According to Radar Online, Sherri Shepherd’s husband Lamar Sally refused a one-time $100k cash settlement and $3k a-month in child support offer from the former co-host of “The View.”
Under the terms of their prenuptial agreement Sally is not entitled to spousal support and the child in question was born via surrogate and is not Sherri Shepherd’s biological child.
The celebrity news and gossip site says Sally is seeking $10k a month in child support and is
contesting the terms of his prenup.
Was Chris Brown’s manager behind Suge shooting?
According to an Allhiphop.com source, former music mogul Suge Knight was shot over a dispute with R&B singer Akon’s brother Abou “Bu” Thiam – who happens to be Chris Brown’s manager.
The source claims Knight owed Thiam around $250,000, and a fight involving the two actually broke out at a L.A. studio just a few weeks ago. The Allhiphop.com source says the shooting – which took place at a MTV VMA party Brown was hosting –happened as a result of the studio brawl. Knight was shot six times.
Tameka Raymond snaps back at Torrei Hart over ‘karma’ comments
Remarks made by Kevin Hart’s former wife Torrei regarding “Atlanta Exes” co-star Tameka Raymond compelled Torrei to apologize. But sorry didn’t cut it after Torrei was captured on camera
implying that people might believe the death of Tameka’s son Kile was karma because of the contentious divorce and child custody battle with Usher Tameka took to her personal blog to let Torrei know that she was none too pleased with the remarks. An excerpt from the blog reads as follows:
“Torrei in a couple of scenes even had the bold audacity to speak about my kids. She even said on camera that people “around town” are saying that Kile’s death may be Karma. I wonder which town she is referring to, because if it’s Atlanta, That is my town. I have been in Atlanta for 17 years, compared to her four (4) months, be clear that is not how we roll. That is so inappropriate as to be beyond description. I hope no mother has to experience the pain of losing a child. For those that have implied that I have used his passing as an ‘excuse’, my only response is you try and decide which one of your kids can you live without? Once you conclude that the answer is NONE, maybe then you will understand the veracity of losing a child. The fact that she was even able to say that on camera is unconscionable. All things aren’t up for television banter nor do I take ANYTHING involving my children lightly. That’s when I lose it… yeah all bets are off about my Kile or any of my ‘five heartbeats.’
are all based on misinformation, gossip and innuendo. None of it is factual. Just for the record, as always, I have shared custody of my children and nothing else should be used against me for a damned Reality TV show that is not based on reality, but ratings. Ignorance is just that.”
Lee Lee confronts daughter about escort rumors on ‘SWV Reunited’
Back in January news leaked that Lee Lee from SWV’s daughter Margaret had been working as an escort.
On the most recent episode of “SWV Reunited,” Lee Lee confronts her daughter about the rumors. Fellow group member Taj pulled Lee Lee aside to let her know what’s being said about her daughter on the blogs. Lee Lee took the rumors to her daughter who admitted they were true, leaving Lee Lee devastated. Margret promised Lee Lee those days are over and told her mother that she just got caught up in the wrong crowd and seduced by making fast money.
Clergy, educators challenge public and legislators
By Chris King
Of The St. Louis American
Member congregations pledged to pursue 100 percent voter registration and mobilization and pastoral leadership issued challenges to elected officials on Friday at Metropolitan Congregations United’s public meeting, held at St. Alphonsus Liguori
“The Rock” Catholic Church on North Grand Boulevard in St. Louis.
“Politicians count votes, and they ignore school districts and communities that don’t come out to vote,” said the meeting’s final speaker, Minister Michael Atty of Trinity Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Florissant.
“Are you committed to getting 100 percent of registered and informed voters to the polls?”
After requesting more of a Baptiststyle response to his call, Atty seemed satisfied that his colleagues in Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU) would answer that challenge.
County Councilman Steve Stenger, Democratic nominee for St. Louis county executive on the November 4 ballot, was challenged by Rev. Erin Counihan, pastor of Oak Hill Presbyterian Church in St. Louis. He was the only county executive candidate who accepted the invitation to attend the meeting and answer questions publicly.
Stenger said if elected he would develop a plan for restructuring the Children’s Service Fund to establish preventative services and he would create and advocate for a better community policing plan using models and training developed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Stenger also said if elected he would appoint to the county police board people mindful of racial profiling data and of the need for greater diversity in area police departments.
Counihan was joined in questioning Stenger by Sierra Smith, a resident of Canfield Green Apartments, where unarmed teen Michael Brown was shot at least six times and killed by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson on August 9. Her comments brought into sharp relief the reality of the people who started the protest movement and have suffered its worst abuses.
“My children had to witness his body laying in the street for four hours and the blood coming down the street,” Smith said, describing the immediate aftermath of Brown’s shooting. “They were traumatized by the militarized police response.” Because of the way police barricaded in Canfield residents during the protests, she said, “We felt like cagedin animals.”
The ongoing protests in Ferguson strongly shaped the public meeting, and pastors and educators from North County were well represented at the podium.
Rev. Emmett Baker, pastor of BethEl Baptist Church in Bellefontaine Neighbors, spoke of the urgent need for Medicaid expansion. Carolyn Randazzo, a retired FergusonFlorissant School District teacher who chairs MCU’s education efforts, outlined the community learning
Minister Michael Atty of Trinity Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Florissant called for 100 percent voter registration and mobilization on Friday evening at Metropolitan Congregations United’s public meeting, held at St. Alphonsus Liguori “The Rock” Catholic Church on North Grand Boulevard in St. Louis.
center model that the group hopes to institute and expand, and called for the formation of a Community Education Council to advise state education officials.
The dominant tone by all speakers was to seize the moment opened by the protestors to create a movement for progressive change.
“We must no longer have shortterm demands without long-term strategies,” said Rev. Dietra WiseBaker of Liberation Christian Church, which worships at RAC in University City. “They don’t mind us protesting as long as we’re not organizing.”
Organizers estimated the size of the diverse audience at 650. All were challenged to volunteer and assist with Medicaid expansion, educational improvement or voter mobilization, and more than 150 individuals volunteered, according to organizers MCU will host two followup events in September: “100% Campaign” Orientation,” 6-8 p.m. September 9 at Zion Travelers Missionary Baptist Church, 351 Chambers Rd.; and “Courageous Sacred Conversation about Race,” 4-8 p.m. September 11, location TBD. For more information, contact Rev. David Gerth, executive director of MCU, at david@mcustl.com.
Could have been the East Side
Minister Louis Farrakhan, in a recent webcast, spoke of the turmoil in Ferguson, MO and made the following analysis: “In every city and town where black people live, black men are being shot down by the police.”
The statement struck my spirit because I vividly remember back in the 1990s when Belleville NewsDemocrat reporter Carolyn Tuft and, eventually, “60 Minutes” exposed a Belleville police department “goon squad” which was tasked with the job of harassing and ticketing blacks traveling from East St. Louis toward west Belleville, IL.
Many of the whites, who resided in Belleville at the time, were former residents of East St. Louis who fled there in the 1970s following an influx of black residents who turned ESL into a predominantly AfricanAmerican community. Ferguson has similar history, going from a predominantly white town in the 1980s to having a 67 percent black population (yet, a white power structure) in 2014, as well as earning a reputation (among black motorists) as an unwelcoming place, where harassment was to be expected.
In fact, racial profiling data from 2013 reveals that 86 percent of all Ferguson traffic stops and 92 percent of all traffic arrests were of black motorists.
So, as I’ve processed the justifiable outrage following the killing of Michael Brown by Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson, particularly the manner in which he was killed (six shots, two head shots), it’s not a stretch for me to believe that this horrific shooting could just have as easily been in Belleville, Fairview Heights, Shiloh – all Illinois towns where many whites fled to escape their East St. Louis roots and proximity to black folks.
The tension on the “IL Side” stems from the fact that many upwardly mobile blacks have chosen to move to these areas, to the disgust of some of their white neighbors who are saying, amongst themselves, “There goes our neighborhood.”
Ferguson’s tensions, initially, developed in the 1980s as many blacks relocated from the city of St. Louis to Ferguson and neighboring areas in north St. Louis County.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that “Violence is the language of the unheard.”
That may very well be the case for many of the Ferguson protestors. The looters who exploited this unfortunate tragedy are merely self-centered opportunists. By contrast, writer Isaac Asimov said that “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.” That is an accurate description of Ferguson police who initially created this chaos with poor community relations, the killing of an unarmed black teen and allowing his body to remain in the street for over four hours.
Then, to exacerbate matters, the Ferguson and St. Louis County police departments engaged in the suppression of information and militia-like harassment of protestors and media until being forcibly relieved by Missouri State Highway Patrol and the National Guard.
But, to my fellow Metro-East residents, this could just have easily been us. Don’t get too comfortable. We are just one shooting, one chokehold, one beating of an innocent black Illinois resident away from CNN, MSNBC, FOX and world media asking us the same thing that they’re asking Ferguson, MO. And that question is: WHY? Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo. com; Twitter@JamesTIngram.
ONE DAY SALE
Photo by Chris King
James Ingram
Editorial /CommEntary
Criminal and social justice in Ferguson
The crisis in Ferguson has brought greater immediacy to two crucial matters of justice: criminal justice and social justice. At the moment we can do more about one than the other.
Because Gov. Jay Nixon failed to act responsibly by revoking his executive authority (which is not unusual where our community is concerned), criminal justice in the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown still lies in the hands of County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch. As McCulloch presents evidence behind closed doors to the grand jury, the community has no faith in his ability to pivot from the same manipulative withholding and selective release of information that we have seen thus far with the police in this case. Until we have more than the empty shell of the police report that has been released, it’s difficult to speak with absolute authority about the guilt or innocence, under Missouri law, of Brown’s killer, Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.
We believe that the fact that at least six bullets were discharged into an unarmed teenager in broad daylight should be enough to bring charges of at least second degree murder against Officer Wilson. But McCulloch does not care what our community thinks and Nixon has abandoned his opportunity to remove McCulloch from the case. It’s agonizing to see so little information about the fatal shooting of an unarmed young person made public. Moreover, the progress of criminal justice moves painfully slow even when it is being fast-tracked. Since it is McCulloch who is handling the grand jury proceedings, it is even more disturbing. Nevertheless, we would caution those seeking justice for Michael Brown that publicly abusing the name of the man who killed him does nothing to help our cause, since by law he is innocent until proven guilty.
There are other criminal matters in this case that may be taken up separately by the Department of Justice. But the feds are notoriously tight-lipped as they go about their business. What we can say is that Attorney General Eric Holder did visit St. Louis personally to show his concern. We are certain he was informed that the U.S. attorney for this region, Richard Callahan, has been a longstanding prosecutor and staunch political ally of both McCulloch and U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, who is also a former prosecutor colleague of McCulloch. Our confidence in Callahan in this matter is dubious, and the Civil Rights Division should keep his past political alliances in mind.
When it comes to social justice, however, the waiting game has started to end. Throughout the region, we see emerging collaborations being formed, including some investments being made to address some of the root causes of Michael Brown’s shooting in response to the persistent roar of protest from an aroused community and the damage being done to the image and commerce of the area. We do want to commend Centene
Corporation, especially, for promptly committing to expand into Ferguson and to work with state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal in identifying qualified applicants for well-paying jobs with benefits and opportunities for growth within the organization.
The Post-Dispatch has done this community a great service in foregrounding the lack of representation of African Americans in police departments in St. Louis County. Increasingly, many black folks are feeling that the police are an occupying force of outsiders committed to contain, rather than protect and serve. We welcome the Post, working along with others–belatedly – in addressing this disparity and others like it. Yet we will need more than diverse police forces, better training in community policing and changes in disciplinary and force policy to ensure greater public peace and safety in this region – particularly in areas with entrenched social and economic problems.
In Wednesday’s Post, David Jacobs, a retired sociology professor, advises, “I suspect where city elites don’t put pressure on the mayor and the chief police administrator to enforce rules against inappropriate violence, it will recur.” However, this also means more African Americans must be willing to seek a career in police work and the African-American community must bolster their influence via the polls.
Thanks to Arch City Defenders and the Law Clinic at Saint Louis University School of Law, we also now see the municipal court system in Ferguson and other county municipalities as predatory mechanisms for taxing the poor. No one should feel we live in an equitable – or safe – region until we see that these municipal courts are taken out of business and their cases (which, we predict, will suddenly be reduced) taken up on the county docket.
Nixon still has a unique opportunity to do something right here. He could call a special session of the Missouri Legislature with the goal to consolidate municipal police departments in St. Louis County. State Rep. Rick Stream, the Republican candidate for county executive, is likely to benefit from a backlash from large numbers of black voters who will refuse to support Steve Stenger, the Democratic nominee, who has been closely aligned with McCulloch. Both Stream and state Sen. Chappelle-Nadal –who has the eyes of the world on her, thanks to her selfless activism on the Ferguson front lines – should render their support and work for consensus in their party caucuses to consolidate these myriad police departments. Stream and Chappelle-Nadal, with Nixon’s support, could pass legislation that could radically change the political map of St. Louis County when it comes to racial profiling, aggressive policing and overtaxing the poor through moving violations. We challenge Nixon, Stream and ChappelleNadal to take bold action and make history now that the eyes of the nation and world are upon us.
Commentary
GOP wave failed to materialize
Why haven’t Republicans sealed the deal on the coming election? When summer began, the conventional wisdom was that the GOP sorta kinda probably maybe would take control of the Senate in November. As summer ends – and it hasn’t been great for President Obama, which means it also hasn’t been anything for the Democratic Party to write home about –that same equivocal assessment still holds. The Real Clear Politics website, which aggregates polls, rates nine Senate races as tossups. If incumbents Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Pryor of Arkansas manage to scrape out wins, the website calculates, Democrats will retain a 51-49 edge and Harry Reid gets to keep his job as majority leader.
Let’s say that one of those Democrats falters – or even two. It seems entirely possible that Bruce Braley could defeat Republican Joni Ernst in an Iowa race that polls show as a dead heat. Democrat Michelle Nunn may be gaining ground on David Perdue in Georgia, although a recent poll showing Nunn in the lead is probably an outlier. And the man who wants Reid’s job, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, is in a surprisingly tough race against Democrat Alison Lun-
dergan Grimes. All in all, you still have to give the edge to the GOP. But it is a surprisingly narrow and tenuous advantage in a year when some analysts were predicting a wave election in favor of Republicans. So far, just ripples. Why could that be?
This time, the GOP managed not to nominate candidates whose views are so extreme that they might effectively concede what ought to be safe seats. The party establishment made ideological concessions to the tea party wing, but managed to insist on nominees who have a chance of being elected. No Republican candidate has spoken of solving problems with “Second Amendment remedies,” as Sharron Angle did in 2010, or run a television ad to declare “I’m not a witch” a la Christine O’Donnell that same year. The candidates may be plausible, but they’re running on the wrong issues. Rather, the wrong issue: the Affordable Care Act.
“Repeal Obamacare” remains a rallying cry for the GOP’s activist base. But for independent voters, undoing health care reform is not the sure-fire issue Republicans hoped it would be. The program is in effect. Some people who previously could not obtain health insurance now have it. Most people are unaffected.
Yet Republican candidates describe a dystopian breakdown of the nation’s health care system that simply has not occurred. And they go all tongue-tied when asked how
As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues Where does our region go from here?
As the family of Michael Brown struggles with the senseless loss of a child and wonder how to ever move on, it is the task of local leaders to take an honest look at the events of the past few weeks, the history that preceded those events, and ask ourselves, also, what has to happen to move forward from here.
The relationship between the Ferguson Police Department and the African-American community is filled with distrust. That relationship was summed up in one press conference that was called to release the name of the police officer involved in the shooting, yet became a press conference to cast doubt on 18-year-old Michael Brown’s character. Sadly, this type of relationship is not unique to Ferguson.
The world watched in disbelief as an American citizen-led protest decrying the use of excessive force by the local police on Michael Brown was met by the excessive use of force by the local police on the protestors themselves, including tear gas, rubber bullets, stun grenades, and an overall aggressive and militarized response.
Phrases, tactics and images
that some thought were long gone from the reality of America surfaced for the world to see. It can be assumed that the vast majority of police officers, along with the vast majority of protestors, did not want to see anyone get hurt in those chaotic nights. But it did become clear that somebody in leadership was making some very bad decisions, and they should be held accountable.
There are understandable demands for officials to step down or step aside during the justice process. The citizens of Ferguson and those who come to support them have opted for a new normal, where an unarmed African-American teen being gunned down is not going to be easily accepted as a necessary use of force. Their demands should be heard.
The story of Michael Brown has national implications, but as local leaders we must ask, where does our region go from here?
Although there have been some promising signs of unity, St. Louis has to admit that we have a race problem and huge racial disparities. A reflection of this problem is seen in the statistical analysis of traffic stops and ticketing in municipalities like Ferguson. African Americans are stopped, searched and arrested at double the rate of white drivers. Racial profiling is real, and it has real economic effects on the African-American community and erodes trust in government
Letters to the editor
Leaders missing in action
The killing of Michael Brown Jr. has awakened a sleeping giant: racism. This was due to the fact the police let the body of the 18-year-old black male lay in the middle of the street, blood streaming from his body, all while his mother watched on the sidewalk with the general public. Where is the compassion of not only the Ferguson Police Department, but the many leaders of that community which governs that department?
they could manage to repeal Obamacare in the face of a certain veto by Obama – or, more tellingly, just what they would put in place if they succeeded.
Much of the news dominating the headlines this summer has been taking place overseas – Russia’s slow-motion invasion of Ukraine, the rise of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, whatever it is that seems to be happening in Libya. Blasting Obama for failed leadership is a guaranteed applause line, but GOP candidates are not even trying to articulate what the president should be doing differently.
Nor has the party developed an economic message that goes beyond the familiar standbys: tax cuts, spending cuts, deregulation. The public is clearly not thrilled with the state of the economy, but growth is up and unemployment is down.
To hold the Senate, segments of the Democratic coalition who often skip midterm elections – African-Americans, Latinos, younger voters – will have to turn out. And polls show that Republicans maintain an edge in enthusiasm.
Which brings me to the wild card: immigration.
Obama is considering executive action that could give legal status to thousands or even millions of undocumented immigrants. Would that inflame conservatives and drive Republican turnout through the roof? Would it excite the Democratic faithful, especially Latinos, giving them a reason to vote?
This thing is unpredictable. And that’s a surprise.
I, as a black male, parent, U.S. veteran, resident of the St. Louis community and above all American citizen was outraged, hurt, embarrassed and just downright mad as hell. Every citizen and parent should have been mad as hell also.
The irony in all of this is the disappearance of our local black officials and leaders, elected and self-appointed. They are supposedly in office to make things a little better for the black community. Why do we vote for these persons?
Because they’re black and we’re hoping they have our best interests at heart and will be contributing to the prosperity of our community.
Black leaders and politicians in the St. Louis community have let the black community down time and time again. They are constantly missing in action, until the media and cameras come out. They offer no hope and no solutions of addressing our issues. Black America needs to wake up and start holding your black elected officials and leaders accountable to the black community.
David L. Jackson Jr., St. Louis
Nixon and Faubus
One decade and seven years ago, a governor, who had become known as a progressive Democrat in a Southern American state, stood where Missouri Governor Jeremiah Wilson “Jay” Nixon now stands: in America’s deepseeded and long-unresolved racial divide.
I imagine as he looks out these days over the mighty Missouri River from the
in general. It compounds the issues of poverty, unemployment and domestic strife. Racial profiling must be put to an end.
Racial profiling itself is compounded in many of these small municipalities that depend on ticketing through traffic stops as a major revenue source. This economic model results in what can be considered a poor people’s tax, as fines are assessed for infractions that are themselves a result of lack of finances. These municipalities must find another economic model.
We must now harness the energy that has developed over the past few weeks and direct it towards sustainable community programs that will begin to reach and provide resources to the marginalized members of our community through voter education, job training and community-building programs.
Finally, we must recognize our role in placing a value on our young peoples’ lives by vowing to fix our educational system and demanding common sense changes throughout our criminal justice system. These are the civil rights issues of our time. We must stay unified and strive for change with the same
our fore fathers gave to
the rights we so
today.
Lewis Reed is president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen
All letters are edited for length and style.
balcony of the Governor’s Mansion, he must be pondering what Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus had on his mind when he decided to make the political gamble of his career and block black kids from entering a public high school. No doubt Nixon understands the historical arc in the fight of blacks then to be free to enjoy all the rights of this great land – free from being terrorized – and the cry and fight of black youth today for the very same. And no doubt Nixon must now be wondering, as he looks down and imagines the power of a river unleashed, if his stand against appointing a special prosecutor in the Michael Brown case is no different than Faubus’ stand in 1957 against the United States being an integrated nation. Faubus chose wrong, and history overwhelmed and moved over him like a mighty national river, leaving him a derided figure in the pages of American history. I imagine that Nixon will gaze out over the river Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore, and then return to the Mansion’s Library to study the issue, listen to voices appealing to him from all sides in the torment, and wonder if he holds in his hands whether history will repeat itself.
Eric Vickers, St. Louis
Real remedy
Who could have known that the death of young Michael Brown Jr. would result in fierce and purposeful protest in, of all places, Ferguson, Missouri. Who would have known that this young man’s tragic yet sacrificial demise would cause a media frenzy in the heart of the Midwest.
This young man has caused the entire country to closely scrutinize racial profiling, police cover-ups and police brutality. Who would have known that this major event of our times would lead us to draw out a real remedy to our problems.
It is clear that restructuring the law enforcement system and the development of a better social education and training system for our young men are much-needed. I have personally
witnessed scores of men redevelop their lives, utilizing available resources, so I know the real remedy to this dilemma is at hand.
Minister Allif H. Dove Via email
Columnist Lewis Reed
Columnist
Eugene Robinson
‘Don’t
Ferguson: fault lines in neon lights
By Jamala Rogers Columnist
The shooting death of Mike Brown by Ferguson cop Darren Wilson and the aftermath have put the existing chasms in neon light. These were pre-existing divisions that have either been allowed to fester or half-heartedly addressed. I will talk about four key fault lines: the racial divide, the gulf between police and the black community, the generational gap and internal strife within police departments.
There’s a loud and influential racist white voice in the metro St. Louis area. It’s hard to tell if they are a minority or a majority voice because they bully other white fair-minded people into silence. Comments like Matthew Pappert (from a neighboring police force) suggested that “protesters should have been put down like a rabid dog the first night” reflect a certain mentality in police departments that work in black communities as well as the region.
The public saw the reaction to Governor Nixon’s putting a black man in charge of operations after the overly aggressive, militarized response to peaceful protestors by the St. Louis County Police. County prosecutor Bob McCullough, who has never been bashful about his contempt for black folks, was one of the first to call the governor out for the decision. And even though it was calm under Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson’s first night of command, it was clear that he was yanked into a more low-profile position after that point. The decision also got push-back from the mainly white officers of the unified command who are represented by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
And speaking of the FOP, they and the St. Louis Police Officers Association gave St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson a figurative smack upside the head when he made the correct decision keep St. Louis police from joining the county’s attacks on peaceful protesters. While Dotson may be their boss, more importantly he is chief for the whole city, not just a minority of basically white men in the local police association.
Outrage at the killing of Mike Brown came from all races, ages, religions, gender and sexual orientation. It was a human response to not only this tragedy, but to the accumulation of police killings of black people before August 9. Then Kajieme Powell was shot down by St. Louis police days after Darren Wilson fired multiple bullets into the body of Mike Brown.
At the end of the day and every day, it is young black people, who must be the primary voices of this struggle. We cannot always be on the streets with them when police harass, assault, arrest and kill them routinely with impunity.
The young people have pleaded for relief to those in positions of authority claiming to have power; little support has been forthcoming. Then media came in from all over the world to hear what living in America is really like for an African American. During the height of the protests, I saw young people up and down West Florissant facing cameras, talking into mics –telling their stories. The world was finally listening – even if only for a fleeting moment.
So, it was not surprising that clergy, elected officials and civic leaders were met with indifference and sometimes downright hostility by young people in and around Ferguson. They took exception to the camera-hogs who prior to Mike Brown had little to no contact with poor and working-class black youth. The so-called power brokers have done little to address the criminalization and marginalization of black youth. When Rev. Jesse Jackson was heckled by young people at a rally, a black elder asked me if they even knew who Jackson was. My response was yes, that’s why they’re heckling him.
Our young people don’t need fair-weather friends. Their anger shouldn’t be summed up as disrespect for their elders. They know who’s been there for them. After the cameras roll out and the slow wheels of justice creak on, they must see a community ready to listen and willing to take the time to build relationships with them, saggy pants and all.
Empowered adults must give youth the tools they need to change their own reality. We must be the supporting cast, not usurp the leading roles. Together, we can build something very different – a future that brings their talents, hopes and dreams into a civilized and inclusive society.
Jamala Rogers
Parishioners and supporters lined up to attend the funeral of Michael Brown held Monday, Aug 25 at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis.
shoot!’
Photo by Wiley Price
Continued from A1
UCC. Rogers said the cranes originally came from a church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin after 9/11. They were sent to a UCC church in Ohio after a school shooting there. Then they were sent to a UCC church in Newtown, Connecticut after a school shooting. And in 2013, they were delivered to South Boston UCC after the 2013 Marathon bombing.
Rogers said the cranes are a visual token of prayers. “Your tears are our tears,” she said.
The Rev. Traci Blackmon, pastor at Christ the King, is a nurturer, organizer, purposeful collaborator and mother of three, including two young African-American men. She is a minister of the Gospel who gets her marching orders from on high through constant prayer, reflection and consideration. She took vacation time from her job as a nurse to devote her attention to demonstrations and activities sparked from the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown.
One day before the teenager’s family said their final goodbyes at his funeral, Blackmon had a message for her church family derived from 1 Kings 19:1-10. It talks about when Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life and he ran and hid in a cave.
The analogy, she said, is with people of color, who have been in a cave far too long, working on jobs where they are evaluated by a different set of rules and living in neighborhoods structured for containment, rather than community.
“Cave-dwelling victims and cave-dwelling Christians – I’m talking about those of us who live quiet lives with low expectations – we lose our collective potential because we have been hurt so long and so much that we are scared to try anything else,” Blackmon said.
“So we do just enough to get by, just enough to stay alive but not enough to thrive, just enough to keep breathing. But we won’t risk anything to go to the next level.” She reminded those in attendance that it won’t be easy. However, it is only in the struggle that we learn who we really are, she said.
n “The young people who are on the street, they have their own communication system, their own leaders, and we’ve got to connect with them.”
– Rev. Traci Blackmon
“The Lord found Elijah in the cave,” she said. “Aren’t you glad that every now and then, the Lord will come and find you?” Blackmon said the community needs to reach the
voice of its youth lost on the caves of the streets.
“The missing element, to me, is the leadership of the young people that are on the streets, not young people who are in our churches,” Blackmon said. “All of that is needed too, but the young people who are on the street, they have their own communication system, their own cell groups, their own leaders, and we’ve got to connect with them as well.” Blackmon has made some remarkable connections in her organizing work. She went to the source of the movement,
CENTENE
Continued from A1 unrest in Ferguson.
“I’m especially proud that Centene will begin hiring before the end of the year,” McCaskill said, “and that these jobs, after a year, will also be coupled with tuition reimbursement for higher education.”
On Friday, state Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D-University City) met with Neidorff regarding Centene’s investment in Ferguson. From the onset of the conversation, she said it was clear that Centene wanted to target the jobs towards minorities living in Ferguson, especially young people.
“The board is one of the most diversethinking boards you can have,” she said.
“Michael Neidorff is a leader in showing that Corporate America can engage in responsibility for the people who are hurting the most.”
n “We need to stop waiting for people to come into our sanctuaries; we need to go out into the streets.”
– Rev. Traci Blackmon
made him listen to a Canfield resident, Sierra Smith, who made a direct appeal about dire conditions in Canfield that Nixon seemed to ignore.
Another night, her church was the site of trainings in effective non-violent protest by Rev. Bernice King, daughter of civil rights icon, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blackmon has attracted leaders from many faiths wanting to work with her, but she grieves that different groups working on this movement are not working together
“A mass of angry people without an organized collective strategy, even if there is a shared goal, is a mob, not a movement,” she posted on Facebook.
Blackmon is organizing her efforts via the web site PrayingWithOurFeet.org and the social media hashtag #PrayingWithOurFeet. The title came from a quote by abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass: “Praying for freedom never did me any good till I started praying with my feet.”
“It’s time for us to stop waiting on the Lord to do everything and understand that we are the embodiment of Christ on this earth, and we have to, not just pray with our mouths, but pray with our actions,” Blackmon said.
the Canfield Green Apartments. That’s where Michael Brown was shot and killed and where he was mourned first, when Ferguson police left his lifeless body lying in the street for more than four hours.
In her visits to Canfield, Blackmon found working professionals; two-parent families who want the same thing for their children as people in Ladue; veterans who can’t get the services they need after serving our country; and elderly people whose neighbors were looking after them because police had barricaded Canfield in.
One late-night call-out to area clergy to strategize a coordinated response to the crisis drew Gov. Jay Nixon, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, other elected officials and news media. Blackmon sat Nixon down in a pew and
annual revenues located near Ferguson.
Brown’s death on Aug. 9 at the hands of Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson sparked protests and unrest and brought international attention to the city.
Protesters, activists and community leaders –including ChappelleNadal and Anthony Shahid – have called for new jobs to help revitalize the economy.
“It means we need to be on the ground. It means we need to be ministering to those people who are hurting. We need to stop waiting for people to come into our sanctuaries; we need to go out into the streets.”
And we need to do these things together, she said, if the Ferguson movement is to have any impact.
“Everybody that is trying to move this, we need to all be working together,” Blackmon said. “I think we are all working in the same direction, but we are not working together in terms of being wise about our utilization of resources, both human and physical resources, so that we can endure for the long-term.”
To post events or for more information, visit www. prayingwithourfeet.org.
After a year of working with the company, employees have the opportunity to have their college tuition fully reimbursed.
“That’s quality,” she said. “You are giving these kids another chance.”
These will be “processing jobs,” Neidorff said, and employees will go through extensive training on their computer systems. The new center will process claims from its Missouri-based State Health Plan, in addition to overflow from its contracts in other states.
n “There are a
lot
of young people who are intelligent but because they have been harassed by police, they aren’t given a fair shot.”
– state Senator Maria Chappelle-
Emerson Electronics –located less than a mile from Canfield Green Apartments where Brown was shot – already has innovative community programs, she said. Soon, Chapelle-Nadal hopes to have a conversation with leaders of Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefits manager with $100 billion in
“After being at ground zero for so long, young people need this kind of hope and opportunity,” Chapelle-Nadal said. “These jobs will not only give individuals a second chance, but will also restore faith in the business community that surrounds Ferguson.”
Neidorff said their compensation package will be “competitive,” including tuition reimbursement, on-site childcare, as well as full medical, dental and vision benefits to employees.
In her conversations with Neidorff, Chapelle-Nadal said they discussed that the company is willing to look past some of the applicants’ “bumps in the road” and focus on their skill sets.
“There are a lot of young people who are intelligent but because they have been harassed by police, they aren’t given a fair shot,” she said.
The company is pursuing an aggressive timeline to open the center by 2015 and will begin taking applications before the end of this year.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said his administration is partnering with St. Louis Community College to provide targeted job training resources through the Missouri Works Training program.
“Centene’s decision to build a new facility in Ferguson is a great example of how our Missouri Works Training program is growing our economy by investing in the skills of our workforce,” Nixon said in a statement.
When asked if Neidorff had spoken to other corporate leaders about their efforts in Ferguson, he said, “No, these are personal decisions.”
Asked if he feels St. Louisbased corporations have a responsibility to offer solutions to the unrest, he said, “I can’t speak for others. Everyone has a responsibility to work within the community to make it better. It’s important to be engaged and to provide leadership. When hope is gone, that’s not a good situation.”
Photo by Lawrence Bryant
Nadal
Rev. Traci Blackmon, pastor at Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, prayed with Gov. Jay Nixon when he met with clergy and community leaders on the day he declared a State of Emergency in Ferguson. He lifted the State of Emergency on Wednesday.
MARCH
Continued from A1 on August 9 two blocks from where D was fervently protesting.
“Anybody not here for Michael Brown need to leave – flat-out,” D said.
He was a part of a small, passionate group of young people who joined the march. They were the minority among a diverse group of some 2,000 marchers including representatives from a host of organizations such as the NAACP and the Urban League.
Though small in number, the big voices of GIBAM threatened to interrupt the more subdued group of marchers. As the main group chanted, GIBAM attempted to chant louder with their own slogans –mostly “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!”
D was a member of the core group of young people who first drew attention to Ferguson. Now they were determined to make sure their voices were still heard as the masses gathered.
The national march revealed again the “youth vs. elder” dynamic that has permeated – and somewhat fragmented – the movement to get justice for Michael Brown’s family and all African Americans concerned with racial profiling and abusive police practices.
But something exceptional happened at the National March on Ferguson.
By afternoon’s end, organizers Zaki Baruti and Anthony Shahid would give D and other youth an opportunity to address the crowd.
“We’ve been out here since day one peacefully protesting, and they were throwing tear gas at us,” said D, who later revealed his name to be Dante. “All we trying to do is get our voices heard. It hurt out here knowing that every day that you wake up, you might not see the next day because law enforcement is out to hurt you – out to kill you.”
Even as the rain came pouring down, more than a thousand protesters continued to march to the podium and listen to speakers.
“My name is of no importance,” one woman said. She was flanked by two young girls. “These are my two daughters. I have two sons as well – their names are Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Don’t you know that the police are waging war against our sons?” Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden, Brown’s parents, called for Gov. Jay Nixon to remove St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch from the case. On Wednesday, Nixon would rescind the State of Emergency that empowered him to make that change.
Others called for economic boycotts and demanded that dollars be spent within the black community.
Baruti challenged the crowd to stay committed as they gathered at the site where Michael Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.
“We have to keep fighting until this family sees justice,” Baruti said.
Angel Davey Taylor has been on the frontlines of the protest since the beginning and is determined to do exactly that.
“A lot of people say that what we’re doing won’t make a difference. I don’t believe that. I feel like I matter. The world is watching what’s going on,” Davey Taylor said.
“We have registered so many young kids to vote. We have seen gang members from opposing gangs walk down the street together trying to get justice. We are creating a community.”
He said the positive changes coming from the movement are larger than the tragedy of Michael Brown.
“People think St. Louis is this ‘hood town, but we’ve shown that we are a voice – and we have allowed ourselves to become one voice that can be heard across the world,” Davey Taylor said. “If that alone doesn’t make you proud to be a St. Louisan, I don’t know what does.”
A protestor at the National March on Ferguson on Saturday held up a now-notorious “Jay Nixon flathead” to protest Gov. Jay Nixon’s failure to replace St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch on the Michael Brown case while Nixon was empowered to do so by the State of Emergency that he lifted on Wednesday.
Photo by Wiley Price
I-70 shutdown called for Sept. 10
At least two coalitions supporting the Ferguson protest movement have been calling on Gov. Jay Nixon to appoint a special prosecutor to replace St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch in handling the investigation of the police shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown on August 9. Nixon evaded both on Wednesday when he rescinded his power to appoint a special prosecutor by lifting his order for a State of Emergency in Ferguson. McCulloch has said he would only step down if Nixon ordered him to do so.
One group, the Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Coalition, said it still plans to proceed with its call for a Civil Disobedience Shutdown of Interstate 70. A highway shutdown was first called for during the National March on Ferguson this past Saturday and then canceled that same day. Organizers now call for protestors to gather at 3 p.m. Wednesday, September 10 in the Metro public parking lot at the intersection of Interstate 70 and Hanley Road. After a rally, protestors plan to block traffic at 4:30 p.m., symbolizing the four and a half hours that Michael Brown’s lifeless body was left lying on Canfield Drive after Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson shot him at least six times and killed him. Wilson has not been charged with a crime and is in hiding while on paid leave from the Ferguson Police Department.
The purpose of the direct action, according to organizers, is to compel the appointment of a special prosecutor for the Michael Brown slaying. McCulloch, who currently is presenting evidence to a grand jury, has been criticized for his manipulative release of information and his history of strong pro-police stands.
“Missouri Governor Jeremiah ‘Jay’ Nixon has humiliated black leadership, locally and nationally, by rejecting all their pleas for a special prosecutor to be appointed,” organizers said in a statement. No contact information was included with the statement emailed Wednesday morning by Eric E. Vickers, chief of staff for state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, but the contact information for the Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Coalition is 314-594-7022 justice4bigmike@gmail.com
Sidestepped by Nixon
On Wednesday, another coalition comprised of more than 40 organizations –from unions to grassroots organizations – voiced
their demands in front of McCulloch’s office in Clayton.
In their hands was a letter that the coalition – called the Don’t Shoot Coalition – sent to Nixon on Tuesday night, “respectfully requesting” that he appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the killing of Michael Brown and determine whether any charges should be filed against Officer Wilson.
“More than 115,000 signatures (and counting) have already been collected through state Senator Jamilah Nasheed’s MoveOn.org petition asking Prosecutor Robert McCulloch to recuse himself from this case,” the letter stated. “Those signatures clearly demonstrate the tide of sentiments and viewpoints here and around the country.”
However, an hour before the press conference, Nixon rescinded his power to replace McCulloch.
“He basically gave the power back as a way of side-stepping our request,” said Montague Simmons of the Organization for Black Struggle, one of the leaders of the Don’t Shoot Coalition. “We do believe that that was directly in response to our request that he remove McCulloch.”
“Unfortunately, it reinforces an ongoing narrative that we’ve seen amongst those who have the power to actually create change here,” Simmons said.
“Everyone wants to sidestep this. No one wants to stand flatfooted and ensure that the people, and the Brown family specifically, get justice.”
Simmons said they have seen responses to their other requests. When they demanded that the Ferguson police officers wear body cameras, that demand was met just last Friday. Ferguson police officers stationed at the police department during protests at the National March on Ferguson on Saturday were wearing body cameras.
The coalition said they are coming together to seek justice not just for the Brown family but for all victims of police brutality.
“We committed to seeing real transformation happen with our relationship with not only the police force but with the government,” Simmons said.
“This group is probably the most diverse and wide-ranging. You have both grassroots and grasstops organizations standing together.”
The coalition is also supporting other initiatives, including Hands up United.
“We want to support up top the things that they are doing on the ground,” Simmons said.
“They have been in the streets doing mass actions, but these are organizations bringing in resources and people to make
The “Don’t Shoot” Coalition held a press conference in front of the St. Louis County Justice Center on Wednesday, calling for St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch to be recused from the Michael Brown case. Montague Simmons, with the Organization for Black Struggle, was the lead spokesperson for the coalition, which includes St. Louis-area organizations and advocates seeking to ensure better accountability in policing.
certain that change happens on all fronts.”
The Don’t Shoot Coalition includes groups such as the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Jobs With Justice, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Veterans for Peace. It also claims support from St. Louis City Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones, Nasheed and state Reps. Michael Butler, Courtney Allen Curtis, Rochelle Walton Gray and Sharon Pace
The purpose behind the appointment of a special prosecutor is to avoid any appearance of partiality so that the public can have faith in decisions made by a prosecutor. The Don’t Shoot Coalition doesn’t take a position on McCulloch’s ability to impartially investigate this killing. Rather, it maintains that based on the handling of this matter thus far, and the overall context of relationships between and among law enforcement agencies, only an independent prosecutor can garner the trust of the public, which is necessary for peace and healing in the community.
The Don’t Shoot Coalition also released a unity statement with further demands to ensure racial justice for the St. Louis area. The coalition seeks to expose the ongoing crisis of police-on-black crime and to address ongoing systemic problems of police practices in
black, brown and all oppressed communities. The group calls for immediate and long-term change in the following areas:
1. An expanded Department of Justice investigation into patterns of civil rights violations across North County.
2. An end to ongoing racial profiling across North County as documented by annual Missouri statistics.
3. Accountability for police practices and policies, including effective civilian review regarding shootings and allegations of police misconduct.
4. Ongoing initiatives to ensure that local law enforcement departments represent the communities they serve.
“I wouldn’t be going to Africa if Terrence hadn’t cut my house payment.”
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We’d like to help you save money on your home loan whether it’s a new home or your current home. Give Terrence a call at 314-678-0572 or visit trogers.carrolltonbanking.com
Terrence Rogers and Rae Narcisse-Bryant
Photo by Wiley Price
When trust breaks down
We must turn unrest into a movement to create a more just St. Louis
By Antonio French
For The St. Louis American
The events of the past few weeks in Ferguson and the surrounding St. Louis community have forced us to ask ourselves some tough questions. Many young African Americans are asking themselves, “How do I feel about my city? And how does my city feel about me?”
Many white St. Louisans – who have long considered themselves “liberal” or “progressive,” yet have been surprised by the unrest they’ve seen on their televisions – are asking themselves, “Why are they so angry?” and “Has this anger been there all the time?
And if so, how did I not see it?”
call to report a simple shoplifting could result in a young man being gunned down on the street by the very officers they called for help.
Without that trust, the system does not work. And that is where we find ourselves today.
All of us should be asking questions about the role of government and police departments, and the danger that arises when those bodies so grossly do not reflect the populations they are supposed to serve.
What we have witnessed these past few weeks is the result of broken trusts. The trust between government and the people is sacred. Trust between a community and their police is absolutely required for police to effectively serve and protect it. Without it, police become something more similar to an occupying force, which is what the images from Ferguson last month resembled.
People need to trust that if they call police for help, the police will arrive ready to serve and fairly enforce the law. People should not fear that their
The next steps following the tragic killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer – and the equally tragic killing of 25-year-old Kajieme Powell by St. Louis City police officers –has to be to restore this broken trust. Only justice will do that – justice under the law – and if that is not possible, then we must change the law. Justice under the law is what the Brown family is asking for in St. Louis County. If the accounts of multiple witnesses are correct, and the fatal gunshots to Michael Brown were delivered as the unarmed teen had his hands up in the air in surrender, then the officer should absolutely be punished to the maximum extent of the law. Justice requires that, as does restoring the public trust.
To determine exactly what happened, we need a trial. County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch had the option of indicting Officer Darren Wilson weeks ago based on the evidence.
Indictment does not mean guilt. It simply starts the process for a public trial in which both sides can present their evidence. A jury would decide Officer Wilson’s guilt or innocence. A trial is what is being demanded by the
community. It is a reasonable – in fact, modest – demand, and the alternative (no indictment and no trial) would further fracture people’s faith in the justice system and endanger public safety.
The Powell case in St. Louis City is different. The fact that Powell was armed, in a distressed mental state, and moving towards the officers at the time he was shot means that it is very unlikely that the officers who killed him will be indicted or disciplined. This is because of current laws and
policies regarding the use of lethal force by city police.
When Police Chief Sam Dotson was asked if he believes the shooting was justified, he said his officers “have the right to go home at night.”
That is true. But the same is also true for young black men.
The challenge in Ferguson is justice under the law. The challenge in St. Louis city is to change the law. Lethal force should only be used when other means have been exhausted or if it can be reasonably
n Trust between a community and their police is absolutely required for police to effectively serve and protect it.
determined that an officer’s life (or the lives of others) is in immediate danger.
Police officers will argue that it is too easy to second-guess an officer’s actions after the fact. They will say that these are split-second decisions that have to be made, and that it often comes down to the victim’s word versus theirs. That is a fair complaint. And that is also why technologies such as body cameras should be required — to protect both officers and the public.
The Public Safety Committee of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen will be meeting on Wednesday, September 10 at 10 a.m. in City Hall. The police chief is scheduled to present to the committee his department’s policy on the use of deadly force. This meeting is open to the public.
However, it is up to the chairperson, Alderwoman Phyllis Young, to determine whether or not the public will be allowed to comment on this important issue. I and others have urged her to allow public comment. This is a critically important issue to our city, and people from the community, as well as organizations, have much to offer to this conversation.
This is just the beginning. Meetings and conversations will be had over the next few weeks and months. But in the end, we need real and substantive change in order to restore trust. Changes to the police department’s policy regarding the use of force, the deployment of technologies such a body cameras, and the creation of independent civilian review boards to investigate killings like those of Michael Brown and Kajieme Powell will go a long way to do that. We must turn this moment of unrest into a movement to create a more just St. Louis, one in which all people feel that their rights and humanity are respected by those we entrust to protect and serve.
Antonio French
Keyon Chatman carried a solution on a sign during Saturday’s National March on Ferguson. Photo by Wiley Price
Eight excellent educators
St. Louis American Foundation hosts 27th annual Salute on Sept. 12
American staff
In addition to Lifetime Achiever, Stellar Performer and other awards, the St. Louis American Foundation will honor eight Excellence in Education awardees at its 27th annual Salute to Excellence in Education Gala. These awards are given to individual educators for their remarkable success in empowering the lives of our youth. They are our unsung community heroes who meet the challenges of teaching and make a positive difference in the lives of our young people.
Wesley J.C. Bell
Wesley J.C. Bell is an assistant professor of criminal justice at St. Louis Community College–Florissant Valley who holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and public management from Lindenwood University and a juris doctorate from the University of MissouriColumbia School of Law.
A practicing attorney and municipal court judge in Velda City, Bell, who began his teaching career at Harris-Stowe State University, uses his experience, expertise and influence to serve the community and provide equitable experiences for young people.
This educator is involved with several organizations, including the Ferguson Youth Initiative, the Mound City Bar Association and the Emerson YMCA. Bell also founded his own organization, the See Justice Club, to give young people a space to become more
active in their communities and effectively exercise their own voice. Having been recognized as one of the strongest community leaders in St. Louis, Bell also ran for a St. Louis County Council seat in the August primary.
Nicole Binion
As a youngster, Nicole Binion’s kindergarten teacher went out of her way to ensure that Binion kept pace with her classmates by teaching lessons in Binion’s hospital room following a series of corrective eye surgeries. Her seventh grade teacher further ignited Binion’s passion to become a teacher. Now a teacher herself, Binion derives the greatest satisfaction from seeing the eyes of her students light up when they learn something new. The youngest of four children, Binion become an elementary school teacher because she thinks the desire to learn is instilled at an early age.
She has spent more than 17 years as an educator in the St. Louis area. A product of St. Louis and Hazelwood public schools, Binion chose to stay in the area to make a difference in the lives and in the community that helped change her life.
Nina Caldwell
Nina Caldwell has provided a decade of service as the vice president of student life at Maryville University, where she also earned her MBA. She has 25 years of experience in higher education and has
worked in several public and private institutions including Laney College, University of California–Berkeley and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which is also Caldwell’s hometown. Caldwell’s credentials include a bachelor’s degree from Dillard University in elementary education, a master of science in education degree from Illinois State University, and a doctor of education in organization and leadership from the University of San Francisco. This accomplished education professional has also championed student achievement in her personal life, having worked with local organizations including the Boys and Girls Club of Greater St. Louis and St. Louis Youth Leadership. Caldwell, a recipient of the James J. Rhatigan outstanding dean award, aims to bring the best educational experience to her institution and her community.
Edward Johnson
Edward Johnson initially planned on being a businessman, earning a B.S. in business administration and management from Missouri Baptist University. However, it was brought to his attention that he had an affinity to work with young people. He took this observation to heart and transitioned into a career in education. The shift to education began at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, where Johnson taught physical education and served as the football and basketball coach. Johnson, who also holds a master’s in educational leadership and a doctorate in educational leadership, went on to become
the assistant principal for both Brentwood Middle School and Brentwood High School, where he currently leads as the institution’s first AfricanAmerican principal. Johnson continues to focus on providing his students at Brentwood High School with a well-rounded educational experience that includes recognizing the importance of building life skills.
James Paine II
James Paine, II, senior-level administrator and educator, has served the post-secondary educational community in St. Louis for nearly 15 years. He currently stewards the dean of student services role at Logan University in Chesterfield. He said his role “is focused on co-curricular programming, academic success, remediation services, counseling and psychological services; wellness and health promotion; and character formation and student development.”
He also serves as an adjunct assistant professor in the College of Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and an accreditation peer review consultant for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.
His scholarly and professional interests include exploring enrollment management trends specific to how students select, stay and succeed within institutions of higher education.
“I think universities need to have an honest dialogue with students of color to glean from those students what types of programs, services and activities will engender them to want to participate,” he said.
Germaine Stewart
Germaine Stewart knew at an early age that she wanted
to become a teacher. Stewart’s third grade teacher allowed her to grade papers and help her classmates when she finished her own work.
Now a principal at Twillman Elementary in the Hazelwood School District, Stewart has spent her professional career changing the lives not only of her students, but also coaching her teaching colleagues to implement more creative instructional strategies. Stewart also has challenged herself, taking on responsibilities as a school improvement facilitator, instructional guide and district professional development facilitator.
Her professional career is a testament to the fact that a driven individual can change the culture of a school to one of high expectations and accountability for student, teachers and parents alike.
Jim Triplett
For most 8-year-old boys, the necktie resembles a medieval torture device. For Jim Triplett’s students at Gateway Elementary School, the necktie is a symbol of perseverance and achievement. Every Friday, Triplett tests his students on math and reading. Those who score 80 percent or above got to select a tie that had been donated by some college fraternity brothers, friends, teachers and colleagues in St. Louis Public Schools. Triplett began the practice in 2012-13, when his current students were in the third grade.
As the practice continued – into fourth grade last year – students were able to keep their ties or select new ones.
At the end of the school year, they were allowed to take their neckties home, as a gift for working hard all year long to be a scholar, leader and gentleman.
Martha Warren
Martha Warren has always considered herself to be an educator. “What truly motivated me,” she said, “is that I did not see enough women and people of color pursuing degrees or careers in the sciences.” As a forensic science teacher at East St. Louis Senior High School, Warren is empowering her students with the vital skills needed to be competitive, teaching science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). With 15 years of experience, she is also helping students increase their ability to be effective communicators teaching speech communication, drama and English courses.
Because of Warren’s capability and dedication many of her students have become nationally acclaimed winners in the Academy of Forensic Science and National Beta Club. Warren has provided professional development to fellow educators at institutions including Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, educating faculty about the Next Generation Science Standards. Her demonstrated commitment to student achievement is why Warren is one of the most accomplished educators in our region.
The 2014 Salute to Excellence in Education Gala will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, September 12 at the America’s Center Ballroom, following a reception at 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. Individual tickets are $85 each/$850 table, and VIP/ Corporate tickets are $1,500 table. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www. stlamerican.com and click on Salute to Excellence, or call 314-533-8000.
Wesley J.C. Bell
Nicole Binion
Nina Caldwell
Edward Johnson
James Paine II
Germaine Stewart
Jim Triplett
Martha Warren
Now is the time for answers
By Michael McMillan
For The St. Louis American
August 28 marked the anniversary of the murder of Emmett Till. As we stand on the cusp of Till’s tragic death almost 60 years ago, I reflect on how far we as African Americans have come and how far we still have to go to become equal in society.
The circumstances of Till’s and Michael Brown’s deaths are similar and yet different. Till was murdered by private citizens who decided to act on their feelings of hate and racism, while Brown was killed by a policeman who was sworn to protect and serve the community in which he worked.
So far, none of the aforementioned killers have been punished for their crimes. Till’s killers were acquitted and Officer Darren Wilson was
placed on paid administrative leave, awaiting a grand jury to determine his fate. There are many issues in Ferguson that will be studied for years to come. Why were there only 3 black police officers out of 53, a white police chief and a white mayor in a city that is 67 percent black? Why did only 6 percent of Ferguson’s AfricanAmerican population vote in the last municipal election? Why was Michael Brown’s body allowed to lay on the street over four hours? Where do we go from here? As you can see, there are many questions that are left unanswered, but now it is time for answers.
First and foremost: It is crucial that Michael Brown’s family receives justice in the killing of their son and that the case against Wilson is tried with integrity, fairness and
equity. The eyes of the world are on Ferguson and what we will do in our moment of crisis. It is up to all of us to remain focused to ensure that justice is served in this case. Ferguson must become the place where police brutality and the killing of our young black men are no longer tolerated.
I commend Attorney General Eric Holder for conducting a separate federal investigation to ensure that justice is served. Secondly, it is imperative that African Americans throughout the St. Louis metro region get out and vote on the issues that are affecting our community and hold the leaders accountable for their actions. Registering to vote is one step, but we must participate on election day. Vote for people who are serving your interests and not just because you recognize their name on the ballot.
Cell Phone or Sponge Holder
Shampoo bottles come in all kinds of beautiful shapes and sizes so they work great for upcycling projects! One of the easiest and most functional projects is turning your old shampoo bottle into a cell phone or sponge holder. The instructions are the same for both.
You’ll need scissors to cut the bottle in half horizontally except on one side cut out the shape of a handle with a circle in the middle. Be careful though, sometimes plastic is sharp after cutting so you may want to ask a parent for help and maybe even use sandpaper to soften the edges. The only difference in the two holders is you’ll need to cut the sponge holder halfway from the bottom while the cell phone holder needs to be cut a few inches from the bottom. Both are very useful and can be decorated for extra fun.
The Shampoo Buddy is created much the same way as the cell phone and sponge holder. Instead of cutting a handle on one side you will cut a silly monster face into the backside. Give you monster extra eyes and arms by saving the scraps and gluing them to your monster. Again, remember to be careful when cutting plastic! After you are finished use an adhesive or push pin to plug your Shampoo Buddy into the wall above your desk or kitchen counter.
Now is a crucial time for residents of Ferguson and beyond to organize block units and participate in the political process and demand fairness, equity and shared resources. The time is now for the St. Louis metropolitan area to take a stand against police homicide, brutality and racial profiling. Our young black men should not be afraid to drive in their cars or walk in their own neighborhoods for fear of police abuse. It is only through a united, multicultural movement that our city can rise above this tragic set of events and our racially segregated reputation to become the city that we are meant to be.
Michael McMillan is president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.
Shampoo Buddy
Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, led an Urban League contingent at the recent march in Ferguson organized by the St. Louis County NAACP. Photo by Wiley Price
Nutrition Challenge:
& Vegetables
Healthy Kids
> Start off your day with a piece of fruit!
What Is A Calorie?
Wash Your Hands!
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.
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
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
> 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.
> What are some other ways to add fruits/ vegetables to your diet?
block. Calories aren’t the bad guys; extra weight happens 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).
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!
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 3, NH 1, NH 7
> Walking = 120-150
> Running = 180-300
> Biking = 240-300
> Mowing = 135
> Watching TV = 23
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
Healthy Snacks Turkey Rollups
Ingredients: 4
turkey with 1 tsp mustard and season with a little pepper. Wrap each prepared turkey slice around 1 breadstick and enjoy!
Carolyn Johnson, School Nurse
Where do you work? I work at Stix Early Childhood Center. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Jones Commercial High School in Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley. To become a nurse for St. Louis Board of Education, you must have a bachelor’s degree.
What does a school nurse do? I treat injuries, contact parents, give medications and educate. I am responsible for the collecting of medical information and entering it into the computer system. I schedule services with our community partners who provide free vision, hearing and dental services.
Why did you choose this career? I chose to become a school nurse after working many years in the hospitals because I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children. As a school nurse, many times we are the first person to alert the parent to a health issue.
What is your favorite part of the job you have? The most enjoyable part of my job is the children. I love seeing them arrive the first day of school and watching them as they evolve throughout the years.
Learning Standards: HPE 6, NH 3
Investigate and explore over 700 interactive exhibits and take in a film on one of the world’s largest domed screens in our OMNIMAX® Theater. Come, play and exercise your brain! General admission is always free.
Investigate and explore over 700 exhibits and take in a film on one of the world’s largest domed screens in OMNIMAX® Theater. Come, play and exercise your brain! General admission is free. slsc.org/nie5
Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World! presented by Terminix® is a multisensory experience that immerses you into the world of bugs. Harry the Chinese Praying Mantis and his bug friends will lead you through freestanding and interactive habitats in a hands-on, fun way!
Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World! presented by Terminix® is a multisensory experience that immerses you into the world of bugs. Harry the Chinese Praying Mantis and his bug friends will lead you through freestanding and interactive habitats in a hands-on, fun way!
slsc.org/hbanie2
slsc.org/hbanie1
Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World! presented by Terminix® is a multisensory experience that immerses you into the world of bugs. Harry the Chinese Praying Mantis and his bug friends will lead you through freestanding and interactive habitats in a hands-on, fun way! slsc.org/hbanie4
Cutting heads and talking shop
The Flowers combine politics and hair care at Golden Shears Barber Shop
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
It started with racism – and with cutting a poodle’s hair.
Eddie Flowers broke a femur while serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. The Veterans Administration gave him a test, after his discharge, to assist with job retraining and Flowers did well, he said.
“They asked what job I wanted to do, and I said, ‘Electrician,’” Flowers said. “They said they’re not letting blacks do that. So I said, ‘Carpenter,’ and they said the same. Finally, I said, ‘I cut a little hair,’ and they sent me to barber school.”
After training at then-segregated Moler Barber College in downtown St. Louis, Flowers opened Golden Shears Barber Shop, renting space at its present location, 8713 Riverview Blvd. In 1985 he bought the building, which occupies a block along the green parkway of Riverview.
n “In barber school, they tell you, ‘Don’t talk about politics, religion or gossip.’ That’s all we talk about.”
– Dionne Flowers, barber and alderwoman
A handful of years later, his daughter Dionne Flowers came home for the summer after studying a year in Columbia at the University of Missouri. On a whim, she gave her poodle Peaches a haircut. “It was torturous,” she said, but her father thought the dog looked pretty good when she was finished.
“He told me if I can cut dog hair, I can cut human hair,” Dionne said. Her father enrolled her in the Missouri School of Barber and Hair Styling, to the daughter’s dismay.
“I never thought I was artistic – I can’t even draw a stick figure,” Dionne said. “Barber school scared me to death.” She called her grandmother (since deceased), Margurite McCray, to complain – “Daddy’s making me go to barber school!” –and though it was agreed she should continue to pursue higher education, she stayed in barber school, too.
“It’s a skill no one can take away from you,” her father advised. The entire family’s fortunes would change dramatically after Dionne transferred to the University of Nevada – Las Vegas in 1991 and her parents came to visit. On the
highway to Vegas, Eddie and Charlotte Flowers stopped to assist at a roadside accident and were themselves struck by a tractor trailer. Charlotte was most seriously injured, and Dionne decided to move back home to help with her mother’s recovery.
Dionne was 30 credit hours away
from completing a degree in hotel and restaurant management, but at that time no university in the St. Louis area offered a bachelor’s degree program in that subject where she could transfer. So it was back to barber school. She completed that program in 1992, she
Eddie Flowers and Dionne Flowers, also the 2nd Ward alderwoman, cut heads at Golden Shears Barber Shop, 8713 Riverview Blvd. Their tenant 6 Stars Market, located in the same building, was the site of the fatal St. Louis police shooting of Kajieme Powell on August 20.
said, “and I’ve been cutting hair ever since.” The family also took some of the settlement from Charlotte’s injuries and opened a banquet hall in the second floor of the building on
Biz boot camp to train minority entrepreneurs
Sept. 5 deadline for free training program offered by BioSTL
By American staff
The Sept. 5 deadline to apply for a free training program for women and minority entrepreneurs is fast approaching.
The St. Louis Bioscience Inclusion Initiative is a pilot program that supports women and minority professionals interested in starting a new business or expanding their current one in the bioscience industry. It also aims to help those who are looking to provide professional services within the bioscience industry.
The free10-week business boot camp, called the Square One
Program (SQ1), is a handson training program designed to assist entrepreneurs in creating and developing their bioscience or advanced technology business. Held at the Center for Emerging Technologies (CET) business incubator in Mid-town St. Louis, experts will talk to attendees about how to commercialize their product or service, said Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Moore, director of Bioscience and Entrepreneurial Inclusion for BioSTL.
business model, developing a pitch presentation and financials, identifying and managing legal and Intellectual Property (IP) matters, and creating and implementing sales, marketing and organizational strategies. The program consists of 10 weeks of classes, one night each week. There are bullpen or study group sessions that participants may also attend each week. The bullpen sessions allow the participants to interact and engage with industry experts and
Class topics include: defining a
their classmates in order to complete assignments or explore topics in greater detail. Participants will also have access to co-working space. The program ends with a pitch deck competition in the 11th week where participants may receive cash awards.
BioSTL’s boot camp is the last part of a yearlong training series, made possible by a grant from Blackstone Charitable Foundation. The initial kick-off events, “Creating Opportunities in Bioscience: Business & Networking Forums” were held in June at the Donald Danforth Plant Science
See CAMP, B6
Kim Smith joined Daugherty Business Solutions as Senior Vice President, Corporate Sales. Smith will be responsible for strengthening growth and profitability through sales initiatives in Daugherty’s six regional locations (Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, New York and St. Louis). Previously she was Director of Public Sector Sales with IBM.
Joshua Tyler was selected as the recipient of the Webster University Dr. Donald M. Suggs Scholarship. He will receive up to $100,000 toward his Webster education during the next four years. He is a St. Louis resident who attended Whitfield School. He will enter Webster as a film production major later this month. The scholarship will award him $12,500 per semester for eight semesters and also can be applied toward studying abroad.
Kathy WalkerSteele is the new Central Regional Director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is a resident of Belleville, Illinois and a member of the East St. Louis graduate chapter. As regional director, she has the responsibility of overseeing operations and activities of the sorority’s graduate and undergraduate chapters in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and those located in St. Louis and Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Jeff Musgrove has been named vice president for Adult Higher Education at Columbia College, which features a campus in St. Louis. Musgrove previously served as the southeast regional director, overseeing campuses in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was also the campus director of Columbia College-Patrick Air Force Base in Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. He holds a doctorate degree in business administration from Argosy University and a master’s degree from Webster University.
Georgia Ann Barnett was named a new member of The Mary Ryder Home board of directors. She is originally from the Boeing Company and is a High Performance Work Organization team leader in the in the Precision Assembly Center. The Mary Ryder Home is a facility that since 1930 has provided for the neediest of St. Louis senior women. The other new members are Mark Cherry, Juli Niemann, Barbara Price, and Mihika Baruah.
Kerry Robinson was recognized by the Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Association. He is a former Major League Baseball player who graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in the fall of 1995 with a Bachelor of General Studies. As a member of the Southeast baseball team, he had an Ohio Valley Conference record 35-game hitting streak his senior season and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 34th round of the 1995 MLB draft. On the move? Congratulations! Send your
and
Joshua Tyler
Kathy WalkerSteele
Jeff Musgrove
Georgia Ann Barnett
Kerry Robinson
Photo by Wiley Price
Kim Smith
Dr. Cheryl WatkinsMoore
Will your kids inherit your debt?
By Jason Alderman
Many people finally get around to writing a will in order to safeguard their assets for their heirs. But what if you’ve got the opposite problem: Your nest egg was decimated by the recession, bad investments or simply living longer than expected and now you’ve got a mountain of bills you can’t pay off.
Will your kids inherit your debts after you die?
The short answer is, not in most cases. But there are situations where someone could be legally responsible for paying off your bills after death. Plus, aggressive creditors have been known to coerce heirs into paying off debts for which they’re not responsible, just to be left alone.
If you’re afraid that your financial legacy will be a heap of unpaid bills, here’s what you need to know and prepare for:
In general, children aren’t responsible for paying off their parents’ unsecured debts – things like credit cards, personal loans and medical bills, which aren’t collateralized by physical property. If there’s not enough money in the estate to pay off those bills, creditors will have to write them off. There are several exceptions, however:
• If your child, spouse or other acquaintance is a cosigner on a credit card or loan (e.g., mortgage, car, personal loan), they share equal responsibility for paying it off. This is why you should always think twice before cosigning anyone’s loan.
State commits up to $250K in loans to Ferguson businesses
The State of Missouri committed up to $250,000 in small business lending resources from the State Small Business Loan Program to support efforts of the Small Business Relief Program.
The Small Business Relief Program will provide up to $1 million in support to businesses impacted by recent events to help them recover and grow their businesses. The publicprivate partnership includes the state, the St. Louis Regional Chamber, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, North County Inc., and local lending institutions. State funding will be utilized for zero-interest loans to meet the immediate needs of businesses impacted.
Nixon also is preparing a formal request for a Small Business Administration disaster declaration, which will allow businesses in the area to qualify for low-interest SBA loans. For more information, visit www.stlregionalchamber. com/smallbusinessrelief. Questions may be directed to 314206-3235 or RecoverySTL@stlregionalchamber.com
Forum on construction workforce diversity Sept. 9
“Boots on the Ground: What Will It Take?”, an examination of St. Louis construction workforce diversity, will be the topic of a panel presentation at the next Construction Forum St. Louis quarterly event, to be held Sept. 9 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Moto Museum, 3441 Olive. The event is free to attend for anyone in the construction and development community, but online registration is required.
• If someone is a joint account holder – that is, their income and credit history were used to help obtain the loan or credit card – they’re generally responsible to pay off the balance.
to remove them from your accounts.
• Widows and widowers are responsible for their deceased spouse’s debts if they live in a community property state.
Note that authorized users on your credit cards aren’t liable for repayment since they didn’t originally apply for the credit. Chances are they were simply “piggybacking” on your credit record to help build their own. However, to protect authorized users from being bothered by creditors after your death, you may want
If you have outstanding secured debts upon death, such as a mortgage or car loan, your estate must pay them off or the creditor can seize the underlying asset. For example, if you were planning to leave your house to your kids, they’ll need to either pay off or continue making payments on any outstanding mortgage, property taxes and insurance, or risk foreclosure. Depending on your state’s laws, there are a few types of assets, like life insurance proceeds and retirement benefits, which you can pass along to beneficiaries that
generally won’t be subject to probate or taxation and thus may be safe from creditors.
Just be aware that if you name your estate as beneficiary for an insurance policy or retirement account, creditors can come after the money to pay off your debts. Thus, it’s usually wise to name specific individuals as beneficiaries – and back-up beneficiaries, in case they die first. Also, if your beneficiary is a cosigner on any of your debts, creditors can pursue him or her for any balances owed.
Check with a probate attorney or legal clinic familiar with your state’s inheritance and tax laws. Free or lowcost legal assistance is often available for lower-income people.
Bottom line: If you expect to leave unpaid debts after you die, alert your family now, so that together you can plan a course of action. You don’t want to blindside your loved ones in the midst of their grief.
Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www. twitter.com/PracticalMoney.
Presenters will be Tommy L. Davis, president and founder of TD4 Electrical LLC , a minority-owned electrical contractor; John Gaal, director of training and workforce development at the Carpenters’ District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity; Greg Mohler, BJC HealthCare vice president, Planning, Design & Construction; and Scott Wilson, CEO of S.M. Wilson Co. Moderating the panel will be Byron Witherspoon, managing executive, supplier diversity for power generation at Ameren.
To register, visit http://events.constantcontact.com/ register/event?llr=yhtlezqab&oeidk=a07e9p4tym2c2756a43. For more information, call Tom Finan at 314-224-5226, or email mailto:Tom@ConstructForSTL.org.
National Black MBA Association golf tournament
The National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA ) St. Louis Chapter will host its 15th Annual “Golf Fore Scholars” golf tournament on Friday, September 5 at the Forest Park Golf Course. This will be a four-man scramble format with a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start. Registration is either $100 for an individual or $400 for a team. Funds raised from this event will go to the NBMBAA St. Louis Chapter’s Scholarship Program. Register to attend at www. stlblackmba.org.
Shop ‘n Save and customers donate $48K to Crisis Nursery
Shop ‘n Save recently donated $48,155 to Saint Louis Crisis Nursery. The funds were collected from its summer “ROUND UP!” Campaign, which promoted community involvement and social responsibility with Shop ’n Save customers from both Missouri and Illinois stores by encouraging them to donate spare change to make the difference in the life of a needy child. Saint Louis Crisis Nursery provides short-term care for children, birth through age 12, who are at-risk of abuse and neglect when their parents are faced with a crisis or emergency situation.
n “The most worthwhile things in life rarely come easy, this is a lesson I’ve always known. The journey continues.”
– Michael Sam, after being released by the St. Louis Rams
Off to a good start
CBC, Francis Howell, Lutheran North, Soldan, Affton open strong
Area Class 6 schools CBC and Francis Howell went on the road last weekend and flexed their collective muscle with impressive victories. The Cadets traveled to Jefferson City and defeated the Jays 47-0 as CBC lead 12-0, but a 35-point explosion in the third quarter broke the game open. Howell ventured to Nixa and came away with a 42-10 victory behind 315 yards rushing and four touchdowns from senior Sutton Smith CBC, Howell and Hazelwood Central have looked strong in the opening two weeks. The Hawks posted victories over DeSmet and Lafayette.
Francis Howell ventured to Nixa and came away with a 42-10 victory behind 315 yards rushing and four touchdowns from senior Sutton Smith.
The Lutheran North Crusaders are off to a 2-0 start with impressive victories over Clayton (49-0) and Principia (72-7). The Crusaders advanced to the Class 2 state semifinals a year ago and return several key players, including a huge offensive line. Carl Thomas and Cortez Simmons scored two touchdowns each in the victory over Principia while senior quarterback
Justin Baker rushed for a touchdown and threw for another score. Lutheran North will host Westminster Christian in a big Metro League game on Saturday.
Soldan is off to a 2-0 start this season with victories over Priory and Gateway STEM. Junior quarterback Ronald Clower has passed for 454 yards and three touchdowns. He has also rushed for two touchdowns. His favorite target is senior Tre’von Billington, who has 11 receptions for 199 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Travon Wadlington leads the team in rushing, is second in receiving and first on the team in tackles on defense.
B5
Sam story is not over
With Ishmael H. Sistrunk
n Too many down moments lead to sacks, penalties or, worse, quarterback out for the year. See
Well St. Louis, another NFL season is about to begin. And it feels a lot like Christmas for me, because opening day never gets old. It never gets here fast enough for football diehards. And now that opening day has finally arrived, what gifts will the St. Louis Rams bear in the 2014 season? Can or will they finally get to the playoffs? Will they stop floating near the .500 mark? The Rams look to take the next step as Jeff Fisher enters his third season as head coach. Fisher is confident as ever, despite not having Sam Bradford for the entire season due to another injury. This is nothing new to Fisher, who dealt with this before in Tennessee while coaching the Titans and as recent as last season. And can you blame him for being this way? Last season the Rams went 4-5 with backup quarterback Kellen Clemens running and spinning on the football field like the Tasmanian Devil after one too many fivehour energy drinks. But you also got to give credit to the offensive line and the emergence of rookie Zac Stacy at running back for salvaging the season. But, will the Rams keep the same approach with Shaun Hill at quarterback? I think they may take more chances downfield. Hill got plenty of work during OTAs and during the preseason with the starters. He’s not shy looking for the home run ball, and his career completion percentage is not bad at a shade over 61 percent. He’ll have plenty of big targets, like wideouts Kenny Britt and Brian Quick, to get the ball to. And there are plenty of capable guys in the backfield to sustain the running game.
The defense is still the heart and soul of this team. The secondary is young and will make their share of mistakes. I’m interested how they’ll play without cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who is out four to six weeks with a knee injury.
Rookies Lamarcus Joyner and EJ Gaines will be in the mix. Gaines displayed fine open-field tackling skills, and Joyner was just
Thank goodness for football season
Holy “Hail Mary,” football season is finally here. Sure, baseball is “America’s Pastime” and we’re squarely in Cardinals Nation. The St. Louis Cardinals ball club is finally playing well and has ascended to its rightful position as king of the NL Central. Let’s keep it real. The NFL is the king of sport in America. Pastime or not, it’s the way men pass time on Sundays and Mondays.
fans start out excited about the team’s prospects. We fawn over the latest draftees and signees, hopeful that one may prove to be the key that opens the door to the postseason.
Ishmael H. Sistrunk
The St. Louis Rams haven’t sniffed the playoffs in a decade. Still, every season
The door has been shut on the Sams. Quarterback Sam Bradford is out for the season again after tearing his ACL for the second season in a row. Defensive end Michael Sam was waived after a solid preseason due to the fact that the Rams are one of the deepest teams in the NFL in
Zac Stacy and the Rams running game looks strong and powerful and will shoulder most of the work
University City ran past McCluer South-Berkeley Saturday 43-6
Photo by Wiley Price
Claib’s Call
With Mike Claiborne
Michael Sam story is not over
Now that the Michael Sam experience is over (at least for St. Louis), there are still questions.
Mike Claiborne
As I mentioned from the outset, Michael Sam’s sexual preference was no big deal to me. I am not sure if his love interest had anything to do with his ability to play football, but most of the gawkers who found this to be must-watch and must-read would not let it go. Did Michael Sam get a fair shot with the Rams? The answer is yes. The Rams treated Sam fairly and supported his quest to play pro football. The overexposure had to be reeled in a bit, as it culminated with one of the most egregious acts ever committed by a media member when ESPN’s Josina Anderson thought it was a good idea to inquire about Sam’s showering habits with his teammates. She went as far as to report it and used the excuse that her bosses wanted her to do it.
After the backlash, ESPN again went to apologize for their actions. No word yet on whether anyone on the inside was reprimanded for such a stupid act. As for Anderson, she should know better, but some will do anything to keep a job. Michael Sam was drafted by a team loaded with pass rushers before he hit town. He found himself in a battle for the final roster spot with a player who was more versatile in being able to play all of the defensive
line positions. He was bigger and more versatile than Sam, and that is what won out.
Sam also found himself limited, as he was not used on special teams. When it came to his sack total of three for the pre-season, Sam was in games late playing against players like he himself who are now unemployed. In short, Sam dominated inferior competition on most plays and was on a team that just did not have enough room. The Rams were so deep at that position
they felt there was not a need to carry Sam on the practice squad. Of the players who were cut and move to the practice squads of other teams, one defensive player who played the same position as Michael Sam was signed. The numbers game caught up to Michael Sam and his quest to play pro football for the Rams. There is a large group of players today who share his hurt. Now sources say the Dallas Cowboys intend to sign him
Michael Sam dominated inferior competition on most plays and was on a team that just did not have enough room.
he chose to do it that way and good for him. The pushback will continue to be two things. Can he really play in the NFL, and is it worth the distraction that it became in St. Louis?
to their practice squad, the source said. According to NFL. com’s Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys spent Tuesday calling several players and gauging their reactions to signing Sam, and apparently, no one had a problem.
The Cowboys now have 10 players on the practice squad, meaning they would have to release one to make room for Sam. Versatility will come into play. The distraction factor will also rear its head. While some will not readily admit it,
CLUTCH
Continued from B3
strong and powerful and will have a solid offensive line to help shoulder most of the work on the offensive end.
At the end of the day, there’s hope. That’s the thing with the NFL, no matter how awful a team finished the previous season, there’s always
the regular season when games count is far more serious than off-season training, training camp and meaningless preseason games. The way the Michael Sam media frenzy turned off many over the last few months, it will be risky to venture down this path now that they are playing for keeps. So what is next for Michael Sam? He will continue to work out and focus on football and how he can be a better player. The coming-out thing will always follow him, and
hope at the beginning of the season.
The team and the players handled it well and they should be commended, but there were reasons Sam was taken late in the draft: his skill level and the potential distraction he may cause. There are lessons to be learned by all in this situation. The NFL is more homophobic than they are willing to admit. The media, especially ESPN, really fumbled in how this story was covered. Sam needs better advisors who have his best interest in mind, instead of trying to turn this into a 15-minute-of-fame bonanza. Sam also needs to be a better football player. That will be the biggest question, as he has had ample time to improve his skill set since his last college game, when he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year. So much for awards, and what they mean for the next level. While it is not time to give up on Sam and his desire to play in the NFL, he is not alone in this quest, as there are many men around the country who met with the same fate and yet their story is not the lead on ESPN. Football is a tough and, at times, unfair job. For Sam, it is time for him to huddle up and come up with a new game plan on how he plans to play on Sundays. He, like all players in his position, should also explore what other options are available to him should pro football not work out. There is no need for writing the book and turning it into a movie, because the ending is now incomplete.
Once that hope dissipates with an early season 48-3 loss to a real Super Bowl contender, fans don’t lose interest. They don’t go home and watch ‘Martin’ reruns after church. If the home team is awful, you just turn the channel. There’s always an exciting game to watch. Star QBs like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rogers and Drew Brees are must see TV. Dynamic running backs such as Adrian Peterson LeSean McCoy dazzle fans across the league on a weekly basis. The NFL is full of awesome nicknames such as “Megatron,” “Pocket Hercules,” “Honey Badger,” “Beast Mode” and more. Another big part of the NFL’s success is fantasy football. Fans get to put on their GM hats, draft a team and field players each week. So a lifetime St. Louisan such as myself will turn to a nonmarquee matchup between the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets hoping Maurice Jones-Drew will take it to the house in the last minute of a blowout. Even if the points are wholly insignificant in his game, they can be the deciding factor in mine. So fans cheer for teams and players for which they’d otherwise have zero interest. Unless you’re between the lines catching concussions and helmet-to-the-chest contusions, the NFL fields the perfect sport. There are not 162 games in a season (MLB) or even 82 games (NBA and NHL). Having just a 16-game schedule means every game counts, every score matters and each first-down is important. Football is the only sport where a two-game losing streak sends fans and media into a frenzy as if the world was ending.
Sundays and Mondays, men and women across the nation are glued to their TV sets and simultaneously cheering and jeering, cussing and fussing, hexing and flexing. With a world so full of problems and despair, it feels good to know that in some random part of America, there’s a guy who you’ll never meet that’s simultaneously kneeling in front of the TV like an idiot, just like you and I, waiting for the “stupid kicker” to try a 50-yard field goal with the game on the line. It’s that synergy that keeps us excited. Thank goodness football season is here.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk and on Google+.
PREP
Continued from B3
Another small school off to a 2-0 start and looking good is Affton. The Cougars defeated Parkway West 41-15 last Friday night. In two games, running back Jordan Siegel has rushed for 347 yards and three touchdowns while DeVontae Burse is a nice dual-threat quarterback.
Shout outs
• Ladue High’s Jack Fox kicked five field goals to lead the Rams to a 22-20 victory over Jennings. The last of Fox’s five field goals was a 38-yarder with 15 seconds left in the game to give the Rams the victory.
• Fort Zumwalt South’s Marshawn Blackmon had four receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the Bulldogs 35-14 victory over Francis Howell Central.
• Hazelwood Central’s Kevin Batt rushed for 222 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead the Hawks past Lafayette 35-21.
• John Burroughs’ quarterback Tre Moore completed 15 of 25 passes for 310 yards and five touchdowns in the Bombers’ 43-20 victory over Roosevelt.
Top Games of the Week
The East St. Louis Flyers continue their rugged non-conference slate
Missouri Phenom (2018) excel during the Summer
The Missouri Phenom (2018) girls basketball team enjoyed tremendous success during the recent July Evaluation period. The Phenom won the championship of the PBR Super 64 National Tournament in Frisco, TX., then followed up with another tournament title in San Antonio. They inished the summer with a Final Four appearance at the Adidas National Tournament in Atlanta. The Phenom inished July with a 17-2 record. The team members are (back row, left to right) Jayla Everett (Kirkwood), Danyell Millett (Ritenour), Kelsie Williams (Hazelwood Central). (front row, left to right) Amaya Stovall (Parkway), Makayla Wallace (Kirkwood), Kalen Rodriguez (MICDS), Jessica Myers (Ritenour), Michon Forrest (Wentzville Holt). Not pictured, Mallory Meeks (Hazelwood Central), Coaches Travis Wallace and Jackie Gilbert.
with a trip to Chicago to play Class 5 powerhouse Lombard Montini on Saturday afternoon. Lombard Montini finished second in the Class 5A state playoffs a year ago and won the previous four state championships before that. East Side was defeated by Cincinnati St. Xavier 35-20 last Saturday.
Edwardsville High will visit Class 8A Wilmette Loyola Academy on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. Loyola was the IHSA Class 8A state runnerup last season.
Hazelwood Central will visit Eureka on Friday night in a battle of 2-0 Class 6 schools that advanced to the state semifinals a year ago…. Lutheran North will host Westminster Christian on Saturday afternoon in an early-season Metro League showdown. Both teams are off to a 2-0 start... In a very interesting nonconference game, Class 4 Miller Career Academy will visit Class 6 Ritenour on Friday night. Both teams are also 2-0 and have looked impressive.
Other games of note
Fort Zumwalt West at CBC, Friday, 7 p.m.
Parkway South at Webster Groves, Friday, 7 p.m.
Fort Zumwalt East at Francis Howell, Friday, 7 p.m.
St. Charles at St. Charles West, Friday, 7 p.m.
Lafayette at Kirkwood, Friday, 7 p.m.
Benet Academy at O’Fallon, Friday, 7 p.m.
Helias at Altoff, Saturday, 7 p.m.
by
Continued from B3
as active too. The front seven is still the biggest strength overall for the Rams. One concern could be being too aggressive overrunning plays and those cutback runs. That’s very important, since Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings will be in town to start off the season. His last game
in St. Louis, Peterson ran wild like Hulkamania on the Rams defense. The offensive line had shaky moments in the preseason, and the way they play this year could determine what kind of season might be in store for the Rams. Jake Long has to rebound, because he looked very rusty. Just ask Sam Bradford. Rodger Saffold has to find a way not to injure another body part, and rookie Greg Robinson
had his ups and downs like any rookie. However, too many down moments lead to sacks, penalties or, worse, quarterback out for the year. See Sam Bradford.
If the Rams have any aspirations for post-season play, they’ll need to get off to a fast start. That means at worst going 2-1 into the early bye week. First things first, and that’s beating the Minnesota Vikings this weekend. For more Rams Roundup,
subscribe to youtube.com/ stlamericanvideo.
Photo
Wiley Price
Sumner used the pass to defeat Madison Prep 26-20 Friday night at Sumner.
Riverview, named Charlotte’s Banquet Hall in her honor. That business went well until the economy spun into the Great Recession following the mortgage-back security bubble burst. “We went from having maybe three parties a month,” Dionne said, “to having maybe one party every three months.”
The source of their banquet business, when it was going well, was the other family business: politics. Eddie Flowers was first elected Democratic committeeman of the 2nd Ward in 1991, after being recruited by Milton Svetanics. Dionne Flowers was first elected Democratic committeewoman of the 2nd Ward in 1996, and first ran for alderwoman (and won) in 1999 when Nancy Weber decided not to run. She has been reelected ever since and continues to serve on the board.
The family’s political connections also bring business to the barber shop. Eddie has cut the hair of Harold Crumpton, former St. Louis city NAACP president, for nearly 50 years. Dionne still barbers Claude Browne, city NAACP activist and political operative. Mayor Francis Slay is another regular clients of hers.
“He says his wife likes the way I cut his hair,” Dionne said of the mayor. “He’s not picky.”
Dionne also barbers
aldermanic President Lewis Reed, Slay’s most recent mayoral challenger, as well as the man Reed beat at the polls
CAMP
Continued from B1
Center and July at The Third Degree Glass Factory.
to win his current seat, Jim Shrewsbury.
“In barber school, they tell you, ‘Don’t talk about politics, religion or gossip,’” Dionne said. “That’s all we talk about.”
Golden Shears even went bi-partisan after Eddie’s outrage at the Monica Lewinsky scandal made him defect to the Republican Party. He has not won many converts to the GOP in this North City Democratic enclave. “People come here to hear the voice of reason from me,” Dionne said, “and to hear whatever he is polluting the world with.”
Not another Ground Zero
The Flowers’ building on Riverview was the scene of an impromptu protest that could have combusted into a riot, recently, after the fatal St. Louis police shooting of Kajieme Powell on August 20. Dionne witnessed the shooting while trying to get some customers safely into her shop. Powell came out of 6 Stars Market, a tenant in the Flowers’ building, wielding a knife. Two St. Louis police officers shot and killed Powell when he continued to advance towards them, Dionne said.
“It happened so fast,” she said. “I would not vilify the police, and I would not vilify the victim. His family are my constituents, and I am concerned for them.”
Two other North City aldermen, Chris Carter and Antonio French, responded immediately and helped to calm an angry crowd that formed in front of the market. St. Louis was on edge after the fatal Ferguson police
“We had successful meetings both months with over 200 meeting participants in attendance,” said WatkinsMoore. In August, they held a training seminar, “What You Need to Know about Bio: Understanding the Impact of Regulatory, Intellectual Property & Capital Funding.” Mark Stallion, partner at Husch Blackwell, delivered a presentation on how entrepreneurs should protect their technology and businesses; Melissa Walker, President and CTO of Graematter, gave attendees
shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown on August 9, the resulting protests and the initially brutal St. Louis County police response to the protests. Dionne credited Carter, French, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson and the citizens themselves for defusing the situation on Riverview before it exploded.
“I believe the police investigation was upfront at the beginning,” Dionne said, “and I also have to commend the citizens. I believe they thought this was not going to be another Ground Zero, and they all fought for that.”
As a result, 6 Stars Market, Charlotte’s Banquet Hall and Golden Shears Barber Shop remain open for business, rather than being charred relics of protest like the QuikTrip at West Florissant Boulevard and Canfield Drive in Ferguson. There is a small memorial for Powell at the edge of the parking lot outside the barber shop that sometimes receives a visit and social media post from Ferguson protestors.
On the job, however, Dionne is not a shooting witness or an alderwoman. She is a tradeswoman with a valuable set of skills.
“I’m a barber,” she said. “People like my haircuts. Curly, straight, long, short –bring it to me, I can cut it.”
Her father added from the adjacent chair, “She’s basically almost as good as me.”
Golden Shears Barber Shop is located at 8713 Riverview Blvd. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Call 314867-1140.
an overview of the role and impact of FDA regulations; and Jean Roberson, CFO Appistry provided future entrepreneurs with strategies for raising capital to fund their ventures. For more information about the training program, contact Mary Louise (ML) Helbig, program manager at SQ1ProgramInfo@gmail.com or visit www.SQ1Program.com
Financial Focus
By Courtney Bond, financial advisor
Raptivist rising Dancing for our rights
Amusa presents ‘United We Dance’ in honor of Ferguson protestors
A united front of 30 African dancers and musicians have joined forces
R&B playlist live
Tef Poe helps fuel Ferguson protests
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
“They want to go back out to Canfield and protest,” Tef Poe told St. John United Church of Christ senior pastor Rev. Starsky Wilson on Saturday night. “I was gonna take the night off, but I’m down for whatever.”
Tef Poe was speaking of the Black Lives Matter
young people who had come to Ferguson from
New York and everywhere in between. Wilson allowed them to use his sanctuary for their temporary headquarters as the few hundred came together to support Ferguson protest efforts and demand justice. At 11 p.m. Saturday night, the group expressed interest
By Kenya Vaughn Of The
Tef Poe leads a group of protesters as they march down West Florissant Avenue in the wake of the police shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown. Photo by Lawrence Bryant
Habitat For Humanity St. Louis CEO Kimberly McKinney, former St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom and former state Sen. Rita Days. Photo by Durrie Bouscaren, St. Louis Public Radio
“Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!” has become the symbol of the Ferguson protest movement against police brutality, as these youth in the protest zone display. Photo by Lawrence Bryant
To the delight of urban music fans, The Backspin Presents: Joe and Friends offered a blend of 90s throwback along with the now and next through performances from Case, KeKe Wyatt, Donnell Jones, Kelly Price and headliner Joe Sunday night at the Chaifetz Arena.
Photos by John Scott
Kelly Price
KeKe Wyatt Case
How to place a calendar listing
1. Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican. com OR
2. Visit the calendar section on stlamerican.com and place your listing
Calendar listings are free of charge, are edited for space and run on a space-available basis.
concerts
Sat., Sept. 6, 2 p.m., Forest Park hosts LouFest 2014. OutKast, Arctic Monkeys and more. 5595 Grand Dr.,63112 For more information, call (314) 367-7275.
Sun., Sept. 7, 5:30 p.m., Arts and Faith St. Louis presents Fourth Annual September 11th Interfaith Commemoration in Music. With the goal of promoting a more harmonious St. Louis, the concert brings together people of all faiths and ethnicities, encourages respect and understanding, and bridges divides through a shared musical arts experience. World-renowned soprano Christine Brewer and members of the St. Louis Symphony will premiere a new work by jazz pianist and composer Peter Martin that was commissioned for the concert. The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 533-9900.
Sept. 12 – 13, St. Louis Symphony presents Opening Weekend. Music Director David Robertson will be at the podium for the opening weekend of the St. Louis Symphony’s classical subscription season. Works will include; Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1, Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending, and Nielsen Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable.” Soloists will include; David Robertson (conductor), Yefim Bronfman (piano) and Erin Schreiber (violin). 718 N Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. stlsymphony.org.
Sat., Sept. 13, 8 p.m., United Way of Greater St. Louis presents Concert with a Cause feat. Howard Hewett Celebrating 20 years of African American philanthropy in our region through the Charmaine Chapman Society. Special guest comedian Darius
Bradford. Peabody Opera House, 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www.helpingpeople.org/ gala.
local gigs
Thur., Sept. 4, 10 p.m., Beale on Broadway presents Kim Massie and the Solid Senders. 701 S. Broadway, 63102. For more information, call (314) 621-7880.
Sundays, 6:30 p.m. (6 p.m. doors) Jazz @ Eventide, featuring Black and White Trio. Sip N Savor, 286 DeBaliviere, 1/2 block north of the Forest park Metro link. For more information, call (314)361-2116.
special events
Sept. 4 – 6, 8 p.m., Washington University presents Dance Close Up. The intimate, informal concert — which has helped launch St. Louis’ fall performing arts season since 1995 — will showcase new and original works, ranging from ballet and Indian classical dance to contemporary solos and duets, by dance faculty in the Performing Arts Department. Annelise Mertz Dance Studio, Mallinckrodt Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 935-6543.
Sept. 5 – 7, As You Go Events presents Baby! Baby! Baby! Expo. It’s all about baby. Join local vendors and service providers and learn about the best products for your bundle of joy. Enter your little one into the Cutest Lil’ Cupcake Photo Contest and join us for the big 1st Time Expecting Moms Baby Shower. Pre-registration is required due to limited space. Don’t worry, it’s free. Just visit our website and sign up
Calendar
today: www.asyougoevents. com. Machinists Hall, 12365 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63044. For more information, call (636) 492-1750.
Fri., Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m., The Ink Gallery STL presents Lyrical Concepts: A Brooklyn St. Louis Collaboration. Brooklyn meets STL for a unique music experience with a raw underground feel. Lyrical hip hop rhymes, deep grooves, progressive soul and live house. Live performances by NYC artists SPITA, Stvsh & DJ Phinestro and sets from St. Louis’ Mo E All-Stars featuring Thelonius Kryptonite and Darren Jackson. Special collaborations throughout the night. Koken Art Factory, 2500 Ohio Ave., 63104.
Sat., Sept. 6, 1 p.m., St. Louis Challenge 2014: The Ultimate Urban Scavenger Hunt. The Challenge is a ridiculously fun “Amazing Race” style competition packed into one incredible day. Teams of two or more will dash around the city, racing against other Challengers for immortal glory (and cash prizes!) as they solve tricky clues, strategize the best route, and explore undiscovered corners of the city. At the finish line, we’ll welcome you back with cold water, food and drink specials, music, costume contest and awards ceremony for our winners. Each city’s top 25 teams qualify for our $5,000 National Championship race. Joe Buck’s Downtown, 1000 Clark Ave., 63102. For more information or to register, visit www.
AnheuserBusch presents The St. Louis American Foundation’s 27th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala and afterparty featuring DJ Kut. See SPECIAL EVENTS for details.
more information, visit www. pulitzerarts.org.
Sun., Sept. 7, 7:07 p.m., Blkwolf presents Suite 7: The Premiere Fashion Experience. The show features creations from 7 immaculate designers who have come together to participate in what is intended to be nothing less than historical. This is an event that you will remember for years to come. 14th Street Artist Community, 701 N. 14th St., 63106.
of outdoor skill classes and overnight camping experience in St. Louis’ most famous park. Events include archery, camping, fishing, and more. For more information, call 1-800-334-6946.
challengenation.com/stlouis.
Sat., Sept. 6, 1:30 p.m., Beleeville-O’Fallon Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. invites you to the 3rd Annual kappa Klassic Golfing Extravaganza. Tee it up and let it fly into open fairways on the only Jack Nicklaus signature course in the St. Louis area. This tournament will be a four-person scramble. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit our Guide Right program. Kappa Alpha Psi is 501(c)3. There will be great prizes, great food, mulligan cards, contests, and excellent golf. The entry fee includes green fees, cart, range balls, and sit-down lunch for the awards reception. All players will receive a gift bag that will include golf accessories. There will be prizes awarded to the winning teams, door prizes and contests throughout the day. Stonewolf Golf Club, 1195 Stonewolf Trail, Fairview Heights, IL., 62208. For more information, call (314) 4940833 or (618) 806-1474 or visit www.boa-nupes.com.
Sun., Sept. 7, 12 p.m., PXStl Site presents Pop-Up Museum: STL Style. Pop-Up Museum features a temporary exhibit “curated” by visitors, who will share their objects and stories that represent St. Louis approaches to music, fashion, architecture, and food. These objects and stories will come together to create a uniquely local experience — imagine StoryCorps meets Antiques Roadshow, St. Louis style. 3713 & 3719 Washington Blvd., 63108. For
Mon., Sept. 8, 9:30 p.m., Norwood Hills Country Club hosts 43rd Annual Swing! Golf Tournament. The Golf Tournament will benefit SSM St. Mary’s Health Center. 1 Norwood Hills Country Club Dr., 63121. For more information, contact Elandra Dillard at (314) 768-8067 or Elandra_Dillard@ssmhc.com. For sponsorship opportunities, contact John Armstrong at (314) 768-8741 or John_ Armstrong@ssmhc.com.
Fri., Sept. 12, 5 p.m., Anheuser-Busch presents The St. Louis American Foundation’s 27th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, call (314) 533-8000 or visit www.stlamerican.com.
Sept. 12 – 14, Forest Park hosts St. Louis World’s FareHeritage Festival and games. All are welcome to experience this unique celebration of St. Louis history, present, and future as the magical energy of the 1904 World’s Fair is rekindled. Join us as we celebrate the 110th anniversary of the World’s Fair and Olympics held in St Louis in 1904, and the 250th Birthday of the City Of Saint Louis. See, hear, savor, and feel what made this city great, what makes this city great today, and what will make this city more magnificent in the future. For more information, visit www.stlworldsfare.com.
Sept. 12 – 14, Fair U City. Enjoy great food; hear fantastic music including the U City Jazz Festival; take a spin on some old-fashioned carnival rides; marvel at some classic cars brought to the fair by the Just Us Street Rod Club; a Fun Run to benefit the U City High School Girls’ Track Team; take your puppy to the Puppy Pool Party and more. Admission is free and all are welcome. Heman Park, 7000 Olive Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 5058696 or visit www.ucitymo. org.
Sept. 12 – 14, Lou City Creative presents 3 on 3 Tournament. We are in search of the best 3 person basketball team. Starting Friday night at 3:30pm we will begin team registration and hand out team jerseys. Friday will also kick off the dunk contest, 3 point shootout and cap the night with live music. At the event we will have beer tents, our favorite food vendors and each night will have good local music on the event stage. Don’t miss this event it will be a blast form the past packed with vendors, entertainment, and all your neighborhood friends. Old Post Office Plaza, 815 Locust St., 63101. For more information, visit www.loucity3on3.com.
Sept. 13 – 14, WOW
National Outdoor Recreation & Conservation School. Discover how much fun the great outdoors can be at a day
Thurs., Sept. 18, 8 p.m., Gateway Arch Riverboats presents Blues Cruise. Experience the sounds of live local blues bands as you cruise down the Mississippi River and enjoy the beautiful St. Louis skyline. Includes cruise and music. 21 and over. Cash bar and concessions are available. Reservations are required. 50 S. Leonor K Sullivan Blvd. 63102. For more information, call (877) 982-1410 or visit ticketsforthearch.com.
Sept. 19 – 21, Chesterield Amphitheater & Chesterield Village host Budweiser Taste of St. Louis. Voted St. Louis’ Best Food Event by St. Louis Magazine’s A-List Readers’ Choice Poll, the 10th annual Budweiser Taste of St. Louis is The Ultimate Food Experience. 30+ Restaurants, The Art & Wine Walk, the all new Amphitheater Shows with national culinary celebrities, the Chef Battle Royale, Kid City and much more. 631 Veteran’s Place Dr., 63107. For more information, visit TasteSTL.com.
Fri., Sept. 26, 5:30 p.m., The Gallery 400 presents Bridging the Gap 2014. This year’s theme, “Classic St. Louis,” will be carried out in the look, the feel and the taste of the event. In addition to that perennial favorite, the Wine Ring Toss, guests will enjoy entertainment and food that falls into the local “favorites” category like toasted ravioli from Bartolino’s. Shop for the holidays from among the many items available in both a silent and live auction. Enjoy a drink from the wonderful bar in this year’s venue, Gallery 400. Free valet parking for the evening. Dress for the evening is open to your own interpretation of “Classic” – St. Louis style, so get creative and join this evening of fun, food and fabulous to beneit The Bridge. 400 Washington Ave., 63102. For more information, visit www.bridgestl.org.
Sat., Oct. 4, 7 p.m., The Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council hosts Skinker DeBaliviere Homecoming feat. Javier Mendoza. A delightful evening of food, music, and lots of fun. Share good times with neighbors while grooving to the eclectic sounds of St. Louis favorite Javier Mendoza and enjoying delicious BBQ from Salt & Smoke. We’ll have the famous, fabulous silent auction with goodies at a range of price points. All proceeds benefit the SDCC. Buy tickets in advance and be included in an exclusive raffle for a chance to win a special, secret prize. Joe’s Café Gallery, 6010 Kingsbury Ave., 63112. For more information, visit www.skinker-debaliviere. com.
Kut-Nup Productions is in need of hip hop dancers for the next R&B/Hip Hop Tribute Show....Please contact Sherre Ward at 314-313-1614 www.kutnupproductions.com
Wed., Sept. 10, 7 p.m., Maryville Talks Books and Left Bank Books present author Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman’s Prison
In her compelling, moving, and often hilarious memoir, Piper Kerman recounts the 15 months that she spent in the Danbury Correctional Facility for a crime she had committed ten years prior as a very brief, very careless dalliance in the world of drug traficking, and the stories of the women she met while in prison. Maryville University Auditorium, 650 Maryville University Dr., 63141.
Thur., Sept. 11, 3:30 p.m.,
Under one Flag: A Journey from 9.11 to the Heartland Book Launch. 3:30-Meet & greet, 5:30-Authors speak, 6:00-Book sales & signing, 7:30-Ceremony to honor the book’s fallen heroes, Michael & Zach. Statute Plaza atop Art Hill, Forest Park, 5595 Grand Dr., 63112. For more information, call (314) 6041926.
Thur., Sept. 11, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Katherine Pickett, author of Perfect Bound: How to Navigate the Book Publishing Industry Like a Pro. This book takes aspiring authors through the complete book publishing process, detailing who they will work with at each stage of production, what they can expect along the way, and what is expected of them in return. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-6731.
theatre
Fri., Sept. 5, 8 p.m., Stages St. Louis presents Fiddler on the Roof. Robert G. Reim Theater, Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Rd., 63122. For more information, visit www.stagesstlouis.org.
Sept. 6 (7 p.m.) and Sept. 7 (3 p.m.) 3 Purple Coats Productions and Leah Jo Becoat present an original stage play, UnDeniably Blue Alton High Auditorium. 4200 Humbert Road. Alton, Il. Adults $15. Students 17 and under $8. For more info email: threepurplecoats@yahoo.com
arts
Sun., Sept. 7, 4 p.m., Gordon’s Entertainment presents Jazz Heaven Series –“They Paved the Way.” This year we will take you back in time when song lyrics had meaning rhythm and rhyme. The cast members will sing and or dance to songs made popular by some of our most legendary artists Ella, Frank, Dinah, Rosemary, Betty, Etta, Lou, etc. This year’s narrator will be the talented Ms. Linda Kennedy Actor/Storyteller/ Dancer. She will introduce the characters through poetic prose with a touch of theatrical fanfare. Featuring Ryan Johnson as Sammie Davis Jr. Ethical Society, 9001 Clayton Rd., 63117. For more information, call (314) 8389198.
Sept. 10 – 21, The Black Rep presents Purlie. Traveling preacher Purlie Victorious Jones returns to his small Georgia hometown to save the community church in this spirited, spiritual, sensational music. Edison Theatre, Washington University, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 534-3810 or visit www. theblackrep.org.
Sept. 5 – 7, Saint Louis Brewry Taproom hosts Art Outside. Now in its 11th year, Schlaly Art Outside is a threeday-long juried alternative art fair featuring art from over 50 artists based here in the St. Louis area. Come and show your support for local art and local beer. Art Outside is not an ordinary fair, but one that features quality art, music, and plenty of tasty food and drink from Schlaly Beer. 2100 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit schlaly.com.
Sun., Sept. 7, 12 p.m., PXStl Site presents Pop-Up Museum: STL Style. Pop-Up Museum features a temporary exhibit “curated” by visitors, who will share their objects and stories that represent St. Louis approaches to music, fashion, architecture, and food. These objects and stories will come together to create a uniquely local experience — imagine StoryCorps meets Antiques Roadshow, St. Louis style. 3713 & 3719 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. pulitzerarts.org.
Forest Park hosts LouFest 2014 starring OutKast. For more information, see CONCERTS.
Sat., Sept. 6, Grand Center hosts Architecture and History Tours. The Grand Center Architecture and History Walking Tour provides a fascinating look into the District’s magniicent buildings, rich history, dynamic neighborhood, and vibrant arts culture. The free 1.5-mile tour will take walkers on a journey back in time, supported by a richly detailed narrated history, as well as provide a glimpse of the exciting plans for the future. 3524 Washington Blvd., 63103. To register, visit www. grandcenter.org/gctourssignup.
Sat., Sept. 20, 7 p.m., Fubar hosts Rock n Art Show Fundraiser for St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Help raise money for St. Louis Children’s Hospital. This will be a free all age show but there will be a minimum $1 dollar donation at the door, 100% going to children’s diabetes research. 3108 Locust St., 63101. For more information, call (618) 210-4160.
lectures
Mon., Sept. 8, 5 p.m., Resume Makeover Workshops.
Come learn and apply resume assistance tips to make your resume stand out in the crowd. Learn how to create a professional LinkedIn account and how to use social media to advance your career. This event is free. SIUE – East St. Louis Higher Education Center, 601 James R. Thompson Blvd., East St. Louis, IL. 62201.
Wed., Sept. 17, 7 p.m., The Missouri Bar presents Mini Law School for the Public. The more you know about the laws that affect you, the easier it is to make good decisions about your life, your family, and your finances. The only requirement to attend these series of lectures is a desire to become better informed. There’s no homework, just some of the most fascinating lectures you’ll ever hear from some of the most experienced and knowledgeable lawyers, law professors and judges. For more information and location, call (866) 366-0270.
Sat., Sept. 20, 12 p.m., Power Up Your Power Women’s Conference. Are You Ready... Set...to grow both in your personal and professional life. Join us for a POWERful Experience with POWER Speakers & Teachers. STL welcomes Former Pro Athlete Angela R. Lewis as VIP Keynote Speaker. JC Penney Conference Center, UMSL, 1 University Blvd.,63121. For more information, visit www. iamawomanirst.com
health
Sat., Sept. 6, 8 a.m., 2014 Walk to End Alzheimer’s One-mile and 3-mile walk. Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark Ave. St. Louis, 63103. For more information, call the Alzheimer’s Association at (314) 801-0446 or email stlwalksupport@alz.org.
Sat., Sept. 6, 9 a.m., Be the Match Walk Run. Join a community transplanting hope. Help raise critical funds to help patients with blood cancers, like leukemia and lymphoma,
take the next step toward a life-saving marrow transplant. Creve Coeur Lake Park, 13725 Marine Ave., St. Louis, 63146. For more information, visit www.bethematchfoundation. org.
Wed., Sept. 10, 7 p.m., Determining Differences among Dementias: The Devil is in the Details. Join Nupur Ghoshal, MD, PhD, for a discussion on a number of speciic dementia types including Alzheimer’s disease as well as resources for evaluation and treatment of memory-related concerns. JCC, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., 63146. For more information, call (314) 442-3261.
spiritual
Wed., Sept. 10, 6:30 p.m., Temple Of Praise Ministries presents Talk With TamLive. Talk With Tam is a radio designed to take God’s people to the top, utilizing both the Old and New Testaments connecting them to the now Testament. Need a dose of empowerment? Tune in weekly at KXEN 1010 AM. For Bookings, call (314) 723-2225 or email templeofprasieministries@live. com.
Sun., Sept. 4, 8 a.m., Southern Mission Baptist Church presents Christian Men Annual Day. Please join us as we lift up the name of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ & celebrate our Men Ministry. They will be in charge of the worship service and will be singing. 8171 Wesley Ave., 63140. For more information, visit www.smbcstl.org.
Oct. 3 – 4, First Baptist Church of Chesterfield Marriage Enrichment Ministry invites you to Cruising for Christ Overnight Retreat. Oct. 3 – Riverboat dinner cruise. Oct. 4 – Marriage enrichment sessions. Registration Deadline is Sept. 28. For more information, visit www. firstbcc.org or call (636) 5378748.
itself.
in going back to the Canfield Green Apartments – now known across the world as the site where unarmed teen
Michael Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. They had been in Canfield earlier in the day for several hours as part of the National March on Ferguson, but they were determined to return.
Church leader DeMarco Davidson informed Wilson. Wilson summoned Poe for counsel.
“I get that they want to be a part of the moment and history and all of that, but I don’t think they know what it could turn into at night,” Poe said. “Have they been trained?”
Poe talked with his hands and used body language to exclaim his point, as one might expect a rapper to do. As he stood across from the church, a beam from the streetlight hit the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tattoo on his upper left arm. After most of the group said through a show of hands that they had not been trained, Poe called them. “Let’s get it,” Poe said, as they followed him back into the church for protest training – “Ferguson-style.”
If anyone could train them, it was Tef Poe.
“Tef has an authentic voice from the ground and a real love for the young people,” Wilson said. “I think he’s been called to this moment and the sort of leadership role that he’s in because of his authentic voice and his capacity for critical analysis.” Wilson and Poe met in the midst of Trayvon Martin demonstrations last year.
“Tef was in relationship
RaDIO
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Knowles III, newly appointed Missouri Public Safety Director Dan Isom, former state Senator Rita Heard-Days and Kimberly McKinney, CEO of Habitat for Humanity St. Louis. The pastor could no longer hold his peace after hearing Knowles’ reaction to a young person’s protest trauma.
“You’re not going to be able to explain away everything,” Johnson said. “And to unplug this pot right here – that’s ready to boil over into the street if we’re not careful –there is going to have to be the acknowledging. Acknowledge what happened actually happened.”
Knowles had to know what he was up against as listeners lined the walls of Wellspring Church and listened intently in two overflow areas.
The audience, the panel and even the moderator seemed shocked by the detachment in his responses.
“There is frustration from people who feel a disconnection with the police,” Knowles said.
“I think they feel demeaned and disrespected more than disconnected,” Martin said. Other white residents of Ferguson understood.
Jeff Schultz, a resident, spoke of his 16-year-old son’s African-American friend being stopped and accosted by police
with young people before this moment,” Wilson said. “When he showed up on the scene August 9, they knew who he was. He was there and stayed. That continued presence, day and night, boded well for his authenticity.”
When Poe showed up at the Canfield Green Apartments on August 9, Michael Brown’s body had just been taken away by Ferguson police, more than four hours after he was shot dead.
“He saw what was going on around him and was compelled by the fact that there was still blood on the ground,” Wilson said. “And from the blood on the ground, he recognized a call that he had to do something.”
He witnessed family, friends and traumatized residents scrambling around Canfield trying to grasp what was happening.
Soon he was among those fighting off tear gas and looking down the barrels of assault rifles pointed at them by an overly aggressive, militarized police force as they attempted to peacefully protest.
And here he was Saturday night, playing protest trainer and tour guide as several dozen Black Lives Matter riders took to the streets of Ferguson to see for themselves the city that had captured an international audience for three weeks.
“This hasn’t changed him,” Wilson said. “More Twitter followers haven’t changed him. This is his commitment. This is who he is.”
Tef Poe is an acclaimed rapper who received major industry buzz with his latest project, “Cheer for the Villain.”
He’s also a contributing writer for The Riverfront Times.
His record of publicly speaking out against injustices and holding young people to a higher standard speaks for
while riding his bike. The officers asked him to prove that the bike wasn’t stolen and demanded a receipt.
Schultz said, “That won’t happen to my son, because he’s white.”
“I’m angry,” said Emily Davis, another white resident. “No mother should have to fear for their son’s life every time they leave the house. And I’m not just talking about Michael Brown’s mother – I’m talking about the mothers of those protesters who are just out there trying to make this better.”
n “I think they feel demeaned and disrespected more than disconnected.”
– Michel Martin
She began to choke up. There was emotion and frustration from every side of the room.
Knowles explanation of Brown’s body being left on the street for four hours sparked the worst disgust. He said investigators took their time because “we didn’t want anyone to feel that there would be some sort of cover-up.”
Isom – a former St. Louis police chief – interrupted.
“Michael Brown should not have laid out there for four
Poe urged young people to get out to vote both times the presidency was at stake for Barack Obama. He stood behind Lewis Reed as he vied for mayor and participated in voter registration drives and rallies on Reed’s behalf. He marched in memory of Trayvon Martin.
And in Ferguson, Poe was a general on the front lines – often seen holding a megaphone that was used to lead chants, offer direction and usher protesters in the direction of safety.
Poe was a mainstay on West Florissant before taking his demonstrations to the Wainwright Building, where the State of Missouri has offices, and to Clayton, where County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch’s office is located.
“He’s made the strategic decision to take his protests to places of power versus a place of pain,” Wilson said. “That shows the mind of a strategist and someone trying to get something done for the long haul and not someone caught up in the moment.”
Through social media and appearances on national and international news, Poe and a handful of other young leaders – including state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, St. Louis Alderman Antonio French and Ferguson Committeewoman Patricia Bynes – have emerged onto the world stage from within the movement.
“The only reason we are still talking about Michael Brown and the only reason we are still talking about Ferguson is because of young people who decided that they weren’t going to let it go,” Wilson said. “Those young people are following Tef’s leadership, so I’m following Tef’s leadership.”
hours on the street,” Isom said.
“So you’ve got to acknowledge that was wrong. And that you’re sorry for it. Because, just from a human standpoint, and if you want to just take it from a policing standpoint, it wasn’t appropriate.”
Isom’s remarks were met by rousing applause and compelled Martin to chime in.
“Have you ever had an opportunity to meet with his family to apologize the way that he was treated,” Martin asked Knowles.
“I have not,” Knowles said.
“Why not?” Martin asked.
“Our chief did have an opportunity to meet with them and expressed the sympathy for our city,” Knowles said. Martin seemed at a loss.
“Forgive me, but why didn’t you just go to them and say, ‘As your mayor, I’m sorry, I will look into this’?” Martin said.
“We can’t talk about healing if he won’t acknowledge the hurt,” said Ashley Yates, a Ferguson resident who was victimized by aggressive police tactics during the protests.
Knowles struck a nerve with Johnson by telling Yates that the misconduct and excessive force by police during the protests was out of his control.
“When somebody challenged you, the first thing you did was go behind the city manager,” Johnson said. You’re hearing from these young people that are out here and you can’t deny what has happened.”
By Melanie Adams
Facilitate solutions to common problems
MO History Museum convenes the community around issues of race
As the St. Louis community continues to grapple with the aftermath of the tragic shooting of Michael Brown, I cannot help but think of the Missouri History Museum’s mission to “facilitate solutions to common problems.” It is shame that more than twenty years after this mission statement was written, race relations remain a “common problem” in St. Louis.
While I am usually an optimistic person, I am also a realist. I know that St. Louis’s race issues did not happen overnight and that it would take decades to address the institutional racism that continues to plague the region’s policies and politics. What I find most frustrating is the frequent surprise expressed by white people that they don’t understand how this situation could have happened. I’ve lived in St. Louis for seventeen years, but I knew the city had racial issues long before Michael Brown was shot down in the streets. How sad that it has taken the death of a young man for people to remove their blinders and recognize that living in St. Louis is not merely an experience of trips to Busch Stadium, eating frozen custard at Ted Drewes and enjoying summer evenings at the Muny.
Going back to the Museum’s mission statement, I have to question whether St. Louis is going to agree on the “common problem.” Based on the community responses, we see a variety of problems. There are housing problems, employment problems and education problems. I agree these are all problems reflected in the turmoil in Ferguson.
But the real common denominator that ties all of
Ifill, president
the
Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., will talk about the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education From Brown to Ferguson: The Unfinished Business of Civil Rights 7 p.m. September 17 in the Lee Auditorium at the Missouri History Museum.
these problems together is race. The African Americans protesting in Ferguson have not only been excluded from the table; they have been left out of the room. When the region talks about providing opportunities for job development, affordable housing and school choice, many African Americans are not even on the radar. And before we turn this into a class issue that continues to divide the African-American community, we need to remember that at the end of the day, Michael Brown could have just as easily been walking home in Ladue, Clayton or the gated communities of St. Louis and gotten shot by the police. He wasn’t shot because of his family’s yearly income. He was shot because he was black. So again, I have to wonder if St. Louis is willing to recognize that race is the common problem that needs to be addressed in order for real change to occur.
In order to be part of the solution, the Missouri History Museum will continue to provide opportunities for
the community to convene and have dialogues around difficult topics. We will continue to partner with organizations that are working throughout the region to affect positive change and educate the community. I am proud of the Museum’s role in serving as a safe space for community dialogue and its willingness to tackle subjects that others would rather just wish away. In the coming months you will see programs that address issues of race as it relates to education, police enforcement, and the justice system. As St. Louis begins the important process of building an inclusive region, the Missouri History Museum is poised to provide historical perspectives so we do not continue to repeat the tragedy of Michael Brown.
Twilight Tuesday
Tuesdays, September 9, 16, 23, 30 6pm to 8pm
September 9: R&B Tribute to Chaka Khan by Tish Haynes-Keys
September 16: Rock and Roll/Dance music with Fanfare
September 23: Chuck Berry Tribute by the Chuck Berry Band and Family September 30: Kool and the Gang Tribute by Julius Williams
From Brown to Ferguson: The Unfinished Business of Civil Rights Lecture by Sherilyn Ifill September 17, 2014 7pm in the Lee Auditorium Sherilyn Ifill, president and director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., talks about the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education on the 60th anniversary of this watershed court case striking down school segregation.
Sherilyn
and director of
NAACP
Tef Poe with a group of young protesters during the National March on Ferguson Saturday morning. Photo by Lawrence Bryant
Each artist is asked to submit one piece that falls under the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!” theme.
further supported her notion that there was a space for her to give visual artists an opportunity to use their talents to react to the tragedy on a major scale.
“The killing of Michael Brown has spawned grief, outrage, protest and civil disobedience,” Wheaton said. “It has also released a groundswell of interpretation through music, spoken word, graffiti, essay, dance, and visual art. I wanted to have a vehicle for visual artists to come together and for it not only for Ferguson and St. Louis to see it, but for it to be seen nationally – so the call for art was issued.”
The Alliance issued a call for 250 artists to participate.
“We also hope that this way of showing respect and reverence for what has happened in this tragic case,” Wheaton said. “That it will also uplift the Michael Brown family in knowing that we are looking to document this in the best way that we can.”
The plan is to have 18 venues to show the art, where each venue will exhibit from five to 20 pieces of art – with 250 pieces exhibited in total. Those venues will be located in St. Louis, University City and St. Louis County. They anticipate having three locations in Ferguson to display the art.
She is anticipating submitted art will include paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture as well
as new media. There have also been expressions of interest from filmmakers who want to express visual art through film, which Wheaton plans to happily oblige.
“It is documenting a movement,” Wheaton said. “Art that will be here for generations so that when people in 2055 look back at what happened in Ferguson, Missouri, they will see the expressions of artists documenting that pretty much in the same way that we have art from the ‘60s that document the Civil Rights Movement.”
She just had her first expression of interest from an artist who is a resident of Ferguson and is excited about residents using the call to cultivate their creativity. Through the initiative she wants them to have a stake in using their talents to
10 amendments through dance, music and drama,” Amusa says. “By merging the artistic with the political, we dare to entertain while masterminding solutions to real problems.”
Many of the performers in the production participated in the days of protests in Ferguson, Missouri, where the community surged to demand justice for Michael Brown, an 18-year-old unarmed man slain by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.
“Everyday people have danced on the frontlines to ignite this wave of activism. Now it has turned into a great awakening for the whole world,” Amusa said.
Amusa spent restless nights brainstorming how to use her craft to respond in a big way.
“It got to the point where I couldn’t sleep,” Amusa said.
“No matter how much I tried to avoid the responsibility, I ultimately had to create my way through this historical moment.”
share first-hand experiences in Ferguson for future generations.
“I’d like for them to look at the artwork and say, ‘Oh my God, this really happened, and these artists really captured those moments,’” Wheaton said. “I want them to feel what we are feeling today. I want them to see it and feel it with their hearts and minds and go back to this time and feel like they captured the moment.”
Submission forms are due on Saturday, September 6, 2014. For more information on the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!” call for art – including rules, regulations and submissions requirements – e-mail: allianceofblackartgalleriesstl@ gmail.com or visit: http://blackartinamerica. com/profiles/blogs/hands-updon-t-shoot-alliance-of-blackart-galleries-announces.
So Amusa went to work, calling the top African dancers and musicians in town. The response was immediate: “Yes, yes, yes!” She then set about writing and choreographing the production, rehearsing into the wee hours.
“Art has the uncanny ability to reflect our struggles and inspire our triumph over those struggles,” Amusa said. “As a result, artists are key to a confident, cultural society
where people feel capable of commanding their own destinies.”
Known for her high-octane style of dance, and creative flare, Amusa invites all St. Louisans to the concert, which will feature her explosive original works. In addition, the concert will feature performances by co-producer Rayshunda Childs & the East St. Louis Community Performance Ensemble, Kreative Pandemonium’s Andrea Peoples, Master African dancer DeBorah Ahmed, Caribbean Master dancer Rodney Lindor, and lyrical dance force Audra Morrow. Dancers and drummers from the premier Afriky Lolo, founded by renowned Grandmaster dancer Diadie Bathily, and Spirit of Angela, founded by Master dancer Mama Fatou Matta, make up the lively ensemble, including several well-known talents –co-producer Hadarah Street, Robert ‘RauTu’ Harris, Tiffany Pool, Chinaka Kizart, Anneliese Hubbard, Caph Guei, Ausar Owens,Yehalelel Ben Kaniyah, and Andrew Behnen.
“I am in awe of the sheer energy and artistry of the cast,” Amusa said.
“United We Dance: An African Dance & Music Tribute to the New Movement & Our U.S. Constitutional Rights” takes place Sunday, September 7, 5– 6:30 p.m. at BFL Cultural, Educational, and Business Center, 5415 Page
The Alliance issued a call for 250 artists to submit one piece that falls under the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!” theme. Photo by Lawrence Bryant
Celebrations
Family Reunion
The Jones family held a reunion August 23-24 with over 200 members in attendance for a variety of activities, food and fun for all. A special thanks to Mr. John Wharton Jr. for letting God use him in putting this reunion together. No one complained about the heat wave! It was a reunion to remember.
Birthdays
Happy 9th Birthday to my “#1 & Only Son” Darius S. Daniel II. Mom and Dad Love you!
Happy Birthday to our mama and my best friend, Vernice Shepherd. She will celebrate her 79th birthday September 7! She faithfully serves as one of the mothers at the William Temple Church of God in Christ. Love, John, Zo, Quincy, Norman, Lawrence, Keith and Lathan
517-9632.
Reunions
details or send questions to beaumont64alumni@gmail. com.
Beaumont Class of 1964 (January and June classes) will hold its 50-year reunion October 3–5, 2014 at the Embassy Suites at the Airport, 11237 Lone Eagle Drive. Current addresses and contacts are needed for alumni. For more information, please contact John Jackson at 314640-5978. Find out more
Beaumont Alumni Class 1968 is planning the 47th Class Reunion and we’re kicking it off with a class luncheon/ meeting Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, 1 pm at Granite City Food & Brewery 11411 Olive Blvd Creve Coeur, MO 63141. For more information email bhsco1968@att.net or call 314 869-8312.
Beaumont High School class of 1969 will host its 45 year reunion on Sept. 19-20, 2014 at the Renaissance Hotel Airport and alumni picnic August 16 at Hudson Park. For more info contact LaDonne at 314-277-5095 or Pat at 314-
Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri District 3 would like to invite you to an Alumni Event. We are looking for anyone who worked in or was a member of Girl Scouts in St. Louis City. If you would like to participate, please contact Essie Harrison at essie. harrison@att.net or call (314) 400-4602 with your name, address, phone number, and email address.
Looking for all former HDC/ Head Start people to plan a reunion for fall. Please contact Denise Weatherford-Bell at msdenise38@yahoo.com. Need all names and addresses as soon as possible.
Special Honors
Toni Jordan, a Peer Specialist at Queen of Peace Center, recently received an award for her leadership at the Voice Awards in Los Angeles. The Voice Awards recognize films, programs and individuals who work to reduce discrimination against people with mental and substance-use disorders. Toni was once a client at the center and is now in recovery and leading its consumer advisory board.
Kinloch High School Alumni presents the 3rd annual All School Picnic, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014 at the Bella Fontaine Picnic Ground on Zellweger and Bellefontaine Rd. Bellefontaine, Mo. (Park right behind Bellefontaine Neighbors City Hall) Cost $10 per person age 12 and over. Children age 11 and under $5. T-Shirts are available for $15 each and must be paid in advance. For more information, contact Arlene Owens Davis at 314-792-0659, Reuben Melton at 314-2395202, Lester Wilson at 314863-2180, or MC McKinnies at 314-524-0126.
Sumner High School Class of 1965 is planning its 50th Reunion on the second and
fourth Mondays at 7 p.m. at the Lower Level of Ronald L. Jones Funeral Chapel. For updates and/or to leave your contact info--visit our Facebook group Sumner Class of ‘65. Vashon High School Class of 1964 has planned its 50th reunion weekend for September 19-20, 2014. Friday, Sept. 19, 2014 at 7 p.m. at the Royal Vagabond House, 4315 Westminister, St. Louis, Mo. 63115. Saturday, September 20, 2014, 7 p.m., dinner at Christian Hospital 11133 Dunn Road. Please visit Facebook page: Vashon Class of 1964 for more information, or contact Brenda Mahr at 314993-5155, email brendamahr@ att.net.
Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, graduation, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to: St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315 Pine St. St. Louis, MO 63103 FREE OF CHARGE
Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us! However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103 Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us. Our email address is: reunions@ stlamerican.com
Eulogy for Michael Brown
By Rev. Al Sharpton
To the Brown family, to all of the ministers, to all of the officials that have gathered, I want to go to the book of Micah, sixth chapter, eighth verse. “He has shown you, o men, what is good. What does the lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” There has been a lot said in the last few days. This afternoon, Leslie and Michael Sr. will have to do something that is out of order. They will have to lay their son to rest. Order says that children bury their parents. It is out of order for children to be buried by their parents.
We should not sit here today and act like we are watching something that is in order. In all of our religious and spiritual celebration, let us not lose sight of the fact that this young man should be doing his second week in college.
Religion ought to affirm what we are doing, not being an escapism from what is done. And some of us are so heavenly bound that we’re no earthly good. Before you get to heaven, before you put on your robes, before you walk down the street, you’ve got to deal with the streets in Ferguson, in St. Louis. God is not going to judge you by your behavior in heaven. He’s going to judge you by what you do on earth. He will not judge you by what Moses did at the Red Sea. He will not judge you by what
Joshua did at the Jordan. He will say what Michael Brown, 18-year-old boy, laid out in the street, hour and a half before the detective came. Another hour or so before they came to remove his body. Family couldn’t come to the ropes. Dogs sniffing’ through. What did you do? What did I require of you? We sit like we have no requirements. Like it’s somebody else. But all of us are required to respond to this. And all of us must solve this. I watched as it went back and forward. I got a call from the grandfather, Reverend Tomb. Called me and said there’s a man, Mr. McSpadden on the phone. Said his grandson was killed in Ferguson, Missouri. I said, ‘Where is Ferguson, Missouri?’ He says, Right outside of St. Louis. He said, ‘You have your iPad with you? ‘He told me what to punch in. And when I saw Michael lying there, I thought about how many of us were just considered nothing. How we were just so marginalized and ignored. Whatever the circumstance an investigation leads to, to have that boy lying there, like nobody cared about him. Like he didn’t have any loved ones, like his life value didn’t matter... I told his grandfather, I don’t care what happened, but whatever we can do I’ll be there to do it. That night, violence started. We were here Tuesday. And we went in front of that old courthouse with big Mike
and the mother, and they had to break their mourning to ask folks to stop looting and rioting. Can you imagine their heartbroken? Their son taken, discarded and marginalized? And they have to stop mourning to get you to control your anger, like you’re more angry than they are? Like you don’t understand that Michael Brown does not want to be remembered for a riot. He wants to be remembered as the one that made American deal with how we gonna police in the United States. This is not about you! This is about justice! This is about fairness! And America is going to have to come to terms when there’s something wrong that we have money to give military equipment to police forces, but we don’t have money for training, and money for public education, and money to train our children!
America. How do you think
that, a man, they said he had loosie cigarettes, and they put an illegal chokehold on him -- a man videoed it, eleven times he said he couldn’t breathe - and the policeman wouldn’t let him go. Later that week, we see Michael lying on the ground. America, it’s time to deal with policing! We are not the haters, we’re the healers!
What does it require of us?
we look when the world can see you can’t come up with a police report, but you can find a video? How do you think we look when young people march nonviolently asking for the land of the free and the home of the brave to hear their cry, and you put snipers on the roof and pointed guns on them? How do we look?
How do we look when people that support the officerand they have a right to do, and an obligation if they feel thatbut if they support him, they’re “supporters,” but if we come to support the family, we’re dividing the country?
What does God require of us? In three weeks, we saw Marlene Pinnock, a woman in Los Angeles, laid out on the freeway, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, a California highway patrolman hit her 15 times on video, with no weapon in her hand, nothing, no threat to her. Right after
We can’t have a fit; we’ve got to have a movement. A fit you get mad and run out for a couple of nights. A movement means we’ve got to be here for the long haul, and turn our chants into change, our demonstration into legislation, we have got to stay on this so we can stop this. We need the Congress to have legislation about guidelines in policing. We need to have a fair, impartial investigation. Those that are compromised will not be believed. And we need those that are bad cops - we are not anti-police, we respect policebut those police that are wrong need to be dealt with, just like those in our community are wrong need to be dealt with.
Let us be real clear: The only thing, if you have a bushel of apples, the only thing that messes up good apples is if you don’t take the rotten apples out the bushel. We are not the ones making the cops look bad; it’s the bad apples that you won’t take out the bushel. What does God require?
We’ve got to be straight up in our community, too. We have to be outraged at a 9-year-old girl killed in Chicago. We have to be outraged by our disrespect for each other. Our disregard for each other. Our killing and shooting and running around gun-toting each other. So that they are justifying trying to come at us because some of us act like the definition of blackness is how low you can go. Blackness has never been about being a gangster or thug. Blackness was no matter how low we was pushed down, we rose up anyhow.
Blackness was never surrendering our pursuit of excellence. It was when it was against the law to go to some schools, we built black colleges and learned anyhow. When we couldn’t go downtown to church we built our own AME church, and our church of God and Christ. We never surrendered. We never gave up. And now we get to the 21st century, we get to where we got some positions of power, and you decide it ain’t black no more to be successful. Now you wanna be a [n-word expletive] and call your woman a [h-word expletive, you lost where you come from.
We’ve got to clean up our community so we can clean up the United States of America! Rev. Al, you don’t understand what they doin’ to us. I understand. But I understand that nobody gonna help us if we don’t help ourselves. Sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves won’t solve our problems. Sitting around having ghetto pity parties rather than organizing and strategizing and putting our differences aside. Yes, we got young and old. Yes, we got things that we don’t like about each other, but it’s bigger than our egos. It’s bigger than everybody. We need everybody because I’m gonna tell you, I don’t care how much money you got, I don’t care what position you hold. I don’t care how much education you got. If we can’t protect a child walking down the street in Ferguson, and protect him, and bring justice, all you got don’t matter to nobody but you! We are required to leave here today and change things. Michael Brown must be remembered for more than disturbances. He must be remembered for this is when they started changing what was going on. Oh yeah, there had been other times history that became seminal moments. And this is one of those moments.
The Rev. Al Sharpton gave a soul-stirring eulogy for Michael Brown, the 18-year-old unarmed young man who was fatally shot by Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson. Photo by Wiley Price
Celebrity Swagger Snap of the Week
Salute minus eight days. That’s right, the most fantastical (sorry to quote Plies, but I had to make you get my drift) formal event of the year will be going down one week from tomorrow! You best believe that America’s Center will be on fabulous overload next Friday (Sept. 12, 6 p.m.) for the 27th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala. I’m eager to see who brings it on the style side of things and I’m trying to predict what the unofficial color will be. Last year it was cobalt blue – and in my opinion 2013 awardee Jody Squires was one of the ones who wore it best. If I seem like I carry on about it every year, it’s because I truly do. I know I’m aging myself when I say this, but thanks to Salute I’ve been able to redeem my tired, tattered prom experience 27 years in a row come next week! And instead of honoring the most popular, we celebrate those investing in our young people’s future through education and those hardworking students who are investing in themselves. I must say in nearly three decades, Biz Markie’s lackluster DJ skills at the after party have been my only disappointment to date. I don’t have to worry about that this year though, because DJ Kut is going to KILL IT once again, this time at the Bud Light Rita Fiesta afterparty, right there at America’s Center. Call the office at (314) 533-8000 or visit www.stlamerican.com to see if we still have some loose tickets. (More than 1,100 folks are already goin’…..are you?)
Majic and Tank take on HG. For the second time in as many weeks, I made my way to the HG club – sister club to the Rustic Goat. I’m not sure if it was the grand opening – but Thursday night sure felt like it thanks to a special appearance and mini-performance by R&B heartthrob Tank. Majic 100.3 was deep up in the building. I saw Tammie BJ the DJ, Michel’le, Arika Parr and even their new Programming Director Kathy Brown – who doesn’t show her face in public very often. It was Majic city as the only long-term object of my affection blessed the stage with a few songs. It was standing room only as Tank took to the stage. It was a cute enough show. And as talented as he is, he’s even finer. I mean he could get up on stage and sing somebody’s high school transcript and one woman in the audience would still yell out “I love you Tank.” Oh yeah, and shout out to Cedric The Entertainer for easing in to see what the HG was all about.
Hope Evans at Plush. Quite honestly, I was expecting the best when I made my way over to Plush for the Shift 58 and B Free St. Louis presentation of Just Like Music with Antonique Smith, CoCo Soul and Nikko Smith (no relation to Antonique). I know what y’all are thinking…who is Antonique Smith? Well, it’s funny you ask. She’s the lovely young woman who gave the only decent spot on performance as Faith Evans in the Biggie Smalls biopic ‘Notorious.’ This must have been her prized moment, because she hit the stage in all of Faith Evans’ 1994 glory. I was cool with the Sam’s Choice Faith as long as I thought she was going to bless us with the real deal’s greatest hits. I was quietly looking forward to a live version of “Soon as I Get Home.” Actually not quietly, I was so ready I had renamed the girl Hope Evans in my head. Sadly, she decided to sing the music of everybody but Faith. I felt duped. She sounded alright enough I guess. But because of her get up I had my ears set for Hope to bless us with a full-on Faith musical montage, and was therefore supremely let down. The band was absolutely sickening though. If it weren’t for them I don’t think my disappointment would have allowed me to endure her whole set. I don’t blame Boone or Teddy one bit. I’ve seen Antonique as her regular self and she looks and sounds great. I don’t know if she was going through an identity crisis. But, the powers that be couldn’t have expected what they got. Nikko and Coco were cool though.
Day party dud. I know it feels like I’ve been punishing, but hey at least I’m being consistent. The Sunday parties stayed strong all the way up until the tail end. I must say that I was more than a bit underwhelmed when I made my way into the Marquee on Sunday before heading to the backspin show. Oh well, they won “must” of the year. So we will just charge this one to the game.
An underwhelming Backspin. Since I’ve talked about the 1990s and bad wigs, I might as well keep that conversation going with the BackSpin Presents: Joe and Friends. Quite honestly, with the exception of KeKe Wyatt, he could have left all of his friends at home. She was snatched from head to toe and looked absolutely fabulous in that military jacket. But she came out crying sick. I was like girl, you are sick every time you come to the STL. I’m going to mail that girl some Vitamin C if I hear about her being sick a fourth time in a row. She sounded great though…which is more than I could say for a good chunk of the lineup. Case was a bust, Kelly Price and that tattered Mother’s Board wig couldn’t stop chattering. She sounded good, but talked so much I don’t think she performed more than three songs. And was Donnell Jones even singing in English? Joe was the only one not serving up a track sing along. I’m so sad he couldn’t even walk through the crowd without some of y’all’s aunties violating his personal space in a way that was worthy of pressing charges. He was the redemption of the show and yet still kind of regular. I wish they had made a few changes on the bill because it could have been a really good experience to see 90s R&B in the flesh.
Homegrown NBA star Larry Hughes and his Wife Carrie Hughes enjoyed some live music Sunday night the Back Spin Concert Series @ the Chaifetz Arena
Nakita and Aloshia chilled inside by the bar @ The Ultimate Labor Day Party Saturday @ Harry’s
Antonio
Harry’s
Photo by Rob Ruger
Von and Joynesha helped b-day girl Joynesha celebrate Saturday @ the Marquee
Nicole
Antoine
Photos by Lawrence Bryant & John Scott
Prostate cancer screening
Do you ever wonder how doctors come up with the myriad of recommendations that they give you at your yearly physical? Is it something they believe to be true simply because they have been doing it that way or is it a guideline developed by some health agency like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)? I would hope providers are only suggesting evidence-based practices to their patients, but let’s just say physicians are not created nor trained equally.
However, what happens when these recommendations are developed as a result of studies with an obvious lack of diversity, as in the case of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) study. Because of that study, the USPSTF now recommends against prostate cancer screenings using PSA, the prostate specific antigen, in all men. These new guidelines caused quite a bit of controversy and essentially caused all men to be placed in the same category when some are obviously at higher risks than others.
The PLCO study was a large randomized trial that showed that men who underwent annual PSA testing along with a digital rectal exam had a higher incidence of prostate cancer than the control
group but the death rate was the same for both groups. Therefore, there was no difference in mortality between those screened and not screened. Unnecessary procedures, anxiety, and morbidity such as incontinence and impotence were consequences for those men who would have otherwise not known of their cancer if they had not been screened.
Located just in front of the rectum and between the bladder and the penis is the walnut-sized prostate gland. The prostate produces secretions that help protect and maintain the sperm. Urine is released from the body via the urethra which runs from the bladder through the prostate to the penis. The unique location of the prostate is the reason why if it is enlarged, men have so many problems with urinary issues such as hesitancy, night awakenings to urinate, and occasional dribbling.
The prostate produces a protein called PSA and this protein can be measured in the blood. Elevations in PSA can be indicative of prostate cancer but it can also be associated with an enlarged prostate, called benign prostatic hypertrophy,
BPH. Prostate enlargement affects essentially all men over the age of 50. There are numerous medications that help relieve symptoms caused by BPH.
The FDA, Federal Drug and Administration, approved PSA as a screening test in 1994. Scientists and doctors were using it to screen for prostate cancer even before then, however. In the past, most doctors believed that PSA’s greater than 4.0 indicated cancer. Now we know that cancer can be present even with levels below 4.0 and the opposite is also true as mentioned above in the examples of the enlarged prostate.
Black men are 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, more likely to have a higher tumor grade upon diagnosis, and they are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age. For those reasons alone is why there has been such an outcry against the USPSTF recommendations, particularly amongst individuals who care for African American men. There have been some genes identified in black men that increase their risk, but this gene is absent in the majority of black men with prostate cancer. More research is definitely needed in this area.
Socioeconomic factors play a huge part in this cancer disparity. Black men are more likely to be uninsured or underinsured which then results in delays in screenings and treatment. It has also been shown that black patients often are not aware of the multitude of options available to them in regards to cancer care. Education is another component that contributes a crucial dynamic within the outcomes paradigm of prostate cancer for black men.
The American Cancer Society and other organizations agree that the discussion regarding prostate cancer screening begin at age 45 for black men. This early discussion allows the provider and patient to make informed decisions that are appropriate for that particular patient. Disease burdens are different for certain racial groups and as a society, we must acknowledge that fact and fervently work to ascertain the reasons for such disparities.
As a community, I encourage each of us to reconsider our beliefs as it relates to our roles in research. If there is no research, the deadly mysteries of cancer continues.
Yours in Service, Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D. Assistant Professor SLUCare Family Medicine yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com
Your Health Matters
A bi-monthly special supplement of the St. Louis American September 4, 2014
Your Health Matters provides up-to-date information, from an African-American perspective, about one of the most important subjects in evryone’s life – their personal health.
Donald M. Suggs, President and Publisher
Kevin Jones, Senior Vice President, COO
Dina M. Suggs, Senior Vice President
Chris King, Editorial Director
Denise Hooks Anderson, M.D., Medical Accuracy Editor
Sandra Jordan, Health Reporter
Debbie Chase, Director of Health Strategy & Outreach
Onye Hollomon, Barb Sills, Pamela Simmons, Sales
Michael Terhaar, Art/Production Manager
Angelita Jackson, Cover Design
Wiley Price, Photojournalist
the
Denise Hooks Anderson, M.D.
Child psychiatrist Joshua Calhoun, M.D. is medical director at Hawthorn Children’s Psychiatric Hospital, a 52-bed inpatient facility in St. Louis County.
by
Helping children through the emotional trauma of Ferguson
By Sandra Jordan
the St. Louis American
Whether you saw it first-hand on the streets, on smartphones or on your television at home, the graphic and disturbing images of the killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown, and the ensuing demonstrations and violent aggression toward protests by night,
leaves an indelible mark on the nation’s history. Peaceful protests shattered by the ear-screeching bullhorns from military-style vehicles, teargas canisters and rubber bullets fired on citizens and journalists by police in riot gear – those eerie images raced around the globe and can be relived as quickly as you can click “play” or visit a URL link.
Children often see things on TV that
they do not fully understand. Traumatic events can cause anxiety, fear, stress and a range of emotions, particularly for children, who must rely on trusted adults in their lives to help them sort out what they have witnessed.
“The whole event is likely to create a tremendous amount of anxiety among kids because it’s all very frightening, said child psychiatrist Joshua Calhoun,
M.D. “It can also create very stressful dreams. One of the ways we have for dealing with a lot of the day’s residue is working through them in our dreams ... and kids certainly do it a lot in their play and in their activities.”
Calhoun is medical director at Hawthorn Children’s Psychiatric
See CALHOUN, page 5
Of
Photo
Wiley Price
Operation Food Search says food support needed in Ferguson and beyond
Operation Food Search, the largest distributor of free food in the bi-state region, is collaborating with several local businesses and organizations to provide free food and household essentials to families in Ferguson.
It supports two food pantries in Ferguson and another six in the surrounding area that also serve Ferguson residents.
“The economic impact of recent events in Ferguson will be trickling down to dinner tables for months to come,” said Sunny Schaefer, executive director for Operation Food Search, “impacting families who live, work,
learn and shop in Ferguson and neighboring communities. As a direct result of disruption in services, there is an even greater demand for food support.”
Food pantries offering free food and basic necessities in the Ferguson area through Operation Food Search include:
• Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, 106 Church Street, Ferguson, 63135
• St. John & James, 120 North Elizabeth, Ferguson, 63135
• Our Lady of Guadalupe, 1115 South Florissant, St. Louis, 63121
• Northside SDA, 9001 Lucas & Hunt Road, St. Louis, 63136
• Brotherly Love West, 7348 West Florissant, St. Louis, 63136
• City of Peace, 6140 Garfield, Berkeley, 63134,
• Love & Mercy Ministries, 206 Emerling, Cool Valley, 63121
• Shalom Food Pantry, 8842 Lucas & Hunt Road, St. Louis, 63136
“We are indebted to the many corpora-
tions, businesses and organizations that have reached out to us in the last several days to offer their financial assistance in helping feed people in our community who have been harshly affected by the situation in Ferguson,” said Schaefer. “As a leader since 1981 in helping poor people in our area, Operation Food Search is dedicated to reaching out to those in need on an ongoing basis, especially in times such as these.”
For more information, call 314-7265355 or visit www.operationfoodsearch. org.
More screening. Less cancer
Seven surgeries in three years. A mother who battled breast cancer. A sister who tested positive for BRCA-2, a gene mutation that increases the lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Valeda Keys’ journey with breast cancer has undoubtedly been long, hard and trying, but it also gave her the strength to tell her story and impact women throughout St. Louis. She launched Valeda’s Hope, a nonprofit that raises breast cancer awareness and hosts an annual conference. Valeda also became a community research fellow in the Program for the Elimination of
Cancer Disparities (PECaD). Through a training program led by researchers and physicians, Valeda learned how community members play a crucial role participating in and improving research studies for cancer and other diseases.
Valeda’s dedication to getting regular mammograms saved her life and led to her bringing more good into the world through her advocacy work. Mammograms are essential to catching breast cancer early and will save the lives of African-American women. The Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities (PECaD) works with community members, local organizations and health care providers to find new ways to improve access to mammograms
and treatment, improve breast cancer research, and spread the word about things you can do to lower your risk of developing breast cancer.
To learn more about cancer screening and prevention, visit:
PECaD: http://www.siteman.wustl. edu/pecad.aspx
Cancer Screening Guidelines: http:// www.siteman.wustl.edu/ContentPage. aspx?id=4535&content=165
8 Ways to Stay Health and Prevent Cancer: http://www.8ways.wustl.edu
Where you get your mammogram makes a difference: http://sitemanmam-
mogram.wustl.edu
The Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities (PECaD) at the Siteman Cancer Center is working to eliminate local and regional disparities in cancer education, prevention and treatment through community outreach, research and training.
To learn more about cancer or to get involved with PECaD, call 314-747-4611, email PECaD@ wudosis.wustl.edu or write to us at SCC-PECaD, Campus Box 8100, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO, 63110. Look for future articles in Health Matters.
CALHOUN
Continued from page 3
Hospital, a 52-bed inpatient facility in St. Louis County. He said youngsters want to their questions answered and want to learn from adults on how they handle disturbing situations. If they have not had such discussions, Calhoun said they need to have them now with any teenager or any young person in their household.
“They need to know what mom and dad and grandma and auntie think, and they really need to know how we cope,” Calhoun said.
Although individual families may have different ways of coping with major stressors, Calhoun reminded there are clergy; outstanding teachers who go far beyond the call of duty; and counselors who can be helpful as well.
“The wonderful thing about young people, they don’t really want a long discussion. Once you’ve answered their question, they’ve had enough, for at least now, and they are ready to move on,” Calhoun said. “When you get to us adults, then we get all philosophical and want to work it out.”
A 2013 American Psychological
Association (APA) survey about stress in America indicates that teenagers are more affected by stress than adult respondents.
The APA reports the following signs may indicate stress in children and teens:
• Negative changes in behavior
• Frequent physical symptoms, like headaches, stomach aches or feeling sick
• Acting out in unusual ways in settings outside of the home
• Self-deprecating statements
The APA recommends if the child continues to display these or other symptoms, working with a licensed mental health professional, such as a psychologist will help.
Dr. Rachel Morel, a psychiatrist and a Ferguson, Missouri native, estimates between 5 and 20 percent of people who are affected by crisis can become fearful and overwhelmed with emotion, enough that it affects their abilities to do things they were able to prior the crisis. Symptoms can show up between two days and a month following the crisis.
Signs and symptoms of acute stress disorder include:
• Feeling numbness
• Feeling like “being in a daze”
• Feeling that things are not real
• Feeling like you are outside of your body
• Not being able to remember events that happened
• Reliving the trauma with or without a trigger
• Avoiding things that remind you of the events
• Trouble sleeping
• Easily irritated
• Nervousness
• Poor concentration Christian Hospital and BJC Medical Group is hosting a free Mental Health Fair on Saturday, September 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Immanuel United Church of Christ, 221 Church Street in Ferguson, Missouri. Health professionals,
including Dr. Rachel Morel, will screen for symptoms of stress-related disorders and provide resources to help those affected by the Ferguson tragedy to get back on track with their daily routines.
“They can expect to be educated about the different signs and symptoms that their worry and response to the events could be something that is more serious,” Morel said. “They will also receive resources to reach out to if their problems persist or get worse. They will come away not feeling alone in their experience and response to these serious events.”
Calhoun said the Ferguson events can be turned into teachable moments with young people.
“That very serious discussion about racism, anger, the stress, fear of authority and the perceived unfairness of authority in this country … I’m talking not talking about an hour, I’m talking about five to 10 minutes of serious discussion,” Calhoun added, “I think it is an excellent opportunity for parents to help their children deal with some of the issues we all face every day.”
For more information, visit about teenagers and stress, visit stressinamerica.org.
Photo by Wiley Price
Headaches, stomach aches, feeling sick or making self-deprecating statements can indicate stress in children and teens.
A recent clinical study found both black and white participants on the low-carbohydrate diet had greater decreases in weight, fat mass, and other cardiovascular risk factors than those on the low-fat diet.
Low-carb trumps low-fat for weight loss and cardiovascular risk
A low-carbohydrate diet is more effective for weight loss and reducing cardiovascular risk factors than a low-fat diet, according to an article being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. More than one third of American adults have at least one form of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular disease causes one third of all deaths. Low-
carbohydrate diets are a popular strategy for weight loss, but their cardiovascular effects are unknown, especially among diverse populations. To compare the effects of a low-carbohydrate versus a low-fat diet on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors, researchers randomly assigned 148 men and women without clinical cardiovascular disease
and diabetes to follow a low-carbohydrate (less than 40g a day) or low-fat diet (less than 30 percent of daily calories from fat). Participants were classified as obese based on body mass index and just over half of the participants were black. Both the low-carbohydrate and the low-fat groups received dietary counseling at regular intervals but had no specific calorie
or energy goals. At one year, both black and white participants on the low-carbohydrate diet had greater decreases in weight, fat mass, and other cardiovascular risk factors than those on the low-fat diet. For more information, visit http:// goo.gl/GXnkV7.
Shanika T. Silinzy HealtH Profile
Position/Where: Transportation Supervisor, SSM St. Mary’s Health Center, St. Louis
Career Highlights:
Coordinates the safe transport of all patients to and from ancillary services and diagnostic testing areas; worked at SSM for 16 years and was developed by SSM into leadership roles; transportation is where I’ve started to gain experience to move into other areas; graduated in 2013 from SSM Emerging Leaders program
Recently promoted to corporate supervisor of patient business services, beginning September 8. Just accepted in Regional Business Council’s Young Professionals 100 Cohort for 2014-2015
Education:
Dual Master’s in management leadership and nonprofit organization management from George Walker School and Business and Technology at Webster University Bachelor’s in business administration and leadership from Lindenwood University
Personal:
Previously married and raising one daughter 1998 Miss Harris-Stowe State University
St. Louis Connection:
Grew up in the Ville neighborhood; a third generation Sumner High School graduate
Journey to success:
I’ve always worked in health care. I worked at BJC in business. I was in the St. Louis Internship program early on in my life, so I’ve always focused in that business or leadership capacity. At BJC I worked as a computrition trainer… instead of doing manual menu selections, we started on an interface to electronic. That kind of forged my connection in health care.
I came (to SSM) as a traditional student. Once I learned the culture, I stayed on full-time, and since I’ve been here, I worked to collapse both my experience in work and my education to meet and get me to this point.
I am here to serve. As I move on and work upward in my career, it still helps me stay humble and in-tune with the community and the needs of the patients that we take care of. Being a supervisor of this type of dynamic, it gets me really in close proximity to the patients. And hearing, even when it is not incorporated, things we can do – it helps us to advocate for them and speak to the nurses about what we hear as we transport the patients to make it an overall pleasant experience.
I always knew I would be a leader. I wanted to be in health care management. I guess being a teenager coming in working in the health care…I loved serving patients so I am trying to find my niche within that is non-clinical.
My dream job would be vice president of operations.
I just really love SSM, the culture and the nurturing aspect of it. I am so in-tune with the culture, I would like to continue to be developed and seek my opportunities here. As a culture, I am comfortable but at the same time, I don’t think that I would be disappointed moving into higher executive or leadership role here because I know their overall strategy and mission.
HealtHy Q & a
Is there a way to treat sensitive teeth?
According to the American Dental Association, some causes of sensitive teeth include a tooth that is cracked or decayed, worn tooth enamel or fillings, or exposed tooth roots, that can result from aggressive tooth busing, receding gums and periodontal disease. Depending on the cause, sensitive teeth is treatable. Your dentist may suggest brushing with desensitizing toothpaste, which usually takes several applications before the sensitivity is reduced. Desensitizing products help block the sensation traveling from the tooth’s surface to the nerve. Dentists may suggest in-office treatments, like fluoride gels or other desensitizing agents applied to the sensitive areas. Again, depending on the source of the problem, corrective treatments may be the answer, such as as fillings, crowns, bonding or inlays to eliminate tooth decay or flaws. If all else fails and the tooth hypersensitivity is severe, persistent and does not subside by other means, the dentist could recommend a root canal to eliminate the problem.
Email your health-related question to yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com. A health professional will provide an answer that will be printed in a future issue of Your Health Matters.
Shanika T. Silinzy
Fri, Sept. 5, 10 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., American Red Cross Blood Drive, Christian Hospital Detrick Building, 11133 Dunn Rd., 63136. Register by email to slm9123@bjc.org or use the sponsor code “christianhospital” at www. redclossblood.org
Sat. Sept. 6, 10a.m. – 2 p.m., Mental Health Fair by Christian Hospital and BJC Medical Group at Immanuel United Church of Christ in Ferguson, 221 Church St., Ferguson, Missouri 63135. Mental health screenings and resources offered for those affected by the crisis in Ferguson. For more information, call Rebecca Poindexter at 314-6535642.
Sat., Sept. 6, 8 a.m., 2014 Walk to End Alzheimer’s at Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark Ave. St. Louis, 63103. One-mile and 3-mile walk; for more information, contact the Alzheimer’s Association by calling 314-801-0446, email stlwalksupport@alz.org or online at http://bit. ly/1hNjILu.
Sat., Sept. 6, Be The Match Walk Run, Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park –Tremayne Shelter (Sailboat Cove) 13725 Marine Ave., St. Louis, 63146. For more information, visit BeTheMatchWalkRun. org or http://bit.ly/1nV7YVC
Fri. Sept. 11, March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction at the RitzCarton St. Louis For more information, call 314-513-9990 or visit marchofdmines.org/Missouri.
Sat. Sept. 13, 7 a.m., CHIPS Health and Wellness Center For the Health of It 5K Run/Walk & 1 Mile Fun Walk, 2431 N. Grand, St. Louis, 63106. 8:30 start- rain or shine; trophies awarded and health festival and free screenings begin at 9:30 am and entertainment starts at 10 am. For registration or more information, call 314-652-9231 or visit www.chipsstl. org
Sat. Sept. 13, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Northwest HealthCare Celebrates 10 years of serving the community. The party includes a tour and free screenings for cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, lung function and balance screening. Register for this free event at 314-7479355 or 1-877-747-WELL.
Mon. Sept. 15, 11 a.m., Tom Newman Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit the Lupus Foundation of America, Heartland Chapter, Old Hickory Golf Club, #1 Dye Club Drive, St. Peters, Missouri 63304. For more information, visit www.oldhickorygc.com.
Fri., Sept. 19, 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Men’s Healthy Happy Hour & Health Screenings at Christian Hospital
Atrium, ground floor of Detrick Building. Fress screenings for cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose, breathing and prostate. To reserve your space, call 314747-9355 for reservations.
Sat. Sept. 20, 10 a.m. – 1 30 p.m., The Empowerment Network Bruch Fundraiser and free Health Fair, New Northside Conference Center, 5939 Goodfellow, St. Louis, 63147. Health screenings include blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and PSA testing. Brunch tickets are$25 per person. For more information, call 314-385-0998.
Sept. 25, 10-11 a.m., Medicare Update 2015 at Christian Hospital Detrick Building Atrium. Medicare open enrollment runs from October 15-December 7, 2014- it is the time that you may change your Medicare health or prescription drug coverage for next year. Learn what changes are anticipated for Medicare in 2015 by expert presenters who will provide a synopsis of the CLAIM (Missouri) and SHIP (Illinois) insurance counseling programs. Find out how to access their services, plus information on Part D (Prescription Drug Coverage). No cost to attend.
Thurs. Sept. 25, 6-7 p.m., Healthy Cooking Class, Christian Hospital Diabetes Institute, Professional Bldg. 1, Suite 101, 11155 Dunn Rd., 63136. Fee $10 – space limited to first 25 to register at 314-747-9355.
Sat. Sept. 27, 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Lupus Education Conference – St. Louis at Ameren, 1901 Choteau Ave., 63103. Topics include advances in lupus care, lupus in the workplace, sleep benefits, lupus and the skin and an expert panel. Flu shots and blood pressure screenings; Light breakfast and lunch included in $10 fee. For more information, call 314-644-2222 or visit http://goo. gl/96wUZb.
Sat. Sept. 27, 12 noon – 4 p.m., Health Literacy Ministry Health/Resource Fair for seniors in North St. Louis City, YMCA at 4343 West Florissant, 63115. For more information, call 314761-4953 or visit www.hl-ministry.com.
Sat. Sept. 27 & Sun. Sept. 28, Pedal the Cause, in St. Louis , benefitting Siteman Cancer Center and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. For more information, visit pedalthecause.org.
Tues., Sept. 30, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m., Alive and Well STL Community Conversation by the St. Louis Regional Health Commission, at Il Monastero, 3050 Olive Blvd., St. Louis, 63103. For more information, call 3314-446-6459 or visit http://goo.gl/rAeKUJ.
HealtH
R
Asthma
esouRces
Free asthma and allergy clinic by Saint Louis University students at the HRC, every other Wednesday afternoon 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. by appointment with SLU physician Dr. Raymond Slavin. The clinic offers allergy skin tests, pulmonary function tests and asthma and allergy education. It is located in the Victor Roberts Building, 1408 N. Kingshighway, between Martin Luther King Drive and Page Blvd. For more information, call 314-720-1522.
Behavioral
Christian Hospital offers free and confidential psychiatric and chemical dependency evaluations at the Christian Hospital Center for Mental Health. For more information, call 314-839-3171.
Christian Hospital Key Program offers support and education to patients with chronic mental illness to prevent increased severity of symptoms and to reduce the need for inpatient re-hospitalization. Call confidentially to 314-8393171 or 1-800-447-4301.
Crime Victim Advocacy Center provides no cost support for persons affected by criminal acts. Email peggy@supportvictims.org, visit or call the 24-hour hotline 314-OK-BE-MAD (652-3673) or visit www.supportvictims.org.
Bike helmet safety
The St. Louis County Health Department provides free bicycle helmets to St. Louis County residents between ages 1 and 17 by appointment only. Proof of residency is required. For the location nearest you, visit www. tinyurl.freebikehelmets.
Breast Cancer
Gateway to Hope offers no-charge medical and reconstructive treatment for uninsured breast cancer patients in Missouri. Contact 314-569-1113.
Dental
Free Dental Hygiene Clinic - No charge dental exams, x-rays, cleanings and other dental services for children and adults provided by dental students at Missouri College. Patients needing more extensive dental work (fillings, crowns, etc.) will be referred to local dentists. For information, call 314-768-7899.
Diabetes
CHIPS Diabetes Support Group is open to anyone and meets on Wednesday evenings from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. For more information, call 314-652-9231.
H
ealtH Briefs
American Nurses Foundation offers e-tools, website for PTSD care
The American Nurses Foundation (ANF), the charitable and philanthropic arm of the American Nurses Association announced the launch of an interactive, web-based post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) toolkit to help civilian registered nurses (RNs) better assess and treat PTSD in the nation’s veterans and military service members.
“We are committed to ensuring nurses have the tools they need to be as effective as possible,” said ANF Chair Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, PhD, MBA, RN,
FAAN. “Nurses can play a far greater role in helping address major, national health issues, such as PTSD, among our nation’s veterans and service members.”
PTSD is a cluster of symptoms that occur when a person experiences or witnesses a threat of injury or death. It is estimated that half a million veterans and military service members suffer the disabling agitation, nightmares and emotional withdrawal that characterize this disorder.
“Nurses often represent the first point
of contact for veterans and military personnel seeking care. We want them to have tools to help veterans find the help they need to transition back to civilian life,” Hanrahan said. “The PTSD toolkit’s care interventions maximize the potential for self-care management and help move veterans to providers and programs that can help them. PTSD can be treated and cured. Failed transitions from military life to civilian life are unacceptable outcomes.”
The toolkit is an interactive, PTSD-
focused website and an e-learning module, based on advanced gaming techniques that will provide immediate access to materials for RNs to assess, treat and refer military members and veterans for help with their symptoms. The ANF said the e-learning tools will certify that an RN is grounded in assessment, treatment, referral and non-stigmatizing educational approaches to self-care and mutual help. The PTSD Toolkit for Nurses is available at www.nurseptsdtoolkit.org.
Okra extracts may increase shelf–life of ice cream
Could you enjoy your ice cream and veggies at the same time? While okra has been widely used as a vegetable for soups and stews, a new study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), shows how
okra extracts can be used as a stabilizer in ice cream.
Ice cream quality is highly dependent on the size of ice crystals. As ice cream melts and refreezes during distribution and storage, the ice crystals grow in size
causing ice cream to become coarser in texture, which limits shelf life. Stabilizers are used to maintain a smooth consistency, hinder melting, improve the handling properties, and make ice cream last longer.
This study found that water extracts of okra fiber can be prepared and used to maintain ice cream quality during storage. These naturally extracted stabilizers offer an alternative food ingredient for the ice cream industry as well as for other food products.
