October 26th, 2023 edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

Salute Gala’s orchestra

Evening’s mainstay Jazz Edge sets musical tone for St. Louis’ most glamorous celebration

By Kenya Vaughn

St. Louis American

The

From its inception nearly 40 years ago, The St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala set itself apart as the region’s premiere formal program with a purpose.

Next Saturday – November 4th to be exact – attendees and honorees will once again file into America’s Center and walk the red carpet that extends all the way to the second-floor escalator to experience the 36th Annual Education Salute. With their presence, they are pouring into the future of our region through the millions in scholarship dollars that are awarded with Salute’s proceeds from ticket sales and sponsorships. As they make their way to the ballroom dressed to the nines, an overload of panache arrives with them. It is enough to rival the A-list star power energy of the

See SALUTE, A6

Celebrating survivors of domestic abuse

Helping others find peace

By Ashley Winters

St. Louis American

Domestic abuse cases have spiraled upward since the pandemic, which makes the Third Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Rally and March held on Saturday, October 21, 2023, in the Grove neighborhood even more essential.

Coordinated by the Diamond Diva Empowerment Foundation, the events brought together a diverse group of community members, safe housing and shelter advocates, and nonprofits to support domestic violence awareness.

n She said, “Domestic violence knows no color, sex, or income status. It touches us all.”

Diamond Diva Empowerment Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of domestic violence survivors. The non-profit partners with other local organizations that help provide counseling, housing, job/ career training, and other services to help survivors.

Shantasha Love, the organization’s business manager, says the walk celebrates survivors. The rally brings in resources and agencies, she says those who are or have experienced domestic violence aren’t aware of the resources that are available to them.

“Putting together this type of community awareness event allows us in one space to help them get everything they need,” said Love.

According to Love, lack of housing is a huge barrier to helping those who are experiencing domestic violence. This includes shelters and affordable housing–she says a lot of survivors

has steadily increased since

Additional coverage on domestic violence victim support is on pages A5, A16 and B1.

Buchanan turning problem property into a haven

Monique Buchanan recently purchased property on North Grand and toiled to transform it into the Eagles Nest Domestic Violence Center.

City launches Guaranteed Basic Income program

Deadline to apply Nov. 1

By Alvin A. Reid St. Louis American

The application window is open for families seeking to take part in the Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Pilot Program and the deadline for signing up is Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023.

Through use of $5 million from nearly $500 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds provided to the city of St. Louis, selected participants will receive $500 per month for 18-months.

“My office and our GBI partners are committed to engaging with our community partners to provide education, access, and assistance to those interested in applying for the GBI program,” said Treasurer Adam Layne.

“We understand the importance of a collective effort in making this program known and accessible to everyone who needs it.”

In December 2022, Mayor Tishaura Jones signed BB116, sponsored by 10th Ward Alderwoman Shameem Clark-

See PROGRAM, A7

one year later

By Kate Grumke and Will Bauer STL Public Radio

Community members, students, and alumni of Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience mourned the lives lost one year after a school shooting in south St. Louis. Some students and their families spent time in nature, hiking or visiting the Missouri Botanical Gardens, which was free for the school community on Tuesday. Throughout the day, other organizations held remembrances and looked to the future, discussing change they still hope to see. After sunset, dozens pinned orange See CVPA, A6

Keisha Lee, Annie Malone Family Services executive director, (left) and her aunt, Edna Sanford, carry a cut-out of a cousin who was killed by her husband in December 2022 during the Diamond Divas Domestic Violence Rally and Walk on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in The Grove neighborhood. Statistics are showing that domestic violence

the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

The Jazz Edge Orchestra will once again take the stage as part of the formal program for The St. Louis American Foundation’s 36th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala next Saturday, November 4th at America’s Center.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Adam Layne

LJ Punch

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Rap heavyweights

Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj to compete in same-day album drop

Both artists are cemented icons, and many argue legends, now head to head, who creates more buzz?

Lil Wayne will be releasing his new album, a collaboration with rapper 2 Chainz, Welcome 2 Collegrove, on Nov. 17. This will be his first album in three years. As for Nicki Minaj her new album is a part 2 to her smash debut album of 2010, Pink Friday, aptly named Pink Friday 2. Pink Friday 2 will be Minaj’s first studio album in five years.

on many occasions.

Strong signals of Rihanna’s official music comeback

The Barbadian superstar is planning her highly anticipated come back tour for 2024/2025 after confirming a deal worth $32 mil lion with Live Nation. With insider reports stating Rihanna has com pleted two albums of new material to release.

Rihanna released her last album, “Anti,” in 2016.

Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj have been close for almost two decades, and she has considered him a mentor

Since Rihanna’s last album, she began other entrepre neurial pursuits, includ ing her multi-billion

dollar company Fenty. She also gave birth to two children.

Rihanna did perform with both DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller Thoughts,” which was noted as the “2017 Song of the Summer,” by many music fans.

Blueface made it rain in LA, then put a ring on it

Los Angeles-based rapper Blueface turned a field level suite at SoFi Stadium into a strip club while the L.A. Rams were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 22. Blueface posted

rowdy Casamigos tequila-filled videos on instagram, and followers were treated to him fanning bills on women while they twerked in their undergarments with breasts exposed. At least four women “starred” in the videos. Whether it fit the vibe or not, who knows, but Blueface used the occasion to drop to one knee and propose to girlfriend, Jaidyn Alexis. With a diamond ring in hand and fun already had, Blueface then got down on one bent knee and shared a sentiment.

“I’m so nervous,” Blueface said. “I think I’m going to bring everyone in and make it personal, intimate, but I’m just so nervous.”

The Rams, Steelers, and NFL have all let the antics go without comment.

Sources: Marca.com, Mirror.com, TheShadeRoom.com

AT&T Connected Learning Center logs on at Urban League

By Alvin A. Reid

Louis American

St.

Communication and collaboration were the call of the day when the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis recently opened its AT&T Connected Learning Center at its Regional Headquarters in the former Victor Roberts Building at 1408 North Kingshighway.

The St. Louis center is AT&T’s 30th in the nation and is part of the company’s 3-year, $2 billion commitment made in 2021 to help narrow the digital divide.

The Connected Learning Center provides high-speed AT&T Fiber internet, Wi-Fi, and computers along with education, tutoring and mentoring resources for local underserved students and community members.

It is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and is part of the Urban League’s Career and Technology Center. The Tech Center assists clients in meeting professional and personal goals in an environment that makes

The right call

learning enjoyable and profitable.

“Whether someone needs Basic Computer skills, Microsoft Office Applications training, or a Professional Development course, we make success possible,” said Dr.

Jacqueline Carter, the center’s director.

“Launching the AT&T Connected Learning Center in our agency’s headquarters provides our clients with a greater opportunity to learn and improve their digital

knowledge. This is a much-needed support for our clients.” Carter noted that two out of three clients have devices other than a cell phone, yet they are not skilled enough to navigate the steps needed to utilize

Upcoming Meetings

their devices to the fullest.

“The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis understands the importance of empowering communities with resources that create pathways to economic self-reliance. Access to technology,

connectivity, and digital education are essential components for educating communities, producing quality workers, and improving life outcomes,” she said.

Photo courtesy

Editorial/Commentary

Guest Editorial

“It

is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.”

- Nelson Mandela

Why mass incarceration still has mass appeal

By Hiram Jackson

America’s love affair with incarceration unnecessarily deprives people of their freedom. It also comes with enormous social and economic costs for formerly incarcerated individuals, their families, and their communities.

More than 10.2 million people are held in penal institutions throughout the world, mostly as pre-trial detainees, remand prisoners, or sentenced prisoners. Although the United States is home to just 5% of the world’s population, the nation has 25% of the world’s imprisoned population.

Data compiled by the Prison Policy Initiative shows roughly 1.9 million people are incarcerated in the U.S. in 2023 — in state prisons, federal prisons, or local jails — the highest rate in the Western world. Another 803,000 Americans are on parole, and 2.9 million are on probation.

The prison and jail incarceration rate in the United States remains between five and eight times that of France, Canada, and Germany, and imprisonment rates in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma are nearly 50% above the national average.

But before delving into racial disparities run rampant in the penal system — like how one in five Black men born in 2001 is likely to experience imprisonment within their lifetime, which is a decline from one in three for those born in 1981 — we must address what is an even larger issue.

waiting, no, hoping for deliverance.

Local jails have become modern-day quasi-debtors’ prisons because many of those being held are there simply because they cannot afford cash bail.

Consider the profitability side of the prison equation, and things get clearer. Thousands of private corporations rake in $80 billion a year in profits from America’s carceral system. Bail bond businesses alone make $1.4 billion a year from folks who can pony up the cash to get their loved ones out of jail.

Some of the biggest winners in the mass incarceration scheme are the for-profit prison companies whose business models essentially depend on the number of inmates held in these private institutions.

Why does the justice system, like a game of Monopoly, dole out the “go straight to jail, do not pass go” card so readily?

Most incarcerated people, approximately 96% in 2021 and 2022, had sentences of over a year. The demographic distribution of incarcerated people remained consistent over the two years, with 32% being Black, 31% white, 23% Hispanic, 10% multiracial or of another race, 2% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 1% Asian, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander.

According to the experts, the main drivers are (1) changes in laws leading to longer, often mandatory, sentences, (2) “truth-in-sentencing” legislation requiring individuals convicted of violent crimes to serve at least 80% of their sentences, and (3) increased use of incarceration for non-violent crimes, and (4) prison privatization.

“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones,” Nelson Mandela said. But many people who are arrested are trapped in dismal local jail conditions

Currently, the government sends $3.8 billion in federal grants to states and cities for criminal justice purposes. Unfortunately, these grants largely go out on autopilot, pressuring states to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions, and people put in prison without requiring a public safety reason. The reluctance evident in correcting sentencing excesses, particularly for violent crimes as supported by criminological evidence, prolongs the harm and futility of mass incarceration. In 2021, Black adults were five times as likely to be incarcerated as white adults, and Black youth were just over four times as likely to be locked up in the juvenile justice system as their white peers. In seven states — California, Connecticut, Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, Maine, and Wisconsin — Black adults are incarcerated nine times more often than their white peers.

Twenty-eight states exercise some form of a “three strikes” law, which automatically sentences individuals convicted of a third offense to harsher penalties and, in some cases, life sentences.

The three strikes you’re out rule should be for baseball, not life-long deprivation of freedom.

The bottom line is that the American penal system doesn’t value human life. Instead, our courts prefer to address individual transgressions and crimes by imposing bigger and more brutal infringements on hapless citizens who encounter the criminal justice system’s peculiarly punitive measures. These measures operate as intended: to cause long-term suffering and pain.

In this country, the punishment rarely really fits the crime. Meanwhile, Black people keep suffering while prison profiteers laugh all the way to the bank.

Hiram Jackson is CEO & Publisher of Real Times Media, which includes The Michigan Chronicle.

Commentary

Alabama’s voting rights loss is win for nation

By Marc Morial

“We are not aware of any other case in which a state legislature — faced with a federal court order declaring thorat its electoral plan unlawfully dilutes minority votes and requiring a plan that provides an additional opportunity district — responded with a plan that the state concedes does not provide that district.”

— U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division

After giving Alabama legislators nearly two years to comply with its order and fix the state’s illegal racially gerrymandered Congressional map, a federal court has selected a non-discriminatory map for them. Despite rebuke after rebuke Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has vowed to keep fighting to restore the racist map.

But for the 2024 election, at least, Black voters in Alabama voters will have the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice in two of the state’s seven districts.

This is thanks to the unflagging efforts of plaintiffs Evan Milligan, Khadidah Stone, Letetia Jackson, Shalela Dowdy, Greater Birmingham Ministries, and the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP and the attorneys representing them: Legal Defense Fund, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Alabama, Hogan Lovells LLP, and Wiggins, Childs, Pantazis, Fisher & Goldfarb.

They are to be commended, and the National Urban League will continue to stand with them should A.C. Marshall follow through on his threat.

The U.S. Supreme Court surprised most legal observers in June when it struck down Alabama’s map after allowing the state to use it for last year’s congressional elections. Despite being ordered to create a map with “two districts in which Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it,” Alabama legislators in July passed a new map that maintained a single majority-Black district.

In response, the district court judges wrote, “We are deeply troubled that

the State enacted a map that the State readily admits does not provide the remedy we said federal law requires.” The court ordered a special master to draft new maps, and after the Supreme Court rejected Alabama’s emergency appeal last month, the district court selected a new map last week. Throughout Alabama’s nearly twoyear crusade to adopt a map that blatantly violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the state has insisted that the gerrymandered map could not be in violation because none of the two million its expert witness randomly generated using a “race-neutral” algorithm contained more than one majority-minority district.

As the Supreme Court noted in its June decision, one problem with Alabama’s argument is that the expert witness used outdated census data – from 2010 instead of 2020 – and ignored certain traditional districting criteria, such as keeping together communities of interest, political subdivisions, or municipalities.

The expert herself testified that when using the correct census data, the “randomized algorithms” she employed “found plans with two majority black districts in literally thousands of different ways.”

The other problem is that the number of possible districting maps in Alabama that can be randomly generated is at least in the “trillion trillions.”

“Two million maps, in other words, is not many maps at all,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. “And Alabama’s insistent reliance on that number, however powerful it may sound in the abstract, is thus close to irrelevant in practice. What would the next million maps show? The next billion? The first trillion of the trillion trillions? Answerless questions all.” It’s appalling that Alabama had any expectation that such a bad-faith argument would succeed before the highest court in the nation, and a victory for both democracy and logic that it did not.

Marc Morial is president/CEO of the National Urban League.

Commentary

Indictments will not stop Trump; voters must

By Svante Myrick

You can find anything on the internet, and one of those things is a countdown clock that tracks exactly how many days, hours, minutes and seconds remain until Election Day 2024. As those minutes slip by and former President Trump continues to dominate the Republican primary field, a scary truth is coming into sharper focus.

The cavalry is not coming. Neither the courts nor other Republicans appear likely to stop Donald Trump in time for the general election. Legal theories about how he might be disqualified face an enormous uphill battle. Anybody waiting for a deus ex machina moment that sweeps Trump from the scene is wish casting in an increasingly dangerous way. I get it because I used to be in the same camp. Most people are uncomfortable thinking about worst-case scenarios. But if a second Trump presidency is one of your worst fears, it’s time to face it head-on.

To put it bluntly, while President Biden deserves to win next year, which is hardly guaranteed. Media can’t stop obsessing over his age, and he’s getting very little credit for historically low unemployment and inflation that is significantly down from last year’s highs. In fact, the increasingly robust economy gets relentlessly negative media coverage.

There are also at least three possible challenges from third-party candidates, including Cornel West, Robert Kennedy Jr. and the No Labels group. None of them can win. But they could easily hand the election to Trump.

Guest Columnist Svante Myrick

The warning signs are all around. Trump’s diehard base is not going away. Millions are still in thrall to the Big Lie. Trump’s ratings in polls are untouched by his numerous felony charges. He’s a master of publicity and knows how to use it to his advantage. His closest competitors in the Republican primary have been reluctant to criticize him — and there are so many that no one person can consolidate anti-Trump sentiment.

And, most critically and recently, it now looks like Trump’s criminal court cases won’t be resolved before Election Day.

All of this means that the time for sitting on the sidelines is over. Progressives, Democrats — and independents — who don’t want another Trump term need to volunteer, fundraise, organize, and get behind one candidate now, because the 2024 presidential election is going to be a rollercoaster ride like nothing we’ve ever seen.

It is going to take time to build grassroots support and ensure the turnout it will take to defeat Trump. And the other side will not play fair. Team Trump has already shown us that it will use misinformation, disinformation and voter suppression to try to win. Fighting back is going to take unprecedented time and resources.

Need more convincing? More analysts are starting to say the unthinkable aloud: that if reelected, Trump would never leave office willingly, even though he is constitutionally limited to two terms. We saw what happened the first time. Backing him up would be a very scary effort called Project 2025. Designed by the Heritage Foundation to come into play if Trump takes office again, it charts a course for establishing limitless presidential power while obliterating most of the federal government with mass purges and firings.

To all the serious, well-meaning people who believe Donald Trump will be in prison or otherwise disqualified by Election Day, this is a wake-up call. It’s not going to happen. We must mobilize. The clock is ticking.

Svante Myrick is president of People for the American Way. This commentary was originally published in The Hill.

Guest Columnist Hiram Jackson

Columnist Marc H. Morial

YWCA vigil supports domestic abuse survivors, victims

St. Louis American staff

The YWCA Metro St. Louis is taking a stand against domestic abuse in October –and throughout the year - with a variety of events, which began on Oct. 18, 2023, with a candlelight vigil to honor victims and survivors at The Wheel at Union Station downtown.

Dr. Cheryl Watkins, YWCA CEO, said there was an increase in people seeking their services “and that number has not decreased.”

“If you’re going out to dinner with your friends—four friends at dinner—one of those friends sitting at dinner is a survivor or victim of domestic violence. It happens in every zip code, every type of demographic,” she said.

“Bringing awareness to this topic is something that’s crucial.”

She said the domestic abuse numbers

are staggering.

The YWCA is also requesting that area residents contact their members of Congress to support the Family Violence Prevention Services Act.

10 million children are exposed to domestic violence each year and nearly half of the residents in domestic violence shelters supported by the FVPSA are children.

FVPSA provides critical funding that survivors rely on for domestic violence services such as housing, emergency shelter, transportation, childcare, and medical and legal counseling.

It also defines the impact of technology-facilitated abuse in domestic, dating, and family violence, ensuring that victims and survivors of tech-facilitated gender-based violence can also access crucial FVPSA-funded services.

Choosing to love ALL students

By Melanie Willingham-Jaggers

Education is the cornerstone of democracy, and right now, it’s under attack.

In September, the Center for Democracy and Technology released a new report exposing public schools in the U.S. for filtering and blocking LGBTQ+ and race-related content at higher rates than other texts. From limiting lessons on Black history to banning books with LGBTQ+ characters, it comes as no surprise that LGBTQ+ and Black students are feeling less safe at school.

According to the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) National School Climate survey, 82% of LGBTQ+ youth reported feeling unsafe in school — and these censorship laws only cause more harm to Black queer students, who are already some of the most marginalized and excluded youth in our nation.

For example, school officials in Metro Atlanta’s Forsyth County canceled two talks by a children’s book author last month after he used the word “gay” in a presentation to elementary school students about the history of a superhero character.

Fear of parental backlash is now so severe that administrators would rather cancel literary discussions than subject students to the word “gay.”

This came one year after the same county removed eight books from its school libraries, including Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” a novel depicting the ways in which internalized white beauty standards have impacted and distorted the lives of Black girls and women.

These book bans overlap with the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” laws and the anti-critical race theory attacks on Black students and other students who come from communities who experience marginalization. History often repeats itself, and removing opportunities for these students to learn from our past only sets them further behind their peers who are not fearful of the pages in front of them.

So what can we do when school districts are signaling to LGBTQ+ and Black students that they don’t belong and are refusing them equal representation in a facility that is meant to foster a nurturing learning environment?

As a collective, we must rise up and educate our youth about the diverse and complex life experiences of the citizens of our world so that our next generation of leaders can live and act powerfully within that world.

When school districts first started banning LGBTQ+ books, GLSEN responded and launched the Rainbow Library. Since 2019, GLSEN has provided more than 56,000 LGBTQ+ affirming books to 5,800 schools in over 30 states, reaching over 5.3 million students.

When Florida passed its “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, GLSEN partnered with local organizations to ensure that over 70 million people saw LGBTQ+ supportive billboards across the state encouraging residents to “say gay.”

When the College Board sided with white supremacy, GLSEN joined the Freedom to Learn coalition, an organization promoting universal access to books and educational resources for all communities regardless of race, economic status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or political affiliation. Through our collaboration, we were able to petition with thousands of signatures opposing censorship of Black history.

And now, in response to the over 650 bills that have been proposed to turn hateful anti-LGBTQ+ ideology into law, GLSEN is rising up to support LGBTQ+ youth.

As our most vulnerable demographic faces unimaginable battles, we simply cannot afford to give in and become complacent.

Melanie Willingham-Jaggers (they/she) is the executive director at GLSEN, a national nonprofit supporting all students

The YWCA Metro St. Louis held a candlelight vigil to honor victims and survivors of domestic violence at The Wheel at Union Station downtown on Oct. 18, 2023.

Photo by Maurice Meredith

Melanie WillinghamJaggers

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ribbons to their shirts and gathered to pray, sing and reflect under the towering arches of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in St. Louis’ Shaw neighborhood, across Tower Grove Park from the schools.

“We as a family are still processing our own trauma from what the kids experienced last year,” said Emily Schiltz, a parishioner and parent of two Collegiate students. “It really was horrific, the things that they heard and the things that they saw have changed them and changed our family forever. My children will never not know the sound of an AR-15 being shot in the hallway right outside their door.”

At the vigil, Schiltz and her family held space for student Alexzandria Bell and teacher Jean Kuczka, who were killed in the shooting. Schiltz said her family is looking forward, in search of ways to reduce deaths from gun violence. Last year, around the

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most anticipated televised awards shows.

The experience is heightened by a programming staple that has been a critical element of Salute since its earliest days – the live soundscape provided by The Jazz Edge Orchestra.

“It is truly a joy to be a part of such a great event that celebrates the excellence and the accomplishments of so

time of the shooting, the church started a working group called Gun Sense: For the Common Good, which Schiltz is a part of. Parishioners have organized vigils, traveled to Jefferson City to advocate for changes to gun laws and passed out lawn signs.

The church is also working to document and pray for victims of gun violence in St. Louis. Along one wall in the sanctuary, there are candles lit for gun-related deaths in St. Louis in the past week; by Tuesday night there were already four flickering candles. In front of the candles, a binder is open, filled with pages and pages of photos and information about the people who have been shot and killed in the region in the past year.

“While the school shootings get a lot of the press and a lot of the heartache, all the lives lost by gun violence were lives of value,” Schiltz, Collegiate’s PTO president, said. “And so the church committee is working to, between advocacy, education and holding space for the lives lost, continue to find

many in our area,” said Anthony Wiggins, musical director for The Jazz Edge Orchestra. “I feel it is a great responsibility to present the best that we can to make the evening enjoyable, but it is still a joy.”

When asked to describe Salute for those who have never attended, Wiggins feels like words can’t properly do justice with respect to giving a true reflection of the inspirational and entertaining evening.

“I’m also a preacher, and there is a saying that I

the way.”

The Bullet Related Injury Clinic and several other nonprofit and community organizations hosted a day of remembrance and healing on Tuesday.

Organizers, along with students, family and anyone else affected by shootings, also released balloons later in the afternoon for Bell and Kuczka. They estimate 20 people attended the events at the clinic near the Delmar Loop.

To help heal, BRIC and the other organizations offered a variety of activities like acupuncture, massage, art or safe spaces for anyone to talk throughout the day.

“Whatever works well because everybody grieves differently, and everybody heals differently,” said Dr. LJ Punch, the clinic’s medical director. “If we don’t make spaces for all those different forms of healing, then we’re stopping people from stepping into their true full healing.”

In fact, the first young person who arrived Tuesday morning had decided on an activity,

always say,” Wiggins said. “And that is, ‘the explanation can never equal the experience.’

Year after year – thirty-six to be exact – Salute is consistently an experience that defies explanation.

“It is truly a joy to be a part of such a great event that celebrates the excellence and the accomplishments of so many in our area,” Wiggins said. “It is a great responsibility for us to present in the best way that we can to make the evening enjoyable, but it is still a joy. Just to be in

Punch said.

“The first thing they wanted to do was boxing,” said Punch, who was prepared with boxing gloves and punching mitts.

For the clinic, which offers both physical and mental long-term services to victims of gunshots, Tuesday’s event falls right into its mission by helping victims to address the whole problem.

“When you’re really wanting to heal someone’s physical pain, we have to deal with the emotional pain attached,” said Jamila Owens-Todd, a naturopathic doctor at the clinic.

On the anniversary of the shooting, Punch and Owens-Todd said the day will be difficult for the students at both CVPA and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience and their families.

“It’s a relived trauma because you have to drive by the school, or you have to think about where your child goes,” OwensTodd said. “And that builds and builds, and it creates layers of trauma that sometimes we can’t even articulate that’s present.”

the midst of so many great people who have done extraordinary things is fulfilling in so many ways for the entire band.”

And one of the defining elements of the night is Jazz Edge bringing the flair of the big band era to a contemporary audience. The next level musical glamour is part of a full evening of entertainment that will also include an afterparty with DJ Quinn of 96.3 FM and a cabaret from The Coleman Hughes Project featuring Adrianne.

“Seeing a big band performance on YouTube, or even watching a live performance on TV is great,” said Wiggins. “But to actually be in the midst and to hear the count off and to see the instruments going, and to feel the ambience and the radiance of the sound in person – it should do something to you.”

It does. As usual, the carefully curated set list pays homage to the old and the new. Without giving too much away, this year’s songbook will include adaptations of hits by Bruno Mars as well as classics and standards like “Our Day Will Come” and “Sunny.” Marsha Evans and Ron Wilkinson will once again join Jazz Edge on stage as featured vocalists.

“We have things that are familiar, things that are catchy – and then of course you have those standards that have been a

part of music and people will recognize and appreciate,” Wiggins said. “You try to have a program that can reach each person in one way or another, and hopefully multiple things will touch somebody. The ultimate thing is for all of it to be pleasing for everyone.”

Playing Salute is an annual highlight among the performances of Jazz Edge as a collective and as individual musicians. In addition to the grandness of the experience, the cause behind the event is not lost on Wiggins or his Jazz Edge bandmates. Without education – music education in particular –none of them would be on the stage.

“For me, growing up in School District 189 in East St. Louis, that was one of the strong fibers of our community – the music programs across the board,” Wiggins said. “[Back then at 189] Our music programs started in grade school. I started playing trumpet in the fourth grade – an actual instrument.”

His fourth-grade teacher played trumpet, so did his junior high school teacher – which is no surprise considering the influence of East St. Louis’ own music icon Miles Davis.

“And of course, there was going to Lincoln and studying under Ron Carter – who is if not the top,

he is one of the greatest educators of jazz in the world,” Wiggins said. “He helped us understand the value of music, to help it be a part of us so that the music that comes out of us is not contrived, but something that is personal. He taught us that every musician is a very important part of the fabric of the music. There is room for everybody.”

It is the hope of Wiggins and Jazz Edge that not only are they an illustration of the transformative power of education, but that their musical offerings are an asset in helping Salute maintain its distinction as the region’s most glamorous gala. “We want to be able to reach everybody in the audience one way or the other,” Wiggins said. “We want people to say that we added value to the event. The last thing we want them to feel like is, ‘well, they could have had somebody else, or done something different – or, God forbid, ‘They should have just had a DJ.’”

The St. Louis American Foundation’s 36th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala will take place at 6 p.m. (with a general reception at 5 p.m.) on Saturday, November 4 at America’s Center. For tickets or more information, call (314) 533-8000 or visit www.stlamerican.com

Walter Fox, dressed as a 56th U.S. Colored infantry soldier from the Union Army during the American Civil War, sings the National Anthem at Jefferson Barracks. A ceremony is held each year honoring soldiers who died from cholera that swept through the regiment.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American Honoring heroes who died for our country

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can’t afford what’s available on the market, and some may come from financially abusive relationships.

“When the survivors come to us they don’t have a place to go and we don’t have a place to put them,” said Love.

Another barrier according to Love is childcare, many survivors have to re-enter the workforce and can’t afford quality childcare.

“Statistics show that 7 out of 10 survivors will return to the abuser because they don’t have resources available to them when they leave,”

Program

Continued from A1

Hubbard to establish the first GBI program in Missouri - which is among the nation’s earliest.

The original plan called for support for 440 families, however the Jack Dorsey #Startsmall Philanthropic Initiative partnered with the Deaconess Foundation to contributing an additional $1 million to include 100 more participants to the program. 540 participants will now receive the GBI benefit.

“St. Louis is joining more than 30 municipalities across the country in trying this new, exciting way to financially empower families and lift them out of poverty,” said Jones.

“President Joe Biden’s expanded child tax shows how direct payments support families and help them afford the essentials, and our 2021 Direct Cash

she said. The vendors at the rally included Women Safe House, Office of Violence Prevention, Melissa House of Hope, and Crimes Victims Center. US Bank was also a vendor to help survivors gain financial freedom.

Tracie McGee, therapist and founder and CEO of the I Define Me movement describes the event as very important because so many victims suffer in silence. She said “Domestic violence impacts the entire family.” She suggests keeping the conversation going encourages others to talk about it. “We can longer keep this in the dark, we have to bring light to this,” said McGee. The therapist says if you know someone who

Assistance helped thousands of St. Louisans put food on the table and pay the bills. Now, we are taking the next step with STL Guaranteed Basic Income and are thrilled to have the support of St. Louis native Jack Dorsey to help even more families and children make ends meet.”

Eligible applicants must meet the following requirements:

• St. Louis City resident with a child or dependent under the age of 18 enrolled in a public school (St. Louis Public Schools or a public charter school)

• A combined household income of less than 170% of the federal poverty level

• Experienced negative financial impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic (loss of work, increased childcare costs, other situations).

Documentation requirements include photo ID and proof of school enrollment (school documentation with parent, guardian,

is in that type of situation, to not give up on them. Provide support without judgment and stay engaged with them. If you know something, say something.

dependent name, and address. This could include a recent report card or enrollment document).

An “Invitation for Verification” will be extended between Nov. 6th-13. Applicants selected via a lottery will be invited to submit financial documentation and verification of city residency. Applicants will then be selected on a first come, first serve basis for the $500 monthly payments over 18 months.

The program and results of the payments will be evaluated over 18 months through a partnership between the city and Washington University St. Louis Social Policy Institute and the Brown School Evaluation Center. The team will study the impact on participants’ lives and assist them in sharing their stories.

“Our team utilizes research and evaluation to advocate for efforts that create equitable social impact,” said Dr. Stephen

Allison Hewitt, a therapist with the I Define Me movement said, “Survivors have to reach their ‘enough is enough point’ and that looks different for

Roll, Social Policy Institute associate director of research.

“We are honored to be partnering with the city to understand the impact of this important program. To evaluate the impact of this program, we will be drawing on surveys, credit data, and in-depth interviews with participants to understand all the ways in which GBI is impacting the lives of St. Louis residents.”

Analysis of existing GBI programs show families “overwhelmingly” use monthly payments for the essentials. According to Stanford University’s Basic Income Lab, the largest share of expenditures went to retail sales and services, food, and groceries as well as housing, utilities, and transport.

In addition, the direct payment programs have helped recipients re-enter the workforce.

Application and distribution logistics

While domestic abuse is a grim subject, a spirit of celebration which included a marching band and the Legendary Heat Dance Troupe was a goal of the 3rd Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Rally and March honoring survivors and family members on Oct. 21, 2023.

each case. It’s important to not use cliche phrases like, ‘If you like it, I love it’. Hewitt says those types of conversations come off as judgment which results

are directed respectively by FORWARD and payment disbursement partner MoCaFi Financial Services. According to the city website, FORWARD is “an end-to-end program administration solution for local governments.

According to its website, MoCaFi is a financial services platform for the 110 million Americans dealing with economic hardship.

“During the pandemic, MoCaFi provided assistance to over 9,000 St. Louis families. This summer, we brought our

On Our Block program to the city, hosting financial

in survivors living in silence.

According to Hewitt intimate partner violence is one in four women involved in a domestic violence relationship. She said, “Domestic violence knows no color, sex, or income status. It touches us all.”

Love said the event is growing and getting bigger and better each year. “The event is an opportunity for everyone to come together and have community service,” said Love.

For more information visit Diamond Diva Empowerment Foundation Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.

coaching sessions and helping residents build personalized pathways to wealth,” said MoCaFi St. Louis Community Manager Eddie Mungai

“Today, we’re expanding our investment in this city and its future by disbursing funds to families in need. With their Guaranteed Basic Income program, St. Louis serves as an example of how we can address injustice and close the racial wealth gap.”

Layne said, “We invite all eligible residents to take advantage of this opportunity to apply.”

Photo by Taylor Marrie / St. Louis American

Olivia Perez was Webster’s first Suggs Scholar, 10 years ago

By Webster University

For Olivia Perez, being a Suggs Scholar was the difference between being able to finish her degree –or not.

“I am so fortunate for the blessing that was that scholarship,” Perez said. “Without it, I would not have had the means to finish school at that time. Being awarded that scholarship is one of the top achievements of my 27 years of life.”

Ten years ago, Perez was not just any Suggs Scholar; she was the very first one. And she was more than ready for everything new the experience could bring.

“I was excited to make new friends and discover what life was like outside of the bubble I grew up in,” Perez said. Perez had just graduated from Eureka High School when she arrived at Webster in 2013. Already a professional dancer with a true artist’s spirit, she continued that passion while pursuing a bachelor’s in media communications with an emphasis in video

production, and a minor in Spanish.

“I chose that degree because I knew I wanted to have skills in the communications field,” Perez said. “However, I wasn’t exactly sure what career direction I wanted to take at that time.”

As it turns out, the literal direction Perez would take was twofold –first inward, to accept and embrace her full potential. Then, ultimately, west, to Los Angeles. The Suggs Scholarship, she said, was both a great connector, and a true self-esteem builder.

“The program introduced me to many other accomplished and admirable individuals that set a great example for me,” Perez said. “It also enlightened me to the fact that I am capable of great things and was a motivation to continue to pursue excellence in my academic career.”

On the long, yet distinguished list of influential people she met at Webster, Perez places several professors, including Terri F. Reily, for offering an abundance of exposure to

visual art, Bernie Hayes, who she said was the first Black professor she ever had, and Sister Jan Hayes of the Sisters of Loretto, whose lessons from an

Ethics in Media class Perez said she still applies regularly in her daily life. There was also professors Aaron Aubuchon, the “kind, and insightful

advisor” for her senior project, and Kathy Corley, who took Perez and many other communications students on an influential and “amazing” trip to L.A.

She’s a professional dancer with credits that include Neiman Marcus, “America’s Got Talent,” Sell Easy, Six Flags, and much more. (A professional dance opportunity she had in Mexico last year has her itching to leave the country again, she said.)

“I work as a production assistant for YoSy Media, a Black-owned media company that produces “It’s Sybil,” a livestream show/ newsletter/social media platform hosted by Sybil Wilkes, former co-host of the legendary Tom Joyner morning show,” Perez said.

She is also co-creative director of an upcoming art photography book called “Colors Only” that centers “all women of color through expressive artistic photography, poetry, and visual art.” Finally, she teaches and choreographs, “once in a blue moon” when the opportunity arises. When asked what her future goals were, Perez said they are more personal these days than when she was a very driven student. She is in more of a “fun era,” now that she has some hard-won work-life balance. Her to-do list includes continuing her work in dance, hopefully traveling abroad again soon, working on a televised award show, redecorating her apartment, and catching a concert or two. (Janet Jackson came to mind as a possibility, she said.) In short, in answering Webster’s questions from the midst of her post-college life, Perez sounded busy – and content. For other young students standing where she once did, striving for that same outcome, she had some advice.

“As a student of color, many of the cards of life are stacked against you. You may be starting behind the starting line. So, you must push yourself forward in ways the ‘other folks’ don’t even have to think about,” Perez said. “But that can only happen if you believe deep down you are worthy of your dreams. If you believe in yourself so much that your presence in your respective field is undeniable, you will attract the people, opportunities, and experiences that are perfectly meant for you.” The last note of wisdom Perez had to share was one of gratitude. “I cannot overstate how impactful being able to attend Webster on the Suggs Scholarship was to my trajectory of life,” she said. “Thank you to Dr. Suggs for changing my life.”

Photo courtesy of Olivia Perez

Former Suggs Scholar Olivia Perez is a professional dancer with credits that include Neiman Marcus, “America’s Got Talent,” Sell Easy, Six Flags, and much more.

The Zeta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. is introducing its newest members in the chapter. The new sorors come from various backgrounds and professions, with several Legacy members in the class. The new members are Lyric Barnes, Dr. Lisa Boxley, Chaya Cary, Cherry Chambers, RaKaya Cunningham, Kametria Davis, Stephanie Forest, Kimlon Gaither, Joi Jennings, Icyline Johnson, Amaya Keeling, Alexis Lacour, Dianne Oates, Yakasi Penny, Brittany Radford, Ashley Randall, Rose Robinson, Dr. Angelia Rougeau, Mahagony Stanton, Tracie Thomas, Nicole Thompson, Lauren Wiley, and Dr. Keisha Windham. Zeta Sigma, the largest and oldest alumnae chapter of the sorority in the St. Louis metropolitan area, has provided services and scholarships since 1932.

Justice Center jail residents honored for academic achievement

Dot Foods helps fight food insecurity with donations

Lauren Krone and Brett Perry of Dot Foods recently helped Jeremiah’s Food Pantry volunteers unload donations. Dot, which has national sales and marketing offices in St. Louis, donated $30,000 in goods to six area food pantries.

Food Pantry (East St Louis); and Salvation Army Granite City.

“Dot’s Neighbor to Neighbor program is near and dear to our hearts,” said Suzy Parn, director of Dot›s corporate charitable committee.

St. Louis American Dot Foods’ Neighbor to Neighbor program recently dotted the region with donations to six

food pantries.

The pantries received fresh inventory for a total donation of $30,000 worth of food and other necessities.

This year›s Neighborto-Neighbor recipient pantries include O.A.S.I.S. Food Pantry (Saint Charles); Great Things, Inc. (St. Louis); St. Nicholas Church Food Pantry (St. Louis); St. Anthony›s Food Pantry (St. Louis); Jeremiah›s

“The program gives all Dot employees a way to become even more connected with their community as they get to know the food pantries while helping with the deliveries. And it gives the recipient pantries the opportunity to request the food and supplies that are most important to them and most needed.”

Dot’s charitable work includes many causes and organizations; however, food insecurity is a focus of the company’s giving. Dot supports local food pantries with donations throughout the year, in addition to the annual Neighbor-to-Neighbor program, which launched

in 2014.

“Food isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. For many in our communities, a daily meal is a choice between food or other crucial needs such as utilities, medicine, childcare or even prescription drugs,” said Marla P. Goodwin with Jeremiah’s Food Pantry.

“Dot Foods is helping us fight hunger with their employees donating their time to seek us out and contribute to our work.”

Jeremiah’s Food Pantry is located at 538 South 35th Street in East St Louis. Pantry hours are 2-4 p.m. Wednesdays and the first Thursday of the month. It is closed on the first Wednesday of each month. For additional information, call (314) 537-2448

Dot is the largest food industry redistributor in North America, and its national sales and marketing offices are in St. Louis.

Photo courtesy of Dot Foods

‘Holly Jolly’ job fairs slated on upcoming dates

turing, transportation and logistics, hospitality, customer service, and more.

Many employers will be conducting on-the-spot interviews and extending job offers to fill immediate openings. SLATE staff will also be on hand to provide information about the various employment and training opportunities available through the agency.

seasonal and permanent employment opportunities.

This year’s events will take place in the firstfloor conference rooms at 1520 Market Street from 9 a.m. to noon October 30; November 7, 15, 30; and December 8. Participation is free and job seekers can meet and interview with a wide range of companies representing entry-level, mid-career, and professional positions in high-demand industries including healthcare, IT, manufac-

Businesses registered for the event include MoDot, Unleashing Potential, Pattonville School District, Charter Spectrum, SLPS, St. Louis City Sheriff’s Department, FedEx, Complete Quality Care, Washington University, City Treasurer’s Office, Procter & Gamble, AOS, BJC, Levy Restaurants, St. Louis Zoo, and Bailey Restaurants. More employers are expected to sign up as the event dates approach.

Employers from a wide range of companies offering both seasonal and permanent employment opportunities have registered for the SLATE Missouri Job Center Holly Jolly Holiday Hiring Fair Series.

“For the past two years, we’ve had over 500 individuals enter our doors looking for work,” said Fredrecka McGlown, SLATE executive director.

“Whether you’re looking to earn extra cash for the holiday season or looking for permanent employment, the Holly Jolly Hiring Fair Series is the place to be. This is truly the most wonderful time of year for our SLATE staff because it’s when we connect the most individuals to employment opportunities.

Convenient parking is available at the Kiel Center Garage, located just behind the building at the corner of Clark and 16th. We kindly request that all candidates attending the Job Fair bring their résumés and dress for success.

Photo courtesy of SLATE Facebook Page

‘Taking Care of You’

Paint the town pink

Gateway to Hope cancer support ‘Jubilee’ is Oct. 27

Melissa, a single mother of two, received her breast cancer diagnosis four days after being laid off from her job. The fear of unknowns brought her to Gateway to Hope, which she calls “a life saver.” GTH ensured she wouldn’t lose her Cobra insurance and offered financial support.

By JoAnn Weaver St. Louis American

In Missouri, breast cancer has the fourth highest incidence and mortality rate among cancers, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The same institution reports that Black women die from breast cancer more often than white women.

One in eight Missourians will be diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a statement from Gateway to Hope (GTH), and of those Missourians, 50% will have to make

impossible choices between purchasing necessities and paying for medical treatment.

Gateway to Hope announced that its 2023 Jubilee: Celebration of Impact will be held at The Hawthorn on Friday, October 27.

“We’re 100% funded by donations from individuals and foundations, so this event is our biggest fundraiser of the year where we raise a good portion of the funds that we need to operate our mission programs every year,” Katie Manga, CEO of Gateway to Hope, said. “We host it in October because of Breast Cancer Awareness

Month.”

This year’s event will feature a silent auction painting by local artist Cbabi Bayoc, the saxophone stylings of Rhoda G, and music by St. Louis legend Anita Jackson. The event brings people together in support of GTH’s work toward achieving breast health equity in Missouri and Southern Illinois.

The 2023 Jubilee: A Celebration of Impact is Gateway to Hope’s signature event that raises essential funds to remove barriers to affordable, timely

Increasing Black blood donors is imperative

By Terry Stigdon

In my 20-year tenure as a nurse at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, I was astonished and humbled, not only by the kids and young adults battling a monstrous adversary like sickle cell disease, but more so by their enormous tenacity and resilience. Despite draining hospital stays and distressing procedures, these young ones always shine bright, their resilient spirits are undeniably inspiring.

Terry Stigdon

n Sickle cell disease is a grave and widespread genetic disorder that affects a higher proportion of individuals of African descent, including African Americans.

Sickle cell disease is a grave and widespread genetic disorder that affects a higher proportion of individuals of African descent, including African Americans – one in 12 carries a sickle cell gene and about one out of every 365 Black babies is born with sickle cell anemia. Although in a much smaller number, the condition also impacts Hispanic Americans from Central and South America and people of Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian and Mediterranean descent. The disease distorts soft and round red blood cells and turns them hard and crescent shaped. As a result, blood has difficulty flowing smoothly and carrying oxygen to the rest of the body, which may lead to severe pain, tissue and organ damage, anemia, and even strokes. I saw firsthand, these children somehow transforming unimaginable pain into unparalleled strength. Such tenacity deserves every ounce of assistance that we, as a community, can muster.

As CEO of the American Red Cross – Indiana Region my mission is simple – enable, enlighten, and empower more

How to practice self-care after surviving domestic violence

By Anissa Durham Word In Black

Christy White worked as an immigration attorney because she wanted to save everyone. But she quit when she realized she could only save herself.

“I became a lawyer because of my trauma, because of my domestic abuse and I wanted to save all the people who were going through the same things that I went through,” White says.

holism who was violent and verbally abusive toward the family and a mother who was physically violent as well.

While in college and law school, White was in a 12-year on-and-off relationship with her ex-fiancé. Over the years, she says he manipulated, threatened, and verbally abused her. After getting engaged, she started going to therapy.

“I was able to discern that it was a repeating relationship that I had been in several times,” she says.

“Once I recognized that I didn’t have to fight that anymore, I decided to get to know myself.”

She grew up with a father with alco-

“It was just familiarity instead of something healthy.” She said the relationship ended

See VIOLENCE, A17

Immigration attorney Christy White was a victim of non-physical domestic abuse from her father and then her ex-fiancé before she realized that “it was a repeating relationship.” Many Black women must make a similar self-discovery before leaving an abusive relationship and living a healthier life.

Photo courtesy of Gateway to Hope

See HOPE, A17

See STIGDON, A17

Photo by Natalie Dobrynina

Violence

Continued from A16

“with nothing being harmed to my body, so I felt like that was a plus.”

Safely leaving abusive partners

Kiva Harper, a psychotherapist in Arlington, Texas, says safety is a huge concern for those in abusive relationships. It’s not enough to tell a woman to leave — it’s about helping them to leave with a safety plan.

“Domestic violence is about power and control,” she says. “When they lose their power and control, they become very desperate.”

According to research “75% of women who are killed by their batterers are murdered when they attempt to leave or after they have left an abusive relationship.” One of the reasons domestic violence emergency shelters exist is to keep women safe during this dangerous time.

Women are 70 times more likely to be killed in the two weeks after leaving. And on average, a woman will leave an abusive relationship seven times before leaving for good. Every minute, about 20 people are physically abused by an intimate partner in the U.S., according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In one day, that’s nearly 30,000 people. In one week, it’s a little more than 200,000 people. Whether you are family, friends, or acquaintances with someone in an abusive relationship, Harper says it’s imperative to help them find professional help. “We see so

Hope

Continued from A16

breast healthcare and empowers people at risk of and living with breast cancer to live full and healthy lives.

This unique event brings together public health practitioners, community members, philanthropists, and key decision-makers to reflect on how to create greater health equity for people in our region. It also celebrates success stories from patients who have battled the system and won with the help of GTH.

All funds raised from this event will benefit Gateway to Hope’s Treatment Navigation+ Program, which provides individuals with financial and emotional support, as well as resources for access to care.

many cases of murder suicide in the news because of people just leaving.” Harper recommends domestic violence victims develop comprehensive safety plans - a plan to remain safe if they decide to stay, another plan if they decide to leave, and a plan to stay safe after leaving. Harper says each plan varies by person and circumstance — and some may need to seek refuge at an emergency shelter or an anonymous location. It can also include getting a protective order, which typically offers more protection than a restraining order. In some states, if an abuser violates a protective order they can be immediately arrested.

When someone leaves an abusive relationship,

Harper says there are things survivors can do to take care of their mental health. A big part of a safety plan includes selfcare. Oftentimes, selfcare is touted as long baths, nature walks, and drinking water — but there’s more to it for domestic violence survivors.

Self-care involves empowerment, validation, and support. With nearly 20 years of experience treating Black women in abusive relationships, Harper offers four pieces of advice.

Boundaries

Set boundaries and limits with people who are not supportive in that moment. Prioritize protecting your mental and emotional health. Learn to eliminate

toxic relationships.

Social media safety

Look at your digital footprint. Deactivate your social media accounts periodically. When using the internet, use an incognito browser.

Spiritual health

Many clergy members still advise women to stay in a relationship with an abusive partner. Take care of your spiritual needs by keeping yourself safe — even if your church is not supportive of it.

Intentionality

Be intentional about what you are consuming and putting into your body. Take some time to move

In Missouri, half of those diagnosed with breast cancer choose between lifesaving health care and their family’s welfare, according to a statement from Gateway to Hope.

Stigdon

Continued from A16

Black donors to join us in our fight against sickle cell disease. In the U.S., it is estimated that over 100,000 people have sickle cell disease and may require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lifetime — as many as 100 units of blood per patient each year. The fact remains that blood transfusions

Many efforts are focused on finding a cure, but until then GTH’s new Screening Navigation+ Program was created to decrease the number of late-stage diagnoses.

“We’re a one-stop shop for all of your breast

play a crucial role in the management of sickle cell complications, and it is well-documented that blood from Black donors often provides a better match for those in need. The need for Black blood donors continues all year. The Black community is underrepresented in blood donation drives. This disparity takes a toll on the effective treatment of sickle cell disease, amongst other complications. The Red Cross launched the Sickle Cell

health needs, and what that means is that we are here to support you,” Manga said.

“We also provide financial assistance, so if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer or even just aren’t able to afford breast cancer screening we will provide direct assistance to you.”

GTH provides finan-

Initiative in 2021 to inspire support for patients. Since the launch, we have increased our first-time African American blood donors in this region to more than 45,000, nearly doubling the number of new donors and reversing the trend of declining donors overall for this group. Since the initiative, more than 138,000 sickle cell trait screenings have been provided to donors who self-identified as African American. Most recently, the Red Cross

cial assistance for co-pay, out-of-pocket, and transportation costs. This program can make an impact on healthcare costs and disparities, while increasing survival rates.

“If you have been diagnosed, we will pair you with what we call a navigator, but essentially someone who will be your advocate,” the CEO said.

has expanded the screening to include those who self-identify as multiracial. The Red Cross has developed national and local partnerships with organizations such as the 100 Black Men, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Black fraternities and sororities, among others, to reach Black populations to expand the Sickle Cell Donor program nationwide. Such efforts are geared at reaching potential

Psychotherapist

Kiva Harper says having more than one safety plan is mandatory for those in abusive relationships who are considering leaving the situation. She says it’s also not enough to tell a woman to leave — it’s about helping them to leave with a safety plan.

your body. And prioritize rest. Part of being intentional means knowing where to get professional help.

Healing is possible

Chloe Panta, a mindset expert in Los Angeles, knows what it’s like to heal from a domestic violence relationship. Initially, she didn’t tell anyone around her what was going on with her relationship. This deprived her of a support network.

“I know what it’s like to hit rock bottom,” Panta says. “I know what it’s like to be in a rut where you feel as if there is no way out. Or you don’t know how to get out.”

For Panta self-care was at the bottom of the list; it was nonexistent.

“Gateway to Hope is that third party advocate who can help you see the full picture of everything that’s going on in your life.”

The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women aged 50 - 74 be screened for breast cancer using screening mammography every two years.

“Mammograms save lives, and we know that when caught early enough breast cancer has more than a 90% cure rate, but unfortunately in our region in St. Louis, we have too many women who are being diagnosed too late, so we want to make sure we get ahead of that.”

We encourage all women to have conversations with their doctors as early as in their twenties.

Women who are 40 to 49 years old should talk to their doctor or other health care professional about when to start and how often to get a mammogram, according to the Missouri Department

donors, addressing their concerns or anxieties, and simplifying the process of giving blood. It is encouraging to see increasing support from the broader community, but the fight is far from over. It is time we bring forth a collaborative front against sickle cell disease, with more Black blood donors stepping forward. The American Red Cross is committed to facilitating this process by ensuring a safe, comfortable, and stigma-free environment

Her abusive ex-partner convinced her that she was not deserving or worthy of caring for herself, so she had to unlearn the cycle of putting other people first.

“We are not deserving of abuse, or hate, or punishment,” she says.

“We are worthy of having love, and abundance, and joy. We have to accept that ourselves and allow that in.”

If you or someone you know is being affected by intimate partner violence, please consider making an anonymous, confidential call to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800799-SAFE (7233). Chat at http://thehotline. org | Text “START” to 88788. There are people waiting to help you heal 24/7/365.

of Health and Senior Services. However, Manga went on to talk about the importance of getting screened earlier.

“For some women, screenings may start in their 20s and 30s, but again that 90-plus percent cure rate is if we catch it soon enough. We can catch breast cancer on mammograms, so we want to make sure that all women know that you can get that mammogram,” she said. “The important thing is that you go regularly so that we can catch it and potentially save your life.”

Additionally, Gateway to Hope had a series of small businesses that they partnered with to raise awareness about the importance of early detection and breast cancer screenings this month. The community partnerships include Series Six, Hearth and Soul, and other local organizations. To learn more, bit.ly/ jubilee2023

for all donors. Let’s come together to support the immeasurable strength of our young warriors. Their resilience deserves every drop of our courage.

Terry Stigdon is American Red Cross –Indiana Region CEO and a former nurse If you wish to donate or host a dedicated sickle cell blood drive in the St. Louis region, please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or visit redcrossblood.org.

Graphic courtesy of Gateway to Hope

Photo courtesy of Kiva Harper

The

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

SCIENCE CORNER

Dr. Ovbiagele studied the brain and strokes. What does it mean to have a stroke?

Arteries and veins carry blood throughout the body. The blood delivers oxygen to all the cells in the body. When someone has a stroke, the blood doesn’t flow the way it should. Sometimes, it is because a blood vessel is clogged, and sometimes a blood vessel bursts and sends a rush of blood to the brain. During a stroke, brain cells die because they don’t get the oxygen they need. With the help of research from doctors, such as Dr. Ovbiagele,

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

Background Information:

There is a theory that brain function determines whether you prefer your right or left side. In this experiment, you will gather data to draw results.

Materials Needed: • Paper • Pen or Pencil • Scissors • Ball • Stairs • Coin • Paper Towel Tube or Toilet Paper Tube

• Sea Shell • Volunteers (at least 5)

Procedure:

q Select 5 volunteers to observe one at a time. You will be testing hand, foot, eye, and mouth dominance. Label a piece of paper with the following chart to analyze results.

w Test hand dominance by asking your volunteers to write their name on a piece of paper, cut a piece of paper, and throw a ball. Record which hand they used—left or right.

e Test foot dominance by asking your volunteers to kick a ball, walk up a flight of steps, and step on a coin placed on the floor. Record which foot the volunteers used first in each event.

r Test eye dominance by having volunteers look through a paper towel tube, and then look through a hole you cut into a piece of paper. Hold up your index finger near your volunteer’s face. Ask them to close one eye to “follow” you. Record which eye they kept open.

MATH CONNECTION

Boost your brain power with these math problems that promote critical thinking!

z Amaya bought a used drum kit for $320. She received a 10% discount because she was a band member. Her mom gave her 50% of the remaining balance. How much did Amaya pay for the drums? ________

people know the warning signs of a stroke and can seek treatment faster and have much less permanent damage. Patients can recover from strokes with surgery, medicine and therapy to “relearn” things forgotten from the damaged brain cells.

To Learn More About Strokes, Visit: http://kidshealth.org/kid/grownup/conditions/stroke.html#. To Learn More About the Brain, Visit: http://www.sciencebob.com/research/brain.php.

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting detail.

t Test ear dominance last. Tell your volunteer you will whisper to them. Ask them to cup an ear to listen. Which ear do they cup? Give your volunteer a sea shell, which ear do they use to listen? Ask your volunteer to listen through a wall. Which ear do they place against the wall?

Analyze Your Results: How many volunteers were right hand dominant? Left hand dominant? Left or right foot dominant? Right or left ear dominant? And left or right eye dominant?

Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete an experiment. I can make observations and analyze results.

SCIENCE STARS

AFRICAN-AMERICAN NEUROLOGIST AND STROKE RESEARCHER

EDUCATOR: Bruce Ovbiagele, MD, MSc, MAS

Bruce Ovbiagele was born in Nigeria, and came to the U.S in 1995. He was interested in learning more about strokes because they are the most deadly neurological (which means brain related) disease and the number two killer of Africans. He earned his medical degree from the University of Lagos and was awarded his MSc in Clinical Research from UCLA, and a Master of Advanced Studies from the University of California at San Diego. His research has been published in many journals.

Ovbiagele directs the UCLA PROTECT program which provides stroke treatment. He speaks on behalf of the American Heart Foundation and the American Stroke Association’s “Power to End Stroke” campaign. He serves on various committees on the local, state, and national level, striving to raise awareness about strokes and their warning signs and prevention.

Ovbiagele is also passionate about researching improved stroke imaging (where doctors can use machines to see what happens in the brain during and after a stroke) and stroke treatment. He has published over 60 articles in medical research journals. He plans to take his expertise back to Nigeria, training doctors and educating the public about prevention.

To Hear Dr. Ovbiagele Speak, Visit: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=gDPEZdZS-Cc.

Learning Standards: I can read about a person who has made contributions in the fields of science, technology, or mathematics.

Use the newspaper to complete the following activities.

Activity

c 170

x Isiah’s mom is buying meat to cook for a holiday. She bought 23 pounds of turkey at $1.06/pound, she bought 5 pounds of beef roast for $4.99/pound, and she bought 3 pounds of steak at $7.99/pound. Which of the items cost the most?

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that approximately 20% of the blood pumped from the heart goes to the brain? 8-10 seconds after you lose blood supply to the brain, you will be unconscious.

The human brain is approximately 75% water. Therefore, drinking plenty of water improves brain function.

One — Point of View: First person point of view uses pronouns such as I, me, and my. Second person point of view uses the pronoun you and is often used for giving directions. Third person point pronouns, such as he, she, and they. Select a newspaper article and determine from which point of view it has been written. Rewrite the story from a different point of

Activity Two

Healthy Living: Use the newspaper to find five photo examples of healthy living. This can include food/ nutrition, exercise, and social/ emotional health. Explain why each of your five pictures promotes healthy living.

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can identify point of view and healthy lifestyle factors.

This special Newspaper In Education initiative is made possible, and delivered to classrooms, through The St. Louis American Foundation and its NIE Corporate Partners:

St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.

Teachers,

MAP CORNER

A Grand Eagle

Monique Buchanon turning problem property into a haven

Monique Buchanan outside the Grand Motel which had become a gathering spot for drug dealers, sex traffickers, and other crime will be a haven for those seeking shelter to escape domestic violence or homelessness.

By Ashley Winters

St. Louis American

The Grand Motel’s seedy past cannot darken a brighter future for victims of domestic abuse or homelessness.

Monique Buchanan recently bought the property between St. Louis Avenue and North Market Street on North Grand and toiled to transform it into the Eagles Nest Domestic Violence Center.

The motel, which had become a gathering spot for drug dealers, sex traffickers, and other crime will be a haven for those seeking shelter to escape domestic violence or homelessness.

Buchanan has also discussed with DOORWAYS ways her project could provide housing assistance for people

Equity,

affected by HIV. The shelter will have 55 suites, each with a kitchenette, 24-hour security, and onsite counseling. Residents will have a peer coordinator to assist them with finding employment.

“The Eagles Nest is the middle stop before someone finds permanent housing. Some women don’t leave dangerous situations because they have nowhere to go, they have no help,” said Buchanan.

A real estate broker, Buchanon is a mother of two and grandmother of four with a connection to domestic violence victims.

Buchanan’s mom, Regina Baucom, married young and by 20 she was a mother to four children. Buchanan said she saw her mother being abused by

diversity

her father, who was addicted to heroin. Her father stood at 6’2”, while her mother was a petite 4’11”. She witnessed the horror of her mother getting her teeth knocked out by her father, and the violence left Buchanon’s mother with Bell’s palsy, a condition of her face being permanently disfigured.

“I’m a survivor and I didn’t stay down,” said Baucom, who owns a funeral home.

Buchanon said she was in fear while growing up but developed a “tough outer shell” to protect herself.

“As a young person I was broken on the inside,” she said.

“I am a big advocate for drug use victims and domestic violence victims.

See BUCHANON, B2

and inclusion a priority at Siteman

By Siteman Cancer Center

Siteman Cancer Center aspires to provide the highest quality cancer care, research and prevention. We acknowledge that we live in a diverse community that experiences racial, ethnic, geographic and other disparities. We know that research and care provided by individuals of varied backgrounds, experiences and areas of expertise, working in an inclusive community, contribute to excellence. Therefore, we work collaboratively within and outside of WUSM to improve diversity, equity and inclusion practices and to assist in achieving cancer equity through our care, research and prevention. To achieve our commitment, Siteman will:

1.Recruit, hire and retain diverse clinicians, researchers, trainees and staff members to enhance participation and leadership of women, individuals of color and individuals from groups nationally under-represented in the research workforce, center leadership, See SITEMAN, B2

PeoPle on the Move

Wilson named finance chief at Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri (GSEM) has announced Barbara Wilson as its new chief financial administrative officer. Wilson most recently served as senior finance director with The Boeing Company, where she oversaw teams as large as 300 employees, concentrating on but not limited to, financial and competitive analysis, pricing, business intelligence and contract management. As a volunteer leader in the St Louis community for the past 15 years, Wilson has held several key board positions such as treasurer of the Saint Louis Zoo, board of trustees for Ranken Technical College, Mercy Health Foundation board member, and active member roles with various committees and non-profit affiliations, such as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Women in Defense, International Cost Estimating and Analysis Association.

She is also a very proud Girl Scout alumna. Wilson holds three master’s degrees in science and national resource strategy, computer resources and information management, as well as business administration.

Mark Russell named VP at Gannett

Gannett announced that Mark Russell was appointed vice president and region editor for the South, which includes two Tier 1 sites in Nashville and Knoxville as well as 15 other newsrooms across Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. Mark, who remains executive editor of the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, has worked for The Wall Street Journal, The Plain Dealer, the Boston Globe and previously was executive editor of the Orlando Sentinel.

A six-time Pulitzer juror, he was co-laureate of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award in 2021. Russell currently serves on the board of the Columbia Missourian newspaper at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He served as an interim vice president and region editor for several months prior to this appointment.

Philece Horton named a director at ARCHS

Philece Horton has joined Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS) as director of grant initiatives. She brings experience with Grind + Growth, Activate STL, KIPP, MERS Goodwill, Provident Behavioral Health, and VA Medical Center. She has a BA in psychology from Lindenwood University and an MA in gerontology from Webster University. She will provide strategic support and technical assistance to a portfolio of ARCHS’ funded initiatives. ARCHS funds and strategically enhances initiatives that improve the lives of children and families facing disparities and disadvantages in St. Louis’ most resource-deprived communities.

Promotion, board appointment, new hire, award... please submit your People on the Move

Barbara Wilson

Philece Horton

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo by Hatz4Hearts Foundation

Mark Russell Siteman team members gather at the Pink Carpet Community Gala earlier this year.

Sydney Winfield named a Saks Rookie of Year

St. Louis native Sydney Winfield was recently named a Saks Fifth Ave Atlanta Rookie Salesperson of the Year.

Siteman

Continued from B1

and advisory boards.

2. Develop an environment where everyone is and feels welcomed and valued.

3. Implement policies and practices that support inclusion and advancement of potential trainees and employees, regardless of identity, with priority given to equity in pay, service and opportunities for leadership.

gender identity or expression, national origin, veteran status, socio-economic status or genetic information.

4. Be an institution that is accessible to everyone who seeks care, learns, conducts research, and works on our campus, providing reasonable accommodations to those seeking that assistance.

5. Encourage and give full consideration to all applications for training and employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ability,

Dr. Marissa Hardwrict joined Siteman Cancer Center in May as the DEI education specialist of the Plan to Enhance Development (PED) team, led by Dr. Vetta SandersThompson. The PED team works collaboratively within and outside of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (WUSM) to improve equity, diversity and inclusion practices and to assist in achieving cancer equity through patient care, research and prevention.

Her primary roles and responsibilities include facilitating training and developing DEI programming; assisting in developing and conducting research projects, including experimental design; data analysis; and docu-

mentation of experimental results. Dr. Hardwrict has also been recently appointed an Equity Champion through the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In this role Dr. Hardwrict received intensive professional development training to support competency in leading discussions and training around anti-racism culture change and leadership within Siteman Cancer Center and collaborative work with Washington University and partners of the St. Louis metropolitan community.

Dr. Hardwrict holds a bachelor of science degree in health sciences and administration from Washington University, a master’s degree in adult education and a Ph.D. degree in educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Dr. Hardwrict’s core interests are in the fields of educational administration, andragogy, training in clinical practices, cancer research, DEI, community outreach and educational advising.

Buchanon

Continued from B1

It was just horrific growing up, so I want to give back to those communities because I know firsthand that they need the help,” said Buchanon.

She believes if her mom, and many other victims of violence, had a safe place to go they would leave dangerous situations. She wants to offer a place where they can get counseling and much-needed resources.

The process of purchasing the motel began two years ago following a conversation with former 3rd Ward Alderman Brandon Fraizer-Bosely, who suggested she buy the building and turn it into a shelter.

Buchanan felt the location was ideal because it is located on a MetroBus line. Also, there is a vacant lot across the street from the motel that Buchanan hopes to buy for a future affordable housing site.

“We have lots of plans for Eagles Nest; this is just phase one,” said Buchanan.

Buchanon said she is inspired by Mayor Tishaura Jones and Alderwoman Laura Keys,

“because women like them are making a difference in their communities.”

“If they can accomplish their goals in making St. Louis better then so can I,” she said.

Community members often let the owner know they support removal of

n “Sex workers with tears in their eyes walk up and thank me for buying the motel and telling me they can’t wait for it to be open because they need so much help,” said Buchanan. “This is my way of being a generational change maker.”

the eyesore and nuisance in the neighborhood.

While talking with the St. Louis American, a motorist recognized Buchanan, pulled over and thanked the new motel owner. Buchanan said a few sex workers have thanked her for buying the motel.

“Sex workers with tears in their eyes walk up and thank me for buying the motel and telling me

they can’t wait for it to be open because they need so much help,” said Buchanan. “This is my way of being a generational change maker.” But being a changemaker comes with some hurdles.

Before Buchanan can start renovation on the property, she must have a “nuisance” citation on the property lifted by the city. She was unaware of the citation and still hopes to start the renovation soon.

“I have nothing to do with what the previous owner had going on here,” she said.

Buchanan must wait 12 months after the purchase of the property to start renovations if the citation is not lifted. She had planned to have at least 20 rooms renovated before the harsh winter months.

Buchanan has also partnered with Ikea and a Marriot Hotel to donate furniture to her shelter. To donate and learn more about Eagles Nest Domestic Violence Center visit www.the endviolencecenter.com. here.

Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

The shelter will have 55 suites, each with a kitchenette, 24-hour security, and onsite counseling. Residents will have a peer coordinator to assist them with finding employment.

Marissa Hardwrict

n “We have nothing to be ashamed of or nothing to hold our head down

– Houston manager

Dusty Baker after Astros’ game seven ALCS loss to the Teas Rangers

prEp Football NotEbook

By Earl Austin Jr.

State by state

Playoffs now on area prep football team plates

The road to the state championship begins for football teams on both sides of the river as postseason play begins in Missouri and Illinois. The teams in Missouri will be competing in the district playoffs while Illinois teams will be playing firstround games.

Last year’s postseason was fruitful for St. Louis area schools CBC, Francis Howell, St. Mary’s, Cardinal Ritter, and East St. Louis, with each bringing home state championships. Can the St. Louis schools repeat that success this season? We will find out as the postseason picture unfolds in the next month.

Home cooking

The Missouri Tigers (7-1) celebrated Homecoming weekend by defeating South Carolina 34-12 Oct. 21 in Columbia.

Mizzou’s offense was spearheaded by a group of former St. Louis area high school standouts.

Senior running back Cody Schrader (Lutheran South) rushed for 159 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Quarterback Brady Cook (Chaminade) completed 14 of his 24 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 64 yards and another touchdown. Luther Burden III (East St. Louis) caught four passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.

Mookie Cooper (Trinity Catholic) caught six passes for 57 yards.

Following a bye week, the Tigers pay a visit to No. 1 Georgia in a huge SEC showdown in Athens on Nov. 4.

A peek at the playoff

Here is a look at a selected group of games involving St. Louis area teams for this weekend. You can see the entire schedule and Missouri district playoff brackets by visiting the website, www. mshsaa.org

Friday, October 27

Kirkwood at CBC, 7 p.m. (Class 6, District 2) Vianney at Francis Howell, 7 p.m. (Class 6, District 2)

Pattonville at Hazelwood Central, 6 p.m. (Class 6, District 3) Hazelwood West at SLUH, 6 p.m. (Class 6, District 3)

Farmington vs. Webster Groves at Kirkwood, 7 p.m. (Class 5, District 1) Parkway Central at Parkway West, 7 p.m. (Class 5, District 2) Chaminade at Ladue, 7

p.m. (Class 5, District 2)

McCluer North at Hazelwood East, 7 p.m.

(Class 5, District 3)

Timberland at Fort Zumwalt South, 7 p.m.

(Class 5, District 4) Fort Zumwalt East at Fort Zumwalt North, 7 p.m. (Class 5, District 4)

Lutheran St. Charles at Warrenton, 7 p.m. (Class 4, District 4)

Saturday, October 28

University City at Riverview Gardens, 11 a.m. (Class 5, District 3)

McCluer North at Hazelwood East, 1 p.m. (Class 5, District 3)

McCluer at MICDS, 1 p.m. (Class 5, District 3)

Soldan vs. Vashon at Gateway STEM, 1 p.m.

(Class 4, District 3)

Principia at Westminster, 1 p.m. (Class 3, District 2)

Duchesne at John Burroughs, 1 p.m. (Class

3, District 3)

Grandview vs. Lift for Life at Cardinal Ritter, 1 p.m. (Class 2, District 2) Metro East pairings

(Times and dates are TBA as of press time. To get all the matchups and playoff brackets, you can visit the website, www. ihsa.org).

Class 8 Aurora East at Belleville East West Aurora at Edwardsville LeMont at East St. Louis

Class 5 Triad at Mahomet Seymour Mt Vernon at Highland

Class 4 Cahokia at Breese Central Freeburg at Charleston

Class 2

Chester at Red Bud Wesclin at Shelbyville

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

Mater Dei at Carmi White County Class 1 Tuscola at Belleville Althoff

Highlight Performers from Week 9

• Quarterback Antwon McKay of Cardinal Ritter threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score in a 52-39 victory over SLUH.

• Quarterback Preston Brown of Hillsboro passed for 296 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 108 yards in a 56-25 victory over Poplar Bluff

• Quarterback Casey Hobelman of Eureka passed for 246 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown in a 21-19 victory over Hazelwood Central.

• Quarterback Brian Gould of MICDS completed 12 of 17 passes for 222 yards and six touchdowns in a 59-24 victory over Duchesne.

• Running back JeVon Blackman of Lutheran North rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns in a 44-12 victory over St. Mary’s.

• Running back Arif Shakoor of Hazelwood East rushed for 140 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns in a 28-6 victory over Riverview Gardens.

• Running back Jaquez Everett of Hazelwood East rushed for 154 yards on 17 carries a 28-6 victory over Riverview Gardens.

• Quarterback Jayden Ellington of Althoff passed for 155 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-18 victory over Pecatonia.

• Quarterback Jack Behl of Lafayette completed 21 of 27 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-24 victory over Lindbergh.

• Quarterback Derris Noldon of Marquette rushed for 185 yards in the Mustangs’ 24-6 victory over Pattonville.

• Quarterback Collin Sinclair of Orchard Farm completed 13 of 16 passes for 246 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-7 victory over DeSoto.

• Quarterback Ayden Sullivan of Holt completed 20 of 30 passes for 351 yards and six touchdowns in a 63-14 victory over Timberland.

My messy relationship with Mizzou

When Missouri left the Big 12 for the color-of-money greener pastures of the SEC, I wanted no more of the Kansas vs. Mizzou rivalry.

Being a St. Louis-area kid, I grew up rooting for Missouri. Missouri was (and still kind of is) on the wrong side of the Civil War, but I wanted the Tigers to win football and basketball games. That changed when I got to KU. I worked for the football team as an equipment manager. In the final minutes of the 1979 game at KU, my first with the team, Mizzou had us down by four touchdowns. Instead of running the ball, Phil Bradley threw a long pass to Kellen Winslow to rub our faces in the defeat. It was on, folks. When KU basketball coach Bill Self announced the Jayhawks would resume playing the Tigers in 2021, I lost my mind.

The teams have now played twice. KU stomped the Tigers both times. Yay us. Then came the news two seasons ago that KU and Mizzou will resume the football series at Columbia on Sept. 6, 2025 – my 65th birthday hopefully.

Coach Lance Leipold has resurrected KU’s football program from the worst in the nation to a 2023 bowl game. KU, like Missouri, finished 7-8 following a bowl loss. Leipold was king entering this season and has KU at 5-2 with a nationally-televised game against undefeated Oklahoma on Saturday, Oct. 28. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz entered the season with iffy job status. With the help of fivestar recruit Luther Burden III and a bevy of St. Louis area players, the Tigers are 7-1 and ranked No. 16 in the nation.

You probably think I want the Tigers to get whipped. I don’t. In the 80s, Missouri collapsed into the dregs of college football. The 77-0 drubbing by Oklahoma comes to mind. I didn’t want the state university to be a laughingstock.

The Tigers climbed back to respectability, then bolted for the SEC.

The Jayhawks hit rock bottom. KU won 19 games between 2010-2020. That includes two winless sea-

sons. For all my disdain for Missouri, I’m OK with the Tigers having a standout season.

Sure, the SEC is not the overall conference that it is hyped to be.

Sure, much of the Mizzou fan base and the obnoxious Antlers make my skin crawl.

Sure, Drinkwitz’ comeand-go southern drawl and his Sunday-go-to-meeting quips smack of being a phony.

Kris AbramsDraine snagged an interception against South Carolina.

But I’m not hostile toward the Tigers. More power to those young men that are making a name for themselves and their team. I still don’t want to play Missouri. It’s like dating a person who once dumped you. But I’ll be there on Sept. 6 in two years. And, oh yes, I will want Mizzou to get crushed that day. Lastly, if both teams continue winning, I doubt Drinkwitz or Leipold will be coaching the respective teams on that game day.

The Reid Roundup Lewis Hamilton seemingly finished second to 2023 Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen in the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, Oct. 22. But a post-race check of the underside of his Mercedes found that a ‘plank’ safety device was not ‘standard’, and he was disqualified. Joining him in disqualification was third-place finisher Charles Leclerc of Ferrari…Showtime has announced that it will no longer televise boxing after this year. Corey Spinks, Devon Alexander, and other St. Louis pugilists soared to stardom in fights on the cable network…Entering the 2023-24 NHL season, several websites have New York Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller listed highest among the game’s best players. This makes Miller the top player of color in the NHL. He was drafted in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Earl Austin Jr.

Alvin A. Reid

Cardinal Ritter free safety Dominique Dixon (1) almost intercepts a pass to SLU’s Ryan Wingo (1) during first quarter game action Friday night at St. Louis University High School. The of Cardinal Ritter would defeat the Jr. Billikens of St. Louis U. High 52-39.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo by Jeff Blake / USA Today Sports

UMSL establishes National Association of Black Accountants chapter

By Wendy Todd

Kara Johnson is a sophomore studying accounting at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, and like all students, she’s thinking about her future. She’s trying to figure out how she’ll get a job and start her career after graduation.

She decided to join and has since become the vice president of UMSL’s first chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants – widely referred to as NABA

UMSL’s chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants held a CFO panel with local business leaders earlier this year.

professor. I think representation is what we need.”

In addition to representation, the nonprofit also offers members a sense of community.

NABA, Inc. is a nonprofit membership association dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap for Black business leaders in accounting, finance and entrepreneurship. The organization works to advance people, careers and the mission by providing education, resources and meaningful connections to professional and student members. The UMSL chapter was officially chartered by the national organization last April and currently has 29 members, 25 of whom are registered with the national organization.

James S. McDonnell Foundation (JSMF) awarded more than $2 million over three years to the St. Louis area Regional Response Team (RRT). The grant will be used to build organizational capacity and refine the organization’s innovative, collaborative, rapid response infrastructure to address regional systemic challenges.

Convened at the height of the COVID19 pandemic in 2020, today’s RRT is committed to improving

Johnson joined hoping it would be a boon to her career after graduating.

“NABA offers a big

network that provides valuable insights into the accounting and business world,” Johnson said.

“This network is incredibly helpful for students like me who are looking to gain a deeper understanding of the profession and its nuances.”

Assistant Teaching Professor Colleen

Mpofu is the chapter’s faculty advisor and wants students to know that though NABA is geared toward Black accounting and now all business professionals, any UMSL student is welcome to participate in campus events. Mpofu also believes NABA is a critical component of rais-

ing the visibility of Black accountants and business professionals.

“Sometimes I think there’s not enough representation,” Mpofu said. “Since I’ve been at the university, I’ve had a number of students mention to me that I was their first Black professor or the first Black accounting

Regional Response Team awarded $2 million grant

the health and well-being of underserved communities by mobilizing the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors to collaboratively address systemic dysfunctions and life-threatening crises.

“As the pandemic unfolded, representatives from government, nonprofits, and funders quickly assembled to develop plans to get aid to vulnerable populations most affected by the

shutdowns — such as homebound seniors, the unhoused, children, and people with disabilities,” said Dr. Andrea Jackson-Jennings, managing director for the RRT.

“This ‘quickresponse’ model worked exceptionally well — so well, we intend to modify it so that it can be deployed to break down many of the racial, economic, and systemic disparities that remain in our region.”

As a program of the St. Louis Community Foundation, the RRT will be a vital component of the foundation’s efforts to help solve regional, systemic challenges and broaden its community impact from a redesign perspective.

down barriers and systemic practices through design thinking,” Jennings added.

Dr. Jason Purnell, who now heads the JSMF, was instrumental in the creation of the RRT in 2020 and sees value in continuing and enhancing its rapid-response framework.

“Going forward, the RRT will shift from the reactive response we saw during Covid and develop and promote policy and system changes that break

“In 2020, this group quickly developed creative solutions that provided assistance to the people who needed it most.

Not only are UMSL NABA chapter members gaining networking opportunities, education and access to resources, but they also have an opportunity to attend this year’s regional conference in Minneapolis, which began Sunday and continues through Tuesday. The national NABA organization is covering the expenses of 24 students who expressed interest in attending. The generous offer was an effort to get more students involved with the organization.

One of the main missions of UMSL’s NABA chapter is to raise its visibility on campus so all business students are aware of its resources and benefits.

Now, it can go a step farther and leverage the nimbleness and interdisciplinary talent of the RRT to become an innovation platform for solving the region’s social problems,” said Purnell. “We believe it can be a model for the nation, and the James S. McDonnell Foundation wants to ensure it has the capacity to reach its full potential. The RRT’s mission aligns with our goals of increasing shared prosperity and quality of life for all in our region.”

Photo courtesy of UMSL NABA chapter

Jason Purnell

Andrea JacksonJennings

Living It

Salute Gala guests are a special part of the evening with their ensembles and accessories.

Photo by Lois Ingrum

Black excellence, with style

Fashion trendsetters to

be front and center

at SLAF annual Black Tie gala on Nov. 4

By Kenya Vaughn

The St. Louis American

Yes, the St. Louis American Foundation’s annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala is a party with a purpose. Leaders and learners within the field and their unwavering commitment to using education as an equalizer – and a powerful tool in the effort to build a stronger community with the increase in opportunities that the millions in scholarship funds that are awarded.

This will certainly be true for the upcoming 36th Annual Salute that takes place on Saturday, November 4 at America’s Center.

But Salute is something else, too –and that is a doggone good time. Along with the fellowship, the formal program, the fun of the music lounges and afterparty, one of the highlights of Salute is the epic style watching that goes down at America’s Center. The gowns, the tuxes, the hairstyles, the makeup, and the overall swag that guests customarily serve up have become as much of a staple of the event as the awards and honorees. As Black excellence takes center stage, taking full advantage of the opportunity to flex fashion forward formalwear while gathering for the worthiest of causes appears to be the goal.

The Salute has established itself as a place where people who are known for their community service and support to “show out” with their ensembles and accessories. From the looks of things, they begin planning their look for the next year as soon as the date for the following Salute is announced. As a collective, the style game of Salute is unmatched. And each year countless people rise to the expectation of such with outfits that prove to be trendsetters.

Last year, Kira Cobb was one of those examples. She wore a textured floor-length gown that was ivory in color with jeweled strapped sleeves, an empire waist and a plunging neckline made safe by sheer fabric across the bodice. Her stunning dress – matched

perfectly with a gold strappy open-toe shoe, understated accessories to give the dress its proper shine and a chin-length layered bob that perfectly framed her face was the look of all looks for Salute 2022. Her dress proved to be a full season ahead of fashionistas’ forecasts of what to check for in 2023/2024 – including the overall opulence in scale and design, the sheer elements, the texture, and the shimmer by way of her sleeve straps. So many guests continually put their best fashion forward at Salute. Also of note from last year was Stellar Performer honoree Dr. LaTonia Collins-Smith. She showed that one can

always bet on classic black when bringing glamour. And the top-notch style game presented at Salute is not exclusive to the ladies. Webster University’s Vincent Flewellen typically displays the versatility that exists within men’s black-tie fashion. And with his ascots and classic cuts, Darius Chapman illustrates the timelessness of “classic man” formalwear.

St. Louis American staff should not be excluded from getting props for their contributions to Salute’s legacy of style. Longtime employees Mary Easter and Robin Britt are often in sync with the event

The “Sewphisticated” styles of designer Rhonda (Harlem) Brooks

Sylvester Brown Jr.

The St. Louis American

Rhonda Brooks has created a life that encompasses her two greatest loves: singing and fashion design.

Well known on the local karaoke scene, Brooks, a talented vocalist who goes by the stage name “Harlem,” sings in clothing of her own creation.

“Those two things go hand-in-hand,” Brooks said. “If you sing good, you might as well look good.”

It’s common to see Brooks onstage either in a spandex camouflage jumpsuit, full-bodied panther-print outfit with matching boots, an electric pink jacket and slacks combo, or a no-sleeve leather vest with a matching leather skirt.

Brooks said she gets most orders for her hand-made outfits from women who admire what she wears when she’s entertaining. She said her brand, “Sewphisticated Divas,” speaks to her unique designs.

“My style is more every day, living styles. I’m looking for something different, something no one else has. I want to make a woman feel good about herself, boost her self-esteem,” Brooks explained.

“Clothes don’t make the person; the person makes the clothes. So, I try to make an outfit based on how a woman carries herself…the sexiness or chicness of her so she can bring out the design.”

Many of her clients bring images from magazines or something they’ve seen online.

decorations and color schemes carefully designed by Personal Touches by Jeanetta. And Raven Whitener effortlessly slays as the most glamourous lady in blue. Based on the meticulous attention to detail that is demonstrated with the looks each year, it is safe to assume that the guests who plan to pack out America’s Center next Saturday already have their outfits, shoes, accessories, hair, and makeup mapped out for Salute 2023. However, for those who wait for last

“Rarely do I get to formulate my own ideas for them,” Brooks said.

“I go by what they want but if they want something that doesn’t fit their body or style, I might suggest something else but mostly they want what they’ve seen me wear.”

Brooks doesn’t rely on patterns for her styles; she mostly works from imagination.

Her favorite fabrics include denim, leather, spandex, silk and panther or tiger prints. She prefers not to do anything she labels “slutty-whatti” or too revealing but admits she has catered to client’s wishes. She’s not a fan of sequins or tulle but, again, if a

By

It’s an unlikely pairing. A 75-year-old, southern white boy, and a flashy ambulance-chasing Black lawyer. But it works. It’s them against big business. Davids versus Goliath. An ancient tale that never grows old.

Screenwriter Doug Wright and screenwriter/director Maggie Betts use a fascinating true-life event as their source material. In Biloxi Mississippi, in the 1990s, See Film, C8

Photo by Wiley Price I St. Louis American Harlan Brooks at the machine creating fashion the way she see’s it in her Normandy studio in the North Oaks Plaza Tues. Oct. 24, 2023.

See Style, C8

Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic

Above: Chloe and Margina Kerwin strike an elegant pose in their black formal gowns during a past Salute evening of substance and style celebrated at America’s Center.

Photo by Lois Ingrum

Left: Harris-Stowe State University President LaTonia Collins Smith, 2022 Salute to Excellence in Education Stellar Performer, proved again that black is always a winner when it comes to formal wear.

Photo by Wiley Price I St. Louis American

Jaime Foxx as Willie Gary in the film “The Burial.

CONCERTS AND LIVE SHOWS

Ruben Studdard & Clay

Aiken: Twenty | The Tour

10/27/2023 7:00pm

Family Arena

2002 Arena Pkwy

St. Charles, MO

$32.00 - $97.00

Lyght Strife - Out of the Shadows

10/27/2023 7:30pm Pop’s Concert Venue

300 Monsanto Ave Sauget, IL $10.00

Brian McKnight

10/27/2023 8:00pm River City Casino & Hotel 777 River City Casino Blvd

St. Louis, MO

$35.00 - $70.00

Tiffany Haddish & Lil Rel Howery

10/27/2023 8:00pm Stifel Theatre 1400 Market Street St. Louis, MO

$48.00 - $98.00 Malaa Concert

10/27/2023 10:00pm One Ameristar Blvd

St. Charles, MO

$20.00 - $600.00

Kirk Franklin

10/28/2023 7:00pm Kirk Franklin brings The Reunion Tour to Enterprise Center on 10/28 with Tye Tribbett, The Clark Sisters, David & Tamela Mann and Israel Houghton. Enterprise Center 1401 Clark Ave St. Louis, MO

$52.00 - $192.00

STL Sites & Sounds

“Loving You 2” Stage Play 10/28/2023 7:00pm

Featuring Metro-East recording artist Ke’Ira Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center One Touhill Circle St. Louis, MO $25.00 - $180.00

Mike Judy Presents: Haarper Concert

10/28/2023 7:30pm Off Broadway St Louis 3509 Lemp Ave St. Louis, MO $25.00

Magnolia Park Rock concert

10/28/2023, 7:30 pm Pop’s Concert Venue 300 Monsanto Ave Sauget, IL

$20.00 - $49.50

Darkwood at The Dark Room

10/28/2023 10:00pm The Dark Room 3610 Grandel Sq. St. Louis, MO

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias 10/29/2023 7:00pm Comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias brings his all new 2023 Don’t Worry Be Fluffy Tour. Enterprise Center 1401 Clark Ave St. Louis, MO

$49.50 - $89.50

The DJ Quartet Live from The Dark Room 10/29/2023 9:00pm The Dark Room 3610 Grandel Sq. St. Louis, MO

Pianos for People: Evening of 100 Fingers 10/29/2023 7:00pm

Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries 3648 Washington Blvd St. Louis, MO $51.00

Ghoul-O-Phonic 10/29/2023 7:30pm w/ Maxi Glamour, Lobby

Boxer, Cadaver Daddy-O, Wise Disguise, Babyface Chanel, Paige Alyssa 18+ Only.

Blueberry Hill Duck Room

6504 Delmar Blvd

$15.00

St. Louis, MO

Here Come the Mummies

10/29/2023 8:00pm Delmar Hall

6133 Delmar Blvd

St. Louis, MO

$30.00

Sexyy Red -- Hood

Hottest Princess Tour

10/30/2023 8:00pm

Chaifetz Arena1 South Compton Ave St. Louis, MO

$39.50 - $55.50

Halloween ‘23 at Off

Broadway 10/31/2023 8:00pm Off Broadway St Louis 3509 Lemp Ave St. Louis, MO Free

Lil Yachty: The Field Trip Tour

10/31/2023 8:00pm The Pageant 6161 Delmar Blvd

St. Louis, MO

$45.00 - $79.50

Victor Wooten & The Wooten Brothers

The Wooten Brothers combine a mixture of Funk,

Garage and R&B music

11/1/2023, 8:00 pm Delmar Hall

6133 Delmar Blvd

St. Louis, MO $35.00

FAIRS, FESTIVALS AND MARKETS

Drums & Dances of Africa

10/26/2023 10:00am

10/27/2023 10:00am Teacher Handbook

Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries 3648 Washington Blvd St. Louis, MO Free

Delmar Loop Howl-OWeen Pet Parade 10/28/2023 11:00am Trick-or-treat in the Delmar Loop. Loop businesses will hand out treats for both dogs and kids during local business hours. Attendees can enter your pet (and yourself) in this year’s Howl-o-Ween pet and family costume contest.

University City Loop

University City, MO

Dia de los Muertos Family Event

10/28/2023 10:00am

Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries 3648 Washington Blvd St. Louis, MO Free

One Africa! One Nation! Farmers Market

10/28/2023 10:00am O’Fallon Park Boathouse-West Florissant and Harris Ave

Wilbert Long Senior Drive St. Louis, MO Free

St. Louis Celebrity Senior Annual Jazz Brunch 10/28/2023 10:00am

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis - Westport 1973 Craigshire Drive St. Louis, MO $75.00 - $1,000.00

University City Trunk or Treat 10/27/2023 5:00pm Centennial Commons (Recreation Center)

University City, MO

Ferguson Fall Spooktacular 10/28/2023 4:00pm 1050 Smith Ave Ferguson, MO

NIGHTLIFE

Halloween Weekend at Up-Down 10/27/2023 7:00pm

Celebrate the spookiest weekend of the year at Up-Down’s Annual Halloween Weekend. Oct 27 and 28 we will have scary decorations, our blood bag cocktails, a photobooth and costume contest. 405 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO

Inaugural Omega Ball Black Tie Gala 10/28/2023 6:00pm Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis 3750 Washington Blvd St. Louis, MO $125.00

HalLUDOween 2023 Live shows 10/27/2023 8:00pm The Pageant 6161 Delmar Blvd St. Louis, MO $35.00 - $50.00

ART ACTIVITIES, EXHIBITS AND MUSEUMS

Laser Light Shows

10/27/2023 6:00pm 10/28/2023 4:30pm

360-degree environment of light and sound inside the James S. McDonnell Planetarium. Shows this fall will feature popular artists’ music such as Michael Jackson and Prince. Saint Louis Science Center 5050 Oakland Ave St. Louis, MO $10.95

Drop-in Collection Tour: Significant Sculptures 10/28/2023 Saint Louis Art Museum One Fine Arts Drive St. Louis, MO

Night Out / Mud + Merlot: Pumpkin Jars

10/27/2023 6:30pm Laumeier Sculpture Park 12580 Rott Road St. Louis, MO $58

Ghost Stories and Guitars

10/26/2023 5:30pm Missouri History Museum 5700 Lindell Blvd St. Louis, MO

Family Sunday 10/29/2023 1:00pm Saint Louis Art Museum One Fine Arts Drive St. Louis, MO Free

The Healthy HistoryLovin’ Halloween Party

10/26/2023 4:30pm Missouri History Museum

5700 Lindell Blvd St. Louis, MO

Celebrating holidays and honoring heritage at the Missouri History Museum

By the Missouri Historical Society

Kick off your Halloween party weekend at the Museum on Thursday, October 26, at the Healthy HistoryLovin’ Halloween Party. From 4:30pm to 7:00pm, our youngest visitors can participate in museum exhibit trick-ortreating (candy free); Halloween-inspired spooktacular stretches; creepy, creative crafts; and active fun with Healthworks! Kids Museum and Reedy Press. Make sure to stop by the trick-or-treat table featuring the new book Missouri Weird and Wonderful by author Amanda Doyle and illustrator Dan Zettwoch. Kids ages 5 and older and their caregivers will have limited access to a family-friendly Haunted History Clubhouse at 30-minute intervals. Costumes are encouraged, but pretend weapons should be left at home.

If you’re up for a later evening, stick around for Thursday Nights at the Museum featuring the annual Ghost Stories and Guitars concert (6:30–8:00pm). Grab a costume and get ready for a night of fiendish fun with the ZedWords and their hair-raising performance of Halloween-themed rock and pop. Along the way, meet a ghost from St. Louis’s past (a.k.a. Community Tours Manager Amanda Clark), who will regale you with spine-tingling tales of haunted history fireside in the courtyard. Ellen the Red will offer tarot card readings, and food and drink will be available for purchase from the Key Bistro. This program is associated with Coloring STL, presented by the William T. Kemper Foundation. Education sponsorship is provided by JSM Charitable Trust.

Our Spanish-language storytelling program, Cuentos en el Museo, will be presented on Friday, October 27, at 10:30am. The theme is “Cuentos No Tan Terroríficos (Not-So-Scary Stories).” Storytelling in the Museum will also be offered in English on Tuesday, October 31. These 30-minute programs are recommended for children ages 2–5 and their families. Costumes are welcome for all, but please do not bring pretend weapons. Before Storytelling in the Museum programs on Tuesday mornings, there is a special story time for babies and toddlers ages 2 and younger. Museum Babies offers songs, board books, and movements from 10:10am to 10:25am. “Autumn” is the theme for Tuesday, October 31.

That same morning, St. Louis radio icon and occasional ghostbuster Johnny Rabbitt will present Haunted STL

(11:00am, Lee Auditorium), bringing decades of occult investigation to this talk on haunted places and spaces, the paranormal, and the spiritualism of the city’s past. His ghost guide to the St. Louis connections in William Peter Blatty’s novel

The Exorcist and its scare-fest film adaptation, as well as local connections to the 1980s smash hit Ghostbusters, will also be on the docket. Show up on Halloween morning—if you dare!

The Museum has several programs planned for National Native American Heritage Month in November. The first, The Culture and Heritage of the OtoeMissouria, will take place on Thursday, November 2 (5:30–8:00pm). The Missouria tribe, or Nut’achi, were once a vital part of life and economy in this region and along the Missouri River. By the late 1700s, they had lost much of their population to smallpox brought by contact with Europeans and warfare with other tribal nations. They joined the Otoes, or Jiwere, becoming the Otoe-Missouria tribe. After years of forced removal and relocation, they were moved to Red Rock, Oklahoma, and most of the 3,300 tribal members still live in Oklahoma today. Otoe-Missouria artist and language facilitator Kennetha Greenwood (Nyi K’omi) and her family will share Otoe-Missouria stories, culture, and language at 6:30pm.

Happy hour for this Thursday Nights at the Museum program will feature a ribbon shirt display and video interpretation of the Otoe-Missouria creation myth, plus resource tables about the Divided City Indigenous STL Project and the Saint Louis Zoo’s work with the Otoe-Missouria and native pollinator conservation. Stop by the Museum Shop to purchase works designed by Greenwood. Food and drink will be available for purchase from the Key Bistro.

The Día de los Muertos Celebration will be held on Saturday, November 4 (11:00am–7:00pm), and Sunday, November 5 (11:00am–5:00pm). Enjoy altars representing a variety of Latin American cultural traditions, live music and dance performances, an art display, food and drink vendors, a procession through the park, and more. Family zones will offer face- or arm-painting for kids, arts and crafts, storytelling in Spanish, and other activities. This annual event is presented in collaboration with Hispanic Festival Inc., Mexicanos en St. Louis, and Latinx Arts Network. Visit mohistory.org/ events for the complete schedule.

Your ticket to Fall fun

By Barry Draper

Eat, drink and be merry this month! With electrifying experiences ranging from musical extravaganzas to full moon feasts to holiday traditions, you won’t have a moment to be bored. For more fresh ideas for things to do in St. Louis, visit explorestlouis.com.

Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl November 4

The 11th annual Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl will bring music and dance to every corner of the thoroughfare. Featuring blues musicians and swing dancers alongside marching brass bands and racks of vintage clothing, the celebration is free, except for the grand finale at The Golden Record. Sponsored by Jazz St. Louis, this year’s grand finale boasts funky, genre-bending music from Blvck Spvde and the Cosmos. The ever-evolving collective of ten-plus artists is rooted in the diverse tapestry of Black musical traditions, and this is a unique opportunity to experience their sound for yourself!

Schlafly Full Moon Festival November 4

Every fall, Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood celebrates the annual harvest with bonfires, live music and a pig roast featuring hogs from regional farmers. During the Full Moon Festival, local chefs will also compete for your affection – and your stomach space – in a deliciously competitive chili cook-off. Despite the full moon, the stars of the night are undoubtedly the kegs of White Lager, Pumpkin Ale, Coffee Stout, Hard Apple Cider and other seasonal suds from Schlafly Beer.

Flyover Comedy Festival November 9 to 11

All joking aside, the Flyover Comedy Festival will return to The Grove next month. The annual comedy invasion features various stand-up comedians, including headliners Janelle James, Jeff Ross and Sheng Wang. That’s only the beginning, though – this year’s festival boasts more than 100 comedians and 30 events over the course of three days. Every event aims to showcase local and national comedic talent at some of the best venues in St. Louis.

TINA – The Tina Turner Musical November 14 to 26

A comeback story like no other, Tina –The Tina Turner Musical is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her greatest hits, this scintillating sensation will send you soaring to the ornate ceiling of The Fabulous Fox. One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, Tina Turner has won 12 Grammy Awards and her live shows have been seen by millions, with more concert tickets sold than any other solo performer in music history.

The Polar Express Train Ride

November 17 to December 30

The Polar Express Train Ride at St. Louis Union Station is an important holiday tradition. Set to The Polar Express motion picture soundtrack, the magical experience takes guests on a journey to the North Pole aboard beautifully decorated trains. Families are encouraged to interact with the train conductor, The Polar Express characters, Santa Claus and his elves – and to wear their favorite seasonal pajamas for the occasion.

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram November 19

Grammy-winning guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has quickly become the defining blues voice of his generation. From his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, the 24-year-old has journeyed to stages around the world, winning 10 Blues Music Awards since bursting onto the scene in 2019. According to Rolling Stone, “Kingfish is one of the most exciting young artists in years, with a sound that encompasses B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and Prince.” See him perform live at The Factory on Nov. 19.

The Culture Until January 1, 2024

In honor of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, the Saint Louis Art Museum’s current exhibition, The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century, will present a sweeping art history of hiphop culture and its myriad expressions across the globe. The multidisciplinary and multimedia exhibition will encompass everything from the genesis of hip-hop as a way to amplify marginalized voices to its resounding impact on contemporary art and culture.

The Missouri History Museum celebrates Día de los Muertos on November 4–5.

Grammy-winning guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Christone “Kingfish” Ingram will be performing live at The Factory on Nov. 19.

Examining Black Christians’ spiritual connection to environment

By Willy Blackmore Word In Black

For generations of Black Americans, the church was the place to go if you had a problem.

“Any issue that we had was most often brought to the church first for a solution,” is how Gloria Ricks, President and CEO of Mount Zion Community Outreach in Augusta, Georgia, put it to FastCompany last October.

“As a Black woman who grew up in Black churches, that’s all we knew.”

To this day, even as religion is on the wane in the United States, that relationship remains strong: almost 75% of Black Americans go to church, higher than any other demographic group.

But when it comes to the climate crisis — one of the chief problems facing Black communities today — the Black church is not generally fulfilling that long-standing role as the first stop for solutions.

In fact, according to a new

survey on climate and religion from The Public Religion Research Institute, the majority of Black Christians in particular do not believe in human-caused climate change.

The survey, which looked at various religious groups of all races and racial groups on the whole, found that 60% of Black Americans believe that human activity is driving climate change, slightly more than the 56% of white Americans (and significant less than the 78 and 73% of AAPI and Latinx Americans, respectively, who believe the same).

The survey also found that only 56% of Black Protestants agree that most days they feel a deep spiritual connection with nature and earth. No wonder given that Black folks are more likely to live in urban areas that lack tree cover or green space and more likely to live in close proximity to highways and factories.

But within specific Black religious groups, concerning

opinions about the causes of climate change are held by large majorities: nearly 75% of Black Protestants believe that the increase in flooding and other natural disasters show we are living in biblical end times, and unsurprisingly, just 19% of Black Protestants view climate change

as a crisis. Among white evangelicals 62% see natural disasters as a sign of end times. These views persist despite the fact the Black communities are on the frontlines of climate change — suffering disproportionately from both environmental pollution and the effects of

Photo by Mark Beaven

sustained greenhouse-gas emissions, like heat waves, floods, and violent storms.

Because of that, many Black clergy members who understand both the realities of climate change and the disconnect within some communities are working to bring more talk about environmental justice into the Black church.

Ricks of Mount Zion is part of The Black Church-The Green Movement coalition, which provides training to pastors across the country to help bring climate concerns into their preaching — and hopefully helping to turn some of these numbers around, one congregation at a time.

SLDC IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) is eagerly seeking candidates to join our team as we endeavor to bring economic justice to St. Louis City residents and communities that were disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

There are multiple 2-4-year limited term positions available, term of employment will vary for each position.

These positions will assist in the administration and implementation of various Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) Programs targeted for households, small businesses and communities adversely impacted by the pandemic.

All positions will be funded in whole or in part through an allocation of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) from the US Department of the Treasury and the City of St. Louis’ Community Development Administration.

To see the full job description of positions available and to apply online go to: http://www.stlouis-mo.gov/sldc/ and click on “Careers at SLDC.” SLDC is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity.

MAINTENANCE WORKER

The City of Maplewood is seeking a qualified person for the position of maintenance worker. The position is responsible for maintaining streets, parks, sewers, swimming pool, and city buildings. Must be available for occasional evening and weekend work. The city offers a comparative salary and benefits package. Starting salary is negotiable based on qualifications and experience. For an application please go to www.cityofmaplewood. com or contact the Public Works Department at (314) 645-3600. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

GREAT RIVERS GREENWAY IS INTERESTED IN HIRING ONE OR MORE FIRMS OR INDIVIDUALS TO ASSIST THEM WITH:

• marketing

public relations

photography

video production

graphic design

and/or digital content

Go to https:// greatriversgreenway. org/jobs-bids/ and submit by November 9, 2023.

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

The James S. McDonnell foundation is hiring a Director of Communications with the following experience:

• 4 year college degree or equivalent in communications, marketing, or related discipline

• 5-7 years equivalent and related experience. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://www.jsmf.org/job1

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS

Kirkwood School District is hiring EC Educators for 23/24 and beyond. Pay starts at $19.52/hour. For more information and to apply, please visit www.kirkwoodschools.org/ jobs

PROJECT MANAGER II

Non-profit seeks applications for FT position for grant funded Healthy Home Repair

VISITING AND ADJUNCT FACULTY

Webster University’s Walker School of Business & Technology is hiring Visiting and Adjunct Faculty in IT Management. Benefit from a 9-month extended contract for full-time roles or 9-week courses for adjunct positions. A master’s degree and 5+ years of IT experience preferred. Apply now: (https://recruiting.adp.com/srccar/public/RTI.home?c=1180715&d=ExternalCareerSite&r=5000855786606#/

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)

Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Design-Assist services for Unitized Curtainwall: McCownGordon Construction has been selected to serve as the Construction Manager, and is soliciting RFQ responses from qualified firms interested in providing unitized curtainwall design-assist and construction services for the University of Missouri - Kansas City, Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building. Firms with relevant design-assist experience and qualifications are encouraged to respond.

The purpose of the RFQ is to identify the most qualified respondents, which will then be invited to participate in the Request For Proposals (RFP) process. The intent is for the design-assist curtain wall contractor to construct the work at the successful completion of preconstruction. The project consists of a new 6-story, +/- 210,000 SF healthcare facility in Kansas City, MO.

There are no union requirements. Prevailing wages apply. The project is tax exempt. 25% MBE, 3% SDVE, and 10% WBE/Veteran/DBE as certified by the State of Missouri goals apply. Build America, Buy America Act of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act applies.

Qualifications are due to McCownGordon by 2:00pm, November 17, 2023. For RFQ information contact Doug Bell at dbell@mccowngordon.com or 816.960.1111.

Electronic bids submitted through the Bid Express Online Portal will be received by the Board of Public Service until 1:45 PM, CT, on November 14, 2023, then publicly opened and read. Proposals must be submitted electronically using “Bid Express Online Portal” at https://www.bidexpress.com/businesses/20618/home. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Bid Express Online Portal as well and may be downloaded for free.

The bidder must pay $40 to submit a bid through the Bid Express service. Monthly subscriptions are available.

A mandatory pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held October 24, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. The pre-bid conference will be held in Room 325 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies).

All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).

LETTING #8765

CONCRETE & BRICK REMOVAL/ REPLACEMENT AND COMPLETE SIDEWALK REPLACEMENT; PROJECT NO. SP-119

Electronic bids submitted through the Bid Express Online Portal will be received by the Board of Public Service until 1:45 PM, CT, on November 21, 2023, then publicly opened and read. Proposals must be submitted electronically using “Bid Express Online Portal” at https://www.bidexpress.com/businesses/20618/home

The bidder must pay $40 to submit a bid through the Bid Express service. Monthly subscriptions are available.

Plans, Specifications, and the Agreement may be examined online through Bid Express at https://www.bidexpress.com/ businesses/20618/home?agency=true and may be downloaded for free.

A mandatory pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held October 31, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. The prebid conference will be held in Room 325 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103. Note: Contactors that attended the pre-bid meeting for SP-118 (Letting 8764) are eligible to bid without attending this meeting.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies).

All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements)

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Accepting Sealed bids for:

Lincoln University – Dawson Hall Construction

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY

JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI 65101

Lincoln University will be accepting bids until 2:00 p.m. on November 8, 2023. (Bid drop off location at the bottom)

Bids MUST be sealed and hand-delivered to the below address or submitted through BuildingConnected no later than the date and time noted. No emailed bids will be accepted.

A Pre-bid walkthrough for the project will be conducted on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. at 711 Lee Dr. on the Southwest side of the building near the main entrance.

Attendance at the Pre-bid conference and walkthrough is mandatory for each bidder submitting a proposal.

Please submit requests for full proposal packet and plans holder details to Austin.smith@smwilson.com and copy lufacilitiesplanning@lincolnu.edu

Lincoln University Facilities & Planning 309 Young Hall 820 Chestnut St. Jefferson City, MO 65101

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Requests for Quotes, Bids and Proposals are posted online for public download. Please navigate to www.msdprojectclear.org

> Doing Business With Us > View Bid Opportunities

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

America’s Center is seeking RFP’s from qualified companies to provide CLEANING, CUSTODIAL & EVENT SETUP/CHANGEOVER/ RESTORE SERVICES for America’s Center. Bid packages available 9am Monday, October 30th, 2023, at the Facilities Administrative Office at 701 Convention Plaza, or by visiting: https://explorestlouis.com/ cleaning-custodial-services/ Interested bidders must attend a mandatory pre-bid conference & walk thru 10am CST Monday, November 13th, at America’s Center Facilities Office Conference Room B, 701 Convention Plaza St Louis MO 63101. Contact Brent Buchanan at 314-342-5094 with any questions. The facility reserves the right to reject any or all bids. EOE.

LETTING #8763

RENOVATIONS TO MARQUETTE PARK MAINTENANCE BUILDING ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

Electronically sealed bids will be received by the Board of Public Service through the Bid Express Online Portal at https://www. bidexpress.com/businesses/20618/home?agency=true. Proposals must be submitted before 1:45 PM, St. Louis Time, on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. The proposals will then be publicly opened and read.

The bidder must pay $40 to submit a bid through the Bid Express service. Monthly subscriptions are available.

Plans, Specifications, and the Agreement may be examined online through Bid Express at https://www.bidexpress.com/ businesses/20618/home?agency=true and may be downloaded for free.

An optional pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held at the existing Maintenance Building at Marquette Park located at 3100 Osage, St. Louis, MO 63118 on October 24, 2023 at 10:00 AM. All bidders are strongly encouraged to attend the pre-bid meeting.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State, and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies.)

The right of the Board of Public Service to reject any or all bids is expressly reserved.

URBAN LEAGUE OF METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS RFP DELLWOOD SENIOR HOUSING PROJECT

ISSUE DATE: OCTOBER 19, 2023

SUBMISSION DATE: NOVEMBER 3, 2023

Complete details for each opportunity listed below, including Scope of Services, Submission Process, Form of Submission, Selection Process, Supplemental Instructions, Attachments, and Submission Deadlines can be found at www.ulstl.com.

Issue Date and Submission Date for all opportunities are the same. For clarification on any aspect of this RFP you are invited to direct inquiries, in writing only, by mail or facsimile or e-mail to: Gardner Capital 8000 Maryland, Suite 1300 Clayton, MO 63105 cpritchard@gardnercapital.com

FURNISHINGS for the Urban League – Dellwood Senior Housing Project

Furnishings: Design and provide adequate furnishings for an overall inviting environment for the apartments and the community center. This includes all common areas including corridors, offices, community computer space. This includes furniture, tables, desks, worksurfaces, wall art, chairs, etc.

REMOVAL OF AUTOZONE SIGN for the Urban League – Dellwood Senior Housing Project

Removal of AutoZone Sign: Provide all labor, equipment, and tools to remove the previous property sign and footing minimum 1’ below grade. Contractor to provide dumpsters or trucks for haul away as desired. Contractor must take all precautions to not damage newly installed asphalt, concrete curb and sidewalk. Any damage to these areas or landscape plantings is to be returned to its original state.

RETAINING WALL for the Urban League – Dellwood Senior Housing Project

Design and Build retaining wall on South and North edges of the property as needed to minimize runoff and erosion. Contractor to include all design fees, materials, labor, equipment and permit fees needed to complete the job as well as any landscaping or re-seeding needed.

SECURITY for the Urban League – Dellwood Senior Housing Project

Design & Build fully operational security camera system including the cabling, parts, and smarts to the building for a system that allows for great coverage on the parking lot, front of building, building entry points and common areas. The system must allow onsite staff viewing on a 2nd computer at all times with a 30+ day storage capacity. Contractor is to include any staff training required. Contractor to include any electrical for the system that is not already installed, any patch or repair associated with this work, as well as all permits required. *An alternate is requested to include a single camera located in the hallway of 2nd and 3rd floor.

STAIRWELL PAINT AND STEEL COVERAGE -- Dellwood Senior Housing Project

Stairwell paint and steel coverage: Price to prep and paint all unfinished block and steel in the 2 building stairwells with color to be chosen at a later date. This includes the walls, structural steel, etc. *Please include 2 alternates: 1) Paint the stair treads, risers, landings & floor (stringers, rail, etc. should be part of the original bid). 2) Fur out walls that show incorrectly placed and exposed embed plates with hat channel & drywall. Include taping, caulking and painting as required.

STRIP LIGHTING -- Dellwood Senior Housing Project

Strip Lighting: Add accent strip lighting at the top of 2 faces of the building where the parapet height increases. Similar example photo and marked up elevation drawing included for reference. Contractor to include all necessary permitting, electrical wiring to electrical, lighting, all mounting hardware, lifts for access, etc.

WASHERS AND DRYERS -- Dellwood Senior Housing Project

Furnish, unload, and completely install washers and dryers for all 44 units based on document included. Bid to include risers for 5 ADA units. Package to include all necessary cords, hoses, vents, etc. Equivalent alternates will be considered. *Please note there are no vents for the dryers.

WiFi Installation-- Dellwood Senior Housing Project

WIFI: Provide adequate WIFI coverage to all common areas throughout the building.

FURNISH & INSTALLATION OF AV EQUIPMENT--Dellwood Senior Housing Project

Provide audio visual appropriate for the size and space based on site visit and included marked up floor plan. Contractor to provide necessary electrical required that is not in place at this time. Common area requires 2 televisions with camera capabilities to host meetings needing visibility. Additionally, there is to be speakers throughout the common area to allow music, announcements, meetings, etc. to be broadcast throughout. Contractor to include any permitting required. *An alternate should be provided to include speakers in the corridors for each level with the ability to zone each area as needed.

COMPUTERS AND PRINTERS -- Dellwood Senior Housing Project

Computers & Printers: 6 desktop computers and monitors. 1 small business type floor standing printer, scanner, copier. 2 small business type countertop printers, scanner, copier.

Supply all cords and cabling for each computer and printer. *Add alternate to be included for up to 2 additional computers. Please provide cost per additional unit.

CONCRETE PLANTERS -- Dellwood Senior Housing Project

Concrete Planters: This is a proposal to furnish and install approximately 8 planters and 8 bollards based similar to the attached photos. Install the planters to the exterior of the building and the bollards in front of the planters for security and safety measures. Please provide information on the planter being provided including a photo, material, overall dimensions, etc.

ELECTRICAL WORK FOR BUILDING SIGN -- Dellwood Senior Housing

AV Equipment: Provide dedicated circuit for building sign from electrical room to front face of building as high as possible on the first floor. Power requirements assumed to be 20amp/ 120volt. Exact location to be determined by successful bidder on the Sign RFP. EV

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

SLATE Youth Works - Empowering Youth Ages 16-24 in St. Louis

The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE), in collaboration with the St. Louis Workforce Development Board (SLWDB), invites experienced service providers to submit proposals for the SLATE Youth Works program. Our initiative is dedicated to offering essential career guidance and life-changing opportunities to young adults aged 16-24 in the City of St. Louis. The program emphasizes paid work experiences, career exploration, financial literacy, empowerment skills training, and more.

Close Date: November 6, 2023, at 4 p.m. To submit your proposals, please email slaterfp@stlworks. com. Access the complete Request for Proposals at https://tinyurl.com/ SLATEYouthWorksRFP. Join us in making a lasting impact on St. Louis’s youth and fostering a brighter future for our city.

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis (Urban League) requests bids for the construction of the Urban League Plaza in Dellwood, MO. The proposed work includes the furnishing of materials, tools, equipment and labor necessary for the construction of an approximately 17,000SF, single story, multi-use commercial building This project will be funded in whole or in part by Community Development Block Grant under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. This project will be partially funded with Federal funds from the United States Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration and therefore is subject to the Federal laws and regulations associated with that program.

Urban League will accept sealed bids at its offices at 1408 N Kingshighway, St. Louis, MO 63113 until 3:00 p.m., Monday, December 11, 2023 at which time they will be publicly opened and read. Plans and specifications may be viewed at Urban League’s website at www.ulstl.com, or viewed or purchased from County Blue Reprographics (http:// www.countyblue.com), 811 Hanley Industrial Ct., St. Louis, MO 63144 or at Cross Rhodes Print & Technologies, 2731 S. Jefferson, St. Louis, MO 63118 or viewed through MOKAN, 4666 Natural Bridge, St. Louis, MO 63115.

WAITING LIST

WOODLAND TOWERS

306 PINE LAKE ROAD COLLINSVILLE, IL, 6223

Seniors 62 and older Apply now for an affordable 1-bedroom unit. Stop by the office or Call: (618) 345-7240 for an application Applications may be returned in person, by mail or by e-mail.

Monday-Friday 8-5 Managed by Related Management Company

ST. LOUIS COUNTY

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES HOUSING RESOURCE COMMISSION

FY2024 GRANT

The St. Louis County Department of Human Services - Homeless Services Program is seeking proposals for the Housing Resources Commission FY2024 Grant Bid Number 1849. The total funding available is approximately $460,480.00. Proposals are due electronically by 2:00 p.m. on November 21, 2023. Request For Proposal details and specifications can be obtained at the St. Louis County Bids and RFPs webpage located at https:// stlouiscountymovendors. munisselfservice. com/Vendors/VBids/ BidNotificationLandingPage. aspx?BidId=2612.

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Replace Building Automation System Penney State Office Bldg. Springfield, MO, Project No. O2012- 01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM 12/5/23. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Stormwater Improvements at Special Acres State School, Project No. E2323-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, November 30, 2023 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. Project information available at: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Bids for New Comfort Station, Project No. F2206-01 (Re-bid) will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, November 30, 2023. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Rebuild Cooling Tower, Building 7, Project No. C2303-01

will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, November 2, 2023 For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

Request for

(RFQ) for Design/

for

Arena, Missouri State Fairgrounds, Sedalia, MO, Project No. F2301-01 will be

by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, December 15, 2023. For specific RFQ information, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

Bids for RE-BID Replace Sewer Lines and Infrastructure, Ozark Correctional Center, Project No. C1907-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 11/16/23. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

Sealed bids for the Castle Point Improvements project, St. Louis County Project No. CR-1847 will be received electronically thru the County’s Vendor Self Service portal at https:// stlouiscountymovendors. munisselfservice.com/Vendors/ default.aspx, until 2:00 PM on November 15, 2023 Plans and specifications will be available on October 16, 2023 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www.stlouiscountymo.gov) or by contacting Cross Rhodes Print & Technologies, 2731 South Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118 (314) 678-0087. DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

minute inspirations or are still putting together their finishing touches, I have taken the liberty to offer a few suggestions based on the formal style trends of 2023-2024 below.

2023-24 Formal

Fashion Cheat Code

Ready, set, shimmer –Let’s give Beyonce credit where credit is due: the silver overload worn by the Beyhive and guests at the cultural phenomenon that was her Renaissance

Tour has rippled into the style must haves and must dos for this season. But the trend stretches beyond silver and extends to gold, rose gold and jewel-tone metallics.

Opulence overload – Capes, velvets, jewel tones, encrusted embellishments and overall ostentatiousness will be among the must do fashion moves for the upcoming season.

Sheer elegance – Sheer elements were huge in 2022 and have eased on over to this season in the form of overlay and silhouettes and other elements that add instant elegance.

Statement sleeves – From puffs to ruffles, the

grandiosity of the sleeve will be a popular go-to for 2023-24.

Flower power –floral prints and threedimensional floral

Kira Cobb was among the best dressed guests at last year’s sold-out 35th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala presented by The St. Louis American Foundation at America’s Center.

Photo courtesy of Kira Cobb

will be all the rage, as well as bloomed out design elements on dresses, blouses, and separates. For the fellas – Statement suits are here to stay – well at least for another season or so. Also, gentlemen should prepare to loosen up. The slim-fit

tailored looks will shift towards more relaxed –and comfortable – silhouettes with styles that pay homage to the menswear often seen in 1940s and 1950s fashion but given a 2023-24 update by way of contemporary aesthetics.

The St. Louis American Foundation’s 36th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala will take place at 6 p.m. (with a general reception at 5 p.m.) on Saturday, November 4 at America’s Center. For tickets or more information, call (314) 533-8000 or visit www. stlamerican.com Here you go.

Continued from C1

client wants that material, she’ll give it a shot.

Brooks credits her late mother, Blondell Edwards, for getting her started in the fashion world. Edwards was a sewist who made clothes for Brooks and her four younger brothers.

When Brooks was in junior high school, she said she had a choice between two mandated fields: cooking or sewing. Because of her mom’s influence, she chose sewing. Her first successful piece was a spandex warm-up suit, Brooks recalled.

A pregnancy shortly after graduating high school stalled her designer ambitions. She made a few outfits for friends and family but didn’t get serious about the craft again until her oldest daughter, Trhonda Edwards, asked her to teach her to sew. Brooks promised she would but was slow getting around to the lessons.

A single mom with three kids at the time, Brooks worked long hours as a beautician. After about 10 years of that, she said she walked away from the profession because “it took too much time away from my kids.”

Meanwhile Trhonda had bought her own machine and taught herself how

to sew, Brooks recalled. Her daughter had gotten so good that by 2012 she started hosting her own fashion shows under the brand name “Upgrade my Dive.”

“That’s what pulled me back into it,” Brooks said, explaining how she not only got back into designing but how she started doing fashion shows as well.

“It was like a daughter/ mother thing,” she said.

Brooks said most of the time women come to her based on something they’ve seen her wear or something they’ve seen in a magazine or online.

“There’s not a lot of time where I get to formulate my own ideas,”

Brooks said. “I go by what they want. If they want something that doesn’t really fit their body or style, I might suggest something else but mostly they want me to copy something.”

For Brooks, designing and sewing has been mostly a side gig. After segueing from the hair and beauty profession, she became a certified nursing assistant (CNA). Brooks hosted her first and only fashion show to date in 2019. After that successful exhibition, the pandemic struck, and she stepped away from the designing game again.

She was working at a senior citizen’s home in 2020. Experts estimate that the pandemic contributed

to at least 200,000 fatalities among residents, patients and employees at nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities across the United States. Brooks’ job was no exception.

“I watched a lot of people die,” she recalled, adding that she lost her “whole floor” of the senior nursing facility where she worked to COVID deaths.

Although family members and friends urged her to quit the facility, she stayed and managed to avoid contracting COVID. Last year she eagerly returned to her sewing machine.

Brooks’ ultimate desires include having a celebrity commission her for exclu-

sive designs or having her clothes sold in a high-end boutique or opening her own boutique.

This weekend (Oct. 29), Brooks’ designs will be featured in her daughter, Tronda’s “Upgrade my Diva Presents…Divacore Fashion Show” at the Omni Banquet Event & Conference Center in Florissant, MO She’s anxious to see the models strut their stuff in her designs but Brooks also hopes the show will further her “oneof-a-kind” brand.

“As long as there are women who want to own their own style; own something sewn with sophistication, then there’s room for Sewphisticated Divas.”

Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones), a World War II Vet and civil rights proponent is the proud owner of a funeral business that has been in his family since the 1800s. The cold-hearted Canadian billionaire Ray Loewen (Bill Camp) is

buying up all the funeral businesses in The South. He and O’Keefe get into a dispute. The rich man thinks he’s cornered the old codger, can do as he pleases, and bully him out of business. To save his company and dignity, O’Keefe needs to hire a legal representative, go to court, and sue. Surprisingly, he doesn’t pick his old friend and personal lawyer Mike (Alan

Ruck) to lead his quest for justice. Instead, he chooses a brassy lawyer who advertises on TV like a used car salesman. The old southern gent bonds with Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx), who forms a legal team with his own partners, Mike, and young attorney Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie, Jurassic World Dominion). Willie’s boys sling little rocks. Loewen hires Harvard Law School-educated

Mame Downes (Jurnee Smollett, Lovecraft Country). She and her crew hurl boulders. The courtroom drama becomes a compelling test of wills. Hard to believe Betts, who directed the very sobering nun drama Novitiate, has this lively, entertainment-savvy, and comic sensibility. But she does. The script goes where any Erin Brockovich wannabe would go. So, the ending won’t surprise anyone who follows films in the genre or can thumb through Wikipedia. The joy is in the journey not just the ending. A crowd-pleasing trip on a bumpy road that showcases bullied protagonists’ best instincts to resist, hope, persist, survive, and fight the good fight. Betts does particularly well with her lead actors, giving them room to do their thing. Jones is reverent as the elder man who has made mistakes. Grumpy, flexible, determined and bossy: “Since the first day that you had this case you’ve tried

to turn this into your own one-ring circus.”

Jeremiah’s stress, from surviving WWII, owning a business, and making bad financial decisions, is in every crease in Jones’ heavily wrinkled face. He’s perfectly cast. Foxx is almost giddy as the gospel spirited, gaudy-dressing, cliché-spewing attorney who is out of his league but fighting to the final verdict.

Frankly this is the actor’s best performance since Ray. He makes Willie as real as he can be. Animated, but never over the top. While Smollett becomes the adversary, the temptress, the one to beat.

The lively ensemble depicts the best in humans and the worst. The supporting cast includes Dorian Missick, Pamela Reed, Amanda Warren, and Tywayne Wheatt, who add to the film’s vibrant spirit and keeps the energy level up.

While Mirren Gordon-Crozier’s costumes, Kay Lee’s production design and Maryse Alber-

ti’s cinematography make the interiors, exteriors and clothes look very southern, very ‘90s, very every day. Expect theater audiences to have their hearts warmed collectively. They’ll giggle at Foxx’s increasingly endearing antics. They’ll be surprised that the old white southern gentleman is not a bigot but a forward thinker. They might even like the head games Smollett and Foxx play as the country bumpkin attorney and classy lawyer challenge each other. Willie: “Litigation is war!” Mame: “Once we begin the trial, I will destroy you.” Streaming audiences will be thrilled but may take a bathroom break as the footage heads to its lengthy 2h 6m ending. Any comparisons to Barack Obama and Joe Biden are unwarranted— but funny. Comparisons to David and Goliath are more apropos. If it worked for the Bible, it should work just fine for cinemas and Amazon Prime Video.

motifs