lot of different things,”he said. “And time is one of those things that allows you time to reflect on what’s what, and you get a chance

to see things in a different light and see your faults. So I think we both did that and it’s cool that we just friends.”

Da Brat faces backlash for “Jiminy Cricket” sperm donor comment

Da Brat and her wife, Jesseca “Judy” DupartHarris open up about why they chose a non-Black sperm donor for their first child together. They shared in a recent interview with The Root that they started the search with a few thousand prospects, and after Judy’s genetic screening it dwindled down to 300 prospective donors. The couple who recently tied the knot in February 2022, said there was only one Black donor.

“And that [dude] looked like Jiminy Cricket,” Brat told The Root.

“I was like, “I’m sorry but that wasn’t gonna be my choice.” Because of their limited options, the ladies opted for a white donor.

“Because we didn’t have a lot to choose from, he definitely wasn’t

Black,” Brat added. ” But I think we did a great job with picking. He’s handsome, he’s tall and I think he’s going to look beautiful with my wife’s egg.”

After social media caught wind of Brat’s “Jiminy Cricket” comment, they accused the couple of colorism. Judy clapped back at the criticism and responded on Instagram.

“Black men make up less than 5% of the donation pool,” Judy wrote in Baller Alert’s comment section on a post about their interview.

“We actually waited a few weeks to see if the pool increased,” she added. “But unfortunately with the time frame we had to choose within, 6-8 week, and there were no more new black donors that fit within the perfect fit with my genetic testing.”

Kandi Burruss closer to reaching EGOT status acclaim

about her Emmy nomination in an Instagram video post.

“It’s a project that I never even told anybody I was involved in,” she said. “Look how God is working in my life,” she said proudly. “God don’t play about me.”

Skating rink fight between Chris Brown and Usher allegedly leaves Usher with a bloody nose

Burress

Kandi Burruss is inching closer to acclaiming EGOT status. The Grammywinning songwriter and Xscape member earned her first Tony nomination after she and her husband Todd Tucker joined the production team of the broadway show “The Piano Lesson.” Her Tony nomination came a day after she earned her first Emmy nomination for her involvement in the TV show “La Musica de La Familia.” She shared the celebratory news

The rumor mill is saying Chris Brown and Usher had a versus battle but it wasn’t the one we were asking for. TMZ posted a video of the two allegedly arguing with Teyana Taylor at Brown’s 34th birthday party at a Las Vegas skating rink on Friday, May 5. Usher is shown attempting to talk to Brown, who then started cursing while skating away. TMZ reports Brown was upset with Taylor who ignored him while he was trying to converse with her at the party. When Brown raised his voice at her, Usher then stepped in to de-escalate the situation.

TMZ alleges Brown wasn’t happy about it, and cursed at them both then left with his entourage. Usher allegedly removed his skates and went to Brown’s tour bus to confront him.

A witness told the outlet not long after Usher returned with a bloody nose.

Sources: OkayPlayer.com, TheRoot. com, Revolt.TV, Vibe.com, ETOnline. com, PageSix.com

Ashanti & Nelly

Kandi

Da Brat

“[Clarence Thomas] was inspired by the Black Panthers. He dressed like them. He talked like them. He had a beret. He had Army fatigues. ”

- Gordon Davis, a former Holy Cross classmate on Clarence Thomas

In memory of angels

By Danielle Brown St. Louis American

“We remember Justin Walker. We remember Jason Slater. We remember Darius Houston. We remember Raana Lewis. We remember Mansur Ball-Bey.” The list of names became longer as surviving mothers of deceased children joined together in honoring and remembering the names of their late children.

Cal and Michael Brown Sr., the stepmother and father of Michael Brown Jr., who was fatally shot by a Ferguson police officer on August 9, 2014, have turned their pain into purpose by establishing the Chosen For Change Foundation. The foundation provides community support, outreach programs, activities, events and more to grieving families of deceased children.

created

to share the loss of a child with mothers who’ve had a similar experience.

There was African dance, a mime praise dance performance, solos, and poems. Most importantly, there were words of encouragement, and an outpouring of love.

“Put your hands together like you deserve,” host J. Mitchell said. “You’re sitting next to survivors. You’re sitting next to other women that never thought they would make it through the things you’ve been through.”

While the Browns lost their child in a police shooting, the organization has a broader mission and supports families who lost children through other circumstances.

The “Mother’s of An Angel” brunch event was held Sunday, May 7, 2023, at Delmar Divine

“You’re sitting next to Black sisters, Black mothers, Black aunts, Black cousins, Black nieces who have been through some things that we would have never thought we would make it through. You deserve the world and the world deserves you.”

Cal Brown created the brunch three years ago after receiving phone calls from mothers who voiced to her there was not an outlet in St. Louis for grieving mothers. She posted an inquiry online looking

“I put out a post expecting about 40 women to reach out and received over 360 [inquiries],” she said. She said she always had the intention of providing other women with the same love she would expect in return if she were to lose any of her biological kids. Both years, she presented personalized gifts to each mothers and had pictures displayed of their children.

The tradition ended this year

you, and celebrate you today,” she said to the mothers.

Above: Chosen For Change Foundation’s The “Mother’s of An Angel” brunch event was held Sunday, May 7, 2023, at Delmar Divine in partnership with The T and DivasNDishes.

Left: Cal and Michael Brown Sr., the stepmother and father of Michael Brown Jr., who was fatally shot by a Ferguson police officer on August 9, 2014, have turned their pain into purpose by establishing the Chosen For Change

“But I also protect myself. It’s a hard pill to swallow. I don’t wanna try to imagine what it is you all go through on a daily basis. I deal with a grieving father and I wanna love you all in a way that God forbid if I ever had to go down that road [lose a biological child] this is the way I would want people to show up for me.”

Jason Watson, senior vice president of engagement at Mission: St. Louis shared the impact his sister’s murder had on his mother and shared some

words of encouragement.

Tammy Renae told her fellow mothers “let go of guilt and shame,” and to not hold themselves responsible for what happened to their child.

At the conclusion of the brunch, every mom was given a balloon to release.

“We just wanna release the balloon in memory of our loved ones and all of us can say a small prayer to ourselves before we release our loved one,” Brown Sr. said.

Foundation.

Photos courtesy of Asia Mobley of AMO Agency

Editorial/Commentary

Guest Editorial Armed and afraid: The true price of fear

By Svante Myrick

A teenage boy rings the wrong doorbell and is shot in the face. A 20-year-old woman is fatally shot when she and her friends pull into the wrong driveway. Two cheerleaders are shot when one accidentally gets into the wrong car. And a 6-yearold is shot when kids chase a basketball into a neighbor’s yard.

These tragic events seem incomprehensible. But we got a glimpse of an underlying reason for at least one of them, the wrong-doorbell shooting of 16-yearold Ralph Yarl in Kansas City. According to his grandson, the 84-year-old shooter watched a steady diet of Fox News and OAN. He was immersed in a “24-hour news cycle of fear and paranoia.”

Sadly, far-right politicians and media figures have habitually stoked fear and manufactured moral panics as a political strategy to ramp up their base. And it’s having an effect: For decades, Gallup polls have consistently found that Americans believe crime is going up, whether it is or not.

Americans safer. What compounds the disaster is that this rhetoric continues to be weaponized against reforms that could save lives.

That’s one reason we’ve been unable to move quickly on police and criminal justice reform — even as civil rights advocates call for changes like deploying alternative first responders to reduce the risk of nonviolent 911 calls, like welfare checks or mental health crises, from turning deadly.

The cost of this paranoia-propaganda machine? Human lives — and poor policy choices that continue to make America an unnecessarily dangerous place to live.

Fear boosts TV ratings for Fox News and clicks for right-wing websites. It elects “tough on crime” politicians, sells guns, and contributes to the proliferation of “stand your ground” and permissive concealed-carry laws. Violent media scares people into answering their doorbells with guns drawn.

None of these things enhance safety.

Contrary to what the gun lobby says, more guns do not keep people and communities safer. Nearly 30 studies rounded up by Scientific American have linked more guns to more crime — not less. Another recent study shows murder rates are much higher in “tough on crime” red states than “soft on crime” blue states. That’s been true every year since 2000.

Evidence keeps piling up that dire warnings and more guns don’t make

The same fear that makes people believe they need to arm themselves also makes them believe that cities need hugely inflated police budgets. There’s scaremongering aimed at reform-minded district attorneys, despite evidence that progressive reforms don’t increase crime in general or violent crime in particular. The same attacks are aimed at mayors and legislators who want to amend policing.

I know — I experienced this first-hand.

When I was mayor of Ithaca, New York, we got much tougher about screening police applicants. Our city council approved a complete overhaul of our police department to prioritize unarmed responses. And the city halted no-knock warrants for suspected drug crimes I was routinely called “anti-police” by the far-right wing. But we forged ahead with our forward-thinking approach to public safety and crime remained low — often dramatically lower than in other cities our size.

The recent rash of shootings are horrific at an individual level. At the social level, a critical lesson here is that a climate of fear — and those who benefit politically or financially from it — gives us bad laws, bad politics, and bad behavior that endanger us all.

It’s time for that to stop. It’s time to turn away from the fearmongers and toward solutions that work.

Svante Myrick is the president of People for the American Way and a former mayor of Ithaca, New York.

Commentary

Republicans offer posturing, not policy

cut.

By Jesse Jackson

America pays its debts. It is a basic pledge. Millions of Americans who hold savings bonds or put their hard-earned money into federal treasury bonds need not worry. The bonds are good; the interest will be paid. The reason the dollar is the currency used by countries across the world is that America pays its debts.

Now Republicans are holding that pledge hostage, demanding savage cuts in spending or they will default on America’s debts by refusing to raise the debt ceiling. The threat is nuclear: failing to pay our debts will sink the value of the dollar, shake the global financial system, drive interest rates higher, and blow up the economy here and most likely across the world. Millions will be thrown out of work.

The threat is also stunningly irresponsible. The tantrum of a child or a mad person. Give us what we demand or we will blow up the economy.

The threat is about paying debts that the Congress has already accumulated. Over onethird of this debt—a staggering $8.3 trillion of it—was racked up in the four years under Republican President Donald Trump—largely from massive top-end tax cuts and for massive emergency spending in the pandemic. Now Republicans are saying that they will renege on the debts that they helped accumulate if they don’t get their way. So what do they want? Amazingly, they refuse to say. They have said what they won’t do: they won’t raise taxes, even on billionaires and corporations that pay literally nothing. They claim they won’t cut Social Security and Medicare. They insist on deep cuts —freezing spending at 2022 levels for a decade but they won’t say what will get

Jordan Neely’s death puts anti-Blackness in spotlight

Apparently, Neely was supposed to be OK with some random white man attacking him on the subway. Next thing you know, they’re both on the floor, and after a few minutes, Neely’s body went limp because he’d been choked out. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

By Liz Courquet-Lesaulnier

Remember the lyrics to “Empire State of Mind?” How Jay Z raps, “Street lights, big dreams, all lookin’ pretty.”

Jordan Neely, 30, a talented former Michael Jackson impersonator who used to moonwalk on the subway and in Times Square, surely had big dreams too.

But New York City has once again become the backdrop for another grim story that unveils the deep-rooted issues of racism and inequality that are the weave and weft of America.

On the afternoon of Monday, May 1, Neely’s dreams got snuffed out by a white 24-year-old wannabe vigilante who put Neely in a chokehold on the F train, killing him. Of course, there’s footage of Neely’s death, recorded by another passenger, because nowadays, instead of intervening, filming a Black person being killed in America is numbingly normal

By the evening of May 3, the New York City coroner ruled Neely’s death a homicide, but the police hadn’t identified the man responsible. They merely questioned and released him and made sure to drop the tidbit that he is an ex-Marine to the press.

On Friday, May 5, the identity of the man seen on video choking Neely was revealed. Lawyers for Daniel J. Penny released a statement saying that Penny acted in self-defense: “When Mr. Neely began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived.”

fare evasion.”

The statement from Penny’s lawyers leans into the danger trope. It includes the line that, “Mr. Neely had a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated mental illness.”

No one on the train knew this information, so what spurred Penny into action? Neely threw his jacket on the subway car floor. Then, as Vazquez recounted, Penny came up behind Neely — who was still yelling — and started trying to restrain him.

Apparently, Neely was supposed to be OK with some random white man attacking him on the subway. Next thing you know, they’re both on the floor, and after a few minutes, Neely’s body went limp because he’d been choked out. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“I am confused now because I’m not sure how to think about what the young man did,” Vazquez said. “He was trying to help.”

The statement from Penny’s lawyers says that “Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death.”

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, right?

The press has overwhelmingly run with the dangerous-Black-man stopped by a helpful-white-man narrative. ABC 7 in New York City framed the killing of Neely with the following headline: “Man harassing NoHo subway riders dies after fellow passenger tries to subdue him: Police”

It is unlikely that they will cut the military budget or support for veterans. If they decided simply to freeze spending on the military and veterans, that would require cutting all domestic spending by nearly a fourth. Traveling would get more dangerous. Our food and water would be less safe. We would lose the competition for the jobs of the future. Housing would get more expensive. Our schools would be poorer. Fewer would be able to afford training or college. More children would go hungry. No one likes to admit these things – but they are simply true. In their 320-page bill, Republicans do identify some things that they want. They want to cut spending on Medicaid and food stamps by raising work requirements—although that doesn’t save much money. To justify this, they lie. They claim that the government has grown “bloated,” appealing to popular prejudices. In reality — as they know—federal civilian employment is less than it was 60 years ago, even though the population has grown dramatically since then. Why not lay out what they plan to cut? Because they can’t agree among themselves. Because they don’t want to admit to supporting cuts that would be very unpopular—and corporate subsidies and rip-offs that are indefensible.

The Republican “plan” is not a serious proposal. They won’t even admit what it requires. They are offering a posture, not a policy. But our politics have become so partisan and so poisonous that few if any Republican moderates will offer a voice of reason.

Jesse Jackson is founder and president of the Rainbow/Push Coalition.

So what did Neely do that required him to be choked to death by this reasonable good Samaritan?

Passenger Juan Alberto Vazquez told the New York Times that Neely got on the train and started yelling, “I don’t have food, I don’t have a drink, I’m fed up.’”

Vazquez, who is a freelance journalist, said he was scared because he didn’t know what Neely might do.

Vazquez’s remarks call to mind the 2017 study published by the American Psychological Association — a study that gives scientific credence to what every conscious Black person already knows: People see Black men as “larger, stronger and more muscular than the white men, even though they were actually the same size.”

People also believe Black men are “more capable of causing harm in a hypothetical altercation and, troublingly, that police would be more justified in using force to subdue them, even if the men were unarmed.”

Just in case you didn’t get the memo that this Black man might have been dangerous and deserving of death by virtue of his Blackness, the police made sure to inform the press that, as NBC 7 put it, Neely “was a subway recidivist with 44 prior arrests for assault, disorderly conduct, and

The New York Times, America’s paper of record, published this take: “Man Dies on Subway After Another Rider Places Him in Chokehold.”

What’s clear from Neely’s background is that he was traumatized and unprotected throughout his life.

His mother was murdered in 2007 when he was 14. Her abusive boyfriend choked her to death, stuffed her body into a suitcase, and dumped it on the Henry Hudson Parkway. Neely testified at the murder trial in 2012 when he was 18. Neely’s father, Andre Zachary, said he had not seen his son in four years.

With Neely’s killing, we find ourselves grappling with another reminder that, no matter how many cities paint words on their streets claiming otherwise, Black lives do not matter to a nation sick to its core with racism.

But Black lives matter to us. We see our sons, brothers, and fathers in Jordan Neely. We see our family members who struggle with mental illness or homelessness in him. We see his Blackness and his experiences mirrored in our own. We must demand justice.

Liz Courquet-Lesaulnier is the managing director of Word In Black

Columnist Jesse Jackson

Guest Columnist Svante Myrick

Guest Columnist Liz CourquetLesaulnier

Juneteenth Heritage Festival returns to Forest Park June 17

St. Louis American staff

Judge David Mason will provide the keynote address during the Africans Rising Together 2063 third annual Juneteenth Caribbean Heritage Festival from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday June 17 on Forest Park’s Cricket Field.

The family friendly festival will provide entertainment throughout the day, including:

• Commemorative Walk (1-mile and 5-mile options), with registration at 7 a.m. and a Walk for Freedom and Justice at 8 a.m.

• Children’s Village, featuring face painting, a bouncy house, games, and activities

• Walk Through History – an open-air museum highlighting outstanding African American Missourians and Caribbean Americans.

• Live music and entertainment throughout the day, including contemporary performers, gospel choirs and singers, African drummers and dancers, steppers, and drama presentations.

• Noonday prayer

• Health information and screenings provided by Oak St. Health

• Delicious cultural food and a variety of

vendors

• Live DJ playing music throughout the day

• Speeches by community leaders including Judge Mason’s keynote address.

Mason has presided over the 22nd Judicial Circuit in Missouri since August 1991 and his legal career spans more than 40 years of service to Missouri and the broader St. Louis community, including turns as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Missouri, General Counsel for the Missouri Department of Correction, and serving as a longtime Adjunct Professor of Law at the Washington University School of Law.

Africans Rising Together 2063 is a non-profit organization with a mission to educate people of African descent about the historical significance of our experience, culture, and contributions to the world.

Registration to participate in the event is $18.65 and covers participation in the walk, snacks, a cultural meal, and other activities.

To register, please visit: 2023 Juneteenth Caribbean Heritage Festival Tickets, Sat, Jun 17, 2023 at 7:00 AM | Eventbrite

The ongoing issues of Black health

By E. Faye Williams

If I have not been clear, I believe that the best possible health for everyone should be the aim of a just and responsible society. Consider the following statistics from an NAACP Crisis article:

• Four in 10 Black men aged 20 or older have high blood pressure — 30% higher than white men.

• Black men’s risk of stroke is 2x that of white men.

• Black men experience 40% higher cancer deaths than white men.

• Black Americans are 80% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized than whites.

The negative health impact of racism is not gender specific. Societal expectations of “the strong Black woman” create circumstances whereby the health impact of racism upon Black women is underestimated or ignored.

According to a March 2023 US News and World Report article, Black women who are exposed to certain forms of racism may be more likely to develop heart disease.

E. Faye Williams

Researchers tracked more than 48,000 women enrolled in the Black Women’s Health Study from 1997 to 2019. None had heart disease in 1997. During 22 years of follow-up, 1,947 women developed heart disease. Heart disease risk wasn’t tied to experiences of racism in everyday life, but women who reported experiencing racism in employment, housing and in their interaction with police were at higher risk of heart disease compared with those women who answered no to all three questions on structural racism.

Black women who said they faced discrimination in employment, housing and in their interactions with the police were 26% more likely to develop heart disease than their counterparts who had not experienced such structural racism. (Structural — or institutional — racism refers to the ways that a society fosters racial discrimination through housing, education, employment, health care and criminal justice systems.)

n Black women who are exposed to certain forms of racism may be more likely to develop heart disease.

“Chronic psychosocial stressors such as racism increase levels of inflammation, blood pressure and other risks for heart disease,” said study author Shanshan Sheehy, an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.

Many Black adults are already at higher risk of developing heart disease due to high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, so it’s important that they do all that they can to improve their heart health.

“Keeping blood pressure in the normal range, not smoking, leading a physically active life, and sleeping well are good for your heart,” Sheehy added.

The New York Times ran a recent article:

“Childbirth Is Deadlier for Black Families Even When They’re Rich, Expansive Study Finds: The study … by the National Bureau of Economic Research, includes nearly all the infants born to firsttime mothers from 2007 to 2016 in California, the state with the most annual births…it combines income tax data with birth, death and hospitalization records and demographic data.”

It also states: “Black mothers and babies have the worst childbirth outcomes in the United States. But this study is novel because it’s the first of its size to show how the risks of childbirth vary by both race and parental income and how Black families, regardless of their socioeconomic status, are disproportionately affected.

The richest Black mothers and their babies are twice as likely to die as the richest white mothers and their babies.”

The Juneteenth Flag will be flying high in Forest Park on June 17 during the Africans Rising Together 2023 third annual Juneteenth Caribbean Heritage Festival.

Courtesy photo

Bumbry

Continued from A1

award-winning diva sat on stage with a huge smile on her face. The stunning beauty that captivated audiences for decades was undiminished. Elegant and poised, she took in the moment that was included as part of a special master class presented by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

“I personally owe so much to my teachers at my all Black elementary and junior high school because they taught me about the great voices in classical music so I can cherish and admire what Miss Bumbry has accomplished,” Gerald Early, Merle King Professor of Modern Letters at Washington University, said during his introduction of Bumbry.

Students and alumni of Bumbry’s alma mater Sumner High School –the first high school for Black students located west of the Mississippi River – were also on hand to watch one of their most famous graduates be honored that afternoon at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

“Grace Bumbry was such an important and cherished member of the greater opera community, and we’re so grateful for her life and work,” said Andrew Jorgensen, General Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

“She was an alumna of Sumner High School, born

Gardner

Continued from A1

no interim circuit attorney had been named as Wednesday night.

In her resignation letter Gardner wrote that serving as city attorney “was an honor of a lifetime.”

“Unfortunately, since the time I took office, as the first Black, female prosecutor in the State, people outside of the city have targeted me and, to advance their goals, have also targeted the fundamental rights of the city’s

at a time when opportunities were so very limited for Black women, and yet she lived to receive Kennedy Center Honors in the presence of America’s first Black President. Her personal lived experiences reflect the journey our city and our nation have undergone these last many decades, and her journey inspires us.

Jorgenson said the OTSTL board and staff celebrated Bumbry in person during the 2016 gala, when “she shared so many intimate stories about her start with our community.”

“Later that season she worked with some of our young artists in our Levy Masterclasses, and she was generous in sharing her expertise and encouragement. As an artist, she was second to none; the beauty of her voice and intensity of her performances were so very powerful. She was an extraordinary, unforgettable artist, and we miss her deeply,” he said.

“She was a trailblazer for opera in breaking the color barrier in many places all over the world,” said Robert McNichols, then OTSTL manager of community events and engagement for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

“Here she is an African American legend in the field of opera, and she’s from St. Louis.”

Birth of a ‘Black Venus’

Grace Ann Bumbry was

voters,” she wrote.

“The most powerful weapon I have to fight back against these outsiders stealing your voices and your rights is to step back. I took this job to serve the people of the City of St. Louis, and that’s still my North star.

“And so, it is with a heavy heart but steadfast resolve that I am resigning my position as your Circuit Attorney, effective June 1st.”

Gardner wrote that the Missouri legislature’s hearings on a bill “that appears to permanently remove the right of every

born on January 4, 1937 in St. Louis, the third child of Benjamin Bumbry and Melzia Bumbry. Bumbry was only eleven when she joined the choir of Union Memorial Methodist Church. When she joined the chorus at Sumner High School, it was Billups who recognized Bumbry’s remarkable gift as a classical singer.

At 17, Bumbry won a talent show that included a music conservatory scholarship. The conservatory did not admit Black students. She was offered private lessons as a consolation prize. The Bumbry family refused. Instead, she auditioned for the nationally syndicated

St. Louis voter to elect the Circuit Attorney,” led to her resignation, not troubles within her office. The bill would allow the governor to appoint the St. Louis circuit attorney.

Mayor Jones said in a statement that Gardner “made history by becoming the first Black woman to lead the office.”

“There’s no doubt she has faced more obstacles than her predecessors because of it. Our Circuit Attorney’s Office is a critical public safety partner, and it must be managed and staffed effectively to help protect constitutional

Grace Bumbry was an alumna of Sumner High School, born at a time when opportunities were so very limited for Black women, and yet she lived to receive Kennedy Center Honors in the presence of America’s first Black President Barack Obama.

Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts program. Her performance of “O don fatale” moved Godfrey to tears. He predicted that Bumbry’s name would be among the most famous in music one day. He was right.

She studied at Boston University and later at Northwestern University. At the 1958 Metropolitan Opera auditions, she earned a first-place win – a prize she shared with Martina Arroyo. In 1960, Bumbry joined the Basel Opera. A year later she sang at the Kiel Opera House.

She gained international stardom a year after that, when at the tender

rights and deliver justice.”

Jones was critical of Gardner after a high school volleyball player from Tennessee was injured in a car accident that led to her legs being amputated. The suspect had violated his home detention at least 90 times, and there was bickering between Gardner and the 22nd Judicial Court as to who should be held accountable. Gardner’s initial responses to the tragedy were targeted by the mayor.

“In February, I said

age of twenty-four she was cast by Wieland Wagner as Venus for a production of his grandfather Richard Wagner’s famed opera “Tannhauser” at Bayreuth (a festival held in honor of Richard Wagner). She was the first Black singer to appear there, which earned her the title “Black Venus.”

The conservative opera community initially called Wieland Wagner’s decision to give the role to Bumbry “a cultural disgrace.” Wieland Wagner doubled down. “When I heard Grace Bumbry, I knew she was the perfect Venus,” Wieland Wagner famously said in response to the backlash.

While Richard Wagner’s reaction could only be presumed, what is certain is that Bumbry’s performance as “Black Venus” is still considered to be one of the most celebrated in opera history.

The audience cheered relentlessly for 30 minutes. The cast was brought back to the stage for an astonishing forty-two curtain calls.

The performance compelled First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to invite Bumbry to sing at The White House in 1962. Nearly fifty years later, Bumbry was celebrated alongside the likes of Robert De Niro and Bruce Springsteen as a member of the Kennedy Center Honors 2009 cohort.

“With a pitch and presence like no other, she

Circuit Attorney Gardner should take accountability for her office and do some soul-searching to determine whether or not she wants to continue in her role. She has clearly taken that advice to heart by offering her resignation,” Jones said.

“No one wanted to see the Circuit Attorney’s Office fail, and my administration has reached out consistently to the Office to offer assistance. We are hopeful that the governor will work with local leaders to appoint a successor who reflects the values of communities across St.

became a global sensation, moving audiences at the great opera houses of the world,” President Barack Obama said during the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony at The White House in 2009.

“And performing here at the White House, it was said that she moved Jacqueline Kennedy to lean over and gently sing along the words to the president.”

Bumbry is also recognized for the rare feat of having a career that traversed into two vocal ranges.

“When most eras can boast four or perhaps five superstar sopranos and even fewer superstar mezzo-sopranos, for more than three decades and for millions of opera lovers, Grace Bumbry was both,” The Kennedy Center said on its website. “Her unique sound and her gripping stage presence, once experienced, simply cannot be forgotten.”

Along with her Kennedy Center Honors recognition, Bumbry also earned a Grammy award, was bestowed with the UNESCO, the Distinguished Alumna Award from the Academy of Music of the West, Italy’s Premio Giuseppe Verdi and was named Commandeur des Arts et Letres by the French government. She was enshrined on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in the Delmar Loop in 1992.

Louis.” Gardner still has supporters in the St. Louis community.

The Community Justice Coalition praised the outgoing Gardner in a statement “for consistent pursuit of criminal justice reform agenda in St. Louis and her principled defense of the rights of voters in the City of St. Louis to elect their own Circuit Attorney.”

“We support her sacrifice and decision to put the voting rights of the people over her personal interests.”

Salute

Continued from A1

which further solidified her aspirations. Shadowing physicians reinforced her desire to be a doctor as she observed physicians treating patients.

Bailey is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. She practices internal medicine at Mercy Clinic Primary CareChippewa.

According to the person who nominated her, Bailey gives selflessly of her time to support local churches in their community endeavors including nutrition programs to teach the community about healthy ways to prevent and manage conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Dr. Anna Bailey presents medical information in practical ways that truly help all in the community close gaps in their knowledge of how lifestyle impacts health outcomes.

Roslyn Lockett Harvey, RN

Roslyn Lockett Harvey’s ultimate goal in life is to stand for and with those who are less fortunate and to serve her community as an advocate for justice and equality

She graduated from Lutheran North High School, attended Ottawa University and has earned her degree as a registered nurse and a bachelors of

Book

Continued from A1

and do something fun.”

Zara said it makes her sad not having her dad around because he used to live with them. However, her mother makes up for his absence by taking her someplace special once a week.

Mia has had adults approach her about the book and tell her how it’s helped them with their childhood abandonment issues.

science degree in clinical psychology. She completed an executive fellowship in community health at the University Of Kansas City School of Medicine, and is currently employed as the assistant VP of Health Center Operations of Affinia Health Care, where she manages three of their clinics and provides oversight to 28 employees. She is a member of the St. Louis Metropolitan Chapter of Deltas Sigma Theta, where she serves as the Coordinator of the Emergency Response Team (ERT).

Marcus Howard, Ph.D.

Dr. Marcus Howard is a North City St. Louis native and graduate of Metro Academic and Classical High School. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of

“I’ve talked to adults who said the book brought them to tears,” Mia said. “There was a dad who came up to me and said he was ‘that kid looking out the window for his father’ and two years ago he addressed those things from his childhood.”

The balancing act of being a working professional and mother to two kids isn’t easy for Mia. She admits it can be challenging and overwhelming. When she learned she was pregnant with Zara, she said she made it her duty to not allow the situation

North Carolina at Chapel Hill in exercise science and his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in Human Development. He returned home in 2020 to start GreaterHealth Pharmacy & Wellness, the very first radically inclusive, culturally responsive pharmacy in the U.S. GreaterHealth is already blazing a trail in the city of St. Louis in its first year of operations, offering free delivery and serving residents who have historically been forgotten in the healthcare space.

Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, St. Louis Department of Health director recently toured owner Marcus Howard’s GreaterHealth Pharmacy and Wellness and said “Marcus is raising the quality of health care in this area through the work of being inclusive.”

GreaterHealth is grow-

to define her.

“I didn’t look at my situation as ‘woe it’s me, what am I gonna do,’” Mia said.

“I knew what I needed to put into my daughter from the womb because her situation wasn’t going to define her, our situation was not gonna define her outcome.”

Zara is nearing the end of her second grade year at Mallinckrodt Academy of Gifted Instruction. She reads at a fourth grade level. She also plays basketball, baseball, and runs track.

ing fast and expects to be a national pharmacy brand by 2026, ensuring that all people have access to greater health and a greater quality of life

Melvin M. Maclin, M.D.

Dr. Melvin Maclin’s mission is to improve their quality of life by giving patients more confidence through plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. He is a board-certified plastic surgeon, and graduated medical school from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington D.C. and completed his general surgery residency at Howard University Hospital. Dr. Maclin also completed a plastic surgery residency at Washington University School of Medicine’s

“I knew it was inevitable to be proactive since her other parent’s role didn’t exist,” Mia said.

“I knew this was going to affect her at some point later on in her life.”

Among the challenges Mia has faced as a single parent is that she feels she has to prove her parenting skills to others.

“It’s almost like a stain to where I have to prove myself [even with Zia being a published author at 7], just making sure that she has everything she needs to be successful,” Mia said.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He began practicing in 2003 and is currently employed with SLUCare Physican Group. He specializes in breast reconstruction, cosmetic breast surgery, body contouring, tummy tucks and liposuction.

Dr. Maclin is a native of Chicago. He is a husband to another gifted surgeon in the St. Louis area, father of two, the founder of Innovative Medical Software, and a former international competitor as a second-degree blackbelt in Taekwondo. He is currently working on his black belt in Aikido.

Constance M. Payne, RN

When asked to describe Constance Payne, a colleague said she was a “highly energetic, depend-

“Sometimes I feel like because it’s just me, my daughter gets more of the rushed version of mom because I’m having to be all over the place making sure that she has everything she needs.”

Mia has also been proactive in having successful father figures in her daughter’s life.

“I made sure from birth she had a very close relationship with my father, who is her ‘papa. ‘Papa’ is her world,” Mia said.

able, loyal, enthusiastic, and a passionate registered nurse and legal nurse consultant, that’s dedicated and enjoys the growth and challenges of a changing environment.” She has extensive hands on experience in health areas such as: med/surg, telemetry, home health, case management, and an active patient advocate in the community.

Payne currently works as a clinical nurse consultant for Oracle Health. As a registered nurse, Constance has compassion for those around her rather working or just in general. She’s very dedicated to family and volunteering with the youth to pave a positive outlook on life while providing direction to achieve goals. Throughout the years some organizations that she has volunteered with include Church on the Rock outreaches, Matthew Dickey’s Boys & Girls club, N2purity, Mentors in Motion, City Glamour Boys & Girls Inc and HomeStl. She has been a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated for over 20 years.

Tickets for The St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Reception on Thursday, June 22, 2023, at Hilton St. Louis Frontenac, 5:30-8 p.m. are $75 each and may be purchased by visiting stlamerican.com.

“My brother is her godfather. I made sure to fill in the gaps and she knows that even though her dad isn’t around she has other male figures who play a pivotal role in her life.” Zara said she wants the book to help other kids in knowing they can cry and be sad, but also go outside and play to help them cope with their feelings.

Zara is hosting her 8th birthday party and book launch party on noon-4 p.m. May 27 at Clay Elementary School, located at 3820 N 14th St. “Broken Promises,” is available for purchase on Amazon.

Dr. Anna Bailey Roslyn Lockett Harvey Marcus Howard, PhD

Dr. Melvin M. Maclin

Constance M. Payne

Kwame Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament awards $60,000

in scholarships for first-generation, college-bound students

The Kwame Charitable Foundation has awarded $60,000 in higher education scholarships for first-generation college students from proceeds raised at the organization’s 19th Annual golf tournament. The scholarships provide resources for students who otherwise might not graduate from college, due to financial constraints.

Kwame Charitable Foundation awards the majority of scholarships to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), or multi-cultural initiatives that support students of color at PWI’s (primarily white institution).

Checks of $10,0000 were given to the

following education institutions at the tournament:

• Clark-Atlanta University

• Harris-Stowe State University

• Lincoln University

• Maryville University

• Washington University of St. Louis

• University of Kansas

“The Kwame golf tournament has annually raised substantial funds to support our partner schools and the scholars who need financial assistance to succeed and graduate,” said Kwame Charitable Foundation Executive Director Lydia

Huston. “For nearly 20 years, Kwame Foundation has been a catalyst for education, mentorship and scholarship support for students within our region, and beyond. We will continue this great work in 2023 and into the future.”

Kwame Charitable Foundation, which is the charitable arm of Kwame Building Group, was recently approved as a 501(c)3 public charity. The presenting sponsor of this year’s fundraiser was Kwame Building Group. Other sponsors included Clayco, Dowd Bennett and Millstone Weber. Since 2003, Kwame Charitable Foundation has endowed

approximately $3 million in multi-year scholarships for students at 30 colleges or universities throughout the United States. As a public entity,Kwame Charitable Foundation can receive contributions from private foundations, public foundations, corporations, as well as individuals, throughout the year, to further support its mission. Kwame Charitable Foundation graciously accepts donations year-round at kwame charitable.org. Donations also support other Kwame Charitable Foundation programs including the annual Spring Break HBCU Road Tour for local college-bound students.

Check presentation to Kellie Brown-Morris from Clark-Atlanta University

Kwame Charitable Foundation Board of DirectorsTony Thompson, Lydia Huston, Cathey Williamson and Kwame Thomspon, Esq.

Tony Thomspon with event co-chairs Mike Wild and Brian Hoelscher

Sponsor Banner

Live Auction Winners ( Auctioneer Gary Boyd with Stanford Richardson, Indigo Sams and Steve Harris)

One of the many foursomes at the event

The fight to protect local control of St. Louis Police

Tomorrow (Friday) marks the final day of the Missouri General Assembly’s regular session and the end of a brutal legislative assault on St. Louis and our autonomy. As our readers know, the state legislature has focused most of its (misguided) energy this session on attacking our city through unconstitutional power grabs, following a nationwide Republican strategy.

Initially, a state senator who is too afraid to even come to the city (we see you, State Sen. Nick Schroer) incorrectly asserted that the St. Louis’ perceived increase in crime was due to a “defunding” that never actually happened. Not only has the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) not been de-funded, but violent crime has decreased since local control was returned to the city in 2013. In other words, under state control, violent crime was much higherbut of course, that doesn’t fit the narrative of the extremist Republicans who share a super-majority in the Missouri General Assembly.

When more reasonable people began to realize throughout the legislative session that Schroer’s math didn’t add up, the extremists’ focus then shifted to St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner as the reason for the perceived increase in crime. Enter: statewide embarrassment, unelected Attorney General Andrew Bailey. From the beginning, Bailey lacked a legitimate legal foundation for his “quo warranto” lawsuit against Gardner and may have caught a lucky break

only because someone tipped off his office that Gardner was enrolled as a full-time nursing student at Saint Louis University. His foundation was still shaky even after that news, but let’s be honest: Gardner did not resign from her role as Circuit Attorney because of the second-most embarrassing statewide representative’s sly and disingenuous lawsuit (the most embarrassing being now-Senator Josh Hawley). Bailey’s lawsuit wasn’t even set for trial until late September, and realistically, considering the likely time frame, the losing party’s appeals would have extended through any Gardner 2024 re-election campaign. To be clear, Bailey deserves no credit for Gardner stepping down because he didn’t actually do anything.

The more likely scenario, according to reports last week, in the hours leading up to Gardner’s resignation, and the most likely final straw was that an alleged “deal” was made with the Missouri Senate Minority Leader, State Sen. John Rizzo, to allegedly “kill” legislation to appoint a special prosecutor in lieu of the elected Circuit Attorney. While this may provide a gracious exit for Gardnerserving as a metaphorical sacrificial lamb to save the City’s autonomy - the reality is that a state seizure of both the prosecutor’s office and SLMPD would face years of costly litigation with a slim-to-no chance of success.

The more level-headed Republicans in the General Assembly know this - and they also know that the rest of Missouri

has no interest in being financially on the hook for both Kansas City AND St. Louis. Yet the issue has dominated this legislative session, preventing both houses from passing meaningful bills that could actually help Missourians. Statewide problems like access to affordable quality housing, childcare shortages, and impending drought, have gone largely ignored while far-right Republicans hijacked the legislative process with “culture wars,” primarily targeting St. Louis. The truth is that the only reason that Arkansas for instance, another state with also a huge agricultural sector, lags badly behind Missouri in annual GDP is the economic heft of the state’s two largest metro areas.

Gardner submitted her resignation to Gov. Mike Parson last Thursday afternoon. So, now we wait to see if the State Senate Minority Leader and his colleagues will follow through, as promised, and drop the legislative attempts to seize power over St. Louis.

We’ve also heard that our favorite lobbyist-turned-failed-candidate-turned-lobbyist, Jane Dueker, has been a key player in the push for a state takeover of the city’s entire law enforcement system. Her work allegedly has been on behalf of the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police, the St. Louis Police Officers Association (SLPOA), and the St. Louis County Police Association, the latter of which donated tens of thousands of dollars to her crushing loss in her county executive campaign only nine months

ago and none representing St. Louis citizens. But even that “work” has been focused more on spreading the type of misinformation that Schroer spews late at night on his Twitter page. As it turns out, we hear that the overwhelming majority of Dueker’s advocacy on behalf of her police union clients have again been in vain. Not only is the Governor reportedly not a fan of a state takeover of the police, but apparently legislators finally have learned not to blindly accept Dueker’s drivel. Dueker pal and South County Republican State Representative Brad Christ bemoaned about the hostile takeover that it has been surprisingly “hard to get [it] across the finish line.” Parroting Dueker’s false narrative, Christ without evidence claimed that SLMPD was “crumbling” and St. Louis was “lawless.” We wonder when the last time the cowardly Sappington Republican dared to step foot in the purported “Wild West” that is St. Louis City.

This is probably where we should note that most importantly Missouri billionaire libertarian - and former Dueker employer - Rex Sinquefield

strongly opposes the revocation of local control and putting the State of Missouri in charge of a municipal police department. Sinquefield was instrumental in funding efforts to return control of SLMPD to the city in 2012. He currently has 18 lobbyists in the halls of the State Capitol debunking Dueker’s lies about St. Louis police and reasoning with sensible Republicans. As he literally holds the purse strings for a lot of Missouri Republicans, many are ultimately pulling back their support of the hostile takeover.

Despite some of his political positions which we have vigorously opposed, we see Sinquefield as an earnest but principled libertarian and not a fear mongering racist, who makes a strong case here. Moreover, it should be more widely understood that the task of abating much of the violent crime problem can’t be effectively executed by policing alone.

Kansas City’s police department currently is under state control, and they arguably have as much if not more violent crime than St. Louis. Dysfunction is rampant there and the state-controlled police board fails

to communicate with the Kansas City municipal government. Since the cessation of local control in the late 1930s in Kansas City, the State of Missouri has been directly responsible for the police department’s role in their still rising violent crime problem.

Does this Republicancontrolled state government, while touting the GOP’s nationwide tough-on-crime agenda, REALLY want responsibility for St. Louis, as well?

UPDATE: Since our readers know about our disdain for Tod Robberson, the Connecticut-based editorial page editor of the PostDispatch and his skullduggery, we will reprint the stinging words of Sarah Fenske of the RiverFront Times about his retirement from the Post on June 15: “Robberson has been with the paper since January 2016 – a tenure that saw him clash repeatedly with local progressives, including Mayor Tishaura Jones… Under that stalwart of character, the editorial board…endorsed not only Cara Spencer, but also Lewis Reed. At least he was right about Reed, now in federal prison, being a pragmatist.”

‘Taking Care of You’

Mental health services needed ‘now, more than

ever’

Hopewell Center opens on Delmar

St. Louis Department of Health Director, said the newest Amanda Luckett Murphy Hopewell Center, which opened last week on the

Health Centers campus on Delmar, is essential for the city.

By JoAnn Weaver The St. Louis American

More than 8,000 individuals in the city of St. Louis sought mental health services through the Missouri Department of Mental Health and psychiatric programs, with 68%, or more than two thirds of them, according to the Department of Health.

Mental health services are not as available in north St. Louis as they are in other parts of the city, and the newest Amanda Luckett Murphy Hopewell Center on the People’s Health Centers campus on Delmar can help reduce that healthcare gap.

There are also Hopewell Centers located at 909 14th Street and 4236 Lindell Blvd in St. Louis. Hopewell’s Lacy Clay Center for Children’s Health is at 5647 Delmar Blvd.

n “This [health] crisis within a crisis, within a crisis, within a crisis has been allowed to plague our communities with intentions rooted in white supremacy.”

– Dr. Matifadza “Mati” Hlatshwayo Davis

May is National Mental Health month and, fittingly, the ribbon cutting ceremony and open house for the facility, which features an adult behavioral health program, was held Thursday, May 4, 2023. 10th Ward Alderwoman Shameem

Hubbard Clark said services provided at the new facility are necessary for the community.

“I just want to thank [People’s Health Centers CEO] Dwayne Butler, the staff, and everyone here,” Hubbard Clark said.

“Not just on a professional level as a partner and an advocate for this work, but also as somebody who has received the services firsthand. I know the work firsthand, I know the need firsthand, and I know that this place is going to make a difference,” Clark added.

Dr. Matifadza “Mati” Hlatshwayo Davis, city health director, called the opening historic.

“We’re a part of history today, so let’s just pause for a second,” she said.

is for everyone, including Black men

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with many negative circumstances, at least one positive outcome can be attributed to this devastating infection, heightened awareness of mental health issues. It is now well documented how the isolation during the pandemic negatively affected children and the elderly. However, even prior to the pandemic, Black men have been suffering in silence with their mental health issues.

Black men face many challenges that are unique and have a significant impact on their mental health. These challenges faced by Black men shape how they view their future and how they respond to future adverse events. One significant issue that has been identified as affecting the mental health of Black men is racism.

n Black men face many challenges that are unique and have a significant impact on their mental health.

Shopping while black, interviewing while black, and driving while black are just a few of the scenarios where Black men experience racial microaggressions. These daily traumas occur everywhere: malls, grocery stores, on college campuses, and even in their own neighborhoods. Remember Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr? Dr. Gates, a renowned Harvard University professor and the host of his own television show on PBS, was stopped by campus security while trying to enter his own home.

Racism has been found to be one of the significant contributors to the high rates of depression, anxiety, anger, and stress among Black men. The impact of racism, however, varies according to their social class and other factors such as education level.

Missouri finally passes postpartum Medicaid extension

12th highest maternal mortality rate

By Clara Bates Missouri Independent

The Missouri Senate voted Friday to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year, sending the bill to Gov. Mike Parson.

The Department of Social Services estimates the extension would cover more than 4,000 people who otherwise go uninsured two months after the end of pregnancy.

Missouri had the 12th highest maternal mortality in the nation from 2018 to 2020, and three-quarters of pregnancyrelated deaths in the state were preventable, the Missouri Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review Board found last year. Thirty-two states and Washington, D.C., have already implemented the extension.

See MEDICAID, A13

Dr. Matifadza “Mati” Hlatshwayo Davis,

People’s

Photo courtesy of Hopewell Center

See HOPEWELL, A13 See ANDERSON, A13

Denise HooksAnderson

Hopewell

Continued from A12

“This [health] crisis within a crisis, within a crisis, within a crisis has been allowed to plague our communities with intentions rooted in white supremacy.”

A proclamation from Mayor Tishaura O. Jones praised the facility for providing a comprehensive array of behavioral health services to children and adults in northern and central parts of the city.

“That is why now, more than ever, mental and behavioral health services like these provided by Hopewell Center, are more critical than ever,” Davis said.

“This team has been on the front lines of behavioral health for decades, so don’t get it twisted, there’s nothing new about this, there’s just a building to formalize it.”

Serving as the primary adult behavioral health service in St. Louis city, the Hopewell Center will deliver a safe place for adults experiencing behavioral health challenges to receive help and services they need either by appointment or walk-ins.

Services offered include health and mental health intake and assessments, tele-health, therapy and 24-hour crisis counseling, suicide prevention and psychiatric nurses for healthcare along with medication administration and much more.

The new location is 11,000-square-foot and located in the heart of the Delmar Divine, near the DeBalivere Metrolink.

The space includes 28 offices, including therapy offices, seven nurse stations, a kitchen,

Medicaid

Continued from A12

“If we want healthy babies, we have to have healthy mamas,” Sen. Elaine Gannon, R-De Soto, who sponsored a version of the legislation, said in an interview Friday. “There are several postpartum illnesses that can creep up,” she said, citing postpartum depression and heart issues, which may not be obvious within 60 days of birth.

Gov. Mike Parson, in his annual State of the State address in January, committed to tackling the state’s high maternal mortality rate, calling the state’s low ranking nationally “embarrassing and absolutely unacceptable” and the fact that three-quarters of maternal deaths in the state are preventable a “tragic Missouri statistic.”

An area in which we are heartbroken to Anderson

Continued from A12

The mental health of Black men is also affected by societal pressures to follow stereotypical masculine ideals. Cultural and societal beliefs that demand men be strong, unemotional, and independent make it difficult for men to openly express their feelings and vulnerabilities which

‘Taking

Care of You’

restrooms, security guard station, a large welcoming lobby with three intake windows. There is also an area for community support specialists who serve as case managers.

“Mental health needs to be addressed in our community. The goal of our Delmar campus is to integrate primary health care and mental health, serving as one necessary resource to holistically heal our community,” said Butler.

“We offer full health and wellness services to anyone in need at our Hopewell Center Adult Behavioral Health Program facility which is nestled between our Betty Jean Kerr’s People’s Health Center and Children’s Behavioral Health and Dental Care for Kids program facility.

be failing is maternal mortality,” Parson said.

Aaliyah Bailey, founder of The BlackRoads Project, which works to create investment in Black, rural communities in Missouri and other Midwestern regions, told Anna Spidel of Side Effects of Public Media, “We know that many pregnancy-related health conditions do not manifest until months into the postpartum period, including mental health disorders and cardiac conditions.”

The proposal earned support from an ideologically-diverse coalition, including both Pro-Choice Missouri and Campaign Life Missouri. But opposition from conservative members of the Senate, which blocked the bill last year, seemed to jeopardize its passage again this time around.

Last year, the bill came close to winning legislative support but conservative senators blocked it in the waning

affect their mental health. Furthermore, men that come from families that expect traditional gender roles may consider sadness expressions as “unmanly.”

Convincing Black men to see a doctor is a challenge within itself but convincing them to seek therapy is an entirely different uphill battle. Black men are less likely to seek help or receive mental health services for a variety of distinct factors such as stigma, lack of financial

“Our programming is aimed at removing the stigma around mental health so that anyone experiencing trauma, stress, and other factors that lean into being socially and emotionally well, are not afraid to seek or ask for help.”

Community support specialists will provide medically necessary services to clients that support their treatment goal. This can include access to psychiatric services as well as housing and utility assistance, transportation, and social services.

“We take our clients’ hand and walk with them providing direction and guidance as they drive their own decisions,”

said LaShonda Thomas, Community Support Specialist Supervisor and

days of the session.

Conservative senators wanted to include language designed to prevent anyone who receives an abortion from receiving the benefit. Advocates said including the language would jeopardize federal approval, and though it was added when the bill initially passed the Senate, it was excluded from the version on its way to the governor.

Crisis Counseling Program Manager. Teresa Brandon, Hopewell Center Chief Behavioral Health Officer for Amanda Luckett Murphy Hopewell Center, said she wants the center to make mental healthcare more accessible and less stigmatized in the Black community.

“One of the things that makes it even more special is that we are a family of corporations with People’s Health Center and one of my biggest challenges in my career has been trying to fight the stigma that’s associated with mental illness,” she said.

“When you are on a campus where behavioral health and mental health and physical health can all combine, when they’re all combined, it’s not like

no effort to stop its passage. It was approved on a 26-6 vote.

As late as Friday morning, Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, said in an interview he wasn’t sure if he would try to block it again.

“There’s a lot of moving parts right now that we’re trying to move to the legislature, so I don’t think we’ve made a final decision yet,” Eigel said, regarding a potential filibuster.

But while Eigel voted against the bill, he made

resources, cultural beliefs, and lack of access. Stigma is a significant obstacle to mental care for Black people, not just men. For some Black men, receiving mental health services may appear to them to be a sign of weakness or failure. Our society fuels such thoughts by making comments like: “he’s crazy or he’s touched in the head.” Other barriers include accessibility. For instance, mental health providers may not reside within

The bill that passed Friday also encompassed several other proposals, including one which would create a “transitional” benefits program for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Sponsored by Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman and Rep. Alex Riley, the program would allow a “step-down” of those benefits until the participant reaches 200% of the federal poverty line. Benefits would decrease proportionate to income increases, with those at the highest end — making between 190% and 200% of the federal poverty line — receiving just 20% of the monthly benefit.

areas accessible by public transportation. There is also a lack of mental health professionals who are black. Research has shown that people of color prefer providers with similar ethnic backgrounds. Furthermore, appointments to see mental health professionals may be months away. In addition, adverse childhood experiences such as housing instability, food insecurity, gang violence, and sexual abuse

People’s Health Centers CEO Dwayne Butler and St. Louis Health Director Dr. Matifadza “Mati” Hlatshwayo Davis display a proclamation from Mayor Tishaura O. Jones during the opening celebration of the newest Amanda Luckett Murphy Hopewell Center.

you’re having to walk in a door that’s so different than going in for diabetes or any type of physical health thing.

“For me it’s like we’re kind of going beyond the shadows of mental illness; we are now opening it up where it doesn’t have to be a shadow, you don’t have to feel like you are stigmatized or that there’s something wrong with you for seeking help.”

According to Brandon, the facility will serve adults, kids in transition, age, substance abuse and others who struggle with mental and behavioral health across the whole spectrum.

“One of the big things that happened with Hopewell is that we transitioned from becoming a community mental health

Supporters framed the proposal as a way to encourage work and self-sufficiency, arguing that some families have to make the difficult calculation of whether to accept small raises or promotions and risk losing benefits entirely.

The Department of Social Services, which oversees eligibility for both programs, would need to seek a waiver from the federal government to fund the program, according to the fiscal note.

“There are currently no state plan options for SNAP or TANF that would allow the state to implement the provisions of this legislation… [Family Support Division] assumes that if the waiver requests are not approved by the federal partners, the provisions of this legislation will not be implemented,” the fiscal note states.

The bill also makes permanent and expands

also contribute to the mental health state of Black men. We now know that trauma experienced by pregnant women can affect the DNA of their unborn child. Therefore, many Black men have “inherited” this trauma gene which has also contributed negatively to their mental health. In summary, many factors have contributed to the mental health of Black men including racism, lack of resources, and

center to a certified behavioral health access to care center and being right in the city, it helps us be able to serve more people,” she said.

“The goal is to be able to provide outreach, community-based service and care to be able to meet those that oftentimes don’t just reach their hand out, and sometimes we have to make sure we are reaching out to them and making sure they can get the help that they actually need.”

The newest Amanda Luckett Murphy Hopewell Center is located on People’s Health Centers campus at 5669 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri, 63112. Please visit hopewellcenter.com for additional information.

a transitional child care subsidy program. Recipients can receive the transitional benefits without first needing to be eligible for full child care benefits — so someone at an income between 170% and 190% of the federal poverty line, for instance, would qualify for 40% of the base benefit.

Previously, a participant needed to first qualify at the baseline income threshold of 150% to then be eligible for transitional benefits.

Other provisions of the bill include a prohibition on health care providers performing pelvic, prostate or anal exams on patients under anesthesia without first receiving explicit, informed consent. It also would direct medical providers serving children to provide education to parents and guardians of kids under age 4 regarding lead hazards and testing, as well as change lead testing requirements.

childhood trauma. Societal gender norms have negatively affected how Black men view seeking mental health resources. As a community, we must eliminate the stigma of seeking therapy and allow Black men to express their humanness without fear of ridicule.

Denise HooksAnderson, MD, FAAFP Family Physician yourhealthmatters@ stlamerican.com

Aaliyah Bailey

Photo courtesy of Hopewell Center

The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 7,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.

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

Ninth-grade students

Leondra Howard and Chloe Ross, in Ms. Cheryl M. Christian’s class at Jennings Senior High School, are working in groups cooperatively gathering data on how to determine mass and volume using a graduated cylinder / triple beam scale for the Density of Water Lab.

SCIENCE CORNER

Sound Waves

When something moves, it creates a vibration of energy, which is called sound. The vibration of sound creates movement in the air particles. If those vibrations are fast, you’ll hear a high-pitch sound. If the vibrations are slow, you’ll hear a low-pitch sound.

The speed of sound is the rate that these vibrations travel through matter. In dry air, speed travels at the rate of 343 meters per second, which is equivalent

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

In this experiment, you will observe how sound travels.

Materials Needed:

• Metal Coat Hanger

• String

• Metal Spoon

• Table

Procedure:

q Tie the ends of a piece of string to each corner of a metal coat hanger.

w Next, loop one end of the string around one index finger and the other end around the other index finger.

e Put your fingers in your ears and bang the hanger against a table.

to one mile in five seconds. In water, sound travels four times faster.

The loudness of sound is measured in volume, also known as decibels. The louder a sound is, the more decibels it will have. A whisper has around 15-20 decibels, a jet engine has around 150 decibels.

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

Stereo Hanger

r The sound waves from the vibrating hanger travel through the string and into your ear.

t Do the same thing with a metal spoon.

Reflect: How does the sound compare? Which is louder? Which one has the lowest pitch? Try using different materials and see how it affects the experiment. Try using different types of string. Does it affect the vibrations of sound?

Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete an experiment. I can make observations, analyze results, and draw conclusions.

Math Games and Apps

Read about the following math apps you can add to your family’s phone. These apps are a great way to reinforce all of the skills were are learning in school.

Math Academy allows you to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. Having a quick memory of these facts gives you a strong, solid foundation for all other math functions.

Math Climber

Math Climber is available for Apple and Android devices. It covers 18 topics including addition, subtraction, multiplication and divisions facts with positive and negative numbers, place value, customary measurement, metric measurement, order of operations, fractions, percents, decimals, area, perimeter, and volume.

DID YOU KNOW?

Motion Math Cupcake app allows you to create your own cupcake creations. You must purchase supplies, set a price that allows for a profit, plan for long range success, and much more.

For more information on recommended math apps, visit: http://www.parents.com/kids/education/ math-and-science/best-math-apps-for-kids/.

Learning Standards: I can understand the importance of math fluency. I can make text-to-self connections and text-to-world connections.

The world’s first smartphone made its debut in 1993 at Florida’s Wireless World Conference.

phone signal or not being able

make or receive calls.

African-American Inventor & Engineer Henry Sampson

Henry Sampson grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, and attended Lanier High School. When he was just a sophomore, he attended Senior Career Day. It was there that he spoke to a graduate from Purdue University. Sampson later traveled to visit Purdue that summer and was inspired to attend college there. He first attended Morehouse College for two years before transferring to Purdue.

In 1956, he earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Five years later, he earned his master’s degree in engineering from UCLA. In 1967, he became the first African-American in the United States to earn his PhD in nuclear engineering.

Sampson worked as a chemical engineer at U.S. Naval Weapons Center. Next, he was a project engineer with the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California. He was later promoted to the Director of Planning and Operations. On July 6, 1971, Sampson received a patent for the gamma electric cell with George Miley. Because of this, many sources mistakenly credit him for inventing the cell phone. Although he did not invent the cell phone, he helped to create and discover technology that is currently used in cell phones.

Sampson also holds other patents for rocket fuels.

Sampson has written many reference books, including “Blacks in Black Face: A Source Book on Early Black Musical Shows.” In 1982, he received the Aerospace Corporation Black Image Award. In 2009, he was named Purdue University’s Outstanding Chemical Engineer. In 2012, he received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Friends of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, California State University-Los Angeles.

This is the patent drawing for a gamma-electrical cell that converts gamma radiation into electricity without going through a heat cycle. This invention was designed for nuclear reactors, but eventually made cell phones possible.

Learning Standards: read about an African-American who has made strides in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and

MAP CORNER

Enjoy these activities that help you get to know your St. Louis American newspaper. Activities — Photo Finish: Find a sports story with a photo. Make a list of all the nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs in the story.

Professional vs. Amateur Look in the sports section and find 10 athletes (use either photos or names) and identify each as professional or amateur. Then list the characteristics of professional and amateur athletes.

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can identify parts of speech and characteristics of professional and amateur.

Photo by Ms. Cheryl M. Christian

By Alvin A. Reid St. Louis American

Doing it for DJ

Demetrious Johnson’s community work continues

The message throughout a memorial service for Demetrious Johnson on Jan. 2, 2023, was that the community must carry on his mission of service through his foundation.

Johnson, who passed away on Dec. 22, 2022, at the age of 61, can see that his many works on behalf of under-served Black children is continuing.

More than 500 children participated in the Demetrious Johnson Charitable Foundation annual Easter Egg hunt in April and the Johnson Foundation free HBCU recruiting combine was held Saturday May 6, 2023, at Cardinal Ritter College Prep.

Joining the scores of youth football players that ran drills and were scouted, dozens of volunteers, and members of the community attended throughout the day.

“This was DJ. Community, kids, families, and life-changing opportunities,” said Jim Collins, DJCF president.

Collins is continuing a tradition that Johnson started almost a decade ago. His vision was to create an opportunity for local football players to network with coaches from HBCUs and all collegiate levels, including Power 5 schools.

Football players from throughout the area displayed their skills, and received coaching tips that could help them excel on the field and potentially earn scholarships.

“Today is an indication that DJ’s work will carry on,” said Collins.

“There are volunteers everywhere. We will continue being here in St. Louis city. We are going to keep it going.”

Georgiaetta Binion, one of Johnson’s sisters, attended the HBCU combine and said the turnout

and enthusiasm “warms my heart.”

“I knew [the community] was going to be here. I’m just so happy.”

Brian Jordan, a twosport star who played for both the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons, told KSDK, “DJ had done so much for this community in St. Louis.”

“I would always come in to play in his golf tournament, and I will always be here as long as I am

needed.

Jordan spoke with the more than 300 players and 12 HBCU representatives, calling the experience “a wonderful time.”

“The kids got the exposure that they need, that’s what DJ was about,” Jordan said.

“His legacy continues to move forward. I’m happy to be a part of it.”

According to his family, Johnson’s untimely death was caused by an

aortic dissection, a rare condition in which a tear occurs in the inner layer of the body’s main artery.

Johnson was born July 21, 1961, the youngest of eight children. He was raised by a single mother in the Darst-Webbe Public Housing Project south of downtown St. Louis, who was an advocate for tenant rights.

After starring at McKinley High School and winning scholarship

offers from college teams throughout America, Johnson vowed to stay close to his family and community and attended the University of Missouri. He would graduate with a bachelor’s degree in education.

Johnson was named a Big Eight Conference All-Star as a defensive back, was drafted in the fifth round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. After four seasons,

he was traded to the Miami Dolphins, where he played during the 1986–87 season.

Johnson founded his charitable foundation in 1993 to help improve the lives of underprivileged children and families in the St. Louis area.

“I know DJ is looking down and smiling,” said Collins.

“We are going to make sure we keep that smile on his face.”

Photo by Alvin A. Reid / St. Louis American

Jim Collins, Demetrious Johnson Charitable Foundation president, and the late Demetrious Johnson’s sister, Georgiaetta Binion, are helping carry on Johnson’s mission of service to the Black community. Allen directed the Foundation’s annual HBCU football combine on May 6, 2023, at Cardinal Ritter.

MAY 11 – 17, 2023

Ameren’s Moehn to chair Urban League of Metro St. Louis

Two-year term begins May 25

In 2019, Ameren Corporation gifted the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis $25,000 to support its various economic independence programs. In February 2022, Ameren donated $500,000 over five years to support the Urban League Restoring Hope capital campaign. From left are Warner Baxter, Ameren Corp. Executive Chairman, President and CEO; Michael McMillan, Urban League President and CEO; Barbara Bowman, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis Vice President and Controller; and Michael Moehn, Ameren Corp. Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Ameren Corporation; Chairman and President, Ameren Services. Moehn will begin his two-year term as Urban League chair on May 25.

n

St. Louis American staff

Michael Moehn, senior executive vice president and chief financial officer and president of Ameren Services, will become chair of the board of directors of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis on May 25, 2023. Moehn has served on the Urban League’s board since 2015 and currently is an Executive Committee member He will serve as chair for two years and succeeds Lashly & Baer partner Mark H. Levison.

liance, social equality, and civil rights.

Ameren recently established the Ameren Energy Efficiency Center to support clients seeking support through energy assistance programs.

“The Urban League is relentless in its efforts to break the cycle of poverty in our region,” said Moehn.

PeoPle on the Move

Tasha Jordan named teacher of the year

Tasha Jordan, science teacher at Ferguson Middle School, was surprised with the news at school when district administrators made the visit to her classroom to inform Jordan she had been selected the FergusonFlorissant School District (FFSD) 2023 Teacher of the Year. Jordan, who has been an educator for five years in FFSD, says she sees her role of classroom teacher as someone who can empower her students. “Teachers have the special ability to empower students to be their best selves,” she said.

Cummings now Saturday morning anchor at KSDK

Travis Cummings has accepted the role of Saturday morning weekend anchor at KSDK 5 On Your Side. Cummings joined KSDK in December of 2021. Prior to KSDK he was at WRCB in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he worked for two years as a reporter and fillin anchor. During his time at WRCB he was nominated twice for “Best TV Media Personality for Black Excellence Chattanooga” through Chattanooga Business Elite. Before WRCB, Cummings worked as a weekend anchor/multi-media journalist at KEVN in Rapid City, South Dakota. He holds a bachelor of communication arts degree in journalism from Spring Hills College.

Jaqui Rogers named to board of Pedal the Cause

“We have an amazing board of directors and Michael will make a great leader. He has supported the continued growth and additional investment in the Urban League personally and professionally allowing us to help more of our neighbors in need throughout the region,” said Michael McMillian, president and chief executive officer of the Urban League.

“We are excited for his chairmanship to begin as we strive to serve even more people and make a bigger impact on St. Louis.”

Ameren and the Urban League have a long-standing partnership dedicated to providing resources to empower residents in securing economic self-re-

“This organization is a beacon of light, and I am honored to be working with a group of people so committed to creating economic and educational opportunities for underserved communities.”

In February 2022, Ameren gifted $500,000 over five years to support the Urban League Restoring Hope capital campaign. A hub is being created in North St. Louis for critical programs and services that foster continual self-improvement, vibrant neighborhoods, and

Black unemployment rate at record low in April

Smallest gap ever between races

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA

When the April employment report was released on May 5, 2023, former Obama administration economic advisor Jason Furman wrote on Twitter, “Lowest [rate] ever for Black unemployment.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics had reported that the unemployment rate for African Americans dropped below 5% for the first time in US history. The jobless rate for African Americans in the United States maintained its steady slide to new historic levels, just one month after hitting a record low for the previous lowest level ever recorded. The report showed that the unemployment rate for Black people in the United States declined by three-tenths of a percentage point, a drop that cannot be considered negligible. That represents a 4.7% decrease overall.

Jeanette Brown of NASDAQ.com wrote “A decrease in the national unemployment rate for Black workers signals a thriving job market

and

tions.”

“The Black unemployment rate has been double the white unemployment rate in the U.S. for years.”

Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute and a former

edal the Cause announced that Jaqui Rogers has been named to their Board of Directors. Rogers is a DEI consultant for BJC Health Care, and holds a BS degree from the University of MissouriColumbia, an MBA from Webster University, and a PhD in educational leadership from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Pedal the Cause is one of the topten peer-to-peer cycling experiences in the country, having donated over $40 million since 2010 to fund the best and brightest ideas in cancer research. 100 percent of participant-raised funds support innovative, early-stage cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Promotion, board appointment, new hire, award... please submit your People on the Move item (including photo) to kjones@stlamerican.com

See MOEHN, B2

Tasha Jordan

Travis Cummings

Jaqui Rogers

Muex

Aaron Muex

Photo courtesy of Urban League

Photo courtesy of Towson University

Employment

Continued from B1

ism on the labor market, [Black & Hispanic workers] have much higher [unemployment] rates than White [workers]. But the strong jobs recovery has brought [Black and Hispanic unemployment] down far faster than in the past.”

Michelle Holder, associate professor of economics at John Jay College, City University of New York told Bloomberg the Black unemployment rate drop is “quite remarkable.

She warned a US economy dip into a recession could have severe impact on Black employment.

“If there is still a possibility of a recession then the current state of affairs with Black unemployment at its lowest level could easily be erased,” she said.

The unemployment rate for Black men, in particular, and for Black youths, fell.

After Black women reached a historic low in joblessness in March, their unemployment rate slightly increased, according to

a jobs report.

The Black unemployment rate peaked at 16.8% in May 2020, and since then has fallen by 12.1 percentage points to 4.7% now. The decline has been driven, in part, by a drop in labor force participation among Black workers.

The pre-pandemic alltime low was also significantly higher than this, at 5.3% in August 2019.

The gap between Black and white unemployment is also at an all-time low. It’s now 1.6 percentage points, down from 5.4 points in August 2020 and 12.1 points in January 1983.

Overall, the rate of joblessness in the United States has fallen to its lowest point in half a century, at 3.4%. The rate includes white workers, and their rate fell one-tenth of a percentage point, reaching 3.1%.

Biden said the nation’s economy does not need a debt limit battle.

“We’re trending in the right direction, and I think we’re making real progress,” he said. He told Republican lawmakers to not “undo all this progress” with the debt limit standoff.

The White House estimates a debt limit squabble — even if a deal comes together — could still cost the economy 200,000 jobs.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters current trends are going against history.

“It wasn’t supposed to be possible for job openings to decline by as much as they’ve declined without unemployment going up,” Powell said.

“Well, that’s what we’ve seen. There’s no promises in this, but it just seems that to me that it’s possible that we will continue to have a cooling in the labor market without having the big increases in unemployment.”

Bharat Ramamurti, the deputy director of the White House National Economic Council, referred to the low unemployment rate “an incredible milestone.” Shierholz said there are no current signs of recession, and “We are in the middle of a soft landing right now.”

“We have shown we can bring down wage growth, bring down inflation.”

Moehn

Continued from B1

equitable opportunity.

The center is in the old Sears building on North Kingshighway and the renovated structure provides space for education, basic needs fulfillment, financial services, health care services and events. The building includes the Ameren Energy Efficiency Center

In addition, the Urban League received more than $185,000 in energy efficiency incentives from the Ameren Missouri BizSavers Program.

“We believe transforming this space will spark more economic development in an area that is ripe for investment and ready for expanded services to create a new hub integral to empowering the community and creating a more equitable region,” Moehn said in a release In 2019, Ameren donat-

ed $250,000 to the Urban League’s Save Our Sons initiative.

The Urban League recently opened respective Save Our Sons job training and skills center at 2626 Cherokee on the city’s southside, and in East St. Louis, site of the original local Urban League office.

SOS curriculum teaches career skills and work ethic, including how to find a job, how to keep a job, how to get promoted, and how to remain marketable in the workplace.

The program also provides employment, training, and mentorship to women as they work to improve financial management, career readiness, entrepreneurship, and being a caregiver.

Ameren is also active in the community through other major financial support.

Ameren is pledging $1 million to support Beyond Housing’s Once and for All, an effort to invest in the St. Louis region’s most

under-resourced communities to move all of St. Louis forward.

“Addressing the high concentrations of poverty in our under-resourced communities is the most direct path to improving the well-being and success of the entire region,” says Gwen Mizell, vice president and chief sustainability, diversity & philanthropy officer for Ameren.

Ameren recently announced a $500,000 pledge to Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School. The donation is part of the company’s Equity in Education initiative to support equitable attainable in education for students in some of the most vulnerable communities within Ameren’s service territory.

“We are immensely grateful for Ameren’s long-standing partnership on behalf of our scholars,” said Tamiko Armstead, president of Cardinal Ritter College Prep.

Ameren Corp. has been a supporter of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis Save Our Sons program since its inception, including a $250,000 donation in 2019. SOS teaches career skills and work ethic, including how to find a job, how to keep a job, how to get promoted, and how to remain marketable in the workplace.

Photo courtesy of Urban League

“I don’t ever put limits on myself. I would suggest hockey do the same.”

– Former NHL star and ESPN commentator P.K. Subban, whose new show will focus on league diversity

InSIdE SportS

By Earl Austin Jr.

High School teams making tracks to state meets

The road to the Missouri State Track and Field Championships began with small school district meet competitions last weekend.

St. Louis area schools were in action at the Class 2, District 2 meet, which was held at New Haven. The top four finishers at the meet advanced to Saturday’s upcoming sectional meet, which will also be held at New Haven. On the girls’ side, Lutheran North had a productive day as it produced five district champions and qualified athletes in 10 events for the sectionals. Freshman Genesis Garner won district titles in the 200- and 400-meter dashes. Senior Taiylor Carr also finished first in the 100-meter dash. The Crusaders also finished first in the 4x200- and 4x400-meter relays.

Lutheran North’s other sectional qualifiers included Eryana Stringfellow, who finished third in the 400 and Catharyn Ryder, who finished second in the high jump and fourth in the long jump. Sylvia Johnson finished fourth in the discus and third in the shot put while the 4x100meter relay team finished in second place. Freshman Kensington Curd of Brentwood was a double-winner as she finished first in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs. Eagles’ teammate Nija Hayes finished first in the triple jump with an effort of 34 feet 4 inches.

Principia will also be taking a group of sprinters to Saturday›s sectional

100-meter hurdles in the 17 and 18

old age group at the AAU Junior Olympic Track and Field Championship.

meet. Junior Sana Udoekong finished second in the 200 and Lily Dow finished second in the 400. The Panthers also qualified all three sprint relays as they finished third in the 4x100 and 4x200 and third in the 4x400.

On the boys’ side, Bishop DuBourg, Christian and Duchesne will be taking a good group of athletes to the sectional meet. DuBourg had a productive day in the sprints and field events as they qualified athletes in six events with a pair of district champions. Keenan

Thomas won the 100meter dash and anchored the Cavaliers 4x100-meter relay to a first-place finish and the 4x200 relay team a second-place finish. He also finished second in the long jump. In the shot put, Davion Sides finished in second place and Owen Willens finished third while Kaden Harvie finished fourth in the 800meter run.

Senior Austin Ball of Christian was a double winner on Saturday as he finished first in the 110-meter-high hurdles and 300-meter intermedi-

ate hurdles. Sophomore Judah Schorer finished first in the 400-meter dash and Isaac States finished second in the 300-meter hurdles. Christian also qualified in the 4x400 relay with a third-place finish. Duchesne’s Robert Jones qualified in two events as he finished first in the 200 and third in the 100.

The top four finishers at this weekend’s sectional meet will qualify for the state championships, which will be held on May 19-20 in Jefferson City.

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

Large School Districts on Tap

The Missouri schools in Classes 3,4 and 5 will take center stage with district meets, which will be held on Saturday around the state. St. Louis area schools in Class 5 will be competing at SLUH, Parkway Central and Timberland. Area Class 4 schools will be competing at Cape Girardeau Central, Ladue, Parkway Central, North Point and Washington. Area Class 3 schools will be in action at Cape Girardeau Central,

Herculaneum, Timberland, and North Point. The top four finishers at each district will qualify for sectional competition on Saturday, May 20.

Collinsville

Invitational Highlights

The Collinsville Invitational featured some of the best boys’ talent in the metro east area with East St. Louis, Cahokia and Edwardsville leading the way. East St. Louis dominated the sprints as Kenneth Buchanon finished first in the 100 and David Montgomery finished first in the 200 and 400. The Flyers also won the 4x400 relay in a time of 3 minutes 19.61 seconds. Buchanan was third in the 200 while the Flyers also finished second in the 4x200 and third in the 4x100. Edwardsville got first place finishes from Kellen Brefre in the long jump and Ethan Stukenburg in the pole vault. The Tigers also finished first in the 4x100 in a time of 41.75 seconds and the 4x200 in 1:27.11. They also finished second in the 4x400 and third in the 4x800. Cahokia enjoyed a very productive day in the field events as standout Caleb Deloach won the triple jump with an effort of 47 feet 9 inches. He also finished second in the long jump and high jump. Jo Viano Howard won the high jump with a clearance of 6 feet 6 3/4 inches. He also finished fourth in the long jump. Vectrez Thomas finished third in the triple jump while Chase Crawford was second in the shot put. On the track, Keshawn Lyons finished first in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles and second in the 110-meter-high hurdles.

Vida Blue was dominant, deserving of Hall of Fame recognition

If you were a Black kid that loved baseball in the 1970s, Oakland A’ pitcher

Vida Blue was a part of your life. I was a Black kid in the 1970s that still loves baseball and felt a real sense of loss when Blue passed away on Saturday at 73.

Blue’s 1971 season was so dominant that he was called a left-handed Bob Gibson. Beginning the season at 21, Blue posted a 24-8 record with a 1.82 ERA, 301 strikeouts, 24 complete games, and eight shutouts. He won both the American League Most Valuable Player Award and Cy Young Award, making him one of just 11 pitchers to accomplish the feat.

A year later, he would lead the A’s to the first of three consecutive World

Series titles and was renowned as one of baseball’s finest ambassadors from the days he played until his death at age 73. So, why isn’t he in the Baseball Hall of Fame? A drug possession conviction in the early ’80s cost him almost two full seasons as punishment after he was given a year in prison for possession of about a tenth of an ounce of cocaine.

U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Milton Sullivant suspended a majority of the sentence and Blue served three months.

Hall of Fame voters, to this day, find reasons to keep Black players out of the Hall of Fame. They had one. They used it. In 2021, Blue told the Washington Post, “That Hall of Fame thing, that’s something that I can honestly, openly say I wish I

was a Hall of Famer. And I know for a fact this drug thing impeded my road to the Hall of Fame - so far.”

Blue won 209 games and lost 161 with a 3.27 ERA. Hall of Fame worthy. He struck out 2,175 batters. Hall of Fame worthy. He had 143 complete games and an incredible 37 shutouts over 17 seasons with the A’s, San Francisco Giants, and Kansas City Royals. Those marks are Hall of Fame worthy.

For every St. Louis Cardinal fan stumping for Adam Wainwright to reach the Hall of Fame consider that Wainwright will finish behind Blue in every

significant pitching category. Blue also dealt with stingy owner Charlie Finley. Regardless of their color, Finley refused to pay his World Champions market-rate wages. Twice, he traded Blue for has-been players and cash. Both times Commissioner Bowie Kuhn rejected the trades in “the best interest of baseball.” Blue was ultimately traded to the Giants where he was named to three AllStar Games.

I saw Blue pitch one time and he was masterful on the evening of May 1, 1978. His Giants won

2-1 over the St. Louis Cardinals and Blue gave up just six hits over eight innings.

“I remember watching a 19-year-old phenom dominate baseball, and at the same time alter my life,” Dave Stewart, a fourtime 20-game winner for the A’s in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, wrote on Twitter. “There are no words for what you have meant to me and so many others.”

The Reid Roundup

Vida Blue and Pittsburgh Pirates great Dock Ellis made history in 1971 when they were the first Black pitchers to start an MLB All-Star Game… Blue was the first pitcher to start the All-Star Game for both leagues. He started for the AL in 1971 and ‘75 and the NL in ‘78…In ’71, Blue appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated, The

Sporting News Sport and Time magazines… While the A’s were noted for colorful uniforms, Blue introduced the white baseball cleats, a fashion that was soon picked up by teammates. He also wore his first name on the back of his jersey, not his last…Notre Dame recruited Blue to play football and he preferred that sport over baseball. He declined the scholarship because he could make money faster in baseball…Who is the last switch hitter to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award? Vida Blue in ’71. He played most of his career before there was a designated hitter…Ferguson Jenkins reminded fans on Sunday that he and Blue were the first two Black men to win a Cy Young Award in the same season. Jenkins won with the Chicago Cubs in ’71.

Earl Austin Jr.

Genesis Dixon and her Kirkwood Pioneer teammates are hoping to reach the state track meet during upcoming district competitions. Last August, she finished second in the

year

Alvin A. Reid

Photo courtesy of Missouri Elite Sports Club

Vida Blue won both the league MVP and Cy Young in 1971.

Women of Achievement honors 10 area women for outstanding volunteer service

Women of Achievement honored ten 2023 Women of Achievement awardees Tuesday at the RitzCarlton.

The 2023 Women of Achievement: Katherine Glynn Anderson Impactful Leadership; Velma Bailey Youth Enrichment; Beth Boggs Feeding Our Community; Rolanda Finch Caring & Compassion; Judith Garfinkel Arts & Education; Linda Hunter Humanitarian Concerns; Erin Kramer Spirit of Giving; Kristina Le Multicultural

Advocacy; Christine Pennell Human Welfare; and Gabriela RamirezArellano Social Enterprise

The St. Louis Women of Achievement Award, which was founded in 1955 and celebrates its 68th anniversary this year, is the oldest, ongoing program in the area whose sole mission is to honor and recognize the volunteer service and volunteer

leadership of women.

Velma Bailey

Velma Bailey, the Founder/CEO of the Saint Louis Torchbearers 2, can be found helping her marginalized community’s youth gain equitable access to resources region-wide— after school, on weekends, and each summer in Fairground Park. Her grassroots nonprofit has

helped 500 children build paradigms for lifelong success through partnerships with 50+ organizations. Velma’s work has been widely recognized: the 2022 RWJF/ NRPA Health Equity Award, AARP National Creating the Good Award, Gateway to Dreams Inspiring Hope Award, Pay It Forward Award, League of Women Voters Metro STL Harriett

Woods Award for Exemplary Community Service, and featured in the Post’s Giving Thanks recognition stories.

Rolanda Finch

As the Founder and CBO of It’s Your Birthday, Inc. Rolanda is responsible for strategic planning and day-to-day operations to ensure children in shelters have a better birthday

Byron Allen files suit saying McDonald’s refuses to advertise with Black-owned media

memory. The services provided by IYBI provide a sense of normalcy and help children feel acknowledged and special. Operating with volunteers and a limited budget, she has successfully provided over 1,800 children with a better birthday memory in 22 shelters in the area. Rolanda is also the Director of Learning at RMI, where she is responsible for developing learning strategies for 600+ global employees transforming the global energy system to secure a clean, prosperous, zerocarbon future for all.

According to Reuters, media entrepreneur Byron Allen has filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s alleging that the fast food chain refuses to advertise with Black-owned media. He filed the suit last week in Los Angeles on behalf of his Entertainment Studios Networks and Weather Group, which believes McDonald’s “lied” when it pledged in May 2021 to boost national ad spending with Blackowned media to 5% from 2% by 2024. According

Parents as Teachers, an internationally recognized leader in the early child development home visiting field, has received $7 million in unrestricted funds from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

to the suit, Byron stated he would know if that increase was true as his Allen Media Group represents 90% of Blackowned media.

The lawsuit seeks $100 million in damages alleging McDonald’s made false promises.

This is in addition to a $10 billion federal lawsuit Allen previously filed claiming that McDonald’s ad practices “amount to racial stereotyping” that violated federal and California civil rights laws.

Parents as Teachers receives $7 million grant

A priority of Scott’s giving is to fund organizations that directly support communities. Parents as Teachers President and CEO Constance Gully said the gift is the largest single gift in the nonprofit’s history and an affirmation of the organization’s decades-long commitment to improving the lives of children and families across the country.

“We are ecstatic and deeply grateful to Ms. Scott for this generous gift. This contribution will allow us to increase our efforts to promote the optimal early development,

learning and health of children by supporting and engaging their parents and caregivers,” said Gully.

Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, Parents as Teachers builds strong communities, thriving

families, and children that are healthy, safe, learning and ready for school by matching parents and caregivers with trained professionals who make regular personal home visits during a child’s earliest years in life, from pregnancy through kindergarten.

promises.

Earlier this year, The New York Times newspaper recognized Parents as Teachers for its work in training parent educators as doulas, in response to the growing crisis of mortality impacting Black mothers and birthing people.

How home health care providers can show their track record of trust

When patients choose a home health care provider, they’re making a decision based on trust.

Patients invite providers into their home and trust they will respect their space, belongings, and loved ones while you are there. They’re also entrusting their caregivers with the most precious possession any of us have – their health.

And the demand for trustworthy home health care is only growing, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Bureau predicts that employment in the home health care sector will grow by 21% nationally between 2021 and 2031, adding 700k jobs each year on average.

This is partially because the American population is aging. The US Census Bureau predicts that the number of people in the U.S. over 65 will grow to 84 million, or 21% of the population, by 2050.

More patients than ever are looking for a proven track record of quality, compassionate care. In response, providers must show that they’re worthy of their patients’ trust and investment.

Here’s how home healthcare providers can show they have a track record of trust:

• Be transparent about costs, policies and procedures. Transparency is the first step to establishing trust. It shows patients that you’re in their corner, and it makes a stressful decision-making process easier for people who are likely experiencing a difficult season of life.

• Confirm your licensing, bonding and insurance. Providing this information shows patients that everything is up to standard and that they are safe in your care.

• Share information about your caregivers and their training. It’s natural that people will want to know more about the employees who will be caring for them or their loved one, and it will reassure them to understand that they’re qualified and how they were trained.

• Share testimonials or reviews from former customers. A word-ofmouth recommendation can go a long way in establishing trust with new patients. Let your past work speak for itself with reviews or testimonials.

• Tell patients about any accreditation. Accreditation from one of three main bodies – the Joint Commission, Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP) or the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) – helps show patients that they’ll receive the best possible care from you.

• Align yourself with other trustworthy care providers: Consider Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation. You can join numerous local home health care providers who are accredited with BBB, showing patients that they’re a quality source of care. Accredited Businesses meet a set of eight Standards for Trust that guide their business ethics and tell customers they’re trustworthy. They’re also able to use the Accredited Business seal – according to a 2021 BBB survey, 81% of consumers familiar with BBB are more likely to trust that a business displaying the seal is ethical and honest.

Starting home health care can be a difficult decision for patients and families, but trust in their provider can ease the stress of the process. Communicating the quality of your care and the integrity of your business up front helps them know you’re a company worthy of their trust.

Canstance Gully

The lawsuit seeks $100 million in damages alleging McDonald’s made false

Velma Bailey

Rolanda Finch

Healing on a high note

Black Rep closes Season 46 with ‘Eubie’

By Kenya Vaughn

The St. Louis American

Last week’s opening of the Black Rep’s presentation of Eubie at Washington University’s Edison Theatre marked the third time they have presented the Tony nominated musical – most recently in 1999.

However, the current production –which runs through May 21 – sees their company sharing an experience parallel to the musical’s namesake and his journey with mounting a musical production during the aftershock of a global pandemic, The Spanish Flu.

The year was 1921. Communities

Sumner

By Ashley Winters

were still feeling the aftershock as they emerged and attempted to navigate the process of picking up the pieces after an extended period of forced isolation.

James “Eubie” Blake, Noble Sissle, Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles used music, dance and laughter to facilitate healing with their history-making Broadway musical “Shuffle Along.”

Within the cast was Paul Robeson and a brilliantly silly chorus girl with St. Louis roots named Josephine Baker.

“It was what Broadway needed at the time,” said Ron Himes, Founder and Producing Director of the St. Louis Black Repertory Company. “It was the first Broadway show written by, directed by

and produced by Black folks.”

With their valiant effort came a host of obstacles – enough to inspire a Tony Award-nominated musical of the same name in 2016.

“Against all odds, it succeeded,” Himes said of the 1921 production. “And when they brought ‘Shuffle Along’ to Broadway, they brought an entirely new style of music – they introduced syncopation. The music of Eubie Blake is timeless. He wrote hit songs in the 1920s that are still standards in the American songbook today.”

A century later Himes and company are bringing the music of Eubie Blake back to the Black Rep stage as they close out

American

Sumner High School Fine Arts Department Front row: Jayvon Johnson 9th grade Art, Melita Harry-10th grade Chior, Fine Arts Dir. Jarmaine Smith, Destiny Evans 10th grade photography and Egypt Hills, 10th grade Dance. BACKROW: Jordan Stewart, 9th grade Living Arts, Anastasia Lewis 9th grade dance, Stephon Riggins Drama, Da’Shon Frazier-StokesVisual Arts, Jasmine Lewis, Dance, Zacchaeus Williams, Choir, Quinton Beaver, Photography, China Edwards and Frankie Williams 1th grade Fashion.

their 46th season – ironically in a similar dilemma as when Shuffle Along began its blockbuster run as a Black production on The Great White Way.

“The height of the pandemic has been gone for a while. But There are still people –because it went on for so long – who are still hesitant to be in a crowd,” Himes said. “The challenge is trying to figure out what kind of programming to do that will hopefully bring people out and be a moment of healing for them. We want to help them relax as we begin to figure out what the new normal is. This show is full

Eubie, C8

By Danielle Brown

May has arrived and as summer approaches, we’re with the variety of music and comedy showcases headed to St. Louis including some of the hottest, brightest, and most cherished stars in Black music.

Jermaine Smith, Director of Arts

Photo by Phil Hamer

The Black Rep’s production of the hit musical Eubie closes out their 46th season. The show runs

University’s Edison Theatre.

Photo by Wiley Price I St. Louis

Meet Rochelle Caruthers, AAHI Director

By Ellen Kunkelmann, Missouri Historical Society

The Missouri Historical Society (MHS) welcomes Rochelle Caruthers, African American History Initiative (AAHI) Director. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Caruthers holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a concentration in social studies and a master’s degree in liberal studies with an emphasis on Black studies from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. She also has a second master’s degree in public history from Loyola University and a diversity, equity, and inclusion for human resources certificate from Cornell University.

Caruthers joins MHS from the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis, where she was the university academic programs coordinator. She has also worked at the Saint Louis Art Museum, where she was a Romare Bearden Fellow and a diversity, equity, and inclusion programs assistant; at ChanceLight Education as an educator; and at MHS as an associate historian on Over There: Missouri and the Great War a statewide digitization project. She has also taught high school in St. Louis and Kansas City and served in the army.

“The prospect of working at an organization with an African American History Initiative is a dream within itself,” Caruthers says. “The opportunity to pursue my passion for history and to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion is what drew me to MHS. Also, I was at MHS when the organization decided to collect materials from the protests after Michael Brown’s death and I know how the organization became a haven for Black people in the community during those tough times.”

In her new role as AAHI Director, Caruthers will lead the AAHI’s effort to record, interpret, and tell Black history equitably and accurately. “I will serve as the primary spokesperson for the initiative, which strives to share and promote stories that explore various aspects of the Black experience throughout the St. Louis region,” she explains. “I will also coordinate with the three AAHI staff members, lead two internal groups, and create an external advisory group that will provide community input on the direction of the initiative.”

Collaborating with community partners will be an important part of her work. “I want them to know that their history is valued and that they can play a role in telling their own stories,” she says. “It can be through sharing oral histories, sharing artifacts, or collaborating with MHS on community programs and events. It can also be about volunteering and participating in community forums to let MHS know what the community’s needs are.”

“I look forward to getting out into the community and finding out what the Black community wants to see from AAHI and how we can best support them. I want MHS to be an active and engaged partner

in the Black community,” Caruthers adds.

She is particularly excited about the inaugural AAHI summer internship program created to help diversify the museum field, saying, “As a former Romare Bearden Fellow at the Saint Louis Art Museum, I know how important it is to create a pipeline for people of color into the museum field.”

Caruthers calls herself a “lifelong learner who enjoys attending all things Black history,” from conferences to lectures to exhibits. Her favorite books about St. Louis history include The Last Children of Mill Creek by Vivian Gibson, At the Elbows of My Elders by Gail Milissa Grant, The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States by Walter Johnson, and St. Louis: Disappearing Black Communities by Dr. John Wright Sr. “I am excited about seeing Counterpublic, a civic exhibition that weaves contemporary art into the life of St. Louis for three months every three years to reimagine civic infrastructures toward generational change,” Caruthers mentions. She is also looking forward to the Missouri History Museum’s upcoming exhibits about Mill Creek Valley (opening in 2025) and the Ville (scheduled for 2027).

In her spare time, Caruthers enjoys watching shows and documentaries such as Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, The Great Soul Food Cook-Off, and America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston. “And, of course, I am a huge fan of the Black Panther movies,” she adds. Her other hobbies include traveling; researching her family tree; and reading novels about Black joy, especially those by Terry McMillan.

Welcome to MHS, Rochelle!

Sumner

Continued from C1

arts program. Through fashion design, drama, photography, choir, visual arts, dance, and living arts/ museum studies.

The Arts Pathway program was added to the school’s curriculum to boost enrollment and encourage students and families to stay at Sumner High School. Employees of their community partners volunteer in their specific discipline and mentor the students.

The students’ first production, in fall of 2021, was a stage play titled ‘Worth Fighting For.’ Smith describes the play as “art imitating life.”

The youth-led production focuses on a historical school that is at risk of closing down. Smith highlights their most recent showcase last month was a success and their projects are only going to get better.

“The arts program houses close to 100 students. My goal is to change the idea of what’s going on at Sumner High School; filtrate out to the city how vibrant we are,” said Smith.

Smith said he has noticed a change in his

students. They have more self-confidence and pride in their school and look forward to their arrival each day.

Stephon Riggins, a senior, helped orchestrate the original songs for the play ‘Worth Fighting For.’

Since his freshman year, Riggins wanted to help change the dynamic of his school.

“Sumner is not this school filled with ghetto kids. We are talented and yes, we are worth fighting for,” he said

Sumner’s fashion design classroom has 10 sewing machines and is filled with swatches of fabric of all textures. There are hand-crafted design cutouts and racks and racks of clothes.

Smith’s goal is to have class certified so students can receive college credits.

The fashion design pathway held its first fashion show last month, and students also had the opportunity to participate in Lindenwood University’s fashion show. The group also traveled to Kansas City during its Fashion Week.

Sylvester Dickson, who has been with SLPS for 25 years, and has been a coach at Sumner for 15, said he noticed how mature the kids have become over the past two years.

“This arts program has exposed these kids to some things they might never get a chance to experience until they get grown. I can tell it’s making a difference,” he said.

Last year, a senior couldn’t afford to buy a dress for prom, so a pair of students in the fashion department tailored an evening gown that had been donated to the classroom for her.

Nichols Williams, a sophomore, said, “Many of the teachers and volunteers that help, I look up to them like a father figure. They inspire me to get involved in the arts.”

Egypt Hills, a sophomore, has been a part of the arts program since its inception. Over the past two years, she studied dancing and added jazz and ballet to her list of dance skills.

“I enjoy being a part of the pathways,” said Hill.

Smith smiles from ear to ear when he speaks about the changes he has seen at Sumner, the growth in his students, and the possibilities they have now been exposed to.

“I’m changing the pipeline to prison through performing on stage and off stage,” said Smith. Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.

Photo courtesy of The Missouri Historical Society

Rochelle Caruthers, AAHI Director.

St. Louis American staff

A gospel song put some positive energy into slumping Philadelphia 76er forward James Harden just in time to help his team tie an NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics.

76ers coach Doc Rivers sent “You Know My Name” by Tasha Cobbs-Leonard to Harden, and he responded with a 42-point, nine assist effort in a much-needed win over the Celtics on May 7, 2023.

“I’m on my way to the game, and I get a text from Doc,” Harden told reporters after the game.

I look at that song and think: ‘OK, whatever...’ I say to my friends: ‘Let’s” play the song. Seven minutes, we listened to it all. It has a good rhythm; I wanted to feel that way. It seems to have worked.”

gospel charts and was included on the album “Heart. Passion. Pursuit.” The in-studio live recording garnered more firstweek streams than any gospel album in history (3 million).

The project was the highest-selling new release of 2017 and remained the longest-running #1 gospel album for over three years.

Recorded in 2017, CobbsLeonard’s lyrics include, “And oh how you comfort me.”

“And oh, how you counsel me. Yet it still amazes me that I am your friend. So now I pour out my heart to you. Here in your presence, I am made new. So now I pour out my heart to you. Here in your presence, I am made new. You know my name. You know my name.”

The song reached No. 1 on

Cobbs Leonard hails from Jessup, Georgia where she served as worship leader of Jessup New Life Ministries, founded by her late father, Bishop Fritz Cobbs. She joined The Dream Center Church of Atlanta where she led worship weekly and managed its Worship & Arts Department. In 2012, Cobbs would go on to record her first project titled GRACE, produced by multi-award-winner and Motown Gospel label mate, VaShawn Mitchell. This featured the lead single, “Break Every Chain,” which landed as Billboard’s #1 song for a total of 12 weeks. The album Grace landed on Billboard’s Top 10 Gospel Albums chart for a year.

Cobbs Leonard remains a top Adult Contemporary gospel artist in the 2023 and is currently touring with Naomi Raine, Natalie Grant, and Taya.

Sheard-Kelly has good “Vibes”

Keirra Sheard-Kelly has released her new book, “The Vibes You Feel.”She reaches out to teens and young women in the work, exploring what it means to listen to God’s voice, better understand the “vibes” and intuition the Spirit uses as guidance, and live a life that proclaims your heavenly truth.

“Each day, we are under attack—by people who want to keep us down or who doubt our gifts, as well as by spiritual forces who want to knock us off our God-given path and into the darkness,” she said in a release.

Sheard-Kelly said the book “invites you to uncover what it means to have the Holy Spirit in your life, and how listening to the vibes we sense in certain situations can help steer us toward the future God intends.”

According to the author, the book includes encouragement and support for navigating today’s world; solid biblical truths and scriptural promises that arm you for the tough decisions and battles in your life; personal stories and experiences with difficult situations, and the spiritual nudges that helped her; and advice and guidance with actionable steps.

Photo by Yong Kim

76ers coach Doc Rivers sent “You Know My Name” by Tasha Cobbs-Leonard to James Harden, and he responded with a

the Celtics on May 7, 2023.

Tasha CobbsLeonard

SR. ADVANCED MODELING & ANALYSIS ENGINEER

Opening for Sr. Advanced Modeling & Analysis Engineer in O’Fallon, MO by Nortek Global HVAC , LLC. Duties include creating 3D CFD models of HVAC configurations; Use 1D modeling software to simulate HVAC systems; Interpret system appropriate standards; Develop/specify testing procedures and instrumentation requirements; evaluate test data. Salary $97446 p/yr. Master’s or its foreign equivalent in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering required plus 36 months experience in any job title/occupation/role utilizing computational fluid dynamics modeling and using HELYX, OpenFOAM or other equivalent 3D CFD modeling software for airflow optimization in air conditioning equipment, using 1D modeling tools to 1) simulate/analyze the performance of HVAC equipment or other forced-air space conditioning equipment for optimizing cost and minimizing performance of equipment design and 2) to predict system performance in accordance to air conditioning equipment standards and/ or specified air conditioning design criteria, in establishing, documenting, and executing engineering methods for creating DOE and specifying data acquisition criteria and analyzing experimental data against simulated modeling. Must also have coursework completed in Heat Transfer and Computational Fluid Dynamics or Computational Fluid Mechanics. Email resumes to tina.mince@nortek.com or mail to Nortek Global HVAC, Attn: Tina Mince 8000 Phoenix Parkway , O’Fallon, MO 63368

BUILDING DEPARTMENT MANAGER

The City of Jennings is accepting applications for a Building Department Manager. Duties include administrative & professional work in planning, organizing, directing, facilitating, and supervising of the building department, including code enforcement; new construction of residential and commercial structures; building plan review; environmental, public health, and safety programs for all buildings. Bachelor’s degree in planning or related field or seven years equivalency in the field. ICC certified. Starting annual salary $61,340 (GS25). More detail description and applications available at Jennings City Hall, 2120 Hord Ave. or at www.cityofjennings.org. NO RESUMES ACCEPTED WITHOUT A COMPLETED APPLICATION. Completed applications may be mailed, emailed to jobs@cityofjennings.org or faxed to 314-388-3999. Applications accepted until the position is filled.

PRICING ACTUARY

Responsible for providing Pricing Analyses and Technical Support for Treaty Reinsurance with a focus on casualty lines including Workers’ Compensation, Commercial Umbrella, and Professional Liability.

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

DEVELOPMENT POSITION

The Gateway Arch Park Foundation is seeking to fill the following open, full-time position. Manager, Corporate Sponsorships: Opportunity to work with a diverse, collaborative team in fundraising. Position requires a bachelor’s degree and 3+ years of relevant experience. View full job description and application process at www.archpark.org/foundation/ careers

EMPLOYMENT CONNECTION

CAREER AND CLIENT SERVICES SPECIALIST POSITIONS

EOE M/F/D/V

Full Description and Apply for this and other open positions at https://www.employmentstl. org

Other positions include Case Manager, Housing Specialist, Grants Manager, and Green Jobs Manager. Also hiring Environmental Services positions at major St. Louis area hospital.

ASSTISTANT COOK POSITION

Greenwood Restaurant & Bar 1000 Sutter Ave University City Mo 63130

Asst: Cook Position Pay $10 per hour 314-333-1222

VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNSELOR

Vocational Rehabilitation-The state of Missouri is accepting applications for a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in our St Louis West office. Application deadline is May 11, 2023. Starting salary is $47,664-$50,016. View job description and application instructions at https://mocareers.mo.gov/ hiretrue/ce3/job-board/ 5effe9b2-4b89-494b-ac76c45e25190768/29062316-d43f4b85-a6c4-0fbf8d1a9db1?jb= true or visit mocareers.mo.gov and use keyword “counselor”.

HEALTH ADVOCACY STRATEGIST

Under the supervision of the Director of Health Advocacy, and as part of the Health Policy and Advocacy team, the Health Advocacy Strategist uses relevant knowledge and expertise to provide operational support for both strategy development and implementation of multiple strategic priorities. The Strategist demonstrates independent judgement, self-initiative, and a strong commitment to health equity in their work with internal colleagues and external partners.

https://mffh.org/the-foundation/ careers/. To learn more and apply

COORDINATOR – ACCOUNT SERVICES –PREMIUM AUDIT

The Coordinator – Account Services – Premium Audit will work both collaboratively and independently to meet corporate objectives and goals related to the accurate and timely completion of primary premium audits. The Coordinator will conduct audit processes for applicable large casualty and primary accounts, substantiating the accuracy of policy classifications, exposure base, exposure information, inclusions / exclusions, status of subcontractors, etc. To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/careers-page/

CLIENT ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

The Client Engagement Manager is responsible for developing and maintaining enterprise level engagement with Safety National clients, brokers and TPA partners for the purpose of ensuring efficient and effective delivery of Safety National service capabilities. This position will report to the Vice President Client Engagement.

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

JR74605 Clinical Operations Manager – Surgery:

This position is responsible for the operational management of clinical services in the Department of Surgery. This includes all operations necessary to deliver services such as electronic medical records systems, patient services / satisfaction, physician relationships, staff supervision (clinical and clerical), and quality / performance improvement; will include technical training and optimization processes aimed at supporting increased quality and efficiency. This position will also interface with person(s) responsible for scheduling / registration. Participates in the strategic planning and overall development of clinical services.

JR74267 Manager FPP Practice DevelopmentFaculty Practice Plan:

Assists FPP Executive Director, Physician Practice Development, with implementation and management of various strategic initiatives to expand and enhance the clinical practice. Manages projects related to development of new WUSM off-campus expansion opportunities including coordination of space planning, review of real estate opportunities and lease terms, facilitation of capital approvals, etc. Serves as primary point of contact for all off-campus lease coordination for WUSM. Provides consultation to Departments for evaluations of new business opportunities such as new physician alignment strategies or practice acquisitions. Assists with start-up of new WUCA primary care practices and recruitment of new primary care physicians as needed.

Medical Assistant Apprentice- JR72269

How would you like to be a Medical Assistant, but don’t have time or the funds to go to school? We have a solution! Once you pass our entrance requirements and are hired through Washington University, you can complete our Apprenticeship program in just 12 weeks. Upon completing, and passing the credentialing exam, along with being a continued employee for 1 year, you will receive recognition as a Certified Medical Assistant. Class times will be during working hours (4 hours a week), and there will be no

costs to you.

Request for Proposal

Attention: Food Service Management Companies

City Garden Montessori School is seeking bids for food service management services. The Food Service Management Company would provide services according to the requirements of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and the Missouri Department of Secondary and Elementary Education.

To obtain a copy of the Request for Proposals, contact: Mary Swofford at (314)664-7646 x118 Food Service Management Companies may submit proposals to: City Garden Montessori School Attn: Mary Swofford 1618 Tower Grove Ave. St. Louis MO 63110

All proposals should be delivered in a sealed envelope marked Food Service Management Proposal.

Interested bidders must meet to review the specifications, to clarity any questions, and for a walk-through of the facilities with school officials on June 16 at 10 AM, at 1618 Tower Grove Ave. and 4209 Folsom Ave. City Garden Montessori School. Attendance is required.

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 Bid Opportunities

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 ON-CALL BRIDGE DESIGN AND MISCELLANEOUS CIVIL ENGINEERING PROJECTS, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 P.M. CT, MAY 19, 2023 through the Bid Express online portal at https://www.bidexpress. com/businesses/20618/home? agency=true RFQ may be obtained from BPS website https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/ government/departments/publicservice/, under BPS RFQ and RFP Announcement, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3439. 25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals.

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Replace Roofs, Multiple Assets, Ozark Correctional Center, Project No. C2004-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, June 1, 2023 For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

BID SOLICITATION

Keeley Construction Group, 500 S Ewing Ave, Suite G, St. Louis, MO 63103, 314-421-5933, is seeking qualified minority and female-owned businesses for the City of St. Louis – Forest Park Waterway Project for subcontracting opportunities in the following areas: This work shall consist of adjusting the lake water level, excavation, backfill, and low ground pressure bearing equipment operations within a 90’ parallel zone adjacent to the River Des Peres tubes. All interested and qualified minority and female-owned Businesses should contact, IN WRITING, (Certified Letter, Return Receipt Requested), Emily Dewees edewees@keeleyconstruction.com All negotiations must be completed prior to bid opening 06/06/2023 at 1:45 P.M.

INVITATION TO BID

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Heartland Regional Investment Fund, LLC (“HRIF”) has approximately $50 million in current New Market Tax Credit allocation authority awaiting deployment to stimulate investment and job creation in the St. Louis region – specifically, St. Louis County and the City of St. Charles in Missouri; and Madison, St. Clair, Clinton, and Bond counties in Illinois. HRIF solicits proposals for developers, business owners, consultants, and other stakeholders to submit shovel ready and conceptually planned community development projects for HRIF’s consideration. A copy of the complete RFP is available at https://stlpartnership.com/rfprfq/. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis, but HRIF will begin reviewing submissions as of May 22, 2023.

St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer

The Board of Public Service will receive proposals online on Bid Express at https://www. bidexpress.com/businesses20618/home. Proposals must be submitted before 1:45 PM, St. Louis Time, on June 6, 2023. The proposals will then be publicly opened and read via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83445052494?pwd=eHZvQIRESxmxBREhJWjZFLzVBcitSUT09

Meeting ID: 834 4505 2494

Passcode: 621348

One tap mobile: +1 312.626.6799

Plans, Specifications, and the Agreement may be examined online through bid express at: https://www.bidexpress.com/businesses20618/ home and may be downloaded for free.

The bidder must pay $40 to submit a bid through the Bid Express service. Monthly subscriptions are available.

A mandatory pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held in Room 305 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Mo 63103 at 10:00 am on May 16, 2023. All bidders are required to attend the pre-bid meeting in order to be eligible to bid on the project.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State, and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies.)

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The City of St. Louis Department of Health has posted a request for proposals (RFP) to provide STI testing and treatment. The RFP has been entered into the City Journal and can be found at https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/health/documents/fiscal-documents/sexually-transmitted-infection-sti-treatment-rfp.cfm All questions can be addressed to Suzanne Alexander, Bureau Chief for Communicable Diseases, at alexandersu@stlouis-mo.gov

UMSL – MASONRY MINOR RESTORATION PROJECT

Color Art Construction, a general contractor is seeking competitive bids for a Masonry Minor Restoration project at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The project scope includes but is not limited to demolition, concrete, masonry, insulation, sheet metal waterproofing, exterior painting, and plastering. A bid walk is scheduled for Wednesday, May 17th at 10:00am. We will meet at the WEST GARAGE on campus. Bids should be emailed to Color Art Construction no later than Wednesday, May 24th by noon. Please email your bid or any questions to bidrequestsCAC@ color-art.com

SUPPLIER DIVERSITY

PARTICIPATION GOALS:

The project has as a goal, subcontracting with Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) of ten percent (10%) with Service-Disabled Veterans Owned Business (SDVE) of three percent (3%); and with Women Business Enterprises (WBE), Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE), and/or Veteran Owned Business of ten percent (10%) of awarded contract price for work to be performed.

JANITORIAL SERVICES

The Missouri Lottery is accepting bids for the purpose of establishing a contract for Janitorial Services. The bid document with the specifications can be obtained by going to https://www.molottery.com/ bid-opportunities or by contacting Melissa Blankenship at melissa.blankenship@ molottery.com or 573-751-4050.

SOLICITING BID

Reinhardt Construction LLC is Soliciting Bids from MBE/ WBE/DBE/Veteran/SDVE for the following: CP211941 MU Research Reactor – West Building Addition

Contact: Mike Murray ; mikem@ reinhardtconstructionllc.com

Phone: 573-682-5505

BIDS

Kadean Construction is accepting vendor bids for CP211941 - MU Research Reactor - West Building Addition at University of Missouri – Columbia. Bids are due at 12:30 p.m., C.T., June 01, 2023. Call 636.305.0099 to request Bid Documents

Bids for Replace Floor and Equipment Food Service Building Ozark Correctional Center, Project No. C2237-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, June 1, 2023. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

The Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit is currently soliciting proposals for Ceiling Replacement, Plaster Repair Work and Wood Bench Repair under the direction of the Circuit Court in the Civil Court Building, 10 N. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri 63101;

The Request for Proposal is available on the Court’s website http://www.stlcitycircuitcourt. com, click on General Information, then Request for Proposals. Proposals must be received no later than 10 a.m. on June 27, 2023.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Atlas Public School is accepting proposals for contracting out the Food Service Program with a Fixed Price contract for the 2023-2024 school year. A mandatory preproposal meeting will be Friday, May 12, 2023 at 9:00 am. Request for Proposals are due on or before June 5, 2023, 5:00 pm local time. For questions and bid specifications, please contact Jeff Hood at email jeff.hood@atlaspublic.org, phone number = 314-437-4898. The Atlas Public School reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

INVITATION TO BID

The Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit is currently soliciting bid proposals for Armored Car Transportation. The request for proposal is available on the Court’s website www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com Click on General Information, Then Request for Proposals. Proposals are due June 9, 2023

Solicitation For Bids (SFB)

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Field Maintenance Shop (FMS) Bay Addition at Fort Leonard Wood Readiness Center, Project No. T2126-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, June 8, 2023, via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. Project information available at: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

INVITATION TO BID

The Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit is currently soliciting bid proposals for Burglar Alarm Systems Monitoring and Repairs Services

The request for proposal is available on the Court’s website www.stlcitycircuitcourt. com. Click on General Information, then Request for Proposals. An optional pre-bid meeting will be held on June 1, 2023 in Room 412, Civil Courts Building, located at 10 N. Tucker, St. Louis, MO 63101 at 10:00 a.m. Proposals are due June 9, 2023

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ORAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES

The City of St. Louis Department of Health seeks proposals from organizations that can demonstrate expertise and capacity to provide and/or facilitate access to Oral Health Services Care. These funds are available through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, Part A. Request for Proposals may be obtained beginning Monday, May 8, 2023, by downloading from the City of St. Louis website at https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/ government/procurement/index.cfm Contact: Sylvia JacksonBell for questions @ DOHGA @stlouis-mo.gov, or (314) 6571581 (email preferred).

The deadline for submitting proposals is June 23, 2023, by 4:00 pm via email at DOHGA @stlouis-mo.gov. The Department of Health reserves the right to reject any and all responses with or without cause.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS OUTPATIENT/AMBULATORY MEDICAL CARE

The City of St. Louis Department of Health seeks proposals from organizations that can demonstrate expertise and capacity to provide and/or facilitate access to Outpatient/ Ambulatory Medical Care. These funds are available through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, Part A.

Request for Proposals may be obtained beginning Monday, May 8, 2023, by downloading from the City of St. Louis website at https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/ procurement/index.cfm. Contact: Sylvia JacksonBell for questions @ DOHGA @ stlouis-mo.gov, or (314) 657-1581 (email preferred).

The deadline for submitting proposals is June 16, 2023, by 4:00 pm via email at DOHGA @stlouis-mo.gov. The Department of Health reserves the right to reject any and all responses with or without cause.

REQUEST FOR BIDS

work consists of:

• Demolition of the entire buildings designated Sassin and Old Post Office.

• Remove all paving and curbs within site boundaries

• Remove concrete slabs on grade within boundaries

• Remove manholes and manhole covers, curb inlets and catch basins

• Remove fences and gates

• Remove creosote-treated wood utility poles

• Remove other items indicated, for relocation or recycling

• Fill excavations, open pits, and holes in ground areas generated as a result of removals, using specified fill, compact fill as specified in Section 312200

The project scope includes demolition, site clearing, earth moving, and turf/grasses. The bid walk is scheduled for Friday, May 5th @ 10:00am beginning at the Old Post Office site 8230 Florissant Road 63121. Bid details will be posted on Building Connected. Questions regarding the project are due back by 5:00pm May 12th. Bids are due Wednesday, May 17th by 12:00pm. Please email bids or questions to: bidrequestsCAC@color-art.com

The project has a goal of subcontracting twenty percent (20%) combined Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Women Owned Enterprise (WBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Veteran Supplier Diversity participation; and, (3%) Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business (SDVE) participation.

LETTING #8757

THE FOREST PARK WATERWAY PROJECT

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

Electronically sealed bids for the hereinafter mentioned project will be received online by the Board of Public Service through Bid Express at https://www.bidexpress.com/businesses/20618/ home. Proposals must be submitted before 1:45 pm, St. Louis time, on Tuesday, June 6, 2023 The proposals will then be publicly opened and read.

Plans, Specifications, and the Agreement may be examined online through bid express at: https://www.bidexpress.com/businesses20618/ home and may be downloaded for free.

The bidder must pay $40 to submit a bid through the Bid Express service. Monthly subscriptions are available.

An optional pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held in front of the Marc C. Steinberg Memorial Skating Rink and Recreational Building located at 400 Jefferson Drive in Forest Park, St. Louis, Mo 63110 on May 9th, 2023 at 10:30 am. All bidders are strongly encouraged to attend the pre-bid meeting. Attendance at the pre-bid meeting is considered an important element of a contractor’s good faith effort to maximize the utilization of M/WBE if M/WBE participation goals cannot be met.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State, and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies.)

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, DISADVATANGED, MINORITY, & WOMEN’S BUSINESSES FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI RESEARCH REACTOR – WEST BUILDING ADDITION FOR THE SUBCONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: CONCRETE, MASONRY, METALS, WOOD, PLASTICS, AND COMPOSITES, THERMAL AND MOISTURE PROTECTION, OPENINGS, FINISHES, SPECIALTIES, FURNISHINGS, CONVEYING SYSTEMS, FIRE PROTECTION, PLUMBING, HVAC, ELETRICAL, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, ELECTRONIC SAFETY AND SECURITY, EARTH WORK, EXTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS, AND UTILITIES. ALL INTERESTED AND QUALIFIED SMALL, DISADVANTAGED, MINORITY AND WOMEN’S BUSINESSES SHOULD CONTACT, IN WRITING, (CERTIFIED LETTER, RETURN RECEIPT

RUSSELL CONTRACTING SEEKS BIDS FOR UMSL LIBRARY RENOVATIONS

Russell Contracting will be bidding the Thomas Jefferson and Mercantile Library Renovation at UMSL:

Renovations scopes of work include, concrete, Sheet Metal, Storefront, Doors & Hardware, Drywall, Acoustical Ceilings, Flooring, Painting, Fire Sprinklers, Plumbing, HVAC and Electrical.

This is a prevailing wage project and it is tax exempt. The project goals include 25% MBE, 3% DBE and 10% WBE participation. Bids are due May 10, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. Plans are available electronically.

All questions should be submitted via email to:

Jacqueline True Director

of Preconstruction estimatingstl@russellco.com

ST. LOUIS COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

St. Louis County Port Authority (the “Port Authority”) will accept bids from qualified firms to perform the following services for the Port Authority’s retaining wall located at the Former Jamestown Mall (the “Project”) located at 175 Jamestown Mall, Florissant, MO: (1) site preparation; (2) block placement and reinforcement; (3) wall backfill; (4) wall drainage; and (5) subsequent protections of wall and fence installation. Interested firms or joint ventures should submit one (1) original and two (2) copies of their fully completed and signed Bid Proposal, along with all required documentation, in a sealed envelope marked “CONFIDENTIAL: Proposal for Former Jamestown Mall Retaining Wall Project” to the offices of Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard, P.C., 120 S. Central Ave., Suite 1600, Clayton, MO 63105, Attn: Andrew C. Ruben, by June 5, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. (CST) at which time the bids will be opened and read aloud. The Project Request for Proposals may be obtained from the Port Authority’s web site at www.stlpartnership.com/rfp-rfq/. All questions shall be submitted via email to Elizabeth Noonan at bnoonan@ced-solutions.com, no later than May 29, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. The Port Authority actively encourages submission of proposals from disadvantaged business enterprises and companies owned by minorities, women, immigrants and veterans. The Port Authority does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, national origin, disability or veteran status in consideration of this award. Equal Opportunity Employer.

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for CONTRACT NO. F23 502, New Construction of Health Sciences Building at Florissant Valley Campus for STLCC Transformed, until 2:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, May 18, 2023. 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. Drawings, Specifications and bid forms and other related contract information may be obtained from Cross Rhodes’ Plan room at 2731 S. Jefferson, St. Louis, MO 63118 (https://www.x-rhodesplanroom.com). Electronic bid sets are also available in Bonfire at https://stlcc.bonfirehub.com and may be printed by the plan holders.

Questions regarding the scope of work should be directed to the Construction Manager (NAVIGATE Building Solutions), Nick Fiehler, nick@ NAVIGATEBuildingSolutions.com. A pre-bid meeting will be held on May 9th, 2023 at 10am CST at the Florissant Valley Campus – Communications Building Room C 109 A walk-through of the project will follow the meeting. You may schedule additional site visits by contacting Nathan Gluesenkamp at ngluesenkamp@stlcc.edu

This project is supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP4542 awarded to State of Missouri by the U.S. Department of the Treasury The College has the proposed minority goals MBE 15% and WBE 12%. Individuals with special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act may contact: 314-984-7673

ST. LOUIS COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

St. Louis County Port Authority will accept bids from qualified firms for demolition and site restoration services at the Former Jamestown Mall (the “Project”) located at 175 Jamestown Mall, Florissant, MO. Interested firms or joint ventures should submit one (1) original and two (2) copies of their fully completed and signed Bid Proposal, along with all required documentation, in a sealed envelope marked “CONFIDENTIAL: Proposal for Former Jamestown Mall Demolition Project” to the offices of Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard, P.C., 120 S. Central Ave., Suite 1600, Clayton, MO 63105, Attn: Andrew C. Ruben, by June 20, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. (CST) at which time the bids will be opened and read aloud. There will be two (2) pre-bid meetings and site visits (attendance at least one pre-bid meeting is mandatory). The first pre-bid meeting and site visit shall be on May 16, 2023, at 9:00 a.m., and the second pre-bid meeting and site visit shall be on May 23, 2023, at 9:00 a.m., both at the Project site. The Project Request for Proposals may be obtained from the Port Authority’s web site at www.stlpartnership.com/rfp-rfq/. Copies of all documents may be viewed or purchased at County Blue Reprographics, 811 Hanley Industrial Ct., St. Louis, MO 63144 (http://www. countyblue.com) or at Cross Rhodes Print & Technologies, 2731 S. Jefferson, St. Louis, MO 63118. All questions shall be submitted via email to Elizabeth Noonan at bnoonan@ced-solutions. com, no later than June 13, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. The Port Authority actively encourages submission of proposals from disadvantaged business enterprises and companies owned by minorities, women, immigrants and veterans. The Port Authority does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, national origin, disability or veteran status in consideration of this award. Equal Opportunity Employer.

6516 and 6518 Etzel Ave St. Louis, MO 63130 Located in University City 2 Bed 2.5 Bath $130,000 HUD funded property Income restrictions apply Equal Housing Opportunity Contact Jonathan at Jon@lifestylehomesstl.com

FOR RENT City living, 3 Bed, 1 1/2 BA, W/D Hookup in Basement, 4216 Clarence, City Inspect, Section 8 Accepted 314-780-9263

Continued from C1

of delightful performances, and it gives everyone a sense of how people – and why people – used to go to the theater.”

Eubie stars Coda Boyce, DeAnte Bryant, Robert Crenshaw, Serdalyer Darden, Evan De-Bose, Samantha Madison, Venezia Manuel, Carvas Pickens, Tamara PiLar and J’Kobe Wallace. Himes serves as director.

“It is a great vehicle for a performer,” Himes said. “It is nonstop. You really must be on your game because there is no book. It is one number after another and they have to just keep going up, up and up to the finale – and I think that we have managed that.”

Eubie premiered on Broadway in 1978. The relentless showcase of song and dance that reflects Black America in the Roaring 20s and bumps up against the glamour of the Harlem Renaissance featured the likes of Gregory and Maurice Hines in its origi-

Events

Continued from C1

Planets with Kassa Overall, Delmar Hall, 8 p.m.

May 14

Larry June, Larry June’s Market Run 2023 sold-out at Delmar Hall, 8 p.m.

nal Broadway company.

The Black Rep produced the show in 1985 and again in 1999 to record box office sales. They had the privilege of having musical direction provided by the late Neal Tate.

“He helped Eubie Blake pull the music for this show together,”

Tweet - 20th Anniversary of Southern Hummingbird at City Winery St. Louis, 4:30 p.m. & 8 p.m.

May 19

Eddie Griffin, The Factory St. Louis, 8 p.m.

May 21

Angel & Jamo Present: Mali Music, The Big Top, 8 p.m.

May 26

Kindred The Family Soul, City Winery St. Louis, 7 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.

Himes said. “He wrote the Broadway orchestrations and then came to St. Louis and did the same thing for us.”

The 2023 presentation of Eubie also marks the first grand scale musical mounted since the passing of longtime musical director Charles Creath. Himes, who also directs

Chico Bean May 26-27 7:30 & 10 p.m. May 28, 7 p.mHelium Comedy Club St. Louis,

May 28 Straight Jokes No Chaser Comedy Tour featuring Cedric The Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, Mike Epps, D.C. Young Fly, and Earthquake, Chaifetz Arena, 7 p.m.

Stay tuned for June events later this month.

this production, is beyond pleased with Joe Dreyer stepping in to fill the shoes of Tate and Creath.

“We had a really high bar to meet, and I am proud to say that I think that we have,” Himes said.

“That is one of the things that I have been committed to is continuing to celebrate the rich legacy of

African American theater and stand on the shoulders of those who paved the way for us.”

That legacy includes using the arts as an elixir of comfort – particularly as a response to moments of being blindsided by challenges and tragedy.

“It was not always the best of times,” Himes said.

“Eubie” premiered on Broadway in 1978. The relentless showcase of song and dance that reflects Black America in the Roaring 20s and bumps up against the glamour of the Harlem Renaissance featured the likes of Gregory and Maurice Hines in its original Broadway company.

Photo by Phil Hamer

“They didn’t always have the resources that they needed, but everything was always done with a commitment to excellence and the intention of showing and being our best selves.”

The Black Rep’s presentation of Eubie will continue through May 21 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre. They will be offering a special BOGO (by one, get one) offer during Mother’s Day weekend (May 13-14). For more information, call (314) 534-3807 or visit www.theblackrep.org.

Eubie

Webster University participates in SLSO College Connections program

On May 2, Webster welcomed a group of students from Hazelwood Central High School’s orchestra to campus. The students were invited to Webster to participate in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) College Connections program. College Connections serves as a bridge for music students who may have limited opportunities to visit colleges during high school. As part of their campus experience, the students met with admissions representatives, current students, took a campus tour, and enjoyed a chamber concert and Q&A session from members of the St. Louis Symphony.

“We are thrilled to connect the young student musicians of St. Louis with the professional music community and our Webster University faculty on our campus,” said Paul Davis, director of instrumental studies and associate professor of music. “The students brought such genuine energy and curiosity, and our SLSO guests were very giving of their musical gift.”

The program was a result of the combined efforts from the Webster University Department of Music, Office of Admissions, and Office of Diversity,

Equity, and Inclusion. Webster University is an official SLSO College Connections partner.

About College Connections

Organized by the St. Louis Symphony

Orchestra, College Connections serves as a bridge between music students who may have limited opportunities to visit colleges during their formative years and colleges who are aware that students involved with school

music programs are among the most likely to perform well academically and go on to college.

Using SLSO chamber concerts on campus as a catalyst for exploratory field trips, students from selected school music programs experience a

comprehensive college visit including an overview and tour of the college, complimentary lunch, and a free SLSO chamber concert followed by Q&A.

Field trips are designed to help students develop confidence that college can be for them and inspire

them to remain involved with their school music program as part of their pathway to college and beyond.

More information on the College Connections program can be found at slso.org

Hazelwood High School students with SLSO members David Halen, Nicolae Bica, Yin Xiong, and Xi Zhang, and Music Department professors Matt Pickart and Paul Davis

UMSL graduate Lucy Grimshaw earns Fullbright scholarship

Will further her passion for social justice abroad

By Heather Riske

In early March, Lucy Grimshaw was on a Zoom call discussing her next steps with her mentor, Pierre Laclede Honors College Dean Ed Munn Sanchez, when she received an email that would change the course of her career.

Grimshaw, who graduated from the University of Missouri–St. Louis last summer with dual degrees in public policy administration and social work and also received an Honors certificate, was feeling less than optimistic. She had recently completed the intensive process of applying to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for the second time in two years and, after not hearing back about an interview in February, believed she was out of the running once again.

Munn Sanchez encouraged Grimshaw to stay hopeful and wait just a few more days to hear back – perhaps they were just running behind. But Grimshaw was steadfast in her resolution: she was not being selected, and she needed to start making other plans.

As fate would have it, an email then popped up, letting Grimshaw know she had been selected for an interview. Overjoyed, she spent the next two weeks preparing, reviewing her personal statement, and conducting mock interviews with family and

friends. Ultimately, on March 27 she received word that she had been selected for a Fulbright scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in the Department of Sociology and Center for Criminology at the University of Manchester. Grimshaw was working a shift at her full-time job at a psychiatric rehabilitation home when she got the news, and she immediately went to the bathroom to call her mom, jumping up and down in excitement as she processed the news.

Grimshaw’s interest in exploring the prison system stems from a service trip to Haiti when she was 15 and from her love for the novel and musical Les Misérables from a very young age. She has centered her research on the criminal

justice system within the intersections of mental health, race and poverty. Reflecting back now, she acknowledges that the real-world experience she gained on the ground after not being selected for the Fulbright the first time helped shape the focus of the work that she wants to do.

“The change in the level of sophistication in her application and just in her self-understanding over two years is amazing,” Munn Sanchez said.

“Her project on how we think about and engage with mental health and the intersection with race, poverty and incarceration is just a really core issue. She’s always had a passion for justice, and this is a key question of justice. She wants the world to be a better place, particularly for this group of people. The core is her passion

for it and then, of course, she has the ability to do it. She thinks really well. She understands research. She’s really engaged. But I think what really makes the difference is that she found something she’s really, really passionate about.”

Tell us about your plans to pursue a master’s degree in research and criminology. I want to understand the populations that deal with the vulnerable intersections of mental health, race, and poverty, who may engage in deviancy and crime and have mental health crises. So the questions I want to look at are what are some ways to prevent crime when people have mental health crises, and what is the criminal justice system’s impact on stigmatizing people who have mental health issues? Does

that mean we need to have police and social workers on the ground more? I also want to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on these communities. What does institutionalization mean for those who have been in a pandemic? I also want to examine how George Floyd’s murder affected these populations and how we have these conversations.

What are you hoping to do after the Fulbright scholarship?

Working with this population over the past year has made me very passionate and protective over them, ensuring they get treated with the dignity they deserve. Because of this, I want to see how I can intertwine the research that I do within the master’s program with going to law school and becoming a civil rights lawyer

Lucy Grimshaw, who graduated from UMSL last year, has been selected for a Fulbright scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in the Department of Sociology and Center for Criminology at the University of Manchester.

and potentially, after that, making a broader systemic impact. I’ve also contemplated getting a JD/MSW, JD/PhD in psychology or JD/ PhD in criminology. My main goal is to ensure that this population isn’t forgotten about and that alternatives are put in place so that these people can be productive members of society. I want to help rehabilitate members of society who deal with these intersections, whether young or old, to make the world a better place. And I want to dignify and ensure that whoever I work with is not stripped of their humanity in the court of law because, within these intersections, they’ve already been stripped of their dignity through misunderstanding, stigma and lack of resources.

County Library opens Small Business Launchpad for formerly incarcerated

St. Louis American staff

St. Louis County Library is launching a new program for individuals with previous state or federal convictions to learn the basics for starting and running a business.

The Small Business Launchpad is a free, 6-month program where formerly incarcerated individuals will develop skills through expert-led presentations and workshops. Applications for the program are being accepted through June 30 at www.slcl.org/ small-business-launchpad The program will take

place at the Natural Bridge Branch from August 2023–January 2024.

The Small Business Launchpad will provide concrete skills for individuals with prior state or federal convictions who are interested in starting their own business.

At the end of the 6-month program, participants will know how to write a business plan, understand financing and marketing for small businesses, and will create an elevator pitch to present to potential funders at the final pitch event. Participants will also have an opportunity to connect with organizations in the

community that provide support to new businesses, and learn about free resources available from the Library. A library card is not required to apply for the Small Business Launchpad, although it is encouraged to have access to the Library’s small business databases.

n The Small Business Launchpad will provide concrete skills for individuals with prior state or federal convictions who are interested in starting their own business.

SLCL provides free access to databases to help business owners build mailing lists, conduct market

research and explore grants. SLCL has been offering services for the justice involved for several years. Staff have been visiting the St. Louis County Juvenile Detention Center since 2017, offering book discussion programs, STEM activities and DIY craft projects.

SLCL’s Reference by Mail service answers informational requests from correctional facilities from all

over Missouri. In 2022, librarians answered over 4,400 letters from 18 Missouri correctional facilities. SLCL provides books and virtual programming to those in custody at the St. Louis County Justice Center, as well as library cards and information about library services upon release. Additionally, SLCL partners with several justice involved organizations to host a Tap In Center at two branches where individuals can get free legal assistance, including having their warrants recalled. To date over 600 warrants have been resolved. This project is spon-

sored by the Missouri Library Association’s Access & Innovation Fund grant program, which aims to enhance, support, and develop library technologies and innovation that improve patrons’ access to library services.

The Missouri Library Association is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit educational organization operating to promote library service, the profession of librarianship, and cooperation among all types of libraries and organizations concerned with library service in the State of Missouri.

Bobby Bostic was released from prison last November after serving 27 years of what was supposed to be a 241-year sentence. He had been imprisoned since 1995 for a crime he committed at 16 years old. While in prison, he contacted St. Louis County Library to share his interest in creating a book club for fellow inmates. The Library has partnered with Bostic, and announced it will launch a program for individuals with previous convictions to learn the basics for starting and running a business.

Photo courtesy of KSDK

For Black folk, ‘Green Jobs’ could be the key to a prosperous future

By Bria Owens Word In Black

Black Americans’ relationship with nature is rich and complex. It’s the foundation of Black folks’ history, stretching back over 400 years.

And Jerri Taylor, director of diversity in career pathways at Project Learning Tree, knows this well. She is the first Black American in a leadership role at the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, one of the largest organizations focused on environmental education, forest literacy, and green career pathways.

Being involved in environmental work might be in her DNA. It turns out Taylor’s own greatgrandfather is known as a “hidden figure” in agriculture.

During the 1930s, Berea “Burrie” Corbett was considered one of the largest Black landowners in the South. Corbett owned a 1,300-acre tobacco farm — made possible by $40 worth of gold coins he received from his parents.

His land was an important underpinning for the Cedar Grove community in North Carolina.

“I just knew that farming was something we did to survive and live, but I didn’t even know I could have a job in this,” Taylor says.

With the generational wealth Corbett amassed, he went on to build the first school for Black children in his community. He also founded a community center for at-risk teens and established a church.

Exclusion from access to national and local parks and community pools evolved into a myth that Black people don’t belong amongst nature. Now, as more “green jobs” are created to support envi-

ronmental injustice and the fight against climate change, Black folks are missing out on opportunities to be part of the solution for their own community.

They’re also missing the positive economic effects of potential good-paying careers that can help close the racial wealth gap and create generational wealth.

The ‘Green Jobs’ Diversity Problem

One expectation of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the addition of nearly 1.5 million jobs each year for the next 10 years. Many of these jobs are focused on rebuilding vital

infrastructure, advancing environmental justice, and tackling the ongoing climate crisis.

As it stands, Black people are largely missing from sectors that seek to work on the projects created by the bill.

Environmental Entrepreneurs, also known as E2, reported that “clean energy has a diversity problem.” In 2021, they found that only 10% of workers in the overall energy sector were Black. In the fossil fuel industry, it’s 9%, and in clean energy, it’s 8%.

Meanwhile, white people account for 74% of the overall energy sector, with Hispanics/Latinos at 16%, Asians at 7%, and both Native Hawaiians/

Pacific Islanders and Native Americans at 1% and 2%, respectively.

Energy is not the only sector where huge gaps in employment are found. As of 2020, Black folks represent less than 4% of conservation scientists and foresters, according to Data USA Project Learning Tree says “green jobs,” like a sustainability manager, have an average salary of $179,500, while an environmental educator has an average salary of $50,900. Both typically require a degree from a four-year college. However, there are many jobs that don’t require higher education or only require vocational

education.

‘Black Faces in Green Spaces’

Fixing the diversity problem is one of a few goals for BlackOak Collective, an environmental community for Black advocates, professionals, and students. “It’s incredibly important for the organizations receiving and granting the money to think about how do we not only create jobs, but how do we do workforce development that ensures Black people are getting placed in those jobs,” Kiera Givens, executive director and co-founder of BlackOak Collective, tells Word In Black.

Givens says it’s critical “that Black communities are receiving investment that’s done in a really thoughtful and meaningful way.” The organization recognizes that Black communities are often the first to feel the effects of climate change. To get more Black folks seats at the table, they’re focused on recruitment, retention, and innovation.

Givens says this industry has a low retention rate for Black people, partly because “they’re not finding that sense of community and belonging.” But they’ve seen success with retention through professional networking and mentorship.

To make it easier for Black people to enter the profession, earlier this year the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Project Learning Tree, and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences released a resource guide, “Black Faces in Green Spaces: The Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers.”

The guide features personal stories from 22 Black people who found their passions in forestry, and offers advice for those interested in exploring careers in forestry and conservation. It was largely produced by Black consultants, designers, photographers, and writers.

Taylor says one goal of the guide was to change the narrative so that Black youth have the opportunity to see themselves in these careers that are often not considered traditional for the community. While making the guide, Taylor says it was important to highlight for parents that these jobs exist and that their children could make self-sustaining money from them.

Jerri Taylor, director of diversity in career pathways at Project Learning Tree

Photo by Derrick Turner / Project Learning Tree

St. Louis American staff

Firms in a number of industries were actively hiring in April

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the economy created 253,000 jobs in April, pushing the unemployment rate down to 3.4%.

Marc Huffman of Consumeraffairs.com reports that hiring was widespread across different industries.

Companies in the professional and business services sector hired 43,000 new employees last month. Professional, scientific, and technical services added 45,000 positions.

Employment in health care increased by 40,000 in April, a healthy increase but slightly lower than the monthly average over the previous six months. Doctors’ offices, hospitals, and residential nursing centers all added employees. Bars and restaurants continued to hire workers.

Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up in April, adding 25,000 jobs. However, the industry still has fewer employees than it did before the pandemic.

Indeed, a global job, reports there was nearly a 60% increase in job postings and 20.1% increase in job seeker interest in the hospitality sector, “indicating recovery of the hospitality industry.”

With increasing interstate travel, there continues to be a rising demand for job opportunities in the hospitality sector, the report stated.

There was increasing demand for hotel managers and travel consultants, followed by resort managers, hospitality managers and travel agents.

According to the Labor Department’s April report,

Looking for a job?

Employment opportunities are on the rise

social assistance agencies hired 25,000 employees while agencies providing individual and family services added 21,000 to staffs.

While the banking industry has recently been tumultuous, employment in financial activities increased by 23,000 in April, with gains in insurance carriers and related activities. The real estate industry also added 9,000 jobs last month. There is more good news. In April, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose to $33.36.

Great time for job fairs JobNewsUSA.com will

hold a St. Louis Jobs Fair

from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Thursday May 25, 2023, at Orlando’s Event and Conference Center, 2050 Dorsett Village in Maryland Heights, 63043.

The multi-industry hiring event includes representatives from various industries, including hospitality, healthcare, finance, and more.

JobsNews USA offers these tips for prospective interviewees.

• Research the employers attending the fair and identify which ones align with your career goals.

• Dress professionally and bring multiple copies of your updated resume.

• Prepare a 30-second

elevator pitch to introduce yourself and highlight your relevant skills.

• Ask informed questions during your interactions with employers to show your interest and knowledge.

• Follow up with employers after the fair to reiterate your interest.

• Take notes during the fair and remember to gather business cards from employers.

• Utilize the fair to network with professionals in your field and make connections for future opportunities.

• Be initiative-taking, friendly, and confident when speaking to employers.

• Be open-minded and consider all opportunities, even if they may not be your first choice.

• Stay positive and have fun at the fair – a great attitude can be effective in making an impression.

Firms interested in recruiting can meet hundreds of potential candidates, network with employers, and increase a company’s exposure. For more information, call (636) 489-5400.

Among the firms listed to attend the St. Louis Jobs Fair include: Bethesda Health Group, Commerce Bank St. Louis, Enterprise Fleet Management,

Francis Howell School District, Friendship Village of St. Louis, iHeart Media, McKesson Saint Louis Distribution Center, MEMC, Missouri Department of Social Service, Missouri Department of Transportation, Oats Transportation, St. Louis County Department of Justice Services and Department of Transportation & Public Works, Six Flags St. Louis, Social Security Administration, U.S. Army, United Parcel Service, and more. To register, please visit JobNewsUSA.com St. Louis Job Fair - May 25th - Job fairs near me

An increasing demand for hotel managers and staff helped employment in leisure and hospitality trend up in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Photo courtesy of jobslist.com

St. Louis’ economic future requires a lot more trained workers and fast

By Eric Schmid St. Louis Public Radio

The St. Louis region has staked a significant portion of its future economic development on technologies and industries that are still emerging.

To make this bet on things like geospatial, advanced manufacturing and agtech successful, the region will need many more workers ready to enter those fields when employers come calling.

“We want the talent pipeline to be so rich and robust that they have hundreds of candidates applying for these open opportunities,” said Rung for Women President Leslie Gill.

Her organization trains women in the St. Louis region who want to transition careers into sectors like geospatial, technology and advanced manufacturing.To Gill, now is the time to expand these kinds of workforce development options, especially before things like the new National Geospatial Intelligence Agency campus and Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center open in north St. Louis in the coming years.

“So that NGA is like, ‘Man, St. Louis was ready,’” she said. “They had people who were knocking on our door for these jobs, they were well trained and interested in the jobs that we had available.”

The same sentiment applies to the other industries St. Louis is betting its future on, she added. With that in mind, the region is pouring resources into the organizations and institutions that can quickly build up the workforce it will need.

Expanding advanced manufacturing

Last year’s $25 million regional Build Back Better Grant to expand the area’s advanced manufacturing industry is supporting Rung for Women and financially supporting new training facilities at St. Louis Community College and Southwestern Illinois College.

SWIC already teaches its students how to operate the automated CNC

mills that have become the industry standard, said Mark Bosworth, the community college’s industrial technology coordinator.

“These machines are really the start of anything that anybody really does every day,” he said. “Aircraft parts, so for the fighter jets, the commercial planes. The medical industry, dental and eye surgery parts.”

The community college is adding instruction on

The Rung for Women headquarters is based in St. Louis’ Fox Park neighborhood. Rung for Women offers “the resources, space and community for women who are ready to work toward the career and the life they deserve,” according to its website.

even more advanced machines that can easily produce something like a hip transplant bone, Bosworth said. The money SWIC has received to bolster its programs is also helping to introduce robots to the manufacturing process, he said.

“It’s kind of like lightsout manufacturing; we want our students to be able to program robots, set up a whole machining cell, basically,” Bosworth said. “That’s where the industry

Lemola Mason, left, and Aiden Johnson discuss the CNC mill machine settings for an assignment at Southwestern Illinois College’s Sam Wolf Campus last month in Granite City. Mason and Johnson are students in the community college’s precision machining program.

I want to do.”

Mason’s experience highlights the dilemma St. Louis faces in its bid to expand advanced manufacturing. “We’re going to start seeing this trend of folks aging out, moving into retirement,” Gill said. “There really hasn’t been a concerted effort to position the sector as a growth sector for the region.”

Gill said there are plenty of high-quality jobs in manufacturing and the other sectors her organization trains women for that don’t require years of education or an advanced degree. The bigger challenge is changing the narrative around them to one that highlights them as viable options for career growth for local residents, she said.

is going: more advanced.”

Future prospects for current students appear bright. SWIC gets multiple calls a week from companies wanting to hire its students, Bosworth said.

Current students see this, too. “I’ve heard a lot of places that are hiring and really looking for machinists to come there and work,” said SWIC student Lemola Mason, who’s also a CNC machinist at Seyer.

“Where I work now, a lot of people there are getting ready to retire, so it’s a lot of openings coming up too.”

For Mason, automated manufacturing wasn’t something on his radar until his aunt recommended the program at SWIC to him, he said.

“She thought I’d be interested in it, and I just kind of clicked with it,” he said. “This has been one of the greatest things ever, like a turning point in life where this is exactly what

That shift requires the broad ecosystem of regional organizations involved in workforce training to collaborate more closely, said Jill Bernard Bracy, acting director of the supply chain risk and resilience research institute at the University of MissouriSt. Louis. That includes trade schools, community colleges, universities, nonprofits and specific companies, she said.

“Getting them involved immediately on the skills that are going to be needed for those particular industries, and making sure that there are relationships and collaboration,” Bracy said. It also helps in building a resilient talent supply that reacts to changing conditions, she said.

“If you want to attract economic development to the area, one of the selling points is that we have talent for you to bring whatever your respective business, industry here,” Bracy said.

Photo by Eric Schmid / St. Louis Public Radio

How STL Youth Jobs connects young people with employers

By Miya Norfleet

Students across the region are starting to line up interviews for summer internships and jobs. While many will apply for hourly retail gigs or shifts at fast food joints, local non-profit STL Youth Jobs hopes to get young people, from age 14 to 24, onto career paths.

Founded in 2012, STL Youth Jobs seeks to prepare a new generation of workers with soft-skills, like how to perform well in a job interview, and hard skills, like knowing safety regulations of specific industries. Since the first group of “job seekers,” The organization has gone from finding employment in health care,

retail, food and media industries for 200 area youth in 2013 — to 800 in 2019.

In its first 10 years, the career readiness organization worked to build relationships with local businesses and organizations ready and willing to employ youth.

Lindsey Forsythe, director of employer relations at STL Youth Jobs, told St. Louis on the Air she and her staff saw a change in industry interest since COVID-19 closed down the country. “We saw a big increase in interest among job seekers in senior care and animal care,” she said. “We try to make sure that we’re connecting jobseekers not only to jobs that will help them learn to become professionals, but that are related to something that they’re really interested in doing.”

Janae King participated in STL Youth Jobs when she was a teen. She’s now the employer relations

Janae King (left) is the employer relations manager and former STL Youth Jobs participant. Lindsey Forsythe is the director of employer relations at STL Youth Jobs.

manager at STL Youth Jobs. She said young people sometimes need the right amount of

encouragement to apply for more than a summer job. “[I worked with] a young man, and he was interested in construction. He was 24 years old, and he just had a baby. I paired him with one of our construction work sites,” King said. “He was there the whole summer. He showed up every day and did what he needed to do. He actually got hired on [full-time] for a way higher rate from what we pay. And he’s still there to this day.”

STL Youth Jobs is currently seeking applicants for the summer. Visit https:// www.stlyouthjobs.org/ apply

UC Online partners with St. Louis’ own At Home Care providing educational benefits

New partnership opportunity helping to recruit and retain employees in a tight job market

The University of Cincinnati Online is excited to announce a partnership with At Home Care, providing the employees and their families a high-quality online education.

UC Online’s corporate partnership program is for companies, organizations, and agencies seeking to provide high-quality education benefits to their employees to support retention, boosting skills, and talent development. This program allows employees and their qualified family members the ability to receive employer

support when they enroll in an online program offered by the University of Cincinnati.

“UC Online is pleased to partner with At Home Care offering this scholarship that helps to develop, educate, and retain their employees through a high-quality, high-touch online degree experience,” said Dr. Jason Lemon, vice provost for UC Online. “At Home Care employees who take courses at UC Online will feel supported from start to graduation.” Businesses, organizations, and agencies who

partner with UC Online can offer this scholarship to employees and qualified family members. With over 65 programs offered online, employees can learn the skills needed for professional and organizational development.

Carlita Vasser, CEO of At Home Care stated, “Education is very important to our society. The more knowledge we develop will help our communities and help the future.”

For more information about the program, please visit https://online.uc.edu/ corporate-partners/

Photo by Emily Woodbury / St. Louis Public Radio

Carlita Vasser CEO, At Home Care

A nurse’s precious memory leads her to change lives

Sponsored content by Treacy Colbert, Brand Ave. studios contributing writer

Letecia Jones, a staff nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, carries a distinct, poignant memory of the day she knew she would become a nurse. In caring for her son, Keith, who was born with an immune deficiency with complications that would take his life at age 9, Jones had already gone through on-the-job training that no parent wants, but that parents of sick children must master.

“The doctors and nurses who took care of Keith would say to me, ‘You should go to nursing school,’” Jones recalls. At the time she didn’t believe that a nursing career was within reach. “No one in my family had gone to college and I never thought I could do that.”

Keith changed her mind not long before he died. “One day when he was in the hospital and needed something I said, ‘Let me go get your nurse.’ He looked at me and asked, ‘Why don’t you just be my nurse?’” Jones said she stared at her son in shock and said, “You think I could be your nurse?” Her son’s answer was decisive: “Yes, you are my nurse.”

From patient care tech to nurse to nurse practitioner

Her son’s faith in her spurred Jones to begin her career as a patient care technician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “The goal was always for me to be a nurse,” she said. She went on to earn her nursing degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with help from the tuition reimbursement BJC HealthCare provides. A nurse for the last

six years, Jones cares for fragile babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. However, Jones didn’t stop after becoming a registered nurse. On May 13, she will receive her master’s degree in nursing from the University of Missouri, Kansas City and will become a neonatal nurse practitioner. The master’s program

is “tough,” she said, but she persevered so she can be more engaged in her patients’ medical decisions. “Nurse practitioners are more involved,” she said.

Firsthand understanding

Every day, Jones brings keen empathy and com-

passion to her role as a nurse. “I’m a nurse, but I’m also a parent who has been through my own son’s illness,” she said. “I understand the grief and guilt parents feel. I listen to them and let them know that what they’re feeling is normal.” For Jones, her work is not only her professional commitment and passion but her deeply

Letecia Jones

Specialty: Neonatology

Education: BSN, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; MSN to be awarded May 13, 2023, University of Missouri, Kansas City

Years as a nurse: 6

months. So intense was her desire to help these twins and their family that she often worked seven days a week to help take care of the babies. “I picked up so many extra shifts so I could be there for the twins and their parents,” Jones said. The day the twins were discharged from the hospital, Jones felt the spark of joy ignited by helping patients get well.

A team that’s like family

Jones calls her nursing team “a little mini-family.” Her team’s generosity and support helped her complete her graduate degree, with colleagues who were willing to trade shifts to accommodate her exam schedule.

The importance of mentors

For new nurses starting out, Jones stressed the value of having mentors to help guide the way, a role she intends to play for new nurses from the Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing.

A changed life

personal way of honoring her son’s memory.

Joyous outcomes

The best part of nursing is helping sick babies and their parents achieve good outcomes, Jones said. She described caring for twins born at 22 weeks who were patients in the neonatal intensive care unit for

“Nursing has changed my life,” Jones said. BJC HealthCare provided tuition reimbursement while she earned both of her degrees, a contribution she said was invaluable to her success. “BJC really supports you through your journey and makes a way for you to improve your life. I’m one of many firsts in my family, not only the first to go to college, but also the first to go to graduate school, buy a home and travel the world.”

For more information on BJC HealthCare, visit www.bjcopportunity.org

Stifel Bank & Trust is here to offer tips for your career search and feature some of our available roles.

The first step you can take before beginning your career search is to update your resume. Your resume is the first impression you will make on your future employer. It should highlight your strengths, skills, and relevant experience. Focus on the achievements that show a recruiter what makes you the perfect fit for the role, but try to be concise to create opportunities to expand on your achievements during the interview.

Your resume should feature the following:

• Contact information

• Your most recent work experience

• Education (if appli-

Career search tips

cable) & Training

• Skills/Proficiencies

• Licenses & Certifications

Some applications require you to submit a cover letter as well. This is another opportunity for you to show why you are interested in that role and what makes you a strong candidate. Your cover letter should be the same length as your resume, one page or less.

and within the organization?

• How would your past experience or education benefit you in this role?

Once your resume and cover letter are complete, you are ready to apply.

checking for new postings, completing applications, and checking the status of previous applications until you receive an invitation to interview.

thinking is encouraged. Apply for a role today, or join our Talent Network to see where your skills fit best.

Topics you can write about include:

• Why would you like to work for that specific company?

• What makes you a stand-out candidate for that role?

• Why would you be successful in the position

Research some local companies in the industry you may be interested in or specific types of roles across various industries to create a targeted opportunity list. Check job websites frequently as new openings post frequently. Most applications will require some of the same information that is already on your resume. Try to dedicate time each week to

Stifel Bank & Trust is looking for professionals ready to do what it takes to help our clients and fellow employees achieve their goals. Headquartered in St. Louis, with clients across the U.S., Stifel Bank & Trust is a place where you can build a challenging, rewarding career with one of the financial industry’s most diverse, creative and growing teams. Stifel Bank is a place where new ideas are welcome and fresh

Stifel Bank & Trust is actively expanding our Treasury Management team to better serve our partners and clients. See open roles and descriptions listed below: Treasury Management New Account Representative. Responsible for providing information and support in response to inquiries from clients and various business units to aid in the delivery of treasury products and services. Commercial Loan Coordinator I. Responsible for the

commercial or syndication loan request from the time of application to closing. This position will assist in lending process of commercial loan requests through proper documentation while balancing service, quality and compliance and relationship building. For additional information on the above roles and other current openings, please visit https://www. stifel.com/careers

Stifel’s bank and trust companies are affirmative action and equal opportunity employers. All candidates will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic information or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.