October 10th, 2013 edition

Teach For America boosts diversity

By Rebecca S.Rivas

He understands that there is a growing need for more black male teachers, he said. But that’s not why he chose to join Teach For America, a national organization that trains professionals to become teachers in lowincome communities.

“I’m a product of the public schools, and I

IN THE PULPIT

know how underprepared I was to enter college,” said Leatherwood, a Washington University graduate in English literature who joined the organization this year. “I wanted to help kids to be better prepared than I was.”

Just eight percent of children who grow up in low-income communities graduate college by age 24, according to the Postsecondary Education Opportunity research group. When

Pastoron North, captain on South

John Watson Jr. is a fire captain by profession and preacher by calling

By Bridjes O’Neil

John Watson Jr. is a firefighter by training, but he inherited his religious mission as co-pastor of Maple Temple Church of God in Christ.

His father, Elder John Watson Sr., is senior pastor of Maple Temple, located at 5195 Maple Ave. in North St. Louis. To honor his father’s influence in the church and community, 26th Ward Alderman Frank Williamson introduced an ordinance designating the 1200 block of Clarendon Avenue, at the intersection with Page

John Watson Jr.is a fire captain at Engine House No.23,at 6500 Michigan Ave.in South St.Louis, and co-pastor of Maple Temple Church of God in Christ,5195 Maple Ave.in North St.Louis.

Doorways turns 25

Agency serves homeless people living with AIDS

By Sandra Jordan Of The St.Louis

“This is, in many ways, our disease now.”

– Opal M.Jones, Doorways

taking care of our own brothers and sisters.”

According to February 2013 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African Americans have the most severe burden of HIVof all racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Compared with other races and ethnicities, African Americans account for a higher proportion of HIV

goes into effect

By Eugene Robinson Washington Post

While Republicans were throwing their silly tantrum, Obamacare became a fact. There is no turning back. The point of no return was reached when millions of people crashed the websites of the new Affordable Care Act exchanges trying to buy health insurance. Republicans can fight rear-guard battles if they want, but last Tuesday they lost the war. All they can do at this point is harm the nation – and their own political prospects.

Someday, if the GOPcaptures the presidency and both houses of Congress, President Obama’s health care law could be altered or even repealed.

Photo by Wiley Price

Of The St.Louis American

Photo by Wiley Price

Teach For America corps member Chris Leatherwood taught class at Gateway Middle School in the St.Louis Public School District on Tuesday.

Khloe afraid to give Lamar his walking papers

On the heels of Kris and Bruce Jenner confirming that they separated a year ago, after 22 years together, Kris’ daughter Khloe Kardashian is reportedly “anxious” to divorce Lamar Odom, but is hesitant to file papers fearing he will OD or commit suicide.

TMZ is reporting that Kardashian is waiting for the right time to make her move, and when she does the divorce will go without a hitch because of a solid prenup.

Sources familiar with the document tell TMZ that’s because the prenup keeps the assets of Kardashian and Odom separate.

Also, TMZ claims there is no truth to rumors that an “infidelity clause” exists in the prenup, giving Khloe more money if Lamar had cheated.

According to TMZ, Hill has been granted permission to postpone the house arrest portion of her prison sentence in order to go on tour. The tour dates will be scheduled between November 15 and December 13.

Ms. Hill will been serving her 3 months on house arrest beginning New Year’s Day 2014.

Mariah Carey being managed by Jermaine Dupri

Carey’s biggest hits, ‘We Belong Together.”

Chris Brown drags Wendy Williams and Perez Hilton on Twitter

It took nearly two weeks, but Chris Brown has finally let his feelings be known about Wendy Williams and Perez Hilton after Williams aired a segment on her show that slammed Brown.

Back in May Mariah Carey raised eyebrows after abruptly firing her manager of over two decades, Randy Jackson following the singer’s ill-fated stint on American Idol. Jackson, the only remaining original judge – who also left the show after last season concluded, had has been managing Mariah since the 1990s.

While Mariah’s camp insists there’s no bad blood rumors persist there was a falling out.

Jermaine Dupri broke the news last week at a music conference that he has been hired to take Jackson’s place. This week Carey confirms the rumors.

When the clip originally aired, “words are for turds,” was his only response to the scathing report where Williams reacts to statements Brown made in a “Jet Magazine” article.

But on Tuesday (Oct. 8) Brown unleashed on Williams and Hilton – for blood, flesh and bone.

“Thanks for the publicity. Your insecurities are manifested by your hatred. Princess Perez and wicked witch Wendy,” Brown tweeted. “Can’t take advice from two buff chicks when one can’t stand to look at herself without plastic surgery and the other is forever

Will NeNe and Kenya battle it out on season six of RHOA?

Reality star NeNe Leakes is telling viewers to expect even more drama on season 6 of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

During her recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Leakes said she thinks that some of her cast mates may be laying it on a little thick in order to get more camera time. Although the “RHOA” vet of all people is well aware that many reality shows thrive on drama to bring in viewers, but she doesn’t think being over the top for show is cool. “A lot of drama. That’s what it is all the time. People trying to beef up their storylines. Trust me, I happen to be one of the very real ones,” NeNe said. “I don’t play a character when I come on to ‘Real Housewives.’ I play NeNe, and there are girls who play characters. I am just who I am: I am NeNe

Although she wouldn’t give too many details, there is word that there was conflict between NeNe and Kenya Moore during this new season. “I can’t say what that’s about, because the show hasn’t aired yet, but I’m the boss,” NeNe asserted. “I’ve been here since day one.”

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, TMZ.com,

‘Breaking the Bubble’ of exclusion

Part 1 of a 4-part series on North St. Louis and economic opportunity

By Sylvester Brown, Jr.

For The St. Louis American

The packed auditorium of Jesuit Hall on August 28 was an encouraging sign. The event, “Breaking the Bubble: Striving for Peace and Justice in St. Louis,” was hosted by Norm White, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Saint Louis University. The goal, White said, was to help the university’s students make connections off campus and gain awareness of the social justice issues impacting North St. Louis.

“Our students are leaders of tomorrow,” White said. “We hope to promote the idea that North St. Louis is part of the St. Louis community and that the St. Louis community is the community of Saint Louis University.”

The Rev. Clyde Crumpton of Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church and I were invited to explain the history of North St. Louis and the invisible, but real, racial boundaries in our famously polarized region.

For me, the evening’s topic was apropos. We have lived in a racially restricted bubble for far too long, and unless we find bold and inclusive ways to break through St. Louis will never live up to its potential.

According to the 1850 Census, a few more than 3,000 free blacks and slaves lived in St. Louis at the time. Some held jobs as riverboat workers, servants, artisans and dockworkers. There were a few wealthy black landowners with property along the Mississippi Riverfront’s entertainment district.

However, by the turn of the century, when hundreds of thousands of blacks migrated north to escape the blatant racial cruelty of the

South, most blacks were restricted to impoverished areas of the city.

Mill Creek Valley – bounded by 20th Street, Grand Avenue, Olive Street and Scott Avenue – was such a place.

At its peak, 20,000 blacks, including famous artists such as Scott Joplin and Josephine Baker, called Mill Creek home. There were more than 800 businesses with black doctors, lawyers, photographers, musicians, restaurant owners, and civil rights and labor activists conducting business there.

During the time of restrictive, segregated housing laws in the earlyto-mid-1900s, blacks were also steered to the Greater Ville area. Homer G. Phillips Hospital, the city’s only facility for black patients and the

training of doctors, fortified the area until it was shuttered in the late 1970s. The Greater Ville was a solid middleclass neighborhood with thriving institutions such as Antioch Baptist Church, Annie Malone Children’s Home and Sumner High School.

As heavily-populated as Mill Creek was, it was also marked by poverty and slum properties. Federal money from the Housing Act of 1949 led city authorities to adopt a redevelopment plan that would rid the city of concentrated poverty in the downtown business district.

City planners came up with a wild idea to build 33 11-story buildings on one 37-acre tract of land to house the poor and working class. The development, Pruitt-Igoe, was

an immediate failure. The same federal money used to build the complex opened the door to housing developments in the suburbs that lured thousands of residents, mostly white, out of the city.

With the opening of Pruitt-Igoe in 1952, Mill Creek and other poor surrounding enclaves were razed. New residential, commercial and industrial zones were enacted in the area. Ironically, certain industries in the area, mostly white, met the new zoning requirements and were allowed to stay, while most of the black businesses became non-existent. We can only imagine how strong the area could have been or how many generations of jobs could have been created if federal funds had been

invested in homes and businesses in Mill Creek.

Pruitt-Igoe, with its peak residency of 12,000 impoverished residents, only lasted about 20 years before demolition began in 1972. The area has remained vacant for more than three decades.

As Pruitt-Igoe was raised, city leaders hired a company by the name of Team Four, Inc. to prepare a citywide comprehensive planning study. The study was immediately criticized for what many black leaders saw as a purposeful attempt to withhold services and public investments from North St. Louis. Although the architects of the plan adamantly denied charges of advocating “benign neglect” in North St. Louis, it could be argued that a de facto strategy of disinvestment has been operative for the past three decades. While majoritywhite areas such as the Central West End and Lafayette Square were redeveloped, areas occupied primarily by African Americans deteriorated. For more than 60 years, civic and political leaders have been trapped in the bubble of segregated development. In a city with a plurality-black and increasingly diverse population it’s a disturbing commentary that private, federal, state and city resources are still directed primarily toward downtown development.

The auditorium filled with Professor White’s young “leaders of tomorrow” was indeed encouraging. New leadership is desperately needed in St. Louis. A generation of bold, innovative and inclusive thinkers is what’s needed to finally turn long-neglected, crime- and povertyfilled areas of North St. Louis into economically viable, stable and safe neighborhoods.

This is the first of a four-part series that will explore the possibilities of economic turn-around in longneglected segments of St. Louis.

Sylvester Brown, Jr. is a St. Louis-based writer and founder and director of the Sweet Potato Project, a nonprofit program in St. Louis that teaches at-risk youth “do-for-self” entrepreneurial skills. For more information, visit sweetpotatoprojectstl.org.

Sidney Maestre and Mayor Raymond Tucker overlooking an area of the once-bustling black community of Mill Creek Valley that was slated for clearance in 1956 Photo: Missouri History Museum

Health challenges and high school dropouts

The negative consequences of dropping out of high school are well-known. A high school diploma provides a foundation for opportunities in post-secondary education and the labor market. In today’s economy, high school completion is one of the first credentials used to screen applicants for employment. High school graduates have higher average incomes than workers without high school diplomas.

In 2012, over 2,000 African American 9-12 graders dropped out of St. Louis city and county high schools. That is one out of every 10 African-American students, and the economic impact means tens of millions of dollars in lost income, foregone spending and tax revenues combined.

But why is it that every year thousands of African-American students in our region drop out? Local researchers suggest that health may be part of the answer. In a recent brief released by a group of researchers from Washington University in St. Louis and Saint Louis University, it was reported that health influences students’ ability to complete high school.

Three health-related paths could lead to high school dropout.

First, childhood illnesses that continue through high school limit the ability of students to complete their education. African-American teenagers’ rate of emergency room visits for asthma was seven times higher when compared to white teenagers. Asthma symptoms harm sleep patterns and hurt academic outcomes of children living in urban communities. The effects of childhood illnesses on learning and school completion depend on students’ access to medical care and utilization of health care services. Coordinated school health programs for young people living in poverty should be a part of the strategy to support their wellbeing and high school completion.

Another challenge influencing the school experience is mental health. Nationally, one in five students experience mental problems. Local teenagers experiencing mental health problems are at great risk for school dropout if they are not identified and treated. Access to psychological services supports both the health and learning of these young people. Yet, access to these services for young people in the region is uneven. In addition, some African-American parents are reluctant to seek out mental health services for their children because of the stigma

n Educators and health care experts are working together to address many of these health problems.

and other misconceptions associated with mental health. Our community must counter myths about mental health with credible information and resources, and we must increase access to mental health treatment.

The third health-related pathway involves risky behaviors for teenagers. Low grades and failing classes can increase these risky behaviors,

Commentary

like early experimentation with alcohol and other substances, and unsafe sexual practices. Eventually, these behaviors may lead to health problems, including drug dependence and unplanned pregnancy, and students experiencing these difficult challenges often drop out.

Educators and health care experts are working together to address many of these health problems. They are looking at the relationship between health and education in a different way. We know that people with higher levels of education tend to have better health outcomes. Now we see that health is also influencing ability of students to learn and graduate from high school.

High school completion benefits both the student and society. Helping students in our region to complete school is a necessary component of our region’s social and economic viability, and will require community collaboration and support. In the context of the current debate over the proper provision of health care, we need to recognize that health goes far beyond the prevention of illness. It can also influence how and whether children complete their education and become contributing members of our society.

Visit www.forthesakeofall. org for more information about the Washington University and Saint Louis University project on the health and well-being of African Americans in St. Louis.

Taking the wrong hostage

Republicans in Congress are like a dog that chases cars and finally catches one. There is a fleeting sense of accomplishment, followed by sheer panic.

God bless Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., for at least being honest.

“We’re not going to be disrespected,” he told the Washington Examiner. “We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.”

Nobody knows what the House Republicans’ goal might be at this point. So far, they have managed to shut down the government and maintain enough unity in their ranks to prevent an open revolt by moderates. They also succeeded in getting Democrats to agree to fund the government at sharply reduced “sequester” levels, but for some reason they renounced this victory. The list of what Republicans haven’t been able to do is considerably longer. Most galling for them – and most beneficial for the country – is that they failed to defund or delay Obamacare. The health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act are up and running, despite technical glitches. People across the country are buying coverage for themselves and their families. This fight is over, people. Republicans lost.

They also failed to extract concessions on a long list of unrelated policy demands. President Obama has not agreed to approve the Keystone pipeline,

expand offshore drilling or ban late-term abortion.

Republicans have not managed to figure out how to avoid being blamed for the government shutdown. This is understandable, since they caused the shutdown by trying to use a funding bill to nullify Obamacare. The GOP tactic of the moment is to point fingers at Democrats, but nobody outside the right-wing echo chamber is buying it.

For that matter, many people inside the conservative bubble have had enough of this nonsense. It is clear that a majority of the House, and perhaps a majority of Republicans in the House, would vote to reopen the government – if given the chance.

Which brings me to Speaker John Boehner’s major accomplishment in this ridiculous affair: Preventing the House from considering a simple, “clean” bill to fund government operations. If such a bill came up, it would pass. The national parks would reopen and the service academy football teams wouldn’t have to hitchhike to their next games. For some reason, Boehner acts as if this outcome is unthinkable. How did Boehner get himself into this situation? By calculating, based on experience, that when push came to shove, Obama would fold.

Recall that the dispute among Republicans was not whether to engage in hostagetaking, but when. Boehner favored skipping a fight over funding – after all, Democrats had agreed to the Republicans’ overall number – and using the necessity to raise the debt ceiling as leverage to win concessions.

But Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas,

Redlining continues in black neighborhoods

Banks serve as a inancial intermediary accepting customers’ deposits and channeling those deposits into lending activities, primarily by providing loans.

Discrimination and segregation has always existed in this country, and some of the most impactful discrimination has been done by banks. Typically, when we think of banking discrimination our thoughts drift to the practice known as “redlining.”

The National Housing Act of 1934 established the Federal Housing Administration. In 1935, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board asked Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) to look at 239 cities and create “residential security maps” to indicate the level of security for real-estate investments in each surveyed city. Those neighborhoods deemed the worse were outlined in red on the maps provided by HOLC. The consequences for many minority neighborhoods was being labeled (redlined) as ineligible to receive inancing.

The label was based on assumptions about African

Americans’ ability to satisfy standard lending criteria. Taken together with racially restrictive covenants put in place to keep African Americans out of white neighborhoods, and the policy meant that African Americans could not secure mortgage loans at all.

The HOLC did not redline in its own lending activities. The discriminatory practice of the policy came from the private lending sector and experts they hired to conduct the appraisals. The end result was a paralyzed housing market in AfricanAmerican neighborhoods, resulting in lowered property values that led to landlord abandonment. The population led, and the newly abandoned buildings became havens for drug dealing and other illegal activities.

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 was passed to ight redlining, and the Ofice of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity was tasked with administering and enforcing this law. Later came the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, further requiring banks to apply the same lending criteria in all communities.

Though outlawed in the ‘70s, redlining appears to persist in less overt ways. Locally, African Americans still suffer a disparate impact with respect to accessing banking services.

Letters to the editor

Sincere and deep appreciation

Please accept my sincere and deep appreciation to you and the St. Louis American Foundation for selecting me for the 2013 Lifetime Achiever in Education Award. I considered it a signal honor and a crowning touch to my educational career.

The Salute to Excellence Awards Dinner was a firstclass affair. I commend the foundation and you for annually honoring educators in the metropolitan area in such a splendid manner. Also, it was a special treat for my father and my sisters to be at the dinner to see me so honored because they have been an intricate part of any success I have achieved.

the Calgary-born potential candidate for president, fired up the tea party base with the fantasy that Obama and the Democratic majority in the Senate would forsake the Affordable Care Act in exchange for six weeks of government funding.

A few dozen far-right members of the House muscled Boehner into taking the wrong hostage.

Now the debt ceiling is threatened, too, since the Treasury’s borrowing authority will run out on Oct. 17. Two years ago, facing the prospect of a potentially catastrophic default, Obama gave in. This time, he has refused to move an inch.

At a meeting last Wednesday with congressional leaders, the president was clear. He would be happy to talk about a wide range of policy issues, he said, including ways to make the ACA work better. But those conversations will not begin until Congress passes a funding bill for the government and raises the debt ceiling.

Senior administration officials say Obama sees a vital principle at stake. Obamacare and the other policies that farright House members want to change were debated in Congress and ratified by last year’s election. The president believes that it would weaken American democracy if one faction of one party of one house of Congress were allowed to impose its will through extortion.

This spectacle of dysfunction will surely damage both sides politically. But Obama never has to face voters again. House Republicans are up for re-election in 13 months.

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

The articles and photos that appeared in the St. Louis American newspaper concerning the award were particularly well done. I have received so many compliments and congratulatory messages as a result of those articles and photos.

Continued best wishes to you and the St. Louis American Foundation for all that is done in support of the St. Louis community.

Lynn Beckwith Jr. E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Urban Education University of Missouri –St. Louis

Great source of encouragement

I am honored to be a 2013 St. Louis American Foundation Scholar. The 26th annual Salute to Excellence in Education was a fabulous event! I was proud to be a part of it. I am very grateful for the scholarship and the HP laptop computer. Thank you so much, to you and your Scholarships Committee for your confidence and support in selecting me as a scholarship recipient. Your investment is a great source of encouragement to me.

Christina Wesley Washington University in St. Louis

Blackmail of the worst kind

House Republicans have refused to pass routine legislation to fulfill the most

One of the hallmarks attributed to redlining was barriers to accessing mortgage loans; locally, African Americans are 2.4 times more likely to be denied a mortgage than whites. Access to banking services and products is critical in today’s economy. Having a responsible banking relationship is a game-changer for an individual or family. It could mean the difference between going to college or not going to college.

Employment diversity in banking is also critical. There is not enough emphasis at local banks on hiring and retaining employees with roots in African-American communities. African Americans are underrepresented on bank boards and in senior management. It is critically important that decisions are made by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of decisions made by banks. Banks have a role and responsibility in reviving economic vitality in AfricanAmerican neighborhoods. As community leaders, we must push for more diversity in the leadership of local banks and ight to eliminate stealthy redlining by banks.

Adolphus Pruitt is president of the St. Louis city branch of the NAACP.

for

basic aspect of their job: keeping the government open and working for American families.

The Missouri Chapter of the Sierra Club agrees with President Obama –any Republican proposal demanding that Americans sacrifice the health of our planet and our communities in exchange for keeping the government open is not a deal, but blackmail of the worst kind.

The Environmental Protection Agency acts as cops against toxic pollution. We are depending on the EPA to clean up the Carter Carburetor site in North St. Louis and the Westlake nuclear dump in North County. But with the government shutdown, 90 percent of EPA staff are furloughed.

Since the Arch is a national park, it is closed during the shutdown as well. Over 10,000 visitors come there every day, generating thousands of jobs at restaurants, hotels, and transit. Those jobs disappear when the visitors disappear.

Rather than make the American people pay the cost in lost jobs and polluted air and water, House Republicans need to ditch the political posturing and get back to work!

John Hickey, Missouri Sierra Club, St. Louis

The dirty game

“This is a dirty game, but it’s the only way they know how to play it. They go after those who are disloyal or threaten the status quo.” Well, now, a high-ranking police official finally said it publicly! Three cheers for Chief Tim Fitch of the St. Louis County Police Department!

Chief Fitch rose through the ranks as a player in the “dirty game,” so the question arises: Is his recent disloyalty to those who play the “dirty game” driven by political payback, or by the higher calling of loyalty to and honor of the law?

Michael K. Broughton Green Park

Inequality in the music industry

I read Bernie Hayes’ article about major record label and minority-owned labels. I totally agree. I actually wrote a scholarly legal article on a similar matter – how

and

record label transactions and bankruptcies contribute to inequality in the music industry, particularly in hip-hop music.

Adam Frankel, Greenwich CT

Recommended viewing

I just saw The Butler, it’s very good. I recommend it to everyone.

Craig Johnson, St. Louis

Guest Columnist Adolphus Pruitt

Columnist Eugene Robinson

Big Brothers Big Sisters recruits male volunteers

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri recently partnered with the St.Louis Cardinals to host the first ever Big League Draft.This special evening at Busch Stadium offered Big Brothers and their guy friends an exclusive,behind-thescenes view of the Cardinals’organization while giving Big Brothers Big Sisters a chance to recruit much needed Big Brothers.

There are roughly 1,000 children waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister and the majority of those waiting are boys. Roughly 180 potential Big Brothers attended the event.By evening’s end,106 men expressed interest in volunteering.

Big Brother Marvin Christian is pictured with eight friends he recruited for the Big League Draft:Fred Finley,Glenn Burton,Clayton Pasley,Ken Jubert,Roy Miller,Marvin Christian,David White,Todd Blount and Marty Stamps.

For more information or to apply to be a Big Brother or Big Sister,contact Jacquie Young at 314-361-5900 or jyoung@bbbsemo.org.

Grants to fight human trafficking

The Saint Louis County Police Department and St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department will share the proceeds of a $1 million U.S. Department of Justice grant with three local social service providers to serve victims and enhance the prosecution of human trafficking crimes in the Eastern District of Missouri.

These two law enforcement agencies are members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force in the Eastern District of Missouri.The Task Force also includes local civilian social service partners, known as the RESTeam (Rescue Service Team).

The Saint Louis-based International Institute, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and the YWCASexual Assault Center are the three RESTeam members who joined forces with law enforcement to apply for this competitive award, which was sponsored by the DOJ Office of Victims of Crime and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.The funds will be distributed over two years.

New Shirley Bradley LeFlore Scholarship

WebsterUniversityBlack Students Association (BSA) Class of 19741987 Reunion 2013 will celebrate the first Shirley Bradley LeFlore Scholarship on Saturday, October 19 at 7 p.m. at theHiltonGardenInnSt Louis Airport.“Join us in honoring a living legend and making a difference for an African-American college student down to the penny,” organizers ask. For more information, contact Ro’Bin at (205) 480-3654 or email robinwmorton@gmail.com.

Teen centerneeds equipment

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis needs equipment for its Teen Center at the Hazelwood Southeast Middle School Club. Items needed include a Wii gaming system, flat-screen TV, computers, Ipod deck system, surround-sound speakers, multi-five light floor lamp and gaming chairs. If you are able to donate toward or give any of these items, contact Muriel Smith via at muriel@bgcstl.org or 314-335-8008.

Hold yourself accountable

By Ciera Simril

For The St.Louis American

When was the last time you blamed someone for something you did? I can imagine that you didn’t have to think long because we do this daily. Now add the last person you voted for to that question. We often get impatient with elected officials because we don’t know everything that they’re doing. I’ve noticed that some of our political figures don’t have time to explain all the facts to their constituents.

Maybe this is our fault as registered voters and residents of the City of St. Louis, because we haven’t asked enough questions from the beginning. Either way we find ourselves between small cracks in the wall because we don’t stand up for what we truly believe in.

Living in the city we find ourselves always complaining about something that we could change ourselves. We live in a country that allows freedom of speech, yet we don’t take advantage of the opportunity. We often squander our chance to do so by hiding behind others.

When asked about the needs of the community, address your concern up front. Asking questions is our right and we need to regain control of what is ours. We have major influence on the progress of the city with our special voice which is called a vote.

It’s not the fault of elected officials that they can’t please everyone who personally voted for them, but we need to take a stand. We as residents need to take control of what is most important to us. Everyone has something that’s precious to them that could be motivation to make our communities stronger. Focusing on areas like, young children, teens, senior citizens, crime prevention or safety can take us further, if we start now.

I’m asking that you hold yourself accountable for your actions. When you have one person or a group of people who stop blaming others for their problems, that’s when we will see change. So the next time there’s a problem on your street, there isn’t a need for you to get upset. Let your voice be heard. Take ownership of what’s yours. We must collectively promote change. This could turn our city around.

Ciera Simril is a University of Missouri –St. Louis student and St. Louis American intern.

Ciera Simril

Continued from A1

Leatherwood committed to teaching in public schools for two years with Teach For America, he joined about 6,000 TFAteachers nationwide who want to ensure that all children receive an excellent education. The organization also aspires to be a model of diversity and inclusiveness for the nation, leaders said. Recently, Teach For America announced that 14 percent of those 6,000 new teachers are AfricanAmerican and 39 percent are people of color.

“Continuing to diversify our corps to reflect the students and communities with whom we partner is a major priority for us.”

Beyond race, it’s also about life circumstance, said Packnett, who is herself African-American. In St. Louis, 35 percent of incoming corps members were Pell grant recipients in college and 27 percent were first-generation college students.

was.”

“I wanted to help kids to be better prepared than I

– Chris Leatherwood, Teach For America St.Louis

“While we believe that great teachers come from all backgrounds, we also know that teachers who share the backgrounds of students have the potential for profound additional impact,” Packnett said.

Among TFAteachers in St. Louis, 19 percent of the incoming corps members identified themselves as AfricanAmerican – compared to the national average of 7 percent for all teachers, according to the Department of Education.

“The majority of children we serve are AfricanAmerican,” said Brittany Packnett, executive director of Teach for America St. Louis.

ACA

Continued from A1

But it would be replaced by some new program that does the same thing, because there is no politically viable way to snatch away the medical insurance that customers are buying through the exchanges.

Quite the opposite: As soon as the glitches are cleared up and everyone becomes a bit less hysterical, the question will be how to obtain coverage

Leatherwood was a firstgeneration college student who received Pell grants. When he entered college, he felt he wasn’t prepared mentally or emotionally, he said. In his lesson plans, he now tries to impart confidence to his students when working through math problems. He said some students have been intimidated by math for so long that they don’t even try. He feels he’s making some headway in

for as many as 30 million people who will still be uninsured – including about 8 million ineligible for Obamacare because of a sabotage campaign by Republican governors.

Look at Texas, which the state medical association calls “the uninsured capital of the United States.” An estimated 22.5 percent of the population lacks health insurance, a higher percentage than in any other state. Many will remain uninsured because Gov. Rick Perry – a once and perhaps future

showing them that accuracy is more important that speed, he said.

“My students are amazing,” he said. “I love the struggle, the conflicts and the issues that come up.”

He is also aware that he has the power to inspire his African-American male students in a special way.

GOPcandidate for president –refused to set up a state insurance exchange and turned down billions in federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage. Rejection of Obamacare may be popular in Texas now. But demographic trends are making the Lone Star State’s electorate more diverse, as the Latino population grows, and less reliably Republican. Small businesses that cannot afford to offer health insurance may soon worry about losing employees to states offering better coverage for the work-

“I present myself as a role model to younger men,” he said. “If I can be a role model, then maybe they’ll think, ‘I can be a professional black man one day.’” Packnett said the organization has been able to recruit more teachers of color this past year with a program founded by Chanel Harris Hampton, a

ing poor through local exchanges and expanded Medicaid.

I trust that conservative leaders will continue riling up the base with the untrue charge that Obamacare is “government health care.” It is nothing of the sort. Obama decided at the outset not to push for a government-run health system, such as those in Britain and Canada, or a single-payer system of any kind. Instead, all of Obamacare’s insurance plans are offered by private firms – the same com-

Chris Leatherwood,a Washington University graduate in English literature, joined Teach For America this year and is teaching at Gateway Middle School in the St.Louis Public School District.“I wanted to help kids to be better prepared than I was,”he said.

former corps teacher and now recruitment director.

“She took on the question, ‘What are we going to do to hone in on talented teachers of color?’” Packnett said.

Hampton decided that she needed to get potential recruits excited about St. Louis, and she arranged trips that both highlighted the program and

panies that also provide employer-sponsored insurance. Disappointing his liberal supporters, Obama declined to include even a single public, government-run health plan. All the apocalyptic right-wing rhetoric about socialism and the end of freedom is nothing but hot air.

Those who are genuinely worried about the cost of a new entitlement should have their concerns taken seriously. But if money is the overriding issue, the obvious thing to do is go further and adopt a truly universal system like those in other industrialized countries.

The United States spends nearly 18 percent of GDPon health care, more than any other nation. France, Germany and Japan, to cite three examples with universal health care, spend between 9 percent and 12 percent of GDPon health – and obtain health outcomes at least as good as ours.

Someday, fiscal conservatives will acknowledge those numbers. For now, we are stuck with a fee-for-service health care system that is perhaps the most wasteful in the world. Critics of Obamacare seem not to understand that

the city’s attractions. The program, called STAI (Strength Through Awareness and Inclusion), is meant to recruit more teachers of color and to support current corps members as well. Packnett said, “We’ve seen our diversity grow rapidly, given that effort.”

the vast numbers of uninsured Americans – about 15 percent of the population –contribute heavily to the system’s inefficiencies.

We provide care for these people, but we do it in the dumbest way imaginable. Since they can’t afford to see a doctor regularly, treatable health problems and chronic conditions worsen. When ailments become acute, the uninsured go to hospital emergency rooms – the most expensive way to receive care.

The uninsured cannot pay their bills – medical costs are the biggest single cause of personal bankruptcy – so they are passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher health insurance premiums. Families USA, a nonpartisan health care advocacy group, estimated that in 2010 an average family in Texas paid an extra $2,786 in premiums to cover care for the uninsured. Are you listening, Gov. Perry? Medicare guaranteed health care for the elderly, Medicaid for the poor. Obamacare begins to fill the remaining gaps. It will get better over time, but already – crashing websites and all –it’s a beautiful thing.

Photo by Wiley Price

WATSON

Continued from A1

Boulevard, as “Rev. John Watson Sr. Avenue.”

Indeed, the adage “a family that prays together, stays together” rings true at Maple Temple. Most of his immediate family members serve in leadership roles within the church. His mother, First Lady Addie Watson, serves as district missionary and oversees the Seed of Faith Ministry. Of his four daughters, two have taken up the family trade. Sierra Watson oversees the Youth Ministry at Maple

JONES

Continued from A1

infections in all age categories and at all stages of disease.

Despite representing only 12 to 14 percent of the U.S. population, African Americans accounted for an estimated 44 percent of all new HIVinfections among adults and adolescents (aged 13 years or older) in 2010. In that same year, the estimated rate of new HIV infection for black men was seven times that of white men.

Doorways runs seven residential buildings in St. Louis where individuals and families live independently, with some supportive services. The organization also provides occasional rental and utility assistance for the highest-functioning clients.

Housing remains the single most critical unmet need for persons with HIVAIDS, Jones said.

“When you are not housed stably, you cannot take care of your complex medical regimens and you are not adherent to your medicines,” Jones said. “Once you are not adherent to your medicines, sometimes those medicines might not work for you again. And if you don’t have your viral load

Temple, and Chavon Bethany is a missionary in Texas.

Watson joined his father in the pulpit at Maple Temple 10 years ago as an assistant pastor, before transitioning into the role of co-pastor four years ago. However, he didn’t start preaching just because his father was a preacher, he said. “I was inspired by God to continue the mission of empowering people spiritually,” he said.

Watson serves as president of the Academy-Sherman Park Neighborhood Association, which works closely with elected officials. Elected officials are also invited to attend meetings at Maple Temple that

under control through your medications, then you have a much greater risk of infecting other people with HIV.”

Housing is essential – but insufficient.

“When I started managing programs for Doorways years ago, we literally gave our residents the key to an apartment and said, ‘Okay, call us if you need anything,’” Jones said.

“We were not doing our clients justice. You can give somebody housing, but if we don’t take care of all of those other, then they are dependent on Doorways forever. I want Doorways to be a stop in the road. It’s an open door, but keep on going. We want to be there, but we want them to move on.”

It was her own struggles as a stay-at-home mother of two autistic children (Robert, 14, and Isaac, 12) that led her to advocate on behalf of others, she said.

Her advocacy extends to the policy realm. “We work statewide to get more fair legislation on the books for people living with AIDS,” she said of her work with the Missouri AIDS Task Force.

In the fall, Jones will join the National AIDS Housing Coalition in Washington, D.C.

“We specifically look at national policy and funding

give the community an opportunity to discuss their grievances about crime, education, housing and commercial redevelopment.

“We’ve been able to organize the neighbors to bring the neighborhood back,” Watson said. “We’re one of the most successful neighborhood associations in the city of St. Louis.”

He said that true servants of the community don’t do it for the recognition, they do it because they have been called to do so. As a spiritual shepherd, he preaches this message. “Make Jesus your Lord and continue to look out for one another in the community to

and all of the various things that affect AIDS housing,” she said.

Jones became the president and CEO last December, previously serving as director of Doorways’residential programs. The Doorways staff grew by one-third last year to include 70 employees. Since that time, Doorways has provided what Jones describes as a “living wage” for all employees – $10 per hour, plus benefits – addressing the reality that some of the staff were faring worse than some of the clients.

Jones is a 2012 graduate of the Coro Women in Leadership program of Focus St. Louis and earned a bachelor’s of science in management and organizational behavior from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Jones said Doorways is on track to hit $7 million in revenue this year.

Funding comes mostly from federal, state and local support, although individual donations are always needed and welcomed. Last year, it became a Medicaid provider.

But current funding leaves many needs unmet. Doorways has hundreds of people on its waiting list, some dating back almost three years, Jones said, “We have such a great need

make it a better place,” he said.

Watson was directed to the fire service by a friend at his former church, Zion Temple C.O.G.I.C. This friend, who was a firefighter himself, mentioned that the St. Louis Fire Department was hiring.

Watson had worked previously at the Federal Reserve Bank in the Processing Department and the University City School District in the Supply Department. Taking his friend’s advice, he pursued and received his training and certifications through the St. Louis Fire Academy and the National Fire Academy.

He began his career as a

out here,” she said, “that we cannot house everyone that needs housing.” Doorways will hold a 25th anniversary celebration, “The Courage to Live,” 4-7 p.m.

private at Engine Houses No. 12 and No. 17. At Engine House No. 11, he performed marine duties like river rescues and barge fires. “Any incidents that took place on the Mississippi River, the St. Louis Fire Department handles that,” he said. He spent 20 years working as a firefighter in North St. Louis before being assigned to Engine House No. 23, at 6500 Michigan Ave., in South St. Louis’Carondelet neighborhood. He now serves as its fire captain.

Being a firefighter, he said, has provided financial security for his family: his wife of 30 years, Jacqueline; their daugh-

Thursday, October 17at

Soulard Preservation Hall, 1921 S. 9th St. It is free of charge and open to the public. Dress is business casual and light hors d’oerves will be

ters Bethany, Rosetta Davis, Sierra and Adrien; and their son, John Watson III. As a member of the Firefighters’Institute for Racial Equality (F.I.R.E.), he would like to see more African Americans working in the fire service. F.I.R.E.’s mission is to promote the hiring, retention, and upward mobility of African-American firemen in the City of St. Louis. “What’s happening now,” Watson said, “is that you’ve got more going out and very few coming in.”

This story is part one of “F.I.R.E. in the Pulpit,” a four-part series about firefighter pastors.

served. For more information, call 314-535-1919, email info@doorwayshousing.org or visit http://www.doorwayshousing.org.

Too little – or too much – too late

Too little, too late – or too much, too late – is the name of the political game this season.

Take County Executive Charlie A. Dooley and the trial balloon advocating for minority business goals he floated via County Councilman Hazel Erby in this very paper last week.

Technically, it’s never “too late” to embrace policy that cuts the minority business community more equitably into the region’s growth. But it has been the right time for this push the entire time Dooley has been in office, and we have heard too little from Charlie before now. The timing in this instance, as a result, is a little suspect. Charlie is suddenly a down brother with the MBE community – after everyone else is turning on him and his administration.

That said, it’s never “too late” to push for policy that cuts the minority business community more equitably into the region’s business opportunities. Come on into the minority inclusion goals pond, Charlie. The water is fine.

Way whiter

At certain times the EYE feels The American is forced to be defensive on behalf of Dooley’s administration, whether because it’s not a fair fight in the media or because his white senior staffers are being heckled with white ethnic jokes in the daily paper. It’s not always easy standing up for this administration. Someone who knows county government very well once told the EYE that we are missing it. He said, “I’ve been at meetings in the city, and you all beat up on Jeff Rainford, but he knows he has to at least have

an answer for black politicians and black contractors. County government is way whiter than that.” Despite the fact that the elected chief executive is black. That might be changing, now that Dooley is running scared in the wake of authentically bad news that the local mainstream seasoned with innuendo before the fact and malice after. The water is fine.

Black solidarity (not)

Also coming a little late to the party is U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay. Clay seems to have finally taken notice of Paul McKee Jr.’s Northside redevelopment. Clay appeared before an aldermanic committee with his new BFF Mayor Francis G. Slay on Tuesday. Clay and Slay were pitching hard for McKee’s revised redevelopment agreement and TIF bid. Clay’s sudden, very public presence in the McKee deal mostly called attention to his previous absence.

It’s also remarkable that the committee in question failed to reach a quorum because of some black aldermen being absent. Alderman Sam Moore was recovering from an automobile accident, Alderman Terry Kennedy was serving as pallbearer in a funeral, and Alderman Antonio French “regrettably” was unable to attend, according to his testimony on Twitter, for unspecified reasons. (Moore has since resigned from the committee because of his injuries; aldermanic President Lewis Reed appointed Alderman Sharon Tyus to replace him, and as the EYE was going to press Tyus was dominating action at the committee meeting on

Wednesday.)

McKee wanted Clay to speak up publicly for his proposal, presumably, to show “black solidarity” with his project. It was not a good sign that this “black solidarity” did not embrace even the black aldermen on the committee that is considering the deal. The point is not that Clay is completely without stick among black elected officials. It’s more that Clay’s appearance was seen as a side show on this issue even among the elected officials who know him best.

El Dorado in the 3rd Ward

One black alderman who has suddenly hopped aboard the McKee program is Alderman Freeman Bosley Sr. Bosley was not even on McKee’s radar until the ward redistricting after the 2010 Census tossed a much larger portion of the Northside redevelopment area into

Bosley’s 3rd Ward. For Bosley, it’s as if redistricting suddenly threw the gold mines of El Dorado into his jurisdiction. As for Bosley’s recent and sudden change of heart in favor of McKee’s project, the EYE is reminded of the sage legal counsel that an attorney once gave to a developer: “Don’t buy them off now. It’s too early. They won’t stay bought.”

Not the only dreamers

Another party who is late to the affair and making a little too much noise to make up for their tardiness is the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Yes, them again. The EYE knows. That paper takes a lot of hits here. But it’s part of a weekly newspaper’s duty to touch up the daily paper. And it’s also the policy of daily newspapers to ignore weekly papers – publicly, at least. Everyone is playing to longestablished industry code here. Anyway, the Post is now tossing gobs of confetti at

McKee and telling the whole world it needs to stop what it’s doing – now – and help McKee get his deals done. The Post didn’t really say that. What it said, in an editorial this week, is: “Mr. McKee’s project may be dreamy, but turning that dream into reality should be the No. 1 goal of every elected official in Missouri.” So it’s not everybody in the whole world, just everybody who got elected to their current job in the state of Missouri, who needs to drop what they are doing and help McKee get it done.

The EYE has shared our many flourishes of excitement on behalf of McKee’s project. Many times, the EYE has explained the facts of a TIF proposal or court ruling in this matter, when the rabble was turning – counter-factually –against McKee. So the Post’s advocacy for McKee is not strange to the EYE, just the paper’s rather stagey and belated gusto.

The EYE guesses that McKee finally broke down and

Bridge for the Congressman

U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay

high. The view is fine.

Name that appointee

The EYE admits we were a little too much, a little too early on the St. Louis license collector’s appointment. We went all in for Terry Kennedy then he changed his mind. Then we went all in for Karla May, but we hear she won’t be the one. The EYE is told that Gov. Jay Nixon will nominate a state government worker who has been appointed to a different elective office in the city before, which this person then lost in a reelection bid. Nixon owes this person a favor, we are told, since the labor muscle he shares with Clay knocked this person out of the box for a federal appointment she had been all but promised. Name that appointee!

drove Tony Messenger and Kevin Horrigan the wrong way onto the new bridge. That is a good view, fellas. Seems to have gotten you all a little

unveiled the new sign to the Congressman William L. Clay Sr. Bridge on Monday morning as his father, former Congressman Bill Clay, Gov. Jay Nixon, Mayor Francis G. Slay, County Executive Charlie A. Dooley and others looked on.

Photo by Wiley Price

Obituaries

Lelia Billingsly Vital 1958-2010

In loving memory of our darling daughter, sister, wife, mother and aunt. We love you and miss you!

From: The Billingsly, Vital and McDuffie families

Katherine Allen Ming

Miss Katherine Allen Ming passed from this life on Monday, September 30, 2013 at age 63. The beloved sister of Leo Hezekiah Ming, Jr. had been cared for at Northview Nursing Home for the past year and died peacefully in her sleep. Katherine was born on February 7, 1950, the youngest child of Leo Hezekiah Ming, Sr. and Katherine Allen Ming. She was preceded in death by her parents and older sister, Audrey Ming Harris. She graduated from Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York and, upon relocating to St. Louis, Mo, attended Forest Park Community College where she received her license as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Over the years Katherine held positions at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in New York and several nursing homes in St. Louis, Missouri. Katherine is survived by her brother Leo Hezekiah Ming, Jr. (Lauren) of Creve Coeur, Missouri, aunt Mae Winfield (Allen) of Fredericksburg, Virginia, nephew Earl Blake

Ming (Nikkisha) of St. Charles, Missouri, and niece Candace Katherine Ming of Brooklyn, New York. She is also survived by grandniece Gabrielle Ellene Ming and grandnephew Gavin Emmanuel Ming. Katherine requested that her remains be donated to St. Louis University Medical School to support medical research. Contributions to honor her life may be made to the National Kidney Foundation, 1001 Craig Road, Creve Coeur, MO 63146.

Samuel D. Lee Jr.

Sameul D. Lee Jr., age 85, born December 4, 1927. The devoted husband of Doris Patricia Lee for 57 years, Samuel passed away September 17, 2013 into the arms of Jesus. He was the executive assistant to six superintendents for the public schools until his retirement. His son Eugene Andre and daughter Pamela preceded him in death.

Richard Alfred Simmons

Richard Alfred Simmons was the seventh of ten children born to John and Mary Simmons on August 14, 1927 in St. Louis, Mo. His wife, Fannie, and daughter, Diane Parker, his parents, John and Mary, brothers, Royshell, John T., Charles and Calvin Simmons, sisters, Lucille Simmons, Ethel Saulsbury and Claudine Toles preceded him in death. He professed faith in Christ at a young age and was a devoted member if the Newstead Missionary Baptist

Church.

Richard was educated in the Saint Louis Public School System. He attended Marshall Elementary and graduated from Sumner High School in 1947. Richard received recognition from Sumner Alumni Association as one of the 50 greatest football players of Sumner High School 19402000.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky. and played in the U.S. Army Band. He was also a distinguished bowler.

Richard’s memories will be cherished by his sister, Azelie Pitts; brother, Floyd Simmons; devoted grandson, Kenneth Parker; sisters-in-law, Ruth Simmons and Arnetrius Simmons; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.

The Professional Organization of Women (P.O.W) will host a

Lelia Vital

Katherine Ming

Simmons

Frankie Muse Freeman

NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION

Planting the Seeds for Success!

Nutrition

When your family is in a hurry and going through a fast-food drive-thru, how are you supposed to eat healthy?

Here are a few tips to remember:

q Select grilled instead of fried options. Often the healthiest option is a nice salad of greens and veggies, along with grilled chicken.

w Instead of fries or onion rings, see if you can have a fresh fruit cup or side salad instead.

A fun way to run around, get your heart rate up and have fun is to play good old-fashioned tag. One person is “it” and they must tag someone else who is now the chaser. This game has many variations including:

Freeze Tag — Once you are tagged, you are frozen until a friend crawls through your legs to un-freeze you. Game continues until everyone is

What is peer pressure? Anytime a friend or classmate pushes you to do something that you really don’t want to do, that is considered peer pressure. Sometimes it’s just harmless fun, like daring a friend to eat a food that s/he doesn’t really like.

PrEsENt:

Healthy Kids Kids

e Be mindful of liquid calories (soda, shakes, slushes, etc.). Choose water or zero-calorie drinks whenever possible.

r Condiments can contribute unhealthy calories, especially full-fat dressings, sauces and mayonnaise. Just think before you order — and you could eliminate hundreds of calories from sugar and fat!

t Most (if not all) fast-food restaurants can now provide nutrition information for all menu items.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 3, NH 5

frozen. When this happens, the first one frozen is now “it.”

Partners Tag — Two people hold hands and chase the others. Once they catch another player, that player joins their chain. Once two more partners have joined the team, they can split into two

teams of two, and so on. (Teams must always have at least two players.)

Flashlight Tag —

Instead of tagging other players, “it” must simply shine a flashlight on another player, who then becomes “it.”

What are some other ways to play tag? Share your ideas with your classmates.

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, NH 1, NH 5

But if you are feeling pressure to do something that is dangerous, unhealthy or illegal, ask

Kenneth G. Poole, Jr., MD

Where do you work? I work at Mercy Clinic.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Lutheran North High School, Tennessee State University with a B.S. in biology, Northern University (M.D.) and plan to receive my M.B. A. from Washington University in 2014. My job requires you to finish high school, do 4 years of college and then do 4 years of medical school. Following medical school is 4 years of paid training called residency.

What does a doctor at Mercy Clinic do? I prevent people from becoming sick by helping them live healthier. When people who are sick come to me, I help them feel better. Why did you choose this career? I like talking to people and encouraging them to do better. I also like being able to solve tough problems.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I like making a positive difference in the lives of patients, families and populations.

Learning Standards: HPE 6, NH 3

yourself, “Who is pressuring me, and why should I do something just to make that person happy?” Always make smart choices based on what you know to be right and you’ll do better in life.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 2, NH 4

Fitness Challenge: Go to http://www.stlamerican.com/ newspaper_in_education/ and download our Weekly Fitness Challenge Journal page. Keep track of your positive daily health choices and earn rewards!

Presented By

Townsend Elementary School 4th Grade,Mrs. Forbes, teacher

Jared Hopper, Jonathan Mitchell, Amber Anderson, and Skyla Pruitt, all age 9, learn

School district.

SCIENCE CORNER

The Carbon Dioxide Cycle

Did you know that all living things are made of carbon? Carbon is part of the ocean, air, and even the rocks. Carbon does not stay still; it moves. When in the atmosphere, carbon attaches to oxygen in a gas called carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide and sunlight help plants to make their own food and grow. It creates a cycle. Carbon becomes part of the plant. Plants that die are buried and turn into fossil fuels made of carbon (such as coal and oil). Carbon enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when humans burn fossil fuels.

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

Carbon dioxide heats the atmosphere because it is a greenhouse gas. With the increase of fuel use, there is more carbon dioxide in the air today than there was 150 years ago, and the earth is becoming a warmer place. Discuss: What is carbon dioxide? What purpose does it serve? Explain the steps of the carbon dioxide cycle. For more information: http://epa.gov/climatestudents/basics/today/carbondioxide.html

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text to find main idea and supporting details.

Dancing Raisins

In this experiment, you will see carbon dioxide in action. Club soda contains carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide is the cause of the fizz and bubbles you experience when you drink soda.

Predict what will happen when raisins are added to a glass of club soda. Will they sink? Will they float? Does it make a difference if the raisins are added first, last, or at the same time as the club soda?

Materials Needed:

Large, Clear Glass • Raisins • Club Soda

Procedure:

q Add raisins to the empty glass. Slowly, add club soda and observe what happens.

MATH CONNECTION

Carbon dioxide traps heat. Temperature is one way to measure heat. In this activity, you will convert Fahrenheit to Celsius and vice versa.

TO CONVERT FAHRENHEIT TO CELSIUS: subtract 32, then multiply by 5, and divide by 9. -32, x5, ÷9

TO CONVERT CELSIUS TO FAHRENHEIT: multiply by 9, then divide by 5, then add 32. x9, ÷5, +32

SCIENCE STARS

AFRICAN AMERICAN INORGANIC CHEMIST AND EDUCATOR: Donald J. Darensbourg

Donald J. Darensbourg is a chemist and a chemistry professor who received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the California State University in Los Angeles. In 1968, he received a doctorate degree in inorganic chemistry from the University of Illinois. Darensbourg has worked at the State University of New York and also Tulane University. In 1992, he joined the faculty at Texas A&M University, conducting research in the field of inorganic chemistry and publishing over 300 articles. His research focused on the chemistry of carbon dioxide, and impacted many fields, including medicine, which was able to create biodegradable medical supplies.

Darensbourg served as a mentor, graduating over 48 Ph.D. chemistry students. He has won numerous awards for both his teaching and research, including the Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching and the Distinguished Achievement Award in Research. In 2010, Darensbourg received the American Chemical Society (ACS) Award in Inorganic Chemistry. Darensbourg is a member of the International Scientific Committee’s International Conference on Carbon Dioxide Utilization and also the National Science Foundation’s Chemistry Division.

Discussion Questions:

q Dr. Darensbourg has graduated a significant number of Ph.D. chemistry students. What do you think this says about his role as a mentor? Is there anyone that you consider a mentor? How does this person help or assist you?

w What organisms give off carbon dioxide? What organisms use carbon dioxide? Why do you think carbon dioxide is a good source of material to work with in experiments?

Learning Standards: I can read a biography to learn about the contributions in the field of science, technology, engineering, and math.

w Next, add raisins and club soda to the glass at the same time. Observe what happens.

e Finally, add club soda to the glass and slowly add raisins. Observe what happens.

Evalute: Were your predictions correct? Did it matter what order the raisins were added: When carbon dioxide reaches the surface, it releases its gases into the air. How does this release affect the motion of the raisins?

Learning Standards: I can make predictions and complete an experiment to test their accuracy.

Convert Fahrenheit to CelSius!

Use the Conversions to Solve the Following Problems:

q If normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, convert that temperature to Celsius: ______________________

w If the temperature of a room is 21 degrees Celsius, what is the temperature in Fahrenheit?

Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply and divide to solve a problem.

MAP CORNER

Use the newspaper to complete these activities:

Convert That Number:

Partial numbers can be displayed as a fraction, a decimal, or a percent. Use the newspaper to find a percent and convert that number to a decimal and a fraction.

Local Famous Missourian: You have been given the task to write about a local Missourian who has contributed to your community. Skim through the newspaper to find the person who best fits this description. Tell how this person has impacted the community and why he or she should be recognized for his or her contributions.

Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem. I can write for a specific purpose and audience.

BUSINESS

10 – 16, 2013

Adrian E.Bracy,CEO of YWCA Metro St.Louis,is the St.Louis American Foundation’s 2013 Non-Profit Executive of the Year.The YWCA mission’s is “eliminating racism and empowering women.”

‘From NFL to NFP’

Adrian Bracy of YWCAis 2013 Non-Profit Executive of the Year

By Rebecca S.Rivas

St.Louis American

The

Of

On a sunny October afternoon, Adrian E. Bracy walked across Saint Louis University’s bustling campus to the YWCA Metro St. Louis office, where she has served as CEO since August 2009.

As she entered the YWCAbuilding, surrounded by SLU dining halls and departments, she joked, “I went from the NFLto the NFP(not for profit).”

Although she doesn’t have a view of NFL football fields anymore, her office is a stone’s throw away from SLU’s soccer

“I’ve had several people ask why I would leave the NFL to work in nonprofit.The reason is simple:My passion is helping women.”

– Adrian E.Bracy

fields, she said, laughing. For more than 20 years, Bracy worked as a senior financial executive with professional sports teams, including the St. Louis Rams,

Arizona Cardinals and the Miami Dolphins/ Joe Robbie Stadium.

“I’ve had several people ask why I would leave the NFLto work in nonprofit,” Bracy said. “The reason is simple: My passion is helping women. I feel that working for the YWCAis my purpose in life at this moment.”

Bracy will receive the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2013 Non-Profit Executive of the Year award at the Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon, to be held Thursday,

PEOPLEON THE MOVE

Nicole ColbertBotchway

Nicole Colbert-Botchway was recognized by the University of Missouri-St. Louis as one of six 2013 Distinguished Alumni. Colbert-Botchway, who earned an MBAfrom UMSLin 2002,is assistant attorney general for the State of Missouri. She works across the state to litigate and modify child support obligations, represents the Family Support Division in child support actions, and balances a large individual caseload.

Opal Jones was recognized by the University of Missouri-St. Louis as one of six 2013 Distinguished Alumni. Jones, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UMSLin 2000, serves as president and CEO of Doorways, an interfaith, non-profit organization that provides housing and related services for people affected with HIV/AIDS. Doorways programs and services benefit 1,000 households in many Missouri and Illinois counties each year.

By Rebecca S.Rivas Of The St.Louis

American

After 30 years, the St. Louis County Economic Council no longer exists. Now in its place is a new agency that represents business development for both St. Louis County and city. This marks a new era of collaboration for two municipalities, said Denny Coleman, CEO of the new St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, in an interview with the St. Louis American Coleman explains what the merger of the city and county economic development agencies means for the region.

The American: What exactly has happened since the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership was established on August 1? I know 10 staff members from the city’s St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) were moving into your Clayton office.

Denny Coleman: We are about six weeks into the new partnership. We have really successfully integrated the staffs. We’ve had a number of formal and informal get-togethers. We’ve also taken the time to have both the former SLDC staff to learn about major county projects and initiatives, including meeting with staffs of county municipal government. At the same time, the former county staffers are meeting with various aldermen in the city as well. We are doing an aggressive job of making sure

Denny Coleman, CEO of the new

that both of the former staffs know each other’s turfs because we want to act as one staff.

The American: What functions have you merged so far?

Coleman: Most of the staff members that came over from the SLDC were in the business development arena. They were working on retention and expansion efforts and will continue to do so in the new partnership. There were some of the positions that were working on our small business finance arena, and they will continue to do that.

The American: What are

“We are doing an aggressive job of making sure that both of the former staffs know each other’s turfs because we want to act as one staff.”

– Denny Coleman

some other possibilities for the future?

Coleman: This was all that was contemplated in this move. I know that there are other conversations of combining the city and the county workforce areas. If the economy doesn’t respect municipal boundaries, neither does work-

T. ChristopherPeoples was recognized by the University of MissouriSt. Louis as one of six 2013 Distinguished Alumni. Peoples, a 2008 civil engineering graduate of the UMSL/Washington University Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program, is president, CEO and managing partner of Pitzman’s Co, a surveying and engineering firm. He has experience in engineering and surveying with private developers, municipalities, state agencies, hospitals and schools. Grayling Tobias was recognized by the University of Missouri-St. Louis as one of six 2013 Distinguished Alumni. Tobias, who earned his bachelor’s degree in education at UMSLin 1980, is superintendent of the Hazelwood School District, one of the largest school districts in the state. Aformer professional ballplayer, he is a member of the baseball halls of fame at UMSLand McCluer High School and the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Treasurersoliciting proposals foron-street parking system

The St. Louis Treasurer’s Office is soliciting proposals from qualified companies to furnish and potentially install an on-street parking system that allows payment flexibility and convenience for users while allowing real-time monitoring, reduced cost of operating, increased flexibility in changing rates, and increased compliance.

Areview committee will rank and score proposals based upon the evaluation criteria, then select a limited number of vendors to perform a six-month onstreet field test evaluation. Alot of weight will be given to customer user evaluations obtained during the pilot projects. For more information, visit http://www.stlouismo.gov/government/departments/treasurer/.

Minority businesses recognized at Mayor’s Business Luncheon

Anumber of African American-owned businesses were recognized last week at the Mayor’s Business Celebration Luncheon. Grice Group Architects, Mechanical Solutions and TD4 Electrical were awarded among the Businesses of the Year, and Butch’s Lock & Key (3rd Ward), Harry Barber’s Shop (4th Ward), Eye Fashion Factory (22nd Ward) and The Kutt Factory Barber & Beauty Salon (27th Ward) were awarded among the 28 Neighborhood Businesses of the Year, with one business recognized per ward.

Community College receives almost $3M foremployment needs

St. Louis Community College (STLCC) will receive nearly $3 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Labor to train 420 people for jobs in the transportation, distribution and logistics industry sectors in the St. Louis region. STLCC’s Workforce Solutions Group will provide training for these highskill jobs in fields such as truck driving, logistics, avionics and aircraft maintenance.

STLCC will receive $2,987,000 as part of a $23.8 million grant to the Mississippi River Transportation, Distribution and Logistics consortium comprised of nine community colleges, led by Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Ill. Along the 2,300-mile stretch of the Mississippi River, businesses in the transportation, distribution and logistics industries are poised to hire, train or retrain individuals for existing and future high-wage, high-skill occupations.

Photo by Wiley Price

Opal M. Jones

T.Chistopher Peoples

Grayling Tobias

Lowerincome? Don’t pass up the saver’s credit

By Jason Alderman

In 2002, Congress passed legislation to create an income tax credit designed to encourage lower- and middle-income people to save money for retirement. The saver’s credit, worth up to $1,000 a year for individuals ($2,000 for couples filing jointly), rewards people for contributing to an IRAor 401(k) plan.

Regrettably, the people most likely to benefit from the saver’s credit are also those who can usually least afford to set aside money for retirement. It doesn’t help that only onequarter of people earning less than $50,000 even know the credit exists.

But if you can squeeze a few dollars out of your budget, the saver’s credit is worth pur-

BRACY

Continued from B1

November 14 at the RitzCarlton in Clayton. The networking reception begins at 11 a.m. and the luncheon program starts at noon.

Bracy believes her transition into the nonprofit world really began in 2007.

After working as an executive for the St. Louis Rams for more than a decade, Bracy decided she wanted to do something different. So in 2007 she joined the Arizona Cardinals as the team’s chief financial officer.

“After about six months, I wasn’t feeling fulfilled in my career,” she said. “Two years later, I heard about the position opening at the YWCAin St. Louis, and here I am four years later.”

The YWCAmission’s is “eliminating racism and empowering women,” and that fits right in with Bracy’s personal goals, she said. Her

suing. Tax credits reduce the amount of income tax paid, dollar for dollar; so many lowincome people can recoup the amount they contribute to retirement accounts by up to 50 percent through reduced taxes. And those whose employers match a portion of their 401(k) contributions reap even bigger rewards.

Another good selling point: Parents or grandparents who want to jumpstart their lowincome kids’retirement savings can fund their IRAor 401(k) contribution, thereby making them eligible for the saver’s credit even if they can’t afford to contribute on their own.

Here’s the nitty-gritty on the saver’s credit: The saver’s credit is a “nonrefundable”tax credit, which

strong financial management background prepared her for her journey in leading the organization to achieving its goals.

“I think it’s important for any CEO or executive director to understand finance,” she said. “Although we call it ‘nonprofit,’every organization or business must make a profit in order to stay viable.”

She is especially proud that the organization recently secured a $106,000 grant from the St. Louis Office for Developmental Disability Resources. The funds go towards the SHADE program, which stands for Sexual Health and Disability Education. “It’s the first grant of its kind in St. Louis,” she said. “Sometimes people with disabilities are most vulnerable when it comes to sexual assault. So this grant provides sexual assault education to people with developmental disabilities, along with their families and parents.”

The YWCAcites a published reportthat studied

PERSONAL FINANCE

means it reduces income taxes owed, dollar for dollar –although it won’t generate a tax refund if the credit is more than the taxes you owe.

The saver’s credit helps offset part of the amount you voluntarily contribute to an IRA or 401(k) plan. Your credit amount is based on your tax filing status, adjusted gross income and the amount you contribute to qualifying retirement programs. It can be claimed by:

ï Married couples filing jointly with adjusted gross income (AGI) of no more than $59,000.

ï Heads of households with

adults who have developmental disabilities and found that 83 percent of females and 32 percent of males were victims of sexual assault.

“We’ve been able to show that the participants have learned what’s good and what’s bad with sexual violence and sex education,” she said. “The program has had an impact.”

AGI up to $44,250. ï Singles (or married filing separately) with AGI up to $29,500.

The credit rate is 10 percent, 20 percent or 50 percent of the first $2,000 you contribute ($4,000 for married couples filing jointly), depending on your AGI; the lower your AGI the higher the percentage. For example: ï Single filers with an AGI up to $17,500 receive a 50 percent credit on the first $2,000 they contribute (i.e., up to a $1,000 credit); 20 percent on AGI up to $19,250 ($200 credit); and 10 percent on AGI up to $29,500 ($100 credit).

women and that we would be the voice for every woman.”

“Although

She sees women finding their voices in the organization’s various programs. For example, in the transitional housing program, the YWCAgives women 24 months to become self-sufficient.

we call it ‘nonprofit,’ every organization or business must make a profit in order to stay viable.”

The YWCA Metro St. Louis serves more than 20,000 women and their families through its sexual assault center, 10 Head Start centers, teen activities, transitional housing and afterschool programs.

– Adrian E.Bracy

“What I really love about my job is knowing that we are making a positive change in the lives of women and their families,” Bracy said. “The vision I have for the YWCAis that it would be recognized as the leading nonprofit for

Anything over $29,500, you don’t qualify.

ï For joint filers the credit amount limits are: 50 percent on up to $35,500 AGI (50% X $4,000 = $2,000); 20 percent on up to $38,500 ($800); and 10 percent on up to $59,000 ($400).

Other eligibility rules:

ï You must be at least age 18.

ï You can’t be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return.

ï You can’t have been a full-time student during any part of five calendar months in 2013.

ï You must contribute to a 401(k) by December 31, 2013, or to an IRAby April 15, 2014.

Important Note: You cannot claim the credit using IRS

manent job, and we encourage them to go back and get their degrees.”

Form 1040 EZ, the form many lower-income people file. To claim it, you must

“When the women leave the program, they have found their voice because they are debt-free,” she said. “Being financially independent, that’s finding your voice.”

Another way that the YWCAhelps women to become financial stable is through the Head Start program.

“We not only help our children, we also help our parents,” she said. “Over 25 percent of our teachers were once Head Start parents. We supply them with substitute training that would lead them to a per-

Bracy herself graduated from Morgan State University in Baltimore with a degree in accounting and has an MBA from Nova Southeastern University. She also has completed the Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Leadership Programs.

She said her biggest supporter is her husband, Vernon Bracy. On October 2, they celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary. “He has supported me from day one,” she said. She and her husband have one son, Donovan. Bracy has received numerous awards throughout her career, including the AfricanAmerican Women of Distinction Award, Black Enterprise 50 Most Powerful Blacks in Sports Award, Black Enterprise 50 Most Powerful Black Women in Business, St. Louis Business Journal Most Influential Business Women Award, and the YWCA

Leaders of Distinction Award in Corporate Management. Bracy believes that the YWCAcan only reach its goals by partnering with area organizations.

“The advice I would give to other nonprofit executives in the industry is to collaborate,” she said. “More and more donors are requesting proof of collective impact and collaboration. In order for the nonprofit world to survive, it’s important that we collaborate with each other.”

The 14th Annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon will be held Thursday, November 14, 2013 at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, networking reception at 11 am, luncheon program at noon. Tickets are $100 for VIP/Preferred seating, $75 for general admission. Call 314533-8000 or visit www.stlamerican.com for more information or to purchase tickets.

“Five-and-oh is like a dream, but this is reality. It feels really good.”

– Kansas City Chiefs standout Dexter McCluster, on his team’s surprising 5-0 start

IN THE CLUTCH

With Ishmael H.Sistrunk

NBA excites STL

Plus, Klitschko bores the boxing world

The NBAreturned to St. Louis with some exciting preseason action Monday night at Scottrade Center. For many hardwood aficionados, it was a welcome return for the NBA. St. Louis was the host of an annual preseason game back in the day, but as interest and/or profits dwindled in the Gateway City, the league packed up and left the city high and dry in terms of NBAaction. Kudos to the Chicago Bulls for hosting a “home” game here in the city.

The Bulls were rewarded by droves of fans decked out in Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Derrick Rose jerseys and cheering on the Windy City ball club.

The Bulls were rewarded by droves of fans decked out in Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Derrick Rose jerseys and cheering on the Windy City ball club. Speaking of Rose, the former MVPsaw just his second game action since tearing his ACLnearly one-and-a-half

Rams win ‘must’game

Next: stiff road test in Texas

indeed that. And despite the final score the football contest was way closer than it should have been. The Jaguars got out front with a gift touchdown to Justin Blackmon that covered 67 yards. But, just as the Rams gave the Jaguars a gift, Blaine Gabbert returned the favor, getting intercepted by Matt

the score at 7-7. Then the Rams settled down. They executed a balanced attack with 36 run plays and 34 pass plays. Zac Stacy led the rushing attack with 14 carries for 78 yards. As a

No team fears the Rams when they pass.

whole the Rams had over 140 rushing yards at a clip of four yards per carry – more than a stark contrast to what we’ve seen in the first four games. Sam Bradford threw three touchdowns while completing fewer than 60 percent of his throws. Bradford averaged 5.5 yards a throw as the bland passing game crept along. No team fears the Rams when they

pass. On several third and short situations, the Rams seemed content just to make plays in front of first down marker instead of pushing the ball past the marker.

That’s why it was so important for Zac Stacy to have the game he had leading the Rams rush attack. Jeff Fisher wants a more balanced attack. You can’t blame him. Should Stacy continue at this pace and stake claim as the starter, maybe then this young running back corps will take shape, with Daryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead finding their respective roles.

The defense made some big plays. Defensive end Chris Long had five tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble

years ago. Rose looked OK. The crowd got glimpses of his relentless, attack-the-basket style but overall he played a subdued and safe game, finishing with 13 points on 3-of-8 shooting in 23 minutes. Rose reached down to fiddle with his knee braces several times, leading me to believe that he’s still thinking about his prior injuries. Give him a month or two to regain his confidence and get adjusted to his new hardware and we should see the D-Rose of old.

There was no Marc Gasol or Joakim Noah, but no problem. The big star of the show was Benny the Bull. One area where the NBA

See FOOTBALL, B5

Small schools, big players

This week’s report is devoted to some talented small-school teams and players who have been making it happen in recent weeks. Miller Career Academy continued it winning ways with a 47-12 victory over Vashon. The Phoenix is currently 6-0 on the season, running its regular-season winning streak to 15 games. Career Academy finished the 2012 regular season with a 9-0 record. Tailback Marquis Stewart has been a huge part of the offense with 1,063 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. Quarterback Jaylen Jones has passed for 693 yards and 10 touchdowns, while rushing for 244 yards. Receivers Javon Collard and Mark Frazier have more than 300 yards each and have combined for nine touchdowns.

The defense is led by Ra-Sheen Bolden, who has a team-high 64 tackles and four sacks. The Phoenix will visit Soldan in a big Public High League contest on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

Bell leads Bulldogs McCluer South-Berkeley is also having a big year with a 5-1 record. The Bulldogs defeated Jennings 46-20 last week behind six touchdown passes from quarterback LaMarko Bell. Bell found four different receivers for touchdowns, including three to athletic junior receiver Ryan Stokes. Bell has thrown for more than 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns this season with Stokes being his main target. The Bulldogs have an excellent pair of running backs in Shawn Conway and Andre Crump.

Staunch defensive effort

Christian-O’Fallon’s Frank Davis stepped into the spotlight in the Eagles’14-12 victory over Duchesne in a battle of undefeated teams. With Christian-O’Fallon’s powerful offense literally shut down by the Pioneers, it was Davis who led a staunch defensive effort with 17 solo tackles and one sack. Davis also

See RAMS, B5

Palmer L. Alexander

The pro-Bulls crowd at Scottrade Center got glimpses of Derrick Rose’s relentless,attack-the-basket style but overall he played a subdued and safe game,finishing with 13 points.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

With Earl Austin Jr.

Earl Austin Jr.

Lance Kendricks awaits a pass from quarterback Sam Bradford during the Rams victory over the Jacksonville Jaquars on Sunday in St.Louis

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

CLAIB’S CALL

With Mike Claiborne

Condi joins the ranking frolics

Did you ever think that Condoleezza Rice would have such an impact on sports? She has an impeccable resume in government and education. She is one the two first female members admitted to Augusta National Golf Club, home of the prestigious Masters Golf Tournament. Her credentials are now being challenged, as she has been mentioned as a candidate to be part of the national playoff selection committee for college football starting next season. From columnists and beat writers to coaches, many have come out in opposition to her appointment. Funny thing is that if the same people who are now calling her out had done their job in the first place, there would be no need for her appointment. The writers and coaches have turned their so-called “ranking polls” into one of the great jokes of the 20th and now 21st century, and yet they look down on an outsider.

If the same people who are now calling her out had done their job in the first place, there would be no need for her appointment.

Former Auburn coach Pat Dye was quoted as saying the only thing Rice knows about football is “what someone told her or what she read in a book or saw on TV.” That is interesting, as Rice and Dye may share the same process of selection. In a coaches poll, a number of coaches are charged with ranking teams each week. Their votes are normally cast on Saturday night, if not Sunday morning. So here is the question. At what time does a coach have time to vote on 25 teams and their rankings when he is trying to get his team prepared to play a weekend opponent? When does that coach have time to watch the other teams? Is it Saturday night after his team has played where he has that sort of time to watch the

rest of the country? Nope. Perhaps it is Sunday morning –you know, between church, taping his coach’s show and team meetings? No chance. So when did Pat Dye or his like have a chance to objectively vote on the other teams in the country? Surely you would hope that he would have seen enough of them to vote, or does he just look at the scores? There have been some coaches who have admitted that they would just turn it over to the school’s sports information director and let him cast the vote in the coach’s name. Brilliant idea. The SID may have even less time to watch than the rest of the country. When the question

is posed, they just shrug it off. That brings us to the writers’poll. They cast votes too. If they are covering a game and then writing afterward (allow for travel if it is a road game), even if these guys are credible and diligent – most of them are not, in this case –when would they have time to see everyone in question and cast an objective vote? When you add up a season, how could any coach or writer be in a position to honestly know who is any good week in and week out without the help of a scoreboard or storyline? Yet these are the same groups that say Condoleezza Rice does not know what she is voting on.

time players in a sport before they decided to make a living writing? The only voting that is more comical when it comes to college sports is the Heisman Trophy. That’s the epitome of know-nothings voting on a now meaningless trophy.

I do not know if Condoleezza Rice will serve on the committee or not. I do know that she will be prepared, as she has shown in her past professional accomplishments. She will not hand it off to someone else or just vote someone in because she coached with or covered someone elsewhere or any of the other good-old-boy hijinks that sometimes takes place.

I do know this. The reason that she is even considered is because some who were charged with this assignment initially failed miserably. While it was not solely their fault, they only exposed a flawed system that the posse was going to eventually catch up to. Now that they have caught up, it is time for a new sheriff and deputies to come to town and start fixing college football. The opposition will be stiff, and there will not be a lot of support from the talking heads because their voices will not have the same impact with new players at the table with a new mission.

blocked a punt that led to an Eagles touchdown in the second quarter. For the season, the 6’0” 200pound Davis has team high 70 tackles, six sacks and nine tackles for losses.

Holman the showman

Lutheran North senior Isaiah Holman put on a show in the Crusaders’ 34-14 victory over host MICDS last Saturday. The 5’9” senior caught nine passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 99 yards on nine carries and another score for a total 309 yards on the day. For the season, Holman has nine touchdowns. After a 0-4 start, the Crusaders are starting to catch their stride with two consecutive victories. They could be a dangerous team to watch in three weeks when the Class 2 district playoffs start.

Quarterback Justin Baker has thrown for more than 1,000 yards while senior defensive end Renell Wren is a major college prospect.

Burroughs clinches

I do not subscribe to the notion that you need to have played the game in order to know the game. Just look at the annals of sports and look at the great coaches – Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics (second most NBA Finals championships), Scotty Bowman( most Stanley Cup championships in hockey), Mike Krzyzewski (most wins in college basketball) – and then look at their career numbers as players in the NBA, NHLand NCAA. Two of the three never played at that level, and Coach K was a player at Army who never saw a day in the NBA. As for writers, can you name the ones who were big-

The playoff system has been long overdue for an overhaul, and while it will not be perfect at the outset, it is a big step in the right direction. Now if only the ones with the narrow minds could step aside, the partial mess they made can begin to be cleaned up with a legit playoff format overseen by a legit panel members.

As for Condoleezza Rice, she is an interesting name that will create a new perspective. She has been in rooms where more was at stake than who gets seeded for a playoff game, so pressure to get it right will not be a problem here. The problem is she would be a new kid on the block who has no real ties to the past football frolic we call the polls and rankings. There will be others involved in the selection, and we shall see if Coach Dye and his likes will be quick to point out what he does not really know again. Can’t wait!

John Burroughs clinched the Metro League championship with a 30-7 victory over Westminster Christian in a battle on unbeaten squads last Saturday. The Bombers improved to 6-0 and appear well on their way to another undefeated regular season.

6-0 Eagles

The Brentwood Eagles continued their impressive run with a 63-0 victory over Wood River last weekend. The Eagles are currently 6-0 and are averaging more than 50 points a game. They have been dominant during the regular season with many players contributing to the offense such as Jake Zivic, Jacob Clay, Justice Bratcher and Austin Koster.

RAMS

Continued from B3

recovery. James Laurinaitis led the defense with eight tackles and a red zone interception. Last game against the San Francisco 49ers, Laurinaitis had two balls go off his hands. Not this time. Also the defense was much better on third downs. The Jaguars were only three for 12 on third down conversions. This game was probably the last game on the schedule where you could say it’s going to be a win. Next game is a stiff road test against the Houston Texans.

The Texans have their own share of problems with the offensive line and starting quarterback Matt Schaub. Schaub has thrown a pick six in four straight games, and many are clamoring for T. J. Yates to start in his place.

The Rams can steal this game. They have to eliminate penalties and be willing to take some shots downfield. On defense the Rams are going to have to stay aggressive, and special teams need to have a penalty-free game.

But most important is the Rams’commitment to running the football, controlling the clock and playing keep away. That’s the type of game Jeff Fisher wants to play. The Rams played it. And it looks like something the Rams will stick with from here on out.

Mike Claiborne

Condoleezza Rice has been mentioned as a candidate to be part of the national college football playoff selection committee.

With Maurice Scott

Jackson State doing it right

Former East St. Louis Flyers standout Daniel Williams Shines as freshman

The Jackson State Tigers has a large alumni presence in the area. And it seems they are getting their share of recruits from this area.

Maurice Scott

Former East St. Louis Flyers standout Daniel Williams is getting his fair share of time playing as a true freshman for the Tigers. He had a five-catch day against Tennessee State in Memphis on Sept. 14 during a nationally televised game on ESPNU. In addition, he has returned punts for the Tigers, who are 4-2 (40 in the SWAC East). Which brings us to another Jackson State football player in LyMontiez Ivy. The former Flyer signal caller would have been the starter at quarterback in 2013 had it not been for an ankle injury that left him with a red-shirt year. The Tigers have a date this weekend with the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State 1-4 (1-2 in SWAC) and quarterback Patrick Ivy, whose passing stats are 38 for 79 for 455 yards and fourTDs. Patrick Ivy was a three-sport star a couple of years ago at Cahokia High School, and he is the brother of Jackson State QB LyMontiez Ivy.

After sitting out a few years, the 6’5” 220-pound Ivy

CLUTCH

Continued from B3

reigns supreme is the break time entertainment. Even when the court was full of unknown players, Benny and the LuvaBulls did a remarkable job of entertaining the fans. Trampoline dunkers vs. baby Bulls, tic-tac-toe, giveaways and a hilarious prank on a Pittsburgh Pirates fan who apparently lost his coordinates all exemplified why the Bulls are one of the most popular teams in the league.

The official attendance was 13,497, which was pretty good considering the lack of effort put into promoting the game. With Memphis and Chicago being within a reasonable driving range, they would be ideal candidates to return to the STL in future years. Throw the Indiana Pacers into the mix and the league could keep area hoops fans happy by returning our area preseason game. I won’t talk about St. Louis getting its own NBAteam because that’s not happening anytime soon. Still, a fun time was had by all.

Wlad stinks up the joint

When many people attack boxing or leave it for dead, a primary reason is due to the dearth of the heavyweight division. The heavyweights were traditionally the most glamorous and they pounded each other for world supremacy. The division has lost luster in recent years, largely because America hasn’t fielded a viable contender in years and nobody can knock off the giant, robotic Klitschko brothers. Saturday, Wladimir, the younger KlitschBro, defended his conglomeration of titles against Alexander Povetkin in an awful bout. Povetkin did his part in pushing the action and pressured Klitschko for much

is turning heads not only in the SWAC, but with NFLpersonnel as well. Both brothers are looking forward to playing against one another next year when they meet again.

Meanwhile, Jackson State held on to defeat rival University of Arkansas at Pine- Bluff in a 42-33 thriller last weekend. The two teams will square off in the 2014 St. Louis Gateway Classic football game here in St. Louis.

Not only will Jackson State bring Ivy and Williams here in next year’s Gateway Classic, they also have a verbal commitment from Keonte Minor.

Not only will Jackson State bring Ivy and Williams here in next year’s game, they also have a verbal commitment from former East St. Louis Flyer wideout Keonte Minor. Minor, who played at the

of the bout. Unfortunately, Klitschko channeled his innerJohn Ruiz and did more grabbing, wrestling and shoving than punching. After nearly every punch, the champion put the challenger in a headlock and leaned his massive 6’6”, 241-pound frame onto his smaller opponent. Despite an early warning by the terrible referee, the uglybut-effective strategy was allowed to continue for nearly the entire fight. Klitschko also shoved and slammed his smaller opponent onto the mat several times only to be rewarded with rulings of legitimate knockdowns. Klitschko may have won easily, but it was not easy to watch. Until boxing can find consistent and competent judges and officials, it will continue to struggle to be taken seriously by the common fan.

Khan ducking Alexander?

While we’re talking boxing, word on the street is that Amir

University of Arkansas last season, transferred after new head coach Bill Biellema wanted to move him to running back. The former AllState receiver then transferred to the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL.He will report to Jackson State next spring, I’m told.

Joining Minor there also is former Lutheran North standout Fernando Whigham. He is being recruited by Memphis and Louisville, among other programs. It is also a possibility that three former Flyers will be starting for Jackson State next year at both wide receiver slots, and almost for sure the quarterback for next year’s Gateway Classic.

Terrific Tony

Former Flyers great Anthony Pierson – who got robbed of post-season awards by the state and local media when the Flyers were thrown out of the playoffs a couple of years ago by the IHSA– is having a great career at Kansas.

Pierson had six receptions for 118 yards last Saturday against Texas Tech. Tony’s mom Eugelena and I were high school classmates at East Side back in the day. Head football coach Charlie Wies keeps Tony on the field most of the time, either from the halfback position or in the slot as a wide-out.

Khan, who has been longrumored to face STL’s own Devon Alexander in his next bout, will be side-stepping our homegrown champ to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. Nothing is official, but it makes sense for both parties. Mayweather has already stated his desire to fight in the U.K. The proposed bout between Alexander and Khan would have been with the idea that the winner would have their ticket punched in the Mayweather lotto. I had very little doubt that Alexander would shatter Khan’s fragile-as-china chin in the ring so now I understand why the bout was never finalized. If the rumors are true and the bout falls through, hopefully Devon “The Great” can find a suitable and exciting replacement for his next bout.

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

Markel Smith

Vianney – Football

The senior tailback enjoyed a performance for the ages in the Griffins victory at Washington last Friday night.

Smith rushed for a state-record 541 yards and seven touchdowns to lead Vianney to a 48-41 victory. Smith scored on runs of 65, 75, 47, 3, 65, 31 and 21 yards.

For the season, Smith has rushed for 1,530 yards and has scored 23 touchdowns. Smith is being recruited by many major Division I schools around the country.

Vianney (4-2) will visit Chaminade on Friday night at 7 p.m.

Jimmy Jones

Hazelwood East – Football

Jones enjoyed an extraordinary performance in the Spartans’31-30 loss at McCluer North on Saturday.

Jones amassed 456 all-purpose yards and scored all five of the Spartans touchdowns. He returned three kickoffs for touchdowns on returns of 90, 92 and 94 yards. He also scored on runs of five and 90 yards. He rushed for 174 yards and added 250 yards in returns.

For the season, Jones has a total of 15 touchdowns. He has five rushing touchdowns, five receiving touchdowns and five returns for touchdowns.

Hazelwood East (3-3) will host Hazelwood Central on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Kaleb Jackson

DeSmet – Soccer

The senior forward recorded a hat trick last week in the Spartans 31 victory over Vianney in the finals of the Gateway City Soccer Championship Bracket B Tournament at DeSmet.

Jackson scored all three of DeSmet’s goals in the championship game to complete a weekend in which the Spartans scored 13 goals in three games.

For the season, Jackson has scored a team-high 12 goals to go along with three assists for a total of 20 points. As a junior, Jackson scored seven goals and had six assists.

Daniel Williams

Mark to chairESLNAACPdinner

Honoring ‘Game Changers in Diversity & Regionalism’

ner chairman.

American staff

The East St. Louis Branch of the NAACPwill host its 59th annual Freedom Awards Fund Banquet 5 p.m. Sunday, October 20 at the Renaissance Grand Hotel’s Majestic Ballroom, 800 Washington Ave.

The theme is “Game Changers in Diversity & Regionalism.” Richard Mark, president, CEO and chairman of Ameren Illinois, is the din-

COLEMAN

Continued from B1 force. People live in one jurisdiction and work in another all over the metropolitan area. It makes good sense that the county and city workforce are discussing ways to work closer together.

The American: Were any jobs lost during the merger?

Coleman: Rodney Crim (president of the partnership and former executive director of the SLDC) and I decided that it didn’t make sense to incorporate all of the realestate functions into the new partnership from the city. There is still a substantial St. Louis Development Corporation that will continue to handle all the real-estate functions in the city. From the County Council perspective, most of the staff members that were moving into the partnership were from the economic council, so it made it sense to construct the new partnership around the backbone of that economic council. There is no more St. Louis County Economic Council. All of

“This banquet brings pride to us all,” Mark said. “I am pleased to work with this outstanding organization. See you there!” Corporations, organizations and individuals will be recognized for their diversity initiatives and regional impact.

Honorees include Ameren Illinois, Casino Queen, East West Gateway Council of Governments, St. Clair County Board, Delta Child Care and

those functions and staff have been brought into the partnership. There is still a SLDC, with 40-plus employees.

The American: What does the partnership need from policy makers to push forward economic development?

Coleman: The two most significant policy makers, County Executive Charlie Dooley and Mayor Francis Slay, have weighed in the most significant way and that was by starting us off with this new partnership. Now we can speak with one voice, from an economic development standpoint, for both the city and the county. That’s extremely important. I think as we go into legislative activities, we clearly need some additional assistance for startup businesses, our entrepreneurs. The regional entrepreneurship plan laid out a goal of $100 million for what we need in capital, for investment and support for an entrepreneur support organization. That will mostly be private funds, but I think there is a place at the table for some public investment.

When we did our regional

Development Center, Better Family Life Cultural Education and Business Center and East St. Louis Monitor

Featured entertainment will be provided by the Jazz Edge Orchestra; the Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club Urban Youth Music Program; and soloist Angel Riley, who

Richard Mark, Ameren Illinois

recently performed a Carnegie Hall in New York. The branch president is Stanley Franklin and president emeritus is the Rev. Johnny Scott. Charlotte VM Ottley is the event’s executive producer. “Our commitment is all year,” Franklin said. “Our event celebrates how far we

“This banquet brings pride to us all.” – Richard Mark, president,CEO and chairman of Ameren

have come and reinforces how far we have to go. Your attendance and membership counts!“ Doors open at 4:30 p.m.; dinner begins promptly at 5

or emailing eslnaacp@gmail.com.

Denny Coleman,CEO of the new St.Louis Economic Development Partnership (third from right),with County Executive Charlie A.Dooley and others at the recent Wellston Child Care Center groundbreaking.

entrepreneurship initiative, one of the top 10 priorities that was spelled out clearly is the need for greater inclusion across the whole spectrum of entrepre-

neur development. We had some 40 different organizations participate and across the board, there was common belief that we just aren’t doing enough for minority recruitment into that entrepreneur space. One of the top10 priorities was to be a more inclusive in terms getting more minority entrepreneurs into the

tech, bio sciences and other top-growing fields we have here.

Cultivate

stylist

Anjanette Blaylock and stylist/ owner Lana Coleman Bibb

No more ‘Nappy’

Salon name change embodies direction of natural hair movement

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“It’s about cultivating an experience like no other,” Lana Coleman Bibb said about her salon over the summer. She was in the process of transitioning out of the name The Nappy Kitchen. At the time, she had no clue what the new name would be.

Bibb had no idea how close to her new name she had actually come in talking about “cultivating.”

Three months later – as the salon stands on the cusp of its third anniversary in November– the shop that sits right next to Sweetie Pie’s on the Mangrove strip is now known as

Jazzing the spirit

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“My hope was to be comprehensive and to pay respect to the natural touch points between all of these Western spiritual traditions and jazz,” said Wynton Marsalis, managing and artistic director for Jazz at Lincoln Center. “Because our music comes out of the church.”

Along with his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, renowned choir director Damien Sneed and the 70-piece Chorale Le Chateau, Marsalis will present Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration Friday, October 18 at The Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Jazz St. Louis will welcome the show here as it hits the road throughout the month of October. Marsalis was eager to point out that St. Louis’ own David Steward helped make the entire national venture possible by way of the Steward Family Foundation.

“I knew he was a man of faith,” Marsalis said of Steward. “His generosity has made it possible for us to go out there, and it makes us proud to have an African-American sponsor for something of this magnitude.”

The Steward Family Foundation shares lead sponsorship recognition along with Ray and Barbara Dalio, with additional support provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

“The Steward Family Foundation and World Wide Technology are proud to support Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration and Wynton Marsalis’ efforts to bring the rich history of gospel and jazz to a wider audience across the United States, including young people and underserved communities,” David Steward said.

Cultivate.

“Natural hair is really a process, and we really tried to think about a name that captured all of that,” said Cultivate co-owner Kyle Coleman. “And we said, ‘Our people cultivate our hair.’”

The real motive was to ditch “Nappy.”

“The name change was pretty much around the divisiveness that ‘Nappy Kitchen’ brings to the table,” Coleman said. “For some people ‘nappy’ is an endearing term – but others find the word offensive. So we didn’t want to be part of the conversation where we are pulling people in different places.”

n “The piece is trying to convey the range that’s possible within the music of worship.” – Wynton Marsalis

Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration employs different aspects of African-American music to evoke the emotional states one experiences in worship.

“Some pieces are very meditative and introspective. Others are extremely joyful and celebratory,” Marsalis said. “The piece is trying to convey the range that’s possible within the music of worship.”

Marsalis was commissioned by the legendary Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the church back in 2008.

“My intention was to come up with something sophisticated, with a deep emotional value and with the words basic enough to understand,” Marsalis said.

“Because the point of Mass is to show that everyone has a place in the house of God. I was trying to be true to the Mass and also have it be entertaining – something that has such a range of

The Rep brings acclaimed Tuskegee Airmen play to the stage

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“The enemy wasn’t just overseas,” said playwright and director Ricardo Khan. “The American people – who didn’t believe black people could fly airplanes simply because they were black – was the enemy too.”

Through his play Fly, co-written with Trey Ellis, Khan will bring the complex yet uplifting story of the Tuskegee Airmen to The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis main stage next week.

n “Anybody who limits our reach is our enemy –including ourselves.”

– Ricardo Khan

“And that’s our enemy now: anybody who doesn’t think that we can fly – in whatever way you take flying to be,” Khan said. “Anybody who limits our reach is our enemy –including ourselves.”

There were inherent obstacles in bringing the experience of the Tuskegee Airmen to the stage.

“They were in the Army, so there were so many emotions that they could not show,” Khan said. “They were black, and there were so many frustrations that they could not let out because they knew they were representing their entire race.”

The question was how to dramatize these feelings and emotions that the Airmen were not allowed to express. The answer was The Tap

Christopher Edwards and Caleb Edwards flew in from Virginia Beach. Sarah also brought along

mother-inlaw Brenda

A few of Gateway Classic honoree Ida Goodwin Woolfolk’s excited family members: niece Candace Creath, nephew Christopher Creath, daughter Sarah Woolfolk-Edwards and grandson Caleb Edwards.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Dana G. Randolph

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis will present “Fly” October 16 – November 10 at the Loretto-Hilton Center.

In the title role, Academy-Award winning actor Tom Hanks brings star power to the harrowing true story of an American ship invaded by Somali pirates. But it is the group of actors unknown to American audiences who set the tone and create a captivating authenticity for the highly anticipated film.

Photo by Frank Stewart for Jazz at Lincoln Center

How to place a calendar listing

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

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

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

concerts

Thur., Oct. 10, 9 p.m., WuTang Clan’s Raekwon Performing Live. The Coliseum, 2619 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 531-2920 or (314) 287-2656.

Fri., Oct. 11, Michel’le live at the Coliseum. Everyone free before 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.michellestl.eventbrite.co

m

Through Oct. 12, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m., Jazz St. Louis presents Lou Donaldson Quartet. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

Sun., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., Café Soul welcomes Raheem DeVaughn to The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com

Fri., Oct. 18, 8 p.m.,The Sheldon Concert Hall presents Puerto Rican trombonist and band leader William Cepeda. This promises a mix of jazz and folkloric music with a hot Puerto Rican band and dancers! 3648 Washington Blvd, 63108. For more information, visit www.sheldonconcerthall.org or call (314) 533-

9900.

Fri., Oct. 18, 8 p.m., Jazz St. Louis presents Abyssinian: AGospel Celebration feat. the Jazz at Lincoln CenterOrchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Chorale Le Chateau. Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL, 1 University Blvd., 63121.For more information, call (314) 516-4949 or visit www.touhill.org.

Sat., Oct. 19, 8 p.m., Tommie Reno presents One Night with Alexander O’Neal & Cherelle. With special guests Coleman Hughes Project feat. Adrianne Felton. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, call (314) 8699090 or visit www.vitalculture.com.

Sun., Oct. 20, 5 p.m., The Royal Vagabonds Foundation, Inc. presents St. Louis’Own Cheryl Brown Proceeds benefit Royal Vagabonds Scholarship Fund. Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 488-4769 or (314) 8823419.

Oct. 23 – 26, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m., Jazz St. Louis presents ANight in Treme feat. The Donald Harrison Quintet

CALENDAR

Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

Wed., Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m., Childcare Worldwide presents The Ugandan Orphans Choir. Come experience the music and dance of Africa! First Baptist Church of Chesterfield, 17103 Wild Horse Creek Rd., 63005. For more information, visit www.firstbcc.org.s

Wed., Oct. 30th, 8 p.m., SHEMEKIACOPELAND: Part of The Listening Room Series. Old Rock House, 200 S 7th St., 63104. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

local gigs

Fridays through December, 8 p.m., The Precinct presents R&B Saxophonist Tim Cunningham. 1900 Locust Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 588-8899 or visit www.timcunningham.com.

Sun., Oct. 20, 5 p.m., The Royal Vagabonds Foundation, Inc. presents St. Louis’Own Cheryl Brown Proceeds benefit Royal Vagabonds Scholarship Fund. Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 488-4769 or (314) 882-3419.

Michel’le live at the Coliseum See CONCERTS for more information.

special events

Oct. 13, 11 a.m., Southern Mission Baptist Church (SMBC) 5th Annual Classic CarShow. 1800 Oak Tree St., St. Peters, MO. For more information, call (314) 5213951.

Sun., Oct. 20, 6 p.m., Pretty In Pink Fashion ShowGala with a Taste of Elegance featuring a unique line of African garments and & The Great Gasby Fashion Showcase, The Jewel Box in Forest Park. Pink and Black attire preferred. For tickets or more information, call (314) 537-0239.

Oct. 12 – 13, 11 a.m., St. Louis Kids Expo. Events and activities include, free bike helmets, pony rides, fitness demonstrations, and more. North County Recreation Center, 2577 Redman Rd., 63136. For more information, call (314) 995-8625 or visit www.stlkidsexpo.com.

Sat., Oct. 12, 12 p.m., Artica 2013. An outdoor, multi-disciplinary, participatory arts festival and parade that brings the whole world together in a celebration of creative expression. Artists, musicians, poets, performers and creative citizens are invited to participate. Artica festival grounds, 1321 Lewis St., 63102. Ifyou have a creative project and would like to be included in the scheduling please contact Hap

at articafest@gmail.com.

Oct. 17 – 20, The Scott Trade Center presents Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. 1401 Clark Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 622-5435 or visit www.scottradecenter.com.

Sat., Oct. 19, 6 p.m., 2013 Epsilon Lambda Charitable Foundation Black & Gold Scholarship Ball. The mission of the Epsilon Lambda Charitable Foundation is to promote and uplift the education of youth and the advancement of community. Crowne Plaza Hotel Airport, 11228 Lone Eagle Dr., 63044. For more information, call (314) 531-0051.

Sat., Oct. 19, 9:30 a.m., The Professional Organization of Women Scholarship Breakfast In honorof Frankie Muse Freeman. This year P.O.W. will award four non-traditional female undergraduate students with a $5,000 scholarship and laptop. Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel, 800 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, call (314) 963-5287 or visit www.powincstl.org.

Sun., Oct. 20, 4:30 p.m., The East St. Louis Branch of the NAACP presents 59th Annual Freedom Fund Awards Banquet: Game Changers. Renaissance Grand Downtown St. Louis, 800 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, call (618) 271-4698 or email eslnaacp@eslnaacp.org.

Sat., Oct. 19, 6:30 p.m., Patty Long’s RiverBottom Saloon presents Sixth AnnualGuess the Grape. Dinner party will help support programs and services of St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired.Exceptional evening of great wines, a gourmet meal, luscious desserts, and an exciting auction. 12 Sidney St., 63104. For more information, visit www.slsbvi.org or call (314) 968-9000.

Sun., Oct. 20, 11 a.m., 2013 Harvest Festival. Celebrate the best autumn has to offer: delicious eats from St. Louis area restaurants, a farmers’ market featuring fresh local produce, arts and craft wares, family activities, and more. Laumeier Sculpture Park, 12580 Rott Rd., 63127. For more information, call (314) 615-5278 or visit www.laumeier.org.

Sun., Oct. 20, 4 p.m., Entertaining Around Heaven

All Day. This is the 4th Jazz Heaven Series. Aseries filled with music, songs and poetic artistry to highlight the lives of some of the most legendary vocalists, musicians, artists on whose shoulders we still stand. Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Etta James, Charlie Parker, Phyllis Hyman, Lou Rawls just to name a few. Ethical Society, 9001 Clayton Rd., 63117. For more information, call (314) 534-1111 or visit http://www.wendylgordonsings.com.

Sun., Oct. 20, 4:30 p.m., The East St. Louis Branch of the NAACP presents 59th Annual Freedom Fund Awards Banquet: Game Changers. Renaissance Grand Downtown St. Louis, 800 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, call (618) 271-4698 or email eslnaacp@eslnaacp.org.

Fri., Oct. 25, 8 p.m., The Sheldon Concert Hall presents ArtSounds: Divas and Designers. Featuring vocal divas Erin Bode and Coco Soul and a high-end fashion show by Neiman Marcus and Distinctions. The evening benefits the exhibitions and education programs of the Sheldon Art Galleries. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 533-9900.

Oct. 26 – 27, WOWNational OutdoorRecreation & Conversation School presents Exploring, Discovering, Learning. Discover how much fun the great outdoors can be at an overnight camping experiencing. Activities include fishing, archery, rocking climbing, and more. Also, experience the outdoors during an overnight campout. Registration is required and the deadline is October 11. Forest Park. For more information, call 1-800-334-6946.

Oct. 26, 11 a.m., Natural HairExpo, 4227 Race Course Ave, St. Louis, MO. 63110. Light refreshments, prizes, raffles, products, facials, jewelry. For tickets call 314-566-9401

Sat., Oct. 26, 6 p.m., 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis presents Annual Gala 30 Years and Still in the Spirit with Carol Daniel as Mistress of Ceremonies. The Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch, 315 Chestnut St., 63102. For more information, call (314) 367-7778 or visit www.100blackmenstl.com.

Sat., Oct. 26, 8 p.m., 13 Black Katz presents Sin

Masquerade City. Costume contest with $1,000 prize for best male and female. Ritz Carlton St. Louis, 100 Carondelet Plaza, 63105. For more information, call (314) 477-4249 or visit www.13blackkatz.com.

literary

Sat., Oct. 12, 11 a.m., St. Louis Public Library hosts author Michele Bonnell author of Tunnels, Cappuccino, and a Heist. Carondelet Branch, 6800 Michigan Ave., 63111. For more information, call (314) 206-6779 or visit www.slpl.org.

Tues., Oct. 15, 6 p.m. EBR Writers Club Presents 23rd Annual ‘Break Word with the World’(forTrayvon), A Multi-arts Focus on Poetic & Social Justice, Room 2083, Building B, of the SIUE-East St. Louis Higher Education Center, 601 J. R. Thompson Drive.

Wed., Oct. 16, 6 p.m., St. Louis Public Library hosts author Ifeoma Onyefulu author of Ais for Africa and One Big Family: Sharing Life in an African Village Oneyfulu will discuss these books and others. Her highly acclaimed children’s books celebrate Africa’s traditional village life and thriving urban culture. Carpenter Branch, 3309 S. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 206-6779 or visit www.slpl.org.

Thur., Oct. 17, 6 p.m.,St. Louis Public Library and Left Bank Books host author John Bemelmans Marciano, author of Madeline and the Old House in Paris. Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 206-6779 or visit www.slpl.org.

theatre

Through Oct. 20, The Fox presents Evita. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s

Tony Award®-winning musical returns. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 534-1678.

Oct. 25 – 26, 7 & 9 p.m., COCA presents The Turn of the Screw. Recommended for teens and adults. 524 Trinity Avenue, 63130. For more information, call (314) 7256555 or visit www.cocastl.org

Fri., Oct. 25, 7 p.m. (6 p.m. doors), Gifted Productions presents “Tell Them Today,” free admission, Friendly Temple M.B. Church, 5515 Dr. MLK Drive. For more information, call314-352-4857.

Nov. 19 – Dec. 1, The Fox Theater presents SisterAct. 527 N Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1678.

arts

Sat., Oct. 12, 12:00 p.m., Art on the Town. Annual gathering of St. Louisartists, performers and musicians. Experience the talent of over 100 artists and performers, stroll through charming local shops and galleries and enjoy a closing concert at 5pm with The Reserve – featuring Javier Mendoza.Gallery crawl begins at 6:30. Allen Ave., 63119. For more information, call (314) 968-6500.

Fri., Oct. 18, 8:30 a.m., The St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum presents Breakfast with the Curators. Guests can learn more about the works on view and talk directly with the curators. 3750 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.camstl.org.

lectures

Sat., Oct. 12, The New African Paradigm Study Group welcomes Dr. Mwalimu Baruti to lecture on “Message to the Warriors” at Better Family Life, 5415 Page Blvd at 4:00p.m. on October 12, 2013. Meet and

Happy Guitar Music & Arts Foundation inaugural benefit concert featuring Gregg “Happy Guitar”Haynes.See SPIRITUAL for details.

Greet at Afroworld, from 121:30p.m. Tickets available at Afro World, Sabayet, Inc., and Napps. Contact James Steward at (618) 977-8191 or Greg Harris at (314) 877-9252 for more information.

Sat., Oct. 12 & 19, 9 a.m., High CaliberFirearms Training LLC presents Concealed Carry Training. Training for concealed carry permit in Missouri and 38 other states. Machinist Hall, 12365 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63044. For more information, call (314) 971-9737 or visit www.highcaliber.us.

Mon., Oct. 21, 6:00 p.m., MetroLinks 20th Anniversary Celebration. Citizens for Modern Transit will lead a discussion about Metro Services in the region. Join and learn about how St. Louis is Moving Transit Forward. Forest Park Visitor Center,5595 Grand Drive in Forest Park, 63112. Register

by calling(314) 862-4859 ext. 24.

Thur., Oct. 24, 5:30 p.m., Fontbonne University presents Graduate Studies Preview Night. Learn about financial aid, admissions, and career services. 6800 Wydown Blvd., 63105. For more information, visit www.fontbonne.edu/stla

health

Oct. 11, 6:30 p.m., Sounds Of Unlimited Love Ministry presentsFrom “Bach to Gospel” RECITALBENEFIT Fundraiser To Stop Diabetes, Emerson Performance Center, Harris-Stowe University.

Sat., Oct. 12, 9 a.m., St. Louis Health Equipment Lending Program presents Medical Equipment Donation Drive. Medical equipment donation drive at 12 area-wide Walgreens. For more

information, call (314) 5674700 or visit www.stlhelp.org for Walgreens locations.

Thur., Oct. 17, SSM Breast Care Free Clinical Breast Exams. Breast care exams, mammograms and breast care education for women 40 and older with no insurance or insurance that does not pay for mammograms and haven’t had a mammogram in 13 months. SSM Breast Care at St. Mary’s, 1031 Bellevue Ave., 63117. For more information, call (314) 768-8697 or visit www.ssmhealth.com/stmarys.

Monday – Thursday, 9 – 12 a.m. & 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., Free Confidential HIVTesting. Results are available in 20 minutes. No appointments necessary. Anyone testing positive will be linked with quality HIVmedical care and there is assistance available for those who are uninsured. Washington University Infectious Disease Clinic, 4570

Childrens Place, 63110. For more information, call (314) 747-1237 or (314) 747-1237.

Sat., Oct. 19, 12 p.m.,Sistahs of Soul & Sassy Sistahs presents: Lets Slide ForACure. Proceeds to help fight cancer. Come line dance to some of your favorite slides. Food will be provided. Some proceeds will be donated to the Children’s Cancer Society and the Breakfast Club. Legacy Books & Café,5249 Delmar Blvd., 63018. To purchase tickets or for more information, call (314) 403-2156 or vist www.slideforthecure. eventbrite.com.

Fri., Oct. 11 – Sun., Oct. 13, Barak Christian Church Singles Empowerment Ministry Presents: Restoration Retreat and Conference. Theme: “Lord Restore My Soul,” Guest Speakers include: Prophetess Sandra D. Bates and Dr. Craig Cobb. 7370 North Hanley Road, Hazelwood, MO 63042. For more information please contact Min. Sharon Parker at 314-517-1117 (cell) or email sharon@mldcoachingservice. com

Oct. 18, 7 p.m., Happy GuitarMusic & Arts Foundation inaugural benefit concert featuringGregg “Happy Guitar” Haynes, featuring his 10 piece band, the area’s finest musicians & vocalists The Special Guest will be Saxophonist, Merlon Devine of Washington D.C. West Side Missionary Baptist Church, located at 4675 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO. Sat., Oct. 19, (Nov. 16 & Dec. 21) 1:30 p.m., “Flying High in the Friendly Sky: Is there an Addict Hiding in you?” An interactive Workshop discussing the problem of addictions in the church, the workplace and schools. Facilitated by Alfred T. Long, Sr. St. Louis County Library –Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd. Florissant, Missouri 63031.

JAZZ

Continued from C1

things that someone could sit down for two hours and be nourished and entertained.”

The end result has traveled far beyond the walls of the church for which it was created. This production is the largest tour undertaking since Marsalis helped found what would evolve into Jazz at Lincoln Center more than 25 years ago. An educational component – including vocal workshops by artist and educator Karla Scott – is also an integral element of the 16-city tour.

“It’s something that you have to experience,” Marsalis said.

Four shows into the tour, Marsalis said, the reception has been good and people have been moved by it.

“People are leaving uplifted, and that’s what I want them to experience most from this piece,” Marsalis said. “I mainly want them to walk away feeling like we are all out here together and there is a oneness to our experience on earth as human beings – and see the beauty of the spiritual aspect of that.” Jazz St. Louis will present

FLY

Continued from C1

Griot, a character who dances through the pain hidden in the Airmen’s heroism.

Fly explores the racism the Airmen faced even before they flew over enemy soil.

“We told the Alabama part of the story first because when they went to train there in Tuskegee, Alabama, racial tension existed and pressure existed,” Khan said. “They had to face racial intolerance on U.S. soil. In the course of fighting, they had to overcome the fact that white bomber pilots did not trust them simply because they were black.” Khan and Crossroads Theatre – an AfricanAmerican troupe out of New Brunswick, N.J. he co-founded more than 30 years ago – were initially commissioned by New York’s Lincoln Center of The Performing Arts to produce a play about the Tuskegee

SALON

Continued from C1

While the name is new, the service is still the same. And a first visit to Cultivate is more of an exchange between the client and stylist than services rendered.

“It’s just like you would go into your first appointment visit at a doctor’s office,” Bibb said. They refer to the session as a consultation, but guests are actually extensively interviewed about their hair.

Bibb observes the texture while giving an initial “hair diagnostic” as the guest is asked about how their hair responds to heat, their regular styling routine and their hair health history, including chemical processes, dyes and damage.

“We also educate them on their hair, what their hair type is and what they should or shouldn’t be doing to the hair –from products to styling,” Bibb said.

With 23 years in the cosmetology field, Bibb has seen the negative effects of over-processing and applying harmful products.

“I noticed that my natural clients had hair that was growing a lot more and they had more body. They didn’t have a lot of flaking, scabbing, dryness or breakage my clients with relaxers were regularly experiencing,” Bibb said.

“People think that natural hair has limitations, but as a professional I see you have a lot more choices and you don’t have to deal with the effects of what you are doing to achieve a certain style – which is actually traumatizing your hair.”

What she loves most about what she’s doing at Cultivate is the educational component.

“We have a lot of Caucasian parents who adopt AfricanAmerican children who come into the salon and don’t know what to do with their children’s hair,” Bibb said.

“It is such a wonderful feeling to teach them what to do, from shampooing to product usage and the right

type of combs for their children’s hair. It is just a joy to see their face and the children’s faces when they breathe that sigh of relief and say, ‘Finally someone who is showing us how to do this.’”

The most important advice she offers the “naturalistas” is a simple, three-prong red alert: “No sulfate in the shampoo, no silicone in the conditioner and all-natural hair oil, without the alcohol and coloring in it,” Bibb said.

In addition to staffing stylists, Cultivate also sells products in the store and provides aesthetician services, such as waxing and makeup application. Bibb said, “We want women to come away with the understanding that you have to try different things to achieve what fits you as a natural woman.”

Cultivate Salon is located at 1110 Tower Grove Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. For more information, visit www. cultivatesalon.com or call (314) 535-1811.

“Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration” feat. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Chorale Le Chateau 8 p.m. Friday, October 18 at The Blanche

M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus. For more information, call (314) 516-4949 or visit www. touhill.org.

Airmen for the stage as a teaching piece.

“I don’t know how old I was when I learned of them, but I was certainly an adult and I didn’t know about the Tuskegee Airmen,” Khan said. “And when I learned about it, that was a huge education for me.”

Khan wrote the play with Trey Ellis, and the initial goal was to reach as well as teach young people.

“As I conceived the play, I wanted it to be as exciting and visually stimulating as any video game would be – as any action movie would be,” Khan said. “I didn’t want young people to be like, ‘Oh my God, I’m coming to theatre.’ I wanted to turn young people on.”

It ended up resonating with many people.

“This is a story of all people – not just black people – overcoming the worst parts of our history,” Khan said. “These men and women were not saying, ‘We’re black, give us a break.’ They were saying, ‘We are great, and we are going up there and we are

going to prove our greatness.’

And they did.”

Fly was then expanded from a 55-minute education piece to a full-length play and presented on the Crossroads Theatre stage in 2009. “‘Fly’ blew me away,” New York Times theatre critic Anita Gates wrote of the theatre company’s premiere.

“There is something in us all that, in our own way, wants to fly,” Khan said.

“What connects everybody in the audience with the play is I think Fly says we can.”

Khan is also directing The Rep’s production of Fly which stars Greg Brostrom, Eddie R. Brown III, Will Cobbs, Cary Donaldson, Omar Edwards, David Pegram, Timothy Sekk and Terrell Donnell Sledge.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis will present “Fly” October 16 – November 10 at the Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves. For tickets, show times and additional information, visit www.repstl.org or call (314) 968-4925.

POTPOURRI

Continued from C1

The Game last year, and this is it. Tia is a new wife and stepmom to three charming children, Sydney Park, Damarr Calhoun and Tylen Williams (younger brother of Tyler James Williams – Everybody Hates Chris). Tylen’s resemblance to brother Tyler is uncanny! Sheryl Lee

www.stlamerican.com

Ralph has been cast as Tia’s mother. Michael Boatman is her adoring husband. The show airs on Sunday nights at 7:30 p.m. So far, so funny! Jimmie Williams owner/founder of Estel Foods, Inc., a McDonald’s franchise) –- is the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year.

Mr. Williams’s award will be presented at the Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon). This year’s annual business achievement recognition event will be sponsored by David Steward’s World Wide Technology, Inc. and held at the Ritz-Carlton in Clayton. Mark your calendars now for November 14 starting at 11 a.m. Call Kate Daniel or Robin Britt at 314-533-8000 to reserve your corporate table now.

Hometown celebrity Nelly is just back from a three-city tour in England, where he and his crew toured and performed with his pal and co-star Robin Thicke in Liverpool. The group also visited and did press in London and Manchester, England. Nelly and The St. Lunatics are thrilled with the response to his recently released CD M.O. The group is also looking forward to the season two premier of BET’s Real Househusbands of Hollywood featuring Nelly and a cast of comics. This spoof on

reality shows is hilarious. Can’t wait until October 15! October 22 is the date slated for the First Annual Power of Women Olympic Gold Gala The gala to benefit the Jackie Joyner- Kersee Center in East St. Louis will be held in the ballroom of the Ballpark Hilton Hotel in St. Louis. The center founded by Olympic Gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is dear to the Olympian’s heart and one of the many ways she gives back to her community. Jackie’s vision is to expand the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center; the upcoming gala is a step towards realizing her dreams. The evening will showcase a bevy of celebrity endorsements, a live and silent auction and photo opportunities for sponsors and VIP guests. Entertainment, great food and exciting company will abound. For additional information please contact Meg Gallagher of Peabody Energy at 314-3427963. Ronald and Linda BakerRoby traveled to Arizona last month with sons Gared and George. The family and spent time at the posh Phoenician resort in Scottsdale. The boys had a wonderful time on their educational day trip to Sedona. Count it all joy! Dana Grace: dgrandolph@ live.com; @dgrandolph on Twitter.

Jazz St. Louis will present “Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration” featuring The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Chorale Le Chateau 8 p.m. Friday, October 18 at The Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Photo by Frank Stewart for Jazz at Lincoln Center

Gared, Ronald, George and Linda Baker Roby in Sedona, AZ.

Four little boys

Last month there was lots of righteous reminiscing about the tragedy of four little girls killed in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. In 1963, the Ku Klux Klan had no problem in ratcheting up their racist attacks to stop de-segregation by targeting the hallowed ground of black worship. The KKK did so with callous disregard for the obvious human collateral.

There are four little boys who are a part of my life’s struggle and my motivation for making this a better place to live, play and grow for our society’s most vulnerable citizens. I share their tragic stories.

On October 10, Christian Ferguson would have been 20 years old. Ten years ago Christian was in his father’s SUV when it was allegedly stolen (with keys in the ignition) while he was using a pay phone. Christian was severely disabled and suffered from a rare genetic disorder that required a special low-protein diet, plus a bevy of daily medications, to keep him alive. The SUV was found a few hours later with the keys still in the ignition and valuables like a laptop, two cellphones and other electronics still in the vehicle. The only valuable missing was Christian.

The late Marie Fowler was head of the West End Community Conference at the time and was instrumental in establishing a memorial to Rodney’s memory.

George Junious Stinney Jr. holds a unique but horrific place in U.S. history: At 14 years old, he was the youngest American to be executed on death row. In 1944 George was accused of killing two white girls in a small South Carolina town. Under the threat of death, the family fled in the dark of night with nothing but the clothes on their backs. George was summarily charged, convicted by an all-white jury in 10 minutes and electrocuted, all in less than three months. George basically had to endure his ordeal, including the execution, alone. At 90 pounds and standing at about five feet, the electric chair and its head contraption was a challenging fit for him. After the first 2,400 volts hit him, the face mask containing electrodes connected to his head fell off, revealing a convulsing, teary-eyed child. The next two surges brought his young heart to a halt.

The last child is literally a baby whom I call

According to news reports, the father refused to cooperate with the investigation and hired his own investigator. Christian’s mother, Theda Wilson, started a foundation, Looking for an Angel, to continue search efforts. She refuses to give up hope and neither should we. Rodney McAllister Jr. could produce a big grin at any given time despite his troubles at home. His untimely death came on the evening of March 5, 2001 when he was 10 years old, and immediately the story went national. He was attacked by wild dogs in Ivory Perry Park. His terrified screams were heard by neighbors, but none were concerned enough to come outside and see what was happening. Rodney’s body was found the next day, his clothes strewn throughout the park.

“Baby X.” He’s a toddler still wearing diapers visible from his partially snapped pants. He is center stage in a troubling photograph that was published in a local newspaper in 1996. Baby X is flanked by black males whose arms are only visible holding handguns. Baby X is doing his best to hold onto a weapon put into his little hands by irresponsible adults. The look on his face is not one of joy or happiness. I often wonder if he is dead, in prison or able to survive his circumstances to have a promising future.

A community pledge was recited in unison at McAllister Jr.’s memorial. It reads in part:

“We here promise to ourselves and pledge to our neighbors all, that we renew our sense of responsibility to each other, and to our children. We promise when we look at you, we will see you, we will listen when you speak until we truly hear you, and our arms will be outstretched to help you, on your way to peace and love.”

GRASSROOTS at the GATEWAY

Clarence Lang explores the year 1968 through escalating civil rights activism internationally, nationally, and in St. Louis. he lecture, based on his book Grassroots at the Gateway, * focuses on organizations like the Action Commitee to Improve Opportunities for Negroes (ACTION) and the Black Liberators.

Jamala Rogers

~ CELEBRATIONS ~

Anniversaries

lifetime of love.

Reunions

Beaumont High School class of 1969 is preparing for its 45th reunion in 2014. Contact info LaDonne Felton at beaumontclassof1969@yahoo.com for more information.

Beaumont High School Class of 1984 is holding meetings to plan its 30 year class reunion. For information contact Rochelle Williams 314 6808404 or leave a message in the class email at beaumont_1984@yahoo.com.

Lynn-Haven Block Unit 1113F celebrates its 25th year on Friday, October 11 at Charlatte Hall, 8707 Riverview, at 6 pm.

SumnerAlumni Association AnnualMaroon & White Homecoming Week Oct. 1419, 2013. Bowling Party Mon., Oct. 14, 7pm at North Oaks Bowling Alley$10 w/Bowling

Birthdays

OscarSmith Jr. will celebrate his 80th birthday on October 11. He is a proud husband married for 58 years, proud parent of seven daughters, three sons, seventeen grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He loves watching wrestling.

Shoes.Family Skate Party

Tues.,7pmat Skate King $6 Adv/Door.Alumni Happy Hour Wed.,at Deja Vu’II Café 6pm (no cover charge). AlumniBasketball Games Thurs. atVashon6pm $5 Adv or $7/$3 Door.Alumni Dance Fri., 8pm at the Machinist Hall $15 Adv/$20 Door (Vendors $50/request application).

Sumner’s Homecoming Parade Sat. 10am (Cars, floats, SUV’s, Marching Bands, etc.; request application), Tailgate Party at noon,Sumner vs. Vashon Football Game 1:30pm at Sumner’s Tuskegee Airmen Field.Alumni contact Michelle Elgin 314.452.1275 orSheila Goodwin SHS

5th

314.371.1048 or email: sumneralumniassn@yahoo.com.

SumnerClass Of 1974 has started planning its 40th class reunion. Meetings are held each 3rd Saturday of the month from 2-4 p.m. atNew Beginnings Missionary Baptist Church, 4055 Edmundson Rd. 63134. Please contact Marsha D. Roberts-Moore at sumnerclassof1974@yahoo.com 314367-3159 or Joyce BushCruesoe at cruesoe2195@att.net or 314484-1552.

SumnerClass of 1979 is looking for classmates to participate in activities leading up to its 35th Class Reunion, June 20-22, 2014 in Lake of the Ozarks, MO.Please forward contact information to sumner1979@ymail.com or call Sara at 314-482-1558.Various activities are planned and we want as many classmates as possible to participate.

2013 Soldan Homecoming is Saturday October 26, 2013 at 1 p.m.Come out and support the football tigers to a win as they play Sumner.

Vashon vs. Sumner4th Annual Alumni Hoopfest

Happy Birthday to PiperNoel Fanegan on October 12. Nana loves you very much!

FREE OF CHARGE

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

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

(Basketball Game), Thursday October 17, 2013 at Vashon High School. $7/door, High School Students $3 /ID, Kids 12 and under free.1st game at 6 pm: Classes 1991 and over (Co-Ed). 2nd game: Classes 1990 and under (Males). Contact Brenda Hayes (Vashon Alumni) or Eric Oliver (Sumner Alumni) for $5 tickets.

WebsterUniversityBlack Students Association (BSA)

Class of 1974-1987 Reunion 2013 will celebrate the first Shirley Bradley LeFlore Scholarship on Saturday, October 19, 2013 at 7 p.m. at theHiltonGardenInnSt Louis Airport.Join us in honoring a living legend and making a difference for an AfricanAmerican college student down to the penny.For more information contact Ro’Bin at (205) 480-3654 or email robinwmorton@gmail.com.

Mr. David & Dr. Annette Roberts celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary on September 25. Congratulations on a

Phyllis and Leroy Jackson will celebrate 54 years of marriage on October 10. They have two children and four grandchildren.

Happy

Birthday to Delali Maxine Suggs Akaffu on October 7!

Happy 3rd Birthday to KyRon R. Jones on October 14!

Religious leaders – or entertainers?

Are African-American clergy doing enough?

By Bernie Hayes For The St. Louis American

Has the African-American Christian church lost its influence? Has it become weaker? Do some pastors spend too much time hiding in their churches?

These are questions many people are asking, so it is time to examine and consider the power the black church and the black preacher have had on our lives and history.

I am writing about mostly AfricanAmerican Protestant denominations, including the National Baptist Convention, the National Baptist Convention of America, the Progressive National Convention, the African American Episcopal Church, the African American Episcopal Zion Church, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the Church of God in Christ, and the United Church of Christ.

African-American clerics doing enough?

There are some black preachers on the battlefield daily, fighting for justice and freedom, administering to the masses and overseeing medical aid. But the numbers are too few. We know the few who concern themselves with these topics, but are the masses leaving the work to a dedicated few?

Is your minister or cleric involved? Is he or she marching for liberating causes? Are they urging you to register to vote? Do they have food pantries?

“The black church is the single most important institution in the black community,” writes theologian James Cone. “Beginning in the late 18th century and continuing to the present, it has been the oldest and most independent African-American organization. Its importance is so great that some scholars say that the black church is the black community, with each having no identity apart from the other.”

My question is: are

Nearly every black preacher in America had comments and opinions and even preached sermons regarding the death of Trayvon Martin. But are they addressing a culture of violence or the phenomenon of sagging pants and disrespect to our elders and women? Are they attending and asking their congregations to attend school board meetings? Are they addressing issues concerning black student transfers?

Major media outlets have identified the black church as monolithic and told the world that the symbols of leadership of the black community were the likes of Sweet Daddy Grace, Rev. Ike, Prophet Jones, Father Divine and Mother Divine.

The late Rev. James Bevel – an adviser to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., leader of the “children’s

The late Rev. James Bevel, an adviser to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., referred to preachers like Father Divine (pictured) as “religious entertainers.”

crusade” in Birmingham and one of the founding members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee –was once a frequent visitor to St. Louis. He referred to Sweet Daddy Grace, Rev. Ike, Prophet Jones, Father Divine and Mother Divine as “religious entertainers.”

He suggested also that black preachers of today who preach on Sunday and are invisible the rest of the week are also religious entertainers They are seen and outspoken mainly at conventions, and only to promote their anniversaries and gospel programs at their own houses of worship.

The African-American church has always focused on the message of equality and hopes for a better future. Sermons and lectures by African-American preachers have persistently inspired, educated and excited their congregations through slavery, Jim Crow and the various transformations of racism. That must continue. Today’s

ministers must be strong and continue to lead respectfully and provide the leadership that is essential for a community to survive and flourish.

The preachers from their pulpits must address AIDS/ HIV, teenage pregnancy, sagging pants, murder, education and politics. These are the African roots and the principles of black preaching. Is your pastor ministering? Is he or she involved? Are YOU involved? We all know the clerics who are activists, and we know those who are invisible. It is time for action, not entertainment.

Please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday night at 10 p.m. and Friday Morning at 9 a.m. and Sunday evenings at 5:30 p.m. on KNLC-TV Ch. 24. Follow me on Twitter: @berhay and view my blog at http:// berniehayesunderstands. blogspot.com/. I can be reached by fax at (314) 8373369 or e-mail at: berhay@ swbell.net.

I

This is what happened to the children of Israel. They were distracted from God’s work. Because of the peoples’ disobedience, God allowed the Babylonian nation to conquer Israel and destroy the temple.

While in captivity, Israelites received permission to rebuild the temple. The people were doing good work, but the work stopped. For over 10 years, there was no work being done.

Then the word of the Lord came to Haggai. His message was to stir up the people to complete the work on the temple.

but none of these things satisfies. You work for a paycheck, but where does it go?

“Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste.”

(Haggai 1:9)

Haggai says: Consider your ways. “Ye have sown much and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough, ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink, ye clothe you, but there are none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”

Think about it. You try to satisfy yourself by eating, drinking and buying clothes,

“The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts.” The third prophecy was a question. He asked: If you are holy and touch something, will that thing be holy? NO. If something unclean touches something clean, will it be unclean? YES. So are the people and every work of their hands unclean.

They were clean at one time but by touching the unclean things of the world, they too have become unclean. Sin is catching.

The last prophecy was for consolation: “I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will destroy the strength of the heathen….. for I have chosen thee saith the Lord of hosts.” God would destroy the power of the heathen … and said the reason why He’s taking care of them is because He choose them as his own.

You’ve been distracted long enough. It’s time to get back to work at the church, for the church and in the church. Your call is waiting!

The American is accepting Inspirational Messages from the community. Send your column (no more than 400 words) as a Word document and pasted text to cking@stlamerican.com and attach a photo of yourself as a jpeg ile. Please be patient; we will run columns in the order received.

Marla P. Goodwin

Bernie Hayes

ST. LOUIS A

Authorurges educators to motivate minority students

Baruti Kafele: ‘We need to close the Attitude Gap’

American staff

Baruti Kafele, a best-selling author who calls himself

“America’s Principal” and an advocate for the potential of black and Latino students, recently spoke to a group of Metro East educators at the request of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School.

“Educators must see themselves as the number one determinant to the success or failure of black and Latino students,” said Kafele, author of Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School and in Life anda former New Jersey high school principal.

Kafele held a day-long workshop on the Charter High School teachers’first day of fall orientation. Also invited to the opening session were educators from the SIUE Upward Bound programs, the East St. Louis School District #189 and other area school districts. About 40 individuals were in attendance.

“We were elated to host Principal Kafele,” said Gina Washington, director of the SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School. “His message is encouraging, applicable and invigorating. I saw him at a conference in Philadelphia, and it changed the way I viewed my students.”

Success, according to Kafele, begins with one’s view about black and Latino students. But in considering their gains in the classroom, people will typically mention the “Achievement Gap.”

“I can’t accept the ‘Achievement Gap,’” he said, “because it implies there is something wrong with those on the other side. We need to close the ‘Attitude Gap,’which is the gap between those who have the will to strive for excellence and those who do not.”

The problem, Kafele added, is not about reading, writing and math, particularly in providing support for black male students.

“Aman is someone who has love, respect, appreciation and responsibility for himself,” said the motivational speaker. “They don’t have a reading and writing problem. They have a manhood problem.”

“It’s sad that many young black males don’t see themselves coming from centuries of greatness,” the author said, “because they haven’t been taught their history.” Kafele said he incorporates the richness of black history into shaping and encouraging the young minds of his students. “I have to introduce them to themselves,” he said, “because many of them don’t know where they came from. No one has told them.”

Kafele also said when he was a high school principal, he enlisted men to serve as mentors to high school students.

But at the crux of what Kafele said he is trying to accomplish now, and is traveling from city to city to achieve, is to challenge and “fire up” the way educators think about black and Latino students.

“What’s wrong with these boys?” Kafele asked the crowd. “Nothing. What’s wrong with us?”

“America’s Principal” gave educators three criteria to teach students: a passion for children, a passion for teaching and learning, and a passion for your own personal and professional development

“His perspective on the criteria for effective teaching is an important one to embrace,” saidSIUE School of Education Dean Bette Bergeron. “Educators who are passionate about who and what they teach will give students the motivation to soar and achieve at the highest levels every day.”

After the presentation, Charter High School Language Arts teacher Colin Neumeyer, arrived at an assessment of himself.

“I have established a reputation here at the Charter High School to be all academics and

discipline,” Neumeyer said. “I am sort of the no-nonsense teacher here.

“I want to now build on that foundation, employ Principal Kafele’s message about turning it back onto the students and making them want from themselves what I want from them.

“I am also going to expose the students to the rich AfricanAmerican literary perspective,” Neumeyer continued, “and provide them that part of their identity that Principal Kafele was talking about.”

weary of his lack of direction and ambition. Kafele then went to Kean University in New Jersey, where he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s in management science/marketing.

“We need to close the ‘Attitude Gap,’which is the gap between those who have the will to strive for excellence and those who do not.”

– Baruti Kafele

Kafele’s eventual successes in education did not come easily. The now sought-after speaker and author was a high school dropout. He quit school in the ninth grade, only to go back one year later and graduate with a 1.5 grade point average.

“I had a high school guidance counselor tell me I’d never amount to anything,” Kafele said. “He couldn’t dream of me being successful.”

After graduating from high school, he went back to the streets for five years but grew

He later received a master’s in educational administration from New Jersey City University. It was in college that one professor told Kafele, much to his dismay, that he would be a public speaker.

Another instructor said he was a good writer.

Key to Kafele’s transformation was his study of the life of Malcolm X. Kafele said he named himself and selected “Baruti,” which means teacher in the southern African language of Tswanna.

For more information on Kafele, visit principalkafele.com.

$186K grant for Supported Employment services

The Illinois Department of Human Services has awarded MERS/Goodwill a contract for

$186,500. The contract will provide Supported Employment services for individuals with the most significant disabilities in St. Clair and Madison Counties as well as more rural areas including Monroe, Randolph, Clinton and Jersey Counties.

Effective July 1, the contract is expected to place up to 50 new clients into employment in the next year though MERS/Goodwill’s recently available services such as Supported Employment (SE) assessment, SE job development, SE job coaching and retention support.

“This level of support will allow MERS/Goodwill to reach more severely disabled individuals by providing more in-depth one-on-one assistance, and will grant support to those that have been on a waiting list,” said Ashley Cervantes, Director of MERS/Goodwill of Illinois.

“We hope to serve a new client base that we would not have had the privilege of working with outside of this new contract.”

MERS/Goodwill has an existing agreement with the Illinois Department of Human Services to provide vocational rehabilitation and development services to individuals faced with barriers to finding and retaining employment. The

Baruti Kafele, author of “Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School and in Life,”recently spoke to a group of Metro East educators at the request of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St.Louis Charter High School.

State of Illinois recognized MERS/Goodwill for surpassing the required number of successful client placements through the Vocational Development agreement. This is the second consecutive year they have surpassed contract requirements and were granted an amendment this year for additional funding to reach more individuals in Illinois. In addition to expanding Supported Employment (SE) services in Illinois, MERS/Goodwill will be hiring two full-time SE Employment Specialists, one full-time Employment Specialist and several part-time job coaches to take on new case referrals, effective immediately.

“This is a tremendous milestone for MERS/Goodwill,” said Dr. Lewis Chartock, President and CEO of MERS/Goodwill. “The services our organization will provide through this new contract could not be made possible without the persistence and passion exemplified by our director in Illinois. Ashley is a true leader that embodies the MERS/Goodwill mission.” MERS/Goodwill is a proud member of the United Way. For more information about MERS/Goodwill or to find a Goodwill donation center near you, call 314-241-3464 or visit www.mersgoodwill.org.

Celebrity Swagger Snap of the Week

Legendary Houston rap group the Geto Boys gave a great show Sunday night at the Coliseum and lucky longtime Geto Boys fan Ryan was fortunate to get a photo op with Scarface and Willie D following the show. a

Different day, same jokes. Even though he had me stone faced through every bit of the BET Awards, I decided to still see what Chris Tucker was talking about Saturday night at The Fox Theatre. There wasn’t a whole lot of the show that anybody hadn’t seen before. And if you went to see him in 2011 when he came to the Fox, there was hardly ANYTHING you hadn’t seen before. The show was such a repeat I felt compelled to go through our archives to see if he had even bothered to change his clothes. He did. Luckily for him, though, my expectation level based on his BET Awards bust, so pound for pound I don’t think he was terrible. We already know that he’s obsessed with Michael Jackson, he can barely get a hamburger because the IRS is waiting to swoop down on every penny he earns and that he wasted tens of millions of dollars in his heyday, but that was basically his whole show…again. I still cackled, and I would be lying if I didn’t say I enjoyed him reliving his Michael Jackson experiences before he carried them on for far too long. He looks great though and I like that he’s cleaned up his act a bit. The show deserves a strong language and adult situations label, but it was NOTHING like his Def Jam days. And if he gets some new writers – AND new opening acts he could have a shot at getting back in the standup mix full time.

2 a.m. trap music. Help, so if I never knew that I was “not about that life,” it was proven Friday night – or should I say Saturday morning – when I made my way to the Loft for the 8 Ball & MJG concert. I’ve made no secret over the years that I will travel to the ends of the earth even East St. Louis after dark to see one of my dirty south rap music guilty pleasures. While I didn’t have to travel far this time – I shole (yes, I said “shole”) had to stay up late. The rap duo didn’t take the stage till 2 a.m. Where they do that at? I guess the same place that now has metal detectors at the front door. When did this happen? I’m all for security and safety, but just seeing them killed my vibe and made me think “what kind of environment am I stepping up into.” But back to the show. I was running in and out of that club like a bad kid on summer vacation waiting for them to hit the stage. And when the two finally came out, they had the nerve to jump into “Quit Playing Games” after keeping me waiting all night. I must confess I was more than a bit underwhelmed. I can’t decide if it was the fact that they were rapping along to a track, I had dozed off standing up while waiting for them to hit the stage or I was secretly hoping that in the spirit of the totally 80s 2013 that 8Ball would have his Jeri Curl back in full effect. Either way, I stayed until they got into “You Don’t Want Drama” (which usually starts some) and beat it. I think my twenty year obsession with those two has finally subsided. I guess it’s for the best.

STL had game. I made my way to the only taste of NBA action we’ve had in a minute and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with the whole experience from start to finish. I was expecting for things to be like they were at the St. Charles Arena. The last time I went… me, the players, the mascots and a few folks who got their dates mixed up for a Brooks & Dunn concert had the whole arena to ourselves. But Monday night was a different story. It was a win for our city too as The Grizzlies got slaughtered by the Bulls at the Scottrade Center. We packed out the building and showed the folks that we shouldn’t be slept on if there’s any chance for us to be in the mix for a possible franchise. And was anybody else blown away by how much finer Derrick Rose is in real life?! The only bad things about the night came from Joaquin Noah stealing every bit of my messy high bun greatness as he sat on the sidelines with his brunette locks wisped along his face …and that the vendors sold out of most of the good Bulls merchandise.

Going back with the Geto Boys. Now that I talked about my bad experience with trap music this weekend, I might as well close with one that went without a hitch. I must say I didn’t know what to expect when I made my way to see the Geto Boys at The Coliseum on Sunday. I spent the first part of the show getting my “Where’s Waldo?” on trying to find Bushwick Bill. He tweeted that a show on Friday was his last one with the Geto Boys and he clearly meant it. But the show went on without him – and without a hitch! Y’all are going to be looking at me sideways when I say this, but it was probably among my favorite club experiences from the weekend. St. Louis clearly has love for Scarface and Willie D by the way the crowd showed up on a Sunday night. And based on the gold fronts and horizontal striped body dresses I took note of, a few guests hadn’t been to the club since Geto Boys were actually in style. They were in top form and I got so much life from watching Willie D rapping with ALL. OF.HIS.MIGHT as they took us on a jaunt down trap music memory lanes by some of the first to do it. It was my type of throwback gangsta rap party. The return of Raheem DeVaughn. I’ve had my fill of rap and thanks to the lovely ladies of Café Soul I will get a sip of some sultry R&B when Raheem DeVaughn takes the stage at the Pageant Sunday night. To say that he puts on a show is an understatement and I can’t see what he serves up for his first visit to STL in a few years. I’m sure it will be a treat. Get your tickets to this one! Michel’le in the STL. Speaking of R&B, In case you didn’t get enough of her on R&B Divas: LA, sultry songbird Michel’le and her squeaky speaking voice will be coming to the Coliseum tomorrow night (Friday, Oct. 11) for their Friday R&B night. And I must say that I’m anxious to see what she brings to the stage since the last time she busted out with “The Golden Girls” theme song when the sound man was tripping during her set at the Ambassador when

she came to town.

Whitney, Brittany, Aranna and Danielle were just a few of the beauties in the building for the October installment of 1st Fridays @ EXO

Loni and Mary looking to get some good laughs by way of Chris Tucker Saturday night @ The Fox

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas started there weekend off with Simply Sexy Friday night @ Soho

B-day girl Shimi celebrated with Stacey, Romney, Brandi Satuday night @ The Rustic Goat

Photo by Arlis Davis of 6Iam Photography

STL promoters 2Live Crew celebrated one year in the game of presenting #itsjustdifferent parties across the city

Jessica, Tamika and Beth fit the bill for the Simply Sexy monthly set Friday night @ Soho

Promoter Pillsbury (middle) kicked with dirty south hip-hop trailblazers 8Ball & MJG and SLIM for his birthday Friday night @ The Loft

Crystal and Troy came for their comedy fix courtesy of Chris Tucker Saturday night @ The Fox

Local b-ball legend Darius Miles celebrated his b-day with Memphis Grizzlies star Zach Randolph of the Memphis Grizzles and the Star power team Sunday night @ Lotus

Tee White and Kerry of Hella Fly @ NBA Invasion Sunday night @ Lotus

Photos by Lawrence Bryant