St. LouiS AmericAn
Prop R coalition turns in over 38,000 petition signatures
Activist and former candidate for Missouri Secretary of State, Yinka Faleti, speaks Monday, Sept. 20, outside the St. Louis Board of Elections office prior to Reform St. Louis turning in over 38,000 petition signatures in support of a proposition that would reform the Board of Aldermen and the ward redistricting process.
Effort to reform ward reduction, redistricting process
By Dana Rieck
As the end of the year nears, the St. Louis Board of Alderman will be faced with a monumental task: redrawing ward districts based on 2020 census data to cut the number of wards in half, from 28 to 14. In response to this, Reform St. Louis on Monday turned in over 38,000 petition signatures in support of a proposition that would shift that responsibility to an independent citizen redistricting commission. The signatures were submitted just a few days after a ward-by-ward analysis of 2020 census data
was released to the Board of Aldermen by the city Planning and Urban Design Agency. Activists now expect the proposition to be voted on by city residents in February during a special election.
“Independent commissions — not bipartisan commissions but independent commissions — are the gold standard for ensuring a transparent, citizen-driven redistricting process,” said Benjamin Singer, executive director of Show Me Integrity, the organization spearheading Reform St. Louis.
Singer later clarified, saying a bipartisan
n “Independent commissions — not bipartisan commissions but independent — commissions are the gold standard for ensuring a transparent, citizen-driven redistricting process.”
– Benjamin Singer, executive director of Show Me Integrity
Rep. Collins: ‘Use of Homer G. Phillips ‘slap in the face’
By Dana Rieck and Alvin A. Reid The St.
State Rep. Kimberley-Ann Collins says its “crazy” that a three-bed urgent care center on the city’s northside could even be considered a hospital and vows to keep fighting use of the name Homer G. Phillips on the facility.
“Homer G. Phillips Hospital has always been a strong name in The Ville neighborhood, and it just kind of came out of the blue that they were going to utilize the name in the 5th ward for a three-bedroom clinic,” she said.
“We have tried to fight it in different ways, and there’s still a current fight going on now. We don’t want to give up. It’s a prestigious name. It was a medical institute that trained thousands of Black doctors and nurses. I mean, it had its own nursing school. It hired Black people.”
She is irate that developer Paul McKee would “take [Homer G. Phillips’] name and not get community input, and not even tell the community who live in The Ville.”
Collins said she, Michael Burns, president of Northside Community Housing, and others fighting his use of the name have attempted to contact McKee to no avail. The St. Louis American has also attempted to contact McKee and has not received a reply.
The 3-bed facility would be adjacent to a planned Ponce Health Sciences Hospital, whose president is Dr. David Lenihan, who
By Dana Rieck
By Sophie Hurwitz The St. Louis American
Photo by Bill Greenblatt / St. Louis American
The St. Louis American
State
Kimberly-Ann
Sheena Hamilton
Bill
Sarah Dash, a founding member of Labelle, dead at 76
Sarah Dash, co-founding member of the R&B/rock group Labelle, famous for the song “Lady Marmalade” died on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021, at 76.
“We were just onstage together on Saturday [Sept. 18] and it was such a powerful and special moment,” Patti Labelle said in a statement. “Sarah Dash was an awesomely talented, beautiful and loving soul who blessed my life and the lives of so many others in more ways than I can say. I could always count on her to have my back. That’s who Sarah was ... a loyal friend and a voice for those who didn’t have one.
“She was a true giver, always serving and sharing her talent and time. I am heartbroken, as I know all of her loved ones and fans are. But I know that Sarah’s spirit and all that she has given to the world lives on. And I pray that her precious memory brings us peace and comfort. Rest in power my dear sister. I love you always!”
The biggest hit of her career with Labelle is “Lady Marmalade,” from the group’s 1974 album Nightbirds, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles
(now Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs) charts. It was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003 and the National Recording Registry in 2020.
Comedian and actor AJ Johnson dead at 55
According to his representative LyNea Bell comedian and actor Anthony “AJ” Johnson, known for his character Ezel in “Friday,” has died at age 55.
“The world of comedy has truly been shaken, again. Our BH Talent family is heartbroken about the loss of the iconic legend of stage and screen Mr. Anthony “AJ” Johnson,” Bell said in a statement. “He has left with us amazing memories of his laughter, dynamic acting skills, but most of all his enormous personality and heart of gold.”
A cause of death hasn’t been confirmed.
Johnson also starred in “House Party,” “Menace II Society,” “Lethal Weapon 3,” “The Players Club,” and “B.A.P.S.”
On television he starred on “Martin” and “Malcolm & Eddie.”
His Friday co-star Ice Cube tribute to him, saying, “Sad to wake up to the news about AJ Johnson passing away. Naturally funny dude who was straight outta Compton at the same time. Sorry I couldn’t bring your character Ezal back to the big screen in ‘Last Friday’...”
He is survived by his wife Lexis, three children and two siblings.
New Ben & Jerry flavor supports Cori Bush bill
Ben & Jerry’s has announced a new flavor whose proceeds will support U.S. Rep. Cori Bush’s proposed $10-billion, anti-police bill that would substitute police with social workers in some circumstances.
A portion of the proceeds from “Change is Brewing,” will be donated to grassroots organizations working to change public safety in America.
Once customers reach the website to purchase the ice cream, they are persuaded to “Join the Movement for Black Lives and support the People’s Response Act!”
Customers can sign up for emails and mailings about the bill.
The limited edition flavor is a cold brew coffee ice cream with marshmallow swirls and fudge brownies.
“The flavor supports the vision of the world in which every community is safe and everyone including Black and brown people can thrive,” Jabari , Ben & Jerry’s US activism manager said at a press conference alongside Bush on Monday, Sept.
The flavor was developed in collaboration with Black-owned coffee and tea company Blk & Bold and New York’s Greyston Bakery. Artist Laci Jordan designed the
graphic on the pint which features a Black woman painting the word “liberation.”
Ben & Jerry’s is also partnering with the Movement for Black Lives on the release of the new flavor.
Nelly receives “I Am Hip Hop” honor
Nelly will be honored with “I Am Hip Hop” recognition at the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards. Ten years ago, he presented the honor to LL Cool J Grandmaster Flash, Salt ‘N’ Pepa, MC Lyte, Scarface, Lil Wayne, Lil Kim and Master P have also received the honor.
“I am honored to receive this award and humbled to be in such great company of past artists who have received this award,” Nelly said in a press release. “I have been blessed to work with some incredible people in my career, making 22 years go by in the blink of an eye. This award isn’t just about Nelly; it is about my fans, BET, and the people
Creve Coeur park renamed in honor of pioneering Black doctor
Black opthamologist
H. Phillip Venable was forced out of neighborhood
By Sophie Hurwitz
The St. Louis American
In the St. Louis suburb of Creve Coeur, there is a park at the end of a quiet residential lane across from Spoede Elementary School. Its fields, pavilion and playground structures, however, sit on top of a history of racism: it is built on land where pioneering Black opthamologist Howard Phillip Venable and his family were forced out before building their home, though they bought the land and had every right to build the house and the life they’d planned on there.
The Venables fought their case in court against Creve Coeur in the late 1950s and lost to the city’s eminent domain claim. To add insult to injury, the park the city built on the Venables’ former land was named Beirne Park, after Mayor John Beirne, who used all power available to him (and $25,000 of funding raised by those neighbors who did not want the Venables in their neighborhood) to prevent the Venables from moving in.
A group of neighbors learned of the park’s history in 2019, and a movement quickly grew to rename the park in honor of Dr. Venable instead of Beirne.
Barry Glantz, Mayor of Creve Coeur at the time, remembered a November 2019 “Coffee with
the Mayor” he held to discuss the issue.
“Hundreds of people packed the seats of the auditorium that night,” he said.“Usually when coffee with the mayor had that many people it meant that I’d done something wrong...but that night I think we did something right.”
Even Beirne’s son agreed that the park should no longer carry his father’s name.
Members of the Venable family — now dispersed across the country — got involved in the effort, as did the current government of Creve Coeur, anxious to make some sort of amends for what their predecessors did.
Without much ado, the sign reading “Beirne Park” was replaced with one reading “Venable Memorial Park” two years ago. But the official rededication ceremony of the park didn’t happen until Saturday, having been pushed back several times during the pandemic. Plans to construct a memorial within the park are ongoing, current Mayor Robert Hoffman said.
“This was created by a community, and it takes an entire community to start to correct the mistakes of the past,” said Creve Coeur City Council member Heather Silverman.
“People must understand what happened here.”
Six members of the extended Venable family returned to the park Saturday to tell stories of Uncle Howard, a trailblazing
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Black doctor who worked at the Homer G. Phillips hospital. As Dr. Rossalind Yvonne Venable Woodhouse, Venable’s niece and eldest living relative, put it, “So many people here are surprised to be here, and I am among that group.”
“Uncle, we are so excited about this occasion. We feel it was overdue, but certainly warranted,” she added, addressing the memory of Dr. Venable directly.
The family continued to tell his stories: how he’d always make his nieces and nephews spell ‘opthamologist’ when they met, how he was a professional jazz trumpet player that performed with Duke Ellington, how he was a tireless advocate for social justice and promoter of equal employment for Black doctors in area hospitals.
The family was then presented with commemorative plaques by members of the Creve Coeur government and the Venable Park Working Group, a multiracial coalition from within the community which has been working on this issue.
Venable brought his family from Detroit to St. Louis in 1943, as the hospital offered internships and residencies for Black doctors that were inaccessible elsewhere. A coalition of former nurses from Homer G., as it is known, came to pay their respects to Dr. Venable, too — days after members of that same coalition spoke out against developer Paul McKee’s recent construction of an urgent care clinic bearing Homer G. Phillips’ name. Uplifted by his time at Homer G. Phillips, Venable became a world-renowned ophthalmologist, and one of the only Black opthamologists in the nation at the time.
“He had little patience for weak-kneed advocates who keeled over at the first sign of resistance,” remembered Washington University physician and St. Louis Joint Board of Health Chairman Will Ross, who knew Venable for 10 years. “He was a man steeped in social justice.
“He left a legacy worthy of two lifetimes.”
Photo by Sophie Hurwitz
Dr. Rossalind Yvonne Venable Woodhouse, niece of the late Dr. H. Phillip Venable, displays her plaque as other members of the Venable family received theirs during a ceremony renaming a Creve Coeur park in her uncle’s name on Sept. 18, 2021.
Editorial
More St. Louisans should let Paul McKee know he is wrong
The absolute arrogance of developer Paul McKee to name his three-bed urgent care center “Homer G. Phillips Hospital” is breathtaking. It is a perfect example of a wealthy, tone-deaf male strutting his white privilege and perceived dominance over a neighborhood that he has been responsible for ruining.
The first definition of “hospital” in the dictionary is “a charitable institution for the needy, aged, or ill.” I’m pretty sure that McKee’s clinic won’t be a charitable institution. So not only is his latest venture disrespectful, it is dishonest. The fact that he has not heeded the pleas of members of the Black community to change the name speaks volumes about the character of this man.
On behalf of all white people who recognize and honor the contributions of the late Homer G. Phillips and the “real” hospital that was named after him, I am sorry and ashamed.
Barbara L. Finch
Our region’s public discussion about its longtime consternation about race usually addresses large, high profile and explosive events. These highly visible events, some local, some national and beyond, cross a range including immigration (see the nation’s racially discriminatory and abusive treatment of Haitians at the Texas border, where Governor Greg Abbott has sent a fleet of state-owned vehicles to serve as a barricade along the border with Mexico), news about a Black person who is the first of their race in their field to break the color barrier (most recently Sheena Hamilton was named the first Black woman to serve as St. Louis City Counselor), hateful language spray-painted on a storefront, Confederate flags flown defiantly, a Confederate monument being torn down or police misconduct (Woodson Terrace police used a K9 unit to attack an unarmed Black man).
Yet, more often than not, people speak about their families, co-workers, neighborhoods or churches more privately. Given Black St. Louis’ Jim Crow past, it means that when the word “race” comes up, many Blacks think about white privilege and bias against Blacks that includes disrespect for their traditions and achievements. Rather than seek to understand, our cultural icons are pushed to the fringe—or in the case of the name and history of Homer G. Phillips Hospital, diminished or reduced in significance and value. Some resentment and distrust around racial issues is not just about material disparities but also about disrespect. Whether an action is intentional or based on limited awareness, it can still be seen as inconsiderate and be hurtful. Granted, there has been some positive change in America — race is increasingly seen by more and more people in less stark terms. But when there is a conscious decision to ignore intense and heartfelt concerns
about the use of the name of a highly-respected person, an individual considered important and an institution regarded as central to the lives and aspirations of thousands of Black people and their well being, it raises a serious question.
Why does developer Paul McKee refuse to explain why he persists in his appropriation of the name of Homer G. Phillips Hospital for his minuscule three-bed health facility? Tell the concerned St. Louis Black community why you persist.
There is already great distrust and suspicion of developer McKee and the promises he made in 2009, when he went public with his massive Northside Regeneration Project that gave him control of over 1,500 acres in North St. Louis and a right to hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential public development subsidies.
Unfortunately, he still has effective control of the large parcel of land that surrounds the new massive new National Geospatial Agency project, and anyone who wants to develop anything on the Pruitt-Igoe site has to deal with McKee and his banks. Meanwhile, the record shows that most of the remaining properties owned by McKee have continued to decay, decline in value and see deteriorating living conditions for the remaining residents.
We are living in a moment in this region when so many people and institutions say that despite the current toxic political environment, they want to improve racial relations. That means they must not be indifferent to issues, usually outside their realm, that hamper achieving the region’s goals for greater economic growth and shared prosperity.
McKee was asked to reconsider his ill-advised recalcitrance about naming this mini project after Homer G. Phillips Hospital over a year and a half ago in this newspaper and in The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He has stubbornly refused to even discuss this issue publicly.
While Black St. Louis should not dislike unequivocally any person based on race, there is nothing wrong with the special feelings of affection for other Black people and our shared history and institutions.
As a matter of fact. it would be astonishing if Black people did not — as Randall Kennedy, a professor at Harvard Law School says rightly in a report in The Atlantic magazine’s May 1997 issue —”something would be wrong with me if I did not sense and express racial pride...racial loyalty and racial solidarity.”
More St. Louisans should let Paul McKee know he is wrong to maintain, inexplicably, a position that so many find arrogant and selfish. However, more importantly, it represents a harmful, inconsiderate attitude about racial symbolism that is out of step with the times and a detriment to greater progress and collaboration based on mutual respect.
As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues
Dems would ‘rather lead a wrong doing life’
How should one comprehend what’s happening today in American politics, and the arch of American history that brought us to this moment? How can a Democratic President and a Democratically controlled House and Senate pass a physical infrastructure bill, yet can’t or won’t pass an urgently needed human infrastructure bill or voting rights bill?
On a recent St. Louis Public Radio podcast, Politically Speaking with Jason Rosenbaum, I commented, “If you’re Black in America doing politics, Republicans have a tendency to be existential enemies. And white Democrats are totally unreliable.” This observation about Republicans is self-evident unless you’re the character Stephen in “D’Jango Unchained” or Clarence Thomas or Tim Scott. But what about white Democrats? Why are they always a day late and a dollar short when it comes to the issues that are critical?
I’ve always politically divided white America into two groups. There are white folks who know better. There are white folks who won’t do better. Whenever America is at a moral or political fork in the road, the question remains the same. What are white folks who know better willing to do about white folks who won’t do better?
What do you call it when white folks who know better agree with the white folks who won’t do better?
There’s a one-word answer, bipartisan. Bipartisanship is agreement or cooperation
between political parties that usually oppose each other’s policies. The compromises are called bipartisan if they reconcile the desires of both parties from an original version of legislation or some other proposal. If Thomas Jefferson’s 1776 Declaration of Independence was the casus belli for the American Revolution, James Madison’s 1787 Constitution is the raison d’être of American government and politics. American politics has been a 244-year exercise in reconciling the irreconcilable differences of white America.
Columnist Mike Jones
Usually, but not always, when white America finds itself at moral forks in the road, it concerns the condition or status of Black people. It always concerns the condition or status of some marginalized group. Black people in America mistakenly believe that the moral/ political dilemmas that white America wrestles with are about us. Nothing could be further from the truth. These existential questions are always about who they believe, or who they want to believe, themselves to be. This lack of definitional clarity is why we misunderstand arguments about slavery. Because we were the enslaved people, we think they’re arguing about
us. The argument was about the system of chattel slavery and its proper role in the nascent United States. No matter which side of the argument, nobody was arguing for justice or the humane treatment of enslaved Black people.
The fundamental dilemma at the founding of the country was the political reconciliation of slavery. Enslaved Black people were the human sacrifice that made the constitutional compromise that birthed the United States possible.
From the inception of the Constitution until 1860, almost every major political argument and compromise was about medicating, not resolving, the status of slavery. If the Civil War settled the status of slavery, it didn’t settle the status of Black people. After a heroic, but brief attempt at multiracial democracy, America tired of the effort.
In order to restore national unity (white unity), newly emancipated Black Americans were sacrificed to 100 years of Jim Crow apartheid. The Compromise of 1877 was a classic example of American political bipartisanship.
Luther Ingram’s R&B classic “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right” has a lyric that explains bipartisanship, and why Democrats who know better feel compelled to accommodate Republicans who won’t do better.
If loving you is wrong, I don’t wanna be right. If being right means being without you, I’d rather lead a wrong doing life.
Commentary
Happy Birthday to Alexander Lucius Twilight
By Michael Coard
Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021, would be the 226th birthday of Alexander Lucius Twilight — the first Black person to graduate from an American college or university. This historic event took place in 1823 at Middlebury College, a private liberal arts school in Vermont. Intellectualism ain’t new to Black folks. It’s based in ancient Africa and continues in HBCUs.
Not only is Africa the birthplace of humanity in that Africans were the first humans on this planet beginning 200,000 years ago in the Nile Valley region of East Africa, Africa is also the birthplace of algebra (by Ahmes), calculus (by Tishome), and geometry (by Tacokoma). All were conceived in Egypt/Kemet (which is North Africa) around 1500 BC.
The “Father of Medicine” wasn’t Hippocrates, a Greek born in 450 BC. It was Imhotep, an Egyptian/Kemite who lived around 2,200 years earlier in 2680 B.C. And writing (hieroglyphs/medu neter) was developed in Egypt/Kemet around 4000 BC. Also, the world’s first astronomical site was built around 7500 B.C. at Nabta Playa in Egypt/Kemet.
And HBCUs, which comprise less than 3% of this country’s colleges and universities, have produced the following:
• 80% of Black judges
• 70% of Black dentists and physicians
• 60% of Black engineering degree holders
• 50% of Black lawyers
• 50% of Black teachers
• 40% of Black engineers, health professionals, STEM degree holders, and Black members who have served in Congress
Having said all of that, allow me to discuss Twilight.
Born in Bradford, Vermont on Sept. 23, 1795, Twilight was the third of six children. He became an educator, school principal, minister, and Vermont state representative. When he was elected to that position, he made history as the only Black person ever elected to any state legislature prior to the Civil War.
Twilight’s mother and father were known as mulattoes and are described in the Corinth, Vermont census as “the first negroes to settle in Corinth.”
His paternal grandfather was Black and paternal grandmother was white.
Twilight began learning to read, write, and do math while employed (not enslaved) on a neighboring farm beginning at the young age of 8. He eventually became proficient in those areas. He saved enough money from that job to enroll — at age 20 — at Randolph’s Orange County Grammar School in 1815. In August of 1821, after completing four years of secondary school courses and two
Letters to the editor
Where is compassion for Black Haitians?
Well, now we have seen what we thought we would never see. A Democratic administration that is using the worst practices of slavery to round up Haitian refugees. Yes, those were American border agents running down Haitians seeking the life-saving sanctuary promised by the iconic words on the Statue of Liberty. It seems that “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe Free”, does not pertain to Black Haitians. Instead, the Haitian refugees at the Del Rio border in Texas, are fed barking dogs, men on horseback with ropes, and the prospect of immediate deportation. We thank the current Director of Homeland Security for providing TPS (Temporary Protective Status) to Haitians currently in the country. Unfortunately, it’s only for 18 months. It is with disappointment and disillusion that we must look at the current administration,
years of a college-level curriculum at the Randolph School, he enrolled in Middlebury College. And he was able to enroll despite Middlebury being a “white men only” school. Two years later in 1823, Twilight graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree — thereby making him the first Black person to graduate from an American college or university. He began his teaching career in New York while successfully studying to become a licensed minister. He later returned to Vermont to teach and preach and ultimately was hired there as principal of the Orleans County Grammar School. In 1836, he campaigned for and won a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives — again making history. On June 19, 1857, at the age of 61, following complications from a stroke and partial paralysis two years earlier, Twilight, a married man with no children, passed away and became a revered ancestor. As previously mentioned in this article, Middlebury College was a “white men only” school. So how was Twilight allowed in? The answer is simple. As a very light-skinned Black man, he shrewdly and strategically “passed” for white. On Sept. 23, say “Happy 226th Birthday, ancestor Alexander Lucius Twilight.” Michael Coard is a Philadelphia area journalist, and he can be followed at AvengingTheAncestors. com. This column originally appeared in the Philadelphia Tribune.
All letters are edited for length and style.
while they allow the Del Rio tragedy to unfold. We call upon President Joe Biden, to live up to the promise that America offers others fleeing inhospitable countries. As we see it, either America is open for legal and safe paths to those seeking asylum, or it’s a land of empty gestures. We ask, which one will history determine was the real America?
Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten, Ph.D. Ecumenical Leadership Council of Mo—St. Louis Chapter President
Correction
In the story “Alderman accused of harassing Black deacon,” Deacon Charles Chatman does in fact get paid per signature, just not as much as Alderman Joe Vaccaro claimed. Proposition R will be on the ballot in February 2022, not November 2021.
Guest Columnist Michael Coard
University City Schools Superintendent Sharonica Hardin helps kindergartner Rikayla Huey, 6, with her new Adidas tennis shoes Monday, Sept. 20, 2021 at Barbara C. Jordan Elementary School. The shoes were donated by local non profit Sneakers With Soul. More than 160 kindergarteners in the district received a pair of shoes.
ArchWell Health opens first of four senior health centers
St. Louis American staff
ArchWell Health of Ferguson is now open at 199 North Florissant Road with a mission of serving Medicare eligible seniors.
Future ArchWell Health centers will be located at 315 Aubert Avenue and 4650 Chippewa in the city, and 9150 Overland Plaza in Overland.
Dr. Janell Wilson, the St. Louis market medical director, moves from her role as area director of Conviva Care Solutions, where she led a team of more than 20 providers.
lacking access to quality primary care,” according to Dr. Michael Lipp, ArchWell chief medical officer.
“I will spend time at all of the centers in St. Louis providing support to the physicians and providers. I truly enjoy this opportunity to work with such a diverse and valuable part of our population – seniors – who have so much wisdom, faith, and knowledge to share,” she said.
“Helping seniors to live their best lives as they move on to another chapter of experiences is a privilege and an honor.”
The centers are among the first to be opened in the U.S., and will “deliver an advanced, senior-only care model in state-of-the-art facilities to neighborhoods
The centers will provide primary care for seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, and offer transportation, 24-hour service, sameday appointments, specialty and ancillary services, social workers and nutritionists.
ArchWell’s plan is to have a lower patientto-doctor ratio than current national averages, and its physicians and care teams are specifically trained to care for seniors, according to a release.
Carl Whitmer, co-founder and CEO, said “the healthcare needs of the senior population are often multi-faceted, so our goal is to establish long-term relationships to monitor and respond to physical and emotional needs for achieving the best quality of life.”
“Outreach teams will be active in community events and working with community groups, senior organizations, religious organizations like churches, and other organizations to reach seniors in need,” Lipp said.
“We are thrilled to be bringing together a team of excellent, caring primary care providers to begin serving our patients in our communities.”
When privilege clouds judgement on COVID-19 safety
By Stephanie Gooch
“Self-preservation is the first law of nature.”,
I can hear those words that my father said to me as a child. I thought it was just a witty quote daddy would say, well into my adulthood. They have become words to live by, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ironically, he retired from a career that has a goal of preserving life. He was a St. Louis Metropolitan police officer. Rules are set in place with a goal of aiming to protect. Unfortunately, many people feel they are there to simply cause inconvenience.
Their focus is on social hinderance, rather than sustaining existence. I have travelled from south St. Louis County to mid-county to west county for employment and have had very different experiences than those encountered in my own back yard of north St. Louis and north St. Louis County.
I have travelled to Arnold and been forced to work in proximity with people who refuse to wear masks. Some often feel the need to give me uneducated reasons why masks will not help reduce transmission of COVID-19.
I have been asked to not wear a mask, which risks my safety and the safety of others, when doing political campaigning in Ballwin to make residents whose homes I approach, feel comfortable. As if my Blackness was not already an issue with some of them.
I have been viewed with suspicion and often looked at the floor to avoid cold stares when I travelled to St. Peters. I am inconveniencing them simply because I choose to wear a mask, which is frowned upon within their community. I often find myself concluding that if we had a disaster, such as exposure to radiation from a nuclear war, many people would risk being burned to a crisp simply because they do not want to be socially inconvenienced.
My experiences have demonstrated to me that privilege can cloud judgement even when it comes to sustaining life. It was a relief to return to work with Metropolitan Strategies and Solutions, where my boss Kiara Lewis is stringent about wearing masks and slowing the spread of COVID19.
She has offered extensive training on how to properly wear the masks and teaches how to properly utilize the wire in surgical masks to ensure the proper snug fit. She emphasizes the importance of covering your nose to ensure proper protection.
It is our culture and vast knowledge that has kept us alive during slavery, under the most inhumane conditions.
Basic sanitation practices have inspired and transformed the health care field. Gone are the days when one of two surgical patients would die simply because doctors would not practice hand washing and sterilization techniques before performing these surgeries.
As the pandemic continues, I urge you to hold fast to your culture and the things that have been instilled in us for centuries, even when we were deemed unintelligent. Hold fast to these obvious evidence-based practices to safely bring us through this pandemic
Please wear a mask and avoid abandoning this practice to make others comfortable. In the words of John Bowman, president of the NAACP St. Louis County chapter, “It’s not political—It’s critical!”
Stephanie Gooch is a political researcher with Metropolitan Strategies & Solutions and Pristine Strategies.
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Stephanie Gooch
Dr. Janell Wilson
of Washington University,” Pollard said, “You’re going back from the days that it was a streetcar university to its international stature today, in the space of two generations. The people who have been a part of that university have worked very hard and very successfully to get to that point.”
He was named to the board in December 2018, close to when Chancellor Andrew D. Martin, began his tenure. As a member of the board, part of Pollard’s job is to monitor the university’s investment portfolio and endowment. And as a Wash U press release announced Monday, their Managed Endowment Pool has generated a record 65% return for the 2020-21 fiscal year. Under the leadership of Scott L. Wilson, the university’s chief investment officer, the MEP has exceeded expectations for the past four years, and now has a value of $15.3 billion as of the close of the fiscal year on June 30, 2021. Martin, for his part, is grateful to the university’s investment managers for making this happen.
“Since becoming chancellor almost two years ago, I have been focused on taking the necessary steps to fulfill our promise to make Washington University a place where all students can have access to a world-class educational experience,” Martin said.
“This remarkable return will allow us to take a huge step forward, and I look forward to sharing our plans with our university community in the coming weeks. Again, I am extremely grateful to Scott Wilson and our WUIMC team for making this moment possible.”
Park place
From
enjoyed a lemonade on a hot Saturday, Sept. 18 at the Kirkwood Greentree Festival. It was the 60th Greentree Festival, and it returned to Kirkwood Park after a COVID-19 shutdown in 2020.
Pollard, a partner at Duane Morris LLP in New York, said a great deal of this growth has to do with Martin’s vision for the school. Pollard said Martin, “has brought in new people, new positions. And he is engaged, not just internally, but a part of his vision for the university involves its participation in the greater St. Louis community, as well. So that should be an exciting and interesting time.”
Counselor
Continued from A1
Melba Moore who served as acting health director from 2015 to 2018.
The city counselor’s appointment was then followed by the appointment of two other Black women to Jones’ administration — Fredericka S. McGlown as director of the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) and Betherny Williams as Streets
So, with its rapidly increasing endowment, Washington University is moving back in some ways towards its “streetcar university” days - at least in the sense of being a school embedded in and lifting up its
Department director. Williams will be the first Black woman to lead the Streets Department. Both women are scheduled to start within the next two weeks. “I have been very deliberate and intentional on the appointments that I’ve made in key positions, and these leadership positions reflect [that],” Jones told The American. “And I’m hopeful that the legacy will be that these women work across departments to lift up the services that we offer, to offer a more robust menu of services, no matter what department
surrounding communities.
“One of the things Chancellor Martin has done...in his inaugural address, he talks about providing educational opportunities for people who graduate from high schools in the metropolitan area,” Pollard said.
“He wants the university to support the development of opportunities for people who live in and around St. Louis.”
Those opportunities can look like Wash U’s University College, which was started decades ago as a night
they’re in, and that they lead with integrity and also lead with professionalism.”
Jones said as a Black woman in leadership she knows that Black women bring all their life experiences to leadership positions.
“So, I am hopeful that these women will lead from a place centering equity and centering issues that they directly experience as Black women like sexism, racism, misogyny and try to break down those barriers that have prohibited people from succeeding in their city,”
school and is now a part-time degree-granting option for working adults. It can also look like the contributions made by the medical school, towards which a great deal of this endowment growth will according to Pollard be going.
The relationship between the university and the community, Pollard said, is “multi-focal.”
The school draws a share of its students from the St. Louis metropolitan area (about 30% of students, according to the university’s website, come from the Midwest as a region,
the mayor said. While Hamilton is the first Black woman to serve as the city’s chief lawyer, Judge Ronnie L. White made history in 1993 when he became the city’s first Black city counselor serving under the city’s first Black mayor, Freeman Bosley Jr.
White had served three terms in the Missouri House of Representatives before working for the city and then in 1995 he was appointed by Gov. Mel Carnahan to the Supreme Court of Missouri, making him the first Black person to serve on that court.
Hamilton also follows the
though all but 10% are from out of state). And the school is a major area employer, with over 4,000 employees in the faculty alone.
The medical school provides doctors to the string of hospitals along Kingshighway, and the school is a major real estate holder in University City and the Central West End. “So, how the university is going to evolve — you can look at all of these things, and you can talk about the impact on St. Louis.”
In the short term, Pollard said, the newly robust endow-
first woman to become city counselor, Patti Hageman, who is white. She was appointed by Mayor Francis Slay in 2001 and served his administration for 13 years.
Hamilton intends to start out by getting to know everyone and their roles. She believes her biggest challenge will be dealing with the city charter and the reorganization desired by community groups and activists.
ment is good news for the student population at Wash U: it means security in the school’s ability to provide scholarship funding and pay its instructors, and is in general “a cushion to its budgets.”
And in the long term, “The growth of the endowment... is just a means to the end,” Pollard said, that end being “The increase in educational opportunities, the education of students, and the principle reason for the existence of the academy, the advancement of knowledge.”
“That really is going to be a huge undertaking and a big task,” Hamilton said. “So that’s one where I [think] there will be a lot of people that you have to talk to and get to know what the issues are from the people who are kind of boots-onthe-ground and analyze those issues. That’ll be a big project.” Jones echoed that sentiment.
“I think the biggest challenge for all of our appointees is we are going to be looking at our city government through a different lens and making sure that we lift the needs of racial equity and put that at the center,” Jones said.
“This is a big ship, and it’s going to be hard because change is not always welcome and change is hard. And so I am committed to making sure that we leave our government better than we found it.”
left, Elijah Moy, Corvin Muchitello, Marlowe Black and Maxine Moy
Photo by Alvin A. Reid / St. Louis American
Prop R
commission is when partisan insiders are appointed, half Democratic and half Republican, like in Missouri’s legislature. But, he said, a truly independent commission isn’t composed of partisan appointees.
City voters approved the ward reduction in a 2012 election, which stipulated that the new 14 wards would be redrawn after the 2020 census. It laid out a plan in which the first election in the newly drawn wards would be held in 2023 for all wards and aldermanic president. Oddnumbered wards would start with two-year terms, to stay in line with the election schedule set by the city’s charter in 1915. The board president and even-numbered wards would run during that initial election for a full four-year term.
Data released by the city last week showed that the seven North St. Louis wards with majority Black populations all saw significant (over 20%) population decreases from 2010 to 2020:
The city as a whole experienced a 5.6% drop in population in the last decade, taking it from 319,294 to 301,578.
Several activists spoke Monday outside the city’s board of elections building on behalf of Reform St. Louis before they turned in the 38,000 signatures. A large focus was on the concern that Black and minority representation could be at stake in the
Collins
Continued from A1
Continued from A1 does not reside in the St. Louis area.
“We invited them over to The Ville neighborhood to have a direct communication with the community because they have been excluded from this project. I feel that they owe our neighborhood an apology” St. Louis Alderman James Page, who represents Ward 5, said Rep. Collins has shared her concerns with him as have others from his area.
“I have a deep and abiding
redistricting process if it’s not done with equity in mind.
The St. Louis Association of Community Organizations’ (SLACO) executive director, Kevin McKinney, on Monday said that his organization represents about 39 different neighborhoods in the city.
“Our neighborhoods are very concerned about trying to make sure that the aldermen do not split up the neighborhoods, they don’t want what we’ve
respect for the original Homer G. Phillips Hospital, what it meant to the Black community and what it still means,” he said.
“I’m focusing on the fact that we have not had a fullfledged hospital in this area in forever.”
He was referring to the proposed future hospital. Collins said McKee had reneged on many promises in the past, and it is difficult to believe that the three-bed facility will grow into anymore than it is now.
Page said that the actual name of the facility will be the “Homer G. Phillips Memorial
had in the past where one neighborhood is represented by three aldermen [and] three neighborhoods are represented by one alderman,” he said.
Reform St. Louis is led by a coalition of leaders and organizations who in March announced the effort to get Prop R on the ballot. Among the 11 named endorsers are League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis, the Black Caucus of the Missouri
Hospital,” adding that he is “trying to see this as a positive, not a negative.”
Collins warns that McKee and hospitals operators should expect a very negative reaction
Democratic Party, Missouri Faith Voices and former candidate for Missouri Secretary of State, Yinka Faleti.
Jami Cox kicked off the media conference outside the board of elections, where the signatures were later turned in. Cox is the policy chair and organizer for Reform St. Louis.
The proposition’s fate is now in the hands of the St. Louis election board, which
from community members.
“My residents have stated their opposition and that’s the reason why I’m standing in opposition; when they open up you could probably expect tons
will determine if the petition has enough valid signatures. If so, it will go before the Board of Aldermen for 60 days, at which point the election board could schedule an election to bring the issue to voters.
“Proposition R started as a dream of this coalition a few months ago,” she said. “And for the last few months, we have been working hard gathering opinions and voices of Saint Louisans on how we can
of people with signs, protesting saying ‘no.’ You could probably expect that. I’ve tried what I could and unfortunately, I got elected to office after all of this happened,” she said.
make a better government. Proposition R has been built on a grassroots coalition through polling and testing and making sure we have citizen-led opportunities and coalition meetings to hear how people feel about this policy.”
Faleti, who unsuccessfully ran for Missouri secretary of state against John “Jay” Ashcroft in last year’s election, also took to the mic on Monday.
“Like you, I’m concerned about accountability and transparency in our local government and, fortunately for us, there is an organization doing something about our concerns, the Reform St. Louis Coalition,” he said. “I’m a volunteer with the coalition and we’re working to bring about the overdue and much-needed reforms to our St. Louis city government.”
The current Board of Aldermen was organized in 1914. In 1950, the city’s population had peaked at 856,000. Seventy years later, St. Louis’ population has decreased to just over one third of that peak.
Proposition R includes a host of reforms, such as decreasing the influence of big money by stopping aldermanic conflicts of interest; ensuring ward boundary maps are drawn by an equitably selected independent citizen commission; preventing the Board of Aldermen from overriding the will of voters; and ensuring the public knows if an alderman has a personal conflict of interest in something they are voting on.
Reform St. Louis is an organization established by Show Me Integrity, which last year campaigned in support of the city’s new nonpartisan approval voting system. To learn more about the Reform St. Louis campaign and Proposition R, visit reformstlouis.com.
“I’m thankful to be elected now and to be a voice for the people. We’re trying, we’re just not seeing any results as far as the name change.”
Jami Cox, Reform St. Louis policy chair, speaks to the media on Monday during a press conference on Prop R outside the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners building. The legislation would, among other things, overhaul the city’s redistricting process and financial disclosure requirements.
By Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis County police finalizing vaccine guidelines
There will be “gray area”
By Jason Rosenbaum St. Louis Public Radio
The head of the St. Louis County Police Department is finalizing guidelines to either have officers get the COVID-19 vaccine or face testing. But there’s disagreement over how such a new law would affect the police department, with even St. Louis County Executive Sam Page acknowledging that it’s a “gray area.” Page signed legislation into law last week requiring county employees to either show proof that they’ve been vaccinated or undergo periodic testing for the virus. St. Louis County Police Board Commissioner Michelle Schwerin said the department was finalizing an order about how the mandate would work.
“The department is requiring that department members (1) confirm that they are vaccinated; (2) become vaccinated and confirm their status; or (3) wear a mask and submit a periodic CO -
VID test,” Schwerin wrote in an email to St. Louis Public Radio.
Sgt. Tracy Panus said the order is set to go into effect Oct. 1. But Matt Crecelius, business manager for the St. Louis County Police Association, said his union opposes COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
“We’re opposed to any mandates — testing, vaccines or otherwise,” he said. “We believe it’s a personal choice between the employee and their doctor. That’s as simple as we could put it.”
Crecelius told members of the county council earlier this month that it was his understanding that the Board of Police Commissioners had to act in order for a vaccine mandate to be put in place.
“I am of the opinion because it has come up numerous times in the past that even if the council did pass this bill, it would have to go through the police board,” Crecelius said during a September meeting of the council’s Committee of the Whole. “We’ve had numerous issues in the last 18 years where the county council has passed resolutions or ordinances or
whatnot. And unless they are adopted by the police board, they don’t get enacted. I think the county charter is pretty clear on that.”
Asked about that point, Schwerin said, “It is the Board’s understanding that the ordinance applies to the police department as enacted.”
During a press conference on Monday, Page said he would discuss the vaccine mandate issue with the Board of Police Commissioners.
“We certainly know that police are out in the community a lot. And folks in St. Louis County would expect them to be vaccinated as well,” Page said.
“And we’ll get through this,” he added. “The current guidance from the federal government is vaccine or testing. And St. Louis County and most employers in our region will follow that vaccine or testing guidance. We understand that there will be some discomfort with that. There will be some opposition across the country and across county government. It’s certainly human nature, and it’s part of the process.”
April Johnson joins STLCC faculty to engage students despite pandemic
Sophie
Hurwitz
The St. Louis American
April Johnson, Ed.D., has joined Boyd Copeland as one of two new vice presidents on boarded by the St. Louis Community College System. Johnson brings 17 years of experience to her new role, having worked at predominantly-white four-year colleges, four-year HBCUs, and also community colleges prior to this position. She spent most of her career working in career services, and student activities. Now, as vice president for student engagement at the Meramec campus of St. Louis Community College, she wants to streamline the student experience across the College’s four campuses. Johnson said she’s adapted her strategies as an administrator to the drastically different populations she’s served. Most recently she served as assistant vice president for student affairs at Bowie State University.
“The roles I had dictated the functions that I was doing, and how I did things differently throughout those 17 years,” she said. Right now, Johnson noted, colleges and universities across the nation are pivoting to an increased focus on student affairs--that is to say, any and all aspects of students’ lives and engagement that exist outside of the classroom. This pivot has happened for a variety of reasons: an increased awareness of student mental health challenges, particularly those among underserved populations, for example; as well as the strain on community-building caused by the pandemic. Several studies indicate that
college students from communities of color, for example, are more likely to have unmet mental health needs than white college students: a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health from 2018 showed that only 21% of Black students with a mental health problem received a diagnosis, compared to 48% of white students.
In a community college context, student engagement is particularly difficult and important: students at STLCC commute, and only 36% are full time students, meaning engagement takes more than just showing up in a student’s dormitory with a bonding activity to do. One way Johnson plans to do this is to “establish a First Year Experience” that is consistent across all STLCC campuses.
“It has a direct correlation with retention, the way that you onboard and connect your students, get them connected to resources, services, clubs and orgs...help them to understand
what college life is, how to calculate a GPA,” Johnson said. “All that will help you be successful, and help us maintain and retain our students.”
She also plans to implement a more comprehensive student leadership training program, so that students themselves can help with student retention and community-building. This program, she said, would also prepare students to enter the workforce after graduation.
“We are ensuring that our students are obtaining and making sure that they are getting proficient in all of the skills that employers are looking for today,” Johnson said. Students who are already in student leadership are prime candidates.”They’re already in leadership roles and so just fine tuning those leadership skills and competencies, I’m looking forward to doing that as well,” she said. This program would help student leaders with ‘soft skills’ such as communication, ethics, and decision-making.
Johnson is also now responsible for much co-curricular event planning and activities creation at STLCC. But “of course, you can’t be together like you could before,” she said, referring to the stilllimited capacity of in-person events. This can be a strain on the College’s budget, too: if an event that would ordinarily draw hundreds of students is now capped at 50, Johnson explained, the solution might be to run that event at a smaller capacity twice--which incurs double the speakers’ fees.
“So we’re just figuring out a way to still have meaningful programs, while still staying safe,” Johnson said.
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ACLU of Missouri sues city over CJC records
Photo by Bill Greenblatt / UPI
Incident reports not available six months after request
By Dana Rieck
The St. Louis American
The ACLU of Missouri on Wednesday sued the St. Louis City Department of Corrections for not complying with a request for records pertaining to pepper spray incidents between corrections officers and detainees at the St. Louis City Justice Center (CJC).
The suit comes a few months after ArchCity Defenders, the Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center, Rights Behind Bars, and Saint Louis University Law Clinic in June filed suit on behalf of three detainees alleging excessive pepper spraying by corrections officers.
The St. Louis American reported that former Corrections Commissioner Dale Glass in March approved a $17,379 order for the chemical, or as much pepper spray as the department had purchased in the previous six years combined.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones’ administration, which took over in April, could not confidently account for the large purchase.
Wednesday’s suit claims
ArchCity Defenders attorney
Maureen Hanlon in April
submitted a written sunshine request to the St. Louis City Division of Corrections seeking access to all use of force reports completed by correctional staff for the prior six months that relate to the use of a chemical agent at the CJC.
Lawyers say the city has failed to provide a single record six months later.
“The Department of Corrections stands out as egregiously and routinely employing a custom of refusing to provide substantive responses to requests for months, if not years,” Hanlon said in a statement. “These long-standing delays and lack of transparency have meant the public lacks access to accurate information about issues such as correctional officer misconduct.”
Hanlon also noted this lack of transparency has persisted through various leadership changes.
The St. Louis American submitted a similar Sunshine request on July 19 and was told the records would be available no sooner than Oct. 11.
“This is particularly gall-
n At least six detainee uprisings have occurred there since the end of December — all blamed on faulty locks in the facility.
ing given the Department of Corrections practice of providing the media immediate access to videos or other records to stoke public fear and outrage and provide a narrow framing for alleged incidents of detainee misconduct,” a press release from the ACLU of Missouri stated. “If the city can immediately release sensational videos within hours of those incidents, it makes the department’s refusal to provide documents concerning the frequent allegations of correctional officer misconduct even more problematic.”
Joseph Sims, the city’s sunshine law coordinator, declined to comment on the matter when
reached by phone.
Wednesday’s lawsuit is an effort to force the city to follow the law and release the CJC records.
“It is recognized around the world that governments using chemical weapons against their own people is a deplorable act resorted to by totalitarian regimes, so reports of chemical agents deployed in the Justice Center—where most folks are pre-trial detainees not convicted of a crime—are troubling to anyone concerned about human rights,” Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri, said in a statement.
“The City’s refusal to comply with Missouri’s public records law raises serious questions about just what officials are trying to hide.”
This latest suit is just a continuation of a year full of struggles the City Justice Center has experienced. At least six detainee uprisings have occurred there since the end of December — all blamed on faulty locks in the facility. The most recent uprisings were two in July that resulted in the transfer of about 140 detainees to the now-closed Workhouse.
The first two protests occurred just before and on New Year’s Day. Each time, the inmates refused to return to their cells in protest of inadequate protections against COVID-19 for those being held there.
Then, in early February, inmates took over the north side of the fourth floor of the jail, breaking the windows and throwing debris down onto the sidewalk and street. The fourth protest happened on Easter Sunday and mirrored February’s uprising but on the third floor.
Jones announced in August that an associate warden in Arkansas will take over as St. Louis’ new corrections commissioner. Jennifer ClemonsAbdullah is scheduled to begin work Sept. 13.
Inmates at the City Justice Center in downtown St. Louis stand at windows they smashed yelling to supporters during an uprising late Easter Sunday night, April 4, 2021.
“Taking Care of You”
Brandon Ford’s racially tinged encounter with an anti-vaxxer in August before he returned to Northwestern University could have physically changed his life, as he was diagnosed with COVID-19 shortly after it occurred. He says the episode certainly has changed his mental outlook on life.
How anti-vaxxer impacted Uber driver’s life
“I didn’t say anything because I felt it would only hurt me.”
By Sylvester Brown Jr. The St. Louis American
Brandon Ford, 23, isn’t sure why an unmasked customer targeted him for a lesson on how the COVID-19 vaccines have devastating impacts on Black people. Ford, a Creve Coeur native and student at Northwestern University in Evanston,
Illinois, worked as an Uber Eats driver before returning to school. In the early afternoon of August 19, he was delivering an order to a business complex in the Clayton area. The
man who placed the order, who was white, identified himself as “a doctor” before verbally accosting Brandon.
“You look like a nice guy,” Ford recalled the man saying.
“Then he started bragging about never wearing a mask and not being vaccinated.
By Ana Fadich Tomsic
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men and will strike approximately 248,000 men this year and kill more than 34,000, making it second only to lung cancer as the deadliest cancer in men.
African American men are at especially high risk. In fact, among African American males, prostate cancer accounts for a third of new cancer cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Caught early, prostate cancer can be treated, usually successfully. Early detection is especially important for African American men, who are more likely to be diagnosed when their cancer is at an advanced stage. The good news is that the earlier the disease is caught, the better the odds of successful treatment, regardless of race. In other words, all men whose cancer is caught at the same stage will have identical outcomes.
For more than 30 years, doctors have had a powerful weapon in their arsenal for detecting prostate cancer. In addition to the digital rectal exam (DRE), a physical exam that allows the doctor to feel the prostate, patients can have a simple blood test called a prostate specific antigen test (PSA) that will detect most prostate problems early. Since the PSA has been used, prostate cancer deaths have declined and the number of successfully treated prostate cancer cases has risen
However, in early stages, prostate cancer has no symptoms, so don’t wait for “something bad” to happen to Get It Checked.
“There’s this stigma among African American men that if you go for a rectal test, it’s almost like you lose your virginity, like it’s a big taboo,” said Dr. David Samadi, chairman of Urology, chief of Robotic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and director of Men’s Health at St. Francis Hospital, Roslyn, N.Y.
“The bottom line is that within five minutes of examining the prostate, if there’s a firmness
Many Americans losing patience with the unvaccinated
Children are endangered
By Sylvester Brown Jr.
The St. Louis American
Jamala Rogers, in her Sept. 12, commentary in this newspaper, held BACK no punches when she wrote about the rising cases of children infected with the COVID-19 Delta variant and how she’s lost patience with unvaccinated and those who refuse to wear masks
“This selfishness has deadly consequences. I have no sympathy for the fearful, misguided, lazy, unrealistic, timid, distrustful, ignorant, stubborn, ideologically inflexible, foolish, dishonest, conspiracy theorists and racist (whatever shoe fits, put it on).”
Last year it was believed that children were less likely than adults to get seriously ill from COVID-19. But with the predominant delta strain, more children are being hospitalized with the coronavirus than at any point during the pandemic.
According to the American Academy of
n “This selfishness has deadly consequences. I have no sympathy for the fearful, misguided, lazy, unrealistic, timid, distrustful, ignorant, stubborn, ideologically inflexible, foolish, dishonest, conspiracy theorists and racist (whatever shoe fits, put it on).”
– Jamala Rogers
Pediatrics, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging across the country with a 240% increase in pediatric cases since July. With kids having already returned to in-person schooling and winter approaching, those officials are
Photo courtesy of Brandon Ford
See TOMSIC, A15
Ana Fadich Tomsic
Joy Reid, host of MSNBC’s “The READOUT,” scolded rapper Nicki Minaj after the performer spread scientifically incorrect information via Twitter. Reid reminded Minaj that her platform is “a blessing,” and that her action was disappointing.
Photo courtesy of MSNBC
By JoAnn Weaver
The St. Louis American
“Taking Care of You”
Hazelwood School District honored for campaign targeting COVID-19
The Hazelwood School District was among the first area districts to create a campaign to combat the spread of COVID-19, and its action earned it a Community Development Leadership Award.
The district launched its Help Hazelwood Get Healthy Committee in October 2020, and it was honored during the annual North County, Inc. Breakfast on Friday, Sept. 17. The campaign promoted lifesaving COVID-19 mitigation strategies, and more than 600 employees and community partners, and 250 students were vaccinated at campaign events.
Family
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He proceeded to lecture me about how Blacks and Latinos are more at risk, and how the medical system has always had plans for us…he mentioned Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, and how abortions were started to wipe out the Black race…all this crazy stuff! It was a pretty racist experience.”
In retrospect, Ford said he should have just dropped the food off and quickly left. As a journalism student, he said he’s well-versed in racial history and the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on minorities. He could have easily refuted the man’s racist banter but said he chose not to engage.
“As a Black person, I feel like sometimes there’s not much you can say because usually white people are in positions of power like this particular guy. I didn’t say anything because I felt it would
Unvaccinated
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A St. Louis County elementary school teacher, who did not want to share her name, is an eyewitness to the impact on her students.
“Seeing the number of cases and deaths in this country and worldwide, I don’t understand why people won’t protect themselves and their children. Children have been orphaned because their parents died from COVID. It makes me really frustrated,” she said.
According to the St. Louis County Health Department, between the end of August and Sept. 13th, new COVID-19 cases increased by 9 percent among children, ages 0–to-9year-old, and by 36 percent among 10-to–19 year-old youths while decreasing or remaining stable among all
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or any sign of cancer, as well as blood tests, we can save their lives.”
This is doubly true during the COVID-19 pandemic. With more citizens receiving their COVID-19 vaccines, don’t let the pandemic deter you from getting an easy, fast screening test. Talk to your healthcare provider to schedule one this month.
Men’s Health Network urges the following men to talk to
Its foundation was based on the basics: encouraging people to wear masks, wash their hands and practice social distancing.
“The campaign being recognized by North County Inc., is wonderful, but what excites me the most, is the positive impact the campaign has had on the health of our community members,” said Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart, Hazelwood School District superintendent.
District staff distributed more than 5,000 Help Hazelwood Get Healthy kits to district families during a drive-thru campaign kick-off.
The kits included masks, thermometers, hand sanitizer, and a pamphlet with information
only hurt me.” Brandon was vaccinated in March. He wore a mask during the verbal confrontation so he figured no real harm could come from tolerating the racist rant.
He was wrong. Later that evening, Brandon’s throat was itchy. By Sunday, he’d lost his sense of taste and smell and felt overly fatigued. When he returned to school the following week, he immediately got tested for the coronavirus.
The result? “Positive.” Ford is not sure he got the disease from the Clayton “doctor.” But the man was the only unmasked person he’d encountered that day besides a homeless man he’d casually given money from a safe distance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on average it takes five-to-six days from when someone is infected with the virus for symptoms to show.
Ford spoke with The St. Louis American while quarantined in Evanston. His symptoms were minor, thanks to
other age groups.
In July, the Washington Post wrote: “Patience has worn thin’: Frustration mounts over vaccine holdouts.” The article examined how local governments, business and health leaders are sharing their frustrations with the tens of millions who still refuse coronavirus shots as the delta variant drives new outbreaks and the virus continues to spread.
The article noted how “only 68 percent of adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, with the pace of shots declining steadily since midApril.”
The battle has also become more fierce in the world of entertainment.
Popular rapper Nicki Minaj received public pushback after she posted a controversial tweet claiming that a cousin’s friend’s “testicles became swollen” after he was vaccinated. Not only was Minaj thoroughly bashed on Twitter,
their healthcare provider about routine prostate cancer screening:
• All men over age 50, and at age 40 for African Americans and others at high risk
• Men with a family history of prostate cancer
• Veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and
• Men exposed to pesticides and certain other chemicals.
If you are on Medicare,
about COVID-19 symptoms and testing.
Last school year, Hazelwood School District students attended school 100% virtually, as COVID-19 infection rates were climbing throughout North St. Louis County.
“Rather than simply wait for COVID-19 infection rates to decline, we wanted to take a leadership role in the effort, so we launched
Anthony Kiekow, Hazelwood School District director of communications and public relations, displays the award the district received from North County Inc.
being vaccinated, he insists. The real toll has been the negative impact on his psyche and the racist circumstances he believes led to getting infected. He’d received an in-person dose of a viral phenomenon aimed at people of color.
The New York Times warned in March that false information delivered through social media and other “fringe news sites” has greatly influenced people of color. Misinformation, like claims that vaccines can alter DNA or don’t work, “or that people of color are being used as guinea pigs,” The Times stressed, has complicated efforts to convince Blacks and Hispanics to get vaccinated. These race-based disinformation campaigns are so effective that the White House is even sounding alarms
“Anti-vaccination campaigners are targeting Black Americans with misinformation about vaccines,” Dr Marcella Nunez-Smith, head of the US president’s task force on COVID-19 health equity, said in a recent press conference.
MSNBC host, Joy Reid, scolded the entertainer for misinforming her 22 million loyal fans on the host’s Sept. 13th episode of “The REIDOUT.”
“You’ve got that platform. It’s a blessing,” Reid said.
“And they listen to you more than they listen to me.
For you to use your platform to put people in the position of dying from a disease they don’t have to die from, oh my god, as a fan, as a hip-hop fan, as somebody who’s your fan, I’m so sad that you did that.”
Guy Sebastian was also blasted after he released a video questioning the music industry’s #VaxTheNation campaign. He quickly apologized and said, “It was not a post that communicated with love or compassion, which I feel is what’s needed when it comes to addressing things like vaccinations.”
Naturally, politics continues to play a role.
Getting more Americans vaccinated has proven partic-
the campaign,” Anthony Kiekow, the district’s director of communications and public relations, said. A series of advertisements, featuring the campaign logo, encouraged people to wear masks, wash their hands, and practice social distancing have appeared in local media outlets.
Billboards sharing the same message were secured along
“There are actors out there trying to take advantage with misinformation about vaccines, especially among some of the communities that have been hardest hit.”
Ford is grappling with the fact that he is among the demographic facing a pandemic within a pandemic wrapped in a racial epidemic. Black infection rates and deaths from COVID19 are disproportionately higher than whites.
Black and Hispanic Americans have less access to medical care and are in poorer health. The mental trauma from the pandemic and racist policing practices that led to last year’s deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others have re-opened wounds for many youths.
Dr. Sarah Jerstad, associate clinical director of psychological services at Children’s Minnesota St. Paul Hospital, was cited in “Ring the Alarm,” the Congressional Black Caucus’ report last year on the crisis of Black youth suicides
ularly challenging in GOP-led states, where the virus is now surging, according to the Post.
A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that as of September 13, 2021, 52.8% of people in counties that voted for President Biden were fully vaccinated compared to 39.9% of Trump counties, a 12.9 percentage point difference.
Another survey conducted by the Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found that Republicans are far more likely than Democrats (43 to 10 percent) to say they have not been vaccinated and definitely, or probably, won’t be.
“It makes you want to smack people upside the head,” retired banking manager, Elise Power, told NBC News. “They’re so utterly selfish… relying on everyone else to do what they should be doing.”
Some Democratic elected officials have spoken publicly about Republican leaders, they feel have not taken the pan-
n “There’s this stigma among African American men that if you go for a rectal test, it’s almost like you lose your virginity, like it’s a big taboo.”
– Dr. David Samadi, chairman of Urology, chief of Robotic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and director of Men’s Health at St. Francis Hospital, Roslyn, N.Y.
prostate cancer screening is a part of your “Welcome to Medicare” physical, the free comprehensive physical exam you receive in your first year of eligibility. But you may have to ask for the “Welcome” physical since many healthcare
providers don’t know about it. Medicare continues to cover prostate cancer screening in following years. For younger men, more than 30 states require that insurance companies offering health insurance in their state
Interstate 270 in North County.
“Through our Help Hazelwood Get Healthy resource events, social media contests, public service announcement videos, and COVID-19 vaccination clinics, approximately 6,000 HSD community members have participated in at least one element of the campaign,” Kiekow said.
Students from East, Central and West high schools are featured in a Help Hazelwood Get Healthy video.
“Vaccine education is one of the biggest challenges related to COVID-19,” Kiekow said.
The committee added COVID-19 vaccine education to the campaign last February, after vaccines were becoming available.
in America. “Since the death of George Floyd, anxiety and stress among Black Americans increased at higher rates than any other ethnic group,” Dr. Jerstad said.
“So much so that Black youth under 13 were twice as likely to die by suicide than their white counterparts.”
The interaction with the anti-vaxxer, getting COVID and being isolated has forced Ford to reassess his priorities.
Last year, he said, he was an optimist spending “a lot of time and energy on the movement for Black lives,” and canvassing for then presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders.
Now, he says, he’s emotionally drained, and less optimistic. He’s shared the encounter with his therapist and older sisters and is trying to adhere to their advice.
“We filmed an in-depth interview with Washington University School of Medicine’s Dr. Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, an infectious disease physician,” Kiekow said.
“We walked our community through the vaccine development process and addressed some of the specific concerns people of color have about the vaccine. The video was shared with the community in the spring, and it is periodically posted on our district Facebook page,” Kiekow said. “Our hope is that the interview helps people in our community separate fact from fiction.”
“We live in a society that still has a penchant for white supremacy. We live in this highly individualized society that constantly preaches this ‘do-for-self’ type thinking but, really, we’re all in this together. So, we need therapy, especially from people who look like us, who understand our experiences,” he said.
“I think contracting COVID is sort of a reminder of my need to do just that.”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is The St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow. Sylvester Brown Jr. is The St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow. Deaconess Foundation is a grant making organization, a ministry of the United Church of Christ, building power for child well-being through philanthropy, advocacy and organizing for racial equity and public policy change.
“My family told me to just take care of myself instead of concerning myself too much with what’s going on in the world because it can take a lot of energy out of you,” he said. The pandemic has intensified issues in the Black community, according to Ford.
demic seriously enough.
“We’re in a crisis not only here in Missouri but around the country and the world, and we are acting like it’s just business as usual,” state Sen. Jill Schupp, D-St. Louis County, said in the above-mentioned NBC interview.
“They have chosen to take the side that says, ‘I’m going to turn a blind eye to this, to this pandemic and to this variant, and I’m going to pretend like it doesn’t exist.’” Referring to what it defined as a “large, uncontrolled human experiment,” a July editorial in the PostDispatch urged “Missouri’s political leaders, starting with Gov. Mike Parson, to join doctors, nurses and public health professionals in urging people to get the vaccine without delay.” Proactive action is necessary now from GOP-led politicians even if “it may already be too late to prevent disaster,” the editorial
provide coverage for prostate cancer tests. Insurance companies may offer prostate cancer screening in the remaining states but are not required to do so. When you receive your PSA test results, ask the healthcare provider what your PSA number is, write it down, and compare it against future tests. If the number goes up in future tests, talk to your healthcare provider.
The bottom line? Having an annual prostate exam, including a PSA test, just might save your life. No matter what age you are, an annual PSA test
stressed.
As hospitals are becoming overwhelmed in states with low vaccination rates there are indeed some republicans who are venting about the unvaccinated and the unfair burden they place on others trying to fight the pandemic:
“Vaccinated America has had enough,” former Republican speechwriter David Frum told The Atlantic in July.
It’s yet to be seen if any public outrage, condemnation, or ridicule will encourage more unvaccinated people to protect themselves, their communities, or their children. One thing is clear though: Infected people have the potential to infect others. And, as Rogers so bluntly pointed out in her commentary.
“This selfishness has deadly consequences.”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is The St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow.
creates a benchmark to judge future tests against. No insurance and limited funds? Watch for free screenings in your area. Many healthcare providers, hospitals, clinics, and health fairs offer free prostate screenings in September and at other times during the year. Take any opportunity you can to Get It Checked (www. GetItChecked.com). Ana Fadich Tomsic, MPH, CHES is vice president, Men’s Heath Network and is past Chair, of the Men’s Health Caucus of the American Public Health Association (APHA).
PRESENT:
PRESENT:
Nutrition Challenge:
Nutrition Challenge:
When we’re lucky enough to have a chance to go out for dinner, there are a few ways to stay healthy with our food
Dining Out.
What Is ASize?Serving
GRAINS Keep ‘em Whole!
The Smart Way!
Warm Up & Cool Down
Do This. Not That!
What Is A Calorie?
First Day of Spring!
Exercise Game
See if the restaurant will let you “share” a meal. Many meals are two, three or more times an actual serving size.
Tech-Neck
for several different reasons.
We each need at least 3 servings per day of whole grains. But what does that mean? How can we know what foods contain whole grains?
In our “Super-Size” world, we can easily lose track of what an actual serving size means. When reading labels on a food or drink product, you can determine the nutrients, sodium, fiber, sugar and calories of a serving size. But be careful; just because it looks like one small bottle
Look at the ingredients list of a package of food you are about to eat. If the word “whole” is used, then there is most likely a whole grain ingredient. A few items that don’t use the word whole
As soon as you’ve divided your plate into the right size servings, ask your server for a to-go box. Go ahead and box up what you don’t need to eat right away. You can enjoy
One way to make sure you’re getting the nutrition your body needs is to have a goal of (at least) 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables — every single day! Each serving is only about ½ cup, so it’s easier than you think! Here are a few tips.
Cola
Let’s make a game out of exercise!
Healthy Kids
Healthy Kids
Healthy Kids
Healthy Kids
those leftovers for lunch the next day!
are popcorn, wheatberries, brown rice and wild rice.
> Ask the server how the different menu items are prepared. Fried, sautéed, and
lifestyle. You can do this by forming new habits. For example, if you decide to eliminate sugary drinks completely, it only takes a few weeks until this becomes what you’re used to.
Here are the steps to making a healthy permanent change. We‘ll use the sugary drink change as an example.
> Decide you’re going to switch from soda to water.
Getting plenty of whole grains in your diet can improve your health and reduce your chance for some chronic illnesses such as stroke, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Visit wholegrainscouncil.com for more information.
Cocoa Puffers Cereal
INGREDIENTS:
> Start by substituting one drink per day to water.
As spring approaches, warmer weather allows us all to get more outdoor exercise. Here are some ways to become a more active person.
> Start off your day with a piece of fruit!
It’s important that before you embark on any kind of exercise to remember two things: warm up and cool down. Start with some slow stretches and movement (like walking) to increase your heart rate a little. Warm up for a good five minutes before increasing your heart rate.
> Avoid gravies, cheese sauces and other kinds of toppings that often just add fat and calories.
Melissa Douglass, MSW
Weekly Newspaper in Education Program
> Try new fruits and vegetables each week.
> Why not add fruits or vegetables to your fall baking? You can boil and puree many different kinds to add to cakes, breads, etc.
Latoya Woods, DNP, APRN, FNP-C
> Every few days increase the amount of water and decrease your soda intake.
> After 3-4 weeks, this change will become a habit.
of soda — it may not be considered one serving size. For example, a 20-oz bottle contains 2.5 servings. So if the bottle states “110 calories per serving,” that means the entire bottle contains a total of 275 calories! Remember to watch those serving sizes and you’ll have better control over what you’re eating and drinking.
> Stick with water to drink. Not only will you save money, but you won’t be adding in extra calories from a sugarfilled drink.
> What are some other ways to add fruits/ vegetables to your diet?
Learning Standards: HPE 1,
Learning Standards:
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 3, NH 5
When you automatically reach for water instead of soda, it has now become a lifestyle change!
> What are other ways to stay healthy while dining out?
even simmered can all mean, “cooked in oil.” Instead, choose baked or grilled options.
Deborah Edwards, School Nurse
Yonniece Rose, Registered Nurse
Donna Wiley, BSN, RCP, MSN, APRN, SNP-C
Where do you work? I am a family nurse practitioner for BJC Medical Group.
Where do you work? I am a school nurse at Monroe Elementary School.
Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5
> Walking = 120-150
Secondly, when you are finished with any kind of strenuous (very active) exercise, take some time to cool down. You can slowly stretch your arms and
March 20, 2021, is the first day of spring. With spring comes warmer weather and longer days (later sunset). Make it a habit to spend as much time playing outside as the weather allows.
Calories are a way to measure the amount of “energy” gained from eating something. So if you eat a medium apple (about 100 calories), that’ll provide the energy for you to do a simple physical task such as walk around the block. Calories aren’t the bad guys; extra weight happens
Instead of playing video games — play baseball, football, badminton, or some other active game.
Some fun outdoor games to play include tag, kickball, basketball, Frisbee, and bicycling. Choose activities that increase your heart rate
First, locate either a deck of cards or two dice. Next you’ll need to make a list of different types of exercise: jumping jacks, sit-ups, lunges, etc. Write each exercise item on a small piece of paper or index
Instead of surfing the ‘Net — go for a brisk walk around the neighborhood.
> NEVER walk on a “frozen” pond, lake, river or any other body of water. Just because it looks frozen does not mean it is safe.
Break into small groups and define what it means to be a bully. Share your ideas with the class. Did you have the same things listed (as the other groups) that you would consider as bullying behavior?
when we consume (eat) more of them than we need. That’s why it’s important to stay physical and burn those calories throughout the day. Here are some ideas, and the calories an average 125-pound person will burn in 30 minutes (depending on speed).
One of the best ways to protect yourself from getting sick is to wash your hands. Think about surfaces that are touched by many people: door handles, computer keys, telephones, stair railings and sports equipment. If the person using it before you is sick and then you touch it, you could catch their illness from the germs they leave behind. So practice washing your hands multiple times a day, especially before eating, to stay healthier!
Now back in your groups, create a newspaper ad that includes at least two of the following:
card and fold into a small square. Put these squares into a bowl. Take turns rolling the dice (or drawing a card) and selecting an exercise from the bowl. The total number on the dice or card tells you how many of the exercise you must do. Face cards (king,
> Running = 180-300
Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5
Instead of watching TV — ride your bike with friends.
legs again, and continue with reduced speed movements until your heart rate begins to slow down.
> Biking = 240-300
> Mowing = 135
> Watching TV = 23
and breathing. You want to have fun, but it’s also a great way to help keep your heart, lungs and body healthy.
Make a list of your favorite 10 activities to do outdoors. Compare your list with your classmates and create a chart to see what are the most popular.
This warm-up and recovery period is important for your heart health. It also helps to reduce the amount of muscle pulls and strains.
Can you think of other ways to be more active? Going outside and staying active not only increases your heart rate and burns calories, but it also helps you build friendships!
Learning Standards: HPE1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5
queen or jack) should all count as the number 10. Aces are “wild” and you can do as many as you want! To really challenge yourself, have one person roll the dice and the second can select the exercise. See who can complete the exercise challenge first!
Visit http://www.calorieking. com/foods for an excellent guide to the calories in the foods you eat.
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH3
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1
Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1
> What to do if you see someone else bullied.
How much time do you spend each day looking down at a phone, laptop or video game?
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 4, HPE 5, NH 1
Cracker-wiches
Where did you go to school? I graduated from McCluer High School. I then earned a Bachelor of Nursing and a Master of Nursing Practice from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. And finally, I earned a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Maryville University.
Where did you go to school? I graduated from Sumner High School. I then earned Associate Degree in Nursing from Forest Park College and a BS in Business Administration from Columbia College.
A BMI (Body Mass Index) is a generic way to calculate where your weight falls into categories (thin, average, overweight, obese). However, it’s a good idea to remember that a BMI may not take into consideration many things such as athleticism (how athletic you are), your bone density and other factors. Discuss your BMI with your
Chiropractors around the country see young patients every day suffering from back, neck and head-aches resulting from the extra strain you put on your body when you look down for long periods of time.
> If you are with someone that falls through the ice, first run (or call) for help. Do not try to go out onto the ice to help your friend. You can fall through the ice too.
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 3, NH 1, NH 7
> How bullying hurts others.
> What to do if you are bullied.
doctor if you have any questions. The formula to calculate your BMI is 703 X weight (lbs) ÷ height (in inches/squared) or search “BMI Calculator” to find an easy fill-in chart online. If your number is high, what are some ways to lower your BMI?
> What to do if YOU are the bully.
Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, NH 5 Calculate
1. Most importantly — take breaks! Have a goal of a 3 minute break every 15-20 minutes. Move around, stretch your neck and relax, without looking down!
> Also — remember to look up! Icicles injure numerous people every year. If you see large icicles forming over your front steps, ask your parents to use a broom handle to knock them off to the side before they break loose from your gutters.
Ingredients:
Frozen Yogurt Blueberry Bites
Ingredients: 1/2 Cp
Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries
yogurt, 3 Tbsp
> What other ice hazards are there?
Look through the newspaper for examples of ad layouts and design. Discuss the words “compassion,” “empathy” and “sympathy.” How do they each play into your response to bullying at your school?
2. Set your tech device in a holder to keep it at eye level, reducing the need to look down.
1 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
peanut
(optional)
½ Tsp Salt
Where do you work? I am a school nurse with St. Louis Public Schools.
Where did you go to school? I graduated from McCluer North High School. I earned an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from Meramec College in Kirkwood and completing my bachelor’s degree at Webster University in Webster Groves.
Where do you work? I am the founder and distance counselor for Goal Driven Counseling, LLC. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Whitney Young Magnet High School in Chicago, IL: same as former first lady Mrs. Michelle Obama. I then earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, and a Master of Social Work from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. I also completed two more years of supervision and exams to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Missouri.
Where do you work? I am a hospitalist for Hillsboro Area Hospital in Hillsboro, Illinois. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Lincoln Sr. High School. I then earned an Associate of Science in Biology from State Community College in East St. Louis, Illinois, An Associate of Applied Science in Respiratory Therapy from St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Maryville University, a Master of Science in Nursing from Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota, where my major was family nurse practitioner, and I’ll be attending Chamberlain University in the spring working towards a doctorate of nursing practice with an eventual goal of opening my own office in an underserved area in East St. Louis.
What does a family nurse practitioner do? Each day I have office visits with patients to help treat new health conditions and/or manage established health conditions. I perform physical examinations on patients, order labs, read x-rays results, and more.
What does a school nurse do? I love giving students medications, so they’re able to focus on learning. I clean and bandage wounds. I use medical equipment like a stethoscope, for example, to evaluate whether or not my asthmatics are breathing well. Moreover, I teach and promote healthy habits to my students.
What does a Licensed Clinical Social Worker do? I use technology to help teens and young adults explore their emotions, better understand their feelings, work through relationships, and address common challenges completely online through a computer, tablet, or smart phone. Similar to a Facetime call, I support and guide my clients from the comfort of their home or private location where they are comfortable
Why did you choose this career? I chose this career to help improve the health of my com-
What are some things a hospitalist does? I oversee the care of patients that have been admitted to the hospital through diagnosing, individualized treatment plans, and minor procedures such as an incision at the bed side for wound care, and I oversee the nursing staff. When the doctor is overwhelmed in the ER, I assist with diagnosing and treating the ER patients.
Why did you choose this career? I am a St. Louis native, and was an asthmatic child who experienced frequent hospitalizations. Besides having the influence of nurses in my family, the local nurses who helped take care of me were my “angels” and always managed to nurse me back to health, thus sparking my interest.
Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because I enjoy being a support to teens and young adults in a very challenging phase of life that can be overwhelming. I enjoy teaching them how to best take care of themselves so they can live healthy and fulfilling lives.
Why did you choose this career? I started out in respiratory therapy and I was amazed with what I saw in the ICU and was inspired to become a nurse practitioner. It was never for the money; I genuinely care for and love treating people. I am in awe of the mysteries of medicine.
What does a school nurse do? I assess the concerns of students who are ill, injured or experiencing alterations in their normal health. Nurses screen daily staff, students and visitors for safety. Monroe School is a pilot school for Covid-19 test sites in partnership with the city. Why did you choose this career? I love nursing because there are many opportunities in hospitals, schools, clinics and offices, insurance, legal and research. My passion is working in the schools with students, parents, staff and community partners.
What is your favorite part of the job you have?
What is your favorite part of the job you have? I enjoy when a child tells you, “I want to be a nurse.” And best of all, I love the smiles, hugs and “thank-yous”.
Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3
A couple of quick tips that will reduce that strain on your neck are:
> When walking on icecovered roadways or sidewalks, take baby steps. Walk carefully and slowly.
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, HPE 7, NH 5, NH 7
“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
shake, shake! Experiment with different combinations to create a delicious snack!
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 4
Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, NH 1, NH 5
1 Ripe banana (sliced and frozen), Splash of vanilla (optional) 6 Ice cubes
Directions: Blend all ingredients until Smooth. Makes 2 yummy smoothies!
Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Enjoy with baked tortilla chips or raw vegetables.
Directions: Drop each blueberry into the yogurt. Using a spoon, swirl around to coat and place each blueberry on a cookie sheet topped with parchment paper. Freeze for at least an hour.
Directions: Spread peanut butter on four of the crackers and top with sliced strawberries. Drizzle with honey and top with the other crackers to make four cracker-wiches.
What is your favorite part of the job you Many chronic health conditions (diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure) are preventable, and early detection is key. Thus my favorite part of the job is partnering with patients to establish and manage a plan to help them each live a long and healthy life.
What is your favorite part of the job you have? I enjoy seeing the patient that comes in so sick, and sometimes close to death, return home with their loved ones well and hopeful for their future.
My childhood health challenges have given me sensitivity to children suffering with illness. After being given a new lease on life, I consider it an honor to be in a position to promote health to the children of my community, in whatever capacity I serve – in turn, being their “angel.”
What is your favorite part of the job you have? I love that my job makes talking about mental health not as scary and even makes it kind of cool. I love that I get to build valuable relationships with so many people that trust me to be there for them. I love that no matter where my clients are, we can simply connect with a video call and I can not only support them through hard times, but lots of good times as well.
“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3
Learning Standards: HPE 6, NH 3
Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3
“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
Banana PB Smoothie
Vanilla Greek
Natural
butter,
St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.
CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT
CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT
Students in Ms. Rhonda Stovall’s (Ed.S.) class enjoy learning in the Science Enrichment Lab. Fifth grade Students Shann Hopson, Dylan Hamilton, Carl Brown and Fosiyo Abdi are investigating the physical and chemical properties of matter.
SCIENCE CORNER How Do Tectonic Plates Work ?
The Earth has a top layer of crust covered by giant pieces which are called tectonic plates. These plates are varying sizes and move at a very slow pace, about 2 cm to 10 cm per year, in varying directions. Oceanic plates are located under the ocean and continental plates are located under continents.
SCIENCE STARS
ENGINEER AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY MAKER: Lisa P.
Jackson
Lisa P. Jackson was born on February 8, 1962, and was raised by her adoptive family in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1979, she graduated as valedictorian from St. Mary’s Dominican High School. She received a scholarship from Shell Oil Company and used it to attend Tulane University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1983. Three years later, she received her master’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY MAKER: Lisa P. Jackson
SCIENCE CORNER HowDoTectonicPlatesWork?
The Earth has a top layer of crust covered by giant pieces which are called tectonic plates. These plates are varying sizes and move at a very slow pace, about 2 cm to 10 cm per year, in varying directions. Oceanic plates are located under the ocean and continental plates are located under continents.
Boundaries are the places where the plates meet. New crust forms at the boundaries and the old crust is returned to the core to be melted again. This cycle takes about 100 million years to complete. Divergent boundaries are formed when plates move away from each other. The top layer of crust breaks apart and falls in to the second layer, creating a rift. Convergent boundaries are
Boundaries are the places where the plates meet. New crust forms at the boundaries and the old crust is returned to the core to be melted again. This cycle takes about 100 million years to complete. Divergent boundaries are formed when plates move away from each other. The top layer of crust breaks apart and falls in to the second layer, creating a rift. Convergent boundaries are
SCIENCE INVESTIGATION
Materials Needed:
1 Candy Bar Per Student (must contain layers, i.e., Snickers, Milky Way, Twix) • Plastic Knife Process:
SCIENCE INVESTIGATION
e Use
formed when two plates push against each other. One plate is pushed upward causing mountain ranges or volcanoes to form. The other plate is forced downward, where it will eventually sink into the core and melt. Earthquakes occur along these boundaries. Two plates sliding against each other as they move in different directions is called transform boundaries. As they slide past each other, neither plate is destroyed or pushed up or down. Instead, the movement causes energy to build up which may later be released as earthquakes.
For More Information, Visit: http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-forkids/0043-plate-tectonics.php.
Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text to find main idea and supporting details.
formed when two plates push against each other. One plate is pushed upward causing mountain ranges or volcanoes to form. The other plate is forced downward, where it will eventually sink into the core and melt. Earthquakes occur along these boundaries. Two plates sliding against each other as they move in different directions is called transform boundaries. As they slide past each other, neither plate is destroyed or pushed up or down. Instead, the movement causes energy to build up which may later be released as earthquakes.
For More Information, Visit: http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-forkids/0043-plate-tectonics.php.
q Use the plastic knife to make cracks in the chocolate. These cracks represent fault lines.
In this experiment, you will see plate tectonics in action, on a smaller scale.
Materials Needed:
w Use your candy bar to represent the tectonic movement of tension: pull the ends of the candy bar apart. How does this affect your fault lines?
1 Candy Bar Per Student (must contain layers, i.e., Snickers, Milky Way, Twix) • Plastic Knife
As an environmental scientist, Lisa P. Jackson is concerned about recycling. Use your math skills to answer these recycling word problems.
Process:
Lisa P. Jackson was born on February 8, 1962, and was raised by her adoptive family in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1979, she graduated as valedictorian from St. Mary’s Dominican High School. She received a scholarship from Shell Oil Company and used it to attend Tulane University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1983. Three years later, she received her master’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University.
Jackson began working with Clean Sites, a non-profit organization that cleaned up hazardous waste sites. Inspired by this work, she began a fifteen-year employment with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2002, she started work with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy. Four years later, Governor Jon Corzine appointed her as the New Jersey Commissioner of Environmental Protection. With her leadership, there was an end to bear hunting in New Jersey, and a plan to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2020 was implemented. In 2008, the Governor of New Jersey appointed Jackson to Chief of Staff. In December of the same year, President Barack Obama appointed Jackson to serve as the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. She was the first African American to hold this position.
For More Information About The Environmental Protection Agency, Visit: www.epa.gov.
Discuss: Mrs. Jackson graduated as valedictorian of her high school. What is a valedictorian? What do you think she had to do to become valedictorian?
Jackson began working with Clean Sites, a non-profit organization that cleaned up hazardous waste sites. Inspired by this work, she began a fifteen-year employment with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2002, she started work with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy. Four years later, Governor Jon Corzine appointed her as the New Jersey Commissioner of Environmental Protection. With her leadership, there was an end to bear hunting in New Jersey, and a plan to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2020 was implemented. In 2008, the Governor of New Jersey appointed Jackson to Chief of Staff. In December of the same year, President Barack Obama appointed Jackson to serve as the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. She was the first African American to hold this position.
Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text to find main idea and supporting details.
your fault line?
Evaluate: Which type of movement is responsible for rifts? Which type of movement is responsible for mountains? Which type of movement is responsible for earthquakes?
e Use your candy bar to represent the tectonic movement of compression: push the ends of the candy bar together. How does this affect your fault line?
Learning Standards: I can follow directions to complete an experiment. I can make deductions from my observations.
q Use the plastic knife to make cracks in the chocolate. These cracks represent fault lines.
q Janell collected 36 aluminum cans; Garrett collected 8 more than Janell. How many did they collect all together? __________
w Andrea decided to recycle newspapers. The first week, she received 6 bundles
w Use your candy bar to represent the tectonic movement of tension: pull the ends of the candy bar apart. How does this affect your fault lines?
MATH CONNECTION
As an environmental scientist, Lisa P. Jackson is concerned about recycling. Use your math skills to answer these recycling word problems.
plates, the largest being the Pacific Plate.
q Janell collected 36 aluminum cans; Garrett collected 8 more than Janell. How many did they collect all together? __________
w Andrea decided to recycle newspapers. The first week, she received 6 bundles from her neighbors. The second week, she collected 9 bundles. The third week, she collected 12. How many bundles did she collect altogether? ________ If she continues to increase the number
DID YOU KNOW?
There are around 30 tectonic plates, the largest being the Pacific Plate.
Mrs. Jackson received her degrees in mechanical and chemical engineering, but she is mostly known for her work in environmental policy. What strengths do you think a background in science gave her in her approach to environmental policy? Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made an impact in the field of science, technology, or mathematics. of
r Use your candy bar to represent the tectonic movement of shearing: move the two halves of the candy bar opposite one another. How does this affect your fault line?
Evaluate: Which type of movement is responsible for rifts? Which type of movement is responsible for mountains? Which type of movement is responsible for earthquakes? Learning Standards: I can follow directions to complete an experiment. I can make deductions from my observations.
Tectonic
of bundles at the same rate per week, how many will she collect in one month? ____________ e Heather, Maria, and Donald decided to save gasoline by helping their parents set up a ShareA-Ride carpool for daily rides to work. They saved 6 gallons of gas each day for 5 days. How many gallons did they save in one work week? _________ How much can they save per month? ________ How much can they save per year? _______
are now able to track the movements of tectonic plates using GPS.
Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem.
Tectonic plates move on average at the same speed as fingernail growth.
For More Information About The Environmental Protection Agency, Visit: www.epa.gov.
Discuss: Mrs. Jackson graduated as valedictorian of her high school. What is a valedictorian? What do you think she had to do to become valedictorian?
MAP CORNER
Use the newspaper to complete these activities to sharpen your skills for the MAP test.
Mrs. Jackson received her degrees in mechanical and chemical engineering, but she is mostly known for her work in environmental policy. What strengths do you think a background in science gave her in her approach to environmental policy?
Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made an impact in the fields of science, technology, or mathematics.
Activity One — That Can Be Recycled: Recycling is an easy and effective way to preserve resources. Use the newspaper to locate items that can and cannot be recycled. For the items that cannot be recycled, list ways that you can use this item or an alternate item to preserve resources.
MAP CORNER
Use the newspaper to complete these activities to sharpen your skills for the MAP test.
Activity One — That Can Be Recycled: Recycling is an easy and effective way to preserve resources. Use the newspaper to locate items that can and cannot be recycled. For the items that cannot be recycled, list ways that you can use this item or an alternate item to preserve resources.
Activity Two — Newspaper Road Map: With a partner, choose a news story to be your make believe road map. Both of you
Activity Two —
Newspaper Road Map: With a partner, choose a news story to be your make believe road map. Both of you cut the story from separate newspapers. Your starting point will be the first word. Your partner will give you cardinal directions (ex: two words east, 4 lines south, 1 word west, etc.) while your partner also navigates the route. When he/she says, “stop,” compare your maps. Choose another article so you can give your partner directions.
Learning Standards:
I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can follow cardinal directions. I can classify items that can and cannot be recycled.
Teachers, if you are using the St. Louis American’s NIE program and would like to nominate your class for a Classroom Spotlight, please email: nie@stlamerican.com.
Photo by Rhonda Stovall
seems to be the only planet in the solar system with tectonic plates.
Tackling problems that slow women’s success in workforce
Dawn Gipson, diversity director for Centene, speaks during a small group discussion Tuesday, Sept. 14, during a town hall in Florissant
gather input from local women regarding issues and factors that keep them from fully participating, advancing or succeeding in the workforce.
Wage gap, childcare are biggest barriers
By Dana Rieck
The St. Louis American Childcare. Wage gaps. Education. Healthcare. Those were included topics on Tuesday, Sept. 14 during a town hall in Florissant held to gather input from local women regarding issues and factors that keep them from fully participating, advancing or succeeding in the workforce.
The lunchtime event was organized by United Women’s Empowerment (United WE) and the Missouri Women’s Economic Development Task Force at the city’s civic center. Wendy Doyle, United WE CEO, said the organization is holding a series of these town halls across the state in order to inform policy recommendations for state leaders and lawmakers that will be delivered to them at the end of
n “We especially wanted to have informed conversations as we are moving into recovery of the pandemic because we know women were significantly impacted.”
– Wendy Doyle, United WE CEO
2021. She said her organization’s goal was to gather the qualitative data from women to pair with the quantitative research that’s been done about working women in Missouri. Some of that data
includes statistics like 44% of all Missouri counties lack accredited childcare facilities and of the total population of women in Missouri, 15.4% were below the poverty line, compared with 12.9% of men. The organization also found that 18% of Missourians in poverty were under the age of 18.
“We especially wanted to have informed conversations as we are moving into recovery of the pandemic because we know women were significantly impacted,” she said. “And we just want to hear their stories.”
Dawn Gipson, diversity director for Centene, spoke during the small group sessions about how the pandemic for her really magnified heavy lifting women do when it comes to both work out-
Howard Hayes named STL County human services director
Brings vast DEI experience to position
By Alvin A. Reid The St. Louis American
Howard Hayes
of minority business development and compliance for the St. Louis Development Corporation.
“In terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion I have begun the outline of a plan that will include the department’s vision, mission, and values and a roadmap to get us there that will address culture, career, communication, consistency, and community,” Hayes said.
“The plan will be inclusive of the fine work already undertaken by STL County government and build on the work conducted by Forward through Ferguson and its path toward racial equity. In addition, a DEI plan will be the lens by which we measure all partners and businesses seeking to collaborate or do business with the department.”
Hayes’ department manages workforce devel-
opment programs, emergency rental assistance, utility assistance, food distribution events and works with community partners to provide basic services in the county.
“If ever there was a department that truly belonged to the people of St. Louis County, the department of human services fits the bill. Many of its clients were already facing tremendous challenges in terms of housing, jobs and access to social services before the pandemic arose,” he said.
“As a child of five growing up in the poorest areas of St. Louis I know that government and social agency resources applied with intentionality to the lives of our people can make a very real difference.”
Hayes said he is fortunate to have inherited a department from “a long serving and highly qualified executive – Andrea Jackson-Jennings.”
“Yet I believe in the tenets of continuous
PeoPle on the Move
Stephanie Slay
Stephanie Slay was recently promoted to the position of portfolio manager At Justine Petersen Housing Investment Corporation. Slay originally came to Justine Petersen in 2007 as a client. She joined the JP staff as a full time associate in June of 2017. Slay and her husband have served the St. Louis market for over 20 years as small business owners. At Justine Petersen, Slay is able to use her business management experience to assist clients in successfully managing their assets.
Loyd receives award for inclusive excellence
Vanessa
Vanessa Loyd, dean’s fellow for diversity, equity, and inclusion and associate teaching professor in the College of Nursing at UMSL recently received the Chancellor’s Award for Inclusive Excellence. Loyd has implemented key initiatives within the College of Nursing and wider community aligned with UMSL’s mission, vision and strategic priorities. She has been instrumental in the formation of the College of Nursing’s DEI and Community Engagement Committee, which helps facilitate faculty and staff discussion and engagement in DEI-related issues. Slay promoted to portfolio manager
Lewis and Clark Community College has named Mya Lawrence director of diversity, equity and inclusive excellence. Lawrence attended Metro Academic and Classical High School, earned her bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Kansas in 2008, and her master of science in education with a concentration in cultural diversity from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2011. Lawrence will collaborate with campus team members and students to develop and implement a DEI blueprint; serve as co-leader of the campus Diversity Council and on the Minority Affairs Committee.
held to
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Felicia Clayton
Mya Lawrence named director of D, E & I
Women
Continued from B1
side and within the home. She also noted the anxiety people may feel about coming back into the workplace after working from home for over a year.
“So there’s this anxiety about coming back to the office but all the focus is on ‘We have to get back to normal,’” she said, noting that women and people of color may not want to interact daily with people who aren’t tolerant or respectful of people’s identities.
Cora Faith-Walker lives in Ferguson and is the chief policy officer for the St. Louis County Executive’s Office. She agreed with Gipson, saying the shutdown was so much more than just a shutdown.
Hayes
Continued from B1
improvement, which cannot take place without listening to the people I serve and the leaders I will call on to assist me with moving the department to new levels of achievement,” Hayes said.
One of Hayes’ first goals is to meet with senior staff and review the past year’s performance measures and progress towards the department’s strategic priorities. He added he will be “conducting a bit of a listening tour with our clients, community, and
“People think we can just snap our fingers and go back to 2019,” she said, adding that she felt almost like she had forgotten how to partake in office small talk while working remotely.
Eventually the small groups ended their conversation for a full-group discussion, touching on the major barriers that came up during the small discussions: access to affordable childcare; equal pay; access to adequate health care; access to equity; homeschooling children or aiding in their virtual education; and trying to keep the household together while working outside the home as well.
United WE’s November report stated that Missouri could potentially lose 48% of its childcare supply due to the decrease in the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that there would be
political leaders. I want to know the perceptions of the office and how they think we can better serve them.”
He explained that federal funding and investment in workforce training over the last decade has experienced significant cuts but added that the Biden Administration is backing a $500 million Good Jobs Challenge Grant.
only one spot in a licensed childcare center for every six kids.
Faith-Walker later addressed the challenges the county’s executive office has faced in getting pandemic aid money to childcare providers.
“Another sort of challenge we had with providers was the, I guess, the amount of technical assistance that was sometimes needed to take advantage of the opportunities like the PPE programs,” she said.
The organization has held two discussions prior to Tuesday’s — one in Joplin and one in Sedalia. Several others are scheduled including Oct. 6 in Kansas City; Oct. 14 in Kirksville; and Oct. 28, held virtually, which will emphasize the needs of women of color. For more information or to register visit united-we.org/ mo-town-halls.
The grant is designed to reach historically underserved populations and communities of color, women, and other groups facing labor market barriers such as persons with disabilities, disconnected youth, individuals in recovery, and with past criminal records.
“I will begin reaching out to key partners to hear their thoughts on the possible submission of an application for the department,” Hayes said.
“Howard has a distinguished career helping elevate others and came with the recommendation of his predecessor, Andrea Jackson-Jennings, who was a champion for all our residents,” Page said in a release. “We are happy he is joining us.” Hayes graduated from Saint Louis University “with the help of my veterans benefits so of course I know firsthand that if veterans receive the benefits they have earned they can succeed,” he said.
“Their health and well-being will be a top priority for me.”
“In terms of all departments, I am going to place the workforce section as its strategic partner. Once client lives have been stabilized whether it is our unhoused clients or the women receiving services from the Weinman Shelter, the path to security and safety begins with training and a livable wage.”
Hayes said many county seniors “have years of experience and ability that can be transferable with additional training to new jobs.”
“However, for those that do not, I will work with local, state, federal, and existing community agencies to insure they live out the remainder of their lives with adequate resources and the dignity they deserve.”
Cora Faith-Walker speaks during a small group discussion Tuesday, Sept. 14, during a town hall in Florissant regarding women in the workplace. Faith-Walker lives in Ferguson and is the chief policy officer for the St. Louis County Executive’s Office.
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Scenes from the Mayor’s Open golf tournament at Norman K. Probstein
Photos courtesy of the mayor’s office
St. Louis City Mayor Tishaura O. Jones recently held her first Mayor’s Open golf tournament at Norman K. Probstein Golf Course in Forest Park. Golfers enjoyed an afternoon of golf, lunch, dinner and refreshments, and opportunities to win competitive prizes.
STLCC-Florissant Valley honored for diversity and inclusion efforts
NCI acknowledges college’s positive impact on north St. Louis County
Provided by STLCCFlorissant Valley For The St. Louis American
Besides breakfast, St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley committee leaders were served smiles as the College was honored with North County Incorporated’s Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award.
Approximately 500 people gathered in person and virtually for NCI’s 44th Annual Leadership Breakfast, which included an awards ceremony, Friday, Sept. 17, at the Marriott St. Louis Airport Hotel in St. Louis.
A few of the 2021 events and programs that the College sponsored that helped it earn the award include its “Intelligence Plus Character, That is the Goal of True Education” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, “Photograph Collection of African American With Disabilities” program, which was part of its African American History Month Celebration, and finally, its “Valiant Women of the Vote,” Women’s History Month Celebration.
“STLCC-Florissant Valley continues to prove itself as a strong leader that supports student success, builds bridges and connections that unify diverse people, advocates for inclusion, and strengthens the community. NCI is pleased to recognize the College with its 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award for showcasing exemplary dedication to equity initiatives while promoting a culture of inclusion for their students and for all of north St. Louis County,” said Rebecca Zoll, president and CEO of NCI.
Elizabeth Gassel Perkins, Ed.D., campus president and
From left to right: Elizabeth Gassel Perkins, Ed.D., campus president and chief academic officer of St. Louis Community at Florissant Valley; Charles J. Pearson, Ed.D., former superintendent of schools, Normandy Schools Collaborative; Carol Daniel, KMOX news anchor and keynote speaker; Rance Thomas, Ph.D., president of North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice; and Barbara Thompson, Ed.D., vice-president of NCCU; are featured with winners recognized during the “Let’s Build Bridges, not Walls” STLCC-Florissant Valley and NCCU 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.
chief academic officer of St. Louis Community at Florissant Valley, couldn’t be happier about the recognition.
“It isn’t an overstatement to say that I work with an outstanding group of skilled, compassionate and dynamic individuals at STLCC-Florissant Valley who develop great programs to advance conversations regarding diversity and inclusion in the community. This award and acknowledgment belongs to them. I also want to share my deep appreciation with North County Inc. for the award and for its great work to enhance the north county area.”
The committee members who made the following 2021 celebrations possible are: African American History Month Celebration. Dwayne Morgan, committee chair; Amy Bird, manager of access services; Linda Collins, Ph.D., professor of history; Terrence Freeman; and Lisa Myers, parttime employee.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. Amy BrownMarshall, committee chair
and assistant professor of communications; Terrence Freeman, Ph.D., adjunct faculty of engineering science; Mike Metroulas, assistant professor of political science; Dwayne Morgan, coordinator of student orientation and transition; Elizabeth Gassel Perkins; Lynn Selders, assistant professor of business administration; Shantana Stewart, campus marketing and communications coordinator; Rance Thomas, Ph.D., president of North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice; Shanda Walker, administrative assistant to the campus president; and Bryant T. Williamson, assistant technical director of theatre.
Women’s History Month Celebration. Elizabeth “Neko” Pilarcik-Tellez, committee co-chair and assistant professor of graphic communications; Karen Wade committee co-chair and library secretary; Myrtle Alexander, student activities assistant II; Joseph Bauer, assistant professor of mathematics; Christine
Giancola, assistant professor of photography; Carol Hake, retired associate professor of English; Fran Hooker, manager of academic support services; Paul Huddleston, supervisor of the campus radio station; Stacey Lampman, library assistant II; Jasmin Marshall, assistant professor of child and family development; Ashley Ortiz, adjunct faculty of English; Karana Phillips, LEC/LMS specialist; Cathy Reilly, retired instruction librarian; Annie Wagganer, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology; and Bryant T. Williamson. Participating students for video presentations included: Kathryn Buchanan, Shekhinah Estes, Trina Helms, Isaiah J. Davidson, known as the artist “Isaiah J.,” Lee A. Presser, Anne Marie Mosher and Jaina Wyrosdick. Participating students for photographs and essays included: Christine Braselman, Dasia Chavis, Sara Fullerton, Eve Hightower and Mark Roman.
InSIdE SportS
By Earl Austin Jr.
Carey Davis has his Hawks flying high in prep sky
Team is off to a 4-0 record
The Hazelwood Central football program is on the upswing under the direction of former Hawks’ standout Carey Davis.
The Hawks have been perennially successful, and Davis has his team sporting a 4-0 record. Central topped a ranked Eureka Wildcats squad two weeks ago on the road, and Seckman last weekend in a battle of 3-0 teams. The offense is led by senior quarterback Bryson Brown, who has passed for 531 yards and five touchdowns. Senior running back Lionel Banks has rushed for 499 yards and five touchdowns while senior Jamarion Price has rushed for 392 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns. In the 46-13 victory over Seckman, Banks rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns, while Price rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Armani Turner has 173 yards receiving and 119 yards rushing along with two touchdowns. He had a 64-yard touchdown reception against Seckman.
Hazelwood Central’s defense is led by junior Jayden Trotter, who has a team-high 40 tackles and one interception. Senior defensive back Eric Brown has a team-high five interceptions. Senior Calvin Geans anchors the play on the defensive line.
On Friday night, Sept. 24, the Hawks will face the biggest test of the season against host 4-0 Kirkwood.
You can go home again
A group of former area prep football standouts have returned to their respective alma maters as head coaches after playing in the National Football League. They are enjoying plenty of success.
Davis at Hazelwood Central, Jeremy Maclin at Kirkwood and William Franklin at Vashon have led their teams to 4-0 records. All three were collegiate standouts who played in the NFL, and the trio is eager to pass along knowl-
edge and experience to the younger generation.
Davis played at the University of Illinois after his career at Hazelwood Central. He spent several seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maclin and Franklin were both collegiate standouts and teammates at the University of Missouri before matriculating to the NFL.
Luther’s final three
Standout wide receiver Luther Burden III of East St. Louis has announced the three finalists in his recruiting sweepstakes, all from the Southeastern Conference.
The finalists for the five-star receiver are Alabama, Georgia and the University of Missouri. Burden had originally given a verbal commitment to Oklahoma, but he re-opened his recruitment during the summer.
Through four games this season, Burden has
22 receptions for 346 yards and six touchdowns. He has also returned two kicks for touchdowns.
In a recent game on national television, Burden had 10 receptions for 169 yards and three touchdowns against St. John Bosco (California), which is the No. 3 ranked team in the nation.
Standout Individual Performers from Week 4
• Junior Damien Moore of Oakville rushed for 198 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Tigers’ 55-26 victory over Hazelwood West.
• Senior De’Shawn Fuller of St. Mary’s had a rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown and punt return for a touchdown in the Dragons’ 42-0 victory over St. Francis Borgia.
• Junior Tyler Macon of Kirkwood had four receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the Pioneers’ 34-18 victory over Ladue.
• Senior DeAndre Lawrence of O’Fallon
SportS EyE
With Alvin A. Reid
The NASCAR Cup series will soon be coming to town. World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) in Madison, Ill., just east of downtown St. Louis, has been awarded a June 5, 2022, race date, and millions of racing fans can tune in to watch the demanding race on the 1.25-mile oval track.
The NASCAR Cup Series addition will make WWTR the only U.S. venue to host the premier series for each of the three preeminent racing organizations: NASCAR, INDYCAR and NHRA.
rushed for 206 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Panthers’ 30-14 victory over Edwardsville.
• Senior Brian Brown of Lutheran North completed 15 of 23 passes for 343 yards and five touchdowns in the Crusaders’ 52-7 victory over Westminster.
On Tap this Weekend
• CBC (3-1) at SLUH (2-1), 6 p.m. Friday
• Lutheran St. Charles (3-1) at St. Mary’s (2-1), 7 p.m. Friday
• Parkway North (3-1) at Summit (4-0), 7 p.m. Friday
• Eureka (3-1) at Parkway West (3-1), 7 p.m. Friday
• Festus (3-1) at Hillsboro (3-1), 7 p.m. Friday
• O’Fallon (3-1) at East St. Louis (3-1), 1 p.m. Saturday
NASCAR flags St. Louis for Cup Series race in June 2022
World Wide Technology secured the long-term naming rights commitment and the track’s name was changed to World Wide Technology in April 2019. Steward’s firm also became the track’s official technology partner and will use the venue to advance development programs for the company and its community outreach initiatives.
Alvin A. Reid
“This is a tremendous win for WWT Raceway and the St. Louis region,” said David L. Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology.
“World Wide Technology and the Steward Family are grateful and privileged to play a role in bringing a NASCAR Cup Series race to St. Louis fans. We are thrilled to welcome a new generation of fans to this exciting sport and to emphasize the importance of STEM education through racing.”
“Thanks to the hard work of our team, corporate partners such as Dave Steward and World Wide Technology, and sponsors like Bommarito Automotive Group, I am proud to welcome the NASCAR Cup Series to the St. Louis region,” said Curtis Francois, WWTR owner. “I can’t wait to celebrate this incredible victory with our fans.”
The Rawlings Sports Business Management Department at Maryville University projects that the NASCAR Cup Series race could produce at least $60 million in economic impact for the St. Louis market. Along with the superspeed-
David L. Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, secured the naming rights for World Wide Technology Raceway in April 2019, and a NASCAR Cup Series race will come to WWTR next year. World Wide Technology is a former sponsor of NASCAR’s lone Black driver Bubba Wallace’s No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro.
way on which the NASCAR race will be held, WWTR recently expanded 2.0-mile road course. The site also includes a karting facility, a 14-acre, multi-purpose dirt off-
road venue and the Gateway Drive-In Theater. WWTR also acquired Gateway National Golf Links, which is adjacent to the speedway, in 2019.
Ken Burns’ “Ali” a knockout
Ken Burns’ PBS docuseries “Muhammad Ali” was carried on the Nine Network (Channel 9) Sept. 19-22, and it was spectacular. The debut covered Ali’s life from 1942 to 1964, including his gold medal triumph in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and it ends on the eve of Cassius Clay’s heavyweight title fight in Miami against former St. Louisan Sonny Liston. It also details Ali’s close relationship with Malcolm X. If you didn’t catch the series, don’t worry. It is streaming for free through Oct. 10 at www.pbs.org/kenburns/muhammad-ali/.
The Reid Roundup
Washington Wizards allstar guard and former Florida star Bradley Beal served as the honorary “Mr. Two Bits” during the Alabama at Florida football game last Saturday. He almost helped the Gators pull off an upset, but the Tide held on for a 31-29 victory… There is a possibility the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty could pitch out of the
bullpen during the upcoming series against the host Chicago Cubs... Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is rumored to be a leading candidate for the USC head coaching job. Bieniemy reminded folks last week that Mike Bohn, USC’s current athletic director, was AD at Colorado when the entire coaching staff, including him, was dismissed in 2012… Michael Locksley took over a scandal-ridden program at Maryland and has the Terrapins on a climb to respectability. His team topped Illinois 20-17 last Saturday in Champaign. Lockley has also created the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches, a non-profit organization focused on helping football coaches of color gain exposure in the hiring process. A bit of self-promotion
ESPN 101’s Marty Jenkins and I have a weekly podcast called “College Football Connection.” We preview the weekend’s top college football matchups and give you our picks against the spread. New shows drop on Fridays at 101ESPN.com.
Earl Austin Jr.
Former Hazelwood Central standout and NFL player Carey Davis has returned to his alma mater as the Hawks’ head coach and his team is sporting a 4-0 record headed into a match with 4-0 Kirkwood.
Photo courtesy of KSDK.com
Photo courtesy of WWTR
Living It
Dancing in the streets Bye bye boredom
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra homages Motown’s rich musical roots
By Danielle Brown
The St. Louis American
Motown Records’ catalog produced feelgood music for the soul—all of the artists sang beautiful melodies and harmonies that tug at your heartstrings even today. The lyrics ranging from heartbreak, love, unity and encouragement resonate now just as they did during the Civil Rights Movement.
Founded by Berry Gordy in 1959, the legendary record label helped launched the careers of numerous chart-topping R&B greats including The Jackson 5 (with the late King of Pop Michael Jackson), Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Commodores (Lionel Richie), The Miracles (Smokey Robinson), and more.
Gordy and his Motown roster broke barriers with him becoming one of the most influential Black-owned record companies in the world.
And this was during a time that was segregated, which meant the music industry wasn’t so favorable toward Black people. He took matters into his own hands and created something for people who looked like him.
But beyond its groundbreaking foundation, what makes the music so special more than 60+ years later?
All can listen and appreciate the artistry and musicianship no matter the age demographic, race, gender, sexual orientation or any other concept that separates us from the next.
People from every walk of life joyfully clapped, sang their hearts, and applauded the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for its tribute celebration concert Dancing in The Street: Music of Motown at Powell Symphony Hall on Saturday, Sept. 18. IN Unison Chorus Director Kevin McBeth’s musical direction took us on a time-traveling experience back to the Motown era with the help
of vocalists Chester Gregory, Darren Lorenzo and Shayna Steele giving the artists’ songs they performed exceptional justice.
Stunning in a Black and silver diamond embroidered ball gown, Sacramento-born, New York-based vocalist Steele opened up the show with a song related to the title, “ Dancing in the Streets,” by Martha & The Vandellas.
Gregory then graced the stage in a dapper all black and silver suit with his own rendition of “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me,” by Smokey Robinson’s group The Miracles.
Lorenzo, also looking dapper, dressed in a flashy red, black and silver flower embroidered suit with black pants channeled the “Godfather of Soul” James Brown with his mega-hit “It’s A Man’s World.”
Gregory and Lorenzo understood the assign-
Engaged couple Morgan Casey and Donnah Thomas’ Date Ideas and Things to do in STL Facebook group sheds a much needed positive light on St. Louis. It promotes all the city and surrounding areas have to offer.
Black women LGBT-led Facebook group promotes diversity, unity, fun
By Danielle Brown The St. Louis American
Similar to many new moms, Morgan Casey dealt with depression and struggled with becoming her true self after giving birth to her son, Mason High, in 2013. To escape her mental battles and adversities, she began curating and hosting her own small events. In March 2016, she hosted her first viral event titled, “I Dream ENT Adult Easter Egg Hunt — presented by her entertainment and event planning company, IDream ENT. It prides itself on uniting people that “normally wouldn’t be in the same room as each other,” she said. It was a spur of the moment event inspired by Ashley Turigliatto’s sold-out adult Easter egg hunt in Tower Grove Park. In a matter of three days, Casey decided to hold her own version of it with her family and friends. She thought maybe 30 to 40 people would come, but the event ended up being more than she could ever imagine. Because it went so well, she decided to have it every year and open it to the public.
It even caught the eye of The Wall Street Journal, which published a story in 2019.
‘Food fast, not fast food’
Creation Smoothies spins favorite eats
By Danielle Brown The St. Louis American
Friends and business partners
Thomas Neal and Terry Bams expect to open their second Creations Smoothies franchise in Florissant this November.
See SLSO, C2 n The group is open to people seeking recommendations for date night ideas, solo adventures, dog-friendly establishments, and fun for the entire family.
Following the event, she fell in love with the feeling she got seeing adults have fun like they did as kids. She transitioned to organizing other events in addition to the Easter egg hunt, including adult prom, speed dating, The Rise open mic, adult game night, and more. Although the success was there for Casey producing cool and innovative events in the city, she didn’t take herself seriously. While there was uncertainty about herself, she mustered up the courage to pitch an idea to the City Museum in 2019 about hosting an adult night there.
“I was let down by finding out they didn’t partner with third party companies,” she said. “I was really disappointed because I felt like I still wasn’t good enough. However, I never gave up. I continued to learn and continued to grow.”
Casey kept her creative juices flowing and launched the Date Ideas and Things to do in STL Facebook group in July 2020, with her fiancée Donnah Thomas.
The Black woman LGBT operated group came about after Casey’s friend encouraged her to create a space so she could keep up with all the fun things Casey does and sees in the city.
Like the sentiment she had about hosting the Easter egg hunt, Casey once again thought only a few people would be interested. She proved herself wrong—within a year it gained more than 162,000 members and now averages about two million viewers a month.
Her dream to partner with the City Museum has also come true. She recently hosted a rooftop event there, and the person to give her a chance was none other than Turigliatto, the woman who created the Tower Grove Easter egg hunt. She handles marketing and communications for the museum.
See Date, C8
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Darren Lorenzo, Shayna Steele, and Chester Gregory gave a spirited performance at Powell Symphony Hall of Motown and other hits from artist like James Brown and Earth,Wind, and Fire called Dancing In The Streets Saturday Sept. 18, 2021. The orchestra was conducted by the IN UNISON Chorus’ Director Kevin McBeth.
SLSO
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ment when they perfectfully emulated the smooth and gentlemen-esque footwork of The Four Tops and many other old school groups with their duet of “Reach Out I’ll Be There.”
Throughout the evening all three musicians took turns back and forth performing their own homages to the icons of Motown. More hits include Steele performing “Touch Me In the
Morning,” by Diana Ross, Gregory singing “Just to See Her,” by Smokey Robinson, and Lorenzo singing Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is to be Loved By You.”
Following Lorenzo’s stellar tribute to Gaye, Gregory and Steele joined for a duet of one of Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s most memorable collaborations, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
It wouldn’t be Motown if our own wasn’t honored. Lorenzo, of course, sang the chilling and vulnerable track, “A Song for You,” by Vashon graduate
Donny Hathaway. Steele followed up with Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitions.”
Shortly after her performance, a brief intermission happened. Afterwards, she, Gregory and Lorenzo joined for a soulful, melodic homage to Earth, Wind and Fire’s “Let’s Groove.”
Returning from the intermission, Steele came back to the stage this time in a red cascading floor-length gown. Other songs performed were James Brown’s “Shout,” Mary Wells’ “My Guy,” The Temptations’ “My Girl,” Diana Ross and Lionel Richie’s “Endless
Love,” The Spinners’ “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love,” “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” by Thelma Houston, “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher,” by Jackie Wilson and “All Night Long,” by Lionel Richie.
The trio concluded the nostalgic concert with Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.”
It was a tribute done tastefully to the delight of all the music lovers that were in the building and reminded everyone why Motown’s influence still carries so much relevance more than
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Shayna Steele performs to a sold out crowd with help from Darren Lorenzo and Chester Gregory at Powell Symphony Hall Sat. Sept. 18, 2021. The orchestra was conducted by the IN UNISON Chorus’ Director Kevin McBeth. The performance called Dancing In The Streets was a array of Motown and other hits from artist like James Brown and Earth,Wind, and Fire Sat. Sept. 18, 2021.
Artist Damon Davis on view at Art Museum
Damon Davis, American, born 1985; All Hands On Deck # 3, 2015; lithograph; sheet (irregular): 32 inches x 58 3/16 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, The Sidney S. and Sadie Cohen Print Purchase Fund 9:2016.3; © Damon Davis,
“My work is rooted in the Black American experience because that is my experience. I am motivated by how I internally process the idea of race and how it has personally affected my life, as well as the larger socio-political implications of race in America and the world.” These are the words of multi-disciplinary artist Damon Davis. A passion for social justice and equality were instilled in Davis as a young child from his parents. He grew up in East St. Louis and attended St. Louis University, initially majoring in fine arts but graduating with a degree in communication.
Davis’ creativity is boundless. He is a visual artist, filmmaker and musician and his talent can be experienced in communities across our nation and the world, including the Saint Louis Art Museum. In 2015, Wildwood Press in St. Louis published a limited-edition portfolio of All Hands On Deck. The Museum will display this set of large photolithographs, which it acquired in 2016, in its entirety: six of them are on view in Gallery 212S, and one will be in the fall exhibition Art Along the Rivers.
Davis’s All Hands On Deck is a powerful artwork that addresses social justice and the call for change. He conceived the original photographs of hands held up high during the months-long protests after Michael Brown Jr. was shot and killed in Ferguson in August 2014. Davis and his colleagues pasted the images onto boarded-up storefronts along West Florissant Avenue, where they shared space with many other rapidly improvised textual and visual
statements. Images of the storefronts were broadcast around the world.
Recalling the protestors’ chant “Hands up don’t shoot” that was echoed throughout the protests—they were photographed with their “hands up.” That signal of surrender, however, is transformed in Davis’s photographs into one of resistance, fortitude, and community. In the artist’s own words: “The project in itself was a protest to change the physical space of the street in the aftermath of the murder of Michael Brown Jr. The boarded-up buildings created a narrative of destruction before anything had even happened, and that fed into the media’s biased portrayal of the protesters. It was a way to weaponize art to create a counternarrative centered on the unity and love I saw every time I went out to protest. It sought to raise the morale of the protest community to continue the long fight.”
His documentary about the Ferguson protest movement, Whose Streets?, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017 and has received broad critical attention. Among his many awards, he was named a 2020–2021 Citizen Artist Fellow at Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
We invite you to visit the Saint louis Art Museum for the debut of the entire All Hands On Deck portfolio. Damon Davis: All Hands On Deck which features six large photolithographs are on view in gallery 212S through March 27, 2022 and one will be on view in the Art Along the Rivers exhibition which opens October 3.
We’re hiring in our Before/After School Child Care program and Early Childhood Education Centers and offering sign-on bonuses of up to $500.
You can interview for these positions at Open Interviews at multiple branch locations on Thursdays from August 5-26. Locations and times can be found at www.gwrymca.org/careers.
In order to be interviewed, please make sure to fill out an application on the Gateway Region YMCA website. Employment benefits: Complimentary
discounts on
and
OTHER JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Many of the 23 branches of the Gateway Region YMCA have immediate openings in the following positions: Lifeguards and Swim Instructors with a $200 sign-on bonus
The 2021 opera composed by
Image courtesy Wildwood Press, St. Louis\
Many ears are on Lucinda Moore’s new release “Lord, I Hear You”
Quickly climbing Gospel charts
St. Louis American staff
Stellar Award winner Lucinda Moore says she finds inspiration everywhere, and her new single “Lord, I Hear You” is quickly climbing download and streaming charts.
“I find inspiration all around me,” Moore says on her website.
“I try to make my music representative of myself and my generation. I love the places that most
people don’t give a second glance.”
Released on Sept. 17, “Lord, I Hear You” debuted among the Top 30 on iTunes Top 200 Christian/Gospel Songs chart. Moore co-wrote the song with Grammy Award and Stellar Award-winning music producer Cedric Thompson, who also produced the track.
Moore is also producing songs on an EP set for release in early 2022.
“Lord, I Hear You” will be the lead
Spiritually Speaking…
Christian maturity has beginning, middle and end
By Rev. James Washington
As someone who has come to Christ as a, hopefully, mature adult, I’m challenged as ministers Bible study leaders and others of faith talk about becoming a mature Christian. The challenge is in knowing what it means to mature as a person and
applying some of those same principles to the maturation process as it relates to faith and knowledge. Faith as a concept is easy to understand. The knowledge I speak of accompanies the experience of knowing God’s word. As such, just like a mature adult, your behavior starts to be dictated by your experience, your
single on the project.
“I followed my dream and pursued my goals, nationally. I write my lyrics with passion, out of experience and now, producing my own projects,” she said.
A native of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Moore started her music career in 1989 as a backup singer to Tramaine Hawkins.
“I uncovered my passion for Gospel
knowledge. In other words, your decisions are affected and guided by what you know.
For the mature Christian, faith is easily expressed in words. However, deeds [or should I say actions] now have parameters set in stone due to the experience of faith. So, the more you know about God’s word and God’s will, the more responsive you should become in what you do, don’t do, say, don’t say, etc.
Stellar Award winner Lucinda Moore's “Lord, I Hear You” debuted among the Top 30 on iTunes Top 200 Christian/ Gospel Songs chart.
music during my push to sing in front of the church,” she said.
“From that point on, I was involved in choir, musicals, and song writing and traveled with major recording artists."
She launched her solo career in 2004 after releasing her debut independent project “Unlimited Praise.” In 2006, she released her selftitled live album “Lucinda Moore,” which debuted in the Top 20 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart and included her biggest radio hit, “Pressure into Praise.” It peaked at
Christian knows if you don’t forgive your enemies, God will not forgive you.
Forgiveness, for instance, is an example. The more you accept the truth of Christ in your life, the more mandatory it becomes to forgive those who have in some way ‘trespassed’ against you. A mature
How dare you not at least undertake the notion of forgiveness when Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice so we all could be forgiven! Some people refer to this as knowing that you know that you know. It is a difficult process, however. It takes time. Maturity requires experience. And it is that experience that I’m saying challenges me from time to time to do the right thing. For the mature Christian, it is purely a matter of knowledge that easily lets you know what the right thing is what you’re supposed to do, in all situations and circumstances. The
#13 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay and Hot Gospel Songs chart.
Moore said the award-winning recording, “captured the hearts of people.”
Her follow-up live album, “Blessed, Broken & Given” (Tyscot Records), was released in 2010. The album debuted at #13 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart and garnered Moore her first Stellar Award win in 2011 for Traditional Female Artist of the Year.
The “Lord, I Hear You” single can be purchased at https://ffm.to/lm_lihy. The accompanying lyric video is at https://youtu.be/K0gkj1EDSIQ
“Lord, I Hear You” is also featured on multiple leading Gospel music playlists, including Apple Music’s Gospel Flow, Pandora’s New Gospel Now, Spotify’s New Music Friday Christian, Apple Music’s Take Me to Church, YouTube’s Hot Gospel Playlist and Pandora’s Women in Gospel.
more mature you become in your faith, the more evident it becomes in your behavior.
The thought process of the mature Christian is where I find myself these days. I guess you can say I am now a proponent of ‘you are indeed what you think.’ I believe faith does move mountains.
And as I see it start to move mine, I will hopefully and prayerfully be living proof of what they say about mustard seeds. Believe me, it’s a work in progress and I’m working on it every single day.
May God bless and keep you always.
Columnist James Washington
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
O’FALLON FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
The O’Fallon Fire Protection District is currently seeking qualified applicants to establish a hiring pool for the position of Firefighter/EMT-P. Application packets may be picked up at the O’Fallon Fire Protection District Administration Office located at 111 Laura K Drive, O’Fallon, MO 63366 beginning September 27, 2021 through October 1, 2021 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. CST, and must be returned to the Administration Office beginning October 4, 2021 through October 8, 2021 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. CST. Packets may also be accessed from our website: ofallonfire.org by clicking on the link located on the first page; the hiring packet may be downloaded and printed. Your completed packet may be returned in person or returned via US Mail or other carrier. The O’Fallon Fire Protection District is not responsible for any correspondence or mail that is lost or misdirected, or received after October 8, 2021, 2:00p.m. CST.
The O’Fallon Fire Protection District is an Equal Opportunity Employer
LONG-RANGE/CORRIDOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNER II
East-West Gateway Council of Governments has an opening for a Long-Range/Corridor Transportation Planner II position. Please follow the link to view posts at http://www.ewgateway.org/careers/
BUSINESS ASSISTANCE MANAGER
Justine PETERSEN, a Non-Profit focused on credit building, homeownership, and micro-enterprise lending and training is accepting applications for a Business Assistance Manager. To apply go to justinepetersen.org/
FAMILY SUPPORT SPECIALIST MANAGER & SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Urban Strategies, Inc is seeking applicants for the Family Support Specialist Manager and a Senior Project Manager. To view the full job description for Family Support Specialist Manager visit https://tinyurl.com/5bvpuwsp and for Senior Project Manager visit https:// tinyurl.com/uej8mvhf or our website www.urbanstrategiesinc.org. After entering our website, click on Who We Are and select Join Our Team to find career opportunities. USI is an Equal Opportunity employer, and this position is funded in whole or in part with Choice Neighborhood Initiative grant funds from the US Department of HUD. Deadline to apply is 10/22/21
FIREFIGHTER/ PARAMEDIC
The City of Richmond Heights is accepting applications for the position of Firefighter/ Paramedic, $60,668 - 69,833 DOQ. To apply go to https://richmondheights. applicantpro.com/jobs/ Applications will be accepted from September 7, 2021 through October 1, 2021.
JENNINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT HIRING FAIR
Thursday, September 23, 2021, from 4-6 pm Gary Gore Community Center 2545 Dorwood Drive, Jennings, MO 63136
We will have onsite interviews for the following positions:
K-12 substitute teachers, special education paraprofessionals, elementary special education teachers, high school social studies, and English teachers
For more information contact Human Resources at 314-653-8000
•
•
Duties and Responsibilities (Including, but not limited to, the following):
•
• Provide homework support.
•
Qualifications:
• High School diploma or equivalent
• Two years successful work experience in a related field
• Must be able to pass a criminal background check by hiring date To apply please email resume and three professional references to scotton-johnson@theyfc.org. No phone calls please.
Compensation: $12 per hour
EOE
St. LouiS american Bids &
St. Louis County Department of Human Services
Housing Urban Development Continuum of Care FY21 Notice of Funding Opportunity
The St. Louis County Department of Human Services - Homeless Services Program is seeking proposals for the Housing Urban Development Continuum of Care FY21 Notice of Funding Opportunity-Bid number 1375. The total funding available is approximately $3.265,472 Proposals are due by 11:00 a.m. October 6, 2021. A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on September 23, 2021 from 10:00-11:30 a.m. via Zoom @ https:// us06web.zoom.us/j/87250788117?pwd=c3hhcEdsTVZZUVV5S21ybFo2akZEQT09 Request For Proposal details and specifications can be obtained at the St. Louis County Bids and RFPs webpage located at https://stlouisco.munisselfservice.com/ Vendors/VBids/Default.aspx
PUBLIC NOTICE
A hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, at 6:00 P.M., at the St. Louis Board of Education Administrative Offices, 801 N. 11th Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63101, on the 1st floor in Room 108, at which time citizens may be heard on the property tax proposed to be set by the Board of Education of the City of St. Louis. The tax rates are set to produce the revenues, which the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021, shows to be required from the property taxes. Each tax rate is determined by dividing the amount of revenue needed by the assessed valuation. The result is multiplied by 100 so that the tax rate will be expressed in cents per $100 valuation.
SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS
KJLU RELOCATION ON CAMPUS
Lincoln University of Missouri is currently accepting qualification statements for professional design services to renovate an existing campus facility for the new home of KJLU Radio on Jefferson City, Mo campus. Please submit all documents to lufacilitiesplanning@lincolnu.edu by October 13, 2021. For additional information, please contact the Office of Facilities and Planning, 309 Young Hall, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri (573) 681-5084.
PAWLEY THEATER RENOVATION –ON CAMPUS
Lincoln University of Missouri is currently accepting qualification statements for professional design services to renovate and modernize Pawley Theater on our Jefferson City, Mo campus. Please submit all documents to lufacilitiesplanning@lincolnu. edu by October 13, 2021. For additional information, please contact the Office of Facilities and Planning, 309 Young Hall, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri (573) 681-5084.
SEALED BIDS
CITY OF ST. LOUIS
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES & OFFICE OF THE TREASURER
The City of St. Louis Department of Human Services (DHS), jointly with the Office of the Treasurer are soliciting proposals for the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) State Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to implement the services necessary to deliver direct relief in the form of Direct Cash Assistance to City residents financially burdened by the economic and health conditions of the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020-2021. Beginning September 16, 2021, RFP packets will be available via pick-up at the:
Treasurer’s Office 1200 Market Street City Hall, Room 220 St. Louis, MO 63103
Or at the following website: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/procurement/ If you are interested in participating in a Bidder’s Conference via Zoom Webinar on September 27, 2021, please email Shirley Rukcic by Wednesday, September 23, 2021, at Rukcics@stltreasurer.org to be added to the Calendar Invite. Notification will be provided via email prior to the virtual meeting.
Questions may be referred by email only and must be submitted on or before September 23, 2021, to Shirley Rukcic, at Rukcics@stltreasurer.org
The RFPs closing date is 4:00 p.m., Monday, October 4, 2021.
LETTING NO. 8735
CERVANTES CONVENTION CENTER
EXPANSION AND MODERNIZATIONEARLY UTILITIES PACKAGE ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
PROPOSALS will be received by the Board of Public Service until 1:45 PM, CT, on October 26, 2021, through the Bid Express online portal then publicly opened and read. Plans and Specifications may be examined on the Board of Public Service website http://www.stl-bps.org/ planroom (BPS On Line Plan Room) and may be purchased directly through the BPS website from INDOX Services at cost plus shipping. No refunds will be made.
A pre-bid conference for all contractors bidding on this project will be held on September 27, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at the Convention Center on the corner of Cole Street and 9th Street.
Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State, and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies.)
All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order 11246, “Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements.)
CITY OF ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
Service: Marketing Advisory Services
Pre-Proposal Meeting Date: September 29, 2021 Meeting will be held via teleconference. See RFP for details.
Question Due Date: October 1, 2021
Proposal Due Date: October 21, 2021
M/WBE Goals & Incentives: MBE goals: 25% WBE goal: 5%.
A 15% M/WBE incentive credit shall be applied to the evaluation of professional service prime contracts who are currently certified MBE-African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, Native American and WBE-Women owned Business Enterprises
Point of Contact: Briana Bryant– bnbryant@flystl.com
PProposal documents may be obtained at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Airport Properties Division, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by calling (314) 426-8174. This RFP may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.flystl.com/business/contract-opportunites
Robert Salarano Airport Properties Division Manager
CITY OF ST. LOUIS
Affordable Housing Commission
State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) –
Eviction Prevention -Legal Services and Food Assistance
Request for Proposals
In response to the public health andeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency, The City of St. Louis Affordable Housing Commission (AHC) is accepting proposals for activities that will assist in the prevention and reduction of City residents and tenants facing evictions and the elimination of food instability experienced by City of St. Louis residents, caused by the health emergency.
Bids for Missouri State Highway Patrol General Headquarters f a c i l i t y improvements, Project Nos. R2109-01 and R2110-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1 : 3 0 P M , 10/21/2021 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered t o b i d . F o r specific project information, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities
Beginning Noon, September 17, 2021, with funding from State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) made available by the American Rescue Plan Act, the Affordable Housing Commission (AHC) will make available applications for Eviction Prevention –Legal Services and Food Assistance Providers.
The RFP and related documents can be found on the Affordable Housing Commission (AHC) website at https://www.stlouis-mo. gov/government/departments/affordable-housing/documents/ request-for-proposal-slfrf-eviction-prevention-legalservices-and-food-assistance.cfm
The SLFRF Eviction Prevention- Legal Services and Food Assistance proposal deadline is Monday, October 11, 2021, 4:00 p.m., CST.
Questions concerning the RFP process may be directed to the Affordable Housing Commission at ahcslfrf@stlouis-mo.gov
AHC is an equal opportunity agency. Minority participation is encouraged.
NURSING FACILITY AND ELLIFF HALL REMODEL –ON CAMPUS
Lincoln University of Missouri is currently accepting qualification statements for professional design services to renovate an existing facility for the new home of our School of Nursing on the Jefferson City, Mo campus. Please submit all documents to lufacilitiesplanning@lincolnu. edu by October 13, 2021. For additional information, please contact the Office of Facilities and Planning, 309 Young Hall, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri (573) 681-5084.
Request for Proposal: SSD 120-21: Bridges Program Relocation at South County Technical High School Project Manual and drawings will be available through County Blue beginning on Sept 14, 2021. A $200.00 refundable deposit made out to Special School District will be required for paper copies of plans, a $50.00 non-refundable fee will be required for electronic digital downloads. A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held at 2:00 PM on September 20, 2021 at The new Bridges renovation site at South Technical High School, 12721 West Watson Road, St. Louis, MO 63127.
Bids are due at 2:00 pm on October 12, 2021 at Special School District Purchasing Department, 12110 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63131.
SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS
CITY OF ST. LOUIS
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
The City of St. Louis Department of Human Services is soliciting Proposals for the FY2021Continuum of Care (CoC) – Annual NOFO Competition for the Renewal of Existing Projects and New Projects. There are a variety of permanent housing project types available under this RFP. Beginning September 15, 2021, RFP packets will be available via pick-up at:
Department of Human Services
Homeless Services Division 1520 Market, Room 4065
St. Louis, MO 63103
Or at the following website: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/procurement/ A Bidder’s Conference regarding this RFP will be held on Friday, September 17, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. via Zoom link. Contact Donette Coleman via email ColemanDo@ stlouis-mo.gov to request the Zoom Link for the meeting. If you are unable to attend the September 17th Bidder’s Conference, the meeting will be recorded and access to the meeting will be posted on the City website following the meeting.
Questions may be referred by email only and must be submitted on or before Oct. 6, 2021, to Amy Bickford, Chief Program Manager, at bickforda@stlouis-mo.gov All responses to the RFP shall be addressed and returned in sealed envelopes or containers to the above address. The RFP closing date is 5:00 p.m. Friday, October 8, 2021.
CITY OF ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
SOLICITATION FOR BID (SFB)
Service: Flag Cleaning Services
Pre-Bid Meeting Date: September 28, 2021 Meeting will be held via teleconference. See SFB for details.
Question Due Date: September 30, 2021
Bid Due Date: October 15, 2021
M/WBE Goals & Incentives: MBE goals: 25% WBE goal: 5%.
A 15% M/WBE incentive credit shall be applied to the evaluation of professional service prime contracts who are currently certified MBE-African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, Native American and WBE-Women owned Business Enterprises
Point of Contact: Briana Bryant– bnbryant@flystl.com
Proposal documents may be obtained at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Airport Properties Division, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by calling (314) 426-8174. This SFB may also be obtained by visiting our website at https://www.flystl.com/business/contract-opportunities Robert Salarano Airport Properties Division Manager
METROPOLITAN SEWER DISTRICT ST. LOUIS, MO
CAULKS CREEK A PUMP STATION (P-750) IMPROVEMENTS 12248
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for Caulks Creek A Pump Station (P-750) Improvements under Letting No. 12248- 015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Wednesday, November 3, 2021. All bids are to be deposited in the bid box located on the First Floor of the District’s Headquarters located at 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103, prior to the 2:00 p.m. bid deadline. Bids may also be submitted electronically at stlmsdplanroom.com. Refer to the Contractor’s notice page within the Bid Form for additional information on electronic submission of bids.
A general description of the work to be done under these contract documents is as follows: Demolition of existing building, demolition of equipment located in pump station dry pit, conversion of dry pit to a wet well for submersible pumps, installation of submersible pumps, construction of interior concrete walls, installation of piping, construction of junction box, construction of a valve vault, installation of a electrical building, site work, installation of a vapor phase odor control system and liquid phase odor control system.
Engineer’s Opinion of Probable Construction Cost for the project is $8,190,000.00
Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for:
Building Construction Contractor
Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 2731 S. Jefferson, St. Louis MO 63118. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
A non-mandatory Pre-Bid conference will be held in accordance with Article 6 of the Instructions to Bidders.
St. LouiS american Bids & Public Notices
CAMPUS AND RESEARCH FARM MASTER PLANS
Lincoln University of Missouri is currently accepting qualification statements for professional services to develop Master Plans for the Jefferson City campus and Research farms. Please submit all documents to lufacilitiesplanning@lincolnu. edu by October 13, 2021. For additional information, please contact the Office of Facilities and Planning, 309 Young Hall, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri (573) 681-5084.
LIST
MULTI-PURPOSE AG
FACILITY –ON CAMPUS
Lincoln University of Missouri is currently accepting qualification statements for professional services to include the design of a new multipurpose agricultural facility on the Jefferson City, Mo campus. Please submit all documents to lufacilitiesplanning@lincolnu.edu by October 13, 2021. For additional information, please contact the Office of Facilities and Planning, 309 Young Hall, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri (573) 681-5084.
SOLICITING BID
Reinhardt Construction, LLC is Soliciting Bids MBE/WBE/ DBE/Veteran/SDVE for the following: CP211261 Schweitzer HallRenovate Lab 213
Contact: Mike Murray, mikem@ reinhardtconstructionllc.com Phone: 573-682-5505
PUBLIC NOTICE
Interface Construction Corp. is bidding the Normandy High School –Secured Addition. on September 30th by Noon. We invite certified MBE and WBE bidders to submit your quote to:
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Replacement Light Poles for Multi Modial Will be received by City of St. Louis Treasurer UNTIL 3:00PM 10/26/2021
For specific project information, go to https://www.stltreasurer.org/ Request for Proposals/
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Effective October 1, 2021, Crown Center for Senior Living will reopen the Waiting List for the HUD-Subsidized apartments in the Weinberg Building, 8348 Delcrest Drive, St. Louis, MO 63124. Applications will be available by contacting Crown Center at (314) 991-2055 between the hours of 9:00AM and 5:00PM, Monday through Friday. Applications will be accepted only for subsidized one-bedroom apartments in the Weinberg Building. not for non-subsidized apartments. Questions may be directed via email to info@crowncenterstl.org or by calling (314) 991-2055.
CITY OF ST. LOUIS
BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE
son, by mail or by e-mail. Monday-Friday 8-5 Managed by Related Management Company
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS for PROVIDING HOSTED ONLINE BIDDING/PROPOSAL SUBMISSION SYSTEM for BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE. Proposals due by 5:00 P.M. CT, OCTOBER 15, 2021 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFP may be obtained from the Board of Public Service website www.stl-bps.org, under ON-LINE PLAN ROOM – Plan Room, or call City of St. Louis, Board of Public Service, at 314-589-6214.
Don Markus Interface Construction Corp. (314) 522-1011 8401 Wabash Ave. St. Louis, MO 63134-1837 email: donm@interfacestl.com
ST. LOUIS COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
The Public Safety Committee of the Board of Aldermen has approximately $936,000 available to award in calendar year 2022 for programs designed to prevent crimes perpetrated by youth in the City of St. Louis. The Committee is seeking proposals from qualified not-for-profit organizations to serve at-risk youth in the 11 to 24-year-old demographic. For the purposes of this RFP, crime prevention programs are defined as those programs that, either on an individual or group level, work to reduce the likelihood of youth involvement in criminal activity. Previous awards have averaged $60,000. Please note that the application will be online and applicants may find the online submission page through the following link: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/youth-at-risk/
St. Louis County Port Authority will accept bids from qualified firms for asbestos abatement and environmental materials removal at the Former Jamestown Mall (the “Project”) located at 175 Jamestown Mall, Florissant, MO. Interested firms or joint ventures should submit one (1) original and two (2) copies of their fully completed and signed Bid Proposal, along with all required documentation, in a sealed envelope marked “CONFIDENTIAL: Proposal for Former Jamestown Mall Abatement Project” to the offices of Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard, P.C., 120 S. Central Ave., Suite 1600, Clayton, MO 63105, Attn: Andrew C. Ruben, by November 4, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. (CST) at which time the bids will be opened and read aloud. There will be a mandatory pre-bid meeting and walk-thru on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 9:00 a.m., at the Project site. The Project Request for Proposals may be obtained from the Port Authority’s web site at www.stlpartnership.com/ rfp-rfq/. Copies of all Contract Documents may be viewed or purchased at County Blue Reprographics, 811 Hanley Industrial Ct., St. Louis, MO 63144 (http://www.countyblue.com),at Cross Rhodes Print & Technologies, 2731 S. Jefferson, St. Louis, MO 63118, or at MOKAN, 4666 Natural Bridge, St. Louis, MO 63115 (https://mokanccac.org/). All questions shall be submitted via email to Elizabeth Noonan at bnoonan@ced-solutions. com, no later than October 18, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. The Port Authority actively encourages submission of proposals from disadvantaged business enterprises and companies owned by minorities, women, immigrants and veterans. The Port Authority does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, national origin, disability or veteran status in consideration of this award. Equal Opportunity Employer.
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He went to nearby Valdosta, Georgia (he had never been to the area) and waited for Monday to get his car fixed. While he waited on his car’s maintenance he got hungry and stopped in a restaurant named Creations Smoothies to grab a bite to eat.
He was intrigued by the restaurant’s ambiance and menu options. That inspired him to ask owner Timothy Bryant if he would be interested in franchising.
Bams thought from a financial standpoint the news was too good to be true. He thought the numbers he was presented were off regarding the overall costs, but he and Neal were able to afford it.
They opened their brick and mortar store in November 2020 in O’Fallon, Missouri. As expected, the pair faced challenges that came with launching a new business during the
pandemic.
“We literally had maybe one or two employees running right into the grand opening,” Bams said. By the week of the business opening, the entrepreneurs had seven employees.
“It’s crazy,” Bams said. Creations sets itself apart from other food establishments with its motto “we do food fast, we don’t do fast foods.”
The menu includes healthy foods and beverages that are fresh and do not include preservatives, additives or ice. They serve wraps and tacos, regular or low carb, salads, carb conscious smoothies, lemonades and meatless choices for vegans and vegetarians.
“Every time I went somewhere and I ordered something I’d ask to have something taken off because they’re putting natural sugars on top of the sugar that’s already on the fruit. That’s too much sugar,” Neal said.
“We don’t have anything added, and plus we’re the only people that I know of putting red algae sea moss in smoothies.”
Its signature sauce, which also contains sea moss, also makes Creations unique.
“Sea moss is in the sauce,” Bams said. “People get that everyday and don’t even know it. They love our sauce. Some people think it’s a thousand island dressing or cheese, but no, it’s our own special sauce.”
organic,” Casey said. “We have contracts with several companies that pay me to post (items) for them three times a month.
“I felt so much joy looking around seeing people of different ethnicities, genders, and sexualities come together and have the time of their lives,” Casey said. She added, “For us to come together in a situation where most people would call us each other’s competition is magical in itself.” Their own marketing agency and corporate partnerships with large companies have developed from the group for Casey and Thomas.
“We handle marketing for individuals and local businesses and try to keep everything
The partnerships allow Casey and Thomas to host events with various companies. Being a Black woman entity, they love doing partnerships with Black-owned and minorityowned businesses because they find a lot of times they don’t have a budget for marketing or advertising.
“We try to figure out ways to make things beneficial for both parties. I have been very successful with helping a lot of our small Black owned businesses get a lot of marketing and promo.” Casey said. Posts from the group sometimes go viral, with hundreds of shares and thousands of comments. One post in particu-
lar that has helped the group included Casey discussing the excellent customer service she received from a Jimmy John’s in Sunset Hills by Candace Stroder.
When Casey pulled up to the drive-thru window she was blown away that the lady who took her order was not only nice, but that she was also the same person making her food, taking other orders, answering the phone and taking her payment. With all the multitasking, the employee still remained very nice.
Impressed by her level of professionalism, Casey made a post in the group with a picture of Stroder and her Cash App information asking members to donate money to her.
Members also completed another tip challenge where
Now on view
Oliver Lee Jackson is known for creating complex and layered images in which figurative elements emerge from abstract fields of vibrant color. Now on view, the 12 paintings, drawings, and prints presented in this exhibition were created from the mid-1960s through 2020, demonstrating his significance as a highly experimental artist working across a range of media.
Jackson was associated with the Black Artists Group, which was founded in St. Louis in 1968, and a close friend of comember and jazz saxophonist Julius Hemphill. Many of the works on view are loans from Donald M. Suggs, a local collector and close friend of Jackson’s.
Bams and Neal walk the walk they talk about with their business in terms of lifestyle. Selling nutritious items correlates with their own way of living.
“What sets us apart is the lifestyle,” Neal said. “We really want people to take this into consideration because a lot
Casey, Carol Daniel of KMOX Radio, and others teamed up to bless a server at St. Louis Union Station Soda Fountain with a $1,000 tip.
The group is open to people seeking recommendations for date night ideas, solo adventures, dog-friendly establishments, and fun for the entire family. Although Casey and Thomas make revenue from the group, in the future they would like to create a nonprofit side of it.
“I wanna create a nonprofit where I can take kids whose parents can’t afford it to the City Museum, Rec Hall, and other places.” Casey said.
Many tourists ask what places they should visit while in town. One day Casey even ran into a couple who said the reason they relocated to St. Louis
of people won’t put as much consideration on themselves as they do their car, clothes or having fun. You gotta take care of yourself. It’s a lifestyle in terms of looking to create a better life. This is what we’re pushing here.”
Bams and Neal’s franchise greets customers who learned
was because of the group.
“They said they were debating if they were gonna move here or not and they were looking at the group, just seeing all the different things to do here in the city,” she said. “And they were like ‘yeah, let’s go to St. Louis.’”
Casey and Thomas’ mission for the group is to show pride in the city and shed a positive light on it rather than negativity. One goal they have is to partner with St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and other political figures to promote St. Louis.
“We hope to set an example for more people in the city to come together to create something bigger than themselves,” Casey said. “That’s one way I think we can make STL a better place.”
Casey dedicates all her
about it from advertisements on social media, or traditional ad outlets. Some heard of them from others, and customers also see them while in the neighborhood.
Regardless of how customers hear about them, they’re grateful to be thriving and successful during the pandemic because many businesses have closed.
“We want people to taste it once, that’s the goal,” Neal said. “I want to thank the people for supporting us, coming out here and taking that drive, and even spreading the word during the pandemic. There’s a lot of businesses that closed and people have been keeping us afloat; always wanna thank the people.”
“Thankful for the staff we have and partners I can trust,” Bams said. “We roll with the bumps smoothly and keep it pushing.”
A second location is expected to open in Florissant this November.
For more information about Creation Smoothies, visit https://creationssmoothies.com/.
success and accomplishments to her son, Mason High, who motivates and pushes her to dream big.
“My son changed my life and all that I do is for him,” she said.
“My main goal is making sure when my son graduates high school that he has the option of going to college or taking over one of our businesses.” A website for the group is currently in development, which will include third party booking for private chefs and AirBNBs. The site will also feature a kids section for High to go on and do video blogs once he gets older.
Date Ideas & Things to do in STL is on Instagram and TikTok.
