October 20th, 2011 edition

Washington vs. La Russa in World Series

Nixon appoints Judge Draper

Second black ever appointed to Missouri Supreme Court

By Chris King Of The St.Louis

just like the state of Missouri,” said Ronnie L. White, a partner at Holloran, White and Schwarz and the first African American to serve on the court after his appointment by Gov. Mel Carnahan

“Now we can look at the judiciary and see it is racially diverse, just like the state of Missouri.”

– Judge Ronnie L.White

By Rebecca S.Rivas

Harry Johnson Sr.,the St.Louisan who spearheaded the Martin Luther King,Jr.National Memorial project,takes the families of President Barack Obama and Martin Luther King III for a tour of the new monument on the National Mall during the dedication ceremony on Sunday,October 16 in Washington,D.C.

Chaz returns to STLradio

Saunders new midday host for My Foxy 95

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St.Louis American

“When the other station and I parted ways, I took it personally that I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to my listeners,” said local radio icon Chaz Saunders. “But I guess it wasn’t meant for me to say goodbye after all.” It’s been three years since Chaz Saunders signed off of her midday show on Majic 104.9 FM with her trademark “May the windows of heaven open and pour upon you an abundance of blessings.” Starting today (Thursday, Oct. 20) she will be back on the air with Radio One St. Louis as the new voice of midday (9 a.m. – 2 p.m.) for My Foxy 95.5. The station has reunited listeners with Saunders and DJ Kut – who will hit the airwaves in the 6 p.m. slot starting

“If St.Louis loves you, they love you, but it is no faking it with them.”

– Chaz Saunders

Oct. 31.

“I’m excited, it’s surreal and it’s a great thing,” Saunders said. “It’s going to be as though I never left.”

But she did leave. And back in 2008, a universal gasp coupled with outrage was the overwhelming response when after more than 20 years she was no longer on the air.

See CHAZ, A7

Danny Ludeman, president and CEO of Wells Fargo Advisors, said diversity “is integrated into every decision we make at the firm.”

SLPS FOCUSESON EARLYCHILDHOOD

By Rebecca S.Rivas Of The St.Louis American

Froebel Elementary opens new preschool classroom See SLPS, A6

“As a company, this is our focus, early childhood education.These are our future employees and customers.”

– Rick Sems, regional president of PNC Bank

Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post

Photo by Wiley Price

Chaz Saunders

Judge George Draper

Gov.Jay Nixon

Beyonce breaks down her biological clock

In the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar, Beyonce reveals why she waited until 2011 to start a family.

“It was important to me that I gave myself time to focus on becoming the woman I want to be, building my empire, my relationship, and my self-worth, before I became a mother,” Beyonce said. “Now God has blessed us with the ultimate.”I am finally at the stage in my life where I am not so concerned with other people’s opinions about my life decisions. It is so liberating to really know what I want, what truly makes me happy, what I will not tolerate. I have learned that it is no one else’s job to take care of me but me.”

Knowles reportedly couldn’t stop smiling when asked how excited she was to be a grandmother for the second time.

“She’s going to be an awesome mom,” she tells as Life & Style. “I think it will slow her down somewhat, but I think she’ll be the same great person she’s been.”

Will and Jada’s NBA ballin’

Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith are now minority owners of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball franchise. The couple partnered with billionaire Josh Harris on the $280 million deal that has already been approved by the NBA.

“My partners and I are thrilled to have become owners of the Sixers,” Harris said in a statement. “It’s an honor to be part of this storied franchise. We want to build on the team’s momentum and be world class and cutting edge in everything we do.”

T.I. talks life transformation on ‘The View’

peace and freedom after a tumultuous couple of years – including two separate jail stints.

“I’ve accepted in order to have a different result, you have to take a different approach – which is staying clean and sober,” T.I. told Barbara Walters. “I understand why people are so critical of me. But nobody is tougher on me than I am on myself.”

T.I. is already working on two sequels to Power and Beauty and a relationship book with his wife Tiny

Bruno and Rocsi’s Spanish romance

Singer Bruno Mars is said to have found a “beautiful girl” in “106 & Park” co-host Rocsi Diaz. Sources say the “Just the Way You Are” singer has been dating the VJ for a few months, after she caught Mars’ eye when he appeared on “106 & Park” last December.

Mars is currently on tour in Europe and sources said the new couple was spotted shopping in Paris and Milan while celebrating his birthday last week.

Beyonce’s mother says she’s keeping the sex of her soon-to-be-born second grandchild to herself.

“Yeah they know what they’re having,” Tina Knowles told Life & Style. “But I’m not telling!”

T.I. spoke from the heart with the ladies of “The View” yesterday when he stopped by to promote his debut novel Power and Beauty. The conversation shifted to the mistakes he’s made in the past and the changes he’s made to ensure

Soulja Boy says ‘sorry’ Rapper Soulja Boy is apologizing

to his fan base after he was released on bail following his arrest in Georgia on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old – real name DeAndre Cortez Way – was held on suspicion of drug possession after cops stopped and searched the car he was traveling in. The officers allegedly found marijuana, cash and a number of guns inside the vehicle.

According to TMZ, he and the four passengers were booked for marijuana possession and a gun charge. They were later released after posting a $10K bail. Following his release, Soulja Boy took to Twitter to reveal the arrest forced him to miss a number of interviews to promote the DVD release of “Soulja Boy – The Movie.” He also thanked his supporters who waited for him outside the jail.

“Thank you and I’m sorry. Love you forever, seeing your letters and you standing outside that jail made me feel the love,” he tweeted. “My fans r (are) the best… I missed 10 interviews today for my new movie! To those companies I’m

Editorial / CommEntary

MLK and Occupy Wall Street

We do not mean to be facetious about an historic event that should make all Americans proud, but perhaps the indomitable spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had something to do with the postponement of the unveiling of the monument in his honor on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The unveiling had been scheduled for August 28, the 48th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. When an earthquake and Hurricane Irene forced a cancellation, some saw it as symbolic, given the profound suffering of millions of low-income Americans, a disproportionate number of them black, in this lingering recession. Some said too much hard work remained to be done to celebrate a monument to a great man who was killed with an unfinished dream of equality.

In the weeks that organizers – led by two African Americans from St. Louis, Harry Johnson Sr. and Ty Christian – rescheduled this enormously ambitious ceremony, there was change in America. Already by late August, the Occupy Wall Street movement had been discussed by some progressives, provoked by Vancouver-based Adbusters Media Foundation, though there was no action on the streets. But by the time this magnificent, 30-foot-tall monument to Dr. King was unveiled on Sunday, thousands of people had protested business as usual at Wall Street in New York City, and allied protests had flowered in hundreds of cities across the U.S. and around the globe.

For Dr. King, who was murdered when leading a Poor People’s Campaign, perhaps the time had ripened for his likeness to be unveiled and his memory to be revived.

President Obama spoke at the unveiling ceremony, mindful of the continuing need for a Poor People’s Campaign. “Millions are out of work, poverty is on the rise,” Obama said. “There are underfunded schools, constant violence and little hope and few prospects for the future. In too many troubled neighborhoods across the country, the conditions of our poorest citizens appear little changed from what existed 50 year ago. Our work is not done.”

On Sunday, the Rev. Al Sharpton led his Jobs and Justice March on the grounds of the Washington Monument, to coincide with the celebration of the MLK monument. Though the president’s comments on the importance of non-violent struggle was a tacit acknowledgment of the burgeoning Occupy Wall Street movement, Sharpton quoted directly from the movement’s vocabulary, which speaks of a revolution of “the 99 percent” against the “1 percent” that controls much of the wealth.

“We come here today because this country has ignored the plight of the unemployed and the chronically unemployed,” Sharpton said at the Jobs and Justice March. “It is not right that you have 14 million people unemployed and 1 percent of the population owns 30-40 percent of all of the country’s wealth.” While an activist can be expected to quote other activists,

COMMENTARY

Raising Cain

it was remarkable to hear in the remarks of this communityorganizer-turned-president what could be seen as coded words of encouragement for the Occupy Wall Street protestors.

“Change has never been without controversy. Change has never been easy or quick. We must remind ourselves that such progress did not come easily,” Obama said. “It came from the smack of billy clubs, and blasts of fire hoses, the nights of bomb threats. For every victory in the height of the Civil Rights Movement there were setbacks, there were defeats. So on this day when we celebrate a man and a movement that did so much for our country, let us draw strength from those earlier struggles.”

To which people like those who are making their feelings heard in the Occupy Wall Street movement should say, “Yes, sir! And amen.”

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Hope must remain stronger than fear

A little over a year ago, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requested that the Normandy School District consider accepting students from a school district that they had decided simply was not working anymore. The district Board of Directors did not take long to make perhaps what many would argue was the only conscientious decision. In spite of the fact that we were provisionally accredited and obviously struggling, they reasoned that we should accept these very deserving youngsters as our own. They were hopeful that our well-planned efforts to improve the academic performance of our students could be broadened to include a few hundred other youngsters.

In September 2011, DESE determined that Normandy’s progress during the past year was inadequate and further determined that they would allow the district a period of one year to demonstrate improvement. What is at risk, of course, is the school district’s accreditation.

Officials from the state department of education, however, did express confidence in the school district’s leadership, including the school board, as well as community efforts that were structured around improving the school district.

They also believed that plans that were in place and decisions that had been made all pointed strategically in the direction of potential for improvement in the future. Simply stated, they decided that what the district needed was just a little more time.

While the district genuinely appreciates the gesture of support from DESE, we also recognize the gravity and urgency of what we are facing. How do we keep a laser-like focus on our work, keep our students, staff and the community encouraged, and ward off the small band of opportunists who believe that they have something to gain if the district were to fail?

n Our children, whom we love dearly and value highly, deserve the benefit of our best efforts.

Whether we consider someone who may have unsuccessfully attempted to gain acceptance on the board or individuals who otherwise have axes to grind, we cannot dismiss the possibility that this most recent development does provide a seam of opportunity for our detractors. They choose to play upon the fear and uncertainty that dwells deep with most of us. But those of us who understand what is truly at stake cannot allow ourselves to lose hope at such a critical juncture. The future of our students

Letters to the editor

What’s not to like?

Americans recently heard President Barack Obama outline his American Jobs Act to create nearly 2 million new jobs through infrastructure projects and funds to hire construction workers, teachers and first responders. This is welcome news for more than 14 million Americans presently out of full-time work. Obama’s plan also includes incentives for U.S. companies who hire veterans and those unemployed for more than six months.

Shuttlesworth as: “blunt where King was soothing, driven where King was leisurely, and most important, confrontational where King was conciliatory.”

and the school district hang delicately in the balance. Given that, we must remain gallantly optimistic and reinforce our efforts with rigorous and aggressive work around teaching and learning in our classrooms. Above all else, we must find the fortitude and resolve to ignore those who stand on the sidelines throwing rocks. As we do our best to remain focused and hopeful, our thoughts remain fixed very firmly on the reason that we do this work at all. Our children, whom we love dearly and value highly, deserve the benefit of our best efforts. Their prospects for the future are attached firmly to how well we do this work, so we choose to take this very seriously.

Understand that we have “skin in the game” in a huge way that many of the naysayers unfortunately do not. In short, our children attend school in this district. That being the case, we will remain vigilant and hopeful because we simply cannot afford to give in to the lure of fear and pessimism. We understand that Chicken Little’s miserable purpose in life is to convince us that “the sky is falling,” and our role is to prove him wrong.

Yes, we have something to prove, and we will get it done through our collaborative optimism and commitment to the future of our young people and our community. Won’t you join us as we continue on our quest to reach toward the future?

Lawrence is superintendent of Schools of the Normandy School District.

Just be patient and you, too, can lead the polls for the Republican presidential nomination. Witness the ascent of Herman Cain.

Don’t laugh. “There’s a difference between the flavor of the week and Haagen-Dazs Black Walnut, because it tastes good all the time,” Cain told reporters. “Call me Haagen-Dazs Black Walnut.”

All right, go ahead and laugh. Cain will surely respond with what has become his allpurpose retort: “As my grandfather would say, I does not care.” At the moment, though, we don’t have the option of not caring. According to a stunning new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Cain now tops the GOP field with support from 27 percent of Republican primary voters, compared to 23 percent for Mitt Romney and just 16 percent for Rick Perry.

This is Herman Cain we’re talking about. The former pizza executive who has never held public office – and who considers that fact one of his prime qualifications for the highest office in the land. The AfricanAmerican Republican who proudly says he “left the Democrat plantation a long time ago.” The major-party presidential candidate who developed his nonsensical tax reform plan by ignoring all those smarty-pants economists and seeking the advice of a Cleveland accountant.

Such is the state of affairs in the Republican Party these days. With apologies to Mr. Black Walnut, he does seem to be the flavor of the week. There was a time when GOP voters thought Donald Trump might make a dandy opponent for President Obama. Then the focus shifted to Michele Bachmann, who won the Iowa straw poll and saw her national numbers soar. Then Perry entered the race and reigned briefly as front-runner before sabotaging his candidacy by showing up at a debate.

Now, with Cain’s emergence as a top-tier contender, things have gotten even weirder.

Cain’s contribution to American political discourse thus far is a novel debating technique: When confronted with inconvenient facts, say they’re wrong.

I’ve experienced the Cain Maneuver first-hand. During an on-camera interview several weeks ago, he told me that he doesn’t support privatization of Social Security accounts, but instead favors “the Chilean model.” As it happens, I once covered Chile as a foreign correspondent. I know that the Chilean pension system, for better or worse, is studied in universities and think tanks as a model of privatization. I pointed this out to the candidate. He told me I was wrong. He said what Chile had done was “personalization,” not “privatization.” There was, he maintained, a clear difference. He did not attempt to explain what this difference might be.

Cain uses this clever up-isdown approach to counter criticism of his signature “9-9-9”

plan for tax reform. Cain wants to scrap almost all of the federal tax code and replace it with a 9 percent income tax, a 9 percent corporate tax and a 9 percent federal sales tax. Cain says he was helped in developing the proposal by Rich Lowrie, a financial adviser in Ohio.

As Cain’s opponents pointed out in the last debate, the 9-9-9 plan is ridiculous. Most economists who have looked at the proposal say it couldn’t produce nearly enough revenue for the federal government to function. Moreover, it obviously puts a greater burden on the middle class while cutting taxes for the wealthy.

Cain dismisses these objections by saying that they are “incorrect.” That’s it – “incorrect.” Case closed.

The Cain boomlet owes to two factors. One is that while his economic ideas may be crazy, they are specific and bold. The other candidates mostly confine themselves to saying their policies will be different from Obama’s – without specifying how they might be different from, say, those of George W. Bush.

The other factor is that the conservative wing of the party really doesn’t like Romney. He may be the eventual nominee but for now, the search for an alternative will continue. When Cain’s rocket fizzles, perhaps the well-financed Perry will make a comeback as the antiRomney, assuming he finds a way to survive those danged debates.

So enjoy the flavor of the week while you can. Ice cream does melt.

While many legislators support Obama’s plan in whole or in part, others beg to find fault with it. They repeatedly tout stats showing Obama’s stimulus job growth versus national job loss resulted in zero jobs. Despite the fact that the plan is ripe with new ideas and components that all parties requested, there still appears no end to criticism. With no Republican plan to parallel, what’s not to like?

Victoria Ryan-Bailey St. Louis

Two great black men

While much about the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs was rightly highlighted in the media last week, much less attention was given to the passing that same week of two black men who, arguably, did more to transform America than Apple’s revolutionary technological gadgets.

Had there not been the courage and bravery of Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth, who passed the same day as Jobs at the venerable age of 89, there might not have been a backbone to the most transformative movement in American history – the Civil Rights Movement. Shuttlesworth, who was saved by his mattress when his Birmingham home was bombed with six sticks of dynamite, was, along with Martin Luther King Jr., one of the four founding ministers of the organization that relentlessly drove and spearheaded the Movement, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. A Pulitzer Prize-winning author described

Also passing last week at the twilight age of 80 was Professor Derrick Bell, the first tenured black professor at Harvard Law School and author of Race, Racism and American Law the seminal scholarly work on the relationship between race and the American legal system. Had there not been the intellectual audacity of Derrick Bell to confront and expose the unseemly racial underpinnings of the American justice system, and had he not had the temerity to sacrifice his secure and stellar position at Harvard by protesting the university’s discriminatory hiring practices, then perhaps there would not have been America’s spectacular transformation to a black president.

Because it was while speaking at a rally at Harvard that a black law student named Barack Obama appropriately compared Professor Bell to the woman who rocked America long before the iPod, Rosa Parks.

Eric E. Vickers St. Louis

Let’s help the public schools

We should not be expanding charter schools until or unless they get their act together. All of this conservative talk about “choice” implies empowerment, but choice means you can choose right or can choose wrong. The compact between society and government is to provide an adequate education for all, not for parents to have to shop around for a good school like shopping for a pair of shoes.

There is only one public institution responsible for the education of children in the city of St. Louis and that is the St. Louis Public Schools, as evidenced by who had to step in when Lyle failed last year. So I say to you, let’s all in the city of St. Louis put our shoulders to the wheel and help the St. Louis Public Schools get to back to full accreditation rather than

distract our efforts on a concept that has not proved to work well in St. Louis.

Ray Cummings, Local 420 American Federation of Teachers

Columnist Eugene Robinson

Guest Columnist Stanton Lawrence

Free Healing Through Art Breakfast

Seeds of Sojourner will present a Healing Through Art Breakfast featuring artist Edna Petty-Patterson and Marilyn Wilson as workshop facilitator at The Regional Art Commisssion on Saturday, October 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn how to channel emotions through creative ideas and become mindful of your emotions. Free workshops and breakfast.

More teen males using condoms

The percentage of teen males aged 1519 years in the United States who used a condom the first time they had sex increased between 2002 and 2006-2010, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report, “Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth,” from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, found that 8 in 10 teen males used a condom at first sex, an increase of 9 percentage points from 2002.

In 2006-2010, about 43 percent of never-married female teens (4.4 million), and about 42 percent of never-married male teens (4.5 million) had had sexual intercourse at least once (were sexually experienced).These levels of sexual experience have not changed significantly from 2002, though over the past 20 years there has been a decline in the percentages of those who were sexually experienced.

Seventy-eight percent of females and 85 percent of males used a method of contraception at first sex. With a few exceptions, teenagers’use of contraceptives has changed little since 2002, and the condom remained the most commonly used method.

One exception was an increase among males in the use of condoms and in dual use of a condom combined with a partner’s use of hormonal contraceptive at first sex.

Despite long term improvements in pregnancy risk behaviors among teens, differences still exist among Hispanic origin and race groups.Non-Hispanic black males have the highest percentages who are sexually experienced, and Hispanic males have the highest percentages using no contraceptive method at last sex.

The report is available at: www.cdc.gov/nchs.

Scrap tire grants available

Students participate in UMSL Bridge Program

Taylor Anderson-Sneed, Blake Douglas and Alexis Lee, students at Pattonville High School, completed the Bridge Program Summer Academy at the University of MissouriSt. Louis in July. The program provides high school students with classes and workshops that help build strong academic proficiency essential to college success.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is offering two different Scrap Tire Surface Material Grants for fiscal year 2012.

The department is offering a new Non-playground Scrap Tire Surface Material Grant this year. This grant will help promote the use of recycled scrap tires for running tracks, walking trails, equine stalls/riding areas or other similar surfacing projects not including playgrounds. Mailed applications for Non-playground Scrap Tire Surface Material Grants must be postmarked by Nov. 14.Hand-delivered applications must arrive at the department by 5 p.m. on Nov. 14.

The department is also continuing its popular Playground Scrap Tire Surface Material Grant this year. This grant will help promote the use of recycled scrap tires for playground cover or surfacing material. Mailed applications for Playground Scrap Tire Surface Material Grants must be postmarked by Jan. 20, 2012.Hand-delivered applications must arrive at the department by 5 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2012.

Approximately $400,000 is available to fund these scrap tire material grants.The source of funds for this grant program is the 50-cent-per-tire fee collected on the sale of new tires in Missouri. For more information contact the department’s Scrap Tire Unit at 800-361-4827 or 573-526-3909.

Adream to achieve

By Roslyn M.Brock NAACP

As our nation dedicates the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall, we cannot help but reflect on the legacy he left behind, the faith he had in the next generation and the dream that we must still strive to achieve.

His legacy of social justice and activism has played an integral role in so much of what we take for granted today. Without his advocacy for voting rights, people of color might still be unable to cast a ballot unfettered.If not for his work defending the poor, economic disparity in America would be far worse than it is today. And without Dr. King’s call for non-violence, the Civil Rights Movement might be remembered for bloodshed and not for justice and equality.

With our Financial Freedom Campaign, we at the NAACPare building on Dr. King’s message that true freedom is inextricably tied to economic justice. We are providing underserved communities across the country with the tools they need to attain and maintain financial stability.

In our health campaigns, we have embodied Dr. King’s remark that, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” We are organizing campaigns to bring additional attention and resources to the fight against HIV/AIDS and childhood obesity.

When we fight for equality in education, we remember Dr. King’s belief that education functions “to teach one to think intensively and to think critically,” something that all students deserve.

Dr. King had an unwavering faith that future generations would continue his fight to ensure that the arc of the universe bends towards justice. We must remember Dr. King’s faith as we fight 21st century attempts to roll back rights for people of color.

Dr. King succeeded in securing full voting rights for people of all color, but this election season we see a coordinated by some push to implement laws that would disenfranchise poor and minority voters.

He strove for equality between all races, but our nation is stuck in a “tough on crime” mentality that imprisons African Americans for drug offenses at 10 times the rate of their white counterparts. It is up to this generation, and the generations that follow, to live up to Dr. King’s faith and stand on the frontlines in this new battle for civil rights.

Inspired by the work of Dr. King and those who followed him, I joined the NAACPas a freshman at Virginia Union University and later served as a Youth Board member. In its 75th year, our Youth and College Division is 25,000 members strong, making it one of the largest organized groups of young people of any secular organization in the country. These youth are the future of the organization, and we must have faith in them as Dr. King had faith in us. After all, there is still so much to do before we achieve Dr. King’s dream of full equality.

Roslyn M. Brock is chairman of the National Board of Directors for the NAACP.

Roslyn M. Brock

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giant as he bent down to the two-feet-high table. Yet the agile Adams stayed folded over until the puzzle was complete.

Froebel was one of 37 new preschool classrooms the district opened in the 2010/11 school year, and 12 others are 80 percent complete. It’s part of a district-wide initiative to get more students into early education opportunities. Last year, 500 students were on the waiting list to get into preschool classrooms. This year, even though the district added 800 more slots, there were still 200 students on the waiting list.

“So many students don’t go to preschools, and we want to provide a high-quality opportunity to build that education foundation early,” Adams said. “And we want to expand.”

Last school year, the district had 77 general preschool classrooms with 1,500 students in them, according to an Oct. 11 school-board presentation given by Paula Knight, the associate superintendent of SLPS elementary schools. And this school year, there are 106 classrooms filled with 2,300 students. Last year, the district

DRAPER

Continued from A1

The Missouri Non-Partisan Court Plan’s Appellate Judicial Commission sent to Nixon a panel of three potential nominees that also included Judge Michael W. Manners and Joe D. Jacobson. The quality of all

also added three special education preschool classrooms and three parent/infant interaction program classrooms for young mothers.

On Friday, about a dozen guests, from Alderman Craig Schmid to PNC Bank administrators, came to see the Froebel preschool ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Most stood along the side and watched the students play, but Rick Sems, regional president of PNC Bank, dived right into their world. Children surrounded him with drums, shakers and tambourines, and Sems led the young band. Then, he helped answer make-believe phone calls in the hectic playkitchen area. PNC donated $15,000 towards the classroom, which was also equipped with five computers and new furniture.

“As a company, we’ve said this is our focus, early childhood education,” Sems said. “These are our future employees and customers.”

He explained that there is no better return than putting money towards young children’s development because the amount of money it takes to get students back on track later in life is much higher and less effective.

“We believe in the arts as well, generating the right side of the brain,” he said.

three candidates was widely praised, but Draper’s appointment was unanimously supported by the AfricanAmerican political and civic communities.

“Let me commend the governor for this historic selection,” said U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, who staunchly supported Draper’s nomination. “It’s an excellent choice that

Christina Nolan, the classroom teacher, said the threeyear-olds love their dramatic play area, where they find costumes and opportunities to play “pretend.”

certainly provides a level of diversity for the state Supreme Court that is needed.”

“Once they start getting more cognitive, they go to the puzzles,” she said. Every preschool classroom in the district has a certified early childhood education

“Let me commend the governor for this historic selection.”

Draper fills the seat vacated by Judge Michael A. Wolff, who retired in August to resume a full-time teaching career at Saint Louis

– U.S.Rep. Wm.Lacy Clay

St.Louis Public Schools

Superintendent Kelvin Adams watches Elijah Little,age 3, complete a puzzle after the ribbon-cutting for Elijah’s new preschool classroom at Froebel Elementary on Friday.

teacher, said Chris Lee, executive director of SLPS Foundation.

“It really provides our young children with access to the latest early childhood edu-

University School of Law after serving 13 years on the Missouri Supreme Court, including a term as chief justice.

“I think the Supreme Court functions better with diversity, and George brings that to the bench in many respects,” Wolff said. “Not just in the respect that he is AfricanAmerican, but his background in public service and his background as a prosecutor. These are all very positive things.”

Draper worked as a prosecutor with the Office of Circuit Attorney, City of St. Louis from 1984 through 1994. He currently serves as a judge ofthe Court of Appeals, where he was appointed in May 2000 after serving as circuit judge and associate circuit judge in the 21st Judicial Circuit.

“Judge Draper is well suited because he has served as a judge at all levels and sat at the Supreme Court as a special judge,” White said. “He has real insight into what goes on and what is to be expected.”

Though Jacobson has no judicial experience, Manners is a highly respected and experienced judge who in 2009 was appointed Special Master on the Reginald Clemons case by the Missouri Supreme Court. Manners’ responsibility to the Clemons case added another level of drama to this appointment.

“It’s good that he gets to

cation tools,” Lee said. “I’m confident that it will give them a great head start, so when they enter kindergarten they are at or above grade level.”

stay there and do that,” White said of Manners. “Now we don’t have to waste time for a new judge to get reacquainted with the case, which would take another year or two.”

“That is important,” Clay said. “Reggie Clemons’life hangs in the balance in that situation.”

Politics and Reginald Clemons aside, the judge Draper will replace said he was an excellent choice for the state’s highest court. Wolff said, “Judge Draper is a very experienced and able judge, very intelligent and hard-working and conscientious.”

The governor who appointed him obviously concurs.

“In his 17 years on the bench and in his 10 years of service as a circuit attorney in St. Louis, Judge Draper has demonstrated a dedication to justice and to serving the people of this state,”Gov. Nixon said in a statement.

“Those decades of experience and his legal acumen will enable him to be an outstanding judge on the Missouri Supreme Court. I am very pleased to be able to name this eminently qualified jurist to the state’s highest court.”

DIVERSITY

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will be held at the Ritz-Carlton in Clayton.

“I make it very clear that the diversity council is my most trusted advisory and leadership team,” he said. “I am a white heterosexual, Christian male, and I got my own biases. Everyone has been conditioned to not look at the world as it really is, but by how you’ve been raised.”

Although Ludeman created the council to achieve the company’s goals, he knew he also had a lot to learn personally, he said.

“I can’t thank the council enough for what I’ve gotten out of it,” he said. “It’s made me a much better leader and much better person.”

“It is not just words on a page. Diversity is measured and resourced.”

– Yvette Butler,Wells Fargo Advisors

Ludeman has watched the council transform the actions and behaviors of its employees, he said. Nationwide, there are more than 35,000 Wells Fargo Advisors employees.

Wells Fargo Advisors is the country’s third largest brokerage firm, and is affiliated with Wells Fargo, which has approximately 270,000 employees. Of these, 12 percent are African-American, 36 percent are team members of color, and59 percent are women.One-fourth of all managers are minorities.

“It used to be that we would look at diversity as something separate,” he said. “Now it is integrated into every decision we make at the firm. Every time we talk about a topic, it includes diversity in that lens.”

Yvette Butler is a managing director who leads the council’s African-American Initiative. When she first came to Wells Fargo Advisors five years ago, she said she attended more diversity events in her first six weeks than she had in her entire career.

CHAZ

Continued from A1

“Every time, God has promoted me to bigger and better places,” Saunders said. “When you wait on God he will not fail you. It’s when you try to get ahead of him that you have a problem.”

by Wiley

Philos feed the world

“It is not just words on a page,” Butler said. “We run it as part of our business. There are budgets and project plans around achieving our diversity goals. Diversity is measured and resourced.” Butler facilitated the firm’s second Black/AfricanAmerican Financial Advisors Summit, where more than 100 financial advisors are gathering at the headquarters in St. Louis from October 19 to 21. The event focuses on the professional development, business development, marketing and support of Black/African-American financial advisors. The event will feature addresses by Paula Madison, formerly the highest-ranking African-American executive at NBC Universal, and David Steward, chairman and founder of World Wide Technology, Inc. Ludeman said the firm’s commitment to diversity has

that’s exactly how I feel.”

Shawneen Thompson, station manager for Radio Once St. Louis, said, “This is a very exciting time for St. Louis radio and it’s only getting better. We are giving St. Louis a reason to make MYFOXY 95.5 their preferred R&B station.”

“The diversity council is my most trusted advisory and leadership team.”

– Danny Ludeman, president and CEO of Wells Fargo Advisors

helped them become better able to understand and address the needs of the community. Being the largest employer in downtown St. Louis, they have responsibility to devote money and time to enriching the civic and cultural fabric of this community, he said.

This year, Ludeman is also fostering this work by other

means, serving as 2011 campaign chairman for the United Way of Greater St. Louis.

“It breaks your heart to see all the suffering and uncertainty,” he said. “Many people are scared because they can’t obtain their basic needs of food and shelter. Looking at it through a lens of diversity has been a big factor in me agree-

ing to do the United Way campaign.”

The company sponsors $5.5 million in grants to the region’s nonprofits, which largely focus on education. And this year, team members have contributed $4.1 million to the United Way – a 100 percent increase from last year.

“The deepest hunger of the human heart is to be understood,” Ludeman said.

“When people take time to understand people who are different than themselves, it validates the integral worth of another individual. That’s really what most people want.

Once this happens, you can have a real relationship with another individual. That’s what I’ve seen more and more of since we’ve started this journey.”

The 12th Annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon will be held Wednesday, November 9, 2011 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 for more information or to purchase tickets.

In the downtime she built a studio in her home where she did voice work, image work and documentaries and recorded shows that aired in other markets, including Milwaukee and Dayton. She did home improvement projects, tried new recipes and reconnected with family and friends –which was bittersweet because she lost her father in 2009.

Chaz Saunders can be heard from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on My Foxy 95.5 FM. Visit www.Foxy955stl.com.

“This is such a warm community, and they embraced me from day one –it was almost overwhelming.”

– Chaz Saunders

But she missed her listeners.

“This is such a warm community, and they embraced me from day one – it was almost overwhelming,” Saunders said. “If St. Louis loves you, they love you, but it is no faking it with them. And they are going to continue to get everything that I’ve got.”

She said Radio One St. Louis is making her feel at home.

“They have really rolled out the red carpet for me, and it has been nothing but love,” Saunders said. “Afriend of mine told me as I was in waiting, ‘You are going to be someplace where you are celebrated and not tolerated,’and

Photo

Price

Women of Zeta Sigma and Alpha Upsilon Sigma Philo’s of the Central Region of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.participated in the Danforth Plant Science Center’s World Food Day at the center on Saturday.The center enlisted thousands of volunteers to package nutritious rice/soy protein meals for people facing critical food shortages in sub-Saharan Africa.

F.

Harris-Stowe names

park after Jet Banks

On Monday Harris-Stowe State University oficially named its park, located at 3024 Olive Blvd., The J.B. “Jet” Banks Memorial Park to posthumously honor one of its long-time supporters, Senator Banks.

In 1979, Senator Banks was responsible for Senate Bill 703,

which allowed Harris-Stowe College to enter the state system of Public Higher Education. It was during this time that the institution became known as Harris-Stowe State College.

Additionally, his sponsorship of Senate Bill 153 enabled Harris-Stowe to expand its mission in 1993 by offering

Wash U receives $3M for diabetes research center

National Institutes of Health funds effort to reduce health disparities

American staff

Washington University in St. Louis has received a ive-year, $3 million grant to establish a new center to develop better ways to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes in high-risk patients.

The center’s funding comes from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Washington University was one of seven institutions awarded funding to establish this type of diabetes research center.

“The Center for Diabetes Translation Research is a unique opportunity to make sure cutting-edge science has

an impact on real-world settings,” said Debra Haire-Joshu, professor of public health at the Brown School and the School of Medicine and director of the new center.

“This grant will enable us to support research that addresses the root causes of diabetes and disparities.”

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with high blood sugar – a hallmark of the disease – and many more are at risk of the disease because they are older, overweight or have a family history of the disease.

High blood sugar, if left untreated, can lead to complications such as eye, nerve, kidney and heart damage.

American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest diabetes prevalence rates of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. American Indians and Alaska Natives are twice as likely as white adults to suffer from type 2 diabetes.

The center has four cores. The health communication and health literacy core will evaluate the best ways to communicate information to improve diabetes prevention and care. A second core will focus on how to translate research discoveries into better treatments and prevention. Another core will improve design of diabetes studies, and the fourth core will support investigators working with American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

The research center will serve as a resource for investigators at Saint Louis University, the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the National Congress of American Indians.

“Our goal is to signiicantly improve the prevention and care of diabetes in populations at increased risk of this devastating disease,” Haire-Joshu says.

baccalaureate degree programs in Business Administration, Secondary Teacher Education and Criminal Justice. Mrs. Anita Banks, the widow of Senator Banks, was among those offering remarks at the ceremony.

Wayman

Smith III, former chair of the Harris-Stowe State University Board of Regent; Mrs. Anita Banks, widow of the state Senator J.B. “Jet” Banks; HSSU President Emeritus Dr. Henry Givens Jr.; current board chair Thelma Cook; current HSSU President Albert L. Walker; and state Senator Robin Wright Jones celebrated the commemoration of the J.B. “Jet” Banks Memorial Park on campus.

Photo by Wiley Price

Ernest and DeVerne Calloway Awards

CBTU sponsors Saturday, October 22

American staff

The 25th Annual Ernest and DeVerne Calloway Awards sponsored by St. Louis Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists will be held 6 p.m. Saturday, October 22 at the Renaissance Hotel Downtown.

The Calloway Award was established in 1976, by the St. Louis Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, in honor of the husband and wife team of Ernest and De Verne Calloway who dedicated themselves to the struggle for human rights, civil rights and labor rights.

Ernest Calloway came to St. Louis in 1950 at the invitation of Harold Gibbons to join the Teamsters Union, Local 688, as a union organizer. He contributed immensely to the struggle to end Jim Crow in the South and in St. Louis.

As president of the St. Louis Branch of the NAACP in 1955, he led struggles to insure black representation at the local, state and congressional levels of government.

Mr. Calloway directed the campaign for Theodore McNeal’s 1960 senatorial race. McNeal won by a large margin, becoming the first black elected to the Missouri Senate in what is now the 4th Senatorial District.

Besides being a labor leader, social and political activist and organizer, Ernest Calloway also became a lifelong educator on the vital issues of our times – race relations, poverty, urban affairs, war and peace, and the trade union movement. After retirement from the

of DeVerne and Ernest Calloway courtesy of Western Historical Manuscript Collection, the official depository of the Calloways papers located at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Teamsters, Local 688 in 1973, Ernest Calloway joined the Urban Affairs Department of St. Louis University and later became Professor Emeritus at the university.

De Verne Calloway taught school in Georgia and Mississippi before joining the American Red Cross and traveling to China, Burma and India during World War II. While in India, she led a protest against the segregation of black soldiers in Red Cross facilities.

Mrs. Calloway, became the first black woman elected to the Missouri General Assembly in 1962. During 20 years of service in the General Assembly, De Verne Calloway was known for her intelligence, integrity, leadership and tenacity in pursuing progressive legislative goals. She championed the cause for Equal Rights Amendment and Equal Pay for Equal Work legislation in the Missouri General Assembly. She was the first sponsor of the Fair Housing Law in Missouri. In 1967, she played a major

role in the battle for a congressional district from which a black could be elected (the 1st Congressional District in Missouri).

De Verne Calloway served on numerous committees and led endless struggles for jobs, housing, education reform, civil rights, care for the elderly and prison reform. She served on the House committees on education, public health, safety and social security. She also served on the Elections Committee, Accounts Committee and as chairman of the FederalState Relations Committee.

In November 1980, she retired from public office at the conclusion of that legislative term.

The Calloway Award was established in honor of these two giants and to honor those who, by their examples, continue in the tradition of commitment to the cause of human rights, civil rights and labor rights.

For more information, contact Lew Moye at 314-4955635.

Photo

RBC’s Young Professionals Network reception a hit

Damelsa White, Cameron Ward and Dana Townsend

Robert Haire and Shaunda Robinson

Darius Chapman, Patrick Brown, and William Ray

Kimburley Tate, Chon Tomlin, and Khimonna Stith Lathan Ferguson, Archie Harmon, Chamela Franks, and Jojuane Porter

Kristin Thompson, Lael Clark, and Connie HeChantelle Evans and Marissa Morton

Desiree Coleman, Marcus Creighton and LaShonda Barnes

Shonta Phillips, Christina Owens, and Kathrine Bradley Tara Daniels and David Stifler

Jian Woo, Lindsey Harrison, Orvin Kimbrough, and Mathew Nelson

LaTanya Raymond and Qiana Scruggs Michael Whitley and Stan Williams

Odell Hendricks, Tara Pham, and Isaac Lewis

‘Philosophical differences’in ESL

What went wrong between the mayor and the police chief?

You would think that a city like East Louis with a reputation for crime would thank God for a scandal-free, wellrespected and amply qualiied police chief.

Police Chief Ranadore Foggs seemed to it the bill as a retired Illinois State Police captain, a pastor and a political outsider who was well respected within the law enforcement community.

But, according to sources, that might have been the very reason why Chief Foggs is out and ESL Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. is “actively looking” for his replacement.

In the event that you haven’t been able to follow the game of musical chairs regarding the ouster of Chief Foggs, here’s the latest summary. Hopefully you can keep up.

Two weeks ago, Chief Foggs verbally resigned to Mayor Parks, citing “philosophical differences.”

The following week, during a City Council meeting, Foggs reversed his decision and said that he didn’t “plan to go anywhere.” You could almost hear Jennifer Hudson singing, “And I am telling I’m not going” in the background.

During that same meeting, Parks attempted to force City Manager Deletra Hudson into announcing Foggs’ replacement. Hudson responded that, in fact, Foggs was still chief.

Meanwhile, Mayor Parks attempted to run interference with KMOV-TV reporters by announcing that he had accepted Foggs’ verbal resignation and intended to replace him.

In fact, the front page of the ESL Monitor newspaper, on that same day, announced that former Chief Michael Baxton had been rehired as police chief.

The next day City Manager Hudson, probably realizing that Parks had enough City Council votes to ire her for going against his political wishes, announced that she had accepted Chief Foggs’ resignation and that Bobby Cole would serve as the interim police chief.

But let’s backtrack for a moment. What were the so-called “philosophical differences” that led to the schism between Mayor Parks and Chief Foggs?

According to ESL City Councilman Delbert Marion, who appeared as a guest on my radio show, Mayor Parks is an alleged “micromanager” who, despite Chief Foggs extensive police experience versus Parks’ complete ignorance in that area, attempted to dictate Foggs’ scheduling of manpower as well as routinely answered police calls.

Marion made those accusations publicly, drawing applause, during the recent ESL City Council meeting, as Parks sat silently.

This begs the question: doesn’t Parks have enough to do (as mayor) without ruining the ESL police department? Apparently not.

It’s common knowledge that Parks has allowed night clubs with a history of shootings and deaths to remain open and retain their liquor licenses, compounding the dificulties of the ESLPD.

Now he attempts to harass a good chief into resigning in order to bring back Michael Baxton, who was forced to

resign amid scandal regarding the hiring of police oficers with checkered backgrounds. This also included allegations of Baxton’s own criminal past (complete with mug shots) as covered by KMOV-TV reporter

Craig Cheatham. In a city in which law enforcement is so crucial, Parks should leave the decision-making to the experts. If you like my column then you’ll love my radio show,

“Listen Up” with James Ingram, each and every Friday from 7-8 p.m. on WGNU-920am radio. Listen in and call in. I’d love to hear from you. Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com

Former ESL Police Chief Ranadore Foggs

James Ingram

ESL Mayor Alvin Parks Jr.

The regressive right and the reawakening of America

By Robert Reich Guest columnist

A fundamental war has been waged in this nation since its founding, between progressive forces pushing us forward and regressive forces pulling us backward.

We are going to battle once again.

Progressives believe in openness, equal opportunity, and tolerance. Progressives assume we’re all in it together: We all benefit from public investments in schools and health care and infrastructure. And we all do better with strong safety nets, reasonable constraints on Wall Street and big business, and a truly progressive tax system. Progressives worry when the rich and privileged become powerful enough to undermine democracy.

Regressives take the opposite positions.

Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and the other tribunes of today’s Republican right aren’t really conservatives. Their goal isn’t to conserve what we have. It’s to take us backwards.

nothing until the “rot” is purged out of the system (as Andrew Mellon, Herbert Hoover’s Treasury Secretary, so decorously put it).

we reward the rich and punish the needy.

They’d like to return to the 1920s – before Social Security, unemployment insurance, labor laws, the minimum wage, Medicare and Medicaid, worker safety laws, the Environmental Protection Act, the Glass-Steagall Act, the Securities and Exchange Act and the Voting Rights Act. In the 1920s Wall Street was unfettered, the rich grew far richer and everyone else went deep into debt, and the nation closed its doors to immigrants. Rather than conserve the economy, these regressives want to resurrect the classical economics of the 1920s – the view that economic downturns are best addressed by doing

In truth, if they had their way we’d be back in the late nineteenth century – before the federal income tax, antitrust laws, the Pure Food and Drug Act, and the Federal Reserve. A time when robber barons – railroad, financial, and oil titans – ran the country. A time of wrenching squalor for the many and mindnumbing wealth for the few.

Listen carefully to today’s Republican right and you hear the same Social Darwinism Americans were fed more than a century ago to justify the brazen inequality of the Gilded Age: Survival of the fittest. Don’t help the poor or unemployed or anyone who’s fallen on bad times, they say, because this only encourages laziness. America will be strong only if

The regressive right has slowly consolidated power over the last three decades as income and wealth have concentrated at the top. In the late 1970s the richest 1 percent of Americans received 9 percent of total income and held 18 percent of the nation’s wealth; by 2007, they had more than 23 percent of total income and 35 percent of America’s wealth. CEOs of the 1970s were paid 40 times the average worker’s wage; now CEOs receive 300 times the typical workers’ wage.

This concentration of income and wealth has generated the political heft to deregulate Wall Street and halve top tax rates. It has bankrolled the so-called Tea Party movement, and captured the House of Representatives and many state governments. Through a sequence of presidential appointments it has also overtaken the Supreme Court. Scalia, Alito, Thomas, and Roberts (and, all too often, Kennedy) claim they’re conservative jurists. But they’re judicial activists bent on overturning 75 years of jurisprudence by resurrecting states’ rights, treating the 2nd Amendment as if America still relied on local militias, narrowing the Commerce Clause, and calling money speech and corporations people.

Yet the great arc of American history reveals an unmistakable pattern. Whenever privilege

and power conspire to pull us backward, the nation eventually rallies and moves forward. Sometimes it takes an economic shock like the bursting of a giant speculative bubble; sometimes we just reach a tipping point where the frustrations of average Americans turn into action.

Look at the Progressive reforms between 1900 and 1916; the New Deal of the 1930s; the Civil Rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s; the widening opportunities for women, minorities, people with disabilities, and gays; and the environmental reforms of the 1970s. In each of these eras, regressive forces reignited the progressive ideals on which America is built. The result was fundamental reform. Perhaps this is what’s beginning to happen again across America.

Robert Reich is Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton. He has written 13 books, including The Work of Nations, Locked in the Cabinet, Supercapitalism and Aftershock. His “Marketplace” commentaries can be found on publicradio.com and iTunes. He is also Common Cause’s board chairman. Reprinted with permission from www.robertreich.org.

The Occupy Wall Street movement in New York

Alexandra M. Parker

October 19, 1989— March 24, 2010

“Sweet memories we made, are tucked deep inside our hearts. Even though God called you home, we will never be apart. Your cherished smile, your heart of gold, you were the best this world could hold. No verse, no lowers, no tears can say, how much we miss you every day.”

Your family

Travis

Hopkins

OBITUARIES

our hearts. We love you, and you will be greatly missed! There is no one else that could ever take your place. Gone for now, but will never be forgotten. May God Keep and bless you always.

Sandra Ann Welch

Sandra Ann was born January 4, 1950 to Edward and Hazel Mae. She was the second of four girls. Sandra was educated in the Saint Louis Public School System. She graduated from Soldan High School in 1968. She was united in Holy Matrimony to James Welch on June 14, 1969. To this union was born a devoted, caring and loyal son, Jamar Welch. She

was employed by Chrysler and MasterCard.

Sandra was the pillar of her family. As a mother, sister, friend and family member, she was counsel and conidant, companion and very loyal to her family. She was very classy and funny. “The party didn’t start until she walked through the door.”

Sandra Welch

Sandra began her spiritual walk with the Lord in her early teens. She was baptized at Prince of Peace Baptist Church. Later, her spiritual walk was

renewed when she joined Saint John Missionary Baptist Church in January 2004. She loved the Lord and loved being a servant of the Lord. During her spiritual service years at Saint John Missionary Baptist Church, she was a faithful member of the Usher Board and Mother’s Board.

Sandra leaves to mourn her passing: her only child, a devoted son, Jamar; grandchildren, Natasha and Janasha; sisters, Phyllis Coleman and Alease Dailes; favorite aunt, Rose Stephens; sister-in-law and best friend, Clara Welch Brown; nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws of the Welch family and Robinson family; and a host of other family members and friends.

Travis Hopkins was born September 23, 1928 in New Boston, TX, to proud parents Leala and John Hopkins. He was preceded in death by seven siblings, Clara, Odessa, Johnnie, Ruby Dale, Curley, Mary and Hosea, all of Texas. Travis was the youngest of eight children. He was loved dearly by those that knew him. He will certainly be missed by all. Travis enlisted in the US Army as a young man, entering in 1950. He was stationed in Germany, Austria and Ireland. He spoke German luently. He was honorably discharged in 1955. After returning from military service, he became an entrepreneur by establishing various business ventures. In 1970, Travis went to pursue other avenues. He worked for St. Louis City as a laborer at Lambert Airport. He retired from St. Louis City in 1990 after 20 years of service. When he retired, he was relentless, never stopping, always keeping busy. He enjoyed interacting with people. He was certainly a people person, and could strike up a conversation with anyone. He was very intelligent and charming. Travis also enjoyed selling his products at lea markets and auctions. He truly was a very charismatic salesman. He had a heart of gold, always happy and giving to those less fortunate throughout his lifetime. He had a great impact on the lives that he touched. He departed this life on Tuesday, September 20, 2011. Travis leaves to cherish his memory: his longtime friend and companion, Annie Mae; seven children, Mary Sims, Shelidia Collins, Linda Green, Janice Green, Joe Green, and Sam and Vanessa Hopkins. He also leaves a host of grandchildren and one great-grandchild, Azreal Hopkins, several nieces and nephews who also loved him dearly.

We will always remember you and have a special place in

Alexandra M. Parker

Travis Hopkins

Charles Bryson and jail breaks from city jails

After two and a half hours of questioning Public Safety

Director Charles Bryson on the recent jail breaks and his management decisions at the October 17 aldermanic public safety hearing, some St. Louis aldermen felt misled.

“He was contradicting himself from our previous meeting,” said Ward 27 Alderman Greg Carter, the chairman of the Public Safety Committee.

“They are not telling us the full story.” On Friday, the aldermen passed a resolution to investigate the city corrections facilities, including issues related to staffing and budgeting, work hours and civil service classifications and building structure flaws that could have enabled the escapes.

The hearings come less than

a month after Gene Stubblefield was suspended for complaints of his management with the city’s two jail facilities – the Medium Security Institute, also known as the Workhouse, and the Justice Center downtown. Ironically, hours after Stubblefield was suspended on Sept. 16, Lorenzo Pollard, 31, escaped from the Workhouse, at 7600 Hall Street. Pollard was the fourth escapee in one year. Ward 21 Alderman Antonio French said the board may subpoena Bryson’s office because he did not provide any of the information the board members requested. The information simply included basic statistics and policies, French said. Under the City Charter, if Bryson does not produce documents, he could be fined $300 and put in jail up to 10 days for

each day of refusal. The good news for Bryson is he would most likely be able to break back out of jail, if he is still running the Corrections Division.

Working out of title

In the hearing, French asked Bryson whether he thought the correction facilities were staffed adequately. Bryson responded, “Are all the posts filled? Yes. Do we need more people so people aren’t working 10-plus hour days? We need more people in there.”

French asked how long it has been this way. Bryson gave an unclear answer that pawned off his responsibility. He said the commissioners or their des-

and reminded him that he was under oath.

“There might be a person who is acting out of title,” Bryson said. When asked again two minutes later, he said, “I’m hesitant to say who has been acting out of title.”

French then read from a Jan. 7, 2011 letter to Bryson from Richard Frank, director of personnel, which told Bryson that too many people are working out of classification.

In another letter in April 2011, Frank wrote Bryson saying that he had made too many cuts to personnel and it has increased overtime costs.

ignees will send requests for staffing.

“I’ve signed every request and sent it to the director of personnel,” Bryson said. “It starts with the commissioners submitting the request.”

Carter said that there were several corrections officer positions that were not filled for many months. When it came time to make budget cuts, Bryson recommended that the unfilled positions were cut. French asked why those positions were not filled in the first place.

“I would – due to an ongoing investigation of Gene Stubblefield – I reserve to not answer that question,” he said.

Prior to this year, the jails’ last escape was in 2001, French said. Following this, Stubblefield increased the staff numbers and the escapes ceased, he said. Now again with people working overtime and few people to cover shifts, the escapes have occurred again.

Do you think the inadequate staffing threatens public safety?

“Every post is filled,” Bryson said. “What we’ve determined after every case of escape, staff was there. People are working hard. But you have a few people who wanted to cut corners.”

French then asked: are people taking on higher positions to pick up unfilled positions – positions that they are not trained for?

When Bryson began to respond no, Carter interrupted

“It sounds like this has been an ongoing thing,” French said. Bryson then said that at one time, there were about seven lieutenants and captains that were working out of title and they filed a lawsuit. “I was aware of that,” he said.

“At any time, did you instruct anyone to not fill those positions?” asked French.

“I don’t know that I’ve done that,” Bryson said after a minute of hesitation. Then as if worried that French would pull out another letter from Frank, Bryson said, “I’d like to see the documents to say that I did.”

Document trails

Looking at the paper trail out of Bryson’s office, it is easy to see why the aldermen would be so perplexed by Bryson’s answers. Carter said he had a stack of 150 emails between Stubblefield and Bryson, all dealing with requests to fill the vacant positions. (Remember when Bryson said under oath that he had signed every request?) And that’s just the start of it.

According to documents released by Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed’s office, Commissioner Stubblefield warned Mayor Francis G. Slay that Bryson “has interfered with and inhibited my ability to plan, direct and monitor day to day activities,” in a Nov. 4, 2008 letter to Ron Smith, then-director of operations. “The director is either unfa-

miliar with corrections policy & procedures or has no regard for same,” Stubblefield wrote.

In July 23, 2010 memo, one month after the first jail breaks, Stubblefield told Bryson he was concerned that the internal investigation into how the jail break occurred was never completed.

In an April 4, 2011 email, Bryson instructed Stubblefield to eliminate positions. (Remember when he told French he didn’t know if he had instructed anyone to eliminate these positions?)

“There should only be one detention superintendent for CJC instead of two. Please eliminate one from the CJC,” Bryson wrote. “As the two correctional unit manager positions at CJC are vacant (and have been for some time), it does not appear they are necessary over there. Please eliminate them from the T.O.”

Stubblefield responded that eliminating the unit managers would essentially eliminate supervision over the housing areas and the admissions and release area at the Justice Center, which is a massive responsibility.

Stubblefield wrote: “I am concerned because corrections has lost numerous managers and supervisors over the years due to budget cuts. We have a major public safety responsibility and jails can become a dangerous place to live and work without an appropriate managerial staffing pattern.” In a more in-depth April 2011 memo, he explained that these unit manager positions remained vacant only because they were not allowed to fill them.

“We were recently given permission to fill the positions by the Mayor’s Office after numerous failed attempts through your office that was attributed to budget restraints,” Stubblefield wrote. He also said that Bryson’s recommendation to reduce staffing patterns will restrict the department’s ability to provide managerial oversight. Under the City Charter, there is no penalty for a person lying under oath.

Charles Bryson

Photo by Wiley Price

stronger

connections

We’ve made important moves to strengthen your network.

You may have heard. AT&T and T-Mobile are planning to come together.

What will that mean to you?

More cell sites and spectrum means better service sooner. And it means your Internet is about to take a big leap forward with LTE — a super-fast mobile broadband technology. We are going to deploy it to more than 97 percent of all Americans, giving you access to a cutting-edge wireless network and all the opportunities it brings.

So keep your bonds strong by reaching out to those you care about the moment they need you.

Our success is driven by a variety of perspectives

For Wells Fargo Advisors, diversity is the driving force behind our commitment and appreciation for di erence — and one of the core values of our firm.

We are proud to be a part of Wells Fargo & Company, an organization which has been named as one of the Top 50 Companies for Diversity every year since 2003 by DiversityInc In addition, The Black Collegian magazine ranked Wells Fargo as one of the Top 100 Employers for the Class of 2010, and last year Business Week named us among the Best Places to Launch a Career.

Wells Fargo Advisors is so committed to building a diverse work force of Financial Advisors and Home O ce team members that we have an active Diversity Council led by our President and CEO, Danny Ludeman, and dedicated community funding for groups that serve three diverse segments: African Americans, LGBTs and women.

To learn more about our firm, visit wellsfargoadvisors.com.

BUSINESS

OCTOBER 20 – 26, 2011

During the St.Louis Microfinance Conference held at University of Missouri–St.Louis last week Pearl Burkes,Bobby Sykes, Margaret Flemming of the Women’s Helping Hands Bank discuss the issue of micro-lending among non-profits.

Focus on microfinance

UMSL, bank and foundation gather micro-lenders and entrepreneurs

By Rebecca S.Rivas Of The St.Louis American

St. Louis has plenty of financial underdogs. Unbanked families. Business owners with no access to capital. Unemployed teenagers.

On Oct. 13, many of them gathered to share how they made a place for themselves in the financial system and are achieving their goals.

The St. Louis Microfinance Conference, held at University of Missouri–St. Louis, brought together bankers, community advocates, business owners and experts to explore various microfinance opportunities in the region and the world. In addition, 13

New federal records site dedicated in North County

Project pumped $435 million into St. Louis economy, saved 850 local jobs

American staff

On

“We are learning to be – what’s the new word we learned? –‘sustainable.’”

– Bobbie Sykes,Women’s Helping Hands Bank

individuals competed for three $1,000 grants to help push forward their businesses or projects. One of these projects was the “Tiny Hands Savings Program,” where children ages 5 to 18 save $5 a month for 10 months. The

Women’s Helping Hands Bank then matches those savings. In 2008, nine women and one man from the Tower Grove Southeast neighborhood founded and created the bank after watching so many of their neighbors fall prey to payday loans and rental scams. They started with $10,000, provided by Incarnate Word and the United Way. For the past three years, they have been able to recycle the same money through the community to make loans for everything from appliances and college tuition to car repairs and funerals.

The Tiny Hands project aims to teach both

Foreclosures drain African-American wealth

By James H.Buford For The St.Louis American

James H. Buford

Recently the Pew Research Center released an alarming report highlighting the fact that white Americans now have 20 times more wealth than African Americans and 18 times more wealth than Hispanic Americans. While this came as a shock to some, it is par for the course for others. Historically, whites have always earned and accumulated more wealth than minorities in American society. Despite this, the whiteblack wealth gap is the widest it has been since the census began tracking the disparity in 1984, when the ratio was roughly 12 to 1. The collapse of the housing market bubble coupled with the recession caused median wealth to fall by 53 percent for AfricanAmerican households, 66 percent for Hispanics and 16 percent for whites. One of

The white-black wealth gap is the widest it has been since the census began tracking the disparity in 1984.

the main reasons for such a major decline in minority wealth is due to the fact that African Americans and Hispanic Americans tend to invest heavily in their homes without investing in other asset building products such as stocks, bonds and savings accounts. With a foreclosure rate of 11 percent, foreclosures have played a major role in decreasing black wealth. The Center for Responsible Lending predicts that property values in communities of color will have dropped by more than $350 billion between 2009 and 2012. This year, there are over 22,000 homes that were foreclosed upon in the state of Missouri. In the month of August 2011, there were over 1,400 properties foreclosed in the St. Louis metropolitan area alone. So as you can see, housing counseling is still a critical need which is not as widely publicized or funded as during the initial foreclosure crisis. Many homeowners who are in danger of losing their homes are not aware of foreclosure mitigation counseling which can help

PEOPLEON THE MOVE

Linda Kennedy has been named by theArts and Education Council with its 2011 Lifetime Achievement in the Arts award. She is a veteran actress who has performed with The Black Rep for nearly 30 years, serves as its artistic associate and education and community programs director, and has directed numerous works with various theater groups. She will be honored at the 21st annual St. Louis Arts Awards on January 23, 2012 at the Chase Park Plaza

Richard Ellis has joined Kwame Building Group as an assistant zone manager, working on KWAME/Aramark projects at the St. Louis Public School District. Ellis has 30 years of experience in facilities and project management. He has a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership from Webster University and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas in Pine Bluff.Kwame Building Group is a program and construction management firm.

Sharon West, Ph. D., who joined Grace Hill Health Centers, Inc. in 2006 as a clinical psychologist, has been named director of its Children’s Developmental Center. She replaces long-time director Dr. Thomas Vogel, who recently retired. She previously worked as a clinical psychologist for St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, and was a staff psychologist for the 22nd Judicial Circuit of MissouriJuvenile Division DiagnosticTreatment Department.

Jonathan Watkins has joined First Bank Mortgage as a new mortgage loan consultant located at First Missouri Center in Chesterfield. Watkins, who has more than 13 years of banking and financial experience, will be responsible for covering the North County area. He is a member of the Women’s Council of Realtors and lives in University City. First Bank is one of the largest privately owned banks in the country with $6.82 billion in assets and 149 locations.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

African American Leadership at 80 percent of campaign goal

Midway through its campaign, United Way of Greater St. Louis reports it has raised $46.6 million or 65.6 percent of $71 million goal to help people in the greater St. Louis region.

The African American Leadership Society (formerly, the Charmaine Chapman Society) has raised $1.6 million or 80 percent of $2 million goal for United Way. Richard Mark, Ameren Missouri’s customer operations senior vice president, is 2011 chair of the society.

“The need is great,” said Danny Ludeman, CEO of Wells Fargo Advisors and the overall 2011 United Way campaign chair.

The 2011 campaign ends on November 8. To give to United Way, call 314-539-4101 or visit www.stl.unitedway.org.

Mercy to invest $2.4 billion in St. Louis area

Avirtual care center and a new hospital in St. Charles County are among the $4.6 billion in health care investments that Mercy, the Sisters of Mercy Health System, will make across Missouri over the next eight years. The amount includes $2.4 billion in long-term investments in the St. Louis area. Akey investment in the St. Louis area is a virtual care center – the first of its kind in the country –to be built in Chesterfield, adding 300 to 400 professional-level jobs in the area. The facility will allow Mercy to expand its telemedicine capabilities to outlying care centers across a four-state region.

New University City Chamberof Commerce to meet

The City of University City's newly-formed Chamber of Commerce will hold its first official meeting at 8 a.m. Tuesday, October 25 at The Brentmoor, 8600 Delmar Blvd. The meeting is open to the public. The chamber will meet monthly, featuring networking opportunities and business seminars. Visit www.universitycitychamber.com.

See RECORDS, B2

Richard Ellis

Linda Kennedy

Sharon West

Jonathan Watkins

Photo byWiley Price

Just like individuals, the government, corporations, and banks often need to borrow money for a short time to make ends meet. Unlike most individuals, however, the scale of this borrowing is phenomenal. The money market is the name given to the arena where most of this short-term borrowing takes place. In the money market, money is both borrowed and lent for short periods of time. For example, a bank might have to borrow millions of dollars overnight to ensure that it

RECORDS

Continued from B1

“This investment in our infrastructure is already serving as a jobs and economic engine,” said U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay. “That’s the kind of federal infrastructure investment we should be making all across this country.”

The St. Louis facility is the largest National Archives operation outside the Washington, D.C., area. About 700 people are employed in the St. Louis facility, and 165 more in an annex in an underground cave in Valmeyer, IL.

“The design and planning were driven by our mission of preserving and protecting the records housed there,” said Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero. “Equally

How do money market funds work?

meets federal reserve requirements. Loans in the money market can stretch from one day to one year or beyond. The interest rate is fundamentally determined by supply and demand, the length of the loan, and the credit standing of the borrower.

The money market was traditionally only open to large institutions. Unless you had a spare $100,000 lying around, you couldn't participate. However, during the inflationary era of the 70s, when interest rates sky-rocketed, people began to demand

important is our ability to serve those who need access to the information contained in those records.”

Requests from veterans make up the majority of the nearly 5,000 requests the center receives each day for information from the files, totaling more than one million requests a year.The military files alone comprise an estimated 6.2 billion pages of material.

Personnel files of people like Douglas MacArthur, Clark Gable, Elvis Presley, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Beatrice Arthur and recent presidents exist along with those of ordinary Americans in neat rows on 385,000 metal shelves, 29 feet high. The biggest file of all is that of Air Force General Henry “Hap” Arnold at 6,044 pages.The size of an average record is 75 pages. The new building, which

By Charles Ross

Charles Ross

from participating by the sheer scale of the investment required. And so, the first money market mutual fund came into being. By pooling shareholders’funds, it was possible for individuals to receive the rewards of participating in the money market. Because of their large

Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) program. Archival storage bays are designed and built to eliminate materials that are harmful to the documents such as airborne particulates and ultra-violet light.

The new structure actually houses two operations of the National Archives: the National Archives at St. Louis and the National Personnel Records Center, which is the custodian of records of individuals who left government service less than 62 years ago; the originating agency is the legal owner. Sixty-two years after an individual has left government service, his or her file becomes a permanent record and comes under physical and legal control of the National Archives at St. Louis.

While some of the records in the St. Louis facility date back to 1821, most records

involving military and civilian personnel before the early 1900s are held in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.

The new structure was built by the Molasky Group of Companies through the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which leases it to the National Archives.The project, designed by HKS of Dallas, was also a joint venture between Hardin Construction Company of Atlanta and St. Louis-based Tarlton Corporation.

“I fought long and hard to locate this beautiful, state-ofthe-art facility in Spanish Lake, and to keep these 850 federal jobs in North County,” Clay said. “The project that we dedicate is a huge victory for St. Louis County and our entire region.”

children and parents how to save.

“We are learning to be –what’s the new word we learned? – ‘sustainable,’” said

Bobbie Sykes, one of the bank’s founders. “It’s getting hard for the disabled and the elderly to keep this up. We need the young generation to carry on the torch.”

The North Grand Neighborhood Services in the JeffVanderLou neighborhood has a similar mission, “to pro-

mote the dignity of the lowincome individuals.” By developing affordable housing opportunities, employment and training opportunities for youth, they are able to achieve this mission.

“The North Grand Neighborhood Services was created to make this look like a neighborhood and not a war zone,” said David Carroll, executive director of NGNS.

The JeffVanderLou neighborhood has the third-highest violent crime rate in St. Louis city. As the NGNS began building homes, Carroll said many teens, who were hard hit by the economic decline, found work on the construction sites. But they wanted more employment opportunities, he said.

After a community meeting, the teens decided that they wanted to start a baking company, and Angel Baked Cookies was born.This group was vying for money to make printed brochures to promote their company.

Representatives from Justine PETERSEN, International Institute of St. Louis, the Center for Acceleration of African American Business (CAAAB) and others shared their experiences starting and sustaining micro-enterprise programs.

“The idea of the center is that the growth and development of African-American businesses can help us to solve the problems of families, which then can help us to solve the problems of cities, which then can help us to solve the problems of states,” said Eddie Davis, president and executive director of CAAAB. The center is housed at Justine PETERSEN, a nonprofit that helps low- and moderate-income families buy homes and build financial assets for the long term. They are also a micro-lender for the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Carroll said that many people in the JeffVanderLou neighborhood go to Justine PETERSEN to learn how to build their credit so that they can buy one of the NGNS’ affordable homes.

The conference was sponsored by Incarnate Word Foundation, Citi Community Development, Public Policy Research Center and Nonprofit Management and Leadership at UMSL. The $25 registration fee was used to create the first Gateway to Opportunities Micro-Investment Grants. The three recipients were: Oman Sapir, a beekeeper who will create beehives on the roof of the International Institute for a honey-making business; North Grand Neighborhood Services; and the Center for the Acceleration of AfricanAmerican Business.

County Executive Charlie A.Dooley,U.S.Archivist David Ferriero and U.S.Rep.Wm.Lacy Clay celebrated the dedication of the new National Personnel Records Center in Spanish Lake in North St.Louis County on Saturday.

RAMS ROUNDUP

With Palmer L.Alexander III

Running out of Sundays

Mistakes and costly penalties doom Rams as team falls to 0-5

The St. Louis Rams came out the gate fast against the reigning Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers. Sam Bradford hit tight end Lance Kendricks with an underneath pass in the flats and Kendricks proceeded to rumble 45 yards down the sideline into Packers territory. Then, running back Steven Jackson burst for a 13-yard gain.

Just two plays later, the Rams are whistled for a false-start penalty, followed by an incomplete pass, a timeout. It’s now third down and 11 yards to go. Adraw play was called out of the shotgun formation and Jackson took a one yard loss on the play. Then place kicker Josh Brown missed a 47-yard field goal. But wait! There’s more.

The Rams beat the Packers in several statistical areas. The Rams had more first downs and won the time of possession battle. Sam Bradford had more passing yards than his counterpart Aaron Rodgers. Jackson fell short by four yards of breaking the 100-yard barrier, but he did average almost six yards a carry. The Rams didn’t allow the Packers to score in the second half.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the Rams also had more penalties than the Packers. But, the Packers led in the most important area of them all on the stat sheet. That would be the score of 24-3. The Rams fought hard in the loss, but they have to stop fighting so hard against themselves. I mentioned Kendricks and his 45-yard catch and run. Later in the game, on a fourth and six he drops another pass. And that’s becoming a recurring problem from the Rams’second-round draft pick. And it’s not just Kendricks. This is the entire team.

I had a chance to witness the “Game of the Year” to date last weekend when MICDS hosted Ladue in the Battle of Warson Road last Saturday. It was an instant classic. MICDS edged Ladue 56-55 in one of the most exhilarating high school football games that I’ve witnessed in quite some time.

The game had everything. You had plenty of offense, some tremendous individual performances, a huge comeback and a heart-stopping finish. It was everything you wanted in a district playoff game featuring two schools that are very close in proximity. They also share the same nickname, the Rams. The teams combined for 111 points, 1,145 yards of total offense and only three punts.

MICDS trailed 55-42 with 1 minute and 20

Cardinals take care of business as Brewers strive to entertain

MICDS trailed 55-42 with 1 minute and 20 seconds left, but scored two touchdowns in the final 80 seconds to score the improbable victory.

seconds left in the game, but it scored two touchdowns in the final 80 seconds to score the improbable victory. It also offset an incredible performance by Ladue senior tailback Deavin Edwards, who rushed for a career-high 368 yards and six touchdowns.

On the other side, MICDS quarterback

Thomas Militello had the golden touch as he passed for 434 yards and six touchdowns. Militello threw four of those TD passes to senior Foster Bundy, including the 18-yard gamewinner with 20 seconds left in the game.

The game was a show-stopper. There is a chance that the two teams could meet again in the state playoffs if they keep winning.

424 yards and 4 TDs

Webster Groves quarterback Rayshawn Simmons has been enjoying a huge senior campaign as he tries to lead the Statesmen

See PREP, B5

Eventually, head coach Steve Spagnuolo is going to run out of Sundays. Spagnuolo is doing everything he can to get this team ready to play. But, he’s not killing drives by jumping off sides. He’s not dropping catchable passes. He’s not missing field goals.

Let’s face the facts. This group of 53 players is not doing a good job of playing smart football. And the person that takes all the glory or the blame is the head coach. But, the coach isn’t always the problem. Sometimes it’s the players. Or maybe it’s the people in charge of selecting these players.

Yes, I’m beating a dead horse. I’m going to whip it. Whip it real good until week 17.

For more St. Louis Rams talk tune into Moses “Keeping It 100”on Iwatchradio.com.

Photo by Wiley Price

Earl Austin Jr.

Palmer L. Alexander

Ricky Weeks lets a ball go through his legs for an error during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series in Milwaukee.The Brewers committed seven errors in the last two games of the series.

MICDS defensive back Clark Rogers attempts to tackle Ladue’s Jehu Chesson (5) during a wild game on Saturday.MICDS scored two touchdowns in the last 80 seconds to stun Ladue 56-55.

La Russa vs. Washington in World Series

If you were like me and thought the Cardinals’season was over in August, I guess this whole World Series thing is a shock to you. This takes the case for so many reasons that defy explanation, so why even try?

I will say that when it came to pushing the right buttons, like him or not, Tony La Russa owns the title. I am not sure there are many managers or coaches in sports that could have dealt with injuries, poor play and shoddy defense – not to mention the influx of the new and the departure of the alleged potential – than the Cardinal manager.

La Russa has had his detractors over time. The one that amuses me is the claim he does not like black players on his team. He manages what he is given and tries not to play general manager. He has an opinion for sure, but La Russa wants to win more than anyone I know and he could care less

about someone being black, white or any other persuasion. The problem lies with the Cardinals front office opting for the Latin player. In some cases it has been fruitful, but most recently that mindset has changed. You want to blame La Russa for lineups and how he uses pitchers, you may have an argument that you might win on occasion. The other stuff does not apply here.

La Russa is the most successful leader of a sports team in the history of St. Louis professional sports. His methods are open to scrutiny and his press conferences have painted him in a bad light at times, but ask yourself: How would you handle the questioning right after losing a tough one?

Championship teams are made up of all able-bodied participants, and this team is no different. From the ageless wonder of relief specialist Arthur Rhodes, who has played over 20 years to finally reach the Fall Classic, to the young upstart in Adron Chambers, who was riding buses in the minors just six weeks ago and now finds himself in the biggest series of his young career.

It has been a team effort that will be talked about more than whether the Cardinals resign Albert. By the way, I think that will happen also.

As far as the World Series, this Texas Ranger bunch is really good. They can hit, they pitch and they have been here before. Their manager Ron Washington should have been Manager of the Year of the American League last year. He should be in the hunt this season as well, although they will find someone else to give it to like always. Take nothing from this team and their manager, they are going to be a handful and they may be around for a while.

I like the Cardinals in six.

Trick,no treat

It’s one thing to recognize that the Rams have a problem at the receiver position. It is another thing for them to go out and sign a receiver in Mike Sims Walker in the off season and tell us he will be important to the offense. It is rather odd that this same guy was inactive last weekend against Green Bay.

Enter the trade for Brandon Lloyd and adios to Sims Walker. Yep, the guy who was supposed to help solve the problem has been fired before Halloween.

Why are the Rams so inept at accessing talent and why is

Texas Ranger manager Ron Washington should have been Manager of the Year of the American League last year.He should be in the hunt this season as well,although they will find someone else to give it to like always.

it that any talent that they draft or acquire ends up being average at best? First round picks that cannot get on the field, more money thrown into the

offensive line than a government jobs program and a quarterback that still gets knocked around so hard on Sundays it’s only a matter of time before he’s taking a standing eight count.

It was three years ago last

week when then-coach Scott Linehan was fired for only winning 11 games in three years. Steve Spagnuolo in that same time frame has won a grand total of eight games. Something has gone way wrong at Rams Park.

Mike Claiborne

Jordon Grangercommits to Auburn

By Earl Austin Jr.

Of the St.Louis American

McCluer North High basketball standout Jordon Granger has given a verbal commitment to attend Auburn University next season.

The 6’8” Granger is one of the area’s top returning seniors after helping the Stars to the Missouri Class 5 state championship in 2011.

As a junior, Granger averaged 14.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game for the Stars, who finished the 2011 season with a 29-5 record.

“We’re very proud of Jordon,” said McCluer North coach Randy Reed. “It has been great to watch his development from a freshman to a high-major basketball player.”

Granger chose Auburn over schools such as Detroit, Saint Louis U, Missouri State and Arkansas. He spent the summer playing for the St. Louis Eagles 17U team.

Granger becomes the second player from McCluer North’s program to commit to a Southeastern Conference school in the past two years. B.J. Young, the star of North’s 2011 statechampionship team, is currently a freshman at the University of Arkansas.

“That’s back to back for McCluer North and the SEC,” Reed said. “It’s a testament to Jordon, McCluer North and the work he has put in on the court and in the classroom.”

PREP

Continued from B3

back to the Missouri Class 5 Show-Me Bowl once again. Simmons had one of his biggest performances of the year last Friday night when he passed for 424 yards and four touchdowns to lead Webster past Chaminade 35-0 in the opening game of the Class 5, District 2 playoffs. For the season, Simmons has passed for

INSIDE

Continued from B3

With the NLCS tied at 2-2 last Friday night and the pennant coming down to a best-ofthree series, the Cardinals got busy and the Brewers got dizzy. The Cardinals scored 19 runs in Games 5 and 6 and received lights-out pitching from its bullpen while the Brewers were a hot mess with six errors, brutal starting pitching and bad fundamental baseball. The final result was a convincing Cardinals’4-2 series victory and a date with the Rangers in the World Series.

In the process of getting waxed by the Cardinals, perhaps the Brewers will learn a valuable lesson about chasing a championship. Substance wins out over style. The Brewers enjoyed a great regular season in winning the National League Central by five games. But on the biggest stage of all, they were woefully ill-prepared and they fell well short of the prize. And it was ugly.

Along the way, they got themselves caught up in the hype of being entertainers instead of baseball players. They started to follow the lead of a marginal outfielder named Nyjer Morgan, who created all of this senseless hype with his multiple personalities, trash talk, childish tweets and “Beast Mode” foolishness. He called out the Cardinals repeatedly, and everyone in the Brew City rejoiced as they prematurely danced on the Cardinals’ baseball graves a couple of months ago. Meanwhile, the Cardinals got about the business of orchestrating one of the greatest comeback stories in baseball history. They fought their way back from being 10.5 games out of the wild card race in late August to knock off the favorite Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Divisional Series.

The veteran Redbirds were clearly focused, battle-tested and clearly driven in their quest to get to the World Series. The Brewers had no idea what had hit them. They do now. When the series was at 2-2 and the heat of pennant fever was at its most intense, the Cardinals played championship baseball while the Brewers turned into the Bad News Bears. Their bad defense and lack of fundamentals came back to haunt them at the

1,808 yards and 23 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

Best in PHL

Gateway Tech moved one stop closer to winning the Public High League title when it defeated Miller Career Academy 30-14 in a Class 4, District 4 showdown. Senior quarterback Paul Rice scored two rushing touchdowns, threw two touchdown passes and amassed 267 yards to total

worst possible time. The starting pitching was awful, but the infielders booted routine grounders and the outfielders misplayed fly balls, which turned into big innings for the Cardinals.

The Brewers set a new NLCS record for most errors with nine, and that did not include the numerous misplayed fly balls and throws to the wrong base, which let Cardinals runners continue to advance. As for Morgan, he hit a robust .179 in the NLCS and Brewers manager Ron Roenicke didn’t even start at times during the series. It’s hard to back up your boasting when your own manager doesn’t even trust you to start fulltime.

offense to lead the Jaguars. Gateway has clinched a share of the PHLtitle. Avictory over Roosevelt on Saturday will give them the title by themselves.

Butter melts Mark Twain

Sophomore Deantrell Prince of Christian O’Fallon enjoyed a huge performance in his team’s 50-24 victory over Mark Twain in a Class 2, District 10 game. Nicknamed “Butter,” Prince had 277 yards

I admit, I am an “OldSchool Geezer” when it comes to sports and showmanship. I’m from the old school of let your game do your talking for you, but I understand that sports is also entertainment and there are going to be some flamboyant characters out there.

However, if you are going to put yourself out there like that, you had better be very good at your craft. In the case of the Brewers, when the showboating took the place of sound, fundamental baseball, they were cooked. Maybe, that lesson will be learned as they watch the Cardinals in the World Series. Eh, Nyjer. Watch the professionals in action.

receiving and four touchdown. He also had eight tackles and three assists on defense for a complete night of work.

Christian-O’Fallon is currently 6-1.

On tap this weekend

Webster Groves (7-0) at Parkway Central (7-1), Friday, 7 p.m. – AClass 5, District 2 showdown between two of the top teams in the state.

CBC (8-0) at Lafayette (71), Friday, 7 p.m. – Abig Class

6, District 3 contest featuring the STL’s top-ranked Cadets against a very good Lafayette team.

O’Fallon (6-1) at Belleville East (6-2), Friday, 7 p.m. – A Southwestern Conference showdown with a share of the league title on the line. Fort Zumwalt West (6-2) at Jefferson City (8-0), Friday, 7 p.m. – The talented Jaguars will visit the state’s top-ranked Jefferson City Jays in this Class 6, District 6 showdown in Mid-Missouri.

McCluer North High basketball standout Jordon Granger has given a verbal commitment to attend Auburn University next season.The 6’8” Granger is one of the area’s top returning seniors after helping the Stars to the Missouri Class 5 state championship in 2011.

SLUH (5-3) at DeSmet (71), Friday, 7 p.m. – These Metro Catholic Conference rivals will hook up in a Class 6, District 2 showdown on Ballas Road.

St. Dominic (8-0) at St. Charles West (7-1), Friday, 7 p.m. – Another big game in this loaded Class 4, District 8 field.

St. Mary’s (7-1) vs. Miller Career Academy (5-2) at Soldan. Saturday, 1:30 p.m. –Akey Class 4, District 4 matchup.

WEALTH

Continued from B1 them save their most prized possession. HUD-approved housing counseling is a free but invaluable service that can be used to lower mortgage payments, renegotiate interest

Buford

Financial Focus

By James Parshay, financial advisor

Talk to your children about shared financial picture

It’s Thanksgiving week. And if you’re fortunate, you can look around your Thanksgiving table and see several generations of your family. Of course, as you know, many types of cohesiveness are involved in knitting a family together. But one connection that frequently gets ignored, at least in terms of family dialogue, is the financiallinkage between parents and their children on one hand, and these same parents and their parents on the other. So if you find yourself in this “sandwich” group, it may be worth considering your financial position. If your children are very young, you might want to start by emphasizing the importance of three separate concepts: saving, spending and sharing. If you give them an allowance, or if you pay them to do some minor tasks around the household, you can encourage them to put the money in three separate containers. The “spending” jar is for them to use as they choose, the “saving” jar is to be put in some type of savings or investment account and the “sharing” jar is to be used for contributions to charitable causes. You can extend the spending, saving

and sharing themes by encouraging your kids to spend wisely, watch how their savings grow and feel pride in the work done by the charitable groups their dollars support. Later, when your kids are older, and can earn money by babysitting, mowing

Intimate portraits at Portfolio

Robert Hale’s The AfricanAmericans opens Saturday

American staff

Portfolio Gallery will open

Intimate Encounters – The AfricanAmericans a new exhibit by Robert Hale, 7-9 p.m. Saturday October 22 at the gallery, 3514 Delmar Blvd. The exhibit runs through November 30. The exhibit included his intimate portraits of such African-American luminaries and celebrities as multidisciplinary artist Gordon Parks, activist Rosa Parks and actress Esther Rolle. Hale is one of the West Coast’s leading photographers. His work both as a photographer and as a journalist has taken him on assignment throughout the world. His

“I pulled the box out of my bag and the kids went crazy – I had to break them in half so that everyone could have some.”

Healing for Haiti’s future

Halima Martin’s Hello Morning to provide art for hope’s sake

Of The St. Louis American

“I can’t wait to see their faces because they said that I wouldn’t be coming back,” said Halima Martin, founder of The Hello Morning Foundation. “I want to show them that I did come back and not only were they not forgotten, but this time we came to give them things.”

A sense of purpose and promise was probably the last thing she expected to receive when she touched down on the rubble that remained of Haiti following the earthquake to do relief work. And on Saturday she hopes that St. Louis will help the children of Haiti with her Art Of The City Beneit Art Sale and Concert at the Regional Arts Commission.

form of healing and recovery.

“My cousins gave me some crayons and I didn’t think anything of it,” Martin said of the moment that changed her life.

She was visiting one of the few schools that remain and thought about the crayons when she sat with the children.

“I pulled the box out of my bag and the kids went crazy – I had to break them in half so that everyone could have some,” she said.

“I knew then I wanted to bring art into the school. They don’t have a piece of what our kids have, but they are so joyful and appreciative of everything.”

While hundreds of thousands instantly lost their lives and more than one million lost their homes, Martin found what she hopes will be her life’s work – inspiring the children of Haiti to use art as a

Vega Heartbreak hits homerun

As soon as she got home she started stockpiling the supplies that most American children have come to take for granted. Martin was determined to return with at least a box of crayons and supplies for each child.

“When I got home I was so

See HALIMA, C4

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“The reason I’m so amazed is because of how fast it all happened,” said rapper/ producer Vega Heartbreak. “This has been the highlight of my career, mainly because it’s for my city.”

He’s been in the in the music game for a few years as a part of the Rockhouse Ent. family, but it took this season’s storybook rise of the St. Louis Cardinals to give him his most cherished moment in music.

Vega told his mother that if the Cardinals won game four against the Brewers that he was going to make a song. Like the victory he created the song to commemorate, “Go Cards (The Rally Song),” there was no looking back. In the week since he irst handed the single over to Hot 104.1 FM’s DJ Cuddy, the song has exploded.

“We were 10 and a half games back on the Wild Card and now we are in the World Series,” Vega said.

See VEGA, C4

By

Gbenga and Lutricia Purham Lawal (Director St. Louis

Authority) say they had a great time in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. They attended the annual Nigerian Independence Celebration Weekend. Nigerian Independence Day is October 1. This year Nigerian’s world-wide celebrated 51 years of independence. The blissful couple was married in a private ceremony in their home on December 31, 2010 by Rev. Alex Peterson. Gbenga was excited to introduce his new bride to friends and fellow Nigerians attending the celebration. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Lawal Congratulations to our hometown St. Louis Cardinals for play-offs well done. Good luck in the MLB World Series run! Check out Mike Claiborne’s Claib’s Call for the inside scoop on the excitement in Milwaukee. Buffalo Bill’s baller St. Louisan Keith Williams is looking forward to spending his bye week in St. Louis. A huge Cardinal fan, he hopes to catch at least one game. Faulk Flakes are lying off the shelves at local Shop ‘n Save grocery stores. The yummy frosted lakes breakfast cereal is packaged in a limited edition Hall of Fame box. Former St. Louis Ram and 2011 Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk is excited about cereal’s popularity. Proceeds beneit the Marshall Faulk Foundation’s ongoing programs supporting disadvantaged youth in St. Louis, New Orleans, Indianapolis and San Diego. Faulk Flakes are also available on line at www.marshallfaulk.com

Native St. Louisan Dean Vennie Lyons recently retired as the Associate Dean of the part-time MBA program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. A position he held for forty years, Dean Lyons was the irst to hold this position beginning in 1972. During his tenure the enrollment in the program grew from 400 students to over 1000.

Trish and Gbenga Lawal

Dana G. Randolph Of The St. Louis American

Housing

WITH DANA G. RANDOLPH

Dana G. Randolph STL celebrates Nigeria in ATL

Portrait of Gordon Parks by Robert Hale

Art Of The City Haiti Beneit will take place this Saturday (Oct. 22) at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar.

– Halima Martin

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

Sat., Oct. 22, 7 p.m. & 9 p.m., Lumière Theatre St. Louis presents Gin Blossoms. 999 North Second Street, 63102.For more information, visit www.lumiereplace.com or call (314) 881-7777.

Sun., Oct. 23, 4:30 p.m., The Royal Vagabonds Foundation presents Lynne Fiddmont featuring jazz saxophonist Keith Fiddmont, Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Ave. For more information, call (314) 727-3951 or (314) 9911755.

Tues., Oct. 25, 8 p.m. (7 p.m. doors) The Smokers Club Tourstarring Currency, Method Man and Big K.R.I.T., The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com.

Wed., Oct. 26, 8 p.m. (7 p.m. doors), Marsha Ambrosius with special guest Miguel The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com.

Oct. 29, Pea-Stain Productions presents Distinguished Gents: RememberThe Time starring Rev. Ronald L. Bobo, Sr., Leslie Johnson, David Peaston and Jermaine Smith, The Ethical Society, 9001 Clayton Rd. Tickets available at Transformation Christian Bookstore, 4071 Page. For more information, call (314)

716-8999.

Nov. 11, 8 p.m., Darrell Scott live, The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Boulevard. For more information, visit www.darrellscott.com

Thurs., Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m. Fox Concerts presents Kirk Franklin’s Fearless Tour with special guests St. Louis’own AmberBullock and Isaac Carree, The Fox Theatre. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.

local gigs

Fri., Oct. 21, 7 p.m. doors, Café Soul Lucas Schoolhouse reunion edition, The Loft, 3112 Olive. For more information, call (314) 504-7405.

Sun., Oct. 23, Sip n Savor will be presenting Sensational Sundays: Jazz @ Eventide featuring Peaches Jazz Message with strings, 286 Debaliviere, (next to the Forest Park Metro Link). For more information call (314)361-2116 or (314)-704-0289.

Sat., Oct. 29, 6 p.m., An Old School Jam Session starring Chuck Flowers, The InSpot, 5854 Delmar.

Sundays, 7 p.m., StarCity recording artist FRED WALKER performs his SAXYJAZZ music show every Sunday at: “JAZZ ON

CALENDAR

BROADWAY” 554 East Broadway, Alton, Il. 62002. Call 618-465-5299 for more information and directions.

special events

Thurs., Oct. 20, 10 a.m., National Black MBASt. Louis presents their18th Annual Minority Job Fair, Emerson Performance Center, Harris-Stowe State University. For more information, visit www.stlblackmba.org.

Sat., Oct. 22, 10 a.m., Lotus

Arts Studio presents: FREE Dance Class Extravaganza, back to-back classes in Belly Dance, Latin Ballroom, Hatha Yoga, African Dance, and Bollywood Bounce! Located at 2608 Cherokee St. & Jefferson. For more info, visit www.lotus-arts.net or call (618)530-5416.

Sat., Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Hello Morning presents Art of the City Haiti Benefit featuring DJ Needles, visual arts and live performances, Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar. For more information, visit www.hello-morning.org Through Oct. 22, HYPE

presents Atlanta Campus Crawl, visit Morehouse, Clark-Atlanta, Tennessee State University, Spelman & Georgia Tech. For more information email myhypenation@gmail.com.

Through Oct. 23, The Saint Louis Science Center presents Scifest Saint Louis: International Science Festival. Celebrate science and technology through captivating presentations, tought-provoking talks, wacky experiments and engaging hands-on activities. 5050 Oakland Avenue, 63110. For more information visit www.scifeststl.org.

Sat., Oct. 22, 9 a.m., Who Got Game Athletic Assoc. ‘Kicking forACure’ Kickball fundraisertournament& Health Fair. Fontaine Park. For vendor space contact Karen.cole@sbcglobal.net OR to enter your all-women or coed team call (314)363-0356.

Sat., Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Coalition of Black Trade Unionists twenty-fifth Annual Ernest and De Verne Calloway Awards Banquet This year’s awardees are Vivian Martain, Director of the Construction Prep Center (CPC) and Roy Gillespie, Human Rights Commissioner for Teamsters Join Council 13.Renaissance Grand Hotel, 800 Washington Ave.

Sat., Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Epsilon Lambda Charitable Foundation presents the Black & Gold Scholarship Ball. The Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch, 315 Chestnut St., 63102. For more information call (314) 3464190.

Oct. 22 – Oct. 23, Dontuwannago.com presents Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys away game road trip. Trip includes ride on a party bus and two night deluxe hotel

stay. For more information, call (314) 779-7655 or (314) 229-5267.

Oct. 28 – 30, Extraordinary Events Presents its 2nd Annual Ladies Spa Retreat Weekend To Hot Springs, Arkansas. Call 314-219-4188 for more info or register online at www.sparetreatweekend.event brite.com.

Sat., Oct. 29, 11:30 a.m., 3Way HellaFly Grand Finale Promotions presents Octoberfest at Crown Vally Winery, Bus leaves from Hanley Metrolink Station at 11:30 promptly.

Sat., Oct. 29, 7 p.m., 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis presents their Black Tie Masquerade Gala 2011. Hyatt St. Louis Riverfront Hotel,315 Chestnut Street, 63102.

Sat., Oct. 29, 8 p.m., 13 Black Katz present a SpooctacularSoiree, Shula’s 347 Grill, 411 8th St. Oct. 29, 9 p.m., Baddgirls ENTPresents TheirAnnual Halloween Masquerade Ball with lots of ghostly beauties & goblin goons. Featuring best male & female costume contest.Costumes encouraged. Legit Banquet Facilities, 6324 W. Florissant Ave at Goodfellow.

Sun.,, Oct. 30, 5 p.m., African American Alumni Chapter-UMSL presents their 25th Anniversary Gala: VIP Reception and Dinner. Norman Probstein Golf Clubhouse, 6141 Lagoon Dr.— Forest Park. For more information, call 314-516-6453.

Weds., Nov. 9, 11 a.m., The St. Louis American Foundation, St. Louis RCGA, and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis present the 12th Annual Salute to Excellence in

The Royal Vagabonds Foundation presents Lynne Fiddmont featuring jazz saxophonist Keith Fiddmont.For information see CONCERTS.

Business, Awards & Networking Luncheon. The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, 100 Ritz Carlton Dr., 63105. For more information call (314) 533-8000.

Nov. 12, 6 p.m., Harvest Ball, an evening of dinner, dancing and delight for adults with developmental disabilities, City Hall Rotunda. Call (314) 421-0090.

Sat., Nov. 19, 6 p.m., AWay With Words, VPR Grief Support Foundation 18th Annual Dinnerand Candlelight Service, Brentwood Recreation Complex, 2505 S. Brentwood Blvd, 63144. For more information, call (314) 838-8603 or (314) 681-1988.

Fri., Nov. 25, 7 p.m. - 12:30 a.m., The Original Black Katz Present “Harlem Nights 2011,” Windows OFF Washington, 701 N. 15th Street (inside the City Museum). For tickets or more information, call (314) 9606594 or (314) 229-2215..

comedy

Fri., Oct. 28, 8 p.m., Fox

Concerts presents Chris Tucker, The Fox Theatre. For more information, call (314) 534-1111 or visit www.metrotix.com.

Fri., Nov. 25, 8 p.m. The Outlaws of Comedy Tour starring Katt Williams with special guests Charlie Murphy and Faizon Love Chaifetz Arena. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Dec. 31, 8 p.m., New Year’s Eve Homecoming Comedy Jam Cedric The Entertainer Live featuring Malik S. Peabody Opera House. Visit www.ticketmaster.com.

literary

Fri., Oct. 21, 5 p.m., local AuthorNina M. Thompson will be signing hernew book “Church Hurt Ain’t no Joke,” Not Just ABookstore, 4507 Manchester Avenue. For more information, call (314)531-5900 or visit www.notjustabookstore.net.

Tues., Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m., The St. Louis Poetry Centerpresents Rebecca Ellis, Mary Ann deGrandpre Kelly and Pamela Garvey reading for “Poetry at the Point,” The Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd. in Maplewood. For more information, call (314) 973-0616 or visit www.stlouispoetrycenter.org.

Sat., Oct. 29, 1 p.m., Author Linda Kelly will be signing hernew thrillermystery “Night Wonder,” Not Just A Bookstore, 4507 Manchester Avenue. For more information, call (314) 531-5900 or visit www.notjustabookstore.net.

Fri., Nov. 4, 7 p.m., The St. Louis County Library Foundation and Pudd’nHead Books are pleased to present a Reading Garden Event Series program with #1 New York Times bestselling young adult authorTamora Pierce, who will discuss the latest installment in her popular Beka Cooper series, “Mastiff.” St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd. For more information, call 314-994-3300 or visit www.slcl.org.

theatre

Oct. 22—23, G Huggy Bear Productions presents “Treat orTrick.” Florissant Civic Center, 1 James J. Egan Dr., 63033. For more information, call 314-921-5678 or visit www.ghuggybear.com.

Sun., Oct. 23, 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Award Winning playwright, filmmaker and author David E. Talbert brings his newest stage production “What My Husband Doesn’t Know” to the Fabulous Fox Theatre. 314/534-1111. Order tickets online at www.metrotix.com

November18-20, COCA Family Theatre Series presents Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale, COCA, 524 Trinity Ave., St.

Louis, MO. For more information, visit www.cocastl.org.

arts

October21 – December5, TASK, a self-generating, improvisational art-making event developed by artist OliverHerring, will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 21 at Gallery 210 on the North Campus of the University of Missouri?St. Louis. The exhibition will be on display from Oct. 21 to Dec. 5. Areception for the TASK exhibition will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28. Herring will give a gallery talk at 6:15 p.m. in the Gallery 210 auditorium. 44 Arnold B. Grobman Drive on the North Campus of the University of Missouri?St. Louis (between the MetroLink Station and the Touhill Performing Arts Center). For more information, call 314516-5976 or email gallery@umsl.edu

October22 through November30, Portfolio

Stain Productions presents Distinguish ed Gents: Remember The Time starring Rev.Ronald L.Bobo,Sr., Leslie Johnson, David Peaston and Jermaine Smith. For more information see CONCERTS.

Gallery presents Robert Hale’s exhibit Intimate Encounters: The African Americans, Aspecial opening reception will take place on Sat., Oct. 22 at 7 p.m., Portfolio Gallery, 3514 Delmar. For more information, call (314) 533-3323.

Through January 8, PPRC

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

in St. Louis (63113). The exhibit can be viewed from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. An opening reception will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Victor Roberts Building.

lectures

Fri., Oct. 21, 6 p.m., Washington University Diversity Program hosts Dr. John Rich forHomerG. Phillips Lecture. Dr. Rich, professor and chair of Health Management and Policy at Drexel University School of Public Health, will speak on “Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Violence, Trauma and Health Equity.”320 South Euclid Ave, 63110. For more information, call 314-362-6854 or email Michelle Patterson at mpatterson@wustl.edu.

Sat., Oct. 22, 10 a.m., High CaliberFirearms Training LLC presents Concealed Carry Training, MEETS ALL TRAINING requirements for your Missouri Concealed Carry Permit. Machinist Hall in Bridgeton, 12365 Saint Charles Rock Road, 63044. For more information email hcft@sbcglobal.net or call (314) 971-9737.

Sat., Oct. 22, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., The St. Louis American Newspaper presents “Money Wise” Workshops, Take control of your financial future today, just by starting with your credit. This is an opportunity you won’t want to miss. Afroworld, 7276 Natural Bridge Rd., 63121. For more information call (314) 3895194.

Sat., Oct. 22, 1:30 p.m., The City of Kirkwood’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) Diversity Symposium. The theme for this year’s event is: “The Fabric of our Community: Understanding, Celebrating, and Promoting Diversity. ALook Back and a Look Forward as we Come Together.” Keating Center, Kirkwood High School, 801 West Essex (park and enter from Essex). For more infor-

mation, call 314-504-1887.

Sat., Oct. 29, 12:30 p.m., The Father/Child Crisis Lecture and Discussion, please bring father/child pictures and chil-

Halima Martin’s Hello Morning will be raising money to help the children of Haiti with the Art Of The City Benefit Art Sale and Concert this Saturday at the Regional Arts Commission.

HALIMA

Continued from C1

excited. I was doing it all by myself with my Best Buy check,” Martin said. “But when I asked people to help, an amazing thing happened. People started dropping stuff off at my door.”

To expand her efforts, Martin set up the Hello Morning Foundation, and through it she hopes to provide creativity and hope as they continue to suffer through the devastation.

“So many of them have lost their families and homes and everything, but there are no therapeutic devices or outlets,” Martin said. “A lot of them just belong to the streets and wander. But I’m going to have the opportunity to give them a way to build their confidence and self esteem and create – and to hear their voices through what they create.”

Martin hopes that in the near future she can start an arts center in Haiti and travel

throughout the schools of the nation and restore the faith in Haiti’s future leaders through creative expression.

“I saw five-year-olds go crazy with half a crayon,” Martin said. “All of them are full of this creative energy. We just have to give them the tools to discover themselves in a way that they didn’t know that they could.”

In December, Martin and three others will return with what she hopes is an abundance of supplies for Haiti’s children.

Selena J will host the event.

DJ Needles will spin. Black Spade and Coultrain (these days collectively known as Hawthorne Headhunters), Theresa Payne Haitian reggae artist Mario Pascal, Jingo, CJ Conrod, Raquita Henderson, Alicia Anye, Mz Interpretation and more will perform. The art of C’Babi, Sonya Robinson, Tara Robinson and more will be up for bid.

Freaky Muscato wine has been donated for drinks, and the Delmar Lounge will host an

VEGA

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“I’ve been playing baseball since I was five. I gave up baseball for music. And to see my favorite team embrace what I’ve done … I feel like I’m a part of the team.

In a few short days, the video received tens of thousands of views on YouTube. “Go Cards” is also is in rotation on the major radio stations in St. Louis, and Vega is hitting the news stations for live appearances and

PORTFOLIO

Continued from C1

images are characterized by clarity and simplicity, with an extraordinary eye for light and shadow.

afterparty and will give half the proceeds from the door to Hello Morning.

“Drop off markers, stickers any art supplies you can. I’m going to use all of it,” Martin said. “We will be shooting videos so people can see what their money and their resources did. I can go down there with the desire, but if I don’t have the resources things won’t move.”

Martin gets giddy at the thought of merging her love of art and the children of Haiti.

“I’m going to give them tools to discover themselves, but they are going to do the work,” Martin said. “And I just can’t wait to see what comes out of it. Painting, sculpting and you name it.”

Art Of The City Haiti Benefit will take place this Saturday (Oct. 22) at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar. The afterparty will be held at the Delmar Lounge. For more information, visit www.hellomorning.org.

Whether animate or inanimate, Robert feels his subjects have an inner essence, and, if handled with patience and sensitivity, this essence will reveal itself. His goal is to allow it to live in prints.

Hale, whose father is a photographer and jazz pianist, developed his interest while still a boy growing up in Roanoke, Va. After graduating from high

POTPOURRI

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In 2010 Dean Lyons and wife Mary Lyons (IBM) were proud to watch son Vennie Lyons II (Vice President Attucks Asset Management) earn his MBA degree through the program. Dean Lyons will continue to serve as Curriculum Director of the Kellogg summer LEAD program which exposes minor-

performances this week. “I’m so emotional that I can’t even show my emotions,” he said.

Vega said he knew when he recorded the hook that he was onto something special, but even then he had no idea that it would catch on the way that it has over the past week.

“Michael Jordan once said, ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,’” Vega says in the song’s intro. “We rollin’ full steam. St. Louis, stand up for your home team.” He has not lost sight of the point of all of this – to pump up

school and serving in Vietnam, he studied photography under Adrian Wagner and Hal Jordan at Los Angeles City College. He then moved to Sweden where he worked as a photographer in Stockholm. Upon his return to the United States in the mid 1970s, he felt the need for greater security in his life and turned from photography to a career in advertising.

Although he spent the next 20 years building a successful career as an account executive, he describes this time as “years in which I had lost my courage.” It wasn’t until he reached his middle years that he determined to devote himself fully to passion of his youth. Since making that decision in

ity high school students to business education.

Jazz guitarist Larry Brown Jr.’s debut cd, There Can Only Be One is a treat for jazz lovers. Another Chicago-based St. Louis native, Larry opened his world-wide tour in his home town at BB’s, Blues, Jazz and Soups October 7 and 8. Larry is the founder of the Black Music Church Camp held annually in Venice, IL. A camp organized to educate and uplift young and underprivileged musicians through the exploration of gospel music. Brown is currently organizing a global not-for-profit organization called “Music for the Heart” geared to raise awareness about heart disease. His ultimate goal is to provide inspiration to all through the power of music. Mr. Brown earned a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from Northern Illinois University and is the founder and CEO of Larry Brown Worldwide. His new offering is available at cdbaby.com. Kudos to this talented young man!

The Youth Learning Center (provides academics for underserved children) will host its first annual Superman Gala on October 27. The event to

his favorite team as they fight for another World Series title. In the meantime, he’s enjoying the ride – which includes his song being performed at the pep rallies.

“To know that my favorite team, my favorite players and my city love my song, man, that’s crazy,” Vega said. “To be a part of all of this … I just have no words to express how it feels.”

The official music video for “Go Cards (The Rally Song)” can be viewed on stlamerican. com.

1996, his progress in the world of photography has been phenomenal.

His images have been printed in such publications as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Village Voice, The LA Weekly, Black Enterprise and a variety of national and international publications. He is currently the Directors Guild of America’s photographer. Hale has been proud to volunteer his photographic services to the Los Angeles Children’s Museum, Aids Project Los Angeles, LA Shanti, Aids service Center in Pasadena, California, as well as serving on the board of Directors for The Black Gallery Group in Los Angeles.

be held at the Sheldon Concert Hall will include character appearances by the most popular super-heroes! St. Louis songbird Kim Massie will perform and the auction will offer works of art by local artists. YLC hopes to introduce the community to YLC’s community programs and their vision for the organization’s future. Laurie Siebert promises a delightful evening. Please contact her for ticket information – 314-9330307. Talking Presidential Politics was the topic when Dr. Linda Baker Roby (Paul Simon Public Policy Institute) hosted the Institute’s Director, David Yepsen at a Tuesday morning breakfast at the Union League Club of Chicago. A frequent guest on national news shows during Iowa Caucus season, he spent 30 years as the chief political reporter for the Des Moines Register. An Iowa Caucus expert in his own right, Illinois politicos and business leaders were honored to discuss the nation’s current political climate during breakfast. Blessings! Contact: dgrandolph@live. com.

By Melanie Adams

Celebrating Black Kirkwood

from “Kirkwood Roots,” a new instal-

‘Kirkwood Roots’ at Missouri History Museum

The Missouri History Museum recently opened a new multimedia installation focused on the community of Kirkwood entitled, “Kirkwood Roots.” This new installation helps to celebrate the African-American communities in Kirkwood and their connections to the natural world around them. I had the opportunity to speak with the creator of the exhibit, MHM staff member Tom Sleet to learn more about the importance of this installation and how it ties into the mission of the Missouri History Museum.

How did you develop the idea of doing an exhibit around Kirkwood?

I was originally approached by Margaret Koch, Director of Exhibitions and Research, to think about developing an exhibit for MHM that had to do with neighborhoods or communities in or around St. Louis that are in the process of disappearing or, in fact, already gone. The irst community that came to my mind was the African American community of Kirkwood because I knew, irst hand, that this community has a deeper history and is more complex than the average citizen could possibly know or imagine.

Talk a little about the title of the exhibit and what it means?

The title, Kirkwood Roots, has a dual meaning. In one instance, it refers to the history of the African Americans that have lived there since before Kirkwood’s founding in 1853. And in another instance, the reference is to the individuals within that community who carried on the knowledge of identiication and uses of medicinal herbs, plants and roots. Much of this knowledge was past on to me. I can remember picking wild greens in spring and summer, collecting walnuts and hickory nuts in the fall and catching crawish in the creek, which we would boil and eat. I also learned to recognize goldenrod, sumac, sassafras, and blueberry. Different parts of these plants are used to make medicinal teas.

The exhibit is different from the traditional history museum exhibit. How is it different and how does it tell the story of Kirkwood?

Technically, this exhibit is referred to as a multi media installation because many of the objects and forms are present for contextual as well as sculptural purposes. Also, the main elements of the installation are three video projections that help redeine the space and give life to the installation.

The story of Kirkwood is relected in the words of individuals that are in the main video element. This video is an hour long and is composed of a series of ‘irst hand’ narratives from African Americans that are all native Kirkwood citizens. Most of these narratives were recorded in the early 1980’s by Marian Brooks on behalf of the African American History Committee of the Kirkwood Historical Society. Once I given the audiotapes to review, I knew that I had the basis for a compelling video. I used selected audio excerpts, contemporary video footage, and historic Kirkwood photos to tell the story of this community in its own words.

As I walked through the exhibit space, I was surprised to learn about the African American neighborhoods in Kirkwood. I had only heard about Meachum Park. Why did you think it is important to tell the story of the vanishing African American communities?

We must understand that it is absolutely imperative that we preserve, conserve and pass on to the children our collective cultural equity for it is the wisdom and knowledge of our ancestors that guides us and protects us on this journey. And, if we fail to install this integral material, which is the anchor of self, family and community, then ignorance and complacency will ind us easy prey. For we must make certain that those that come after us know who they are, what they are made of, know where they are going and remember that they are never ever alone. The ancestors are right here with us.

Kirkwood Roots Missouri History Museum FREE www.mohistory.org

This Week in Black History

October 22:

1906 – Three thousand blacks demonstrated and rioted in Philadelphia to protest a theatrical production of Thomas Dixon’s racist play – the Clansman. The play essentially praised the Ku Klux Klan while demeaning Blacks.

1936 – Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale is born in Dallas, Texas.

1953 – Clarence S. Green becomes the irst African American certiied as a neurological surgeon.

2009 – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues a devastating report showing the number of new HIV/AIDS infections was declining for all population groups – except homosexual males which the CDC refers to as MSM – men who have sex with men. Among MSMs, the highest infection rate was found among young Black males aged 13 to 24.

October 23:

1775 – The Continental Congress approves a resolution barring free blacks from the army ighting for American independence from England. The resolution came even though many free Blacks were already ighting in the war. The motive behind the resolution came from Southern slave colonies which feared that by ighting in the war for American independence, Blacks would also demand an end to slavery.

1911 – The National Urban League is formed. Next only to the NAACP, it becomes the second oldest and second largest black self-help organization in America. It resulted from the merger of three organizations.

1947 – The NAACP iles an “Appeal To The World” with the newly found United Nations concerning racial injustice in America. For its day, the iling was a bold move on the part of the NAACP and it angered many liberal and conservative whites.

October 24:

1892 – Over 25,000 black workers are said to have joined a workers strike in New Orleans to protest working conditions, lynching and other social ills.

1935 – Fascist Italy invades Ethiopia - at the time, one of only two independent countries in Africa. U.S. Blacks were among thousands protesting worldwide. Powerful Harlem, New York pastor Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. was among those seeking aid for Ethiopia. Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie spoke at his church.

1935 – “Mulatto” opens on Broadway in New York City. The play written by famed black poet Langston Hughes becomes the irst long-run

black play on Broadway.

1948 – Kweisi Mfume is born Frizzel Gray in Baltimore, Maryland. He became a congressman, head of the NAACP but later lost a bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

1964 – The African nation of Zambia becomes independent from white colonial rule.

October 25:

1940 – Black newspaper owner’s group – the NNPA (National Newspaper Publishers Association) is founded.

1940 – Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. becomes the irst black general in the U.S. Army.

1958 – An estimated 10,000 students led by Jackie Robinson, Harry Belafonte, and labor leader A. Phillip Randolph, participate in a youth march for integrated schools in Washington, D.C.

1976 – One-time racist Governor George Wallace grants a full pardon to Clarence “Willie” Norris – the last known survivor of the nine “Scottsboro Boys.” The group had been framed in a 1931 conviction for allegedly raping two white women.

1994 - Apparently believing it would be easy to frame a Black man for the crime, Susan Smith - a white woman from Union, S.C.- claims that a black carjacker had driven off with her two sons. Her story became a national sensation but it later fell apart. She eventually confessed to drowning the children and was convicted of murder.

October 26:

1749 - The British parliament legalizes slavery in the American colony which would become known as Georgia.

1868 – B.F. Randolph, a prominent black politician in South Carolina after the Civil War, is assassinated. He was believed to have been killed by former Confederate soldiers seeking to re-establish white racist rule in the state via terrorist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan.

1872 – Inventor T. Marshal patents the ire extinguisher.

1911 – Famed gospel singer Mahalia Jackson is born (1911-1972) in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is generally considered the greatest gospel singer that ever lived.

October 27:

1891 – Inventor P.B. Downing patents the street letter mail box whose basic design remains in use today. Not much is known about Downing.

1960 – President John F. Kennedy intervenes to get Martin Luther King, Jr. released from the Georgia State Prison in Reidsville where he had been imprisoned because of his civil rights activities. The Kennedy action endeared him to black voters.

1981 – Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young is elected mayor of Atlanta, Georgia becoming city’s second black mayor. October 28:

1798 - Levi Cofin (white) is born in the slave state of North Carolina but becomes a strong opponent of slavery. He and his wife Catherine are credited with being among the original founders of the “Underground Railroad”- the system of transports and safe houses that enabled blacks to escape slavery in the South to freedom in the North.

1806 - Benjamin Banneker dies at 74. He had become a recognized inventor and scientist. He also completed the design and layout of Washington, D.C. after L’Enfant returned to France.

Burt and Missouri Hayden family farm circa 1910,

lation created by MHM staff member Tom Sleet.

Photo courtesy of Auvellia H. Arnold

Mahalia Jackson

~ CELEBRATIONS ~

Turning 15

Happy Birthday to Darrion XavierWise. Darrion will be 15 on October 22, 2011. He is a ninth grader at Hazelwood Central High School, and he also attends the UMSLBridge Program. Way to go, Darrion!

marine Congratulations to P.F.C. Sherry Watson, who is now serving in the Marine Corps in supply and administration. Sherry graduated from Marine Technical School in September.

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

Beaumont High School Class of 1963 is looking for all classmates interested in celebrating our 50 year reunion.Your contact information is needed as soon as possible.Please e-mail: Lawrence Watson atlanticgold45@gmail.com, Gloria Allen Overton gloverto@netzero.net or Joann Kaiman Vitiello joannevlo@aol.com.

McCluerNorth Class of 1992 is looking for all classmates interested in celebrating our

20-year reunion. We are in the process of planning a dinner/dance. Your contact information is needed ASAP. Go to the web-site at mccluernorth1992.com

Northwest Class of 1982 is preparing for its 30th reunion in 2012. We are in the process of planning. Your contact information is urgently needed to form our class committee. Please email Herman Hopson (hopdog82@yahoo.com) 573230-4290, Roy Johnson (royj1475@gmail.com) 314495-7982, Rick Calvin , (olescl@yahoo.com ), Claude Ussery 314-805-0163 (usserycrew6@sbcglobal.net). Or you can FB us.

Soldan High School Class of 1962 is in the process of planning our 50th class reunion for the second weekend in August of 2012. We are calling all classmates to come and celebrate this momentous occa-

sion. Your contact information is urgently needed. Please call Bobbie Brooks at 314-8389207 or Hiram Wilkens at 314803-5580. You may email Sam Harris at harrissam@hotmail.com.

SumnerHigh School class of 1964 is looking for all classmates interestedin celebrating our 50th reunion. Your contact info is needed. If youor anyone you know would like to participate, please e-mail your info to sumnerco1964@yahoo.com contactCarol Strawbridge at 524-8504.

SumnerHigh School Class of 1987 is looking for all classmates interested in celebrating our 25-year reunion. We are in the process of planning. Your contact information is needed ASAP. Please emailyour information to:sumnerco1987@gmail.com

Lillian & Dan Whitley, Sr. –(51 years) — October 15

Vashon Class of 1978 Holiday Dance Extravaganza, Saturday, December 3, 2011, 8 pm—1 am, Carr Square Community Center; 1629 Bible. BYOB; Set Ups Will Be Sold in Advance $10, at door $12.

Soldan High School Class of 1982 is preparing for its 30 year reunion in 2012.We are seeking contact information to complete our class directory. Please email information to Rahmina Stewart Benford and Bridgette West at soldanclassof82alumni@yahoo.com.

Soldan International Studies High School Class of 2002 is preparing for its 10-year reunion in 2012. We need your contact information to complete our class directory. Please email your information

including mailing and email address to soldanclassof2002@yahoo.com. For more information please contact Denise Cobbs at 314-3231228 or email: denisecobbs83@yahoo.com. Please join our Soldan Class of 2002 group on Facebook.

Vashon Home Coming Football Game Vashon vs. Sumner at Sumner High School, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011 at 1:30pm. We need all former football players, cheerleaders, band members, majorettes, spirit squad, pompon,all students, andall staff of Vashon High School to come out to support our football players. ForT-Shirts contact, Coach Reginald Ferguson 314-533-9487.

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

Announcing the birth of Emmanuel Martin Chatman, born on September 27, 2011, at 3:31am to Darryl and Diane Chatman of University City. “Manny” was 9 lbs, 2 oz, and 21 inches long. He was born at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. Birth announcement

Jeanny & Jay Riley –(11 years) — October 21

Religion

COGIC Convocation to convene in St. Louis

Last year 35,000 attendees spent upwards of $35 million

American staff

The Church of God in Christ 104th Holy Convocation will convene October 31-November 9 in St. Louis.

The Holy Convocation is expected to be the biggest convention of 2011 in St. Louis, according to the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission.

The Visitors Commission says the 2010 convocation attracted 35,000 attendees that spent upwards of $35 million during the eight-day convention. This year’s convocation attendance is already expected to increase in size and economic impact to the region.

Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr. explains that this convention will be an opportunity for the members of COGIC to “set down our buckets to receive the latter rain of inspiration, instruction and the work of ministry.” The convocation is a time for the delegates to experience great speakers and some of the greatest gospel music singers in the nation.

The Church of God in Christ is the fifth largest Protestant religious denomination in the United States, with churches in 60 countries worldwide and an estimated membership of nearly 6.5 million members.

Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr. led the Church of God in Christ’s 103rd Holy Convocation last year in St. Louis. Its 104th Holy Convocation will convene here October 31-November 9.

The official Holy Convocation website has just launched and includes up-to-date information about the 104th Holy Convocation, including a list of events, speakers and musical artists for the week. Visit www.cogic.org and click on the Holy Convocation banner for additional information.

True

Fellowship Community Outreach Center

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the True Fellowship Community Outreach Center will be held Friday, October 21 at 12:30 p.m. at the center, 1639 Third St. in Madison, IL. The

Building Dedication will be held on Saturday, October 22 at 10 a.m. for True Fellowship Church and the Open House will be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Jesus believed in community and so do we,” said

Executive Director Pastor CeCe McCall-McCoo. “This community deserves a brighter light and God has given True Fellowship the responsibility of adding wattage.

Staff will be available to share program information and on-site enrollment will be available. Property tours will be conducted and light refreshments will be served.

“We are excited to accept our responsibility of serving families in our community. Our center is a labor of love,”

McCall-McCoo said. “God has allowed us to use what we have to make a difference. This is the place where community comes together.”The True Fellowship Community Outreach Center is a 501(c)3 organization, determined to positively position a generation of people by equipping them to got the next level spiritually, academically, physically, financially, mentally and emotionally. For more information, contact Jaison McCall, Program Director, at 618-709-7600 or community@truefellowship.org.

Bishop Dwight McDaniels, Jr. Museum

San Francisco Temple Complex Christian Assembly is going to open a Bishop Dwight McDaniels, Jr. Museum at the church on Sunday, October 23. For more information, contact is Bishop Luther J. Blackwell Jr. at 330-766-7777

Solomon’s Temple Appreciation Services

Solomon’s Temple Church will host 1st Lady Holloway’s Appreciation Service at 7 p.m. Friday November 4. It will host a Bishop James E. Holloway, Sr. Appreciation Service at 5 p.m. Sunday, November 6. Both services will be held at the church, 5569 Page Blvd. Visit www.solomonstemplechurch. org or email solomons@i1.net.

Don’t let the devil ride shotgun

When the world gets crazy, I mean absolutely chaotic, what do you do? How do you handle it? When nothing makes any sense, where do you go to find your sanity?

I can’t speak for you but it has become apparent to me that confusion in my life runs rampant the more distance I allow between me and God. A guaranteed invitation to insanity in your life is to seek something other than the kingdom of God first.

You want crazy? Simply say, hello world! With all that’s happening in the world today, I often find myself lost. It’s not that hard. Just read the papers, tune in the news. What it has done for me, however, is give me the wisdom that there is a definite need for consistency in my faith walk.

As a minister friend of mine says, being a Christian is a full time job. You don’t get the summer off; no Spring Break. And you do need to work nights and weekends.

I’m just saying you can’t get comfortable with how well you think you’re doing God’s will. When you get tired, Satan has a bed and breakfast for you. When you’re thirsty, he’s got just what you need to quench it. When you lose focus, guess who’s got the right game to fill your imagination?

Now we know once God gets your attention, He has His ways of letting you know

it’s Him and it’s time for you to get busy. For me it was Psalm 23, “Yea though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for thou (God) are with me.” At a time when chaos was ruling my world and confusion was running rampant, I was blessed to realize that I had let God fall by the wayside and the devil was quite eager and more than willing to ride shotgun. It was that “with me” part of Psalm 23 that resonated. When God comes knocking, He has a way of letting you and the devil know that somebody else is in His seat and, thankfully, God ain’t having it. Psalm 22 says, “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations.” Right! Everything I have and think I own belongs to Him. It’s His and I am blessed to know, appreciate and subsequently, submit to His will and not my own. It’s amazing how this simple truth can bring peace of mind when it seems an impossibility. All I’m suggesting is when all hell is breaking loose in your world, heaven can break out in a heartbeat, if you’ll just remember to stop the car and change who’s in your passenger’s seat.

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

James A. Washington

Photo by Wiley Price

Community College leaders accept Obama’s challenge

American staff

St. Louis Community College leaders officially have accepted the challenge given by President Barack Obama to double the number of students completing degrees or certificates within the next decade by signing a Call to Action Resolution at a recentmeeting of the STLCC Board of Trustees.

“By signing this Call to Action, STLCC commits to promoting the development and implementation of policies, practices and institutional cultures that will produce 50 percent more students with high quality degrees and certificates by 2020,” said Myrtle E.B. Dorsey, STLCC chancellor who also serves as chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Community Colleges.

“We are calling upon every sector and constituency of our college and community to join us in this work.”

For more information about STLCC, visit www.stlcc.edu.

Maryville University introduces Graduate Nursing Programs

Maryville introduces Graduate Nursing Programs

Maryville University is now offering nurses the opportunity to advance their education through three online programs. The programs have been designed with practicing nurses in mind to offer convenient, flexible courses that can be completed while continuing to work.

Two master’s degrees are offered-Adult-Geriatric Nurse Practitioner (AGNP) and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)-as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. The AGNPcan be completed in as little as two years, the FNPin just over two years and the DNPin one-anda-half years.

Offered through Maryville University’s School of Health Professions, the online graduate nursing programs have streamlined curriculums to provide a set of core studies and practicum experiences to better prepare nurses for advanced nurse practitioner positions in primary healthcare. All three programs begin with foundational principles and then advance to nurse practitioner courses-culminat-

Melissa Hattman,chair of the St.Louis Community College Board of Trustees,and Chancellor Myrtle E.B.Dorsey;and standing,from left,board members Craig Larson, Joann Ordinachev and Hattie Jackson;Libby Fitzgerald,board vice chair;and board member Margo McNeil.

in a capstone sequence. Clinical internship courses are supervised by preceptors (arranged by students and approved by program administration) and completed in healthcare facilities local to the student.

Each program focuses on the appropriately aged client at various stages of wellness and in various community settings,

“STLCC commits to promoting the development and implementation of policies, practices and institutional cultures that will produce 50 percent more students with high quality degrees and certificates by 2020.”

– Chancellor Myrtle E.B. Dorsey

and they all share common goals of preparing nurses to positively influence the health and well-being of those in the community they serve. The nursing program pursues this goal by maintaining sensitivity to ongoing changes in the healthcare needs of our society.

For more information about the Maryville University’s online Nursing Practitioner program, curriculum or requirements, visit http://onlinenursingdegrees.maryville.ed u or contact a school representative directly at 1-877-8304636.

WelcomebackChazandKut. When the folks over at HotFoxy were pumpin’ up this “big announcement,” I thought to myself, “if they want to snatch the folks’ attention, they need to get Chaz Saunders back in the booth.” Not only did they answer my secret command, they out did themselves by bringing DJ Kut back from the Big Apple. I’ve been whisperin’a Chaz comeback to the universe for years…but I thought Kut was gone for good! Between y’all and me, I knew when Boogie D busted back up in the cut last month to the PD that he was gonna get in from his end to make both stations over at Radio One STL somethin’ special.

Singing Jill Scott like it’s golden. I’ll be honest. My lips were quite pursed when I walked into the Twisted Olive last Friday for the Jill Scott Review show. When I heard that a group of local songstresses were going to tackle the songbook of Jill Scott, I knew that no half-steppin’would be allowed in order for me not to have punch on the brain. To their credit, they did manage to ill the house with frames of all shapes and sizes, in a timely fashion to boot. Even still, it seemed the featured wailers still needed more time to throw on a bedazzled party. I wasn’t mad because once I heard them emerge and make one last run through “Crown Royal,” I knew that this was going to be a showin’to gag me into oblivion. That’s exactly what Tish Haynes-Keys Tasha Ryan Katrina Reese, and the superb Love Jones Band did and more. Roosted on the stage in glittering black, the ladies squalled, belted, and crooned through Scott’s hits. Nearly each selection opened with a poetic interpretation from poets, which was a nice touch that delved into the dual artistry of Jill. This was the case as Katrina commenced the review show with “Hear My Call.” Tish then took her commanding role as she pummeled through “Hate On Me” then took it down a notch on the more tender “Whenever You’re Around” in which vocalist Tasha was given a chance to shine. Tish, however, knows how to do her job. This engaging and blazing powerhouse took you on a trip through songs like they were her own. “So In Love With You,” followed with vocal help from a band member which lead to a roarin’ version of “One Is The Magic Number.” “Whatever Whatever” found the band killin’ causin’ Tish to hurl a collective threat at them while inserting a few featured ad-libs. “It’s Love,” “Getting In The Way,” and “Betta At Home” were all rolled out before the intermission. This juke joint gathering continued when Tish reappeared with a diva costume change as she inished up with “Come See Me,” “I Need You,” and “You Love Me” which gave me a highlighted church style mic pass. Tiffany Elle, Theresa Payne, and Wildmann all were on hand to give further life to this soul stirrin’turned gospel hymm moment as I beamed in merriment. Tish and company truly brought the house down in this hipswayin’ and arm lailin’ endeavor. Quiet as kept, I enjoyed it better than Jill’s own concert this past summer.

Sunday Soul at Twisted Olive. The party continued at the Twisted Olive for the Soul Check event as local artists and performers communed to entertain the smaller mass that gathered Sunday night. My eyes bulged to a near pop as I walked into the middle of a vulgar punch line when comedienne Kym D was up doin’ her thug-thizzle. Rocking her best Meshell Ndegeocello scalp game proper as she jokingly warned against delusional ill-equipped men and tips on how and when to know you’re pleasin’ your woman right. I admit, I stiled a few chuckles before the next act was up. I couldn’t tell whether it was MarshaAmbrosius’ lil cousin or Teena Marie’s long lost daughter who got up next. Either way, when home girl swung through “Moody’s Mood for Love” I was over the moon. Too bad the audience was mostly distracted by the Cardinals win but that didn’t stop her. She went on bayin’ at the moon while givin’ me Amy Winehouse banter. She followed up with Alicia Keys’

“If I Ain’t Got You” while The D’Fynitive Soul Band gave her a run for her money with their stirring instrumentation. Unfortunately they seemingly weren’t able to provide the same for Tasha Ryan because when she got up, she unexpectedly had to wing her offerings a cappella. With skilled singers in tow, she carried on like a pro. Fantasia’s “Teach Me” ensued as all harmonized for the high priestess of vocals. John Legend’s “Cloud 9” rounded out her set and lead me to believe I saw all I needed to see. Make sure y’all stay on the lookout on events goin’down at Twisted Olive. Outside of a ierce chicken basket, they are quickly becoming the weekend place to be.

A Traipse for the fashionistas. Apparently in order to be a fashionista in St. Louis, you must pick up a How-To-Be-Amber-Rose guide for dummies because many seemed to have a ierce subscription to such. One in particular went on to spray paint her scalp canary yellow and throw on some futuristic glasses as she felt her way through Lola Sunday night for Fashion Night Out-St. Louis. This tribute to fashion boutiques in town saw several lines of House of Ratch: Cochran Gardens Collection slung over and perched against the walls. Everything from a glitterbomb bra, spray painted denim jacket, to decorative liquid leggings were all available for purchasing pleasure. Oh, and don’t think it was limited to just the ladies. For those that want their babygirls to channel their inner Foxy Brown, freakum dresses for the kiddies were accessible as well. With DJs spinning in front and back and Orlando Watson promenading around in his prettiness, this was the place for all former Foxmoore enthusiasts and Dots supporters alike.

Rockhouse reppin Redbirds. My sister told me that one of her soccer mom Facebook friends sent her Vega Heartbreak’s “Go Cards (The Rally Song)” and asked me had I heard it. After I snapped out of my blank stare, I went on to tell her about all of the Youtube views and how the general pops have embraced the song like Bing Crosby, Bruce Springsteen or The Black Eyed Peas. Congrats Vega and the whole Rockhouse Family…the next step is to pray that the Cardinals are actually soaking in the song’s lyrics!

Delores Shante’s Event Pick of the Week. Outside of my lovelies of the Café Soul family and their long awaited Lucas School House reunion Friday at the Loft, world-renowned DJ Rich Medina will be returnin’ to town and puttin’ it down at Lola Friday night in celebration of Afro-Beat pioneer Fela Kuti. From what I hear, it will be an audio and visual euphoric experience as Mark Hines will be on hand for a

Ellena and Mellai soak in the laid back vibe Friday night @ Lola

Mr. and Mrs. Allen share some quality time Saturday night @ The Loft

Mr. and Mrs. Lester were more than happy to spend their Saturday date night @ EXO

Tiera and Teena show some love for the She Spot Saturday night @ EXO

Jamie, Lesha, April and Michele

out

night @ the In Spot

Cornelius, Lanre and Chris enjoy the vibe of the InSpot Friday night

Mindless Behavior were in town to headline Scream Tour 2011, but the R&B group graciously sat through the signing of hundreds of autographs Sunday afternoon @ Vintage Vinyl. Photo by Abre Santano

Ariel Shannon, Deborah and Kim are eager to jive to Jill Friday night @ a special Jill Scott Tribute Show @ The Twisted Olive

DJ Jewel and DJ Cuddy kept it all the way live during the Hot 104.1 broadcast Saturday @ The Loft KiKi and Guanin Friday night @ Lola

Hope and Renita @ the In Spot Friday night

S.L.I.M helped popped things off at Posh by bringing Rapper T. Boi for a live show

Photos by Lawrence Bryant

Community School pushes for inclusivity

Increasing diversity in

students

and faculty

the past

Special to The American

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made at Community School regarding diversity. Through concerted efforts, we’ve increased the numbers of diverse students as well as faculty,” commented Dana Scott Saulsberry, Director of Admission and Diversity Coordinator at Community School in Ladue.

Community School’s student and faculty diversity rates have reached alltime highs this school year. Overall, the student body is 21 percent students of color; however, the percentage for new students entering this year is at 29%. The faculty numbers are even more impressive. Five years ago, Community had 2% teachers of color; today, that number stands at 14%.

“It is highly important to teach our children from a young age to recognize our similarities and embrace our differences.”

– Candace Glass

In the past two years, Community has hired four teachers of color, including one African-American, one Jamaican, and two Pacific Islanders. Candace Glass, a recently hired teacher, commented, “As our population continues to become more diverse, it is highly important to teach our children from a young age to recognize our similarities and embrace our differences as a human race.”

Matthew Gould, Head of School, says, “We want parents to understand not only the importance of diversity, but also inclusivity at the school.” This year, the parents, Board and faculty are all participating in training through St. Louis Diversity Awareness Partnership. Gould was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Independent Schools of St. Louis (ISSL) Teacher Hiring Fair to Promote Diversity.

children ages 3 through 6tth grade.

The mission of Central Christian School

The mission of Central Christian School is to partner with families to prepare children for the 21st century, instilling a passion for God, a love of truth, and a zeal to serve. Our God has created a world that is meant to be explored and pursued with passion.

At CCS, we prepare children ages 3 through 6th grade to live boldly and fruitfully as they embrace their calling as His image bearers in the world.We view children as individuals – already fulfilling God’s purpose for their lives – who are full of creativity, curiosity, and a desire to explore.Even our youngest students are trained to see the world through the lens of a Biblical worldview.

We offer a comprehensive integrated curriculum that allows students to see experiences and interests as a whole.Units are comprised of connected content across disciplines (curriculum maps) to understand truth in a real world, problem-solving context.Students discover the unity between disciplines that exist in creation and are equipped to deal with complex issues, including social and moral aspects, as they study across defined subjects.

Even our youngest students are trained to see the world through the lens of a Biblical worldview.

We teach them to think critically and problem-solve, motivating them to be active participants in their education. We do so within the context of a diverse learning community. Because God has demonstrated diversity in Creation, out student body encompasses significant diversity in race, socio-economic status and learning abilities.We create a loving, intentional environment that stretches and moves each child forward.

Using the latest in educational technology (iMacs, iPads, MacBooks and ActivBoards) our program prepares students for the rigors of secondary school and for leadership in the 21st century. You’re invited to visit our campus, centrally located in Clayton, 700 S. Hanley Rd.,and see our vibrant community of learners first hand. Join us for Open House on Wednesday, October 26, from 9-11 a.m.; or contact us today to schedule a private tour (314.727.4535). Visit us online, as well, to become familiar with our leadership, curriculum, and admissions process at www.ccsstl.com.

Central Christian School,located in Clayton,700 S.Hanley Rd.,teaches

In

two years alone, Community School has hired four teachers of color,including Candace Glass,recently hired Junior Kindergarten teacher.

A youth is assisted with homework in the library at Faithful Friends, which Central Christian School started by making the initial donations.

Cardinals Care donates library to at-risk youth

Program receives grant to expand library started by Central Christian School

Special to The American The St. Louis Cardinals recently donated $1,500 to assist Faithful Friends-St. Louis in the expansion of their library.

Faithful Friends, an early intervention program for atrisk youth, currently serves 42 children in St. Louis; 90 percent of these children read at least one year below grade level.

Literacy is a fundamental skill for kids and an important focus area of the Faithful Friends program. In 2010, Central Christian School started the library at Faithful

Friends by donating developmental reading assessment (DRA) books and assessment materials.

“The DRAassessment tools help us assess what level they are currently reading at and getting the kids to the next level,” said Lisa Roth, Executive Director of Faithful Friends.

The grant from Cardinals Care will help expand this collection with more upper-level reading books to utilize as the children raise their reading levels. Faithful Friends is moving into a larger space this fall that will feature a room designated as the library to help focus on

this issue. In addition to the upper-level reading books, the grant will fund new paint, reading tables, bookshelves and reading lights.

Faithful Friends is an early intervention, long-term program designed to empower children who live in at-risk communities. Our mission is to provide our most vulnerable and challenged children a loving, sustained relationship with a Christian adult role model who teaches values and has attainable goals for the children. For more information, please visit www.TheFaithfulFriends.org or call 314-577-6979.

Westminsterembraces differences

Christian Academy strives to diversity students, board, faculty

Special to The American Westminster Christian Academy affirms that it is God’s intent for the world to be a diverse place (Gen. 9:18-19). Westminster also believes that it is God’s intent for His Church, in the name of Christ, to include persons “from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Rev. 7:9). As such, Westminster strives to be a place where diversity is pursued, embraced and valued.

Mr. Jim Marsh, head of school at Westminster Christian Academy, and newly appointed Director of Diversity Aaron Layton lead the charge toward greater diversity in the Westminster community.

impact in the Westminster community.

Mr. Marsh explains, “I pray that as we look to the future, we find more ways to give a voice to the minority and also establish a global perspective.” To achieve that goal, a Diversity Committee has been formed with the commitment to make an

Aaron Layton, Westminster middle school teacher, has provided strong leadership for diversity initiatives during the past three years. His position calls for him to help establish diversity strategy and an overall implementation plan; manage leadership of the school’s diversity efforts, including leadership of the Diversity Committee; develop diversity training for the school’s community; mentor and support students, families and staff; and help with alumni outreach and assist in the recruitment and retention of faculty and students.

One of Westminster’s goals has been to increase diversity within the student population, board and faculty.

Westminster’s diverse students currently compose 18.7 percent of the student population, compared to 10.3 percent in 2006. The school’s diverse population includes 32 international students representing

five countries.

Westminster’s outstanding curriculum, with a comprehensive selection of courses including advanced placement and honors classes, offers a highly competitive academic program that encourages the

development and application of Christian character.

In July 2011, Westminster relocated to a new 320,000square-foot facility on a 70acre campus at I-64 and Maryville Centre Drive in Town & Country. The new

Westminster Christian Academy’s diverse students currently compose 18.7 percent of the student population, compared to 10.3 percent in 2006.

facility will accommodate up to 1,200 students in grades 712. The campus features an expanded fine arts center with a 600-seat theatre and black box theatre, integrated technology systems, media production center, three gymnasiums and

a weight room, state-of-the-art athletic fields and track, twelve tennis courts, 8-lane competitive swimming pool, and grade-specific neighborhood wings designed to promote community with innovative spaces for collaboration.

Phi Beta Sigma awards scholarships

During its annual Scholarship Brunch the Education Committee of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc awarded $ 3,500 in scholarships to deserving high school seniors. Recipients were De’Von Washington, Christian Brothers College High School; Jourdon Morgan III,

Hazelwood East High School; Chris Johnson, Lafayette High School; and Kendrick Strong II, Mel Carnahan High School. Organizers said, “We continued our philanthropic legacy by upholding our motto, ‘Culture for Service, and Service for Humanity.’”

Mr. Anthony McDonald, of the Risen Foundation, allowed

all in attendance a preview of literary excerpts from books penned by several of his students.The students spoke from the heart and gave a riveting display of all their hard work.

The scholarship program continued with guest speaker, Bro. Eugene Simpson. Bro. Simpson, a father, brother, an

educator, brought his entire repertoire and provided an exhilarating call to ACTION. Organizers said, “We look forward to a bigger and better scholarship brunch in 2012! Please join us and see what the men of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity are all about.”

Aaron Layton

PRIVATESCHOOLS

‘Children who need the most get the least’

Disparity in teacher pay:

a

civil rights issue

By Kenneth J.Cooper Special to the NNPA

New federal research shows that African American and Hispanic students are being shortchanged, literally, when it comes to school budgets, in most districts with diverse enrollments.

The U.S. Education Department study found that teachers in schools with more Latino and AfricanAmerican enrollment get paid an average of $2,500 less than teachers in the whole district. The pay disparity reflects earlier research that found students in public schools with heavy minority enrollments receive instruction more often from inexperienced teachers, who earn less because of salary schedules based on seniority.

of relatively low pay and poor working conditions compared to other professions, the unfortunate fact is there aren’t enough top-notch teachers to go around, therefore they get rationed one way or another.

“America has been battling inequity in education for decades but these data show that we cannot let up,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in releasing the survey results last month. “Children who need the most too often get the least. It’s a civil rights issue, an economic security issue and a moral issue.”

Teachers in schools with more Latino and AfricanAmerican enrollment get paid an average of $2,500 less than teachers in the whole district.

In the 2009-2010 academic year, the disparity exists in 59 percent of 2,217 diverse districts, those defined as having between 20 percent and 80 percent African American and Hispanic enrollment. The survey was the first time federal education officials have collected information to compare individuals schools based on teacher salaries, which consume about 60 percent of a district’s budget on average.

Teachers are also a district’s most important educational resource.How the best teachers are distributed is a matter of educational equity.Because

In its proposal for changes in the No Child Left Behind Act, which has been struck in Congress, the Obama administration asks the legislation be revised to require that “comparable resources” be spent on low-income students at the school level, rather than district wide.

“Currently, some schools with mostly white, non-poor students, may get as much as $1 million more a year because of differentials in teacher salary schedules and how resources are allocated,” Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for civil rights, said during an interview.

“The administration wants to be sure that high poverty schools are getting at least their fair share of state and local resources before any Title I funds are spent.”

that we cannot let up,”

survey results.“Children who need the most too often get

release state and national esti-

Title I is the federal program that provides funds to support additional instruction for disadvantaged students.

The program was established in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and continued in No Child Left Behind, the law’s successor. Title I often pays for reading specialists and teacher aide’s in schools with high concentrations of low-income students, particularly in the elementary grades.

Reallocating district funds to make up for shortfalls in budgets allocated to those

schools, as the administration proposes, could boost instruction in different ways, Ali said.

“The extra money to schools with teachers who get paid less could be used for many purposes, such as retaining effective teachers in highpoverty schools or providing extra learning time, and not necessarily to expand their staffs,” she said.

“The administration’s proposal requiring comparable resources phases in over time so districts can adjust budgets over multiple years.”

Examining the comparability of school resources has been part of the administration’s

strategy for enforcing civil rights.

As of June, the department’s Office for Civil Rights was investigating 11 cases having to do with comparable resources, including the experience and pay of teachers.

Those cases involve eight complaints filed by individuals and three compliance reviews initiated by the office.

Those cases involve districts in nine states: South Carolina, Maryland, Texas, New York, Colorado, Indiana, California, North Carolina and Virginia.

Later this year, the Education Department will

mates of teacher pay disparities and other measures of educational equity.

When the teacher pay data were released Sept. 27, Ali said: “To repair our education system requires that we be able to identify where problems exist.Collecting these data and making them widely accessible is a powerful way to make the case for action.”

Kenneth J. Cooper, a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, is a freelancer based in Boston. He also edits the Trotter Review at the University of MassachusettsBoston.

“America has been battling inequity in education for decades but these data show

Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in releasing the

the least.It’s a civil rights issue,an economic security issue and a moral issue.”

Eighth grade students

PRIVATESCHOOLS

MICDS to host Middle School Diversity Leadership Conference

Special to The American

Erica Moore, director of Diversity at Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS), has been around schools long enough to know that middle school students sometimes do not like talking about difference and understanding aspects of their identity. To meet that challenge, she is leading the effort to plan the school’s first-ever Middle School Diversity Leadership Conference set for Thursday, November 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at MICDS.

“The conference will allow for students from various

schools and backgrounds to come together to talk about what makes us alike, different and wonderful,” Moore explains. “It takes a special effort to create opportunities for dialogue and understanding, to empower them to feel good about who they are and stand up for others.”

The conference is open to 7th and 8th grade students from throughout the St. Louis metro area. Each participating school is being asked to send a delegation of 5 to 15 students, Moore explained, with a goal of approximately 200 total participants in the conference.

“The emphasis is also on leadership,” Moore continued.

“Two or three 8th grade students from each school will serve as facilitators during the conference. They will be trained prior to the event, and then asked to help lead the charge in the diversity work at their own schools when they return.”

The conference will consist of an opening session, an interactive theatre presentation and discussion, workshops, small group discussions, school group discussions and planning, open mic reporting and a closing session. There will also be sufficient time set aside for the students from various schools to get to know one another.

Construction Careers Center ranks above state average

Federal School Improvement Grant results in better scores for charter school

to The American

data released by the Missouri Department of

and Secondary Education (DESE) reveals a dramatic increase in

in Communication Arts and Math by students at the Construction Careers Center (CCC) during the last school year, ultimately outpacing the statewide average and above the average for St. Louis Public Schools.

“After the conference, the students will return to their schools to use what they have learned, but not without support,” explains Moore. “Faculty members attending with their students will have their own workshop to discuss what the students are experiencing, but most importantly how they can support the student work when they return to their schools.”

For more information about the conference, or to coordinate your school’s participation, contact Erica Moore at 314-995-7360 or emoore@micds.org

“This improvement in test scores is attributable to the changes made under the School Improvement Grant including the use of instructional coaches and our partnership with Teach for America.”

– Len Toenjes

Students from the CCC scored 61.1% proficient in Communication Arts and 56.1% proficient in Math while the statewide average was 54.6% and

The Construction Careers Center just completed the first year of a three-year Federal School Improvement Grant focused on improving student academic performance. The grant provided needed resources to employ to full time Instructional Coaches, a Student Success Counselor and a Turnaround Officer.

“This improvement in test scores is attributable to the changes made under the School Improvement Grant including the use of instructional coaches and our partnership with Teach for America,” says Len Toenjes, President of the AGC of St. Louis, which operates the Construction Careers Center. “We are thrilled with the results and believe that our students and their parents will be as well.”

In May, DESE renewed the charter for the Construction Careers Center for five years. The CCC’s goals for the 2011-1 school year include improving student attendance and engagement, changing the school culture to include high expectations of all students and improving the construction department.

The Associated General Contractors of St. Louis represents over 400 commercial, industrial, heavy and highway contractors, industry partners and related firms in St. Louis City and County as well as the metropolitan counties of St. Charles, Franklin, Lincoln, Jefferson and Warren and 16 additional counties along the eastern Missouri border.

from MICDS plan

Conference with Erica Moore (center), the school’s director of Diversity.

PRIVATESCHOOLS

Exposure gap, not achievement gap

Cardinal Ritter administrator broadens analysis of education outcomes

By Etefia Umana

For The St.Louis American

African-American children can learn and achieve at a rate that is comparable to or exceeds that of any other group of people. Yet, there is a prevailing sentiment in society that advances the idea of an achievement gap for AfricanAmerican children in comparison to white and AsianAmerican children, using test scores and other assessment data to validate this assertion. However, the information that is utilized to make a statement about our children is a small slice of a large pie. The problem arises when people begin to ascribe the more incendiary assertion that the “gap” is not actually a gap but rather a permanent characteristic that is cultural or a genetic predisposition of inferiority.

The most deleterious and dangerous circumstance is when the group on the lower end of the gap begins to believe that the chasm is far too wide to be crossed or that the circumstance of their existence and human possibility is immutable. We have to delve a little deeper and look at data broadly to really uncover what is going on. With clear knowledge and information, we can begin to systematically make substantive changes in correcting educational ills that have plagued African- American youth for multiple generations.

We must move away from the idea that there is an achievement gap and look at the idea of an exposure gap. An exposure gap broadens the analysis from one that is purely academic in isolation to one that looks at the total experience and development of the child. The academic then becomes only one of the products of the educational experiences of the child. AfricanAmerican children, who have positive exposure to a multiplicity of experiences, receive significant supports, have affect dimensions addressed in

their educational experiences, and have parental involvement are more likely to excelling in all aspects of their lives.

From an educational perspective, it is imperative that parents take a look at institutions that have embraced this concept of truly enhancing the total child. In Saint Louis, there are educational institutions that can serve as alternatives to traditional school settings and have made significant gains in levels of achievement for black children.

Some of the institutions in Saint Louis noted for helping

We must move away from the idea that there is an achievement gap and look at the idea of an exposure gap.

to close the exposure gap include the Nativity Miguel middle schools such as, Central Catholic, Loyola Academy, Marian Middle School, and a few others. These schools have year-round classes and extended day

schedules to provide students with multiple experiences and staff to support them from middle school through high school. There are also schools such as the KIPPschools that have adopted that model. High Schools such as Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School have a track record of giving their students exposure to various academic and life altering experiences. One hundred percent of the student body receives acceptances to college and over half academic scholarships for their secondary

education. Many go on to make their mark in the world community. We have in our midst working examples of institutions committed to exposing our children, debunking prevailing misconceptions, and spring boarding our children beyond any gaps that are in existencereal or perceived.

Etefia Umana, JD, MSW, is director of Student Services, Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School, and principal consultant, Acumen Educational Services.

Robots in the classroom

One hundred percent of the Cardinal Ritter student body receives acceptances to college and over half academic scholarships for their secondary education.

Etefia Umana

Angie Keyes and Albert Harrold,of the Challenger Learning Center work out a robotics challenge together during a STEM (Science,Technology,Engineering and Math) Workshop held at City Academy on October 12.More than 25 teachers from the St. Louis area attended the program for training on using LEGO Mindstorms robotics equipment in the classroom.The workshop was sponsored by ISSL (Independent Schools of St.Louis) and hosted by City Academy.

Prostate cancerscreening: anothercontroversy

By Consuelo H.Wilkins,MD

Just two years after the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) released controversial recommendations for breast cancer screening, the USPSTF has now released its recommendations against using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests to screen for prostate cancer.

Similar to the USPSTF’s 2009 recommendation that women younger than 50 should not get a mammogram to screen for breast cancer, the prostate cancer screening recommendation has caused an uproar, especially from those who have fought passionately to increase prostate cancer awareness. Another similarity between these two issues is that for both breast cancer and prostate cancer, the death rates are higher among blacks.

Per the American Cancer Society, African American men have a 58 percent higher rate of prostate cancer and more than twice the prostate cancer deaths, compared to white men. So if the disease is more common among black men and more likely to result in death, why would the USPSTF recommend against using the PSAtest for prostate cancer screening?

The USPSTF is an independent panel of nonFederal experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine. This panel consists of primary care providers (such as internists, pediatricians, family physicians, gynecologists/obstetricians, nurses, and health behavior specialists). The purpose of the USPSTF is to review the scientific evidence of a range of clinical preventive health care services (such as screening, counseling, and preventive medications) and develop recommendations for primary care clinicians and health systems. The recommendations from this group often affect clinical care and may also impact health insurance.

Consuelo H. Wilkins,M.D., Medical Accuracy Editor

In reviewing the scientific evidence, the USPSTF found the following regarding the PSA: In men aged 70 years and older, PSA screening did not reduce deaths.

In men aged 50 to 69 years, the death rates due to prostate cancer 10 years after PSAscreening did not

improve.

After following men with prostate cancer for 12 years, 95 percent of those whose prostate cancer was detected by PSAdid not die from that cancer, even without cancer treatment.

Over the last decade, the PSAhas been highly promoted for prostate cancer screening so this information and the USPSTF recommendation is very surprising to many health providers, patients, health advocates and the public in general.

One of the challenges is that prostate cancers detected by PSAscreening are most often diagnosed in men with no symptoms. (That is the principle of screening. If a person has symptoms, it is not screening, it is diagnostic.) The PSAis nonspecific and an elevated PSAcan indicate an enlarged prostate, a prostate infection, prostate injury or prostate cancer. Also a PSAcannot determine the type, grade, or stage of prostate cancer.

Many prostate cancers detected by PSAare slow-growing and may never cause health problems or affect the man’s life expectancy. Additionally, treatment for prostate cancer can result in side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

So the USPSTF’s review found that using the PSAto screen for prostate cancer did not save lives and that the prostate cancer treatment that resulted from the PSAscreening caused some undesirable side effects.

Here is the problem with the

USPSTF’s review. The studies reviewed by the USPSTF did not include a substantial number of African American men. This wasn’t on purpose. Few black men were included because few black men participated in the studies. It is impossible to determine whether African American men who have the highest prostate cancer rates and prostate cancer deaths would benefit from PSAscreening if they are not well-represented in the research studies.

Gerald Andriole, MD, chief of urology at Washington University School of Medicine recently recommended a compromise during an interview with the New York Times.

“Rather than throw PSAaway, we should make a plausible adjustment that only certain men should be screened,” he said. Instead of screening all men, screening should be focused on those at high risk of the disease, including black men and those with a family history of prostate cancer, he explained.

If you are a man over the age of 40, talk to your health care provider about the risk and benefits of screening for prostate cancer. Given the complexities of prostate cancer screening, this discussion should be based on your individual health and family history.

Please remember that if you do not participate in health research, decisions about your health may be made based on the information received from only those people who did participate.

Consuelo H. Wilkins, M.D., is medical accuracy editor of The St. Louis American and associate professor of medicine and psychiatry, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science, at Washington University – St. Louis

YourHealth Matters

Abi-monthly special supplement of the St. Louis American October 20, 2011

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

Donald M. Suggs, President and Publisher

Kevin Jones, Senior Vice President, COO

Dina M. Suggs, Senior Vice President

Chris King, Editorial Director

Consuelo Wilkins, MD, Medical Accuracy Editor

Sandra Jordan, Health Reporter

Debbie Chase, Director of Health Strategy & Outreach

Onye Ijei, Barb Sills, Pamela Simmons, Sales

Michael Terhaar, Art/Production Manager

Angelita Jackson, Cover Design

Wiley Price, Photojournalist

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

Sistah Strut raises breast cancerawareness in St. Louis

By Sandra Jordan

Of The St.Louis American

Every year in October, health advocates, survivors, women and their loved ones mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month with events, like the Sista Strut in Forest Park; by getting annual mammograms; and by celebrating treatment advances and efforts toward a cure.

For The Breakfast Club, based out of Centennial Christian Church in St. Louis, every month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“Our program centers around providing education, awareness, resources and support,” said Sherrill Jackson, breast cancer survivor and founder and president of The Breakfast Club.

That support includes providing newly diagnosed women with comfort kits and a Buddy that will walk through the journey with them. Buddies are breast cancer survivors who have been trained in the Friend to Friend program who Jackson describes as being able to navigate a lot of the systems and barriers.

“We try to match them up according to the age,” Jackson said.

“I was diagnosed in December of 2008. I had surgery the day that Obama was inaugurated president, so when I came out of surgery, I had a new president,” said Lynn Silver of St. Louis. “I was at a health fair at Mt. Beulah [MB Church] and one of the ladies that works with my mother and another lady from The Breakfast Club was there.”

It was a while before Silver made it to a meeting, but she’s been active ever since.

“It’s a great way for women to share what they are going through – all age ranges – everybody’s different, and that’s what makes it nice,” Silver said. “We have breakfast, a period of sharing when new people come in so they can say how far along they are and they get to hear how far along the other people are. And to know that God is good and you can overcome it.”

Silver’s buddy is named Blondell Lucas.

Buddies offer crucial support, which is sometimes best provided by someone who has been through it as well.

“Awoman walks her through her appointments or whatever she needs,” Silver explained. “If she needs to talk to somebody at 2 o’clock in the morning, somebody is there for her to talk to.”

“If we get funded, we are going to actually have the breast health buddies at the low energy assistance facilities, so

they can be right onsite and have the van onsite,” Jackson said.

Silver describes her breast cancer as “being a gift.”

“I don’t look at is as something that, ‘Oh Lord, you got cancer,” Silver said.

“My mother was real worried but I told her ‘The same God that healed you and brought you through is going to bring me through.’”

After breast cancer surgery, The Breakfast Club can provide women with

breast forms and bras.

“We work with Medical West in Clayton, and we can send women there if they don’t have insurance,” Jackson said.

See SISTAHS page 5

Myah Silver (front) joins The Breakfast Club Members at the 2nd Annual Sista Strut,held Oct.1 at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park.The group includes (1st row) Wanda Morganfield Nelson,Kenita Collier,Sherrill M.Jackson,founder and president;Lynn Silver and FredSilver;(2nd row) Bertha Merriweather,Janet Cook and Brenda Carter;and (3rd row) Jenelle Cook and Juanita Luster

HEALTH BRIEFS

Vitamin D relieves joint, muscle pain forbreast cancerpatients

High-dose vitamin D relieves joint and muscle pain for many breast cancer patients taking estrogen-lowering drugs, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The drugs, known as aromatase inhibitors, are commonly prescribed to shrink breast tumors fueled by the hormone estrogen and help prevent cancer recurrence. They are less toxic than chemotherapy, but for many patients, the drugs may cause severe musculoskeletal discomfort, including pain and stiffness in the hands, wrists, knees, hips, lower back, shoulders and feet.

“About half of patients can experience these symptoms,” said Dr. Antonella L. Rastelli, assistant professor of medicine and first author of the study published online in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. “We don’t know exactly why the pain occurs, but it can be very debilitating – to the point that patients decide to stop taking aromatase inhibitors.”

Because the drugs reduce cancer recurrence, finding a way to help patients stay on them is important for long-term, relapse-free survival, according to Rastelli. The medicine is prescribed to post-menopausal women for at least five years and often longer after a breast cancer diagnosis. There is some evidence that patients who experience the drugs’side effects are less likely to see their cancer return, providing even more incentive to help these patients continue taking them.

Study participants were given plant-based vitamin D2.

“High-dose vitamin D seems to be really effective in reducing the musculoskeletal pain caused by aromatase inhibitors,” Rastelli says. “Patients who get the vitamin D weekly feel better because their pain is reduced and sometimes goes away completely. This makes the drugs much more tolerable. Millions of women worldwide take aro-

matase inhibitor therapy, and we may have another ‘tool’to help them remain on it longer.”

Rastelli says it achieves the best results when given weekly because the body metabolizes it within seven to 10 days. Rastelli and her colleagues did not use highdose vitamin D3, which remains in the body longer.

Since vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, too much of it can cause high levels of calcium in the urine, which may increase the risk of kidney stones. Such possible side effects emphasize the importance of tracking patients’urine calcium levels while taking high-dose vitamin D.

Yoga

improves stress for breast cancerpatients

For women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy, yoga offers unique benefits beyond fighting fatigue, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

While simple stretching exercises improved fatigue, patients who participated in yoga that incorporated yogic breathing, postures, meditation and relaxation techniques into their treatment plan experienced improved physical functioning, better general health and lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels. They also were better able to find meaning in their cancer experience.

The findings are the latest in an ongoing effort to scientifically validate the age-old belief that mind-body interventions have a beneficial impact on the health of cancer patients. The research was conducted in collaboration with India’s largest yoga research institution, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bangalore, India.

After completing radiation treatment, only the women in the yoga and stretching groups reported a reduction in fatigue. At one, three and six months after radiation therapy, women who practiced yoga during the treatment period reported greater benefits to physical functioning and general health. They were more likely to perceive positive life changes from their cancer experience than either other group.

Women who practiced yoga also had the steepest decline in their cortisol across the day, indicating that yoga had the ability to regulate this stress hormone. This is particularly important because higher stress hormone levels throughout the day, known as a blunted circadian cortisol rhythm, have been linked to worse outcomes in breast cancer.

Researchers said developing a yoga practice also helps patients after completing cancer treatment as they transition from active therapy back to everyday life.

Is eating soy safe for breast cancerpatients?

There has been widespread concern about whether it is safe for women with breast cancer to eat soy. An excellent source of fiber, vitamin B6 and protein, soy is usually associated with a health-conscious diet, but research concerning its safety has been mixed.

Some studies have shown isoflavones, a class of phytoestrogens, or plant-derived compounds, found in soy, could impact a woman’s estrogen levels and increase the risk of cancer recurrence among some breast cancer patients. Estrogen is known to promote the growth of breast cancer cells.

Wendy Y. Chen, MD, MPH, a breast cancer expert at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston has conducted research that shows that soy is safe to eat for breast cancer survivors.

“We looked at data among many breast cancer survivors both from the United States and Asia,” says Chen. “We found that women who ate a large amount of soy had a similar or decreased risk of breast cancer recurrence compared to women who didn’t eat soy.”

Dr. Chen adds if women with breast cancer want to make soy a regular part of their diet, it should be dietary or food-based soy. She doesn’t recommend people use soy exclusively in their diet or that they use forms of processed soy or soy in pill form.

“It’s very easy to find soy products in neighborhood grocery stores now,” says Chen. “Besides the more common ones like soybeans, soy sauce and tofu, now you can easily buy food based soy products like miso soup, soy milk and soy nuts. Also, many of the dark green, leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and broccoli are rich in isoflavones.”

SISTAHS

Continued from page 3

“We visit women in prison,” Jackson added. “We visit at the St. Louis correctional facility and we go in and talk about breast health and that type of thing.”

The October 1 Sista Strut, held by Clear Channel radio stations Majic 104.9 FM and sister station Hallelujah 1600 KATZ-AM, brought thousands of women, men and their families together to promote breast cancer awareness, while using some of the proceeds to help three breast cancer efforts –The Breakfast Club, The Black Women Breast Cancer Survivors Project at the University of Missouri St. Louis and Siteman Cancer Center.

“We’re donating a total of $9,000 to these organizations to be split equally among all three,” said Aricka Parr, community affairs director for Clear Channel and promotions director for the two radio stations.

The Breakfast Club uses its portion of proceeds from the St. Louis Sista Strut to put together an annual seminar for breast cancer survivors.

“We bring in speakers and provide education in an environment that they’re comfortable and they can ask questions,” Jackson said. “We had that in June had more than 130 in attendance.”

Since its founding in 1997, the Breakfast Club has targeted African American women while provide support for all women with breast cancer.

“We try to do everything we can to keep that awareness out there for women, especially African American women, to do their breast exams; to get their clinical breast exams, and to get their mammograms,” Jackson explained, “Because that’s the tools we have.”

Their breast cancer awareness message is a tool within itself – and the club continually looks for ways to extend its reach.

“We bring a van to churches. We work with Barnes-Jewish mobile mammography department and we can bring a van to churches so that women can get mammograms,” Jackson said.

Thus far, they are working with 22 churches in North St. Louis City and County.

The organization receives funding support from Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Avon; Lance Armstrong Foundation, Missouri Foundation for Health; through direct appeals and through an annual gospel event at New Northside MB Church.

The Breakfast Club is increasing access to breast cancer information and screening resources by placing materials in places where women with families in need may frequent.

“We have a program also that we’re working with Washington University, and we are putting kiosk machines. The first year, we put a kiosk machine – that looks like an ATM machine – and so women who were coming in for the food stamps – they could interact with the machines and if they said that they needed a mammogram, then they would enter some data and information would be shared with a breast health Buddy,” Jackson said. “And they could pick the Buddy.”

The Club includes activities for The Breakfast Club Brothers, who support their ladies, and for The Breakfast Club Kids.

“At Christmas time, we try to have a celebration of life, because when you are here from year to year – from day to day – you’re thankful,” Jackson said. “Because you realize, when you’ve had breast cancer, you’re at a higher risk sometimes for getting it again.”

For Jackson and so many breast cancer survivors like her, there is no month that’s not breast cancer awareness month.

“Once you come into The Breakfast Club, you’re in there for life,” Jackson said. “We try to use our stories to encourage women to really take care of themselves.”

The Breakfast Club meets on the third Saturdays of the month from 9 a.m. until Noon at Centennial Christian Church at 4950 Fountain in St. Louis, 63113. For more information, call 314-972-0883 or visit http://www.breakfastclub-stl.org.

Menopausal hot flashes lowers risk of breast cancer

Women who have experienced hot flushes and other symptoms of menopause may have a 50 percent lower risk of developing the most common forms of breast cancer than postmenopausal women who have never had such symptoms, according to a recent study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The results were published in a recent issue of Cancer Epidemiology

Biomarkers and Prevention

The protective effect appeared to increase along with the number and severity of menopausal symptoms, according to senior author Christopher I.

Li, M.D., Ph.D., a breast cancer epidemiologist in the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division.

“In particular we found that women who experienced more intense hot flushes – the kind that woke them up at night – had a particularly low risk of breast cancer,” he said.

Li and colleagues suspected a link between menopause misery and decreased breast cancer risk because hormones such as estrogen and progesterone play an important role in the development of most breast cancers, and reductions in these hormones caused by gradual cessation of ovarian function can

impact the frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms.

“Since menopausal symptoms occur as hormone levels fluctuate and drop, we hypothesized that women who experienced symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats – particularly frequent and severe symptoms – might have a lower risk of breast cancer due to decreased estrogen levels,” he said.

Researchers found a 40 percent to 60 percent reduction in the risk of invasive ductal and invasive lobular carcinoma –the two most common types of breast cancer – among women who experienced hot flushes and other symptoms. The

association between such symptoms and decreased cancer risk did not change even after the researchers accounted for other factors known to boost breast cancer risk, such as obesity and use of hormone replacement therapy.

“While menopausal symptoms can certainly have a negative impact on quality of life, our study suggests that there may be a silver lining if the reduction in breast cancer risk is confirmed in future studies,” Li said. “If these findings are confirmed, they have the potential to improve our understanding of the causes of breast cancer and improve approaches to preventing this disease.”

Researchers find new way to treat breast cancer

Breast cancer cells that mutate to resist drug treatment survive by establishing tiny pumps on their surface that reject the drugs as they penetrate the cell membrane - making the cancer insensitive to chemotherapy drugs even after repeated use.

Researchers have found a new way to break that resistance and shut off the pumps by genetically altering those breast cancer cells to forcibly activate a

heat-shock protein called Hsp27. This protein regulates several others, including the protein that sets up the pumps that turn away the chemotherapeutics.

In NIH-funded experiments, the common chemotherapy drug Doxorubicin killed about 50 percent more drug-resistant breast cancer cells in which Hsp27 had been activated than it did in normal drug-resistant cells.

Though these results have been shown

only in cell cultures in a lab, they suggest that there someday could be a clinical way to use this approach to reverse the drug resistance that can develop in breast cancer cells. The study was conducted in MCF-7/adr breast cancer cells, which resist the effects of Doxorubicin.

“These cells are actually resistant to multiple drugs, so the resistance will be there even if clinicians move on to other chemotherapeutics. It’s a serious issue,”

said Govindasamy Ilangovan, associate professor of internal medicine at Ohio State University and senior author of the research. “The plausible way to circumvent this effect is to suppress the resistance by shutting down the drug extrusion pump using molecular approaches. That is what we’re trying to address.”

The study appeared in the Sept. 23 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry

Tilapia with warm tomato salsa

Serves 4

1-1/4 lbs. tilapia filets

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1-1/2 lbs. beefsteak-style tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

4 oil-cured or Greek olives, pitted and cut in thin strips

1 Tbsp. small capers, rinsed and drained

Salt and ground pepper, to

Olive oil cooking spray

Salsa

In medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 1 minute. Add garlic and cook until onions are translucent, 4 minutes, stirring often. Add tomatoes and cook until they release liquid and are slightly soft but still holding their shape, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix in olives and capers. Season salsa to taste with pepper. Set salsa aside, or transfer to container, cool, seal and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To warm, heat salsa in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lukewarm, 4-5 minutes.

Tilapia

Lightly season fish with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat medium skillet liberally with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat.

Arrange tilapia in the pan, topside down, and cook until crusty on bottom, about 4 minutes. Using large pancake turner, turn filets and cook until white in center at thickest part, 2 to 4 minutes. Place each filet on dinner plate. Spoon one-fourth of warm salsa over fish and serve.

Per serving: 220 calories, 7 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 10 g carbohydrate, 30 g protein, 3 g dietary fiber, 210 mg sodium.

Food Outreach continues to be the only nonprofit organization in the greater St. Louis area that focuses on providing critical nutritional support to individuals with a life-threatening illness.Through a combination of prepared meals, groceries and nutrition counseling, the organization is able to enhance the quality of life of low income men, women and children living with cancer or HIV/AIDS.The on-staff chef and on-staff registered dietitian work together to develop menusthat are tailored to the specific nutrition needs of Food Outreach clients.Food Outreach is on pace to provide 410,000+ nutritious meals to 1,500 clients residing in 137 Missouri and Illinois zip codes in 2009. For more information, call 314-652-3663 or visit www.foodoutreach.org

PROFILING PEOPLE IN HEALTH

Jan Hess views personel success in terms of concerted team accomplishments

Jan Hess

Position/Where: St. Luke’s Hospital Vice President

CareerHighlights: Hess joined the hospital in 1976 and has served on the senior leadership team for more than 15 years.Jan’s administrative responsibilities include oversight of Quality Management, Case Management, Social Services, Community Outreach, Health Information Services, Medical Library, Medical Staff Office, Voice Services, Oncology Services and Marketing & Communications. She is the executive sponsor of St. Luke’s Spirit of Women initiative, which strives to improve the quality of life in the St. Louis community by providing leading health information and services to women and their families.

Awards:

Midlife and Older Women (OWL) 2011 Women of Worth award, Oct. 13 St. Louis Business Journal’s 2011 Most Influential Business Women Award

Education:

Saint Louis University, Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Record Administration Washington University, Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management

Personal:

Husband, GabrielHess; Son, Marcus Chatman; three stepchildren: ChristieHess, Dana Hess and Gabriel Hess, Jr.; eight grandchildren

St. Louis Connection:

I attended Northwest High School inNorthSt.Louis.

Yourjourney to success that got you where you are:

When I graduated from Saint Louis University with a degree in Medical Record Administration, my career goal was to become a director of a medical record department. With my good fortune of being selected for the position of assistant director, Medical Record Department at St. Luke’s Hospital, Ibelieved I was well on my way to accomplishing this goal. My strategy and tactics were based on my mom’s training:“Always do your best – even when no one else is looking;”“Anything worth doing is worth doing well;” and “It’s easier to catch a bee with honey than with vinegar.” With these value sets, it was very easy for me to enjoy working hard and to give the extra effort for any project that needed it. I also instinctively knew that most people come to work to do a good job and want to be considered a valued member of the organization. With that in mind, one of the prioritiesI setat thebeginning of my career was to support my team in every way possible. I knew I could not accomplish my job by myself. My success would be based on my team’s success.

As I reflect onmy 35 years of service at St. Luke’s Hospital, I’m overcome with gratefulness for the opportunities I’ve received. I’ve had the blessing of working with some of the best administrators, physicians, nurses, allied health, support professionals and volunteers in the nation who are dedicated to making life better for St. Luke’s Hospital patients. In addition, myteams over the years have given me more support than I couldhave ever given them. This honor is accepted on their behalf.

Jan Hess

HEALTH RESOURCES

Breast Cancer

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

Behavioral

Christian Hospital offers free and confidential psychiatric and chemical dependency evaluations at the Christian Hospital Center for Mental Health. The hospital has a geriatric psychiatric unit dedicated to serving the mental health needs of geriatric patients. For more information, call 314-839-3171.

Christian Hospital Key Program is for patients with chronic mental illness.The program offers support and education to prevent increased severity of symptoms and to reduce the need for re-hospitalization. Call confidentially to 314-839-3171 or 1800-447-4301.

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

Diabetes

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

Free, diabetes education program held at various locations by the Diabetes Network of St. Louis. Participants will be offered testing and support for diabetes control. Six sessions will cover monitoring your blood sugar, controlling complications of diabetes, living a healthy life through diet and exercise, and personal goal setting. Call Coco Bopp 314-747-9533 for information.

Dental

Free Dental Hygiene Clinic - No charge dental exams, x-rays, cleanings and other dental services for children and adults provided by dental students at Missouri College. Patients needing more extensive dental work (like fillings, crowns, etc.) will be referred to local dentists. For an appointment, call 314-7687899.

Fitness

Coed Jazzercise - $1 per session on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Memorial Tabernacle Christian Life Center, 1350 S. Lafayette (behind Yacovelli’s). For more information, call 314-921-6825.

Information

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

Medical

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

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

Nutrition

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

CALENDAR

Sat. Oct. 22, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Breast CancerAwareness Health Fair& Stepping Out In Style Fashion Show,” at Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers, 5701 Delmar Blvd. in St. Louis. , Mammograms and clinical breast exams will begin at 8:00 am – noon. Fashion show will begin at noon. PSAtest for men, health screenings, information, food, entertainment, fashion show, prizes. For more information, call 314-367-7848.

Sat. Oct. 22, 8:30 a.m. - Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes, Creve CoeurPark. Walk begins at 10 a.m. around Creve Coeur Lake, with routes of 1 or 3.7 miles, and lots of rest stops and a first aid tent along the way. For more information, call 314-8225490 ext. 6830 or visit www.diabetes.org/stepoutstlouis.

Sat. Oct. 29, 8 a.m. – Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Run/Walk in Forest Park /Upper Muny Parking Lot– St. Louis. 5K and 1.3 mile walk. Step off at 9 a.m. The event is free and non-competitive, but participants are encouraged to collect donations and pledges. For more information, contact the American Cancer Society at 314-286-8185 or visit makingstridesstlouis.org.

Sat. Oct. 29, 6 p.m. – Mound City Medical Forum Annual Scholarship & Awards Ceremony, Hilton St. Louis Ballpark, 1 South Broadway. Keynote is Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer, American Cancer Society and professor of hematology and medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and professor of epidemiology at Emory University School of Public Health. Tickets for the event are $125/person or $1,000 for a table. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information, contact 314-369-9289 or moundcitymedicalforum@yahoo.com.

Wed. Nov. 2, 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – National Children’s Study St. Louis & OurCommunity, OurHealth Forum at Il Monastero, 3050 Olive St. St. Louis. Free to attend but registration is required. Go to http://tinyurl.com/forumregister.

Sat. Nov. 12, 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. - Asthma & Allergy Foundation of American Trivia Night at Whitfield School. Event includes a silent auction, free beverages & snacks and door prizes. Cost-$350 for table/team of 10. For more information, visit www.aafastl.org.

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

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

Tuesdays, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., Help fora drug-free life - chemical dependency information meeting. Call 314-839-3171.

Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., STEPS Schizophrenia Support Group

This nationally recognized program provides education and support for those with schizophrenia. Group is facilitated by an experienced STEPS nurse. For more information, call 314-8393171.

First Thursdays, 10 a.m. – Family Support Group by NAMI St. Louis, The Alliance on Mental Illness at the Grace Hill Murphy-O’Fallon Health Center, 1717 Biddle St. No registration needed; no cost. For more information, contact Allen Daniel, 314-814-8579.

Free psychiatric and chemical dependency evaluations are confidential at the Christian Hospital Center for Mental Health. Call 314-839-3171.

Barnes-Jewish adds locations to annual free flu shot campaign

Barnes-Jewish Hospital has added over 20 locations to their annual campaign providing free seasonal flu shots to the St. Louis community. It is highly recommended that people receive the seasonal flu vaccine each year to protect the flu.

Over 35,000 people were vaccinated in 2010 through these efforts and that amount is expected again this year, thanks to a donation from the Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Free seasonal flu shots are available at the following locations while supplies last. No pre-registration is required.

Friday, October22

Christ OurRedeemerA.M.E. Church

9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

13820 Old Jamestown Rd

St. Louis, MO 63033

Adult & Pediatric vaccinations (3 years & up)

Saturday, October23

Friendly Temple M.B. Church

9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

5515 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr

St. Louis, MO 63112

Adult & Pediatric vaccinations (3 years & up)

Sunday, October24

Monsanto Family YMCA

3 - 7 p.m.

5555 Page Blvd

St. Louis, MO 63112

Adult & Pediatric vaccinations (3 years & up)

Saturday, October29

Mathews-Dickey Boys’& Girls’Club

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

4245 North Kingshighway

St. Louis, MO 63115

Adult & Pediatric vaccinations (3 years & up)

St. John’s UCC Health Fair

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

4136 N. Grand

St. Louis, MO 63107

Adult & Pediatric vaccinations (3 years & up)

Saturday, November5

Delta Sigma Theta Fortitude Foundation

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

3858 Washington

St. Louis, MO 63108

Adult & Pediatric vaccinations (3 years & up)

Please note:

•FluMist and intra-dermal vaccines will NOTbe available at the Free Community Flu Shot Clinics

•The vaccine does NOTcontain thimerosal.

•Aflu shot will NOTbe given if a person has had an allergic reaction in the past, latex allergy, egg allergy or ever had Gullian-Barre Syndrome.

•Aflu shot should NOTbe given if a person currently has a fever or respiratory illness.

For more information about the free community flu clinic, call 314-TOP-DOCS (314-867-3627) or toll-free 866-867-3627.

Staying Healthy Together

Older residents from St.Louis City,St.Louis County and from the metro-east learned about resources available for seniors at the Staying Healthy Together health and wellness event held recently at Hazelwood Civic Center in Hazelwood,Mo.

Participants learned about services offered from the St.Louis and the Mid-East Area Agency on Aging – services that are not based on income,but where you live,including transportation,delivered meals,supplements and other benefit assistance.Questions were answered about Medicare Part D by Care Improvement Plus (CIP) and participants learned about services for caregivers through the County Older Residents Respite Program.

Keynote speaker was Wilma Schmitz,a volunteer with the National Family Caregiver Association(NFCA).Event partners include CIP,University of Missouri Extension,St.Louis County Human Services,St.Louis Area Agency on Aging and the NFCA.