St. LouiS AmericAn
‘Too close to City Hall’
“The rushed actions of the City of St. Louis to pressure those in the encampment to move from their home is deeply traumatizing,” wrote Dr. Laurie Punch, a BJC HealthCare trauma surgeon working on the COVID-19 crisis. “The residents have not had adequate notice of the time to evacuate and have not been given assurance of a safe and supportive alternative.”
Krewson clears out tent camps though city has a
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
Homeless advocates gave blankets to about 20 unhoused individuals in downtown St. Louis on the evening of Sunday, May 3, who slept on the ground in the parks around 14th and Market streets.
The night before, a majority of these individuals slept in tents.
On Sunday morning, City of St. Louis officials took down the tents, after a federal judge denied a temporary restraining order request on May 1 to prevent the St. Louis Department of Health from vacating the tent encampments downtown. The city also removed the hand-washing stations and restrooms they had previously placed near the encampments.
waiting list for shelter
n “The city has decided to prioritize 14th and Market not because of health risk but because it’s too close to City Hall.”
– Alex Cohen, Tent Mission STL
Advocates said anywhere from 15 to 40 people were sleeping in downtown parks on a regular basis prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they started using tents at the beginning of April in response to the outbreak.
“Our friend who had a tent and came back after the eviction yesterday said, ‘‘I guess I’ll
Urban League unites volunteers to serve community during COVID-19 crisis
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
“Stronger than Corona.”
James Clark, incoming vice president of Public Safety and Community Response for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, was connecting with a volunteer, making eye contact.
City, county to lift public health orders
‘There was some pressure on the elected officials’
By Rebecca Rivas Of
The St. Louis American
St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page and City of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson announced on Tuesday, May 5 that they would begin to ease public health restrictions on May 18.
n “If we want to bring the economy back on line, then we have to put protections in place to decrease transmission.”
sleep where I’ve always slept but now without a tent again,’” said Alex Cohen, a member of the Tent Mission STL, a grassroots group that has been aiding the tent encampments.
During the federal hearing on May 1, city counselors told a federal judge that they had beds for everyone who wanted one. They argued that the reason they wanted to tear down the tents was because they posed a “high risk for the spread of COVID-19.” Homeless advocates and a medical doctor opposed the decision, saying that it went against federal health guidelines of keeping homeless encampments contained during the pandemic.
At about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, volunteer advocates with Tent Mission STL compiled a
See KREWSON, A7
— Dr. Alexander Garza, pandemic task force incident commander
However, just a day before, they both said during briefings they were not ready to set a date because the hospitalization trend in St. Louis still showed a “very serious situation.” Hospital inpatient data is currently the best barometer for understanding the amount of transmission and community spread of COVID19, local experts say. The trend line for the number of patients currently hospitalized for COVID-19 shows a “plateau” and not a substantial decline. The trend line for new patients — which doctors now say is more timely data — is heading down but has seen some substantial spikes recently.
“Right now, the trend is in the right direction — it’s just not a robust trend,” Page said during his briefing on Wednesday, May 6. “I wouldn’t expect to see a large change in that trend until we start easing the social-distancing guidelines. If we see something unexpected, we may modify our orders.”
Both Page and Krewson said they rely
n “It’s been more than a notion, but we are all pulling together to make it work.”
– Monique Williams-Moore, Urban League
“You better know it,” the volunteer responded. They followed up the call and response with what could be described as a “socially distant dap.” Clark raised his elbow in the direction of the volunteer. The volunteer mirrored the movement. They couldn’t touch, but it was clear that they felt each other. It appeared to be a ritual between Urban League volunteers as Clark repeated the same “Stronger than Corona” greeting to at least a half-dozen volunteers. Each response was identical. Chins lifted, elbows high. Smiling eyes overcompensating for facial expressions that protective masks have forced them to cover. “You better know it.” Thanks to the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis – with the assistance of several sponsors and community partners – volunteers went about the work to prove their greeting true. On this Friday morning four weeks ago, they
See CORONA, A6
Photo by Wiley Price
St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, Ferguson Councilwoman Ella Jones, St. Louis County Councilwoman Rochelle Walton Gray, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis President and CEO Michael P. McMillan and St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page practiced social distancing at the former Jamestown Mall in Florissant on May 2, where the Urban League served 1,500 families with food and necessities.
Photo by Wiley Price
R. Kelly pleads not guilty to new charges
Incarcerated R&B singer R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to new sex trafficking charges in New York.
The new indictment allegedly adds several allegations of abuse from a victim referred to only as Jane Doe 5, including knowingly spreading the herpes virus to two people.
Two of the new counts carry minimum sentences of 10 years if convicted.
R. Kelly is also facing charges in Chicago and Minnesota.
Woman refiles $60M sex tape suit against Kevin Hart
by The Blast, the woman claims she was unknowingly filmed inside of Hart’s hotel room while being intimate with the actor.
In the suit, she claims she “engaged in private sexual relations with Hart, in Hart’s private bedroom suite at the Cosmopolitan.” She adds, “unbeknownst to (her) and without her knowledge or consent, she was filmed naked from the waist down while she engaged in private sexual relations with Hart.”
In the lawsuit, she claims Hart’s then friend JT Jackson was given access to Hart’s hotel suite and set up a hidden video recording device that “ultimate ly recorded the video.”
“I might be the only defendant in the world who can’t wait to get back to court,” Jackson said, followed by a series of hashtags that imply the woman is being deceitful.
Cynthia Baily denies being fired from ‘RHOA’ after rumors swirl
years now. I love my cast, and my Bravo family. I am looking forward to next season.”
Rick Ross being sued for child support after relationship ends abruptly
Kevin Hart is being sued again by an alleged sex tape partner for $60 million dollars. In a previous suit, she claimed he conspired to intentionally leak a sex tape of the two of them for publicity. The woman is now taking the case to a Los Angeles County Court and accusing the comedian of similar issues.
According to new legal documents obtained
The woman filed a similar case in Federal court, that Hart has being try ing to get dismissed after she failed to serve him properly.
In this case, she again accusing the comedian “conspired” with Jackson to intentionally record her naked and engaged in sexual relations with Hart for “the purpose of obtaining a tremendous financial benefit for himself,” including “(a) the benefits obtained through the additional publicity and media atten tion the VIDEO garnered, which in turn helped to promote his Irresponsible Tour, which was a record-breaking comedy, and (b) to increase his overall pop culture status.”
In a post on his Instagram page, Jackson maintains his innocence.
Over the weekend there were rumors that Bravo was planning to shake up the cast of all The Real Housewives franchises and that Eva were likely being fired from “The Real Bailey fueled the rumors with a cryptic post and removed all signs of “The strongest people aren’t the ones who always win, but the ones who don’t give up when they lose,” The caption of a throwback pic-
A few days later, Bailey told popular urban celebrity news blog The Shade Room she still
NOW HIRING TEMPORARY TEAMMATES
According to Bossip.com, Rapper Rick former partner has sued the rapper in order to legally name him as their children’s father and to establish court-ordered support for them.
“I have no plans to leave RHOA at this time,” Bailey told The Shade Room.
“Every year there are rumors saying that I am getting fired, or not returning. I’ve been a peach holder consistently for 10
According to court documents obtained by the urban celebrity news and gossip site, Briana Camille recently sued her rapper ex for paternity and to establish both temporary and permanent child support for their two children and revealed that she was expecting a third child with the rapper this fall. Camille reportedly said that although they were never married, she’d been living with Ross and their two kids, Berkeley, 3 and Billion, 2, for the last two years before their sudden split.
She is said to have asked the judge to force the rapper to take a DNA test and pay her lawyer’s fees. Bossip also said that a lawyer for Ross said that he was the one who initially reached out to her to take a DNA test – and he’s been consistently supporting the children in question.
Sources: The Shade Room, Instagram.com, The Blast, Bossip.com
His death was confirmed on the
Kevin Hart
County cop charged with involuntary manslaughter
Police Officer Preston Marquart killed 12-year-old Akeelah Jackson with his squad car
By Rebecca Rivas
Of The St. Louis American
St. Louis Circuit
Attorney Kimberly Gardner has charged
St. Louis County Police Officer Preston Marquart with involuntary manslaughter in the second degree, related to the death of 12-year-old Akeelah
“Kee Kee” Jackson.
County police officials have said publicly that Marquart was trying to catch up to a vehicle to make a traffic stop, but that Marquart did not have his lights or sirens on when he hit Jackson. Jackson died on November 12.
On October 14, Marquart struck Jackson with his police car as she was crossing the street at around 6 p.m.
“The charges follow an exhaustive and detailed investigation in collaboration with our partners in the 6th District and Traffic Divisions of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police
Your inability to stay 6 feet apart may put you 6 feet under
By James Ingram For The St. Louis American
I’m aware of the Trump administration’s inept management of the COVID-19 national strategy, as well as the general lack of testing within the AfricanAmerican community. These things, undoubtedly, put the black community at a higher
risk for contracting the virus, exacerbated by underlying health factors within our community such as hypertension and diabetes. But I’m also painfully aware of what has been, unfortunately, an abysmal lack of information, awareness and precaution among my people as it pertains to this pandemic. Despite warnings of “Stay
Department,” Gardner said in a statement. Marquart is still employed at the county police department.
at Home,” “Shelter in Place” and instructions to practice social distancing – which are omnipresent in newspapers, social media, television, billboards and elsewhere – too many black folks are visibly ignoring the warnings.
I’ve personally witnessed young blacks in East St. Louis, with bars, nightclubs and casinos now closed, resorting to public gatherings at parks, gas station lots, as well as coordinating house parties and impromptu barbeques with friends. At these gatherings, I’ve noticed a visible absence of social distancing, a lack of face masks and an abundance of handshakes, hugs and
He will be suspended without pay, which is consistent with the department’s Conduct and Discipline Manual, a county
interaction as if they were oblivious to the contagious nature of the virus.
On another occasion I drove past a popular takeout Chop Suey joint in ESL and witnessed no fewer than 15 cars parked around the establishment, with a packed lobby, in which the only safe individuals were the Asian owners and cooks behind their bullet-proof glass barrier.
And the excessive black deaths are reflective of this lack of information in Illinois, with 60 percent of the coronavirus fatalities in Chicago being African Americans, consistent with the national trend.
police spokesman said.
“Akeelah and her loved ones continue to be in our thoughts and prayers, just as they have been since that tragic day,” said Sgt. Benjamin Granda, spokesman for the county police department.
Granda said an internal investigation into Marquart’s actions is still underway.
The Ethical Society of Police, a police association that advocates for racial equality, has been calling for Marquart to be charged since December — claiming that he failed to turn on his lights and siren for 32 seconds as he pursued a car for a traffic violation.
“It takes one second to turn on the lights of a police car, an additional second to turn on the siren,” stated Heather Taylor,
Much of this indifference is rooted in popular mythology within the black community, at the onset of the pandemic, that blacks were, somehow, immune from the coronavirus. But when black NBA players and celebrities such as Idris Elba and Babyface were infected, it brought belated awareness of the disease, which had already spread.
So, I ask my people, young and old: is it worth it to potentially die because you can’t temporarily kick it, congregate, get a haircut or a manicure, or simply stay 6 feet apart? Because your inability to stay 6 feet apart may very well put you 6 feet under. And the morticians will be more than willing to accommodate you with a final hair, makeup and manicure appointment. Black folks should already
president of the Ethical Society of Police, in December. “That officer also drove 59 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone before killing Akeelah.”
Upon hearing the news about the charge, Taylor said that it was an “appropriate charge.” “I doubt the officer that killed Akeelah with his reckless actions wanted to hurt a child,” Taylor said in December.
“However, a child has lost her life, with her family left to pick up the pieces from his actions. The officer must be charged and held responsible.”
Officers are taught in the Police Academy to turn on their lights and siren to be recognized as an emergency vehicle, she said.
“We, as officers, are not given a grace period to speed,” Taylor said. “Just once, I’d like to see a police department immediately hold us accountable when our actions cost someone their life.”
know how this society devalues them. This is about doing the things that we can do, like washing our hands, eating healthier foods, exercising, wearing masks, practicing social distancing and staying home, to the degree that we can, and not infecting others. Be wise and be safe and we will get through this together.
Governor J.B. Pritzker, state Senator Christopher Belt, state Representative Latoya Greenwood, and ESL Mayor Robert Eastern III have worked to provide a drive-through COVID-19 testing facility at the Windsor Health Center in ESL. Pre-screening and appointments may be made by calling 618-646-2596. Email: jtingram_1960@ yahoo.com; Twitter@ JamesTIngram.
St. Louis County Police Officer Preston Marquart
Akeelah “Kee Kee” Jackson
Columnist James Ingram
Editorial /CommEntary
Will MO voters stop voting against themselves and for Republicans?
A number of things are happening right now at the same time that may not seem connected, but they are, deeply, in ways that speak to what is wrong about governance in the State of Missouri and an historic opportunity to make it better. Advocates for expanding Medicaid in Missouri turned in enough citizen signatures to get placed on the November 3 ballot an initiative that would allow Missouri voters to choose to expand Medicaid in the state.
The Missouri Legislature, super-dominated by Republicans, worked to undo a previous statewide ballot initiative, the Clean Missouri amendment, which passed on the November 2018 ballot with 62% statewide voter support.
Governor Mike Parson lifted his weak statewide public health order ostensibly meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, enabling local officials to keep in place any – or no – public health protections, although deaths and cases from the pandemic continue to climb.
What connects all of these developments is a disconnect in the minds of a majority of Missouri voters between what they want in public policy and whom they elect to hold public office. November 2018 is the best evidence for this disconnect. Along with Clean Missouri, which repudiated everything the Republican leadership in Jefferson City had been doing, voters also passed a statewide minimum wage increase – which is perennially blocked by Republican leadership – by 62% and medical marijuana – which is unthinkable in a Legislature run by war-on-drugs Republicans – by 65%. However, those same voters elected an arch-conservative Republican, Josh Hawley, to the U.S. Senate over the incumbent Democrat, Claire McCaskill, 53 to 44%.
That means the Democrat, an entrenched incumbent, attracted a whopping 20% fewer votes than three ballot initiatives likely to be passed by a Democratic majority and certain to be opposed vehemently by a Republican majority.
Indeed, Missouri Republicans at this moment are undoing Clean Missouri, even knowing that 62% of voters statewide passed it because they would not. They are acting out of ruthless selfinterest, because a less partisan redistricting process, which was enacted by Clean Missouri, would disrupt the Republican super-majority in Jefferson City and force them to return to dealing with Democrats. That means having to deal with the more progressive values clearly held by a majority of people in the state, despite those voters’ increasingly self-destructive, almost tribal brand loyalty to Republicans. On November 3, Missouri voters will be faced with a number of choices. Among others, they will be asked to expand Medicaid or not and to retain Mike Parson, a Republican, as governor or to elect his Democratic challenger, Nicole Galloway, currently the state auditor. (Parson was not elected governor; he was elected governor and took the higher office when Eric Greitens resigned in disgrace.) It is likely that Missouri voters will expand Medicaid, as the Republicans they elected adamantly refuse to do. And, if recent voting patterns and current polls hold true, they will elect a Republican governor who will immediately go to work with the Republican leadership in Jefferson City to undo the will of the voters. Galloway, on the other hand, would expand Medicaid and welcome federal dollars to the state on day one as governor. There is one way out of this self-destructive cycle: Democrats can figure out how to win elections in Missouri again outside of the urban centers and college towns. Galloway is the most recent to do so, though running against a candidate much more hapless than Parson. If the polls are accurate, then she and the Democrats need to be doing and saying some things they are not to convince Missouri voters that, in electing Republicans, they keep voting against themselves.
Senate bill would disempower elected prosecutor, disenfranchise St. Louis voters
By Daniel S. Harawa and Kimberly J. Norwood
St. Louis American
For The
A Missouri Senate committee recently held a hearing on Senate Bill 889. This bill would give the Missouri attorney general “concurrent jurisdiction” to prosecute certain crimes in the City of St. Louis. It allows the Attorney General to receive referrals directly from law enforcement and to initiate prosecutions. Moreover, the bill gives the attorney general the power to take over prosecutions commenced by the circuit attorney, St. Louis’ elected prosecutor.
The bill marks an unprecedented power grab, all in an attempt to undermine Kimberly Gardner – a black woman prosecutor who ran on a platform of change.
Missourians get to choose their local prosecutors. As the Missouri Supreme Court explained, we elect prosecutors to “exercise [their] own discretion to the dictates of [their] own judgment and conscience uncontrolled by the judgment and conscience of any other person.”
In an historic election, St. Louis elected Kimberly Gardner to be circuit attorney – the first African American to hold the position of head prosecutor in Missouri. What resonated with voters was Gardner’s promise to reform a broken system. No doubt Gardner has done things differently. Gardner dismissed marijuana possession cases. She pledged to stop requesting cash bail for low-level felonies and has used diversion programs as an alternative for incarceration. She placed 22 police officers on an “exclusion list” after discovering their racist social media posts. And Gardner established a Conviction Integrity Unit to review cases previously prosecuted by her office for evidence of misconduct, and has fought all the way to Missouri’s
Supreme Court to free Lamar Johnson after uncovering compelling evidence that he is innocent of the crime for which he has spent the last 25 years behind bars.
Gardner’s attempt at change has faced staunch resistance. Her diversion program has been met with skepticism by some judges. The St. Louis Police Officers Association requested a restraining order to prevent Gardner from blacklisting officers, with the spokesman saying that Gardner needs to be removed “by force or by choice.” And the Missouri Attorney General has opposed Gardner’s fight for Lamar Johnson’s release, arguing she does not have the power to file a new trial motion in his case while never disputing the evidence of innocence Gardner has uncovered. But there is a mechanism to voice disapproval: Election Day.
As Tim Lomar – president of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, which represents all 115 elected prosecutors in the state – said, any form of concurrent jurisdiction is “bad government,” and those unhappy with Gardner should “address those issues . . . at the ballot box.”
SB 889 subverts the electoral process. Its sponsor claims the bill was motivated by the need for additional resources to prosecute crime in St. Louis. Yet the bill does not contemplate
Campaigning for the state Senate alongside COVID-19
By Michelle Sherod For The St. Louis American
I do not have the new coronavirus. But I am running for Missouri’s 5th Senate District alongside it. Like all of us, I never expected to be living – or campaigning – under these conditions. Even though we were not prepared for this pandemic, we’re fighting back. We’re going to beat it, and I am as determined as ever to be part of that effort.
Last July, when I started a journey into politics, I was cheered on and supported by my loving husband, Ronald. However, by December of last year, I suddenly became a widow after Ron passed away from a stroke. In the midst of my immense grief and sadness, dealing with dozens of communications between my health insurance company and the hospital that cared for him, and surrounded by an outpouring of love, I have a deeper desire to change our state’s healthcare system.
Then came COVID-19. It has trampled our neighborhoods, nursing homes, small businesses, meat packing plants, and prisons, stealing both lives and livelihoods. It is clear that healthcare is a basic human right. No person should be denied access to quality healthcare, including potentially life-saving treatment and medications, because of their inability to pay.
We can help these families by passing Medicaid expansion in the next legislative session. It doesn’t make sense
for Missouri to leave federal dollars on the table that will get spent in some other state in order to continue rejecting “Obamacare,” simply because it was passed during President Obama’s tenure. Our state must also deal with the scope of healthcare. Mental healthcare is healthcare. And we must have leaders in Jefferson City who are willing to fight for the funding and resources necessary to help people access the care that they need to thrive.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shined much-needed light on the inequities of our current health system and exposed how our state and federal governments are failing communities of color. African Americans have a heightened risk of harm from this virus due to a disproportionate lack of access to quality healthcare, housing, transportation, education and employment. Add to that underlying medical conditions and an understandable mistrust of the system, and it results in heartbreaking statistics for African Americans in St. Louis being hospitalized and dying. This injustice cannot be allowed to continue, and I want to be part of the coalition of elected officials sent to Jefferson City with a clear mandate to stop it.
As a former deputy state auditor, I view the problems we are facing with healthcare, employment and crime through the eyes of an auditor who scrutinizes each line on the budget report while analyzing how and where our tax dollars are spent. If the people of St. Louis vote to send me back to Jefferson City, I will go through our state’s budget with a fine-tooth comb and fight to make sure our community gets every dollar we are due. I care deeply about helping your family succeed and our community thrive. That’s why I am campaigning through COVID-19 and through personal trials. We have seen how our state and country functions when elected leaders choose convenience over courage and excuses over experience. I have decades of experience – as a federal and state public servant, as a small business owner, and as a licensed attorney and C.P.A. – decades making courageous decisions to do what’s best for Missourians. And now I want to use the totality of my professional experience, combined with a lifetime of lessons I’ve learned while growing up as the daughter of a widowed mother alongside my siblings, in order to continue serving St. Louisans. Michelle Sherod is running for Missouri’s 5th District Senate seat as a Democrat. She is a C.P.A., attorney, small business owner and nonprofit executive with more than 20 years of experience working for Claire McCaskill in state and federal offices.
the attorney general working with Gardner or provide her with financial assistance. Rather, the bill upends the circuit attorney’s relationship with local law enforcement and usurps her prosecutorial authority. The bill is designed to strip Gardner of her power.
The bill also disenfranchises St. Louisans. Everywhere else in the state, people get to elect their local prosecutors. SB 889, which only applies to St. Louis, declares St. Louisans do not have the same say as to how justice is handled in their community.
State Senator Karla May has argued that this bill is motivated by racial bias. The racial dynamics cannot be ignored. The actions surrounding Gardner’s tenure are part of a pattern emerging across the country. Black women prosecutors, elected because of their promise of reform, have been met with vociferous backlash. Gardner has received letters hoping “the KKK get [her] and string her up from the biggest oak tree,” or the COVID-19 takes her “last lowlife breath.”
Senate Bill 889 is just another form of attack.
Missouri’s first black prosecutor ran on a promise to address the racial disparities in the criminal justice system. The people of St. Louis, the only majority-black jurisdiction in Missouri, elected Gardner to fulfill that promise. And now, some state legislators are trying to strip Gardner of her power, and by extension, deny the people of St. Louis their voice.
As Lomar said, SB 889 is “bad government.” It must be rejected.
Daniel S. Harawa is an assistant professor of Practice and director of the Appellate Clinic at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.
Kimberly J. Norwood is the Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.
L
etters to the editor
Correction
It was then-state Rep. Connie Johnson who found then-state Rep. Sam Page a useful ally in crafting progressive health reform bills when they served together in the Missouri House of Representatives early in this century, not state Rep. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, as we wrongly noted last week. We regret the error.
Applause and assistance for workers
Is the high number of COVID-19 cases reported in the African-American community because they are working to support the needs of our society during these difficult times and are a major part of our essential workforces such as food services, deliveries, caregivers, sanitation workers, public transit workers and many more? Their continued work merits applause and assistance.
Secondly, are people having to work to support their own food and housing needs making them and their families disproportionately highly exposed?
With unpaid rent piling up, renters face the looming threat of eviction and homelessness. And children no longer in school are not only missing lessons, but they are also missing meals that for many is their only source of food during the day.
I urge our members of Congress to pass legislation that includes at least $100 billion for emergency rental assistance, a national moratorium on evictions, and a 15 percent increase in the maximum SNAP benefit (formerly food stamps) in the next coronavirus bill
Sri Jaladi Creve Coeur
What is happening at Hogan Street?
Where are we now after the COVID-19 case at Hogan Street? The media announced in March the Hogan Street Regional Youth Center had a youth testing positive. Since then there have been now six out of 19 youth infected and two staff. They are still being held at the center. Why are the children not being sent home to be with family in this time of pandemic? Mask and gloves are no guarantee against COVID19 and close unnecessary confinement.
Being subjected to this virus and away from family is inhuman. What assurance do the families have of their youth’s health and safety? The February audit at Hogan Street
All letters are edited for length and style.
revealed 33 residents at the facility in close quarters with an average stay of 446 days. Just looking at these numbers, my concern is how the youth are being housed, the number of staff per youth and the confinement time. Should this scenario be revisited?
On May 8 at 5 p.m. Metropolitan Congregations United will host a car parade past the Hogan Street Youth Center, 1839 Hogan St. We will let the youth know we see them. We will let the authorities know we see them too. For more information, visit MCUStlouis.org.
Fran Collier St. Louis
As I See It - A Forum
Guest Columnist Michelle Sherod
Normandy Safety Officer
Little Holly sorts some of the meals for families at the Normandy Early Learning Center. Meals are available for pickup at Normandy schools Mondays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Normandy Schools add Wellston City Hall for meal pickup
Normandy Schools families can now pick up meals at the Wellston City Hall, 1414 Evergreen Ave., 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Grab & Go Meals are available for all youth 18 years and under within the Normandy district footprint.
Meals are also available Mondays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Barack Obama School, 3883 Jennings Sta. Road; Bel-Nor School, 3101 Nordic Dr.; Jefferson School, 4315 Cardwell Dr.;
U. City gets grant to feed school kids
The University City Education Foundation has been awarded a grant for $10,000 to continue the work of addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant money comes from the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund and was awarded by the St. Louis Community Foundation. The money will be used to help provide meals for students and their families during the summer months. A gift of $50 can help support a family for one week during the 13-week summer break. Donations are welcome via this link: www.ucityschools. org/MealAppeal2020.
Normandy Early Learning Center, 7855 Natural Bridge Rd.; Normandy High School, 6701 St. Charles Rock Rd.; Washington School, 1730 N. Hanley; Norwood-Redfield Apartments, 7217 Woodstead Ct.; Lucas Hunt Village, 5303 Lucas-Hunt Rd.; Springwood Apartments, 9123 Torchlite Ln.
For more information, please visit www.normandysc.org/covid19 or contact the school Family Engagement Liaison.
Free meals at Central Baptist Church
Central Baptist Church feeds the hungry even in this period of social distancing. Every Tuesday between 12 noon and 1 p.m., free lunches are given to whomever shows up. “We look forward to serving the community, and this is a small way of doing just that,” the church stated.
Central Baptist Church is located at 2845 Washington Ave.
Can we make a commitment to help a child?
By Jamala Rogers For The St. Louis American
I have seen some clever memes on social media about the instant home-schooling situation created by the COVID-19 crises. A few of them got a good chuckle out of me. I could tell a number of the memes were concocted or circulated by educators who wondered out loud, “Now you see I wasn’t lying about your bad-ass son!”
We should know this is no laughing matter—unless we’re laughing to keep from crying. Students coming from impoverished homes struggle academically without a nasty virus on the scene. If there is no summer school to make up for the loss of second semester, we can count on the academic achievement gap widening. Significant research has been done on the backsliding of poor students during the summer break. The phenomenon is referred to as the summer learning loss (SLL) or the summer slide. While parents with resources enroll their kids in computer camps, thespian teams or sports leagues or travel abroad, too many poor kids spend hours watching TV or playing outside. Any instructional gains made during the school year are doomed.
Research over decades indicates the learning loss increases with age so that by middle school, these students are experiencing 35-50 percent decreases in reading and math. For districts concerned about standardized tests (I am not), they should be thinking about interventions right now. The interventions cannot be just about the academics.
I’m concerned about the increase in child abuse (sexual and physical). I’m concerned about domestic abuse. I’m concerned about hunger. I’m concerned about unhoused families. I’m concerned about students with no one to help them with homework. I’m concerned that students don’t have internet or devices to do their assignments.
And while I’m concerned about all students in the bi-state area, my heart and history lie with the St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS). Ninety-four percent of SLPS students receive free or reduced lunches. Many also received breakfast and, for those in after-school programs, they looked forward to those snacks. Meals through the schools are a necessity. The district has addressed that need during the stayhome mandate by giving out food kits to families every Friday that last for a week.
We know that students are not showing up for their online classes. We know that most of them don’t have internet services or computers. How is this situation –well-known before the pandemic – being addressed?
We know who the haves and have nots are, and it’s not always about race. A Pew Research Center study found the families with higher incomes are more likely to have internet and multiple devices such as laptops and tablets. One in four low-income students have no access to the internet. This means a black student in North St. Louis and a white student in Fredericktown, Missouri share the same problem because of their economics.
COVID-19 is now in control of our lives and our timelines. We know that this school semester is a bust. Since folks are resistant to practicing public safety during the pandemic, summer school as we know it is probably wishful thinking.
Our communities will have to develop some creative strategies now. Kids trying to learn in an environment where tensions are flaring because of no jobs, no money, no food, no recreation. We know these families.
Can we make a commitment to call or Facetime a child to help with homework? Or to watch a movie together with a screen share? Or to sit on the porch and chat over some smoothies (at a distance!). Let’s give Mom, Dad or the grandparents a break. Let’s give the children a break. Before this pandemic is over, we’re gonna need a lot of breaks so that we don’t break – in pieces.
I will check in with folks at SLPS to see what they’re designing for these special learning circumstances. Let me know what child or youth you connect with to bring some joy and a little peace.
Jamala Rogers
that need it the most.”
worked the second of five drive-through food and toiletries distribution events the Urban League organized in St. Louis city, St. Louis County and the Metro East.
That morning, they served the community in the parking lot of the business strip that houses the Urban League North St. Louis Community Empowerment Center on Aubert Avenue near Kingshighway in St. Louis. They had conducted the effort only once before, but they already had their rhythm and logistics down.
The line was so long the week before at the inaugural giveaway –in the parking lot of the Urban League’s Jennings office – that police had to direct the impeded traffic. The line for entry stretched from Jennings Station Road and Halls Ferry nearly to the I-70
Health Orders
Continued from A1
Continued from A1 on guidance from the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, which compiles daily reports on hospitalizations for the region’s four major health largest healthcare systems: BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health and St. Luke’s Hospital.
On May 5, there were 683 patients hospitalized who either tested positive or were suspected of having COVID-19, the task force reported. On April 21 — around the region’s likely peak in the pandemic’s first wave — there were 750 people hospitalized. Hospitalizations are still up about 45 percent higher from than the beginning of April.
exit about two miles away. Cars came from every direction trying to maneuver their way into the line.
For the second week, their first in the city, they had traffic cops posted where they predicted cars would funnel into the line. By 10 a.m. cars were lined up for several city blocks, even though the event didn’t start until noon.
“They started lining up at 9 a.m.,” Clark said. Clark, several Urban League employees and volunteers had been on site since 8 a.m. The volunteers responsible for assembling the care packages had been at it for at least two shifts the night before. Their process would rival any high-performance assembly plant.
“It’s been more than a notion, but we are all pulling together to make it work,” said Monique WilliamsMoore, project director for the Urban League’s Workforce Development arm. After spending time at the
The St. Louis American asked Dr. Alexander Garza, incident commander for the task force, what caused the elected officials’ sudden change of heart to solidify a date?
“It’s a couple different things,” Garza said. “People like to have some sort of clarity of what’s going to happen. There was some pressure on the elected officials. You can only go so far with not setting down a specific date. That’s human nature.”
In addition, Garza said there’s always going to be some political pressure, “even if it doesn’t make much sense.”
The best thing the task force can do is to give advice on how safe it’s going to be for whatever date is chosen, Garza said. The stay-at-home order, which went into effect on March 23, will have been in place about eight weeks by May 18, which is consistent with past pandemics, he said.
“I believe by the time the 18th rolls around — barring any jumping cases or anything else occurring — it’s probably as good as any other date that you would pick going forward,” he said. “You never
food assembly station the evening before, she was there bright and early to work logistics as they provided immediate relief to people impacted by the pandemic. COVID-19 has shifted her work responsibilities. Before the pandemic, she placed people in jobs so they could feed their families. Now she was helping to feed families directly as a front-line responder. Her work attire has gone from business casual to T-shirt, tennis shoes, a protective mask and gloves.
“It’s about stepping up in times of crisis,” WilliamsMoore said.
Just as with the Ferguson unrest, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has done exactly that in the COVID-19 pandemic under the leadership of president and CEO Michael P. McMillan.
The logistics certainly were more than a notion. By morning, packages were stacked high on each side of drivethrough tents. People drove through, popped their trunk
know what’s going to happen.”
It may be difficult to get the transmission rate any lower than it is now without “shutting everything down,” he said.
However, he said, people have to be invested in the “new normal” of social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands and spraying down surfaces in order to keep transmission down — or it won’t work.
Later this week, Page and Krewson will further outline what the new guidance will look like. In addition to the things Garza mentioned, it will include avoiding large crowds and staying home when possible, they said.
On Wednesday morning, Page said the upcoming order will require all businesses and their employees to wear masks. They will also allow businesses to refuse to serve anyone who comes in without a mask. When asked about enforcement, he said, “I will be very surprised if businesses whose employees are not wearing
and received a care package of food, toiletries and protective gear – including face masks, gloves and hand sanitizer. Among the grocery items were watermelons, mangoes, potatoes, chickens, prepackaged salad mix, snacks, juice, milk, and non-perishables.
Because of social distancing, contact between volunteers and the individuals they blessed was kept at a minimum. Recipients stayed in their cars as volunteers filled trunks. They were grateful as they drove off, even though they couldn’t yet see the full scope of the gift.
The necessary precautions meant that some couldn’t be served. A woman walked up to the lot with a small child and a toddler in a stroller was told the event was drive-through because of the size of the packages they were distributing and to limit contact.
“So that means, if you don’t have a car you can’t get this help,” the woman said. “It’s us out here without transportation
masks will get much traffic.”
Public health interventions also must be firmly in place, Garza said, and that includes robust testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.
During the 1918 influenza pandemic, Garza said, the St. Louis region relaxed its social distancing restrictions too soon and there was a second wave of infections that was more devastating than the first. We have a chance to learn from that mistake with the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
If Garza could design his ideal process of lifting restrictions, he said he would put the majority of resources in the places that have the highest transmission rates. Right now, those places are nursing homes, North St. Louis County and North St. Louis city. Those targeted resources include tests, masks, gloves and a robust educational outreach on ways to prevent spread.
Most importantly, he said, it includes supportive services,
Farrakhan Shegog tried to apologize, but she turned her back to him and started walking towards the office – where she received the same response.
“You want to help everybody,” Shegog said. “But we have to protect ourselves – and them. This is the safe way to do this, and by being safe means social distancing.”
The goal was to bless 1,500 people. They ended up serving more than 1,700 that afternoon. The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis said more than $100,000 was poured into the community in their giveaway.
By the time the Urban League made it back to St. Louis County on Saturday, May 2 – setting up shop at the former Jamestown Mall – the scale of the giveaway had nearly doubled.
“Thanks to the additional donations of food from Sysco, Dot Foods, Operation Food Search, The Food Bank and Dollar General, we provided
such as child care, food and financial support.
In his visits to federally qualified health centers in North St. Louis, he heard from center leaders that people don’t want to be tested because they can’t afford to take off work if they test positive.
“The whole goal is to decrease transmission,” Garza said. “Everything that we should be focusing on should be directed towards that goal. If there are things that are negatively impacting that goal, such as people don’t want to get tested because they can’t afford to take off work, then you have to support them so they can take off work. Otherwise you are going to just keep increasing your chance of transmission.”
During his daily briefings, Garza regularly talks about the seven-day “moving average” of the total number of people in the hospitals — which he has said is a good indicator of transmission in the region. That
over $200,000 in food, toiletries, masks, gloves, sanitizer and energy-efficient light bulbs to 2800 families,” McMillan announced via Facebook. Cars lined up from New Halls Ferry and Lindbergh heading towards the former mall site. According to a COVID-19 case count by the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, it is in one of the zip codes (63034) most heavily impacted by the virus. McMillan and his team were joined by St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page and St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell.
“Thanks to our staff, volunteers and partners that made all of this possible, we will get through this together,” McMillan said.
Stronger than Corona. You better know it. The Urban League will return to the North St. Louis Community Empowerment Center for a drive-thru food and toiletries distribution event from noon – 3 p.m. on May 9th.
trend line is currently “plateauing,” he said.
However, the task force is now finding that because people are not leaving the hospital for long periods of time, so looking at new hospital admissions is a better indicator of what’s happening currently.
On Monday, he provided this trend line data for the first time — the seven-day moving average of new hospital admissions. On April 9, that seven-day average stood at 59, and on May 5 the number was down to 43.
“And that’s a really encouraging trend,” Garza said. He noted that there was a spike in this data on May 2. He said that it was probably a result of people getting together for Easter.
“It’s a good lesson for us that gives us a little bit of a signal that this is real,” Garza said. “If people aren’t following all the guidance, this could happen.”
Krewson
Continued from A1
list of six individuals who had their tents taken away that morning and were willing to go into shelters. Amy Bickford, the city’s director of homeless services, had requested that advocates compile the list, Cohen said. However at 3 p.m., Bickford told advocates that she and her team were done for the day and they wouldn’t be placing people, according to text messages sent from Bickford to Tent Mission STL members.
The St. Louis American reached out to Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards, who has been working closely with the Tent Mission STL group, and Steve Conway, the mayor’s chief of staff, for a response.
Conway said one of the people on the list was banned and two refused to go to the Buder Park Recreation Center, which is a congregate shelter in a gymnasium.
“The outreach workers placed everyone in the parks in housing, plus all others that just showed up from other encampments and otherwise,” Edwards told The American on Sunday night. “Placements today started at 10 a.m. and ended at 2 p.m. Everyone at or near the parks was placed prior to the workers leaving today. I was advised that a couple hours after the outreach workers left one of the parks, more folk showed up. Outreach will continue tomorrow.”
Sharon Morrow is a member of the Tent Mission STL, who has been working as a volunteer for four years with several organizations that serve the unhoused yearround. Morrow said that Edwards’ comment that people came from other places
to get shelter doesn’t take into account that these individuals are nomadic.
“Sadly, the city does not have many relationships with the folks on the streets,” Morrow said. “They have no idea who is where. It’s hard to have relationships if you are not present. And the city is definitely not present. The city seems to be more concerned that housed people see tents than for the wellbeing of the most vulnerable in our city.”
Edwards said that police would not arrest anyone who was sleeping in the park after curfew or have any encounters with those at the park, “so long as no tents are stood up.”
Morrow said Edwards’ description and timeline of what happened on Sunday was not accurate.
“We have worked tirelessly for weeks begging to work with the city,” Morrow said. “Instead, we are met with misrepresentation of the truth and PR stunts. These types of comments just perpetuate the mistrust between the city’s department of human services and outreach teams, as well as the unhoused.”
Mayor Lyda Krewson said this weekend 61 individuals were placed in shelters or hotel rooms from the encampments, during her Facebook live briefing on Monday, May 4. She said the volunteer outreach workers, who work year-round with the homeless population, were “so instrumental in assisting with this process.”
Krewson also said that the city is closing the downtown parks for cleaning and “restoration.”
“We’ve got to do some grass cutting and restoring of turf,” she said.
ArchCity files suit
Did the City of St. Louis violate some 50 unhoused individuals’ 8th Amendment rights when officials ordered the tent
encampments to vacate?
On Friday, May 1 — the day the tents were ordered to come down — St. Louis city counselors and ArchCity Defenders attorneys argued this question in federal court.
ArchCity Defenders asked U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to grant a temporary restraining order (TRO), preventing the city from removing the tents downtown along Market Street near Tucker Boulevard.
During the hearing, ArchCity said that the city’s order to vacate criminalizes its client Ranata Frank’s status of being homeless, therefore violating her 8th Amendment right to protection from cruel and unusual punishment.
downtown, but it’s not in view of City Hall.
The notice and order to vacate that was zip-tied to tents downtown on April 29 said “nothing about criminal liability or penalties,” Pitlyk wrote in her ruling.
However, during the hearing, Pitlyk asked St. Louis Health Director Dr. Fredrick Echols what the city plans to do if these individuals decide to sleep in the park, even without tents. Echols said the police would come and tell them to leave. Pitlyk asked what happens if they don’t move. Echols told the judge that they currently don’t have a plan for that scenario.
n “The city seems to be more concerned that housed people see tents than for the wellbeing of the most vulnerable in our city.”
On Saturday, May 2, Pitlyk sided with the city and denied the request for a TRO. In her ruling, Pitlyk stated that the city is not criminalizing the state of being homeless or sleeping in public.
– Sharon Morrow, Tent Mission STL
ArchCity Defenders argued that the order will end up being punitive, whether the city outlined that in the order or not. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 at 10 a.m.
“At most, the city is criminalizing sleeping in public in a particular location,” she wrote. “During times of public health crises, local governments have broad latitude to institute protective measures so long as those measures have a ‘real or substantial relation’ to the public health crisis.”
City counselors argued that the tent encampments downtown posed a “high risk for the spread of COVID-19” because it wasn’t “contained” like the encampments in other parts of the city.
This is the only tent encampment the city is attempting to vacate, though there are at least two others. Advocates for the unhoused said the other encampments pose the same risk as the one
‘Do not clear encampments’
City Counselor Mike Garvin told the judge that the city has cabs ready to take unhoused individuals to “hotel rooms,” if the TRO is not granted.
However, city officials on the ground said there were not enough hotel rooms for everyone. Some people will only agree to go into hotel rooms for various “valid” reasons, advocates said, including past trauma and fear that they will have less control of who they sleep next to and contract the virus.
Cohen said the registration process Conway mentioned did not go smoothly.
“People were having emotional breakdowns,” Cohen said. “It was massive anxiety.
It was horrible. The police showed up first.”
Every day, Cohen and other volunteers fill out the city’s Google form to request shelter on behalf of individuals at the encampments and in other parts of the city.
Some have been waiting for a while to hear back from the request form, Cohen said. They’ve been told there is a 100-person wait list for shelter.
During the hearing, Echols did not deny that there was a waiting list, but said that the city was prioritizing the individuals at the downtown encampment. Cohen was disheartened by this because it shows the city is prioritizing “by location and not by need or risk.”
“What is happening to everyone else who is high-risk, people who actually want to go in?” Cohen said. “There are at least 75 elsewhere who are unhoused. All those people outside of these camps, what is the update? The city has decided to prioritize 14th and Market not because of health risk but because it’s too close to City Hall.”
Dr. Laurie Punch, a BJC HealthCare trauma surgeon who is currently working at Christian Hospital with COVID-19 patients, submitted a dissenting declaration to the court about the city’s decision to vacate the encampments.
She pointed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) interim guidance on preventing COVID-19: “Unless individual housing units are available, do not clear encampments during community spread of COVID19. Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers.”
Punch wrote that in her professional opinion, the City of St. Louis is endangering unhoused individuals and the community if it does not fol-
low CDC’s guidance. Echols testified the city is following CDC’s guidelines because there were roughly 95 beds available Friday morning for the roughly 50 people remaining at the encampment. ArchCity Defenders pushed back, asking how this could be true if there was a waiting list citywide?
“The rushed actions of the city to pressure those in the encampment to move from their home is deeply traumatizing and has not engaged with the residents in a constructive way,” Punch wrote. “The residents have not had adequate notice of the time to evacuate and have not been given assurance of a safe and supportive alternative.” Punch recently provided medical outreach at the Market Street encampments.
“I have personally observed the unhoused residents of the encampment being approached by city officials in a way which was not trauma-informed including threatening those who agreed to go into shelter with loss of their bed if they did not remove their belongings from the encampment,” Punch wrote.
“I have seen a hand washing station placed at the encampment and then removed within one day to great disappointment of the residents. I have advocated for individuals to gain access to shelter beds, at times with success but at times without access to a bed. Residents have shared with me they have been waiting for beds but have not had access.” Punch was emphatic as an expert witness with direct experience of the situation on the ground: “Clearing encampments of unhoused individuals without guarantees of sufficient individual housing is against the consensus of medical and public health officials.”
How to escape our abusive relationship with Trump
This week’s Political EYE is a guest column by three engaged academics: Bandy X. Lee, Harper West, and Kevin Washington Bandy X. Lee is a forensic psychiatrist at Yale School of Medicine and president of the World Mental Health Coalition. Harper West is a licensed psychotherapist in Clarkston, Michigan, and the award-winning author of “Pack Leader Psychology.” Kevin Washington is an Africancentered psychologist who is now head of the sociology and psychology department at Grambling State University.
For many of us, watching both the unwavering cult-like support of Donald Trump and the passivity of some of the news media is confusing and frustrating. How do people not recognize Trump as dangerous, despotic, and maybe even demented?
How could 93% of Republicans and 43% of Americans still give him a favorable rating, even after his daily unhinged rants that show a complete lack of emotional maturity, intelligence, preparation, or even sympathy?
This follows, of course, impeachment, 18,000 documented lies, and repeated acts of corruption and subversion of justice.
Three years ago, our bestselling public-service book, “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” described Trump as an abusive personality and the nation as victims of his abuse. This formulation helps us to understand why his cult followers blindly support him and why reporters and Democratic leaders do not oppose him with conviction.
The psychological sciences have extensive experience with victims who remain loyal to
callous and reckless personalities, for the same reasons that politicians and the public seem to display. Many people stay in abusive relationships because they are ashamed to admit they made a poor choice. Lately, Trump’s followers seem to be even more fervent in their support, going as far as to protest with swastikas and Confederate flags against state efforts to keep them healthy. As hard as it may be to believe, this kind of die-hard support often appears among those who are embarrassed to admit they made a mistake in voting for him. Shame is a powerful emotion, causing some people to deny and double down on their decisions, rather than admit an error in judgment. Trump is also driven by extremely poor shame tolerance. He will stubbornly defend and rationalize his mistakes and never admit an error (Sharpiegate is a relatively benign example; the Covid-19 pandemic response a deadly one). Most Trump followers will continue to downplay his faults to help them manage their own cognitive dissonance
A major affront to humanity has been the atrocities of
African human trafficking and the genocidal endeavors against the indigenous peoples of North America by the outcasts of Europe. The ideology that supported African enslavement and the Cherokee Trail of Tears is based on the notion of racial superiority by those who were denigrated in their homeland of Europe.
Trump supporters rallying behind the iconography of racial superiority such as the swastikas and Confederate flags reveal their deepseated insecurity and fragility. Trump has spoken to their feelings of rejection, which morphs into compensatory behavior of superiority and racial terrorism. In doing so, Trump sanctions their reversal of feelings of victimization, even as he further abuses and victimizes them.
hominem attacks (“Crooked Hillary”) and confronts journalists with a pointed finger, glares, and verbal abuse. Under a Trump attack, a reporter likely knows she is not “fake” or “dishonest,” and U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff knows he isn’t “shifty.” But abusers rely on subtle putdowns to weaken the victim’s confidence to stand up to the abuser, and onlookers steer clear, if not shower him with praise, to avoid the same fate.
Abusers use the down-ranking of others, usually through intimidation and verbal attacks. Trump uses his size, aggressive handshake, domineering body language, shoe lifts, and even his bright red “power necktie” to intimidate. He has a long history of belligerent ad
Passive reactions to abusive behavior occur also because of societal norms based on trust and the tendency of abusers to prey on that trust. Because humans are a social species, most of us enter relationships eager to be liked, engaging in prosocial behaviors. We assume that our partners will do the same. Antisocial people like Trump, however, play by a different set of rules. If we expect love and trust from them, we will be constantly confused and disappointed when we get back humiliation, emotional abuse, and betrayal.
A desire to keep trying
leads victims to stay in abusive relationships and causes many Americans to downplay and hope for more presidential behavior from Trump, in spite of the repeated disappointment.
Just as abuse victims have difficulty comprehending that someone who says, “I love you,” would also cause harm, Americans find it difficult to believe that the president, who made an oath to “preserve and protect,” would choose to harm individuals and institutions, destroy alliances, and subvert the social order. It violates moral standards that a leader would work solely for his own personal gain at the expense of the public.
Trump, as with all abusers, will continue to prey on our prosocial human expectations for trust, on our desire for stability, and on our fruitless craving for a capable leader. He will continue to sow distrust and fear, manufacture chaos, and play-act at leadership.
Just as abuse victims may need the strength, wisdom, and support of others to help them leave their abuser, America needs Congressional leaders with strength of character and confidence to stand up to
Trump and his enablers with indignation and action. They must recognize these human tendencies to fawn, submit, freeze, and feel helpless. They must stop the abuse.
As a country we need to do a better job of recognizing abusive authoritarian personalities, perhaps by requiring professional assessment of mental fitness before they ever take office. This country must also not shy away from confronting its age-old cultural disorder, not as a way of laying blame but by recognizing it as a societal mental problem that we need healing from.
As many of us have written repeatedly, we don’t need a diagnosis of Trump. We can give context to what everyone already sees, based on our clinical experience of many like him, and recommend a necessary course of intervention, which is a clear imperative to us, however it is done. That prescription is one or a combination of:
1) Invocation of the 25th Amendment, as this president is so severely mentally troubled that he is a grave danger to the nation.
2) A new urgent impeachment, with televised hearings of the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the U.S. Senate realizing this time that its decision involves the very fate of the nation.
3) Immediate voluntary resignation of the president, with the U.S. Congress granting immunity from prosecution.
4) Emergency court-ordered involuntary mental health evaluation by a team of medical professionals and follow-up with recommendations.
5) Complete removal of decision making about this public health emergency from the president, accompanied by emergency congressional legislation to establish a Coronavirus Crisis Department headed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel, with whatever funds and authority it deems required, and suspension of White House press conferences about COVID-19, which should now be held at the CDC headquarters with no political interference.
The start of this prescription is STAT. Compliance could be life-saving.
Bandy X. Lee, Harper West, and Kevin Washington are coauthors of “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a
Guest Columnist
Bandy X. Lee
Columnist Harper West
Guest Columnist
Photo by Lawrence Bryant
Protestors peacefully let their negative feelings be known about Donald J. Trump when he campaigned for U.S. president in downtown St. Louis on March 11, 2016.
Free books with free meals at St. Louis County Library
Starting 10 a.m. Monday, May 11, St. Louis County Library will provide free books to families attending drivethrough meal service from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. each Monday and Wednesday. Each family will receive a bag containing three new books–one for pre-K readers, one for elementary aged readers, and one for teen readers, while supplies last. The following branches will participate: Bridgeton Trails
Branch, 3455 McKelvey Rd.; Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd.; Indian Trails Branch, 8400 Delport Dr.; Jamestown Bluffs Branch, 4153 N. Highway 67; Lewis & Clark Branch, 9909 LewisClark Blvd.; Natural Bridge Branch, 7606 Natural Bridge Rd.; Prairie Commons Branch, 915 Utz Ln.; Rock Road Branch, 10267 St. Charles Rock Rd.; Weber Road Branch, 4444 Weber Rd.
The books are intended for families to keep, they do not need to be returned to the library. Supplies are limited. The books were donated by a number of local agencies, including the St. Louis County Library Foundation, The Opportunity Trust, Gateway Regional YMCA, Literacy Initiative, Missouri Humanities and Ready Readers.
Affinia Healthcare is offering free COVID-19 tests at a mobile test site at the Victor Roberts Building, 1408 N. Kingshighway Blvd. in North St. Louis from 9 a.m. until noon every Monday.
“We desperately needed more testing sites accessible
By Malaika Horne
For The St. Louis American
There’s usually a bit of grimacing and wincing when the media puts out bad information about African Americans. This time it’s about the disproportionate number of blacks falling prey to COVID19. In these moments, you kind of wish for a bit of codeswitching.
All Americans are dying in record numbers. The virus is blind to color, class or any other differences with no borders. You could be a CEO of a multinational corporation or someone down on your luck; if you’re exposed, you’re at risk. The fact that blacks are more likely to be infected doesn’t mean others don’t get it. Yet, inequality is a comorbidity – a serious medical and social condition
compounding the problem. For example, it’s more difficult for blacks to social distance because a disproportionate number live, work or transit in more densely populated areas. Many are essential workers who don’t have the privilege to work from home. Nevertheless, the virus has brought into sharp relief widening inequality. At one point, the conventional notion was that the drug epidemic was primarily a black problem and could be contained in urban areas. But unbeknownst to many, the drug scourge was wreaking havoc in the suburbs and rural areas. When is the last time you heard someone say that drug abuse is a black problem?
Communicating bad news about people of color is like walking a very tricky line between the facts and reinforcing negative
stereotypes, the core of institutionalized racism. Panic triggered by fear can quickly erupt from the deep dark recesses of the mind, historically imbedded with myths and misinformation of African Americans as diseased and pathological. Nor are Africans spared with historical and current images and messages rife with death and violence. Recall Trump recently referring to African countries in a very contemptible and disrespectful way.
It’s uncanny that the recent media barrage about the high rate of COVID-19 for blacks was followed by the 45th president calling for lifting public health orders in states led by Democratic governors, going against his own medical specialists advising stay-athome orders. Is Trump crazy like a fox? Perhaps. Or is he such a dunce, putting his
gullible gut instincts before science and data?
His recent deranged tweets called for his base to “LIBERATE” themselves. Like shock troopers, riledup, marauding, MAGA-hatwearing, gun-toting Trumpians took to the streets. They caused gridlock traffic, stormed state capitols and disregarded CDC guidelines, such as social distancing. They’ve obviously fallen prey to his hypnotic spell. Even worse, they put the public more at risk.
Unencumbered by consequences, they displayed makeshift signs as if they were
in the area where the virus has proven most devastating.” said state Representative Steve Roberts, who arranged the site along with Affinia and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Dr. Kendra Holmes of Affinia Healthcare noted that
the site is in the 63113 Zip code, “one of the hot spots in St. Louis city. The site will be available for walk-ups, with no appointment or doctor referral necessary, at no cost. People should enter from Aubert at Page.
the victims, such as “Let thy People Go” and comparing themselves to civil rights activist Rosa Parks. In St. Louis County one protester held up a sign: “I’d rather die than be a slave.” Trump slyly explained that people want to go back to work, despite jeopardizing public health and safety.
In Illinois, Governor J.B. Pritzker said he’s worried that these protests could lead to violence that could be more virulent that the disease itself.
Shocking the conscience even more was the preposterous proposal of Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, a Republican, who alarmingly called for people (like sheep) to step up to the sacrificial alter, offering their lives for the sake of future economic prosperity.
Meanwhile, back at the White House, Trump’s daily press briefings are wearing
thin, described as a proxy for his political rallies, full of meandering lies and unclear messaging while misleading and confusing the public. Sadly, cases and deaths have not sufficiently plateaued. Deaths also continue to mount in Missouri.
The flip-flopper in chief said recently that he disagrees with Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia, who – apparently doing the president’s bidding – had announced a massive reopening of the state. As the mad-king romps and stumps, there’s no end in sight. But what is in sight is the consistent messaging of blacks as the wedge issue to sow seeds of dissension among the masses. Malaika Horne, PhD, is a book author, journalist and academic writer with a postdoctorate in epidemiology.
A St. Louis County Library staffer prepares books to be given away with meals.
“TakingCareofYou”
Slowing the spread of COVID-19
CDC report on Community Mitigation strategies in other cities has lessons for St. Louis
By William F. Tate IV and
“Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” – G. K. Chesterton
Without a vaccine to protect against the spread of SARS-CoV-2, communities across the United States have turned to non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as community mitigation activities, to slow the spread of infection. Many citizens seek a perfect solution to this challenging problem. We want the answer and the ability to move on with our lives.
However, the leader who pursues only the perfect solution will rarely find it in a world filled with trade-offs and competing interests. In the context of our current pandemic, G. K. Chesterton’s quote applies in a slightly modified form: any pandemic policy intervention worth doing is worth attempting in an imperfect and phased fashion. The necessity for a phased approach suggests that community-mitigation strategies offer imperfect, yet reasonable protections. If there is such a thing as a perfect inter-
vention, a phased approach would not be required.
What is community mitigation? Think of it as rules to promote a positive health outcome. The rules come in the form of local and state public policies designed to enforce different forms of social distancing. These rules or policies provide the steps that people can take to slow down the spread of a virus.
In the case of SARS-CoV-2, many public policy strategies align with research findings
See COVID-19, A13
By Heidi B. Miller, M.D.
For The St. Louis American
As a primary care doctor, I cringe when I am paged on-call at 2 a.m. by a patient with chest pain who won’t go to the emergency department because of lack of insurance. With sadness and frustration, I must persuade the patient that this is an emergency and he could die from a heart attack. Debating financial devastation versus life-saving care on the phone with a man in pain while the clock is ticking is a foolish injustice.
Our state has left more than 230,000 Missourians similarly without access to affordable healthcare. Catching a heart attack early or assuring healthcare to prevent heart disease in the first place is an obvious, humane and cost-effective strategy. The plight of my uninsured patients is made even more bitter, knowing that our tax dollars are currently going to Washington to fund Medicaid expansion for 36 other states. That can change, now that petitions from nearly 350,000 Missourians asking the state to let voters decide on Medicaid expansion have been submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office.
The Healthcare for Missouri campaign on Friday, May 1 submitted nearly twice as many signatures from Missourians as required, a testament to the widespread interest across the state in making this change.
With Medicaid expansion in Missouri, my patient whose waiter payroll taxes have been subsidizing health coverage for restaurant workers in other states can finally afford his asthma inhalers.
With Medicaid expansion in Missouri, my patient with a heart arrhythmia can finally attain her lifesaving blood thinner instead of skipping it to cover her rent.
With Medicaid expansion in Missouri, my diabetic patient won’t run out of their insulin and incur a $5,000 hospital visit due to lethal glucose levels.
These are our patients: servers, delivery personnel, shuttle drivers, farm workers, home health aides, store clerks. Most working at or near minimum wage, unable to afford insurance, and needing their essential health to work their essential jobs.
Coping with COVID-19 in North County
A conversation from the front lines with Christian Hospital President Rick Stevens
By Sandra Jordan
Of The St. Louis American
As the COVID-19 pandemic makes its way through North St. Louis County, Christian Hospital remains a resource for testing, health care and nutrition for the elderly and food for residents living in food deserts.
Longstanding health disparities conflate the damage COVID-19 is doing in North County, which has the highest prevalence of illness and deaths from COVID-19 in the region.
“It’s a high impact in 63137, 63138, 63033 – all of those ZIP codes and many more around North County have a high incidence of COVID patients,” said Rick Stevens, president of Christian Hospital.
“North County has the highest prevalence of diabetes. And with diabetes, if it’s not taken care of, come other things, such as heart dis-
ease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, COPD. So, the community is sick.”
He said COVID-19 is shining a light on health disparities and inequal access to care, and that’s where Medicaid expansion comes into play. Stevens helps to lead the push for Medicaid expansion in Missouri in the medical community.
On Friday, May 1, the Healthcare for Missouri campaign on Friday submitted nearly twice as many signatures from Missourians as required to get Medicaid expansion on the November 3 ballot in Missouri.
“Medicaid expansion will give individuals an opportunity to go to the doctor,” Stevens said. “If you are a childless adult
See NORTH COUNTY, A13
Photo: Healthcare for Missouri
Rick Stevens, president of Christian Hospital, spoke when the Rise Up for Heroes caravan celebrating frontline health care workers stopped at the hospital in North County on April 26.
Heidi B. Miller, M.D.
A man took every public health precaution in boarding a bus to work in St. Louis on April 7. A new CDC report on Community Mitigation strategies in New Orleans, San Francisco, and New York City suggests a combination of personal precautions and public policies that limit community mobility has a cumulative effect of slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Photo by Wiley Price
15% of people with no symptoms tested positive for COVID-19 in MO
State rolls out pilot program at pork facility in Buchanan County, which is 88.5% white
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
Those taking the COVID19 pandemic seriously frequently warn that official reports of positive tests do not reflect the actual incidence of infection in the population. Due to the lack of official preparation and scarcity of tests, it has been extremely difficult for even symptomatic people to get tested, while Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports have consistently shown that many people in other areas have tested positive while showing no symptoms at all. Testing of people with no symptoms is now underway in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) said that it rolled out its pilot program in Buchanan County, testing all employees at Triumph Foods in St. Joseph.
Of 707 employees with no symptoms who were first tested in the state’s expanded program, 92 tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, DHSS reported on Thursday, April 30. That means 13% of the people who showed no symptoms were infected and could infect others.
Another 34 of the plant’s employees had received positive results prior to the state’s expanded testing. In a subsequent update, DHSS reported that 373 employees and contract workers of Triumph Foods with no related symptoms had tested positive results for COVID-19. Though the state did not provide an updated number of people tested, it did say the percentage of people testing positive with no symp-
Medicaid
Continued from A12
Many are employed in service industries doing physical labor, which takes a toll on their bodies. I see medical issues interrupting my patients’ ability to perform their job duties. Limping to get through a shift perpetuates disability
North County
Continued from A12
and your income is $4,000 to $5,000 a year, that’s what you would have to qualify for. But if your income is like $10,000 per year, $12,000 per year, you don’t qualify now. And so, what you do is delay going to the doctor.” Stevens said the public health crisis with COVID-19, along with millions of people losing their jobs to the pandemic, is increasing the need for Medicaid. “I think this gives a lot of momentum to Medicaid expansion on the ballot and for it to pass,” he said. According to the website for MO HealthNet, as Medicaid is called in Missouri, persons who tests positive for COVID19 may qualify for Medicaid.
COVID-19
Continued from A12 from other viral respiratory diseases. Mandated inventions associated with efforts to flatten the curve of virus spread include: emergency declarations, bans on mass gatherings, limits on senior living facilities, school closures, restrictions on business activity, curfews, and shelterin-place orders. Policies are important. And the timing of policy imple-
and impairs our economy. And that was before the pandemic tragically reminded us that access to healthcare is more important than ever.
With Medicaid expansion, we can care for our own citizens and our own economy, bringing more than a billion of our tax dollars back home from Washington each year.
Three dozen other states have already done so, including our
Proof of diagnosis, along with an application and other information needed, can be found at mydssmo.gov/healthcare.
Stevens said widespread testing is the key to overcoming the pandemic, but there are not enough tests. Although Christian Hospital would not give out individual hospital-specific data, as of April 23, the BJC system had conducted 11,920 tests, 1,800 of which (15.1%) were positive for COVID-19.
“On any one day, Christian has 10-12% of the inpatient COVID-19 patients in the St. Louis region,” said a BJC spokesperson, who provided numbers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, which includes BJC, SSM Health, Mercy and St. Luke’s hospital systems. As of April 28, there were 678 patients hospitalized with
mentation represents a critical factor in slowing the pace of disease spread. Understanding the effectiveness of public policy during a pandemic provides clarity for leaders and community residents. Mandates deemed as effective policies offer specific benefit to individuals and distribute benefits to the broader community. For the St. Louis region, understanding the effectiveness of policies implemented in other urban communities represents an opportunity to inform our civic decision-making. A recent CDC report provides
toms had moved to 15%.
Employees with positive results are being notified by the City of St. Joseph Health Department, DHSS stated. Those with positive results will be told to isolate, and public health professionals will assist these patients with notifications of those determined to be close contacts.
Triumph Foods is making
neighbors in Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, Iowa and Arkansas, where officials reported using savings from the expansion to enact a middle-class income tax cut and reduce payments previously allocated to the uninsured. Every state that has expanded Medicaid has chosen to keep the program in place – in no small part due to its positive economic impacts.
COVID-19, with 159 in the ICU and 113 on ventilators. This number includes all hospitals systems that are a part of the task force.
With North County being impacted heavily by COVID19 cases in the area, Stevens said it is important that Christian hospital participates in clinical studies as health researchers seek a vaccine or a treatment to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“We’re going to be part of a clinical trial for COVID,” he said. It is the Convalescent Plasma Study, a trial that uses plasma from persons who have recovered from the coronavirus and injects it into COVID-19 patients to help them recover.
He said, “Clinical trials should happen where the high impact areas are, the hotspot areas.”
this understanding. The CDC examined data available from February 26 to April 1 from New Orleans, San Francisco, and New York City, looking at four factors: “types and timing of policies implemented, cumulative number of reported cases, average 3-day percentage change in reported cases, and community mobility.” This information was collected through Google Alerts and searches. All four of these cities issued different levels of limits on mass gatherings, as well as state of emergency declarations. Only three par-
notifications to those who have tested negative.
“It is very important that patients with positive results follow the isolation guidance they are given,” stated Dr. Randall Williams, director of DHSS. “Those with pending or negative results may continue to work while maintaining infection control measures we have recommended both at
work and at home.”
Per CDC guidance, those who did not have COVID-19 symptoms but tested positive and are self-isolating can leave quarantine when at least seven days have passed since the date of the first positive test and they continue to have no symptoms since the test.
For three additional days, this group of people should continue to limit contact and wear a face covering for their nose and mouth when other people are present, DHSS stated.
At the request of the City of St. Joseph Health Department, the state is sending staff support to assist with contact tracing efforts – that is, identifying and contacting people who may have been exposed to the virus by someone who tested positive. More testing is to be expected as close contacts of COVID-19 patients are notified.
Buchanan County is 88.5% white, according to the U.S. Census, though not all of the employees tested live in the county where they work. According to the state’s own data, 39% of the COVID-19 deaths and 31% of the cases in the state were black people, while only 11.8% of the state’s population is black. That means the disparate impact of COVID-19 on blacks in Missouri is 3:1.
The St. Louis American asked a DHSS spokesperson
Never before in Missouri has the interdependence of our health been more apparent, and the dependence of our economy on our collective health been more evident. Medically, I recognize an emergency requiring immediate attention. Publicly, I recognize the dire and immediate need for increased healthcare access in this state. Medicaid expansion will make our families healthier, our communities safer and our economy stronger. It will keep rural hospitals open, create thousands of new jobs and allow hundreds of thousands of hardworking Missourians with jobs that don’t provide insurance get access to life-saving care. Missourians would take the shirt off their back to help a patient injured and bleeding
Social distancing, and the lack thereof
Stevens said he thinks COVID-19 has scared a lot of people, with people heeding the medical advice to wash hands frequently, staying inside and, when they do go out, to wear a mask. ‘
“But I also know there are a lot of people in North County who are not physically distancing,” he said. “There are a lot of people who are not wearing masks, because in the black community, there is a lot of mistrust. So, we have some individuals who don’t trust what they are hearing.”
But he said those same people are now seeing multiple family members and friends who are being sickened by COVID-19 and even dying.
“And now we’ve found out
ishes in New Orleans enforced a curfew; the other cities only issued stay-at-home orders. At the national level, on March 16, the White House announced the 15 Days to Slow the Spread guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19. On March 30, federal officials extended these guidelines for 30 more days. On the basis of the CDC’s preliminary report, emergency declarations by themselves failed to drastically change mobility trends, but a combination of policies did. Emergency declarations alerted the community of
that you’re pre-symptomatic, and you can share it; you’re asymptomatic, you can share it,” he said. “So, we just have to be very, very careful.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added additional symptoms that may indicate COVID-19 infection. In addition to fever, cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, the CDC has added chills, repeated shaking with chills, sore throat, headache, muscle pain, and new loss of sense of taste or smell.
“Our employees have been coming into this new war, ready to go to battle every day. And the fact is they have the possibility of taking this home to their families,” Steven said.
why the pilot program was not introduced in a part of the state where COVID-19 is having greater impact.
“We are taking this approach in multiple places and facility types (where people live or work in a congregate setting) throughout the state,” a DHSS spokesperson replied. “We have done this in long-term care facilities, prisons and other food plants as well. Food plants are an important part of the food supply and workers are both essential and vulnerable to this virus.”
The DHSS spokesperson was asked for more details about those other testing locations, the criteria for choosing test sites, and an explanation for why the disparate impact of COVID-19 on blacks was or was not being taken into consideration. A reply will be reported when received.
Triumph Foods is a pork producer that processes in excess of 6 million hogs each year.
Visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/ coronavirus or the DHSS website at www.health. mo.gov/coronavirus for more information or to ask questions using the state site’s COVID-19 interactive chatbot. A statewide COVID19 hotline is also available at 877-435-8411.
pending trouble, but issuing a declaration did not alter residents’ mobility behavior in robust fashion. However, limitations on mass gatherings, business restrictions, and school closures were associated with slower mobility.
Additionally, increased public awareness of the severity of the pandemic, in combination with policy mandates designed to slow mobility, appears to offer a cumulative effect.
It is important to note that larger, metropolitan cities such as those evaluated in the report do not represent other communities, such as rural regions of
“I really want to say a big thanks to our staff to our teammates that do this every day,” Stevens said. “The staff at Christian is very proud of the work they do, and they are very proud to see when someone goes home, and they can recover.”
the country. The limitations, however, do not lessen the insightful value of the report, as “anything worth doing is worth doing badly.”
William F. Tate IV is the dean and vice provost for Graduate Education; Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences; and Faculty Scholar, Institute for Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis. Find him on twitter @WFTate4. Kally Xu is a John B. Ervin Scholar and Gephardt Institute Civic Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis. in front of them. Likewise, I believe Missourians who see the current injured and fractured state of health coverage in our state will understand the need for Medicaid expansion. Heidi B. Miller, M.D., is a primary care doctor at Family Care Health Centers in St. Louis and medical director for the St. Louis Regional Health Commission.
“You think about the housekeeping. We can’t do this without the housekeeping. They are the ones who have to clean the rooms after people leave, or if a person is in there. The food service worker – they go in there and deliver the food to someone who may have coronavirus. And then you have your nurses and your doctors, your respiratory therapists, your physical therapists – all your ancillary staff, your people who draw blood – all our staff is going into these rooms, day in and day out, taking care of very, very, very sick individuals.” It is certainly to be commended.
Photo courtesy of KQTV
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports that 15% of Triumph Foods employees and contract workers in St. Joseph with no symptoms have tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Healthy Kids Healthy Kids
Staying Healthy During the Quarantine
As we all face these uncertain times of Covid-19, there are some simple habits that will help you stay happy and healthy during this unprecedented time in history.
Make Dinner TimeFamily Time!
American’s Healthy Kids page this school year, you might remember some of the many ways to purchase and prepare nutritious foods.
fruits and vegetables and limit the amount of prepared foods such as pizza and canned pasta. And remember, avoid breading and fried foods, as well as high-fat sauces while preparing your healthy meals!
Mental Health
Reconnect!
Step away from all of the screens that often fill your day. Try some fun family dining table activities and reconnect with those you love.
> Puzzles – Pick out a puzzle that would interest the whole family. If it’s a really challenging one, just leave it
out for the different family members to stop and find a few pieces, every time they walk by the table. You can use Mod Podge or glue to save your puzzle, as a memory of your family time.
> Games – Search your closets and most likely you will find some old, boxed, fun family games! No games? Just use pieces of paper to create your own family’s version of Pictionary.
> Highs and Lows – Sit around the table nightly and
each family member takes a turn sharing a LOW part of their day e.g., “I skinned my knee” or “I miss playing with my friends.” And, while still on their turn, that same person shares their HIGH for the day e.g.,” I enjoyed planting flowers with my mom,” or “I had fun helping dad wash the car.”
What are some other fun indoor activities you can do with your family?
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5, NH 6
What is coronavirus? Coronavirus (Covid-19) is a virus that causes those infected to have fever, cough, and trouble breathing. Coronavirus spreads when someone who is infected sneezes or coughs and those respiratory droplets fly into the air. If those infected droplets land in your mouth, nose, or eyes, OR the droplets land on the surface of an object and you touch that surface, and then touch your mouth, nose, or eyes, you can get infected also.
What can kids do to decrease their risk of getting infected? The biggest way that you can decrease your risk is by washing your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or by using hand-sanitizer to keep your hands clean and avoid touching your face with your hands throughout the day. Maintain social distancing, which means to stay home as much as possible; but if you do go out, try to stay at least 6 feet away from others. You should wear a mask if you are not able to maintain a 6 foot distance from others. Also, to keep your bodies healthy and better able to fight off infection remember to eat your fruits and vegetables and get your needed rest at night.
What can kids do to still have fun while social distancing? There are many fun things that you can do inside with your family such as playing board games, having a dance contest, or doing puzzles or art projects. If you want to go outside, you can go for a family walk or bike-ride, or you can play jump-rope or hopscotch with your siblings. Just remember to maintain social distancing while doing outside activities.
Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3
Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
FAMILY SPOTLIGHT SCIENCE STARS
The Stayton family enjoys using the e-edition of The St. Louis American’s NIE STEM page to conduct science lessons at home. Sean and Shaniya Stayton are working together to complete an experiment found using the newspaper’s STEM series. The activity demonstrates how to use shaving cream and cornstarch to make fake snow.
SCIENCE CORNER
Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas under normal conditions. It is a chemical element represented by the letter N on the periodic table. Nitrogen is in all living things, including people and plants. It makes up approximately 78% of the air that we breathe. What is the purpose of nitrogen? It is used to keep packaged foods fresh and for making electronic parts. Nitric acid is used in
SCIENCE INVESTIGATION
Background Information:
In this experiment, you’ll witness what happens when a positive charge and a negative charge meet—a spark!
Materials Needed:
• Wint O Green or Pep O Mint Lifesavers®
• Dark Room • Mirror
Process:
q Go to a dark room and let your eyes get accustomed to the lighting.
fertilizers. Nitrous oxide (also called laughing gas) is used in hospitals and dental offices to help reduce pain; it is also used in canned whipped cream. Finally, nitrous oxide can also be used to increase the power and speed of an automobile.
Learning Standards: I can read non fiction text for main idea and supporting details.
Make Lightning in your mouth!
e Use your teeth to quickly bite the lifesaver into small pieces as you look in the mirror to observe what happens.
Analyze: If performed correctly, you should see a spark that is bluish in color. This is the result of sugars being released from the lifesavers, which carry a positive charge. When these sugars react with the nitrogen in the air, which have a negative charge, a spark results.
Rozlyn Chambliss
Boeing Materials, Process and Physics Engineer
Rozlyn Chambliss was raised in the historic city of Tuskegee, Alabama. Her love of math and science was sparked at an early age by her parents, and it was enhanced through the many wonderful K-12 educators that tailored that interest. In high school her passion for math, chemistry, and engineering grew further through encouragement from her math and chemistry teachers. And she was honored at graduation as the Salutatorian and Votectorian of her high school class.
Chambliss’ interest continued through her participation in the local chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Jr.-Pre College Initiative, and through engagement in summer enrichment programs. She earned a Bachelor and Master of Science in Chemistry, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Tuskegee University. While at the University, she received the opportunity to perform undergraduate research that gave her exposure to Materials Science and Engineering as a doctoral field of study.
Boeing was the first job that Chambliss held that allowed her to use her PhD material science and engineering degree. At Boeing, involvement, mentoring and outreach show the heart that Chambliss has for the community, and especially for young scientists. At The Boeing Company she earned the Boeing St. Louis Valuing Diversity and Inclusion Influencing Award (2017) for her work as a volunteer at Lexington Elementary School’s Engineering Club. She serves as the Professional Development Chair for STL-Boeing Black Employee Association and is a member of the Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineering.
In order to motivate and provide exposure to the next generate of STEM leaders, Chambliss eagerly volunteers at opportunities such as mentoring Tuskegee University students and the YES Networking Extravaganza – St. Louis Science Center, Gateway GIS.
w When your eyes adjust to the darkness, look in the mirror and put a Wint O Green or Pep O Mint Lifesaver® in your mouth.
MATH CONNECTION
Chemists use a variety of math in their day-to-day operations, including probability, measurement, algebra, and ratios. In this activity, you will practice ratios. Ratios are used by chemists when mixing solutions.
Ratios show the relationship of two numbers as a compared quantity. A colon “:” is used to show the relationship. For example, if there is one girl for every two boys in your classroom, the ratio would be listed as 1:2. This number can also be written as a fraction: 1/3 are girls, 2/3 are boys, as a decimal: .33 girls, or a percent: 33% girls. Use this information to answer the following questions.
Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete an experiment. I can analyze results.
Out of the past 30 days, five of them have been rainy. Write this comparison as a ratio ______:______
Twelve of the 36 cars in the parking lot are red. Write this comparison as a ratio ______:______
Out of the past 14 days, seven of them have been snowy. Write this comparison as a ratio ______:______, write this comparison as a fraction ______/______ , write this number as a decimal __________, and write the number as a percentage _________%.
Learning Standards: I can use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to solve mathematic word problems.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ponder these chemistry facts….
Did you know that tooth enamel is the hardest chemical in your body?
Did you know the letter J is the only letter that doesn’t appear on the periodic table?
Did you know water expands when it freezes? An ice cube will take up approximately 9% more space than the water that was used.
MAP CORNER
Use the newspaper to complete these activities to sharpen your critical thinking skills.
Activity One — Problem and Solution:
As a class, read through the newspaper and make a list of problems and concerns presented in stories, pictures, editorials, etc. Pretend you are the president and you are preparing a State of the Union address. What problems/concerns will you mention in your speech? What are your proposed solutions?
Activity Two — Place
Value: Use the newspaper and select five single-digit numbers. What is the largest number you can make with those numbers? What is the smallest number? In each of these numbers, identify the number that is in the 10s place.
Learning Standards: I can use ratios to show comparison and numerical representation.
The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.
Photo by Carmen Stayton.
UNIVERSITY CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES!
As we together face today’s challenges, we extend our deepest congratulations to our graduates who have achieved so much throughout their years of education. We are proud of your resilience. We applaud your leadership.
This year more than 4,700 students graduate from Webster University around the globe. On May 9, 2020, we honor our St. Louis area graduates with a Virtual Commencement Ceremony, with plans to celebrate them in person later this year.
You can view the commencement ceremony, starting at 9:30 a.m., as it is streamed live at webster.edu/live.
IRS has stimulus checks –here’s how to get one
National Association of Black Accountants has the word
to the website.
By Margaret Hines For The St. Louis American
The IRS has asked us at the National Association of Black Accountants to get the word out to the community (particularly those who do not usually file a tax return) so they know that $1,200 is waiting for them as part of the Economic Impact Payment (Stimulus program). Many people in the community do not know that they are entitled to this money whether they work or not. They also do not know what they have to do to get this money. There are many questions about the
n Many people in the community do not know that they are entitled to this money whether they work or not. They also do not know what they have to do to get it.
Economic Impact Payment (aka Stimulus Payments). There is not a “one size fits all” answer, so you need to go to https://www.irs. gov/ to get information that applies to you. Here are some things to know before going
Eligible taxpayers with a filing requirement who haven’t filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return must file 2019 to get the payment. File electronically and include direct deposit info to get it faster. A sum of $1,200 will automatically go to recipients of Social Security, Railroad Retirement, Social Security Disability (SSDI and SSI) and Veteran’s Benefits who don’t normally file a tax return. However, to add the $500 per eligible child amount to the payments, IRS needs dependent information before payments are issued.
Strong nonprofit safety net key to region’s health
By Michelle Tucker For The St. Louis American
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought extreme changes to our daily lives. Suddenly, an unprecedented number of neighbors are confronted with unimaginable circumstances stemming from job and wage loss to lack of access to food, shelter, childcare and healthcare. Though new challenges for many, these challenges are further exacerbated for others.
Maintaining a strong nonprofit safety net system helps to fuel services and programs that assist people facing poverty, hardship, or adversity in accessing needed resources to survive and thrive. The unique stresses of COVID-19 have further revealed gaps and clear opportunities for us to better resource community efforts.
For nearly 100 years, the United Way of Greater St. Louis and our supporters have worked intentionally to maintain a focus on keeping our regional nonprofit safety net strong and resourced. We have led efforts that provide ongoing safety net assistance to our neighbors while helping to ready our community to respond to unexpected challenges.
The COVID-19 pandemic is unlike any other challenge most of us have faced in our lifetime. The assistance of every member of our community will be key to weathering these challenges. We must continue to come together like never before to strengthen and maintain the overall health of our community through volunteer efforts, donations, and system-level impacts that build our nonprofit resources even stronger.
See CHECKS, B2 n In March, we received more than 22,000 calls for help through our hotline. This was a huge jump compared to this time last year.
Even during the best of times, nonprofits play a critical role in providing services that help people meet their basic needs and achieve their potential. Across the nation, they feed, shelter, educate, inspire and engage 1 in 5 Americans each year. The St. Louis region is multifaceted, so we face diverse, complex needs. No one agency or program can do it alone. It takes a united effort – nonprofit agency efforts coupled with multisector collaborations to improve outcomes and impacts across our community.
By
Because of the new online and telephone census process, coupled with the unfortunate need for COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home restrictions, many Americans now have the time and an easy way to self-determine how much resources for hospitals, schools, housing, and improved roads they will have in years to come by simply completing their household’s 2020 census. Completing the 2020 Census – and everyone verifying it is done, one family at a time – can guarantee shelter, education and food on the table for today’s children and tomorrow’s grandchildren, especially for those living in North
The current deadline is August 15 See CENSUS, B2
If black households (especially black men) are not counted, then when the nation is deciding on the amount of federal dollars spent in neighborhoods or who will represent our vote, we won’t count.
Our local nonprofits are responding to our current crisis while continuing to provide necessary services to address ongoing issues and unforeseen challenges ahead. They are helping to build a strong foundation for families throughout our region to help them stay healthy, access education, meet basic needs and become financially stable. Imagine what our region would look like without our nonprofit safety net. Without access to healthcare services through nonprofits, there would be a greater demand on the healthcare system. Without places to turn for emergency help, more families would face devastating impacts because of a single crisis. Without nonprofit summer and afterschool programs, our community would see lower educational achievement and less skilled workers.
The nonprofit sector also makes up a substantial part of our local economy. In Missouri, nonprofits employ more than 11% of the workforce and generate more than $40
STL TV Production Manager André Holman and his wife Felicia Day-Holman volunteered to load cars with food during the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ fourth free food distribution in as many weeks at the site of the former Jamestown Mall in North St. Louis County on Saturday, May 2.
Sean Joe For The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price
Feeding the people
Michelle Tucker
Sean Joe
$349B COVID-19 Small Business Program short-changes black businesses
By Charlene Crowell
For The St. Louis American
A $349 billion program created to assist America’s small businesses was launched on April 3 to provide payroll, utilities, rent and more for eligible applicants screened by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). On April 16 – less than two weeks later – this national stimulus enacted in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic ran out of funds. In separate but related legal actions, federal lawsuits were filed, challenging the lack of equitable access to the stimulus program. On April 19, four class action lawsuits challenged banks’ use of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds. Filed separately in the U.S. District Court’s Central California office, the lawsuits are against Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo. While this legal process unfolds, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) estimated that as many as 95% black-owned businesses stood
Census
no chance of securing a program loan. Other communities of color were similarly likely to be shut out as well: 91% of both Latino-owned and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanderowned businesses were financially shortchanged. At the same time, businesses of color together are responsible for employing 8.7 million people and represent 30% of all U.S. businesses. Additionally, the combined contributions that these businesses make to the national economy is a noteworthy $1.38 trillion.
Days later on April 21, an additional $310 billion for the PPP was approved by the U.S. Senate and was passed in the U.S. House. Even so, some reactions to the new funding suggested that it was still too little and needs to better address how black and other businesses of color can fully participate.
“This bill distributes most of the funding again to large banks that prioritized wealthier businesses over small ones,” said Ashley Harrington, Federal Advocacy director with
the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL).
“Businesses of color were locked out of round one of the SBA PPP, and this Congress proposal fails to assure that they will have fair access to the new $60 billion small business appropriation. Nor does it ensure equity and transparency by requiring data tracking on borrower demographics and loan amounts to be collected or reported.”
“While it is a good and necessary change to include set-asides for community banks to reach more businesses and rural areas, the bill fails to dedicate targeted funds for use by minority depository institutions (MDIs), and community development financial institutions (CDFIs),” added Harrington.
Since over 98% of banks and credit unions fall into the allocation that includes CDFIs and MDIs, it is highly unlikely
our vote, we won’t count.
that these institutions will be able to access the funds – especially as the monies will have run out before these two types of institutions would be able to secure SBA approval. The new set-asides included in the new appropriations bill allocates monies to institutions based on bank size alone. This provision places CDFIs and MDIs in direct competition with better resourced smaller institutions like community banks for loan funds.
PPP was a federal response that was supposed to supply funds through June 30 to small businesses and nonprofit organizations. It was created as part of a $2 trillion, national rescue plan authorized through the CARES Act. Instead, it is now no longer accepting applications or approving new lenders in the program. The program’s loans were capped to no more than $10 million and came with an explicit exclusion of
businesses based outside of the United States. For six months, loan payments would be suspended and under specific conditions, the loans also could be completely forgiven.
PPP applicants were required to interact with banks and other existing SBA lenders.
For communities of color, this specific condition meant beginning, not continuing or expanding financial relationships. Fees paid by the federal government to participating financial institutions were based on the size of loans approved for originating program loans.
For example, American Banker reported recently that on a $10 million loan, bank fees would be $100,000, and fees for a $350,000 loan would be $17,500. Together, these two program requirements gave larger small businesses quicker access to these loans. Instead of providing needed relief for struggling businesses, the PPP is just the latest iteration of federal funding and resources being systematically withheld from individuals and people of color.
CRL identified specific ways in which the COVID-19 federal response can become more inclusive. Its PPP recommendations include:
• Dedicate 20% of all new funding to businesses of color;
• At least $25 billion in funding for MDIs and CDFIs;
• Provide an alternative PPP loan of up to a $100,000 that can be forgiven and better fits the needs of small businesses;
• Adjust program rules to serve more small businesses and ensure equity and transparency by requiring all lenders to provide both borrower demographics and loan amounts;
• Expand outreach and enrollment assistant through community development corporations and communitybased organizations. Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. Contact her at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.
hold and foster concerns about the safety of participating in this door-to-door U.S. population count in the months ahead. Fear for one’s health will be added to other factors threatening to suppress the North City and North County 2020 Census count. The threats already include an underfunded field operation, the March suspension and prolonged extension of field operations by the Trump administration, and the pending vast amount of unattended mourning of the deaths
Continued from B1 from COVID-19. The 2020 Census is more than a population count. It’s an opportunity to shape the future of our community, hospitals, and schools. The distribution and strength of black political power for the next decade will be determined by how high our response rate is for the 2020 Census. Because of a lower-than-expected 2010 Census response rate, the St. Louis black community lost one congressional seat. Simply put, if black households (especially black men) are not counted, then when the nation is deciding on the amount of federal dollars spent in our neighborhoods or who will represent
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration’s attempts to add a citizenship question, which would have significantly depressed turn out. Yet Census misinformation targeting the black community is unfortunately alive and well. For instance, many believed that April 1 was the final deadline to submit the 2020 Census forms. No, the current deadline is August 15, yet this idea continues to flourish.
Another commonly mentioned concern is that if you share accurate information about who is in the house it would lead to a loss of govern-
ment benefits or possibly being kicked out of your house. No –Census data is among the most protected in the nation. It’s the law that people’s answers to the Census cannot be shared with any government agency or court or be used against them in any way.
Finally, some believe that immigrants or those with a criminal record are not allowed to complete the Census. Again, that is false. The purpose of the 2020 Census is to count everyone living in America – period.
Remember, the 2020 Census is about population density. For every single adult, youth, or child who is not counted, you lose about $1200. So, if we don’t have all of us counted, then we are only short-changing our own family, blocks, and neighborhoods.
The Brown School’s HomeGrown StL aims to use social network power to encourage black households in the St. Louis region to complete the 2020 U.S. Census on their own (online or by telephone) by May 30.
Checks
Continued from B1
Otherwise, payment will be $1,200 and, by law, the additional $500 per eligible child would be paid in association with filing a 2020 tax return.
Other people who don’t normally file (including those with
Tucker
Continued from B1 in revenue. Illinois nonprofits employ nearly 1 in 10 people and build more than $100 billion in revenue. Without our safety net nonprofits, our region would not only lose valuable services, but also jobs and revenue.
We are especially focused on making sure that black males, particularly those ages 18-29 years, are counted in their household’s census. We ask that families, churches, social groups, or any organizations first focus on completing the count at home before doing outreach to others. Since midMarch, we have been working with community partners, social media, and friendly competitions toward a goal of 100 percent participation among households in St. Louis city and county. This work is being co-led by Gena McClendon, Cynthia Williams, and Michael Jones.
As of April 27, the 2020 Census household self-response rate for the City of St. Louis is only 40%, which is well below the 75% self-response rate for St. Louis County and the 50% self-response for Missouri overall. Together we can achieve the goal of 80% accurate and complete count for St. Louis city and county by May 31.
Black men represent
low or no income) should use the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool (https://tinyurl. com/IRS-nonfiler) to give IRS information to get their payments.
Questions? IRS regularly updates its Economic Impact Payment tool (https://tinyurl. com/IRS-ecotool); Get My Payment tool (https://tinyurl. com/IRS-payme); and FAQs
Assistance through our nonprofit safety net was already in great demand and, as the COVID-19 crisis continues, it’s under unprecedented stress.
one of the most historically undercounted groups, and net undercounts of this group were among the highest observed in the 2010 Census, reaching 10% for some age groups. Complete your census online while staying healthy at home by May 16 at www.census.gov. If you are responding online, you must complete the Census in one sitting, because you don’t have the ability to save your answers or to log back in to finish the form. Visit the 2020 Census response rate map (https://2020census.gov/en/ response-rates.html) to see how the city and county or even your own zip codes is responding. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/HGSTLCensus or contact Gena McClendon at ggunn@wustl. edu.
Sean Joe is principal director of HomeGrown Stl and associate dean for Faculty and Research at Washington University in St. Louis.
(https://tinyurl.com/IRSFAQs). You can find these on irs.gov website or at those links.
Margaret Hines is a CPA who chairs the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) in St. Louis.
United Way’s 211 Call Center and texting serves as the intersection between people in need and vital resources available. In March, we received more than 22,000 calls for help through our hotline. This was a huge jump compared to this time last year, typically our slow season, when we normally receive an average of 485 calls a week. The demands on the safety net are increasing exponentially. People who were already vulnerable are now at an even greater risk, and many people are turning to the nonprofit safety net for help for the first time. We don’t expect to see the increased demand on the system subside anytime soon. Needs will change over the lifecycle of this crisis, and more and more people will continue to look to safety-net nonprofits for help, including long-term help, like mental health support and job placement and training. Collectively, we must support the nonprofit safety net system to help build a strong foundation now and into our future. Nonprofits need champions to support their missions and empower them to continue their work. They need a region coming together to hold them up, resource them, and move them forward. The challenges we face are mighty, but when we all unite together, the outcomes we will produce will be tremendous.
Michelle Tucker is president and CEO of United Way of Greater St. Louis.
Charlene Crowell
Sports
SportS EyE
NFL black quarterbacks are heading into summer of uncertainty – and promise
The number of NFL black starting quarterbacks is down one as the upcoming season hopefully nears.
What’s crazy is that Cam Newton, former Carolina quarterback and NFL MVP, is unemployed as summer quickly approaches. He was released by the Panthers in April and has yet to find a team that wants him.
A fellow black quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, said goodbye to backing up Drew Brees in New Orleans and signed with the Panthers. In this game of musical chairs, Newton is the odd man out.
Teams are understandably wary of Newton’s injury history after he missed 14 games last year with a foot ailment. The season before, his shoulder was severely banged up. An NFL mandate on procedures during the COVI-19 crisis forbids him from taking a physical with individual teams. He’ll get signed, most likely, before the season starts if teams can check him out.
early, fans will be shrieking for Herbert to take over. Also, Lynn better reach the playoffs (or get close) to save his job. He won’t have a lot of patience with Taylor either. The current starting black quarterbacks in the NFL are Bridgewater, Dwayne Haskins of the Washington Redskins, 2019 MVP Jackson, 2018 MVP and reigning Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals, Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans and Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks. I mentioned that Taylor could be sent to the bench soon after the season starts (if not before) and the same is true for Haskins.
Former Panthers coach Ron Rivera was quickly hired by the Redskins after he was fired, which led many pundits to believe that Newton would reunite with his former coach.
Jameis Winston threw 30 touchdowns last season for the Tampa Bay Bucs and his team posted the most yardage per game in the NFL. But he also threw 30 interceptions, several of which led directly to losses. He was released and landed a $1.1 million contract with the Saints. The Saints also have a poor man’s version of Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson in crafty Taysom Hill. Good luck with finding some playing time, Jameis.
Philip Rivers turned in arguably his worst season during his 17 years at the helm of the L. A. Chargers offense last season. He was rewarded for his below-average 23 touchdown/20 interception campaign by signing a lucrative free-agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts.
Jacoby Brissett, the black starter who stepped up when Andrew Luck up-and-quit on his team in late August 2019, suddenly finds himself as a backup. Rivers was the problem for the Chargers and black head coach Anthony Lynn last year. He is now being hailed as a savior in Indianapolis. Rivers’ departure made black QB Tyrod Taylor the presumptive starter for the Chargers. But the selection of Justin Herbert immediately put him on thin ice. If Taylor doesn’t set the world ablaze
Instead, Rivera signed former Panthers backup Kyle Allen. There will be a battle for the starting position, which Haskins should win. But I’ll take a wait-and-see attitude as to whether he can hold the job. Watson was forced to watch his seemingly overmatched head coach Bill O’Brien make what is being called the worst trade in NFL history. AllPro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was sent to the Cardinals for underproductive running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick and 2021 fourth-round pick.
While Murray is ecstatic in Arizona, Hopkins has to be wondering if he should sign a long-term contract with the Texans.
ESPN’s Mike Clay predicts that Murray will soon be in the NFL MVP Club – and he means very soon.
“Murray will follow the lead of Mahomes in 2018 and Jackson in 2019 by taking over the league in his second professional season,” Clay said. It might sound like crazy talk, but Murray, the 2019 first overall pick in the 2019 draft, accounted for 24 touchdowns and ranked ninth among quarterbacks in total offensive yards as a rookie. Meanwhile in Dallas, the soap opera continues. Prescott and the Cowboys have until July 15 to reach an
Cam Newton, former Carolina quarterback and NFL MVP, is still unemployed as summer quickly approaches. He was released by the Panthers in April and has yet to find a team that wants him.
agreement on a long-term deal or he must play under the franchise tag designation – which will earn him about $23 million.
Prescott has reportedly been offered a deal that averages $35 million annually with $105 million guaranteed. But the length of that proposed pact is in question.
The Cowboys created a stir this week when former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was signed to a one-year, $7 million contract. Should Prescott refuse to report to training camp, Dalton is more than ready to fill in until he decides to play. Heavy handed? Nope, not in the NFL.
The Seahawks’ Wilson is currently the highest paid player in the NFL after signing a four-year $140 million deal last spring. It averages $35 million a season and $107 million is guaranteed. Prescott wants to top that mark and be No. 1 in NFL paydays. Even if he gets that done tomorrow, it won’t be long until he would be No. 2.
This brings us to the new face of the NFL. The game’s most-watched and most excit-
ing player. They guy with an MVP Award and Super Bowl MVP at the youngest age of any quarterback in NFL history. Take a bow, Mr. Mahomes. He actually wants to take a huge check to the bank following a contract extension that will make him the highest paid player in NFL history. He’s worth it – and he’s also quite patient.
“I want to be a Chief for a long time. I want to have a contract that says that and then I can go out there and know I have that security and everything like that,” Mahomes told reporters last week in Kansas City.
“I understand and trust the Chiefs organization…I trust my representation…Whenever it happens, it happens.”
It’ll happen. My guess is that he becomes the lone $40-million a year man shortly before training camp begins –which hopefully will be in July or August of 2020, not 2021.
No MLS pandemic panic
The St. Louis MLS expan-
sion team’s first opponent is a world power – COVID-19.
Construction of its new stadium continues in west St. Louis, but how the pandemic will impact the future of the franchise is unanswerable right now, according to ownership group lead Carolyn Kindle Betz.
“We are making progress but obviously, given world events, it is too early to say if and how any of this will affect our schedules and timeline,” she told MLSsoccer.com in an email.
Fans starved for any type of sporting excitement at this time in American history won’t soon get a jolt by learning the name of the team, its colors or marketing identity.
“…We don’t feel it’s appropriate to make any major announcements or updates until our city and region has started to recover,” wrote Kindle Betz.
“While it’s been amazing to see the continued excitement around St. Louis’ new MLS team, we want people to be able to focus on things that are truly important – the health and well-being of their families,
Tops in girls track and field 2020
friends and the community.”
The ownership group is also facing the challenge of hiring the front office staff that will select the players and coaches and drive the franchise forward without in-person interviews.
In a separate interview with MLSsoccer.com, minority owner Jim Kavanaugh said “a number of people have been interviewed” but that things “are being pushed back.”
“To a certain degree, things are getting slowed down on the hiring front, because we’re also trying to see where are the other teams in the league, what’s going to end up happening throughout the balance of the year here,” he said.
“So, some of that is being pushed back just based on everything going on.”
The Reid Roundup I went off on the L.A. Lakers for having the audacity to request an SBA loan because of the COVID-19 induced national financial crisis. Ray Hartmann reported in the Riverfront Times this week that the St. Louis Cardinals qualified to receive tax credits “through a reduction of its employer-match share of social security (FICA) payments.” A company gets forgiven up to $5,000 per employee in taxes it would normally have owed, in exchange for maintaining a certain level of its workforce. He estimates in a follow-up column that this could come to about $1 million for the Cardinals… Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz says he’s OK with his team drafting QB Jalen Hurts “With Jalen, I’m excited to add him to the team,” Wentz said… In an ESPN poll of more than 1,000 sports fans, 65 percent said sporting events without fans is fine… Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith told ESPN Radio that it’s “absurd” that Colin Kaepernick is not playing in the NFL.
Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the spring sports season was cancelled around the St. Louis metropolitan area. One of those spring sports affected was track and field, which features many of the area’s top athletes. In last week’s American we featured a list of top boys’ track and field athletes who did not get the opportunity to compete this season. This week, it is time to feature the top returning girls track athletes.
Angela Arinze (Webster Groves): An excellent hurdler who was the Class 4 state champion in the 300-meter low hurdles.
Alicia Burnett (Parkway North): A star senior sprinter
who led the Vikings to the Class 4 state championship. She won four gold medals at last year’s state championships.
Kylie Goldfarb (John Burroughs): A standout middle distance performer who was the Class 3 state champion in the 800 and 1,600-meter runs.
Akilah Heffner (Trinity): A junior standout who was the Class 3 state champion in the long jump and 100-meter high hurdles.
Sydney Juszczyk (Trinity): A standout junior thrower who was the Class 3 state champion in the javelin. She is also an all-state performer in the hurdles.
track & FiEld NotEbook
With Earl Austin Jr.
Ally Kruger (Wentzville Liberty): A young distance runner who was a state champion in the 4x800-meter relay and all-state performer in the 1,600 and 3,200.
Cheyenne Melvin (McCluer): A standout junior jumper who was the Class 4 state champion in the high jump.
300-meter low hurdles.
Brooke Moore (Trinity): An excellent sophomore jumper who was the Class 3 state champion in the triple jump as a freshman.
McKinlee Morris (Crossroads): An excellent senior thrower who was the Class 2 state champion in the shot put. She has committed to Columbia University.
Kayla Millett (Trinity): A standout junior who was the Class 3 state champion in the
Michelle Owens (McCluer North): An excellent senior
hurdler who was a state champion as a sophomore and a state runner-up as a junior in the 100-meter high hurdles.
Scout Regular (Incarnate Word): A senior hurdler who was the Class 4 state champion in the 100-meter high hurdles.
Veronica Sherrod (East St. Louis): A standout hurdler who was the IHSA Class 2A state champion in the 300-meter low hurdles.
Kayelin Tate (Parkway Central): An excellent sophomore sprinter who earned allstate honors in three events at last year’s Class 4 state championships.
Lauryn Taylor (McCluer North): A standout senior who was the Class 5 state champion in the 100-meter dash and two-time state champion in the sprint relays.
Keilah Wilkes (Pattonville): A sophomore middle distance standout who was a Class 5 sectional champion and thirdplace finisher in the 800-meter run at the state meet.
Courtney Williams (Nerinx Hall): A standout sprinter who was the Class 5 state champion in the 400-meter dash and all-state performer in the 100 and 200. She has signed with Clemson.
Earl Austin Jr.
With Alvin A. Reid
Alvin A. Reid
Religion
Black clergy say: stay home
‘We can’t put people in harm’s way by opening up our churches’
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
The St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition does not agree with Governor
Mike Parson’s decision to lift his statewide public health order on May 4 with the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing.
“We don’t want to work against the governor, we have tried to work with him,” said Bishop Elijah Hankerson, president of the St. Louis Clergy Coalition.
“As clergy our first obligation is to our members, and we have a greater obligation to the community as a whole. We can’t put people in harm’s way by opening up our churches, when the virus is spreading death throughout black communities at an alarming rate.”
According to the state’s own data, as of May 4, the day Parson lifted the statewide public health order, blacks comprised 38% of all COVID-19 deaths and 30% of all COVID-19 cases in Missouri, though blacks form only 11.8% of the state’s population.
“Opening churches outside of I-70 may work for some churches in the state, but there is no evidence that the coronavirus pandemic has slowed down in black communities. Why should people who are already suffering disproportionately in so many other ways, subject themselves to sickness and possible death?” said Rev. Darryl Gray, political advisor for the coalition and State
Progressive Baptist Social justice chairperson.
Gray said there is still too much that we don’t know about government responses to this pandemic for the governor to be sending reassuring signals.
“For example, how much testing will be necessary for proper revaluations? Who is determining testing site access?
Will health treatments for chronic illnesses be part of the post response? Will we make every effort to protect workers? When will we begin to see mobile testing? Will there be support for day care (outside of first responders and medical professionals)?” Gray said.
“And the list continues. We haven’t even factored in the discussion that there are people in the black community who are afraid to take the test. We have not reached out to enough people yet to open the state. We still have so much more work to do.”
Black clergy and civil rights groups
The ST. LouiS
St. Louis Clergy Coalition President Bishop Elijah Hankerson spoke at a press conference at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being on April 28. “We have to wait for the medical professions, not the politicians, to let us know when it is safe to return to normal,” Hankerson said.
Photo by Wiley Price
The Message
Spiritually Speaking…
Scripture says that your life should be lived in such a way that those around you can see Jesus in you. “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. Now that sounds good in theory, but what does it actually mean? The only explanation that works for me is the one that talks about service; working in the name of the Lord. Now we know it is ludicrous to think that anyone can live a perfect spiritual life. But isn’t it reasonable to expect that it shouldn’t take a cross examination from a district attorney to understand where this is coming from?
The man who professes to love Jesus shouldn’t feel okay about cheating on his wife. The man who claims Christ as his Lord and Savior can’t be content living a life of crime. The Lord cannot be your confidant and you find ways to rationalize illicit sex, drugs and satanic rock and roll. We all have our fault and flaws, but at some point, in your supposed walk with God, your righteous behavior, your principles and your spiritual integrity must shine through.
around the country are pushing back on lifting public health orders on other states, most recently in Georgia. The NAACP, the National Urban League, National Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Progressive National Baptist Convention are among groups supporting the clergy’s stay-athome message.
Local government officials in St. Louis city and county have met with local clergy over the past several weeks to keep them updated with efforts in testing and have appealed to clergy to support their decision to maintain local stay-at-home orders.
The clergy are working with local government officials – but listening to public health professionals.
Hankerson said, “We have to wait for the medical professions, not the politicians, to let us know when it is safe to return to normal.”
Perfection is an impossibility but serious effort is not only possible, it’s mandatory. It is indeed necessary to give everyday your best shot. Like everyone else, you will fall short more than any of us would want to admit to. However, as the saying goes, if you try you might fail. But if you don’t try, failure is a guarantee. God, I believe, requires a consistent and serious effort to live up to the Jesus model. He will do the rest. Forgive me for a moment as I testify about what I know to be true. My bible says the closer we come to Jesus’ standards, the more we recognize the blessings of God. And why wouldn’t we? After all He has already put His footprints in the snow. The path to righteousness is clear. The goal is simply to be in right relationship with God. “But seek ye first His kingdom and His righteousness and all things will be given you as well.” Matthew 6:33. This seeking thing to me has always meant working in some capacity; using your gifts to help others. Jesus said “As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who has sent me.” John 9:4. I don’t dare put myself anywhere near Jesus’ pedigree, but I am not opposed to working for what I want. I’ve done it all my life. You probably have too. So, the important question is how hard are you willing to work knowing that your eternal soul is at stake? Just what are you willing to do or say to let the world know you are really trying to be a man or woman of God?
The good news of the gospel makes it clear that this is easy, if not ridiculously easy. Love God. Love your neighbor. In this context, I’m saying love is a verb. Throughout the bible, God uses people as instruments. So, to me this work that I’m trying to focus on is recognized by letting go and letting God use me to uplift the soul of another human being. I’m trying to be up to the task. For those of you who are used to this, you know it is a very humbling experience. But, “…If a man will not work, he shall not eat…And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. “2 Thessalonians 3:10-13. That’s it really. Get up and get busy and may God bless your effort
Janila H. G
Mason
Clark
Middle East St. Louis District
TheSt.Louis American's SummerScience Academywas heldat LittleCreek Nature areathis pastJune. Twentyfive exceptional young scientists attendedtwofull weeksofintensive science lessons, research,hands-on experimentsand guest speakers. Thisweekly series will recognize these aspiring scientists!
“Attending camp last year opened my eyes to a lot of new experiences. Going on the nature walks and fishing was exciting. The hands-on learning was also fun.”
-Janila H.
Columnist
James Washington
It
Staged through technology
The Rep and COCA facilitate virtual playwriting festivals
By American staff
The Center for Creative Arts and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis are using technology to encourage aspiring writers through separate festivals that will take place via Zoom, as the cultural community grapples with the effects of the COVID-19.
COCA will premier COCAwrites: Plays on Zoom. Meanwhile, The Rep is transitioning an initiative that has encouraged the creativity of
elementary school students by bringing their work from page to the stage for nearly 25 years from the physical to the virtual space.
McCraney lends creative hand to COCAwrites
An Academy Award winner will allow COCAwrites: Plays on Zoom to launch in grand fashion. Tarell Alvin McCraney, who won an Academy Award for the screenplay “Moonlight,” adapted from his play “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue,” will join in as a special guest for the premiere event that will feature a selection of new short plays and musicals at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 8. The festival will include
musicals and four plays (two from student playwrights and two from adults) chosen by a committee of St. Louis playwrights and COCA students. They will be performed by a cast of COCA students and profession-
Academy
‘We are here to help set the record straight’
Emily’s soul
By Chad Davis
Sam Fox School. Pulitzer Arts Foundation director Cara Starke said the area’s artists are especially facing hardships during this time.
“They’re so vital to our community, and
many are facing significant financial hardship at this time,” Starke said. “So, the ASAP fund
Versus History’ lecture via Zoom on April 23.
Annie Malone historian, Madam CJ Walker biographer dissect Netflix miniseries
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
When the Missouri History Museum’s lecture “Hollywood Versus History” took place on April 23, the top-rated Netflix limited series “Self Made: The Life and Times of Madam CJ Walker” had been streaming for a month. But When Annie Malone historian Linda Nance and Madam CJ Walker biographer and descendent A’Lelia Bundles came together on Zoom to unpack the series inspired by Walker’s life, it was clear early on that both still felt a type of way.
“I would have loved for the mini-series to have portrayed the good things that happened between these women,” Nance said. “It would have been wonderful to come away with that, with all those eyes looking at this material about these two entrepreneurial African American women.”
n
The limited series starring Octavia Spencer, Blair Underwood, Tiffany Haddish and Carmen Ejogo faced instant backlash – especially in St. Louis because of the fictionalized adversarial relationship between Walker and “Addie Munroe.” Colorism and toxic competitiveness were worked into the film that featured the two women sharing the hair care turf in St. Louis in the early 20th century. Many perceived the story angle as a tarnish on the life and legacy of local icon Annie Malone.
“I was being personally targeted like ‘How could you let this happen?’ when I wrote about Annie Malone and I tried to talk about the facts about her in my book,” Bundles said. “I did research that others have not done in the late 1990s, and I have always – whenever I have written about her or talked about her – given her due as a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist. I was as bothered as you by the misportrayal.”
Even before she introduced herself and gave an overview of the life and contributions of her greatgreat grandmother, Bundles felt the need to point out that the series contradicted the intentions she set out with when she began the decades’ long battle to get her book “On Her Own Ground:” brought to the screen.
“Many of you have seen ‘Self-Made’ and Linda Nance and I know that there is a lot about that series that is not true,” said Bundles. “That’s part of the reason we are here tonight to help set the record straight and tell you the real history of these two amazing women – Madame CJ Walker and Annie Malone.” Bundles’ 2001 book “On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam CJ Walker” provided the See Legend, C3
Annie Malone historian Linda Nance and Madam CJ Walker biographer and descendent A’Lelia Bundles discussed discrepancies between the fact and fiction of the Netflix limited series “Self Made” for Missouri History Museum’s ‘Hollywood
Of St. Louis Public Radio
This time last
alternative soul singer Emily King made her St. Louis return with a stellar performance at Delmar Hall.
Photo by Lawrence Bryant
is really dedicated in helping to sustain the creative practice within our community.”
Artists will be able to use the awarded grant money for whatever they need. The grants will especially help artists and designers who lost income because of the pandemic.
“It’s layoffs and furloughs and also as organizations realize that they themselves can’t take on as much,” Starke said. “People are also losing commissions and projects
and other things that they anticipated in the future.” Applicants must live in St. Louis or St. Louis, Jefferson or St. Charles counties in Missouri and Madison or St. Clair counties in Illinois to qualify for the grant. Those applying need to submit a biography and submit a statement describing their financial needs. Both organizations said they’re also working with community leaders to encourage artists of color, immigrants, indigenous artists, LGBTQ artists, people with disabilities and members of other underrepresented groups to apply.
“We tried to reach a population that we really want to feel supported by St. Louis, by us,” said Carmon Colangelo, the Ralph J. Nagel dean of the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts. Artists can apply by visiting https://pulitzerarts.org/ program/asap-fund-covid19-grants/. Applications are due May 29. Awards will be distributed in July. Published with permission from St. Louis Public Radio: https://news.stlpublicradio.org/ post/pulitzer-arts-foundationand-sam-fox-school-aidfinancially-strapped-visualartists.
al actors from St. Louis and
The evening of international premieres will culminate with a question and answer session with McCraney, who is also a Tony Award nominated playwright, about his work and his opinion on the challenges of writing during a time of social distance.
Two student playwrights and members of COCA’s vocal companies will have their work read by McCraney and receive a private coaching session. McCraney joins the festival’s directors Jacqueline Thompson, a St. Louis Visionary Award Winner, Kern McFadden from NYU’s Stella Adler Studio and Amelia Acosta Powell from The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Colin Healy, COCA vocal co-director and artistic director of Fly North Theatricals, will lead COC’’s students in the creation of new musicals. Delaney Piggins is the festival’s dramaturge.
“This festival is just the start of COCA’s broader commitment to boost theatre for multi-generational audiences in St. Louis and beyond,” said Jennifer Wintzer, COCA’s artistic director of theatre.
Select works from COCAwrites: Plays on Zoom will be presented in COCA’s new Berges Theatre, a stateof-the-art 450- seat venue central to the organization’s new expanded campus in St. Louis, set to open yet this year.
“COCAwrites highlights COCA’s commitment to bolster the training and professionalism of our students as they become vital forces in a new generation of theatre,” Wintzer said.
COCAwrites: Plays on Zoom will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 8. For more information, visit www.cocastl.org
The Rep’s WiseWrite heads to the web
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rep had to get creative in making sure that the show went on in some capacity as it was forced to cancel its 24th Annual WiseWrite Festival.
The beloved event that showcased the imagination and creativity of elementary school student writers was scheduled to take place on April 7. Stayat-home orders meant that the annual event that presents a full day of one-act productions penned by 5th grade students and performed by professional actors on the Loretto-Hilton stage was not an option.
While the doors remain closed, the Rep has adapted and expanded the popular creative learning exchange – and transferred the festival from the stage to the internet. The all-new WiseWrite Digital Play Festival is open to all students grades 4 through 12. WiseWrite, which The Rep calls “an online celebration of storytelling,” will culminate in June when professional actors perform selected student submissions over Zoom.
To help students develop the skills to write their first plays, The Rep released a six-part online learning curriculum –one part each week through the end of May – at repstl.org/ wisewrite. These digital lessons will introduce students to basic story structure, developing characters and writing dialogue. At the end of the curriculum, students can submit their plays to The Rep for festival consid-
eration.
“Imagine being a child and having the first play you ever wrote performed by professional actors,” said Marsha Coplon, the Rep’s director of education. “It’s a fantastic and meaningful opportunity that we’re happy to provide. We want this festival to both teach and inspire students through the art of telling great stories.”
The Rep’s educational programs introduce theatre to young people throughout Missouri and Illinois, reaching 35,000 students every year through a host of programming opportunities – including student matinees of Mainstage productions, performances from The Rep’s touring Imaginary Theatre Company, backstage tours, classroom lessons and more. WiseWrite, the festival’s original incarnation, took place as a longstanding collaboration between The Rep and Springboard to Learning. Every year, the Rep and Springboard work with students at two local elementary schools throughout the entire academic year, teaching the same fundamentals of playwriting that will be made available online for the festival. The program usually concludes with an April performance of students’ works at the Rep. “We had to change our plans this year, but we’re tremendously excited to expand WiseWrite to include students from anywhere in the country,” Coplon said. “We hope that this project can provide an engaging, creative challenge for students who are sheltering in place with their families.” Students can get started today at repstl.org/wisewrite. The Rep will announce an official festival date soon, along with participating performers.
Introducing Vivent Health, founded on the combined expertise of AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, Rocky Mountain CARES and St. Louis Effort for AIDS. And steadfastly dedicated to serving anyone and everyone affected by HIV through our comprehensive prevention, care and treatment programs. Learn more at ViventHealth.org
Mystery Painting at Art Museum
By Asmaa Walton
For The St. Louis American
The Saint Louis Art Museum is closed as we practice social distancing in the challenging time of COVID-19. Since you can’t come to the Museum, we are delighted to bring to you an extraordinary work of art that was acquired by the Museum in 1951. In 1974, this pastel was featured in the Museum’s exhibition “The Black Presence in Art” and, after several decades of being in storage, this stunning painting made its return once again in the gallery in March. Portrait of a Woman was on view only a few weeks before the Museum’s temporary closure. This portrait is at the center of a 100year art mystery.
Works of art on view in the Museum have a label that identifies the artist, the date the artwork was created, and often the title will give clues about the subject or location. For this work of art, much of this information is not known. The Museum dates the portrait to the late 18th or early 19th century, however, specific a date is unknown. The portrait is created with soft pastel colors depicting a lovely young woman seated before a light blue background. Her body is oriented to the right of the composition, but her face is turned slightly towards the viewer, revealing a warm expression. Her head is covered with a light-colored turban with sheer patterned material on top. She wears a pair of small gold earrings, a pearl choker necklace, and a peach-colored dress with an embellished scoop neckline. Who is the artist and who is the woman?
A quick google image search of this portrait gathered more than 5 billion results, including Pinterest pins, Tumblr posts, and many art history blogs. Despite its incredible popularity, there is no verifiable evidence as to the artist or name of the woman. In many of the search results, this work has been attributed to artist Jean Etienne Liotard due to the time period and similarities in style, but more recent research debunks this attribution so the artist is unknown.
A scholar proposed to the Museum that the woman in the portrait may be British heiress Dido Elizabeth Belle. Belle has come up in many artworld conversations after she was identified as a subject in an 18th century double portrait with Lady Elizabeth Murry, which now hangs in the Scone Palace in Perth, Australia. In 2013, a film was released entitled Belle that shares the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle. Unfortunately, when more information about Belle was revealed, it has been determined that Belle is not the unknown woman in our portrait.
Close looking can be a critical skill when
basis for the research for the film series. After 20 years of working to get the story adapted for cinema, Bundles candidly expressed she was none too pleased with the cinematic effort her writing inspired. Efforts to bring the life of the beauty industry pioneer, who the Guinness Book of World Records gives the distinction of the first self-made female millionaire, had been nearly 40 years in the making.
“There had been options as early as 1982 when Alex Haley was interested in it,” Bundles said. “Once it was optioned this time, it was assigned to a writer and showrunners for day-to-day production and the head writer had a very different view of what the story should be than I did.” When Bundles talked with series co-creator and head writer Nicole Asher three years ago, she said Asher told her that her vision was to have a competition and rivalry between Madam Walker and Annie Malone.
“I told her, ‘I don’t think that was the centerpiece of either of those women’s lives. She did not like what I said and therefore left me out of the conversation,” Bundles said. “By the time I had seen the scripts, because I had script review, that had been approved by the studio as the centerpiece.”
Bundles felt that Spencer, who was also among the producers of “Self-Made” was fantastic in terms of embodying the courage of Madam Walker,
answering questions about artworks. Clothing can give very valuable clues and this woman’s head covering could be noteworthy. Headwraps have varying significance to many different cultures and can be worn in a way unique to that culture. One Museum consultant believes that the woman’s particular head wrapping could have a Caribbean origin.
Another clue can be the medium and materials of a work of art. The Museum’s conservation team was able to view a watermark on the paper.
An expert on watermarks and paper believes that the paper may have been manufactured by a Dutch paper maker, which could be important in establishing the location in which the painting was created.
The Museum certainly has more questions than answers about this spectacular artwork. We invite you to visit slam.org/YoungWoman to see our mystery painting, Portrait of Young Woman
Asmaa Walton is a Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow, 2019 -20, at The St. Louis Art Muesum
her tenacity and what it takes to build a business. But the direction of the series undermined the life of Walker and the woman who introduced Walker to the hair care industry.
“I think that it is unfortunate that the scriptwriter decided that there would be this catfight between two women,” Bundles said. “She changed the name to Addie Munroe, but I don’t think anyone was fooled – and the character was nothing like the real Annie Malone.” Nance, who founded the Annie Malone Historical Society, agreed.
“I am glad that we are seeing something about African Americans building businesses, but there were many, many other ways to tell the story of this triumphant pioneer of the modern hair care industry, philanthropist and political activist,” Nance said. “She was a very positive woman, a very spiritual woman – very much unlike the character in the miniseries. She was a very kind woman. If anything, I would want people to know that she focused on that until the day she died.” Walker and Malone’s lives had many parallels. Both were among the first generation of African Americans to be born after the abolition of slavery. Both were orphaned as children and rose from poverty to build hair care empires that still influence the industry today. And both worked relentlessly through their business interests to empower African American women.
“They were both very active in National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and they lived the motto in my opinion – which was lifting as
we climb,” Nance said. “They were very successful at pulling women up all over the world to help them accomplish their dreams. That was a relationship that was far beyond what you saw in that miniseries. Not capturing that was a disservice to both women in my opinion.”
Nance then went on to say that she felt that Bundles has attempted to erase the legacy of Malone – and said that without Malone there probably wouldn’t have been a Madam CJ Walker.
“I could have left her out of that book, and nobody would have known,” Bundles clapped back. “But I intentionally included material that I found about her. And there are Malone scholars who credit the work that I’ve done.”
Nance isn’t one of them.
“There are many, many statements made in portions of your book that don’t really credit Annie Malone,” Nance said. “Of course, we both feel differently – because I guess we have a bit of rivalry going on of our own.”
Bundles pivoted back to the series.
“We can all agree that there was a lot about the miniseries that really did not tell the story,” Bundles said. “That’s something that Hollywood made a decision about that I really disagree with and I raised that during the scripting process. I will tell you that it was toned down from what it could have been. I objected to this from the very beginning.
“This has been a learning experience for the people who were involved because they probably thought they could do that, and nobody would complain.”
Unknown; Portrait of a Young Woman, late 18th century; pastel; 16 x 12 3/4 in.
(40.6 x 32.4 cm); Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 186:1951
Public Notice of Single Source Procurement
Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: MEMBERSHIP DUES: ASSOCIATION OF MISSOURI CLEANWATER AGENCIES was used for this service. Any inquiries should be sent to gjamison@stlmsd.com.
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
On behalf the City of Wellston, the Housing Authority of St. Louis County (HASLC) is requesting proposals from qualified developers to provide services in the development, design, construction, and renovation of 201 (0-5 bedroom) units in the former Wellston Housing Authority inventory.
Proposal packages will be available online on the HASLC’s website, www.haslc.com starting May 4, 2020.
HANDYMAN WANTED for Apt Complex $12hr Ask for Tim 314-319-8597
ADVERTISE YOUR JOBS WITH US
SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY ACCEPTING SEALED BIDS (SSD# 127-20)
Notice to contractors, Special School District is accepting bids for Masonry Repairs at North Tech High School. For details, please visit the website at www.ssdmo.org/rfps.html
Request for Bid: #SSD
137-20 Learning Center
Boiler Replacement
Bids/drawings will be available for pickup at Facility Solutions Group, 901 Horan Drive, Fenton, Missouri 63026 on May 12, 2020. A mandatory attendance pre-bid meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m. on May 14th at the Learning Center, 900 Hornet Drive, Hazelwood, MO 63042.
Bids are due at 2:00p.m. on May 28th at Special School District, Purchasing Department, 12110 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63131.
TRAFFIC ENGINEERING CONSULTING SERVICES
RFQ 2020
The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified contractors to provide traffic-engineering consulting services for the North Campus property.
Bid documents are available as of 5/6/2020 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor
SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY ACCEPTING SEALED BIDS (SSD# 135-20)
Notice to contractors, Special School District is accepting bids for an ADA Ramp at Ackerman School.
For details, please visit the website at www.ssdmo.org/rfps.html
METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT
Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on June 8th, 2020 to contract with a company for: Oracle EBS Software Licenses.
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.msdprojectclear.org, click on the “DOING BUSINESS WITH US” link, (View Non-Capital Bids (Goods & Services). The bid document will be identified as 10376 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid.
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
All proposals must be submitted electronically to Janie Ashwill at jashwill@haslc.com no later than June 26, 2020.
St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for Contract No. F 20 102, Roof Replacement at Highland Park Building, St. Louis Community College at Highland Park, until 2:00 p.m. local time, Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Bids can be dropped in a mail slot at the front door of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park Drive. Bids will be opened and read by the Manager of Engineering and Design (Ken Kempf), 5464 Highland Park Drive (Plan Room). Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by emailing Angie James at ajames84@stlcc.edu.
Pre-bid Meeting: Monday, May 11, 2020 10:00 a.m. Meet at 5464 Highland Park Drive An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer
PUBLIC NOTICE REQUEST FOR BIDS
IMPACT Strategies, as the selected General Contractor, is requesting Subcontractor proposals for the Cornerstone - Lafayette Square Development - Bid Package #1Design/Build MEP project in St. Louis, MO. This is a taxable project.
This project consists of complete ground-up construction of a new, 5-story multifamily apartment development, including parking garage.
This Bid Package #1 requires subcontractor proposals for Design/Build Fire Protection, Plumbing, HVAC and Electrical only.
The Cornerstone Lafayette Square multi-family project will comply with the Diversity Goals as governed by Ordinance 70767 of the City of St. Louis. Ordinance 70767 outlines Enterprise (contract spend) requirements and also Workforce Participation goals as follows:
Enterprise (Contract Spend)
African American - 21%
Women - 11%
Hispanic - 2%
Asian/American Indian - .5%
Workforce Participation Goals
Minorities - 25%
City Residents - 23%
Apprentices - 20%
Women - 7%
Successful contractors will be required to participate in the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) program for documenting compliance with the Workforce and Prevailing Wage Ordinances.
Project documents can be viewed at IMPACT Strategies, SIBA, Mcgraw Hill Dodge, Cross Rhodes Reprographics, MoKan Institute, NAACP, Hispanic Chambers of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis, Congress of Racial Equality – North Central region, Employment Connection, Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce, Asian American Chamber of Commerce, and African American Business & Construction Workers Association. Documents are also available for view/download from GradeBeam.com and IMPACT’s ftp site. Contact Emily Yost. (618)3948400, eyost@buildwithimpact.com for access.
Subcontractor bids are
SEALED BIDS
SEALED BIDS
SEALED BIDS
SEALED BIDS
SEALED BIDS
ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 5/21/20 via MissouriBUYS.
Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities
Bids for Construct New Columbarium Wall, Bloomfield Veterans Cemetery, Bloomfield, Missouri, Project N o . U 2 0 0 1 - 0 1 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 5/28/2020 via MissouriBUYS.
Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities
Bids for Construct Battery Room, Trenton Field M a i n t e n a n c e Shop, Project No. T2026-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 5/28/20 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Bids for Install Solar Array and FMS Battery Storage, Camp Crowder Training Site, Neosho, MO, Project No. T1922-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30PM, 6/4/2020 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities
St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for Contract No. F 20 001, Asphalt Paving Repairs, St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, Meramec and Forest Park, until 2:00 p.m. local time, Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Bids can be dropped in a mail slot at the front door of Engineering and Design, 5464 Highland Park Drive. Bids will be opened and read by the Manager of Engineering and Design (Ken Kempf), 5464 Highland Park Drive (Plan Room). Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by emailing Angie James at ajames84@stlcc.edu.
Pre-bid Meeting: By Appointment Only
An Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer
CITY OF ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District), the Owner, will receive sealed bids for LOWER MERAMEC RIVER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS - BAUMGARTNER TO FENTON WWTF TUNNEL under Letting No. 11746-015.1, at its office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 2:00 PM, local time, on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. All bids are to be deposited in the bid box located on the first floor of the District’s Headquarters prior to the 2:00 p.m. deadline. Bids may, however, be withdrawn prior to the opening of the first bid. BIDS WILL BE PUBLICLY OPENED AND READ IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE BID DUE DATE/TIME AT 2350 MARKET STREET, AT A PLACE DESIGNATED.
The Work to be performed under these Contract Documents consists of: the mining of approximately 35,849 feet of minimum 11-foot excavated diameter Lower Meramec Tunnel through rock utilizing a rock tunnel boring machine; providing 35,961 feet of an 8-foot inside diameter tunnel carrier pipe; construction of the Fenton Construction Shaft; final lining of the existing Baumgartner Construction Shaft; construction of six drop structures including near surface structures, drop shafts, vent shafts, deaeration chambers, and adits; connection to existing Baumgartner Tunnel; installation of bulkhead at Fenton Construction Shaft; demolition of existing pump stations; and near surface sewer connections to drop structures.. The project is within the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Boundaries, inside the city(ies) of unincorporated St. Louis County, Sunset Hills and Fenton in the State of Missouri. The work will be performed in various quantities at various sites.
All prospective bidders must prequalify in the Tunneling/Trenchless category, and be certified prior to the Bid Opening. Prequalification forms for obtaining said certification may be obtained from the Owner at the above mentioned address. All bidders must obtain drawings and specifications in the name of the entity submitting the bid.
This project will be financed through the Missouri State Revolving Fund, established by the sale of Missouri Water Pollution Control bonds and Federal Capitalization Grants to Missouri. Neither the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, its divisions, nor its employees will be party to the contract at any tier. Any Bidder whose firm or affiliate is listed on the GSA publication titled “List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement or Non-Procurement Programs” is prohibited from the bidding process; bids received from a listed party will be deemed non-responsive. Refer to Instructions to Bidders B-27 for more information regarding debarment and suspension.
Nondiscrimination in Employment: Bidders on this work will be required to comply with the President’s Executive Order 11246. Requirements for bidders and contractors under this order are explained in the specifications.
A mandatory Pre-Bid conference will be held at the Construction Training School, 2nd Floor Assembly Room, 6301 Knox Industrial Drive, St. Louis, MO 63139, on Wednesday, May 27th, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. local time in accordance with Article 6 of the Instructions to Bidders. Following the Pre-Bid Conference, a Diversity Fair will be held from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm on the same date and in the same location as the Pre-Bid Conference. Additionally, rock core as obtained for the project and for preparation of the Geotechnical Data Report will be available to the bidders by appointment at 1612 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110 on Wednesday, May 27th, 2020 or Thursday, May 28th, 2020.
Plans and Specifications are available from free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 2731 S. Jefferson Ave St Louis, MO 63118. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer and invites the submission of bids from Women and Minority Business Enterprises.
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Paric Corporation is seeking proposals for the following project: TASMG readiness Center AVCRAD Facility.
The project includes constructing a new two-story Army Readiness Center, approximately 43,000 SF in size, adjacent to the existing AVCRAD facility. This project will adjoin to the phase 3A project scheduled for completion in summer 2020.
The scope of work for this project includes but is not limited to selective demolition, concrete foundations and flatwork, masonry, steel, carpentry, woodwork, metal roof and wall panels, roofing, doors, storefront, drywall, acoustical ceilings, flooring, resinous flooring, painting, specialties, elevators, fire sprinklers, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, earthwork, asphalt, landscaping and storm sewer.
This project has
Please send all bids to bids@paric.com
and
Solicitation For Bids (SFB) for Snow Removal Services Bids Wanted
Bid documents may be obtained at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Airport Properties Division, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by calling (314) 890-1802. This SFB may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.flystl.com/business/ contract-opportunites.
Robert Salarano Airport Properties Division Manager
Community Development Administration Request for Proposals
Mayor Lyda Krewson announces the City of St. Louis will be accepting applications for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV) funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) beginning May 8, 2020 and ending at 4:00 p.m. CST on May 29, 2020. Beginning May 8, 2020, the CDBG-CV Request for Proposals (RFP) and related documents can be found on the Community Development Administration (CDA) website at: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/community-development/ covid-19-cares-act-funding.cfm
Funding for eligible public service activities to assist in the preparation for, prevention of and response to the coronavirus are available under this RFP. Specifically, the City of St. Louis is seeking proposals for food and sanitary outreach and distribution, elderly assistance and transportation, and building healthcare service capacity, including behavioral health services. Proposals for other public services and public facilities and improvement activities that will directly assist in the preparation for, prevention of and response to the coronavirus are also encouraged.
The CDBG-CV funding proposal deadline is Friday, May 29, 2020, 4:00 p.m., CST.
Additional RFPs for other CDBG-CV eligible activities may be forthcoming. It should also be noted that additional CDBG-CV funding is anticipated, although the timing or amount is presently unknown.
Questions concerning the RFP process may be directed to Matt Moak, Executive Director of Community Development Administration at CDBG@Stlouis-mo.gov.
CDA is an equal opportunity Agency. Minority participation is encouraged.
Swag Snap of the Week
STL all over the internet… again. Folks representing our city have been going viral ever since we’ve been glued to the web because of the Rona. Murph was first. Nelly was next. Now Hitman Holla was all over the blogs for a prank he pulled, acting like he was cheating on his girlfriend. The post went viral. He said he did it to prove that the only time his city pays him any mind is when it’s something negative. But it looked to me like all the negativity came from other places. Even Snoop Dogg tried to clown Hitman for his choice of rendezvous quarters – which became a colossal backfire when Snoop’s alleged jump off hopped in the comments and had him making dedications to his wife on the Gram. Here’s what I have to say about Hitman’s feelings as far as him only getting hate from STL: ignore the hate and actively seek out love. Not to get too deep up in Partyline, but isn’t there an old Negro Spiritual saying that essentially says, “whatever you seek, you will find.” And if you’re setting yourself up for hate with pranks and carrying on, guess what…? Oh, and really quick… What do y’all think about Chingy finally admitting that Tiffany Haddish was telling the truth – and they did in fact hook up. I’m lowkey calling myself psychic for saying Chingy had next on the net, even though this was not the apology I had in mind.
Ceddy headed to YouTube. Since I’ve already started on St. Louis stars on the worldwide web, I might as well mention that our own King of Comedy Cedric The Entertainer will be on and crackin’ on YouTube. Because he’ll debut after deadline, I’ll have to let you know whether or not his debut post gave me a kee-kee – though I’m almost certain it will. I watched the preview for it, and he’s going to be serving up food, fashion and plenty of funny as he gives fans an opportunity to get to know him better. He’s also going to let subscribers have a bird’s eye view of what his work life is like by way of behind the scenes footage – which should be interesting since the third season of his hit CBS show “The Neighborhood” is set to return in the fall.
A musical dose of Mvstermind. He might not have the star power of some of the STL celebs I just got finished mentioning at the moment, but trust that rapper Mvstermind is on his way there. I’m even more confident that I’m right about it after catching his “Intwerwebz” concert Friday night on IG Live. Anytime your stage presence transfers when you’re performing in your living room in socks with strobe lighting as your only special effects, the super star in the making drip is real!
A Verzuz raincheck. When I tell you that I was big mad that Bone Thugs N Harmony and Three 6 Mafia weren’t squaring off on Instagram last Thursday. They announced that master battle facilitators Swizz Beats and Timbaland will be bringing their show to Verzuz. The good news is that the Verzuz affiliation means that the sound is less likely to be like the battle is being held underwater – even though Teddy Riley proved that there is no guarantee. The bad news is that they are yet to set a new date. Badu vs. Jilly from Philly. Yo, speaking of Verzuz…when I tell you I almost fell out when it was revealed that the first females of the Rona IG music battles would be Erykah “Low Down Loretta Brown” Badu and Jill “Jilly From Philly” Scott. I feel like it’s the closest thing I’m gonna get to a Sugar Water reunion. Ever since they announced it on Sunday, I’ve been utterly torn about who is going to win. I was leaning towards Badu, just because she has more variety in her catalog, but then I thought about the poetic interludes and going through all the risks she took on “The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3.” “Epiphany,” “Crown Royal”... what? Then I started thinking about “Mama’s Gun,” which 20 years later still stands as one of the definitive R&B records of the millennium. The funk of “Penitentiary Philosophy,” the jazz of “Orange Moon” the mellow vibe of “AD 2000” and the Afrovibe of “Kiss Me On My Neck.” “Bag Lady,” come on. Every song on that record sounded like it was from a different genre. So, then I decided that I was going to predict the winner by weighing each of their albums. “Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1” was the better between their debuts. But “Mama’s Gun” puts “Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2” to shame – and that was a good record. I couldn’t decide between “The Real Thing” and “Worldwide Underground.” Jilly had twice as many songs as Badu, but those handful of jams on “WorldWide Underground” slap from start to finish. And just when I thought I couldn’t get any more decisive about the highly anticipated battle, they release a snippet of them singing each other’s songs. The clip is only 90 seconds long and features Badu crooning “The Way” and Scott showing off with “Other Side of The Game.” Now I want them to do a live concert of their take on the other one’s greatest hits. I will settle for this battle though – it’s going to be everything. Instagram, we’re going to need you to be working behind the scenes to make sure you have the capacity for this urban Gen X overload by 6 p.m. Saturday (May 9), because we’re about to flood the Gram like our grandparents did in major cities during the Great Migration. Comedy comeback for a cause. I don’t know if y’all have heard, but Eddie Murphy will be doing standup this weekend. Yes, you are reading this right. I’m getting my heart prepared for a set that will rival the experience of his glorious “SNL” comeback. Him and just about every name brand comedian you can think of will be on deck for the “Feeding America Comedy Festival.” It’s happening at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Trust and believe I may have to have two devices going at once to keep up with Badu and Scott while making sure I don’t miss Mr. Murphy. It was organized by Byron Allen and you can catch it on Comedy.TV, The Weather Channel and on the app Local Now. Babyface The Great returns to the ‘Gram. I will be perched on IG Live again for Babyface’s “Waiting to Exhale” Mother’s Day Concert Special at 7 p.m. If it goes down anything like his portion of the of the Verzuz battle with Teddy Riley, it will be absolutely epic. I remember when he was live on stage the night Whitney Houston passed away and effortlessly went into a mini tribute that included a performance of “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” and stories about the two of them working on the soundtrack for the movie. It was everything. I cannot wait to be up on IG this weekend catching all the soul and R&B vibes imaginable.
A pic from the archives of Leslie and Spencer out and about enjoying themselves back in 2017
Belinda, Mesha and Kaysha caught the sounds of Raheem DeVaughn, Tamar Braxton and Anthony
Theresa showing some birthday love to Erika with a throwback birthday pic on Facebook
Onnie showing off her new red tresses on Facebook on Friday
A throwback photo of Aisha, Triky and Ashlee Monroe as Aisha celebrated her birthday back in 2015
The doors to Diversity Gallery are currently closed, but Leslie will be back and better than ever
Vanessa Townsend showing off her Cinco De Mayo makeup Tuesday on Facebook
The quarantine won’t keep the lovely Paris Drake from serving up a gorgeously beat face Allen and Maria social distancing together Saturday afternoon
Rapper Mvstermind was all the way live online for his Interwebz concert that streamed on Facebook and IG Live
Krystal and Brenday backstage with Anthony Hamilton when he headlined the Mother’s Day Music Festival at Chaifetz Arena back in 2017
Support Center still finding jobs for fathers and families
‘Employers know they can call us if there’s an issue’
American staff
Jarett Kendall, director of employment for Fathers & Families Support Center (FFSC) said: “We have been busy! So far, we’ve placed 10 fathers since mid-March, when COVID-19 hit.”
Thanks to FFSC’s partnership with local employers, fathers who have been laid off because of COVID-19 are being connected with companies that have immediate openings in call centers and manufacturing companies.
Lynn Vaden, FFSC facilitator, is seeing first-hand the immediate economic impact COVID-19 is having on its alumni.
n “Fathers who’ve been laid off recently or had their hours slashed are calling because of our solid employment connections and our program’s year-long follow-up.”
– Lynn Vaden, FFSC facilitator
6-week Family Formation program, and we hold them accountable.” Vaden explained. “Employers know they can call us if there’s an issue.”
Responsible Container in North St. Louis is one business that has placed its clients.
Helping find jobs for unemployed fathers so they can support their families is a key component of its six-week program. FFSC is committed to transforming fathers into responsible parents who can support their children materially, emotionally and developmentally.
After 22 years of building relationships with local businesses, FFSC is known for producing candidates who are work-ready.
“Fathers who’ve been laid off recently or had their hours slashed are calling because of our solid employment connections and our program’s year-long follow-up,” Vaden said. “It’s a win-win for our clients and employment partners.”
“Employers call us because we thoroughly prepare clients for excellence through our
Here’s a quick look at how FFSC is stabilizing families by keeping its clients employed and safe, despite the shuttering effects of the global pandemic:
• Programs continue daily through carefully monitored
“We have been busy!” said Jarett Kendall, director of employment for Fathers & Families Support Center.
CCDI bridges diversity and career development to design, construction industry
In the aftermath of the Ferguson unrest five years ago, the Construction Career Development Initiative known as CCDI was founded by construction engineering company Clayco to provide a program for selected young adults in North St. Louis County to help them overcome barriers to success. CCDI pairs participants in long-term, one-on-one mentorship, offers financial support for college and creates opportunities for job placement.
“Clayco is proud to support the efforts of CCDI, a non-profit organization that brings diversity to the design and construction industry by mentoring and exposing minority/underrepresented and under employed men and women to career development in construction in Chicago and St. Louis,” the company states.
Clayco’s vision and ultimate goal with CCDI is to support workforce diversity and bridge the gap in workforce development. Clayco realized this task could not be completed alone, and the initiative has grown over the past five years to include St. Louis community partnerships with school districts, local leaders, contractors and subcontractors.
CCDI’s mission is to bring diversity to the design and construction industry by mentoring and exposing minority, underrepresented students to career development in construction by assisting graduates of its program to career placement. CCDI coordinates guest speakers, field trips and events for the students in the construction program.
CCDI has a Build Our Future annual scholarship that is awarded to top-qualifying high school seniors who exhibit a desire to pursue employment in construction engineering, architecture, or construction/
project management. CCDI has awarded this scholarship since its inception in 2015 and has assisted over 25 students with scholarships to pursue higher education. CCDI partnerships include the University of Missouri-St. Louis/Washington University Joint Engineering Program, Missouri Science and Technology, Missouri Western and Ranken.
In addition to financial assistance, CCDI offers guidance, tutoring and mentorship throughout the students’ collegiate journey, from job
shadowing to internships, to career placement. The Build Our Future scholarship is not just for four-year bound college students. CCDI has several apprentice scholars who work full-time in the field and attend college classes in the evenings. “These students aspire to work their way up the industry pipeline while obtaining valuable on the job training.”
Four CCDI participants were awarded four Build Our Future scholarships on March 31. Each recipient
completed an extensive scholarship application that required personal essays, multiple letters of recommendation and a virtual interview with the CCDI Education Committee. They each wrote an essay on how this scholarship would help to build their future and longterm career plans as an engineer, architect or construction/ project manager and how they could use their future degree to help build the foundation for change in their community.
This year’s Build Our Future scholarship recipients
are:
• Catalina, from Ritenour High School. She will attend Mizzou to study Civil Engineering. Catalina said she wants to be in the construction field because she has always been fascinated with how buildings and bridges are constructed. Catalina is also a first-generation college student and motivated to be the first in her family to earn a degree.
• Malik, from Jennings High School, who will attend
Harvard University to study Architectural Engineering. Malik has been in the CCDI program since his sophomore year. He is mentored by Jesse Sanders, director of IT Infrastructure at Clayco. Malik attended monthly Saturday academies, where he learned about the art and design of the construction industry and developed an interest in architecture. Malik is the valedictorian of his senior class.
• Christopher, from Hazelwood East and North Tech high schools, will attend State Tech and then transfer to the University of Central Missouri to study Construction Management. CCDI worked closely with Christopher through its partnership with North Technical High School, where CCDI learned about Christopher’s determination to overcome the odds and be the first person in his family to attend college.
• Rashad is currently studying Civil Engineering through the University of Missouri-St. Louis/Washington University Joint Engineering Program. CCDI helped to set Rashad up with an internship this past summer. He spent eight weeks visiting and learning about Clayco and about minority owned engineering firms in the St. Louis area. Rashad has been an active student leader in the CCDI program and will be interning full time at Clayco this summer.
The Build Our Future Scholarships would not be possible without the annual donations from local businesses and subcontractors in the St. Louis community. Because of their generous donations, CCDI can continue to impact our future generation of industry leaders.
Looking for work after coronavirus layoffs?
Avoid work-at-home scams
By Lisa Weintraub Schifferle
Of the FTC
Have you been laid off due to the coronavirus? Or maybe your small business shut down?
These days, many people start by looking for ways to make money working from home. If you’re eyeing a work-athome gig, here are some things to keep in mind.
Ads offer a variety of work-at-home jobs – lnternet businesses, shipping or mailing work, selling goods, and more. But many of these “jobs” are scams, aimed at getting your money, and won’t deliver on the claims they make. To avoid work-at-home scams:
Don’t pay to get a job. Scammers may say they’ve got a job waiting if you just pay a fee for certification, training, equipment, or supplies. But, after you pay, the job doesn’t materialize.
like your state’s Career OneStop
Don’t believe ads for “previously undisclosed” federal government jobs. Information about federal jobs is free at usajobs.gov.
Check it out. Check out a company with your local consumer protection agency or your state Attorney General. They can tell you whether they’ve gotten complaints about a particular work-at-home program.
n Don’t pay to get a job. Scammers may say they’ve got a job waiting if you just pay a fee for certification, training, equipment, or supplies. But, after you pay, the job doesn’t materialize.
Avoid fake job ads. Some scammers pay to have their ads or scam websites appear at the top of your searches. Other scammers pretend to be affiliated with well-known companies or even the government. Research a potential employer by searching online for a potential employer’s name, email address, and phone number. You might find complaints by others who’ve been scammed and find out more about the scammer’s tricks. To find legitimate job listings, try visiting sites
And if you’re dealing with job loss, you’re not alone. Here are some other things to keep in mind. Contact your State Unemployment Insurance Office for information about applying for unemployment insurance benefits in your state. The Department of Labor recently announced new flexibilities offered as a result of the Coronavirus crisis. So, it pays to check if you’re eligible. Contact your creditors. They may be willing to discuss some type of minimum payment or other flexibility. They’re more likely to be reasonable if you talk to them upfront about the financial problems you are having as a result of the Coronavirus, rather than waiting until after you’ve missed a payment.
If you spot a scam, report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.
Lisa Weintraub Schifferle is attorney, FTC, Division of Consumer & Business Education.
Grilling at sea
teleconference calls with clients.
• Staff connect with alumni & clients daily by phone or video conferencing about employment leads & interviews.
• Job skills training for fathers, mothers & youth. Resume writing, mock interviews and job retention.
• Bus passes for interviews and work are provided to clients, plus a weekly stipend to assist with necessities.
• Remote one-onº-one counseling and group therapy sessions. Plus, substances abuse teleconferences. Now with six locations, FFSC has extended its programs to serve mothers, disadvantaged youth and incarcerated fathers at the St. Louis Transitional Center. For more information, visit www. FathersSupportCenter.org or call 314-333-4170.
Culinary Specialist Seaman Apprentice Christopher Peters, from St. Louis, grills chicken in the flag mess galley aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the Atlantic Ocean on April 11. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is conducting operations in the Atlantic in support of maritime security operations. Truman has spent at least one day underway for 30 of the last 34 months, in direct support of global security around the world. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kelsey Trinh)
New center provides single point of entry for careers in construction
Outreach Manager Sergio Munoz says good-paying jobs are available right now
Special to the American Sergio Muňoz, Outreach Manager for the STL Construction Career Center, is a man with a mission.
As a union laborer and social worker, he worked for decades as a skilled worker and, later, as a case manager in order to support his young family.
n Since joining the Center last year, Muňoz has connected with hundreds of potential candidates at job fairs, high schools, job centers, community centers, and veterans’ organizations.
Now that they are grown, he is pursuing his real passion –connecting workers with job opportunities.
Last spring, a coalition of industry partners that includes construction project owners,
contractors, and the unions that supply the workers, joined forces to provide a single point of entry for careers in construction. The new STL Construction Career Center, located at the Construction Training School at 6301 Knox Industrial Drive in St. Louis, focuses on putting candidates in the construction related training program that best fits their needs and skills. The Center also provides follow-up activities to assist candidates in completing their training programs.
Since joining the Center last year, Muňoz has connected
with hundreds of potential candidates at job fairs, high schools, job centers, community centers, and veterans’ organizations. He’s given presentations at Affton, Ritenour and Sumner High Schools as well as at the Gateway STEM High School, the KIPP St. Louis High School, the Nine Network, STL-Youth Jobs and the STL Business Partnership. Muňoz’ message also reaches out-ofschool youth and young adults, 18-26, through not-for-profit
Outreach Manager for the STL Construction Career Center
organizations, faith-based and community-based agencies, including the Northwest Crossing Missouri Job Center, the International Institute, the Urban League SOS Program, Better Family Life, and the Latino Roundtable. Other outreach includes the Community Action Agency of St. Louis County, Covenant House, and the St. Louis Area’s Veterans Standdown Committee. When he’s not attending a career expo or
giving a talk, he’s most likely fielding calls coming into the Center or assisting apprentices with guidance or supplemental resources.
Muňoz’ message is simple. There are good-paying jobs in the construction industry available right now with great benefits. And there are numerous training programs and apprenticeships from which to choose. Most apprenticeship programs plan on reopening in accordance with City, County, and State Covid-19 guidelines.
Construction work also may offer better than average job security, as it is classified as “essential”. While most St. Louisans were sheltering at home, many of the area’s construction workers continued to build, repair and maintain our hospitals, schools, warehouses, roads, etc., keeping society and the economy moving forward.
As predicted in the results of a 2018 survey by the AGC of America prior to the pandemic, there is a current shortage for workers in the industry, with more than 76 percent of Midwest contractors planning to hire workers and 80 percent unable to find enough skilled craft workers. If/when a new federal infrastructure program is adopted; the workforce shortage will become even more critical. We do expect the industry to rebound at some point once the pandemic crisis passes.
Muňoz believes this is the perfect time to join the construction industry, with federal and state governments prioritizing technical and vocational training. For information, contact Sergio Muňoz today at smunoz@stl-cts.org or call 314/678-1403.
Three pay negotiation tips for women
As advocates continue to put gender equity under a microscope and some progress has been made, there’s still a long way to go. The income gap between men and women has yet to be closed, and while employers have a huge role to play in creating a level playing field, many women could advocate for themselves more effectively during salary negotiations.
A recent Randstad US survey found that 60 percent of women have never negotiated their pay. Additionally, roughly
half of the women surveyed (51 percent) also said they’re more likely to leave a job because they’re underpaid, rather than ask their manager for a raise. Asking for more money can be stressful, particularly for women. Research has shown that women tend to both underestimate their value and avoid assertiveness (an essential skill for negotiating). These factors make negotiating more difficult, but no less important – which is why you should be extra prepared. According to the experts at Randstad US,
here’s how:
1. Know your value. Seventy-four percent of millennials expect a pay raise every year in order to stay at their companies, versus 62 percent of boomers and 66 percent of all workers. It appears younger generations know their value and aren’t shy about asking for fair compensation when it counts most – during salary negotiations. Do the same! Take inventory of your achievements, new skills and contributions that demonstrate
your value, and be prepared to showcase those once negotiations start.
2. Know your market. Sixty percent of all workers surveyed wish their employers would publish salary or pay ranges for what each role earns across the company. Even if your company doesn’t do this, you’ll still want to familiarize yourself with the going pay rates in your industry. There are plenty of resources online (including Randstad’s comprehensive salary guide) to help
with your research.
3. Know when to speak up. Be proactive. If you didn’t receive a raise in your last performance review or if you don’t have formal performance reviews, consider scheduling a meeting with your supervisor to talk about your performance and compensation. Of course, if the company has been cutting budgets or is struggling to meet its business goals, it’s probably best to wait to ask for a raise. Instead, use this time to ask your manager for feedback:
What are you doing well? How would they like to see you improve? Show your manager that you want to do your job better, and then go make it happen. Then, revisit that pay conversation a few months later. Ultimately, the best thing you can do is advocate for yourself. For your employer, it’s all about the return on investment, and if you can make a solid case, most employers are willing to negotiate rather than lose you to one of their competitors.
Sergio Muňoz,
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
“COVID-19 continues to impact BUD, the building trades and their training facilities, along with the construction contractors,” said Russ Signorino, program director of Building Union Diversity (BUD).
During a five-week training program, BUD students take and pass their OSHA 10 certification for occupational safety and, after a one-week orientation, spend four weeks learning from floor layers, cement masons, sheet metal workers, carpenters, plumbers, pipe-fitters and the electricians.
That is, when there is no pandemic with stay-at-home and social-distancing public health orders.
“The past few months have been difficult for all of us,” Signorino said. “Most of us have been personally affected or know someone that has been affected, financially, medically or both.”
BUD’s most recent graduating class, BUD 19, finished its five-week training at the very same time that the new coronavirus was beginning to have its major impact. Many contractors instituted temporary hiring freezes, and the training facilities began to close to keep their members and staff safe.
“Most of BUD 19 is still looking for work,” Signorino said.
That is unusual. According to Signorino, BUD boasted an 87 percent placement rate during the first four years of the program. Because of the public health orders, Signorino had to cancel a BUD session that was scheduled to start April 13. The next
Building Union Diversity will resume classes in August
The program will do interviews on July 29
Photo by Wiley Price
Last April, the Building Union Diversity (BUD) program graduated 16 participants in its 15th cohort. The program is dedicated to increasing diversity in the building trades in the St. Louis region. Of those 16 graduates, 13 were African-American and six were women.
session, scheduled to start June 15 with interviews on June 10, is also cancelled.
“Most of the training centers will just be reopening at that time,” Signorino said. “They need to make up much of the training for their members that was postponed over the past few months.”
A BUD session that was originally scheduled to begin on August 17 has been rescheduled. The program will now do interviews on Wednesday, July 29. The classes will start
n “We know that restarting in late July may be a little aggressive. But we have three months to prepare.”
– Russ Signorino, Building Union Diversity
Monday, August 3 and run through Friday, September 4. Graduation will take place on September 9 or 10. He said he will be contacting trades training centers over
the next two months to see when the next BUD class can fit into their schedules.
“We know that restarting in late July may be a little aggressive,” Signorino said.
“But we have three months to prepare, including planning to keep our participants, staff and presenters safe. And, finishing two weeks earlier than planned could help this next class find employment soon after graduation.”
In the meantime, he is asking training providers to continue to work with their clients to get them ready for the July 29 interviews. WorkKeys prep and access is now available through the University City Adult Education and Literacy
Program. The BUD Program was designed by the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC). It assembled a team of more than eight cooperating joint labor-management construction training programs to implement and manage this construction skills pre-apprenticeship training program. Its aim is to launch careers in construction trades for previously un- and under-employed individuals from across the St. Louis region, with a particular focus on women and minorities.
BUD offers enrollees a comprehensive introduction to construction employment and careers and provides relevant national skills certification training, with a particular focus on job safety. Once participants have successfully completed training, they are enrolled in the BCTC employer/contractor database. The database serves as a pool of pre-qualified workers at various skill levels and proficiencies and is used by the construction owners and others in supporting the workforce inclusion goals that they are expected to meet and/or exceed, particularly in public supported construction projects.
Despite the current public health orders and work shortages, Signorino is asking contractors to let him know when they have apprenticeship openings.
“Our graduates are ready to go,” he said. “Eighty-three percent are people of color and twenty percent are female.” For more information on BUD, visit http://budprogram. com or call (314) 303-6082.
Looking for a job while avoiding the coronavirus
A graduating senior surveys the job market in a pandemic
By Stephanie Daniels
For The St. Louis American
Ahh, to be a senior in your last year of college. To be able to look back on all the moments spent managing fulltime work, the responsibilities of school and my appetite for some sort of life outside of the two. Friendships made, accomplishments achieved, and nights not sleeping. Not to mention that time when you went to Starbucks during finals and asked for seven shots of espresso in your latte and watched the look of concern gradually spread across the face of your barista as you smiled back in a sleep-deprived stupor.
Such feelings of endearment shower over me when taking a look at how far I’ve come and how much I’ve sacrificed to call myself one of the members in society who have traversed the sometimes tumultuous yet gratifying challenge of academia.
Yet still, as I begin to feel proud of my accomplishments thus far, I still feel the imminent task of finding a job in this field that I love so. This fear of the inability to find employment after incurring tens of thousands of dollars in student loans, and the prospect of having to pay them back after I walk across the stage, is shared with college seniors across the nation. Now, in my particular case, finding resources at my local college
The rise in unemployment claims in the COVID-19 pandemic has been sharp even compared to recent recessions.
such as grants and scholarships has helped a lot, and if you have not looked into those, I implore you to do so. At my school, we have a degree completion scholarship that covered my last year at the university, which was extremely helpful. But, outside of having to balance the prospect of how much longer you’ll have to go on eating cheap processed food in order to pay those loans, is an even bigger anticipation around finding the perfect job. For me, that perfect job looks
n It’s as if I’m in an episode of The Twilight Zone, and I can only wonder if the same desolation permeates the workforce.
like waking up, creating story ideas, getting out into the community to report and writing to my heart’s content every day. Sounds pretty dope, right? I know. But the actual process of getting there can be difficult in regular circumstances, not to mention while a pandemic is
occurring. For many of us as college students, the road to getting a job in your field is by way of internship. But with many businesses closing, this is a hard road to traverse. Honestly, COVID-19 is proving to be as dangerous as it is all encom-
passing. Of course, when something of this caliber breaks out, disarray and concern are to be expected. For me, one huge concern is the state of our nation when it comes to jobs. With many businesses closing and putting many people out of work, the optimism around being able to thrust oneself into this somewhat stagnant workforce is narrow. Being in my mid-twenties, seeing an epidemic of this scale is really quite the sight.
My feelings of finding a job that is still open and will withstand the test of this virus are a tad unsure. We are in a place as a society where we don’t know how things may play out. Here in Saint Louis, several schools have closed and colleges are now remote only for the remainder of the semester. Local eateries are only providing carry-out orders, and places that you’d normally go to to hang out are closed. It’s as if I’m in an episode of The Twilight Zone, and I can only wonder if the same desolation permeates the workforce.
I find solace in the fact that I want to go into journalism, where the ability to collaborate and create remotely is more than achievable. Fortunately, the very nature of the job relies on the ability to work alone while also collaborating with others. Having confidence in myself in knowing that I can work under those conditions successfully keeps me hopeful for what my future will look like. For now, my days are filled with schoolwork and keeping an eye open for job openings. I find this is the best way to stay on top of the industry and keep my name in the hat for jobs that stick out to me. We all should focus on what we can do during this time of unrest and unpredictability. I can only wish the best for my fellow seniors. Remember, success is when opportunity meets preparation. We will see this through. Stay safe, y’all, and keep working. Stephanie Daniels is a graduating senior at Saint Louis University.
Stephanie Daniels
Community college training patient care technicians
American staff
St. Louis Community College (STLCC) is receiving support from Bank of America to enhance the college’s patient care technician (PCT) program, with a focus on recruiting and training displaced hospitality workers. The college will receive a $100,000 grant to cover tuition costs, books, supplies and other costs for students to complete the PCT training program that will teach them day-to-day patient care skills used in local hospitals.
“Bank of America’s generous grant funds will help the college give hope to people in our community who may have recently lost their jobs,” said Jeff L. Pittman, chancellor, St. Louis Community College. “The patient care technician program can help participating students get a fresh start while also addressing the growing need for more healthcare workers.” The grant was awarded in anticipation of an increased need for employment and healthcare workers in the coming months. STLCC is partnering with SSM Health, a healthcare leader headquartered in St. Louis. SSM Health will employ the students in the high-demand healthcare field and offer a variety of advancement opportunities. The accelerated program will combine classroom and lab instruction with handson clinical experience.
“We’re proud to be a part of this collaboration with St.
Bank of America awards $100K grant
Louis Community College and SSM Health to provide support for individuals to begin their careers in healthcare who in turn, will deliver vital services to our St. Louis community,” said Marilyn Bush, St. Louis market president, Bank of America.
Bank of America’s grant is part of its $100 million global commitment to help increase medical response capacity and provide support to the world’s most vulnerable populations. PCT offers employment in
n “The patient care technician program can help participating students get a fresh start while also addressing the growing need for more healthcare workers.”
– Jeff L. Pittman, chancellor, St. Louis Community College
a healthcare occupation that will help address a current shortfall and is expected to grow 14 percent from 2018 to
2028 (U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019), much faster than the average for all other occupations.
“SSM Health is proud to partner with St. Louis Community College to fill the workforce needs in our growing industry,” said Candace Jennings, regional president, SSM Health in St. Louis. “This grant will allow us to partner with STLCC to give more students opportunities to realize their career goals and to provide critical resources during this time.”
Students who participate in the first cohort of the program will be placed at partnering
and
hospitals: DePaul Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital. Courses are currently set to begin after shelter-in-place orders and hospital entry restrictions are lifted, however, STLCC is in the process of creating online-course capabilities for the PCT program. Applications for the program are open and those interested can apply by visiting the STLCC website at https:// tinyurl.com/y9f92ora.
Students who participate in the first cohort of the program will be placed at partnering hospitals: DePaul Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital
St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Unemployed due to coronavirus? Find available benefits
Self-quarantines and stay-athome orders as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are having an impact on employment right now, and that may continue for some time. During this period of uncertainty, finding ways to pay bills or keep medical benefits are top concerns for many. Here are some tips from Janine Nowatzky, managing director of Inside Rx.
What is unemployment insurance and how do I sign up?
Unemployment insurance is a program between your state and the federal government that provides money when you’ve lost your job. With the federal government’s passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, you can receive an
enhanced benefit. It authorizes:
• Self-employed and gig workers to receive benefits
• An extra $600 a week for up to six months
• An extra 13 weeks of benefits beyond what your state currently provides
Each state’s rules are different. Review your state’s unemployment insurance program to learn about how to apply for benefits. Or learn more by visiting www.usa.gov/unemployment.
How much money will I get? It will vary by state. But remember, under the CARES Act, you will be able to get an
additional $600 a week for up to six months.
The program’s start date was set to Jan. 27. So if you lost your job due to COVID-19-related reasons between the end of January and now, then you should be able to receive the additional benefit.
depends on who you work for.
The first step is to ask your employer.
They may allow you to continue your health coverage for a short period of absence. If your employer is allowing you to keep your insurance, be sure to clarify if your missed premium payments will be:
What about health insurance?
It’s scary to think about getting through this pandemic without health insurance. What benefits you’re able to keep all
• Covered partially or fully by your employer
• Deducted when you come back to work
• Have to be paid now to continue getting insurance
Your employer may also offer health care coverage through COBRA, but that can be very expensive. A limited number of states have also opened enrollment to their own Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance exchanges. You may be able to sign up for a health insurance plan – even without a life-changing event, which is the usual exception to the standard open enrollment periods.
What about prescription medications?
It’s so important to keep taking your medications to stay as strong and healthy as possible. If you weren’t able to
get health insurance with prescription benefits, there are prescription drug savings programs like Inside Rx that can help. The program offers access to thousands of brand and generic medications for you, your family, and your pets at a fraction of the cost, helping you save an average of 40 to 80 percent. You can fill your prescription at over 60,000 pharmacies in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Or you can continue to socially distance and stay safe by getting your medications delivered right to your home through the Express Scripts Pharmacy with no delivery fees. While losing one’s primary source of income is stressful and scary, taking advantage of available benefits can help you and your family stay healthy.
Photo by fizkes / iStock via Getty Images Plus