May 23rd, 2013 edition

Black supers by the numbers

Nine African Americans lead area public school districts

By Rebecca S.Rivas

Of The St.Louis American

The St. Louis region has more AfricanAmerican superintendents in its public school districts than ever before. Out of the 23 public school districts in the region, not including charter schools, nine have African-American superintendents.

Of these nine, four landed their jobs in the past year and three of those newcomers replaced white superintendents.

The newest superintendents who were hired in 2012 are Sharmon Wilkinson at Clayton, Tiffany

Vanessa Howard is Teacher of the Year

Teaches third-grade at Wabash Elementary

By Bridjes O’Neil

Of the St.Louis American

Vanessa Howard, a third-grade teacher and instructional coach at JohnsonWabash Elementary School, was named 2013 Teacher of the Year in the FergusonFlorissant School District. She wished she could have shared this accomplishment with her own first teacher, her mother, Lillie Johnson, who died in 1997. It was her mother who encouraged Howard to pursue a career in education.

“I felt overwhelmed,” she said of the recognition. “When you’re doing something that you really love to do, you don’t expect to be rewarded.”

“I have to come up with ways to engage them and get them excited about learning.”

– Vanessa Howard

In the classroom, she pushes her students to think independently but believes they learn best from each other. She actively engages her students by incorporating collaborative learning strategies such as “Think-PairShare,” in which students work together to solve a problem.

“It’s like being a salesperson for education,” she said. “Sometimes they don’t want it, but I have to sell it. I have to come up with ways to engage them and get them excited about learning.”

At the beginning of the school year, she assesses each student’s learning style and tailors the curriculum to meet each of their needs. She remarked that each class is different; for example, last year’s class was predominately male and comprised of kinesthetic learners. She opted to move the classroom to the playground because, she said, they needed to move.

“When we would be working on our times tables,” she said, “I would let them shoot hoops by twos.”

See HOWARD, A6

“We want champion leaders because we want to do things no one else has done.”

– Art McCoy,Ferguson-Florissant superintendent

Anderson at Jennings, Karen Hall at Maplewood-Richmond Heights and Grayling Tobias at Hazelwood.

The other five are Art McCoy at FergusonFlorissant, Clive Coleman at Riverview Gardens, Stanton Lawrence at Normandy, Kelvin Adams

at St. Louis and Joylynn Pruitt at University City.

Karen Hall –Maplewood-Richmond Heights

Of the nine superintendents, Karen Hall leads the smallest district with 1,088 students.

To get a glimpse into these nine superintendents’worlds, the St. Louis American compared data from the Department of Early and Secondary Education on student demographics and performance – as well as administrative salaries. African-American superintendents are leading some of the largest and highest-performing districts, as well as some of the most struggling.

Poms

Members of the St.Louis Hip-Hop Poms danced their way down the parade route on Sunday as part of the Annie Malone May Day Parade.This year’s Grand Marshals included Robbie Montgomery,owner of Sweetie Pie’s,and Dick Gregory,activist and comedian.Visit stlamerican.com for more than 150 photos of the parade.

By Chris King Of The St.Louis American

Shalom Church (City of Peace) is preparing to celebrate its 20th Anniversary with events and worship services at both of its North County campuses, June 7-9. But looking back at where they started, founding pastor Rev. Freddy J. Clark remembers the residues of other, very different celebrations.

“Our

the 20th Anniversary weekend at noon on Sunday, June 9, which is actually four days before the precise 20th anniversary of the first time Pastor Clark led worship at that Holiday Inn.

The newest star in the Shalom firmament, the Lindbergh Campus at 5491 N. Highway 67,

Photo by Wiley Price

See SHALOM, A12

Rev.Freddy J.Clark

See SUPERS, A7

Wade Robson wants Neverland nanny’s help with molestation suit

According to TMZ.com, Wade Robson hopes the Neverland housekeeper who graphically described seeing him naked in a shower with Michael Jackson will play a huge role in his new civil lawsuit against Jackson’s estate.

Sources close to the case told the celebrity news and gossip site that Robson’s lawyers are dissecting Blanca Francia’s testimony during Jackson’s 2005 molestation trial. During the trial, Francia – who worked at Neverland in the late ‘80s – testified she witnessed Jackson showering naked with a 7 or 8-year-old Robson.

Ultimately, Francia’s testimony wasn’t enough to sway the jury. Jackson was acquitted – partly because Wade himself also testified, at the time insisting Jackson never touched him. TMZ sources say Robson wants to Francia’s testimony to show Jackson abused him as a child and his lawyers are also trying to contact her to see if she will cooperate in the new case.

Uncle Larry spill plenty of Beyoncé tea

TMZ says a transcript of the testimony has Francia describing seeing Jackson’s underwear on the floor outside the shower, as well as Robson’s child-sized neon green underwear.

In the transcript she said she couldn’t see what Jackson was doing exactly because the shower door was fogged up, but said she heard him laughing.

Tina Knowles’ brother Larry Beyince gave a candid interview with Celebuzz that about his niece Beyoncé that is sure to ruffle her feathers. He talks quite openly about her courtship and marriage to Jay-Z as well as the working relationship with her father Mathew Knowles. “He was after her and she wasn’t. She told me she wasn’t too particularly fond of him,” Beyince told the celebrity and entertainment news site about her early days of dating Jay-Z.

“I would see him with her and pictures of them, I heard rumors they were together and she told me ‘no.’

You know how women get that look like ‘eww.’ I guess she wasn’t attracted to him.

He’s okay with me. I was surprised she married him. I think she got tired of being alone. When you have as much money as she does she has to be careful about people wanting her for her money. And apparently he had as much as she had.”

Kordell Stewart responds to Porsha’s lockout accusations

Kordell Stewart has responded to Porsha’s claims that he locked her out of the home they share by unexpectedly changing the locks. According to Hip Hollywood, Kordell filed paperwork that admits that he did change the locks to their house – but he says it was because Porsha “abandoned the marital home on April 2nd, 2013.”

included the text in the paperwork.

Walter Lee says attack rumors were lies, but stands by Tyler Perry sexuality claims

After Walter Lee Hampton outed Tyler Perry on YouTube he turned up with a gash on his face that required 120 stitches. It was later reported on several entertainment and gossip sites that he was attacked by Perry supporters.

In a statement, Kordell said, “(Porsha) established a routine of leaving (the) premarital residence without explanation and without consideration of the detrimental effects such behavior would have on the parties’ marriage, and (Kordell’s) nine year old son.”

Kordell also said he reached out to Porsha via text to let her know he was changing the locks and

Hampton explained on his Facebook page that a glass door fell on his head, but says his comments about Tyler Perry’s sexuality are true. “I suffer a (sic) injury from a glass door falling on me.....DID THE DOOR ATTACK ME???,” Hampton wrote on his Facebook page. “TYLER PERRY outed himself YEARS AGO. That man was out at the GAY clubs Dancing on the Speakers >>>YEARS before I was. You can NOT be in the closet and OUT DANCING at TRAXX!!Give me a break!!!.....And you hateful punks got the NERVE to be mad....WHY?????...TYLER

Senator gets wax tribute at Griot

Gov. Nixon: ‘Jet Banks broke new ground’

By Rebecca S. Rivas

Of the St. Louis American

J.B. “Jet” Banks, former state senator of Missouri’s 5th District, is the newest permanent exhibit at the Griot Museum of Black History, 2505 St. Louis Ave.

Elected to the Missouri Senate in 1976, he was the first African-American lawmaker to be elected assistant Majority Floor Leader by the Democratic Caucus of both the House and the Senate. In 1988, he became Senate Majority Leader, making him the first African-American lawmaker ever elected to one of the four top leadership posts in the Missouri General Assembly.

He died on October 13, 2003 at age 79.

“For 32 years, he served in acclaimed leadership,” said his wife Anita Banks, who organized the committee for the Griot exhibit. “The people kept electing him. It was something that was worthy of recognition. He had many friends who wanted to see it happen. I thank everyone for that.”

Anita said she was proud of the many bills her husband helped to pass during his time in the Legislature and as Majority Floor Leader. Those bills emphasized anti-redlining, compensation for crime victims, education and more health services for people with diabetes and sickle cell disease.

Gov. Jay Nixon said he had the honor of serving alongside Senator Banks in the Missouri Senate for six years.

“Without a doubt, Jet Banks broke new ground throughout his entire career of public service, and brought experience and expertise to the many committees he chaired or served on,” Nixon said. “Just as importantly, Senator Banks brought an intense passion to serving the people of his district and the people of Missouri that has been matched by few lawmakers.”

Senator Banks was the first to pass a

bill that made Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a state holiday, before the national legislation was enacted.

The annual Birthday Celebration Kick-Off Program is held at HarrisStowe State University. Dr. King’s birthday celebration in Missouri is now the second largest in the nation.

It was Senator Banks who introduced Senate Bill 703 in 1978, which enabled Harris-Stowe College to become a member of the Missouri State System of Public Higher Education.

He also successfully sponsored legislation that expanded the college’s mission and fought hard in the Legislature to ensure that its campus expansion program was a vital part of the statewide plan.

“He was and always will be a Harris-Stowe hero,” said Dr. Henry Givens Jr., president emeritus of Harris-Stowe State University. “In fact, back in the day, we referred to Senator Banks as Harris-Stowe’s

godfather.”

The son of a sharecropper and native of Missouri, Banks graduated from Lincoln University with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics

n

“Back in the day, we referred to Senator Banks as Harris-Stowe’s godfather.”

– Dr. Henry Givens Jr.

and a minor in physics. In graduate school he studied business and public administration at Saint Louis University and Washington University. In 1989, Senator Banks was awarded both the Doctor of Laws

AMERicAN icoNsH

degree from Lincoln University and Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Harris-Stowe State College. He was also a mortgage banker, a real estate appraiser and broker, an insurance underwriter and the director of several Missouri corporations.

Banks served as chairman of the standing Senate committees on Public Health and Welfare and Rules, Joint Rules and Resolutions. He also chaired the Joint Legislative Committee on Health Care Policy and Planning and served on the Senate standing committees on Administration, Gubernatorial Appointments, State Budget Control, and Insurance and Housing.

Senator Banks was appointed by the Governor to the state’s Commission on Lead Poisoning, and to the following national legislative committees: Executive Committee and Management Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference; and the Committee on Health and

the Committee on Human Services of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“He worked tirelessly,” Anita said.

“When he came home from Jefferson City, he went to the headquarters to update the people and to see if they had idea on things.”

He was a member, deacon and trustee of the Christ Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church. He was an active participant in organizations including the Masonic Home Loan Association, the Motivational and Psychological Research Institute, and the Jordan W. Chambers 19th Ward Regular Democrat Organization, Inc.

“He was a man of the people and for the people,” Anita said. “He would nail things out with all his constituents. He was in touch with his people constantly.”

For more information, contact the Griot Museum of Black History at 314-241-7057 or visit www. thegriotmuseum.com.

Lois Conley, director of the Griot Museum of Black History, and supporters listen to Anita Banks at the opening of the exhibit devoted to her late husband, State Senator J.B. “Jet” Banks.

Photo by Wiley Price

Editorial /CommEntary

On graduating into a changing world Larry Conners’ lie deferred

The college students going through commencement this spring in Missouri and all around the nation are entering the larger world outside their schools’ walls at a time when that world is changing more rapidly than ever before, for better and worse. They are joining a world with exploding medical knowledge that is affording longer, healthier lives for many, though access to health care continues to be denied to many low-income people, often due to the whims of ideologically driven Republican legislators. They are joining a world where with the advent of Google Glass many people will soon have a phone in their peripheral vision, so even more of us will be walking around talking to themselves. We are more connected – yet more distant – than ever before, steadily losing the ability to talk to one another face to face, spending entire family meals and dinner dates with faces buried in gadgets.

What does all of this rapid change mean, in a world bursting with 7 billion people – a billion of whom are malnourished with another billion living near starvation?

It means we must be willing to change to meet the evolving 21st century dynamic of global infrastructure, especially the transformational electronic, digital and mobile environments. It means our new graduates have the opportunity to use what they have learned at university to help meet these challenges, get engaged in what’s going on in the world and make their voices heard. They must realize that where they stand today is a result of fortuitous birthplace and circumstances, as well as the subsequent intersection of luck, talent, hard work and the support of others. They should live with an awareness of just how grim and desperate daily life is in many other places on the globe – and in many other

Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. celebrated its Spring 2013 Commencement on Friday, May 17. The universityawarded2,404degrees,including1,829bachelors degrees, 528 masters degrees, 39 doctorate degrees and eight specialist degrees.

neighborhoods in our own cities and states. They must commit to leave this world better than they found it, no matter how big or how small their contribution. We all have that responsibility. If you are sitting in a cubicle counting down the hours nearly every day of your life, something is wrong. If that goes on for too long, one day you’ll wake up and be a shell of the person you were meant to become. If some passion or hunger isn’t driving you in some important aspect of your life, you’re not being fair to yourself. The world is changing fast. St. Louis, Missouri and the rest of the United States are facing huge economic challenges. China, India and other emerging nations are rapidly growing as economic competitors. The internet and broadband infrastructure have leveled the playing field and made it possible for people over the world to be connected and to rigorously compete. When there are changes in monetary policy in Japan or the ability to service public debt in Greece, the impact is felt all around the world, including here in St. Louis. We will all need to function at a higher level to claim our share

of a global pie that is both expanding but increasingly more complex.

In our nation, the demographic shifts demand that we change as a people. The U.S. Census says that non-Hispanic whites will be a numerical minority by 2050. Therefore, we must learn to live together across racial and cultural divides.

George Washington Carver was born in 1864, before the abolition of slavery, yet he revolutionized agriculture. In addition to his remarkable scientific accomplishments, he was concerned about improving race relations, mentoring children, writing, poetry, painting and religion. We would all do well to remember something simple, yet profound, that he once said: “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because some day in life you will have been all these.”

Edited from remarks made by publisher and executive editor Donald M. Suggs at the Spring 2013 Commencement of Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo.

They betrayed the trust

“They betrayed everything we worked for,” says Jocelyn Cooper, 84, as yet another black politician indicted for corruption. Mrs. Cooper remembers when she and her husband took out a third mortgage on their home to finance a lawsuit challenging the voting districts in Brooklyn. It was Cooper v. Power that led to Brooklyn’s first African American in the House of Representatives, Shirley Chisholm. Chisholm, also the first African-American female in Congress, would go on to run for president. However, the legacy of black political gains is tarnished by revered black politicians admitting to abuse of power, bribery and extortion. Jessie Jackson Jr. (D-IL) pled guilty to a felony charge of using $750,000 in campaign funds for extravagant purchases. Jackson, son of civil rights activist, Jesse Jackson Sr., may serve 46 to 57 months in federal prison. All communities have experienced corrupt politicians. However, the black community with its special vulnerabilities can least afford such scandals.

The Civil Rights Movement served as a springboard for black political careers. Moving from protest to politics, Sharpe James, an educator, was mayor of Newark, NJ, from 1986 to 2006. Then, James was brought down by fraud convictions and sentenced to 27 months in federal prison.

Charles Diggs (D-MI), a civil rights activist who worked to end apartheid in South Africa, was the first chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. He was censured by Congress. Diggs, convicted of mail fraud in 1980, served 14 months in federal prison. He died maintaining his innocence. Black politicians have long claimed a double-standard convicts them for conduct others do freely. In 1967, when Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (D-NY) was stripped of his power and congressional seat for allegedly abusing campaign funds, he said, “I will always do just what every other congressman and committee chairman has done and is doing.”

Powell filed a lawsuit against House Speaker John McCormack to regain his seat. The case, Powell v. McCormack, went to the U.S. Supreme Court. Powell was victorious. However, the damage was done. A young Charlie Rangel defeated Powell for that Harlem seat.

Charles Rangel (D-NY), now 82, is suing John Boehner, Speaker of the House, to overturn a 2010 censure for tax improprieties. Rangel chaired the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. He lost that post when the House voted 333 to 79 to censure him. Rangel claims his constitutional rights were violated.

However, corruption charges against certain black politicians are a matter of greed, not discrimination. Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA), a Harvard Law School graduate, stashed $90,000 in bribe money in his freezer. Jefferson was convicted of taking bribes from businesses

It’s smoking-gun simple. KMOV’s Larry Conners lied. That’s right. Last week on his “Larry Conners, KMOV” Facebook page, Larry Conners, a 28-year veteran news reporter with KMOV, Emmy Award-winning journalist and a political science graduate of West Texas State University, lied. And even by Facebook standards, this lie was an absurd whopper. According to Conners, back in April of 2012 he interviewed President Obama. What Conners posted about the interview on Facebook was this: “I do know that almost immediately after the interview, the IRS started hammering me.”

That statement was simply not true, and news reporter Larry Conners knew it was not true at the time he posted on his KMOV Facebook page. As the Post-Dispatch reported shortly afterwards and Conners later admitted, the IRS had been “hammering” on him from 2008 to 2010 – “hammering” to the tune of over $85,000

in unpaid small business/selfemployment taxes.

Four days after Conners lied, according to the PostDispatch, KMOV removed the anchorman from the air. According to KMOV management, Conners is not fired, not suspended, just “off the air” until further notice. KMOV was “still looking into the situation and weighing our options” – until Wednesday, when the station announced that Conners “was no longer a news reporter.”

I can see why.

For one, KMOV’s news anchorman lied on a sitting president of the United States And as if that was not enough, Conners’ lie forever sullied KMOV’s presidential interview “get.” It is no small thing for a news station to snag an interview with a president, and it is also no small thing that the lead anchor used that moment to springboard his lie: “I do know that almost immediately after the interview, the IRS started hammering me.”

KMOV also seems to have understood that Larry Conners’ Facebook page is not simply a “Larry Conners” Facebook page. The heading for his Facebook page is “Larry Conners, KMOV”. Additionally, his Facebook

Letters to the editor

Correction

Wiley Price’s photograph illustrating the recent story about the Men on Deck program improperly identified the facilitator. The individual photographed was Andrew L.Glass Jr. of Fathers’ Support Center, not Jeffrey Irons of Employment Connections. We regret the error.

Militarization of police

page is open to everyone, and Conners used it to report on upcoming news stories on KMOV.

It would have been a mistake, however, for KMOV to conclude that this is simply a case of a dishonest/ dunderheaded newsman unable to grasp how social media works. No, the motivations behind Conners’ actions appear to be journalistically ruinous. A complete read of Conners’ KMOV Facebook post and a quick viewing of his 2012 interview with President Obama reveal a clearly rightwing, partisan and paranoid worldview more suited for FOX commentators. Surely viewers tuning into the place where “news never stops” aren’t well served when the anchorman embraces GOP talking points, tea party IRS sentiments and then easily lies on the president of the United States. I do have to wonder, however: what do you suppose would have happened the longer this lie of anchorman Larry Conners sat deferred in the news studios of KMOV? It’s simple. We’ve all read enough Langston Hughes to know that it doesn’t dry up like a raisin in the sun … it explodes.

wanting to invest in Africa.

Jack B. Johnson, Prince George’s county executive, was charged with taking over $1 million in bribes. He and his wife, a county councilperson, were both sentenced to federal prison. Leslie Johnson tried to hide $80,000 in her blouse when the FBI arrived.

When Kwame Kilpatrick was elected mayor of Detroit, at age 31, his youth was a sign of rejuvenation. Now, as Detroit’s unemployment rises to 18 percent and population falls by 25 percent, Kilpatrick, 42, is going to prison. In March, Kilpatrick was convicted on 24 counts, including racketeering conspiracy and extortion.

In Milwaukee, Michael McGee Jr., former Milwaukee alderman, was imprisoned for corruption. In Georgia, Fidelis Ogbu, 60, DeKalb County Department of Public Works engineering supervisor, was sentenced to three years in federal prison for extortion.

Brooklyn’s Clarence Norman lost leadership of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, the biggest Democratic organization east of Chicago, when he was convicted of extortion. Norman was stripped of an Assembly seat he held for 23 years.

“We sacrificed so much for future generations to have more than we did,” says Jocelyn Cooper, a retired social worker who remembers voting drives, stuffing envelopes, going door to door. “They betrayed the trust.”

Gloria J. Browne-Marshall is associate professor of Constitutional Law at John Jay College and author of “Race, Law, and American Society: 1607 to Present.”

Regarding “ACLU seeks info on militarization of police,” if you’re not disturbed by the law enforcement response to the Boston Marathon bombing incident, you should be. Inherent to the testosteronedriven, adrenalin-fueled Boston police activity comes errors in decision-making that often result in innocent people being arrested, convicted or killed.

In response to the detonation of two homemade bombs, Boston cops displayed a plethora of federally purchased military-style cop toys, which included armored vehicles. Law enforcement was in concert; Boston was “locked-down.”

The cops were hyped, their military weaponry at the ready.

Reality: Two brothers, one a teenager, set off two homemade bombs at the marathon run. They had one handgun and two more homemade bombs when they car-jacked a vehicle and apparently tried to dispose of the bombs during the police chase. The older brother was killed during the chase.

The younger “terrorist” abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. He hid in a boat in the rear yard of a residence. Subsequent to an unnecessary fusillade of police gunfire, the youth was captured. Boston was safe, and cops were standing tall!

Michael K. Broughton Green

Park

Landmark Percy

I want to thank Jamala Rogers so much for her column in The American giving due praise and recognition to the May 14, 1973 landmark Supreme Court civil rights case in which our dear brother Percy Green II became a plaintiff in taking on Boeing’s predecessor, McDonnell Douglas, to rid it of discriminatory employment practices.

The man who is most known as the black activist who had the audacity to scale the Arch in protest had no clue that his legal activism would result in a case that is more cited than any other case in American jurisprudence and profound in its wisdom of how race discrimination is to be analyzed. What Percy’s case established was a way to get at discriminatory conduct by the proverbial whites who will “smile in your face” while denying you because of your race.

The standard set by the court in Percy’s case spread like wildfire to be applied to every type of discrimination case in American law. Unfortunately, major blows have been struck to the standard set in Percy’s case by subsequent conservative Supreme Court cases, causing the bar to be raised substantially and significantly higher to prove a discrimination case.

Eric E. Vickers Via email

Looking for history makers

HEC-TV, St. Louis’ leading producer of education, arts and cultural television programming, is looking for individuals with stories to tell for two upcoming original programs for its series entitled “History in the First Person.”

The first program will take a look back at the 1963 March on Washington in the year of its 50th anniversary. The second program will focus on what it was like to live in the St. Louis region from the 1930s to early 1960s under the Jim Crow laws of the time.

If you participated in the 1963 March on Washington or have stories to tell of growing up during the time of Jim Crow laws, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us at 314531-4455 or via e-mail at live@ hectv.org.

Helen Headrick, utilization coordinator, HEC-TV St. Louis

Wonderful educational resource

Thank you so much for featuring Each One Teach One and Ford Elementary School

on this week’s STEM page. We are pleased that you chose to highlight our program on the Classroom Spotlight. We remain grateful to The St. Louis American for this wonderful educational resource and for the dedicated issues you made available to Each One Teach One. We look forward to working with you again next year.

Shirley B. Brown St. Louis Public Schools

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Guest Columnist Liz Brown

Guest Columnist Gloria J. BrowneMarshall

Healthy snacking

Junior League member Cheryl Bock shares a healthy treat with DeMiah Jackson,an early childhood student at City Academy,during a visit the League made to the school to promote healthy eating and lifestyles.

Forest Park Forevercollecting memories

Forest Park Forever has launched a commemorative campaign to celebrate a major milestone: the 50,000th day since the park’s establishment on June 24, 1876.

The “Recounting 50,000 Days” campaign aims to gather 50,000 memories of Forest Park and share them online and in the Forest Park Visitor Center.

People can share photos and stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email memories@forestparkforever.org, at the Forest Park Visitor Center (Mon. through Fri., between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., and Sat. and Sun., between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.) or via mail: Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center, 5595 Grand Drive, St. Louis, MO 63112

7,000 books read at DunbarElementary

Thanks to the generosity and support of Wells Fargo Advisors, students at Dunbar Elementary School have a renewed interest in reading.Students easily eclipsed the goal of reading 6,000 books this school year by surpassing the 7,000 mark last week.

Wells Fargo Advisors provided tutors and purchased and implemented an online program that measures student growth in reading levels as compared to the national averages. By increasing the number of books read, Dunbar students in grades 1-6 realized a measurable growth in reading level scores.

Hispanics and Republicans

By Esther J.Cepeda Washington Post

The U.S. Census Bureau released its November voting data and one thing is clear: The so-called Latino Sleeping Giant is still snoozing – fewer than half of all eligible Hispanics turned out to vote in 2012.

After nearly a year of breathless reports about how Latinos were going to trip over themselves to get to the polls and vote against Mitt Romney’s hard-line immigration stance, the reality is less dramatic.

Yes, 11.2 million Latinos turned out to vote in 2012. But these headlines tell a different story: “As Hispanic Vote Lags, Millions of Votes Left on the Table” and “‘Record’Hispanic Voter Turnout In 2012 a Misnomer, Census Numbers Show.”

The numbers don’t lie. According to the Census Bureau, the percentage of Latinos casting ballots went down to 48 percent from 49.9 percent in 2008. Paul Taylor and Mark Hugo Lopez summarized it for the Pew Research Center: “Much was made right after the November election about the clout of the Hispanic vote (by, among others, the Pew Research Center). But the new Census Bureau data show that Hispanics’turnout rate – just 48 percent – was far below that of whites (64.1 percent) or blacks (66.2 percent).”

They noted that because of population growth, the number of Latinos who voted for president did increase, but the number who were eligible but chose not to vote increased even more – by 2.3 million – from 9.8 million in 2008 to 12.1 million in 2012.

Fewer Latino voters bothered to vote in a contest featuring an incumbent Democrat and a Hispanically tone-deaf Republican candidate who could never quite get past “self-deportation” than in 2008.

One big misperception is that Latino voters care foremost about politicians’stand on immigration, a notion that has been disproved time and again. And even though it is a topic of importance to them, Latinos do not speak with one voice on immigration, as a recent study by the Pew Research Center reaffirms.

COCAraises $800K for education

Asold out crowd of nearly 650 business and community leaders attended COCA’s popular spring fundraiser, COCAcabana: After Dark on Friday, April 26. The event, COCA’s only annual fundraiser, raised more than $800,000, exceeding organizers goals by $100,000. All proceeds benefit COCA’s education and outreach programs.

When asked whether those living in the U.S. illegally should be allowed to stay legally, 9 percent of Latinos said “no” and another 6 percent didn’t know. Asked about giving those in the U.S. illegally a way to obtain legal status, 29 percent of Latino respondents said it would be “like rewarding them for doing something wrong” and another 10 percent weren’t sure.

Many Latinos see the Republican Party as a mix of a few opportunistic politicians trying to make inroads to win their votes and many xenophobes. It’s hard to assume otherwise after the controversy over the Heritage Foundation’s estimates on the cost of legalizing the 11 million immigrants living here illegally.

While some conservative leaders were rushing to register their disapproval with the report – which accounted for costs, but not benefits, of legalization – others were quiet after news outlets reported that one of co-authors of the study had written a Harvard Ph.D. dissertation contending that Hispanics have low IQs that will likely never reach parity with whites.

Perception, not voting power, is the Republican Party’s biggest Hispanic challenge. Esther Cepeda’s email address is estherjcepeda@washpost.com. Follow her on Twitter, @estherjcepeda.

Esther J. Cepeda

St.Louis

American staff

Nation of Islam leader

Minister Louis Farrakhan is coming to St. Louis to inspire area youth and to support grassroots organizations.

He will speak 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 2 at the New North Conference Center, 5939 Goodfellow Ave., on “Surviving the Times:

Farrakhan to visit St. Louis

Will speak June 2 on ‘Reclaiming Our Youth’

Reclaiming Our Youth.” The event is a fundraiser hosted by Muhammad Mosque #28 and the Universal African Peoples Organization (UAPO).

Minister Louis Farrakhan will speak in St.Louis on Sunday, June 2 at the New North Conference Center.

“We are honored to welcome the honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan to our city to deliver a message that should help stem the tide of violence and intolerance that have plagued our community and its youth,” said Minister

American photojournalist honored

Missouri NEA leaders recently presented eight Missourians with the Horace Mann Friend of Education Award at the organization’s annual Spring Representative Assembly.University City School District early childhood teacher Sue Annie Whitener nominated St.Louis American photojournalist Wiley Price for the award.At right is Scott Glazier,Horace Mann field sales director for the Ozark Region,and Mo.NEA President Christine Guither.

Donald Muhammad of Muhammad Mosque #28. Farrakhan, who recently turned 80, has a long history of youth outreach in his ministry. Most recently he has turned to social media to reach youth. He has become a national trending topic, and

HOWARD

Continued from A1

Art McCoy, FergusonFlorissant School District superintendent, applauds her ability and effort to meet students where they are.

“Ms. Howard’s teaching style is based on differentiation,” McCoy said, “providing individualized educational programming that includes the use of technology and collaborative learning that meets the specific academic and social needs of her students.”

Robin Witherspoon, principal of Johnson-Wabash Elementary, describes Howard as a master teacher who goes above and beyond for her fellow teachers as well. In her capacity as an instructional coach, she provides resources to improve the performance of other classroom teachers and models to them effective lessons. She also conducts MAPtesting strategy workshops for students in third through sixth grades.

#AskFarrakhan has become a common hashtag. “Our youth here in St. Louis are in desperate need of mentoring and guidance,” said UAPO President Zaki Baruti. “Minister Farrakhan has a keen sense for what ails them and the wisdom to help us formulate plans on how to reengage them in positive activities.”

“Why don’t we pool what resources we have and start

buying up buildings and making them worthy and creating opportunity?” Farrakhan said recently at a similar event in Detroit. “That is what we need to do. Let’s try to own the city since the property is cheap and falling down.”

For ticket information, call 314-361-4555 or 314-4774629 or visit www.survivingthetimes.eventbrite.com.

“I create mock tests and conduct data team meetings where we as a team analyze data to provide effective instruction,” Howard said of her additional duties.

Teaching other teachers, according to the principal, is a critical aspect of improving academic achievement.

“Teacher behaviors must change to improve student achievement,” Witherspoon said. “Students require that we be engaging and creative as we inspire our students to become high-level thinkers.”

Howard began her career with the St. Louis Public School District and then transitioned to her first teaching positions in FergusonFlorissant at Cool Valley and Bermuda elementary schools. She has taught at JohnsonWabash since 2004 and has served the district for 14 years.

Fully accredited by the state of Missouri, the FergusonFlorissant School District operates 17 elementary schools, three middle schools, three high schools and an alternative school.

“Mr. Johnson is a role model to students, parents and fellow staff through his work ethic and commitment to excellence in all he does,” said McCoy.

Howard said she has always worked with children in some

form or another, yet had no idea she wanted to be a teacher. Before entering the profession, she was a young, stay-at-home mother of two who regularly volunteered at her children’s preschool. She also served as a babysitter and tutor and was active with the Lively Stone Church children’s choir. It wasn’t until age 26 that she enrolled at HarrisStowe State University, where she obtained a bachelor’s in early childhood education. At the University of Missouri –St. Louis, she earned a master’s in early childhood education. She is also certified as an education specialist in elementary administration.

“I kind of came into teaching late,” she said. “But, I’m glad I found my niche in life.”

There were many people who helped her advance to Teacher of the Year caliber, she said.

“I stand on the shoulders of some great people,” she said. “It takes a whole village not only to raise a child but to teach a teacher.”

Minister Louis Farrakhan

Photo by Debra Angstead

Art McCoy,Ferguson-Florissant School District superintendent,with district 2013 Teacher of the Year, Vanessa Howard,and its Support Employee of the Year,Hershel Johnson.

Thirty-four percent of the district’s students are AfricanAmerican, and less than one percent of those students drop out of school – the secondlowest dropout rate of the nine districts.

Hall said the district’s size helps them catch struggling students before they drop out. The district also established a nonprofit program six years ago called Joe’s Place, which houses homeless boys in the district. Of the 20 boys who have gone through the program (99 percent of them AfricanAmerican), all have gone onto college or the military.

“Because we are so small, we’re able to develop real authentic relationships with all of our students,” Hall said. “And when you are talking about students that may be on the radar for not graduating, we can specifically wrap around that student and their family.”

Anative of Webster Groves, Hall came to the district almost five years ago from Pattonville, where she served as a principal. Last summer, Hall replaced the retiring Linda Henke, who spent 12 years taking a district about to lose its full accreditation to achieve the highest points possible (14) on the state’s annual report three times in a row.

“Everyone loves the programming that we have and our approach to educating young people,” Hall said, “and I just want to ensure that it’s sustained.” Hall earns the least of the nine superintendents, at $160,000. However, her district’s state allotment per pupil is in the top three of these nine districts with $15,088.

Sharmon WilkinsonClayton

Of the nine superintendents, Wilkinson’s district has the lowest dropout rate, of 0.1 percent, and 100 percent of the black students in Clayton graduated from high school last year. Black students make up 20.3 percent of Clayton’s 2,500 students, which means that Wilkinson also leads the district with the smallest proportionate African-American population of the nine. The district also earned 14 points on the annual performance report in 2012.

Wilkinson is the first African-American superintendent in the district and was hired last May. While she was serving as interim superintendent in spring

2012, the St. Louis County Circuit Court was deciding whether it was legal to require St. Louis Public Schools to pay tuition for their students to transfer to accredited school districts, as required by a Missouri law. Clayton parents sued the district for not billing SLPS for tuition. The court ruled that the state law violates the Missouri Constitution because it creates unfunded mandates.

She testified on the behalf of the district during the trial. That’s when the reality set in – that she could become superintendent as students were flooding into Clayton from unaccredited school districts.

“That’s when the impact of the case hit me, in preparing for my testimony,” she said.

Originally from Chicago, Wilkinson has served as an administrator in the Clayton district since 1996. Her annu-

al salary is not the highest at $215,000. However, the cost per pupil is the highest by far at $18,300.

Tiffany Anderson –Jennings

ASt. Louis native, Tiffany Anderson leads 2,700 students, 97.7 percent of whom are African-American.

Jennings has an overall dropout rate of 3.1 percent, which is significantly lower than surrounding districts. The district is currently provisionally accredited, unlike unaccredited Riverview Gardens and Normandy on its borders.

Jennings earned seven points on the 2012 annual performance report. To be provisionally accredited, district must earn between six and eight points.

Anderson said she’s been through academic challenges before. In 2005, Anderson accepted a superintendent position in Montgomery County Public Schools in Virginia. During her tenure, Montgomery moved from having seven fully accredited schools to having all 23 accredited.

“Every district that I’ve been in, we’ve had our challenges when I’ve entered,” Anderson said, “but through the collective energy of many, we have moved those districts to the highest possible performance with kids performing at the 90th percentile and above.”

Anderson took her position last summer, and she earns a salary of $175,000.

Joylynn Pruitt –University City

Joylynn Pruitt, a St. Louis native, has led University City schools since January 2008, making her the most veteran superintendent of the nine. The district has 3,000 students and 80 percent are AfricanAmerican.

During Pruitt’s time, the district’s annual performance scores have continued to improve, from seven points in 2008 to 10 points in 2012. To maintain full accreditation, districts must earn at least 9 points.

Pruitt said their success was a collaborative effort that started in conversations with the community in 2007. “It was clear they had a strong need for academic reform,” she said. Since then, the district has largely focused on changing its instructional model. The district still struggles with a nine percent dropout rate, which she said they are addressing by enrolling students at risk into alternative schools and other measures. Pruitt began her career in the district 13 years ago as an elementary school principal. She’s been an educator for more than 30 years and now earns $192,200 per year.

Stanton LawrenceNormandy Normandy School District has been transformed quite a

bit in the four years that Stanton Lawrence has been superintendent, but unfortunately that didn’t include annual performance, which has remained at five points.

In August 2010, the district absorbed the Wellston School District, and Normandy now has 4,200 students, 97.6 percent of whom are AfricanAmerican. Lawrence said the merger was part of the reason Normandy did not improve in academic performance. The district lost its provisional accreditation status last fall and is now unaccredited.

Last fall Lawrence announced that he is leaving the district to return to his home state of Texas. Ty McNichols, currently the superintendent for learning at Hazelwood, was selected to take his place. McNichols is also African-American.

Clive Coleman –Riverview Gardens

Out of the nine superintendents, Clive Coleman gets the lowest amount from the state per student at about $9,500. The district has the highest percentage of AfricanAmerican students with 97.9 and is the lowestperforming on the annual performance report –earning four points out of 14.

The district has 6,000 students.

Coleman came to Riverview just before the state took away the district’s provisional accreditation status.

Previously he held several executive positions in the Kansas City (Mo.) School District, including associate superintendent, chief academic officer and interim superintendent.

Coleman will be leaving the district on July 1 and will be replaced by Scott D. Spurgeon, who is not African-American. Coleman’s salary was the second-lowest of the nine superintendents at $172,500 and his administrators made on average second-to-last salaries ($94,300) among the nine staffs. Spurgeon has a threeyear contract for a $170,000 salary.

Art McCoyFerguson-Florissant

In July 2011, Art McCoy became the FergusonFlorissant School District’s first African-American superintendent, as well as one of the youngest superintendents in the state at 33. McCoy, a St. Louis native, started teaching at age 19 and became one of the state’s youngest certified teachers.

Ferguson-Florissant has the third-largest student population of the nine districts with 11,500 students. The student population is about 78 percent African-American, and five percent of black students drop out of school, a relatively low number for a predominately black district. Normandy has the highest dropout rate with 22 percent, and SLPS is next with 18 percent.

Like Hazelwood, FergusonFlorissant earned 9 points on the 2012 annual performance report and is fully accredited.

Ferguson-Florissant has the third-highest administrator salaries with an average of $105,378, behind Clayton’s average of $122,311 and Normandy’s of $105,425. McCoy said it’s important to have competitive salaries to retain the best leaders.

“You want to create a salary structure where you make it a loss for someone to have to leave your system,” he said. “We want champion leaders because we want to do things no one else has done.”

In 2010, the district had to cut $15 million from a $150 million budget, and then another $8 million just recently. McCoy said though its salaries are competitive, the district has had three pay freezes in the past 10 years in order to balance the budget. McCoy is getting the second-highest salary of the nine superintendents with $217,000.

Grayling TobiasHazelwood

Grayling Tobias, a St. Louis native, is the first AfricanAmerican superintendent of Hazelwood. He was appointed

as interim superintendent at the end of August, after Steve Price was fired, then was named superintendent in November. The district has 17,700 students, 71 percent of whom are African-American.

Kelvin Adams –St.Louis

Tobias’first career was professional baseball in the Montreal Expos and Detroit Tigers systems. He returned to St. Louis to coach baseball and basketball at Lindenwood University, then taught at Parkway. After 13 years, he left to become a principal in Riverview Gardens. In 2002, he came to Hazelwood as the first African-American certified administrator at the central office level. He previously served as assistant superintendent for learning.

Tobias said Hazelwood is focused on excelling under the state’s new academic assessment standards, which are changing from a 14-point system to 140 points.

“We believe that our students are capable of achieving at high levels,” he said. “I believe that no one rises to low expectations.”

Tobias earns a salary of $212,000.

Kelvin Adams leads the largest district in the St. Louis region with 22,500 students, and he’s also the highest-paid of the nine superintendents with a $225,000 salary. However, he is not the highest paid superintendent in the region. The highest paid in 2013 was Thomas Williams at Kirkwood with $257,220, a district with one-fourth the students that SLPS has. Rockwood has the nearest enrollment of SLPS with 22,200 students, and Rockwood’s superintendent Bruce Borchers earns about $10,000 more than Adams. However, SLPS administrators make the least among the nine school districts, with an average of $83,000.

Adams, who relocated to St. Louis from New Orleans in 2008, arrived in an extremely turbulent environment. However, the district has consistently improved its annual performance. Last year, it became provisionally accredited, earning seven points on the report.

Honorary doctors

Martin L. Mathews –president, CEO and co-founder of MathewsDickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club – and Newark Mayor Cory Booker were awarded honorary doctorates from Washington University at its commencement on Friday. Mathews was awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree, and Booker – a Rhodes Scholar and Yale law graduate – was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree. Booker also gave the commencement speech.

Photo by Maurice Meredith

Birth of an organizer

When I first met Patrick Leeper, it was a couple of weeks after his trip to Chicago to support fast food workers. He was still excited. I’d recognize that look anywhere. It’s a look I’ve seen many times over the years as an organizer. It’s the expression from the feeling you get when you’ve been fighting a long time and realize that you’re part of a bigger movement, that you’re not alone.

Patrick, like an estimated 3.5 million other workers, is employed by the fast food industry. I’m using the term “employed” very loosely, since 90 percent of these workers work for minimum wage, get part-time hours and receive no benefits. Migrant workers are the only other industry that pays its workers worse.

The resistance to inhumane work conditions and low pay has been bubbling beneath the surface for some time. The first organized walkout of industry workers happened in New York City last month. The walkouts moved to Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit with other cities in the planning stages. Lowwage workers were sick and tired of

being sick and tired.

In the St. Louis metro area, Patrick and other workers mustered up the courage to walk off their job for one day in protest of the oppressive work conditions. Workers from McDonald’s, Jimmy Johns, Domino’s Pizza, Wendy’s, Arby’s, Church’s Chicken, Chipotle’s and other fast food sites were among the 30 locations hit on May 9-10.

Dozens of community and faith leaders were organized to walk the workers back to their jobs to make sure they didn’t experience any retaliatory actions by management. So far, no such actions have been reported. Patrick, who works at Chipotle’s in the U. City Loop, says he has experienced first hand the notorious wage theft practices of the fast food industry. At the first of the year, Patrick says he was assigned to work at another location which was short an employee, but he says he still hasn’t

been paid for the hours he worked. Other workers say they are forced to work before or after they’ve clocked in, work overtime without getting paid extra or work through their meal breaks. These allegedly unpaid hours, they claim, benefit the profit margin of the company.

Speaking of profit, it’s no surprise that this is a $200 billion industry. These companies need to quit crying broke when workers are simply asking for a decent wage.

I talked to Patrick since he returned to work. He still feels empowered and hopeful.

“I’m gonna keep standing up for what I believe in, but we need to continue to build support for our cause,” he said. “We have to make more people aware of what corporate greed does to our lives.”

American’s addiction to fast food fuels this industry, so consumers do have a dog in this fight. We need to add our voices to the workers’ demands for dignity in the workplace and a livable wage. If you believe workers really “Can’t Survive on $7.35,” as the slogan says, then get ready for the next round.

St. Clair County crookery

How would you like to be able to sleep on the job, show up late and leave early, use your company vehicle and cell phone for all of your personal business, plus receive a nice salary, great benefits a state pension as well as a “golden parachute” after being forced to resign?

Sounds like wishful thinking, huh? Not if your name is Scott Flood and your daddy is Sam Flood, the former St. Clair County Clerk and liaison for former governor and current inmate Rod Blagojevich.

And, despite state investigators’ revelations of these infractions committed by Flood during his employment in his $70,000 per-year position with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the IDNR allowed matters to be drawn out until Flood was officially vested in the state pension program.

in the St. Clair County political kingdom.

Take, for example, a recent investigation by KTVI reporter Elliot Davis in which it was revealed that St. Clair County Board members receive full health insurance benefits (worth $10,279 a year) at taxpayer’s expense for a part-time job which only meets once a month. When questioned about such an obviously ridiculous arrangement, County Board Chairman Mark Kern stated that voters can always vote out their representatives if they don’t like it. What a smug, pompous and inelegant statement of the obvious.

Mark Kern is relying on the complacency and political apathy of St. Clair County voters; and why shouldn’t he?

Flood was allowed to resign and, later, recommended for a $56,000-per-year building maintenance supervisor position with St. Clair County by none other than St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern. Kern even admitted to knowing about Flood’s horrific work history. But did it matter?

Nope. After all, Flood is political royalty and in St. Clair County who you know always trumps what you know or how bad you screw up.

In fact, St. Clair County political cronyism is a religion practiced by all aspiring wannabes and political powerbrokers, with a convoluted gospel which appeals to all political sycophants and lackeys.

And even part-time political cronies receive full-time benefits

Unfortunately, with only a 13 percent turnout by East St. Louis voters and a (worse) 10 percent turnout among Belleville voters in the recent elections, Kern has nothing to worry about. The real tragedy is that as long as the Kern, Flood and other political royalty can rely on the voters to abdicate their power by refusing to vote, they will always thumb their noses at the voters and exploit an electorate that has rendered itself mute by not participating in the process.

Email: jtingram_1960@ yahoo.com Twitter@ JamesTingram. If you like my column, then you will love my radio show on WGNU-920am every Sunday from 4-5 pm. Please tune-in and call-in. I love to hear from my St. Louis American readers.

James Ingram

Jamala Rogers

Robert Guy Miller

Robert Guy Miller was born on January 16, 1923 in Springfield, Missouri, the second oldest of seven children (Douglas, Robert Guy, Jack, Winston, Harriet, David and Joseph) to parents Stephen D. and Creola H. Miller. The family moved to St. Louis where Dr. S. D. Miller practiced dentistry. Guy graduated from St. Joseph’s High School. He attended Howard University and later enlisted in the United States Army.

He was a member of the 367th Infantry –nicknamed the Buffalo Soldiers Division – the only African American infantry division to see combat in Europe during World War II. As part of the 5th Army, the division served in the Italian Campaign from 1944 until the war’s end. Sergeant Miller, wounded during this campaign, was awarded the prestigious Purple Heart. While in service on leave in St. Louis, Guy attended a military social event and won yet another heart. He was smitten by Dorothy McNichols, a Broadway dancer on tour. In 1948 the veteran and the dancer were wed and remained so until Dorothy’s passing in 2007, nearly 58 years later.

The Millers raised three daughters in East Elmhurst, Queens, NY. They were Civil Rights advocates, on the Board of the East Elmhurst Civic Association and members of St. Gabriel’s Church.

In the 1950s Guy was the first Black supervisor in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he was the successful entrepreneur of two hardware stores in Queens, NY and one liquor store in Harlem, NY. His trademark was his daily wearing of a bowtie. In 1984 Guy and Dottie moved from New York to Los Angeles, California.

Robert Guy Miller passed away on Monday, March 11, 2013 after suffering a stroke. Survivors are daughters and sons-in-law Sharlene and Reynaud Moore, Trudy and Vance Reid, Yasmin and George McCrary; great-grand-

children; his only remaining sibling Winston Miller and his wife Jackie of St. Louis; sisters-in-law Marion Miller and Sandra Miller; numerous relatives, godchildren and friends.

Rev. Peggy Ruth Thomas

December 12, 1946May 8, 2013

The Reverend Peggy Ruth Thomas was born December 12, 1946, in Poplar Bluff, MO, to the union of Knoble and Ruth Pritchett; the seventh of ten siblings. Her parents, husband, McKinley Thomas, and sister and brothers, Catherine, Danny Carl and Knoble, Jr., preceded her in death.

Peggy received her education in the Poplar Bluff School System, graduating from Wheatley High School in 1964. She moved to Chicago, IL, where she attended DePaul College, pursuing a career in accounting.

Peggy accepted Christ at an early age. She joined and attended Brown Chapel AME Church in Poplar Bluff, MO, from birth until she moved to Chicago, IL. Upon moving to St. Louis, MO, Peggy joined Tri-Union AME Church, Shiloh AME Church in East St. Louis, IL, and finally, St. Peter AME Church in St. Louis, MO. She attended the AME Institute for ministerial training, was ordained a Local Elder and served as an Associate Minister at St. Peter AME Church.

Peggy was service-minded and was a dedicated member in numerous church organizations, holding positions at the local and conference levels. She was a member of the St. Peter Inspirational Choir, Princess Cheatham Women’s Missionary Society, and Class Leaders’ Council. She worked in the Food Pantry and assisted in the Senior’s Program. Peggy was a member of Women in Ministry and the Missouri Conference Women’s Missionary Society as Director of Promotion of Missionary Education.

Peggy is survived by two

daughters, Kenya (David) and LaMonica (Ryan, Jackson, MI); four grandchildren, Michael, David, Erice and Martin; six siblings, Dorothy Matlock (Chicago, IL), Delores Hood (Poplar Bluff, MO), Robert Matlock (Toledo, OH), Jo Ann Turner (Detroit, MI), Patricia Maltbia (Theotis, New Madrid, MO), and Melvin Pritchett (Sikeston, MO); nieces, nephews, and a host of relatives and friends.

James Edward Terry

James Edward Terry, 86, formerly of Cleveland, Ohio and St Louis, Missouri, passed away on April 28, 2013 in Houston, Texas. He was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth Ann Marshall of Cleveland, Ohio, and oldest daughter, Blanche Robin Terry of St. Louis, Missouri. He was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania to William Terry and Sallie Rodgers Terry on February 15, 1927 and graduated high school in 1944 at the age of 17. After serving in the Army, Terry attended Howard University graduating in 1949. He later earned his L.L.B from Case Western Reserve University Law School.

Terry practiced law as a partner in the firm, Stokes, Character, Terry and Perry before accepting the position as general counsel for the Cleveland Transit System. He later accepted the position as general manager of Bi-State Transit System in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1978, Terry served as Director of Employee Relations at Bay Area Transit System in Oakland, California, until he returned to private practice in St Louis, Missouri.

Terry was a lifelong ambassador of his community serving in numerous leadership positions within the Goodwill Industries of America, The Urban League, and the American Transit Association. Prior to his retirement from the practice of law due to health challenges, he was also conferred the distinction of induction into the National Bar Association’s Hall of Fame.

Terry is survived by his daughters, Jamie (Nelson Anthony) Terry, M.D. and Sally (Michael) Terry Green, J.D., five grandchildren (Taylor, Canaan, Coulson, Michael II., and Jillian) and his older sister, Mary A. Terry.

Cremation services were handled by Troy B. Smith Funeral Service, www.troybsmith.com. Terry’s remains

will be interred, along with his deceased wife, at the Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Texas.

Amos Branigan Jr.

Amos Branigan Jr. was born August 8. 1944 in Greenville, MS. He was the oldest of four children born to Amos and Ada Lee Branigan. He was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters, Doristine and Faye, one brother, Willie Lewis Branigan, affectionately known as “BJ”, and one son, Damon Cobb Sr. Amos and his family moved to St. Louis, MO when he was six years old. He was educated in the St. Louis public school system and graduated from Hadley Tech in 1962.

Amos married Pearline Moore on July 6, 1967. There were three children born to this union, Yolanda, Andrea and Amos III. Amos was united in holy matrimony with Olga Yvette Scott on September 30, 1989. He was a loving husband who loved his family, especially his grandchildren.

Amos was an excellent cook, master carpenter, leisure fisherman and a die-hard St. Louis Cardinal fan. He also enjoyed framing, hanging and admiring his family picture collection.

Amos accepted Christ and was baptized at Prospect Hill Baptist Church on April 22, 1990. Although he did not attend church worship often, he was a believer and he loved the Lord. He was always ready and willing to help anyone in need, especially the elderly.

He was employed by the City of St. Louis for 21 years. He retired from Duke Manufacturing in 2006. To know Amos was to love him. He will be truly missed by everyone who knew him.

Amos was called to rest on April 1, 2013 with his wife and children by his side. He leaves to cherish his memory, a loving wife, Yvette; three daughters, Yolanda Moore, Andrea (Eric) Fletcher and Portia (Keith Sr.) Moore; two sons, Amos III and David (Carla) Scott; 10 grandchildren; one uncle, Samuel (Lois) Branigan; six sisters, Mae (O.P.) Henry, Shirley (Robert) Bell, Beatrice (Jessie) Daniels, Diane Branigan, Bettie Jackson and Bobby Jackson; four brothers, Jerry (Stephanie) Branigan), Michael Branigan, Mark Branigan and Charles (Mary) Jackson, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, family and friends.

Attention St. Louis American Readers

As a service to the community, we list obituaries in the St. Louis American Newspaper, on a space-available basis and online at stlamerican.com. AT NO CHARGE. Please send all obituary notices to kdaniel @stlamerican.com.

Big Brothers Big Sisters hosts recognition event

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri recently recognized 58 graduating Little Brothers and Little Sisters from the Eastern Missouri region, along with volunteers and supports, at an inaugural dinner and awards program.

The average length of match for these 58 Littles and their Bigs was six years.

“Eighty percent already have plans for their future – whether it is college, military service, or the opportunity to go to work,” said Bill DeWitt III, president of the St. Louis Cardinals and chairman of the BBBSEMO Board of Directors.

Sharing the spotlight with the graduates were seven individuals and businesses

that were inducted into the agency’s Hall

Savat also was named Missouri’s Big Brother of the Year. Katie Miller was recognized as Missouri’s Big Sister of the Year. Her Little Sister Tia Miller is graduating from high school and is planning to attend nursing school in the fall. For more information, visit www.bbbsemo.org.

Teacher recognized for motivating students

Rega Wesley-Stewart, a math teacher at McCluer High School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, received a Peabody Energy Leaders in Education Award at the Peabody Energy Educator of the Year event on Aug. 19.

Wesley-Stewart was selected for her efforts to improve hercommunityandschoolandfordevelopingmotivational tools for students such as “Get It Done! Turn it in!” which motivates students to submit assignments on time.

“She has the unique ability to both challenge and show compassion to students,” Gary Spiller, principal of McCluer High School, said of Wesley-Stewart.

Chess champ

Keturah Gadson, an eighth-grader at Pattonville Heights Middle School, was recently named the 2013 Missouri Girls Scholastic Chess Champion during the Missouri Chess Association’s Tournament of Champions in Columbia. She will represent the state of Missouri at the United States Chess Federation’s National Girls Invitational Tournament, to be held in Madison, Wisconsin. Only one female player from each state is selected to participate in this national competition.

Robert Miller Rev. Peggy Thomas

Amos Branigan Jr.

James Terry

of Fame: Sherry Deery, parent; Allen Savat, Big Brother; Jonathan Deery, Little Brother; Cape Girardeau Public Schools, school partner; Citi, business partner; St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, community partner; and Melissa Bode, staff member.

Big Sister of the Year Katie Miller with Little Sister Tia Miller

Education, facts and Senator Nasheed

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed is a fighter, so the EYE expected to hear from her – loudly – after calling her out last week for threatening state Rep. Michael Butler on the floor of the Missouri House of Representatives if he refused to flip and vote for Republican Speaker of the House Tim Jones’ omnibus version of the education bill, Senate Bill 125.

Nasheed wrote to us of SB 125: “The legislation places in statute the ‘St. Louis Plan,’ which is the process for teacher dismissal instituted jointly by the teacher’s union Local 420 and the St. Louis Public Schools administration, and is designed to create greater accountability by teachers. The truth be told, the person who I sponsored the bill for was the SLPS Superintendent, Dr. Kevin Adams (sic), who I fully support in his efforts to transform the school system.”

Note to Nasheed: the SLPS super’s name is Kelvin R. Adams, not Kevin. But this would-be correction from Nasheed does more than make an innocent spelling mistake. It blatantly misrepresents all sorts of facts. Nasheed suggests she was pushing Butler (and other Democrats) to vote for a good version of SB 125 that was salvaged only after Jones’ omnibus education bill – the version of the bill on the House floor when she threatened Butler – was defeated. Some legislative history. SB 125 was originally introduced in the state Senate by Nasheed as a small change to SLPS teacher dismissal policy (this had nothing to do with the “St. Louis Plan,” as Nasheed claims, but the EYE will get to that). Currently, SLPS is the only district in the state that requires that a teacher be retained for a semester before they have been deemed incompetent through due process (if tenured) or a bad evaluation (if not tenured). SLPS wants this policy changed, and Nasheed tried to get it for the district by filing this bill.

SB 125 passed the Senate almost unanimously with its original language. The funny stuff happened when it came to the House. It arrived to the House Education Committee right after House Bill 631 – which included many of school choice ideologue Rex Sinquefield’s pet education policies – had just been defeated badly. Very soon after SB 125’s hearing, Education Committee Vice Chair state Rep. Jay Barnes introduced a House Committee Substitute (HCS) for SB 125 that included all of Sinquefield’s HB 631 language.

This is when Nasheed got involved as an activist to push the bill in the House. It was no longer Kelvin Adam’s bill; now it was Kelvin Adam’s bill being mashed into duty as a Trojan Horse for Rex Sinquefield’s bill. This was the education bill for which – Nasheed publicly threatened –she would have Butler defeated in his reelection bid if he did not support it.

When the House defeated the HCS of SB 125, despite Nasheed’s vigilante tactics, it then reverted back to its original form. A few days later, Republican leadership brought SB 125 back up, now in its original form. Only then was the “St. Louis Plan” language added. This Peer Review and Assistance Program is a labormanagement partnership between SLPS and the American Federation of Teacher–St. Louis, Local 420. It combines experienced teachers with low-performing teachers so that lowperforming teachers can improve. These are the type of proven solutions that public school advocates are attempting to get funded at the statelevel; “education reform” advocates like Sinquefield are openly obstructing those efforts.

Nasheed wants to take credit for the St. Louis Plan (which she clearly does not understand) entering state law, though it was added to the bill she sponsored by state Rep. Rick

Stream, a Republican from Kirkwood.

Nasheed had nothing to do with that. The bill was then passed by the House without anything bad in it. Nasheed had nothing to do with that either.

Nasheed and Rex

In Nasheed’s counter-factual correction to the EYE’s previous report, she also states, “My only involvement with Mr. Sinquefield this session was to filibuster for four hours a tax bill he supported.”

Butler says that is not true either.

“Sinquefield’s education lobbyist testified in favor of her SB 125 at a House Education Committee Hearing on April 10, 2013,” Butler told the EYE. “Rex’s education lobbyist actively lobbied members of the General Assembly to vote for Nasheed’s SB 125 alongside Nasheed herself. Senator Nasheed is highly involved with Rex Sinquefield. His lobbyists actively lobby other elected officials alongside Senator Nasheed herself. They testify in favor of the bills she sponsors. They can be seen speaking with her in the Capitol and on Twitter on a regular basis.”

Me Casas, you Casas

Nasheed’s extremely tacky threat to Butler on the House floor – which she neither denies doing, nor apologizes for, in her correction – was to beat him in his reelection effort. Beat him with which candidate?

Perhaps Martin Casas, whom Butler beat in his first campaign. The

irony is that Casas is married to Kate Casas, Missouri’s state director of the Children’s Education Alliance, a “school reform” group funded by Sinquefield.

Butler destroyed Casas at the polls in August 2012, with 2,957 votes (62 percent) to Casas’ 1,816 votes (38 percent). It’s not difficult to see why Butler was not intimidated by Nasheed’s threat of retribution at the polls, unless she and Rex can find someone better than Martin Casas for their oppositional candidate.

Utterly counter-productive

Also, Nasheed’s would-be correction begins with the lofty, professorial tone of “Although I think it is largely unproductive to spend time responding to critics ...” That’s a good one. Nasheed repeatedly has become the laughingstock of social media by spending her time as a sitting senator going off on Twitter sprees “responding to her critics” and enemies. That is not “largely unproductive,” it’s utterly counterproductive.

Team Butler

If you want to help Butler beat Casas again (or whomever Nasheed and Sinquefield come up with) then you can say hello to him at his next fundraiser 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 30 at SOHO, 4229 Manchester Ave. RSVP to Michael@michaelbutler. org or send donations to Team Butler, 3219 Russell Blvd., St. Louis

Aldermanic President Lewis Reed and Comptroller Darlene Green – that’s a voting majority with de fact control of the City of St. Louis’ chief fiscal body, the Board of Estimate & Apportionment – participated in a shovel shot last week for the groundbreaking of AnheuserBusch’s new beer garden adjacent to its Tour Center at 12th and Lynch streets.

Photo by Wiley Price

MO 63104. The long list of elected officials supporting Butler includes almost everyone in town but Nasheed.

Make that four

The EYE recently mused that there have been at least three continuing criminal enterprises in St. Louis city government in recent years: the police towing scam, the drug-smuggling ring among city corrections officers, and ghost employees and kickbacks in the Treasurer’s Office.

Make that four, according to an indictment handed down last week by a federal grand jury. The indictment alleges that Joseph Vacca, deputy commissioner of the St. Louis Parks Division, and Thomas Stritzel, chief of the St. Louis Park Rangers, “defrauded the City of St. Louis of approximately one-half million dollars by submitting false and sham invoices purportedly for materials and services supplied to the Parks Division.” They used these funds - $464,722, by the feds’ best count – “for their own personal use, including lease payments on personal vehicles, fuel costs, the payment of personal credit card charges, and other personal living expenses unrelated to the legitimate operations of the St. Louis Parks Division.”

Eddie Roth, operations director for Mayor Francis G. Slay, told CBS that the Slay administration would get “a bunch of really smart people around a table” to figure out how to thwart future continuing criminal enterprises in city government. Now the EYE just wonders how the Slay administration is going to be able to gather a bunch of really smart people. They’ll have to outsource that.

SHALOM

Continued from A1 mittee. Indeed, he did not seem to be feeling this anniversary as his anniversary. It is a very much a collective experience. One of the originators of the Call To Oneness movement, which mobilized

more than 20,000 AfricanAmerican men in 2008, he clearly sees himself as one of many.

“There has been a lot of talk about me, but it’s impossible for one person to have been able to move in the direction of the creation of Shalom Church (City of Peace),” Pastor Clark said. “I have been surrounded by some great minds.”

He named a few: Sylvester Payne, current chairman of deacons; Curtis Richardson, the first chairman of deacons; Arthur Cole, deacon; Tommy Walton, who gives leadership to Amor Bearers; Mother Occie Allen, first leader of Mothers Ministry; Nancy Harris, current leader of Mothers Ministry; and

Anthony Jones, executive minister.

“There are so many many more, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t call their names,” Pastor Clark said. “They are the people who went shoulder to shoulder with me and plowed through the difficult times. I love them and respect them to the highest.”

Pastor Clark seemed gen-

Marching down Market

Members of the Normandy Senior High School Vikings marching band made their way down Market Street on Sunday as part of the Annie Malone May Day Parade. They were judged the winner in the Drum and Bugle Corp and Junior and High School Bands Division.Carr Lane Visual & Performing Arts Middle School placed second and Spirits of New Northside Drill Team was third.Visit stlamerican.com for more than 150 photos of the parade.

uinely stumped when asked what he wanted the public to know about the meaning of Shalom’s 20th anniversary.

“It’s amazing to me that a band of people marched off into directions unknown 20 years ago and arrived at a celebration of this magnitude,” he said, “but to be honest, I don’t know what I want people to know.” As he spoke about how far the church and its community have come in 20 years, it became clear he wasn’t interested in past accomplishments. Mostly, he sees hard work left undone.

“Change has been slow for me. I see so many things we could be doing collectively that we’re not doing,” Pastor Clark said. “Preferably, in the next 10 to 15 years the pace of how we take care of matters in the city will pick up.”

He also has other important commitments to attend do. He is married to the former Cheryl Waller and has three adult children, all active in Shalom ministries: Terrence (Campus Ministry), Anthony (Christian Education) and Michelle (web/media consultant). He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, which gets a healthy portion of his identity and energy. “Besides my being a Christian and a father and a husband and a pastor, it’s the great organization I am a part of on the planet,” he said.

Among other civic commitments, he serves on the Christian Hospital Board of Directors and chairs its Community Relations Committee. “I enjoy serving on the board as part of my ministry in the community,” he said. “I get to connect the two entities, the hospital with the community, and build a relationship that is lasting.” His service to Shalom, his family, his fraternity, the hospital and the community in general keep the St. Louis native grounded and happy here, but his taste of leadership clearly has left him hungry for more.

“St. Louis is a great city, I love it, I love being here, I love the people,” he said. “But we are too gifted not to be doing more. I would love to see a coming together of the churches. I love to see a more progressive downtown. I love to see a more progressive St. Louis – period.”

One thing he would not like to see is a reality TVcrew poking around his sanctuary. He has seen reality TVfever spread across St. Louis after the success of Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s and wants no part of it.

“No, sir,” he said, when asked if he had been approached by a reality TV producer. “And, please don’t. I can’t do that. No.” Visit shalomccop.org or call 314-653-2300.

Baptist Pastor: Rev. Freddy J. Clark First Lady: Cheryl Clark

Founded: June 13, 1993

Membership: approximately 5,500 Campuses: 5491 N. Highway 67, Florissant; 6136 Garfield Ave., Berkeley

Ministries: Christian Education, Evangelism, Hospitality, Koinonia, Music, Reflections, Small Groups

Website: shalomccop.org

Photo by Wiley Price

Ola Ayeni,founder and CEO of the restaurant-marketing firm Dining Dialog,Inc.(here with Jerry Schlichter,co-founder and president of Arch Grants),received a $50,000 Arch Grant in a global business startup competition.He agreed to move his startup Eateria,which makes a marketing software tool to help restaurants stay connected with customers through email and social media,to St.Louis.

20 entrepreneurs win Arch Grants

Ola Ayeni moving his startup to St. Louis from Chicago for opportunity

By Rebecca S.Rivas

Of The St.Louis American

“We are building an entrepreneurial ecosystem.” – Jerry Schlichter, co-founder and president of Arch Grants

In July, Ola Ayeni, founder and CEO of the restaurant-marketing firm Dining Dialog, Inc., will uproot his family and business in Chicago and relocate to St. Louis. He’s one of 20 out-of-town companies that will be making the same move. These companies received a $50,000 Arch Grant in a global business startup competition that was created to help build a more robust entrepreneurial culture and infrastructure in St. Louis. Ayeni is the first entrepreneur of African descent to receive a grant in the Arch Grant

Diversity in hospitality

Burnell Goldman is the only black GM of a STLhotel

By Bridjes O’Neil

Of The St.Louis American

Burnell Goldman is the only African-American general manager of a St. Louis hotel, according to the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission. He leads a team of assistant managers, sales and accounting team members and hourly staff at the Omni Majestic Hotel. The historic hotel is one of the smallest hotels in downtown St. Louis, he said. It is also one of 50 in the luxu-

ry Omni Hotel and Resort chain with locations throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“I get to do what I love every single day,” said Goldman, who has worked 20-plus years in the hospitality industry. “My job is to create memorable experiences for our guests.” In fact, the Omni was voted “Highest in Hotel Guest Satisfaction among Upper-Upscale Hotel Chains” by J.D. Power and Associates in 2012.

See DIVERSITY, B6

competition, which started in 2011. Ayeni is originally from Nigeria. Ayeni’s global startup is called Eateria, a user-friendly marketing software tool that helps restaurants stay connected with their customers through email and social media. Ayeni came up with the idea for the “loyalty email marketing tool” after running his restaurant marketing firm for several years. He thought it would be a good way to help small businesses especially.

See GRANTS, B2

PEOPLEON THE MOVE

James H. Buford

James H. Buford been elected chairman of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s Board of Trustees by his fellow board members. Buford is retiring as CEO and president of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis after serving 28 years. He was appointed to the MSD board by Mayor Francis G. Slay.

Valerie Patton has been appointed to the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s Board of Trustees by County Executive Charlie Dooley. She is the executive director of the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative and adjunct professor at Washington University’s Brown School of Social Work.

SisterMary Antona Ebo, FSM, received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Notre Dame University. Sister Ebo has been a prominent activist worldwide for human rights since she marched with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Ala. She was the first black woman religious to head a hospital.

Dr. Savoy Brummer was awarded Emergency Department Director of the Year by the Emergency Medicine Foundation and Blue Jay Consulting. He is medical director at Memorial Hospital in Belleville, Ill. where he has decreased patient wait times and increased the number of board-certified emergency medicine specialists in his department.

BUSINESS BRIEF

Urban League seeking Distinguished Young Professional nominees

The Urban League Young Professionals of Metropolitan St. Louis is seeking nominations for Distinguished Young Professional Awards, which will be given during the 8th Annual Urban Renaissance Gala on Saturday, June 22 at the Renaissance Airport Hotel.

There are three award categories: Education & Youth Empowerment, Economic Empowerment, and Civic Engagement & Social Justice Empowerment Nominees must be between 21 and 40 years of age, live within the St. Louis metropolitan area and be currently active (employed or as a volunteer) in the category for which they are nominated To submit a nomination, go to http://bit.ly/ULYPSTLawards. Nominations are due Friday, May 31.

Goldman,who studied hotel administration at Cornell University and has worked 20-plus years in the hospitality industry,is general manager of the Omni Majestic Hotel in downtown St.Louis.

Valerie Patton

Sister Mary Antona Ebo

Dr.Savoy Brummer

Photo by Wiley Price

Burnell

Photo by Wiley Price

By Jason Alderman

Are the 70 percent of the developing world’s adult population with no formal bank account doomed to a life of economic uncertainty and financial illiteracy? If a woman’s culture dictates that she should always put her family’s financial needs ahead of her own, can she learn to set aside money for her own retirement without feeling guilty?

These are just some of the complex issues raised at the seventh annual Financial Literacy and Education Summit hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Visa Inc. Renowned U.S. and international financial experts and journalists led a lively discussion – and fielded Twitter

Improving women’s financial literacy

questions from roughly 2,000 participants – around the theme, “Improving Women’s Financial Literacy & Capabilities Globally.”

Fascinating details revealed include:

ï Richard Cordray, Director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, noted that “a large majority of K-12 teachers say that personal finance should be taught in school, yet less than a third say they’ve taught lessons about money, and more than half feel unqualified to teach their state’s financial literacy standards.”

ï Linah Mohohlo, Governor, Bank of Botswana, emphasized that it’s not only important to teach women about money management, but

PERSONAL FINANCE

also to teach them activities to avoid – such as Ponzi schemes or lending money to people without setting repayment and interest terms.

ï Bernie Ripoll, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, Australia, added that women should feel empowered to ask questions or say no if they’re asked to invest in something they don’t understand.

ï According to South African Financial Journalist

Maya Fischer-French, among the biggest financial hurdles an overwhelming number of women in her country face is their status as single mothers –around 56 percent. Of those, only about 21 percent can rely

on financial help from their children’s fathers.

On the question of whether financial literacy hinges on access to traditional bank accounts, Egyptian Journalist Amira Salah-Ahmend said roughly 90 percent of the Egyptian population is unbanked, meaning most of their transactions are unregulated and therefore more risky.

Mexican Journalist Adina Chelminsky added that many third-world people have much easier access to credit through informal lending channels than to bank products. “The idea is not to formalize all this informal lending, but rather for banks and governments to think outside the box and develop new products that

cater to women who have minimal savings,” she said. The panelists shared some alternative financing methods that are already in place and thriving: ï Microfinance, where organizations like Kiva make small loans to people who can’t get credit from traditional banks, is helping women achieve financial stability in many underdeveloped nations.

For example, a young woman in Pakistan or Mexico can now take out a microloan to buy a sewing machine, thereby creating her own thriving business.

ï Also in Pakistan, a large telecommunications company has partnered with a microfinancer to provide “branchless banking” via mobile phone technology to people far removed from banks. “We’ve got 45,000 agents transacting this kind of business now com-

pared to only 13,000 in the branch network,” explained Yaseen Anwar, Governor, State Bank of Pakistan.

Bottom line: Women throughout the world face unique economic and financial literacy challenges. The key is for governments, financial institutions, educators and entrepreneurs to work together to devise financial tools and educational materials that can reach the female half of the world’s population – the younger, the better. To watch a free webcast of the 2013 Financial Literacy and Education Summit, visit www.practicalmoneyskills.com

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Practical Money

Sorority honors Business Woman of the Year

locations.

Alpha Zeta Chapter, Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc., one of the nation’s oldest AfricanAmerican sororities, has honored Ada Joyce Taylor, the founder of Deer Valley Home Health Care, as the 2013 Business Woman of the Year.

From aone-person company startedin 2007,Taylor grew Deer Valleyto over 150 home health care workers.

From a one-personcompany started in 2007,Taylor grew Deer Valleyto over 150 home health care workers, supported by an office staff of almost 30 employees, and two office

Thecompany provides Medicaid-eligible services to hundreds of clients throughout the St. Louis area and will soon expand into Medicare.

Among the programs the company providesare Consumer Directed Services, Personal Care Services and Healthy Child & Youth Services.

As thechief executive officer ofone of the largest home health care businesses in the St. Louisarea,the sorority says, Taylor can serve as an inspiration to women, particularly African-American women, as they pursue their goals in business and in life.

Ada Joyce Taylor, founder of Deer Valley Home Health Care

In addition to being a businesswoman, Taylor is a noted philanthropistwho supports charities in North and South St. Louis. Among her charities of interestis St. Louis Transitional HopeHouse.

Deer Valley HomeHealth is locatedat 8600 Airport Road in North County and 3704 S.Grand inSouth St. Louis. For more information, visit www.deervalleyhomehealth.com.

GRANTS

Continued from B1

“Everyone can use it anywhere in the country,” he said. “When there’s a limited amount of time to get a lot done, marketing often falls to the bottom of the priority list.”

Arch Grant recipients receive $50,000 as grant funding – meaning no equity is exchanged for the funding, as is the case with venture capital – disbursed quarterly, over the course of a year, with a chance for a $100,000 follow-on grant from Arch Grants.

Companies also receive free legal, accounting, marketing, cloud computing, and mentoring support, with discounted residential and commercial rent and access to St. Louis’ “angel” investment network.

This year’s Arch Grant competition attracted 707 applicants from 15 countries and 40 states.

“The Arch Grants winners are the best of a terrific group and are exciting young companies,” said Jerry Schlichter, cofounder and president of Arch Grants.

“Arch Grants’vision has become a reality. We are building an entrepreneurial ecosystem and have great partners who, through their support of Arch Grants, have put St. Louis on the international map as a great place for entrepreneurs.”

Arch Grants has raised $3.3 million since its inception in 2011. The first round of Arch Grants winners created 65

jobs, generated $1,832,452 in revenue and raised $1,634,000 in capital funding, all since last June, Arch Grants reported. The 2013 grant winners are diverse in their focus, ranging from medical innovations to clothing. Many of them are from the Midwest. One grant winner, Code Red, produces a computer science and entrepreneurial curriculum for first through 12th graders. The company helps schools train students to compete for high-demand, highpaying jobs in the modern economy through computer science/coding training and entrepreneurial curriculum. Code Red is moving from O’Fallon, Ill.

Another, TrakBill,provides real-time information indicating progress of legislation and the broader process of lawmaking in the United States at both the state and federal level. TrakBill began in Campaign, IL. Immunophotonics is developing inCVAX, an innovative, practical and safe therapeutic cancer vaccine that has shown very encouraging initial results in the treatment of metastatic cancer. Immunophotonics is relocating from Columbia, MO.

Several of the companies focus on biotechnology.

“We appreciate all applicants that were a part of this competition,” said Sarah Spear, executive director of Arch Grants. “St. Louis is becoming a prominent place for entrepreneurs from around the globe to start their business.”

“Do I think we had a better team than Indiana? Yeah.But just some matchups and certain series don’t go your way.”

— N.Y.Knicks forward Kenyon Martin,after his team’s loss to Indiana in the Eastern Conference playoffs

Sports

One-handed beating

Big schools take center stage

Class 3-4 State

Track

and Field Championships this weekend

By Earl Austin Jr. Of The St.Louis American

The big schools take center stage this weekend at the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 3-4 State Track and Field Championships in Jefferson City. The action gets underway on Friday with field events at 11 a.m. and running prelims at noon at Dwight T. Reed Stadium on the campus of Lincoln University. The championship running events will begin at noon on Saturday.

The Hazelwood Central boys are seeking a fourth consecutive Class 4 state championship.

As usual, here are a few of the storylines to watch as we head into an exciting weekend of state track. Quest for a fourpeat: The Hazelwood Central boys are seeking a fourth consecutive Class 4 state championship. The Hawks qualified athletes in nine events, including three individuals in the 400meter dash. Without an individual star, the Hawks will try to win again with teamwork like they did last year. Central will get some good competition from its Suburban North Conference rivals McCluer North and McCluer.

Just three short years ago Devon Alexander was the darling of the boxing world. After consecutive victories Junior Witter and Juan Urango, the latter by spectacular knockout, Alexander was the talk of the town. As his name made the rounds through boxing circles, he was almost universally acclaimed as a rising young star. Suddenly a loss to Timothy Bradley Jr. sandwiched two close decision victories against Andriy Kotelnik and Lucas Matthysse and the publicity and love affair with Alexander began to wane a little. In Saturday’s bout versus Lee Purdy, Alexander sought to rekindle his momentum and prove that he’s a true champion and a force to be reckoned.

Against Purdy, Alexander made a concerted effort to put on an exciting performance. It was evident in the first round that the defending IBF welterweight champion wanted to make a statement. The champ let his hands go with impressive combinations to the body and head of the challenger. The punches weren’t light, measuring shots. Coming into the fight, Alexander hadn’t had a KO victory since the Urgango fight in 2010 and it was evident that he was hungry for another.

tiple gold medals in the Class 2 state meet. IrvinMuhammad swept the 100and 200-meter dashes and set two state records in the process. She won the 100 in a Class 2 record time of 11.74 seconds. She also won the 200 in a time of 24.4 seconds after setting a new Class 2 record of 24.34 in Friday’s preliminaries. Wells took home four gold

medals after winning the 100, 200 and anchoring the Commanders’4x100- and 4x200-meter relay teams to state championships. Wells turned in winning times of 10.79 in the 100 and 22.02 in the 200. He was joined on the winning relays by Diamond Hodge, Lonnie Orr and Devonte Kazze. The Commanders finished second in the team standings with 40 points, following up on last year’s state championship. Maplewood’s Essence Brewer was the Class 2 girls

“The gameplan was to get the knockout,” Alexander’s trainer Kevin Cunningham told The American. “We wanted to be impressive and get rid of this guy.”

Alexander seemed well on his way to putting the study-chinned Purdy on his behind with a relentless attack. However as the fight wore on, it became apparent to those watching that even though he was leading the action, Alexander wasn’t throwing his left hand very often. As a southpaw, the champion’s left hand should have been the difference maker. According to Cunningham, the left hand they’d been focusing

See CLUTCH, B5

CharlesJones: The Cardinal Ritter junior electrified the crowd last season with a Class 3 state-record performance in the 800 of 1 minute 49.9 seconds. He is back to make another run at Billy Rainey’s overall state record while anchoring the Lions’4x400 and 4x800-meter relay teams that won state titles last year.

EzekielElliott: The John Burroughs star looks to close out a tremendous athletic career by leading the Bombers to a Class 3 boys state championship. Elliott will be the favorite in the 110-meter high hurdles and 300-meter intermediate hurdles. He has also qualified for the 100 and 200. The Bombers also have some good athletes entered in the

Lee Purdy’s corner threw in the towel after the 7th round to save the bloody and battered fighter from taking any further punishment from Devon Alexander.

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Multiple golds for local athletes at state track

Earl Austin Jr.

Photo by Wiley Price

CLAIB’S CALL

With Mike Claiborne

When yourteam’s meal ticket is gay

Now that that perhaps the most dominant woman basketball player ever, Brittney Griner, has come out, the story gets better. Griner admitted that her coach Kim Mulkey wanted to make sure that Griner’s sexuality would not be an issue while she played at Baylor. Not because it was no one’s business whom she was intimate with, but because Mulkey thought it would hurt recruiting for the future. That’s it, coach, think about the future first. Don’t think about the player that put your school on the map and her feelings. Think about future players considering a conservative Christian school who claim to have morals that may not embrace Griner’s lifestyle. Wait a minute. Griner’s lifestyle did not prevent her from becoming the most dominant player in the history of the game, nor did it keep Baylor from getting put on the map as a basketball power. Funny how everyone looked the other way when it came to Griner, because she told Mulkey she was gay when she was being recruited. Mulkey could have cared less if she was a Martian as long as she could rebound, block shots and stay eligible academically.

Suicidally stupid?

I found it somewhat amusing to read on TMZ that Buffalo Bill lineman Mario Williams was trying to recover a $735,000 engagement ring from his former fiancé. His fiancé Erin Marzouki claims that Williams had suicidal thoughts. She went on to release (through her attorney) some text messages she claimed were from Williams to support her claim. Williams has denied the claims. I am not one to judge a man on whom he marries. I am not one to judge a man on his actions when engagements are broken. Here is what I am judging. Mario Williams does have a problem. Suicidal? Not

sure. Losing his marbles because he spent over $700,000 on an engagement ring? I think is cause for a claim of stupidity, if not insanity. It certainly makes you wonder about Williams and his judgment. Upon further review, Williams has been deemed to be more than “off

sides” here. Throwing a flag on this one is not enough.

Agent Sanford and son

Not since the days of Sanford and Son have I found a comedy more amusing, yet sad, as the story involving

SCHOOLS

Continued from B3

field events as well.

Class4GirlsBattleRoyal: There will be some serious competition in the Class 4 girls team standings, which went down to the final event a year ago. Francis Howell is seeking a repeat state title behind the excellence of senior sprinter Whitney Adams. Hazelwood Central and McCluer North are taking excellent crews to state as well. Central is led by junior sprinter Ashley Henderson while McCluer North returns state champion hurdler Kimberlin Simon. Both teams have dynamite relays.

AAU coach Darius Cobb, aspiring agent Rodney Blackstock and future NBA player Ben McLemore (of Wellston) and family. McLemore is claiming that Blackstock is like family and is an upstanding chap. Makes you wonder where this guy has been all of McLemore’s

Metro Catholic Heat: The Metro Catholic Conference has produced three of the state’s top sprinters this season in Raymond Wingo of SLUH and the CBC duo of Jamal Robinson and Jonathan Parker. Wingo turned in a winning time of 10.67 at the Class 4 Parkway North Sectional last weekend. Robinson and Parker both ran

life.

“Rodney Blackstock has been great. Since Day One, since I met him, we got that bond and communicating very well. That’s why I chose him to help me with this process,” McLemore said.

“With the whole Darius process, I left it at that. I

10.7 at the MICDS Sectional. Robinson ran 21.60 while Parker turned in a 21.62 in the 200 while the Cadets won the 4x100-meter relay in a sizzling 41.98. From the West side of the state, expect some stiff competition from Roy Bey of RaymorePeculiar, who ran 10.69 in the 100 at his sectional meet.

haven’t talked to him … It was just a personal attack on Rodney Blackstock ... Rodney Blackstock was doing those things, you know, trying to help. And that’s why I left it at that and I’m just trying to move onto my career. And now I’m here at the Combine just trying to work and, you know, get ready to walk across that stage.”

Touching isn’t it?

As for Cobb, he has now stepped up and wants to be the voice of conscience.

“Since Ben wants to vindicate himself, his family, and his new best friend, why don’t he start by introducing his circle to the world?” Cobb said.

“His circle is Rodney Blackstock, a con artist. Blackstock made an impression on Ben, because he had years of information on the family from various coaches, including myself, selling his life story as similar to Ben’s struggles.”

He cited a text message

Blackstock allegedly sent to Cobb in February about his personal agenda: “%hit want we bringing to the table and the pipeline bro they gonna be winning and willing to do whatever, so I’m thinking a point and secondary agent, they pay for my agent license, six figure salary, benefits, n travel budget for recruitment bro.”

It makes you wonder if these guys are trying to replace the Three Stooges here.

Darius Cobb will have a hard time remaining as an AAU coach. As for Blackstock, the NBAPlayers Association will have to take a long, hard look at him and ask themselves if he qualifies as a certified agent. If Blackstock really is an agent, how much longer can he remain one with this cloud hanging over his head?

Spare me if you think McLemore and his family are just innocent bystanders. They knew what was up, and if they didn’t then there is a bigger problem of awareness here. But then McLemore will probably go onto the NBAand make his money, and no one will look back nor do anything about it. That is the comedy, or rather the tragedy, in this story.

Maya Cody: Lutheran South has not been known as the place to find top sprinters, but that has changed with the emergence as this talented sophomore. Cody will enter this weekend’s Class 3 meet as one of the top sprinters in the field. She has qualified as a sectional champion in the 100, 200 and 400. Her sectionalwinning time in the 400 was 56.64 seconds.

Defending State Champions: Several local athletes are back in Jefferson City this weekend to attempt to repeat as individual state champions. Class 4 Boys: Aaron Mallet (McCluer North), 110-meter high hurdles; Josh McDonald (Timberland), discus, Noah Kauppila (Marquette), 3,200meter run. Class 4 Girls: Nataliyah Friar (Holt), triple jump; Whitney Adams (Francis Howell), 400-meter dash; Valeska Halamicek (Francis Howell), 800-meter run; Kimberlin Simon (McCluer North), 300-meter low hurdles. Class 3 Boys: Charles Jones (Cardinal Ritter), 800; Amos Bartelsmeyer (MICDS), 1,600. Class 3 Girls: Jordan McClendon (John Burroughs), Soldan.

Mike Claiborne

Brittney Griner was one of the most dominating women collegiate basketball players ever while at Baylor.

Raymond Wingo of SLUH

Pacers hoping to keep up with the Heat

By Ishmael H.Sistrunk

We’re finally down to the NBAConference Finals. All eyes are on Miami, Indiana, San Antonio and Memphis as those teams seek to make a run at the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. In the East, David West and the Pacers look to take basketball’s version of Goliath in LeBron James and his defending champion Miami Heat. For the Pacers, it’s their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2004 when they lost to the eventual

league champion Detroit Pistons. The Pacers arrival is a bit of a surprise. Crafty moves such as signing David West and acquiring George Hill via trade with the Spurs last season helped turn the Indiana squad into a formidable one. Still, many presumed they weren’t ready for the big time, especially Danny Granger’s injury which limited him to just a handful of games. However, Paul George stepped into Granger’s shoes and proved to be a star in his own right. While the Heat are far and

away favored to win the series, Indiana has a chance. The Pacers won the team’s regular season head-tohead matchup 21. Indiana’s roster provides ideal matchups to make a competitive series versus the Heat. They field a solid point guard in George Hill, an athletic and dynamic small forward in George, a stretch-forward in West to neutralize Chris Bosh and an old-school, shot-blocking, hook-making

While the Heat are far and away favored to win the series, Indiana has a chance.

back-to-the-basket center in Roy Hibbert. Whether that will be enough to stop James and the juggernaut Heat remains to be seen. After getting acclimated to the rough and rugged style of the Chicago Bulls, the Heat had little trouble dispatching their foes in the conference semifinals. Of course, in addition to Derrick Rose’s annoying and distracting injury situation, the Bulls

played most of the series without Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich, two essential contributors of the team’s success. Besides Granger, who’s basically been missing for the entire season, the Pacers seem to be a healthy bunch. That means Dwayne Wade’s bum right knee might be the most important key for the series. In the midst of playoffs marred by star injuries, it’s clear that a hobbled or absent star can be the easiest way to earn a one way ticket home to watch the remainder of the playoffs on

Cahokia seeks threepeat

Comanches take 12 athletes to Illinois state championships

television like the rest of us. If Indiana is smart, they’ll borrow from the Bulls playbook and get chippy with the champs to make them feel every bump and bruise. The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t get it done without Russell Westbrook. Wade’s knee is just as important to the Heat. As long as DWade can play, Miami should be OK. Considering all the sidelined all-stars in this postseason though, that if is as big as the target on the back of the Heat jerseys.

By Earl Austin Jr.

Of The St.Louis American

The local track and field dynasty also known as the Cahokia Comanches will be rolling into this weekend’s IHSAClass 2Astate championships loaded for bear. Cahokia will take athletes in 12 events into this weekend’s Illinois state meet, which will be held at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Prelims will be held on Thursday and Friday with the championship races set for Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. Under the direction of coach Leroy Milsap, the

CLUTCH

Continued from B3

on so much in training camp was broken in the first round.

“Devon didn’t say anything initially, but by the second round I noticed he wasn’t throwing the left like did in camp,” Cunningham stated.

“The most important weapon was the left hand. After the bout, Alexander and Cunningham’s worst fears were realized when it was confirmed that the champ suffered a broken fifth metacarpal bone in his left hand, which will likely sideline him in a splint for five to six weeks. Still, with only one good

TRACK

Continued from B3

state champion in the 400meter dash. Brewer’s winning time was 58.81. Brewer also finished third in the 200 and fourth in the 400. McKinley Classical Leadership’s Anthony Williams was the Class 1 boys state champion in the 400 in a time of 50.34. Williams also staged a dramatic comeback on the anchor leg to give McKinley the state title in the 4x400-meter relay. Joining Williams on the relay were Benjamin Clark, Deandre Mitchell and Authority Anue. Williams also finished fourth in the 200. The area’s lone team champion was the Lutheran St. Charles girls, who won the Class 2 title with 64 points. Lutheran won on the strength of its relays, winning the 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800 while finishing fourth in the 4x100.

hand, the Hyde Park native put a solid, indisputable beat down on his opponent, forcing Purdy’s corner to throw in the towel after the 7th round to save the bloody and battered fighter from taking any further punishment.

With the impressive showing, Alexander managed to raise his profile and rejuvenate his fan base. In a perfect world, Cunningham was hoping his fighter would be ready to take on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Sept. for an exciting welterweight title unification bout. The injury may alter those plans. While the “Money” Mayweather train waits for no one, the Alexander camp is entertaining talks from British boxing sensation Amir Khan

Courtney Rogers was also the state champion in the 1,600meter run.

Herculaneum senior Kaitlyn Fischer concluded her brilliant career by winning the 3,200meter run for the fourth con-

The area’s lone team champion was the Lutheran St.Charles girls, who won the Class 2 title with 64 points.

secutive year. She also finished second in the 1,600. Brentwood freshman Sophie Rivera was a doublewinner in the Class 2 shot put and discus. Her winning throws were 41 feet in the shot put and 124-4 in the discus. Austin Cooling of Principia was the Class 2 boys state champion in the pole vault while Lawrence Hogue of Maplewood finished second in

Comanches have won four state titles, two state-runners up and one third-place trophy in the past eight seasons. They are seeking a third consecutive state title after winning Class 2Achampionships in 2011 and 2012. Barring any mishaps or unfortunate injuries, this could

for a fight near the end of 2013. Should he win, Mayweather - Alexander could be back in the cards for May 2014.

“That’s a fight that Floyd Mayweather wants,” Cunningham said. “When the time is right it’s going to be done. Devon is working hard, he’s focused, dedicated and loves representing the city of St. Louis. [Once he’s healed] he’ll continue to be one of the top fighters in the game and you can expect him to do bigger and better things!”

If Alexander’s performance against Purdy is a sign of things to come, the man may be onto something.

Follow Ishmael on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk and

the Class 2 boys long jump. The girls of McKinley finished second in the Class 1 4x100.

Illinois side

On the Illinois side, Edwardsville’s girls brought home a second place trophy from the IHSAClass 3 girls state championships in Charleston. Senior Emmonnie Henderson concluded her stellar career by winning the shot put and discus for the fourth consecutive year. Henderson set a new state record in the shot put with a throw of 50 feet 9 ? inches. Senior Lauren White was second in the long jump and fourth in the high jump while junior Aaliyah Covington was second in the shot put.

Senior Markita Rush of East St. Louis finished her career as a state champion as she won the Class 2 300-meter low hurdles. Rush set a new state record of 42.14 in winning her second state title.

be one spectacular weekend for the Comanches as well as the fans who enjoy good track and field in Illinois.

The Comanches are led by their explosive jumping pair of senior Chris Moore and freshman Ja’Mari Ward, who have both jumped more than 24 feet in the long jump and 48 feet in the triple jump. Moore has also qualified in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.

Trey Story was a sectional champion in the 100- and 200meter dashes while Marlin Brady won a sectional title in the 400. Darren Payton and Jalon Morgan are both entered in the 800 while Gary

Prep Athletes of the Week

Emmonnie Henderson

Edwardsville – Girls Track

The senior track standout closed out a brilliant career by winning two state championships at the IHSAClass 3 state meet in Charleston, Ill. Henderson won the shot put and discus for the fourth consecutive year. She won the shot put with a state record throw of 50 feet 9 ? inches. Henderson’s winning throw in the discus was 156 feet 7 inches. Henderson’s efforts powered the Tigers to a second-place finish in the Class 3 team standings Atwo-sport standout at Edwardsville, Henderson also graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer in basketball. She led the Tigers to a runner-up finish in the Class 4Astate tournament as a junior and a 32-1 record as a senior. Henderson will attend the University of Louisville, where she will compete in both track and basketball for the Cardinals.

Maya Cody

Lutheran South – Girls Track

The sophomore sprinter took home four first-place medals from last week’s Class 3, Sectional 1 meet at MICDS. Cody was the sectional champion in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes. She turned in winning times of 12.34 seconds in the 100, 25.07 in the 200 and 56.64 in the 400. Cody also anchored the Lancers’4x100-meter relay team to a sectional title in a time of 49.26 seconds. She also won four gold medals at the Class 3, district meet at Lutheran South.

Cody will be one of the top sprinters to watch at this weekend’s upcoming Missouri Class 3 State Championships in Jefferson City.

Hickman joins Moore in the 300-meter hurdles. Antonio Pierce has qualified in the high jump. Cahokia has also qualified

State budgets fordisparity study

MOKAN thanks Nasheed, Legislative Black Caucus

By Yaphett El-Amin

For The St.Louis American

MOKAN would like to extend our sincerest apprecia-

tion for the efforts of state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, and the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus who assisted in securing $750,000 within the State

of Missouri’s 2013 budget for a statewide disparity study.

The State of Missouri commenced its last disparity study in 1989. The result of this

study afforded the state to adopt goals of 10 percent MBE and 5 percent WBE on State of Missouri contracts. However, because of the maturity of the last disparity study, the state has not been able to adopt higher goals and enforce more aggressive inclusion policies to level the playing field for minority businesses.

El-Amin

Last year the Legislature failed to provide funding for this study and was strongly

challenged this legislative year. It is because of the work of Sen. Nasheed and her colleagues that the funds were passed within the budget that afforded the Office of Administration to recently release an RFPto hire a disparity study consultant.

MOKAN remains appreciative of the efforts of Sen. Nasheed and the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus

This is an historic moment for minorities within the State of Missouri.

who forged forward in the pursuit of equality to ensure the growth and capacity of minority businesses. This is an historic moment for minorities within the State of Missouri.

Yaphett El-Amin is executive director of MOKAN.

Darryl Wise,CEO of Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center,recently accepted a donation of $1,169 to the agency from Datamax–Document Solutions. Elston Taylor Sr.,Datamax account manager,presented the check.

DIVERSITY

Continued from B1

That same year in a Readers’ Poll conducted by Condé Nast Traveler, the Omni in St. Louis ranked as one of the Top 10 Hotels in the Midwest. It was also rated one of the Top 3 Best Hotels in Missouri by US News and World Report Goldman said his top priority is to create a diverse and inclusive work environment to ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity.

“The biggest thing we can

do is cast a wide net,” he said. Originally from Chicago, Goldman always dreamed of running hotels. His mother, Emma Marie Goldman, a home economics teacher for the Chicago public schools, greatly influenced his career choice. She had a way of making people feel welcome, he said. His mother, however, hoped he would pursue a career in

Goldman said his top priority is to create a diverse and inclusive work environment to ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity.

medicine, law or engineering. It didn’t help his cause, he said, that there were no examples in their experience of people who looked like him running hotels. He graduated from Cornell University, an Ivy League school in upstate New York, with a bachelors in hotel administration. Cornell University has one of the top hospitality programs in the country, he said. While in college, he gained valuable experience working in various hourly positions at Cornell University’s student-run Statler Hotel. During the summer, he returned home where he worked at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Chicago. These experiences groomed him on how to become an effective leader, he said.

“I was a bellman, bartender and banquet houseman,” he said. “I understand what my staff goes through on a regular basis.”

He has lived in St. Louis since July 2011, after assuming his general manager role at the Omni. He was previously employed as director of rooms at the Omni Severin Hotel in Indianapolis, Ind., a position he held for five years. He oversaw all frontof-house departments, excluding food and beverage. He was also director of rooms at the Interstate Hotels & Resorts – Renaissance Las Vegas, a leading U.S.-based global hotel management company. He said one of the Omni’s core values is local market leadership. Each year during the Omni’s budget planning process, he and his team set goals to generate new sources of revenue.

“It’s our goal that any market we become apart of, we become a leader in that market,” he said. “It is my goal to grow our organization.”

Follow

Yaphett

Studio dream comes true

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St.

Louis American

“I told you we were going to record a song, right?” Grammy Award-winning composer and jazz musician Terence Blanchard told a group of students from Lee Hamilton Elementary on Monday.

“The thing about doing this is you have to sell me on your story. Whatever it is you are singing about, I have to believe it.”

While other students were kicking off their lunch recess, this group of fourth, fifth and sixth graders from the Ferguson-Florissant School District

were getting priceless hands-on studio experience from a jazz legend, thanks to a partnership with the school, Opera Theatre Saint Louis and Street Dreamz Artist Development Center. It began with a February workshop Blanchard conducted with a group of students. He felt the passion in their songs, raps and poems and didn’t want the process to end there. By Monday, Street Dreamz CEO Koran Bolden and his youth leaders (Simone and Kevin) already had the beat, the bridge and the chorus prepared

See STUDIO, C4

Honoring Chaka and ‘Every Woman’

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“He’s

said about Michael McMillan. Khan was making her way into the Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel for the St. Louis Community Empowerment Foundation’s 10th Annual Salute to Women in Leadership, where she was honored last Thursday with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

“It is a tremendous honor to honor a living legend here in the city of St. Louis,” said McMillan, who chairs the foundation board and serves as license collector for the city. “There are a lot of things in store for you tonight.”

“I can’t imagine anything else,” Khan said, interrupting him. “This guy is the greatest guy.” For the 10th anniversary of the event, the Salute to Women in Leadership was one to remember. Even Mistress of Ceremony Ida Woolfolk got caught up in the groove of Khan’s classic “I’m

Every Woman.” The invitation-only audience of mostly women sang along as Woolfolk rocked back and forth and Chaka Khan walked in to a standing ovation.

“I’ve listened to Chaka my whole life long – be it right or be it wrong,” McMillan said, quoting her “quiet

storm” classic “Sweet Thing.”

But it wasn’t all about Chaka Khan. Sixteen women were recognized for their leadership in areas ranging from business and community service to education and religion. This also marked the first year the

foundation presented an award to someone from outside of the United States. “I am truly speechless,” said Dr. Aysha Salem Mubarak, upon becoming the inaugural international awardee.

African Arts Festival this weekend

By Joan Harrell For The

Terence Blanchard helps Lee Hamilton Elementary School students with lyrics during a recording session at the Street Dreamz Artist Development Center on Monday afternoon.

Photo by Wiley Price

Gigi, an exciting jewelry venture launched by Jeanne Roberts Johnson, Esq. is off to

Dana G. Randolph

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 24-May 26, St. Louis Blues Week Festival starring Mavis Staples, Marquise Knox, Big George Brock, Shorty Trombone and more, Soldiers Memorial, 1315 Chestnut Street, St. Louis, MO. 63103. For more information, visit www.bluesweek.com

Through May 25, 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m., Jazz St. Louis presentsFreddy Cole Quartet with Harry Allen. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call 314-289-4030 or visit www.jazzstl.org

Sat., May 25, 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m., Lumiere Place Casino & Hotels presents Lalah Hathaway. 999 N. Second St., 63102. For more information, call (314) 881-7777.

May 27, 12 noon, Big Boi Memorial Day BBQ at Atomic Cowboy Complex feat. Big Boi & D?M-FunK. Atomic Cowboy. For more information, www.atomic-cowboy.com

Sat., June 1, 8 p.m., Scottrade Center presents Kings of the Mic Tour2013 feat. LLCool J, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, and De La Soul. Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 6225435 or visit www.stubhub.com.

June 8 & 14, 7 p.m., T1 Production presents Project Pat. Pops Nightclub, 300

Monsanto Ave., East St. Louis, IL., 62201. For more information, call (618) 274-6720.

local gigs

Sat., May 25, 7 p.m., Peastain Productions presents From ADiva’s Point of View Concert feat. Tisha HanesKeys, Cheryl Brown, Anita Jackson, and more. Ethical Society, 9001 Clayton Rd., 63117. For more information, call (314) 249-2336 or visit www.peastainproductions.org.

Fri., May 26, 7 p.m., Breakaway Productions and Witherspoon Entertainment present Jazz Explosion feat. Tim Cunningham and The Coleman-Hughes Project feat. Adrianne Felton. Déjà vu 2 Café, 2805 Target Dr., 63136. For more information, call (314) 438-0586.

Fri., May 31, 9 p.m., Hammerstone’s presents Roland Johnson & The Soul Endeavors. 2028 S. Ninth St., 63104. For more information, call (314) 773-5565.

Fri., May 31, 9 p.m., Plush presents The No Sleep Tour feat. Fresco Kane and Ruka Puff. 3224 Locust Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 535-2686.

Fri., May 31, 10 p.m., BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups presents Marquise Knox Band 700 S. Broadway, 63102. For more information, call (314) 436-5222.

CALENDAR

special events

Fri., May 24, 9 a.m., Southside Wellnes Center presents 33rd Annual Bringing It Together. Come celebrate Older Americans’ Month. Guest will enjoy music from the Gateway Jazz Band, Big Papa G, and Denise Thimes. Greet community leaders, and participate in a resource fair. The event is free, and participants are invited to bring lunch or purchase at event. Pavilion at the Muny, One Theatre Dr., 63112. For more information, call (314) 664-5024.

Sat., May 25, 11:30 a.m., Morehouse Men of Style presents 5th Annual Scholarship Luncheon and Fashion Show. Guest speaker

Dr. John Silvanus Wilson, Jr., newly appointed President of Morehouse College, also featuring distinguished alums and fashion by Morehouse Men. All proceeds will go toward scholarship. Hilton Frontenac, 1335 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, call (314) 265-8556.

Sat., May 25, 7 p.m., Power4 Living Blue Carpet Launch Party. Networking with some of St. Louis’biggest socialites and entertainment artists. The night will include the award ceremony for “Mr/Ms Empowerment,” spoken word, live music, silent auction and more. 100 Black Men, 4631 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, (314) 8840891.

Sun., May 26, 6:30 p.m. (band starts at 8:30 p.m.), NetWork Inc presents a Pre-

the Moon, Circus Flora’s creative team captures the film’s imaginative spirit under the big top. Circus Flora borrows this iconic piece of cinematic history and Méliès’artistic instruments to construct the visual styling, costuming and narrative elements for its 2013 production. Powell Symphony Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 289-4040.

literary

Thur., May 23, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author WalterMosley, author of Little Green. Easy Rawlins returns from the brink of death to investigate the dark side of L.A.’s 1960s hippie haven, the Sunset Strip to look for a young black man, Evander “Little Green” Noon, who disappeared during an acid trip. St. Louis Central Library, 1301 Olive St., 63109. For more information, call (314) 3676731.

Memorial Day All White Party featuring The Dirty Muggs, Harry’s Downtown, 2144 Market St. For more information, call (314) 7261785 or (314) 568-8227.

Wed., May 29, 6 p.m., The Ritz Carlton hosts Wine, Women & Shoes. Sip fine wines, savor culinary delights and shop all the latest fashions in shoes and accessories. Proceeds benefit the St. Louis Area Foodbank. 100 Carondelet Plaza, 63105. For more information, call (314) 292-6262.

May 31, 1 p.m. St. Louis City Children’s Division presents a Community Resource Fair, Vashon High School, 3035 Cass Ave.

Fri., May 31, 7:30 p.m., ALIVE Magazine and The Chase Park Plaza present The Hot List Party. Kick off the summer season and celebrate St. Louis’best restaurants, boutiques, hotspots, cultural institutions and more. Sip, sample and see the very best St. Louis has to offer, poolside. Chase Park Plaza, 212 S. Kingshighway Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 965-6133.

May 31 – June 23, St. Louis Symphony presents Circus Flora’s ATrip to the Moon

In its 27th big top production, St. Louis’own Circus Flora goes where no circus has gone before: to the moon. Inspired by Georges Méliès’groundbreaking 1902 film, ATrip to

Thur., May 30, 7 p.m., Maryville Talk Books hosts author Khaled Hosseini, author of And the Mountains Echoed. Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page. The Skip Viragh Center for the Arts, 425 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131

comedy

June 5 – 8, Funny Bone Comedy Club presents Na’im Lynn. Lynn won a showcase with NBC a ripple effect started that’s had him riding a wave of success ever since with spots on Comedy Central, HBO, BET, and more. 614 Westport Plaza, 63146. For more information, call (314) 469-6692.

theatre

May 24 – 26, Fox Theatre presents Rock of Ages. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 5341111 or visit www.metrotix.com.

May 24 – Jun 16, 8 p.m., Shakespeare Festival St. Louis presents Twelfth Night, Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park (Fine Arts Drive). For more information, visit https://www.sfstl.com/ May 29 – June 30, The St. Louis Black Repertory Company presents The Wiz, The Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, 63108. For more information, call (314) 534-3810 or visit www.metrotix.com.

St.Louis Blues Week Festival starring Mavis Staples,Marquise Knox,Big George Brock and more.See CONCERTS for details.

May 31 – June 1, LifeLight Theatre presents Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Under the Sea party & free pre-show reception. Westminster Christian Academy, 800 Maryville Centre Dr., 63017. For more information, call (636) 294-2978.

June 4 – 5, 7 p.m., The Messengers by SirErvin Williams III. Acompelling story told in the form of monologues, music, and poetry. The messengers come back in the form of Nat Turner, Uncle Wright, and Martin Luther King Jr., among other great individuals. Harris Stowe, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 750-7224.

dance

May 23-May 25, Dance St. Louis presents 6th Annual Spring To Dance Festival, The popular formula continues with 30 dance companies and three nights with a different program every night. Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL. For more information, visit www.dancestlouis.org.

Sat., June 1, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Missouri Ballet Theatre presents AMidsummer Night’s Dream. Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 935-6543.

arts

Fri., May 24, 6 p.m., Art

After5: Music and Art from Africa. Each May, the Museum highlights African art with a concert and other activities. This year, we celebrate the newly installed African Art Collection. Attend a tour of the African Art Galleries and enjoy sounds from Africa. Free tickets (4 per person) will be available at the Information Desk on the first of the month. St. Louis Art Museum, One Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, call (314) 7210072.

May 25 – 27, 22nd Annual St. Louis African Arts Festival. The Festival draws the community together in celebration of the rich contributions of Africa and the African Diaspora (diaspora—people settled far from their ancestral homelands).World’s Fair Pavilion, Forest Park, 5600 Clayton Ave., 63112. For more information, call (314) 9354531 or visit www.STLAfricanArtsFest.com

June 1 – 2, The Riverfront Times presents Taste of Midtown Art Fair. The tree lined streets of MidTown St. Louis come alive for this juried fine arts, music, and food festival. Over 150 fine artists, restaurants, top entertainment, crafters, a wine garden and much more. Locust Street, 63103.

lectures

Thur., May 23, 6:15 p.m., Dialogue with the Fed. Ray Boshara, director of the St. Louis Fed’s new Center for Household Financial Stability and William Emmons,the Center’s chief economist, will discuss “After the Fall: Rebuilding Family Balance Sheets, Rebuilding the Economy.” They will explore the damage done to household balance sheets by the Great Recession of 2007-09, as well as the importance of rebuilding household balance sheets. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Locust St. and N. Broadway, 63102. For more information, call (314) 4448977.

Thur., May 30, 6 p.m., Lab1500 presents Making the Cut: Job Search Strategies that Will Get You the Job Learn strategies that are sure to land you an interview and the job. 1500 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 329-8755 or visit www.lab1500.com.

Fri., May 31, 5 p.m., Wine & Wisdom presents Get a Taste and the Male Perspective

This event gives you the opportunity to learn more about how to better communicate with the men in your life while enjoying a variety of wine tastings and an assortment of appetizers. The panel discussion, moderated by Brandi Harvey, daughter of Steve Harvey, will guide a panel of outspoken men through various relationship topics. Sheraton Clayton Plaza, 7730 Bonhomme Ave., 63105. For more information, call (314) 649-8609.

Sat., June 1, 3 p.m., Are You the Freak, Friend, or Forever. For those who would like a more in-depth conversation about what men say, but are afraid to tell you, join us for a session with Jack A. Daniels. Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel St. Louis, 7730 Bonhomme Ave., 63105. For more information, call (314) 649-8609.

Thur., June 6, 7 p.m., Maplewood Public Library presents Hieroglyphics 101 Have you ever looked at the characters on a mummy’s case or a papyrus scroll and won-

Kings of the Mic Tour 2013 feat.LL Cool J,Ice Cube, Public Enemy, and De La Soul.See CONCERTS for more information.

dered what they said? This class will introduce you to the Ancient Egyptian language and the hieroglyphs used to write it, as well as common words and phrases. Join amateur Egyptologist Terry Donnelly for a look at this fascinating ancient language and the people who used it. Open to persons 12 years and older. 7550 Lohmeyer Ave., 63143. For more information, call (314) 781-2174.

health

Fri., May 24, 6:30 p.m.,

KitchenAid presents Cookin’ & Rockin’forthe Cure. A memorable night of legendary cooking and music with emcee Julie Tristan, host of “Show Me St. Louis.” Along with heavy hors d’oeuvres, the evening’s activities will include Celebrity Chefs Pat & Gina Neely Conversation and Cocktail Demonstration & renowned St. Louis Chefs Jack MacMurray & Frank McGinty will battle in a cook off with a secret ingredient where the audience decides the winners. All the proceeds benefit Cook

for the Cure and Susan G. Komen. Palladium St. Louis, 1414 Park Ave., 63104. For more information, call (314) 799-8886.

Sat., May 25, 7 a.m., Christ Deliverance Ministry presents 2nd Annual Mind and Body Fitness 5k. Encouraging lifestyle change among St. Louisans with a 5K race, workshops, healthy living seminar and fitness challenge. KMOX’s Monica Adams will emcee while Briant Mitchell of BKM Boot Camp will lead the 5K and fitness challenge. Fredbird and the St. Louis Rams cheerleaders will be available for photo opportunities. $500 prize to the registered first place finisher. Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School, 701 S. Spring Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.cdmmindandbody.org.

Wed., May 29, 9 a.m., 4th Annual SeniorHealth & Fitness Jam 2013. Free Health Screenings, Cooking Demo, BINGO, Energy Classes, Fitness Demo, Over 40 Vendors with great information, and more...with special guest: Fredbird. YMCA Monsanto, 5555 Page Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (618) 207-1833.

Sat., June 1, 4:30 p.m., American Heart Association and American Stroke Association present Most Powerful Voices Gospel Concert & Health Fair feat. Vickie Winans. Designed to educate the African-American community about the risk factors associated with stroke. Greater St. Mark COGIC, 4325 State St., East St. Louis, IL. 62205. For more information, call (314) 692-5600.

Sun., June 9, 9 a.m., Step Up forDown Syndrome Walk All proceeds support the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis, and makes it possible to provide education, individual and family support to more than 2,000 local families who have a person with Down syndrome in their lives. Muny in Forest Park, One

Theatre Dr., 63112. For more information, call (314) 961-2504.

Mon., June 10, 7:30 p.m., Fourth Annual Sing for Siteman. Prepare to be moved by the talent of amazing young musicians who are on the brink of stardom. Internationally renowned pianist Carol Wong will accompany nine world-class artists. They will unite, for one performance only, to use their talents in the fight against cancer. This inspirational concert will include a variety of musical selections from Broadway and opera to just plain fun. Whitaker Hall, Washington University, One Brookings Dr., 63130. For more information, call (314) 961-0644.

Sat., June 29, 1 p.m., St. Jude Children Research Hospital Annual Fashion Show Gala, St. Douglas Church, 5945 W. Florissant. Models, rappers, singers and dancers may inquire (314) 537-0239.

spiritual

Sat., May 25, 11 a.m., First Baptist Church of Chesterfield presents 10th Annual Hattitude & Hankie Tea. Enjoy a wonderful gourmet lunch, musical selections and the opportunity to receive great door prizes. All are encouraged to wear their best hats; prizes will be awarded for winning styles. This year, we will celebrate and honor 10 illustrious and esteemed women. Norwood Hills Country Club, 1 Norwood Hills Country Club Dr., 63121. For more information, call (636) 537-8748 or visit www.firstbcc.org.

Fri., June 7, 7 a.m., The Salvation Army Prayer Breakfast. Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch, 315 Chestnut St., 63102. For more information, call (314) 646-3000.

CHAKA

Mubarak serves on the Shura Council (which is equivalent to the U.S. Senate) in the Kingdom of Bahrain and is the first woman of African descent to do so.

She joined honorees with roots from the Middle East to the Metro East and throughout the nation: Gloria Taylor, Barbara Bartley-Turkington, Kitty Ratcliffe, Dorothy Willis, Julia Mize, Dawn Fuller, Beth Davis, Minga Furr, Rev. Terri Swan, Shari Headley, Elizabeth Stroble, Maxine Clark, Amy DuBois Barnett, Carol Voss and Chaka Khan.

“There is a Chinese proverb that teaches us women hold up half the sky,” Rabbi Susan Talve said during her invocation. “The women that we celebrate tonight not only

ARTS

Continued from C1

African countries.

This year the Saint Louis Art Museum and the African Arts Festival are honored to present one of East Africa’s most acclaimed flutists, Samite, at 7 p.m. Friday May 24 at the St. Louis Art Museum. St. Louis will be blown away by Samite’s smooth vocals accompanied by various flutes, which have captivated audiences throughout the world.

Samite was born and raised in Uganda, where his grandfather taught him to play the traditional flute. At age 12, he learned to play a Western flute, which started his illustrious career. He performed often to excited audiences throughout Uganda until 1982, when he was

all hold up their part of the sky, but they help to empower other women to do so as well.”

Each recipient was given more than 200 personalized items from luxury retailers like Tiffany and Co., Louis Vuitton, Godiva and Neiman Marcus. Royal gifts were shipped from Princess Grace of Monaco and Queen Elizabeth II. Honorees also received proclamations and recognition from President Obama and aldermanic President Lewis Reed.

“Honorees, I’m certain you are excited about your gifts,” Woolfolk said. “And don’t worry about how you will get them home – each of you has been assigned a Mac truck.” Guests were probably wondering if she was serious – especially after Khan’s presentation. In addition to 215 tokens of appreciation, the 10-time Grammy Award winner was given a cruise, a custom-made gown and a

forced to flee to Kenya as a political refugee. Samite immigrated to the United States in 1987, and he and his wife Sandra now reside in Ithaca, New York.

Samite has released eight CDs internationally, been the subject of a PBS documentary, composed the soundtrack for the film Addiction Incorporated and is founder of Musicians for World Harmony, an organization dedicated to enabling musicians throughout the world to share their music to promote peace, understanding and harmony among people. In that capacity Samite travels to entertain and exchange stories with victims of war, poverty and HIV/ AIDS. He has traveled widely to the war-torn and distressed countries of Uganda, Kenya, Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Latvia, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire to work in refugee camps, with former child

crystal replica of the necklace Queen Elizabeth wore when she was installed as the Queen of England 61 years ago.

Several scholarships to local students were also awarded through the St. Louis Community Empowerment Foundation on behalf of the Chaka Khan Foundation.

“I have been married twice, and both of those people put together haven’t given me one-tenth of the amount of things that Mike has given me tonight,” Khan said.

Of course, she knows well the power of giving gifts to others through her voice and performance ability.

“One can’t describe the feeling that you get when you are able to help somebody,” she said. “Luckily, I’m in the position where I can touch many – and I’m trying to touch as many as I can.”

The event was sponsored by Anheuser-Busch and WorldWide Technology, Inc.

soldiers and AIDS orphans..

The African Arts Festival includes an African Marketplace with African arts, crafts, jewelry, oils and clothing. It also features a wealth of family and children’s activities and daylong entertainment on the Main Stage, right next to the Pavilion.

The expanded Health Village offers visitors the opportunity to join in on a morning physical activity and get any number of free health screenings including blood pressure, HIV testing, information on breast cancer, podiatry, tobacco cessation and chiropractic screenings.

The St. Louis African Arts Festival, sponsored by the African Heritage Association of St. Louis, Inc., is free and open to the public. For more information, call 314757-0137 or visit www. STLAfricanArtsFest.com.

POTPOURRI

Continued from C1

from Dallas with cases of her Sociologie Red Berry Sangria and Sociologie Blushing Rose Sangria. It was a brilliant pairing idea from Stephanie; Amy’s pearlescent wine bottles were a striking complement to Jeanne’s jewels. Looking for the perfect birthday or wedding gift? Visit http:// sociologiewine.com/ A few of the ultrastylish shoppers on the scene included Ashley Donahue, Eric and Angela Phone Carla Allen, Esq., Kenny Powell, Proud parents Jeanne and Mike Roberts Sr., hubby Jay Johnson, Eva Roberts, Mike Roberts Jr. Kenny Powell Jeralyn James, Yolanda Gore, Gail Allmon, Gwen Key Joyce Price and Fannie Bohlen. For additional info and a peek at and purchase of these fabulous baubles go to http:// www.gigibyjeanne.com/. Cinqo de Mayo weekend was lots of fun and kicked off with Jeralyn Williams James and Janet Jackson Williams’ 4th annual Margaritas with the Senoritas Soiree. Held at the chic Metropolitan Artists’ Lofts in Grand Center, guests danced

STUDIO

Continued from C1

for a song entitled “Never Give Up.” It was up to the students – under the direction of Blanchard – to fill in the blanks.

When Bolden cued the track and the bass kicked in, the students’ eyes lit up as their heads nodded.

“That’s our song,” a group of girls said.

By the second loop of the hook, they had already learned the cadence and started singing along.

“They might tell me I will not be anything, but I’ll never give up,” they sang.

“Y’all learned it faster than I did,” Bolden said. “Y’all are way better than I am at this.”

After a couple of listens, it was time for a quick rehearsal. The kids crowded towards the vocal booth area to sing the chorus.

“There will be some people who have main verses and

the night away and enjoyed scrumptious Mexican cuisine, margaritas and yummy sangria provided by Vida Cantina (St. Louis Galleria).

Jeralyn and Janet’s annual event has earned a reputation for great fun. Out of town friends Deborah Hill and Felisha Cottrell came from Dallas, TX. Miriam O’Hara Harden and Shauna McIntosh flew in from Philadelphia, PA for the weekend. Jeralyn kept the music mix a combo of hiphop and old-school. A few of the senoritas in sombreros seen on the dance floor included Fannie Bohlen, Gwen Key, Susan Smith, Nancy Thompson, Faith O’Hara Thomas Celeste Keith Metcalf, Joyce Price, Bettye Reed, Lydia Johnson, Cathy Broussard Jan Forrest Banks, Dianne Powell, Jackie Hamilton, Kathy Smith, Misha Sampson Jeri Lynn Lewis and Tracie Goffe

Congratulations to Jordan Bosman on his May 9 graduation from HarrisStowe State University. Jordan graduated with a BA in Business Administration. He is currently studying for the LSAT but is looking for employment in the St. Louis or Chicago areas.

Jordan celebrated his graduation flanked by family and friends, including proud Mother Annette Michelle Glover, Father Dwayne Bosman, siblings Brandon “HotSauce” Glover, Taylor E. Rand, and Clayton McMurtry. Sister Mia McMurtry sent love and congrats from Oklahoma. Mark your calendars for the St. Louis Chapter of the National Alumnae of Spelman College’s 1st Annual Legacy Luncheon and Blue Box Auction on June 15. Committee Chairs Tara Buckner, Adrienne Rainey and Lynette Watson have been working their event team overtime to make this soon-to-be annual event a memorable one. The fundraising event will be held at Faith Church St. Louis, 3590 Rider Trail South, St. Louis MO 63045. The auction begins at noon and the luncheon at 12:30 p.m.. The keynote speaker will be the Honorable Sandra Farragut-Hemphill Tickets are $25 per person. For additional information call Adrienne at 314-635-2000. Tara says the Blue Box Auction will offer some pretty exciting items. Support Spelman Sisters! Happy birthday, Dad! Love you much. Dana Grace: dgrandolph@ live.com.

there will be some people that will be on the chorus,” Bolden told the children.

“Don’t be upset if you don’t get a main part. Terence Blanchard talked about teamwork. He might be out front, but I can guarantee you without his band along with him there can be no success.”

He then broke them up into groups for the bridge, the chorus, the rappers and the intro/outro poetry.

“I want you to feel it,”

Bolden directed. “This song is about confidence, it’s about courage and it’s about believing in yourself when nobody else does.”

They were excited, nervous and anxious – and ready to prove themselves.

“I refuse to stop, stop now,”

Ashlie Watson sang into the microphone.

“It was so weird. I could hear myself through the headphones,” Watson said. “It was great opportunity for me to express myself.”

Two thumbs up from both Blanchard and Bolden regarding her performance

meant the shyness Watson brought in with her was nowhere to be found.

“She just thinks it’s neat that her school got to do this,” said Kathleen Connors, who joined her daughter Alexis and chaperoned the field trip. “Some of these kids would have never had this experience if they had never come to this school.”

“It made me proud of myself because this was the first song I had ever done,” said Dominic Loftus. “I’m very grateful. I hope people like it, of course, and I hope that they feel inspired when they hear it.” Loftus heard Bolden’s intention loud and clear.

“It’s going to be a great song,” Bolden said. “And more importantly your community is going to be impacted by hearing the words. How many people want to impact the community? I should see every hand up.”

When the session was over, they didn’t want to leave.

“I feel like I’m living the dream,” said Ranaya King.

Continued from C1

Chaka Khan joined honorees with roots from the Middle East to the Metro East and throughout the nation. Photo by Wiley Price

Brandon “Hotsauce” Glover, Dwayne Bosman, Jordan Bosman and Annette Glover celebrated Jordan’s May 9 graduation from HarrisStowe State University.

Photo by Maurice Meredith

SLPS recognizes volunteers

Barbara “Granny”

Cooper receives the Gold Star Trophy from the St. Louis Public School District for donating 1,020 hours at Carnahan High School of the Future this school year. Presenting the award is Jeffrey Rhone (interim Volunteer Services specialist), Ricci Sykes (Volunteer Services data specialist) and Superintendent Kelvin Adams.

Also recognized for volunteering from 500 to 949 hours were Betty Moore, Betty Barry, Shirley Dunn, Barbara Johnson, James T. Williams, Paul Rice, Darren Hale, Tezell Jefferson, Shoyin Gaston, Anthon Pullem, Malik Avery and Deloris Arrington. Mission St. Louis, OASIS Institute, The Little Bit Foundation and

Reading Is Fundamental were recognized for their dedication and consistency of service to SLPS students throughout the year.

Faith-based organizations recognized for their volunteer service to the children of SLPS included Tyler Redeeming Christian Spiritualist Church, The Crossing, Treasure House Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kirkwood Baptist Church, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Eden Theological Seminary, The Dream Center and New Sunny Mount Baptist Church. SLPS is always looking for dedicated volunteers. For more information about volunteer opportunities with SLPS, please call Ricci Sykes in the

James Marshall (through

Lari Pittman:

Mika Taanila:

Golden anniversary

Clenora and O’Neal Stafford celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on May 22. As both of you look back with happiness and pride; upon the 50 cherished years Godhas blessed you with side by side. May every memory that you share ofdreams you saw come true; help make this Golden Day a happy one for you. Love always, your children

Congratulations to Kaori Squires (8), who was crowned 2013 Miss Jr. Pre-Teen St. Louis. Thirty-eight contestants were judged in the categories of interview, casual wear, evening wear and Q&A. Kaori received an all-expense paid trip to the Miss Teen National Finals in Orlando, where she will represent St. Louis.

Reunions

Beaumont Class of 1968 45Year Reunion June 14-16, 2013 Sheraton Plaza Hotel in Westport Please pass the word on to others who are out of town. Contact: Vanetta at 314869-5665 or Ruby at 314-7410260.

Beaumont High School Class of 1973 is holding its 40th

~ CELEBRATIONS ~

Kaori Squires

reunion on Aug. 16-17. We’re seeking to contactall classmates interested in attending. Contact Randy Sanderson, at 314-393-8510, rsanderson1954@sbcglobal.netor Shelia Owens Pargo, 314-7240073, sheliap4@sbcglobal.net.

All Middle School Reunion Saturday, June 15, 2013, 6 pm – 12 am at The Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow. Cost:$25 (includes T-shirt, bag, rally towel, food & beverages). Contact Willie Groves at 314258-7499 to reserve your reunion package for your school.

Northwest High School Class of 1973 will celebrate its 40th Class Reunion July 19-21, 2013.If you have not received the specific details, pleasesend your contact infor-

Nuptials

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Wayne and Angela Jones! Family and friends witnessed the amazing love between these two as they exchanged marriage vows in a beautiful tear-filled ceremony held at Andre’s Banquet Facility. The beautiful bride holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the handsome groom has an Associate’s in Electrical Mechanics. The two will honeymoon later this year in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. God’s blessings on these two for a lifetime of happiness!

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Keianna Parker, my beautiful wife and mother of our two daughters on May 20. I thank God for you every single day. Happy Birthday my Love! Happy Birthday Mommy! Love your husband, Will and daughters, Brittney & Jasmin

mation including email address, phone and mailing address to northwesths1973@gmail.com. Information has also been posted on Classmates.com and Facebook Group: Northwest High School 1973. If you have questions feel free to call Cornelia Clark Stephens at 314 580-1114.

Soldan High School Class of 1961 will celebrate its 52nd Anniversary High School Class Reunion, September 6-8, 2013. To register or obtain additional information, please contact Ellen Vernor, 314-3611535 or e-mail Lynn Steele –steelelynn@aol.com.

Soldan class of 1978 is planning its 35th reunion. The event will be June 21-23,

Keianna Parker

2013.For more information call: 314-413-9088 or 314322-6406.

SumnerHigh School Class of 1973 will have its 40th year class reunion the weekend of June 7-9. If you have not received a newsletter please contact Marsha JosephWilliams 314-606-8701 or Dorris Simmons-McGhaw 314-541-2462.

SumnerClass of 1978 35th Reunion, October 18-20, 2013 at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel St. Louis.Please pass the word on to others who are out of town.Contact our Class of 78 voicemail 314735-1083 for more information and someone will call you back.

Vashon Class of 1978 is celebrating its 35th Reunion on a Cruise down the mighty Mississippi River: Friday, July 19 from p.m.-1 a.m. The attire is white. The cost is $30. Make your money order or cashier’s check to: Vashon High School Class of “1978”, P.O. Box 771221, St. Louis, MO 63177. Send your funds in NO LATER THAN JUNE 1, 2013.Contact person, Vareda Allen (314) 381-5250. Hope to see you all there!

East St. Louis SeniorHigh Class of 1974:The Steering Committee is diligently planning our special 40-year reunion in June 2014.Contact dyj54@yahoo.com to be added to the class Facebook page to stay informed.For additional

Lisa Fields — May 19

Briah Paige (16) — May 21

Francis Robinson (80) — May 21

AmirBerry (4) – May 21

Katrina Kerr(42) — May 25

Ruth Robinson (87) — May 27

information, contact:314406-5354 or 618-580-2006.

Hazelwood East Class of 1993 is having its 20 year reunion June 21-23, 2013. Please contact Paramount Event Producers by going to www.paramounteventproducers.com and selecting “Reunion Corner” to pay your registration fee. You may also call (877) 287-0857. The fee is $87.50 per person for the entire weekend. Don’t wait to register.

Saint Louis University & The Black Alumni Association will host the 23rd Anniversary Ernest A. Callow Jr. Prayer Breakfast Reunion on Saturday, April 27, 2013, 9 am at the Busch Student Center: St. Louis Room (20 N. Grand). Honoring: 2013 Distinguished Black Alumni Award recipient Katie Harper Wright, Ed.D; Guest Speaker: Tishaura Jones, City of St. Louis Treasurer. Cost: $50/person. Register online: alumni.slu.edu/prayerbreakfast13. For more info contact: 314-977-2250 or alumni@slu.edu. Proceeds benefit the Dr. Celerstine Briggs Johnson Book Fund.

SumnerAlumni Association: 6th Scholarship Luncheon, Saturday, June 1, 2013 at the Renaissance Airport Hotel, noon–4 p.m. This year’s luncheon will feature a Fashion Show. $50/person. For more information, please contact Betty Louis at 314.385.9843 or bettysumn-

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

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

er76@yahoo.com. Save the dates: June 15 or June 16, The Dick Gregory Show. 25% of ticket sales SOLD by the alumni association will benefit The Sumner Alumni Association’s Scholarship Fund. Contact person: B. Louis (314) 385-9843 or email: sumneralumniassn@yahoo.com *Date, Time, VIPSeating and Door Prices to be determined later.

WebsterGroves Class of 1973: 40th Reunion Celebration. Labor Day weekend. Contact Bruce Norman at 314-968-1048 or brucecnorman@charter.net.

Miss Jr. Pre-Teen Champ

Religion

North County Churches recognize youth

American staff

Seven Hazelwood School District students were recognized recently during the Sixth Annual North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony & Justice/ North County Youth Task Force Youth Appreciation Dinner.

The banquet room in the Paul F. Detrick building at Christian Hospital Northeast was filled with more than 150 guests, comprised of HSD Board of Education members, Superintendent Grayling Tobias and other HSD administrators. Also present were administrators from other school districts, clergy, parents and other community leaders who all came out to support the young people being honored in their respective categories.

At the high school level, Jahvonta’ Mason, Hazelwood Central High School, and Calvin Payne, Hazelwood East High School, both received academic achievement awards.

Julie Grogan, Hazelwood Central High science teacher, had this to say about Mason.

“A conscientious worker who aims to succeed in all of his classes, Jahvonta’ aims for success,” said Grogan. “He is a diligent worker, who always puts forth his best effort and often surpasses the expectations of highest standard. In class he never hesitates to help others while still being on task himself.”

Assistant Principal Brenda Brown, Hazelwood East High, nominated Payne.

“Calvin is a model and star scholar at HEHS,” said Brown. “In his AP senior English class, he has become a master of Socratic seminar. He is a dedicated member of the student council and president of SoJAM, a newly formed students’ organization that focuses on

social justice issues and teaches tolerance and understanding throughout our school community.”

In the high school athletic achievement award category, Alexis Chappelle, HCHS, was recognized for her record-setting athletic abilities.

“She has reached milestones that no other players have reached in our school’s history,” said Wendy Reeves, HCHS math teacher. “In four years, she played in every varsity basketball game. She is the only girl to score over 1,000 points, all in a Hazelwood Central uniform. She is also an incredible soccer goalie and a great student.”

Najath Abdullahi, HCHS, was honored in the high school community service/ citizenship achievement award category.

“Najath has a consistent work ethic and is a leader among her peers,” said Amie Shea, HCHS family and consumer sciences teacher. “She has maintained a stellar attendance record while maintaining her duties as a part-time employee. She has dedicated over 600 hours of her time tutoring elementary school children.”

At the middle school level, David Duncan, Hazelwood Southeast Middle School, was recognized for his outstanding academic achievement. He has a 3.8 grade point average and as a seventh-grader is currently taking eighth grade algebra.

In the middle school athletic

achievement award category, Cincere Drummond, Hazelwood East Middle School, was recognized for her exceptional efforts. As a track team member, she rated in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). Recently, during a track meet in Chicago, she was ranked 16th on the national level. She has earned first place in 200 meters, second place in 400 meters, third place in 55 meters and she ranks fourth overall in Chicago. She is an A/B student with no discipline referrals.

Andrea Hayes, Hazelwood Southeast Middle teacher, nominated Aja Hasam for the Community Service/Citizenship Award.

“Aja has volunteered more than 15 hours of community service,” said Hayes. “Under the group Emerging Young Leaders through Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Gamma Omega Chapter, she has spent time serving dinner to veterans. She also helped to provide activities for the veterans’ children while their parents met. She helped to clean a church that serves as a resource center for individuals who are homeless. For the Christmas holiday, she ran a school-wide winter drive to provide hats and gloves for children who are less fortunate.”

Barbara Thompson, NCCU vice president, said in her closing remarks, “I am reassured that our future is in good hands.”

InspIratIonal Message

That’s what we have heard growing up when we were not sure who was on the other side or the visit was not warranted. However, there are other types of visitors that knock on our doors, visitors like depression, self-pity, confusion, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, anger, bitterness and resentment that try to get us to open the door for them to come into our lives. These visitors, if allowed access, will cause you to see everything from a negative viewpoint and can cause you to give up on God, your family, yourself and well ... life!

Cynthia Bennett

So I say to you, when they knock for entry into your life, don’t open the door! These visitors often come through experiences, memories and words. In 1 Kings 19:4-14, the Prophet Elijah had witnessed the power of God defeating and destroying the 400 prophets of Baal. The words Jezebel spoke about killing Elijah caused “visitors” to knock at his door. Elijah let them in. The Bible says he went away in a depressed state asking God to let him die. Elijah was a man who experienced problems of depression, discouragement and guilt that many of us experience. With so much going on,

trying to concentrate on this and think about that can overwhelm us and we can allow unwelcomed visitors to squirm their way in unnoticed. If we are not careful, they will set up house and prepare to stay. But we must seek help and meditate on the Word of God, for Isaiah 26:3 says, “He will keep you in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.” There was a game show where contestants would have the option of selecting one of three doors to open. They would tell you behind one door is a new car, behind another door is a dinette set and behind a third door is a bogus gift, like dishwashing powder. Whatever door you picked, the prize behind it belonged to you. Although the game of life has several doors, I will speak of one door that you have the option of selecting. This door symbolizes Jesus. In St. John 10:9 he says, “I am the door: if any one enters in by me, he shall be saved.” Jesus paid the price for you and me that we may have a right to the tree of life. Open this door. He paid it all, and you know His price is right!

Cynthia R. Bennett is a licensed evangelist and founder of This Journey Ministries. You can reach her at info@thisjourney.org.

The American is accepting Inspirational Messages from the community. Send your column (no more than 400 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.

Superintendent Dr. Grayling Tobias visits with Hazelwood School District students who were honored by North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony & Justice: David Duncan, Cincere Drummond, Aja Hasam, Alexis Chappelle and Calvin Payne.

Celebrity Swagger Snap of the Week

and

Log in for the win. Black music’s biggest weekend could be only an entry away. Thank you to the folks that registered for our ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME trip to The Essence Music Festival contest – you know the one that includes airfare, tickets AND hotel accommodations! Well I just want to issue a reminder for those who haven’t, to get on stlamerican.com ASAP to enter for your chance to win. I’m telling that y’all better get on this chance to see Beyoncé because I have a feeling once she has that other baby it might be a while before she hits the road again. And even if she does, those tickets will sell out in 5.2 seconds. And Beyoncé is just one of DOZENS of musical acts on deck. My boo Maxwell will be bringing down the house along with my former sister in the big sexy movement Jill Scott and a whole lot more…like Rachelle Ferrell (who probably won’t be back to the STL after the way things went for her the last time she came to town), Faith Evans, Janelle Monae, Bilal, Tweet and…who am I kidding – I would need the whole Partyline to name off everyone, so let me just stop here. Deadline to enter is WEDNESDAY (may 29th). Y’all are gonna hate it if you miss out, so get online now - or click on the contest button if you are already on the site.

Natural Hair show down. It was truly a battle of the Natural Hair events Saturday afternoon thanks to the International Natural Hair Meet Up Day. My first stop was Sunshine’s Natural & Loving It Curly Art Affair over at the Regional Arts Commission. Now I must say that I caught the tail end of things, but it was still really cute. And Kim Coles has not aged a minute since – well maybe a few minutes, but still – since she was on “In Living Color.” Anybody on that rooftop would slap my face and call me a liar if I told them she was in her fifties. Then I made my way to the 100 Black Men’s headquarters to spend some time with the Natural Girls Rock official Natural Hair Meet Up experience. Call me shallow and greedy, but I always rate the event on the caliber of the swag bag (the snacks are a close second). What? Y’all do the same thing. Information is great, but free stuff is fantastical! With that in mind, I’m going to have to go with the Natural Girls Rock as the undisputed champion. One of those bags and a handful of the delicious wings made my Mother’s Day gift pale in comparison. But seriously, I am so happy that STL is making waves (get it) in the natural hair movement. I got some great tips and wonderful education…now if I could just get the nerve to do the big chop. The last time I called myself going for a dramatic new cut I looked like Dora The Explorer was my mama – and we would have to go on Maury to find out whether Benjamin Franklin or Darth Vader was my daddy.

The pros at Soho. Thanks to their latest at-capacity club experience, Soho had some of the fresh faces of professional athletes (football and basketball) in the building Saturday night mingling with some of the movers and shakers of the city. When I tell you I saw some out of retirement freakum dresses Saturday night at Soho, understand that some of those ladies hadn’t worn outfits like that since they were trying to become Marshall Faulk’s baby mama who knows when . I’m talking exposed cheeks, the tightest of tube tops, and painted on acid wash like you’ve never seen before. Quite honestly, I couldn’t tell you who played what for whom among any of the strong necks and broad shoulders that were being flanked by freakum dresses. And with that in mind I want to give a slow clap to the muscle-bound and super tall regular brothers who came and blended in with the ballers so smoothly that that the groupies couldn’t tell the difference. How you explain your UPS uniform once you get her to the crib (or your Chevy Cobalt when she heads towards your car) is on you, but you deserve some props for pulling off your role as a player for the night. And the Soho team deserves a round of applause as well for the hotness and VIP patrons that came through to kick it.

May Day 2K13. It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t continually show love to the

Annie Malone May Day Parade. Quite honestly, I get sick of the “it’s not the same…the parade ain’t what it used to be” song and dance by the naysayers. Maybe it isn’t – but if you feel like that, why don’t the folks who complain work to make it what they think it once was? The community support is essential to the parade (and the Annie Malone organization), and anyone with fond memories is a part of the community. But let me get to this year’s parade. It was so hot, I thought I was on the losing end of judgment day until Ben Chandler and the Kingdom Singers and their live gospel band float rode by. I felt so sorry for that poor boy playing Jesus who had to carry that cross and wear those heavy clothes. But hearing this little toddler girl say “Hey Jesus, can you get me that new Xbox” made it all worth it for me. And I know they go a bit too hard on the moving violations when you roll down Kienlen, but y’all didn’t have to boo the Pine Lawn float like that! How disgraceful. Other than that, and the fact that I was sweating every time I reflected on this year’s parade, I had a wonderful time. Shout out to all of the winners and participants and Annie Malone Children and Family Services for another SUCCESSFUL parade. See y’all next year!

What’s happening for Memorial Day weekend. As everybody knows by now, one day off for y’all means double overtime for me. So as y’all prepare for an extra day to tear the club up I am making my list and checking it twice for places to go and people to see - and it’s jam packed. So far I have Café Soul, The Big Boi Barbecue, Teese at The Pageant, Lalah Hathaway, The Day Party, The Black Katz, The All White Party starring the Dirty Muggs to name a FEW. You want the when and where’s? You know what to do… check the site (stlamerican.com).

JT and Jason were repping for Kappa Alpha Psi as they soaked in Sunday Afternoon’s May Day Parade festivities

Tiffany Nashville on stage with R &B Divas star Monifah, who co-starred in the most recent run of Lyah Beth LeFlore’s stage play Rivers of Women Friday night @ The Missouri History Museum

Soho held a special edition of State of Mind Saturdays that featured the launch of Niddy’s The Privileged Society and brought out NFL and NBA players like Bradley Beal of the Wizards and Jamoris Jenkins of the Rams and more

Naturalista Sunshine Malone was joined by actress/ comedienne Kim Coles Saturday afternoon for the Curly Art Affair Saturday Afternoon @ The Regional Arts Commission

Flee has his hands full thanks to lovelies Tiffany Foxx and Carlie Redd of VH1’s Love and Hip Hop, who helped host Worldstar Fridays @ The Loft

Comedians Howie Bell, Frank L, Carmen and Jovan Bibbs were all smiles after having the crowd full of chuckles thanks to Class Klownz Saturday night @ Plush

Mousie and her mom Linda Haley can’t wait for arrival of her first son David Joseph Smith III @ at her baby shower Saturday afternoon @ The City

Hot 104.1’s DJ Cuddy had the crowd on lock when he stopped for a pic with model Mika Shay @ Worldstar Fridays @ The Loft

Shad, Michael, Sharonda and Asia started their weekend off in full party mode with Hella Fly’s Relax and Breathe weekly set Friday @ EXO

Misha and Terran helped Natural Girls Rock hold down St. Louis’ leg of the International Natural Hair Meet Up festivities Saturday afternoon @ 100 Black Men headquarters

Music icon Chaka Khan and Ebony Magazine Editor in Chief Amy DuBois Barnett were just two of the women that Michael McMillan helped honor as part of his 10th Annual Salute to Women in Leadership Awards Thursday night at the Renaissance Grand Hotel. 16 honorees were pampered with gifts

praised for their excellence in St. Louis and around the world at a special dinner presented by the St. Louis Community Empowerment Foundation. Photo by Wiley Price

Photos by Lawrence Bryant

Harris-Stowe students tackle summerinternships

Boeing, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide training

American staff

Through diligence, dedication and a focus on co-curricular activities, Harris-Stowe State University students are making the most of their summer by successfully competing for scholarships and earning their place in the workforce. HSSU students realize that academic excellence makes for an easy transition to what could potentially be the next phase of their career.

Jordan Fowlkes and Michael Tabb, senior Accounting majors at the Anheuser-Busch School of Business (ABSB) at HSSU, have received internships with The Boeing Company. These paid internships will begin May 31, and continue full time through September 2013, with the possibility of being extended. Their training and professional development will include budget forecasting for Supply Chain Management and Operations in the Boeing Defense, Space and Security unit in St. Louis.

as president of the ABSB Accounting Students Association (ASA).

“Through this experience I want to learn more about The Boeing Company, budget forecasting and further develop my leadership skills. In general, I hope to gain more knowledge about the vast field of accounting at the corporate level.” said Fowlkes, who is a former vice president for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Student Advisory Council and a Des Lee Fellow for the United Way.

He has previously interned as a grade 6-8 mathematics teacher for the St. Louis Public Schools and Pamoja Preparatory Academy, in addition to holding positions at the Department of Veterans Affairs and Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

“Through this experience I want to learn more about The Boeing Company, budget forecasting and further develop my leadership skills.”

– Jordan Fowlkes

Fowlkes, in addition to being considered a star student, has held several offices for student organizations at HSSU including former vice president of the Student Government Association (SGA), president of the PreLaw Club and currently serves

Michael Tabb, also a stellar HSSU student representative, serves as president of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) Student Chapter-St. Louis and a former president of ASA, the Pre-Law Club and a past Thurgood Marshall student ambassador. He has experience as a junior accountant with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Ga., an intern he held last summer. The Atlanta CDC accepted

Jordan Fowlkes,a senior Accounting majors at the Anheuser-Busch School of Business at HarrisStowe State University, received an internship with The Boeing Company.

two more of Harris-Stowe’s students as interns this summer. 2013 Health Care Management graduate, James Guest IVand senior Urban Affairs major Christopher Miller will reside in Atlanta on a paid internship.

Guest’s 11-week program in collaboration with Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga., will involve research and counseling for incarcerated men to develop substance abuse prevention and HIV intervention programs.

“The ABSB at HSSU does more than provide a quality education – they provide great internship opportunities for their students,” explained Guest. “Dr. Eisel, chair, of the Health Care Management department was a key advocate for me in attaining the internship. These are opportunities I needed to further my training and skills to be successful in my field and prepare me to

Christopher Miller,a senior Urban Affairs major at Harris-Stowe State University,has a paid internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta,Ga.this summer.

enter graduate school.”

Prior to the CDC, Guest interned for the St. Louis Collector of Revenue and the State Department of Veteran Affairs. His on-campus involvement includes past president for the HSSU Health Care Management Club and the United Way Student Chapter.

Christopher Miller, SGA president and former Mr. HSSU, will spend his 10-week CDC internship writing safety regulations and operations procedures for the Office of Safety, Health and Environment.

Said Miller, “This opportunity with the CDC will provide me hands-on experience in public affairs and allow me to showcase the skills and talents I have acquired while at HSSU.”

Harris-Stowe’s College of Arts and Sciences has collaborated with Saint Louis

University (SLU) to provide a joint summer lab experience for senior Biology majors Rana Bost and Ronnesha Smith and sophomores Aya Alkhaleeli and Andres Nieto, who will participate in a new summer internship program at SLU’s School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences. These six-week paid internships will require each student to work in a different medical research lab at the School of Medicine.

CTE program participation increases

Participation in career and technical education (CTE) programs is growing statewide. During the 2011-2012 school year, 63 percent (or 181,418) of Missouri high school students participated in at least one CTE program. This is a 3 percent increase over the previous year.

CTE programs combine academics and occupational skills training, allowing students to learn more about possible career paths in agriculture, business, health sciences, family consumer sciences, skilled technical sciences, and marketing and cooperative education.

“Career and technical education is becoming all the more important in preparation for college or a career,” said Chris L. Nicastro, Missouri commissioner of education.

College- and career-readiness is one of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s primary goals.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education, almost all high school students nationwide take at least one CTE course, and one in four students take three or more courses in a single program area. Additionally, one-third of college students are involved in CTE programs,

and as many as 40 million adults engage in short-term postsecondary occupational training.

Missouri has a number of CTE programs available for students.Project Lead the Wayprovides rigorous and innovative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum in high schools.Missouri Connections is a free, online resource, which allows students to explore potential careers and helps guide them through their career planning process. And Pathways to Prosperityis a national education initiative designed to build career pathway systems for high-schoolaged students. Missouri is one of six states selected by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Jobs for the Future to participate in the Pathways to Prosperity Network.

Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs)provide a critical opportunity for students in high schools and career technical centers throughout the state. These organizations provide additional opportunities for students outside of the classroom to develop and refine the skills they will need after graduation. Over 74,000 students participated in 10 different Missouri CTSOs during the 2011-2012 school year.

“The majority of our CTSOs rank within the top 10 in membership nationally, which reinforces the fact that Missouri students are learning these important life-long skills for success,” said Dennis Harden, career education coordinator for the department.

For more information about CTE in Missouri, visit dese.mo.gov/divcareered. Learn more about CTE on a national level by visiting the Association for Career and Technical Education’s website, acteonline.org.