November 24th, 2011 Edition

OWN orders second helping

Sweetie Pie’s is smash hit on Oprah network

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St.Louis

Feeding the hungry

“The audience is really responding to this program, and the ratings continue to build,

By Rebecca S.Rivas Of The St.Louis American

DR. DECLUE PASSESAT

87

Pioneering optometrist, STLNAACPpresident

2011 of congestive heart failure. He was 87.

DeClue’s professional career spanned 51 years, and he spent nearly the same amount of time fighting for the rights of African Americans here and throughout the U.S. James Allen DeClue was born on February 29, 1924 in St. Louis to Louise

Viola Burnam of Kentucky and James “Jim” Shields DeClue Jr. of Missouri. He had one brother, Frank Burnam DeClue.

He attended the St. Louis Public Schools and graduated from Sumner High School in 1941 along with is future wife, Shirley Marie Johnson. Johnson was the niece of Ethel Hedgeman-Lyle, founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

DeClue attended Stowe Teacher’s College for two years before he was drafted into World War II in 1943. He served

By Roscoe Crenshaw For The St.Louis American

The People Against Poverty Campaign, co-sponsored by Community Women Against Hardship (CWAH) and The St. Louis American, enables all concerned compassionate citizens to

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Rick Diamond, Getty Images

Christian Morton of Riverview in 1997

Dr.James Allen DeClue Sr.

The history of black civil rights is the story of America’s social structure. It is the narrative of how for centuries a selection of whites made African Americans into a slave class, easily identiiable because of their dark skin, and then reaped the beneits, sometimes using law, sometimes using religion, and sometimes using violence to keep this system in place.

Activists have made incredible progress over the past 150 years, but institutional racism is still one of the strongest social forces in America today. The crusades of leaders like Martin Luther King Jr, Bayard Rustin, Stokely Carmichael or Kwame Ture, Malcolm X, Julian Bond, Eldridge Cleaver, Kathleen Cleaver, Angela Davis, James Farmer, Rev. Jesse Jackson, former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, former NAACP chairman Julian Bond and Rep. John Lewis , Dorothy Height, as well as the efforts of ordinary people like Rep. Bobby Rush and Fannie Lou Hamer, are mentioned and highlighted to remind us of past struggles. But there is a name that is often missing. It is the name of a person who embodies and characterizes righteousness, honesty and integrity. It is Harry Belafonte, a renowned civil rights activist who worked alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and who has valiantly and selflessly devoted himself towards something greater than fortune or fame.

This civil and human rights campaigner whom I consider to have been extremely signiicant has mysteriously escaped becoming a household name. His exploits are more amazing than iction; however, Belafonte’s rightful place in history is rarely acknowledged. One only has to look at his consciousness, awareness and fulillment to see what I mean. His bravery, tenacity and leadership skills are clearly conspicuous to have been noticed by his peers in the entertainment industry, but even more important. They are highly praised by the country’s foremost social activists. He earns his place in history as the man who worked alongside everyone from Paul Robeson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. Now HBO has released the critically acclaimed Harry Belafonte documentary Sing Your Song and Belafonte has published his long-awaited autobiography, My Song

Sing Your Song is described as “a journey through the civil rights movement and the last 60 years of social struggle” and said to emphasize “an inspiring life that has paralleled the American civil rights movement, artist and crusader Harry Belafonte has tirelessly used his humanitarian inluence to advance the causes of social justice.” Belafonte expressed to the New York Times, “About my own life, I have no complaints. Yet the problems faced by most Americans of color seem as dire and entrenched as they were half a century ago.”

Speaking recently to the New York publication The Root, the singer and activist pointed out the parallels of the activists of the Occupy movement to the civil rights movement. He revealed although he built his career as a singer and actor, his greatest legacy may be his role as an activist on social issues, beginning with his involvement with Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He said he made the pilgrimage to the Occupy Wall Street site in New York to better understand the motives of the activists who have changed the discussion about the inancial debacle of the last four years.

We must not forget our history, our heroes, and our legacy. We must remember and honor Harry Belafonte while he lives.

Please listen to the Bernie

Wild about Harry!

Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web @ www.wgnu920am. com. And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday

Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLCTV Ch. 24. I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.

Harry Belafonte has published his long-awaited autobiography, My Song

Bernie Hayes

EDITORIAL /COMMENTARY

For those with few reasons to give thanks

The Ga people of Ghana, West Africa, begin a celebration in August that continues as a month-long thanksgiving known as Ga Homowo – the Harvest Festival. Many ethnic groups in Ghana and all over Africa have similar traditions.

Ceremonies and rituals vary, but the purpose is the same – remembering lean times, being thankful for present blessings and praying for future abundance.

There are no written documents to account for the origin of Homowo. But, according to traditional stories, the Ga people emigrated from the Middle East and descended throughout the Sahara to Benin City in Nigeria. They settled there for a time before relocating to Accra, some time between the 14th and 16th centuries.

Legends say the Ga had only a bit of corn and palm oil when they landed, which women ground and mixed together to make kpokpoi. After the men caught ish, the clan enjoyed their irst meal after landing – kpokpoi and ish soup.

The immigrants planted millet and corn seeds they had brought with them. Then, they endured a long, lean waiting period while crops matured. When the harvest came, the Ga held a feast and gave thanks to their gods. The irst celebration became the Hom Yi Womo, meaning a “hooting at hunger.”

Thanksgiving began in the United States in the 17th century as a celebration, a friendly coming-together of European settlers and the indigenous people of North America. The Native Americans had welcomed the pilgrims to this land and shared the vast knowledge they had about the continent’s lora and fauna. They explained planting corn and plowing, and taught the newcomers trapping and ishing.

Reportedly, both peoples slaughtered turkeys and made dressing and had a version of cranberry sauce at the irst Thanksgiving. They

feasted together. During those tough early days for the newcomers, Native Americans extended their hands and opened their hearts. Their hospitality and support helped Europeans survive in an unfamiliar land.

We know of the bitter and bloody relationship that developed when conquest and colonization replaced the spirit of sharing and cooperation. The vicious assault on Native Americans is not widely discussed anymore. The holiday has come to mean turkey and the trimmings, pre-Christmas sales and football.

The history of the brutal process used by Europeans to dispossess Native Americans of their land is not pretty. And now it is almost completely ignored. In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad had Marlowe deine the “conquest of the earth” as “taking from those who have a different complexion or slightly latter noses than ourselves.”

In both sub-Saharan Africa and North America, the native people were mostly cooperative in the early days of European arrival. Nevertheless, conquest and colonization ensued later on both sides of the Atlantic.

Although some of us of African descent in this country now enjoy modest afluence, the overall status of our people must be deined largely in terms of the less fortunate.

For those without jobs, without hope or dignity in the ghettos of St. Louis, or the squalor of Soweto and Port-au-Prince, Thanksgiving is meaningless and is certainly no holiday. It is mostly a grim reminder of their misery and powerlessness.

African Americans should not forget the early occasion that brought this particular holiday into existence in this country. We must dedicate ourselves to remember the “least along us” in a society that has effectively shut out so many of our people. Indeed, we are especially obligated to support policies and initiatives that strengthen family life and enable the poor to

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Policy makers should support electronic health records

Throughout all of the debates and disagreements associated with healthcare reform, one idea is universal throughout the political ield – each side wants to improve the quality of medicine and decrease the associated costs. Missouri is no different.

One way to improve the quality of medicine is through new technology, such as electronic health records (EHR). Already in Missouri, the use of EHR is becoming more widespread through the Missouri Ofice of Health Information Technology (MO-HITECH) initiative. In the state, 83 percent of hospitals have some degree of EHR technology in place. No new technology though is perfect, and EHR is no exception. To make EHR a sustainable tool in Missouri’s healthcare ield, it is important that the records and data are secure, but still transferable. The portability of data that EHR provides is one of the system’s highest beneits. Despite the associated implementation costs and technical hurdles, healthcare providers in the state are seeing the beneits EHR bring, such as increased eficiency and quality of care.

When discussing EHR, the terms “availability” and “transferability” are nearly synony-

mous. Availability refers to how easily and quickly a patient’s healthcare provider can access that patient’s records. In May 2011, when a tornado struck St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri, the patients’ records there were available almost immediately following the tragedy. The hospital there had already implemented an EHR system and was not reliant on paper records. Because of the non-physical nature of the medical records, they are less susceptible to loss in similar situations and can be made available even when ordinary records would be lost, damaged, or destroyed.

Transferability refers to the ease in which healthcare providers can share patient data between each other to improve care. The geographic location of a patient will no longer be an obstacle for providers since through the transferability of records, availability will be nearly instantaneous.

With transferability though, there are still concerns that can be seen as hurdles to implementation.

First, transfers of patient information must be secure and conidential. Inappropriate third-party access to data could result in embarrassment, discrimination, and even risks of insurance coverage limitations. MO-HITECH encourages security systems such as authentication, authorization and auditing to keep patient records secure. Next, in order for patient records to be transferable,

computer systems operating EHR software in Missouri must be interoperable. Semantic interoperability allows computer systems to interpret data ields and produce “intelligent” data usage. In order to reach this point, Missouri needs to overcome technical hurdles such as inconsistent terminology standards and take advantage of a universal interpretation of patient data.

Such hurdles can be diminished by clear public policy that establishes a common vocabulary for all Missouri EHR users.

Though initial costs can be high and implementation will bring a set of standardization challenges, the beneits received from having an EHR system in Missouri will be evident quickly and felt throughout the long run making up for any early encumbrances. Transferability of EHR in Missouri will mean quicker access for healthcare providers to patient information. Quicker access leads to more eficient medicine. Quality of care will increase, and in the long run, costs will fall making the initial investment in EHR worthwhile.

Already, many healthcare providers in Missouri are beginning to use EHR. It is the duty of Missouri policy makers to make the transition easy and to standardize the way EHR is used in order to promote smooth transferability.

Maria Chappelle-Nadal is Missouri State Senator for District 14

COMMENTARY

Occupy fairness and equality

Occupy Wall Street may not occupy Zuccotti Park anymore, but it refuses to surrender its place in the national discourse. Up close, you get the sense that the movement may have only just begun.

Demonstrators staged a “day of action” last Thursday, following the eviction of their two-month-old encampment earlier this week. The idea was to occupy Wall Street in a literal sense – to shut down the inancial district, at least during the morning rush hour.

For the most part, it didn’t work. Entrances to some subway stations were blocked for a while and trafic was more of a mess than usual. But police turned out in force, erecting barricades that kept protesters from getting anywhere near their main target, the New York Stock Exchange. Captains of commerce may have been hassled and inconvenienced, but they weren’t thwarted.

There was some pushing and shoving, resulting in a few dozen arrests. Coordinated “day of action” protests were also held in other cities. They did not change the world.

A big failure? No, quite the opposite.

Lower Manhattan was swarming not just with demonstrators and police but with

journalists from around the world – and with tourists who wanted to see what all the fuss was about. A small, nonviolent protest had been ampliied into something much bigger and more compelling, not by the strength of its numbers but by the power of its central idea.

There is a central idea, by the way: that our inancial system has been warped to serve the interests of a privileged few at the expense of everyone else.

Is this true? I believe the evidence suggests that it is. Others might disagree. The important thing is that because of the activism of the Occupy Wall Street protests – however naive, however all-over-the-map – issues of unfairness and inequality are being discussed.

This is a conversation we haven’t been having for the past 30 years. For politicians – and those who pay lavishly to fund their campaigns – the discussion is destabilizing because it does not respect traditional alignments. For example, white working-class voters are supposed to be riled up against Democrats for policies such as afirmative action and gun control. They’re not supposed to get angry with Republicans for voting to bail out the banks and then latly ruling out the idea of relief for underwater borrowers.

In Midtown, many blocks from Zuccotti Park, famously jaded New Yorkers were eager to talk about Occupy Wall Street. Buttonholing people at random, I found a lot of support for Mayor Michael Bloom-

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Help for people in crisis

The recent news about the Penn State sexual abuse scandal has resulted in a great deal of discussion and opinions regarding how the situation was handled and how it should have been handled. First and foremost, this is not a sex scandal. It is a sexual abuse scandal. This story isn’t about a high proile individual who had consensual sex with another adult of legal age. This story is about an adult in a privileged position at a prestigious university allegedly preying on innocent children over a period of 15 years. It is also about other individuals in a position of power ignoring the allegations and allegedly allowing the abuse to continue for those 15 years.

When our educators at Call for Help provide prevention education in area schools, we tell children to tell someone about abuse and to keep telling until someone stops it. Why should this not also apply to bystanders such as Joe Paterno? Telling one person that a child is being sexually abused is not enough. We need to tell everyone who will listen until someone does something to stop it from happening again.

People have expressed shock that individuals like Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno could ever be involved in a scandal like this. However, it is not uncommon. Predators are typically not the odd-looking stranger lurking around town. They are your friends, family members, neighbors, pastors and coaches. They are individuals you have welcomed into your home and trusted with your children.

What the Penn State sexual abuse scandal and the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal should teach us is that there is not one type of predator. They come in all races, ages, genders and sexual orientations, and 80 percent of the time they are someone you know. What these scandals should also teach us is that it is everyone’s responsibility to stop sexual abuse. It is everyone’s responsibility to send the message that sexual abuse against anyone is wrong and we will no longer stand aside and allow it to continue.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, know that there is hope out there. The Call for Help Sexual Assault Victims Care Unit provides 24/7 medical and legal advocacy to victims

berg’s decision to clear the park of tents, sleeping bags and other appurtenances of a permanent settlement. But I also found a lot of agreement with the protesters – even if not everyone had the same idea about just what the protesters were saying.

“Yeah, they were talking a lot of crazy stuff, some of them,” said Ramon Henriquez, owner of a limousine company, who was idling on Central Park South behind the wheel of one of his cars. “Some of them, when they’d do that crazy human microphone thing, they would talk about socialism. I didn’t like that at all. But I liked what they said about the banks.”

He remembered one Occupy speaker asking what would happen if every homeowner decided to skip a month on the mortgage, instead putting the money in escrow – just to get the banks’ attention. “You saw what happened with the debitcard fee,” he said, referring to Bank of America’s abandoned attempt to squeeze new revenue out of account holders. “They listened because they had to listen.”

The erstwhile occupiers of Zuccotti Park swear that they aren’t going anywhere –that they’ll get back into the park one way or another. But they’ve done something more important: They’ve gotten into people’s heads. Eugene Robinson’s email address is eugenerobinson@ washpost.com.

of rape and sexual assault in St. Clair, Madison, Monroe and Randolph County, Illinois. We provide sexual assault counseling free of charge. We also provide sexual abuse prevention education to local schools, day cares, agencies or any community organization that wants more information. Call 24 hours, 7 days a week to 618-397-0975. We are help and hope for people in crisis.

Mindy Stratmann Sexual Assault Victims Care Unit East St. Louis, IL

Breast Cancer Survivors’Calendar

On Sunday, December 11 at 6 p.m. Stepping With A Purpose Breast Cancer Awarness group will host its irst Annual Breast Cancer Survior’s Calendar 2012-13 debut at the Ambassador located at 9800 Halls Ferry Road. Currently we are accepting survivors short stories of 50 words or less and two pictures of their choice. For more information, please call 314-2151745 or check our Facebook page under Stepping With A Purpose. Someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Rae Madison, Via email

Crisis intervention and care

Annie Malone Children & Family Service Center provides 24 Hour Crisis Services for families and children from birth to age 18. Our Crisis Intervention and Respite Care Program services offer a safe environment to alleviate crisis and emergency situations within the family. The Center’s main priorities are to help children cope and overcome dificult situations. Whether children are removed from their homes due to traumatic circumstances or for preventative measures initiated by parents, our crisis and emergency placement services offer support when needed to prevent abuse and help parents better manage their stress. Other programs to help parents include our parenting education classes which enhances communication skills, improves age appropriate social interaction and promotes

healthy relationships. For families in the community experiencing dificult times, we encourage them to contact our 24 hour crisis center at 314-361-2222. For more information, visit us online at www.anniemalone.com.

Jahara N. Davis Annie Malone Children & Family Service Center St. Louis

Columnist Eugene Robinson

Guest Columnist Sen. Maria ChappelleNadal

McCluerNorth student is regional leader

Da’Shaun Scott, a senior at McCluer North High School, was elected Missouri DECADistrict 7 vice president. Da’Shaun was elected last month after he delivered a three-minute speech before voting delegates, passed a formal test and was interviewed by chapter representatives at the Fall Leadership and State Officer Election conference in Lake Ozark.

As vice president, Da’Shaun is one of 16 officers on the Missouri DECAState Action Team. The team creates state career development conference themes and presides over sessions among other duties.

Jacob Lapinski, business teacher and DECAsponsor, encouraged Da’Shaun’s success.

Da’Shaun is the third McCluer North student to hold a high position in DECA. Anthony Green, a 2011 graduate, was the Missouri DECADistrict 7 vice president two years ago. Isaac Robinson III, a 2008 graduate, served both as the Missouri DECA state president and national DECACentral Region vice president in 2008.

Missouri DECAprovides more than 9,000 students with development opportunities as they participate in individual and group competitions in marketing, management and entrepreneurship.

SLPS Students-In-Transition program

At the end of the 2010-2011 school year, the St. Louis Public School District had 25,346 enrolled in schools across the City of St. Louis, with 2, 975 (11.74 percent) qualifying as homeless. To meet the needs of these homeless students, the District operates a “StudentsIn-Transition” program, which provides services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

According to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, homeless children are defined as “individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” More specifically, homeless services are provided to:

(a) Children sharing housing due to economic hardship or loss of housing

(b) Children living in “motels, hotels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to lack of alternative accommodations”

(c) Children living in “emergency or transitional shelters”

(d) Children “awaiting foster care”

(e) Children whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation

(f) Children living in “cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing

(g) Migrant children who meet the abovementioned criteria Under the McKinney-Vento

Homeless Assistance Act, homeless students are guaranteed the following rights:

• To maintain attendance at the school of origin, or enroll in the local school where currently residing;

• To receive transportation;

• To receive free meals;

• To receive assistance obtaining needed records and documentation;

• To receive support services and programs for which they are eligiblel;

• To receive academic assistance through the district’s federally funded Title I program;

• To have parent or guardian involvement in school activities; and

• To maintain enrollment in the current school for the remainder of the school year

• To implement the Act, SLPS hired Deidra Thomas-Murray to review policies and create/update procedures for the District’s Students-In-Transition program, ensuring that homeless children are able to attend school.

Murray, a former social worker from New Orleans who provided foster care for more than 178 children during her tenure, arrived in St. Louis homeless by way of Hurricane Katrina, and learned firsthand the struggles and frustration of students and their parents when it came

to enrolling students. Because of this, she brings life to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, advocating for the rights of homeless children and unaccompanied youth.

“Many students and their families do not know that they are homeless by definition and eligible for state and federal services. I work with shelters, and other organizations to spread the word about our services,” she said.

One of the hardest areas to reach, and possibly the largest “at-risk” group, is the student population known as unaccompanied youth. An unaccompanied youth, is a student not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.

This would include youth living in runaway shelters, abandoned buildings, cars, on the streets, or in other inadequate housing and school-age unwed mothers, living in homes for unwed mothers, who have no other housing available. In addition, children who have a parent or parents become incarcerated during the school year also qualify for services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

Students and families interested in learning more about the District’s Students-In-Transition Program can call (314) 345-5750.

Don’t fall for calls from crooks

By Charlene Crowell Guest Columnist

Almost every consumer is concerned with today’s tough financial times. But for those looking to make a fast buck, tough times can also make for easy prey – especially when a payday loan borrower can be tracked down.

Across the country state attorneys general, the Better Business Bureau, law enforcement officials and others are alerting consumers to overlyaggressive phone callers who threaten arrest if a payday loan is not immediately repaid.

Claiming to be representatives of a law firm or collection agency, these fake collectors demand personal financial information, such as bank account or credit card numbers. Others request that monies be wired immediately or direct consumers to purchase a pre-paid credit card. Regardless of the specific request, their aim is to either get your money directly or gain access to it through information provided.

In truth, however, many of these callers have no affiliation with a credible business, the names are fictitious and calls are made from untraceable numbers.The heavy-handed collection tactics are intended to get cash quickly and move on to the next victim.

According to North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, “Don’t fall for these calls from crooks demanding that you pay phony debts. Never agree to share your personal information with someone you don’t know who calls you, no matter how convincing they sound.”

Rather than reacting to harsh language and pressures to pay immediately, consumers would be wise to assert their own interests. Alegitimate debt collector should respond to requests for written and additional information. That kind of inquiry should identify the original creditor, amount owed, date of the alleged transaction, etc. Any pushback from this line of questioning should signal that the caller is suspect.

For bona fide collection businesses, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) sets standards for debt collectors and covers personal, family and household debts. Abusive, deceptive or unfair practices are specifically prohibited. This law covers personal, family and household debtsincluding payday loans, credit cards, auto loans and more.

Phoning consumers before 8:00 am in the morning or after 9:00pm at night is illegal. Any collection attempt at a consumer's workplace is also banned. In either of these circumstances, the consumer is protected so long as they advise the collector of their unwillingness to take such calls.

Each year, the Federal Trade Commission prepares a report on FDCPA. For 2010, the agency received more complaints on debt collection than on any other industry. The three top categories of complaints were:

• Calling repeatedly or continuously;

• Misrepresenting the character, amount, or status of the debt (including demanding a larger payment than is permitted by law); and

• Failing to send consumers a statutorily required written notice about the debt and their rights.

Just because you may have fallen into debt, now is not a time to fall victim to a consumer scam. If debts are owed, speak directly with your creditors to arrange a manageable repayment plan, and develop a paper trail as evidence of your good faith efforts to repay.

Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at: charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

Charlene Crowell

SWEETIE

Continued from A1

ders and shook her head with a smile.

“Thank you, baby,” Montgomery said, once the pictures were done. She then gave a taste of spunk to her staff in an attempt to make sure everything was just so – all before the cameras started rolling.

As the crew waited, one couldn’t help but think, “If this is what people are going to see on the show, OWN has a hit.”

Almost one month to the day after Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s first aired on OWN, it was a ratings smash for the network. As a result, next month OWN will begin filming 10 more episodes that will air in the spring.

The network says the series has shown strong ratings’ growth week-to-week, becoming the network’s highest rated program in the key female 2554 demographic.

“The audience is really responding to this program, and the ratings continue to build, which is a great testament to the show,” said OWN

President Erik Logan.

Norman, the mastermind behind the hit show, can now

PARK

say, “I told you so.”

“Something just told me people would want to see what goes on behind the scenes,” Norman said. “They have no idea what it’s really like around here and how hilarious it can be.”

Norman worked with a local video production company, Coolfire Media, to film a five-minute sizzle reel, and OWN ate it up like some of Sweetie Pie’s signature macaroni and cheese or peach cobbler.

Viewers have enjoyed Norman’s unique partnership with his mother, his proposal to his longtime girlfriend and the dating life of single, sassy senior Montgomery.

According to OWN, more than 6.1 million viewers have tuned in to the show since it first aired. On November 12, Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s ranked No. 2 in its time period among African-American women aged 25-54 and ranked No. 5 in primetime overall out of 95 ad-supported networks for AfricanAmerican women aged 2554.

Another delightful surprise was the 40 percent of non-African American viewers who tune in to the show each week.

The major league ratings

Continued from A1 bonds.”

safety, in the next years. She said the numerous bonds could potentially lower the city’s credit rating.

“As comptroller, it is my job to protect the city’s credit as well as to exercise prudent stewardship over city funds,” she wrote in a Nov. 21 statement. “That is why I opposed the bond issue for Forest Park and other parks. I believe that it is more fiscally responsible to produce a pay-as-you-go program for park repair and maintenance than to obligate the city to pay debt service for

However, improving city parks is like buying a house, said Gary Bess, the city’s director of parks, recreation and forestry. The city can either save up for the next 30 years and then “buy the house,” or it can take out a loan now and live in the house for the next 30 years at an extra cost, he said. “My response to spend-asyou-go attitude?” Bess said.

“This bond issue will address a significant portion of the most critical needs in our neighborhood parks. This will allow residents to enjoy these improvements today.”

The parks have $100 million of estimated capital needs,

for OWN have also meant big business for Montgomery and new exposure for her restaurant.

“Is Ms. Robbie here?” a white man asked Chloe, one of the servers at Sweetie Pie’s, last Thursday night. He spoke her name in a tone that would make someone think he had known her his whole life. After confessing that finishing off the macaroni and cheese made him feel “like I’ve had died and gone to heaven,” he told Chloe that he and his table of friends drove all the way from Louisville just to get a taste of Montgomery’s signature soul food.

“I’m sorry, she’s out of town,” Chloe said.

“Well, tell her that I love the food and I love the show.”

The fame that eluded Montgomery in her singing career with Ike Turner –which was cut short due to health problems – was found through family recipes.

She wasn’t on hand to greet the Louisville patron because she, Norman and Crenchaw were invited guests of the Soul Train Awards in Atlanta. The show – which has another St. Louis connection, thanks to host Cedric The Entertainer – will air on

mainly because of cuts made to park improvements between 1955 and 1993, Bess said. In 1993, the half-cent capital sales tax was passed and capital funds finally became available for parks again. Today, there’s $3.5 million available annually for city parks, not including Forest Park (which receives $2.1 million). If the city takes out the $34 million bond to pay for capital needs, the amount that city parks would have for improvements every year would go down to $1.5 million, said Paul Payne, city budget director.

“If you issue bonds today, you are funding projects today and tying up revenues

BET’s Centric Network this Sunday. Preview images of the Sweetie Pie’s family working the red carpet have already hit the web.

On Friday, the lunch rush line stretched for more than a 90-minute wait as blues singer Miz Renee Smith kept the waiting crowd in the groove.

Montgomery and her son have come a long way from their humble food service beginnings of “selling tuna fish sandwiches out of the trunk of their car.” And Montgomery’s days as an Ikette – which included firing up a hot plate to feed the Ike Turner Revue when they were on the road during the days of segregation – have given way to a soul food and television star.

“We’ve all fallen in love with the Montgomery family,” OWN President Sheri Salata said. “You never know what they’ll do or say next.”

“Welcome To Sweetie Pie’s” airs Saturday nights at 8 p.m. CSTon the OWN Network. Check local listings or Oprah.com for more information. The show is filmed at the Sweetie Pie’s Mangrove location (4270 Manchester Avenue). For restaurant hours and information, call 314-3710304 or visit http://sweetiepieskitchen.com/.

for the future,” Payne said.

“You have to ask yourself whether it rises to that essential service that you would like to have when issuing debt.”

The city is currently kicking around a “general obligation” bond issue for everything from fire department pumpers to repairs to city buildings, streets and bridges, Payne said. It would amount to somewhere between $65 million and $100 million. The more debt service the city has, the less flexible its budget becomes, Payne said.

The other end of the conversation is securing revenues to parks. The bond issues for the parks means the city will not cut park capital projects to

balance the budget in the future.

“They want to lock in revenue to Forest Park and the parks,” Payne said. “If you don’t pay on the debt, then you default. It’s a mechanism for locking in the revenue.”

Payne said there could be other ways to ensure that money goes to the parks every year without putting the city into debt service.

When Bess heard this statement, he responded, “If he would have given me the answer to that 18 months ago, we wouldn’t be here.”

Officials from Forest Park Forever and the Parks Department express frustration that Green and others have

found fault with the bond issues so late in their effort.

Bess first asked for a meeting with Green on the matter in July 2010. Green received a report from a consultant, on which she based her objections, in March 2011. However, Bess did not receive these objections – from a third party, not from Green herself –until last month.

“All we’re asking is to use parks money – and $250 million in private investment – to solve the park’s challenges,” Bess said. “If the city has other challenges, like with its pensions, then the budget director should find creative ways to solve them.”

On Saturday,the 13 Black Katz,Shop ‘n Save,Majic 104.9 and Regal Sports partnered to give Thanksgiving turkeys to some St.Louisans in need this holiday season at the Central City Shop ‘n Save located at 10805 Old Halls Ferry Rd.

13 Black Katz give away turkeys

Katherine J. Anderson, ownerof Andy’s Seasoning, passes

By Rebecca S.Rivas

Of the St.Louis American

Katherine Anderson, owner of Andy’s Seasoning, passed away on Monday, November 21, after a yearlong illness. She and her late husband Reuben “Andy” Anderson founded Andy’s Seasoning in 1981.Over the next 25 years, Anderson steered the company into expansion and increased employment. The unique taste of Andy’s Seasoning also is among the ingredients of two breading/batters for McDonald’s chicken nuggets in Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Located at 2829 Chouteau,

Dr.James Allen DeClue Sr.DeClue opted out of engineering and relocated to Chicago,where he enrolled in the Illinois College of Optometry.

GIVING

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eight-year-old and the inability to pay for alternative schooling for her five-year-old (she can’t attend regular school because of her late birthday), she has sunk into depression. She wants to acquire a GED so that she can attend college and build her skill set for the workforce.

Ms. S. is a single 21-yearold whose hopes have been side-tracked since she assumed the guardianship of her teenage brother (who was on the mean streets of St. Louis). They are currently living apart with others, because the loss of her second job drastically reduced her ability to pay rent and other basic needs. She is supporting him in his efforts to complete high school. She aspires to enter nursing school

the firm’s 14,000-square-foot expansion of its warehouse and administrative offices led to Anderson receiving one of Mayor Francis G. Slay’s Spirit Awards, and she was honored at the Mayor’s Business Celebration luncheon. She was also the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year.

Reuben Anderson’s brother, German Anderson, first suggested that Katherine’s homemade fish breading should be on the market. And now the products are available in Schnucks, Shop ‘N Save, Dierbergs, Food For Less and other small- to mid-

DeCLUE

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two years, nine months. At the request of the U.S. Army, DeClue attended Howard University’s School of Civil Engineering at a time when few careers were open to blacks.

DeClue opted out of engineering and relocated to Chicago, where he enrolled in the Illinois College of Optometry. Upon graduation he became the first AfricanAmerican male optometrist in the state of Missouri. He opened his first optometry practice in 1949 in St. Louis. Eventually he opened a family optometry practice called Eye & Vision Care, Ltd. at 7266 Natural Bridge Road in Normandy and maintained

one day, but for now she wants to provide a safe, stable environment for her brother.

Ms. P. is a grandmother, unemployed after having a stroke last year, caring for five grandchildren. She receives food stamp stamps, but has had difficulty getting state support and her gas is disconnected. She needs pants and shirts for children aged 10, nine, seven, four and three.

Ms. N. has six daughters and a son living with her. She is receiving TANF and food stamps, which are not sufficient; and her estranged husband is not providing child support. In addition, her 11year-old has complications from asthma and her 16-yearold has a torn ligament. She had to drop out of community college to care for her youngest. She is interested in participating in the CWAH development programs and

size stores throughout Missouri.

Anderson once said a major part of the company’s success is worker loyalty.

“I appreciate each and every employee; they hardly ever leave,” she told the American.

Today, three of Anderson’s sons hold executive positions in the company. The Rev. Larry Lee is director of operations, Michael Lee is plant manager and Roy Lee is manager for information technology.

“Mom was a remarkable woman,” said Larry. “She was woman of strong faith. She was the rock of the family, not

his practice for more than 28 years until it closed in August 2008.

DeClue and his wife Shirley had a son and a daughter, James Allen “Jimmy” DeClue Jr. and Rosalyn Marie DeClue.

In 1951, James and Shirley DeClue divorced but remained good friends until her death.

In 1952, DeClue married Anita Evelyn Wheaton. They had two sons, David DeClue and Steffan DeClue.

just her immediate family but her extended family. She was a very honest person and refused to hold a grudge.” Katherine strongly supported St. Louis efforts for AIDS and cancer.

Andy’s supports groups and organizations including The United Way, United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Gateway Classic Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Annie Malone Home for Children, the St. Louis Minority Business Council (SLMBC) and St. Louis Ambassadors.

She is survived by her sons, Michael Lee, and his wife Pamela, Larry W. Lee, and Roy Lee, along with three

Upon graduation from the Illinois College of Optometry, he became the first African-American male optometrist in the state of Missouri.

Neighbors, Inc., a national organization devoted to implementing the 1968 Civil Rights Act pertaining to fair housing. Throughout many turbulent years of the 1960s, DeClue campaigned for equal treatment of blacks. He was a Democrat and followed the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Medgar Evers.

The couple became actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement. He was a cofounder and former board member of National

becoming a computer technician.

Ms. W. is a single mother of seven – ages five months to 13 years, including a 12-yearold and 13-year-old who have obesity problems. The 13-yearold is being bullied at school. She attends St. Louis Community College, majoring in funeral directing. She received $600 for a child on disability and receives $1,000 per month in food stamps, which should make her ineligible for TANF. Presently, she is

DeClue served as president of the local NAACP chapter. He was a member of the Missouri Advisory Committee to the Commission on Civil Rights; the Citizens Educational Task Force; the Admissions Committee of the School of Optometry at

living in an overcrowded apartment with her children’s grandmother, after having one rented residence condemned because of carbon monoxide and a second burglarized while she was hospitalized. Their pressing needs are coats, shirts, pants, socks, underwear and pajamas.

Ms.B. is a single mother of seven, ages five to 20. She is pursuing an early childhood degree with a minor in music at St. Louis Community College. Her two older daugh-

brothers, three sisters, six grandchildren and five great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Rueben, and her sons, Rudolph Lee and Gregory Lee.

Gregory’s wife, Marie Lee, is also a survivor.

Avisitation will be held on Sunday, Nov. 27 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Austin Layne Mortuary, 7733 Natural Bridge Road. The funeral service will be held Monday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m. at Agape Christian Center, 2410 Gardner Drive, where Katherine was a founding member and Larry is pastor.

by

UMSL; and the St. Louis Desegregation Monitoring and Advisory Committee.

The DeClues entertained foreign dignitaries and guests from around the world as members of the National Council for Community Services to International Visitors, the Indianapolis Committee for International Visitors of the Indianapolis Council on World Affairs, and the St. Louis Council on World Affairs.

DeClue earned numerous awards, including the 1994 proclamation of “Dr. James A. DeClue Day” by U.S. Rep. William Clay, the Founders Award from the National Optometric Association, the distinguished community service award from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. State Celebration Committee of Missouri, the Jordan/McNeal

ters also attend college. Her work in day care centers never provided enough income to support the family’s needs. All of the children need shirts, pants, socks, underwear and pajamas. Their wish list includes toiletries, toys, CD player, costume jewelry and puzzles.

Ms. C. has three boys – the oldest will be attending college next year. Due to illness, her husband is unable to work. He is on dialysis, suffering from kidney and heart failure. Her

As

expenses are overwhelming. She works full time as a medical assistant and on weekends as a mid-level research tech. Her hopes for a happy holiday season have been severely dampened.

All of the above candidates will surely appreciate your heart-felt generosity. Where children are involved, toys and educational games are always welcome. Contact CWAH, 3963 West Belle Pl., at 314289-7523. Make all checks payable to CWAH.

Photo

Wiley Price

Katherine Anderson

Award from the Missouri Black Caucus Foundation and the 1999 Open Door Award from the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council.

DeClue and his wife loved to travel the world, with trips to Morocco, Spain, Italy, France, England, the Caribbean and other locations. His wife Anita passed away in 1998 following multiple illnesses.

his health permitted, DeClue he continued on with his hobbies of reading, traveling and photography. DeClue is survived by sons, James A. DeClue Jr. of Denver, Steffan DeClue of Washington and David DeClue of St. Louis; a daughter, Rosalynn DeClue of St. Louis; and a host of relatives and friends.

Celebration to Honor

Dr. Henry Givens, Jr. 32 Years at Harris-Stowe

Hundreds gathered at the Chase Park Plaza recently for a special evening to honor, celebrate and pay tribute to Dr. Henry Givens, Jr. as he retired as President of Harris-Stowe State University after 32 years of distinguished service. Net proceeds for this event will fund a permanent scholarship in Dr. Givens’ name at Harris-Stowe State University, to promote the continued the academic excellence of HSSU students.

Photos by Wiley Price

Dr. Givens thanked all of his longtime supporters.

Ambassador George Walker congratulates Dr. Givens.

Donna Wilkinson introduced Dr. Givens at the event.

Mattie Moore, Sen. Claire McCaskill representative, and Sen. Robin Wright Jones

Johnny Furr, Jr. Dr. Givens and former Fire Chief Sherman George HSSU’s Lea Sutherlin and Dr. GivensSusan Buford, Joyce Price, Thelma Cook, Cheryl Polk and Dr. Katie Harper Wright

RBC Executive Director Kathy Osborn

Steering Committee members Debra Hollingsworth, Donald M. Suggs, Dr. William H. Danforth and Donna Wilkinson present a check for $195,000 to the Henry Givens Scholarship at Harris-Stowe. Harris-Stowe cheeleaders “The Honeycombs”

Dr. Givens’ family members: daughter Stacey Givens- Woolfolk, son Keith Givens and granddaughter Ashley Givens

Miss HSSU Ciera Brownley, HSSU President Dr. Albert Walker, and Mr. HSSU Christopher Miller Emcee Vicki Newton Belma Givens

Wayman F. Smith, Anhueser Busch School of Business Dean Dr. Fara Zackery and Celeste Metcalf

Judge Charles Shaw with Urban League President & CEO James Buford

Sen. Robin Wright Jones, Mattie Moore and Missouri Atty. General Chris Koster present a Proclamation to Dr. Givens.

OBITUARIES

In Loving Memory of our Mother Mary Cobb Brakeield

Sunrise: February 23, 1919

Sunset: November 23, 1999

Sadly missed by: Chavanna Cobb of St. Louis, MO; Valerie Hannah of Jackson, MS; her grandchildren of Jackson, MS and a host of nieces and nephews. Love always!

In Loving Memory of Tracie A. Bolden

January 18, 1965— November 23, 2010

Remember our beloved mother, daughter, sister, family member and friend. We know a year has passed but it seems like yesterday that you were called to be with the angels. So sadly missed by daughter Eniah Harris; mother, Judy Bolden; siblings Terri and Timithy Bolden; the Richardsons; Fosters; Grandberrys; Moutons; Andersons; Peays; Bailys; McDaniels; Cooks; Williams; special friends, Mornie, Lisa, Florence, Carla, Sister Petty and co-workers at Hans-Wymen, We love you Mama and Tracie.

Agnes Davis

Agnes Davis (nee Williamson) born March 18, 1926, passed away November 13, 2011. She was born to the late Dennis H. Williamson and Odessa Johnson Williamson and was the oldest of four children. Two of the children preceded her in death; Dennis H. Williamson Jr and Kenneth S. Williamson. She is survived by one sister, Dorothy W. Jones. She attended the St. Louis Public Schools and graduated from Sumner High School in 1944. Later she graduated from Stowe Teachers College. After graduating from Stowe, she took additional courses at the University of Missouri St. Louis. Agnes was married to the late Charles “Chappie” Gentry Davis for 34 loving years, and the marriage was blessed with two children; Charles Gentry Davis Jr, DMD and Carole Davis Dawson, DDS. She was employed by the St. Louis Public Schools for 37 years, serving as teacher, reading clinician and administrator and retired in 1987. Agnes was

blessed to live a varied and fulilling life as a member of St. Philip’s Lutheran Church for 55 years, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and the Original Nine Social Club. In addition to her sister Dorothy (Ernest), son Charles (Renee) and daughter Carole (Randal), Agnes is survived by three grandchildren, Lauren Christine Dawson, Charles Gentry Davis III, and Cleo Renee Davis. She is also survived by three nieces; Karla Jones Raynor, Janice Jones Williams, Patricia Bond and two nephews; Kenneth Williamson Jr., Kurt Williamson.

Booker T. Ford

Booker T. Ford passed away at home on November 14, 2011 after a short illness. He was 86 years old and was most recently employed by the Edward Jones Co. Booker was one of the irst AfricanAmerican golfers in the St. Louis area and enjoyed the sport for over 60 years. He is a local legend, a member of the Tee Master’s Golf Club of St. Louis, and mentor to young college players and professionals. Booker worked with The First Tee program and was a golf instructor at Ruth Park in University City. He won the 18hole Men’s Scratch (85-89) tourney in the 2010 St. Louis Senior Olympics. Booker’s dream was to establish a foundation, The Booker T. Ford Foundation, to further support the efforts of young African Americans in their pursuit of college scholarships and the game of golf. Booker was loved dearly by his family and friends. He will be missed.

Mr. Arteria A. King and Mrs. Sarah L. King

Mr. Arteria A. King and Mrs. Sarah L. King were residents of Saint Louis, MO and departed this life on Sunday, November 13, 2011. Mr. King retired from the Veterans Affairs Record Center after a distinguished career. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Mrs. King was an educator, retiring from several area school districts. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Drifters Social Club, and the Las Amigas Social Club. Both were long-time members of St. James A.M.E. Church.

STL ranks high in STDs

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its 2010 sexually transmitted disease (STD) ranking for the top 65 counties and independent cities with the highest rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.

St. Louis was one of them.

St. Louis ranks 2nd in chlamydia, 3rd in gonorrhea and 20th in syphilis in 2010.

“Ninety percent of the gonorrhea and chlamydia cases are African Americans between 15 and 24,” said Pam Rice Walker, City Health Director. “That young age group is not aware of their risk, and they are not aware of how to prevent it. These diseases are 100 percent preventable.”

She said a better job of outreach to parents, schools and to partners in that age group is required, along with having the tough conversations about sex and how they can protect themselves.

“Our message is, ‘You’ve got enough things going on in your life as a young adult. Don’t complicate it with an STD,’” Walker said. “And the only way to be sure to protect yourself is to abstain.”

Long term, the city says gonorrhea cases are going down in St. Louis; the number of syphilis cases is small, but lat; and the number of chlamydia cases is going up.

Walker said the numbers of gonorrhea cases in St. Louis are the result of testing combined with disease investigation.

Nationally, the CDC reports the trends are troubling in all three of these treatable and preventable diseases. Reported rates of gonorrhea increased slightly in 2010, and the CDC says there are signs from other CDC surveillance systems that the disease may become resistant to the only available treatment.

Chlamydia cases have been

increasing steadily for two decades, and the CDC says it’s due to expanded screening efforts. However, the CDC says less than half of sexually active young women are screened for chlamydia as recommended.

“The more we test for chlamydia, the more we are going to ind,” Walker said.

Chlamydia is symptomless for the most part, and it can

“For every woman that has chlamydia, there’s a man that has it too, so we started testing men in 2010 and I think that is showing up,” she said. “We are one of the few cities that does that.”

The overall rate of syphilis has decreased nationally for the irst time in a decade.

However, the CDC says there has been a 134 percent increase in syphilis among

“Ninety percent of the Gonorrhea and Chlamydia cases are African Americans between 15 and 24.”

– Pam Rice Walker, City Health Director

cause infertility in women.

“Women have a slight symptom, we call it a drip –it’s just moisture they may not recognize as chlamydia,” Walker said.

Men have no symptoms at all.

young black men who have sex with men. The CDC describes this as particularly concerning as there has also been a sharp increase in HIV infections in the same group.

Public heath oficials are concerned about the increas-

ing trend in syphilis in men who have sex with men and in women with HIV.

“All of the syphilis cases were in the HIV population, men who have sex with men (MSM),” Walker said.

“ We’ve got 57 cases, so we’ve talked to all of them and what we are hearing is that they know they are positive for HIV; they hook up with somebody they know is positive with HIV – and then they feel like they can have sex without a condom. And so, what they are doing is spreading syphilis in that population.”

The speciic message here is that even when each partner has HIV, protection is still needed from STDs.

It is also strongly recommended that anyone who is sexually active get tested annually for HIV.

“We must remain vigilant in our ight against STDs,” said Walker. “We still have too many STDs, and our data show that STDs are especially prevalent in our young African-American adults.”

To read the complete report, go to http://www.tinyurl.com-

Mary Cobb Brakefield

Tracie A. Bolden

Agnes Davis

Arteria A. King

Sarah L. King

Booker T. Ford

SLPS receives $96.1M from deseg fund

Money allocated over 3 years will fund academic programs and stabilize inances

American staff

On Monday, the St. Louis Public School District announced it would receive $96.1 million from the Desegregation Capital Fund over the next three years to fund academic and student support programs previously unfunded or underfunded.

An agreement was reached on November 16 between litigants as an outcome of Liddell vs. the Board of Education, City of St. Louis, irst iled in 1972 by Craton Liddell’s family. That landmark case, settled in 1999, brought integrated education to hundreds of thousands of St. Louis school children and created one of the largest inter-district school desegregation programs and one of the largest school choice programs in the country.

In the settlement, the federal government ordered the State of Missouri to pay $180 million to the district, effectively ending court supervision and monitoring.

“Funding through the proposal will strengthen the district’s current inancial position while setting the path for future growth through academic and training programs,” said Kelvin Adams, SLPS superintendent.

The three-year proposal identiies proposed programs and funding options that have a direct link to the desegregation settlement agreement implemented by the Federal Court on March 12, 1999. Speciically, the proposal will:

Expand the Early Childhood Education Program. The

Multisystemic Therapy stems juvenile delinquency

American staff

More than 20 years ago, Charles Borduin, a University of Missouri researcher, developed a treatment for juvenile offenders that has become one of the most widely used evidence-based treatments in the world. Now, he has found that the treatment continues to have positive effects on former participants more than 20 years after treatment.

Throughout the course of his career, Borduin, professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts & Science, has pioneered the treatment called Multisystemic Therapy (MST) as a way to prevent serious mental health problems in children and adolescents. MST interventions involve the offender’s entire family and community, as opposed to the more common individual therapy, where the offender visits a therapist who offers feedback, support and encouragement for behavior change.

volved in family-related civil suits two times more often than MST participants. “This research shows that Multisystemic Therapy has long-lasting effects,” said Borduin. “Nearly 22 years after treatment, juvenile offenders treated with MST still see positive effects. This treatment has protected many potential victims, and I hope this research helps to encourage further use of the method.” MST is used in 12 countries around the world, as well as in 34 states. In Norway, it is the national model for juvenile offender treatment. Borduin said MST is the most widely used evidence-based treatment for juvenile offenders in the U.S.; however, only 1 to 2 percent of juvenile offenders receive the treatment.

district will add new early childhood classrooms and early childhood special education classrooms to support the educational needs of children, ages three and four, living in the city of St. Louis. Additionally, before and after care will be offered at sites around the district.

Support high quality principal leadership. The district will provide training and mentoring to current and future SLPS principals as they fulill important management roles, including but not limited to supervising teachers, designing timely and challenging curricula, managing the school budget, dispensing impartial discipline, supervising facilities and overseeing operations.

Invest in Technology. The district will improve infrastruc-

ture by adding state-of-the-art computer labs, mobile carts for testing and assessment, and interactive boards in every school. In addition, the district is laying the groundwork to place a handheld computing device in the hand of every student.

Expand the Parent/Infant Interaction Program (PIIP) PIIP will be expanded to all comprehensive high schools to provide prenatal and parenting students the academic and emotional support necessary to stay in school.

Fund Transportation Ineficiencies. SLPS is penalized because the State of Missouri provides partial reimbursement for school district transportation costs based upon a formula, which includes an eficiency ratio that reduces

state transportation funding when district transportation programs are deemed to be ineficient. SLPS is penalized under this formula because it is required to transport thousands of students across the city of St. Louis to and from a magnet school every day.

An overview of the desegregation funding proposal is as follows:

Fund Balance Restoration

$55,900,000

Early Childhood Education

$23,124,111

Principal Leadership

$3,585,000

Magnet School

$7,495,200

The St. Louis Plan

$3,300,000 Technology Plan

$2,700,000.

Borduin followed up with clinical trial participants that completed treatment nearly 22 years earlier, on average. He found the following differences between participants who received MST and those who received individualized therapy: Violent felonies: Since completing treatment, 4.3 percent of juveniles treated with MST were arrested for a violent felony, compared to 15.5 percent of individual therapy participants.

All felonies: Overall, 34.8 percent of MST participants committed a felony, compared to 54.8 percent of individual therapy participants.

Misdemeanors: MST participants committed ive times fewer misdemeanors than individual therapy participants.

Family problems: Individual therapy participants were in-

The study follows an original clinical trial that took place between 1983 and 1986. In the original trial, the 176 children who participated in the study were randomly selected for treatment with MST or individual therapy. For this study, Borduin located records for more than 80 percent of participants. On average, the follow-up occurred 21.9 years following the conclusion of treatment.

In a previous study, Borduin found that the net cumulative beneit of providing MST to a single juvenile offender resulted in a savings to taxpayers and crime victims of $75,110 to $199,374 over nearly 14 years. Borduin now plans to study savings over the course of almost 22 years following treatment.Borduin’s indings were recently published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. He collaborated with Aaron Sawyer, a graduate student in the Department of Psychological Sciences.

Michael Liddell, son of Minnie Liddell; Bill Douthit, attorney for the Liddell family; Kelvin Adams, SLPS superintendent; and Adolphus Pruitt, president of St. Louis NAACP.

A Q&A with state Sen. Robin Wright-Jones

State Senator Robin WrightJones sat down with the EYE recently to address questions about her flawed campaign finance reporting, the failed Special Session of the Legislature and what to expect (or fear) from redistricting.

Political EYE: Are you running for reelection?

State Sen. Robin WrightJones: Yes, I am.

Political EYE: You don’t foresee more problems from your flawed campaign finance reports?

Wright-Jones: The reports are now complete, up-to-date and accurate.

Political EYE: You don’t think that matter will be an impediment to your reelection?

Wright-Jones: I don’t believe so, no.

Political EYE: You are a seasoned politician. How could you make such an elementary bad call on expense reports?

Wright-Jones: For seven years in the House, I did my own reports. When you move from the House to the Senate, things quadruple. For the first time, I put this in someone else’s hands. I could have been more vigilant. Once the problem was pointed out, the focus became to clean it up and move forward.

Political EYE: So there is no criminal investigation?

Wright-Jones: Absolutely not. Nothing criminal occurred. It was just a matter of reestablishing the records, filing everything in a timely manner and bringing it up to date.

Political EYE: It seemed there was an aspect of a politician living beyond your means; we know how much you guys are paid.

Wright-Jones: I don’t live beyond my means. I live on the salary given me. Again, nothing inappropriate occurred there. As a state rep and senator you are construed as part-time employees, but in reality it’s full-time and a half, yet you make about as much money as an alderman in the city of St. Louis. It’s a modest amount of income for a tremendous amount of work. Missouri is a slightly unforgiving type of state; we will never be able to change the nomenclature to full-time work. I think all public officials recognize it’s a personal sacrifice to do this. It’s something I’ve chosen to do and to live within the parameters.

Political EYE: Do you suspect a primary opponent?

Wright-Jones: I don’t know. I haven’t zeroed in on who a primary opponent might be. There might be somebody out there with a burr in their saddle.

That’s how it looks. But I’ve not gone out of my way to identify that person or persons.

Political EYE: Do you think someone with a “burr in their saddle” planted that campaign finance story with The Post?

Wright-Jones: Somebody might have told The Post to look, yeah. It’s evident The Post follows my every move. I think they look at any hair that may fall out of my head.

Political EYE: As a minority in a minority party, you’re in a structurally weak position. How do you make use of your position to help your constituents?

Wright-Jones: I am the top performing Democrat – I filed 22 bills, 13 were passed through committee and four were signed by the governor, with three other major amendments in two House bills that passed. So

effort to keep up with their bills but have been late more than five times in a 12-month period. Second, we established a prostate cancer screening program, targeted to uninsured and underinsured men in the St. Louis metropolitan area and the Bootheel, rural and urban. The focus is on identifying, diagnosing, treating and following up with men age 35 and up. Cancer is a scourge of our families, it’s a costly and debilitating disease. We need to identify men who may not necessarily have access to health care coverage and do them a service that in the long run will save lives and save money.

buy-in, and frankly if you don’t get him on your team you’re not getting anything to happen. It made Missouri look awfully bad in an international sense if we are talking about lifting our profile around the world. The St. Louis region is the economic engine in this state, and for the General Assembly not to be able to bring in something as important as an economic development bill to create jobs and commerce is a travesty.

Political EYE: Anything you’d like to add?

essentially I had seven items the governor put his hand to.

Political EYE: Tell us about the three most important ones.

Wright-Jones: The utility bill, HB 48, was designed to target existing customers of utilities. If they fall five months in arrears, potentially they could be charged a security deposit on their bill. My bill eliminated that imposition of the security deposit. The idea here is to help the current customer. People who come in for new services may have to pay a security deposit, customers whose services have been terminated have to restore services, and there are resources for them, but there is nothing for the existing customer. In this climate, when we have so many jobless heads of households, it’s a way to help consumers hold onto the few resources they have, especially when people are making an

Three, we established a Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Week. This is a condition of nerves that people will fall into after a prolonged diabetic illness, a chronic illness. People get a tingling numbness and stabbing pain in their limbs and feet. It can lead to potential amputation. So we will focus for one week of the year on this particular disease and its symptoms, to raise awareness in the community and do outreach and education to the public and look for new sources of funding, treatment and medical investigation.

Political EYE: The Special Session was much discussed. What happened?

Wright-Jones: I was very skeptical of a special session at the end of the regular session. We didn’t do anything during the regular session. I witnessed the yeoman meetings in the last hours of the session trying to get an economic development bill out that included Aerotropolis with its impact on the China Hub. I was heartbroken when they got the bill to the floor in the last 20 minutes, then began to get the filibuster. It took the wind out of our sails. When the special session came up, I thought we’d wasted enough taxpayer money and we did not need to reconvene to go through the ashes. I did not think there was a real strong coalition of agreement. I’m not sure [state Sen. Jason] Crowell had any

Wright-Jones: I don’t believe we are going to see any more work done next session than we saw in the special session or the first session this year. It’s a very hot time politically, and no one is gonna throw their careers on the sword. So we can expect 18 weeks of virtually nothing but a lot of feel-good legislation that doesn’t do anything to advance jobs or advance commerce. Redistricting is in the hands of the judicial commission at this point, with results due in the middle of December. When they release their decisions, what will happen I think will be detrimental to the AfricanAmerican community and to the St. Louis delegation, if we have representatives or senators who potentially have to run against each other in order to keep their seats. We have an incumbent in the House, Jeanette Mott Oxford, whose seat will be vacant. We had Jake Zimmerman’s seat vacated when he ran for County Assessor. Those seats could be collapsed so we wouldn’t have a fight, similar to what Lewis Reed did to the wards in the city so nobody lost, everybody was able to maintain their turf. The city of St. Louis has had 20-plus legislators in the Senate and House, and that could go down to 14 or even 12 or 11. When you lose those types of positions in the General Assembly, you lose relationships and relationships that can be built. You lose power. You have fewer people advocating for issues important to our region and especially our city.

State Senator Robin Wright-Jones

Clay, Cleaver ask Koster to release George Allen Innocence Project pushes for exoneration

American staff

On Friday, U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-Missouri) and Emanuel Cleaver, II (DMissouri) asked Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster to consider freeing a St. Louis man wrongly convicted in 1982 and jailed for the past three decades.

They said new information conclusively proves that George Allen Jr. did not commit the crime, and that police withheld exculpatory evidence from both the prosecutor and the defense at the time of trial.

“It appears that this is a grave injustice that can be remedied only through swift action by Attorney General Koster. He has the facts, he has the evidence, and he can make the decision to release Mr. Allen and return him to his family,” said Congressman Clay.

A letter delivered to Koster and signed by both representatives details the case that has troubled the St. Louis community for decades, including new exculpatory DNA evidence, a “confession” full of critical mistakes about the crime and obtained through a very leading interrogation, and the prevalence of recent highprofile false confession cases in other jurisdictions.

“We feel that it is important that you personally take a very careful look at this case,” Clay write in their letter to Koster. “We want to make sure that you are aware of the importance of this matter to the local community, and the implications of this case for broader concerns of public safety and justice.” Allen has filed a writ of habeas corpus in Cole County Circuit Court. The case was brought to the congressmen’s attention by Barry Scheck and The Innocence Project, a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. Since the organization’s founding, more than 250 people have been exonerated

“I hope that the Attorney General will make a quick decision, and come to the only conclusion possible: that Mr. Allen is actually innocent of this crime.”

- U.S.Rep. William Lacy Clay

After the Supercommittee failed

through DNA testing in the United States, including 17 who were at one time sentenced to death. Mr. Allen is also represented by local counsel Ameer Gado, Dan Harvath and Tim O’Connell from the St. Louis firm of Bryan Cave.

The Attorney General’s office has promised to make a decision by November 30.

“I hope that the Attorney General will make a quick decision, and come to the only conclusion possible: that Mr. Allen is actually innocent of this crime. Further, I am hopeful that he will release Mr. Allen speedily and get him home in time for the holidays,” said Clay.

The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, aka the Supercommittee, came out of the Budget Control Act of 2011. Their main task was to come up with a proposal to cut $1.5 trillion in spending over the next 10 years that would put the federal deficit in check. The committee conceded to failure after months of gridlocked meetings. Their unsurprising impasse means that automatic cuts will begin in 2013.

A lot could happen between now and 2013, but it seems like the Congress is in dire need of help on this issue. I have two suggestions for increasing revenue and reducing the deficit. This is the way I see it.

As a 99 percenter, I favor taxing the 1 percenters who have been ducking and dodging their civic responsibility for much too long.

According to a new report by Citizens for Tax Justice, nearly 300 of the country’s most profitable corporations paid less than half of the corporate tax rate. Some of these tax-evading companies reported a negative income tax rate even when they made a profit. This allowed them to claim tax subsidies. Two thirds of U. S. companies don’t pay taxes. If collected, that’s some revenue!

Let those Bush tax cuts expire in 2012. That’s more revenue. Now to the cuts.

We have a defense budget that has tripled since 1997 for

14

no good reason. In a post-Cold War era, the U.S. defense budget is more than those of the next 18 largest budgets of other nations combined. With such a huge chunk going towards the military, most of us don’t even know how it’s spent.

The military has a lot of folks sitting on their brass. An NYU study underscores that every level of management has increased since the Cold War. The number of armed forces has gone down while the number of generals, admirals and the like have gone up.

The Government Accounting Office (GAO) has told us about some unnecessary but costly weapon systems that could be cut. Cancelling projects like the

n Give me a chance to slice that defense budget and I’d also go after the musicians and accountants.

over-budgeted, overrated V-22

Osprey aircraft could save $6 billion. Further, the GAO said the Pentagon could save $184.5 billion by 2015 if they stopped buying obsolete or never used military parts and equipment.

Even Defense Secretary Gates has questioned purchases, such as additional 100 fighter jets when the military already has over 3,000 of them. Building more multibillion-dollar ships when the U.S. Navy is bigger than the next 13 navies combined is

ridiculous, especially when 11 of those 13 are supposed to be allies. There’s a reason why $130 million are spent each year by lobbyists to ensure that unnecessary military hardware and other equipment is purchased to pad the pocketbooks of legislators and defense contractors.

Give me a chance to slice that defense budget and I’d also go after the musicians and accountants. There are more musicians in military marching bands than employees in the State Department’s Foreign Service and 10 times as many accountants as there are officers in that service.

I’d keep it going with cutting back on the thousands of service peoples stationed all over the world – in places where there’s no conflict. Propping up dictators in other countries also has an expensive price tag. There’s so much waste at the Pentagon, I’m confident I could reduce that budget by 2/3 and still keep the country safe.

This is a start and it’s not rocket science.

A Congress that seems like it has been unproductive for the last three years is pretty much the same Congress that helped to increase the spending and the deficit. It may be why it’s so difficult to make the tough decisions.

The majority of citizens don’t want to drown in churning waters created by a government that is too cozy with corporations at our expense. It’s past time to end corporate domination that is choking the life out of the economy. Today we occupy parks and streets. Tomorrow we occupy our government.

arrested during jobs sit-in on MLK Bridge

‘Build roads, bridges, good jobs,’ Occupy St. Louis and labor demand

By Cathy Sherwin For The

St. Louis American

The fourteen men and women arrested for sitting in at the Martin Luther King Bridge as over one thousand St. Louisans rallied and marched for jobs have been released as of Friday

morning.

St. Louis police made the arrests after Occupy St. Louis protesters, union members and retirees marched to the bridge and declared an economic emergency for the 99%, unfurling a banner that read “BUILD Roads & Bridges, BUILD Good

Jobs.”

The women arrestees, including Washington University student Molly Gott were released around 3:30 in the morning on Friday, November 18. Gott said she took part in the protest because “Instead of taking away people’s jobs, and their Medicare and Social Security, we should be putting people back to work and making Wall Street banks pay for wrecking the economy.”

It was around 5 a.m. before the men were released from jail. Gary Elliott, Eastern Missouri Laborers, was one of those released early this morning. He said it was time to take drastic action.

“The economy, the banks and our leaders are failing the 99%,” he said. “We can’t wait any longer for action. We need jobs – not more budget cuts. Our bridges and roads need repair and are a symbol of our leaders’ failure to pass a jobs bill or do anything to help the 99%, while the bankers and other members of the 1% keep getting richer.”

The non-violent sit-in was part of a national day of protest November 17 at decaying bridges against policies that have enriched the 1% richest Americans and impoverished the 99%. People nationwide held sit-ins at bridges and other sites in need of repair to protest Wall Street banks and demand that Americans be put back to work now.

The Congressional Super Committee is scheduled to release plans that will make deep budget cuts that could kill millions of more jobs, cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, and worsen the economic emergency facing the 99%.

Jamala Rogers

Washington University has launched its Center for Community Health and Partnerships, located in the Institute for Public Health.

Dr.Consuelo H.Wilkins, associate professor of medicine and psychiatry at Washington University and health accuracy editor for The St.Louis American, serves as its director.

Dr.Wilkins,left, talks with Dr.James Kimmey,center, outgoing President of the Mo.Foundation for Health,and incoming president Robert Hughes, right,during the opening of the new Institute for Public Health.

BUSINESS

Bridge-building for healthy partnerships

Washington University partners with community organizations for a healthier St. Louis

By Sandra Jordan Of The St.Louis American

The Center for Community Health and Partnerships was formed as the bridge to link Washington University and its academic, medical and research resources to community organizations with the overall goal to improve the health of residents in St. Louis where health inequalities exist.

“We feel we have some university resources and community partners and yet we live in a region that has some huge disparities and some appalling health outcomes,” said Dr. Edward F. Lawlor, director of the Institute for Public Health and dean of the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.

Prison education programs save money

GEDs lead to jobs which sharply reduce recidivism rates

American staff

According to the Pew Research Center, one in 100 American adults is currently in prison. U.S. Department of Justice statistics show that 67 percent of those inmates will recidivate, or re-offend and return to prison after they are released. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that educating inmates and preparing them to find jobs upon their release from prison greatly reduces their recidivism rate.

Jake Cronin, a policy analyst with the Institute of Public Policy in the Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri, studied Missouri Department of Corrections data and found that inmates who earned their GED in Missouri prisons were significantly more likely to find a job after prison and less likely to recidivate

See PRISON, B2

PEOPLEON THE MOVE

Albert Walker has been appointed to the board of directors of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The term, which will go into effect immediately, is a two-year appointment. Walker assumed the role of president of Harris-Stowe State University in October. He is the former president of Bluefield State College in Bluefield, West Virginia. Agraduate of Lincoln University, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education and three Master’s degrees from Bradley University.

Cynthia Ackins is the new Manager, Corporate Relations for The Consortium of Graduate Study in Management. The Consortium is the country’s preeminent organization for promoting diversity and inclusion in American business. She will focus on The Consortium’s current corporate partner base and prospective corporate partners. Prior to the move to The Consortium, Cynthia managed the African American Leadership/Charmaine Chapman Society’s fundraising efforts for United Way of Greater St. Louis. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Webster University.

“With the thousands of numbers here at Washington University, there was not one people could give out to contact if a community organization is looking to partner.” – Dr.Consuelo Wilkins

Lawlor said it’s time to mobilize those resources, people, knowledge and student training in partnership with communities to affect those health outcomes.

“The first goal of the community health center is to make sure that we create good dialogue and we have the voice of the com-

munity in our planning,” Lawlor added.

For example, violence prevention is a priority voiced through Our Community Our Health, convened by the Center’s Director, Dr. Consuelo H. Wilkins. Wilkins is also associate professor of medicine and psychiatry at Washington University and the health accuracy editor for The St. Louis American

“And that’s not, within the university context, probably the first thing that comes to people’s minds as a public health issue,” Lawlor said. “When it absolutely is.”

“The main goal is that we are going to build bridges,” Wilkins said.

“With the thousands of numbers here at Washington University, there was not one

POWER UPBUYS CROWN ELECTRICAL

Becomes largest minority-owned electrical contractor in region

By Rebecca S.Rivas Of The St.Louis American

Michael B. Kennedy Jr. was busy enough serving as president of the successful minority-owned architecture firm, KAI Design & Build, a company his father founded.

Now his company, Power Up Electrical Contractors, has become the largest minority-owned, fullservice electrical contractor in the St. Louis region, with the recent purchase of Crown Electrical Contracting, Inc. Power Up purchased 51 percent of the St. Louis-based Crown Electrical’s stock to complete the acquisition. Power Up is co-owned by minority partners Brian Arnold, former executive vice-president of Paric Corporation, and Gerhard Glassl, founder and president of Crown Electrical Contracting.

talent, working closely with Associated Electrical Contractors Local 57 to groom and establish a talented, powerful minority workforce in the electrical trades, using Power Up as a vehicle for their success,” Kennedy said.

Glassl’s partner at Crown Electrical was considering retirement, so the timing was right for Kennedy to purchase the majority stake, said Kennedy, founder and owner of Power Up.

“My goal is to recruit existing minority

Kennedy said the currently workforce pool is small, and the region needs more AfricanAmerican electricians. However, Power Up plans to meet St. Louis City’s goal of 30 percent minority workforce participation.

“Fortunately, one can meet the goals today on a project because there aren’t many projects diluting the pool,” he said, “but when/if the work picks back up, we will be waiting for these young kids to take advantage of this great opportunity to be ready to shoulder the load.”

The current workforce is aging as well, he said, so there will be great opportunity and jobs available with all construction companies and unions looking for AfricanAmerican talent. Kennedy encourages developing and maintaining “home grown” talent, starting at the high school level.

Louvenia Mathison received a Gold Certificate for Achievement & Proclamation in Leadership from the National League of Cities Leadership Training Institute. She is Councilwoman for the City of Berkeley. This institute has developed a Certificate of Achievement in Leadership Program to recognize and acknowledge excellence in leadership. She served as Secretary for the Board of Directors for the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials from 2004-2011 and recently was elected as Historian.

Brenda Youngblood has earned the Certified Board Member distinction through the Missouri School Boards’ Association. She is the newest member of the Hazelwood School District Board of Education. MSBAoriginated the Certified Board Member program as a structured training program in 1989. The CBM program requires 16 credit hours of coursework specific to improving the effectiveness of school board members. The Master CBM is the highest level of achievement and requires 40 credit hours.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

International exports up, unemployment down in Missouri

Last week Gov. Jay Nixon announced that Missouri’s international exports are up 12 percent this quarter over this time last year, and remain up more than 13 percent for the entire year. This year-to-date increase in exports translates to an additional $1.2 billion in Missouri goods being exported.

Last month, Nixon led a delegation of Missouri business and agriculture leaders to the People’s Republic of China. While there, the State of Missouri signed a series of agreements to sell $4.6 billion of Missouri goods to China over the next three years. Also last week, the Missouri Department of Economic Development reported that employers added approximately 1,100 new jobs in the state in October. The state’s unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, down by two-tenths of a point from September, on a seasonally adjusted basis.The U.S. seasonally adjusted rate for October was 9 percent.

Nine Network goes public with capital campaign with $13M raised

Last week the Board of Directors of the Nine Network of Public Media announced the public launch of a $25 million campaign to build the organization’s capacity.

The campaign, called “Igniting the Spirit of Possibility,” is chaired by Emerson Vice President Patrick Sly, secretary of the Nine Network Board. Gifts and commitments to the campaign now total more than $13 million.

In announcing the public phase of the campaign, Patrick Sly announced a lead gift from Emerson of $1.5 million.

Additional lead gifts include a $1 million commitment from the Dana Brown Charitable Trust and two anonymous gifts of $1 million each. In addition, the campaign has received 10 gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations in excess of $100,000 and 40 gifts from individuals in excess of $10,000. For more information, visit nineNet.org/ignitingthespiritcampaign.

Cynthia Ackins

Albert Walker

Louvenia Mathison

Brenda Youngblood

Michael B. Kennedy,Jr.

Photo by Wiley Price

Am I prepared forlong-term-care expenses?

In general, Americans are not sufficiently prepared to pay for long-term care. Many of them go through their lives simply hoping that they won’t ever need it. Unfortunately, in the event that you or a loved one does need long-term care, hope won’t be enough to protect you from potential financial ruin. Also, the odds that you will need some kind of long-term care increase as you get older.

Self-Insurance as an Option

To self-insure — that is, to cover the cost yourself — you must have sufficient income to pay the rising costs of longterm care. Keep in mind that even if you have sufficient resources to afford long-term

care now, you may not be able to handle rising future costs without drastically altering your lifestyle.

The Medicaid Option Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that covers medical bills for the needy. If you qualify, it may help pay for your long-term-care costs. Unfortunately, Medicaid is basically welfare. In order to qualify, you generally have to have few assets or will need to spend down your assets.

State law determines the allowable income and resource limits. If you have even one dollar of income or assets in excess of these limits, you may not be eligible for Medicaid. To receive Medicaid assis-

tance, you may have to transfer your assets to meet those limits. This can be tricky, however, because there are tough laws designed to discourage asset transfers for the purpose of qualifying for Medicaid. If you have engaged in any “Medicaid planning,” consult an advisor to discuss any new Medicaid rules.

By Charles Ross

Charles Ross

PRISONS

Continued from B1

than inmates who did not.

Cronin found the biggest jump in reduced recidivism rates, more than 33 percent, when he looked at inmates who earned a GED and acquired a full-time job after their release.

“Employment proves to be the strongest predictor of not returning to prison that we found,” Cronin said.

“Those who have a fulltime job are much less likely to return to prison than similar inmates who are unemployed. Recidivism rates were nearly cut in half for former inmates

Long-Term-Care Insurance

Along-term-care insurance policy may enable you to transfer a portion of the economic liability of long-term care to an insurance company in exchange for the regular premiums.

Long-term-care insurance may be used to help pay for skilled care, intermediate care,

with a full-time job compared to similar inmates who are unemployed. Inmates who take advantage of the educational opportunities available to them in prison are more likely to find a job than those who do not.”

and custodial care. Most policies pay for nursing-home care, and comprehensive policies may also cover home care services and assisted living. Insurance can help protect your family financially from the potentially devastating cost of a long-term disabling medical condition, chronic illness, or cognitive impairment.

Acomplete statement of coverage, including exclusions, exceptions, and limitations is found only in the policy.

Long-Term-Care Riders on Life Insurance

Anumber of insurance companies have added longterm-care riders to their life

“Employment proves to be the strongest predictor of not returning to prison.”

Cronin says these reduced recidivism rates can save the state a substantial amount of money in reduced incarceration costs. He points to a similar study which found that educational programs that reduced recidivism

– Jake Cronin, Institute of Public Policy,University of Missouri

rates saved the state of Maryland $24 million a year, which is twice the amount of money spent on the program. Cronin believes this shows that correctional facility educational programs are a good investment for the state of Missouri.

“If similar results occur in Missouri, which I would expect given the findings of this study, that would mean the state is currently saving more than $20 million a year in reduced incarceration costs as a result of correctional edu-

cation programs,” Cronin said.

“In this political environment, states across the country are looking for ways to save money. This is one program that, in the long run, saves the state money. It is a good investment, an investment that has a high rate of return.”

The Institute of Public Policy is a research and public service entity committed to increasing knowledge and understanding of issues facing Missouri state and local governments. It provides policy research to policymakers and conducts program evaluation and other applied research through contracts with public and nonprofit entities. To view the full policy brief, visit: www.ipp.missouri.edu.

“It’s very hard to recruit African Americans to come to

St. Louis from other cities because we lack projects for them to work on, and diversity across the region isn’t very attractive to someone coming from New York, Washington D.C., North Carolina or Atlanta, where there is a deeper talent pool of a diverse workforce,” Kennedy said.

“My goal is to work closely with AEG Local 57 to groom and establish a talented, powerful minority workforce in the electrical trades.”

Crown Electrical was founded in 1987 and headquartered at 3630 Broadway in St. Louis City. Power Up will continue to operate out of the former Crown Electrical facility until new accommodations can be finalized.

– Michael B. Kennedy Jr.

With 24 employees and $6 million projected revenue,

Power Up is a leading provider of electrical systems design, installation and maintenance, including low voltage and building technology systems.

The company lacked diversity among employees when Power Up purchased the company in June, Kennedy said. Currently, there are two women and three African Americans.

“This will change as we grow,” Kennedy said.

Power Up serves the commercial, industrial and institutional marketplaces primarily in Missouri and southern Illinois. Some of Crown Electrical’s more recent projects included the Missouri

State Capital building in Jefferson City, The Willows at Brooking Park retirement community in Chesterfield, St. Gerard Majella School in Kirkwood, the Elias Haas Building in Downtown St. Louis, the Bridgeton City Hall, The Magic House in Kirkwood and the new Downtown St. Louis Amtrak Station.

“This purchase is a good move for both the existing employees and customers of Crown Electrical, positioning us to broaden our market base and continue what we do best – provide quality electrical services in our area,” said Glassl.

“Power Up’s recent and strategic acquisition of Crown Electrical Contractors has expanded our depth of resources and increased our capacity to provide an even greater level of service to our customers,” said Arnold.

“Vince stepping in for the great Michael Vick, that’s a tough thing to do and he did it and the guys rallied around him.’’

RAMS ROUNDUP

Sad performance

Low-offense Rams offend fans

The St. Louis Rams’24-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks kind of went like this. Oh no! A55-yard pass to Seahawks wide out Mike Williams on an end around play. The next play, Rams linebacker Chris Chamberlin intercepts a pass from Tavarias Jackson. Oh yeah!

Then by the end of the game, with the clock running out, the few fans that remained for the loss booed, cursed and yelled at the home team

string some competitive games together. The Rams went an entire game without getting into the red zone. The Rams defense had four sacks and two interceptions. However, towards the end of the game, the Seahawks slowly broke the back of the Rams, shutting them out for the remaining 50plus minutes in the game.

Despite the score, this game was up for grabs. Unfortunately the Seahawks made the plays when they were needed and got their second road win of the year. The Rams’offense looked out of sync and didn’t help the See RAMS, B2

INSIDE SPORTS

Show-Me Bowl weekend is finally here! I just like saying that phrase. I like typing that phrase. I like reading that phrase. And boy oh boy, do I like living that phrase. For a high school football junkie like me, there’s just nothing better than these two days – the Friday & Saturday after Thanksgiving – when we finally get to settle the six Missouri state football championships, inside the cozy comforts of the Edward Jones Dome, while most other states are doing it in the bitter cold of some second-class college or high school stadium. And it seems like I say this every year, but it’s only because the matchups keep getting better, but this year’s Show-Me Bowl weekend could be one of the best ever. The game’s haven’t even kicked off yet, and they already make your mouth

water. There are four No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, two STLcity champ vs. KC city champ showdowns, two battles of the unbeatens, two other 13-1 vs. 13-1 heavyweight battles, and only two returning champions (Webb City in Class 4 & Valle Catholic in Class 1), which means there will be at least 4 new state champs when we it all ends late Saturday night. I feel like NYJets’linebacker Bart Scott baby!….. CAN’TWAIT!

Here’s our inside look at this weekend’s 2011 MSHSAA Show-Me Bowl State Football Championships at the Edward Jones Dome: Class 6 Championship Game – Fri., Nov. 25 Blue Springs South (11-2) vs. CBC (13-0) 7:30 pm The marquee matchup of

– Eagles coach Andy Reid,after reserve QB Vince Young led them to a win over the Giants See PREP, B5

The St. Louis sports community lost a legend last week with the passing of golf pioneer Booker Ford. He was 86. Ford’s spectacular career in golf spanned seven decades. He was a talented player who won many tournaments and won lots and lots of money over the years while playing around the country. However, Ford’s talent as a player was just a small part of the huge impact that he made in the St. Louis community for AfricanAmerican golfers. If you are and were a black golfer in St. Louis, you knew Booker Ford, you were connected to Booker Ford and you were impacted by Booker Ford in some way shape of form. Not only was he a great player, but he was a teacher, a mentor, a pioneer, an ambassador and a friend to so many people.

Booker Ford never knew a stranger. His charisma and engaging personality enabled him to make friends all over the country. He was just as comfortable with the everyday man as he was with celebrities such as Joe Louis, Marvin Gaye, President Gerald Ford, Bob Hope, Sidney Poitier, Lee Elder and so many more. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Ford at a couple of special events over the years and it was indeed a wonderful experience. After just five minutes of conversation, I felt like I was speaking to someone I had known for my entire life. He was just so warm and friendly; and he loved to tell stories.”

Ford brought countless African Americans to the sport as he broke the barriers for blacks to play on the course at Forest Park. He taught so many others how to play the game as he continued to give golf lessons to people up until the last few months of his life.

Ford was born in St. Louis, but moved to Oxford, Miss. at a young age. He returned to St. Louis in the 1940s after serving a stint in the Navy. Upon his return he met a man named Ted Rhodes from Nashville, who introduced Ford to golf. After picking up the sport for the first time, Ford became a regular player at the Forest Park Course, which was segregated until the mid-1950s. Up until then, Ford and the other black players could only play at certain times. When their time on the course was up, a bell behind the 13th

Just

Palmer L. Alexander

Earl Austin Jr.

Booker Ford

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

CLAIB’S CALL

Claibs gives thanks for2011

Cards 2011 World Championship tops list

As another Thanksgivingis here, maybe it’s not the most important thing to be first in line for Black Friday.Never sure what the connotation insinuated, but I always was thought “black” was a good thing.“In the black”financially bodes well,as well as you all who don the color as it makes you look smaller during the holiday season.

As I look at this day of Thanksgiving I am certainly thankful. I have a great family that has supported me in all my endeavors professionally and personally, and even if the outcome was not favorable there was always an attitude of “get them next time.”For that, I am thankful. For all you parents out there, you know that being one is not easy.You set out to give them everything you did not have and make your own parents proud of you, and lo and behold kids act like, what else, kids.I am fortunate. They had a mother who was there for them as well when I was not, as the world of sports has strange work hours.I am thankful for a good mother who was there to help raise two wonderful daughters.Yes, I am thankful.

thing.The list is long and to give it up would certainly offend some who I may have forgotten for one of those “sometimers” reasons, but I will give you the ones who come off the top of my head. The year 2011 was an interesting one for me.Radio stations changing rights was somewhat of a crossroads for me for the first time in my career.While some knew what the outcome would be, I did not.For those who did, or at least thought they did by their positive support, I am thankful that you hung in there.For those who were my friends then, to be one now has even greater meaning. I have been fortunate to be in an era of people who have helped shape me by their actions in this business.

I have been in this business of media for thirty years and have enjoyed99 percent of it. The people are fun to be around, as I can name the ones who are not on one hand.Yes, I have met the greats, Hall of Famers and the Who’s Who, the ones I have come to appreciate are the ones who do their

To the late Morris Henderson, Richard “Onion” Horton, Charlie Tuna, Demetrious Johnson, Maurice Drummond, Art Holiday, Brian Burwell, Earl Austin Jr., Maurice Scott, Rene Knott and my man Telly Hughes who continues to make me proud, I am thankful to this small fraternity of men who have made sacrifices to make it better for the next generation.Man, I am thankful. Donald M. Suggs has not only been a outstanding publisher of the vehicle of the truth we call The St. Louis American, he has been a friend and mentor.We can always have healthy discussions about three things: sports, politics and whatever the blank that needs to be filled.I am thankful for his dedication as we all should be.

As for the teams here in St. Louis, I have a lot to be thankful for as the Cardinals brought St. Louis together when no one saw it coming.The parade could still be going as far as I am concerned.

Then you have the Rams.I really root for them despite my predictions.I like Steve Spagnuolo and his family. They have been good for St. Louis, and I hope some day he gets some help and better players. I am thankful for the St. Louis Blues.I am a hockey man from the beginning and

from the days when they actually competed and had sound management and ownership.I cannot wait for the day when that returns.In the meantime I wish the best for the general manger, coach and players, as they are only ones who are legit here.

Then there is Saint Louis University.I have a real place for them in my heart, as I met one of my best friends in life in Bob Ramsey while doing games some 26 years ago. Gone are the days of Grawer, Bonner, Douglas and Gray. Enter Rick Majerus and com-

pany.As some of you may know, the coach and I were not on the best of terms when he first got here. After a chat or two, I want nothing but the best for him and his kids. With winning, there will be more college graduatesthanks to him, and that is what I care about more.It has been a tough hard road that the Bills have walked and maybe this is the year. On the women’s side, Coach Shimmy Gray-Miller has done wonders with little. If she can keep more kids at home, her fortunes would be better.I am thankful for her as

INSIDE

Continued from B3

(Channel 675). Friday’s games will be Class 2 (Lamar vs. Lafayette Co. at 1 p.m.), Class 4 (MICDS vs. Webb City at 4:15 p.m.) and Class 6 (CBC vs. Blue Springs South at 7:30 p.m.). Saturday’s games will be Class 1 (Valle vs. South Shelby at noon), Class 3 (John Burroughs vs. LoganRogersville at 3:15 p.m.) and

RAMS

Continued from B3

defense out at all. The offensive line is patchwork. That’s still no excuse for that showing. Okay, there are injuries on the offensive line. So what? What team doesn’t have to deal with injuries?

And quarterback Sam Bradford looks beaten and worn. He was inefficient on connecting on 50 percent of his throws in the loss. He just doesn’t look sharp at all. When Bradford did have time he

Photo by Wiley Price

she is the life of any room she walks in. As for the readers of this column, I am truly thankful as you have been kind enough to support it with your comments in the supermarket or wherever we cross paths.Some of you have even given me fodder for some of my writings when I had nothing before managing editor Chris King’s deadlines that at times seem to have the weight of only a Supreme Court stay of execution. In all, it has been a year that I have a lot to be thankful for, with a few more weeks to go.

Class 5 (Kirkwood vs. Staley at 6:30 p.m.).

Bro in law Robin

I would like to give a special shout-out to my brotherin-law, Robin Thompson, who is the defensive line coach at MICDS. The Rams (14-0) will play Webb City for the Class 4 state title on Friday. Robin has his boys playing with a lot of fire and brimstone during the playoffs. Good luck, boys.

couldn’t make the throws that were needed to at least extend a few offensive series to give the defense a breather. Bradford’s performance wasn’t the only thing disappointing. The play calling again was just atrocious. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels started the game with the empty backfield. He just totally ignored the fact that Steven Jackson had just came off another 100-yard rushing game in the win last week against the Cleveland Browns. McDaniels deserves a lions’ share for the loss. Happy Thanksgiving.

The World Series victory parade could still be going,as far as Claibs is concerned.

Mike Claiborne

With Mike Claiborne

By Earl Austin Jr.

St.Louis American

Of The

State championship trophies will be handed out to seven high school football teams as the Show-Me Bowl returns to the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. This season will mark my 25th Show-Me Bowl since becoming a sportswriter in the fall of 1986. During those 25 years, I have witnessed some great games and great performances in those state championship games. Here is a collection of my best Show-Me Bowl memories during my 25year career.

Lutheran North 28 Branson 26 (1989)

Lutheran North trailed Branson 26-21 with 17 seconds left in the game and had the ball on Branson’s 46-yard line. In what has to be the gutsiest call in high school sports history, Lutheran North coach Mike Russell calls for a draw play instead of a long pass. Senior tailback Sean Morris takes the hand-off and weaves his way through the Branson defense for the dramatic touchdown and the Class 3Astate title for the Crusaders, which was the second in their threepeat. Morris’run culminated a Lutheran North rally from a 26-14 deficit in the final two minutes.

Clayton 27 Webb City 26 (2004)

Perennial Class 4Akingpin Webb City was a big favorite to take another state title against the Greyhounds. Before the game, a fellow reporter asked me if Clayton had any chance at all to pull off the big upset. I told him that Clayton had this superstar named Jairus Byrd, and if he could make six big plays,

PREP

Continued from B3

the weekend is this showdown between undefeated and No.1ranked STLcity champ CBC and No. 2-ranked KC-area champ Blue Springs South.

The Cadets, who stormed their way into Friday night’s title game by blowing out rival SLUH 66-28 last week, have been the best team in the state all season, especially on offense where they average 44.8 points a game, and have been held below 30 points only once all year.

QB Dalton Demos has been the leader of that group, with 2,434 pass yards and 31 TDs this season, while RBs Antonio Brown (1,432 yards and 21 TDs) and Jonathan Parker (918 yards and 12 TDs) have combined for nearly 2800 total yards & 33 TDs. CBC also likes to feature WR Aarion Penton, whose combined receiving and return yardage totals more than 1200 yards and 16 TDs this season.

Blue Springs South is your typical ground-and-pound kind of squad, led by dual-threat QB Conner Harrison, whose passed for 1,251 yards and 14 TDs, and rushed for 738 yards and another 9 TDs this season.

RB Steven Sullivan is also a top performer for the Jaguars, with 1,303 yards & 24 TDs of his own this year. Defensively, South really rushes the passer well and forces an incredible amount of turnovers. Question is, will they be able to do that against CBC’s top-ranked offensive unit.

Ceddie says: CBC 30 Blue Springs South 21.

Class 5 Championship Game – Sat., Nov. 26

Staley (13-0) vs. Kirkwood (12-0) 6:30 pm

The final game of the weekend might be the best game of the weekend, when No. 2ranked Kirkwood takes on topranked KC-area Class 5 city champ Staley.

Like CBC, Kirkwood has been on another planet all season long this year. In fact, the Pioneers have been even better

Show me the memories

Earl looks back on 25 years of Show-Me Bowls

Clayton would stun Webb City. The phenomenal Byrd pulled it off as he threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score and stopped Webb City’s Andrew Stanley on a two-point conversion in overtime to give the Greyhounds the stunning victory and its first state title. The Byrd was the word on this day.

Hazelwood East 39 Raytown South 34 (2008)

In one of the most dramatic finishes in Show-Me Bowl history, Hazelwood East defeated Raytown South on a 29-yard “Hail Mary” touchdown pass to senior Tarrell Downing as time expired. Ray South had just taken a 34-33 lead with 30 seconds left and appeared headed to the Class 5 state title, but the Spartans responded with their own dramatic play to bring home the state title.

Mehlville 15 Rockhurst 7 (1999)

Mehlville senior linebacker Terrell Jones turned in one of the most dominant performances of defense in leading the Panthers to the upset over Rockhurst. The 5’10” 210pound Jones manhandled the Hawklets with 10 tackles, two sacks while disrupting Rockhurst’s offense at every turn. What made Jones’performance even more impressive was that he had suffered a broken nose and played part of the game with blurred vision. Jones literally willed Mehlville to a state championship on this night.

DeSmet 48 Hazelwood Central 31 (2006)

For the only time in the his-

on offense with a 46.4 points per game average. The leaders of Kirkwood’s group are its two fantastic playmaker QBs, senior B.J. Buckner and junior Jordan Bishop. The duo has combined for nearly 2000 passing yards, 1300 rushing, receiving, and return yards, and almost 50 combined TDs. And neither of them is The ‘Wood’s best player. That distinction belongs to superfast WR Mike McHugh, who leads the team in scoring and receiving with 20 TDs and 941 yards. Junior RB Ramon Alton is also a beast out of the backfield with 1,160 rushing yards and 18 TDs this year.

Staley, which earned its trip to the Show-Me Bowl by knocking off defending champ Lee’s Summit West 76-70 in a four-overtime classic last Friday night. RB Morgan Steward, who committed to Mizzou back in the summer, is Staley’s top player with 2,021 rushing yards and 26 TDs this season. QB Trent Hosick is also a top performer for the Falcons, with 1,963 rush yards, 1,331 pass yards and 37 combined TDs, while LB Matt Harmon is the leader on Staley’s defense with 97 tackles and 13 QB sacks this year. Ceddie says: Staley 27 Kirkwood 23.

Class 4 Championship Game – Fri., Nov. 25

Webb City (14-0) vs. MICDS (14-0) 4:15 pm

Defending champ Webb City looks for its 10th title in a matchup against MICDS, which has won five state championships in its history.

Webb City survived a tremendous scare last week by rallying from a 21-0 deficit against Savannah. The Rams rely on QB Thomas Militello to make most of their big plays. He has thrown for 2,985 yards and an STL-area best 39 TDs. His top two WRs, Jack Howell (993 yards) and Foster Bundy (882 yards) could both go over the 1,000-yard mark with big games Friday afternoon.

MICDS’top star though is senior RB/LB Michael Scherer, a 6’4, 230-pound running and tackling machine,

tory of the Show-Me Bowl, two St. Louis teams squared off for the Class 6 state championship. And it was an offensive show. DeSmet rode the hot hand of senior quarterback Tommy Corwin to its first state title. Corwin threw for 482 yards and three touchdowns while receiver Wesley Kemp set a then Show-Me Bowl record with 11 receptions for 246 yards. Central quarterback Marvin McNutt closed out his stellar football career by throwing for 313 yards and three touchdowns.

WebsterGroves 23 Raymore Peculiar22 (2002)

who’s headed to Mizzou next year, with 1,228 yards, 21 TDs, and 84 total tackles.

Ceddie says: Webb City 31 MICDS 27.

Class 3 Championship Game – Sat., Nov. 26 LoganRogersville (13-1) vs. John Burroughs (13-1) 3:15 pm

Two teams that pulled off a pair of impressive upsets in last week’s semifinals will meet on Saturday afternoon.

Burroughs, who’s only loss this year came to archrival and Class 4 title game participant MICDS, flat-out bullied previously unbeaten Osage 39-14 last week.

Junior RB Ezekiel Elliott, the STL-area leader with 40 TDs this season, rushed for 110 yards and three TDs against Osage to turn a close early ballgame into a blowout for the Bombers.

Logan-Rogersville knocked off defending state champ Richmond 48-28 rolling up more than 400 rushing yards. This is the first state title game appearance ever for LoganRogersville.

John Burroughs will be going for its ninth state championship.

Ceddie says: John Burroughs 23 LoganRogersville 19.

Class 2 Championship Game

– Lamar(13-1) vs. Lafayette County (13-1) 1 pm

The weekend will begin with this matchup of topranked out-state teams.

Lafayette County of Higginsville, led by sensational senior QB DeShaun Thierkield, has won 13 straight games. Little brother Tyrell Thierkield is another top performer for the Huskers, who’ll be making their first trip to the Dome ever.

Lamar is led by Levi Peterson, a tough and gritty signal-caller, who powers a run-heavy offense with RB Jared Beshore and wingback Markell White.

Ceddie says: Lafayette County 28 Lamar21.

Class 1 Championship Game – Sat., Nov. 26 South Shelby (10-4) vs. Valle

Christian Morton turned in a sparkling performance in leading the Rams to the Class 5A state title in a very entertaining game. Morton had nearly 400 yards of total offense and several breathtaking individual players as he outdueled Jeff City star quarterback Justin Gage. Both Morton and Gage would go on to play in the National Football League. Morton and tailback Damien Nash were truly a dynamic duo for the Rams during their run to the state title.

MICDS 45

Harrisonville 42 (2004)

The Rams pulled off the greatest comeback in ShowMe history in taking the Class 3 state title. MICDS trailed 3510 in the second half before mounting their historic comeback to provide Hall of Fame coach Ron Holtman with his last state championship before he announced his retirement.

Blue Springs 39 Parkway Central 35 (1992)

This wildly entertaining

Webster Groves won the Class 5 state title behind an incredible postseason run by junior quarterback Darrell Jackson. He had 556 yards of total offense in a dramatic triple-overtime victory over McCluer North in the semifinals. In the state finals, Jackson had 373 yards of total offense and tossed the gamewinning touchdown to Grady Wilson in the closing minutes of the Statesmen’s one-point victory over Raymore Peculiar.

Riverview Gardens 41 Jefferson City 34 (1997)

Senior quarterback

Catholic (13-1) Noon

The surprise team of the weekend is most certainly the South Shelby Cardinals, who were 2-4 at one point this season and 3-4 heading into districts, before reeling off eight straight wins.

RB Shawn Bertrand is the top performer on offense for South Shelby, with 2,047 rushing yards and 24 TDs, while also ranking second on the defense with 123 tackles this season.

Valle Catholic, the 10-time champions from Ste. Genevieve, are looking to add another one.

Last year, the Warriors made a perfect run through Class 1, and with only one blemish this year, Valle sure seems primed for trophy No. 11. Ceddie says: Valle Catholic 26 South Shelby 24.

Class 5Astate title game had the fans at Faurot Field in Columbia on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Parkway Central rode the talents of quarterback Isaac Byrd, who almost singlehandedly brought the Colts their first state title. Byrd was spectacular, as he amassed 339 yards of total offense and accounted for four touchdowns. Even in a losing effort, Byrd put on a show that many have never forgotten.

Hazelwood East 42 Blue Springs South 3 (1995)

In the final game of his stellar career, Hazelwood East tailback Ricardo

T. LOUIS AMERICAN

Prep Athletes of the Week

The senior tailback was the offensive star in the Cadets’66-28 victory over SLUH in the Class 6 state semifinals last Friday night.

The 5’10” 185-pound Brown rushed for 258 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead the Cadets to victory. Brown scored on runs of 11, 4, 2 and 53 yards. Athree-year starter, Brown has rushed for 1,432 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. As a junior, he rushed for 1,190 yards and 21 touchdowns in leading the Cadets to the state quarterfinals. CBC will meet Blue Springs South for the Class 6 state championship on Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Edward Jones Dome.

Todd Hearns

The senior defensive end turned in a dominant performance in helping the Rams to a 48-14 victory over Farmington in the Class 4 state semifinals last Saturday. The 6’5” 225-pound Hearns registered three quarterback sacks and led a defensive effort that held the powerful Farmington offense to more than 30 points under their season average. Alate bloomer in football, Hearns has emerged as one of the area’s top defensive ends as a senior. This season, Hearns has recorded 10 sacks along with 13 tackles for losses.

MICDS will face Webb City for the Class 4 state championship on Friday at the Edward Jones Dome at 4:15 p.m.

Senior quarterback Christian Morton turned in a sparkling performance in leading Riverview to the Class 5A state title in 1997.

PARTNER

Continued from B1 that people could give out to contact if a community organization is looking to partner with someone, if they want to make sure they have the right information, if they are looking for resources, if they want a speaker even to come out and talk to them about a health issue,” she said.

“So that’s the first thing that the Center is going to be. People can call us, and we’ll make sure they get where they need to go and they get the information they need.”

The Center will be a bridge within and outside of the academic setting.

“Sometimes things seem closer than they really are,” Wilkins said, “because we think that we are right next to

each other, but so far apart in the way we communicate with each other inside the academic setting and in the community –the way we have our priorities about research, about health care, about what it means to be healthy.

“And we’ve really got to get to a common place where we can communicate better so that we can eliminate some of the disparities.”

Lawlor said through partnerships, the university is already engaging in important work in diabetes prevention, obesity, cancer and tobacco cessation to meet health challenges in St. Louis.

Rather than determining on their own which health issues to attack, that’s the kind of dialogue the Center wants to have with the community and community partners.

“But, once having that, we want to organize ourselves, our

training programs, research, and, more importantly, the dissemination of information to communities, so we can bring some of the best practices to bear to some of our health challenges here,” Lawlor said.

“So it’s really a new focus for us – making sure that public health is part of our portfolio for research, for health initiatives, for student work, for all of our scholarly activities,” Wilkins said.

“Everybody is really embracing it and they think it’s important, and as you can see, all of the activities and research that’s already going on – there is a need for it.”

For more information, contact the Center for Community Health and Partnerships via email at healthycommunity@ ewustl.edu, by calling 314747-9234 or visit the website publichealth.

Dr.Consuelo Wilkins,director of the Center for Community Health and Partnerships, shares a laugh with St.Louis ConnectCare Executive Director Melody Eskridge during the opening of the new Institute for Public Health.At center is Angela Brown.

Photo by Wiley Price

Barbeque baby steps

Rib Shack celebrates 1st anniversary, plans for the

By Kenya Vaughn

Hometown praise for ‘Sunday Best’ star

Wiley Price

by

Gospel music star Kirk Franklin was eager to showcase the phenomenal talent of BET’s “Sunday Best” winner and STL native Amber Bullock when his Fearless Tour stopped at the Fabulous Fox Thursday night. She received a hero’s welcome and her powerhouse vocals blew the

By Morris W. O’Kelly Guest Columnist

Dear Tyler Perry,

I have never been concerned with gaining favor with celebrities or undeservedly denigrating one’s work. I have always prided myself on putting my community irst, even when doing so has been unpopular and frankly unappreciated by members of that same community. So understand that my letter to you is on principle and premise...not personal animus. This comes not from someone who is a fan of “this” or “that” person, but a fan of the community of AfricanAmericans. They come irst in all I do. The problem I personally have with

your letter Mr. Perry which offered insight into your decision-making process of casting Kim Kardashian, is that it seeks to weave a disingenuous narrative. You seem to suggest that the sum total story of redemption to be told in Tyler Perry’s The Marriage Counselor holds more weight than the combination of its components. Untrue.

The issue isn’t whether K.K. is appropriate or whether you Mr. Perry have the right to create as you see it. Nobody is deluded here. Nothing is going to change from this letter, neither your mind nor your movie. Nevertheless, some things need to be said and placed on the record because the truth doesn’t change and isn’t subject to interSee PERRY, C4

Morning breath in the middle of the night

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“His breath was clowning,” a friend of mine said like her life depended on it when I asked how her latest date went with a man I thought she was excited about.

Up until this moment she had talked about the connection she felt with him, how much fun they had together and what a gentleman he was. But her usual good weather report regarding the potential boo had blown in the wind.

“Girl, this is the fourth time in a row. I really like him, and I’m not okay with it,” she rambled. “I noticed it before, but I igured – well, I don’t know what I igured. But he tried to kiss me tonight, and I got nauseous… I mean, I was dangerously close to throwing up, girl. Who has morning breath in the middle of the night?” I was hoping she wouldn’t ask me for advice, because even though she already knew the appropriate action, doing so would automatically put me in the position to play bad cop.

“What should I do?” I knew it.

“What do you think you should do?” I said –slamming that ball back in her court harder than Serena at the U.S. Open.

“I don’t know, girl, bad breath is one of my pet peeves,” she says.

“A pet peeve…. really, girl,” I reply. “Nobody likes bad breath, just like nobody likes having bad breath. It happens – now four times in row might be a problem – but as a human you have had bad breath, body odor, a bad hair day… and you know the rest.”

I told her that she should let him know face-to-face. Even if it takes a trip to the dentist to get a resolution, I felt like it was her responsibility to let him know – but in a loving and respectful way.

Her argument was, “How can you confront someone about their breath and not have them be humiliated?” Touché.

She admitted that if he didn’t have his “issue,” she would have not one single problem with progressing with their relationship – and she would even be willing to move forward now if she knew it was something he was serious about handling.

Instead of immediately talking to him, she made the mistake of soliciting advice from everyone in her circle – from family, to co-workers and even a church pew partner. As women, it’s a relationship tic that can wreak havoc and cloud our perspective when we

Kardashian

Photo

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

1.Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican.com

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

concerts

Wed. Nov. 30 – Sat., Dec. 3, Jazz St. Louis welcomes The Ramsey Lewis Electric Band, Jazz At The Bistro, 3536 Washington. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m., The Department of Music at the University of Missouri St. Louis will present Love & Loss: The Story of Human Suffering and Victory Across Time featuring the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Dmitri Shostakovich. The concert will be performed by Alla Voskoboynikova on piano, David Halen on violin, Melissa Brooks on cello and Miran Halen on vocals., E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Theater at the Blanche M.Touhill Performing Arts Center. For more information, call 314-516-4198.

Thur., Dec. 8, 7 p.m., St. Louis Symphony presents A Gospel Christmas feat. Larnelle Harris. Powell Symphony Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, call 314534-1700 or visit stlsymphony.org.

Dec. 9, 8 p.m., Gateway Men’s Chorus will ring in their25th Silver Anniversary with a Holiday concert full of surprises. Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth. For more information, visit http://store.gatewaymenschorus.org/concerts. html

Dec. 11, 3 p.m., Northwinds Concert Band, underthe direction of Larry Marsh, will present its annual Holiday Concert featuring seasonal favorites, Florissant Civic Center Theatre, Parker Road and Waterford Drive. Tickets may be reserved by calling the box office at (314) 921-5678 or online at www.northwindsband.org.

Nov. 30-Dec. 3, Jazz St. Louis and Wells Fargo Advisors present the Ramsey Lewis Electric Band. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call314-289-4030 or visit www.jazzstl.org.

Thur., Dec. 8, 7 p.m., St. Louis Symphony presents A Gospel Christmas feat. Larnelle Harris. Powell Symphony Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103.

local gigs

Tues., Dec. 13 – Wed., Dec. 14, 10 a.m., Brian Owens Holiday Concert, celebrates the holidays with classics like “The Christmas Song,” “White Christmas” and more, plus some soulful surprises sure make this Christmas celebration merry and bright! Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

Sundays, 7 p.m., StarCity recording artist FRED WALKER performs his SAXYJAZZ music show every Sunday at: “JAZZ ON BROADWAY” 554 East Broadway, Alton, Il. 62002. Call 618-465-5299 for more information and directions.

Funkin Right, Every 2nd Saturday, Nappy DJ Needles invites you downtown for a monthly dose of good vibes delivered in the form of raw soul, afro beat, house, hip hop and deep funk. Lola, 500 N. 14th St.

Jazz Happy Hour, every Wed 6-10pm,The Loft 3112 Olive, 2 for 1 Drinks 6-8pm, Jazz Band 7-9:30pm, featuring: Under The Influence. Free Food, No Cover Charge, Mature Atmosphere Only.

Karaoke with Ric Louis, THURSDAYS, 8pm at St. Louis’Happy Hour Bar &

CALENDAR

Grill, 12948 New Halls Ferry at Parker Road (Next to Save-A-Lot Supermarket). Wednesday s, 9pm at Ace`s Lounge, in the Comfort Inn Airport Hotel, 9600 Natural Bridge Rd. at Brown Rd. (Across from Church’s Chicken). Come and enjoy Drink Specials, Food Specials, Super Music Videos, Free Prizes and Great Fun !! (314) 608-2424.

Pieces Of The Family Band featuring: Marvin (Hit Man) Rice, performing every Fri 79:30pm, The Loft, 3112 Olive, drink specials and no cover charge.

Sensational Sundays, 6:30 p.m. (6 p.m. doors) Jazz @ Eventide, featuring Black and White Trio. Sip N Savor, 286 DeBaliviere, 1/2 block north of the Forest park Metro link. For more information, call (314)361-2116.

Steppin & Boppin, 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Legacy Café, 5249 Delmar. Lessons available.

special events

Fri., Nov. 25, 8 p.m. The 13 Black Katz presents 2nd Annual Bootology featuring DJ Mark Edwards and The Dirty Muggs, Grand Renaissance Hotel, 800 Washington St., St. Louis MO 63101.

Fri., Nov. 25, Cornell Boone in conjunction with Crown Royal, Heineken & Cort Furniture presents Panache Art Lounge Grand Opening hosted by Lance Gross, Inside Forest Park Golf House. For more information, e-mail, info@panacheartlounge.com or visit www.panacheartlounge.com.

Nov. 26-Dec. 10, 9 a.m., High CaliberFirearms Training, LLC presents Concealed Carry Training. Classes Taught on Saturdays. MEETS ALLTRAINING requirements for your Missouri Concealed Carry Permit. For more information, call 314-971-9737 or visit www.highcaliber.us.

Sat., Nov. 26, 8 p.m., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity are hosting a Holiday Party, Alpha House, 3615 N 19th Street. For more information, contact philostamps12@yahoo.com

Dec. 1, 5:30 p.m., St. Louis Chapterof the International Association of Administrative Professionals will host a silent auction and offBroadway production of “Holidays around the World”. In conjunction with the gala, a toy drive for Project ARK (Aids/HIVand Knowledge) organization will take place.The Crowne Plaza-Airport, 11228 Lone Eagle Drive, Bridgeton,MO 63044.To make a reservation, please contact Mary Lou Merkel, CPS at

and wake you — and inspire you to change the world! At The Legacy, 5249 Delmar Blvd. To learn more, call (314) 458 – 4282 or visit www.AddLifeStudio.com

Dec. 11, 10 a.m., Lafayette Square Rings in Holidays with Parlor and Church Tour, Nine homes and two neighborhood churches will be dressed in holiday finery. For more information, visit www.lafayettesquare.org.

Dec. 13, 6 p.m., Speed Dating, Rookies Sports Bar, 3721 New Town Blvd, St. Charles. For more information, visit www.8minuteDating.com

Dec. 31, 9 p.m., Night Society Saint Louis and Bfreepaparazzi Saint Louis are giving you the opportunity to bring inthe New Yearon the Nightlife Express, the most

mlmerk@aol.com or go the Chapter’s website, www.iaapstl.org/stlouis .

Fri., Dec. 2, St. Louis Minority Supplier Development Council invites you to the Excellence Awards Gala. Four Seasons Hotel, 999 N. Second St., 63102. For more information, call 314241-1143 or visit www.stlouismsdc.com.

Dec. 3, 10 a.m., H.A.L.O. Project is hosting a Holiday Brunch for the St. Louis community at the North Oaks Bowl. This is a family friendly event and will be held in the large community room in the rear. To purchase tickets please call Pam at 314-691-4053 or visit the website at www.haloproject2010.com.

Sat., Dec. 3, 11 a.m., The West End Arts Council (WEAC) and Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council (SDCC) present a local re-imagination of a traditional German Festival. Wintermarkt is an outdoor crafts sale in the spirit of the holiday season. 6008 Kingsbury Avenue (Greg Freeman Four Corners Park). For more information, visit www.skinker-debaliviere.com.

Sat., Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m., Platinum Group, Inc.’s 10th Annual “Have a Platinum Christmas” Celebration and Symposium, Carbriant Banquet Hall (located at 11896 Raymond Ave, St. Louis, MO 63138). For more information, call (314) 231-3500 or e-mail: platinumgroup02@cs.com

Dec. 3 & 4, Saturday (7pm) and Sunday (4pm). “Dance to Change the World!! An Interactive and Innovative African Dance Concert” presented by Malena Amusa & AddLife! Studio. For two nights only, come and experience Amusa’s one-of-a-kind African dance theatre and live concert surprises that willstir

Jazz St.Louis welcomes The Ramsey Lewis Electric Band to Jazz At The Bistro.

Nov. 25 – Dec. 18, The Black Rep presents BLACK NATIVITY: AHOLIDAYCELEBRATION, The Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square. Tickets are available from The Black Rep Box Office at (314) 5343810 or through MetroTix (314) 534-1111 or online at metrotix.com.

Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 9:30 a.m., Central Visual and Performing Arts High School presents “Little Shop of Horrors.” 3125 S. Kingshighway, 63136. For more information, call 314771-2772.

Dec. 1, 10a.m., Charles Jones’ delightful adaptation of Charles Dickens AChristmas Carol, The Fox Theatre. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

Dec. 1 – Dec. 18, Dramatic License Productions presents “AHoliday Cabaret,” the 75minute family-friendly production features four of St. Louis’ best musical theatre performers: Ron Gibbs, Michele Burdette Elmore, April Strelinger and introducing, Brian Kirn in an evening of song, dance and holiday libations. Dramatic License Theatre Chesterfield Mall (Access theatre via upper level mall entrance nearest Sears, next to Houlihan’s Restaurant). Tickets available by visiting www.DramaticLicenseProducti ons.org or calling (636)2207012.

Dec. 6, 8 p.m., The Rat Pack Live At The Sands, The Fox Theatre. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

Dec. 10, 2:30 p.m. & 7 p.m., Danse Arts Company and West County Family YMCA present WinterExtravaganza 2011, West County Family YMCA, 16464 Burkhardt Place in Chesterfield. For more information, call 636-532-6515 ext. 227 or e-mail: emarkingcamuto@ymcastlouis.org

Dec. 16 – Dec. 17, Hawthorne Players will present Charles Dickens’classic story “AChristmas Carol.” Tickets may be reserved by calling the theatre box office at (314) 921-5678. For more information visit www.hawthorneplayers.com

Dec. 20 – Dec. 24, The Fox Theatre presents Beauty and The Beast, The Fox. For more information, call (314) 5341111 or visit www.metrotix.com

arts

Through November30, Portfolio Gallery presents Robert Hale’s exhibit Intimate Encounters: The African Americans, Portfolio Gallery, 3514 Delmar. For more information, call (314) 533-3323.

Through December2, The Luminary presents Recently Possible: Objects of the Future, their final exhibit of the 2011 season which explores the concept of ‘new media from a literal perspective of technological development, innovative concepts and radical consumer products primarily drawn from the past year. The Luminary Center for the Arts, 4900 Reber Place, MO 63139.

Dec. 3, 12 noon, The ShowMe Etsy Street Team is proud to announce Artropy 2011. Artropy is a unique arts and crafts show featuring handmade goods created by over thirty local St. Louis artists as well as live music. Shoppers will be able to browse a lovely selection of handmade art, jewelry, fashion Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/sho wmeetsy.

Through December5, TASK, a self-generating, improvisational art-making event developed by artist OliverHerring, will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 21 at Gallery 210 on the North Campus of the University of Missouri?St. Louis. Herring will curate an exhibition from the objects created by the TASK partici-

pants as well as other artwork by him. Areception for the TASK exhibition will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28. Herring will give a gallery talk at 6:15 p.m. in the Gallery 210 auditorium. 44 Arnold B. Grobman Drive on the North Campus of the University of Missouri?St. Louis (between the MetroLink Station and the Touhill Performing Arts Center). For more information, call 314-516-5976 or email gallery@umsl.edu

December9, 6:30 p.m., A one-night art opening, Good Vibrations will feature work by twenty-one undergraduate artists majoring in sculpture at Washington University in St. Louis. Independently organized and curated by the sculpture majors. Guests will have the opportunity to meet the artists while enjoying food and drink. Lemp Brewery, 3500 Lemp Avenue.

Through January 8 PPRC Photography Project: Pais Youth Development Center, the newest exhibition for the Public Policy Research Center at the University of Missouri St. Louis. Children from the nonprofit center, which is based in the neighborhood, took to the streets to capture the more vibrant aspects of their surroundings. The colorful exhibit will be on display through Jan. 8 at the PPRC Photography Gallery in 427 Social Sciences and Business Building at UMSL, 1 University Blvd. in St. Louis County (63121). Gallery hours are from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Aduplicate of the exhibit will be on display through Jan. 8 in the northwest hallway at the Victor Roberts Building, 1354 N. Kingshighway Blvd. in St. Louis (63113). The exhibit can be viewed from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. An opening reception will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Victor Roberts Building.

lectures

Nov. 26-Dec. 10, 9 a.m., High CaliberFirearms Training, LLC presents Concealed Carry Training. Classes Taught on Saturdays. MEETS ALLTRAINING requirements for your Missouri Concealed Carry Permit. For more information, call 314-971-9737 or visit www.highcaliber.us.

Thurs., Dec. 1, 3 p.m., Arming Yourself With the Right Tools forSuccess Networking Reception, free for all D/M/WBEs and small businesses, at the Frontenac Hilton, 1335 S. Lindbergh Blvd. The Missouri Regional Certification Committee (MRCC) partnering agencies, METRO, Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, MoDOT and several community agencies are rolling out their training schedule for 2012! Preregistration is required. Deadline to register, 11/30/11. For more information and to RSVPcall (573) 751-6801.

Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m., The Children’s Division Foster/Adopt Informational Meeting. Divoll Branch Library, 4234 N. Grand. to learn more or call 314-3407536 for more information.

Jan. 14, 9:30 a.m.,Adults Communicating Empowerment (A.C.E.) Community Forum hosted by the H.A.L.O. Project and will hold its first public meeting, Julia Davis Library Auditorium. For more information please view www.haloproject2010.com or contact Pam Roach at 314-691-4053.

Mondays, 6 p.m., FREE AddLife! African Dance Class w/ Malena Amusa, Open to all levels. Presented by AddLife! Studio, this exciting class starts with rhythmic yoga, then dives into dazzling West African dance steps and exercise. At Legacy Books & Cafe, 5249 Delmar Blvd. For more info, call (314) 4584282 or visit www.AddLifeStudio.com

TMAPYouth Empowerment Sessions, Thursdays, 4:45 p.m., 5019 Alcott Walbridge C.E.C. Riverview West Florissant -TMAPmeet for Youth Empowerment Sessions facilitated by Keith Minor Nuisance Coordinator in the 27th Ward and feature a variety of positive role models

from the St. Louis Metropolitan area listen to and dialogue with youth in the Walnut Park neighborhood. Topics vary and are youth driven. Call the RWF-TMAP office at (314) 381-6999.

Sundays, 6 p.m., My Business Rocks Study Group Led by founder of AddLife! Studio, Malena Amusa Imagine, strategize, and plan creative and unlimited biz success in this weekly organized study group. Open to Biz starters, leaders, and professionals. We meet at the Delmar Loop Bread Company. RSVP at (314) 458 – 4282 or visit www.AddLifeStudio.com.

The YMCA presents Small Business Planning, Taxes, Budgeting, 6:30 p.m. Join us every Thursday in October for a free, informative Q&Awith a registered tax professional. Downtown YMCA, 1528 Locust St., 63103. For more information visit ymcastlouis.org/downtown or call (314) 436-4100.

Toastmasters International St. Louis presents Primary Conversations! Want to develop in Public Speaking? Visit Toastmasters Primary Conversations Club every 2nd and 4th Tuesday at 6pm. Please call 314-225-9098 for more information.

Matiff OPEN DANCE CLASSES,7 p.m. Monday and Friday, Male and Female dancers ages 14 and up specializing in modern, street, hiphop, and lyrical dance. Wohl Community Center, 1515 North Kingshighway. E-mail: matiffdance@gmail.com or call(314) 920-2499.

health

Nov. 28, 6 p.m., Weight Loss Surgery information session featuring Dr. Lisa Hawyer vonGontard Conference Center at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, 621 S. New Ballas Rd. For more information about bariatric surgery or to reserve a seat the seminar, call Cathy Hume, Bariatric Coordinator at 636-239-8878.

Sun., Dec. 4 & Sun., Dec. 11, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Northside SDAChurch will hold FREE Mental Health First Aid Classes. This 12-hour course prepares caring people of the faith community to assist individuals in crisis. Participants will receive MHFAcertification upon completion of the course. 9001 Lucas-Hunt Rd. For more information contact Cheryl Nelson, (314) 7415878. Lunch provided.

Sat. Dec. 10, 7 p.m., Sashay 4 Stroke Awareness presents Isn’t the Nite “Fantastic” A “Voyage” in Fashion and Stroke Awareness. The Starlight Room, Lights on Broadway, 8350 N. Broadway, 63147. For more information, call 314-704-0170.

First Thursdays, 10 a.m.Family Support Group by NAMI St. Louis, The Alliance on Mental Illness at the Grace Hill MurphyO’Fallon Health Center, 1717 Biddle St. No registration needed; no cost. For more information, contact Sharon Lyons, 314-962-4670.Meetings are for individuals who have someone in their family with mental illness including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia.

Brian Owens' Soulful Holiday Concert.For additional details,see LOCAL GIGS.

Group Health Plan presents Medicare Advantage Plans. Every Tuesday in November. Choosing your Medicare coverage is an important decision. Let GHPshine some light on our Medicare Advantage plans at a neighborhood meeting. Afro World, 7276 Natural Bridge Rd., 63121. For more information, call 1-877-9818158 or visit www.MyGHPMedicare.com

Human Resource Center, a student-run free health clinic free pediatric clinic that is held on Saturdays from 1-3 pm. Free school physicals, immunizations, and other health screens by SLU and Cardinal Glennon physicians. The clinic will run every Saturday until September 24th. 1371 Hamilton Ave., St. Louis, MO 63112. For inquiries, call 314389-0008.

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

Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. –7:30 p.m., STEPS Schizophrenia Support Group This nationally recog-

nized program provides education and support for those with schizophrenia. Group is facilitated by an experienced STEPS nurse. For more information, call 314-839-3171.

Mondays, 7 p.m., “Tobacco Free forLife” support group – free weekly meetings at St. Peters Mo. City Hall. Supported by SSM Cancer Care; RSVPinitial participation to 636-947-5304.

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

Sundays, 10 a.m., Alcoholics Anonymous Group 109 meets in the 11th floor conference room at Christian Hospital, 11133 Dunn Road at I270/Hwy. 367. This is an open meeting for alcoholics, drug addicts and their family and friends.

The American Cancer Society offers free transportation services through a program called Road the Recovery, but more volunteers are needed to make certain that every patient has access to their lifesaving care. The program is in great need of volunteer drivers in St. Louis City and County. To learn more about Road to Recovery and become a volunteer, please call Kaci Hubbard at 314-2868174.

spiritual

Sat., Nov. 26, 5 p.m., Silent Praise Productions invites you to “Experience the Story of Salvation like it's neverbeen told before.”Northside Seventh-day Adventist Church, 9001 Lucas-Hunt Rd., 63136. For more information call, 314-868-0707.

Dec. 10 (7 p.m.) - Dec. 11 (3 p.m.), The Missouri MidSouth Conference United

Church of Christ, along with nationally-acclaimed musicians and locals ponsors, present Follow That Star: AJazz Nativity. These FREE concerts promise a contemporary retelling of a story that has long shaped and informed the culture. Pilgrim United Church of Christ, 826 Union Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108.

Nov. 26, 5 p.m., Northside SDA presents a holiday praise, worship and musical experience featuring Silent Praise, Courtney Loveless of the West Side Missionary Baptist Church, David Johnson of CA - well known for his Dr. Matrin Luther King Orations, Unity of Praise and the Northside SDAChoir , 9001 Lucas-Hunt Road. For more information call 314 226-4344/

Dec. 2, 7 p.m. Rhema Dance Ministry presents “Time Is of the Essence, ACinderella Story of the Ten Virgins' Ball”, Machinist Ballroom, 12365 St. Charles Rock Rd. For more information, visit ww.rhemadanceministry.com

Dec. 11, 3 p.m., St James AME Church and Mt Esther Baptist Church will present a joint Christmas musical, St James AME Church, 4301 St Ferdinand Ave at Billups Ave. For more information, call St James AME Church,(314)3710687 or Mt Esther Baptist Church, (314) 389-6610.

Dec. 22, 7 p.m., Voice of God Ministry presents: “ANight of Miracles And Hope” featuring Author and Evangelist Jack Alan Levine, 560 Music Center,560 Trinity. For more information, Contact info: marylou.vogm@gmail.com, call 561-482-5099 or visit www.dontblowitwithgod.com

Wed., Dec. 7, 6 p.m., Three Things Black People Everywhere Need to Know Schlafly Library, 225 N. Euclid St. For more information, call (314) 725-2722.

Suriname comes to SIUE

Storytelling from Africans in South America on stage

American staff

The Department of Theater and Dance at SIUE will present the world premiere of A Mato Mosaic, folk tales from the South American nation of Suriname, November 30-December 11.

Guest artist Jose “Joseph”

Tojo comes from his native Suriname to present tales of his homeland in the Mato storytelling tradition developed by the Maroons, descendents of runaway slaves.

“The Mato pee is a social gathering from the Maroons in Suriname, which entails a way of coming and being together in a specially organized way,”

Tojo says.

“It includes ritual, verbal and dramatic performances and highly structured forms of artistic expression like storytelling, singing, drumming and dance.”

In its original context, it is more than entertainment – it is also education.

“It is an event of important educative value at which traditional knowledge is transmitted from the older to the younger generation,” Tojo says.

“Using the arts to communicate, teach and share is a regular way of life for the Maroons in Suriname.”

Suriname is a diverse South American nation with a rich mixture of cultures – escaped African slaves, Dutch and British colonialists, Indian, Indonesian, and Chinese indentured laborers and Amerindians.

Tojo is happy to bring these traditions to the Midwestern U.S. and to SIUE students.

“I am happy to share my way of life with the young talents at SIUE. In teaching them theater I also teach them a part

of my culture,” he says.

“I do believe that teaching culture is my calling, and that’s why I eagerly embrace opportunities to give people a new perspective on culture. I hope that the audience will be enriched and enlightened and that my students will carry a little piece of the Maroon culture and craft with them in their future artistic endeavors.”

A Mato Mosaic will be staged in the Metcalf Theater just west of the Student Fitness Center at SIUE. Evening shows are at 7:30 p.m. November 30-December 3 and December 9 and 10, with 2 p.m. matinees are on December 4 and 11. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for all others. SIUE students are free with a valid I.D. You can purchase tickets by calling 618-650-2774.

RIBS

Continued from C1

family dream,” Robbins said. “We had our insurance company and said let’s go ahead and get our restaurant going.”

They jumped head-first into the Rib Shack last year in the middle of holiday season in one of the worst economic situations the nation has seen since the Great Depression.

“You just do it,” Robbins said. “You wake up every day, and you do what you’ve got to do.”

The first couple of months were slow, and the work was hard – sometimes 80 hours a week. Personal situations reared their head. Robbins’ son had to be carted back and forth every two weeks to Florida because of a medical condition; Malcolm had surgery in June.

SINGLE

Continued from C1

already know how something must be resolved.

“Girl, dump that dusty breath [expletive],” her sister –who is more on the soulful side of the spectrum – told her.

“Offer him gum and mints all the time,” another person said. She still knew she had to tell him, but now she had let everyone know that the new guy in her life had bad breath and became worried that he would now be subjected to side-eyes,

PERRY

Continued from C1

pretation. Meaning, the issue I have is that your letter to your fans was an attempt to spin the casting of Kim Kardashian into some higher calling. That can not pass without a truth check. Again, this isn’t personal, just a matter of principle.

Some people are angry with you because Kim Kardashian receives too much attention as a black man’s pin up. Some are angry with you because she is not an actress by any stretch of the imagination. Others are displeased that given your high profile movies, an AfricanAmerican actress in the role means more to your core fan base who made “Tyler Perry” a household name, than fans you may gain by crossing over and dipping into the Reality TV

“This was new to everybody, so we were all learning together,” Robbins said.

“Finding the meats at a price where you can still make a profit and have the product be reasonably priced – that was challenging. It’s really about breaking down the cost of the food.”

Beyond the 1,000 patrons they serve every week at their store, they are looking to bottle and sell their sauce and build their business into a nationwide franchise.

“We are trying to take it to the next level,” Robbins said. “People come in and they already think we are a franchise.”

But in the meantime, they are going to celebrate and toast to a year down.

“We are just going to party and have some fun and – a night full of fun,” ,” Robbins said.

“There is a relationship between us and the custom-

whispers and whatnot.

Conveniently for her, work picked up so they couldn’t go out for a few weeks. But they maintained a consistent text and phone relationship.

But instead of putting her big girl panties on and letting him know about his breath face-toface – where she could offer facial expressions and body language that could suggest the whole ordeal wasn’t a deal breaker – she chickened out and told him over the phone.

“It’s handled,” the guy said curtly when she broke the news. She tried to change the subject and continue the conversa-

punch bowl.

And let’s be honest, many are disturbed that given your kinda-sorta-Christian-themedmessage-movies, you are further rewarding an individual whose original claim to fame was a sex tape.

For all who criticize you on this issue, it is some of that. For some, it is all of that. Inevitably, the distaste for Kim Kardashian amongst many AfricanAmerican women (your core fan base) is real, not imagined. Take considerable care in the underestimation of their angst and the strength of their collective memory.

A common theme in all of your movies is the story of redemption. Even the worst of the worst are worthy of second chances.

Agreed.

But Mr. Perry, you can’t really argue telling the STORY of redemption through use of a promotion vehicle (Kardashian) who presently lives and thrives on irredeemable REAL LIFE behavior. I’d rather see a sermon lived out than hear one, any day of the week. I’d rather see a sermon than one acted out on the silver screen. People who live their creed mean affect more lives than ones who act it out for a paycheck. If you want to truly reach the followers of K.K., seek to change K.K., don’t give her a movie role and then claim you are doing your fans (and her fans) a quasiChristian favor by doing so. I think we all understand the economics and business strategy here. There is no need to further convolute the issue.

ers – they love us and we love. It’s just a warm feeling to see people come in that are faithful customers. And we also never expected to get such a diverse group of customers from all nationalities and all over the city and the country. Soul food and barbecue are a meeting ground for people.”

Rib Shack is open seven days a week and is located at 8642 Natural Bridge. For more information, call (314) 427-1777. Rib Shack 1st Year Anniversary Celebration will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at Studio Blu (8909 Natural Bridge). Wine and food tasting begins at 5 p.m. (until 7 p.m.) and the after-party begins at 8 p.m. and will feature DJ Jewel and performances by Readus Miller, Rock Obama, Brother Dre, Jaylee Thomas, Doughboy and more.

tion as to assure him that she wanted to keep things rolling. But overcome by embarrassment and a hint of shame, he shut their phone hang down and they really haven’t spoken since. She sent him a few texts and called him once or twice, but they fell all the way off faster than you can say, “Scope.” Naturally, several months later she feels almost as ashamed that she addressed him being “hygienically challenged” as he did for setting her face on fire. And, of course, she’s still single.

Truth check: Spiritual discernment still trumps spin and specious argumentation. K.K. wasn’t an actress who “made a mistake” and who now is being granted a second chance. It’s a “mistake” to even characterize her as an actress. Her claim to fame IS the mistake. And here you are further rewarding it. Truth check. If your fans are angry with you (and they are); let’s be truthful and honest about the realities of their anger. Let’s not minimize, trivialize or bastardize the nature of their grievances. It’s not that they didn’t “hear you out” or “jumped to conclusions.” You’ve insulted their intelligence by suggesting their anger was misdirected or misinformed in the first place. Your company is yours to run as you see fit, your brand to build as you choose. Your success thus far is inarguable. None of the aforementioned ensure though that your judgment is infallible. Don’t glue chicken feathers on a chinchilla Saturday night and then try to sell it at KFC as part of a two-piece and biscuit Sunday morning. Don’t insult the collective intelligence of the African-American film community.

You’ve now tied your brand to Kim Kardashian and must now carry all of the baggage that comes with her. The question is not and was not ever whether your loyal fans understood why you chose Kim Kardashian. The question is and continues to be whether you understood what it means to align yourself with Kim Kardashian.

A Mato Mosaic featuring guest artist Jose “Joseph” Tojo from Suriname will be staged at SIUE November 30-December 11.

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

There’s ‘Holiday Magic’in the air

December 3-4 at the Edward Jones Dome

St. Louis Holiday Magic continues to shine as the premiere holiday centerpiece event in the region. With attendance rising steadily from 10,000 in its irst year (2009) to approximately 12,500 in 2010, St. Louis Holiday Magic (December 3-4, 2011) has been moved from the America’s Center to the Edward Jones Dome.

“St. Louis Holiday Magic has rapidly become an established holiday tradition that keeps getting bigger and better,” said Brian Hall, Chief Marketing Oficer for the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (CVC).

“Attendance has climbed over the past two years because families have seen what a full range of affordable and fun activities and entertainment we have to offer, all wrapped in a warm and welcoming environment.”

“The Dome’s video and audio system and LED scoreboards will really enhance the Holiday Magic experience for everyone,” said Hall.

“Because this is the home of the Rams, we’ll also be offering some fun football activities.”

Magical Entertainment Destination

St. Louis Holiday Magic remains an entertainment destination for shoppers looking for that unique gift, and families seeking festive activities and holiday lights. The centerpiece of the show is a charming Village Center where exhibitors will offer holiday décor and locally produced gift items. And kids of all ages can enjoy a variety of activities, including:

Hands-on arts and crafts projects

Photo opportunities with Santa, Snowlake, local celebrities and mascots

Rides on a trackless train

Full-scale carnival rides

A punt, pass and kick area for festive St. Louis Rams fans

Additional events and attractions planned for include:

Kid’s Corner featuring face painters, cookie decorating and painting a holiday mural

Performances by Flippenout, an extreme trampoline show performed to high energy music

Purina Petting Zoo, performances by the Purina Incredible Dog Team, and pet adoptions

Continuous live entertainment by some of the best local choirs, bands, musicians and

dancers

Cooking

Magic Sponsors

St. Louis Holiday Magic is presented by The Missouri Lottery, Purina; Lumiere Place; Delaware North Companies Sportservice; Anheuser-Busch InBev; Build-A-Bear Workshop; the St. Louis Rams; and Schlaly.

About St. Louis Holiday Magic

Holiday Magic is a St. Louis holiday tradition to coming to the Edward Jones Dome, December 3-4. It promises to be a fantastic event for families and shoppers. In addition to a holiday village illed with vendors offering an assortment of holiday décor items, unique gifts and demonstrations by artisans and crafters, full-scale carnival, live entertainment, and photo opportunities for children with Santa. For additional details, please visit www.stlholidaymagic.com. Tickets for St. Louis Holiday Magic are available at http://www.stlholidaymagic.com/tickets. asp and at the door.

Race and the Penn State scandal

Powerful white accused abuser, underprivileged black victims

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson New America Media

Enough of the ghoulish, sordid facts are known about the Penn State University child sex scandal to say this. The alleged child rapes were known by some athletic department members, up to and including the football program boss, JoePa, Joe Paterno. The rumors, or worse, knowledge of the rapes may have been known by or at least heard of by others still unnamed that could eventually be a winding tangle through university staff, faculty, administrators, trustees, corporate donors and politicians.

The two prime offenders charged with the crimes were not some casual locker room jocks and hangers on, but long term, respected and highly positioned athletic department mainstays. The Second Mile Foundation that served as a cover for the alleged rapes by its founder, the disgraced and accused child rapist Jerry Sandusky, was not some lyby-night, drive-by, fast-buck operation, but a well-established foundation that had been in business for more than three decades.

Sandusky was with the foundation from the start in 1977 until just last year. Even as the scandal unfolds, it is still in business. It has an impressive website that boasts of its accomplishments, has three ofices and is actively soliciting donations. The reporters who have tried to get a comment from foundation oficials have been summarily hung up on. There will be more sordid facts

and cases to emerge in the coming days and almost certainly more alleged victims will come forth and tell their stories.

This poses the question that’s bantered about, agonized over, and has had reams of opinion written about, and that’s why those who knew didn’t blow the whistle on and insure that the cuffs were slapped on the offenders years ago?

The stock answer is that it was a case of fear, protectiveness, ego (Paterno’s), football deiication and prestige, decades of institutional sports cronyism and the bushels of money that Penn State and other big time Division 1 schools haul in every year from their lagship football programs.

This is all true.

But with the strong hints came the public inger point by a parent of one of the victims that they were in her words, “Blacks about 10-12 and had a tall, slim, muscular build.” The Second Mile Foundation’s founder Sandusky openly bragged that it was in the business of helping “underprivileged” youth, always the polite code word for poor, at-risk, young blacks and Hispanics. It’s hardly a stretch to connect the dots to race.

Put bluntly, if Penn State oficials kept their yaps shut for years in the face of open knowledge of and strong suspicions of the child rapes, and the victims were young black males, than the last dot connected is the charge that black lives are routinely devalued when it comes to oficials taking action to protect them.

This charge has repeatedly been leveled in serial murders, inner-city gang carnage, and against child-service agencies that ignore or downplay repeated reports of abuse when the victims and the abused are black. That’s only part of the problem. Race can’t be separated from poverty or “underprivileged” in the parlance of Sandusky’s The Second Mile Foundation.

A study in the March issue of The Journal Pediatrics, “Racial Bias in Child Protection?

A Comparison of Competing

Explanations Using National Data,” found that poverty was a huge determinant of levels of abuse. The study predictably found that a disproportionate number of the reported child abuse cases in 2009, which spanned the gamut from neglect to child rape, were AfricanAmerican children.

The study directly linked the abuse to poverty. Parents and caregivers who are desperate to provide their children with a pathway out of harm’s way from any and every type of abuse that comes with poverty latch on to organizations that promise to provide resources, mentoring, nurturing, and a protective environment for at-risk black children.

The Second Mile Foundation that so persuasively and passionately marketed itself under Sandusky, and with the resources, clout and national name recognition of Penn State University’s premier football majordomo Joe Paterno to boot, as just such an organization, would be hungrily grabbed at as the ticket out of the ghetto for the kids.

Given the name and the prestige of those behind this foundation, why would anyone in their wildest nightmares ever think or suspect that colossal evil lurked underneath the façade of its alleged unadulterated philanthropic and do-good aims?

In the days to come as more details unfold about how the foundation under Sandusky used its good name to commit alleged serial heinous crimes, all with the tacit blessing of Paterno and university oficials, the hard suspicions and hints that the target of the crimes were young black males may well be conirmed. If that’s the case, then the deep soul search that university and others everywhere who turn a blind eye to child abuse must undergo will be rudely forced to confront one more horrifying possibility. And that’s that race was one more reason for that blind eye.

Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst.

St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission

Kids can take pictures or visit with Santa at St. Louis Holiday Magic December 3-4 at the Edward Jones Dome.

on the Main Stage

demonstrations by local chefs on the Lumiere Place Culinary Stage, as well as helpful tips offered by cutlery and cookware vendors

Columnist Earl Ofari Hutchinson

~ CELEBRATIONS ~

Reunions

Beaumont High School Class of 1972 is looking for all classmates interested in celebrating our 40-year reunion.We are calling all classmates to come and celebrate this momentous occasion.Your contact information is needed as soon as possible.Please contact Linda Williams (lindawilliams1461@sbcglobal.net)

314-867-2283 or Deborah Davis (davidc1@hotmail.com) 314-453-9055.Or you can contact us on Facebookas the Beaumont Class of 72.

Forest Park Community College Men’s Basketball Reunion: Looking for all players that played for Bob Nelson at Forest Park Community College to contact Glenn Marshall (314-422-4090) Mark Beeks (314-406-2239) or Randy Reed (314-355-3670).

Hadley Tech Classes of 19621963 are preparing for our 50th reunion in October of 2012.If you are interested in participating, your contact information is needed as soon as possible.Please call Virdell Stennis at 314-773-8177, Hellon Jefferson at 314-307-

3681 (jeffersonhellon@yahoo.com) , or Wilhelmina Baker at 314-588-0779/314-630-9647.

Soldan High School Class of 1962 is in the process of planning our 50th class reunion for the second weekend in August of 2012. We are calling all classmates to come and celebrate this momentous occasion. Your contact information is urgently needed. Please call Bobbie Brooks at 314-8389207 or Hiram Wilkens at 314-803-5580. You may email Sam Harris at harrissam@hotmail.com.

Soldan International Studies High School Class of 2002 is preparing for its 10-year reunion in 2012. We

Birthdays

Imani Jackson

November 26

Happy 18th Birthday! May the Lord order your steps and keep you on the path that He has laid for you. Love, your family

Kara Richelle Horton

November 21

Happy 21st Birthday to a beautiful, ambitious and loving young lady. You always strive for success and great accomplishments.

From, your mom, family and friends

Ayanna Nunn

November 21

Happy Birthday to Ayanna Nunn, who turns 3 years old on November 21! Daddy loves you!

Ronnie!

November 22

Love, Great Granny Carol and Grandmother Yvonne

are looking for all classmates of 2002. We need your contact information to complete our class directory. Please email your information including mailing and email address to soldanclassof2002@yahoo.com. For more information please contact Denise Cobbs at denisecobbs83@yahoo.com. Please join the Soldan Class of 2002 group on Facebook.

SumnerClass of 1976 celebrates their Annual Christmas PartySaturday, December 10, 2011, 6 p.m.-1 a.m. at The Signature Room,9006 Overland Plaza, (Page @ I170) and is seeking all classmates. Jazz provided by Readus Millerfrom7–9 p.m.Suggested Donation $10,VIPReserved Seating,

Semi-Dress. Contact: B. Louis 314-385-9843.

Vashon Unified Alumni Association, Holiday Skate Fundraiser, Tuesday, December 27, 2011, Skate King, 7pm10pm, 6100 Natural Bridge Rd, Donation $5.00, Skate Rental $1.00, Tickets can be purchased at Vashon High School, Brenda Spain 314805-1656, Claudette Carson 314-369-6548. Please join us for a night of fun, laughter, and roller skating.

Vashon Class of 1982 is planning its 30-year reunion for August 2012 and looking for all class of 1982 graduates to participate with planning.Call Rodrick Cunningham at (314) 324-7701.

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, graduation, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican.

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

for the Colemans Kara Richelle Horton Ayanna Nunn

Ronnie

Imani Jackson

Study: belief in God cuts two ways

Reminders of God hurt motivation but help resist temptation, researchers report

American staff

Being reminded of the concept of God can decrease people’s motivation to pursue personal goals but can help them resist temptation, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

“More than 90 percent of people in the world agree that God or a similar spiritual power exists or may exist,” said the study’s lead author, Kristin Laurin, PhD, of the University of Waterloo in Canada.

“This is the first empirical evidence that simple reminders of God can diminish some types of self-regulation, such as pursuing one’s goals, yet can improve others, such as resisting temptation.”

A total of 353 college students, with an average age 19 and 186 of whom were women, participated in six experiments to determine how the idea of God can indirectly influence people’s motivations, even among those who said they were not religious. The students did not have to have an opinion on the existence of a god or any other spiritual power.

The findings were reported in the online version of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

In one experiment, engineering students completed a “warm-up” word task. They were asked to form grammatically correct sentences using four words from sets of five. Some students were provided either God or God-related words (divine, sacred, spirit and prophet), while the control group used more neutral words (ball, desk, sky, track and box).

Next, each student had to form as many words as they could in five minutes, using any combination of specific letters. The researchers determined the students’ motivation level by the number of words they produced. The more motivated they were, the more words they produced. They were

told that a good performance could help predict if they would succeed in an engineering career.

Several weeks before this experiment, the students had been asked if they believed outside factors (other people, beings, forces beyond their control) had an influence on their careers. Among participants who said outside factors such as God might influence their career success, those who did the God-related word task performed worse than those who used neutral words. There was no difference in performance among the participants who did not believe outside factors influenced their career success.

Researchers also measured the importance participants placed on a number of values, including achievement. Participants reminded of God placed the same value on achievement as did participants primed with the more neutral words. “This suggests that our findings did not emerge because the participants reminded of God devalued achievement,” said Laurin.

A second set of experiments looked at participants’ ability to resist temptation after being reminded about God. In one study, participants who said eating healthy food was important to them ate fewer cookies after reading a short passage about God

than those who read a passage unrelated to God.

Participants who read a short Godrelated passage reported greater willingness to resist temptations to achieve a major goal, such as maintaining a healthy weight, finding a long-term relationship or having a successful career. This effect was found only among participants who had previously said they believe an omniscient entity watches over them and notices when they misbehave.

The level of participants’ religious devotion had no impact on the outcomes in any of the experiments, according to the researchers.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world’s largest association of psychologists. APA’s membership includes more than 154,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

(Matthew 16:19) While working at a nursing home one night at the beginning of our shift change, one of the girls came over to assist another with counting medication, a serious protocol. Upon finishing her count she hurried and closed the medicine drawer, clocked out and left the building. Her replacement noticed after a few minutes that the keys to the medicine cabinet were missing. She contacted our coworker to see if she took the keys by mistake, but she did not. She looked everywhere for the keys but could not find them. The next move was to call a locksmith to come out, but as she opened the book that contains the information for the medication to be passed out to the clients, what do you know? The keys were in the book. This is how we summarize our lives. We are sometimes in such a hurry that we never take time to set down and open the book, our Bible that is. It is our daily medicine. Every key that pertains to our lives and godliness is in the book. The keys for our mental, physical, financial, spiritual and emotional needs are all inside the book. It is our wisdom for life.

We spend so much time seeking for the keys to our individual lives outside the Book. We look for keys in a mate thinking that marriage is the key. We go to school for years trying to find the keys in education. We choose a certain group of people trying to fit in with the click assuming the keys are with them. Some look for the keys in food. The truth is that we always leave those things unsatisfied. True satisfaction comes through Jesus Christ. He is our living bread. Jesus asked His disciples one day in Matthew 16:15-17

Joy Blair

“Who say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, blessed art you, Simon for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. In John 1:1-2, 14 it says that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The more you read the Bible the more God will reveal every key you need to open doors in your life, the doors of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and guidance. Make opening the book your first priority daily for abundant life change.

Send your Message column (no more than 500 words) as a Word document and pasted text to cking@stlamerican. com and attach a photo of yourself as a jpeg file. Please be patient; we will run columns in the order received.

December 8, 7:00pm Kevin McBeth, conductor Larnelle Harris, vocalist St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON® Chorus

A night of soul-stirring Gospel music to celebrate the most joyous of seasons, with the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON® Chorus led by director Kevin McBeth. TickeTs sTarT aT $28

Celebrity Swagger Snap of the Week

Black girls rock roar. Adorned in bedazzled graphic T-shirts that shouted “Black Girls Rock!,” the ladies of this celebration of women were skyrocketin’ to the clouds as I arrived just in time for the start of the second set at Twisted Olive Friday night. The beautiful Tasha Ryan, Tiffany Elle, Katrina Reese Theresa Payne, and Tish Haynes were all lined on the stage as they squalled into Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.” Like a scene from the height of VH1’s Diva’s Live, each songstress took a line and hooped and hollered to the best of their capability as I moved to rise out of my seat, pelvis irst. I was thrown completely into full praise and worship mode as the ladies quietly sang up a lung. They then followed the rousing selection with Mary J. Blige’s “My Life.” Behind the deserved uproar of applause the ladies took time to honor one who paved and nurtured the way for them, none other than Ms. Coco Soul. In a teary-eyed moment, the ladies paid tribute to the lady that opened up doors for them as co-founder of open-mic staple Café Soul. As Miss Soul got up to accept her award, rockin’ a featured Whitney Houston wig, a tender acceptance speech was made immediately followed by high pitch bay at the moon as intro to Chaka Khan’s “Tell Me Somethin’ Good.” A demure Vanita Applebaum, who I didn’t recognize at irst with her featured fro relaxed and pinned and black evening dress with pearls, was also honored earlier for her pioneering work with Suite Soul Spot and providin’ a platform and outlet for the songstresses to perform and grow. With such hoisting of girls’ shapes, it made me proud. Black Girls Rock indeed!

Throwback love for soulful hearts. Looks like things are shakin’ up at Café Soul nowadays. When I walked into The Loft on Friday night, I was surprised not only at host Tendai’s jungle-ierce zebra print glitterbomb regalia, but the fact that local funny man Darius Bradford was on stage as acting co-host. When did this happen? I can’t say that I’m upset about it though. I think a couple of jokes here and there could help balance out the ultra sexiness of the songstress-host and relieve her to churn out a few featured medleys every now and then. Debarge’s “Stay With Me,” with a mix of Jodeci and other early 90s hits played into the 80s/90s High School Reunion theme while celebrating the passing of icons Heavy D, Teena Marie, MJ, and more. Jade’s “Don’t Walk Away” also made an appearance as Tendai tried to quickly go through every single song that took the crowd back to homecoming dances and senior proms she could conjure. She was goin’ so quickly through them the background singers had trouble keepin’ up as she pummeled through Zhane’s “Hey Mr. DJ,” and other throwback nostalgia. Once people started hittin’ the stage to give their best renditions, I was immediately struck by one in particular. I appreciated the effort by homegirl that was rockin’ her pink on Patti LaBelle’s “If You Only Knew.” Although this Ashley Stewart beauty had a little trouble on some of the high notes, her crooning still sent me into a hip slapping frenzy. Once DJ C-Note on the 1s and 2s put on V.I.C.’s “Wobble,” the dance loor was crowded like London & Son’s drive-thru.

Community Unites at Annual Ball. I was so looking forward to this year’s Better Family Life Unity Ball at the Renaissance Grand this year. Not only did I get to debut my one-shoulder-in-one-shoulder out peacock feathered gown, but just to be in the room with such greats that are all about community and honoring those who have shown excellence in business, politics, and performing arts was the best treat of all (outside of the featured chicken meal). I caught mountains of life when the African dance and drum ensemble lead the honorees to the head table that commenced the program. With such beating of drums and enthused body pops, I was reminded of a scene out of Coming To America with the addition of a masked dancer on stilts. Oh yeah, BFL knows how to get things started right. Singers DeAndre Perryman and Tracy Smith were also on hand to sing a few numbers from the Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight songbook. In a room full of beautiful black people with a couple of other shades there to represent, I felt so privileged to be a part of such a night of unity and togetherness. Mad love goes out to the Better Family Life family for being such a beacon in our communities and congratulations to all Unity Ball honorees.

Shiny lips, dull jokes. I wanted to jump right into my compelling, insightful and thought-provoking comedic critique of the most recent performance of the late Bill Bellamy. Actually, he’s still among the living, but some of those jokes were D.O.A.

But irst I must tell you that one of y’all’s Aunt Shirley was really workin’ my nerves up in the Lumiere Saturday night! I’m not sure whether she just got her social security check or hit the jackpot at her favorite slot machine, but this blonde wig-wearin’/leopard print jumper rockin’ wanna-be cougar was wearin’ me thin behind her constant drop-it-like-it’s-hot antics. I suppose she received her Kelly Rowland motivation when the comedians had opened up a curtain to get a quick glimpse of the audience. Instead of havin’ a 106&Park seat she felt it was Showtime at the Apollo! Okay, I’ve spoken my peace about her, so I’ll get back to my intended bit about Bill Bellamy. He and his homeboys deinitely tried to make their Ladies Night Out comedy show worthwhile – well at least the openers did. I enjoyed Ali Siddiq, J. Reid, and especially D’Lai. He kinda gave me Chris Tucker religion with his fast paced dialogue and bulging eye stare downs. I think with the right movie/sitcom vehicle, he could really be somethin’. As far as Bill, well…let me irst start with the good. To be well into his 40s, Bellamy deinitely holds up well. Then again, perhaps it was his shiny lip balm that blinded me from the crow’s feet. My biggest complaint is that Bellamy’s showin’ felt a bit stale. As he went through his To Catch a Predator routine that I heard when he was last here at the now closed St. Louis House of Comedy, I suddenly felt the urge to reach for my Summer’s Eve to sedate the not so fresh feeling. Now he threw a few sips of fresh material in– which inspired a few chuckles on my part. But overall, I felt that he was silently upstaged by his openings acts. Hit us up for the holiday hotspots. If you know what’s good for you as far as gettin’ out in these streets on Turkey Day weekend, you’ll hit Partyline up on www.stlamerican.com for a preview of places to be with the people to see, and after the fact for all kinds of

Maurice and Traci were eager to show love to the honorees Friday night @ the National Coalition of 100 Black Women’s 2nd Annual Women in Media Neosoul Wine Tasting @ Hotel Lumiere

Erika and Robin get their lounge on Friday night @ Lola

National Coalition of 100 Black Women honored Sele-

na J, Kenya Vaughn, Patricia Washington, Arika Parr, and Bonita Cornute for their contributions to the ield

@ The 2nd Annual Women in Media NeoSoul/Jazz Wine Tasting Friday night @ Hotel Lumiere

Dr. Jennifer McCleary and Karen Blunt unwind Friday night @ The City

Rachelle, Monique and Tammy kicked it as Creations by Camille kicked off with a launch party Friday night @ 609

Tanisha and Chris Thursday night @ The Fox

Rae Matison and Henry Leonard rep with some rodeo chic swag Friday night @ EXO

Lisa West, T-Luv Davis, Dj Joprima, Jason Spain, Tammie Holland and Topher Jones were among the STL stars in the house @ The Grey Goose Dinner Friday Night @ Copia

plenty

Rockhouse

Raeshon and Alisha added to the appeal of Free Time’s Sex in the City Party Friday night

Tivona and Val feel the vibe @ Cafe Soul Friday Night @ The Loft

Kim and Tracey got caught up in the throwbacks @ Cafe Soul Friday night @ The Loft

Danielle and Hot 104.1’s DJ Charlie Chan Soprano were tuned in @ Exo for the Smirnoff Master of Mix Watch party Friday night

Photos by Lawrence Bryant

Urban League ranks top regions forblack-owned business

D.C. ranked No. 1, St. Louis ranked No. 5

By Marc H.Morial President and CEO

National Urban League

“Not only are entrepreneurs credited with creating more than two-thirds of net new jobs, but smaller firms, especially African-American and other minority businesses, are especially important for their support and hiring of underserved populations.”National Urban League’s 2011 State of Urban Business

The National Urban League Policy Institute recently released the State of Urban Business 2011: Metro Areas that Lead the Way. The report, the first in a series focusing on minority business development, contains a ranking of the top metro areas conducive to black-owned businesses and makes recommendations for expanding this success nationwide.

Prepared by Urban League Council of Economic Advisors member, Lucy J. Reuben, PhD and our Vice President of

Research, Valerie Rawlston Wilson, PhD., the report found that the top areas for blackowned businesses are:

1. Washington-ArlingtonAlexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

2. Los Angeles-Long BeachSanta Ana, CA

3. Tie between Chicago-JolietNaperville, IL-IN-WI and Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI

4. Tie between Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GAand Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC

5. St. Louis, MO-IL

6. Dallas-Fort WorthArlington, TX

7. Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH

8. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA

9. Philadelphia-CamdenWilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

The list is not intended to be an exhaustive analysis or comparison of all U.S. metro areas. Rather, it identifies areas where black-owned businesses have a solid record of success, andhighlights some of the reasons.The goal of the report

is to offer guidance on how these success stories might be duplicated across the country.

We found that cities with strong diversity supplier policies and which allow easy access to business-to-business and government contracts were the best environments for black-owned businesses.

Not surprisingly, we also found that of the top areas for black-owned businesses, five included cities where the

National Urban League operates Entrepreneurship Centers.

In addition, the New Market Tax credit strategic alliance between Stonehenge Community Development and the National Urban League formed in 2004 to stimulate the flow of investment capital in underserved communities, has led to the creation of more than 8,000 jobs through the deployment of $325.5 million in allocations.

The report revealed that the greatest weakness in African American entrepreneurship is not in starting a business, but rather in growing these businesses enough to create sustained and significant revenue.

According to Valerie Rawlston Wilson, “Inability to obtain credit remains more of an obstacle for African American business owners than for any other group.”

Recommendations for

growing and strengthening black-owned businesses include increasing the funding available for small business loans, raising the set-aside cap for government small business contracts, establishing robust procurement goals at all levels of government and encouraging support for private sector supplier diversity programs.

The National Urban League will soon introduce a new Urban Empowerment Fund that, through its lending activity, will further strengthen black businesses and our communities.

We know that the growth of urban businesses can help alleviate the extraordinarily high levels of African-American unemployment which plague our communities.Despite the well-documented lack of access to capital that continues to inhibit them, these companies are a major source of jobs. Without those jobs, it is estimated that the ranks of unemployed African Americans may have risen by almost twothirds.

The full report can be found online at http://www.iamempowered.com/soub/2011

In the State of Urban Business 2011:Metro Areas that Lead the Way,The National Urban League Policy Institute ranked the Washington,D.cS. area as the nation’s top metro area conducive to black-owned businesses.