May 12th, 2011 Edition

Social justice and Aerotropolis

The American mourns Paul Reiter

By Rebecca S.Rivas Of The St.Louis American

The St. Louis American newspaper

would not be where it is today without the loyal, disciplined work of one unheralded employee – Paul Reiter, circulation manager. For 22 years, he ensured every neighborhood in the St. Louis area received copies of The American on time. And he showered many in the community with his unending, selfless giving spirit.

On May 9, 2011, Paul was shot and killed in the backyard of his home, on the 5000 block of Idaho Avenue in Dutchtown. He was 58. That morning at about 10 a.m., the next-

Teen charged with murder of beloved longtime circulation manager See

“He never asked for anything in return.He was one of a kind.”

– Christopher Paul Reiter

door neighbor reported an attempted burglary to the police. Investigators believe there is a strong possibility that Paul may have interrupted the suspects as they attempted to burglarize the home. Police found him lying face-down, dead, in his yard at about 7:30 p.m. That morning,

TALKINGSEXINTHECHURCH

‘Saving Our Selves Summit’offers ministry about sexual decisions

By Sandra Jordan Of The St.Louis American

They are talking sex in the church. And it’s about time.

“You cannot look at a person and tell if he has HIV/AIDS,” said Sheila Grigsby, founder and director of Faith Communities United. “The only way to tell is a diagnosis by a physician.” At the Sister to Sister Saving Our Selves SOS Summit held recently at Christ the King United Church of Christ in St. Louis County, women and girls engaged in frank, non-judgmental discussion of sexuality, spirituality and HIV/AIDS prevention.

National HIV/AIDS awareness advocate Hydeia Broadbent was born HIV-positive. She began speaking out about HIV/AIDS because she saw so many of her friends engaging in behaviors that put their lives in jeopardy. Now in her twenties, her keynote address was about removing fears and stigma concerning HIV/AIDS.

“If you meet someone who has HIVor AIDS, they have more reason to fear you than you do them,” Broadbent said, because of their weakened immune systems. The importance of knowing your HIVstatus

Reaching for the sky –together

By Rebecca S.Rivas Of The St.Louis American

Ayoung African-American lady took the podium with command and a beaming smile.

“Generations of my family have been part of the Mathews-Dickey Boys’& Girls’Club – my mother, my grandmother and even my uncles,” said Chaquill Merriweather, the 2011 “The Sky is the Limit” scholarship winner.

“When I was a girl growing up in rural Mississippi, there weren’t any avenues for me to have mentors who are lawyers, PhDs, marketing execs.”

– Barbara Washington and routine testing was stressed – at least once a year or every time you change sex partners. About 270 women and girls from age 8 to 89 participated in the SOS Summit, and 67 were screened for HIV.

Better decisions

Not having grown up in the church, Broadbent said she never felt she was living up to her potential. After finding God and re-exam-

On May 6, she spoke to a banquet hall of about 300 high school students, like herself, and their professional mentors at The Sky is the Limit luncheon, a mentoring and networking event for young women. Merriweather said one of her fondest memories has been being part of the Mathews-Dickey cheerleading program. When Merriweather paused and began to choke up, Barbara Washington, who founded The Sky is the Limit program, jumped up and hugged her.

“She’s been with us since she was a baby,” Washington said. Merriweather was the last person to take the stage, following several moving and heartwarming presenters that included journalist and best-selling author Susan Wilson Solovic and actress Maria Horsford.

The Sky is the Limit career-readiness program couples young women with role models, scholarship funds and skills they need for the workforce. At the luncheon, 29 graduating seniors were presented with 1,000 scholarships and 300 young women were

Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Photo by Wiley Price

Paul Reiter,longtime circulation manager of

The American,celebrating the wedding of a colleague in 2007.

Young girls practice their Zumba moves as they stretch for the start of the Life Skills Walk,Run and Roll event in Maryland Heights on Saturday.Hundreds turned out to help raise over $150,000 to help 10 organizations that assist those with developmental disabilities.

Zumba for Life Skills

SOS Summit Worker Gabrielle Fields and Michael Alexander Mason of Chicago attended the Sister to Sister Saving Our Selves SOS Summit held recently at Christ the King United Church of Christ in St.Louis County.

Photo courtesy of Christ the King UCC

Whitney Houston headed back to rehab

Singer Whitney Houston recently entered an out-patient treatment program.

“Whitney Houston is currently in an out-patient rehab program for drug and alcohol treatment,” her rep told PEOPLE Magazine in a statement. “Whitney voluntarily entered the program to support her long-standing recovery process.”

Houston, 47, initially entered rehab in 2004, telling ABC News interviewer Diane Sawyer at the time: “I partied a lot. Trust me: I partied my tail off.” But, the singer also admitted, “You get to a point where you know the party’s over.”

She then received treatment again in 2005, this time with the help of her mother, Cissy Houston.

Her latest attempt to get clean and sober is on the heels of a failed comeback tour that fizzled due to canceled shows coupled with due to performances where the singer appeared to be under the influence.

NeNe explains ‘Apprentice’ exit

NeNe Leakes never had second thoughts about quitting Celebrity Apprentice. It all just got to be too much, she says. “I don’t regret it. I felt very good about it. I always do what my gut tells me to do,” the Real Housewives of Atlanta star said in an interview airing Wednesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

She adds “I’m a grown woman, and nobody makes decisions for me. I make my own decisions. It was a toxic situation for me.”

To which Leakes replies: “Yeah, let’s clap about it.”

Particularly poisonous, of course, was her feud with Star Jones. In an episode two weeks ago, Leakes unloaded on Jones in front of a client, then walked off the show. She doesn’t regret that either, but admits it didn’t need to get that ugly.

“I needed to get it out,” she says. “I wish I could have maybe had a different delivery, maybe better word choices, but I’m OK with it. I felt she deserved it. I know everybody in Hollywood knows I’m telling the truth [about Jones].”

Of course, things evened out this past week, when Donald Trump fired Jones. “When I said on the show yesterday that Star got fired, there were applauses in the audience,” says DeGeneres. “People were thrilled that Star got fired.”

Papa Knowles in search of super group repeat

Mathew Knowles is moving beyond Beyonce and Destiny’s Child and hoping to create a new chart-topping music franchise by way of another girl group. Knowles is holding auditions for a three member female pop group in Houston.

According to the press release, Knowles, founder, CEO and President of Music World Entertainment is seeking young women between the ages of 18-24 who can sing and dance simultaneously.

JD owes baby-mama and Uncle Sam

Jermaine Dupri has been hit with a lawsuit off missed child support payments he was ordered fork over in March of 2010.

According to the Associated Press, Dupri was ordered to pay $2,500 a month to a woman named Sarai Jones, after a courtordered paternity test proved that the producer was the father of a seven-month old baby girl. In addition to the lawsuit, it was also revealed that Jermaine Dupri owes the IRS $493,000 in

back taxes on income that he earned in 2007.

Last week, Jermaine Dupri’s Atlanta $2.5 million dollar mansion was almost auctioned off last week because he is behind on payments and property taxes.

Al Reynolds

Star must pay $50K for shading Al Fired “Celebrity Apprentice” contestant Star Jones’ ex-husband, Al Reynolds, is demanding $50,000 from the loose-lipped diva for trashing him on “The Wendy Williams Show” and blasting his rumored current girlfriend – her TV nemesis, NeNe Leakes. Sources say Jones herself pushed for stipulation in her 2008 divorce agreement with Reynolds that they would not make “disparaging remarks” about each other’s “personal, private or family life . . . including, without limitation, the other’s family, companions, dates, acquaintances, or future spouses.” Her lawyers insisted a breach of the clause requires the offending party to pay a $50,000 “liquidated damage penalty.”

But, according to Reynolds, Jones forgot, went on Williams’ March 25 show and trashed her almost four-year marriage, saying, “You know what . . . the wedding was fabulous, but the marriage was kind of booty.”

Sources: TMZ.com, People.com, Allhiphop.

Foundation defends structural racism initiative

Kellogg

oficials cite

data

to prove need for ‘America Healing’

By Khalil Abdullah For New America Media

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a week when the national media are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides and the progress made since then against racial bias, concerns persist about deep-seated racism in the United States.

Recently, leaders of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation were faced with accusations that their $75 million initiative to address structural racism in America was unnecessary. They answered their critics during a forum on race and racism hosted by the Hudson Institute.

Quoting author William Faulkner, Kellogg Foundation President Sterling Speirn told the audience that structural racism in America continues to affect people of color. “The past is not dead. The past isn’t even in the past. The past is alive now,” Speirn said at the forum entitled, “Race and Racism in America: Are We Now a Colorblind Society?”

Gail Christopher, the Kellogg vice president overseeing the foundation’s “America Healing” initiative, said, “Racism is a set of beliefs that helped to shape this nation. To suggest that centuries of institutionalizing those beliefs could suddenly be eradicated in less than 75 years is, I believe, simplistic, misguided, naïve at best.”

A Wall Street Journal editorial by Harvard University’s Stephan Thernstrom decrying the Kellogg initiative partly led to the Hudson Institute’s decision to host the forum. Joining Thernstrom on the panel were Speirn, Christopher and political consultant Ron Christie, author of Acting White: The Curious History of a Racial Slur Christie, an African American, said he was concerned that America was “self-segregating” again. He believes

that a lourishing “cult of ethnicity” emphasizing origins through hyphenated identities was counter-productive in reaching an ideal where “we cherish our American citizenship.”

Thernstrom ceded that America’s past was once shaped by a caste system based on color, but he said the election of President Barack Obama was one of many indications of the capacity of the American people to look past race. Thernstrom cited the growing number of black-and-white friendships and the increased rate of interracial marriages as conirmation that America is at a very different place than when, as he put it, “the very heart of the caste system was sexual fear. Black men were lynched for even looking at white women in the wrong way.”

One audience member commented afterward that Thernstrom was disingenuous in citing statistics on racial intermarriage as a fundamental shift in attitudes on race and culture.

The person pointed to the 2006 election when the GOP ran an ad in Tennessee pandering to racial fears in the white community. It inferred that the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, congressional member

Harold Ford Jr., an African American, was having sexual relations with white women.

“The ad was successful, I might add,” the attendee said, noting that Ford lost the election after the ad boosted turnout for his white opponent.

The Kellogg Foundation’s Christopher noted a 2002 Institute of Medicine report revealing how African Americans and members of other ethnic groups seek medical treatment for the same conditions, but are treated differently.

She said white privilege is rooted in a mythology which “suggested that the less pigmentation you had, the higher up you were on this hierarchy of race.”

“The systems that evolved from that mythology are alive and well,” Christopher said. “That’s what we mean by white privilege.”

Speirn asserted that one goal of the Kellogg Foundation’s America Healing grants initiative is to enable communities “to have courageous conversations about race and historic and structural racism, and current racism.”

Christopher said America Healing encompasses far more than just a black-white paradigm. She cited a California community including whites, Hispanics and blacks that used its Kellogg grant to delve into the reasons for its poor access to quality food. The researchers found that individuals doing the same job for the same employer were “paid differently by race,” directly diminishing their purchasing power for food and other necessities.

Christopher said that although America is not consciously racist, “our culture is racialized and our systems relect that.”

At the conclusion of the panel presentation, Christopher took a moment to answer the question, “What does success look like?”

She said, “When all the nuanced histories of the diverse groups that helped to build this nation are part of the school curriculum, and residential segregation is no longer the norm; when poverty is no longer racialized in this country and a child’s race is no longer a major predictor of his future.”

Whatever happened to Kinloch?

If things continue on their present course, that is what future generations will be asking. Did you know that there was once a predominantly African-American city in Missouri named Kinloch?

The St. Louis Post- Dispatch ran a story on October 13, 1996 titled “Airport Buyouts Threaten Kinloch’s Churches.” It reported that the buyout abatement program began in 1984 when the community had about 5,000 residents and 33 churches. By 1996 there were only 2,500 people and 13 churches, but most had vowed to remain.

In recent weeks, the paper ran a story that stated, “In its heyday, this city was home to about 11,000 people and a thriving business district with everything but a bank. Now, it’s overrun with gutted-out buildings and streets illed with debris.

Elementary, the oldest school for blacks in St. Louis County, Holy Angels, the oldest continuing black parish in the St. Louis Archdiocese, as well as former residents Congresswoman Maxine Waters and political activist Dick Gregory. Eventually, due to insuficient revenue, this once thriving community fell into decline, and is now struggling to keep its small town values and ideals alive.”

Kinloch is not alone. AfricanAmerican communities are vanishing and people are concerned, at least those who are aware of the trend.

John Wright wrote a book, St. Louis: Disappearing Black Communities. “What I consider the original community, those have disappeared,” said Wright, former superintendent of Kinloch Schools and author of books on Kinloch, the Ville and African-American history in St. Louis.

“There were pockets all over the area like Black Jack. The majority of the population is African-American now, but the original pocket, the school, the church, the theater is gone.”

Kinloch Park was developed in the 1890s as a commuter suburb for whites, Wright documented in his book, though some land was reserved for blacks who came to work as servants.

“Located just outside of St. Louis, Kinloch was once a community locked off from the rest of the area by natural and man-made barriers. In spite of a lack of inancial resources, it once provided its residents with a school district, city hall, post ofice, business district, and recreational facilities,” Wright wrote.

“Residents will recognize Dunbar

A short time ago The Washington Post reported that igures from the Census Bureau’s 2010 count are expected to show a continued shrinking number of African Americans in Washington, D.C., to just over half of D.C.’s 600,000 residents. Not only that, but many demographers predict that by the next census, the district will no longer have a black majority.

In Williamsburg, Va., a local paper reports “a once-thriving black community has been pushed to the margins of a city that has welcomed over 100 million tourists since 1932. It began 80 years ago with a renovation that removed black people from the historic center and conined them to segregated neighborhoods. Today, city planners and investors have made it hard for working people to live in a town where the bottom line of booming land values and corporate proits have replaced the old conventions of Jim Crow.”

Keep an eye on Kinloch. The Ville or Velda City might be next. Where do you reside?

The Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on WGNU-920 AM, or live on www.wgnu920am.com. Also Bernie Hayes TV program airs Saturday at 10 p.m. and Friday Morning at 9 am on KNLC-TV Ch. 24. I can be reached by e-mail at: berhay@ swbell.net.

Gail Christopher, Kellogg Foundation vice president

Bernie Hayes

EDITORIAL /COMMENTARY

In praise and memory of Paul Reiter

On Tuesday morning, the small family that is The St. Louis American was in a somber mood. Our beloved, long-time sports editor Earl Austin Jr. had lost his father, Earl Austin Sr., and services were scheduled at Austin Layne. This somber and supportive mood was shattered when we learned, irst in a call from the community and soon thereafter from the police, that we had lost – not an elder from our extended family – but one of our very own. Our equally beloved and even longer-time distribution manager Paul Reiter had been murdered on Monday in his backyard. It appears that he had interrupted a burglary at his neighbor’s house and been shot dead for his good citizenship.

The distribution manager is one of the most essential, and at the same time unheralded, people at a print publication. If Paul did not do his job, our wide audience could not read the print version of our newspaper in a timely fashion and it would have diminished impact; and yet this vital manager’s name (at his request) did not appear along with his colleagues in the staff box. Our many readers had no way to know him as we knew him. For all his invisibility, Paul joined the two most visible people at our paper – publisher Donald M. Suggs and photojournalist Wiley Price – as the three people who have been here the longest and therefore done the most to fulill our mission. There would be no way to repay Paul Reiter for what we and this community owe him for his efforts in – literally – delivering a quality newspaper to this community.

Paul was very dedicated in his work. The company that audits our circulation, CAC in New Jersey, often remarks that we have one of the lowest return rates of all the papers they audit nationwide – almost all of the papers we print are picked up by readers, rather than returned to be pulped. Paul’s dedication and work ethic were essential to this essential aspect of our success. To be precise, he did not consider his work completed when the warehouse and vans were emptied, but rather spent the last days of our circulation cycle making certain that papers were picked up at locations that had more than enough and delivered to locations that were empty. It is the same

sellessness and dedication to the community that makes a man go see if his neighbor’s house is being robbed when he hears a strange noise next door. The essential goodness that beneitted The American and its readers for 22 years seems to have cost Paul his life on Monday. We wish, for once, he had been less selless.

Far beyond his paid labors, Paul lived the mission of The St. Louis American in his own unpretentious way. He believed iercely in social justice and fought for it. He is survived by a son, Christopher Paul Reiter, because of a courtship formed while working as a community organizer with ACORN. He read widely in left-wing politics, American history and spirituality. He was a pioneer with St. Louis’ great community radio station, KDHX FM 88.1. He was a patron of the arts who stopped collecting work by local artists only when his house became too full to accommodate any new pieces. Journalism calls for honesty and community journalism demands a spirit of service, and his colleagues remember Paul as one of the most honest people they have ever known who would, at all times, do anything for his fellow human that was in his power to do. Paul owns one word in our language. He said it often, and in a distinctive way, when he was asked (as he often was) for a favor: “Sure!”

We are painfully aware that our newspaper family is not unique in our loss and pain. On more days than not, a family in St. Louis – in most cases, an African-American family – loses a loved one to senseless violence. We do not cover all of these murders because we strive to publish a newspaper that is, on balance, positive and inspirational to a community that hears more than enough bad news about itself. But in our shock and grief for losing a man and colleague whom we truly loved, we have no choice but to relect upon the senseless murder of Paul Reiter. He was central to the newspaper’s operation and its mission. In every sense of the word, he was part of The American’s family – not just team, but family. This tragic death takes away a special person from our midst, and we are deeply saddened. We will always miss him.

Our violence only helps our enemies

Violence is never the answer, but within the urban community it seems to have become a way of life and it breaks my heart. It has gotten to the point that when you hear of someone losing their life within the city, you are no longer alarmed. Is this what the urban community has become, a war zone where a life is not valued at all? With such a climate of selfdestruction, it would be dificult to maintain and sustain a stable community. Residents begin to feel that their life could end simply by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The aggressors have no clue why they harbor such feelings for themselves or their victims. The only thing the aggressors understand is that he or she has built-up anger and it must be unleashed on something or someone. The aggressors carry this out as if they were some caged beast. Whether they real-

ize it or not, this is how they are viewed by the rest of the world and they have no one to blame but themselves. I do realize there are individuals within society who are a victim of circumstance, but to over-indulge in the victim role could lead to self-destruction and a life of not holding yourself accountable for your individual actions. And believe me, people, as an individual who lost his dad at a young age, I am no stranger to trouble.

n Is this what the urban community has become, a war zone where a life is not valued at all?

Having been raised by a single parent within the mean streets of East St. Louis, I’m in no way a stranger to struggle.

Yes I do realize the enemy from outside the community is always plotting to destroy

The Way I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

No praise for torture

It wasn’t torture that revealed Osama bin Laden’s hiding place. Finding and killing the world’s most-wanted terrorist took years of patient intelligence gathering and dogged detective work, plus a little luck.

Once again, it appears, we’re supposed to be having a “debate” about torture – excuse me, I mean the “enhanced interrogation techniques,” including waterboarding, that were authorized and practiced during the Bush administration. In fact, there’s nothing debatable about torture. It’s wrong, it’s illegal, and there’s no way to prove that the evidence it yields could not have been obtained through conventional methods.

President Obama ended these practices. Torture remained a stain on our national honor, but one that was beginning to fade – until details of the hunt for bin Laden began to emerge.

According to widespread reports, the irst important clue in the long chain leading to bin Laden’s lair came in 2004 from a Pakistani-born detainee named Hassan Ghul, who was held in one of the CIA’s secret “black site” prisons and subjected to coercive interrogation. Ghul was not waterboarded but may have been offered other items on the menu, including sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme temperatures and being

placed in painful “stress positions” for hours at a time.

Ghul reportedly disclosed the nom de guerre of an alQaeda courier – Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti – who appeared to have access to the terrorist organization’s inner circle. The CIA was able to deduce that Ghul was referring to a man they had heard of before, a trusted aide who might know where bin Laden was hiding.

Two of the highest-ranking al-Qaeda leaders who were taken into U.S. custody – operations chief Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was waterboarded repeatedly, and Abu Faraj al-Libi, who was not waterboarded but was subjected to other harsh interrogation techniques – pointedly declined to talk about al-Kuwaiti. Ghul, however, described al-Kuwaiti as a close associate and protege of both Mohammed and al-Libi. CIA analysts believed they might be on the right track.

It was, of course, just one of many tracks that might have led to bin Laden. This and other trails went hot and cold until last summer, when al-Kuwaiti made a phone call to someone being monitored by U.S. intelligence, who then watched his movements until he led them in August to the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where bin Laden was cornered and killed.

Torture apologists are saying, “See, it worked.” But the truth is that there’s no proof – and not even any legitimate evidence – that torture cracked the case.

It’s true, apparently, that Ghul opened up to interrogators after being roughed up in some

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Innovation, not bombs

I see no strong justiication for the ongoing savage bombing and destruction of the nation of Libya by Obama and his European allies. Obama explained his decision to remove Gadhai as a “humanitarian” gesture. I beg to disagree. If indeed the reason for plunging the United States into another war by going to Libya is humanitarian, I wondered why Obama had not done anything to save the peoples of Ivory Coast, whose civil unrest has prompted over 700,000 refuges leeing to neighboring countries. Or in Congo where over a million Africans have been killed and the killing is still ongoing. Or in Zimbabwe where Mugabe had declared himself a “president for life” and chased many of his citizens out of the country.

the community, but he seems to be getting a great deal of assistance from us. Rather, that is through drugs dehumanizing ourselves and a lack of selfrespect for ourselves.

Regardless where the blame originated from, there must be some form of accountability when an innocent life is taken away by a stray bullet or gang beatdown. Accountability is something community activists tend to shy away from when it comes to youth, fearing that they may lose credibility among some.

But ask yourself, activist, what’s more important, your credibility or saying to both the young and old men in our society that enough is enough. I don’t know how many more members of the human family we have to continue to hear about losing their lives to senseless violence, but enough already. There are too many being buried, so I urge those who are responsible for the bloodshed to stop. Give peace a chance and say no to senseless killings and yes to life. We can do this, and we must.

Obama and his European allies should call off the bombing and instead use the United Nations to create and promote an environment that encourages genuine democratic transition of power. Libyans should be left alone to determine the fate of their country’s regime. What Africa needed from Obama is innovation from old ways of doing things and prudence, not bombs.

Michael Okpara St. Louis

Deal distracts from leadership

The recent article about the Ferguson-Florissant school board members who struck a lifetime health insurance deal with Jeff Spiegel is unbelievable, especially when this deal was approved without the cost being determined. As a resident of Ferguson, and a citizen concerned about quality education for all of our children, I am appalled.

This deal was supposedly made so that Spiegel would stay an additional year, to prepare Art McCoy to be a more viable candidate. I seriously doubt that McCoy needed an additional year of guidance from Spiegel. McCoy came to Ferguson-Florissant with nine years of administrative experience, having worked in the

fashion. It’s not clear that he was ever subjected to techniques that amount to torture, but let’s assume he was. The question is whether such treatment was necessary to get Ghul to talk. And there’s no way to prove it was. Many experienced interrogators believe that torture is counterproductive – that it produces so much unreliable information that it’s hard to tell what’s true and what’s not. These experts believe that noncoercive techniques are far more effective because when the subject does begin to talk, more truth than falsehood comes out.

Would al-Kuwaiti’s name and role have been extracted anyway, from Ghul or some other detainee, without coercive interrogation? If the two alQaeda higher-ups hadn’t been subjected to harsh techniques, could they still have been led to cooperate with their questioners? Would they still have dissembled, tellingly, when asked about the courier who eventually led us to bin Laden? What I do know is that torture is a violation of U.S. and international law – and a betrayal of everything this country stands for. The killing of bin Laden resulted from brilliant intelligence work, for which both the Bush and Obama administrations deserve our thanks and praise. There’s plenty of credit to go around –but not for torture.

Eugene Robinson’s email address is eugenerobinson@ washpost.com.

All letters are edited for length and style.

Rockwood, Pattonville and St. Charles school districts. He is a very competent, passionate and a visionary educator capable of preparing our students for the future.

I have worked in different facets of education for 30 years, and I believe Ferguson-Florissant School District is blessed to have Art McCoy. He is full of innovative ideas, has a passionate concern for students and is a very competent leader, ready to do the job. My only concern is that this deal with Spiegel will overshadow and become a negative factor as McCoy assumes leadership of the district.

Laverne Mitchom Ferguson

Morehouse man

Thank you for a the great article on Dr. Robert Franklin, president of Morehouse College.

Mary H. Thomas St. Louis Morehouse College Parents Association, Inc.

City, county and local control

Regarding Sherri Absher’s, “Politics, police work and local control,” commentary, “politics,” is another name for democracy, On June 12, 2010 the Indianapolis Star, reported on its front page: “Violent arrest. Police chief…recommends to city/county council that police oficer be ired.” Indianapolis and Marion County merged in 1970. The St. Louis Police Department command structure was created in 1861 because St. Louis voted for Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the rest of Missouri did not. The city of St. Louis and St. Louis County divorced in 1876 over Forest Park: a “carriage park” the rich could enjoy but the poor would pay for. Local police control and city/ county reconciliation go hand and hand. They provide economics of scale, social justice and accountability lacking in our present situation.

If the 2010 census igures are true, people are voting

with their feet and moving to where they want to live in the 21st century and not in 1876 or 1861.

Joseph Kuciejczyk St. Louis

Columnist Eugene Robinson

Guest Columnist Grady Brown

Ferguson 5K for tornado relief, scholarships

Organizers of LiveWell Ferguson 5K

Twilight Run/Walk will share donations from the event to support local relief efforts from the Good Friday tornado, as well as provide scholarships for youth to participate in summer programs at the Emerson Family YMCAin North County.

Runners and walkers still have time to register. The race is Saturday, May 14 at 5 p.m. in downtown Ferguson, Mo.

LiveWell 5K is the only twilight race in North County. The 2011 race has new features: the first 1,000 5K runners and walkers will receive medals upon finishing; race bibs are exclusive to the event; and Chronotrack Computerized B-Tag Chip Timing.

LiveWell 5K boasts a USATF certified course. The races start and finish at Plaza at 501, an outdoor entertainment area at the intersection of Florissant Road and Suburban Avenue. The race opens with entertainment by the Ritenour High School drum line and finishes with a concert with Javier Mendoza.

Fifty percent of the race donations will go to the Tornado Relief Fund for Ferguson to help city residents with expenses from tornado damage. The fund will provide assistance with immediate needs of daily living and help with rebuilding and repairs in order to return to normal living conditions. The fund accepts monetary donations or assets from any source. It is administered by a committee of community leaders and managed by The Vine.

Donations are tax-deductible; 100 percent of donated funds will go toward relief efforts. For more information on the Tornado Relief Fund, contact Steve Lawler at swlawler@gmail.com or (314) 753-7911 or go online to http://the-vine.us/

The remaining 50 percent of race donations will support youth scholarships at the Emerson YMCA. In 2010, the YMCAwas the sole benefactor of LiveWell Ferguson 5K, receiving $4,000 for scholarships.

Race fees for LiveWell 5K are $20. Special rates are offered to teams of 10 or more participants. Awards and prizes will be presented to top finishers. The course is timed by Big River Running. For more details, visit www.livewellferg5k.com

Gas House rewarded for community service

Keyla Cole and Margaurite Whitlock of the Gas House Car Wash,3853 Forest Park Blvd.,were honored by Lynn Wallis with a Community Service Award from the Wallis Companies of Cuba.The Gas House collected money and school supplies for Cole and Dunbar Elementary Schools.Both schools had assemblies to recognize the Crew’s efforts.Wallis Companies operates more than 200 convenience store locations under the Mobil,BP and ConocoPhillips brands, with 570 employees.

Save the date

The Seven Pearls Foundation, Inc., Joann Loveless 22nd International Grand Basileus, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., National Iota Foundation, Inc., Karl Price, Esq. 20th International Grand Polaris and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. will host a Joint Cancer Fundraising Gala, “Pearls and Stars Making a Difference: Partners for the Cure,” at Washington Marriott Wardman Park, 2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington, D.C. 7 p.m. Saturday, June 18. More information will be available on the Seven Pearls website, www.sevenpearls.org.

76 percent of Riverview seniors college-bound

More than $1.6 million in college scholarships have been offered to the Riverview Gardens High School Class of 2011 to date, and already 76 percent of the 230 seniors have been accepted to colleges and universities.

Seniors who have committed to a college, university or other post-secondary institution this spring were honored May 4 during a Decision Day Luncheon.

Among those honored was Kayla Farmer-Dampier, who will play basketball for Kaskaskia Community College and pursue a degree in physical therapy.

The Class of 2011 has dozens of students who are successfully completing the A+ program, which will provide scholarships that cover full tuition at Missouri community colleges.

Traci Nave, RGHS college and career coordinator, said, “You can see a sparkle in their eyes when they realize their hard work has paid off and that their dreams of going to college have finally become a reality.”

Show me yourpassbook

By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist

I am glad that President Barack Obama has a sense of humor about the birthers.I don’t, and I am disgusted that Donald Trump, lacking in both sense and scruples, was able to push the president to releasing his “long form” birth certificate. Now, perhaps, we can get back to some of the business of government, except for the fact that those who want to embrace their racism and believe that President Obama was not born here, did not star at Harvard (despite his position on the competitive Law Review), did not “deserve” his election, will continue to promulgate their nonsense.

President Obama was maneuvered into analogously showing his passbook, the very same passbook that black South Africans had to show before the end of apartheid to prove their citizenship.They could be forced to show the passbook at any time, by any white person who questioned their right to be somewhere.

The birther demands also remind me of the grandfather clauses of the post-Civil War era, when people of African descent were only allowed to vote if their grandfathers could.Since most of our grandfathers were enslaved and lacked birth certificates, the grandfather clauses were an effective way to limit, if not completely exclude, the black vote.

The birthers who wanted to see President Obama’s passbook are not only challenging his legitimacy, but the legitimacy of many of African descent who live in these United States and have achieved positions of power and influence.In their minds, African Americans are not “real” Americans.Thanks, President Obama, for skewering them with humor and with a bit of an edge.

If the birthers want to see the passports of those who have come to this country from the African continent, they might try looking at the footprints of our nation’s capital, the same capital that enslaved people built.If birthers want to see passports, they might want to go to the Underground Railroad Museum to look at the chains slaveholders used to contain others.

These birthers have a lot of nerve.They attack immigration, but they, too, are the descendants of immigrants. Just because they rode on the top of the boat (not in the hold, as cargo), does not mean they can claim superiority. Now, that passbooks have been shown, it is time to get back to the salt mines.Debt ceiling, anyone?Budget cuts?Trump talks trash and incites invective while the real issues around the future of our nation are neglected. Now that the long form birth certificate has trumped Trump, are there legislators who will deal with education, employment, health care and human services?

Julianne Malveaux is president of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Julianne Malveaux

REITER

Continued from A1

one neighbor heard gunshots and saw two people running from the scene, both in their teens or early 20s, said St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Dan Isom.

Police have arrested Rico R. Paul, an 18-year-old male, and prosecutors charged him with murder, armed criminal action and attemped burglary.

According to court records, Rico Paul had been released on his own recognizance in April after being convicted of stealing. At that time he was free on a suspended imposition of sentence for a 2010 conviction for robbery and assault. He had missed a court hearing on May 3, and there was a warrant for his arrest on the day he allegedly murdered Paul Reiter.

Ajudge ordered the accused to be held without bond. Police also are looking for a second possible suspect.

“We can never repay what he did for us,” Donald M. Suggs, publisher of The American, said of Paul Reiter.

“We mourn his senseless murder because he was a very special person and an absolutely essential part of us and what we aspire to do. I spoke with Paul as a peer, as someone whose view of situations I highly value. He believed as we do that the ultimate measure of a society is its sense of social justice.”

An intentional life

Paul lived an intentional lifestyle. He believed everything he did was part of his spiritual practice – even driving all day in brutal traffic.

Every morning, Paul meditated on his back porch, reading passages about focusing one’s life on love.

On Monday nights, he would gather with a meditation group. On Tuesdays, he attended the Enlightenment Weekly Meetup at the Living Insights Center, 6361 Clayton Rd., to discuss the paths of enlightenment, “with an emphasis on honoring all paths and sharing openly and lovingly.” He was one of the group’s longestattending members.

He saw beauty in all things. On the back of the company’s white delivery van, he posted a sign with red letters that said, “Art is Everywhere,” along with a thumbs-up sign. Paul spent most of his spare time and money at art exhibitions and supporting local artists. The walls both at home and in

his office were covered with his art collection, which included work by Cindy Royal, Craig Downs and Carmelita Nunez-Shown.

began to have problems, so Paul sheltered four of them for a time.

“He never asked for anything in return,” Christopher said. “He was one of a kind.”

to register on him as important facts.”

The late Paul Reiter with his son, Christopher Paul Reiter, who is now a sophomore at Saint Louis University studying business. Christopher described his father as a giving person who never expected anything in return.

Child at heart

Paul had a strong relation-

n’t have much money, but “he knew what was important.”

In looking through his spiritual books, the family found one highlighted sentence in the book Why Life’s Tests are Thrust upon Us.

“It says, ‘We must utilize this life in order to realize the life beyond this one,’” Wofford said. “That’s what he did – he lived life to the fullest.” In the middle of Paul’s backyard, he put up a bird feeder and birdbath. In the morning, as part of his daily routine, he’d drink his two cups of coffee and watch the birds bathe and sing.

“When I first heard Paul died in his backyard alone, it gave me some comfort to know that the birds he cared for were there singing to him,” said Rebecca S. Rivas, reporter for The American. “He told me he always looked out for his neighbors. He was just the kind of man to put himself in danger to save another’s life.”

Inextricably bound

When Paul came to The American in 1989, the paper’s circulation was 22,000. Today it is 70,000.

For years, he wore his hair in a Mohawk in protest of the treatment of Native Americans, remembered Kenya Vaughn, a colleague at The American “He was a beautiful walking irony,” Vaughn said. “He was one of the most honest, straight-no-chaser people I have ever known – maybe the most honest. And he would do absolutely anything for you that he was able to do. He had the purest intentions of anyone I have ever known.” Paul had one son, Christopher Paul Reiter, a 20year-old business student at Saint Louis University. Christopher described his father as a giving person who never expected anything in return.

Christopher said one of Paul’s favorite books was To Kill a Mockingbird. In the book, the narrator’s father, Atticus Finch, liked to be called by his first name, and even his children did so.

“He never liked anyone to call him ‘Mr. Reiter,’” Christopher said.

Vaughn once said Paul was “ethnically ambiguous,” remembered Chris King, managing editor of The American

“We can never repay what he did for us.” – Donald M.Suggs

Paul did no reporting or writing for the paper, but he was one of the most politically conscious people at The American. “He read widely and deeply and cared very, very deeply about the world and the city,” King said.

‘American’first

“It’s not his coloration – Paul was very pale – or his mannerisms – he acted like a goofy, artsy, politically liberal white guy,” King said. “It was his sensibility, his consciousness. Paul was just about as close to color-blind or oblivious to race as you could be in this culture.”

Christopher recalled his father helping one neighborhood family with about seven African-American children.

“It was hard for them to catch the bus, so he would take them to school and bring them home every day for about five years,” Christopher said. At one point, the family

For example, King said the mother of Paul’s child is African-American, so his son is “black” or “mixed race.”

And working in a majorityblack environment as a white person, one would think he’d make a point of telling people that.

“But it had to come up on its own for Paul to tell you,” King said. “It just didn’t seem

Paul managed the delivery routes for about 15 delivery drivers. Jim Foley, a driver for The American, knew Paul for about 15 years.

“He was always quick to respond, no excuses,” Foley said.

“He put The American first, even if it delayed what he was doing by half an hour or even two hours.”

As a friend, Foley said some of the best advice he ever received about personal matters came from Paul.

“Paul was a true original,” said Dina M. Suggs, vice president of the St. Louis American Foundation.

“Honest, caring, unpretentious, conscientious, quirky, curious, truth seeking, and dedicated to his son, family, The St. Louis American, its staff, freelancers, stringers and friends. There will never be another Paul Reiter, and he will always be sorely missed.”

ship with his family, as one of eight siblings. He loved playing with his nieces and nephews at frequent family gatherings.

“You can put him down for the director of mayhem and wildness,” said Marty Wofford, his sister. “Paul is a child at heart.”

At Halloween, the children would go on hayrides at the family’s compound, which has a lake and prairie-grass fields. Paul would hide behind bushes to scare the kids and they loved it, she said.

“He had the purest intentions of anyone I have ever known.”

– Kenya Vaughn

“He was the best uncle and dad,” she said. “Chris was the light of his life. He would do anything for Chris. He would do anything parents were required to do to chip in.”

Paul often spoke about the delicious meals his sisters would send him home with, making sure to cook extra for him. One of his sisters is a Carmelite nun in a local convent, and he would visit her once a month with the other members of the family.

While serving in the U.S. Navy, Paul traveled to Japan and sometimes sent home packages to his family. On Mother’s Day this year, Wofford said, he bought his mother, Agnes Veronica Reiter, a big bouquet of flowers, as he did for every occasion. He did-

“The upward trajectory of The St. Louis American is inextricably bound to the invaluable contribution of Paul Reiter,” Donald M. Suggs said.

“Paul was here during absolutely the toughest days of trying to build something of value. He was central to the newspaper’s operation and its mission. In every sense of the word he was part of The American’s family – not just team, but family.” He is survived by his mother, Agnes Veronica Reiter, his son Christopher, and his siblings Sister Paula Marie, Robert Reiter, Aggie Baldetti (John), Ed Reiter (Linda), Marty Wofford (Dennie), Paul Gerard, Joyce Fraser (Randy), and Mark Reiter (wife Ramona died of cancer), and many, many nieces and nephews who adored him. His father Edward Reiter is deceased.

Memorial Celebration Saturday

AMemorial Celebration for the late Paul Reiter will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14 at the Carmelite Monastery, 9150Clayton Rd. Reiter’s sister, Marty Wofford, said she knew her modest brother would not want a public memorial service, “but we need it.” Wofford also asked that people who come to the public memorial celebration bring a card on which they have written a memory of Paul.

“We especially want Christopher to have these memories of his father,” she said.

Rico R.Paul has been charged with the murder of Paul Reiter.

GIRLS

Continued from A1 paired with mentors.

Over 17 years, Washington has led the expansion of the program from eight schools to 20 school districts and a total of $400,000 in scholarship funds.

“When I started the Sky is the Limit 17 years ago, there was a lot of thoughts in my mind,” Washington said. “When I was a girl growing up in rural Mississippi, there weren’t any avenues for me to have mentors who are lawyers, who are PhDs, who are marketing execs, who are community leaders.”

However, one of her teachers who she admired greatly gave her a lesson plan that became a life plan.

“You can choose whatever career you want and you can go for it,” she said to the mentees in the room. “There are women in this room who are making the kind of salaries you would like to make.”

Throughout the years, 4,000 mentorship pairs have been completed, largely from the support of generous women, she said.

One of Washington’s fundraising efforts has been her gospel CDs, coupled with gospel concerts in town. Before she left the stage, she sang “one note.”

Give me flowers while I can see them.

So that I can feel the beauty, I want to see what they bring.

Listening in the audience was one of Washington’s

CHURCH

Continued from A1 ining her life, she said she is able to make better decisions.

“When I wasn’t shown love at home, when I grew up and started dating, I didn’t know what love was supposed to be,” Broadbent said. “I went to therapy, I go to church and it plays a big part in the decisions that you make – your relationship with the Lord.”

One important decision discussed at the summit is choice of sexual partner and sexual behavior.

“You really need to think about that person you are laying down with and who they are because you are a reflection of who you sleep with,” Broadbent said.

“It’s not who you are – it’s what you do that puts you at risk for HIV,” Grigsby said. Grigsby warned against

nieces, River Fronczak. As a former student who participated in the program, she remembers being eager to meet her mentor at the luncheon. “It was exciting, I remember,” she said.

Now as a mentor, she said, “I’m proud to be able to represent Mathews-Dickey and to help a young lady. It makes me feel good.” Fronczak’s mentee this year

being influenced by one’s partner.

“When we meet our sexual partners – the people we are attracted to – when they start to talk to us and they start to tell us things, they’re the ones who influence more than anyone else, because they are the ones who affirm us; they love us – and we want to be loved and accepted,” Grigsby said.

“We need to have our own voice in our heads speaking louder than any of those other voices, telling us how to take care of ourselves, regardless of that moment that’s going to be a fleeting moment.”

Something intergenerational

The summit included workshops about the body, safe sex, self-esteem, self-respect and communication. Females of all ages learned from women of the gospel and women trained

was Hazelwood High School student Sharnae Parker, a future certified public accountant.

“The speakers are inspiring,” Parker said. “They motivated me. To my peers, I would say take this great opportunity because you never know who can help you get to where you want to be.”

In her keynote speech, Solovic echoed Parker’s

in medicine, counseling, education and patient advocacy.

The Rev. Traci Blackmon, pastor of Christ the King, said through the workshop, God reached women of all ages, races and all walks of life.

“The goal was to do something intergenerational, because so often when we talk

thoughts.

“Everything we do in this world is built on relationship,” said Solovic, also the CEO and founder of It’s Your Biz, powered by Small Business Television, a multi-million dollar enterprise.

Actress Anna Maria Horsford, best known as co-star of TV's Amen series, headlined an impressive list of celebrity escorts at the MathewsDickey Boys' & Girls' Club “The Sky is the Limit” fundraiser for its girls programs on Friday.

about HIVand AIDS we have something for girls and something for adults – and the reality is that they are living in the same house,” said Blackmon. “Some of us are dealing with the same issues – just at different age ranges.”

Blackmon remembered when children growing up had

“Asuccess for one of us is a great success and joy for all of us,” she said. “The only limits that will hold you back are the ones you create.”

Actress Maria Horsford, known for her role as Thelma Frye on the sitcom Amen introduced the scholarship

“The connections you made will be your biggest asset for the rest of your life. Stay connected with people. Always be the one who gives first,” she said. She also encouraged the women to continue supporting each other.

a lot of “mamas.”

“In church, you used to have a lot of mamas, and it just doesn’t seem that way anymore and we need something in our communities that brings that connection back,” Blackmon said.

Blackmon is now working with men at her church to

awardees. She reminded them to remember the power of dreaming. Her dreams to become an actress started with a pair of pink slippers. “I would practice going down the steps in those pink slippers,” Horsford said. “My mother would tell me, ‘Take off those shoes.’I’d say, ‘No these are my Hollywood slippers.’”

develop a health session for men and boys.

“I’m looking for some issue that will bring the teenage boys and the young boys in conversation with the older men,” Blackmon said. “What we are leaning towards is looking at violence as a health issue.”

Delta Sigma Theta Aryia Rites of Passage Ceremony

Above seated: Jasmine Tallie, Mercedes Brown, Taylor Howard, Jasmine Porter, Charrae’Wise, Noir Lewis-Kerr, Queen Mother Odessa Chambers, Alana Warren, Mikaila Peey, Nyeshia Melton, Janna White, Brianna Madison-Musgray, and Imani Myton.

Standing: Rashand Fenderson, Casey Colvin, Jerome Dickescon, Anthory Robinson, Samnuel Boyd IV Allen Holmes, Brandon Jackson, Damonte Johnson, Donathan Walters, Charles Weathers Jr. Justin Ferguson, Von Ricco Lane, Kenneth Brown Jr. and Rashann Fenderson.

Jasmine Porter Brianna Madison-Musgray.

Janna White

Participants and Members of Ariya Committee

Ariya Escorts bow to the community

Brianna Madison-Musgray Leader of the KwanZishas, adderss the audience on behalf of the group of Young Ladies

Social justice and Aerotropolis

As the EYE hit deadline, the Missouri Legislature was in a scrum over several controversial pieces of legislation with great interest to St. Louis that had become intertwined through end-of-session dealmaking. The so-called Aerotropolis legislation, which would provide $360 million in tax credits to invest in making the St. Louis airport an international cargo hub, had been bundled in a larger economic development bill that had been targeted by Senate Republicans. Senate Republicans had been delaying a vote on the local control bill to pressure House Republicans to peg down the tax credits offered in the bill that includes the Aerotropolis incentives.

The wrangling of Missouri Republicans in Jefferson City over tax credits at the expense of St. Louis is to be expected. It was surprising, however, to see a newspaper that claims to advance the business interests of St. Louis sling rocks at the Aerotropolis legislation while the ticklish deal was in the making. The issue raised was the allegedly hefty fees being collected by attorney Steve Stone, who crafted the Aerotropolis legislation and masterminded the China Hub concept. Members of Stone’s family (the Perrys) were among the first European capitalists to do business with Communist China, and their connections provided the indispensable entry for the Midwest China Hub Commission, chaired by Mike Jones, senior policy advisor to County Executive Charlie A. Dooley

This mainstream publication was joined in its rock-throwing

by veteran attorney/activist Eric E. Vickers. Vickers – who is notorious for sending scathing emails to public officials that copy a long string of journalists and activists – called out Mike Jones for allegedly enabling Steve Stone in his “hustle,” as Vickers phrased it. Vickers and Stone have some history. Last year, Vickers and a client joined the lawsuit that successfully derailed, at least momentarily, the Northside Regeneration tax credit deal that Stone’s firm had negotiated with the City of St. Louis on behalf of Paul McKee Jr However, Jones and Vickers have an even longer history. Jones reminded Vickers of this shared activist past while pointedly taking exception to almost everything Vickers said and suggested about himself, the commission he chairs, the Aerotropolis legislation and Steve Stone. The EYE can provide no better contribution to this discussion than to quote Mike Jones at great length.

Mike Jones writes:

As always in life there are macro forces over which you have no control, but you always are in control of your tactical responses which can influence how those forces play out.

I appreciate your thoughtful inquiry regarding the consulting arrangements of the Midwest China Hub Commission (MCHC) and I will attempt to address each point you have raised. You and I are both Serious Brothers and have always

had an intellectually honest relationship. With that in mind I’ll explain my reasoning, which you may still disagree with, but I will not hustle you.

My involvement in this project rests upon certain assumptions. First, St Louis is a failed city. It’s financially bankrupt and structurally obsolete and the leadership, has neither the vision, the capacity or the will to fix this condition. Secondly, the St. Louis region is and has been in a steady 50-year decline toward economic irrelevance

While we have not always tactically agreed on specific public policy, I think both of us have our politics based upon the principle that social justice is the highest value of any society and that without it any other values the society purports to embrace rest upon a foundation of sand.

The MCHC was created to facilitate repositioning St.

Louis as a major gateway for international air cargo with the Chinese airline industry being the foundation for that. I would argue we have done our job. Lambert is in the final phase of negotiating a hub deal with China Eastern, and the Missouri General Assembly is within a week of creating a framework that can influence industry behavior to take advantage of the Chinese airline connection. If properly executed (we still have to prove we have the culture and capacity), this idea could erase 150 years of terrible strategic decisions, starting with the transcontinental railroad tragedy through the Columbia Waterloo airport debacle, and give us a at shot at a viable future in a 21st century global economy.

I will not insult your intelligence or mine with some superstitious nonsense about trickledown economics (if rich folks have all the money, by exten-

sion working and poor people will do well). I would argue, in fact, that value of whatever is produced in any economy is a primarily function of the labor required to produce it and not the financial capital invested. Therefore, a just society would recognize the claim of labor to an equitable share of that value.

But we can talk about that problem later.

Now we are both committed to the welfare of the Black Community. In fact, over the almost 40 years we’ve know each other, we have gone from young men to old men in that struggle. The solutions to the myriad of problems facing the Black Community will be a function of the physical conditions of the St. Louis region.

It is with that perspective that I will address your concerns about the MCHC.

The success of this initiative would dramatically change the

economic trajectory of St. Louis and create economic conditions that could possibly lead to new and effective solutions to the issues of race, opportunity and income disparity. Now this alone would not be enough to change the fate of the Black Community in St. Louis. We would also need effective and visionary black leadership to take advantage of the new paradigm. It’s not a question of either/or, but of both. Now to Steve Stone. I stand by my comments that $15,000 per month was the cap the MCHC paid Mr. Stone. Of the $400,000 you reference, over $200,000 of that was paid by the City of St. Louis and the RCGA. The MCHC had no involvement with or prior knowledge of these two arrangements. Therefore, any questions about the rationale for the arrangements should be addressed to the Mayor’s Office and the RCGA. Again, the amount I mentioned of $5,000 is what Mr. Stone has billed the MCHC since December of 2010. If you have questions or objections to what Mr. Stone purports to be his hourly billing rates or his claims about the level of underwriting his firm gave to this project, I suggest you take those up with him, as those are his representations, not mine. In addition, however Mr. Stone spends his income is also his business and not mine. I will address an underlying rationale for the MCHC’s relationship with Mr. Stone by referring to my comments to the Post-Dispatch Sunday a week ago. That is simply this: no Stone, no Perry, no Chinese, no Chinese, no deal. If we are successful, then the money was a bargain, and if we fail we paid too much. Simple as that! I take seriously the issue of public accountability, as opposed to public approval. As a serious public commentator, I think I’m honor-bound to address your inquiry into my actions and statements. However, the only approval I need is my own. As always, I will stand by my record, and others have to stand by theirs.

“I

“As a professional, the words of Winston Churchill have always resonated for me: ‘You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.’ I’ve been blessed both personally and professionally, and United Way has been a great partner for helping me find ways to improve the lives of people in our community. I encourage everyone to explore the opportunities for giving back to our community through involvement with United Way.”

Mike Jones, chairman of the Midwest China Hub Commission and senior policy advisor to County Executive Charlie A. Dooley, makes remarks during a seminar on St. Louis becoming a freight hub for China. At right is Jason Van Eaton of the Spectrum Consulting Group. Photo by Wiley Price

BUSINESS

Black presence on corporate boards declines

Census shows African Americans lost 40 seats on Fortune 100 boards

staff

American

In new corporate board census results released last week, the Alliance for Board Diversity reported a surprising decline in the combined number of seats for women and minorities on the boards of the nation’s leading corporations.

The largest decline was among blacks. This year’s report found that in the Fortune 100 between 2004 and 2010, African Americans lost over 40 board seats while white men increased their presence on corporate boards, adding over 30. Overall, women did not see an appreciable increase in their share of board seats.

“It is troubling groups already severely underrepresented on corporate boards have collectively experienced a decline over the last six years,” said Arnold W. Donald, president and CEO of the Executive Leadership Council. The Executive Leadership Council, an independent, non-profit corporation founded in 1986, is a founding

Donald M.Suggs,publisher of The St.Louis American,was congratulated by Robert B.Smith III,board president of Focus St.Louis,after receiving the 2011 Leadership award,FOCUS St.Louis’highest honor, at the 2011 “What’s Right with the Region!”award ceremony held at the Sheldon Concert Hall on May 5.

“Shareholder value for most of the companies listed in the census is being compromised by the lack of board diversity.”

– Arnold W.Donald, Executive Leadership Council

partner in the Alliance for Board Diversity. Executive Leadership Council members are African-American senior executives of Fortune 500 companies and equivalents.

Suggs urges region to embrace Aerotropolis

Acceptance speech for Focus St. Louis Leadership award calls for leadership

By Rebecca S.Rivas

The St. Louis region is at a potential turning point, Donald M. Suggs, publisher of The St. Louis American, told about 400 people gathered for FOCUS St. Louis’2011 “What’s Right with the Region!” award ceremony at the Sheldon Concert Hall on May 5. And if regional leaders aren’t careful, Suggs said, they could “blow it” – just like their predecessors who decided to forego railroad development in the 1860s and airport expansion in the 1970s.

The Aerotropolis legislation projects to generate tens of thousands of new jobs and over $22 billion in new economic benefits.

“St. Louis has had a history of being bold at times – such as funding Charles Lindbergh’s historic transatlantic flight back in 1927, and the bold move to construct the Arch, which was topped out in 1965 after over two decades of civic effort,” Suggs said.

“St. Louis also has had other great opportunities in the past – and blew them.” Suggs received the 2011 Leadership award,

See SUGGS, B6

Congress cuts funds forhousing counseling

By Marc H.Morial National Urban

Loss of counseling will lead to more foreclosures, fewer jobs

We urge the Congress to

the middle class and restore HUD’s housing counseling funds.

See CUTS, B6

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Free hospital trustee board training June 7

The American Hospital Association’s Center for Healthcare Governance and the Institute for Diversity in Health Management will be in St. Louis to train persons of diverse backgrounds who are interested in serving on boards of trustees of their local hospitals.

The one-day, no-cost program takes place on Tuesday, June 7 at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Acomplimentary breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m. with a reception after the program beginning at 5 p.m.

These workshops have been sponsored in several locations across the U.S. Frederick Hobby, president and CEO of the Institute for Diversity in Health, says, “These boards are 90 percent white male – that’s a conservative estimate. It’s important for minorities to get on these boards – it affects the way we receive care.”

Profiles of persons completing the program will be listed on an online registry that hospitals and health systems can access when seeking to fill board and committee vacancies.

To register, visit www.americangovernance.com/TCRegistration.

SLU forms Institute for Private Business

The Center for Entrepreneurship in the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University has formed the Institute for Private Business to advance private business in the St. Louis region and beyond.

Its first membership year will launch in 2012. Member companies will be offered interactive seminars, educational forums, peer groups, newsletters, research studies and other Saint Louis University resources.

It will host day-long seminars in 2011: The Essential Role of Innovation for Private Business with Stephen Ciesinski, vice president of strategic business development for SRI International, May 24; and Innovation from Within: Empowering a Culture of Creativity with Michael Lebowitz, founder and CEO of Big Spaceship, June 23. For information, contact Jeanne Rhodes at ecenter@slu.edu or 314-9773850.

Missouri vets received $1B in VAbenefits in 2010

According to Fiscal Year 2010 data recently released by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, over $1 billion in compensation and pension payments were awarded to veterans, surviving spouses and dependents in Missouri by the VA, an increase of $115 million from the previous year.

Veterans and their families in St. Louis County received nearly $118 million in benefits; and veterans and their families in St. Louis city received $40.6 million. For information on benefits, call 1866-VET-INFO or visit www.mvc.dps.mo.gov.

Of The St.Louis American

Marc H. Morial

Photo by Wiley Price

Arnold W.Donald, president and CEO of the Executive Leadership Council

What savings alternatives are available?

As an investor, it’s important to have a portion of your holdings in savings. Opinions differ, but most financial advisors agree that adequate savings should form the basis of any sound investment strategy. There are a number of savings alternatives that will help you accumulate adequate savings and earn a reasonable rate of return.

Certificates of Deposit

Certificates of deposit are really just short-term loans to a bank, credit union, or savings and loan. They offer a moderate rate of return and more safety because they are insured by the FDIC for up to $250,000 per depositor, per institution in interest and principal.

Asset Management Accounts

These accounts are much like checking accounts, except

BOARDS

Continued from B1 value,” Donald said.

“Shareholder value for most

that they may be held by a brokerage instead of a bank. You can use your money to trade stocks and bonds and buy into money market funds. Many brokerages will automatically sweep your earnings into a money market account.

Series EE Savings Bonds For many years, when bonds were mentioned, people thought of U.S. savings bonds.

Series EE savings bonds are sold in par values that range from $50 to $10,000 if purchased in paper form or from $50 to $5,000 if purchased electronically. Tax on the interest is deferred until maturity and may be eliminated if the proceeds are used to pay for a college education.

I Savings Bonds

These bonds are designed to offer protection from inflation. By linking the return of the

of the companies listed in the census is being compromised by the lack of board diversity. Adecline in any single group of minorities or women is not good; a collective decline is troubling.”

PERSONAL FINANCE

By Charles Ross

bonds to an inflation index, the bonds are always guaranteed to earn a fixed rate above the inflation rate. They are a sort of hybrid between Treasury Inflation Indexed bonds (which are issued as marketable securities) and EE bonds. I bonds can be purchased at banks where EE bonds are currently sold or electronically. They are available in $50, $75, $100, $200, $500, $1,000,and $5,000 denominations. You can purchase up to $5,000 per Social Security number per year.

Charles Ross

Money Market Funds In a money market fund,

Recent U.S. Census data shows that women and minority men comprise 66 percent of the U.S. population. Yet the Alliance for Board Diversity report indicates that more than 325 of the Fortune 500 have

your investment is pooled with that of other investors. The resulting fund is invested in a diverse portfolio of short-term debt securities.

Money market funds offer a high level of safety and moderate income.

Money market funds are neither insured nor guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Althoughmoney market funds seek to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in money market funds.

Mutual funds are sold only

less than 25 percent representation, nearly 100 have less than 10 percent, and 37 companies have no women or minority representation whatsoever. Considering the hundreds of

by prospectus. Please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus, which contains this and other information about the investment company, can be obtained from your financial professional. Be sure to read the prospectus carefully before deciding whether to invest.

Interest-Bearing Checking Accounts

These accounts combine the interest-earning capability of a savings account with the check-writing convenience of a checking account. They are offered through many banks, savings and loans, and credit unions. Some charge a fee if you fail to maintain a minimum balance.

Treasury Bills

board seats that became available during the six-year period, Donald said his organization sees the combined decrease for all underrepresented groups and the steep decline for blacks as disconcerting.

The Alliance for Board Diversity has worked collaboratively for more than six years to encourage corporations to increase the diversity of their boards.

Catalyzed by sponsoring companies Altria and Kraft, the Executive Leadership Council has recently begun its own Corporate Board Initiative. ELC identifies and offers development opportunities to its members who are “board ready” and those who are nearly ready to assume the rigors of corporate board responsibilities. The organization has assembled an elite cadre of members prepared for board leadership and has worked with leading search organizations such as Heidrick & Struggles to prepare candidates and match them with opportunities.

value in maturities of three months, six months, and one year. The interest on

bills is exempt from state and local income taxes. Treasury bills are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government as to the timely payment of principal and

est. The principal value will fluctuate with changes in market conditions and, if not held to maturity, T-bills may be worth more or less than their original cost.

Charles Ross is host of the syndicated radio program “Your Personal Finance.” Contact him at P.O. Box 870928; Stone Mountain, Georgia 30087; or email to charles@ charlesross.com.

Treasury bills are literally short-term loans to the federal government. They are sold at a discount off their

our ABD partners, plan to make a meaningful contribution in helping America’s corporations address this missed opportunity.”

Corporations interested in increasing board diversity may contact the Executive Leadership Council or any of the partners in the Alliance for Board Diversity for access to the most qualified diverse candidates available for corporate board service.

In the Fortune 100 between 2004 and 2010, African Americans lost over 40 board seats.

“Few will debate that inclusion and the diversity of thinking that it brings to business challenges creates real shareholder value. That’s why the decline in the collective presence of underrepresented groups on the boards of America’s largest corporations as reported in this study is more than a little concerning,” Donald said.

“We at ELC, together with

Founded in 2004, the Alliance for Board Diversity is a collaboration of four leadership organizations: Catalyst www.catalyst.org, The Executive Leadership Council www.elcinfo.com, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility www.hacr.org, and Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc www.leap.org. The Prout Group Inc. www.proutgroup.com, an executive search firm, is a founding partner of the alliance and serves as advisor and facilitator. The groups have a common goal to enhance shareholder value by promoting inclusion of women and minorities on corporate boards. More information about the Alliance for Board Diversity and access to the full “Missing Pieces: Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards – 2010 Alliance for Board Diversity Census” is available at www.theabd.org.

“Dallas just beat them.”

– Ray Allen,on the Los Angeles Lakers being swept by the Dallas Mavericks

Parkway Central's Tasha Fraizer takes a leap of faith during Saturday's Suburban South Championships at Kirkwood High School.Her leap of 15-08.00 took second place.

Maplewood High wins district

The Maplewood High boys took their first step towards a “three-peat” Class 2 state championship with a dynamic performance at the District 2 meet at Principia. The Blue Devils easily won the district with 168 points. More important, they qualified athletes in nine individual events and three relays to this weekend’s sectional meet. As usual, the Blue Devils rode their tremendous speed as they swept the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400-meter relays. Individual champions included Nick Coulter (long jump, triple jump, 300-meter

TRACK & FIELD NOTEBOOK

With Earl Austin Jr.

dominant small-school programs in recent years. Senior sprinter Spice Brown of Barat Academy was a double-winner in the girls 100 and 200. As a junior, Brown won the Class 2 state title in the 100. The top four finishers at the upcoming Sectionals will advance to the Class 2 state championships in Jefferson City on May 20-21.

INSIDE SPORTS

Earl Austin Sr. passes at 69

It is truly amazing how sports can be the magical bond between a father and his son. Such was the case with me and my father, Earl Austin Sr., who passed away last Tuesday morning at the age of 69.

The pain that I feel at this time is indescribable. However, the hurt is surpassed only by the sheer joy that I feel for having such a special bond with him, especially through sports. When it comes to having a special relationship with my father, I was not cheated and I have no regrets. He was my hero.

As far as sports were concerned, we did it all together. When I was a child watching him play softball in the industrial leagues in Milwaukee, I was his biggest fan. When I grew up to play high school and college basketball, he was my biggest fan. He was my first basketball coach on the Alverno Elementary School team when I was in fifth grade. We shared countless nights in front of the television watching the Washington Bullets and my uncle Wes Unseld during his glory days while my mother was in the back room screaming her lungs out.

Whenever he and his friends would get into barbershop arguments about sports, they would call me, “Little Earl,” to settle the arguments.

As usual, the Blue Devils rode their tremendous speed as they swept the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400-meter relays.

Alana in Ohio

Former Hazelwood East standout Alana Gray has enjoyed

Large school district meets The large schools take center stage this weekend with Class 3 and 4 district meets being held around the area. Class 3 district meets will be held at Affton and MICDS. The top four finishers will qualify for the Class 3 sectional meets, which will be held at Lutheran South and Mexico on May 21. Class 4 district meets will be held at Oakville, Eureka, McCluer and Francis Howell Central. The top four finishers at the area districts will qualify for sectional meets at Lafayette and Troy on May 21.

When our playing days were done, we turned our attention to the careers of my sister Courtney, brother Richard and the athletic endeavors of his three grandsons here in town. Our talks at his kitchen table are part of family legend, and we had no problem picking up the phone in the middle of a game to discuss something great that had just happened. “Man, did you see that shot on the 15th by Tiger?” “Did you see that move by Jordan?” “Did you see that anchor leg by Carl Lewis?” We both shared a love for Ohio State football, the fundamental perfection of the San Antonio Spurs, as well as a passion for track and field, especially when it came to the United States and the 4x400-meter relay. When Barack Obama was elected president, we stayed on the phone. We mixed movie lines from old films such as The Godfather, Goodfellas and LongGone into our everyday conversation. We had it like that. And it started early in my life.

I can remember those days when I was three or four years old where we would sit at the kitchen table reading the sports section together. On

Earl Austin Jr.

With Earl Austin Jr.

Earl Austin Sr.with his beloved sons Earl (right) and Richard.

Photo by Wiley Price

CLAIB’S CALL

By Mike Claiborne

Lakers sent home forMother’s Day

Now that the Lakers have been eliminated from the playoffs, the haters have come out in droves. You know, the ones who had the Bulls jersey when Michael was running the show or when Houston won back-toback. That same guy couldn’t give you three other starter’s names after Akeem and Kenny Smith.

Other than that it has been about the Lakers, and it’s just hard for some to admit it. I was disappointed in the outcome of this year’s playoffs and how some did not show a little more class in defeat. It was not pretty. People were mad and upset, as this is something that Laker Nation is not used to, being home for Mother’s Day. It’s un-Lakerlike, and the detractors have feasted on it.

six: Detroit, Houston, San Antonio, Chicago, Miami and Boston. Yes, it can be lonely at the top.

Laker haters

Mike Claiborne

I get the whole Laker bashing. Tired of seeing one team win, always on TVand the swagger that comes with it. Some will never forgive Kobe and that they ran off Shaq. They know how to win, and they find players who can do it via the draft (Magic), free agency (Shaq) or trades (Kareem, Thompson, Kobe, Gasol, Odom). Funny, all those teams have found themselves on the outside looking in after doing business with the Lakers.

Laker to-do list

There has been no team in team sports that has had a better run under one owner in than the Lakers under Jerry Buss over the last 32 years. In that time the Lakers have made the playoffs all but two seasons. When they are in the playoffs, they play for keeps as they have been to the Finals 16 of the 32 years winning 10 times. Think about they have been in the finals half the time and have a record of 106. Only the bulls in their sixyear run had a better winning percentage.

This is something that Laker Nation is not used to, being home for Mother’s Day. It’s unLakerlike.

But the shelf life of being a finalist is not as long nor has it spanned more than one team. With the Lakers they have won with Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Shaq, Kobe and Fischer; then you had Kobe, Fischer, Gasol and Odom. A32-year span is something the other teams in the NBAjust dream about.

Throw in the fact that the other winners in that time total

Now that the season for the Lakers is over, there are questions to be asked. Who will be the next coach? Brian Shaw appears to be the favorite, as he has studied under Phil Jackson for the last six years. Most think he is ready as he has been on a winning team as a player and as an assistant coach. The players know him and it has been orchestrated. There will be some names out there that would raise an eyebrow, but Shaw should be the man. As for personnel, now is time to think about the future of the organization. The Lakers have always been smart to build for the future while the greats are still effective. Kareem enter Magic, Shaq enter Kobe come to mind. Surely, a big man will be gone, as well as the pressing need for a point guard.

No Lakers,big problem

As for the remainder of the playoff, I wish the NBAgood luck as they will need it. No Lakers can be a problem. Miami can possibly save

the day with Lebron and company, but facing the likes of Dallas, Oklahoma City or Memphis will be a tall order for attracting the casual NBA fan. There may be some that were not even aware that the

NBAis in Memphis or Oklahoma City. Funny thing is they may be the most exciting teams short of Miami that are still around.

The NBAgot off to a great start TVratings-wise with the

blocked by

Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference semi-final basketball playoff on Sunday. Dallas went on to win the game and sweep the Lakers 4-0.

first round. It will be interesting to see how valuable a recognizable team like Los Angeles will be without their presence.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (left) is

the Dallas Mavericks' Shawn Marion during

Bombers Boys win Gold and Silver

The St.Louis Bombers 5th and 6th Grade Boys AAU Basketball teams competed in the 2011 Show-Me Games in Columbia at the University of Missouri, March 26-27.The 5th Grade Boys won the Gold Medal,beating the St.Louis Ballers 45-40 in the Championship Game.The 6th Grade Boys won the Silver Medal,losing the Championship Game 57-50 to The Jeff City Knights.The Bombers are (front row) Shammond Cooper,Jordan Grant,Jadis White and Christian Bland;(second row) Joshua Nunn,Shaun Williams,Kenneth Williams, Ben Williams,Nate Thompson,Canaan Brooks and Derrick Jones;(back row) Coach Jeff Hawkins,Coach Kemar Cooper,Alan Wilson,Card’ier Hunt and Coach Donnell Bland.

TRACK

Continued from B3

an excellent career at The Ohio State University. Gray has been one of the Big Ten Conference’s top performers in the heptathlon. Gray is the Buckeyes’school-record holder in the heptathlon. She helped Ohio State win the school’s first ever Big Ten indoor championship. Gray was an All-Big Ten Second

Continued from B3

Sundays, we would always predict the winners of the NFL games. Whenever he and his friends would get into those barbershop arguments about sports, they would call me, “Little Earl,” to settle those arguments.

One of the stories that my mother always loved to tell was when I was about two years old and we were attending one of my dad’s softball games. He played first base for his Schlitz Brewery Company team. During one game, my mother turned away and saw that I had vacated the bleachers. She had no idea what had happened to me. Before she flew into a panic, one of the player’s wives told her to look on the field. There I was, standing on first base next to my father with my little glove, ready for action.

I loved those days back in Milwaukee, following my father’s teams from park to park. Slow pitch softball in Milwaukee was as big as Major League Baseball. His days as a softball player and coach were an outgrowth of his intense love for baseball. If there was one regret in my life, it was I did not share my father’s passion for baseball. I fell in love with basketball, the sport that my uncles played.

When we moved to Syracuse when I was 11 years old, I spent many days and nights at “The Courts,” a local playground near our house. On one fateful night, I left a brand new baseball glove that my father had bought me at the courts, never to be seen again. It was a symbol. I know part of him was heartbroken that I had not taken up baseball, but he never really let it show. Along with my mother, he was my biggest fan as I embarked on my basketball career at McCluer North High and Lindenwood University. He put all of his energy into mak-

Team performer this season.

Jump East

There was some serious jumping going in the Metro East area last week. Cahokia’s Laderrick Ward was one of the stars at the Collinsville Invitational. Ward won the long jump with a great effort of 24 feet 5 inches. His best effort of the season came earlier in the week at the St. Clair Invitational when he jumped

ing sure I became the best that I could be.

As a coach and a father, he always knew the right thing to say to get us going on the right path. He was always calm, cool, laid-back and under control. That’s what made him such a great coach. I learned my old-school values from him. Always use the backboard, just hand the football to the referee after scoring a touchdown and run out every play to first base.

When my sister Courtney was a senior at McCluer North, she considered quitting the basketball team because she wasn’t getting to play. My father had the magic words for her, and she stayed on the team. Courtney wound up making the game-winning shot in the 1986 state-championship game for her team.

Earlier that day in the hotel room, my father told her that she must stay prepared because she was going to have an impact in the state-championship game. I thought he was crazy because Courtney was playing very little. His words were prophetic because we had

24-6. Granite City’s Marcus Mason won the high jump at the same meet by clearing 6 feet 10 inches. Mason nearly cleared 7-0, just missing on his third and final attempt. On the girls side, Breese Central standout Jena Herman cleared an area best 5 feet 11 inches to win the high jump at the Cahokia Conference meet in Columbia. Herman is the twotime IHSAstate champion in the high jump.

three girls foul out in the fourth quarter and Courtney found herself in the game. In the final seconds, Courtney made the game-winning threepoint play and blocked the potential game-tying shot at the buzzer to give McCluer North the win over Hickman Mills. It was amazing. My father’s patience and passion for baseball finally paid off in the form of my younger brother Richard. He loved baseball as much as my father. From the time Richard was nine years old until he entered high school, my father was the coach of his team, the Florissant Trojans. I was the scorekeeper of the Trojans. We had some great teams and some wonderful times. You had a father and his two sons sharing many great moments on and off the field. What could be better? Our bond only strengthened with Richard being the catalyst. Richard was able to take his baseball career to the professional level as he played several years in the independent minor leagues. Together, my father and I shared many hours

Illinois sectionals

The girls on the Illinois side will be competing in sectional competition this weekend. The IHSAClass 3ASectional at O’Fallon features all of the top large-school teams in the metro east, including East St. Louis, Edwardsville, Belleville East, Belleville West and O’Fallon. The meet begins on Friday at 2 p.m. The IHSA Class 2ASectional involving metro east teams will be held at Marion (Ill.) on Friday.

and logged thousands of miles on the road going to Richard’s games around the country. Those times were priceless.

One of my father’s proudest days came about a month ago when my brother was named the manager of the Frontier League’s Rockford Riverhawks at the age of 33. Not only did his youngest son share his love for baseball, but now he was going to follow in his footsteps as a coach and manager.

We were looking forward to making the drive to Rockford to witness Richard’s managerial debut on May 20. Now, it is a journey that I will have to make by myself. Although my father will not be in the passenger’s seat for this four-anda-half hour trip, I will carry with me a lifetime full of memories to last me the entire trip. God, I love that man and I miss him dearly. But everything I do and everything I am is because of him. People remind me all the time that I remind them of my father. That is the greatest compliment of all.

Nick Coulter

Lance Jeffries

SUGGS

Continued from B1

FOCUS St. Louis’highest honor, for being an “effective agent for change.”

This is the 14th year that local nonprofit FOCUS St. Louis has given awards to groups creating regional solutions through community leadership, as its mission outlines.

The 16 other award winners this year included longtime Harris-Stowe State University President Dr. Henry Givens Jr., Judge Jimmie M. Edwards, the 24:1 initiative led in North County by Beyond Housing and the Midwest China Hub group.

“I am mindful that any small positive contribution I may have been a part of over the years has been largely due to the work of so many others – and my colleagues at The American and members of many of the region’s non-profits, in particular,” Suggs said in his acceptance speech.

Then Suggs put on his “executive editor’s hat,” he said, and gave a brief “editorial” about the opportunity at hand for the region: namely, to make Lambert-St. Louis International Airport an aircargo hub for trade with China.

“Something magical is in the process in the Missouri Legislature, and it’s happening as we speak,” Suggs said.

“For years, this area has been at a total standoff on any new tools for economic development. Last week, the Missouri Senate stepped up and approved the so-called Aerotropolis legislation, the

CUTS

Continued from B1

stay in their homes.Housing counselors have also helped hundreds of thousands of seniors, many of whom are required to receive counseling before taking out a reversemortgage.

Without funding support from HUD, many of these housing counseling programs will be forced to close up shop, cut back services or charge for previously free services.And without the support of HUD-certified housing counselors, many more Americans will find themselves at the mercy of complex mortgage schemes, unscrupulous mortgage negotiators or fraudulent mortgage loan scam artists.

Anew study by the

Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act, called MOSIRA, and a number of other economic development tools, along with what appears to be a compromised version of tax credit reforms.”

The Aerotropolis legislation projects to generate tens of thousands of new jobs and over $22 billion in new economic benefits for the region and state, he said. It would also show China this region’s commitment to making Lambert its new U.S. cargo hub.

In the 1860s and ‘70s, the region’s decision to forego developing railroads was driven by the self-interests of business leaders, Suggs said.

“St. Louis ended up building the Eads Bridge too late in the game to matter for winning the railroads for St. Louis,” he said, and the opportunity went to Chicago.

Then in the 1970s, following years of planning and efforts to build the nation’s next mid-continent international airport in our region at Columbia-Waterloo in Illinois with federal funds, “we once again stubbed our civic toe,” he said.

“Once again, St. Louis snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and missed the opportunity to build the nation’s next mid-continental mega international airport –and subsequently Denver stepped up to build Denver International Airport, filling that need,” he said.

Midwest China Hub

Chairman Mike Jones, an award winner in the “Fostering Regional Cooperation” category, said the region has a good

Mortgage Bankers Association shows that potential homeowners who participate in pre-purchase education and counseling programs may be more likely to pay their mortgages on time; and those who participate in default counseling are more likely to have their loans modified.According to J. Michael Collins, one of the study researchers, “To the extent education or counseling supports stable homeownership, the public has an interest in expanding these programs to prevent the negative impacts of unsuccessful homeownership.”

Foreclosures are not just a financial crisis for families who experience them – they can lead to blighted communities, an increase in crime and family instability. Aweaker housing market means fewer jobs in construction and many other housing-related areas.

In a recent Chicago Tribune

chance at sealing the China hub deal. However, it takes cooperation.

“We had to take ‘I’out of team and put on our ‘we’cap,” Jones said.

Suggs also addressed the region’s journey in equality, as “Improving racial equality and social justice” was an award category.

“I was born and came into adulthood in an era of Jim Crow, a time of de facto racial separation – of separate, but unequal – when people would reject you for no other reason than your race; when to be black was to be under assault,” Suggs said.

“But I am also reminded of and encouraged by how much change one can experience in a lifetime, and FOCUS St. Louis has contributed so much to positive transformative change in our region over the years.” The other 2011 “What’s Right with the Region!” award winners included: Crossroads College Preparatory School, The Magic House, Marian MiddleSchool, Healthy Kids Express – Pediatric Mobil Health Program, Simone Bernstein, St. Louis Bread Co. Cares Café, Healthy Eating with Local Produce, Peter & Paul Community Services, St. Louis Healthy Families, William M. Fogarty Jr., M.D., Educational Equity Consultants, The Haven of Grace, Youth in Need, Francie Broderick and Places for People, Paraquad, and Wings of Hope.

For additional photos from the awards ceremony, see stlamerican.com.

article, Geoff Smith, senior vice president of Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based research and advocacy firm is quoted as saying, “One of the things that’s come out of this (housing) crisis is the importance of counselors, the importance of working with someone to help you understand the true cost of homeownership.” It is clear:the loss of housing counseling will lead to more foreclosures and fewer jobs.It is unconscionable that funds for housing counseling would be eliminated in the midst of the current housing crisis.We urge the Congress to reverse this assault on the middle class and restore HUD’s housing counseling funds in the 2012 budget.

Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

Act like a brat, get treated like a king & BLACK SINGLE

Steve Harvey’s defense of male supremacy

By MK Stallings For the St. Louis American

Men are as emotional as women, if not more. That’s what I learned from reading the irst four chapters of Steve Harvey’s book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.

Now, that’s not how Brother Harvey sees it. In fact, he describes men as logical and unable to express emotion. Conversely, women are described as illogical and emotional creatures. Both are well-known stereotypes.

Yet, Harvey talks about men needing afirmation or else they won’t act right. In fact, he says that men must be treated like kings. Any man who needs to be treated like a king just to motivate him to do some household chores seems emotionally fragile to me.

I am not suggesting that it’s a bad thing for men to be emotional. It’s a good thing. To Brother Harvey’s credit, he notes how men are raised to show no emotion, which I think is true and gender scholars would agree.

However, don’t mistake stoicism and the need for men to repress emotional expression as an absence of emotion. On the contrary, boys are socialized to behave in a way that’s acceptable for our ideas about gender. Boys don’t cry “like a girl” or display a whole range of behaviors that we believe relects femininity. A guy may repress certain emotions, but he feels them all the same. I’ll use Brother Harvey’s book to demonstrate my point.

In his third chapter, “Three Things Every Man Needs,” he writes that a man must feel supported by his woman, he must feel that his woman is loyal, and he must be given unfettered access to “the cookie,” which is sex on-demand. Brother Harvey’s reason for why men need to be supported is that “the entire world is standing at the ready to beat us down.” Therefore, men need to feel as though we can trust women enough to “let our guard down.” Apparently, every man needs to be afirmed of his value to the family. A man needs to be treated like a king.

Here lies the fundamental problem with his perpetuation of the “men are logical, women are emo-

GregAlan Williams is Deacon A.L. Wiley

Acclaimed actor does one-man show at Harris-Stowe for beneit

By

Rebecca S. Rivas

Of The St. Louis American

In low voices, the audience began singing, “We are climbing Jacob’s ladder.”

On a stage, the character of Deacon A. L. Wiley, an African-American man living in the Los Angeles boom town of 1904, had been telling them a story.

“I recall there’s a man,” he said.

“He’s been held down in the slave pins, being held with his family waiting to get sold. And there’s other

families there, and he called them all together. He said, ‘Come on, we got to pray, we got to pray that they sell us all together as a family.’They commenced to prayin’.”

Wiley, played by Emmy-award winner GregAlan Williams, is the sole character in the play The Life and Times of Deacon A.L. Wiley, which he wrote based on the experiences of 19th century AfricansAmericans. The play received the Black Film Makers Hall of Fame Winning Masterpiece Award.

On May 13 and 14, Williams,

known for his roles in the ilms In the Line of Fire and Remember the Titans, will take the stage at Harris-Stowe State University’s Emerson Theater. The production celebrates the stories from elders, all hewn from actual Library of Congress documents. So

GregAlan Williams stars in The Life and Times of Deacon A.L. Wiley May 13-14 at HarrisStowe State University, a fundraiser for a collaborative summer program with the JOSH Partnership.

it’s a itting production to represent the JOSH Partnership and help raise funds for a collaborative summer program, said Lillian Curlett, executive director of the partnership. See PLAY, C4

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

The hardest decision I’ve got to make, is whose life I’m gon’take – D. Stone Karaoke. It’s been nearly three years since Dwight Stone growled that intro across the airwaves of St. Louis radio via Clear Channel’s 100.3 The Beat. Even still, just about everybody in the area with an afinity for hip-hop will be able to recite the line from memory until well after their Alzheimer’s sets in.

For years, “D. Stone Karaoke” was the most popular daily segment – by the most popular DJ – in St. Louis urban radio. Few people knew it at the time, but as he encouraged people to call in to his show, he was struggling with the call that had been placed on his life.

By

“My boss told me, ‘I want the guy that I paid for,’” Stone said. “And I was really struggling with that. I was just trying to hold onto the only life I knew – which was radio.”

Stone ignored the voice inside urging him to leave his top-rated afternoon show. In a fateful turn of events, the entire station ended in fall of 2009.

“He had been inviting me to come and DJ with him,” Stone said of Moore. “I said, ‘That’s great, but I gotta do Plush.’ But

“I had the number one radio show at the radio station and worked at the number one clubs – you do all of that stuff at the same time, you still feel empty,” Stone said. “I didn’t know that there’s a place in you only God can ill.” He had rededicated himself to his Christian walk. His reluctant decision to do so – and partnership with Willie “P. Dub” Moore, a popular rapper and personality who had recently leaped from the world into the Word – would set the stage for a national movement.

YFS, C4

Kenya Vaughn

The St. Louis American

How to place a calendar listing

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

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

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

concerts

May 21, 9 p.m. Bilal with special guest DJ Nune and hosted by Coco Soul, Lola. For more information, visit www.welovelola.com or call (314) 621-7277.

Fri., May 27, 8 p.m., And Beyond Entertainment presents Howard Hewett with special guests Monya Mental and LamarHarris, Lights On Broadway, 8350 N. Broadway. For more information, call (314) 534-1111 or visit www.metrotix.com.

Jun. 12, 6 p.m., Hot 104.1 presents SuperJam 4, Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre. For more information, visit www. hot1041stl.com.

Fri., Jun. 17, 8 p.m., R. Kelly with special guests Keyshia Cole and Marsha Ambrosius, The Chaifetz Arena. For more information, call (314) 5341111.

Sat., Jun. 18, 8 p.m., Earth, Wind and Fire, The Fox Theatre. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

Sun., July 17, 7p.m. (doors open 6p.m.) Lexus Len Production Presents THE BACKWITH AVENGENCE TOUR featuring George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd. Call The (314) 869-9090 or Metrotix (314)534-1111 (metortix.com).

July 28, Sade with special guest John Legend, Scottrade Center. Tickets on sale April 16. For more information visit www.ticketmaster.com

local gigs

May 15, 6 p.m.,Sip n Savor Coffee Cafe will be presenting the dynamic singer, Courtney

Loveless. 286 Debaliviere, 1/2 block north of Forest Park metro-link. For more information call (314) 361-2116 or 704-0289.

St. Louis’own StarCity recording artist Fred Walker performs his (one man)SAXY JAZZ music show at the all new SHRIMPSHACK GRILL , Every Friday (happy hour) 3pm – 7pm, and Saturday (brunch) 10am – 2pm. 8624 Natural Bridge Rd (at Hanley) 314-426-3333.

special events

May 14, Healing & Mending Ministry’s 1st Annual Heaven Sent” Mother’s Day Brunch/Fashion Show Westport Comfort Inn, 12031 Lackland Road, St Louis MO, 63146. For more information, call(314) 255-6181, visit www.healmending.org or email: healingm2@gmail.com

Sat., May 14, 6:30 p.m., The Friends of the University City Public Library’s popularTrivia Night, University City Public Library auditorium, 6701 Delmar, 63130. Register at the Library in person or by phone, 314-7273150.

Sun., May 15, 1 p.m., Southwest Garden Neighborhood’s Home and Sustainable Lifestyles Tour On May 15th, pick-up the tour map at 4950 Southwest Avenue. For more information, please call 314-772-6082 or visit: www.southwestgarden.org.

Sun., May 15, 3 p.m., Jews United forJustice presents their7th Annual HeschelKing Celebration honoring Judge Ronnie White and Judge Rick Teitelman, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Thomas C. Hullverson and Richard B. Teitelmen Center For Justice Building, 4232

CALENDAR

Forest Park

Sun., May 15, 4 p.m., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. & Omnipotence Community Consultants Inc. present Jazz Matinee to benefit St. Louis area tornado victims, Alpha House, 3615 N. 19th St. call (314) 562-8393.

Through May 20, 5 p.m., Applications being accepted forHarris-Stowe State University 2011 Academy for Science and Mathematics (taking place Jun. 26 – Jul. 30). The academy prepares incoming Harris-Stowe State University freshmen for academic success in there first year college level science and mathematics courses. Applications are available at www.hssu.edu/ms. For more information, call (314) 3405955.

Through May 20, Grand CenterInc. is accepting applications for individual dancers, dance troupes and performance artists for the fifth annual Dancing in the Street Festival, held Sept. 24 on the streets of Grand Center. Applications, including a DVD must be submitted by May 20; participants will be notified of their accept-

ance by June 24. To submit a performance application, please contact Rachel Kell at 314-289-1517 or rachel@grandcenter.org Submission forms may also be obtained at www.grandcenter.org. All applications will be reviewed by a selection panel.

Fri., May 20, 9 p.m., SLIM Exclusive All White Birthday Celebration – Part 1hosted by Meagan Good, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Mashonda & Tierra Mari, EXO, 3146 Locust.

Sat., May 21, 11 a.m., Omicron Theta Omega Chapterof Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., presents Pink Pizzazz: An All White Affair featuring the Tim Cunningham Duet, Norwood Hills Country Club, One Norwood Hills Country Club Drive. For more information, call (314) 283-8213.

Sat., May 21, 8 p.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Gamma Omega Chapter3rd Annual Oldies But Goodies Dance, The Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow blvd., For more information, call (314) 973-9801.

May 24, 6:30 p.m., Boys Hope Girls Hope will hold theirannual Hope Couture “By Night” at the Contemporary Art Museum May. Proceeds from this evening of fashion and fun will go to support Boys Hope Girls Hope. BHGH helps academically capable and motivated children-in-need to meet their full potential and become men and women for others by providing value-centered, familylike homes, opportunities and education through college. For more information, call (314)692-7477 or visit www.boyshopegirlshopestl.org

Thurs., May 26, 10 a.m., Community Renewal Development Inc. presents 5th Ward 7th Annual Job Fair. Bring yourresume! The Rhema Church, 2233 Cass Ave. For more information call (314) 289-9900.

May 27 – May 30, The Rib America Festival presented by U.S. Cellular, Soldier’s Memorial Plaza.

Sat., May 28, 12 noon, The 3rd Annual Scholarship Fundraiser, Morehouse Men of Style: AFashion Show Luncheon with special guest Dr. Robert M. Franklin, Jr., president of Morehouse College. Hilton St. Louis Frontenac, 1335 S. Lindbergh. For more information, call (314) 265-8556 or email: maryharperthomas@gmail. com.

May 29, Kut-Nup Productions presents “Sync orSwim” An Ol’School Blast!!!, The Cotton Club, 8132 Scott Ave. For more information, call 314-3677877.

Sat., Jun. 4, London’s Legend Ball #5 “Solid Gold,” Blackmon’s Plaza. For more information, call (618) 7978752.

Sat., Jun. 4, 12 noon, Sumner High School Alumni Association presents the 4th Annual Scholarship & Award Luncheon, Debonaire Banquet Center & Catering, 3515 N. Lindbergh Blvd. call (314) 385-9843.

Jun. 6 – Aug. 12, Best Dance & Talent CenterDance & Activity Camp, (7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Mon.- Fri.) Best Dance and Talent Center, 105 Northwest Plaza. For more information, call (314) 739BEST(2378).

Sat., Jun. 25, 12 noon, Comedy, Wine, Beer& Blues Day Tour, Must be at least 25 or older to attend. Call 314219-4188 for info or register online at www.dayatthewinery.eventbrite.com.

May 19 – May 22, Bill Bellamy, Funnybone at Westport Plaza. For more information, visit www.stlouisfunnybone.com .stlouisfunnybone.com or call 314-4696692.

Tues., May 17, 6 p.m., “DADUM-DUN”: Homage to Miles Davis, Henry Dumas & Katherine Dunham, An annual multi-arts expo in honor of three world-class creative geniuses. East St. Louis (Illinois), in the Multipurpose Room of Bldg. “D” on the SIUE-East St. Louis Higher Education Campus, 601 J.R. Thompson Dr., East St. Louis. theatre

May 12 – May 22, The Lady With All the Answers, COCA’S Black Box Theater 524 Trinity Avenue, University City, MO, 63130. Go to www.cocastl.org or call 314-725-6555 ext 0 or visit the COCAbox office.

May 13 – May 14, JMJ Productions presents I Just Want to Be Loved, 5915 Minerva. For more information, call (314) 437-8937. Through May 15,

Ave.

Bilal Live at Lola.For more information,see CONCERTS.

Louis. For more information, visit umsl.edu/~galvisio or call (314)-516-7922.

May 20 through August 14, Cryptic: The Use of Allegory inContemporary Art with a Master Class from Goya.This exhibition will feature the work of six contemporary artists – Folkert de Jong, Hiraki Sawa, Allison Schulnik, Dana Schutz, Javier Tellez, and Erika Wanenmacher –paired with works by Spanish master Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. (Opening reception May 20, 7 p.m.) Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis,3750 Washington Boulevard. For more information, visit www.camstl.org.

May 28 through May 30, 2011 African Arts Festival featuring African marketplace, African arts and crafts, jewelry, clothing, oils, African Film Festival and children’s entertainment. World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park. Visit wwww.stlafricanartsfest.org for more information and a full activity schedule.

Through August 1, MFA Thesis Exhibition featuring the candidates in Washington University’s Graduate School of Art, part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.

Through August 1, Cosima Von Bonin Character Appreciation, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.

Fri., Jun. 3, opening reception for Roz Flax –Retrospective, Art Dimensions Gallery 2720 Cherokee.

lectures

Thurs., May, 12, 9 a.m., Wells Fargo and Wachovia present a Home Preservation Workshop, The Renaissance Hotel St. Louis Airport, 9801 Natural Bridge Rd. Register online at: www.wfhmevents.com.leadingthewayhome or call (800) 405-8067.

Mon.,May 16, 6 p.m., Black Data Processing AssociatesSt. Louis Chapterpresents An Evening with the CIO Series - Featured Speaker: Carl McCann, V.P., BJC Corporate Solutions, Meridian Building Conference Rooms A1 and A2,BJC Health Care, 8374 Eager Road, Brentwood, MO 63144. Call Toni Love at (314) 374-0516 or Mark Grady at (314) 5150545.

health

Sat. May 14, 8 a.m. – NOON, St. Louis Start! Heart Walk by the American Heart Association, Busch Stadium downtown St. Louis. Walk begins at 9. Admission is free; activities include heart health screenings, healthy snacks, kid’s zone and survivor café. For more information, contact the American Heart Association at (314) 692-5661 or log on to www.metrostlouisheartwalk.org.

Sat., May 14., 9:45 a.m.(Continental Breakfast at 9:15 am) St. Louis Diabetes Coalition presents So What Can I Eat? Featuring Pat Speirs, RD, MS, CDE Loyola University Chicago, Chase Park Plaza Hotel Ballroom, 212 North Kingshighway. Register www.SoWhatCanIEat.com or call 800-845-7355 ext 33876.

Sat., May 14, 10 a.m., The St. Louis Metropolitan Church of Christ will be having their 2nd Annual Women’s Health Fair, 6079 West Florissant Avenue. There will be free lunch provided, health screenings, yoga, massage therapy and an info session about the new healthcare reform.

Genetta Lane of the Healthy Start will also be providing a inspirational message. Call (314)580.3950.

Sat., May 14, 2 p.m., YOURS MARKEThost “Healthy Juicing” with The Juice Box presented by Shawn McKie. McKie will discuss in this demonstration how to juice nutritional produce and how to blend your favorite fruit or vegetable into a tasty smoothie. The Juice Box will also have available supplemental for your juicing mix. 8005 Broadway. Hours of operation are Monday –Thursday 7am-7pm, FridaySaturday 7am-8pm and Sunday 8am – 5p.m. For more information go to www.yoursmarket.org or call 314-553-9270.

Thurs. May 19, 12:30 p.m., Christian Hospital Blood Drive at Northwest Healthcare in the community room. Make appointments online at www.redcrossblood.org and use the sponsor code, NorthwestHealthCare.

Thurs. May 19, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. - “Caring forthe One You Love,” Crowne Plaza St. Louis-Clayton Hotel, sponsored by Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Memory Care Home Solutions. The event is free, but registration is required. To register, call 314-

TOP-DOCS (314-867-3627) or toll-free 866-867-3627.

Sat. May 21, 7 a.m., Stride forSIDS 5K Run/Walk, Carondelet Park, St. Louis. To register, go to www.StridesForSIDS.com or call 800-421-3511

Sat. May 21, 10 a.m., Blood Drive at Christ Our Redeemer AME Church, 13820 Old Jamestown Road in Black Jack, Mo. Please bring a valid photo ID when you arrive to donate. Make an appointment at redcrossblood.org or call 1800-RED-CROSS (1-800-7332767).

May 21, 5 p.m., More than 1,500 teens and their families are expected to gather in St. Louis County to give a voice to all young teens who struggle with depression and to remember those who lost their life to suicide. Working to combat this destructive trend among adolescents, CHADS Coalition for Mental Health hosts its fifth annual “Kids Walking for Kids – ACelebration of Hope!” (KWK) from 5 to 9 p.m., Saturday, May 21 in Creve Coeur Park, Maryland Heights.

June 4-5, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

ASID DesignerHome Tour benefitting Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Tickets are $25 each and for groups of six or more, tickets are $20 each. Homes are located in easy to find areas of Kirkwood, West County and St. Charles. For tickets contact (314) 427-7933, visit the Concierge’s Desk at Plaza Frontenac or http://www.stldesignerhometour.info

Tues. June 7, 8 a.m. Free1Day Training forPotential Hospital Trustees by the Institute forDiversity in Health Management and the CenterforHealthcare Governance of the American

Omicron Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., presents Pink Pizzazz:An All White Affair featuring the Tim Cunningham Duet.See SPECIAL EVENTS for details

Hospital Association, Chase Park Plaza Hotel. Complimentary breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and a 5 p.m. reception. Submit registration online at www.americangovernance. com/tcregistration.

Wed. June 8, Christian Hospital blood drive in the Detrick Building Atrium, 11133 Dunn Rd at the I270/Hwy 367 interchange. Make appointments online at www.redcrossblood.org and use the sponsor code, ChristianHospital; or contact Sandy Barnes at 314-653-5719 or slm9123@bjc.org

Sat. June 11, Susan G. Komen Race forthe Cure, downtown St. Louis. For more information, go to www.komenstlouis.org.

Thurs. June 16, 11:45 a.m., “Preparing OurFaith Communities forDisasters,” a faith based emergency preparedness conference at St. Louis University - DuBourg Hall - Refectory Room 157, 221 N. Grand in St. Louis. Space is limited to one person from the first 150 churches. Food and parking is provided. Registration begins May 1deadline is June 3. Churches can register by calling Cathy Harris at 314-977-8274 or email charri29@slu.edu

Sat. June 18, 7 a.m. - 2nd

Annual Ronald McDonald House Charities of Metro St. Louis’Bike Ride in Forest Park. The event has five race options: To ride, volunteer or for more information, visit www.rmhcridestl.com, 314932-4146 or e-mail lfletcher@rmhcstl.com.

Sun. June 19, Katy Trail Father’s Day Family Bike Ride, to benefit prostate cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. Riders can start from a designated KATY Trailhead and ride to Defiance, Mo. Pre-registration is $10.00 ($15.00 day of ride). For more information, or to sign-up, go to www.fathersdaybikeride.com.

Sat., Jun. 25, 7:30 a.m., CHIPS Health and Wellness Center11th Annual 5k Run/Walk and 1 Mile Fun Walk and Community Health Festival, CHIPS Health and Wellness Center, 2431 N. Grand Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63106. For more information, call (314) 652-9231 Ext.20.

First Thursdays, 10 a.m.Family Support Group by NAMI St. Louis, The Alliance on Mental Illness at the Grace Hill MurphyO’Fallon Health Center, 1717 Biddle St. No registration needed; no cost. For more information, contact Allen Daniel, 314-814-8579.

Free psychiatric and chemical dependency evaluations are confidential at the Christian Hospital Center for Mental Health. Call 314-8393171.

Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. –7:30 p.m., STEPS Schizophrenia Support Group This nationally recognized program provides education and support for those with schizophrenia. Group is facilitated by an experienced STEPS nurse. For more information, call 314-839-3171.

Mondays, 7 p.m., “Tobacco Free forLife” support group – free weekly meetings at St. Peters Mo. City Hall. Supported by SSM Cancer Care; RSVPinitial participation to 636-9475304.

Alcoholics Anonymous Group 109 meets in the 11th floor conference room at Christian Hospital. This is an open meeting for alcoholics, drug addicts and their family and friends. Sundays, 10 a.m. Christian Hospital, 11133 Dunn Road at I-270/Hwy. 367.

Sundays, 10 a.m., Alcoholics Anonymous Group 109 meets in the 11th floor conference room at Christian Hospital, 11133 Dunn Road at I-270/Hwy. 367. This is an open meeting for alcoholics, drug addicts and their family and friends.

The American Cancer Society offers free transportation services through a program called Road the Recovery, but more volunteers are needed to make certain that every patient has access to their lifesaving care. The program is in great need of volunteer drivers in St. Louis City and County. To learn more about Road to Recovery and become a volunteer, please call Kaci Hubbard at 314-286-8174.

Thurs., May 19, 7 p.m., An Evening of Worship with Wellspring Church featuring Maurette Brown Clark and PastorF. Willis Johnson, New Northside Family Life Conference Center, 5939 Goodfellow Blvd. For more information, call (314) 5214217.

Sun., Jun. 5, 12 noon, GreaterRising StarM B Church Building Fund Fellowship, Fellowship hall, 1819 N. Prairie at Garfield. For more information, call (314)-383-1115.

PLAY

Continued from C1

Formed two years ago, the JOSH Partnership includes three non-profit groups working together to provide after-school and summer programs for atrisk African-American students in low-performing schools. The teachers of these programs are all college students, the majority African-American from Harris-Stowe.

“A big piece of who we are came out the black church,” Curlett said. “We are all faithbased. This play is also about life in a black church. And the views of those struggles in a black church are all from one man’s point of view. It’s appropriate that it come to St. Louis.”

In 1993, Curlett helped to found the Jamison Memorial Human Resource and Development Agency. Over the past 10 years, Curlett has collaborated with St. John’s Community Improvement Corporation, which helps teenagers 14 to 16 learn to operate in a business setting. They also have a tutoring component, which aids students in the after-school programs to raise their reading levels, often by two grades.

Jamison Memorial had also

been working closely with HopeBUILD a gardening and nutrition program. For the summer program, HopeBUILD works with students to care for the food gardens one day a week, and then teaches about recipes and how to grow their own food.

Since the three groups were already sharing resources, they decided to become a partnership. “This world is not going to change until we turn around our students,” Curlett said.

n

“I

think the play is going to be awesome for the St. Louis audience because of GregAlan.”

– Lillian Curlett

The fundraiser will support the partnership’s summer programming, where they aim to serve at least 150 children. The programs are held at St. John’s AME Church and Normandy United Methodist Church.

“I think the play is going to be awesome for the St. Louis audience because of GregAlan,” she said. “There’s power

in his presentation, power in his voice. The other side is his interest in helping African-American students and historically black colleges and universities.”

Williams has starred in television shows, such as Baywatch, The West Wing, The Sopranos, The District, City of Angels, The Game, Law and Order and Drop Dead Diva

In 1992, millions around the world watched him rescue a brutally beaten motorist at the riot-torn intersection of Florence and Normandy in Los Angeles. Williams was honored for his rescue of the JapaneseAmerican motorist who was pulled out of his car and beaten by a mob.

In the play as Deacon A.L. Wiley, Williams finishes his story to the audience by telling them how courageous slaves would come out of their cabins at night and softly sing, “We are climbing Jacob’s ladder.”

“But you ain’t got to sing soft no more,” he told the audience.

The show runs May 13-14 at Harris-Stowe State University’s Emerson Theater, 3026 Laclede Ave. General admission is $35, or $50 for VIP, which includes a reception and meeting with GregAlan Williams after the show. For tickets, call 314-5341111. For VIP tickets, call Lillian Curlett at 314-269-6450.

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will see these definitively African-American experiences in the United States are shared in a host of countries – including the triumphant survival of apartheid, African refugees arriving in Canada and a fallout from a Montserrat volcano.

“We are the same people with the same story,” Coker said. “We have the same heart.” Coker used historical references as he presented his case.

YFS

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when The Beat went away I didn’t have any more excuses. I kinda felt like Jonah, and was like, ‘Okay, God, I’ll go ahead and do it your way.’”

D. Stone and Moore kicked Young Fly and Saved into high gear immediately afterwards.

“I felt like I was at a place where a lot of people are –they can’t stand because of what they do,” Stone said. “I thought, ‘Because I’m no longer in a place where I have to compromise and be what everybody wants me to be, I can go ahead and be what God wants me to be.’” God wanted him to use the same tools he used to

SINGLE

Continued from C1

tional” stereotype: any man who needs someone to make him feel like a king must not have the self confidence necessary to “be” one. This emotional need for affirmation becomes borderline childish when Harvey says that men would fold up a “load of laundry … more often if there is reward in it.” If an adult needs his ego stroked to fold laundry, then he is beyond emotional. He is a brat.

Harvey’s point about loyalty doesn’t deserve much discussion except to say that irrational distrust of women is the root of misogyny. I remember being in relationships where I couldn’t fully

“Why are so many African Americans Baptist?” Coker said. “It is the water. When you look at Vodun, Santeria and Candomblé Jeje – religions from all over the world with roots in African culture – the power is in the water.” The films of the festival –which also feature a few from the African-American perspective – further drive home his point. Lana Lovell’s Resilience: Stories of Single Black Mothers sounds like the African-American family structure system. But Canadian black women are the face of this film. These

draw people into his show to co-anchor the Young Fly and Saved ministry.

“It had to be something that young people could grab a hold to, but was cool – and they could still keep their swag,” Moore said. “But at the end of the day, let them transition into the person they were called to be and not forced to be.” The funny thing is, the fame he sought in the mainstream paled in comparison to the success he saw when he began to operate in obedience.

“In the greatest moments of my hip-hop days, I’ve never had a platform like this,” Stone said. Stone is now heard on faithbased radio around the nation. Stone was also featured in the most recent edition of Ebony Magazine to discuss Young Fly and Saved.

trust the woman I dated and as result I was a terrible mate. I didn’t realize that my view of women was not based on baggage from bad relationships, but from stereotypes perpetuated by songs like Dr. Dre’s “B*****s ain’t S***” and other dehumanizing songs that gave me comfort in the face (or in anticipation) of rejection.

Harvey’s last point about a man needing “the cookie” or else he will cheat is inaccurate and coercive. His depiction of a woman coming home from her job only to work a “second shift” in keeping up the house, while an important point, is a clear indication of what he views as women’s work. He adds to her duties by saying that she needs to put in work in the bedroom to keep him satisfied and faithful.

women discuss the challenges and consequences of being forced to assume mother and father roles while balancing love, life, work.

Through his world travels as an educator, scholar, playwright and filmmaker, Coker has seen first-hand that the songs of the Diaspora are sung in sync.

Thanks to the Africa World Documentary Film Festival, Africans and African Americans have an invaluable opportunity to view our likeness without leaving our comfort zones.

“Over the years, the festival brings out mostly Africans,” Andemariam said. “So, in

“Our goal is to inspire, influence and unite and bridge the gap between the church and the streets. We love them while they are in the process,” Moore said.

“I think about when Jesus met Paul. He was on his way to Damascus. What if Jesus would have said, ‘You know what? I’m just going to wait for him to come to me?’ Paul might not have ever made it, and two-thirds of The Bible would not be available to us.”

“There’s righteousness, and then there’s self-righteousness,” Stone said. “When you start seeing yourself as better than other people, you can’t help them. Calvary didn’t have a VIP. He died for everybody.”

For more information on Young Fly and Saved, visit www.theyfs.com or call 314910-1153.

If a woman has to engage in extra work by making herself give up “the cookie” to her man, supporting him like a king, and reassuring him that she’s loyal – all while holding down a real job (that pays) – then maybe he’s not worth keeping. Maybe she needs to find someone she loves giving “the cookie” to, who demonstrates his loyalty to her as she would to him, and who has her back like she has his.

Bottom-line: Real adults do real things like loving unconditionally and not resorting to creating false gender distinctions to justify male supremacy.

MK Stallings also writes for mkstallings.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/afroscribe or friend him on FaceBook.

a sense, we feel like we are preaching to the choir. We are happy with the support we receive, but I feel like if the African-American community would come, they would see all of the commonalities among all of the people of the Diaspora.” The Africa World Documentary Film Festival 2011 will take place from Thurs., May 12 – May 15 at the Missouri History Museum. For more information and a full schedule, visit http://www.africaworldfilmfestival.com/2011/schedule or http://www.mohistory.org/ category/event-type/films/special.

By Melanie Adams

African film comes to St. Louis

Africa World

Documentary

Film Festival, May 12 – 15

The History Museum is happy to be partnering with the University of Missouri-St. Louis to bring the Africa World Documentary Film Festival to St. Louis. Each year the festival provides enlightening educational documentaries that promote the knowledge and culture of the people of Africa, in a PanAfrican context.

The film festival is run by Niyi Coker, Jr. the E. Desmond Lee Professor in the Department of Theatre, Dance and Media Studies. Coker has directed over 50 major stage productions around the world. He has also served as director for several professional theatre companies ranging from the National Theatre of Nigeria, to Malmo Hogskola in Sweden and others in Copenhagen, Denmark, Ghana and England. He is working on a new documentary film titled “OTA BENGA” based on the 1904 St. Louis Worlds Fair.

I had the opportunity to speak with Coker about this year’s Festival.

How did you decide that St. Louis would be a good host for the Africa World Documentary Film Festival?

The Africa World Documentary Film Festival is made possible by the generosity of St. Louis Philanthropist E. Desmond Lee. His desire to see the fostering and understanding of African and African American Culture in the St. Louis area led to the creation of an Endowed Chair in the Centre for International Studies at UMSL. Naturally, we thought there was a synergy between his endowment and hosting the St. Louis segment of the festival at the MHM’s Lee Auditorium.

Many people just see the end product, the documentaries, but can you talk a little about the work that goes into developing a film festival?

Putting together a film festival is quite a complex task. Film makers spend a great deal of time and money in making their documentary films. Upon completion, they want the films seen by a significant audience and hope that it can receive the proper acclamation and response. As a result, they have to be very selective of the festivals that they respond to – or where they select eventually to submit their work. You want a film festival that is ethical and that promotes your film with the fullest exposure. You also want a festival where you can build a trust relationship. When filmmakers have a good experience

Niyi Coker Jr., Africa World Documentary Film Festival program director, and E. Desmond Lee, festival benefactor who passed away in 2010.

with festivals, they very quickly recommend the same festival to their colleagues doing similar work. Our job as festival organizers is to canvas for submissions and then to screen the submissions for the appropriate documentaries matching our mission.

We receive at least 300 submissions annually. The entire process from the Call for Film Submission, previews and the Festival itself is at least 8 months.

There are over 30 documentaries in the lineup for this year. If someone can only see one documentary, which one do you recommend?

That’s a tough one! We have come to know these documentaries and documentary makers. Each one speaks to a different issue.

“An African Election” examines the recent Presidential elections in Ghana, proving that there are successful election stories in Africa.

“Enter the Demon Drummer” follows Israeli drum fans to Mali in Africa where they go to learn from Muslim drummers. “The Zambezi” examines the power of nature and ecosystems in Africa.

“125 Franco’s Blvd” is the story of a Harlem Mural Art legend facing extinction in a new Harlem. “Sombras” explores the life of African Illegal immigrants living in the shadows in Spain. “Cointelpro” recalls the role that the US government played in destruction and demise of Civil Rights activists in the 50s, 60s and 70s. And the list goes on! Each one has its own special quality, provocative and illuminating on several levels: That is the beauty of the documentary films.

Africa World Documentary Film Festival

FREE • Thursday, May 12 – Sunday, May 15

Please go to www.mohistory.org for the schedule of films

For a complete list of programs please visit mohistory.org.

Reunions

The Douglass School Alumni Collective presents an “Old School” Dance, Sat., May 21, from 8 p.m. until Midnight, at the Webster Groves Recreation Complex, 33 East Glendale Avenue, Webster Groves, MO 63119. Donation is $15 per person. BYOB. For additional information please call: 314495-5150.Proceeds from this event will be used to sponsor

an honorary evening for current president of Harris Stowe State University, Dr. Henry Givens, Jr., in recognition of his early contribution to Douglass School in Webster Groves, Missouri.

Beaumont High School Class of 1965 is looking for all classmates interested in celebrating our 45-year reunion. We are in the process of planning a dinner/dance.Your contact information is needed ASAP. Pleaseemail LaLinda Newsom Diggs at lalindadiggs@sbcglobal.net.

Beaumont High Class of 1971 has scheduled its 40-year reunion for August 5-7, 2011. E-mail your contact information to beaumont71alumni@ yahoo.com for details.

~ CELEBRATIONS ~

Birthdays

Beaumont High School Class of 1976 will have its 35th year reunionAugust 19-21, 2011. Friday night,August 19: meet & greet hospitality suite St. Louis AirportRenaissance Hotel, Saturday August 20: a DinnerDanceSt. Louis Airport Renaissance Hotel Penthouse & Sunday August 21: worship & picnic.For more detailed information pleaseemail bhs1976@swbell.net or visit our website at http://desyco.tripod.com.

East St. Louis Lincoln Class of 1971, calling all classmates interested in their 40-year reunion, please send your contact info to: Lincoln Class of 1971, PO Box 1430, East St. Louis, IL62202. Email us at ESTLLincoln1971@hotmail.c om, on Facebook at

Etta Henderson will celebrate her 100th birthday on May 17, 2011. Etta was married for 50 years to the late Rev. Aaron Henderson. She is a member of Compton Hill Missionary Baptist Church. She says the key to longevity is loving the good Lord, sharing and trying to help someone along the way.

ESLLinconPenn or call 618-

781-4888 or 314-249-7295.

Hadley Technical High School class of 1961 is preparing for its 50-year reunion in 2011. We are seeking contact information to complete our directory. For more information contact Ralph Johnson 314-477-2042 or William Perry 314-531-3170.

Kinloch High School Class of 1970 will host their 41st Reunion Dinner Dance on June 10, 2011 at the Heart of St. Charles Banquet Center. Please contact Arlene Davis at 4800103, Lester Wilson at 8632180, or Mc McKinnies at 524-0126 for additional information.

Riddick School/ Neighborhood Reunion will

be held September2-3, 2011. Friday, 9/2/11: Meet and Greet, Saturday, 9/3/11: Picnic (Forest Park). Costs: $30/individual, $60/couple, $75/family. Make money orders or cashier checks payable to: Riddick School Reunion, P.O. Box 52003 St. Louis, 63136. Please do not send cash or personal checks. For additional information, please contact: Wanda Simmsat 314-383-7046, Wanette Johnsonat 314-869-9692 or Catherine Kendricksat 314741-4059.

Soldan Class of 1976 is celebrating its 35-year reunion during the weekend of June 10-12.We're looking for all alumni to participate. Contact us via e-mail:soldanclass 76@yahoo.com

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, graduation, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to: St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 4242 Lindell Ave St. Louis, MO 63108 FREE OF CHARGE

Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us! However, notices may also be sent \by mail to: Kate Daniel, 4242 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108. Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us. Our email address is: reunions@ stlamerican.com

RELIGION

Spirituality assists in recovery from trauma

New study shows religious practice helped people cope with 9/11

American staff

In a new study published in the current issue of the Journal of Behavioral Medicine researchers from the University of Denver, the University at Buffalo and the University of California, Irvine report that after a collective trauma, religiosity and spirituality independently predict people’s health outcomes.

A collective trauma is deined as a traumatic event that happens simultaneously to a large number of people – 9/11, in this case.

The study, “The Distinct Roles of Spirituality and Religiosity in Physical and Mental Health after Collective Trauma: A National Longitudinal Study of Responses to the 9/11 Attacks,” was conducted by Daniel N. McIntosh, PhD, professor of psychology at University of Denver; Michael J. Poulin, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at University at Buffalo; and E. Alison Holman, PhD, assistant professor of nursing science, UC Irvine.

In the three years following 9/11, they found that religious individuals (i.e., those who participated in religious social structures by attending services) had a higher positive affect, fewer cognitive intrusions (unwanted intrusive thoughts about 9/11), and lower odds of new onset mental and musculoskeletal ailments than among those in the study who expressed no religious or spiritual proclivities. Those who were high versus

A new paper in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, “The Distinct Roles of Spirituality and Religiosity in Physical and Mental Health after Collective Trauma,” reports on a national study of responses to the 9/11 attacks.

low in spirituality (i.e. feeling a personal commitment to spiritual or religious beliefs) had a higher positive affect, lower odds of new onset infectious ailments and more cognitive intrusions, but a more rapid decline in intrusions over time.

“These indings focused on responses to a collective trauma,” Poulin says, “but they may apply to stress and coping more generally.”

Health information was collected from a nationally representative sample of 890 adults before 9/11. The subjects’ health, religiosity and spirituality were assessed longitudinally during six waves of data collection for three years following 9/11.

“Across that time span, with numerous controls, religiosity and spirituality were found to be independently and differentially related to mental and

physical health,” Poulin says, “so they are not interchangeable indices of religion.”

The study controlled for age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, education and household income as well as direct exposure to the attacks, lifetime exposure to stressful events and such health risk factors as body mass index and smoking.

Galilee celebrates

pastoral anniversary

Galilee Baptist Church, 4300 Delmar, will celebrate the 19th Pastoral Anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Carton Ray Caldwell, along with irst lady, Sis Aurita Prince-Caldwell. At 6 p.m. Saturday, May 21 they will show love to our irst lady with guest speaker Sis D. Wooten, president of the Berean District

Ministers Wives. Celebration continues 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 22 with Rev. C. Dennis Edwards, pastor, St. John M.B. Church, choir and members.

Gospel Skate

New Jerusalem Temple Church of God (8204 Page Blvd. in Vinita Park) will host a Gospel Skate at the St. Louis Skatium, 120 E. Catalan Ave. on Friday, May 13 from 8 p.m. to midnight . Tickets are $5 in advance or $6 at the door. Tickets include skate rental. Call Sis. Cecelia Key 314-420-3791.

Morning Glory

Kingdom Women Ministries presents Morning Glory: Lessons On Prayer 8-10 a.m. Saturday, May 21 at Prince of Peace Church, 2741 Dayton St. Visit www.kingdomwomen.org or email kingdomwomen1109@ yahoo.com

Rev. William G. Gillespie Avenue

Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church, under the leadership of Designated Pastor Rev. Dr. Mary Newbern-Williams, will celebrate the dedication of two blocks of Marcus Avenue, from St. Louis Avenue to Greer Avenue, as Rev. William G. Gillespie Avenue for his 53 years of leadership and service to this community . Alderman Sam Moore will present an Ordinance proclaiming the approval of the street name change. The event will be noon Sunday, May 22 at the corner of Marcus and Labadie Avenue. Call 314-381-2770.

God says: don’t worry

We live in a day and time that nobody trusts anybody. We have had bad experiences in life, and as a result, we have learned not to trust anybody or anything other than ourselves. Consequently, we have become very cynical, especially when someone offers to help us to get where we’re trying to go. Since we have trouble trusting a person we see every day, we most certainly will have a dificult time trusting someone we cannot see, namely our Heavenly Father. When we realize that something’s out of our control, the next step is naturally to worry. One day I was so worried about how a situation would play out, I could not sleep that night and I did not want to awaken the next morning. Worry had turned into depression.

According to the Word of God, as found in Matthew 6:25-34, part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He teaches that worrying has no place with the people of God. Is there anything in your life that’s causing you to worry? Have you asked yourself, how can I stop worrying? Why worry anyway?

In the KJV, Mathew 6:25 uses the phrase “take no thought,” which is rendered as “do not worry,” in other translations. In verse 31, three questions are identiied as worry: what shall we eat? what shall we drink? what shall we wear? It can also be said that worry is created by unanswered questions in your mind. He answered each question by referring to the Father. He gave them a fuller revelation of who their Heavenly Father was. God was being revealed as their provider. He also declared in v.27 that worrying was a wasted effort. Things cannot be changed by worrying. That brings the point home to us in this day and time. Jesus replaced worrying with a working knowledge of God. What do you know about God? Can what you know about God carry you through the tough times? If you don’t know Him at all, don’t you think it’s time to get acquainted with Him? You can start by opening a Bible and asking God to reveal Himself to you. Reynolds is associate minister, Tabernacle Memorial Church of God in Christ.

Accepting Inspirational Messages

The American is accepting Inspirational Messages from the community. Send your column (no more than 500 words) as a Word document and pasted text to cking@stlamerican.com and attach a photo of yourself as a jpeg ile. Please be patient; we will run columns in the order received.

Eld.

Janson Reynolds

Celebrity Swagger Snap of the Week

Soul crooner and St. Louis favorite Eric Benet was one of a group of big names who came to town for the sake of the 2nd Annual St. Louis Music Festival Friday night at the Chaifetz Arena. But before he brought the house down, he was backstage getting plenty of St.

R.I.P. to an ‘American’original. I really hate to kick off this week with such a somber tone, but all wouldn’t be well with my soul if I didn’t say somethin’ in tribute to one of my best work friends. And the truth is, most of y’all wouldn’t even know about me if it weren’t for Paul Reiter. He was the one to make sure my words made it into your hands EVERY WEEK. We are truly a family at the American and Paul – Pauly as he was known among the ladies in the ofice – was the lovingly eccentric big brother of the bunch. His death is as tragic as it is senseless and I hope that sooner than later a movement takes place in the community that inally makes young people understand the pointlessness of violence and crime. I didn’t mean to get on any type of soapbox, but it was necessary. I said all of that to say Goodbye Pauly – not only from me, but on behalf of all of the people who grew up on me because of your 22-year commitment of serving the community through The St. Louis American Midnight musicfest: the neverending intro. So when I punched it over to this year’s St. Louis Super Music Fest at the Chaifetz, I just knew that I was gonna be served a show of true soul from top to bottom. Instead, what I got in return was a tired fashion show, an aggravated comedian/host, and a show that seemed to not start until the next day. When I walked into the Chaifetz, all of St. Louis seemed to be in the building wearin’ what they thought was their Sunday’s best. Much to their detriment it was more like May Day Parade circa 1999. Besides the usual linen pants suits and sun dresses, there was a gentleman that seemed to show up to audition for a revival of Vampire in Brooklyn rather than a concert. His hair was freshly relaxed and pressed from the root as it sat like a Hawaiian Silky on the shoulders of his all white denim vest and pants set. Rickey Smiley took to the stage just as the side of my face and shoulder proceeded to get punished by the same tired line of broads, that seem to always make their presence known at events in town, commenced to their grand entrance sashay rockin’ the biggest pocketbooks they can ind. To Rickey’s credit, he managed to take the stage as host at a relatively timely manner. He did his best to rouse the crowd with a few select jokes, an impromptu fashion show, and staple soul jams. But as a couple of hours seemingly passed, few select audience members began to become suspicious. Even Smiley himself threw its and wondered when the show will commence.

Let the music begin. Finally, an hour and half after the fact of the scheduled show time, En Vogue took the stage. Decorated as a bag of M&Ms with 16 inch ponytails, the ladies came out in true colorful form. However, the ladies sounded as if they gargled with knives…and the crowd wasn’t moved. Thankfully, as they lapsed into more familiar songs such as “My Lovin (Never Gonna Get It)” and “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” they were able to regain ground. Closing out the set with “What’s It Gonna Be” and “Free Your Mind,” En Vogue truly reminded us of why we fell in love with them in the irst place. Next up was the silky smooth Eric Benet Unlike The Princess & The Frogs En Vogue, Benet came out vocally strong out the gate. However, I was a bit disappointed that his set went almost exactly as it did when he was at the Fox with Fantasia in January. I mean c’mon. I think there was deinitely enough time to maybe refresh the set. However, in the end, I do believe Benet did his job – which is apparently a signature of singin’ to the high heavens. Fantasia also suffered the same shortcomin’ as she opened with the same medley of songs she did when she headlined a few months ago. However, Tasia knew she had the audience in the palm of her hand regardless as her swollen feet made their usual appearance within minutes into her set. Decked in a black body suit with no spanx to speak of Fantasia wailed the house down. As she screeched through “Free Yourself” and “Collard Greens and Cornbread” – all the while leavin’ greasy footprints all over the stage – the crowd ate it up like Sweetie Pies on a Sunday. As the clock struck midnight, Charlie Wilson choo-chooed his way on stage decked in sequence-dipped railroad attire. In the midst of dancers hittin’ 6 o’clock kicks, Wilson went through the hits showcasing both Gap Band and solo signatures. Although it seemed Wilson was a bit lustered and out of breath within the irst couple of selections, he still pushed through, showing that even 60 year olds can still get down with the best of them. “Early in the Morning”, “Outstanding”, “There Goes My Baby”, and “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” all lavored Uncle Charlie’s set as I quietly was ighting a nap. If it wasn’t for Wilson’s occasional high pitched whistles, I have been knee deep into a coma. Martin’s memory lane laughter attempt. I had to run in and out all night long, but thanks to one show being extremely abbreviated and the other long awaited and winded I managed to swing both of the hot tickets among the urban folks on Friday night. I’m happy to announce they ran neck and neck on attendance – even though I was nervous when I looked around the Scottrade at 8 p.m. I should have known that at 8:22 p.m. that there would be a mass entrance to pack the place out. Melanie Camarcho was up irst. I’ve seen Super Bowl commercials longer than her set – but I laughed the entire 58 seconds. I know y’all want me to get to the main attraction, but I decided to make y’all suffer like I did when I sat through 39 minutes of clips before Martin inally graced the stage. Everyone has been askin’ the same question since the show was announced. “Will Martin Lawrence rip it for his comedy comeback?” Well, I’ll just say that I would have been weak with laughter…had it been 2008! At least now I know where he’s been the past few years –in a doggone time capsule. He must have been sealed in just before President Obama kicked off his campaign. Marty Mar, before you hit your next city, be mindful of a few things. First, we’ve had a brother in the White House for three years. Flavor Flav has been off of the air and slanging chicken for two years and as far as O.J. Simpson you know what, never mind. I was expectin’ him to bust out with a “Girl, you so crazy.” I know he was resistin’ the urge. After he offered up stale “current event” humor, he got really raunchy with it. Martin was apparently following the “if all else fails, talk about doin’ it – and be as downright

as possible” last ditch effort strategy that’s a standard among black comedians. I wasn’t expecting much, yet somehow I was expecting more than what

nasty

he served up from the vault

Young Jeezy rips the mic Friday night for a special LooseCannon Ent. production @ Posh

Paris and Sean Friday night @ Lola

Yolanda, Janet and Mahogany Friday night @ Lola

Hot 104.1’s own Tony J, Staci Static and Dj Cuddy holding it down on ight night @ The Loft

Stephanie kicks it for ight night Saturday night @ The Loft

Al keeping things in order Saturday night @ EXO

Andrea, Ashley, Jamila, Tyra, Claissa, Brittany Saturday night @ The Loft

Lea and Dj Kasel Saturday night @ The Gramophone

Louis love from locals like the lovely Halima.

Bea and Cash came through Posh Friday night to see Young Jeezy

Mr. and Mrs. Nato Caliph enjoy some of STL’s inest hip-hop Saturday night @ The Gramophone

Jay and Ebony hanging outside Lola Friday night

Joe, Danille, Kevin and Brandon @ SOL Saturdays @ EXO

Photos by Lawrence Bryant

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN The

Preaching ‘expectations, education and responsibility’

Special to The American

In a return visit to the Hazelwood School District, motivational speaker and author Wes Moore spoke to students from Hazelwood Central and Hazelwood West high schools at an assembly at Hazelwood Central.

Moore’s book, “The Other Wes Moore” is a New York Times Best Seller. It shares his personal story, and that of another man, also named Wes Moore. Both men are of similar age, grew up in the same city within blocks of each other, lived in single-parent households, yet the decisions and choices made by the men led them to different lives.

“The smallest decisions will change your life,” Moore began. He explained the death of his father when he was a child, and his mother moving their family to South Bronx from Baltimore. He was candid about the environment of his new neighborhood and his search to find himself.

“I was searching for manhood, an identity. I was trying hard to be liked and accepted by friends,” Moore said.

He talked about his behavior, his grades and the struggle his mother had with trying to

help him do better. “I rebelled and fought back,” he said. His mother threatened him with military school, and when he was 12 years old, she’d had enough after seeing his report card. She sent him to school in Pennsylvania.

Moore talked about his experience, revealing that he tried to run away four times in the first four days at school by running out of the gates. Finally, he was given a chance to call his mother and plead with her to let him come home.

His mother told him that too many people were making sacrifices for him, and that too many people wanted him to succeed. He said he eventually understood what she meant, as well as the importance of being accountable. He finished military school and continued on to community college, then to Johns Hopkins University.

In December 2000, The Baltimore Sun newspaper published an article about Moore receiving The Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford in England. According to The Rhodes Trust website, each year, 32 citizens from the United States are among 80 Rhodes Scholars selected

worldwide.

At the same time, the Sun was running stories about four men who were arrested for the death of an off-duty Baltimore police officer during a robbery. One of the men was the other Wes Moore.

“While I was getting ready to leave for England, thousands of miles from home, Wes was going to a maximum

security facility for the rest of his life, only 25 miles away,” he said.

Moore’s curiosity about the other Wes turned into a letter to the imprisoned man.

“To this day, it is the most articulate, most introspective letter I’ve ever received. He answered all of my questions, and now, we’ve had a connection for the last seven years,”

Wes Moore, author and motivational speaker, met with students and signed copies of his book after an assembly at Hazelwood Central High School. Moore spoke to students from Hazelwood Central and Hazelwood West high schools.

he said.

One of the messages of the story of the two Wes Moore’s is “expectations matter. They are the most important, as important as education and responsibility.”

Darrell Strong, principal of Hazelwood Central, thinks Moore’s visit had a positive impact on the students.

“I think his testimony was

inspiring to many students.

For the rest of the day, discussions were heard by students about how one choice can make all the difference in where they go in life. They discussed things like maybe not going to a certain party and being careful about picking friends,” Strong said.

“The most significant points he made for the students were about taking control of their future, going after things that are worthwhile because they just don’t come to you, and that life isn’t easy for anyone, but if you believe in yourself and humble yourself to learn, great things will happen for you,” he continued.

Strong thinks it’s important for students to hear real life stories of tragedy and triumph “because they’re able to put a face with an experience.”

“Many teenagers feel as though no one knows what they’re going through and that they wouldn’t understand if they explained it. Having the benefit of someone sharing experiences that may be the same, or worse than, what they’re going through can provide them with the knowledge that they can make it and do great things in their life,” said Strong.

Wes Moore hypes students at Hazelwood Central High School