May 2nd, 2013 edition

Health professionals saluted

By Sandra Jordan Of The St.Louis American

Native son superintendent

Grayling Tobias grew up in North County

Now leads Hazelwood schools

“I believe that no one rises to low expectations.” – Hazelwood Superintendent Grayling Tobias

Grayling Tobias, the new superintendent of Hazelwood School District, grew up in North St. Louis County, near Bermuda Road and Interstate 70. His father worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 35 years, and his mother is a nurturing homemaker, he said. “Because of

go right now and be pleased? How many of us have this unfinished bucket list that we’ve been talking about for the past 10 years? She did it – effortlessly and open-handed.” The shock, blindsiding disbelief and stunning sadness that accompany a life cut tragically short lingered in the days following the passing of attorney and civic leader Ronda Fay Williams.

By Bridjes O’Neil

Photo by Wiley Price

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St.Louis

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Wiley Price

Porsha calls fake breakup rumors absurd

Over the past few days it has been reported that “Real Housewives of Atlanta” couple Porsha and Kordell Stewart were faking their divorce in order to ensure a spot on next season’s cast.

A rep for Porsha told Hip Hollywood that the claims are ridiculous.

“Given everything this abrupt filing has put her through in the public, she would never bring something like this on herself, ESPECIALLY with them having a child in the house,” Porsha’s rep said. “She wishes things could have been different but that simply is not possible.”

divorce, so reconciliation is not on the top of my list. That’s not something I’m thinking about.”

Weezy finally offers words to family of Emmett Till

Back in February the family of Emmett Till asked Lil Wayne for an apology for using Emmett Till’s name to describe a brutal sex act on a remix of Future’s “Karate Chop.”

Meanwhile Kordell has been using his Instagram account to imply that he wants to try again – which Porsha says is not an option in a recent interview.

“I really don’t have the space in my mind to consider that right now,” Porsha told Hollywood Life. “I’m in the middle of a

The lyric was pulled by Epic Records and the label issued an apology, but Lil Wayne remained mum. Three days after the family of Emmett Till threatened to target his sponsors, namely PepsiCo, Lil Wayne issued the following open letter.

Dear Till Family:

As a recording artist, I have always been interested in word play. My lyrics often reference people, places and events in my music, as well as the music that I create for or alongside other artists.

It has come to my attention that lyrics from my contribution to a fellow artist’s song has deeply offended your family. As a father myself, I cannot imagine the pain that your family has had to endure. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge your hurt, as well as the letter you sent to me via your attorneys.

Moving forward, I will not use or reference Emmett Till or the Till family in my music, especially in an inappropriate manner. I fully support Epic Record’s decision to take down the unauthorized version of the song and to not include the reference in the version that went to retail. I will not be performing the lyrics that contain that reference live and have removed them from my catalogue. I have tremendous respect for those who paved the way for the liberty and opportunities that African-Americans currently enjoy. As a business owner who employs several African-American employees and gives philanthropically to organizations that help youth to pursue their dreams my ultimate intention is to uplift rather than degrade our community Best, Dwayne Carter Jr.

Kanye urging Kim to retire from reality TV

Radar Online reports Kanye West wants his future co-parent Kim Kardashian to quit reality TV. And although he

himself has appeared on ‘Keeping Up With the Karadshians’ before, those appearances are reportedly OVER.

Kanye’s team reportedly has told him appearing on reality TV is bad for his brand

“Kanye did appear on the show several times before he and Kim hooked up but that was because he was trying to get with her,” a source told Radar Online. “Now that he has her, Kanye wants nothing to do with the reality shows. He most likely won’t appear at all in the upcoming season of ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians.’ Kanye won’t even let Kim talk to him on the phone while cameras are rolling. Kanye wants to maintain his private life.”

Tyler Perry’s ‘Temptation’ legal twist

Tyler Perry is reportedly being sued over claims he stole the idea for his latest film “Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.”

According to TMZ, William James from Gary, Ind., is suing Tyler Perry claiming Temptation is a rip off of his 2009 screenplay “Lovers Kill.”

James claims to have given his script to an associate of Oprah Winfrey and believes that’s how Tyler got access to his work.

Sources: TMZ.com, Radar Online, Hip Hollywood, Hollywood Life,

Vashon alumni support Annie Malone

The Vashon Class of 1952 recently donated $3,200 to Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center. Annie Malone is celebrating its 125th anniversary. The 2013 Annie Malone May Day Parade will be held Sunday, May 19. A more complete report on anniversary activities will be in next week’s American. For more information about celebration events, call Annie Malone at 314-531-0120 or visit www.anniemalone.com.

Fromms to co-chair 2013 United Way campaign

Ron Fromm, chairman of the board of Brown Shoe Company and his wife, Cheri, have been named 2013 fundraising campaign co-chairs by United Way of Greater St. Louis.

The annual fundraising campaign, which supports more than 170 local health and human service organizations and annually helps one in three people in the region, officially begins in September.

Ron Fromm has served on United Way’s Board of Directors since 2000 and the Executive Committee since 2006. Cheri’s involvement with United Way started many years ago as an employee campaign coordinator with Famous Footwear.

Cheri and Ron Fromm

In 2012 United Way of Greater St. Louis’ campaign was chaired by Greg Boyce, chairman and chief executive officer of Peabody Energy. The campaign raised the most ever, surpassing its $72 million goal to help people in the region.

Cop accused of drunkenness resigns

The same East St. Louis police officer who was found drunk and asleep behind the wheel of an unmarked squad car by Belleville police, back in 2007 has resigned amid a probe into another allegation of drunken behavior.

Officer

Ricky Perry, a 14-year veteran of the ESL police department, was accused of being intoxicated when he responded to a recent burglary.

The victim’s stepfather, Don Brown, alleges that Perry arrived three hours after police were initially called and was “reeking with alcohol” and that his “stepdaughter (the victim) saw … beer in the police car.”

Brown went on to further describe Perry as allegedly lacking professionalism, using excessive profanity and appearing so intoxicated that he could not put together a coherent thought.

Police Chief Michael

Floore initially placed Perry on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation.

Chief Floore also confirmed that no breath alcohol test was conducted after a resident complained about Perry because no Illinois State troopers were available to conduct the test when contacted.

Since that time Perry resigned, stating that he was not drunk (in the most recent case) but decided to end his tenure with the ESL police department.

Chief Floore accepted Perry’s resignation, stating that “the public good and service to the community are of paramount interest to the East St. Louis Police Department. Therefore, I accept the resignation of Officer Perry.” He also acknowledged Perry’s service to the ESLPD and to the community. This is not a laughing matter. It is one thing to make jokes about drunken cops, but quite another matter when the citizens of ESL are subjected to alleged verbal and malfeasant behavior from one whose job, by definition, is to protect and serve.

Alcoholism is a major societal problem, particularly in highly stressful occupations such as law enforcement. If that happens to be Ricky Perry’s demon, I pray that he seeks some professional help. But, whether it’s Ricky “I’ll Have Another Round” Perry or some other trusted officer, the citizens of ESL need sobriety to be one their primary qualifications for police officers in a town where sobriety is often sacrificed (by others) in order to numb themselves to the everyday stress and strain of urban existence. I only hope that this isn’t a media stunt in which Perry resigns then re-emerges as an officer or (even worse) as a police chief in one of the surrounding communities, despite the scandal and baggage which seems to follow him.

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 p.m. Please tune-in and call-in. I love to hear from my St. Louis American readers.

Ben Jealous to kick off campaign

National NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous will appear at the St Louis County NAACP Freedom Fund Campaign kick off on Tuesday, May 7. The reception is being hosted 4:30-7 p.m. by Centene at its corporate office located at 7700 Forsyth in Clayton. The event is free and open to the public. The event kicks off the County NAACP’s effort to promote community participation for this year’s Freedom Fund Dinner on Tuesday June 4 at the Clayton Ritz-Carlton Hotel. To RSVP, call 314-3891552.

James Ingram

Editorial /CommEntary

Legislature should protect Missouri jobs, consumers

As a community newspaper dedicated to uplifting the African-American community in St. Louis, we seldom have anything to say about alcohol other than in our popular Partyline column, where we follow activities in our lively local nightclub scene. And as advocates for a community that faces so many challenges and has so much unrealized potential, it is unusual for us to argue that we should keep anything as it is. However, we encourage the legislators who represent our community to vote in support of two bills that do little more than keep our existing laws for liquor distribution the way they are, simply because the alternatives favored by the powerful business interests trying to defeat this legislation are worse.

Senate Bill 365 and House Bill 759 are being advanced to codify an existing way of doing business that has been in place for 40 years. At stake is the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which repealed prohibition and gave states the right to regulate the distribution and sale of alcohol. A 2011 federal ruling has created a window of opportunity that multinational suppliers and national megawholesalers are seeking to exploit; SB365 and HB759 seek to preserve the status quo and protect the interests of Missouri wholesalers. The 34-member Missouri Beer Wholesaler Association, $430 million Missouri-based Major Brands, Missouri Vintners Association and two St. Louis craft brewers all support the legislation. So do we. Though the technicalities of Missouri’s liquor franchise laws are complex, they have resulted in market conditions

that have encouraged the growth of Missouri wholesalers and the expansion of choice for consumers.

SB365 and HB759 would protect Missouri jobs and continue to give small wine, beer and spirits suppliers a way to get their products to market. The legislation protects Missouri businesses and consumers by preventing international conglomerates from working with large out-of-state wholesalers to control the local marketplace, potentially manipulating prices and ultimately limiting consumer choice. SB 365 and HB 759 would correct a 2011 misinterpretation of Missouri law by a federal court and restore the meaning of state law as previously recognized and upheld by the Missouri Supreme Court. This would preserve Missouri’s three-tier system of alcohol distribution – supplier, wholesale/ distributor and retailer –where each tier is specifically regulated by the state and required to be independent of the other two tiers with independent audit protections in place. This system has

Commentary

provided consumers with a variety of product choices and producers with a route to market for their products, regardless of size. It protects small producers, retailers and consumers by ensuring the large suppliers cannot unduly influence decisions, like which brands get sold and how they are priced. It also protects public welfare by creating a transparent supply chain of accountability and traceability for the distribution and sale of alcohol, one of the most dangerous legal substances. Our community and this state have more pressing problems – the need to expand Medicaid and to mandate universal pre-K education, for starters – but the Republican-dominated Missouri Legislature has not acted favorably on these more urgent matters. At the moment, there is something much more modest this Legislature could do to protect Missouri jobs, consumer choice and transparency in the distribution of the ever-potent alcohol. It could – and should – pass SB 365 and HB 759.

Torturer in chief

Columnist Eugene Robinson

In retrospect, George W. Bush’s legacy doesn’t look as bad as it did when he left office. It looks worse. I join the nation in congratulating Bush on the opening of his presidential library in Dallas. Like many people, I find it much easier to honor, respect and even like the man now that he’s no longer in the White House. But anyone tempted to get sentimental should remember the actual record of the man who called himself The Decider. Begin with the indelible stain that one of his worst decisions left on our country’s honor: torture. Hiding behind the euphemism “enhanced interrogation techniques,” Bush made torture official U.S. policy. Just about every objective observer has agreed with this stark conclusion. The most recent assessment came earlier this month in a 576page report from a task force of the bipartisan Constitution Project, which states that “it is indisputable that the United States engaged in the practice of torture.”

We knew about the torture before Bush left office – at least, we knew about the waterboarding of three “highvalue” detainees involved in planning the 9/11 attacks. But the Constitution Project task force – which included Asa Hutchinson, who served in high-ranking posts in the Bush administration, and William Sessions, who was FBI director under three presidents – concluded that other forms

of torture were used “in many instances” in a manner that was “directly counter to values of the Constitution and our nation.”

Bush administration apologists argue that even waterboarding does not necessarily constitute torture and that other coercive – and excruciatingly painful –interrogation methods, such as putting subjects in “stress positions” or exposing them to extreme temperatures, certainly do not. The Constitution Project task force strongly disagrees, citing U.S. laws and court rulings, international treaties and common decency.

The Senate intelligence committee has produced, but refuses to make public, a 6,000page report on the CIA’s use of torture and the network of clandestine “black site” prisons the agency established under Bush. One of President Obama’s worst decisions on taking office in 2009 was to decline to convene some kind of blue-ribbon “truth commission” panel that would bring all the abuses to light. Bush’s decision to invade and conquer Iraq also looks, in hindsight, like an even bigger strategic error. Saddam Hussein’s purported weapons of mass destruction have yet to be found, of course; nearly 5,000 Americans – and untold Iraqis – sacrificed their lives to eliminate a threat that did not exist. We knew this, of course, when Obama took office. It’s one of the main reasons he was elected.

We knew, too, that Bush’s decision to turn to Iraq diverted focus and resources from Afghanistan. But I don’t think anyone fully grasped that giving the Taliban a long, healing respite would eventually make Afghanistan

Not-voting ourselves back to slavery

Many of us were hoping that the large black North St. Louis voter turnout last August in the congressional primary was the beginning of a black voter consciousness that St. Louis hasn’t seen. Instead, after the March mayoral primary, it appears that this voter pattern will continue to be unpredictable. It must be noted that the 12 black-led wards did vote Mayor Francis G. Slay out of office by 1,567 votes in the March primary. Although about half of the black alderpersons were encouraged to support Slay, either because of intimidation or money, their constituents still voted for challenger Lewis Reed.

However, Reed’s victory in these wards was not large enough to overcome the strong white voter turnout in four wards: the 12th, 13th, 16th and 23rd. These wards turned out an average of 30.6 percent of their registered voters.

The voters in one white-led ward, the 20th Ward, supported Reed, although its alderperson supported Slay. No white alderpersons supported Reed.

Slay spent $3,308,191.55 on his campaign for 23,968 votes received at a cost of $138 per vote. Reed spent $640,810.73 for 19,496 votes received for $33 per vote. Slay bought this mayoral election mainly with conservative Republican funds.

The number of black-led wards has since been reduced from 12 to 11 as a result of the 6th Ward’s vacancy being filled by a white person, Christine Ingrassia. Of 28 alderpersons, only 11 are African American in a city that has a pluralityblack population. This has to be changed.

St. Louisans are fooling themselves if they think race doesn’t matter. Slay and his Chief of Staff Jeff Rainford have always played the race card because racism has been very profitable for them. They have managed to stay in office for 12 years in part by intimidating fair-minded white politicians from supporting black candidates.

With a sizeable campaign chest, Slay is in a position to buy personal favors from unscrupulous black political and religious leaders. Slay only supported U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay against Russ Carnahan during the last congressional primary to put him in a racist political trick bag.

Slay promoted Charles Bryson, his black assistant, to

Letters to the editor

CORRECTION

Last week’s editorial about Washington University was based on dated information. We regret the error. We will follow up soon with a thorough report on diversity at Washington University based on current data.

Hold elected officials accountable

director of Public Safety for the sole purpose of terminating Fire Chief Sherman George, the first black fire chief in St. Louis. Then Bryson promoted a white battalion chief to replace George, passing over a wellqualified black Deputy Fire Chief Charles Coyle. Coyle filed and won his law suit of race discrimination, but he did not get the chief’s position. Obviously, these acts of racism did not matter enough to Congressman Clay. After 12 years of documented sins that Slay has committed against the black community, how could Congressman Clay, a black man, be justified in saying, “Slay is a good man”? This requires serious attention! If African Americans are not careful, we will vote ourselves back into slavery out of ignorance, misinformation from sell-out leaders or not voting our capacity. It is not a matter of blacks not voting their interest. The problem is low voter turnout. After such a long struggle for blacks to gain the right to vote, you would think we would vote with conviction. A voter turnout of at least 50 percent of the African-American registered voters along with our white progressive voters would go a long way toward solving most of the problems in St. Louis.

this country’s longest or second-longest war, depending on what date you choose as the beginning of hostilities in Vietnam.

And it’s clear that the Bush administration did not foresee how the Iraq experience would constrain future presidents in their use of military force. Syria is a good example. Like Saddam, Bashar al-Assad is a ruthless dictator who does not hesitate to massacre his own people. But unlike Saddam, Assad does have weapons of mass destruction. And unlike Saddam, Assad has alliances with the terrorist group Hezbollah and the nuclear-mad mullahs in Iran.

I do not advocate U.S. intervention, because I fear we might make things worse rather than better. But I wonder what options Obama might have if we had not squandered so much blood and treasure in Iraq.

Bush didn’t pay for his wars. The bills he racked up for military adventures, prescription-drug benefits, the bank bailout and other impulse purchases helped create the fiscal and financial crises he bequeathed to Obama. His profligacy also robbed the Republican Party establishment of small-government credibility, thus helping give birth to the tea party movement. Thanks a lot for that.

Bush did an enormous amount of good by making it possible for AIDS sufferers in Africa to receive antiretroviral drug therapy. This literally saved millions of lives, and should weigh heavily on one side of the scale when we assess The Decider’s presidency. But the pile on the other side just keeps getting bigger.

A minority in the U.S. Senate ignored 90 percent of the American people and blocked consideration of a common sense, bipartisan measure to combat gun violence: background checks for all commercial gun purchases. Americans from all walks of life and all across this country support this and other reasonable proposals to make it harder for criminals and those with serious mental illness to get their hands on a gun.

For many years, I have supported a renewal of the assault weapons ban, a ban on high-capacity magazine clips, universal background checks for all gun purchases, and ending on-line sales of firearms and ammunition. We also need to provide communities with more help to increase mental health services and to improve school security.

I am outraged when some of my more timid colleagues say that the opposition is too strong, the path is too difficult and they are too fearful to act. That is exactly what happened in the U.S. Senate and it’s shameful. The NRA lied about the legislation, used their considerable resources to spread the misinformation, and then exploited the fears of others to pressure Members of Congress.

You must be willing to hold accountable those elected officials who fear the gun lobby more than they respect the voters who hired them. We need your strong and sustained progressive voices to keep this issue on the front-burner until Congress finally does the right thing.

U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay Washington, D.C.

Failing to expand Medicaid

Medicaid expansion would bring $5.7 billion to Missouri over the next three

years. Between $1.8 and $2.3 billion in federal taxes paid by Missourians will return to Missouri annually. If Missouri does not expand Medicaid, our federal tax dollars will be used to cover Medicaid expansion in other states. Furthermore, individuals who now receive services at full state cost or lower federal matching rates would be covered by Medicaid expansion, saving the state $78 million annually.

Medicaid expansion would create 24,000 new jobs and would generate $62 million in state tax revenues annually. Failing to expand Medicaid will cost the state more than 9,000 jobs and reduce capital investment by $1.9 billion. Missouri hospitals, which currently receive $500 million to cover services provided to the uninsured, will be cut by $250 million annually. Failure to expand Medicaid just doesn’t make “cents.”

Elizabeth Higgins, St. Louis

Victimized by economic slavery

It was with great interest I read Charlene Crowell’s recent article about payday lending practices. My family has been victimized by this economic slavery monster.

I appreciate you shining a light on the predatory loan companies and the harm they do to this nation in general and families in particular. These loans strangle and suffocate the most financially vulnerable in society, the poor. We all deeply appreciate your efforts to expose and eliminate this cancer from our community. The remarks by Keith Corbett, executive vicepresident of the Center for Responsive Lending, were right on target when he said “this predatory product takes what little they have and winds up leaving borrowers worse off than before these loans.”

Leonard Boone, Via email

Making voter approval possible

April 2, 2013 was an historic day for the St. Louis region, and we write to thank you for your wonderful work in making the successful voter approval of Proposition P possible.

Making the Arch grounds safer and more accessible as

well as re-energized and more attractive, plus improvements to parks trails and greenways across the region, is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You saw that vision and knew that your efforts would make a difference for residents and visitors alike for many generations to come. On Behalf of the “Yes on Prop P” campaign, please know how much we appreciate your efforts.

Tom Irwin and Peter Sortino Citizens for Safe and Accessible Arch, St. Louis

Guest Columnist Percy Green II

Learning from Jackie Robinson

Warner Brothers hosted an essay contest that asks students to answer the question:“What did Jackie Robinson mean to you?”The winners were Cortise Perry from Vashon High School and Quentin Phillips from Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School.Former St.Louis Cardinal great Jack Clark and License Collector Michael McMillan recognized the youth with an Award of Merit and encouraged them to “learn from the lessons of Jackie Robinson.”

June 3 deadline forchild advocacy grants

Deaconess Foundation will launch a new grant-making opportunity for organizations engaged in advocating for the needs of children, especially those growing up in poverty in St. Louis. The foundation intends to select approximately 10 organizations for its initial round of support and has allocated nearly $400,000.

“With disparities in access

to everything from early childhood education to safe neighborhoods and healthy food, we know our current reality is far from just,” said Rev. Starsky D. Wilson, president and CEO of the foundation. “With this effort, we hope to advance policy conversations and civic planning that prioritizes our kids.”

Deaconess Foundation is currently accepting applications. The deadline for proposals is June 3, with an informational bidders’conference on May 9. For full details, go to

www.deaconess.org.

Free trees in Richmond Heights

Through the Centennial Tree Planting Program, the City of Richmond Heights will give away about 100 trees to Richmond Heights property owners throughout the year.

Property owners can choose one of 22 types of trees, including red maple, willow oak and bald cypress. At no

Blacks blazed the trail

By Gloria J.Browne-Marshall Columnist

Immigrants to America would gain tremendously by learning of the struggle for racial justice.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were mere words for people of color until African Americans forced this country to deliver on her promises.Yet, too often, immigrants from Europe, Asia and Africa fail to acknowledge how AfricanAmerican battles for racial justice assists these new arrivals. African Americans contributed mind and body to create justice for all. Most areas of American life enjoyed by immigrants, from employment and housing to education and political rights were made better by African Americans challenging discrimination.

Unfortunately, knowledge of African Americans is often based on cancelled television shows or bad movies this country exports worldwide. Prejudices based on fiction are created well before stepping foot on American soil.

These prejudices can blind immigrants to the link between the benefits they enjoy and the great sacrifices made by African Americans. African Americans led protests for justice. Their cases, argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, changed American life, especially for people of color and immigrants.

Too often, instead of appreciation for a battle well-fought, there is only disrespect. Too many immigrants can be overheard disparaging African Americans. Few immigrant-owned businesses hire African Americans. Frequently immigrants dismiss African-Americans complaint of discrimination.

Many who immigrate to America are leaving countries with discrimination based on religion, ethnic affiliation or race. Yet, upon arriving here they boldly turn against African Americans as if to be anti-black is one way to become fully American.

Many immigrants mistakenly see African Americans only as former slaves, ignoring their great history of courage. Even the citizenship test, given by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, asks a question on the Emancipation Proclamation.

charge to the property owner, the City will deliver the trees. This time of year is ideal for tree planting, City Forester Tim Brunsman said. The main benefits that trees provide include storm water mitigation, shade and aesthetic beauty, he said. Brunsman is available to help residents choose the best location on their property to plant a tree.

Property owners in Richmond Heights who want to request a tree should contact Brunsman at tbrunsman@richmondheights.org or 314-655-3656.

African Americans fought for justice during and after slavery. Focusing only on slavery ignores African Americans who are billionaires, ballerinas, astrophysicists, basketball players, actors, business owners, lawyers, educators, soldiers and bankers. To lock African Americans in an image of slavery means overlooking 300 years of fighting for justice under law. If those who are new to America studied this nation’s complex racial history they would gain a greater respect for African Americans and a deeper understanding of American culture. African Americans blazed the trail immigrants now travel. They survived the worst of a journey immigrants to this country have just begun.

Gloria J. Browne-Marshall is an associate professor of Constitutional Law at John Jay College, author of “Race, Law, and American Society: 1607 to Present” and a legal correspondent covering the U.S. Supreme Court.

Gloria J. BrowneMarshall

RONDA

Continued from A1

She died suddenly on Wednesday, April 24 at the age of 41. But family, friends, loved ones and the community couldn’t help but take comfort in all that she had accomplished in such a short time.

“When I think of Ronda and I listen to all of the praise and all of the accolades and read her resume, I asked myself, ‘What didn’t Ronda do?’” said Pastor William Meanes, of New Freedom Baptist Church, in the eulogy Monday morning at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church.

In 2012 she was recognized as an Outstanding African American Citizen by the St. Louis Gateway Classic Foundation and as one of the St. Louis American Foundation’s Young Leaders of the Year. In 2011, she received the Most Interesting Personality Awardfrom Who’s Who in Black St. Louis, the YWCAof Metro St. Louis Leader of Distinction Award

TOBIAS

Continued from A1

Leading one of the largest school districts in the state, Tobias will need those attributes for reaching his goal in academic achievement – earning a perfect 140 on the state’s report card.

Recently the state converted its academic assessment from a 14-point system to 140 points. Hazelwood is at 112 points, which is right in the middle of the accreditation range of 98 to 125 points.

“Our goal is to be accredited with distinction, which is from 126 to 140 points,” he said. “We are 14 points away from the bottom of that range. Eventually we hope to earn

and was named one of the Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40 by the National Bar Association. In 2010, she was among St. Louis Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, and won the Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly Women’s Justice Award.

“She was busy,” said attorney Shalona Oliver, who spoke on behalf of County Executive Charlie A. Dooley.

Oliver had to stop and take a breath as she read an abbreviated list of accomplishments that mainly reflected Ronda’s tenure as senior corporate counsel at Savvis Inc., which began in 2007. She earned the company’s highest merit award, the Savvis Ace Award, for a commitment to excellence in 2008.

“Our city has lost a valued citizen,” U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill said in a letter.

The sermon Pastor Meanes chose to honor Ronda’s life was aptly titled “you can’t touch this.”

“Because of her life, I would suggest to you that Ronda could not be touched or compared with. She was the best of our rising community and young generation,”

140 points.”

Since he accepted his position in November, the district has been taking a close look at every child’s achievement level, he said. Each child has the potential to earn points for growth.

“The new Missouri School Improvement Program standards are more rigorous,” he said, “but we believe that our students are capable of achieving at high levels. I believe that no one rises to low expectations.”

The Hazelwood Board of Education appointed Tobias as interim superintendent at the end of August, after firing former superintendent Steve Price. Tobias was named superintendent in November. Previously he served as an assistant superintendent for

Meanes said. “I submit to you that God is pleased with Ronda.”

Raising the bar

“There is now a hush in our hearts as we come together to pay our respects to the memory of one whose life was rich with the fullness of servitude within the community,” said Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones, a lifelong friend of Ronda, speaking on behalf of their alma mater, Hampton University.

Ronda graduated from Hazelwood East High School, earned a B.S. in marketing at Hampton and then worked for several years in corporate America before entering Saint Louis University’s School of Law in 1999. Only two years after she graduated, Ronda became an adjunct professor of law and business at SLU.

She served as president of SLU’s Black Student Law Association. Ronda also became heavily involved in the National Bar Association –holding national office and assuming a leadership role with the local chapter, the Mound City Bar Association.

learning and has worked for the district for 10 years.

“We must narrow our focus to teaching and learning and what is happening each day in our classrooms,” he said.

Tobias plans to increase each principal’s time in the classroom. Eighty percent of the principal’s time should be on instructional activities, he said. Building relationships is a big part of reaching their goals, he said.

One of his favorite quotes is attributed to Donald O. Clifton. It reads, “Our greatest contribution is to be sure there is a teacher in every classroom who cares that every student, every day, learns, grows and feels like a real human being.”

Tobias actually started his teaching career at Hazelwood. While earning his bachelor’s

“She’s been a joy to us, not only here in Missouri, but throughout the nation,” said John Paige, president of the National Bar Association, as he spoke directly to her family. “We thank you for giving her to us. Ronda – to many of us –was our right and our left hand.”

During her time as president of the Mound City Bar Association, the chapter was awarded Affiliate of the Year by the National Bar Association.

Ronda was also a member of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and St. Louis chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.

“She was to be installed as our treasurer this coming Wednesday, so we will honor her at our upcoming Law Day celebration,” said Heather Hayes, president of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.

“She had wonderful ideas, insight and everything she contributed has been greatly appreciated. I know I will truly miss seeing her smile at all of our meetings. She could lighten up any day as long as she

degree in physical education from University of MissouriSt. Louis, he completed his teaching practicum at Hazelwood Central High School and his student teaching at Hazelwood East High School.

However, he didn’t go straight into a career in education because he wanted to give his sports career a shot first.

Tobias was a strong basketball and baseball player at McCluer High School and UMSL. After graduating from UMSL, he played professional baseball for the Montreal Expos and Detroit Tigers.

He is a member of the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club Ring of Honor, and a member of the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, McCluer High School

was there.”

The woman behind the work

It was her smile that people seemed to remember most.

The circle of influence she smiled upon couldn’t have been any wider – including high school and college students, a hip-hop radio personality, hairstylists, salon owners, high-powered attorneys, corporate executives and elected officials.

“Ronda knew the importance of spending time with a person and creating a memory with them,” Robyn said.

“People came to her services from different circles, different walks of life, different periods in time, and yet they all felt connected with her and had spoken with her recently.”

Many of her friends and associates gathered Monday night for a gathering to raise funds for her memorial scholarship. By the end of the evening more than $1,200 had been collected.

“Not only was she a senior leader in a major corporation, but she was very active in supporting the ideals and issues in

Hall of Fame and UMSL Athletic Hall of Fame.

“I wanted to play baseball at the highest level,” he said. “I had the opportunity to play with many players who went on to play Major League ball, and a few were considered for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.”

He played minor league baseball for a few seasons before the Detroit Tigers released him. So, he returned to St. Louis to coach baseball and basketball at Lindenwood University. He taught for three years at St. Louis Country Day School before serving as a teacher in the Parkway School District. He also served as an assistant principal at the middle and high school level.

which she personally believed,” said Ronda’s fellow Young Leader Amber Simpson, vice president and manager of national multicultural markets and community affairs for U.S. Bank.

This was proven true when she worked tirelessly to campaign for President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 as a key member of Generation 44.

“Poised and professional, Ronda reflects what a stellar young professional strives to become,” said Kira Van Niel of Boeing, another of the St. Louis American Foundation’s cadre of Young Leaders. “Her sudden passing, while tragic and unexpected, is a true reminder to chase your dreams and strive for the best.”

Ronda is survived by her father Roger C. Williams, stepmother Beverly Williams and sister Robyn K. Williams.

To make a donation to the Ronda F. Williams Scholarship Fund, contributions can be mailed to The Ronda F. Williams Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1543, St. Louis MO, 63188.

For Gloria Ross’official family obituary, visit www.stlamerican.com.

After 13 years in Parkway, he left to become a principal for the Riverview Gardens School District for two years. As a result of the school’s progress, he was recognized as the “Middle School Principal of the Year” by the St. Louis Area Secondary School Principals Association. In 2002, he came to Hazelwood as the first AfricanAmerican certified administrator at the central office level. He has also served as director of secondary education and assistant superintendent for accountability. Tobias and his wife, Guen, have two sons, Martin, 20, and Nicholas, 18.

“Education has made a difference in my life,” he said, “and I want to make a difference in the lives of students.”

RAMS

Continued from A1

diverse, yet there are still constant struggles,” Rams defensive tackle and director of player engagement La’Roi Glover said.

He was addressing student athletes of various backgrounds from Parkway North and Seckman Senior high schools. More than 90 students attended the event recently held at Rams Park in Earth City.

The program, designed to promote diversity and inclusion among St. Louis-area youth, was sponsored by Ameren Missouri and conducted by Diversity Awareness Partnership and CHARACTERplus.

Students were selected because they are seen as leaders at their schools – both on and off the field – who, organizers hope, will help foster tolerance among their peers.

The event included four different diversity training clinics as well as a conversation with Glover.

The “struggles” Glover mentioned include stereotypes

SALUTE

Continued from A1

when they opened a new drug store in the Central West End in 1954. He praised the Kean brothers, who defied de facto Jim Crow laws to serve all customers, regardless of race. They were motivated by their experience of being persecuted because they were Jewish.

Sixty years later, Perry spoke to the Salute audience about the important intersection of politics and health care – and still rooted for his old neighborhood.

“Keeping health care institutions and learning institutions accessible is one of the best things we can do,” Perry

about class, race, sexual orientation, gender and disability. He said he is optimistic that students who participate in the program will learn how to effectively break through these boundaries.

Initially, the program focused on creating camaraderie between each school’s football team, borrowing an idea from the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds’Coldwell Banker West Shell Match Program aims to bring youth baseball teams from the suburbs and the inner city together to foster diversity, positive interaction and friendly competition.

Parkway North is located in a diverse area of St. Louis County, whereas Seckman is located in the town of Imperial in Jefferson County. Imperial and Jefferson County were both 97 percent white at the time of the 2010 Census.

“We felt like we were in a unique position to use the game of football to first establish some commonalities among the two schools and then build from there and tackle the differences,” said Molly Higgins, vice president of corporate communications and civic affairs for the St. Louis Rams.

said – “like having BJC not go out of the Central West End, having Wash. U. medical center not go out of the Central West End, having the St. Louis College of Pharmacy stay on Parkview.”

Angela Brown, director of operations for the St. Louis Regional Health Commission, received the 2013 Stellar Performer in Health Care honor.

“When I started off in this career path, I never imagined that I’d be working for an organization that has such a major impact in the community by helping the uninsured receive access to care,” Brown said.

Dr. Johnetta M. Craig, chief medical officer of Family Care Health Centers, received the

Evans and Kiana

“The successful outcome of the program was establishing a greater respect for each other in the short term, while providing them with the skills and mindset to build relationships beyond high school.”

listen intently at the inaugural

Last September, each football team met at Rams Park for Ram Blitz’s Character Development Day held shortly after the program’s launch. Both teams then attended a Rams game at the Edward

“We must all speak loudly and passionately in support of responsible Medicaid expansion.”

– Dr.Johnetta M.Craig, Health Care Administrator of the Year

2013 Health Care Administrator of the Year award. Craig said the passage of the Affordable Care Act was only the first salvo in a transformational moment in health care policy.

“Our greater challenge now is to see that it is implemented in a manner that is consistent with its intent,” Craig said of the ACA. “We must all embrace the concept that we are our brothers’keepers – and speak loudly and passionately

in support of responsible Medicaid expansion.”

Places for People was recognized as the 2013 Health Care Advocacy Organization of the Year. Executive Director Joe Yancey hopes the recognition will reaffirm behavioral health as part of total wellness.

“Mental wellness and freedom from the harmful effects of alcohol and drug abuse is absolutely essential to overall health,” Yancey

Jones Dome. During the 2012 high school football season, Rams running back Isaiah Pead rooted for both teams during their October 12 matchup. Kris Kellams, athletic direc-

said.

“We cannot separate the mind and the body. We tried that, and guess what? It doesn’t work.”

The eight 2013 Excellence in Health Care Awardees are ï Catrina W. Chambers, Ph.D, a former consultant for the St. Louis Regional Asthma Consortium; ï Dr. Marsha Fisher, obstetrician and gynecologist with Mercy Clinic Women’s Health – Ladue;

ï Judy Wilson-Griffin, MSN, RNC – OB, C-EFM, perinatal clinical nurse specialist at SSM St. Mary’s Health Center;

ï Kenya Haney, MSN, RN, cardiac service line manager, Barnes-Jewish, St. Peters Hospital and Progress West

tor at Parkway North High School, said she volunteered to be one of the first schools to participate in the program after Parkway North students attended a previous diversity awareness event co-sponsored by the Rams and Edward Jones.

“It was such a powerful program, we thought it would be a good idea to bring teams together to do more in-depth diversity awareness,” Kellams said. She hopes that more teams will participate in the program, should it be continued. This is especially crucial, she said, sincethe St. Louis Suburban Public High School Athletic and Activities Association announced the new conference alignment of its member schools effective at the start of the 2014-2015 school year. “Teams will be playing other teams that they are not familiar with,” Kellams said. “So, it would be a great chance for two schools to come together and get to know each other off the field. We’re hoping it improves sportsmanship and tolerance.”

Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil.

HealthCare Center; ï Charisse Jackson, former vice president of education and diversity for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri;

ï Marc A. McNeese, RN, disaster and special events manager, Saint Louis University Hospital; ï Jovita Oruwari, MD, FACS, oncologic breast surgeon, Mercy Clinic; and ï Candace T. Wakefield, DMD, a pediatric dentist at Children’s Dental Zone and owner of W. Dental Group. This year’s presenting sponsors were Centene Corporation and its subsidiary, Home State Health Plan, which is a Missouri HealthNet managed care administrator.

Sharrell

Simmons

“Rams Blitz:Youth Working Together to Break through Boundaries”held at Rams Park in Earth City.

Photo by Wiley Price

Minority exclusion in Jefferson City

On Friday Rudi Keller, ace state House reporter for the Columbia Daily Tribune, provided one of the sharpest and most sensitive reports on what we might call minority exclusion that the EYE has ever read in the mainstream press.

“Charges of bigotry on Thursday shattered the bipartisan coalition supporting a state bond issue as Republicans, led by House Majority Leader John Diehl, demanded the removal of language promoting businesses owned by minorities and women,” Keller led his story.

“Charges of bigotry” are seldom represented in mainstream media when they pertain to a substantial matter of policy. They tend to be restricted to trivial matters, which in turn trivializes the act of accusing someone of bigotry. But Keller was covering political infighting over a matter that is anything but trivial: whether or not language that would require targets for using “African Americans, women and other minority businesses in all state bond programs” would be included in a $1.2 billion bond proposal before the state House of Representatives.

House Speaker Tim Jones

R-Eureka, is the lead sponsor of the bond issue, which, if approved by voters, would pay for four new buildings for the University of Missouri.

On Wednesday of last week, the House sent the issue back to the House Budget Committee for more work – that is, apparently, for more work in excluding minorities and women. Because when it came out of committee, state Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, who was steering the bill that pertains chiefly to his legislative district, presented a proposal that had gutted the inclusion targets.

Keller reported that state Rep. Gail McCann Beatty, D-Kansas City, the assistant minority floor leader,

confronted Kelly about the change, saying, “I am going to have a great deal of difficulty taking this home.”

The EYE, more accustomed to reading the grouchy, middle-aged, white, male Democrat voice of the Post-Dispatch, found it hard to believe a minority legislator using her leverage to make a principled stand on behalf of her minority constituents was getting fair, detailed and respectful coverage in a mainstream newspaper. Columbia may be the first city in the state of Missouri where the Civil War is finally over.

Rep. Kelly probably doesn’t feel that way.

Keller continues his report – very unusually, for a mainstream journalist – from the perspective of the minority legislator.

“Beatty, who became so upset during the hearing that she had to leave the room, said she wants the provision to stay because the law can be changed. The bond issue would go before voters as a constitutional amendment. Changing its provisions, once enacted, would require another statewide vote,” Keller reported.

“‘When we start talking about race issues and things like that, everybody wants to jump up and scream, I am not a racist,’ she said after the meeting. ‘But you are going to have to give me a reason why that needed to come out.’”

Kelly gave her a reason – that he accepted Republican demands that the language be removed because state law already requires a target for using businesses owned by minorities and women on state construction projects – but Beatty wasn’t buying it. This prompted Kelly to take a rhetorical flight in telling Keller: “I am forcing myself into not making windows into men’s souls.”

The Republican men (with or without souls) in question include

committee Chairman Rick Stream R-Kirkwood, who said the minority inclusion language was deleted “so it wouldn’t be controversial when we got it to the House floor.”

When Keller asked who considered the language controversial, Stream said, “It just is to a lot of members and to the floor leader, to be honest with you.”

Not surprisingly, floor leader Diehl, a St. Louis County Republican, denied he was motivated by racism or sexism.

“We have a fiduciary responsibility that the projects go to the lowest and best bidder and not to pay back special interest groups or political constituencies,” Diehl told Keller.

Republicans often dismiss minorities as “special interest groups or political constituencies,” as if Republicans do not cater to their own special interest groups and political constituencies, who just happen to be white.

House Speaker Jones, R-Eureka, the lead sponsor of the bond issue and a birther on public record as questioning whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States, says he is no racist. He is even down with the black caucus, according to him.

“I have been a big supporter of the black caucus throughout this session, and I have helped some of their priorities through the legislature,” Jones told Keller. That’s a good one!

In the end the committee, which previously was unanimous in its support, approved the revised measure 17-6. The only Democrats supporting

it were Kelly and state Rep. Stephen Webber, also from Columbia. That’s the reality of being minorities in a minority caucus – your dissent just makes your opponent’s victory less spectacular.

That’s nothing new in Jefferson City in recent decades. The only surprising thing here is that a mainstream news outlet communicated to its readers how the inside game is played by an African American representing her community’s best interests.

Rex in ‘penalty box’

A new American Federation of Teachers report lists 33 money management firms whose executives, the union claims, have contributed to or sit on boards of organizations that advocate for replacing defined benefit plans with defined contribution plans or cash balance plans – a bone of contention between unions and unionbusters.

One person who made the AFT list was billionaire libertarian school choice advocate and union buster Rex Sinquefield, co-founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, who resigned from the firm after his antics got the firm on the union’s naughty list, endangering a cash cow. Firms on the AFT list had executives supporting one or more of three non-profit organizations the teacher’s union says have attacked defined benefit plans: Students First,

Alderman Freeman Bosley Sr., U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay and Alderman Terry Kennedy talk shop at City Hall before the recent inauguration of Mayor Francis G. Slay.

the Manhattan Institute and the Show-Me Institute, which Sinquefield founded and supports.

Jack Ehnes, CEO of the $165.5 billion California State Teachers’ Retirement System, said, “These so-called not-for-profits have been on our radar for some time. We certainly have seen the growing strident tone of their advocacy.”

The EYE certainly sees how $165.5B in investable assets can talk loudly to a money management firm and get someone like Rex to fold up his tent and go home.

David Booth, chairman and co-CEO of Dimensional Fund Advisors, did his best to clean up Rex’s mess after he left. “His political aspirations and workings got us into the penalty box,” Booth said of Sinquefield.

Jeffrey pops off

Alderman Jeffrey Boyd popped off at The American in an open letter he promoted on social media last week, belated retaliation for the beating he took in these pages during the August primary when he opposed Tishaura O. Jones in a crowded field for Treasurer. Jeffrey, regarded as intelligent but overly emotional by his colleagues, must be up to something. Maybe his South Side handlers want to groom him to run against Lewis Reed as president of the Board of Aldermen. It’s rumored that their candidate of choice, Lyda Krewson, is hesitant to run statewide and concerned that her unpopular husband, former broadcast hatchet man Mike Owens, limits her electability.

The EYE stands by the following claim made about Jeffrey when he announced for Treasurer: “Boyd is a follower, not a leader, and he follows the regressive leadership that typifies the Slay administration. His South Side handlers have very low expectations for Jeffrey, and he has failed to meet even those.”

William “Bill” Fleming

Oct 6, 1926— Apr 9, 2012

It’s been a year since God gave you your wings and set you free. I wish that I could tell you that I’m not ready to let you go.

From: Your wife, Carolyn; daughter, Valerie; grandchildren and greatgrandchildren

In Loving Memory of our Parents

Juanita Roberts Dorsey (April 29, 1925—Jan 3, 2008)

Frank W. Dorsey Sr. (Sept 25, 1924—June 5, 2004)

Juanita and Frank Dorsey were members of St. John’s Baptist Church, where they remained until their passing. Juanita was a strong Godfearing lady whose advice and wisdom left an excellent legacy to her children, grandchildren and other family members and friends. Frank was a pastor’s son who was well-versed in the Bible. His wealth of knowledge, understanding, and ability to quote any verse, chapter or scripture was always shared

with his family. Mom and Dad, you are together again after 61 years of marriage. Keep praying for us all down here on Earth with God, our heavenly Father. We all miss you both and will never forget you. Your children: Carolyn, Barbara, Paula and Kendale Dorsey

Sheree Graham Lee

Sheree Graham Lee, 58 years of age, passed away after a year long battle with cancer. She passed away at her home surrounded by family on Sunday, April 28, 2013. She was married to Christopher Lee for 30 years. She leaves behind her daughter, Lauren, father, J. B. Graham, sister, Allynson Matlock, a brother, Jadwick Graham and her beloved Valerie and Michael Matlock, Lindsay and Jerrod Graham, many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. She was a dedicated and passionate educator who worked for the St. Louis Public School System for 35 years. She was very active in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; also active in her church, St. Elizabeth Mother of John the Baptist. Visitation is being held at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, 4330 Shreve Avenue, 63115 from 9:00–10:30 a.m., and from 10:30-11:00 a.m. for the Delta Sigma Theta’s Omega Service. Funeral service follows at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made for a scholarship in her memory to the St. Louis Public School Foundation, 801 N. 11th Street, 63101.

In Loving Memory of Eugene Jones Sr. April 26, 1944—May 27, 2009

Your passing was way too soon, but your memory and your legacy will live in our hearts forever. We love and miss you. Gone, never forgotten. Your sons, Eugene Jr., Mark and Eric; your daughter, Judith (Antoine); two brothers, Samuel and Ronald (Rosie); three sisters, Barbara, Rachel and Ava (Andrew); all of your grandchildren, nieces and nephews, family and friends.

Ruby Lee Bradford

Ruby Lee Bradford was the dedicated matriarch of her large family. She was loved by all in her neighborhood where she fed and housed many. She never met a stranger. Everyone who came in contact with her became family. Ruby was a rare “jewel”. Her greatest joy was Sunday dinners where she cooked for her family and neighbors on Coleman Ave and Bacon St. Ms. Bradford loved to dress up and celebrate her birthday

every year with a big party. She had a heart that loved and touched all. Ruby Lee departed this life on Resurrection Sunday, March 31, 2013. Her husband, Thomas Sr. and two sons: Thomas, Jr. and Curtis preceded her in death. Her legacy of love will live on through her five children: Joy, Robert, Nancy, Elaine and David, 51 grandchildren, 131 great-grandchildren, 78 greatgreat-grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends.

Rev. Edward Ward

May 7, 1969—Mar 6, 2011

Memories are treasures no one can steal; Death is a heartache that even time can’t heal. Some may forget you now that you are gone; But we will remember, no matter how long. Your loving smile, your gentle face; No one can ever take your place. We love and miss you so much. Happy Birthday.

From: Mother, Joyce Ann Ward; Father, John Lee; Wife, Althea Ward and seven stepchildren; sister, Gwen Lee (deceased); brother, Mike Ward (Darlene); aunts, Eletha, Denise and Fannie; uncles, James C. Harris, Raymond Lee (Penny) and George; a host of cousins and many relatives and friends.

Halevy H. Simmons

Halevy Hercules Simmons (Hal), age 83, of St. Louis County, died on April 9, 2013. Halevy, the eldest son of immigrants from the British West Indies, who showed talent in design and mathematics,

had a successful career in the competitive field of architecture.

A summa cum laude graduate from Howard University, Washington, D.C. in 1953, he received the Medal of Excellence in Design. The buildings he designed and built span the United States and other countries. He enjoyed

traveling with his beloved wife, Shirley, of 57 years and playing tennis and golf. His memory will be cherished by his wife, Shirley Simmons; daughter, Tracey Fisher (Terence); sons, Stephen Simmons (Natalie) and Scott Simmons; seven grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and extended family and associates.

Eugene Jones Jr.

Ruby Lee Bradford

Rev. Edward Ward

Sheree Lee

Juanita Dorsey

Frank W. Dorsey Sr.

USDA’s Summer Food Service Program

By Kevin Concannon

Of The USDA

In the spring, it can be easy to forget those long, hot days of June, July and August. Even so, now is the time to start applying and planning to feed hungry children when the school year ends.

More than 21 million children in the country receive free and reduced-price meals during the school year, but when summer rolls around, only about 1 in 10 of those kids (3 million) get free meals through federal summer feeding programs.

The USDA is working to ill that void with its Summer Food Service Program. Community organizations have an important role to play. Schools, churches, recreation centers, playgrounds, parks and camps are all eligible and encouraged to serve summer meals in neighborhoods with a high percentage of low-income families.

Sponsors must provide a capable staff, managerial skills and food service capabili-

ties. Sponsors may provide their own meals, purchase meals through an agreement with an area school, or contract for meals with a food vendor. If you don’t want to be a sponsor but still want to be involved, your organization can be a summer feeding site. There are sponsors in your area who can work with you to feed the children in your community.

Children are much more likely to come out for a meal when there is an activity. It can include anything from sports, tutoring and arts and crafts, to other creative activities with community partners. To learn more about the Summer Food Service Program or to participate in one of USDA’s free webinar sessions on opportunities to provide summer meals, visit www.summerfood.usda.gov

If you do get involved, then register your summer feeding sites for the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-Hungry or 1-877-8-HAMBRE. Kevin Concannon is Under Secretary for USDA Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services.

Sequestration comes to our ‘hoods

If you’ve been paying attention to our dysfunctional Congress, you know that they operate in crises mode when the GOP knows it can push a bill through for one of its special interests buddies.

Last week the Congress wasted no time fixing one of the many budget cuts it is responsible for activating: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cuts in air traffic personnel resulting in 1,000 daily flight delays. That’s because over 47,000 FAA employees have been forced into taking furlough days and 149 airport towers were closed.

In a best case scenario for a squeaking wheel getting the oil, we saw the coming together of media, the airline companies and the Congress itself. But the passage of the bill to ease the FAA’s pain happened so fast last week, you probably did not see it.

According to an analysis of mainstream media by Huffington Post, the sequestrations impact on FAA was mentioned far more often than the impacts on areas like Head Start or Medicare. Commerce was being stymied and the One Percenters mobility was definitely curtailed. The airline companies filed a suit in federal

court. The rest is history.

Sequestration was the ultimate chicken game between the Republican and Democrats in Congress. When the Congressional Chuckleheads couldn’t come to agreement over debt reduction and tax increases, they all signed off on the Budget Control Act which aimed to cut domestic spending by $1 trillion over the next 10 years – $85 billion in this fiscal year alone. Since the cuts would be across the board and affecting projects of both parties, the illogical thinking was that the draconian and cavalier slashes would never happen. Wrong!

All governmental agencies face the cutbacks from defense to parks to health. The Congressional Budget Office estimates sequestration will cost around 750,000 jobs in total. Economic experts project a huge, negative impact on the economy. Once again, Congress proves that it knows nothing about job creation or economic development. We all have to suffer because of their ignorance and/or dysfunction.

And suffer we will.

the “rolling impact” as described by President Obama will ultimately be catastrophic for the 99 Percenters. Head Start will lose about 70,000 of the 1 million slots for children of poor and working class families. Cancer clinics are refusing Medicaid patients because there’s no money for pay for the expensive

treatment.

Vouchers for Section 8 housing and other housing subsidies are at a standstill. Senior citizens who depend on Meals on Wheels will have to look elsewhere for food but not at food pantries--they are also shutting down. Unemployment payments, emergency disaster assistance, scientific research grants, small business loans and more are all in peril. This is just the beginning of the Congress’ austerity plan for America. And because the cuts will be slow and not affect families in the same way, it is sure to because the new normal if we don’t fight back. I urge you to call or write your Congressperson and tell them you expect a humane and balanced approach to these cuts. Tell them you know they exempted their salaries from the knife but millions of Americans will be adversely affected by the sequestration as the various agencies implement their budget decisions. Outline how you think the money for drones at the borders could be better spent.

Let them know that you already anticipate there’s going to be an outcry for more money to the War on Terror coffers in the wake of the Boston bombing. Tell them that you are part of a wave of citizens engaging in democratizing government budgets so that the real needs of the majority of people are met and not a hand full of elites getting goodies at taxpayers’ expense.

Jamala Rogers

SCIENCE CORNER

How To Make Compost From Scratch!

Composting is the process of recycling common waste products to create mulch or fertilizer. This results in healthier soil and plant growth and reduces the amount of waste in landfills. You can save table scraps, coffee grounds, tea leaves, egg shells, and other items that might be thrown in the trash.

To start a compost pile, you will need a space that has access to sunlight. It is recommended to have an area of 3 foot by 3 foot. Your compost pile should be high in carbon and low in nitrogen. Items high in carbon are dry leaves, saw dust, paper, grass, etc. Items high in nitrogen include vegetable scraps, garden weeds, etc. It is important to avoid meat scraps, dairy products, and oily foods because they will attract rodents and cause your compost pile to stink.

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

When a seed begins to grow, this process is called germination. A fun, simple experiment to try includes observing how different types of seeds grow.

Materials Needed:

• Variety of Seeds • Fresh Potting

Soil • Containers to Plant Seeds In

• Water • Light

Process:

q Fill your containers halfway with potting soil.

w Add a seed to each container. Cover the seed with soil. Add water.

e Label the container to identify the type of seed.

MATH CONNECTION

When you think of gardening, do you think of math? Use your math skills to complete these activities.

A compost pile should feel damp, but not wet. You may need to cover your compost pile during rainy seasons and mist it during dry seasons. Oxygen helps to break down the compost materials, so you will need to stir the contents every 10 days to two weeks to allow the air to come in contact with your compost. In about 10 to 12 weeks, the compost will be ready to spread as a fertilizer on your soil.

To Learn More About Composting, Visit: http://www.benefits-of-recycling.com/compostingforkids/ http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/kindergarden/ kidscompost/cover.html

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for background information. I can discuss the benefits of composting.

Grow Plants From Seeds!

r Place containers on a window sill for sunlight. t Keep the soil moist (but not too wet) by watering daily.

y Record your observations as the seeds begin to germinate and seedlings begin to sprout. (This should take place in one to two weeks.)

Reflect: Which seeds were the first to show signs of germination? Do you think your seeds would grow more quickly with more or less sunlight? How do you think fertilizer would affect the growth of the seeds? Learning Standards: I can follow step by step instructions to complete an experiment. I can analyze the results.

Using Math In the Garden

amount of fertilizer needed per gallon of water. (Read the package carefully to find this information.)

Blair

Henry Blair was born in Montgomery County, Maryland, in 1807. Although very little is known about his personal life, he is assumed to have been free. Blair is the second African American to receive a patent. (The first was Thomas Jennings for the invention of the dry cleaning process.) Blair received two patents, one in 1834 for his seed planter and another in 1836 for a cotton planter. Blair signed his patent with an “X” because he could not read or write. In patent records, Blair is identified as a “colored man.”

These inventions made life better for farmers who depended on crops to support their families. A farmer himself, Blair understood the need to be efficient. Blair’s seed planter allowed farmers to plant more corn using less time and labor. Blair estimated the corn planter was equal to the labor of eight men. His cotton planter had two shovel-like blades which split the earth andt were pulled along by a horse.

In 1900, Henry Baker, an assistant patent examiner, dedicated his time to researching and publicizing the creations of early black inventors. He contacted patent attorneys, newspaper editors, company presidents, and prominent African Americans. Baker was able to publish four volumes of his research about early inventions of African Americans. Because of his efforts, inventors such as Henry Blair, are not forgotten.

Learning Standards: I can read a biography to learn about the history of a person who made contributions in the fields of science, technology, and mathematics.

Use the newspapers to complete these activities to sharpen your skills for the MAP test.

Pollution

42%ofAmericans liveincountieswith unhealthyairpollution

q Calculate germination rate. Plant lettuce seeds in a flat, keeping careful count of the number of seeds planted. As the seeds begin to sprout, count the number of seeds that sprout. The germination rate is the number of seedlings divided by the number planted, multiplied by 100.

w Estimation. Estimate the number of seeds in a vegetable, such as tomato. Count the number of actual seeds and calculate the difference between the estimation and the actual number.

e Seed sort. Sort seeds by size, shape, or color.

r How much do I need? Use a formula to calculate the

DID YOU KNOW?

t How many will fit? Estimate the number of pots that will fit in your windowsill. Calculate using different sized pots. Estimate the volume of soil needed to fill a window box.

y How does it measure up? Measure the height of several plants in standard and metric units. Calculate the mean, median, and mode for the heights measured.

u Create a planting schedule for your garden. First, determine the desired harvest date for each crop. Next, find the days-to-maturity for each, and count backwards from the harvest date to decide when each crop should be planted.

Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, or divide to solve a problem. Watermelons are actually vegetables, related to pumpkins, cucumbers and squash. The world record-holding watermelon was more than 260

Find articles in your newspaper that discuss water and/or air pollution. Discuss the causes and possible remedies. Write a science fiction story telling how life could be in another 100 years if the pollution problem isn’t solved. Using the same articles, have a panel discussion on the effects of pollution.

Composting

Based on what you have learned about composting, you will write to inform and persuade. First, write a newspaper article that describes how to create a compost pile and how it will help your garden. Next, write a letter to the editor that encourages families to create a compost pile. Finally, create an editorial cartoon to accompany your letter.

Learning Target: I can write for a specific purpose and audience. I can understand and describe the benefits of composting.

Some plants bloom at night to attract nighttime pollinators.

The tomato first grew as wild, cherry-sized berries in the South American Andes. The tomato as we know it today was developed in Mexico.

2ND AFRICAN AMERICAN TO RECEIvE A PATENT: Henry

Blair’s patent drawing for a seed planter.

Photo by Wiley Price

2013 Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon

The St. Louis American Foundation held its 13th annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon last Friday at the Frontenac Hilton. The event was presented by Centene and Home State Health Plan. Special awards went to: Lifetime Achiever - Art Perry, Stellar Performer –Angela Brown, Health Care Administrator of the Year – Dr. Johnetta M. Craig, and Health Care Advocacy Organization of the Year – Places for People, as well as eight Excellence in Health Care Award recipients.

Photos by Wiley Price – View more photos online at stlamerican.com

Excellence in Health Care awardees: Candace T. Wakefield, DMD, Jovita Oruwari, MD, FACS, Charisse Jackson, Kenya Haney, MSN, RN, Judy Wilson-Griffin, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, Marsha Fisher, MD and Catrina W. Chambers, Ph.D (not pictured: Marc A. McNeese, RN)

Health Care Administrator of the Year Dr.

Johnetta Craig with her parents John and Dorothy Craig

St. Louis American Medical Accuracy Editor Dr. Denise HooksAnderson

Joe Yancey of Places for People Mikki Brewster Lifetime Achiever Art Perry with some of the many guests that came to honor him

Dr. John Wright and Sylvia Wright

Ann Abad, awardee Kenya Haney, and Michelle Cooper

Velma Favors, Dr. Adolphus Favors and awardee Marsha Fisher

Emcee Ida Woolfolk and Centene’s Michael Neidorff present Art Perry with the Lifetime Achiever in Health Care award.

Songstress Anita Jackson Liz Keeton and Angela Archibald

Corless White and Patricia Chandler

Dr. Stephen Kelly, awardee Judy Wilson-Griffin, and Irene Moore

Stellar Performer Angela Brown Awardees Art Perry and Dr. Johnetta Craig share a laugh.

Meredith Nalick, awardee Dr.Catrina Chambers and Judy Jones

Awardee Charisse Jackson and Kwajelyn Jackson

BUSINESS

‘A practical, tenacious advocate’

Greensfelder partner Chris Pickett specializes in employment law

By Bridjes O’Neil

Of The St.Louis American

Last July Chris Pickett became a partner at Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., one of the highest-ranking law firms in St. Louis.

“That is something that doesn’t happen a lot to African Americans,” Pickett said.

As a trial lawyer, Pickett specializes in working with employers to solve employment disputes, including wrongful termination and discrimination claims. He represents financial institutions and national brokerage firms in breach of post-employment

“The most important thing is to stay prepared so that when the opportunity presents itself, you can take advantage of it.”

– Chris Pickett

contractual obligation disputes, including trade secret violations. He also represents brokerage firms with other commercial litigation, class action

defense in both state and federal courts, and arbitration.

“Chris has been an excellent addition to Greensfelder,” said Wendy Menghini, manager of the litigation practice group for Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. “He is a practical, tenacious advocate and his expertise in trade secret and restrictive covenant litigation is a nice complement to our existing practice.”

Pickett was recently accepted into the 2013-14 Leadership Council on Legal

See PICKETT, B2

Treasurerselects asset managers

American staff

St. Louis Treasurer

By Adolphus Pruitt

For The St.Louis American

Tishaura O. Jones has selected PFM Asset Management LLC as investment advisors and CCG Asset Management LLC as sub-advisors to manage short and intermediateterm fixed-income securities for the City of St. Louis.

James Haddon, PFM

In February, over 15 firms responded to a request for proposals (RFP) from the Treasurer’s Office. Jones said the 15 firms that submitted proposals were evaluated based on their experience, historical performance, investment philosophies and approach to enhancing client portfolios.

The RFPspecified that both a large manager and an emerging manager would be selected. Large managers were defined as firms with assets under management that total more than $3 billion. Emerging managers were defined as firms with assets under management that total less than $3 billion.

PFM – one of the nation’s leading

Brandon

investment advisory firms, with offices in St. Louis and 33 other cities across the country – and the smaller CCG were the only firms that submitted a joint proposal, according to Jones. “I found their advisor and sub-advisor construct to be exactly what I was looking for,” Jones said, because their team “precisely met our goals for a combined large and emerging manager program.” PFM manages more than $1.1 billion for the Missouri Securities Investment Program (MOSIP), its sponsoring associations and their members. As such, PFM works with many of Missouri’s public entities in cash management and investment of their operating and bond funds. The firm also runs educational seminars for cities, counties, school districts and related associations in Missouri to help employees and officials keep up to

PEOPLEON THE MOVE

David Noble has been appointed board member of St. Vincent Greenway Inc., a community development partner with the Great Rivers Greenway District that serves communities adjacent to St. Vincent Greenway in North St. Louis City and County. He serves as community development officer for Midwest BankCentre with 12 years of experience in mortgage origination and underwriting.

Dorothy R. Leavell was the keynote speaker at the 75th Anniversary celebration of the Omaha Star newspaper. She is publisher and editor of the Chicago and Gary Crusader newspapers. She also serves as chairman of the National Black Chamber of Commerce and worked as president of the National Newspaper Publisher Association (NNPA) and president of the NNPACharitable Foundation.

Rosemary Britts has been chosen as the Face of Jafra to represent the Malibu Mask for Jafra Cosmetics. She is the executive director of Sickle Cell Association, a nonprofit that she founded November 2011 to assist others living with sickle cell anemia like her oldest child. She was flown to the Jafra

BUSINESS BRIEFS

$135M in New Market Tax Credits go to area development entities

The U.S. Treasury Department and U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay announced last week that three St. Louis financial and development entities are among 85 recipients nation-wide who have been selected to receive New Market Tax Credit funding as part of a $3.5 billion national investment to grow jobs and revive struggling neighborhoods.

In the St. Louis region, US Bank Community Development Entity, LLC will receive $65 million to provide below market equity and debt products to real estate projects and operating businesses that create quantifiable, meaningful and catalytic outcomes for low income communities.

Enterprise Bank will receive $40 million for investments in operating businesses and targeted real estate investments in need of patient capital to businesses that demonstrate the ability to transform lowincome communities by providing quality jobs and goods and services to its residents. St. Louis Development Corporation will receive $30 million to provide flexible loans, and in some cases equity, to real estate and operating businesses.

DiversityInc ranks Ameren Top 7 Regional Utility forDiversity Ameren Corporation was selected by DiversityInc as a Top 7 Regional Utility for Diversity for 2013. Ameren was ranked fourth. The designation recognizes Ameren’s commitment to hiring diverse candidates, contracting with diverse suppliers, and leadership’s commitment to promoting a workplace of inclusion.The full list of 2013 honorees can be found at DiversityInc.com/top7regionalutilities.

Enterprise gives $2M to University of Missouri

The University of Missouri has received an unrestricted gift of $2 million from Enterprise Holdings and its philanthropic arm, the Enterprise Holdings Foundation. St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings owns and operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent ACar brands. With the gift, Chancellor Brady Deaton will create an endowment for sustainability that will seed transformational research, education, and applications that sustain health, culture, economic vitality, and quality of life in a volatile global environment.

Sinquefields give $250K to Symphony to underwrite conference

Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield have donated $250,000 to underwrite the St. Louis Symphony’s hosting of the League of American Orchestras 68th conference, Imagining 2023, to be held in St. Louis June 18-20.This the first time St. Louis has hosted the League of American Orchestras Conference since 1966, and it is expected to bring hundreds of orchestra administrators,

Photo by Wiley Price

Chris Pickett,who previously worked as a public defender in rural Missouri and St.Louis city,is a partner at Greensfelder,Hemker & Gale,P.C.specializing in employment law.

Adolphus Pruitt

Dorothy R. Leavell

Rosemary Britts

Should you ‘freeze’yourcredit reports?

By Jason Alderman

Although the odds of having your identity stolen remain quite low, anyone who’s ever been had their bank or credit card account compromised knows what a pain it can be to unravel the mess. Sometimes enterprising hackers just need your Social Security number, address and date of birth to start opening new accounts in your name.

Many victims don’t realize anything’s wrong until they apply for a new account and find their credit has been trashed; or, they start getting calls from collection agencies regarding unfamiliar accounts. More and more people have begun blocking access to information in their credit reports, even if there hasn’t yet been

PICKETT

Continued from B1

Diversity Fellows Program. He joins a fellows’class of 160 high-potential attorneys employed at large law firms and in-house legal departments nationally. Participation in this national council is one of several diversity and inclusion initiatives that have been implemented at the firm.

any fraudulent activity, by instituting a “security freeze.”

Acredit security freeze is where you instruct the three major credit bureaus to disallow new creditors from viewing your credit report and score. Because most businesses won’t lend without first checking your report, a freeze can deter identity thieves. Before going to the trouble and expense of doing a credit freeze, however, learn how the process works and be aware of several possible inconveniences: First, determine if you really need a credit freeze. If your credit or debit card is lost or stolen, you won’t necessarily be a victim of identity theft, which usually requires additional personal information. Similarly, fraudulent billing

“Chris has been a great addition to our firm and provides thoughtful legal counsel for our clients,” said Vincent Garozzo, president of Greensfelder. “We are very proud of Chris and pleased that he is representing Greensfelder in this one-of-a-kind program.”

Because of the firm’s commitment to recruit and retain a diverse workforce, Washington University’s Black Law Student Association honored Greensfelder with its Legal

PERSONAL FINANCE

charges don’t necessarily indicate identity theft. Verify by reviewing your credit reports. You can order one free report annually from the three major bureaus through the AnnualCreditReport.com; otherwise you’ll pay a small fee. To freeze your credit reports, you must individually contact each credit bureaus: Equifax (www.equifax.com), Experian (www.experian.com) and TransUnion (www.transunion.com). You’ll need to supply your name, address, birth date, Social Security number and other personal information.

Filing requirements and fees vary based on your state

Employer Diversity Award last February. Other awards and honors include recognition by U.S. News & World Report and St. Louis Small Business Monthly as one of the Best Law Firms (2013 and June 2012, respectively).

Pickett embarked on an unconventional path to his professional specialty in one of the state’s urban centers. After earning a Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University’s School of Law, he began his career working as a public defender for two years in rural Vernon County, Missouri, located south of Kansas City.

“They are on the other side of the world,” Pickett said of

MBE

Continued from B1

diversity agenda that lately is full of contradictions. Its contradictory agenda has a direct impact on efforts to diversify this region’s construction industry.

In a recent message to its members, the St. Louis AGC’s president stated, “Many conversations and activities we engage in every day at AGC are not things we can print in an annual report or post to our web site.”

One thing he may be referencing is the AGC’s March 14 letter supporting the Hispanic and Asian American chambers of commerce in challenging parts of MSD’s disparity study.

of residence (commonly $5 to $10). People over age 65 sometimes receive a discount and if you are an identity theft victim, credit freezes are free –although you’ll need to provide supporting paperwork.

Once implemented, you’ll receive a unique personal identification number (PIN) from each credit bureau. Store these PINs securely because you’ll need them to temporarily lift a credit freeze and then reinstate it – usually for a fee.

All these fees can really add up, so if you’re planning any action that requires a credit check, you may want to hold off implementing a freeze. It can take up to five business

Vernon County.

Apublic defender never chooses his client, nor does the client choose his or her lawyer, Pickett says. His first client happened to be a white supremacist.

“He was clearly unhappy when I walked into that jail cell,” Pickett said.

Pickett re-located to the St. Louis city Public Defenders Office in 2004. Being a public defender in the city versus rural Missouri was a different experience, he says, citing differences in the quantity of work, criminal conduct, judges, prosecutors, police and trials.

When asked whether there

The AGC president appears to be supporting one segment of the minority community, while its vice president was meeting with city officials asking them not to enforce the Mayor’s Executive Order setting forth inclusion goals for contracting and the workforce inclusion legislation (Board Bill 297) championed by the aldermanic black caucus.

“Give them a break,” we are told, has become the standard quote of the AGC vice president when meeting with city officials on behalf of AGC members who are coming up short on trying to comply with the Mayor’s Executive Order and BB 297.

In one particular instance, we are told, in an attempt to meet the minority business enterprise (MBE) goals estab-

days to process a request for a security freeze or temporarily lift, so plan major purchases or other credit actions carefully.

Afew additional facts about credit freezes:

ï Although freezes can help block the creation of new credit accounts, they can’t prevent an identity thief from making charges to existing accounts.

ï Your current creditors can still access your credit reports, as can collection agencies acting on their behalf.

ï Government agencies have access for collecting child support payments or taxes, to investigate Medicaid fraud, or in response to court or administrative orders, subpoenas or search warrants.

are misconceptions about public defenders, he said most people don’t think public defenders are real lawyers.

“We are real lawyers, we just happen to work for the state representing people who can’t afford to hire a private attorney,” he said.

Next he joined Goldberg Wehrle LLC, a small private law practice in Creve Coeur, as a staff attorney. When he later became a partner, the practice was renamed Goldberg Pickett, LLC.

“Your path does not have to be a straight line,” he said.

“You don’t know where you’re going to end up. The most important thing is to stay pre-

lished for the Cortex TIF, a prime subcontractor solicited a minority vendor to act as a pass-through in defiance of both the Mayor’s Executive Order and BB 297. In a meeting between the AGC vice president, the AGC prime contractor and subcontractor, and city officials, the minority vendor admitted to the scheme and the city’s disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) office subsequently rejected the contract.

The DBE office has rejected now for a third time the efforts of this minority vendor to game the system, yet the companies’conspiracy continues to go unpunished.

The DBE office has the latitude to reject such attempts to defraud the minority participation program – and the option

ï You can temporarily lift a credit freeze either for a specific period of time, or for a specific party – say, a potential landlord or employer.

ï If you lose your PIN, you may request a new one, although there may be a fee.

Bottom line: Always monitor your credit reports to spot errors or fraudulent activity. To take security a step further, consider placing a credit freeze on your reports.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To participate in a free, online Financial Literacy and Education Summit on April 17, 2013, go to www.practicalmoneyskills.com/summit2013.

pared so that when the opportunity presents itself, you can take advantage of it.” Pickett does not only seize opportunity for his own benefit. He also enjoys volunteering his time to help others. Pickett serves on the Board of Directors for Arch City Defenders, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing legal counsel to the poor facing state prosecution, as well as providing services aiming to remedy or mitigate any client’s mental illness, substance abuse, or other disabilities or disorders.

Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil.

to report DBE fraud to the Mayor’s Office or the city attorney. As I have previously reported, they have never referred any attempts to defraud the program to the Mayor’s Office nor to the city attorney, thus the contradictions continue. While some members of the AGC are playing tricks with the MBE program, the region continues to suffer from the lack of inclusion and MBE capacity in the construction industry. Diversification in the region is an imperative for our growth and success. In building a great city, any efforts to impede our collective pursuit of inclusion should be punished. Adolphus Pruitt is president of the St. Louis city chapter of the NAACP.

“I’m sooooooo happy this season is over. With the talent on this team, this could go down as one of the worst seasons in Lakers’history.”

– Magic Johnson

Smooth draft

Rams plug gap at wideout

Also fill need at Linebacker

By Palmer L.Alexander III

For The St.Louis American

For a number of years, when the NFLdraft would come along, the St. Louis Rams had a tendency to be unimaginative, unresponsive and unlucky. Poor drafts were one of the main components of the Rams’fall from yearly playoff contenders to picking in the top 10 of the draft. Now in their second year as the new regime, General Manager Les Snead and Head Coach Jeff Fisher have completed another three-day extravaganza inside the comforts of what is called The War Room. Leading up to the draft I was holding out hope that the Rams would still land the player they want at 16. And when that scenario didn’t materialize, the only thing I thought maybe the Rams would trade up to number 12 with the Miami Dolphins. So when the Dolphins switched places with the Oakland Raiders (who were drafting third), it looked like again the Rams will not get their man. There was only one other way it could happen. It was for the Rams to swap with the Buffalo Bills, who picked eighth. And when the trade was announced that the Buffalo Bills had traded that pick to the St. Louis Rams, I couldn’t hear what the Rams gave up. It didn’t matter at the moment, because I knew who they

See RAMS, B5

Drafted out of St. Louis

INSIDE SPORTS

With Earl Austin,Jr.

There was a lot of good St. Louis representation at last week’s National Football League Draft as several former area stars got a start on their professional careers. Former Gateway Tech standout Sheldon Richardson was the first area player to hear his name called as he was a first-round pick by the New York Jets. The 6’2” 294-pound defensive tackle was the No. 13 selection in the draft.

INTHE CLUTCH

With Ishmael H.Sistrunk

Richardson was present at Radio City Music Hall in New York along with the other top draft hopefuls to hear his name called in person. He got the opportunity to put on the Jets baseball cap, hold up the jersey and give NFLCommish Roger Goddell the big hug on the stage. Richardson made his mark as a big talker throughout his collegiate career at the University of Missouri, but he backed it up with some dominant play in the Tigers’first season in the

Earl Austin,Jr.

powerful Southeastern Conference. Richardson was selected as a All-SEC First Team defensive lineman, which helps to skyrocket his draft stock as well as his strength, quickness and endless motor.

Let’s see, a young man who plays stellar defense and who loves to speak his mind heading to the New York Jets to play for a defensive coach who loves to speak his mind in the biggest media center in the world. Could there be a better marriage in the first round than Sheldon

Injuries marplayoffs

Stars may need to start sitting some in December

Entering the 2013 NBA playoffs, the potential storylines were as endless as the simmering anticipation of sports fans. Can the Heat D-Bo its way through the playoffs once again on the broad shoulders of the LeBron James? Can Carmelo Anthony and the star-studded Knicks bring a long-awaited trophy to Madison Square Garden? Are Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook finally ready to ascend to the mountain top? Are the Nuggets and Pacers for real? Sadly, almost as soon as the playoffs began, the storyline changed and for many fans anticipation turned into disap-

pointment and disbelief.

One by one, bona fide NBA stars went down like the cast in a Final Destination film. The casualty list looks like an All-Star ballot. Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Danilo Gallinari, Danny Granger and Rajon Rondo have missed the playoffs completely with serious injuries. Westbrook was his usual disruptive, attacking, hard-toguard self before a knee injury simultaneously put the remainder of his season and the Thunder’s title hopes in serious jeopardy. The Warriors’David Lee played one playoff game before a bad hip shortened his trip and forced him to trade in his jersey for a suit and tie for the remainder of the postseason. While an Amare Stoudamire injury is certainly

The playoff carnage has been insane.

not breaking news, theathletic big man has yet to suit up for the Knicks this postseason. Other impact players that have been hampered or limited by injuries this postseason include Dwayne Wade, Joakim Noah, Jeremy Lin, Manu Ginobili, Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett, Kenneth Faried and others.

The carnage has been insane. Of course the fact that nearly every team has been affected should quiet down any talk of asterisks or championship disclaimers.

Lakers, Bulls and Nuggets fans will take turns arguing who was hit hardest. They each have strong arguments.

Bryant is the unquestioned leader for the Lakers and willed the dysfunctional team to a late playoff run, but they never had a realistic title shot anyway. When is the last time

a seventh seed won a NBA championship? Never.

The Bulls played the entire season without Rose, an MVPcaliber player. His presence would instantly elevate his team into a contender, but only when at strength both physically and mentally. His drawn-out public comeback flirtations certainly revealed that neither is presently the case.

Gallinari and Faried certainly command less star power than Bryant and Rose, but were just as important to the success of their team’s superstar-less squad.

Now the rash of late-season injuries have both analysts and league executives trying to figure out how to prevent injuries from marring the playoffs in the future.

Is the grind of an 82-game season too much? Is play getting too physical? Do training

Former Gateway Tech

standout Sheldon Richardson was the first area player to hear his name called as he was a first-round pick by the New York Jets.

Richardson and the New York Jets? They are going to love Sheldon Richardson in New York. Former Wentzville Timberland standout Montee Ball running back was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round. Ball finished his career at the University of Wisconsin with several school and NCAArushing records, including touchdowns. Ball was the first running back selected in the draft as the Broncos chose him over former Alabama star Eddie Lacy.

Cahokia High product Terron

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Palmer L. Alexander

The NBA playoff casualty list looks like an All-Star ballot:Kobe Bryant,Derrick Rose,Danilo Gallinari,Danny Granger,Rajon Rondo,Dwayne Wade,Joakim Noah, Jeremy Lin,Manu Ginobili,Steve Nash,Kevin Garnett and Kenneth Faried.

Coming out – and going out of bounds

Not long ago I predicted that a gay pro athlete would come out and said that it should not be a big deal. I forgot that some in the sport media are fixated on this issue and would not let it go. As a matter of fact, you get the feeling that they may be asking themselves what team they really play for.

Enter Jason Collins, a 12year NBAveteran who attended Stanford University and has everything to live for. Collins decided to give the sports world what they wanted, an openly gay athlete. Good for him.

As I mentioned before, a person coming out today should not be considered odd, immoral or anything else that would be an eyebrow-raiser. And yet the reaction has been over the top.

While I am in no way in agreement with Broussard, who has elected to play the “God” card here, I only hope he understands that he gets the same respect and understanding for his opinion as Jason Collins does. Broussard must have a hard time covering a sport that violates many of his so-called “Christian” beliefs, as more than one hoopersome of whom he has covered and maybe even worked with – has had an extramarital tryst. I wonder if he shares those opinions with those individuals too, or is this “let’s go after the gay guy because this is what God wants”?

I am not talking about all the support Collins received in countless messages from all walks of life including some of his NBAbrethren and even the White House. In most cases, it was either “good for you” or “who really cares as it’s none of our business?” I am in support of both. Hey, if that is your thing, then have at it. And is it really anyone else’s business who anyone sleeps with as long it is not your significant other?

The Collins announcement does raise an issue that takes this full circle.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard is not down with Collins coming out as gay and does not think it is a good fit in the NBA. “I am a Christian. I don’t agree with homosexuality,” Broussard said. “I think it is a sin, as I think (sex) outside of marriage between a man and a woman is. If you are openly living an unrepentant sin, that’s walking in open rebellion to God and Jesus Christ.”

While I am in no way in agreement with Broussard, who has elected to play the “God”card here, I only hope he understands that he gets the same respect and understanding for his opinion as Jason Collins does.

When someone uses their religious beliefs to put down someone else’s way of life when it harms no one, you have to wonder. There are some who will agree with Broussard, and as such deny a gay person the same rights as a human being that they enjoy themselves. It is the right of Chris Broussard and Jason Collins to express themselves in a manner that they are comfortable with. Both opinions should be respected. For one to frown upon the other does no one any good here. They both have lives to live. For Broussard to have a problem with who Collins loves and sleeps with is unfortunate, because he may be missing out on what the world is all about. With that said, I respect his right to say it. I only wish he understood that this is 2013 and gay people can have a seat in heaven too. It would be fitting that one be seated next to Broussard. Chris Broussard is an excellent reporter, by the way. Few cover the NBAbetter. I have come to truly respect his work when he limits his comments to the game.

week

The next question: is what will become of Jason Collins? While he is an unrestricted free agent and is on the other side

CLUTCH

Continued from C5

habits need to change? Should coaches be allowed to rest their players throughout the season without fear of fines and repercussions from the league?

I must say, as someone who grew up watching basketball in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, the physicality of the sport today pales in comparison to those times. The Knicks, Pistons and

of what has been an unremarkable career, one would hope he can continue his career because he can still contribute,

Celtics of old often mauled opponents with reckless abandon. Fouls that would warrant a flagrant-2 in today’s game were simply considered good, hard fouls back in the day. So I dismiss that aspect as nonsense.

and not because he is the “gay guy” and it’s a nice story. It is also my hope that, while there has been a lot of vocal support

it happen anytime soon. That means the solution lies somewhere in altered training and player resting protocols.

Less games means less revenue, so while a shortened season is actually not a bad idea, I wouldn’t bet a bucket of nickels that we’ll see it happen soon.

Also, less games means less revenue, so while a shortened season is actually not a bad idea, I wouldn’t bet a bucket of nickels that we’ll see

from the NBAand its players, some team will be able to find a spot for him to continue his career should he choose to.

Top MLB players get a night or two off every few weeks to help with the brutal 162-game season. NFL teams routinely rest star players during preseason, blowouts and once playoff berths are secured. Even hockey clubs routinely rotate their goalies in effort to keep them fresh and injury-free.

So while Greg Popovich and the Spurs were penalized for sending star players home to rest mid-season and the Heat were soundly criticized for sitting James and others down the stretch, those may be ideas the league needs to open up to. After all, I’d rather see my favorite players in a suit and tie on a random, meaningless Wednesday night game in December if it will increase the chances of them being suited up on the court in April, May and June.

Follow Ishmael H. Sistrunk and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk and on Google+.

Mike Claiborne

This

12-year NBA veteran Jason Collins came out as gay,and ESPN sportscaster Chris Broussard expressed his disapproval.

By Earl Austin Jr.

Of The St.Louis American

The St. Louis Surge made many waves last season when they advanced to the national finals of the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League (WBCBL) in Miami.

Not only did the Surge enjoy an excellent 2012 season on the court, but they also set league attendance records on a regular basis. At the end of the last season, more than 2,000 fans were showing up at the University of Missouri-St. Louis to see semi-pro women’s basketball, thanks to the Surge’s exciting style of play. Even with the success of last year’s edition, team owner Khalia Collier is looking to take the Surge to an even higher level in 2013 with a revamped roster, new coach and even bigger expectations.

Surge back

“The St. Louis Surge organization is excited for another season of women’s basketball,” Collier said. “With such great athletes and standout players from overseas and from Division I colleges and universities, I know that we have a team that will take us all the way to the national championship for a second year.”

As a bonus, the Surge will host hosting the WBCBL National Championships at UMSLin August.

The top returning player on the Surge is 6’1” forward Jaleesa Butler, a former prep standout at Vashon and Alton who played collegiately at Georgetown. She is one of the most versatile post players in the league.

Also back are guard Bianca Beck (Incarnate Word/SEMO) and forward Gabriella Green

(Hazelwood East/Lindenwood).

Another local player in the mix is guard Shanika Butler, a former Gateway Tech standout who played at Arkansas-Little Rock on a NCAATournament team.

The rest of the roster is made up of former college standouts from around the country: Morgan Clark (Robert Morris), Nicole Dames (West Alabama), Daria Frazier (Wichita State), Tanisha Gilbert (Minnesota), Jenna Higgins (Northern State), Gillian Letsche (Iowa State), KeShell Paul (Oklahoma), Kassidy Shuman (Northern State), Ali Schwagmeyer (Quincy) and Aneshia Starks (Culver Stockton).

Melissa Young takes over as the head coach of the Surge. She will be assisted by Tony Condra and former University

City and SIU Hall of Famer Petra Jackson.

The Surge will open the season on Saturday night against the Atlanta Tar Heels at the Mark Twain Building on UMSL’s campus. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The doors will open at 6 p.m.

At halftime, there will be a special ceremony honoring some of the former greats in local women’s sports.

Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee, former twosport star Kristin Folkl and former Notre Dame and WNBAstandout Niele Ivey will receive the St. Louis Surge Power House Legends Award.

Admission for Saturday’s game is $8 for adults, $5 for students with an ID. Children under five get in for free.

Austin and Alex

RAMS

were going to draft – or who’d they better have drafted after moving up into the top 10. It was none other than Tavon Austin. It had to be Austin. The Rams have been in need of a talent of his caliber since Az-Zahir-Hakim. He fills multiple roles. Austin is like a Swiss army knife with all the things he can do for your football team. What a move by Snead and Fisher. They weren’t done, though.

Les Snead knows there will be some growing pains.But at least these players can grow together.

Snead orchestrated a trade with the Atlanta Falcons to get back into the first round and select linebacker Alex Ogletree. Ogletree was another risky move since his stock had fallen because of off-the-field issues. Prior to those issues, he was looking at becoming a top 10 pick. He’s an ideal fit for Fisher who likes having a big, fast linebacker who can cover a tight end and participate in a blitzing scheme.

Former Wentzville Timberland standout Montee Ball running back was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round.

The Rams went on to add wideout Stedman Bailey (Tavon Austin’s teammate at West Virginia), safety T.J. McDonald (USC), guard-center Barrett Jones (Alabama), cornerback Brandon McGee (Miami), and running back Zac Stacy (Vanderbilt).

This team has gotten younger. The Rams have added more youth and speed. Snead knows there will be some growing pains. But at least these players can grow together.

My draft grade for them is an A. Getting two top talents like they did in the first round was what did it. However, I do remember the strong second and third day of the draft the

dash, which was one of the fastest times ever run by an offensive lineman at the Combine. He also did well in all of the other workouts, which enabled his draft stock to soar.

Former East St. Louis standout Terry Hawthorne was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round. Hawthorne was one of the top cornerbacks in the Big Ten Conference during his career at Illinois. He was a big play performer who had six interceptions in his career and two returns for touchdowns. Hawthorne also played some offense and returned kicks during his career in Champaign.

The fifth area player selected was defensive David Bass, a graduate of University City, who was taken by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round.

The 6’4” 262-pound Bass enjoyed a stellar career at Missouri Western University, where he finished his career with a school-record 40.5 sacks. Bass also started a

school-record 50 games at Missouri Western. Bass enjoyed an excellent performance at the East-West Shrine Game which caught the attention of many NFLpersonnel people.

Former Fort Zumwalt West

and Mizzou standout T.J. Moe signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent. Moe was an excellent possession receiver for the Tigers during his career.

Former Washington High standout Denodus O’Bryant signed with the Indianapolis Colts. O’Bryant enjoyed a record-setting career at Lindenwood University as a running back.

Former SLUH standout Ronnie Wingo signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent. Wingo played running back at the University of Arkansas.

feat already.

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher (left) and General Manager Les Snead (right) introduce first-round draft picks Tavon

Ogletree to St.Louis.

Rams had last year, and Snead may have exceeded last year’s

The top returning player on the St.Louis Surge is 6’1” forward Jaleesa Butler,a former prep standout at Vashon and Alton who played collegiately at Georgetown.The Surge open their season on Saturday night against the Atlanta Tar Heels at the Mark Twain Building on UMSL’s campus.

Crackdown on payday lending

Researchers, regulators, legislators target ‘misuse of deposit advance products’

By Charlene Crowell Center for Responsible Lending

The small-dollar loans that generate long-lasting debt for consumers and cost them billions of dollars each year are drawing the active attention of legislators and regulators alike.

On April 24, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a white paper on payday loans made by storefronts and by banks. Despite years of bank efforts to eschew the payday lender label, CFPB dismissed such claims.

At the same time, three Members of Congress –Congressional Black Caucus Members U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings and U.S. Rep. John Conyers were joined by U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici in urging federal regulators to take actions on bank payday loans.

“We urge you to take meaningful joint regulatory action to ensure that no bank, regardless of its prudential regulator, traps borrowers in highcost payday loans,” they said.

The following day, two regulators, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced new regulatory actions to address potential consumer risks associated with the products as well as the safety and soundness of operations.The two regulators’ actions are very similar, focusing on a borrower’s ability to repay while meeting ongoing expenses, safe and sound underwriting, and limiting the numbers of loans.

According to Thomas J. Curry, OCC Comptroller, “We have significant concerns

regarding the misuse of deposit advance products.”

OCC supervises all national banks and federal savings associations with combined assets of $10.1 trillion, representing 71 percent of total U.S. commercial banking assets, according to its most recent annual report.

Similarly, FDIC Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg said, “The

Risky loan structure, loose lending standards, sustained usage and accompanying high costs were cited as characteristics of both products.

According to the report, 75 percent of storefront payday lending revenue is derived from borrowers taking out 10 or more loans a year. For 68 percent of these borrowers, their annual income is $30,000 or less.

proposed supervisory guidance released today reflects the serious risks that certain deposit advance products may pose to financial institutions and their customers.”

FDIC insures deposits at another 7,083 banks and savings associations. According to CFPB’s findings, these actions could benefit about 12 million households that borrow payday loans each year and a potential reduction in the $7 billion in annual fees that are generated by more than 18,200 payday storefronts across the country.

CFPB’s report examined 15 million payday loans made during a 12-month period, covering over 90 percent of the market What was sold as a short-term bridge became an expensive, long-term loan.

MANAGERS

Continued from B1 date on changes in the financial landscape.

Jones said she “was very impressed with their local experience” in working with MOSIP.

“We are extremely pleased to have this opportunity to work with the very profession-

al staff at the office of the Treasurer of St. Louis,” said James Haddon, PFM managing director and engagement leader for St. Louis.

“We believe we bring the right mix of investment expertise, local knowledge and sensitivity, and commitment to working with a minorityowned emerging manager.”

CCG, a minority-owned investment advisory, is part of Comer Capital Group, an inde-

Findings on storefront payday loans showed that:

ï Nearly one-in-four borrowers received government assistance or benefits such as Social Security, disability, unemployment or welfare benefits;

ï The average borrower took 11 loans in the 12-month period, paying $574 in fees for $392 in credit; and

ï Despite lender attempts to reject the use of an annual percentage rate (APR), a twoweek loan with a $15 fee per $100 borrowed is actually a 391 percent APR.

On banks’deposit advance loans, CFPB also found that:

ï Borrowers usually had much lower average balances than other bank customers, suggesting a smaller financial cushion to cover unexpected shortfalls;

ï Nearly two-thirds of consumers also incurred additional fees such as overdraft or nonsufficient funds;

ï The annual percentage rate (APR) of interest was 304 percent; and

ï Most borrowers remained in debt for 149 days or more.

pendent financial services institution that provides a broad range of customized financial services to corporations and governmental entities across the U.S. Brandon Comer, CEO of CCG Asset Management, said

Financial Focus

By Jennifer Grant

Women must plan (extra) carefully for retirement

If you're a woman, you have to be actively involved in your financial preparations for retirement - and that's true whether you're single or married. As a woman, you have at least two special considerations associated with your retirement planning:

ï You've got a longer life expectancy. Women typically outlive men by about seven years, according to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics - and more years of life mean more expenses.

ï You may have less money in yourretirement plan. Women drop out of the work force for an average of 12 years to care for young children or aging parents, according to the Older Women's League, a research and advocacy group. This time away from the workforce results in women accumulating much less money in their employersponsored retirement plans, such as 401(k)s. The prospect of a long, underfunded retirement is not a pleasant one. Fortunately, there's much you can do to avoid this fate. For

starters, know what's going on in your financial situation. If you are married, share the responsibility of making investment decisions. What are your retirement goals? Are the two of you investing enough to eventually achieve these goals? And where is the money going? You must know the answers to these questions. You'll also need to know what you could expect to receive if your husband dies before you. As a surviving spouse, you will likely inherit all your husband's assets, unless he has specifically named other people - such as grown children from an earlier marriage - as beneficiaries. Nonetheless, you can't just assume that all sources of income that your husband receives will automatically roll over to you. For example, if your husband were to die before you, you wouldn't get his Social Security payments in addition to your own, although you could choose to collect his payments instead of yours. But if you both earned close to the same income, you might not get much of an increase in Social Security benefits. In any case, whether you're married or single, here are some moves that can benefit you:

ï "Max out" on your 401(k). If you can afford it, invest the maximum amount into your 401(k) and increase your contributions every time

your salary goes up. Your 401(k) provides you with tax-deferred earnings and a variety of investment options.

ï Contribute to an IRA. Even if you have a 401(k) or other employersponsored retirement plan, you might be eligible to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA. A traditional IRAoffers the

“I found their advisor and subadvisor construct to be exactly what I was looking for.”

– Treasurer Tishaura O.Jones

he was “very proud to be part of the City’s prudent and innovative threeway partnership” between his firm, PFM and the Treasurer’s Office. CCG’s investment advisory services are lead by the firm’s Chief Investment Officer Steven Johnson, CFA. Johnson has

managed institutional assets for accounts similar to the City of St. Louis for the past 17 years. For the past five years at Braeburn Capital, the wholly owned investment subsidiary of Apple Inc., he served as chief investment officer overseeing Apple’s $113 billion cash and investments portfolio.

PFM, part of the PFM Group of companies, has specialized in providing fixed income portfolio management for separate accounts, emphasizing a conservative, low-risk and disciplined approach to research and portfolio construction for over 30 years. Both PFM and CCG are registered with Securities Exchange Commission. Jones said, “We are confident that these investment managers will meet the standard of excellence that the people of the State of Missouri expect and deserve.”

‘Love and Laughter’ from locals

St. Louis stars among talent for Mother’s Day concert

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“You spend your money and I’ll give you the funny,” said St. Louis’ own LaVell Crawford. “I’ll go up there with Keith Sweat and do an R&B jam duet if I have to.”

Happy Birthday, Maya

Locals attend Oprah’s bash as a legend turns 85

American staff

It was a multi-genre music concert, spoken word fest, sartorial runway and visual arts exhibit all rolled into one phenom-fest when Oprah Winfrey hosted an 85th birthday celebration for Maya Angelou, the planet’s most popular poet. Held April 6 in the Millennium Center of Winston-Salem, N.C., “Journey of Maya” attracted an all-star line-up of performers and several hundred invited guests including East St. Louis poet laureate Eugene B. Redmond and St. Louisan Alice Windom, former roommate of Angelou’s (in Ghana, West Africa, ca. early 1960s).

Among other guests and performers: former UN Ambassador Andrew Young, regal Oprah’s “BSF” and TV anchor Gayle King, CNN and NPR commentator Michael Eric Dyson (and wife Marcia), hiphop artist-actor Common, gospel powerhouse Bebe Winans (and brother Marvin) and gospel icon

He was already bringing the funny as he talked about the Ultimate Mother’s Day Concert that features him and fellow natives Gary “G Thang” Johnson and Angela Winbush, alongside Johnny Gill, Don “DC” Curry and Keith Sweat next Sunday at the Scottrade Center.

“Bring your mama, your stepmama, your foster mama, your baby mama or somebody else’s mama because if she misses it, you’re gonna have hell to pay,” Crawford said.

“If you let your mama miss a show

See LOVE, C4

Donnie McClurkin. Not to mention: singer-actress Stephanie Mills, South African songbird Tsidii Le Loka (“The Lion King”), singer-songwriter Valerie Simpson, South African filmmaker Euzhan Palcy, gospel pioneer Shirley Caesar, former San Francisco poet laureate Janice Mirikitani (and husband Rev. Cecil Williams) and Katherine Dunham biographer and former Dunham Dance Company member Ruth Beckford Smith. While Redmond, whose friendship with Angelou goes back more than four decades, captured it all with his cameras, scores of his previously snared images of Angelou were projected onto seven giant screens erected for the event.

Incorporating blackness

Adding color to the narrative of mainstream museums

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“Today’s training is about context,” said Renee Franklin, director of community partnerships for the Saint Louis Art Museum, “and putting African-American art and artists in the historical context of American museums.” On Friday morning, an audience of museum docents – nearly all white –

attentively listened to a presentation about incorporating the black experience, whenever relevant, as they guide tours through the museum.

“With mainstream museums in America, our mission is to collect, present and preserve cultural history from around the world,” Franklin said. “So our very mission as you walk through the gallery is about inclusion. I think we would all agree there are voices that are excluded from that discourse or that conversation.”

In fact, Bridget R. Cooks wrote the book on that. She is an art history scholar, professor of art history and African American studies at the University of CaliforniaSee BLACKNESS, C4 Black

East St. Louis poet laureate Eugene B. Redmond (center) and other well wishers gather around Maya Angelou: Kikuko Imamura (front), talk show hostactress Rolanda Watts and Eleanor Linton.

Photos courtesy of Eugene B. Redmond

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“Though I try to resist, being last on your list … but no other man’s gonna do …”

When she sang her heart out on that line in “Saving All My Love For You,” the late, great Whitney Houston was referring to her love for a man who belonged to another woman. The line could also apply to a situation that’s equally frustrating, even if it isn’t morally wrong.

“I mean, if he were a ‘playa, playa,’ I feel like I could at least compete – and possibly win,” a friend said as she discussed the descent of her new relationship.

“But what am I supposed to do with this man who doesn’t make time for me because he’s always on the grind? He does just enough to keep me hanging on, and his valid excuses make me torn about letting him go.”

Some months ago she spoke of the love at first sight experience when their paths crossed at a professional conference. He lives out of town, but regularly visits the city for work.

What started out as him coming to town and whisking her away for romantic “staycations” has morphed into him stopping by and getting his physical needs met then leaving her completely hanging emotionally.

“Girl, ‘Let me call you right back’ has become the extent of our phone conversations,” she

See SINGLE, C4

R.

professor of art history and AfricanAmerican studies at the University of CaliforniaIrvine, discussed her book “Exhibiting Blackness: African Americans and the American Art Museum” Saturday at the Regional Arts Commission.

Bridget

Cooks,

Photo by Wiley Price

The Love and Laughter Ultimate Mother’s Day Concert starring Lavell Crawford (above) , Don “DC” Curry, Johnny Gill, Gary “G Thang” Johnson, Keith Sweat and Angela Winbush will take place at the Scottrade Center on Sunday, May 12.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

TV Network news anchor and Oprah’s best friend Gayle King (left) captures Angelou (right) and Oprah exulting during a performance by Shirley Caesar. Seated is singer Valerie Simpson.

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 3 – 4, 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m., Jazz St. Louis presents JazzU. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call314289-4030 or visit www.jazzstl.org

May 3 – 4, 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m., Jazz St. Louis presents An Evening with Molly Ringwald. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call314289-4030 or visit www.jazzstl.org

May 8 – 11, 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m., Jazz St. Louis presents Lionel Loueke. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call314-289-4030 or visit www.jazzstl.org

Fri., May 10, 8 p.m., Archfront Media & Flightteam Entertainment present DMX. Coliseum Music Lounge, 2619 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 531-2920 or visit www.metrotix.com.

Sun., May 12, 5:30 p.m., (3 p.m. dinner), The Sheldon Concert Hall presents Denise Thimes’17th Annual Mother’s Day concert and dinner. The dinner buffet will be served in the Spiering Room from 3pm to 5pm 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 533-9900 or visit www.metrotix.com.

Fri., May 17, 7 p.m., The AmbassadorEvent Center presents Lecrae with guests Derek Minor, Thi’sl, and Json. 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www.lecraeconcertstl.eventbee.com.

May 12, 6:30 p.m., Life, Love and LaughterTourstarring Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, LaVell Crawford, Don “DC” Curry and Angela Winbush Scottrade Center. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-7453000.

local gigs

Sat., May 4, 9 p.m., Blueberry Hill presents Brian G. Soul & Friends: Tribute to Marvin Gaye. 6504 Delmar Blvd., 63101. For more information, call (314) 727-4444.

Sun., May 12, 7 p.m., Just Kickin’It: ATribute to R&B Girl Groups of the 90’s. Local St. Louis singers will perform songs by groups like TLC, Blaque, 702, Destiny’s Child and EnVouge. Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, 63108. For more information, call (314) 534-3810.

Thur., May 16, 7:30 p.m., TreG Music presents Tre’von “TreG” Griffith. Tre’von is currently a student at Berklee College of Music, and has been singing since the age of four. Audiences can also anticipate the introduction of TreG’s latest artist, Lauron Linnae’. The Sheldon Concert

CALENDAR

Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 533-9900 or visit www.metrotix.com.

special events

Sat., May 4, 8 p.m., Boogie Nights – Dance Party forthe Decades. 70’s attire encouraged. Cash prize for best outfit. The Legacy Books, Bar & Café, 5249 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 262-2935 or (314) 270-2812.

Thur., May 2, 5 p.m., TriLeaf Designs presents Girls Night in Networking Event. Come and enjoy some pampering, great food, wine (or sparkling grape juice) and the company of amazing business women! To get even more exposure please bring a bottle of your favorite wine, or sparkling grape juice, with you to share. 10290 Schuetz Rd., 63146. For more information, call (314) 753-5323.

Sat., May 4, 7 a.m., 1st

Annual Clyde C. MillerGolf Tournament. This is an 18hole scramble charity golf tournament for the Career

Academy athletic department. There will be raffles, prizes, and challenges throughout the day. All proceeds will go to benefit our athletic department. Norman Probstein Golf Course, Forest Park, 6141 Lagoon Dr., 63112. For more information, call (314) 3710394 or (314) 973-3720.

Sun., May 5, 6 p.m., 84th Annual Washington University Design Show. But for Washington University fashion majors, the puzzle pieces all come together in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts fashion show. The 560 Music Center Ballroom, 560 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, call (314) 935-6543.

Sun., May 5, 7 p.m., Loosecannon Celebrity Basketball Game featuring Mindless Behavior, Pooch Hall, Stevie J. and more. Chaifetz Arena, 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 977-5000.

Fri., May 10, 5 p.m., Annie Malone Community Night. Eat at McDonalds and a portion of the proceeds will go directly to Annie Malone. 1119 N. Tucker Blvd., 63106. For more information, call (314) 531-0120.

527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 534-1111 or visit www.metrotix.com.

May 17 – 19, 30+ Promotions presents Memphis in May Round trip party bus from St. Louis to Memphis. $100 deposits due April 19th. For more information, call (314) 229-5267 or (314) 779-7655.

Thur., May 2, 7 p.m. Left Bank Books Downtown hosts author Ed Achorn, author of The Summer of Beer and Whiskey. This book tells the story of Chris Von der Arhe (whose purchase of the St. Louis Browns had more to do with beer sales than baseball) and the first season of the American Association. 321 N. Tenth St., 63101. For more information, call (314) 4363049.

Fri., May 10, 7 p.m., ATM Muzik presents Let the Lou Stand Up. Entertainment for the evening will include HipHop, R&B, Live Band and Comedy. Plush, 3224 Locust Blvd., 63103.

Fri., May 10, 5 p.m., Annie Malone Community Night. Eat at McDonalds and a portion of the proceeds will go directly to Annie Malone. 1119 N. Tucker Blvd., 63106. For more information, call (314) 531-0120.

Sat., May 11, 6 p.m., Brides Against Breast Cancer presents Charity Wedding Gown Sale. We are bringing 7001000 couture and designer gowns with us at a discounted price. Brides-to-be will find their dream gown at a greatly reduced cost and help those impacted by cancer. Accessories also available for purchase. Layaway available. Sheraton City Center, 400 S. 14th St., 63103. For more information, call (877) 7214673.

Sat., May 11, 6 p.m., 3rd Annual Celebrating Success Sewing Seeds Fashion Show. Join “Project Runway” stars Laura Kathleen Planck and Michael Drummond, and students at Lift for Life Academy. During the show, students will walk the catwalk in their own runway-ready creations. The event benefits students at Lift for Life Academy, St. Louis’s first independent charter school. Windows on Washington, 1601 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 488-0912 or visit http://liftforlifeacademy.org.

Sat., May 11, 8 p.m., Fox Theatre presents Jillian Michaels Maximize YourLife Tour. Imagine. Believe. Achieve. No hype, no false promises: just results live on stage for the very first time.

May 3 – 5, 7th Annual St. Louis Fine Print, Rare Books & PaperArts Fair. Featuring 25 local and national print and rare book dealers offering first editions and illustrated books, fine art prints, drawings, photographs and ephemera. J.C. Penney Building, UMSL, One University Blvd., 63121.

Tue., May 7, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books Downtown hosts author Bob Spitz, author of Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child. Also, enjoy hors d’oeuvres related to the book courtesy of L’Ecole Culinaire at this event. 321 N. Tenth St., 63101. For more information, call (314) 436-3049.

Fri., May 10, 1 p.m., Dierbergs Des Peres presents author Cheryl Forberg of the Biggest Loser. Cheryl will be meeting customers and signing copies of her latest cookbook, Flavor First. 1080 Lindemann Rd., 63131. For more information, call (314) 238-0400. Tue., May 14, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books CWE hosts author Rebecca Kanner, author of Sinners and the Sea Anovel about the story of Noah that blends biblical history, mythology, and the inimitable strength of women. 399 Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 3676731.

comedy

Fri., May 3, 9 p.m., The Pageant presents Tracy Morgan: Excuse My French 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 726-6161.

Sat., May 11, 6 p.m., Rock of Ages Baptist Church presents Pre-Mothers Day Dinner& Comedy Show. 2426 N. Union Blvd., 63113. For more information, call (314) 243-7988.

Sat., May 11, 8 p.m., Queen of Comedy Sommore, alongside veteran comedians Bruce Bruce, D.L. Hughley, Tony Rock and Arnez J. star in “The Royal Comedy Tour,” Chaifetz Arena. For more information, visit

Loosecannon Celebrity Basketball Game featuring Mindless Behavior,Pooch Hall,Stevie J.and more.See SPECIAL EVENTS for details.

www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

Thursdays, 9 p.m., 2 Funny Thursday Comedy & Open Mic,P3 Platinum Plus Playhouse, 5411 Virginia, Free all night. Hosted by Comedian Spinks. For more information, call (314)-440-9262.

theatre

Through May 5, Fox Theatre presents Million Dollar Quartet. Inspired by the electrifying true story of the famed recording session that brought together rock ‘n’roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first and only time. On December 4, 1956, these four young musicians were gathered together by Sam Phillips, the “Father of Rock ‘n’Roll” at Sun Records in Memphis for what would be one of the greatest jam sessions of all time. Fabulous Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 534-1111 or visit www.metrotix.com

Apr. 25 – May 3, Grandel Theatre presents Smash/Hit! Two best friends try to just get by in their poverty-stricken community and also make it in the tumultuous world of hiphop. 3610 Grandel Square, 63108. For more information, call (314) 534-3810.

May 3 – 4, DaySpring presents Seussical. Afun, fast paced show full of upbeat songs that will have you singing all the way home. Performed by DaySpring’s musical theatre students. Also join us for The Cat in the Hat Spree, Saturday before the show... crafts, snacks, characters and everything else Seuss. Tickets sold separately, call for more info. Pattonville High School Community Auditorium, 2497 Creve Coeur Mill Rd., 63043. For more information, call (314) 2918878.

dance

May 10 – 11, 7:30 p.m., Dances of India presents Dance Festival Showcase. A feast of the best dance St. Louis has to offer, from established companies to rising stars. Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 935-6543 or visit www.metrotix.com.

May 10 – 11, 8 p.m., Saint Louis Ballet’s Contemporary Series. This exciting mixed-

bill lineup features 2 world premieres by 2 former NYC Ballet principals. Renowned artist Christopher d’Amboise & Artistic Director Gen Horiuchi will highlight the dancers’artistry and technique in their upcoming new works for this series. It will also feature a comedic duet to Rossini’s William Tell Overture by Dance St. Louis Director Michael Uthoff as well as a revival of Horiuchi’s audience favorite, More Morra. Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL, 8001 Natural Bridge Rd., 63121. For more information, call (314) 516-4949.

Sat., May 18, 8 p.m., Afriky Lolo’s 10th Annual Dance Celebration. Guest Performers: Saint Louis Osuwa Taiko Drummers. Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., 63105. For more information, call (314) 276-1913.

arts

Fri., May 10, 6:30 p.m., opening reception for Gundia Lock - Clay exhibit LOCKED and LOADED (running through June 8), 10th Street Gallery, 419 N. 10th Street, St. Louis, MO 63101. For more information, call 314.436.1806 or visit http://www.10thstreetgallery.co m/

Thur., May 16, 6 p.m., The PulitzerFoundation forthe Arts and KDHX present Sound Waves - An Evening of Opera and Jazz. An evening of live opera and jazz in an eclectic bridging of the musical genres. Preview songs from Opera Theatre’s summer season, including Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo and contemporary composition, Champion by Terence Blanchard. 3716 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 754-1589 or visit www.pulitzerarts.org.

lectures

Sat., May 4, 10 a.m., First Time Home Buyers Seminar Learn the ins and outs of what it takes to find a home, get into a home, and financing options. If you have been thinking about purchasing a home before the market fully rebounds, this is the perfect seminar for you. The Richmond Heights Center, 8001 Dale Ave., 63117.

Tue., May 7, 6 p.m., St. Louis Community College Career Exploration Sessions

Designed to help you identify your interests, discover your

passion and point you toward the career that’s right for you. In this session participants will discover how interests can lead to good career decisions, hear about resources to pay for school, find out how to get started at STLCC, and more. Forest Park, 5600 Oakland Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314) 539-5002.

May 11, 3 p.m., The New African Paradigm presents a lecture on “Spirituality and Rebuilding the African Family” by Professor James Small of “Hidden Colors II,” Pajoma Academy, 3935 Enright Ave., 63108. Please contact James Steward at (618) 977-8191 or Greg Harris at (314) 977-8191 for more information.

health

Sat., May 4, 7:30 a.m., 2013 Metro St. Louis Heart Walk. The goal of the event is to promote walking as a part of a healthy lifestyle and raise funds to support cardiovascular research and educational programs for the St. Louis community. Busch Stadium, 700 Clark Ave., 63102. For more information, call (314) 6925628.

Sat., May 4, 9 a.m., LFAHeartland Chapter presents Fourth Annual“Behind the Mask”Lupus Educational Conference. Topics include Cognitive Dysfunction & Lupus, Cardiovascular Disease in Lupus, Women & Lupus, and more. Whelpley Auditorium, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, 4588 Parkview Place, 63110. For more information, call (314) 644-2222 or

The Sheldon Concert Hall presents Denise Thimes’17th Annual Mother’s Day concert and dinner.See CONCERTS for more information.

visit www.2013behindthemaskconference.eventbrite.co m.

Sat., May 4, 8 a.m., 6th Annual Strides forSIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). A5K and onemile run/walk. In addition to the race, we will have a silent auction and fun family activities. Boathouse Pavilion, Carondelet Park, Grand Dr. and Loughborough Ave., 63111. For more information, call (314) 822-2323.

Sat., May 4, 8:30 a.m., Leukemia & Lymphoma Society presents 2013 Gateway ChapterBlood CancerConference. This conference will provide continuing education to healthcare professionals and patients about survivorship issues, current treatments and the role of clinical trials and research as we move towards our goal of a world without blood cancer. This free conference will feature leaders in the blood cancer community. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Hilton St. Louis Frontenac, 1335 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, call (314) 590-2239.

Sat., May 4, 9 a.m., LFAHeartland Chapter presents Fourth Annual“Behind the Mask”Lupus Educational Conference. Topics include Cognitive Dysfunction & Lupus, Cardiovascular Disease in Lupus, Women & Lupus, and more. Whelpley Auditorium, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, 4588 Parkview Place, 63110. For more information, call (314) 644-2222 or visit www.2013behindthemaskconference.eventbrite.co m.

Wed., May 8, 6 p.m., Treatments forRelieving Back Pain, featuring Dr. Stephen Smith, interventional pain specialist with SSM Pain Care, and Dr. Daniel Scodary, neurosurgeon with SSM Neurosciences Institute, for an informative discussion about various treatments to successfully manage your aching back. May Center, SSM DePaul Health Center, 12303 De Paul Dr., 63044. For more information, call (866) 7763627.

Sat., May 11, 9:30 a.m., Himalayan Family Healthcare Project presents Free Health Fair. Doctors and nurses from respected St. Louis healthcare institutions will be present to see patients. Services include nutrition consultation, various screenings, giveaways, referrals, and more. International Institute of St. Louis, 3654 S. Grand Blvd., 63118. For more information, call (770) 377-5578.

Sat., May 11, 6 p.m., Brides Against Breast Cancer presents Charity Wedding Gown Sale. We are bringing 7001000 couture and designer gowns with us at a discounted price. Brides-to-be will find their dream gown at a greatly reduced cost and help those impacted by cancer. Accessories also available for purchase. Layaway available. Sheraton City Center, 400 S. 14th St., 63103. For more information, call (877) 7214673.

Thur., May 16, 6 p.m., Thompson Foundation pres-

ents 7th Annual “It’s In the Cards” DinnerGala. Help raise support and awareness about the foundation and how it makes a difference for children and families affected by autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Members of the community are invited to join honorary chair St. Louis Cardinals Manager, Mike Matheny. Four Season Hotel St. Louis, 999 N. Second St., 63102. For more information, call (314) 3678118.

Fri., May 17, 6:30 p.m., Stifel presents 2013 Arthritis Walk. Build awareness for this debilitating disease and raise necessary funds to drive arthritis research, education and life improvement programs. Also help continue the Arthritis Foundation’s search to find a cure to the nation’s leading cause of disability. Logan College of Chiropractic, 1851 Schoettler Rd., 63017. For more information, call (314) 991-9333.

spiritual

Sat., May 11, 5 p.m., Friendly Temple M.B. Church presents Mother’s Day Weekend Gospel Explosion. This concert will feature Tye Tribbett, Kiki Sheard, Cheneta Jones, LIVRE and more. This concert will feature a full band with more guest to be announced. 5515 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr., 63112. For more information, call (314) 367-9700 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com

Sat., May 4, 5 p.m., Hazelwood East High School Gospel ChoirReunion Concert. This event will give us an opportunity to fellowship with past members and give back to the current students of the choir. Money raised from ticket sales will go back to the school. Members from as far back as 1993, the year the choir was officially chartered, will be present. 11300 Dunn Rd., 63137. For more information, email ehsgospelchoir@gmail.com.

SINGLE

Continued from C1

said. “And he says he’s too swamped with growing his business and making connections when he’s in town to devote to growing our relationship.”

She feels like it would be selfish and financially irresponsible to ask him to scale back his hustle. He also has children he’s very involved with. That’s a good thing, but it leaves her on the very back burner.

“I’m busy with my career too – and I’m a mother on top of that,” she says. “Yet I block out my precious time for the two of us only to get a call 30 minutes beforehand to say that a meeting is running long and he won’t be able to make our date.”

She’s really into him and loves so many of his qualities. He’s already told her that he

BLACKNESS

Continued from C1

Irvine, and author of Exhibiting Blackness: African Americans and the American Museum

“The scarcity of information about black artists in museums is parallel to the representation of black artists in art history,” Cooks said.

“I wrote Exhibiting Blackness in the effort to create a critical framework for understanding the roles of race, power, visibility and politics of representation within American art history.”

Cooks gave the docents an overview of black art’s presence – or absence – in major art institutions, then delivered a talk for the general public on Saturday morning at the Regional Arts Commission.

“Visiting and working in

loves her and she would make a perfect partner for him. His plea is that if she can tough it out until he reaches his professional goals that things will be much different for them later.

“Part of me feels that he takes advantage of his situation to keep from truly

n “What am I supposed to do with this man who doesn’t make time for me because he’s always on the grind?”

engaging in our relationship –and that sucks,” she confessed. “Plus, if his business blows up, how is he going to have time for us when he doesn’t have time as it is?”

Good question. It sounds like he has no

mainstream museums, I found the regular omission of art on view by African and AfricanAmerican people. And when there was work of AfricanAmerican artists or exhibits on view, I noticed a few other things,” Cooks said.

“First, black artists are featured in museums within group exhibitions about being black. It was rare to see black artists in thematic or stylistic exhibitions. And when their art was on display, the object label for work by black artists stated that they were black.”

She started with Negro Art Week exhibition in 1927, said to be the first exhibit of African and African-American art by a major museum. A collaboration between the Chicago Institute of Art and the Chicago Women’s club (an all-white organization), the exhibit was housed in the children’s museum. Artists were asked to “conform as near as possible to the standards set by regular art

balance in his life – and his M.O. is to do the bare minimum in his love life because he is constantly given a pass for catering to his business and his family.

She’s already sent him a four-page text in an attempt to end it because he cuts off her phone conversations due to demands on his time. He begged her to reconsider, so she did. Now she has reduced herself to being the lowest common denominator for the sake of seeing things through.

I don’t see how this can end well.

How can you save your love for somebody who doesn’t view you as worth spending time with? I mean, relationships are a lot like businesses in the sense that they can only grow if you feed them … right?

“He says he loves me,” she says, “but I would hate to see what happened if he stopped caring, if this is what his ‘love’ feels like.”

museum exhibitions and exhibition gallery,” Cooks said.

Cooks discussed the assumed inferiority imposed on artists of color that persists to the present day and the struggle for black artists to coexist, express themselves and be appreciated alongside their contemporaries.

She stressed that black artists and their work must be included in mainstream museums beyond racially designated exhibits or Black History Month programs.

Franklin brought the point back home to St. Louis and its mainstream art museum.

“If we get into this as an institution – I know we don’t do this, but I’m making a point – by highlighting black artists only to the black community, then that’s not good either,” Franklin said. “Because the white students, the Asians and the elderly also need to know.”

holding down half of the lineup is no coincidence.

starring Johnny Gill, G Thang, Keith Sweat, Crawford and Angela Winbush, she might pray to God to send you to hell automatically.”

It’s his biggest stage to date, even though he broke attendance records the last time he came home to headline the Lumiere back in November.

“I just thank God it’s getting bigger and bigger,” Crawford said. “And it’s good to have the hometown boys and Angela Winbush bringing it back.” Johnson agrees. He’s been living in Los Angeles on his comedy/comedic actor grind for more than a decade, but has made regular stops in St. Louis along the way – including opening for Mike Epps last month.

“It’s a different type of excitement when you can come to your hometown and do it,” Johnson said. “People that went to school with you, that worked at McDonald’s with you, that you used to date.”

The fact that natives are

“It says a lot about how far the people on the lineup have come to be able to sell those types of tickets and to have such a large audience base,” Johnson said. “The talent in the city is growing every day. And everybody in the world loves to come to St. Louis, because St. Louis is one of the realist audiences you can get. When I come back, I ain’t playing around when I hit that stage. ”

“I love St. Louis, that’s my home town,” Crawford said. “Goody Goody, C&K Barbeque, London and Sons, the Chong Wah off of Page and Hanley… Notice I’m naming all of the restaurants.”

Johnson is gearing up to film his first one hour comedy special for the Showtime Network and recently taped several episodes of the BET hit show “Real Husbands of Hollywood.” Crawford just finished taping an episode of the hit F/X network comedy “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

“I was praying that I could be one of the Jackson five. Then I was hoping I could be Ozone from Breakin’, but I

n “It’s a different type of excitement when you can come to your hometown and do it.”

wasn’t light-skinned enough,” Crawford said laughing. “But seriously, never limit yourself. It’s only a dream if you want it to be a dream and sometimes you can make it so you’re living in the dream.”

The show has special significance for them both, because their mothers will be in the audience. Johnson credits putting a smile on his mother’s face as the motivation for his grind in Hollywood.

“It’s actually on Mother’s Day and if you love your mother, bring her to the show,” Johnson said. “And if you love the Lou come out and see it because it’s the people that you went to high school with that are coming back home to represent.”

The Love and Laughter Ultimate Mother’s Day Concert starring Lavell Crawford, Don “DC” Curry, Johnny Gill, Gary “G Thang” Johnson, Keith Sweat and Angela Winbush will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 12. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling 800-745-3000 or visiting www. ticketmaster.com.

Continued from C1

- Gary “G Thang” Johnson

Photo By Lawrence Bryant

By Melanie Adams

Twilight Tuesdays are back

Popular History Museum program returns May 7 with Gospel Explosion

Spring is finally arriving in St. Louis, and that means something special: the return of the Missouri History Museum’s Twilight Tuesdays sponsored by Ameren Launched over a decade ago, Twilight Tuesdays has become a tradition that encourages the community to come together and enjoy music, fun, and friends on the Museum’s north lawn. Whenever I tell people I work at the History Museum, they always ask about Twilight Tuesdays and rave about experiencing different musical acts from newcomers like Marquise Knox to old favorites like Motown Review. Regardless of the act, Twilight Tuesday is designed to provide a positive experience for the entire St. Louis community.

This year we have an exciting addition to the Twilight Tuesday line-up. No, it is not a new musical act, but instead, Foodtrucks. In order to provide a diverse menu of options, Twilight Tuesdays will feature foodtrucks each Tuesday in the parking lot on the west side of the building. The season’s trucks include Curbside, Sarah’s Cake Stop, Cha Cha Chow, Lulu’s, Holy Crepe, Cheese Shack, My Big Fat Greek Truck, and Shell’s Coastal Cuisine. The trucks will be set up and ready to start selling food at 5pm and close at 7pm. The museum’s in-house caterer, Butler’s Pantry will still sell all beverages (adult and otherwise).

In addition to the change in refreshment options, the season has also gone back to its original schedule of four concerts per season. This allows the museum staff to take the time necessary to develop four quality shows, and it keeps the threat of weather-related cancellations to a minimum. The reduced number of shows will not affect the quality or the environment that people have come to expect at Twilight

Tuesdays. As with all events, the Museum’s first concern is visitor safety. In order to provide a safe environment, it is important that the museum enforces certain rules and policies such as “no grilling on Museum property” and “no large umbrellas.” These rules are for everyone’s benefit and make the event pleasant for everyone. All of the safety policies for the event can be found on the Museum’s website www. mohistory.org/twilight-tuesdays. We ask that you please adhere to the policies and respond to museum security if you are reminded about the policies.

This year Twilight Tuesdays welcomes one new act with three returning favorites. All performances start at 6pm and end at 8pm. For more information about Twilight Tuesdays, please visit the Museum’s website at mohistory. org/twilight-tuesdays

Twilight Tuesdays presented by Ameren

May 7: Gospel Explosion

Cederic Shannon Rives, Amber Bullock (Sunday’s Best 2011 winner), and Michael Lampkin (Sunday’s Best 2012 second runnerup) offer a spectacular evening of uplifting and inspirational tunes.

May 14: Marquise Knox Blues prodigy Marquise Knox presents a crowdpleasing performance, complete with powerful vocals and unmatched guitar skills.

May 21: Dr. Zhivegas

Enjoy your favorite disco and club songs from the 1970s to today.

May 28: A Tribute to Earth, Wind, and Fire Rock out to classic Earth, Wind, and Fire songs, including “September,” “Fantasy,” and “Reasons.”

How YES Has Helped Me

While working at the Youth Exploring Science (YES) Program, I have gained many experiences. YES is a program run by the Saint Louis Science Center that uses science as a vehicle for youth development. Today I am going to tell you about what I gained from the YES Program and how I have used it outside the program. “Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction.” My experience at the YES Program helped me at school to get better grades, it helped me learn how to talk with guests, it helped me prepare for college, and also it helped me make friends.

The program helped me with my presentation skills. I learned how to make eye contact with people while presenting. The program also taught me how to talk loud enough so that everyone can hear me while I speak, which helped me get good grades on my projects. In most of my classes, projects are worth 30-40% of our grade, which means the YES Program has helped me to get better grades in school.

Last week at Gateway STEM we had visitors. They were observing our school and I had to tell them what we were learning. I was able to make eye contact with them and I was able to use the experience I got from

talking to the guests at the YES Program’s networking event. The guests told me I did pretty well talking with them, and they said I made eye contact. Filling out the college application at the YES Program will help me to fill out the application by myself. I learned how to manage my money so that the payment I receive will be enough for staying at college while I study. I learned how to manage my room if I have to stay at college by myself, and I also learned how to get along with a roommate. I learned how to share the work so that its fair for both of us. Work is not work without friends. I learned how to communicate with my friends, how to make new friends, and how to talk to them so they don’t get offended by me. Especially since I am from a different country, it was hard for me to make friends that speak English, but the YES Program helped me with that. In conclusion, my life wouldn’t be the same without the YES Program. I feel like it has been another home for me. The supervisors are like my parents, they care so much about me. The experience I got from the YES Program has really helped me live a better life.

Amanda Richardson is Youth of the Year community Brief

American staff

Amanda Richardson, a threeyear member of Boys & Girls Club of Greater St. Louis, has been named the Youth of the Year for the state of Missouri by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). She will receive a $2,000 scholarship from Tupperware, BGCA National Youth of the Year sponsor, and the Missouri Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs.

She is a 17-year-old senior at Beaumont Career and Technical Educational High School where her first semester grades put her on Platinum Honor Roll with a GPA of 3.6. She is currently interning at Lester’s, a local restaurant, and in the fall she will attend Dillard University in Louisiana, where she will pursue a dual degree in Social Work and Culinary Art.

At the club, she serves as treasurer of the Keystone Club and has participated in SMART Girls activities. She wants her peers in SMART Girls to be positive leaders and role

Richardson

models for younger female members of the organization.

“The Herbert Hoover Club is a place I call home” she said. “It is a place to get away from all the harmful things that surround me in my community. Any day I’m not at the club

I know that I can potentially face gun violence, drug deals, robberies, and even death.” Amanda competed against eight other youth across the state and is among hundreds of Youth of the Year winners across the country recognized by BGCA for her sound character, leadership skills and willingness to give back to the community.

“This process has been just like what I believe the Boys & Girls Club wants to do for us,” she said of the competition. “I’ve been encouraged by staff and even my peers. They all have really inspired me, and I now I believe in myself. I believe I will be successful.” Youth of the Year recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and Boys & Girls Club, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome. This program was founded over 60 years ago through the generosity of the Reader’s Digest Foundation. For more information about the Youth of the Year program, visit www.bgcstl.org.

Som Pyakurel

Cederic Shannon Rives and Amber Bullock (pictured) will appear with Michael Lampkin at Missouri History Museum’s Twilight Tuesday Gospel Explosion program on May 7.

Amanda

Anniversaries

Dr. Doris Jones Wilson and husband John celebrated 50 years of marriage April 6, 2013 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Clayton, where they renewed their vows before family and friends. Music was performed by the HSSU Alumni Chorale members and Anita Jackson. Dr. Wilson received the St. Louis American Foundation’s Stellar Performer in Education Award in 1994.

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Lancelot “SNOSIO” and Ade. B. Williams, as you celebrate your 9th and 7th birthdays on May 2. We love you and are very proud of you. We’re so happy to have you in our lives and pray you grow up to be very good kids. Daddy and Mama

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

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 information, contact:314-4065354 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.

Join Northwest High Alumni class of 1971, August 2-5,

~ CELEBRATIONS ~

Keith & Nedella Spears celebrated 20 years of marriage on May 1, 2013. They are proud parents of Devin, Ryan and Jared Spears. Congratulations!

2013 on the largest Caribbean Parade in North America. Single Room, $614; Double Room, $465; Triple Room, $402. Departure: 12:30 am Friday 8/2/13, Return: Monday.8/5/13. Trip includes 4 days/3 nights hotel accommodations, round trip motor coach travel, Caribana Parade, shopping, night life, festivities, day tour of Niagara Falls (Canadian side). Balance due in full byJune 20, 2013. For more information contact: Diane at 314-498-6886, Vernida at 314-369-8489or woodsvernida@yahho.com, or Jeanette 314-398-0383.

Northwest High School Class of 1973, planning is underway for the 40-year reunion! The reunion is planned for July 1921, 2013. Send your email

Pastoral jubilee

Alfreda M. Washington May 4

Raniyah Lian Taylor(8) — April 26

Nicky Bevly (40) April 28 More Birthdays

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. Stay Tuned!

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

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 bettysumner76@yahoo.com

Save the dates: June 15 or June 16, The Dick Gregory Show.

Rev. Dr. Curtis Crosby was recently honored at Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church, where he celebrated 39 years as pastor. Rev. Shannon Reed of Mount Carmel M.B.C., Rev. William Johnson of Christ Pilgrim Rest and Rev. Ralph McDaniel of Lovejoy M.B.C were among those in attendance for the festivities.

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.

SumnerHigh School Class of 1973 will have its 40th class reunion the weekend of June 7-9. If you have not received a newsletter please contact Marsha Joseph-Williams (314606-8701), Dorris SimmonsMcGhaw (314-541-2462) or you can email your contact info to club73bulldogs@gmail.com Also, you can inbox Sid S. Shurn or Dorris on Facebook. Vashon 1943 classes will celebrate their 70th reunion on June 21-22, 2013, at the Hilton St. Louis Airport, 10330 Natural Bridge Road. For more information, please contact Beatrice (Anderson) Bell: jaybee47@swbell.net; (314) 9185973; P.O. Box 31830, St. Louis, MO 63138; or Alonzo Bouie, (314) 385-1937.

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

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:

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

man@charter.net.

O'Fallon Class of 1983 is sponsoring an Alumni Basketball game, Saturday, April 20, 2013. The game will be held at Mattew Dickey Boys Club from 2:005:00pm. If any male classmates are interested in playing, please contact Charles Woods at (314)568-6331 or Merv Hayes at (314)713-4700 by Friday, March 15th.

Religion

Rev. Bobo on the go

West Side MB pastor takes the gospel international

By Mary M. Adou Gbougbo

For The St. Louis American

As pastor of the West Side Missionary Baptist Church, the Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Bobo Sr. says he is living his dream and has “the best of both worlds.”

As the leader of one of the largest churches in the area for 27 years, he has spent 24 of those years extensively traveling to places many would not dare to go. Yet unafraid and unashamed, he boards flight after flight and heads on a journey to some faraway place for the sake of the gospel. He has jokingly said he would consider traveling to the South Pole and “preach to a penguin.”

Since 1989, Rev. Bobo began traveling internationally with the Foreign Mission Board of the National Baptist Convention. In 1990 the Baptist World Alliance opened a door for him to be used in its Youth Department where he also served as president from 1993-1998. Out of this involvement, he later founded Sharing Hope International Ministries, a non-profit organization he currently serves as executive director. Through Sharing Hope he is able to evangelize and travel. He has at times boarded his flight on Sunday afternoon after preaching at three of his worship services held at his one church in two locations, the city campus at 4675 Page Blvd. and the North County location at 4677 Dunn Rd. His trips are not quick turnarounds either. He will leave spend weeks at a time in another country evangelizing, teaching other pastors, preaching in conferences and ministering to people. He often travels alone, yet he has on occasion taken medical and educational ministry teams.

While he is away Pastor Bobo often thinks about his wife of 37 years, Darlean. He makes sure to call home to ensure

that all is well. Darlean is not only his childhood sweet heart; she is also his life partner in ministry.

There are a lot of things in our Christian belief system that require a leap of faith, including faith itself. The whole notion of blessings is like that. I think I’m beginning to understand blessings a little more clearly from a spiritual perspective.

Christian or not, kindness and goodwill are thought to be wonderful attributes of all of God’s people. Forgiveness and mercy are considered staples of the Christian diet.

The result, we believe, in life now and the next is God-given rewards for a life spent giving with no hidden expectation of receiving in return.

Now all that sounds good until, somewhere in your world, life happens.

carry on with business as usual.

“The church has been so understanding and supportive through the years,” he said. “I have a well trained staff and in my absence they are completely capable of running things well and doing things right.”

n He has at times boarded his flight on Sunday afternoon after preaching at three of his worship services.

“I have a wife who allows me to go and fulfill this passion that I have to share the gospel all over the world,” he said. “She pushes me to go and do what I love to do.”

His church family is supportive as well. When he goes overseas, he often tells his church that he is representing them. His members have played a part in helping Sharing Hope to provide clothing, medical supplies and educational materials for schools, churches, hospitals and medical schools abroad. While he is on a mission trip, his church staff and church leaders

This work costs money. Sharing Hope is hosting a spring fundraiser 7 p.m. Friday, May 17 at Orlando’s in Maryland Heights. There will be a buffet style dinner and silent auction featuring items from local vendors and businesses as well as items Rev. Bobo has picked up during his travels.

Local gospel artist Lady Michaela Snypes will perform. Proceeds will support trips planned for later this year to India, Jamaica, Bhutan and Malawi, Southeast Africa. They also seek individuals to sponsor-adopt 131 orphans in India, affectionately named, “Darlean’s Darlings.”

Tickets are $35 each and may be purchased at the West Side Church on Page.

Contact information: 314-535-9002, 314-363-8610, http://sharinghopeim.wix. com and www.westsidembc.org.

Unfortunately, at a very early age we learn that life is cruel, unpredictable. Our kindness is generally taken as weakness and our generosity viewed as foolish. Life and the people in it will use you if you allow it.

Pain often comes from an attempt to help somebody who doesn’t give a damn about you. It is the reason many a good person goes bad. People will protect themselves against this kind of personal anguish. We all eventually learn how to navigate a world in which we’ve come to believe nice

guys do finish last, takers succeed and cheaters win. You don’t know what kind of mother you’ll be until you have children. You don’t know what kind of friend you’ll be until you become one. You cannot know the depth of your ability to love someone until you are head over heels caught up in it. You can’t really know yourself as a human being until you share your life with others, without fear, without restrictions, without conditions. This is tough duty because life is so cruel. However, only by being a friend can you know true friendship. Only by giving love unconditionally can you understand unconditional love. Only by being a blessing can you know being blessed. If you go through life just existing with a self imposed set of criteria, then guess what? That’s what you’ll get in return: love and friendship with strings attached. You block countless blessings if your prayers include no one but you and they echo the trials and tribulations of your life only. Being a blessing is the only road to being blessed. Now take a look at the nonsense of this world. It gives you clarity.

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.

James A. Washington

Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Bobo Sr., pastor of West Side Missionary Baptist Church and executive director of Sharing Hope International Ministries. Sharing Hope is hosting a fundraiser 7 p.m. Friday, May 17 at Orlando’s in Maryland Heights.

ST. LOUIS A

Walgreens selects Webster University as education provider

Plus, MU launches online programs and preventing deceitful practices by law schools

American staff

Walgreens has selected Webster University as a preferred education provider within “Walgreens University,” a new training and development initiative for Walgreens employees and affiliated providers. The Walgreens initiative is designed to lead its industry in classroom and online programming that engages, educates and develops Walgreens employees for rewarding long-term careers.

According to Benjamin Akande, dean of the Walker School of Business & Technology and leader of the Office of Corporate Partnerships, the agreement provides tuition discounts and other incentives for Walgreens employees to pursue their educational aspirations at Webster.

“Walgreens has a history of innovation and this initiative is indicative of how Walgreens adapts and grows as a company. They know that by developing their employees with higher education opportunities, they are helping to ensure a sustainable future for the company and the communities they serve,” Akande said.

“Our Walgreens agreement is an important one. It will result in Webster University being a Walgreens’preferred provider, gaining exposure to more than 8,500 Walgreens locations in the United States and approximately 240,000 Walgreens employees.”

Don Huonker, Walgreens senior vice president, global projects, said, “After getting an undergraduate degree in pharmacy in 1984, I decided more than 10 years after graduation to go back to school to study business. Webster gave me that opportunity and the MBAI earned there has helped me tremendously. It is wonderful to now see my teammates at Walgreens get the same opportunity I had to get a great education from Webster University.” Qualified Walgreens

employees will be able to take Webster classes at any of Webster’s locations around the world and online.

With the opening of Walgreens University, the company said it is doubling its annual investment in employee education and development

MU launches 16 online programs

The University of Missouri will launch 16 online programs in an effort to respond to the

demand for increased online learning opportunities and a more highly educated citizenry. MU officials said the $2.2 million investment is intended to increase access to higher education and enhance the number of graduates in specific industries.

Areas of study covered in the new initiative include hospitality management, public administration, nursing, education, energy efficiency, geospatial intelligence, public health, interactive media and health

communication. The programs will be developed and taught by MU faculty.

“We are pleased to begin offering online programs in these in-demand subject areas,” MU Provost Brian Foster said. “Producing graduates with the skill sets and preparation needed to advance these industries is at the core of our mission at the University of Missouri.”

MU also is investing in more than 25 new undergraduate online courses that will

make it possible to earn a bachelor’s degree from a distance with little or no transfer credit.

“With the added online courses from the College of Arts & Science as well as the new online degrees from the College of Education and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, firsttime college students and those with just a few transfer credits can earn their bachelor’s degrees from Mizzou and stay in their hometowns,” said Jim Spain, vice provost for undergraduate studies and interim vice provost for e-learning.

The new programs will increase the number of online degree offerings to nearly 90; with 8 undergraduate degree programs and 79 graduate certificate and degree programs that are either offered in part or completely online.

For additional information, please visit: http://online.missouri.edu

Expert:Bar Association should prevent deceitful practices

In recent years, several law schools around the country have come under fire for allegedly misleading prospective students through deceptive

marketing techniques and numbers manipulation.

Former students from some of those schools have filed lawsuits in several states, arguing that they were purposefully misled by the schools about post-graduation employment rates, among other data.

Regardless of whether these marketing practices can be addressed in civil lawsuits, Ben Trachtenberg, an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, believes that there are ways that offending law school administrators can be punished for their deceit.

In an article forthcoming in theNebraska Law Review, Trachtenberg argues that state bars can and should use preexisting ethical guidelines to prohibit deceitful marketing behavior, and the American Bar Association (ABA) can use existing accreditation standards to require honest marketing.

Lawyers have many ethical guidelines they must follow,” Trachtenberg said. “This includes a rule against dishonesty, misrepresentation, and deceit. This rule applies to all actions performed by lawyers, even those outside of a courtroom, and lawyers can be disciplined or even disbarred if they are found to be deceitful.”

Trachtenberg says that the ABAshould more vigorously apply accreditation rules mandating that law schools provide robust, honest consumer information to prospective students.

“Many administrators in law schools around the country are lawyers,” Trachtenberg said. “It would be embarrassing, and perhaps damaging to the reputation of a law school, if its administrators were publicly disciplined or even disbarred for deceitful marketing practices. Even the threat of punitive action by a state bar may be enough to make many law school administrators think twice about how they recruit students to their schools.”

Trachtenberg says that lawyers with personal knowledge of these ethical violations should report offending lawyers to appropriate authorities. He believes lawyers should work to safeguard the integrity of the profession by treating misleading law school marketing with the seriousness it deserves.

Ben Trachtenberg is an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, where he teaches evidence, criminal procedure, and professional responsibility.He previously taught criminal law and environmental law at Brooklyn Law School. He is a member of the New York bar.

Benjamin Akande,dean of the Walker School of Business & Technology and leader of the Office of Corporate Partnerships,with Don Huonker,Walgreens senior vice president,global projects.

Celebrity Swagger Snap of the Week

R.I.P. Ronda. I hate to kick off my kicking it recap with somber news, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t take a second to honor the memory of the beautiful and brilliant Ronda F. Williams. She was indeed a powerful attorney, but she was so much more than her encyclopedia of accomplishments and awards. All weekend long people were telling me about how she touched their lives on a personal level as their friend, mentor, source of inspiration...and so on and so forth – from learning dance routines to hanging on the back porch discussing aspirations of becoming future leaders (I’m sure she exceeded any expectations she set for herself too) to simply seeing her smile and hearing her voice. Hearing all of the things she had achieved in her 41 years had me wonder why I haven’t done more to help my community and in my career – and I know I’m not alone. We are all grieving, but I think the best thing to do is honor her life by trying to live up to the standards that she established and maintained over the course of her short, but purpose driven life.

Can I get a K.R.S. take two? I must say that I got more than a sip of life from the K.R.S. One show and it was as much from the side shows as I did the main attractions. First off, I must go ahead and claim these psychic powers I’ve been suggesting for years. I was just talking about my local celebrity crush Tim Ezell last week, and wouldn’t you know he popped up at the latest throwback hip-hop show ready to serve, swerve and quietly come for my soul Wednesday night at the Coliseum. It all kicked off when professional glowstick ambassador b-boy and dancing MACHINE Nicholas Gates a.k.a. Nick Fury made a hole in the dance floor with his fancy footwork. Every time I see him take it to the floor I feel like going home and dusting off my “Breaking 2: Electric Boogaloo” VHS to put in work re-learning the choreography. I know by now you’re thinking, “Girl, what on Earth does this have to do with Tim Ezell?” Well, as Nick Fury was karate chopping the brave few folks who tried him in battle, all of a sudden somebody pops up in the thick of things serving what can best be described as self-taught River Dance. That’s right…it was my soul-mate in the head, Tim Ezell! And when the real show got started, Tim could have easily been an honorary member of Boogie Down Productions by the way he rocked the side of the stage. Tim quietly gave me more life than the man of the hour. Although I have to give him all the props in the world for rocking the mic old school style – i.e. with no backing vocals – I kind of wanted to hear more of a show. It seemed like he just got up there, made a few raps up (including a vicious read of the sound man for not taking his cues), jumped off the stage, let some local MCs embarrass themselves with a freestyle and punched. It was cool, but he should try again with more structure and some sort of remnant of a traditional set. Blue’s bash. Larry Blue celebrated his b-day suit and tie style at Lola Friday night and I must say that I have never seen so many people over 35 turned all the way up in my entire life! I mean there was everything from frat strolls to slow dancing going down as the folks let loose in their borderline business casual sexy swag! I had a ball just watching –it was more fun that I’ve witnessed in a while and will most certainly be a contender on my top party lists for 2013. If it weren’t for the emaciated poultry sprinkles on top of my chicken and waffles order it would have been the perfect evening!

A whole year for Soho. The fellas at Soho celebrated one year in the game on Saturday with blacktress Tika Sumpter and her pull and grow quick weave and some of the city’s heavy hitters came out to celebrate with them. She is as cute as she can be. If only she could get her hair snatched like she has some sense, she would be killing the game. Folks were probably glad enough that she came, but they weren’t necessarily checking for her. They were tearing the club up all by themselves! The birthday bash was most definitely a good look for Soho. It seems like Soho has been around forever, doesn’t it? And before y’all get started, I don’t mean that as shade. I mean, before I knew it I had just incorporated the spot into my regular mix of kicking it activities – and apparently y’all did too.

Not much of N’Dambi. My plate was so full with events that I barely got a sip of the Neo Soul Sistas main attraction that my boy Harry Colbert brought back to Plush on Saturday night. I do want to give a shout out to locals Tiffany Elle and Theresa Payne for keeping my attention. I was so beat down that I was looking like Miss Celie easing out the door to the beat of her “Lonely Woman’s Blues” intro. But had I known I was going to be paid with NOTHING BUT DUST by the hipster granola boy door staff duo when I attempted to get a sip of Wu Tang’s Ghost Face Killa for y’all’s reading pleasure and to highlight their spot, I would have stayed and got a full serving of N’Dambi’s Nina Simone 2.0 swag! Obviously my street cred on the Southside only extends as far as Soho.

So long Selena J. Anybody on Facebook has already read Selena J.’s announcement that she is bowing out of her midday slot on the airwaves of Majic 100.3 The Beat. I didn’t find out in time to give y’all the scoop on her decision, but something tells me the new expanded programming, that now includes a sizeable rotation of ratchet light trap/tear the club up music, didn’t quite sit well with her soul. Whatever the case, I’m wishing her the best and am eager to know what she has up her sleeve for the next chapter.

Mike Hugh, Andrea Hayes and Jim Tripplet came through for Larry Blue’s latest legendary b-day bash Friday night @ Lola

Local talents Deandre, Aaron, Mai Lee, and Anthony repped for STL on stage for the Vatterott Campus concert tour kickoff Thursday afternoon @ EI institute By Nelly Thursday

“Welcome To Sweetie Pie’s” star Tim Norman and

Eric of Outlaw Ink peeped surroundings @ MPAC’s Short Shorts and High Heels Edition of the Eye Candy Party @ The Loft

Mario brought in another year of life with his team of beauties Friday night @ MPAC’s Eye Candy Party @ The Loft

Vincent, Staci Static and Kevin Johnson joined a house full of hip-hop heads nodding to the vibe of Wu Tang’s Ghost Face Killa and his smokin’ live band Saturday night @ 2720

Carissa and Toi were among the folks who came through to help Soho celebrate one year in the game Saturday night

Soho kicked off the first night of their second year in the game with some star power thanks to singer/actress/model Tika Sumpter, who was happy to pose with owner Brandon

Jamal of Starpower Ent. and his boo Danielle did it big for her b-day Friday night @ Hella Fly’s Relax and Breathe weekly party @ EXO

Power couple Becky and Larry Blue couldn’t help but be the center of attention for Larry’s Suit and Tie birthday party Friday night @ Lola

Yung Ro of Black Pearl and Tony had VIP on lock just before the KRS-One concert Wednesday night @ The Coliseum

Hip-hop legend KRS One set the stage on fire Wednesday night at the Coliseum as he went from the top of his head and tied in classics for an off-the cuff rap history lesson. Hot 104.1 FM’s Meghan and Ray of Black Pearl Ent. were on deck to after his performance to show him love.

Photos by Lawrence Bryant

By Denise Hooks Anderson,M.D. Medical Accuracy Editor

Several days ago I celebrated my daughter’s 13th birthday and to my surprise that milestone was more difficult for me than the others. When did I become old enough to have a teenager? I have vivid memories of being 13: the hideous clothes I wore (parachute pants were the rave), the electric blue eye shadow with matching eyeliner, and the press-N-curl hairstyles that consisted of a little too much grease. And as you begin to compose yourself from all of the laughter at my expense, don’t pretend that you were spared from looking ridiculous back in the day!

However, what I would safely guess what you don’t remember was having the audacity to curse at your parents. And if you did curse at your parents, when you awakened from your coma, you realized that instant moment of insanity probably caused your IQ to drop 10 points. Now most of us probably had a few choice words in our heads that we “wished” we could share with our parents but never would we risk our lives in such a flagrant manner.

So that was then. This is now. I decided to take my daughter and her entire

Lack of discipline

class to the City Museum for her birthday. When the festivities were over, one of the parents was in somewhat of a rush and told her son to hurry up so they could leave. Apparently, he had asked her if he could stay longer and she obviously must have said no. He then proceeded to say “D*** it! I never get to have any fun!” Now at this point I proceeded to step back a few steps because where I was from this kid was about to get knocked into tomorrow.

Denise Hooks Anderson,M.D.

However, that was then. This is now. This child’s mom just pretended that he said nothing out of the ordinary.

Starting from birth, children go through many developmental stages of behavior. s babies, children mostly behave instinctively: when hungry, sleepy, or wet, they cry. Once the first stages of communication begins, cooing or babbling, infants then learn how to better express themselves. After the words “mama,” “by-by,” and “dada” were learned, I am sure each of you remember that the next definitive word spoken was “no.”It seemed to be a downhill slope at that point because most

toddlers replied no to every situation and would often have breakdowns at the grocery store in the middle of the aisles. We have all seen those little performers who fall back on the floor, kicking and screaming “no” at the top of their lungs. Many of us can recall those draining experiences ourselves.

Now these next stages are where it gets interesting. As children begin to learn which behaviors are acceptable and which are not, parents have to then learn what behavior modifications to utilize when punishment is needed. During the 1960’s, “time-out” became popular as a disciplining technique. This technique involves removing the child from the area of the offense and having them sit quietly until they calm down. However, there are some psychologists who believe that even “time-outs” are unacceptable forms of discipline because it causes the child to feel abandoned.

Culturally, this method of discipline was slow to be incorporated into African American communities because corporal (spanking) was most often used. The official stance of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is that spanking should not be used as punishment. Some researchers believe that spanking simply causes the child to be more violent. How many of you are violent because you were spanked as a child? I’m not and I had plenty of spankings with switches that I personally picked off the tree. I once heard a historian say that black par-

ents were probably harder on their children during those times so that they could, for example, correct a behavior that would potentially save the child’s life. Think of the countless black mothers during the Jim Crow era who taught their sons not to look at white women when walking on the sidewalk for fear of their son being lynched by an angry mob.

Other forms of discipline include reinforcing positive behavior and removing privileges like internet access, cell phones, or television. However, after witnessing a variety of inappropriate conduct from children regardless of ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds, I have difficulty determining if any discipline is occurring at all. The amount of disrespect that children/teens display to adults today was unheard of when I was growing up.

The recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics was designed to protect children from abuse but what it has done is cause our society to shift to this new uncharted territory of unruliness which seems to have no boundaries. Undisciplined children make undisciplined adults who are unfit for employment because they were never taught to obey authority and respect their elders. I believe the pendulum needs to shift back to a more balanced approach to discipline so that our children can grow into mature, productive citizens and that can be accomplished without abusing anyone.

Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D. Assistant Professor SLUCare Family Medicine yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com

YourHealth Matters

Abi-monthly special supplement of the St. Louis American May 2, 2013

YourHealth Matters provides up-to-date information, from an African-American perspective, about one of the most important subjects in evryone’s life – their personal health.

Donald M. Suggs, President and Publisher

Kevin Jones, Senior Vice President, COO

Dina M. Suggs, Senior Vice President

Chris King, Editorial Director

Denise Hooks Anderson, M.D., Medical Accuracy Editor

Sandra Jordan, Health Reporter

Debbie Chase, Director of Health Strategy & Outreach

Onye Ijei, Barb Sills, Pamela Simmons, Sales

Michael Terhaar, Art/Production Manager

Angelita Jackson, Cover Design

Wiley Price, Photojournalist

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

Saint Louis University Medical school student Jeremy Goss and his partners have a solution to address food deserts in the St.Louis area –and there is growing momentum behind their efforts for a mobile food oasis.If you can’t get people to the grocery –bring the grocery to the people.

Creating a rolling fresh food oasis forSt. Louis deserts

By Sandra Jordan

Of The St.Louis American

Saint Louis University Medical school student Jeremy Goss and his partners have a solution to address food deserts in the St. Louis area – and there is growing momentum behind their efforts for a mobile food oasis.

If you can’t get people to the grocery –bring the grocery to the people. That’s the basic premise of St. Louis Metro Market – a business concept to bring fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry and staples to areas where free-standing gro-

“These are places where there are far more fast food restaurants than anything and where there is access to food, it’s typically a convenience store.And the selection isn’t ideal.”

– Jeremy Goss

cery stores are hard to reach or do not exist.

Food deserts are found in both urban and rural areas. Families are living in places without easy access grocery stores and supermarkets that stock fresh, healthy and affordable food.

“These are places where there are far more fast food restaurants than anything and where there is access to food, it’s typically a convenience store,” Goss said. “And the selection isn’t ideal.”

This contributes to low-nutrition diets and higher levels of obesity and other

diet-related diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service estimates 23.5 million people live in food deserts. More than half of those living in food deserts (13.5 million) are low-income. There are at least 17 areas designated as food deserts in the St. Louis area, according to the USDA.

Goss has two partners, Washington University graduates Tej Azad and Collin Dowling, who studied food access and

See FOOD, page 5

Photo by Wiley Price

HEALTH BRIEFS

UMSLnursing, optometry students give health screenings

Anormal blood sugar reading drew a sigh of relief from one woman. Another promised to follow-up with a doctor after being told her headaches are likely related to her high blood pressure.

Afree health fair for older adults, held last month at St. Alphonsus Liguori “Rock” Catholic Church helped more than 100 St. Louisans. The event was organized by the College of Nursing at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and St. Louis Housing Authority.

Fifty nursing students and a handful of volunteers from the College of Optometry at UMSLcarried out the screenings, which ranged from blood pressure, diabetes, vision and cholesterol.

“I enjoy helping out the community,” said Kaylene Pendleton, a senior nursing student at UMSL. “I’m just really glad to be able to help people better their health.” She conducted a blood sugar test on Pat Miller of St. Louis who described the free health fair “a blessing” and “positively wonderful.”

“I think this is just tremendous of them to equip us with tools to further our life,” Miller said.

Nearly 30 vendors set up booths at the fair offering participants advice on healthy eating, housing options and screenings for depression.

Emily Pike, a third-year optometry student at UMSL, said there’s real value in offering free vision screenings to the community.

“It gives people a chance to get some type of health screening done who may not go for ordinary health care,” Pike said. “It also gives you a nice warm feeling that you’ve helped someone.”

Asthma drug effective in treating chronic hives, itch

Omalizumab

An international team of researchers has found that a oncea-month, high-dose injection of a commonly used asthma drug is highly effective in treating teens and adults chronically afflicted with hives and severe, itchy rash. The drug, omalizumab, marketed as Zolair, was tested on 323 people at 55 medical centers for whom standard antihistamine therapy failed to quell their underlying, allergy-like reaction, known as chronic idiopathic urticaria or chronic spontaneous urticaria. The

therapy could soon replace other, more toxic

condition affects about three million Americans.

The research team’s findings were published recently in The New England Journal of Medicine.

All study participants had chronic hives and rash for at least six months, with many having suffered from the condition for more than five years. All had continued to experience hives or a severe itchy rash for a full week while taking antihistamines.

Sarbjit (Romi) Saini, M.D., a Johns Hopkins allergist and immunologist, and study co-investigator, said the study

results provide evidence that Zolair injections work more safely than other drugs, such as corticosteroids and the immunosuppressant cyclosporine, which carry risk of potentially severe and toxic side effects, including high blood pressure, bone thinning and even infection. By contrast, headache was the most severe side effect observed with omalizumab therapy. No study participants died or suffered anaphylactic shock, or had to withdraw because of any adverse effects or events.

The team of American and European researchers injected a 300-milligram

treatments

dose of the drug, sold under the brand name Xolair, once a month for three months. Saini says initial relief from symptoms was quick and occurred after a week. After three months, 53 percent of people experienced a total elimination of all hives and 44 percent had no further incidents of hives or itch. Lower doses of the drug, at 150 milligrams and 75 milligrams, and the placebo (or 0 milligrams) proved half as effective as the next larger dose, or had almost no effect at all, researchers report.

Emily Pike,a third year optometry student at University of Missouri St.Louis,screens a man for glaucoma during a free health fair for older adults held April 11 at St.Alphonsus “Rock”Catholic Church in St.Louis.

Photo by Myra Lopez/UMSL

Shaded areas are St.Louis metro-area food deserts,according to U.S.D.A.

FOOD

Continued from A1

social entrepreneurship.

“The idea of the class was looking at the way of forming businesses… instead of increasing profit, increasing social change and social impact,” Azad said.

He teamed with Dowling on a feasibility study for a mobile farmer’s market. They met Goss through a mutual friend who realized they were all working on a mobile market.

“The idea for expanding into a mobile farmers market was to serve more people, in underserved communities by getting them access to fresh, healthy food at affordable prices,” Azad said. “We’ve taken another look at the plan we had on paper and we think it is something that is viable, doable, sustainable in the community, and now we are looking for ways to fund it and get it off the ground.”

Examining mobile market ventures operating in Chicago (Fresh Moves bus) and Nashville, Tennessee (truck and trailer) as templates, the entrepreneurs created a business plan their own version for St. Louis, using a membership model.

Goss said the food will be grown locally or produced nearby and processed by SLU’s nutrition and dietetics processing center.

To germinate this idea into a growing, thriving reality, Goss, Azad and Dowling are pitching the venture to potential sponsors. They made it as far as the semifinals for the international Dell Social Innovation Challenge and received valuable mentorship. On Tuesday, (April 30), Consumer Bankers Foundation and Ashoka’s Youth Venture announced the St. Louis Metro Market mobile grocery as a 2013 regional winner of $1,000 in seed money, and as a national finalist. The partners will pitch their venture project to a panel of judges for a chance to win $5,000 or its $15,000 grand prize.

Goss said their mobile market will also provide food education on nutrition and cooking classes on how to prepare healthier meals.

“There’s a necessity to teach people how to use the food; how to store the food so it lasts longer; how to make a meal from scratch from start to finish,” Goss said. The SLU Nutrition and Dietetics program will be called into action to fulfill this objective.

“They are well established, accredited and …what they do is community access and advocacy,” Goss said. “They will go directly into neighborhoods.”

St. Louis Metro Market wants to have a pilot mobile unit up and running by July.

“There is going to be a lot of intentionality behind keeping traditional recipes traditional, but modifying them in such a way that, it still looks and tastes like you’re used to,” Goss said, but we modify it in a way that it’s healthier for you.”

Want to find out more? Email stlmetromarket@gmail.com, Twitter @stlmetromarket or go online to www.stlmetromarket.com.

A Fresh Moves bus operating in Chicago.

Itchy, runny nose may be an allergy orthe weather

Up-and-down temperatures can be a real challenge for people, especially persons with allergies.

“People who know they have allergies should make sure to take their allergy medications daily during such times,” said Dr. John Fahrenholz, assistant professor of Medicine who practices at the Vanderbilt Asthma, Sinus and Allergy Program.

But even those of us who don’t suffer from allergies can develop a runny nose when the temperature and humidity are changing rapidly. Rhinitis—a swollen, itchy nose—can occur in the midst of rapidly changing weather that many parts of the U.S. continue to experience this year.

Since simply experiencing the weather can cause an itchy, runny nose, it can be a challenge to figure out who is experiencing allergy symptoms and who is not.

Here are a few guidelines from Fahrenholz to help through crazy changeable weather:

If temperature changes bring on an itchy, runny nose, try using an over-thecounter salt water nose spray or nasal sinus rinses. These can also be helpful in dealing with cold, dry air in winter. If symptoms persist even when the temperatures level out, you may have allergies.

Don’t blame changing weather for your cold or flu—there’s no evidence that cycles of cold and warm days make your immune system any more likely to pick up a virus.

People with a tendency toward ongoing allergy symptoms during the winter

months should make sure to take their regular allergy medications. Colder air is dry which can cause irritation to the nasal tissues leading to increased nasal

allergy symptoms. If regular use of over-the-counter antihistamines or other allergy products are not controlling symptoms, the allergy

sufferer should make an appointment to see a health care professional to see if prescription medications, such as nasal steroids, may help.

Race linked to childhood food allergies, not environmental allergies

Newswise —Research conducted at Henry Ford Hospital shows that race and possibly genetics play a role in children’s sensitivity to developing allergies. Researchers found that African-American children were sensitized to at least one food allergen three times more often than Caucasian children; and AfricanAmerican children with one allergic parent were sensitized to an environmental allergen twice as often as AfricanAmerican children without an allergic parent.

The study was presented recently at the American Academy of Allergy,

Asthma and Immunology annual meeting.

“Our findings suggest that African Americans may have a gene making them more susceptible to food allergen sensitization or the sensitization is just more prevalent in African American children than white children at age 2,” said Haejim Kim, M.D., a Henry Ford allergist and the study’s lead author.

Sensitization means a person’s immune system produces a specific antibody to an allergen. It does not mean the person will experience allergy symptoms.

According to an AAAI study from

2009-2010, an estimated 8 percent of children have a food allergy and 30 percent of children have multiple food allergies. Peanut is the most prevalent allergen, followed by milk and shellfish.

The Henry Ford study consisted of a longitudinal birth cohort of 543 children who were interviewed with their parents and examined at a clinical visit at age 2. The children were skin-tested for three food allergens – egg whites, peanuts and milk – and seven environmental allergens. Key findings:

ï 20.1 percent of African-American children were sensitized to a food aller-

gen compared to 6.4 percent in Caucasian children.

ï 13.9 percent of African-American children were sensitized to an environmental allergen compared to 11 percent of Caucasian children.

ï African-American children with an allergic parent were sensitized to an environmental allergen 2.45 times more often than African-American children without an allergic parent.

Theresa Lyons Flanders PROFILING PEOPLE IN HEALTH

Position/Where: Physician relations manager/Saint Louis University Hospital

CareerHighlights:

For more than sixteen years, Lyons Flanders worked in several healthcare capacities, i.e. program manager, grant administrator, health & safety trainer Director of several successful public health programs in five states (Florida, Colorado, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri)

Post graduate career began at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, NM where she was responsible for developing workplace protocols for preventing ergonomic injuries among workers at the lab. The influence of her ergonomics training on employees’behavior is still being used today. This experience (creating to make it better) would be the catalyst for all future career choices and community outreach volunteerism.

Awards/Honors:

Malcolm Baldrige Examiner

Board member, American College Healthcare Executives

Hospital’s Avoidable Readmissions PI Coordinator

Facilitator of SLUH’s Comprehensive Post Acute Care Conference

American College of Healthcare Executives Regional Congress

Bethune-Cookman University Distinguish Alumni

Omega Psi Phi - Citizen of the Year

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority - Soror of the Year Nominee Midwest Region Program, Planning &Development Award – Healthy Lifestyles & EMBODI

Wise Owl Award

Midwest Regional Diabetes Programming Award

Saint Louis University Hospital Employee of the Month

Relay for Life Bronze/Silver Awards

American Heart Association Quality Awards

Education:

University of South Florida – Master of Science in Public Health, Industrial Hygiene & Safety

Bethune-Cookman University – Bachelor of Science in Mathematics/Physics

Personal:

Husband Joe; son Loyal Cristian and host son Poju Wei from Taipei City, Taiwan Member of New Life Community Church in East St. Louis, Illinois; serves in Marriage Ministry and hosts I EMBODI (Empowering Males to Build Opportunities to Develop Independence) Christ book club for area youth

Participates in quarterly visits to the St. Clair Juvenile Detention Centers with local law enforcement officers

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. member

Member, Illinois state HIV/AIDS Task Force

Member, American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Ambassador and Minority Council

Volunteer for American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, March of Dimes, Ill. Relay for Life/American Cancer Society, and the Alzheimer’s Association

St. Louis Connection:

Grew up in East St Louis, Illinois – attended East St. Louis Lincoln High School

Member of the world-renowned Lincoln Jazz Band and traveled to the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland (1989) with Miles Davis

Yourjourney to success:

Before working at LANL, I only imagined work to be means for an end. After helping to design safety workplace protocols for office workers that eliminated discomforts and potentially disabilities that would eventually result in missed work days, I began to connect the mission with the work. Public health is themission of intentional efforts – preventing diseases, prolonging life, and promoting health through organized efforts.

Upon graduation, I returned to Florida and joined the Duval County Health Department in roles that supported the public health efforts to decrease the incident of lead contamination among residents. In 2000, I worked for the City and County of Denver as Public Health Safety Officer. Drawing from my experience as an adjunct professor at Florida Community College, I developed safety modules for more than 1,200 city employees working in parks and recreation. In 2002, I worked for Columbus (OH) Health Department as program administrator for a pre-natal program – Caring for Two. With a strong collaboration between the county’s health department and Ohio Health, we managed to slow the rate of infant mortality among minority populations. In 2004, I worked as director of Quality Improvement for the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines Program (GWTG). GWTG is a protocol system that is designed to improve heart attack and stroke care. In this capacity, I managed a network of more than 100 hospitals in a three state area – Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas.

Lyons Flanders accepted the responsibility of serving as Physician Relations Manager at SLUH in 2006 and hopes over the next few years, to work even more closely in SLUH operations in areas of compliance and quality improvement.

Inhaled corticosteroids and inhalers have separate functions in asthma control

Q. My doctorwants me to use an inhaled steroid forasthma. Why can’t I just use my quick relief inhaler?

A. Inhaled corticosteroids and quick-relief inhalers each have a different role in asthma control.

When asthma is mild, a quick relief inhaler can reverse airway spasms (bronchospasms) which occur when muscles around your airways become constricted. Quick relief inhalers relax these muscles.

If a quick-relief inhaler is needed twice a week or less, asthma is typically considered mild and intermittent, and this type of inhaler alone may be adequate for treatment. Quick-relief inhalers are also useful for asthma that occurs only with exercise.

More frequent asthma flares indicate two additional asthma components – airway inflammation with swelling and increased mucous secretions. Neither responds to quick-relief inhalers. Instead, what’s needed is an anti-inflammatory medicine like a corticosteroid that can stabilize the airways and make them less reactive to asthma triggers, such as cold air, viral infections and allergies.

Inhaled corticosteroids are important medications that keep more-persistent asthma under long-term control by reducing airway inflammation. An inhaled corticosteroid is delivered in small doses directly to your airways. When used as directed, this kind of medication helps keep asthma from damaging your lungs.

Inhaled corticosteroids shouldn’t be confused with systemic steroids, which are taken internally for certain conditions. Taken in high does, systemic steroids can have multiple side effects, including weight gain, cataracts, osteoporosis and diabetes.

By preventing asthma attacks, inhaled corticosteroids can actually reduce the need for corticosteroid pills such as prednisone to treat asthma attacks. Inhaled corticosteroids aren’t habit-forming and are generally very well tolerated with minimal side effects.

Some may experience hoarseness or a yeast inflection (thrush) in the mouth, which can usually be avoided by gargling and rinsing the mouth immediately after using an inhaler.

Source: Reprinted from the MayoClinic.com article, Second Opinion, www.HealthLetter.MayoClinic.com

Nurses deliverquality, innovation in patient care

From the American Nurses Association

For 20 years, May 6-12 is being celebrated as National Nurses Week. It begins on National Nurses Day and ends on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

Almost everyone comes into contact with a nurse. The largest of the health care professions, 3.1 million nurses practice in a wide variety of settings, from hospitals and long-term care facilities to

free-standing clinics and schools. Nurses are expert clinicians, and also serve as educators, researchers, consultants and business leaders. Increasingly they are filling new roles as leaders of retailbased health clinics; members of performance-based, “accountable” health care teams; patient “coaches” and health system “navigators;” and information technology specialists.

Across this country, nurses have a significant impact on the health of whole communities, and on transforming the

U.S. health care system to improve quality and increase effectiveness.

Nurses are increasingly pursuing advanced levels of education to further develop skills and leadership abilities necessary to transform health care practices and systems. Nurses pursuing a master’s degree increased by eight percent and a Doctor of Nursing Practice nearly 20 percent in 2012.

Nurses’roles are crucial to initiatives to broaden access to health care and place greater emphasis on patients’

results, prevention and wellness. As roughly 30 million uninsured or underinsured Americans gain greater access to health care under the Affordable Care Act, the demand for nursing services will increase dramatically. And Medicare enrollment is projected to surge by 50 percent over the next 25 years with the aging of Baby Boomers, increasing the need for nursing services. Nursing is projected to grow faster than all other occupations, with more than 700,000 new RN jobs by 2020.

Fact: Exercise helps yourbody fight off cancer

Dr. Daniel Rothschild, resident physician, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, discusses this month’s cancer prevention topic in the 8 Ways to Stay Healthy and Prevent Cancer series.

As a physician, I encourage every patient I see to exercise. But I’ll be the first to admit –exercise is hard! If you’re like me, when I invest my time and energy into something, it helps to know what I’m getting in return. Nearly everyone knows the benefits associated with exercise, including weight control and decreased risk of heart disease.

But what about other benefits, specifically cancer prevention? Studies have shown that exercise provides protection against developing cancer, with the strongest evidence seen in colon and breast cancer. For example, more than 50 studies have shown that exercise reduces the risk of developing colon cancer by an average of 40 to 50 percent! Even better, these studies show the more you exercise, the bigger the cancer prevention boost you get in return.

So how exactly does exercise reduce your risk of cancer?Many theories exist. For colon cancer, it is thought that exercise moves waste through your body more quickly, which shortens the time your body is exposed to potential cancercausing substances. For breast and

endometrial cancers, exercise is believed to affect hormone and protein levels, which play an important role in the development of these cancers. Exercise has also been shown to enhance your body’s immune system, antioxidant defenses, improve DNArepair and decrease DNAdamage – all things that lower your risk of developing cancer.

The next time you’re having trouble getting motivated for a workout, remember that exercise is a great way to help your body prevent cancer.

Where can I find more information?

Watch videos about exercising to prevent cancer: www.8ways.wustl.edu

Try our online tool to test your cancer and disease risk: http://www.yourdis-

easerisk.wustl.edu/

The Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities (PECaD) at the Siteman Cancer Center is working to eliminate local and regional disparities in cancer education, prevention and treatment through community outreach, research and training. To learn more about cancer or to get involved with PECaD, call 314-747-4611, email PECaD@wudosis.wustl.edu or write to us at SCC-PECaD, Campus Box 8100, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO, 63110. Look for future articles in HealthMatters.

Behavioral

Christian Hospital offers free and confidential psychiatric and chemical dependency evaluations at the Christian Hospital Center for Mental Health. For more information, call 314-839-3171.

Christian Hospital Key Program offers support and education to patients with chronic mental illness to prevent increased severity of symptoms and to reduce the need for inpatient re-hospitalization. Call confidentially to 314-8393171 or 1-800-447-4301.

Crime Victim Advocacy Center provides no cost support for persons who have been affected by criminal acts. Emil peggy@supportvictims.org, visit or call the 24-hour hotline 314-OK-BE-MAD (652-3673) or visit www.supportvictims.org.

Bike helmet safety

The St. Louis County Health Department provides free bicycle helmets to St. Louis County residents between ages 1 and 17 by appointment only. Proof of residency is required. For the location nearest you, visit www.tinyurl.freebikehelmets.

HEALTH RESOURCES

Breast Cancer Gateway to Hope offers no-charge medical and reconstructive treatment for uninsured breast cancer patients in Missouri. Contact 314-569-1113.

Dental

Free Dental Hygiene Clinic - No charge dental exams, x-rays, cleanings and other dental services for children and adults provided by dental students at Missouri College. Patients needing more extensive dental work (fillings, crowns, etc.) will be referred to local dentists. For information, call 314-768-7899.

Diabetes

SSM St. Mary’s Health Center provides free, Diabetes Support Group sessions the second Tuesday of every month from 6 – 7 p.m. to address health management issues. It’s located at Meeting Room 1 on the second floor, 6420 Clayton Rd. in St. Louis. To register, call toll free 866-SSM-DOCS (866-7763627).

Health Partnerships

The CenterforCommunity Health and Partnerships: Building Bridges for Healthy Communities works to develop and support beneficial community-aca-

demic partnerships to address the health needs of the St. Louis. For more information, email publichealth@wustl.edu; phone 314-747-9212 or visit publichealth.wustl.edu.

Information

Missouri 2-1-1 offers referral and information on a wide range of social service and helpful resources. Call 2-1-1.

Medical

St. Louis ConnectCare offers walk-in services Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and most holidays. For more information, call 314-879-6300.

Salam Free Saturday Clinic, 10 a.m. –2 p.m. at the Isom Community Center at Lane Tabernacle CME Church, 916 N. Newstead, St. Louis, Mo. for those who are uninsured. For more information, call 314-533-0534.

Nutrition

Food Outreach provides food, meals and nutritional education/ counseling to eligible persons living with HIV/AIDS or cancer in St. Louis. For more information, call 314-652-3663 or visit www.foodoutreach.org.

St. Louis Milk Depot - SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is a breast milk depot. Milk Depot staff will store and ship your milk to IMMB. For more information, call (314) 242-5912.

Prostate Cancer

The CancerCenterof The Empowerment Network at 6000 W. Florissant in St. Louis provides information on prostate and other types of cancer, and services and support. For more information, call 314-385-0998.

Prescription Cost Help

St. Louis ConnectCare Retail

Pharmacy – offers a $4 generic prescription program. Hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mon. – Fri., no weekends or holidays. Located at 5535 Delmar Blvd. in St. Louis, Call 314-879-6208.

Schnucks Pharmacies – now offers certain prescription prenatal vitamins for free and offers no-cost generic prescription antibiotics at select locations.

Respiratory Health

Free lung function screening - Christian Hospital Breathing Center at Northwest HealthCare, 1225 Graham Rd. For more information, call 314-953-6040.

Sat., May 4, Annual Dream Gala, Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch For more information, call 314-729-1846 or visit www.jdrfstl.org/gala.

Sat. May 4, 7 a.m., 11 a.m. SIDS Resources Stride forSIDS, Carondelet Park Boat House, St. Louis. Memorial balloon release at 8 a.m.; 5K and one mile run/walk at 8:30, awards and family activities. For more information, visit www.sidsresources.org.

Sat. May 4, 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., 2013 American Heart Association Heart Walk, Busch Stadium St. Louis, Gates open at 7:30; race begins at 9. Register for Barnes-Jewish Hospital Friends & Family’s Teamat http://tinyurl.com/AHAwalkBJH.

Sat. May 4, 10 a.m., “Lifting Up Teachers Who Are Sick “Walkathon, Northwoods Park, 4600 Oakridge Blvd, St. Louis 63121. For more information, call 800-586-9495 or email yourememberme66@yahoo.com.

Sat. May 4, 6 p.m., JDRFDream Gala, Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch, for more information and tickets, call 314-729-1846 or visit www.jdrf.org/gala.

YOURHEALTH MATTERS

CALENDAR

Sun. May 5, 7:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., Cinco de Mammo-thon, Northwest Healthcare, 1225 Graham Rd., Florissant, Mo. Accepting women with or without health insurance. Mention Mamo-thon when you make the required reservation at 314-747-WELL(9355).

Tues. May 7, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Mammography Screenings at Shalom Church City of Peace- Berkeley, 6136 Garfield Ave. Free screenings for women ages 40-64 with no insurance or high deductibles by Missouri Baptist Medical Center’s Mobile Mammography Unit. For more information, call 324-996-5170 or 800-870-5731.

Wed., May 8, 1 p.m. -3 p.m., Fit for Function: Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss, Northwest HealthCare Community Room, 1225 Graham Rd. Register at 314-747-WELL(9355) or 1877-747-WELL(9355).

Wed. May 8, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Treatments forRelieving Back Pain” at the May Centerat DePaul Health Center, 12303 DePaul Drive in Bridgeton, Mo. Includes a presentation on chronic back pain, a board-certified interventional pain specialist and a board-certified neurosurgeon. The free

program includes a light dinner. Reservations are required by calling 1866-SSM-DOCS (1-866-776-3627).

Thurs. May 9 6:30 p.m., Pampering Party forbreast cancersurvivors at The In Spot, 5854 Delmar Blvd. in the Central West End of St. Louis, MO. Hosted by My Pink Purse Survivor Essentials, the evening will feature massages, facials, manicures, and more. Admission is $5 or $10. For more information, call 314-601-3630 or visit www.survivoressentials.com.

Sat. May 11, 8 a.m., Life Without Limits 5K trail run/walk by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America(AAFA-STL) and asthma/allergy fair, Castlewood State Park, Ballwin, Mo. Race starts at 9. Cost is $25 for adults; $15 for children 12 & younger. Register by calling 314-6452422 or online at aafastl.org.

Sat. May 11, 4 p.m. – 9p.m., 7th Annual Kids Walking forKids –Celebrating Hope, Creve CoeurPark, sponsored by SSM Behavioral Health Services, CHADS Coalition for Mental Health; Tickets are $10. For more information, visit chadscoalition.org or wakingmanmovie.com.

Sat. May 11, Free Skin Cancer Screenings at several locations by the St. Louis Dematological Society, American Academy of Dermatology and the American Cancer Society. Nine area locations; see below for contact/registration information.

ï St. Anthony’s Medical Center: CancerCare Center 9 a.m.-1p.m, Call 314-ANTHONY/ 314268-4669

ï Mercy Hospital St. Louis 9 a.m. - Noon, Call 314-251-6400

Sat. May 18, Community Women Against Hardship’s 9th Annual Walk & Health Fair, Tower Grove Park (Grand Entrance) Son of Rest Shelter; fun family activities to encourage a healthier lifestyle. For more information, call 314-289-7523 or visit www.cwah.org.

Sat. May 18, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., American Red Cross Blood Drive to help children with sickle cell disease at Christ OurRedeemerAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church, 13820 Old Jamestown Rd. in Black Jack, Mo. To register call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1800-733-2767) and choose Option 2 or register online at http://tinyurl.com/sicklecellblooddrive.