Be sure to look for the special insert of Drawn In, a new comic book series from Nine PBS and Lion Forge Animation. Share it with the kids in your life! Look for a new issue each month through the end of the year. Watch for our new animated series and more debuting on Nine PBS (9.1), and on drawnin.org.
‘No need to struggle in silence’
She was among the first counselors on the scene, and she said her work and that of other mental health officials is just beginning.
“A lot of students are traumatized, shaken up, scared and afraid,” she said.
“Right now we need to be a support for both the students and the staff. We need to pour into them as much as we can [and] work as a team,” she said.
The school had become a staging area and she stood among shocked and bewildered parents and students after a gunman killed two people and left six people injured.
Hamilton said some students told her they didn’t want to go back to school, and that she believes some may need resources outside of school for their mental health.
Eli Carty, a 15-yearold student at Collegiate School Medicine and Bioscience, pauses on Monday during a vigil at Tower Grove Park. A gunman attacked Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, which shares a campus with Carty’s school, in south St. Louis on Monday morning.
During a Wednesday morning press conference at St. Louis Metropolitan Police headquarters, St. Louis Health Director D. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, implored any student or adult, even if they were not involved with Monday’s violence, who needs help “to reach out and talk to someone.”
“Just dial 988. Help will come your way,” said Davis. The number connects you with the Behavioral Health Response’s men-
tal health crisis and suicide prevention hotline.
“Gun violence is a public health crisis. Behavioral health is one of the fundamental tenants of health care and public health. She said it is a challenge for the entire St. Louis community “to even make sense of this.”
“I’m not OK, right now. I’m hugging my babies every night. I’m fearful I will get that call or my husband gets that call.”
Davis’ department established its Behavioral Health Bureau two weeks ago, and its goal is to help improve awareness of and access to mental health resources, and she thanked Mayor
Jenifer Lewis during the St. Louis stop of her ‘Mother of Black Hollywood’ book tour at her Webster University alma mater in 2018. Lewis will return to the LorettoHilton on Saturday, November 5 to promote her ‘Walking in my Joy’ follow up and raise funds for the Jenifer Lewis Endowed Sargent Conservatory Fund. Sadness becoming
By Ashley Winters and Alvin A. Reid St. Louis American
As the region mourns the deaths of 15-year-old student Alexzandria Bell and health teacher Jean Kuczka, killed during Monday’s shootings at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School at 3125 S. Kingshighway, Mayor Tishaura Jones said “the past two days have been a whirlwind, devastating.” Speaking at a Wednesday morning press
n “If we can regulate tobacco, we can regulate guns. If you have to register your car, you should have to do so with weapons.”
– Mayor Tishaura Jones
conference at St. Louis Metropolitan Police headquarters, Jones said her feelings are changing “from sad to angry.” “With all the school shootings, it seemed like only a matter of time before it hit closer
From ‘Bad Girl’ to breakout actress
Kinloch’s Hollywood returns to Webster to give back –and celebrate new book
By Kenya Vaughn The St. Louis American
Yes, she has been in 400 episodes of television, performed at 200 concerts, appeared in 68 films, 40 animations and four Broadway shows. But her credentials on the big screen, the small screen and the stage are not what made Kinloch native Jenifer Lewis a star.
Over the summer, her name was engraved among the legends of entertainment. While having her own space on the Hollywood Walk of Fame certainly adds to the confirmation, it is not what makes Jenifer Lewis a star. Lewis is a star because she is free enough to use the celebrity her talents have afforded her for the sake of change.
On one of the world’s most famous boulevards, Jenifer Lewis’ name sits right next to Katharine Hepburn.
“I’m trying to use my platform as Katharine Hepburn did,” Lewis said during the July ceremony.
See LEWIS, A7
George Floyd’s family sues over incorrect comments about his death
Kanye West (right), has caught a lot of flack lately for his not so tasteful comments including his recent remark claiming George Floyd died from fentan yl and not police brutality. He went on a podcast making the false accusation.
Floyd’s daughter Gianna’s mother, Roxie Washington isn’t a fan of his statement and is now suing West in a $250 million lawsuit..
“Kanye’s comments are a repugnant attempt to discount George Floyd’s life and to profit from his inhumane death,” attorney Pat D. Dixon III said in a state ment on Tuesday, adding that the goal with the lawsuit is to “hold Mr. West accountable” for his “flagrant remarks.”
Lawsuit addresses West’s business partners and associates as the claims have caused “harassment, misappropriation, defamation, and infliction of emotional distress.” Gianna
Floyd is the sole beneficiary of Floyd’s estate.
“The interests of the child are a priority. George Floyd’s daughter is being retraumatized by Kanye West’s comments and he’s creating an unsafe and unhealthy environment for her,”
added Attorney Nuru Witherspoon. Washington, who’s response on behalf of her and Floyd’s child has teamed up with Witherspoon Law Group and Dixon & Dixon Attorneys at LawT in filing a cease and desist against West.
“Mr. Floyd’s cause of death is well-settled through evidence presented in courts of law during the criminal and civil trials that were the result of his untimely and horrific death. Nevertheless, you have maliciously made statements that are inaccurate and unfounded, causing damage to Mr. Floyd’s estate and his family,” the letter reads, which was obtained by Yahoo Entertainment. West mentioned Floyd on the Drink Champs podcast while endorsing conservative figure Candace Owens’s documentary The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM
knee wasn’t even on his neck like that.”
GloRilla in a limbo with “F.N.F” producer, Hitkidd for not getting paid
“F.N.F (Let’s Go)” is the undisputed song of Summer 2022, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing it. Although, GloRilla (below), gained popularity from her breakout hit she says she hasn’t received any money from it. She vented on Facebook on Monday, (Oct. 17) about how the producer of the track Hitkidd has made money from the track, meanwhile she’s only made money from doing shows. GloRilla also voiced her frustrations with signing to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG) label. “N****s been salty ever since I ain’t sign to [their] label to be a group for $0,” she wrote. She also claimed Hitkidd signed away the rights to “F.N.F” without her permission. “One more thing before I log out. N****, you signed [the] song away the first week [without me knowing] for [$50,000] because you didn’t know how big it was gon’ be. Should I keep going?”
“I watched the George Floyd documentary that Candace Owens put out.
One of the things that his two roommates said was they want a tall guy like me, and the day that he died, he said a prayer for eight minutes,” West said. “They hit [Floyd] with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy’s
Hitkidd responded to GloRilla’s allegations on Twitter.
“So basically, these folks are trying to take me to court over ‘F.N.F.’ because they want to own the song, but they want to own the song to put it on this EP, which both parties knew,” he wrote. “So tell me how you gon’ put ‘F.N.F.’ in your contract without telling me after I told you and your manager, every day that we was in L.A. with Saweetie, that labels are going to try to sign you because of ‘F.N.F.,’ so watch out. I also told you to let me know when labels reach out so we can be on the same page, but you still went and signed my song without telling me.”
n “Educating the next generation of leaders in medicine is an enormous responsibility that I take very seriously.”
– Andrea A. Hayes Dixon, M.D., first Black woman dean of the Howard University College of Medicine
By Ashley Winters St. Louis American
Lowriders in St. Louis?
The iconic bicycle style featured in Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and other West Coast rapper music videos has made its way to the Midwest.
Shawn Walker, the owner of Candy Shop Custum Bikes is riding high and he recently spoke with the St. Louis American while displaying a custom bike at St. Louis City Hall.
The bike’s unique design, shimmering gold handlebars, and glittery green paint instantly created a buzz. It costs $1,200 dollars, and some styles run closer to $3,000.
“This is art, and I’m an artist,” said Walker. Standing next to his creation, Walker smiled as people admired his work. He wasn’t boastful, but his pride showed as he extended his gratitude and directed people to his website.
Candy Shop Custum Bikes has been a part of the St. Louis business and recreation communities since 2008. Walker isn’t a bike designer by trade but he took up the skill after an older brother was murdered. Walker said he was “in a dark place mentally and saw no way out.” He was visiting a friend, and as they watched music videos, Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Likes It’s Hot” aired. Walker saw a low-rider bike in the video and he began a search for one.
After the effort proved futile, he decided to manufacture his own.
“I was never a bicycle designer before, but I knew it could be something I could be dope at. So I just put my best foot forward and went for it,” said Walker.
Designing that first low-rider “was an experience I will never forget,” he said.
“When I first started out, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing,” said Walker. That low-rider had twist-
ed chrome handlebars and a white crocodile fabric banana seat. It was displayed in an I Am Fashion and Accessories Boutique window and caught the eyes of shoppers and passersby.
“And from there, [Candy Shop Custum Bikes] became popular. It took on a life of its own in St. Louis,” said Walker. Candy Shop Custum Bikes has been featured on album covers of local artists including Aloha Mischeaux and Mai Lee Walker’s shop offers some-
thing unique to the region, including his custom way of spelling ‘custum.’
When it came time to register his business, he said he was so nervous. When asked how he wanted the business name to be spelled, Walker misspelled “custom.” He didn’t realize it until he got his certificate.
“I was like ‘oh shoot,’ I spelled the name of my own business wrong,”’ said Walker. He says he‘s now OK with it because it helps his business stand out.
North St. Louis’
Park entre-
Shawn Walker poses with one of his Candy Shop Custum Bikes at the south
wall on the riverfront, Saturday, Oct. 22.
“It’s a part of his story and that is what makes Candy Shop Custum Bikes [unique.]”
Being a single dad of three children and an entrepreneur was stressful, and Walker stepped away from his business for a few years in 2017. He stayed connected with clients and distributors, and in 2019 he put the rubber back on the road. He added custom-designed skateboards and apparel to the Candy Shop Custum Bikes line.
“Here at the shop, we don’t
cut corners,” he said. Walker creates each design, paying close attention to all details. Each bike goes through a rigorous process. First, the frame is scuffed down and two coats of primer are brushed on. Then, the candy colored paint and metallic flakes shimmer in the light.
“I love adding flakes, we put so many flakes in our designs,” said Walker.
The bike designer wants to open a production facility in Walnut Park in north St. Louis, where he grew up. Gang violence was common, and he wants to change those memories by providing something positive for young people in that neighborhood and surrounding communities.
“I take pride in being from north St. Louis, I want my brand to come from north St. Louis because we bring more to the table than just gangsta stuff,” said Walker. In July, Candy Shop Custum Bikes sponsored a Stop The Violence Bike Ride, and over 150 trekked through O’Fallon Park.
“Our purpose is more than making candy-coated bikes. We have a message of love for our youth. Our message is they can have a purpose that is bigger than their neighborhood, they can be productive citizens and do positive things,” said Walker.
Ashley Winters is the St. Louis Amerian Report for America reporter.
Alexzandria Bell, a talented dancer, was planning a trip for her Sweet 16 in a few weeks. Jean Kuczka was planning her retirement in just a few years after a long teaching career of “making a difference.” Both lives were abruptly and tragically cut short at Central Visual and Performing Arts on Monday, when a 19-year old former student forced his way into the locked school, killing Bell and Kuczka and injuring six others. Since the gunman specifically wanted to be the next national school shooter according to a journal found in his car by police, we choose not to use his name in this column. He was a 2021 CVPA graduate who returned with an AR-15 style rifle, over 600 rounds of ammunition and more than a dozen high-capacity magazines.
Our hearts are with the CVPA community, as well as with all students, families, and teachers in St. Louis Public Schools. We mourn the lives stolen by this violence. We grieve the innocence that was lost.
As more details emerge in the coming days and weeks, we urge those facing a mental health crisis to contact Behavioral Health Response, which has partnered with the city and SLMPD to provide the community with immediate resources through the 24/7/365 Crisis Line by dialing 988 in St. Louis or calling 314-469-6644.
SLMPD was rightfully applauded for its quick response, aided in part by some officers who were at the nearby funeral of Sgt. Rebecca Andrews Kitchell. Some SLMPD officers were seen wearing dress uniforms outside of the school, indicating this to be the case. Thank goodness so many officers were close to the school - CVPA parents reported being put on hold when trying to alert 911 dispatchers of the horrors unfolding inside the school. Police arrived four minutes after receiving calls for help, and they confronted the gunman within eight minutes of their arrival. Within two minutes, police shot and disarmed the gunman, who later died at a nearby hospital. Certainly there was less loss of life because police took immediate action. Students, teachers and staff also followed all lockdown and safety procedures, which also helped spare lives.
SLMPD chief Michael Sack confirmed at a Wednesday press conference that the school was locked and the assailant used “force entry” to access the school. There were seven security guards present inside of the school, On Tuesday, Sack shared two passages written by the gunman. He described a young person with serious mental health concerns. Chief Sack emphasized the importance of speaking up if a loved one appears to be struggling with mental illness.
Sack said the gunman’s family has been cooperative “and did everything within its power,” to guide him to mental health resources. The family tried to make sure he was taking prescribed medications and would search his room. They were aware he was in possession of a gun, and the gun was taken from him and turned over to an adult. Police could not confirm if it was the same gun used in the attack, or how a gun ended up back in his possession.
The CVPA shooter did not have a criminal history and, reportedly, he was able to legally purchase his firearm from a private seller.
Legislation at the state or federal level could close this so-called “gun show loophole,” which allows a gun purchaser to evade background checks if they buy from a private seller. Missouri residents cannot purchase handguns until they are 21 years old, but teenagers could easily buy weapons of mass destruction in this manner.
The very existence of this loophole increases the likelihood of a firearm - like an AR-15 - getting into the hands of a person who otherwise would not pass a background check. If people are the problem and not guns, why do our state laws so easily allow access to guns?
There is a major problem with the number of guns on our streets and how easily accessible they are in our state. Those problems are compounded by a lack of mental health resources available in Missouri, including the inability for persons struggling with their health to get screened and access affordable treatment.
Our lawmakers know the steps that need to be taken and they understand the legislation that they need to pass. But they haven’t. And they won’t - at least, not without public pressure.
Elected leadership across the region responded swiftly and most, without hesitation, identified the legal problems created by the Missouri Legislature’s passage of the so-called “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” also known as House Bill 85 from the 2021 session. SAPA, as it is known, levies a $50,000 civil penalty on any Missouri-licensed police officer who enforces federal gun laws that “conflict” with (read: supersede) the lax Missouri gun laws.
Sack said Wednesday the law would not deter him from doing what is right. “If I find something out, I’m going to pass it on [to the FBI,]” he said.
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones choked up during her statement at the initial press conference on Tuesday, acknowledging her heartbreak for families and their scholars who have become accustomed to active shooter drills in their schools.
“I’m sure that everyone involved will have to deal with the trauma that will reverberate across our community in the days and the months to come,” said Mayor Jones. “This is so unfair, it’s so unfair.”
Both Jones and Congresswoman Cori Bush appeared at Wednesday’s press briefing and other community events, where she comforted constituents, saying “it is OK not to be OK. It is OK to not hold it in yourself.”
The Missouri legislature and Gov. Mike Parson should and must do more.
Where is the special legislative session to discuss gun violence in St. Louis and Kansas City? Why is the governor not summoning members of the Missouri legislature to respond to this tragedy, in the same way he called them to discuss a tax cut that benefits largely high earners in our state?
And how much longer should we be expected to suffer under repressive state laws that hinder law enforcement from getting some of these dangerous weapons off the streets?
When will state leadership stand up for St. Louis and our concerns, and not against us?
By By Ben Jealous
Like so many of us right now, I’ve got Georgia on my mind. I recently met with Black ministers who are working nonstop to get out the vote across the state. And with good reason, because there’s just no other way to say it: Georgia is ground zero for the future of our democracy in this midterm election. Control of the Senate could hinge on whether Rev. Raphael Warnock can keep his Senate seat or if he is defeated by Republican candidate Herschel Walker. Walker is a former Georgia football star and current far-right extremist. Depending on which party controls the Senate, the BidenHarris administration agenda will be on track or dead-onarrival in Congress. The governor’s race features an incumbent MAGA diehard, Brian Kemp, versus Stacey Abrams. I have written about Abrams and our decades-long friendship before. No one is more committed to civil rights and greater opportunity for Georgians than her. Reelecting Kemp would be a disaster: not just for Georgians, but for a country in which MAGA schemers are looking to capture as many states as possible to advance their reactionary agenda.
Kemp’s record is appalling. In a state with a large
share of uninsured Black Americans, including high numbers of Black children, Kemp has refused to expand Medicaid. He signed a law making it easier for just about anyone, including white supremacists, to carry concealed weapons.
Columnist Ben Jealous
His administration has cut state contracts with Black businesses and is responsible for denying unemployment claims for twice as many Black workers as white workers. Kemp recently signed an antichoice law so extreme that women who have miscarriages could be arrested. Women who terminate pregnancies could be charged with murder.
The MAGA folks in Georgia know the coalition of Black voters and young voters, who made history in 2020, won’t vote for this agenda. Those voters changed the course of the nation when they went for Joe Biden and Senate candidates Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. The MAGA Far Right went crazy, and they made Georgia the home of some of the worst voter-suppression laws in the country. One of those makes it illegal to give snacks and water
‘WashU is not for us’
By Michelle Purdy
Do colleges and universities bear responsibility for K-12 public education?
Mary Schmidt Campbell, the 10th president of Spelman College (2015-22), pushed us to respond to that prompt at the recent James E. McLeod Memorial Lecture on Higher Education
As I mulled over this question and thought about my late mentor Dean McLeod, I cannot help but remember one of my earliest experiences at Washington University in St. Louis.
As a first-year Black woman undergraduate in the fall of 1997, I volunteered with the admissions office to speak to prospective undergraduate students at recruiting events.
A young Black woman staff member and I were partnered to represent WashU at a college fair at Vashon High School, the second high school built for African Americans in St. Louis in the early 20th century, in north St. Louis.
We arrived early, set up the table and waited for students to come. We waited and waited, and just before the fair ended, we decided to approach a group of students who were looking at other college displays across the gym. We introduced ourselves, but they quickly dismissed us, saying, “WashU is not for us.”
The staff member and I were both new to WashU and St. Louis, and that afternoon served as our introduction to understanding many Black students’ perceptions of WashU. Those perceptions would be echoed during my undergraduate years as I tutored Black girls at the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA on Saint Louis University’s campus and worked with Black youth in north city St. Louis and north county St. Louis through my sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
north St. Louis and which was recently saved from closure and Vashon High School would become the alma maters of Black St. Louisans who led in politics and activism, the arts, education, science, athletics and more. As in the Deep South, an entire Black world, including a Black education world, was created, as analyzed by such historians as James Anderson in The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935, and Vanessa Siddle Walker in Their Highest Potential: An African American School Community in the Segregated South. And as this world developed, so too did institutions like WashU, which began to admit Black students and to desegregate its faculty and staff in the mid-20th century. As WashU was transitioning from streetcar college to top-tier elite, global institution from the mid-20th century to the present, many St. Louis public schools — both in the city and now, in the first-ring suburbs — would simultaneously experience desegregation and then the subsequent resegregation of their schools. Indeed, WashU leaders were at the center of some these changes and remedies, including the Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation (VICC), the largest desegregation program.
The organization, which has an office at WashU’s West Campus, facilitates the enrollment of Black students from the city of St. Louis in predominantly white public schools in St. Louis County and of white students in the city’s desirable magnet schools. (The program is set to wind down after the 202324 school year.)
schooling in the 21st century were sharply illustrated by the death of the recent highschool graduate Michael Brown at the hands of police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo., in August 2014 — a little over 60 years since the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
Brown’s mother commented on the obstacles she had had to overcome to help ensure that her son earned his diploma. Journalist Nikole HannahJones’ examination of the Normandy School District, in which Brown had been enrolled, provides some of the reasons why: ingrained institutional policies that undergird poverty and lack of political representation; reduction in court-ordered desegregation; lack of highly qualified, experienced teachers; insufficient access to technology, etc.
Researchers across WashU, including my colleague Rowhea Elmesky, center their work, teaching and service on disrupting systemic inequities in predominantly Black schools in the St. Louis area and empowering young Black people. (See, for example, her work with the University City School District.) Efforts now abound for the university and its contemporaries to serve a broader public good not only to their surrounding communities but the global society.
WashU’s new strategic plan calls for “WashU and St. Louis to be a global hub for transformative solutions to the deepest societal challenges.” These efforts exist because there seems to be recognition that universities are responsible for the communities around them, including the under-resourced public schools that became that way as elite universities grew in prominence.
to voters waiting in long lines. All of that was for one reason: to stop people, mostly Black people, from voting in the next big election. And that election is now.
We can’t stand by and let this happen. Black voters have the power to decide the election in Georgia, which will probably decide the future of our country in some ways we can predict and in others we can’t.
This is especially true for Black men, who still don’t vote in as high a percentage as Black women. Black men in Georgia must come out to the polls on Nov. 8. It doesn’t surprise me that Georgia is so central to Black American history. It has been that way for as long as there has been a United States of America.
Every time I visit Georgia, I’m moved. The sense of a momentous past is everywhere, mixed with New South energy that makes the state unique. Meeting with Georgians, I could feel the deep commitment to moving the state forward, not backward. It fills me with hope.
The eyes of the country –and even the world – are on Georgia. I believe Georgia will make us proud.
Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way
I contend that understanding some Black students’ perceptions of WashU, especially for those in under-resourced public schools both in St. Louis City and in the larger metropolitan area, requires a historical reckoning of WashU’s relationship with St. Louis. Reflecting upon the statesanctioned segregation of Missouri because of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), there were no Black students at WashU from the early 20th century to the mid-20th century. Concurrently during the first half of the 20th century, schools like Sumner High School — the first Black high school west of the Mississippi River, located in the Ville neighborhood in
VICC served as a remedy to the 1972 desegregation case Liddell v. Board of Education of City of St. Louis Due in part to resistance to public school desegregation, white flight from the city took hold in the 1970s and 1980s, and the divisions between predominately white south St. Louis and largely Black north St. Louis became even more stark.
As national educational policy in the 1980s called for higher standards and ultimately more testing of K-12 students, schools also became resegregated, not only in St. Louis but across the country. Today, the most segregated school districts can be found outside of the Deep South.
The realities of Black
Yet, have universities grappled with their past histories and present trajectories to address their possible role in contributing to such glaring present-day realities? Answering the question is paramount to confronting our most pressing social issues, including inequitable education.
As Forward through Ferguson noted, we are “still separate, still unequal.” Despite our individual and collective efforts, I surmise that like those students I met at Vashon in 1997, there are still Black students and other marginalized students in the St. Louis area who do not believe a school like WashU is for them.
Michelle A. Purdy is associate professor in the Department of Education.
Board
received 2022 Calloway
‘We vote, we win’ was message of CBTU banquet
The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists 35th
Ernest & De Verne Calloway Awards Banquet was held Saturday, October 15, 2022 at the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel with 340 guests in attendance. Congresswoman Cori Bush and State Sen. Karla May were recipients of the 2022 Ernest and De Verne Calloway Award, and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones delivered the keynote address.
Ernest Calloway was a former Director of Education for Teamsters Local 688 and president of the St. Louis NAACP.
His wife De Verne was a political, civil and human rights activist leader, and was the first female African American state representative elected to the Missouri Legislature.
The banquet’s theme was “We Vote! We Win! 11-8-22,” which emphasized the importance of the Black vote in the Nov. 8 mid-term elections, according to Lew Moye, St. Louis CBTU Chapter president emeritus.
He said Bush and May were honored “for their strong voices in the U.S. Congress and the Missouri Legislature for the freedom to be heard, voting rights protection, worker’s rights, women’s rights to choose and their passionate and relentless fight
against racism and all other forms of social and economic oppression.”
Founded in 1972, CBTU represents an independent voice of Black workers within the Trade Union Movement and challenges Organized Labor to be more relevant to the needs and aspirations of Black and poor workers. The organization consists of members from 77 international and national unions and has 50 chapters across the country.
According to CBTU, 20% of Black workers are in a union, and Black union members earn 40% more than non-union black workers. In the political arena, the organization has also challenged the disparity of wealth, power and living standards throughout the world, especially in African and Caribbean countries. CBTU was the first American labor organization to actively oppose white minority rule in Southern Africa, and has been a catalyst for protection of human rights.
Since its founding conference in 1972, CBTU’s stature among African American workers has grown. Currently, more than 50 different international and national unions are represented in CBTU.
By Julianne Malveaux
In Los Angeles, City Council President Nury Martinez resigned both her council presidency and, later, her council seat after someone leaked vile racist sentiments that she shared with members of a Latinx cabal that included fellow Council members Kevin de Leon and Gil Cedillo. Also present was Ron Herrera, the now-resigned president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. As of this writing, de Leon and Cedillo have retained their seats, but Martinez’s goose was cooked when President Joe Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and dozens of others condemned her racist comments and those who concurred with them with their silence.
While I am glad that Martinez is gone, I am not so sure that her resignation is quite a victory. In resigning, she addressed “little Latina girls” and said, “I hope I’ve inspired you to dream beyond that which you can see.” What did she hope to inspire them to become? Racists like herself? If she is an inspiration, I am fearful. Disgraced politicians often go on to teach at universities, establish policy institutes or mentoring programs, or find lucrative jobs in private industry. While everyone deserves a second chance and nobody deserves to be outright canceled, apologies and resignations mean nothing if there is no honest accounting of what was wrong and if there is no remediation. Martinez seems to lack the capacity to recognize what she did wrong and to correct it. Thus, anyone who hires her, offers her an award or lifts her up is as racist as she is until and unless she provides more than tepid apologies and self-justifying resignations.
Nury Martinez is Hydra, and Greek mythology describes Hydra as a many-headed serpent Hercules beheaded only to have two more heads replace it. Nury and other racists can resign, but the tragedy of her hope that she “inspired” little Latina girls set the stage for other Hydras, some younger, some more subtle, to replace her. Hercules finally killed the Hydra snake by killing it with a burning torch. The same torch that killed the mythological snake must destroy the structures that support global anti-Blackness. One or two, or even five or 10, resignations are not enough. Dismantling antiBlack structures is the only way to eliminate them.
Too many embrace anti-Blackness and anti-Black structures. Consider Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R), who shamefully described Democrats as “pro-crime” because they support reparations: “They want reparation because they think the people that do the crime are owed that.” It is tempting to say that Tuberville, a former football coach, too often played his sport without a helmet. Was the entire Republican Party engaging in the same foolhardiness? Where are the Republicans of conscience (if any) calling Tuberville on his foolishness?
In contrast, President Biden, perhaps risking some Latinx support, swiftly called Nury on her racism. As Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said, “Here is the difference between Democrats and Republicans. When a Democrat says something racist or antisemitic, we hold Democrats accountable. When a MAGA Republican says something racist and or antisemitic, they are embraced by cheering crowds and become celebrated and sought after.”
One of the ways we combat global anti-Blackness is to name it, then claim it, then dismantle it. Too many white allies are reluctant to discuss anti-Blackness, much less work to dismantle it. Too many squirm when anti-Black racism is mentioned. It’s too much for some to discuss in “polite society” but not too much to practice.
One of the most uncomfortable conversations comes when our “allies,” the Latinx folks eager to tout “Black and brown” coalitions when it strengthens their base are far less willing to combat the cracks in the foundation of the base. Our Latinx allies must — and some have — condemn folks like Nury, whose spoken anti-Blackness (she called a Black child a monkey!) is only dwarfed by the things they do, not just the things they say.
Global anti-Blackness stops when people of conscience, regardless of political party, call people out. Until then, the Nurys of the world, whether in elective office or not, win because Hydra’s head will multiply unless it is burned off.
Juliann Malveaux is an economist and dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at California State University, Los Angeles.
Continued from A1
to home. The Missouri legislature’s actions have made gun violence more possible. Now, its inaction has left us unsafe and communities feeling powerless,” she said.
“If we can regulate tobacco, we can regulate guns. If you have to register your car, you should have to do so with weapons.”
Police were called Monday morning when it was reported an intruder was trying to enter the school. Interim Police Chief Michael Sack announced later at a press conference the suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police.
He has been identified as Orlando Harris, 19. He graduated last year from the school.
Congresswoman Cori Bush will hold a Town Hall Forum on gun violence and its prevention at St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley at 6 p.m. Thursday Oct. 27, 2022.
She said during the press conference, “Monday was a day every parent, every community prays never happens.’
“It is unacceptable that school shootings are so ingrained into everyday lives. Our schools are targets, and that should never be,” she said.
Bush’s voice rose when she declared “our country has already broken the record for school shootings and there are
[two months] left in the year.”
“We are undergoing a school violence epidemic. The Republican party needs to step up. if it means stepping away from dollars you receive, you need to do it.”
During Wednesday’s press conference Sack said he would ignore a Missouri law that could lead to a fine if he or other police officers help the FBI in its investigation.
“If I find something out, I’m
going to pass it on,” he said. Sack also announced the alleged shooter’s family has been cooperating with police throughout the investigation, and that it had tried to connect him with mental health resources, make sure he remained on his medication, and pleaded with him to speak with someone when he was down.
The family also contacted police when it learned he could possibly be in possession of a gun. The gun was taken from him by police and given to someone else [connected with the family.] “We have not facilitated how he got it back,’ Sack said.
All doors at the school were locked and the shooter gained access through “a forced entry.”
Sack could not confirm a report that the shooter had attempted to buy a gun at a gun show, but was refused because of his mental health status.
“If he tried to buy a gun, and was told no. He could have got one in a private sale.”
Police have the gun’s serial number and are tracing back to where it was sold and who originally purchased it.
A frightening scene
Fahalima Faji’s son is a freshman at Visual Performing Arts.
“My son called me. He said the school had an incident. ‘Come pick me up, I’m scared’ and I told him, I’m coming to get you,” the shaken father said with tears in his eyes.
Cameron Brewer, a 9th grader at Gateway which is on
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones comforts U.S. Rep. Cori Bush before a press conference after an active shooter situation at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis on Monday, October 24, 2022. Three people are dead, including the gunman.
suffered innumerable tragedies carried out with firearms, but the attack on the children of our community today has chilled me to the bone,” state Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis, said in a statement.
“No one should have to tolerate the trauma that students and educators faced today. I want to thank first responders for acting quickly and decisively to prevent further loss of life, and I also want to thank the educators, administrators, and staff at Central VPA who worked to safeguard students.
“[State legislators] need to act to prevent such tragedies from occurring again, and ultimately, we must pass laws that protect our children and our communities. As legislators, we have a responsibility to stop perpetuating the policies that enable violent offenders to have unfettered access to firearms and ammunition.”
State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge agreed with Bosley, saying in a statement, “The horror today illustrates the continued need for Jefferson City to act. We must pass laws that will prevent tragedies like today, not enable or exacerbate them.”
the same campus, was in his second period class when students were told to stay in their classrooms. He said he knew something bad had happened.
“I was afraid because I have friends that go to that school and I was worried about them,” he said.
His mother, Samantha Brewer, said, “It’s crazy.”
“You see this anywhere else, but don’t expect this to happen in your own city. It’s so sad you can’t even send your own kid to school anymore.”
Dr. Meddy Katwla, parent of a freshman daughter at Gateway, said “Why are we not protecting our kids, we are tired of the shootings.”
He is considering online education for his daughter because “it is too soon for her to go back to school.”
Superintendent Kelvin Adams said seven security officers were at the school.
Sack said the shooting took place on the third floor. Sarah Lewis, an 18-year-old student at the school, told St. Louis Public Radio she was in a classroom directly above where the shooting took place. She said she heard “banging” and shooting.
“I honestly felt like I wasn’t going to make it out of there,” she said.
Isabella Alamo, 16, said she saw a person at the bottom of the stairs as she was evacuating the building. She said she “tried to get people to go out faster” so they wouldn’t have to see the blood.
“The City of St. Louis has
“I want to express my deepest sadness for the students, educators, school staff and loved ones enduring this tragedy and still experiencing the trauma of the violence they have witnessed and suffered. I also want to extend my thanks to the educators and staff at Central VPA for their work to ensure the safety of students in our community, and for the first responders — the police and paramedics — who acted quickly to save lives and prevent further tragedy from befalling our community.
“Our country has suffered far too many mass shootings. Our students do not feel safe at school, and here in St. Louis, we know the impact of gun trauma all too well.”
Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner said in a statement, “St. Louis is grieving the loss of life in a place that should be free from violence: the classroom.”
“The victims, their families and the entire St. Louis community are in my thoughts as we begin the long and complicated process of healing. The situation is still developing, and we will know more in the coming days, but one thing that is clear is that lockdown procedures were essential in preventing further violence.
“I am personally grateful to each of them and share my deepest condolences.”
State Sen. Karla May, D-St. Louis, represents the district in which the schools are located. On Twitter, she asked constituents to pray for those affected by the violence.
St. Louis Public Radio contributed to this report
Tishaura Jones “with empowering me to take action.”
She and bureau members have already met with health and elected officials and are determining ways to permanently impact behavioral health care in the region.
“Without it we would not be able to lead and act as [we are doing,] she said.”
Clinical psychologist Marva Robinson told St. Louis Public Radio on Tuesday “there is no need to struggle in silence or to deal with this alone,”
“We may not have all the answers, but you can speak with a professional to get guidance, even a family therapist to help the entire family go through this process. Just one phone call can make a dramatic difference,” she said.
Robinson is a member of the St. Louis Association of Black Psychologists, which works to address social problems that affect the Black community.
She said she and her peers have been providing people with coping skills, which include exercise, being mindful of how much sleep you get and an exercise called diaphragmatic breathing.
“That’s when you’re breathing from the belly. … It’s a deeper sense of breathing that kind of helps with aid and relaxation,” she said.
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“To educate and inspire.”
In addition to those countless film and television roles, the world has seen Jenifer Lewis stand up for justice. She was on the frontlines of Ferguson. Her YouTube videos have reached millions and have touched upon sensitive topics such as the Flint water crisis and the importance of political engagement.
“And then, of course, writing out your feelings. Sometimes when you don’t feel safe to say the words, at least getting it out of your mind and down on paper is a skill that can be helpful.”
Robinson also provided insight on behaviors parents might expect to see from their children in the weeks and months ahead — and warning signs to look out for, such as:
“Impairment in sleep, maybe sleeping later, tossing and turning, or waking up early; any decrease in appetite; maybe some irritability, aggression, wanting to isolate more; maybe not drinking as much water as they used to before; or maybe wanting to be with their friends more than usual,” she said. Robinson added that it’s important to make space for children to have conversations about thoughts and feelings, and to provide them with factual information about what happened.
“Use age-appropriate language. You want to make sure that the child is clear about what’s being said because confusion can often breed more anxiety,” she said.
“And also understand that it may not be a one-time conversation, that it may come up later on that evening, could come up next month or even next year.”
Robinson stressed that it’s important for parents and community members to be aware of the compounded trauma many students might be experiencing.
“Have they lost a loved
Next week she returns to her alma mater Webster University for a special evening with Jenifer Lewis at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 5 at the Loretto-Hilton.
“I’ve been all over the United States with the book, but you know nothing is like coming home,” Lewis said when she stood on stage at the very same venue while on tour for her literary debut – future bestselling memoir The Mother of Black Hollywood – back in 2018. While she will be promoting
one in the pandemic? Have they lost a loved one to gun violence? Have they been a part of a car theft or any sort of a violent crime? … Those multiple incidents can have a significant impact, even if the child appears to be functioning OK [or] doesn’t express a lot of emotions about this particular incident.
her follow up book Walking in My Joy, proceeds from the event will benefit the Jenifer Lewis Endowed Sargent Conservatory Fund. Lewis established the endowment in 2015 – when she was presented with an Honorary Doctorate while delivering the Webster University 2015 commencement keynote address.
The intention of the endowment was to give students who “look like her” an opportunity to pursue their dreams. She wants to pay for-
“Those are usually some warning signs,” she added, “that maybe professional help is needed to kind of make sure that a child doesn’t believe that this is how life is always supposed to be.” Resources are available:
St. Louis Behavioral Health
ward the support she received on Webster’s campus before, during and after she walked across the stage to receive her undergraduate degree in 1979. Nearly 45 years later, she returns as one of the school’s biggest success stories. “I love life and I love that I got to do what I love with my life,” Lewis said during her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. “And I know that I am one of the lucky ones.”
Walking in My Joy is a collection of eclectic stories that takes readers around the
Response provides crisis support, telephone counseling and mental health resources 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 314-469-6644 or dial the dedicated youth services line at 314-819-8802. Or text “BHEARD” to 31658. Behavioral Health Response’s mental health crisis and
globe, demonstrating how she literally “walks in her joy” by seeking pleasure in everyday encounters.
But Lewis has also found purpose in the pitfalls of her journey.
She was at the forefront of recent conversations regarding mental health in the Black community because of transparency about her triumphant battle with bipolar disorder –which she details extensively in her memoir.
Activism and advocacy go hand and hand with Lewis’ life
Ariel Terry 29, places flowers at the memorial in front of Central Visual and Performing Arts High School Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022 after the shooting deaths of sophomore Alexzandria Bell, 15, and Jean Kuczka 61, who taught health and physical education.
vides a 24-hour
as an entertainer these days. She says that for her “the real work” is off stage and off camera.
“Make no mistake, when it’s all said and done, it is your humanity that will matter above all things.”
An Evening with Jenifer Lewis will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 5 at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Webster University. For tickets and additional information about the event, visit webster.edu/jeniferlewis
By Adam Kloppe Missouri Historical Society
For music lovers who came through St. Louis in the early 20th century, there was only one place in town to go: Tom Turpin’s Rosebud Café. This sprawling bar and nightclub was located at 2200 Market Street in the heart of Chestnut Valley, a historic Black entertainment and gambling district. When the Rosebud opened in 1900, it quickly became one of the most popular establishments in all of Chestnut Valley. It took up an entire city block and featured several bars, a gambling den, and hotel rooms.
But music lovers knew they had to push past these distractions and get to the Rosebud’s wine room, where they could usually find owner Tom Turpin. Turpin was a hard man to miss—he stood at over six feet tall and weighed more than 350 pounds—and in the wine room, he towered over a piano that he had specially installed on blocks so that he could stand when he played. From that special piano, Turpin helped to popularize a musical style that would change the world.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, in either 1871 or 1873, depending on the source, Turpin was one of the early masters of ragtime, a syncopated musical style that many describe as the first uniquely American kind of music. Before he opened the Rosebud Café, Turpin was already recognized as an early pioneer of the musical form. He had perfected ragtime in various brothels, bars, and saloons in St. Louis in the late 19th century, playing piano at Babe Connors’s infamous Castle on 6th Street. In 1897, Turpin became the first Black composer to publish a rag, “Harlem Rag.” The song feels stiff compared with the whizzing-fast ragtime to come, but for Black composers, it was proof that their dream of being published was possible. Over the course of his lifetime, Turpin would go on to publish four additional rags, “Bowery Buck,” “Ragtime Nightmare,” “St. Louis Rag,” and “Buffalo Rag.” When Turpin opened the Rosebud in 1900, it quickly became the epicenter of ragtime. Legends of ragtime, including Scott Joplin,
Louis Chauvin, and Joe Jordan, came there to play their music and learn from Turpin, who was an employer, a mentor, and a friend. Turpin also organized frequent ragtime competitions at the Rosebud and invited the best ragtime musicians from all over the country to participate and play against him in “cutting contests,” where they competed to be the fastest and most technically skilled player around. People from across the city and the region flocked to the Rosebud to hear these competitions and take in the sounds and rhythms of ragtime. Within a few years, ragtime had become one of the most popular musical styles in the country.
However, the success of the Rosebud Café was also its downfall. As ragtime became more popular, the musicians who played it moved on from St. Louis to brighter lights in larger cities like Chicago and New York. The Rosebud had closed its doors by 1906. Turpin, however, stayed in St. Louis and remained a significant figure in the city. He opened several more successful nightclubs in Chestnut Valley in the early 1910s and even became involved in local politics before his death on August 13, 1922.
Turpin was laid to rest at St. Peter’s Cemetery in north county. In 1999 a group called the Friends of Scott Joplin added a new grave marker to his final resting spot, dedicated to the “Father of St. Louis Ragtime.”
Tom Turpin is just one of many Black artists whose stories are shared in St. Louis Sound at the Missouri History Museum Visit the exhibit to explore the city’s ragtime world, including the location of the Rosebud Café, and to listen to Turpin’s “Harlem Rag” and other rags on a 100song St. Louis playlist as you explore the gallery. Time is running out for this special exhibit, though. St. Louis Sound will close on January 22, 2023, so make plans to visit the Museum soon. You’ll find nearly 150 years of musical legends, deeper cuts, and new sounds from a city that has always been bursting with them. From ragtime to rap, we guarantee you’ll hear something incredible.
St. Louis Sound is presented by JSM Charitable Trust. Visit mohistory.org to plan your visit to the Missouri History Museum.
St. Louis American staff
Behavioral health services are instrumental in treatment of mental illness, substance abuse and addiction.
However, there is a shortage of social workers who are trained to help manage cases and assess, diagnose in the St. Louis region and across the nation.
A trio of partners, BJC HealthCare, Compass Health Network, and the University of Missouri–St. Louis School of Social Work are collaborating to address this critical need. BJC and Compass have signed agreements with UMSL that allows eligible employees to pursue Master of Social Work degrees while receiving academic support services to ensure student
achievement and degree completion.
“Social work is an in-demand field and is projected to grow faster than other occupations,” said Natissia Small, UMSL vice provost for access, academic support and workforce integration.
“These relationships show a commitment to advance efforts to assist with the professional development of their employees while educating and increasing the talent pool to meet the ever-changing needs of communities in this region and throughout the state.”
BJC HealthCare already has social workers who have earned – or are in the process of earning – their MSWs at UMSL.
Beth Camp, BJC manager of learning and organizational effectiveness, called the decision to pursue a formal agreement with
UMSL “a logical one as it looked to increase the number of trained social workers on its staff.”
“Working with UMSL made so much sense,” Camp said.
“I look at where our employees are currently spending their tuition benefit dollars, and UMSL was definitely one of those places. We’re in the same community, and we serve the same people.”
Other health providers in the St. Louis community are addressing the need, as well.
The Health Resources and Services Administration recently awarded a $1.2 million grant to St. Louis Community College to expand its training program
Don’t delay colonoscopy for any reason
By Dana James
When my doctor first suggested some years ago that I have a colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer, I told her about a New York Times story I’d read that discussed possible complications, and I opted for a less invasive at-home test instead.
The fact is, getting a colonoscopy seemed scary and invasive, and I used the concerns raised in the story to avoid it.
Nobody wants a colonoscopy. Most people don’t like to talk about their bathroom habits, and they also don’t like to think about cancer, cancer treatments and their own mortality. But Chadwick Boseman, of “Black Panther” fame, died in 2020 of colon cancer at 43 years old. Boseman’s name in the headlines kept reminding me I hadn’t gotten the test. It also served as a stark reminder about Black health.
James n The American Society of Clinical Oncology estimates that colorectal cancer will kill 52,580 men and women in the U.S. this year.
Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. The American Society of Clinical Oncology estimates that colorectal cancer will kill 52,580 men and women in the U.S. this year.
According to the American Cancer Society, most colorectal cancers start as a growth, or polyps, on the inner lining of the colon or rectum. It can take years for the growths to progress to cancer, and the goal is to catch the polyps early and remove them during a colonoscopy. People with an average risk of colon cancer should begin screenings at age 45 (earlier with a family history), according to the cancer-fighting organization. The age decreased from age 50 to 45 in May of 2021. The American College of Gastroenterology has recommended Black people have a colonoscopy at age 45 since 2005, according to its website.
Black people are 20% more likely to get colorectal cancer and about 40% more likely to die from it than other groups, and it’s being found in younger people, according to the cancer organization. A variety of factors contribute to the disparities, such as the conditions in the
Black women may be at increased risk
By Alvin A. Reid St. Louis American
While its authors say more research is needed to confirm its findings, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study has statistically found that women who frequently use hair straightening products have twice the chance to develop uterine cancer compared to women who do not use them.
The researchers also found Black women may be at an increased risk due to a higher usage rate of hair straightening products.
“Straighteners in particular have been found to include chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, cyclosiloxanes, [and] metals, and can release formaldehyde when heated,” Dr. Alexandria White, said in an interview with Medical News Today. White, lead author of the study, is National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Environment
n “Straighteners in particular have been found to include chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, cyclosiloxanes, [and] metals, and can release formaldehyde when heated.”
– Dr. Alexandria White
and Cancer Epidemiology group director, which is a part of the NIH.
Uterine cancer, which is also called endometrial cancer, is the sixth most commonly occurring cancer More than 417,000 cases were reported globally in 2020.
“Previous research has suggested that hair dye and chemical straighteners are related to other hormone-sensitive cancers, such as breast and ovarian cancer, but no
“Taking Care of You”
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for community health workers and to increase the number of students enrolled in the behavioral health associate degree program.
“There is a behavioral health staffing shortage in the St. Louis area and behavioral health is struggling to meet community needs,” said Laurie Hawkins, senior health program manager for STLCC’s Workforce Solutions Group.
Sharon Johnson, dean of the School of Social Work, said UMSL will pilot a live/virtual cohort for employees who have completed their BSWs in the spring 2023 semester. It will give students a cohort experience, whether they live in the St. Louis region and can attend in-person classes or live outside the region and need to attend virtually.
“By having that option available for them, we hope that we will be able to influence more individuals who are not in the St. Louis region to take advantage of this resource,
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previous study has considered how they are related to uterine cancer risk,” said White explained.
Researchers studied data 11 years from over 33,000 women in the United States aged 35–74 years who participated in the MIH “Sister Study,” an effort to identify breast cancer risk factors and other health issues.
During that time, 378 cases of uterine cancer were diagnosed.
Upon analysis, the scientists found that women who said they used hair straightening products more than four times in a year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer than those who did not use the products.
“We estimated that 1.64% of women who never used hair straighteners would go on to develop uterine cancer by the age of 70; but for frequent users, that risk goes up to 4.05%,” White said.
Researchers reported not finding any increased risk for uterine cancer for women using other hair care products such as hair dyes, highlighting products, bleach, or perming products.
According to researchers, 60% of participants who used hair straightening products self-identified as Black women. Although scientists did not find a link between chemical hair straightener use, uterine cancer diagnosis, and race, the research team reported Black
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environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play and worship, known as the social determinants of health, researchers have found.
When the pandemic struck in March of 2020, I didn’t want to risk catching the virus to get a test I didn’t really want. No colonoscopy with a side of COVID-19 for me. I put it off until this summer. I put on my N95 and began to catch up on the medical appointments I had delayed:
• Mammogram
• Annual exams
• Dilated eye exam
I scheduled my colonoscopy during the summer, but when the nurse called to gather my information, I asked about masking, and she replied masks weren’t required at the center, so I canceled the colonoscopy and vowed to reschedule it later.
especially knowing how dif-
ficult it is and how great the need is in rural areas to have trained behavioral health specialists and social workers,” Johnson said.
“We really want to make sure that we are contributing to this workforce and getting social workers and qualified individuals into those areas.”
The program will offer a set curriculum with a family practice concentration focused on behavioral health. It’s designed to be completed in three years, with two courses each semester and a graduate field practicum, completed at the partner organization, in the summer of a student’s final year.
Interested employees who do not already have a BSW or who do not wish to participate in the live/virtual cohort still have the option to pursue their MSW in UMSL’s traditional program.
Under the terms of the agreement, BJC will directly pay employees’ tuition bills each semester, rather than requiring them to pay and get reimbursed.
“It helps remove one more barrier that could prevent someone from getting started,”
Camp said. “Employees will use their tuition benefit to reimburse, so that it takes that stress of worrying, ‘Do I have to have the money?’ or ‘Do I have to have a loan in place?’ or what-
ever it might be.
“Whenever we have a high need area like this, we want to make sure we eliminate as many barriers as we can, and UMSL has been great in help-
Natissia Small, UM-St. Louis vice provost for access, academic support, and workforce integration, said her university’s partnership with BJC Healthcare and Compass “speaks volumes about our ability to provide excellent academic programs and to appeal to corporate partners as an anchor institution in the St. Louis region.”
ing us figure that out.”
BJC Behavioral Health serves patients in the St. Louis region and has two locations in Farmington in southeast Missouri. Compass
women may be at increased risk due to higher use of chemical hair straighteners.
“Because Black women use hair straightening or relaxer products more frequently and tend to initiate use at earlier ages than other races and ethnicities, these findings may be even more relevant for them,” said Dr. Che-Jung Chang, a research fellow in the NIEHS Epidemiology Branch and member of the study’s research
During that time, my sister began talking about needing one. Peer pressure works. When I scheduled mine, she set hers for the same date. Although she lives in a different state, it was something we could go through together. As the test neared, excuses again filled my head. I’m too busy right now, I thought. COVID-19 is still a concern. But I realized something else had bothered me: I’d get a sedative for the procedure, and I’d be at the total mercy of health care workers. That required a level of trust I didn’t have. Interacting with the health care system as a Black woman comes with its own set of challenges. The pandemic has underscored longstanding health care disparities. How would I be treated? Would the nurses and doctors view me as worthy of their best efforts? Could their biases or anti-Blackness unknown to me harm my health – or kill me? The majority of Blacks surveyed reported having to speak
team.
A study from June 2022 found that incidents of uterine cancer were on the rise among non-Hispanic Black women.
This same study also found that Black women had more than double the mortality rate compared to other racial and ethnic groups.
“To our knowledge, this is the first epidemiologic study that examined the relationship between straightener use and
up to get proper health care, and they reported being treated with less respect than other patients, according to a Pew Center survey. I know some of my initial angst about the colonoscopy — aside from not wanting to drink the prep — included concerns about being at the mercy of a white-dominated health care system that doesn’t always treat Black patients equitably.
As the day of the test approached, I received conflicting information about my colonoscopy prep, because the nurse had initially sent me the wrong prep instructions. Then I found out I’d need to abstain from eating for two days instead of one and cut back on fiber five days before the test. I felt hangry by day two when my husband ate Taco John’s (which I don’t even like). I endured two days of apple juice, broth, Sprite Zero and water. Two. Whole. Days.
uterine cancer,” White said.
“More research is needed to confirm these findings in different populations, to determine if hair products contribute to health disparities in uterine cancer, and to identify the specific chemicals that may be increasing the risk of cancers in women,” she cautions.
While White said it is too early to come to a definite conclusion, the NNPA Newswire is reporting that attorneys Ben
The last thing I’d want to risk is getting to the center and then not being able to complete the procedure, which requires your colon to be empty so the doctor can look for polyps and abnormalities.
I wore an N-95 into the center. My nurse, Mike, answered my questions and put a warm cover over me as I waited for 8 a.m. to strike. About 8:03 a.m., he pushed me down to the examination room. I saw the black colonoscope and thought about the videos I’d watched. I willed myself to stay awake because I wanted to watch the procedure on the screen. It didn’t happen. After 20 minutes, I woke up in recovery without my face mask. I wondered how long it had been off. I sighed, hoped for the best and looked forward to finally eating. Preparing for the colonoscopy, negative thoughts invariably entered my mind. What would the doctor find? How many polyps would I have, if any? How would it affect my life?
Health has offices in 29 counties stretching across the state of Missouri, including in St. Charles, Franklin, Lincoln and Warren Counties in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.
UMSL envisioned building relationships like these last year when it launched its Office of Workforce Integration
“We are an institution committed to developing talent to support industry needs and, most importantly, impact the lives of individuals by increasing access to opportunities and social mobility,” Small said.
“UMSL is well-suited to serve as the model institution to prepare and educate the workforce. Through intentional relationships, we know that our students will thrive personally and professionally.
“It makes sense to work with [BJC and Compass] and aid in their investment in their employees by providing them with the quality education seen within our social work program. These agreements speak volumes about our ability to provide excellent academic programs and to appeal to corporate partners as an anchor institution in the St. Louis region.”
A National Institutes of Health study which ran over 11 years has produced evidence that women who frequently use hair straightening products have twice the chance to develop uterine cancer compared to women who do not use them. Researchers also found Black women may be at an increased risk due to a higher usage rate of hair straightening products.
Crump and Diandra Debrosse Zimmermann have filed a lawsuit against beauty products giant L’ Oréal USA.
The suit was filed on behalf of Jenny Mitchell, who the attorneys contend has no family history of cancer yet was diagnosed with uterine cancer after years of using L’ Oréal products.
“Black women have long been told they must use chemical hair straightening products
I wondered: Would delaying my colonoscopy during the pandemic lead to a cancer diagnosis like it had for Katie Couric with breast cancer?
My doctor told me she’d found and removed four benign polyps. I knew what the word benign meant (growths that aren’t cancer). I felt relieved and incredibly blessed. She labeled one of the polyps as advanced, however, and told me I’d need to get my next colonoscopy in three years to look for new or recurrent polyps. She also said my first-degree relatives would need to get their colonoscopies every five years. (Sorry, sis.) Thankfully, my sister’s test revealed no polyps. One thousand and ninety-five days until my next colonoscopy. I could handle that.
A week later, controversy ensued when a European study seemed to cast doubt about the effectiveness of colonoscopies. I worry that
to meet society’s standards,” Crump said in a statement.
“Companies took advantage of this and marketed their dangerous products to women without any regard for the health risks. We need justice.” Crump said Mitchell started using the products around 2000 and continued until 2022.
“We have commenced this important litigation to seek justice for those women and their families,” Crump said.
people will see those headlines and use it as an excuse to forgo the test without conducting any research or having a discussion with their health care providers. If your doctor suggests having a colonoscopy or you’ve reached age 45, research it and have the test. It’ll be over and done with before you know it. It also helped to get my colonoscopy performed on the same day as my sister’s. We gave each other pep talks and shared our concerns and results with each other. We kept each other accountable, and our results ultimately brought us relief. Maybe a similar strategy can work for you. What is an unpleasant drink, several trips to the bathroom and a 20-minute test compared to a scary diagnosis in your future because you chose to delay or skip your colonoscopy?
Dana James is founder of Black Iowa News and a former Des Moines Register reporter.
By Isaiah Peters
The St. Louis American
Black Pride and the Missouri History Museum [MHM] came together to honor the work of eight local Black LGBTQ+ leaders across many sectors, Friday, Oct. 14 evening at MHM at their 7th annual Black Pride Accolades.
“I wanted to encourage and celebrate the people of St. Louis,” Khaliah Booker, Youth Award honoree and Fontbonne University student said.
“We are often disregarded, unappreciated, and used by the world and even each other. We remain fierce and triumphant despite facing violence, economic strife, and political turmoil.”
MHM held the ceremony to raise awareness toward the Museum’s 2024 full-scale exhibit showcasing St. Louis’s LGBTQ+ stories.
“Your stories are a part of the history being made now,” Emily Underwood, Community Initiatives Specialist at Missouri Historical Society, said. “The fact we had to go out now and start a collecting initiative to put an exhibit together says
said
“We’re
Maven Logik Lee, Executive Director at The Shades Project, was honored with the Pioneer award during the annual Black Pride Accolades event held in the Missouri History Museum on Friday, Oct. 14.
“Being a Black woman from St. Louis means a lot to me,” said audience member Kneeshe Parkinson, 40, Rose Impact Founder. “Because we are intentional in how we show up. We’re the show me state, 314. And Black Pride means a lot to me because they help uplift the communities, develop programs, and recognize the superb talent in St. Louis.”
‘Entrepreneur of The Year’ - Black Pride honored Jackie’ JP’ Phillips, Unheard Media LLC founder, for her 17-year-long career developing business strategies through said companies and others.
‘Healthcare Leader of the Year - Tyrell Manning Ending The HIV Epidemic Program Specialist, and Mayor Tishaura Jones’ appointee for St. Louis’ first LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board.
“He has gone above and beyond over the past year in reducing STI HIV rates as well to ensure that mental and physical health are not left out of the conversation,” Braxton said.
“I am centered on my purpose of healthcare which is fueled by a passion attributed to my ancestors and those impacted by health disparities,” said Manning. “I believe every human being deserves access to quality healthcare services.”
Professional Growth award - Miyonee Sateek, the Mo Ho Justice Coalition’s Community Outreach Lead.
“This award means a lot to me. I started this field of work with no knowledge and just as ghetto as I wanted to be!” Sateek said.
The second biggest award of the evening honored Maven Logik Lee with the Pioneer award for his work as Executive Director at The Shades Project and as a Former Intervention Specialist at Saint Louis Public Schools
“I am without words because this is the first award I’ve ever gotten from this community,” Lee said.
Black Pride awarded their most prestigious award of the year, The Lifetime Achievement, to 4th Ward City Council member Aja La’Starr Owens
“Growing up in Jennings, that’s where I got the value system of being about the community, the comfortable village mentality,” said Owens. “A small group of committed individuals can change the world; sometimes it is the only thing that ever has.”
The Missouri History Museum has collected LGBTQ+ archives as far back as the 1840s for its June 2024 exhibit opening.
By Alvin A. Reid
St. Louis American
Orvin Kimbrough, Midwest BankCentre chair and CEO, often receives calls about loans, financing, and other banking matters. It goes with the territory, as leader of one of the region’s fastest growing privately held financial institutions.
His respective office and cell phones have been constantly ringing, and many times the callers didn’t need banking help. They needed Kimbrough’s advice on another important business matter.
Kimbrough said he receives numerous calls from nonprofit executives and board members seeking advice on how to diversify their leadership and boards.
To reach more people, Kimbrough and the bank host nonprofit connector events, which are part of Midwest BankCentre’s Network for
n “If you want to attract diverse board members, change your patterns and try to build relationships in new ways.”
– Orvin Kimbrough, Midwest BankCentre chair and CEO
Good program. He said the events “leverage its relationships and platform to help its customers and communities thrive.”
A second event was recently held with a diverse group of more than 50 people. They were either looking to serve on boards or were nonprofit representatives seeking more diversity on their respective boards.
Kimbrough said throughout his 20-plus years
in the nonprofit sector, he has seen spikes in requests like this, but nothing like what he has experienced these last few years.
His advice is to the point.
“If you want to attract diverse board members, change your patterns and try to build relationships in new ways,” he said.
BoardSource research shows that while boards are becoming more diverse, they remain predominantly white.
Roughly 78% of nonprofit boards are white, a 6% decrease since 2017. When asked if board composition aligns with the population served by the nonprofit, 38% of chief executives said “no.”
BoardSource, formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards, was founded in 1988 “to inspire and support excellence in nonprofit governance and boards,” according to its website.
While Kimbrough now directs St. Louis’ sec-
See KIMBROUGH, B2
Nielsen study shows media, advertisers missing mark
NNPA Newswire
n The study found that 59% of Black viewers are more likely to buy from brands that feature someone from their identity group in advertisements.
When it comes to Black television audiences, advertisers and programming executives seem to be on the wrong channel. Nielsen, the nation’s leading ratings organization, recently released its Diverse Intelligence Series report, “Amplifying Black voices in media: Creating informed, thoughtful and authentic experiences.” The report examines why 2022 saw a 10-percentage point decline in Black viewers who are more likely to buy from brands that advertise in inclusive content compared to 2021. According to the report authors, “Black audiences are seeking more authenticity and nuance in media content and ad campaigns.”
The study found that 59% of Black viewers are more likely to buy from brands that feature someone from their identity group in advertisements, while Nielsen’s Branded Content Outcomes studies show significantly higher performance for campaigns that feature Black
See NIELSEN, B2
Toriola named Danforth physician scholar
Adetunji T. Toriola, MD, PhD, a professor of surgery in the Division of Public Health Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named a William H. Danforth Washington University Physician Scholar. He is the second physicianresearcher named as part of the School of Medicine’s new Physician-Scientist Investigators Initiative, which supports pioneering physicianscientists whose work already has transformed their fields. Toriola is a molecular cancer epidemiologist who joined the faculty in 2012.
Sterling named attorney at Carmody MacDonald
Carissa Sterling has been named an associate at Carmody MacDonald PC. Sterling focuses her practice on general civil litigation. She represents business owners and individuals in a variety of litigious matters, including commercial, construction, and contract disputes. She also advises clients in complex civil litigation. While earning her undergraduate degree, Steling worked at the Nashville office of a national law firm and spent two summers interning at Illinois’ Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office. She graduated magna cum laude with her B.A. in political science and Spanish from Vanderbilt University and earned her J.D. from Washington University.
Edwards named counselor at Marian
Marian Middle School announced Veronica Edwards has joined their staff as school counselor. In her new role, Edwards will be part of Marian’s Care Team that supports the mental health and wellbeing of girls and families. The team responds to students’ heightened needs, providing ongoing counseling to students and alums, and connecting their families with acute wraparound services. A St. Louis native, Edwards graduated from Normandy High and earned an MA in Christian Ministries degree with an emphasis in pastoral counseling from Missouri Baptist University.
Crawford named family PRIDE coordinator
Midtown Community Services, which strives to break down barriers created by poverty, isolation and prejudice, recently welcomed Jasmine Crawford as its new Family PRIDE Coordinator. In her role, Crawford works one-onone with families during the first five years of their children’s lives to ensure every child in the program is hitting important milestones and is school-ready by the time they enter kindergarten. Crawford also facilitates developmental playgroups for children and educational and empowerment workshops for their parents.
Promotion, board appointment, new hire, award... please submit your People on the Move item (including photo) to kjones@stlamerican.com
Continued from B1
ond largest privately owned local bank, with over $2.0 billion in assets and $1.5 billion in loans, he spent many years earlier in the nonprofit world. He spent nearly 20 years in leadership roles in prominent nonprofit agencies, most recently as the president and CEO of the United Way of Greater St. Louis. He started with the United Way in 2007 as vice president of major gifts.
During his tenure as CEO, the United Way of St. Louis grew to the nation’s largest affiliate, raising nearly $80 million annually. He is a national United Way board member. His bank also practices what it preaches.
“Diversity and inclusion are more than a workplace initiative. It’s a culture that we continuously strive to grow for our employees and our clients through employment practices and community involvement,” said Kimbrough.
“Diversity and inclusion efforts at Midwest BankCentre are intentional and proactive,
Continued from B1
talent.
Brands attempting to reach Black consumers through ad placements in inclusive content are investing heavily with over $1.2 billion spent in Black and African American targeted traditional media in the first half of 2022 alone.
However, Black audiences prefer streaming: 63% report streaming content as their most watched platform and 62% indicated streaming as the most relevant platform.
Nielsen’s report underscores that Black audiences also care about how they are represented in media content and where their images and experiences are presented.
Only 32% of Black audi-
and we are committed to ensuring that our staff and board of directors reflect the communities we serve.” Midwest BankCentre’s staff reflects the communities it serves.”
In 2021, approximately 39% of new hires were minorities. Midwest BankCentre has one of the most diverse legal board of directors in the banking industry, with women, Black, Hispanic, Bosnian, and Asian members comprising 50% of the 18-member board. Its executive team is 62% diverse, including three females and two Black people holding key leadership positions, including Kimbrough.
More Midwest good news
The U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has awarded Preferred Lender Program (PLP) status to Midwest BankCentre, which Hakim Kassam, senior vice president of SBA lending, calls “a major milestone in its growth within the small business banking market.”
ences feel industry representation of their identity group is accurate, and the growing intersectional identities within the Black community make nuanced representation more important than ever.
The report also highlights the power of partnering with Black talent at every stage of the marketing funnel, from campaign creators and media owners, to on-screen talent and social media influencers.
“The media industry has an opportunity to better serve the needs of Black audiences through inclusive and equitable representation on screen, behind the scenes, in advertising, and on other platforms where they come into contact with brands and content creators” says Charlene Polite Corley, Nielsen vice president, diverse insights and partner-
“With this designation, we can now underwrite loans in house, streamlining and speeding up the process. The average closing times can go from 75-90 days down to 45-60 days,” said Kassam. “We have worked hard to provide loans to businesses and achieving this status shows our commitment to small business lending and our business communities.”
According to the SBA, only financial institutions “with proven capability and commitment to small business lending and strict adherence to SBA guidelines,” earn the designation. Kassam’s SBA commercial banking team grew to five-members last year, and it recently added Carolyn Gegg as vice president - SBA business development officer. That brings his team to eight, and Gegg has more than 37 years of banking experience and has focused on the small business banking industry for the past 32 years.
Midwest BankCentre can now remove significant timing and documentation hurdles that can add weeks of closing time to a transaction. Borrowers can achieve funding goals sooner and more efficiently.
ships
“Black audiences wield cultural influence and growing buying power and serving the needs of this community is not only good business, but it is also the right thing to do.”
Key findings from the report include:
Supporting Black-owned media can attract new audiences.
All viewers watched more than 140 million hours of content from Black-owned networks in March 2022 – double what Black audiences alone watched.
Black audiences are 50% more likely than the general population to seek out diverseowned media.
Streaming provides more authentic choices for Black viewers, and they prefer it over broadcast and cable.
In July 2022, time spent streaming accounted for the largest share of Black audience TV time at over 36%.
Black viewers also reported streaming as their most watched platform (63%) and most relevant platform (62%) Inclusion throughout the marketing funnel increases performance.
Black-focused agencies deliver higher performance overall, with 83% of the highest brand metric scores in Familiarity Lift, Affinity Lift, Purchase Intent Lift, and Recommendation Intent Lift. 59% of Black viewers are more likely to buy from brands that feature someone from their identity group in advertisements.
Black adults were 71% more likely to buy products endorsed by influencers on social media.
n “I have so many great weapons. It’s going to be a very exciting season.”
By Earl Austin Jr.
The first steps on the various roads to state championships will be taken this weekend as high school football playoffs get underway on both sides of the river. The Missouri schools will begin district playoff competition, while first-round playoff games will be held on the Illinois side.
Here is a preview of upcoming Missouri district playoffs involving St. Louis area teams. You can see all the district playoff matchups and brackets by visiting the website, www.mshsaa.org
Class 6 District 1: Defending state champion CBC is the No. 1 seed, and the Cadets are poised for another long postseason run. Other contending teams include Marquette and Seckman.
District 2: Troy is the No. 1 seed. The Trojans made a strong run to the state semifinals last season and are having another strong season. Challengers in the district include Rock Bridge, DeSmet, and Pattonville.
Class 5 District 1: SEMO area power Jackson is the No 1 seed with Oakville checking in as the second seed as a possible challenger.
District 2: Eureka is the No. 1 seed with MICDS and Lafayette also in the mix. Lafayette already has a victory over Eureka this season.
District 3: An extremely competitive district with Parkway Central getting the No. 1 seed with challenges coming from Vashon and Parkway North. All three can win the title.
District 4: Hazelwood East gets the No. 1 seed in a very tough field that also includes St. Dominic, Fort Zumwalt East and McCluer.
Class 3 District 2: Undefeated Cardinal Ritter (9-0) is the No. 1 seed and a prohibitive favorite to come out of the district. The Lions are also a big contender for the state title.
District 3: An excellent district field that includes top-seed St. Charles West along with Lutheran North and Lutheran-St. Charles. A probable rematch between Lutheran North and Lutheran-St. Charles in the semifinals
should be quite a contest.
Class 1 District 2: Duchesne gets the top seed after moving down to Class 1 this season. Brentwood and Crystal City are also strong challengers in the field.
Key Missouri First-Round Matchups
• Lindbergh at Kirkwood, Friday, 7 p.m.
(Class 6, District 1)
• SLUH at Seckman, Friday, 7 p.m. (Class 6, District 1)
• DeSmet at Ritenour, Friday, 7 p.m. (Class 6, District 2)
• Hazelwood Central at Pattonville, Friday, 7 p.m. (Class 6, District 2)
• Parkway West at Ladue, Friday, 7 p.m. (Class 5, District 2)
• Chaminade at MICDS, Saturday, 1 p.m. (Class 5, District 2)
With Alvin A. Reid
Illinois First-Round Pairings (Dates and Times TBA)
Class 8A Edwardsville (6-3) at O’Fallon (8-1) Belleville East (5-4) at South Elgin (9-0)
(9-0)
Top Performances from Week 9
• Running back Jamal Roberts of St. Mary’s had 236 yards of total offense and scored six touchdowns in Dragons’ 51-33 victory over Lutheran North.
• Running back Steven Hall of MICDS rushed for 311 yards on 20 carries in the Rams’ 44-33 victory over Duchesne.
• Quarterback Robert Battle of East St. Louis completed 14 of 22 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns in the Flyers’ 40-10 victory over DeSmet.
• Linebacker Dominic Dixon of East St. Louis had 14 solo tackles and a quarterback sack in the Flyers’ 40-10 victory over DeSmet.
• Wide receiver Allen Middleton of Mascoutah caught four passes for 102 yards and scored two touchdowns, including a kickoff return in the Indians’ 50-23 victory over Carbondale.
• Running back Marvin Burks of Cardinal Ritter rushed for 150 yards on 13 carries and scored three touchdowns in the Lions’ 44-0 victory over SLUH.
• Wide receiver Jude James of Francis Howell caught four passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings’ 59-21 victory over Rock Bridge.
• Quarterback Cole McKey of CBC completed 19 of 26 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns in the Cadets’ 31-17 victory over Edwardsville.
My daughter, Bryson and her fiancé, Tyler, are in a fantasy football league. She made me proud last season after she pulled a Philadelphia Phillieslike late season turnaround and won her league title. A few days before the season began, she told me that a team “owner” had drafted a squad but was leaving the league. I told her I would take over the team, roster unseen. Bryson beat the stuffing out of me this week, in part because I had a player on the bye week, and I forgot to sub him out. I’m sure other owners think I threw the game, but I have already beaten her this season.
A. Reid
I was going to call her Monday morning and tell her she lucked out because of my idle mindedness. She texted me at 10 a.m. It wasn’t about fantasy football. Bryson is the early childhood music and art teacher at Premiere Charter School, which is located at 5279 Fyler Avenue. Her school is a mile from Central Visual and Performing Arts High School at
5247 S. Kingshighway. Her school was on lockdown following the horrific shootings at Central VPA earlier that morning. She was not alarmed, although I could hear concern in her voice when I talked with her later Monday. This is not the first school shooting that a newspaper I worked for covered. It certainly is not a rare occasion now in the gun-crazed United States of America. But this is the first time a family member was touched by the violence. Admittedly, her school and its students and staff were not in peril. It still made me quake. She was just so close to the scene of the shootings. Three people are dead included the suspected shooter. Others were injured. People’s lives are changed forever. The ‘what if?’ kept bouncing around inside my head.
“What if it were Bryson’s school? What if it had been Bryson or her sister, Blaine’s school when they were younger?”
As I wrote these words, the respective families of a teacher
and a student were grieving terrible losses. Anyone in that building will never forget Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. It is just chilling.
This time it happened in a school in a city. The last few times it has happened in suburban or a small-town school. It’s impossible to declare that
it will not happen somewhere tomorrow.
The St. Louis Blues played at Winnipeg on Monday night. The Chicago Bears traveled to New England for Monday Night Football. The Phillies and Houston Astros were preparing for the 2022 World Series. The NBA season is in full swing. Sports helped me take my mind off the Monday morning tragedy, but sports must always take a back seat to the nation’s woes. Gun violence is high on that list. It makes all of us losers.
NBA. After
The Reid Roundup Earl Austin Jr., called me Saturday afternoon and I figured it was to talk KU Jayhawks football. Incredibly, it was a note on Jayhawks basketball. Power 5 basketball programs are allowed to scrimmage each other in lieu of exhibition games and it seems KU and the University of Illinois quietly met at Lindenwood University in St. Charles on Saturday. The practice occurred while Lindenwood was playing its homecoming football game against Murray State… The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be the worst
in
losses to begin the season, the Lakers were shooting 40.7% from the field and 21.2% on three-point shots. Do you know who can shoot and would look good in a Lakers’ uniform? Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal Stanford coach David Shaw was rumored to be on the hot seat after falling to 1-4. A 16-14 win at Notre Dame followed by a 15-14 win over visiting Arizona State suddenly have the Cardinal in the bowl picture…First year Notre Dame Marcus Freeman has his team at 4-3. His fighting Irish blasted UNLV 44-21 last Saturday and it now travels to Syracuse. Clemson pays a visit the following week. “The next two weeks will tell us what type of football team we have,” Freeman said…Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker has again reached the World Series. His team is favored against the rampaging Philadelphia Phillies, and Baker could be headed for yet another Fall Classic heartbreak. I’d rather face a good team than a hot one in the postseason. Baker’s crew is about to take on both.
Kwame Building Group (KWAME) has completed the Freedom Suits Memorial to honor enslaved plaintiffs who sued for their freedom.
The memorial is located at the Old Courthouse in St. Louis where the Dred Scott Case was tried. KWAME served as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR).
The Freedom Suits Memorial features a 14-foot bronze statue by sculptor Preston Jackson, a freedom walk of stone pavers that lead to the monument, bench seating and landscaping.
The base is etched with the names of hundreds of enslaved plaintiffs who sued for their freedom. The Old Courthouse is also home to the only Dred and Harriet Scott statue in the world.
“From the Freedom Suits to the Black Lives Matter movement, we have rightfully earned our place at the table along with Selma, Birmingham and Atlanta,” said St. Louis City Mayor Tishaura Jones at the unveiling ceremony.
Siding company to build manufacturing facility near St. Louis
James Hardie, a world leader in fiber cement home siding and exterior design solutions, plans to build its newest manufacturing facility in Crystal City, Missouri.
Crystal City is a rural community located 30 miles south of St. Louis. The new facility will create nearly 240 new high-paying jobs in the region.
James Hardie has manufactured building materials for more than 100 years. The new facility will be built to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for Hardie® fiber cement
St. Louis Circuit Judge David Mason spearheaded the project. He found the files of the Freedom Suits back in the 1990s and has since conducted extensive research to honor the many slaves, witnesses and attorneys involved in those cases. According to Mason, more than 130 slaves were freed out of the approximately 400 cases that were filed.
“The Freedom Suits project has much more significance on so many levels than any of the larger projects KWAME has been involved with,” said Tony Thompon, president of Kwame Building Group. “Judge Mason was a personal friend of my mother, Betty Thompson. He told me stories of how she helped him and other attorneys and judges when she was a state representative. When this project was getting off the ground, Judge Mason reached out to me and said he wanted KWAME to lead this special project. It is heartwarming to unveil this monument to the world nearly one year after her passing,
siding, soffit, and trim products. James Hardie employs approximately 5,200 people across the world – and this is their first location in Missouri.
Auto assembly supplier to open in Wentzville
Piston Automotive, a subsidiary of the Piston Group and the world’s largest automotive assembly supplier, announced it will open a facility in Wentzville, investing more than $10 million and creating 204 new jobs. The company’s new location will increase Piston Automotive’s capacity for producing a variety of components
knowing how many people it honors and will impact.”
Extensive planning and thought went into lighting design and how the statue was mounted so that the history of the piece could be captured from all angles and visible at various times of day. KWAME oversaw the project, including hiring and coordinating contractors, working with the design team to convert conceptual landscape drawings into working plans, overseeing installation and communicating with all stakeholders.
“It was an honor to help bring to life the vision Judge Mason has had for some time of a plaza for people to sit and acknowledge those who bravely fought through civil litigation to achieve their freedom,” said Kenneth Brown, project manager at Kwame Building Group. “There is such rich history around every way the Freedom Suits Memorial was constructed and displayed. Judge Mason’s passion for the project inspired us all.”
for automotive manufacturers.
Piston Automotive is a leading assembler of complex modules for automotive interior, exterior, electrification, powertrain, and chassis, with revenue exceeding $2 billion and employing more than 1,000 employees. With headquarters located in Redford, Michigan, the company has strategic proximity to the nation’s major automotive manufacturing centers, serving both North America and Europe.
The company was recently awarded a contract with General Motors to assemble front struts, cooling modules, rear suspensions, center consoles, brake corners, and headliners for the GM Colorado and Canyon
trucks. General Motors’ Wentzville Assembly is located just 2 miles from the site of Piston Automotive’s new location.
Maryville University announces the hiring of Renelle Spinks as the director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Spinks is passionate about empowering students toward attaining post-secondary success and reaching their full potential. That begins with helping students find their voices, she said.
“College is an important environment where students learn more about themselves
and who they want to be,” Spinks said. “I look forward to helping students learn to advocate for themselves, so they’re not afraid to speak up and share their opinions or ask questions. I also want to help them learn how to advocate for others.”
Spinks is a Southeast Missouri State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communication disorders and a master of public administration degree. She began her career in
education as a college adviser with the Americorps Missouri College Advising Corps. She then served as an academic coach and peer mentor group coordinator for the Office of Multicultural Student Services at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In this role, she connected students to resources across campus to assist them along their college journey. Most recently, Spinks served as the college and career persistence manager for KIPP: St. Louis Public Schools, where she created and implemented the post-secondary persistence framework and strategy to help alumni in their careers, college and workforce options.
By Dwight Brown NNPA film critic
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… Black Adam?
Introducing DC comics latest crime combatant, Black Adam. His superhero traits are similar to Superman’s (flying, ultra-strength, etc.), but there are key differences. One has a pleasant personality and values human lives, and the other, an angry malcontent, doesn’t give a flying leap. One was born on Krypton and grew up on earth, which many moviegoers already know. However, less is known about the enigmatic bad boy. Hence this origin film, which needs to establish Black Adam’s beginnings, why he’s so embittered and how he fits into the world, or at least the DC comics universe.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has shepherded this project, his lovechild, for decades. Bringing the story of DC’s brown-skinned superhero to fruition is a major achievement and the movie star has earned his props—even if this act/fan/sci-fi is less than perfect. He was born to play Black Adam, every role in his past builds up to this persona and it’s a crown he was destined to wear.
Screenwriters Adam Sztykiel (Rampage), Rory Haines (The Mauritanian) and Sohrab Noshirvani (Informer) don’t have a successful superhero movie in their spotty filmographies. Yet, they were tasked with developing characters, storylines, dialogue and major plot points for a comic book anti-hero who was conceived back in 1945 and swathed in Middle Eastern culture. Former music video and commercial director turned filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra, who worked with Johnson on Jungle Cruise (a dubious achievement at best), helms this venture, which might explain the emphasis on movement and flow and less weight on mindblowing special effects.
By Danielle Brown
The St. Louis American
Reggie Edwards describes himself as a “Jack of all trades, master of none.”
The Soldan International Studies High School graduate has merged his passion for rap, battle rap, and comedy into his burgeoning career. Battle rap, also known as rap battling, is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay.
“They complement each other because they have very similar dynamics,” Edwards said. “I tell people all the time rapping is different
“The Rock”
The ancient city and now bustling metropolis of Kahndaq lives under tyranny. It’s citizens long for their freedom. Through a mishap in an ancient tomb, archeologist Adrianna (Sarah Shahi, The Rookie) unleashes Teth Adam (Johnson), a powerful being who’d been imprisoned for 5000 years. Angry and looking for ven-
geance against millenniums-old adversaries, he is on a tear: “I was a slave before I died. I yield to no one.” The Justice Society (the very first superhero team, which was created back in DC
See Film, C3
from actual battle rapping. They’re more closely related to comedy than actually rapping and making a song.”
He admits taking delight in his popularity as a class clown in school because he was a source of entertainment. His humor and personality followed him to St. Louis Community CollegeForest Park, where he majored in mass communication, but didn’t finish his studies.
The thrill of making people laugh was something Edwards genuinely enjoyed, but he didn’t know how to get his foot in the door. There was
St. Louis native and Soldan International Studies High School graduate Reggie Edwards is headlining six shows Oct. 2730 at Westport Funny Bone.
Photo by Deondra J. Edwards
By Danielle Brown The St. Louis American
“Ball is life” was Jonica “Blu” Booth’s living standard through her schooling, especially at her alma mater Fort Zumwalt South High School. She ate, breathed and slept basketball.
The star athlete was not only popular for her skills on the court, she was also loved by peers for her charismatic, charming personality as the school’s proclaimed class clown.
Her magnetic aura was so infectious that she won numerous votes and was crowned Fort Zumwalt School District’s first Black homecoming queen. During that era, she never pictured herself becoming a recognized face in reality TV history.
n We might be big in St. Louis but it’s a whole world. Let’s go see it and explore it. Just try, take that trip, check those flights. It’s an airport in St. Louis for a reason.”
- Jonica Booth
“I never thought I would walk into fame that never crossed me,” Booth said. “I was just living my life and being free.” She attended Missouri Valley College and majored in psychology with a minor in sociology. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she worked for Citi Mortgage and several other companies.
She had sought to be on the reality series, “The Real World,” she was interested in being a castmate. Friends persuaded her to apply to be a cast member on Oxygen’s “Bad Girls Club,” a show that moved seven women into a mansion for several months.
a classmate who hipped him to the now-closed Lola’s , which hosted open mic nights.
Edwards was only 20 at the time, meaning he didn’t meet the age requirement. An exception was made by St. Louis comedian Jovan Bibbs, that evening. Edwards wasn’t allowed to sit at the bar and Bibbs chaperoned him.
Edwards said, “I didn’t kill it, I got some
Booth objected because she didn’t see herself as a bad girl. She applied, though, and was selected for Season 12 in Chicago.
“I couldn’t go on there and say ‘Oh I’m fighting, I’m this and I’m that,’’’ she said. “I think they picked me because I was dating women and I wasn’t out yet.”
From her perspective she feels fans perceived her to be a player who was cheating on
See Booth, C8
By James Ingram
The lag in federal assistance to East St. Louis residents impacted by the historic July flooding underscores a reason many people hate politics and politicians; alleged lies, misinformation, and indifference toward low-income communities in times of crisis.
However, during this same period, there is no lack of political propaganda cluttering our mailboxes and TV screens, pandering for votes based upon our elected official’s so-called “records” of public service. The hypocrisy is amazing.
So, let’s look back at flash flooding that impacted both the St. Louis area, East St. Louis, and St. Clair County from July 25-28, 2022.
Mind you, we are talking the same flooding, same disaster, and same devastation to homes. Yet Missouri residents received FEMA assistance three months before her neighbors in Illinois. How is that possible? Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker both requested federal relief in August.
Parsons is a Republican and Pritzker is a Democrat. If the FEMA assistance were a partisan issue, then the politics would dictate that Illinois would have received federal assistance first, given that President Biden is a Democrat. He won Illinois and Trump won Missouri. Politics didn’t come into play here.
That only leaves us to conclude that some combination of political ineptitude, ignorance and procrastination may be at the root of why East St. Louis got treated as a regional and political stepchild.
And there is enough blame to be shared from the White House to the State House to local politicians who may have
dropped the ball. First, let’s go back to November 10, 2021, and a letter from Joseph D. Stitely of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to East St. Louis Mayor Robert Eastern III. It was copied to City Manager Carlos Mayfield, Director of Public Works Timothy Lockett, and others regarding a series of “Sanitary Backup Complaints.”
The letter references an investigation of numerous complaints of alleged sewage backups, refers to a prior conversation with city officials on October 13, 2021, then goes on to recommend 10 specific corrective measures and asked for a written response and plan of action within 30 days of receipt of the letter.
Cassie Kohn contradicted Simmons’s assertion, stating that there are no thresholds to trigger FEMA’s individual assistance program. And, for the record the Stafford Act, which authorizes federal disaster responses, rejects the use of thresholds.
So, it appears that someone is lying or spreading disinformation to cover their political backsides.
And to add insult to injury, when FEMA finally approved the major disaster declaration for IL and St. Clair County a press conference was held at East St. Louis City Hall with IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau and assorted St. Clair County and city officials announcing that residents had 60 days to apply for between $3-7 thousand dollars per household in individual assistance.
Tate-Nadeau’s excuse for the delay was that “We had to meet certain thresholds, but certainly got our information in just as quick as Missouri did.” Again, it appears that someone is lying, dropped the ball or is spreading disinformation to the people of East St. Louis.
n Missouri residents received FEMA assistance three months before her neighbors in Illinois.
Sen. Dick Durbin, an East St. Louis native, even paid a visit to the area back in 2021 and promised to look for resources to alleviate flooding.
Fast forward to the July 2022 flooding. St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons claimed that FEMA state officials initially told him that locals needed to show $9 million in damages to receive federal disaster relief.
But FEMA spokesperson
Eight-hundred homes were damaged by flooding in East St. Louis and St. Clair County, many losing their homes, furnishings, cars, and possessions. Capping relief in the $3-7 thousand range is insulting, especially after a 3-month delay in which they’ve had to fend for themselves.
I just hope that as these politicians’ campaign for East St. Louis votes over the next months and years that voters will remember their indifference, lies and absence when they needed them most.
Email: jtingram_1960@ yahoo.com Twitter@ JamesTIngram
St. Louis American staff
Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church begins celebration of its 120th Anniversary with revival service at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday through Wednesday, Nov. 1-3. The church is located at 3200 Washington Ave. at the corner of Compton and Washington in Midtown St. Louis. The Rev. Jesse T. Williams, Jr., senior pastor at Convent Avenue Baptist Church in New York, and Washington Tabernacle’s seventh pastor, will lead the service on Nov. 1.
The Nov. 2 service will be led by Tabernacle’s eighth pastor, Rev. Rodney T. Francis. Francis is now chief programs officer for EmployIndy in Indianapolis.
n Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to over 4,000 people at Washington Tabernacle on May 28, 1963.
The church’s ninth and current pastor, Rev. Robert E.McClish, II, will lead the Thursday Nov. 3 worship revival service.
A memorial service led by Bishop Elijah H. Hankerson, Life Center International Church of God in Christ pastor and former president of the St. Louis Clergy Coalition will be held at 10:00 am. Sunday, November 6, at Tabernacle.
A “Family and Friends” service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Sunday, November 13, featuring Rev. McClish, and “History Sunday” will be held at 10:00 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 20. The guest speaker is Rev. Dr. Anthony L. Riley, Central Baptist Church pastor.
“We will worship with our ‘Mother Church’ and celebrate our collective histories,” said Rev. McClish. McClish will lead the 10:00 a.m., November 27, “Harvest Sunday” celebration service.
“Hallelujah to the Legacy. Come and join us, all services are open to the public,” McClish said.
On November 6, 1902, a new church was organized at 2345 Market Street, and was named Tabernacle Baptist Church. The church acquired property at Washington and Ewing, then known as Pilgrim Unitarian Church, the present location of Central Baptist Church.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to over 4,000 individuals at the church on May 28, 1963, just prior to the March on Washington. He would return to the site for
another Civil Rights gathering on March 25, 1964.
A plaque, presented by the Missouri Historical Society, is affixed to the wall in the upper vestibule noting that the church was the location of two civil rights rallies during the 1960’s.
“It is our continued hope and prayer that Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church will be seen as an active fellowship, striving to serve in ways that God will find acceptable in His sight and humbly asking for His presence and blessings,” according to McClish.
It can happen, but you must first ask
By Lyndia Grant
Is it time for you to get really serious about your next steps, and I mean steps that will definitely change your life? The reason many of us keep getting the same things is because we keep doing the same things. It is a law, but when you really want to get to the next level, make your goal clear, write it down.
Read Habakkuk 2:2-3 (KJV), which says, “Write the vision and make it plain. And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
James 4:2 (KJV) says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” This is a very popular scripture to quote — especially when you are praying and believing God for something in your life. Jesus instructs us to “ask” in many places throughout Scripture, so it makes sense that if you don’t have something, it could be because you didn’t ask for it.
Does this mean that God will give me whatever I ask for? Is that what James really means here, or is there more to the story? Well, there is, and that’s what we’re going to look into. Let’s take a closer look at motives as we explore the scriptural idea that you “have not” because you “ask not.”
James 4:1-3 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Looking closely at having not because of asking not reveals that the problem is not really in the asking. The problem is in the reason why you are asking.
James identifies some of these wrong motives, but the ultimate desire that drives all the others is the burning desire to get something you do not have. This is known as coveting. To covet is to be jealous of something that someone else has, or to possess a strong eagerness to get something that does not belong to you.
Keep being sincere, think of others first. You can’t use people just so you can get what you want, then kick them to the curb, like we see some politicians doing. Do you feel when you see others around you being blessed that it seems like God is passing you by? Do you rejoice in the blessing of others or do you despise them? When someone shares about how God has blessed them, do you feel the need to try to trump their blessing with one of your own? God knows who you are, and He know if you are happy for others. Work on yourself!
When someone gets a new job, promotion, new house, new car or any myriad of material blessings, do you find yourself being excited for them, or envious of them instead?
If you do, then be careful, because the “covet monster” could be stirring inside you. So the next time someone shares what God is doing in their lives, rejoice with them! The Bible says we should rejoice with those who rejoice.
Lyndia Grant is a Washington Informer columnist and host of “Think on These Things,” which airs on 1340 AM (WYCB).
LaunchCode is a nonprofit organization based in St. Louis, MO, whose mission is to build a skilled workforce by creating pathways for driven people seeking careers in technology. LaunchCode works towards its mission by offering free tech education and job placement opportunities to bring new people from all backgrounds into the tech field and reshape the way employers think about hiring. The Executive Director will provide leadership and strategic direction in service of pursuing LaunchCode’s mission, growing its impact on the communities in which it works, and promoting the organization’s long-term sustainability. For best consideration for this Executive Director role, please apply by uploading your materials at bit.ly/LC-ED no later than Monday, November 7, 2022.
Responsible for informing and motivating employees through strategic ownership of internal corporate communications, creating and coordinating the planning, development and distribution of internal corporate messaging and materials. To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational. com/careers-page/
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.
Accepting applications from qualified organizations with experience providing high quality behavioral health and substance abuse recovery services for St. Louis city adults ages 18 and older. Letters of Intent due between November 7 – 30, 2022. Details available 11/4/22 at www.stlmhb.com
Demonstrates advanced working knowledge and concepts of software development. Responsible for the internal application programming and analysis of requirements using various technologies.
To apply, please visit: https:// www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/
To assist the Finance and Accounting Department with cash receipts, accounts payable, and to assist in other accounting and administrative duties.
To apply, please visit: https:// www.safetynational.com/careerspage/
To view complete job announcement visit: https://www.schooljobs.com/ careers/semoedu/ promotionaljobs
For more information contact the Human Resources Office (573) 651-2206 or humanresources@semo.edu
The City of Jennings is seeking to engage with a Public Relations Consultant to perform the following duties: supporting the city in maintaining and improving its image; serving as a liaison between the City and the media; preparing and presenting press releases; assist with building positive relationships amongst the community, businesses, and city officials; managing the City’s social media platforms. Qualified candidates should submit their proposal to Deletra Hudson, City Clerk, at cityclerk@cityofjennings.org Include on the subject line: PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANT.
Mission: St. Louis is looking for
Project Coordinator, to coordinate and perform
If interested, submit cover letter & resume to todd.martin@missionstl.org
Interviews will begin immediately.
Leading multiple engineering teams responsible for on premise and cloud applications, infrastructure, and networks. Accountable for the creation of Infrastructure roadmaps, standards, and metrics. Provides direction and is accountable for the development, support, and maintenance of the processes necessary to ensure the various architecture components align with Safety National’s overall technical architecture.
To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/
Works across disciplines ensuring software meets business requirements and is thoroughly tested. Understands basic concepts of Information Technology and software testing methodologies. Follows Quality Assurance best practices. Works at the direction of the program Test Lead.
To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational. com/careers-page/ CITY OF CLAYTON
The City of Clayton is hiring for PT and FT positions. Apply at https://bit.ly/3pGDCgY EOE
Provide skilled and experienced technical support to Treaty Reinsurance (TRe) underwriters. Responsible for day-to-day operational needs, to include: booking premium-related transactions, maintaining systems data and business reports, handling contract wording approval processes, and adhering to daily and seasonal SOX compliance processes. To apply, please visit: https:// www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/
The Housing Partnership, Inc. has an opening for a Resource Coordinator. The primary function is to serve as the initial point of contact for clients (potential/current/previous), answer questions as trained, coordinate intake/closing procedures, documents, and files, and properly connecting clients with appropriate staff when necessary. Duties include intake, file management, reporting, closeout, and follow-up for various programs. For a full job description go to www.TheHousingPartnershipSTL.org Submit resume to The Housing Partnership, Inc. P.O. Box 16356, St. Louis, MO 63125 or via email to kevin@TheHousingPartnershipSTL.org An Equal Opportunity Employer
Responsible for the design, implementation, and support of Microsoft 365, including MS Teams, SharePoint, Exchange Online, OneDrive and other associated technologies. Manage the day-to-day operations of these technologies and assist with the changing needs as the company increases adoption of M365. To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/careers-page/
The Food Outreach Operations Manager manages all aspects of operations, including emergency management planning, risk management, facilities management, vehicle maintenance, forklift maintenance, security, janitorial services, HVAC and freezer maintenance and all computer networking, hardware and software needs. In addition, this role will supervise the Nutrition Center Coordinator and the Chef. Must have excellent people skills. Great benefits. Food Outreach is a non-profit agency providing nutritional support to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS or cancer.
This is a full-time position governed by personnel policies related to full-time staff.
Position Qualifications:
Minimum of 5 years’ experience in nonprofit management. COVID vaccination required. Experience in managing staff, volunteers, and vendors. Must have facilities management experience. Must have inventory management experience. Knowledge of computer networking and hardware. Familiarity with Access software a plus. Available to work or respond to emergencies on short notice and to work some evenings and weekends.
The position may be financed (in part) (wholly) through an allocation of Community Development Block Grant funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the City of St. Louis’ Community Development Administration. Food Outreach is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Email resume to kathy@foodoutreach.org
Sealed bids for North Hanley Road (A) Resurfacing, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1482, Federal Project No. STP-5613(607), will be received electronically thru the County’s Vendor Self Service portal at https://stlouiscountymovendors. munisselfservice.com/Vendors/ default.aspx, until 2:00 p.m. on December 7, 2022
Plans and specifications will be available on October 24, 2022 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
Alberici Constructors, Kwame Building Group and the Saint Louis Zoo seek bids from qualified firms to submit propos als for a project at the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park. The project consists of earthwork, roadways, utilities, and fencing for 10 barns. To request bid documents, please send an E-mail to stlzoobids@alberici.com
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 Non-Capital Bids (commodities and services) or >Visit Planroom (capital construction bids)
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Sealed bids for the above project are being requested from the FFSD and will be received and publicly opened on Tuesday November 15th, 2022 @ 10:00am CST at the Operation and Maintenance Dept. located at 8855 Dunn Rd. (REAR) Hazelwood, MO 63042. Bid specs must be obtained at http://new.fergflor.k12.mo.us/ facilities-rfq. Contact Matt Furfaro at mfurfaro@fergflor.org for further information/questions.
Plocher Construction Company, Inc.
2808 Thole-Plocher Road Highland, IL 62249
PH: (618) 654-9408
Fax: (618) 654-6454 bids@plocherco.com
Seeking MBE & WBE businesses for the MSD Bissell & Lemay Incinerator Project for Union Subcontracting & Supply opportunities in the following areas:
Existing Conditions, Concrete, Masonry, Metals, Wood, Plastics & Composites, Thermal & Moisture Projection, Openings, Finishes, Specialties, Equipment, Furnishings, Conveying Equipment, Fire Suppression, Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical, Communications, Electronic Safety & Security, Earthwork, Exterior Improvements, Utilities, Process Interconnections, Material Processing & Handling Equipment, Process Heating, Cooling & Drying Equipment, Process Gas & Liquid Handling, Purification & Storage Equipment, Pollution & Waste Control Equipment, Water & Wastewater Equipment,
All interested and qualified business should contact Andrew Wirz (amwirz@plocherco.com) in writing or via email to discuss the subcontracting and supply opportunities. All quotes are requested to be received by November 14, 2022, which is one day prior to the bid opening.
All proposals will be reviewed for the lowest, responsive, and responsible quote.
Plocher Construction will host a Virtual Pre-Bid conference. It will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday, October 27th via Teams. Please contact Andrew for the link to the meeting.
For access to the plans and specifications, please contact Plocher Construction.
E.M. Harris Construction Company (EMH) seeks
subcontractor bids for Hawkins Village located at 1075 Caballo Court, Fenton, MO 63026. Scope of work involves renovation of 140 apartment units in twenty-one two and three-story buildings and renovation of community building. Renovations include, but are not limited to, demolition, flooring, carpentry, drywall, painting, electrical, mechanical, cabinets and countertops, appliances, plumbing fixtures, bathroom fixtures and accessories, light fixtures, doors, windows, blinds, roofing, gutters, sheet metal, concrete, pavement sealing and striping, fencing, and signage. Certified Minority and Women Business Enterprises are strongly encouraged to bid. All workers must be OSHA 10 certified. EMH is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Project plans & specifications are available for viewing online through an invitation to bid and at:
• MOKAN Plan Room, 4666 Natural Bridge, St. Louis, MO 63115
• EMH Plan Room, 2600 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103
All bids due to EMH office by 5 pm, Tuesday, November 15, 2022. Project contact: Vic Hoffmeister vhoffmeister@emharris.com or fax 314-436–6691.
Project: SLPS District Wide Flooring Repair
Hankins Construction is asking for proposals to be emailed in by 11-14-2022 at 4:30 PM. Project is Tax Exempt and Prevailing Wage. Estimator working on this project is Stephen Hankins Please email all bids to office@hankinsmidwest.com
The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership solicits proposals to provide liaison services with federal-level governmental officials, agencies, and elected representatives, on behalf of the Partnership, its related entities, and St. Louis County government, for up to a three-year period. A copy of the full RFP is available at https:// stlpartnership.com/rfp-rfq/. A five percent bid preference may be available to certified MBE firms. Submissions should be received no later than 3 PM CST on November 10, 2022.
St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer
CITY OF ST. LOUIS LAMBERT - ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT®
SOLICITATION FOR BIDS (SFB)
Service: Terminal Cleaning Services
Pre-Bid Meeting Date: November 8, 2022 11:00AM
Meeting will be held via Zoom. See SFB for details.
Question Due Date: August 3, 2022
Bid Due Date: November 30, 2022
Bidding documents may be obtained at Lambert St. Louis International Airport® - Airport Properties Division, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by calling (314) 426-8184. This SFB may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.flystl.com (Click on “Business”).
Robert Salarano Airport Properties Division Manager
Reinhardt Construction LLC is Soliciting Bids from MBE/WBE/ DBE/Veteran/SDVE for the following: Patient Care Tower – Radiology Expansion (CP221611)
Contact: Mike Murray ; mikem@ reinhardtconstructionllc.com Phone: 573-682-5505
INVITATION TO BID: FERGUSONFLORISSANT SCHOOL DISTRICT DISTRICT WIDE TRASH DISPOSAL AND RECYCLING COLLECTION SERVICES
Sealed bids for the above project are being requested from the FFSD and will be received and publicly opened on Friday November 11th, 2022 @ 11:00am CST at the Operation and Maintenance Dept. located at 8855 Dunn Rd. (REAR) Hazelwood, MO 63042. Bid specs must be obtained at http://new.fergflor.k12.mo.us/ facilities-rfq. Contact Terry O’Neil at 314-824-2091 for further information/ questions.
Advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, imitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial\status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.
“We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.”
Call Angelita Houston at 314-289-5430 or email ahouston@ stlamerican.com to place your ads today!
The Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of St. Louis County solicits proposals from firms (1) to identify needed repairs and reconstruction and (2) to perform the same in order to remediate flood damage at the MET Center, 6347 Plymouth Avenue. An optional walk through of the MET Center will be available as detailed in the RFP. A copy of the RFP is available at https://stlpartnership.com/ rfp-rfq/. A five percent bid preference may be available to certified MBE firms. Submissions must be received no later than 3 PM CST on November 21, 2022
St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer
Bids for Playground R e p l a c e m e n t , M i s s o u r i S t a t e Parks West Region, Bothwell Lodge State Historic Site, Knob Noster State Park & Confederate Memorial State Historic Site, Sedalia, K n o b N o s t e r , and Higginsville, Missouri Project N o . X 2 1 0 9 - 0 1 will be received by FMDC,State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, November 1, 2022. The State of Missouri, OA/ F M D C , h e r e b y n o t i f i e s a l l bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, businesses owned a n d c o n t
by socially and
s a d
g e d individuals will be afforded full o p p o r t u n i t y t o submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, ancestry or national origin in consideration for an award. Federal Land and Water Conservation Funds are being used in this project, and all relevant federal, state and local requirements apply. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities
Bids for New Comfort Station, Project No.
F2206-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 Tuesday, N o v e m b e r 1, 2022 . For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities
Great Rivers Greenway is seeking request for qualifications for Federal Legislative Liaison. Go to www.greatriversgreenway. org/jobs-bids and submit by November 16, 2022.
Bids for ReBid –Install Fire alarm System NW MO Psychiatric R e h a b
i o n Center, St. Joseph, MO, Project No. M2001-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, November 10, 2022. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo. gov/facilities
Bids for Repair Swimming Pool, Missouri School for the Blind, P r o j e c t N o . E2107-01, will be received by F M D C , S t a t e of MO, UNTIL 1 : 3 0 P M , 11/17/2022 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. For specific project information, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities
Pine Lawn City is seeking Audit Bids Due Wed Nov 7, 2022
To 6250 Steve Marre Ave Pine Lawn, MO 63121
Also Pine Lawn seeks Bids for Website Update due Friday Dec 9, 2022 @ address noted above (314) 261-5500
Great Rivers Greenway is seeking a Fund Development Manager to join our Foundation team! Go to www.greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids and submit by November 11, 2022.
The Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit is currently soliciting bid proposals for replacement of doors/locks at the Juvenile Family Court, 920 N. Vandeventer, St. Louis. The request for proposal is available on the Court’s website www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com Click on General Information, Then Request for Proposals. A mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on November 14, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.in the lobby, of the Juvenile Family Court located at 920 N. Vandeventer, St. Louis, MO 63108. Bids are due November 30, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. EOE
Great Rivers Greenway is requesting qualifications for environmental consulting services. Go to www. greatriversgreenway.org/jobs-bids and submit by October 27, 2022. INVITATION TO
The STLVentureWorks solicits proposals for a firm to provide general maintenance, repairs, and property management services at four business centers located in St. Louis County, for up to a three-year period. A copy of the full RFP is available at https://stlpartnership.com/rfp-rfq/.
A five percent bid preference may be available to certified MBE firms. Submissions should be received no later than 3 PM CST on Thursday, November 3, 2022.
St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer
Curtiss-Manes-Schulte, Inc. is soliciting bids from MBE/WBE/ SDVE/DBE subcontractors and suppliers for work on the UPMB 4th Floor MOA Clinic Renovation, University of Missouri-Columbia. Bids are due Tuesday, November 1, 2022 by 1:00 pm and can be faxed to (573) 392-4527 or emailed to bbrown@cms-gc.com. For more information, call Bob @ (573) 392-6553. Curtiss-Manes-Schulte, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
ROOMS FOR RENT Upscale, Very Clean, Good heat ing and cooling. Cable 314-484-3147
ADVERTISE WITH US
1 BEDROOM FOR RENT Fridge, Stove, 711 Bittner 1Fl, $500/mo 314-378-6782
Great Rivers Greenway is seeking a Major Gifts Vice President to join our Foundation team! Go to www.greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids and submit by November 11, 2022.
Sealed bids for the above projects are being requested from the FFSD and will be received and publicly opened on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28th, 2022 @ 1:00pm CST at the Operation and Maintenance Dept. located at 8855 Dunn Rd. (REAR) Hazelwood, MO 63042. Bid specs must be obtained at http://new.fergflor.k12.mo.us/ facilities-rfq. Contact Matt Furfaro at mfurfaro@fergflor.org for further information/questions.
CITY OF ST. LOUIS PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE AND DRAFT 2023 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW
The City of St. Louis is soliciting comments on its draft 2023 Annual Action Plan, which includes annual priorities for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership (HOME), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) programs.
The Community Development Administration (CDA) will conduct a virtual public hearing on November 8, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. CST to solicit public comments and answer questions pertaining to the draft 2023 Annual Action Plan. Instructions for attending the Virtual Public Hearing are available on the website: http://www.stlouis-mo.gov/ cda/
The 2023 Annual Action Plan will be available in draft form for review beginning on October 7, 2022. The plan will be available at the Central Branch of the St. Louis Public Library, located at 1301 Olive Street; on the City of St. Louis website at http://www. stlouis-mo.gov/cda/ and at CDA’s office, located at 1520 Market Street, Suite 2000. The views of citizens, public agencies and other interested parties are encouraged. Written comments may be submitted to CDBG@stlouis-mo.gov and will be accepted until 12:00 p.m. CST on November 7, 2022.
Persons with special needs should contact CDA Executive Director Mr. Nahuel Fefer at FeferN@stlouis-mo.gov or (314) 657-3835 or (314) 589-6000 (TDD). Interpreting services are available upon request by calling the Office on the Disabled at (314)622-3686 (voice) or (314)622-3693 (TTY).
CDA is an equal opportunity agency (employer). Minority participation is encouraged.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a General Election will be held at the designated polling place for each precinct in the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The polls will be open between the hours of 6:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. for the purpose of electing candidates for United States Senator, State Auditor, United States Representative District 1, State Senate District 4, State Representative Districts 76-82 and 84, Collector of Revenue, License Collector and Recorder of Deeds. Voters will also be able to vote on whether certain Judges on the Missouri Supreme Court, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District of Missouri, the Circuit Court and Associate Circuit Court for the 22nd Judicial Circuit should be retained in office, as well as on four Missouri Constitutional Amendments, whether there should be a convention to revise and amend the Missouri Constitution, and candidates for the St. Louis City Board of Education. There is also a Special General Municipal Election to elect a President of the Board of Aldermen.
The last day the Board of Election Commissioners could accept an application to vote an absentee ballot by mail in the November 8, 2022 General Election was 5:00 P.M. on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Absentee voting in person will conclude at 5:00 P.M. on Monday, November 7, 2022. The Board of Elections office will be open on Saturday, November 5, 2022, from 9:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M., and the three library satellite locations will be open that day from 1:00 P.M. until 4:30 P.M.
THE OFFICIAL BALLOT WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE FOLLOWING FORM:
INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS: In today’s election, you have your choice of using either an electronic, touch screen voting machine or an optical scan voting machine to cast your ballot.
IF YOU USE THE OPTICAL SCAN VOTING MACHINE to cast your ballot, you must completely darken the oval to the left of the name of the candidate of your choice. To vote on an amendment or proposition, if you are in favor of the amendment or proposition completely darken the oval to the left of the word “YES.” If you are against the amendment or proposition, completely darken the oval to the left of the word “NO.” To vote on a judge’s retention, if you are in favor of retaining a judge in office darken the oval to the left of the word “YES.” If you are against retaining a judge in office, darken the oval to the left of the word “NO.” Do not try to punch through the ballot. Use only the marking device provided to you. If you tear, deface or make a mistake and incorrectly mark the ballot, return it to the Election Judges and obtain a new ballot.
IF YOU USE THE ELECTRONIC, TOUCH SCREEN VOTING MACHINE, follow the directions on the screen to cast your ballot. For each candidate, touch the box on the screen to the left of the name of the candidate of your choice. To vote on an amendment or proposition, if you are in favor of the amendment or proposition touch the box on the screen to the left of the word “YES.” If you are against an amendment or proposition, touch the box on the screen to the left of the word “NO.” To vote on a judge’s retention, if you are in favor of retaining a judge in office touch the box on the screen to the left of the word “YES.” If you are against retaining a judge in office, touch the box on the screen to the left of the word “NO.” If you need assistance in using the machine, please ask the Election Judges to help you.
MISSOURI COURT OF APPEALS JUDGES EASTERN DISTRICT
Shall Judge Kelly C. Broniec of the Eastern District Court of Appeals be retained in office?
Yes No
Shall Judge Thomas C. Clark, II of the Eastern District Court of Appeals be retained in office?
Yes No
Shall Judge Michael E. Gardner of the Eastern District Court of Appeals be retained in office?
Yes No
Shall Judge John P. Torbitzky of the Eastern District Court of Appeals be retained in office?
Yes No
CIRCUIT COURT JUDGES 22nd Judicial Circuit
Shall Judge Bryan L. Hettenbach, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22 (Division No. 11), be retained in office?
Yes No
Shall Judge Michael K. Mullen, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22 (Division No. 12), be retained in office?
Yes No
Shall Judge John T. Bird, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22 (Division No. 14), be retained in office?
Yes No
Shall Judge David C. Mason, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22 (Division No. 17), be retained in office?
Yes No
Shall Judge Christopher E. McGraugh, Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22 (Division No. 19), be retained in office?
Yes No
ASSOCIATE CIRCUIT COURT JUDGES
22nd Judicial Circuit
Shall Judge Barbara Tina Peebles, Associate Circuit Judge of Judicial Circuit No. 22 (Division No. 30), be retained in office?
Yes No
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NO. 1
Proposed by the 101st General Assembly (First Regular Session) (HCS HJR 35)
Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:
*allow the General Assembly to override the current constitutional restrictions of state investments by the state treasurer; and
* allow state investments in municipal securities possessing one of the top five highest long term ratings or the highest short term rating?
State governmental entities estimate no costs and increased interest revenue of $2 million per year. Local governmental entities estimate no costs and increased interest revenue of at least $34,000 per year. Yes – For the Amendment No – Against the Amendment
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
Submitted by John R. Ashcroft, Secretary of State, State of Missouri Shall there be a convention to revise and amend the Constitution? Yes No FOR MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION (Four-Year Term – Vote for Two) Dr. J. L. Quinones Emily Hubbard Donna R. Jones William (Bill) Monroe David L. Jackson, Jr. Write-In __________ Write-In __________ YOU HAVE NOW COMPLETED VOTING.
We,
Steve Butz – Dem Write-In __________
FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 82 (Vote for One)
Robert J. Crump - Rep
Donna M.C. Baringer – Dem Write-In __________
FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 84 (Vote for One) Del Taylor – Dem
Write-In __________
SPECIAL GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION FOR PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN (Unexpired Term – Vote for One)
Megan Ellyia Green
Jack Coatar
Write-In __________
FOR COLLECTOR OF REVENUE (Vote for One)
Robert Vroman – Rep
Gregory F.X. Daly - Dem
Write-In __________
FOR LICENSE COLLECTOR (Vote for One)
Michael Hebron - Rep Mavis (Tessa) Thompson - Dem
FOR RECORDER OF DEEDS (Vote for One)
Timothy Gartin - Rep
Michael Butler - Dem
Jerome H. Bauer – Grn
Write-In __________
MISSOURI SUPREME COURT JUDGES
Shall Judge Zel M. Fischer of the Missouri Supreme Court be retained in office? Yes No
Shall Judge Robin Ransom of the Missouri Supreme Court be retained in office? Yes No
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NO. 3
Proposed by Initiative Petition
Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:
*remove state prohibitions on purchasing, possessing, consuming, using, delivering, manufacturing, and selling marijuana for personal use for adults over the age of twenty-one;
* require a registration card for personal cultivation with prescribed limits;
*allow persons with certain marijuana-related non-violent offenses to petition for release from incarceration or parole and probation and have records expunged;
*establish a lottery selection process to award licenses and certificates; *issue equally distributed licenses to each congressional district; and *impose a six percent tax on the retail price of marijuana to benefit various programs?
State governmental entities estimate initial costs of $3.1 million, initial revenues of at least $7.9 million, annual costs of $5.5 million, and annual revenues of at least $40.8 million. Local governments are estimated to have annual costs of at least $35,000 and annual revenues of at least $13.8 million.
Yes – For the Amendment No – Against the Amendment
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NO. 4
Proposed by the 101st General Assembly (Second Regular Session) SS2 SJR 38
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to authorize laws, passed before December 31, 2026, that increase minimum funding for a police force established by a state board of police commissioners to ensure such police force has additional resources to serve its communities? State and local governmental entities estimate no additional costs or savings related to this proposal
Yes – For the Amendment No – Against the Amendment
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NO. 5
Proposed by the 101st General Assembly (Second Regular Session) HJR 116
Shall the Missouri National Guard currently under the Missouri Department of Public Safety be its own department, known as the Missouri Department of the National Guard, which shall be required to protect the constitutional rights and civil liberties of Missourians? State governmental entities estimate no savings and ongoing costs of $132,000 annually. Local governmental entitles estimate no costs or savings.
Yes – For the Amendment No – Against the Amendment
Continued from C1
good jokes off.”
He categorizes his jokes as abstract, with plot twists and reflections about life and current events.
His music acumen began when he was five.
“I’d listen to my dad’s tapes and CDs, then I’d start writing music to it,” he said.
“I would listen to songs and
replace the words by changing up certain lyrics to where it it was the same song but with different lyrics.”
Last year, he released the world’s first-ever double disc hip-hop and comedy album on New Year’s Eve. “The first half of the disc has 27 tracks of my music,” Edwards said. “The second half is comedy tracks recorded in front of a live audience at the Funny Bone.”
Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud channel on Sirius XM has
picked up his hip-hop comedy album. Edwards is hosting and performing the first battle rap event to grace Caroline’s on Broadway soon for the New York Comedy Festival.
“As long as I’m in my element of entertaining people, it’s all the same for me,” he said. “I’m a performer, I enjoy making people happy and anyway I do that is what makes me happy. That’s what I thrive off of.”
Edwards believes St. Louis is home to many talented people
and calls it a good place to start and hone your skills. But he he felt a move to New York was needed to nuture his talent.
“It’s a good growing space, you could really blossom and then once you hit the ceiling it’s time to go in search of more opportunities, exposure, and expansion,” he said.
“I had to leave the nest and just go. I saw life happening before me, saw everybody’s life changing. Everyday I was like ‘Where do I see myself in the next few years if I don’t
move?’” He drove 15 hours from St. Louis to the Bronx with $4,000. He landed an apartment through Craigslist and immediately began networking with other comics.
His first was not easy.. He paid thousands of dollars to receive specific licenses and take an UBER class because driveshare services are regulated like taxis.
“I didn’t have a place to stay out there for a bit. I would sleep in my whip,” he said
“The last thing I was gonna do was go back to St. Louis. I looked at it as it was all part of the process and I had to do what it takes to make it. I endured it and would eventually find a way.”
After five years in New York he says he is happy and grateful to have overcome obstacles. Edwards is accessible on all platforms as Reggie Edwards. Edwards is headlining six shows for Westport Funny Bone, Oct. 27-30.
her girlfriend, but she says in actuality it was the opposite.
She added a lot of what viewers saw on the show that was minimized because she and the other women were in the mansion for months and production only shows what they want people to see.
“We didn’t have access to the radio, cellphones, TVs,” she said.
“What feels like a month to somebody else, one day felt like a month because you’re literally spending 24 hours with strangers.”
Her manager, Cheryl Martin, CMA Entertainment, has placed Booth in her first breakout acting role on Rap Sh!t. The
show follows the journey of Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), two lifelong friends from high school onthe-rise to becoming rap superstars. The HBO Max series is created by “Insecure”’s Issa Rae and executive produced by her and Miami-based hip-hop duo JT and Yung Miami of City Girls.
Booth stars as Chastity in the series also known as the Duke of Miami and a party promoter living a double life as a sex work manager. She sees the similarity between her and Chastity because both are ambitious types of women.
“Chastity she wants to win, she wants to get there however it looks,” she said. “She’s just trying, that’s where I see the similarities because I want to succeed and I’m ambitious. I’m going for the things that people
are scared to go for. I’m excited to see where I can take Chastity in the second season.”
She said working with Rae has been an honor and how she’s seen on screen and in
comics in 1940), a squad of modern-day heroes, is determined to catch and detain the angry rebel.
The JSA is directed by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), who zooms in her commands remotely to the team: Hawkman (Aldis Hodge, One Night in Miami…), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan, Goldeneye), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo)
and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell). Teth Adam, aka Black Adam, will not go quietly. Neither will the enemies of the Kahndaq people. The premise turns into a serviceable narrative that gives the mighty ones and their foes plenty to fight over for 2h 4m.
Collet-Serra’s background in videos helps him make the footage kinetic. Aerial chases, fights, kidnappings and explosions abound, though none are that dissimilar from those depicted in any other movie of this genre.
Average audiences might not
care, but hardcore Comic Con heads may feel that Adam’s flying is too tell-tale CGI and that there’s no excuse for cheesy effects in a film with a $200M budget. The fight scenes are filmed decently (cinematographer Lawrence Sher, Joker) and the film’s depiction of early life in Kahndaq has been shot in an evocative hue. The city’s exteriors and interiors (Tom Meyer, Finch) conjure the Middle East/ North Africa region, everyday clothes from olden to modern times (Kurt and Bart, Deadpool 2)reflect the locals and the
media is true to who she really is.
“Its surreal to work with her,” she said. “I admire her, I’m a fan of her and I aspire to be like her. I’m excited to keep
crusaders’ costumes are lavish enough to fit the bill.
Loud music piques feelings (Lorne Balfe, Black Widow) and credit editors Mike Sale and John Lee for giving the footage momentum that rarely wanes. The cast is energized. Mohammed Amer (TV’s Ramy series) as Adrianna’s brother and driver Karim provides comic relief and Bodhi Sabongui, as her spunky son, should appeal to kids, tweens and teens. When you need someone to be the bad guy, actor Marwan Kenzari (Aladdin) knows how to pour on seething, hissing villainy
being around her, I learn so much from her.”
Booth encourages St. Louisans who still reside in the city and who aspire to achieve similar accomplishments as her to be fearless and not be afraid to go out there and see the world.
“Can’t be scared, we only know the south side, the north side, Central West End,” Booth said. “It’s a whole world out here. and we deserve to be in the world as well. We might be big in St. Louis but it’s a
liked a viper. All the members of the JSA have verve, though the powers of Atom Smasher and Cyclone possess are unimpressive.
Johnson, over the course of a 21-year, up-and-down movie career, has built a prolific actioner resume. Looks like a wrestler, struts like a movie star and acts like he could kick anyone’s ass. Here, he’s in his glory. The lighting on his face and physique deifies him. The skintight reptile-looking costume highlights a Mr. Olympia fit body. His glare could stop a loco-
whole world. Let’s go see it and explore it. Just try, take that trip, check those flights. It’s an airport in St. Louis for a reason.”
Rap Sh!t has been picked up for a second season, no release date has been announced yet. Booth said she plans to have a watch party in St. Louis for the second season. She hasn’t revealed a date or any other details yet.
“Thank God we got cleared for season two,” she said. “I hope my city is all tuned in and supports the show. It’s a great show you’re gonna find somebody you can relate to. Issa’s phenomenal. I’m with her we’re rooting for everybody Black, it’s Black Excellence. Booth currently resides in Los Angeles and can be found on all social media platforms under Jonica Booth.
motive. Johnson’s performance stands atop a high mountain peak, while the script, direction and special effects are left on a plateau. This comic book adaptation is not in the same league as The Dark Knight (visually stunning), Wonder Woman (fresh and surprising), Black Panther (monumental) or Deadpool (deeply depraved). Yet it’s distinguished itself just enough to satiate movie goers, entertain streaming audiences and warrant further integration into the DC universe.
