Robin Smith, who is running for secretary of state on the November 8 ballot, met privately with Hillary Clinton in Kansas City on September 8. “She has been meeting with candidates she believes will win who are strong advocates for women and minorities,” Smith said.
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
City Academy Principal Milton Mitchell spoke with students Anderson Grove, 5, and Dalynn Douglass, 6, in the school’s library on Tuesday, September 27.
‘This is a direct and a violent assault on our community’
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
Black St. Louis clergy members and some civil-rights advocates made a pledge to work together to “stop the systematic killing
n “Faith community leaders must stand with all victims of violence.”
– Rev. Jimmy Brown
said
Jimmy L. Brown, president of the Missionary Baptist State Convention of Missouri, and host of the press conference. “We’ve determined that this is a direct and a violent assault on our community.”
The group included black clergy from the Baptist
didn’t realize how much I love St. Louis until I saw it hurting.”
Mitchell, 37, landed a major position in St. Louis city as principal of City Academy, an independent elementary school co-founded in 1999 by Don Danforth III and Duncan Marshall at Mathews-Dickey Boy’s & Girl’s Club in North St. Louis (later moving across Penrose Street to its own pristine facility). But his home and family are much closer to the unrest. His maternal grandparents, Jerlene Wilkes and Desoto Wilkes, live in Ferguson, which made the situation “super personal.” His parents, the Rev.
Kimberly Berry, Sarah Briscoe, Cori Cloyd, Kathleen Foster, Stacy Gee Hollins, Kacy Seals, Gladys Smith, Cynthia Warren
Bobby Brown hopes for criminal charges against Nick Gordon
Last week, the late Bobbi Kristina Brown’s companion Nick Gordon was found legally responsible for her death, after he failed to show up in court to answer questions about the night she was found submerged in her bathtub suffering from a drug overdose. Bobbi Kristina never regained consciousness and passed away months later as a result, in a manner that was tragically similar to her mother, Whitney Houston’s sudden death. Bobbi Kristina’s father, R&B singer Bobby Brown, is still hoping for criminal charges.
still hasn’t taken out criminal charges on Nick Gordon, and that’s what I’m waiting for him to do. That’s when I think I will get some closure.”
Rob K. and Blac Chyna’s dysfunction plays out on social media
“I know some things that happened to my daughter. I don’t know the specifics of what happened, but as the judge has said, he is legally responsible,” Bobby Brown told T.D. Jakes on an episode of “The T.D. Jakes Show” that aired Wednesday on OWN. “I know some things that happened to my daughter, but it’s up to the D.A. now to do his job. The D.A.
A few months ago, there were rumors that Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna were on the outs. According to TMZ.com, the rumors were true. Monday night, he flipped out about Blac Chyna being excluded from his baby shower. He subsequently tweeted his sister Kylie Jenner’s phone number to his seven million Twitter followers as payback.
His outburst was reportedly because he had no idea his sisters had been planning a separate shower for Blac Chyna, with her approval, because of the break-up.
“Sources close to the Kardashians Rob got [expletive] at his sisters Monday – especially Kylie – for what he considered a slap in the face,” TMZ said. “We’re told the sisters planned separate his and hers showers because Rob and Chyna haven’t been speaking for months.”
According to TMZ, the couple briefly reunited for a dinner the night before their
reality show premiered, but other than that they’ve been separated. Despite their separation, Rob was reportedly upset when he learned that Blac Chyna wouldn’t be at the shower. It wasn’t until after the blow up that he learned Blac Chyna agreed separate showers would be best.
Ciara wants Future to keep her name out of his mouth
Singer Ciara is said to be seeking an injunction against her son’s father, rapper Future, to prohibit him from ever mentioning her publicly again.
“The singer accused Future of exploiting her new relationship with Russell Wilson (who she married this summer) by beginning a media campaign around June 2015 in which he used both their son and her new relationship to spread lies about her to promote his new CD,” said urban celebrity news blog The Jasmine Brand.
“She stated that her legal team contacted Future’s lawyers demanding a retraction and apology about his tweets regarding her being a mother, but he didn’t respond and no apology was issued. Ciara says her ex has made negative comments about her in the
media and he won’t stop unless she is granted an injunction against him.”
Shanga Hankerson says mother Gladys Knight is mentally incompetent
Last month, Gladys Knight sued to have her name removed from son Shanga Hankerson’s Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles restaurant chain and the return of her memorabilia after he was arrested for suspicion of theft and money laundering. Hankerson is said to be countersuing his mother with claims that she is mentally incompetent.
According to The Daily Mail, his suit requests to retain the use of his mother’s name, image, memorabilia and recipes insisting they made an oral agreement after their formal licensing deal expired in 2009. Hankerson reportedly insists his mother has been paid for her likeness as per their agreement –and also claims she “lacks the mental capacity” to terminate their licensing deal.
Sources: TMZ.com, The
By Mariah Stewart Of The St.
American
Louis
In observance of Constitution Day on September 15, HarrisStowe State University hosted a panel discussion about women in politics, featuring four local elected officials: St. Louis License Collector Mavis Thompson, St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones, St. Louis Alderwoman Cara Spencer (20th Ward) and St. Louis County Councilwoman Hazel Erby (District 1).
“Do you believe this is the year of the woman in politics?” asked moderator Terry DailyDavis, assistant dean of Arts and Sciences and chair of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harris Stowe.
“Every year is the year of the woman,” Thompson quickly answered. She said woman have always been in a position of leadership “that really started in the family and in the home.” Thompson, who has served as president of the National Bar Association, said she grew up in a family where men respected women’s opinions.
“I don’t feel like just because we have a female running for president – who is a nominee now for a major political party – that it makes it ‘the year of the woman,’” Thompson said. “Every year that I live is year of the woman.” Spencer agreed with the general point, but said the
Clinton candidacy is important. “I am not neutral,” Spencer said. “Yes, every year is year of the woman, but this year in particular we are going to elect our first female president.”
The general election, when Clinton faces Republican nominee Donald Trump, is Tuesday, November 8. The deadline to register to vote is October 12.
Clinton isn’t the only woman to be celebrated in U.S. politics this year. In April, Loretta Lynch became the first African-American woman and second woman to serve as U.S. attorney general. First Lady Michelle Obama was listed in Forbes as one of the 20 most powerful women in politics and in the world.
Erby is the first black woman to be elected to the St. Louis County Council. She said most of her colleagues on the council have a law background, but she does not.
“At first I thought it would
be a real problem, because you’re dealing with legislation and contracts, but I really haven’t found it to be a real problem,” Erby said. The council, as well as other elected bodies, has staff lawyers who can explain legislation to elected officials. Erby said that she does not even have an undergraduate college degree, and neither did Charlie Dooley, the first black St. Louis County executive.
“I watched him,” Erby said of Dooley, “and used to think, ‘How does he know about all this stuff?’ but you learn.” Erby said it’s essential to “surround yourself with people who know what you don’t know.”
Jones advised students who are looking to pursue politics to find a mentor. Jones said she has served as a mentor to several people, including Cora Faith Walker, who recently won the Democratic nomination for a state House seat in Ferguson.
“Find a mentor, someone who can guide you through the process and help you open doors,” Jones said. “It’s one of the most joyous parts of my job, shepherding people as they run through the process.”
When the four panelists were asked to give advice to women inquiring about getting involved in politics, almost simultaneously, the four women answered, “Do it.”
Tierra Wilson, 21, a HarrisStowe student in attendance, said the panel enlightened and encouraged her. She was surprised that not having a background in law would not hinder her from pursuing a future in politics.
“This really just enlightened me,” Wilson said, “that there’s room for more women in politics.”
This story is published as part of a partnership between The St. Louis American and The Huffington Post
By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Columnist
A panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently rebuked the North Carolina legislature for acting with “discriminatory intent” in passing restrictions on the right to vote that “target African Americans with almost surgical precision.” Reinforced by similar rulings in the appellate court in Texas and a district court in Wisconsin, the decision was a victory for our democracy and our Constitution.
The voting impediments were passed by North Carolina in 2013 in the wake of the U.S. Supreme decision in Shelby v. Holder, which struck down the central provision of the Voting Rights Act: the requirement that areas with a history of discrimination gain prior approval from the Justice Department before changing voting regulations.
Chief Justice John Roberts, the activist Republican judge, argued that since we now live in a “post-racial society,” requiring prior approval for voting law changes was no longer justified. The flood of legislation that followed – all erecting barriers to make voting harder for African Americans in particular – proved the chief justice’s fantasy was a lie.
In North Carolina, the legislature acted immediately after the Supreme Court decision came down. Its motivation, the Fourth Circuit panel found, was clear. African-American turnout had surged in 2008 and 2012 (with Barack Obama at the head of the Democratic ticket), nearing parity with the turnout of white voters for the first time. Obama had taken the state in 2008 and lost it closely in 2012. But in 2010, conservative Republicans had taken control of the legislature and the statehouse.
The new majority acted aggressively to fend off the threat posed by growing African-American turnout. As Judge Diana Motz, writing for the unanimous panel, summarized, the legislators “requested data on the use, by race, of a number of voting practices. Upon receipt of the race data, the General Assembly enacted legislation that restricted voting and registration in five different ways, all of which disproportionately affected African Americans.”
The three-judge panel in Richmond, Virginia, unanimously concluded that the law was racially discriminatory, overturning a requirement that voters show photo identification to vote and restoring same-day voter registration, a week of early voting, preregistration for teenagers and out-of-precinct voting.
“The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals exposed for the world to see the racist intent of the extremist element of our government in North Carolina,” said the Rev. William Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP.
The North Carolina decision and similar decisions in Texas and Wisconsin offer the hope that the courts will act to frustrate at least the most blatant versions of new Jim Crow laws. But the courts can only reaffirm the right to vote. That right is not effective if it is not used. The courts have lowered the barriers in North Carolina and other states. Now the citizens must mobilize and vote in large numbers to exercise the power that they have.
In its stunning endorsement of Hillary Clinton for U.S. president – its first endorsement of a Democrat over a Republican for president since the paper began publication in 1890 – The Arizona Republic stated the only rational reason that a radical progressive would do anything other than vote for Clinton on November 8: “In a nation with an increasingly diverse population, Trump offers a recipe for permanent civil discord.” Who wants “permanent civil discord”? Only an anarchist or someone who truly believes that a radical revolution is possible in this country. The anarchists and so-called revolutionary communists who came to Ferguson and taught some of our youth to make Molotov cocktails might have reason to sit out this election, or to vote for the Libertarian or Green candidates, who both poll in single digits and cannot win the election. They might want “permanent civil discord,” as a precursor to their fantasy of an American revolution that would radically redistribute wealth and power in this country.
The rest of us, with a more realistic appraisal of how to achieve greater social and economic equity in a capitalist superpower, have no choice to vote on November 8 and to vote for Clinton. That very much includes those of us who, when we were the age of today’s millennials a generation ago, also dreamt of a revolution, scorned a presidential election – and ended up with Richard Nixon in the White House. Just ask Mike Jones, a radical in the 1960s and now a realistic member of this editorial board.
made when we were young radicals. If we could not have a candidate who stood for exactly what we believed in, then we did not want the best candidate possible, and therefore we got the worst candidate possible – Richard Nixon. At least we thought Nixon was the worst, until Donald Trump came along, a Republican so odious that the largest newspapers in some of our reddest states are telling their readers to vote against him. Not only the Arizona Republic, but also the Dallas Morning News and Cincinnati Enquirer endorsed Clinton. They took this position expecting a backlash from some of their (dwindling) subscribers, knowing that a Trump presidency poses a real threat to the future of this country.
n The young revolutionaries of today must not make the same mistake that the elders of today made when we were young radicals.
“Elections matter. Unfortunately, America has a flawed political system that often produces terribly flawed candidates. But mayors pick police chiefs; presidents pick attorneys general and Supreme Court justices. So the relative fairness of the criminal justice system is a function of who’s running it, which is decided on election day,” Jones wrote in a July 21 column for The American
“In 1968, in our anger and youthful arrogance, we considered the political system morally bankrupt and irrelevant. We were half right – it was morally bankrupt, but a long way from being irrelevant. It did matter whether the next POTUS was Hubert Humphrey or Richard Nixon, but we didn’t care – and Richard Nixon won. So thousands more young Americans and tens of thousands more Vietnamese died. Fred Hampton and Mark Clark never got the chance to be old men, but were murdered by police.”
The young revolutionaries of today must not make the same mistake that the elders of today
It’s also important to pay closer attention to what Clinton is saying, if one expects the worst of her, from a progressive perspective. Clinton was interviewed by Essence magazine for its October edition, and she offered sound, progressive policies. She wants to shore up the Affordable Care Act and expand Medicaid. (Trump hopes to undo Obama’s core legislative accomplishment, which has given 20 million Americans new health coverage.) Clinton supports raising the $7.25 federal minimum wage to $15, if the increase is phased in gradually. (Trump has flip-flopped on the issue many times, but most recently said he supports raising the federal minimum wage to $10.) Clinton supports the police reforms called for by Obama’s policing task force and proposes using federal funds “to incentivize and catalyze” police departments to implement these reforms. (Trump favors unconstitutional “stop and frisk” policing.)
The millennials who went out in the street to protest the police and have been speaking in terms of revolution ever since should hear Clinton closely here: “I want there to be national guidelines on the use of force, particularly lethal force, that every department would accept and that they would then train their police and hold them accountable. I want independent investigations of any police incident that results in the death of any person.”
As we know in St. Louis, there is extreme pushback against any reform from police leadership and – especially – the rank and file, so it is much easier for Clinton the candidate to say these things than for a president to accomplish them. But when she makes this vow, it’s clear why the Fraternal Order of Police, the cop rank and file, endorsed Trump – and why any proponent for police reform must vote on November 8, and vote for the only candidate who can defeat Trump, and that is Hillary Clinton.
As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues
Let’s focus on solutions to save
By Terrell Carter Guest columnist
The discussion revolving around Colin Kaepernick and his decisions to first sit and then kneel during the national anthem continues to serve as a symbol of what’s wrong with our nation’s discussion of race and how certain minority groups are viewed and treated, especially when they interact with law enforcement.
Instead of dealing with the issue, athletes and other public figures have spent their time debating whether or not his status as a second-string quarterback qualifies him to make public statements, whether he’s been converted to radicalized Islam by his Muslim girlfriend, or whether his perceived lack of patriotism disqualifies him from having a legitimate opinion.
These peripheral conversations serve only to divert our attention away from Kaepernick’s original point of discussion: the experiences that black and brown people have when they come into contact with police, the most recent public symbol being the shooting death of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The tactics used to try to discredit Kaepernick and deflect attention away from the issue that he’s trying to address have been outlined in the book “48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene.
Law 31 says, “Control the options – get others to play with the cards you deal. The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are
actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor, whichever one they choose.”
The false dilemma of the current conversation about race and policing is that you either have to be for police or against them. There is no middle ground. Once you take a stand (or, in Kaepernick’s case, a knee) against police brutality, you are immediately branded as someone who hates all police and supports all criminals. This is not actually true. We are told that there is no middle ground, but there is – and it’s up to discerning citizens to make sure that middle ground isn’t lost. Law 42 states, “Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individual - the stirrer, the arrogant underling, the poisoned of goodwill. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them - they are irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them.”
The act of silencing the lead troublemaker has been the primary practice of those who oppose equal rights. The irony of how Kaepernick has been treated is that it has actually led to more people following his lead and imitating him. Greene’s laws can be
If you are a black man in America, exercising your constitutional right to keep and bear arms can be fatal. You might think the National Rifle Association and its amen chorus would be outraged, but apparently they believe Second Amendment rights are for whites only.
In reaching that conclusion I am accepting, for the sake of argument, the account given by the Charlotte, North Carolina, police of how they came to fatally shoot Keith Lamont Scott on September 20. Scott’s killing prompted two nights of violent protests that led Gov. Pat McCrory to declare a state of emergency. On September 16, police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, shot and killed Terence Crutcher – an unarmed black man – and the two incidents gave tragic new impetus to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Scott’s relatives claim he was unarmed as well. But let’s assume that police are telling the truth and he had a handgun. What reason was there for officers to confront him?
North Carolina, after all, is an open-carry state. A citizen has the right to walk around armed if he or she chooses to do so. The mere fact that someone has a firearm is no reason for police to take action.
This is crazy, in my humble opinion. I believe that we should try to save some of the 30,000-plus lives lost each year to gun violence by enacting sensible firearms restrictions –and that the more people who walk around packing heat like Wild West desperados, the more deaths we will inevitably have to mourn. In its wisdom, however, the state of North Carolina disagrees. We should continue to lobby
for tighter gun laws and hope that someday the voices of reason are heard. But at the same time, we should demand that current laws be enforced fairly even if we don’t like them. Scott’s death is the second recent police slaying to suggest that laws permitting people to carry handguns apparently do not apply to African-Americans.
In July, police killed a black man named Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, after pulling him over for a traffic stop. When officers approached the car, Castile told them he was licensed to carry a handgun. I can only assume that Castile made this declaration so that the officers would not be surprised upon seeing the gun. But rather than assure them that he was a law-abiding citizen exercising his constitutional right, Castile’s announcement had the opposite effect.
The horror that ensued was live-streamed on Facebook by Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds. Her cellphone video and calm, composed narration were chilling, especially to those of us who frequently commit the offense of driving while black. One of the officers shot Castile several times, and Reynolds watched as he slumped next to her, his life bleeding away.
Did Castile reach for the gun? Reynolds maintains he was merely reaching for his wallet to get his driver’s license, as the officer had
Ferguson lessons not learned
summarized as: distract, divide and conquer. Distract from the actual subject that was originally brought up by not addressing it, and instead bringing attention to something totally unrelated. Divide by making the new issue that you have brought up the thing to be focused on and villainize anyone who tries to bring the conversation back to its original point of focus. Conquer those who tried to bring attention to the original problem by making them out to be the bad guy.
As a former police officer for the City of St. Louis, I know that Greene’s laws are used by police departments when they want to silence someone who makes them look bad. Instead of dealing with the problem of police abuse and misconduct head-on, many people attempt to draw our attention away from its reality and focus on peripheral things, like the national anthem.
Instead of spending so much time questioning Kaepernick’s patriotism, we should be working on solutions that help police officers not immediately judge black males as being dangerous or immediately assume that they are “bad dudes” who are “on something,” as the helicopter pilot exclaimed about Crutcher. In focusing on legitimate solutions, we will hopefully be able to save more lives. What’s more patriotic than that?
Terrell Carter is assistant professor and director of Contextualized Learning at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee, Kansas, and pastor of Webster Groves Baptist Church. Follow him on Twitter @tcarterstl.
I joined with my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues to urge the Department of Justice to require transparency, accountability and real transformation of local law enforcement agencies to stop the epidemic of killings of young African Americans at the hands of local police.
The tragedies we have just witnessed in Tulsa and Charlotte show that the lessons of Ferguson have not yet been learned across the country.
The criminal justice reform legislation that I have introduced – which, among other things, would require the appointment of an independent prosecutor in all cases where police use deadly force and would establish a federal financial incentive to help local police departments purchase and maintain body cameras for all officers – should be debated and passed without delay.
I urge Speaker Paul Ryan to act on criminal justice reform in this Congress. And I will continue to work closely with the Department of Justice to ensure that every American is protected by constitutionally sound policing that they can trust.
U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay St. Louis
Roorda
worsens division
Division. It’s the single biggest thing that holds back the City of St. Louis, the region, and in Trump times, the country. In STL, you can point to crime, vacancy and poorly performing schools, but those issues all have their roots in divided communities, divided priorities and divided resources.
Divisive rhetoric breaks down the fabric that should unite us. It has no place in this country, this city and most certainly not from the people we trust to protect us.
ordered. But we have seen many times, including in the recent Crutcher case, that any perceived sudden movement by a black man under arrest, even if he is not known to have a weapon, can be seen by police as a deadly threat. Disclosure of the gun, meant to avert potential tragedy, seems to have invited it. Afterward, it was confirmed that Castile did indeed have a legal permit to carry a gun. He was not guilty of any crime. He was just 32 – and, incredibly, had in his brief life been stopped a total of 52 times for nickel-and-dime traffic violations.
That qualifies as harassment. I know many black men who have been pulled over for some trumped-up excuse and felt threatened by police. This has happened to me. In the Scott case, according to a Charlotte police department statement, officers said they went to a neighborhood looking for someone else and saw Scott “inside a vehicle in the apartment complex. The subject exited the vehicle armed with a handgun. Officers observed the subject get back into the vehicle at which time they began to approach the subject.” If all they saw was a man with a gun who got out of a car and back in, what illegal activity did they observe? Why did they “approach the subject” instead of going about their business? Did they have any reason to suspect it was an illegal gun? Are all men carrying guns believed to be carrying guns illegally, or just black men?
Our gun laws should be changed. Until then, however, they must be enforced equally. Does the NRA disagree?
That is why the words I found in my aldermanic mailbox at City Hall today to be simply unacceptable. As business agent of the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association, Jeff Roorda’s sarcastic use of quotes belittling community members and minimizing killings is appalling – especially as new evidence came out in a police-involved shooting from 2011 that resulted in a murder charge.
Describing Ferguson protester demands in a blanket statement as coming in the form of “bricks, bottles, Molotov cocktails and bullets” shows that Roorda was not present in any meaningful dialog regarding the Ferguson movement.
The people of St. Louis spoke loudly when we elected
Bruce Franks Jr., a Ferguson protestor, father, business owner, husband and future Missouri state rep. Our city’s police officers have an incredibly difficult job. There is no major North American city with a higher homicide rate than STL (besides Acapulco, Mexico) and our officers are underpaid by national standards. But we all want to feel safe and trust our police department to protect us. What we need in our city is bridge building. Bruce Franks does it, the Ethical Society of Police does it. But with Jeff Roorda the mouthpiece of the St. Louis POA, we have a major roadblock.
Alderwoman Cara Spencer St. Louis
Edna Fletcher, mother of Brian Fletcher, Super Bowl XLI champion and Hazelwood East High School alumnus, recently presented East High administrators with a $2,000 check from the National Football League Honor Roll Grant. The grant will go towards the purchase of new equipment for East High athletes. Fletcher is a 1997 graduate from East High. He went on to attend the University of California, Los Angeles and played college football for three years. In 2002, he was a sixth round draft pick by the Chicago Bears. Fletcher played with the Bears for two years and was traded to the Indianapolis Colts. In 2007, Fletcher became a Super Bowl Champion when the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears.
A Step Beyond will host a free public Youth Rally at Musick Park, 8617 Latty Ave. at Hanley Road, on Saturday, October 8. Festivities will begin at 10 a.m. with a rally/walk, with free food, and giveaways. Agencies and groups that assist youth will be in attendance, including PAKT Robotics Program, Job Corps, Urban
League’s Save Our Sons program, Young Men of Vision, Elaine Stevens Beauty School, Epworth’s Children’s Division, Police Athletic League, Youth Build, Kamotion and ROCC Drumline. For more information, call John Williams at (314) 339-9086.
Saturday, October 8 from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. will mark the first of many special Saturdays at the Saint Louis Zoo’s Wild Wonder Outpost, where children with sensory or special needs can enjoy a session designed specifically for their needs.
On the second Saturday of every month, these children and their families will be met by trained Zoo staff when they enter from The Living World at the North Entrance. They will then go downstairs to Monsanto Education Gallery. The new Sensory Saturday sessions will be modified with dimmer lighting, reduced
sound and a sensory-break area with fidgets (self-regulation tools to help with focus, attention, calming, and active listening), pillows and other accommodations.
Tickets for Sensory Saturday and all Wild Wonder Outpost sessions are $2 per person for Zoo members and $3 per person for all others. Children under 12 months old are free. For more information, email bharrison@stlzoo.org, call (314) 646-4544, or visit stlzoo.org/educationgallery.
By Rebeccah Bennett Columnist
For a while now I’ve felt out of shape – and I’m not referring to the 50 extra pounds that I picked up in the course of having two babies. What I’m talking about are the ways that my life and sense of self have expanded and contracted in response to my experiences. In the last 10 years, I met and married the love of my life and had two wonderful children who have taught me the meaning of real love and sacrifice. Caring for my family has opened wide my heart, humbled my ego, challenged my commitments, tested my patience, and stretched both my wallet and good sense – sometimes to the breaking point.
In this same period of time, I launched my own business and was forced to confront my relatively low perception of my worth if I wanted to eat and help feed my family. Going out on my own gave me an opportunity to not only affirm my value, but also to build a body of meaningful work that reminds me of what I’m capable. Taken together, all of these experiences have grown me up in my power and purpose and greatly expanded the territory of my life.
Yet the nature of life is that it does not only move in one direction. There is no growing up without also going down, in my case on my knees.
n There is no growing up without also going down, in my case on my knees.
Early in life I lived through the devastation of addiction and the heartache it visited upon my family. Later, cancer and car accidents snatched from me two best friends and a host of loved ones with whom I’d hoped to share a long life. As I moved into adulthood, pregnancy and miscarriage changed not only my physical form, but also altered some of my body’s basic functions. And as my life’s responsibilities intensified, more challenges arose, including family bouts with unemployment and financial loss that caused me to petition the Divine for relief. Life has both stretched me and pruned me – lifted me up high and given me cause to despair. Its dynamics are not personal, for it does this to us all. The question isn’t how do we control or get rid of the parts we don’t like, but how do we embrace all of the pieces of ourselves so that we experience wholeness? Wholeness is, after all, life’s truest shape.
Rebeccah Bennett is founder of Emerging Wisdom & InPower Institute.
Continued from A1
Bermuda Elementary School,
Kimberly Berry continues to stand out as a dedicated educator who is vested in her community. As a mentor and running coach to young girls, her work empowers students to stay strong and reach for their goals. Along the way, Berry holds herself to the same standard – she will run the Chicago Marathon in October – achieving her own longtime goal, one mile at a time.
Sarah Briscoe has worked at virtually every level of the education spectrum. The desire to have a more handson approach with teachers, students and the community has afforded Briscoe the opportunity to serve as principal of one of Saint Louis Public Schools’ most successful elementary-level institutions. Briscoe’s formula for success at Bryan Hill Elementary School combines motivation, inspiration and innovation to ensure each student is equipped with the necessary skills to be college or career ready.
As a recruiter and dean of students at KIPP Triumph Academy, Cori Cloyd’s motto includes a personal commitment to do “whatever it takes” to ensure his students’ success. A product of Saint Louis Public Schools, Cloyd’s work as a mentor and educator inspires students to make college their goal, starting as early as the fifth grade. And his work with youth is encouraging a new generation of young professionals to give back to their communities.
Continued from A1 church, Nation of Islam, the St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition, as well as leaders from the NAACP, ACLU and Better Family Life. They announced 18 “recommendations,” including implementing police body cameras in St. Louis and requesting an investigation of the city’s police department by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The group said they felt called to respond to the video
footage from the fatal shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith that was leaked to select media last week. Former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley now faces a first-degree murder charge five years after killing Smith while on duty on December 20, 2011.
While some individual black pastors immediately got involved in the Ferguson movement two years ago, this is the first time that the region’s black clergy members have taken a united stance in demanding police accountability, said Darryl Gray, the group’s communication director.
Kathleen Foster, an English teacher and English Language Arts coach at Jennings Junior High school, has been teaching for over 22 years. Teaching is her passion that almost went unfulfilled. The path to her teaching career wasn’t as clear in the beginning but it was, as she describes it, divinely ordained. Through multiple careers and degrees she found herself never being
Why did it take so long?
“I think the clergy had to reassess what took place in Ferguson,” Gray said. “The clergy would be the very first to admit that we did not do as much as we should have or as we could have. We don’t want to make that mistake again.”
Gray said after Michael Brown Jr.’s shooting death in 2014, there was “a breakdown in dialogue between the protestors and what some would call traditional leadership.”
That was apparent during the press conference, when one Ferguson activist confronted the clergy as to why they have
quite fulfilled or satisfied. Until the day she stepped into a classroom and knew, even through a tumultuous first year, that she never wanted to leave or give up.
Stacy Gee Hollins’ entire professional career has been punctuated by love of technology, education and a desire to help others. Hollins joined the faculty at
not looked into other officerinvolved shootings.
“It’s never too late. Now is the time,” Gray said.
In fact, among the group’s recommendations was to review past practices and police-involved shootings that resulted in settlements. They also want to see what new training courses have been instated since Ferguson and how many of President Obama’s 21st Century Policing Pillars have been adopted since his Task Force on 21st Century Policing published its report in May 2015.
Adolphus Pruitt, president of the St. Louis City NAACP,
Maryville University this fall as an associate professor in information systems. She began teaching inadvertently while working as an administrative assistant for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in 1990.
Years ago, Kacy Seals remembers an acquaintance laughed at her when she said she wanted to be the principal of her alma mater, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. Seals’ dream became reality in August 2015. It may not have happened if Seals had stayed on course in a professional career that began in the business sector. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration, Seals found her true calling while volunteering for an at-risk group of young people at Roosevelt High School.
Psychologist Gladys A. Smith is a mental health therapist and consultant to students, staff and faculty at Webster University. She is a campus champion of education to prevent sexual assault, and she trains staff and peer educators on sexual harassment, substance abuse and health education. She supervises licensed professional counselors and
said that if the clergy don’t get the answers they seek, then the NAACP commits to escalating with direct action.
Rev. Charles Brown, president of the St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition, said last week he watched the “riots” in Charlotte, North Carolina after the police killing of Keith Lamont Scott.
“It’s a travesty that police have decided to fashion a new form of hanging,” Brown said.
“They don’t put the noose around our necks; they just take the bullets and shoot us now.”
Rev. Jimmy Brown said that one-third of African Americans shot by police in 2015 were
addictions counselors. Smith is also a yoga instructor and teaches a weekly free yoga class on campus. The recent U.S. Navy Reserve retiree became interested in trauma care while serving as a medic in the military.
Cynthia Warren is an extended site coordinator at Lindenwood University. Warren has been an educator for 31-plus years, and as a Christian, religion plays major role in how she facilities her everyday life. She has been instrumental as a school counselor, principal, and mentor. Warren grew up in St. Louis and has a passion to educate the underprivileged but is prepared and experienced to educate individuals regardless of race, class, gender or religion. The 2016 Salute to Excellence in Education Gala will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, October 1, 2016 at the America’s Center Ballroom, following a reception at 5 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.
unarmed, and blacks are three times more likely to be killed by police than whites. These facts not only point to a lack of proper police recruit screening and training, but also to the “unaddressed and unresolved issues of residual racism.”
“The church must continue to be the voice for those crying in the wilderness,” Jimmy Brown said. “Faith community leaders must stand with all victims of violence, and must be the bright light that shines on the dark actions of those who would commit these acts under the shadow of justice.”
Continued from A1
Milton Mitchell Sr. and Cathy Mitchell, live in Berkeley, which would experience a police-involved killing and protest before their son could get back home. “They screamed,” he said, when they heard he was coming home to lead a school here.
Watching Ferguson from Los Angeles County, Mitchell said, “My heart always went out to the kids, what they were experiencing and going through. What are the babies experiencing, feeling, seeing?”
Many of the City Academy students he would come home to lead were directly impacted by the events in Ferguson, which spread to St. Louis. A slight majority of its students come from North County, from the Ferguson-Florissant (15 percent), Riverview Gardens (14 percent), Hazelwood (13 percent) and Normandy (9 percent) school districts, with the bulk of the rest (37 percent) coming from St. Louis. All of the school’s 188 students – uniquely among private elementary schools in Missouri – receive scholarship support.
“I felt I could make a difference, especially here, given City Academy’s intentional mission to take kids from the community I love dearly, no matter what barriers or obstacles, and propel them through to change their lives, families and, ultimately, communities,” Mitchell said.
“Mr. Danforth established the mission and finds the resources, then lets educators do their job. It’s a pretty dynamic gig.”
Along with Alexis Wright, who started as head of school at New City School on the same day Mitchell started at City Academy, July 1, he is the first African American to lead a private, independent school in the St. Louis area. Mitchell had not been at
Continued from A1 Smith, 62, retired from KMOV as news anchor in July 2015 after 42 years in broadcast media. She said that her decades of media exposure, coupled with the prominence of her husband, former University of Kansas basketball standout Isaac “Bud” Stallworth, make her uniquely positioned to make history. Missouri has never elected an African American to statewide office. She said with her media exposure in the St. Louis area, she has name recognition with 42 percent of the voters needed to win. And her husband, who continues to do broadcast work on KU basketball games, has name recognition with another 30 percent of the voters needed to win. The two have been campaigning together to win KU fans over to her cause. Smith claims her math was borne out in the August 2 primary, when more than 77 percent of Democrats voted for her. She pointed that Chris Koster, who is running for governor, only got 1 more percent of the vote on August 2 after spending tens of millions of dollars in advertising, whereas she did not advertise at all. Koster got more votes than she did, but not many:
his new job a full week when Philando Castille, a St. Louis native, was killed by police during a routine traffic stop in a suburb of Minneapolis.
Another wave of grief, anguish and rage swept through Black America, impacting the children, the babies.
“I sat in my office with the weight on me,” Mitchell said.
“I didn’t realize how personal I would take my shepherding these kids.” His son, Benjamin Mitchell, 9, is one of the 188 students under his leadership.
“That’s an added weight,” Mitchell said. (His daughter Lea Mitchell, 12, attends Immanuel Lutheran Day School in Olivette.)
He knows that City Academy students, overwhelmingly AfricanAmerican, are successful by any standard. Ninety
256,272 to 241,736. However, Smith’s prospects in the November 8 general election are dimmed by comparing raw vote totals on August 2 with her Republican opponent, John (Jay) Ashcroft, who got 401,361 votes, compared to her 241,736 votes, in a more competitive primary than Smith had. More than twice as many Republicans cast a vote for secretary of state on August 2 than Democrats, 654,472 votes to 312,800 votes.
Smith dismissed the comparison, saying that Republicans tend to vote more than Democrats in primaries, whereas Democrats vote more than Republicans in general elections. The staff for the current secretary of state (Jason Kander, who is running for U.S. Senate) do not keep data to verify this claim, but looking
percent of its graduates have matriculated into the region’s most competitive private, independent secondary schools. Members of City Academy’s class of 2009 graduated from high school in 2015, and every single one of them was accepted to college, receiving significant financial support.
But that does not protect them from the police.
them for society’s ills? That’s the struggle that keeps me up at night.”
n “My heart always went out to the kids, what they were experiencing and going through.”
“You can be educated, do everything right, dress appropriately, drive a nice car, but get pulled over by a police officer and have things go not so well,” Mitchell said. “How do we encourage these kids, but at the same time prepare
– Milton Mitchell
Mitchell himself grew up, safe and secure, in Kinloch, a community that has since been, he said, “flattened.” He went to elementary school at a Catholic school in Kinloch, Our Lady of the Angels, which was shuttered in 2002. The oldest black community incorporated in Missouri lost more than 80 percent of its population between 1990 and 2000, as a result of buyouts to expand the St. Louis airport. Mitchell, who was born in 1979, knew Kinloch on the cusp of the buyout.
“I knew every adult in my
at the most recent election for the office is revealing. In 2012, nearly twice as many Republicans voted for secretary of state in the primary – 547,496 to 285,020 votes – yet Kander won the general election over the Republican nominee, Shane Schoeller, by nearly 40,000 votes.
Cleaver (D-Kansas City), Hillary Clinton met privately with Smith when she met with clergy in Kansas City on September 8.
n “The right to vote is more in jeopardy now than ever.”
(It’s interesting to note that Smith’s opponent for the state’s chief election officer, Ashcroft, is an irregular voter. The Kansas City Star pointed out that Ashcroft sat out seven major elections between 2000 and 2012, including Republican primaries in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012.)
– Robin Smith, candidate for Missouri secretary of state
“She understands the importance of the minority vote,” Smith said of Clinton. “She has been meeting with candidates she believes will win who are strong advocates for women and minorities.”
community, and they knew who I was,” Mitchell said. “I felt safe and protected. I was somebody.”
It helped that he grew up playing drums and saxophone in a neighborhood church founded by his grandfather, the Rev. John Mitchell Sr. It’s still there, St. John Missionary Baptist Church, now led by his aunt, Pastor Glenda MitchellMiles. His parents left Kinloch for Berkeley with their three children when Milton was 8. “Our house was the only inhabited house on our street for a good year,” he said. Mitchell graduated from McCluer High School in 1997 and started what became a surprising family tradition by matriculating at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. Mitchell was recruited when he visited campus at the
Jayhawk!” to Kaine as he passed in the crowd, got his attention through a phalanx of Secret Service agents, and indicated that she had the KU legend Stallworth towering behind her.
“Bud!” Kaine screamed.
invitation of a friend, Tracy Booth (now Dr. Tracy Heinz). The sight of flat corn fields dotted with ostrich and bison farms was all new to this son of majority-black ring suburbs, but a generous financial package helped him make the leap.
“There was a small number of students of color, but we bonded very quickly, and the university offered tremendous support,” Mitchell said. That was where he met his wife, now Angie Mitchell, and where his younger siblings followed him. His brother Michael Musician is music director for Leslie Odom Jr. (of “Hamilton” fame) in New York, and his sister Madeline Mitchell is associate director of Client Services for George Washington University in the nation’s capital.
Milton Mitchell was recruited to DePauw by a black man, Rod Haywood, then associate director of admissions, who then helped him land a job on campus in the admissions office after graduation. That set him on the path to his career. In 2001 he left his alma mater to work in admissions at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, near where his wife grew up in the Los Angeles area. He transferred to multicultural student services, then looked elsewhere when Cal Tech started to make cuts.
“Minority programs are always the first to go,” he said. He held administrative positions at two independent K-12 schools in the Los Angeles area, the Buckley School and Chadwick School, before deciding he was needed more at home.
“It’s an immense blessing to be back home,” Mitchell said, “in a role that allows me to make a direct impact on a place I love so much.”
For more information on City Academy, 4175 N. Kingshighway Blvd., call 314-382-0085 or visit www. CityAcademySchool.org.
Smith certainly has captured the attention of the candidates at the top of the ballot. At the urging of U.S. Rep. Emanuel
As for Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, he understands the importance of KU basketball, though he is himself a Mizzou graduate. Kaine spoke to the Missouri delegation at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28, the morning after he accepted the VP nomination. Smith chanted, “Rock chalk,
“I’ve got to talk to you!” Smith’s calculation of her husband’s value to her campaign clearly is not misplaced. She also has on her side the public’s frequently polled preference for a candidate who is not a “career politician,” given that this is her first run for office. Her opponent, Ashcroft, lost a race for state Senate in 2014 against Jill Schuup.
Smith is not the child of a former U.S. attorney general, U.S. Senator and Missouri governor, like Ashcroft, but she has her own political pedigree.
Both her father, Wayman Flynn Smith Jr., and her brother, Wayman Smith III, served
as St. Louis aldermen. Her godfather, Frederick N. Weathers, was once the dean of North St. Louis politics who helped Bill Clay get his start (and had a post office on North Kingshighway Boulevard named after him). But she insists she entered this race on her own steam, with no political support. Politics is a rumor mill, and when her candidacy was first announced, tongues wagged – without evidence – that Koster put her in the race to spike the minority vote for his own benefit. “That is a bad rumor,” Smith said. “I did not talk to Chris Koster prior to my announcement, and not one dollar from Koster has been put in my campaign account.”
Election day is Tuesday, November 8. The deadline to register to vote is October 12.
Foundation to invest
$8.5 million in hub for collaboration and advocacy
By Rebecca Rivas
Of The St. Louis American
When communities make something a priority, they must create space for it, said leaders of the Deaconess Foundation at the groundbreaking ceremony of its new center on September 20.
“We’re inviting the region to make space to advocate for children’s best interests,” said Cheryl D.S. Walker, the foundation’s board chair and a Bryan Cave attorney.
The 20,000-square-foot Deaconess Center for Child Well-being is being built at 1000 N. Vandeventer in the Grand Center Arts District and at the edge of St. Louis’ Vandeventer neighborhood. The project’s expected completion is fall of 2017. The $8.5 million development will offer space for community convening and cross-sector collaboration, as it will house a grant maker, child advocacy organization and youth service provider under one roof.
“We want to cultivate a movement for child well-being in St. Louis,” said Rev. Starsky Wilson, Deaconess’ president and chief executive.
“Movements need activated individuals, creative ideas and institutional expressions. This will be a place where they all come together for kids.”
The Deaconess Center will include administrative offices for the foundation and long-term grantees, Vision for Children at Risk and Neighborhood Houses. Forty to 50 people will work at the site, re-locating from offices in downtown,
Downtown West and Jeff VanderLou. It will also have meeting rooms, classrooms and conference space for up to 125 people in the largest setting. Between the co-locating partners, the building is expected to host more than 6,000 citizens a year in more than 250 meetings focused on children’s issues. Meeting rooms will be available at no charge to initiatives focused on improving public policy for children.
The Center for Child Well-Being will be Deaconess’ first building in 20 years. In 1997, Deaconess Incarnate Word Health System, including its
Left: Michael E. Kennedy, chairman and CEO of KAI Design and Build, with Rev. Starsky Wilson, president and chief executive officer of Deaconess Foundation, at the groundbreaking for the new Deaconess Center for Child Well-being at 1000
September 20.
main campus at Oakland Avenue, was sold to Tenet HealthCare, seeding the foundation.
Deaconess is a ministry of the United Church of Christ, and construction plans call for the building to reflect Deaconess’ faith heritage and justice commitments by exceeding the city’s minority participation goals. It targets 35 percent minority business enterprises and 15 percent women business enterprises. Elizabeth Noonan, an economic development professional and United Church of Christ member, is Deaconess’ project
manager. Kwame Building Group is serving as the construction manager. KAI Design and Build is the designbuild firm. In selecting the site, Wilson said the foundation considered its commitment to equity as a necessity for child well-being, its proximity to partners and opportunities to extend community development activity. The North Vandeventer location is across the street from the city’s family court and juvenile detention center and aligns with a neighborhood-driven development initiative called the North
Central Plan.
Alderman Terry Kennedy, who represents the 18th Ward, said at the ceremony, “Each generation makes their mark upon the history of that people by building monuments and edifices that represents their values and aspirations. Let us be sure that the next generations know that story.”
More than 15 years ago, Kennedy said the 18th Ward neighbors saw the need to create their own plan, the North Central Plan, “and didn’t have dime the first to fund any part of it, but knew that we must put something in writing.”
That vision included mixed-use development, for both retail and residential, along Vandeventer, he said. And that vision became reality in recent years with the North Sarah development, a McCormack Baron Salazar project. The retail portion of the development went up just across the street from the open lot where the center will be built.
“They were vigilant, to be sure, not to let anything happen but what they saw,” Kennedy said. “When Deaconess Foundation came, they said, ‘This is the project that we will endorse.’ And as I tell everyone, ‘You make my people happy, I am really happy.’”
Wilson said when he attended a meeting with the North Central Steering Committee, which was held at the Community Women Against Hardship office, they made him “sweat it out.”
“They asked us hard questions,” Wilson said. “They are committed to what the collective vision for neighborhood and community would be. What we had in mind, they had already articulated. There was a way God brought us together so we might serve the children of this community.”
The collaborative center model is also consistent with strategies of an emerging effort to coordinate social sector real estate assets, known as the St. Louis Social Innovation District, which the foundation financially supports.
Quoting Frederick Douglass, Aldermanic President Lewis Reed said at the ceremony, “‘It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.’ I want to thank the Deaconess Foundation for all the things they do to build strong children.”
Since the Ferguson movement began in 2014, protestors have picketed St. Louis’ municipal courts with signs like, “Stop debtors prison” and even “Abolish muni courts.” Big-name law firms have teamed up with local attorneys from ArchCity Defenders and Saint Louis University School of Law Legal Clinics to sue St. Louis County municipal courts for violating the rights of the poor.
Many people have been working together to shine a light on the disparities and racial injustice within the municipal court system. And they had hoped that the Missouri Supreme Court would step in and do the one thing that could possibly bring order to the 80 municipal courts within St. Louis County – consolidate them.
On September 20, the state’s Supreme Court released a 16-page order on “Minimum operating standards for Missouri courts.”
Some advocates said their immediate response was some cuss words and a sense of “defeat.”
for decades without penalty. Patricia Breckenridge chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, spoke about the new standards at the joint annual meeting of The Missouri Bar and the Judicial Conference of Missouri on September 22 in Lake Ozark, after describing her visits to municipal courts where she saw much malpractice.
“Was it disheartening to see that there are still courts operating contrary to the law? Absolutely,” Breckenridge said. However, she said she believes that there have been positive changes in the municipal divisions, and the mandatory standards “make clear how municipal divisions must operate.”
“There’s really nothing all that’s ‘new’ in the ‘new’ Municipal Court Standards,” said Mae Quinn, director of the MacArthur Justice Center in St. Louis. “They reflect an all-too-familiar failure to call out institutional actors who disregard rights of certain community members, continuation of a convoluted body of law that confuses litigants more than protects them, and a sense that coming close to constitutional is good enough when it comes to the primarily poor persons of color who are shuttled through Missouri’s countless lower courts on a daily basis.”
Most of the 10 “new” standards already exist in state laws or court operating rules. The problem is supervision, particularly within the county’s 80 municipal courts.
“When you have a broken system, you can continue to implement rules,” said Dave Leipholtz, director of community-based studies at Better Together St. Louis. “But we have no way to enforce them. It’s the same actors, the same structure and oversight. Changing the rules doesn’t get to the issue of accountability.”
The “new” standards also don’t touch on penalties for courts that don’t obey, he said, as many courts have been doing
She recognized that supervision poses a “special challenge” in woefully fragmented St. Louis County, and committed to hiring two municipal court monitors to assist the presiding judge in the county. She noted that nine municipalities in North St. Louis County are currently consolidating their municipal divisions. The Missouri Court Automation Committee and state courts administrator’s office are helping to facilitate this consolidation.
Debtor’s prisons stay intact
Many have been criticizing the county’s municipal court system for creating a modernday debtors prisons (a historical reference to 19th-century prisons for the poor who couldn’t pay debt.) One of these protestors is North County resident Autumn Mae At 17, Chesterfield police threw her in an adult jail for five days because she didn’t have car insurance, she said. Her parents didn’t know where she was for the first 24 hours because she was not allowed to call them. She had to stay in jail because her family struggled to find the money to get her out.
“There are people doing serious crimes out there,” she said. “How can you jail people for just traffic tickets?”
It appears that the Supreme Court took steps to make sure that people like Mae don’t have to spend an indefinite amount of time in jail. The order states, “No person is sentenced to confinement on ‘minor traffic violations’ or ‘municipal
pay them, they don’t go to court for fear of getting thrown in jail – subsequently getting warrants for failing to appear.
Having warrants, they can’t get jobs, drivers’ licenses or sometimes aid from homeless shelters, he said.
“The fines should not be as high as they are, and they should be proportioned to income,” Harvey told The St. Louis American previously.
“You wouldn’t have near as many problems as you have now.”
The standards seem to address this concern. Now the courts must ask the defendants about their financial condition and allow them to “present evidence” about their ability to pay fines before establishing payment requirements. Fines and costs assessed on traffic violations shall not exceed $225, and indigent defendants will not have to pay court costs. The courts also can’t tack on an additional charge for failure to appear for a minor traffic violation.
a crime has been committed.
ordinance violations’ with the exception of violations: involving alcohol or controlled substances; endangering the health or welfare of others; or involving eluding or giving false information to a law enforcement officer.”
However, that still doesn’t take jail time off the table for minor infractions. Advocates have argued that if people fail to pay fines, they should face legal collection proceedings – not jail time. However, the standards state that judges can still confine defendants for up to 30 days for “contempt of court,” if the judges feel that those people have not done their best to pay the fines.
Quinn said that, if anything, the standards “provide further imprimatur for custodial arrests for mere ordinance allegations.”
Under the Fourth Amendment, arrest is permitted in the United States upon probable cause that
“Yet, the Missouri Supreme Court’s new Municipal Court Standards would appear to ignore this fundamental tenet, allowing the ongoing problematic practice of warrantless civil arrest in Missouri,” Quinn said.
The ArchCity Defenders have been advocating for the courts to charge fines according to the defendants’ income levels – something the St. Louis city court implemented in December 2014. With the “bench warrant system,” poor residents are often caught in a black hole of court debt, said Thomas Harvey, executive director of the ArchCity Defenders. First, they get tickets for traffic or other minor infractions. Since they can’t
The standards say that the courts shall use alternative payment plans and community service options. These are all things that Ferguson protestors have pushed for.
In regards to court-appointed counsel, the standards borrow from “outmoded language” in existing state standards, Quinn said.
Now judges must inform litigants of their right to request appointment of counsel, if the violation “could result in confinement.”
“But this statement – rooted in language of older United Supreme Court cases – does not embrace more modern constitutional requirements,” she said.
Quinn pointed to the 2002 case of Alabama v. Shelton, where the U.S. Supreme Court modified its prior rule that
focused on the concept of “actual imprisonment.” Shelton held that even in cases where a suspended sentence is imposed, the right of counsel may be required.
Silence on minors
Quinn has long been fighting against the state’s practice of prosecuting high-school age children as adults. But the new standards don’t touch this topic, she said.
“In a series of cases dating back to 2005 the United States Supreme Court recognized that children under 18 are categorically less culpable than adults and must be treated differently in our courts,” she said.
“Instead it seems the Missouri Supreme Court is just fine with kids proceeding pro se in these institutions, entering guilty pleas without attorneys, being processed without heightened legal protections, and being paraded in front of the public courtroom without concern for their confidentiality.”
Overall, advocates feel that the standards won’t slow the continuous lawsuits – and enormous legal expenses –brought against the municipal courts. There is still no accountability.
“Sadly, it seems our Supreme Court has spent more time over the last two years appointing system insiders to fill seats on countless commissions than carefully listening to truly impacted persons, conferring with knowledgeable attorneys, demanding accountability from obviously bad actors, or digging into what really ails us as a region,” Quinn said.
“Fortunately, the Missouri Supreme Court does not provide the final word on such matters. Unfortunately, further costly federal lawsuits may have to be brought to ensure all Missouri courts ultimately comply with the Constitution.”
By Eugene Robinson Washington Post
Donald Trump just got roughed up, and badly, by a girl. On Monday night, at the first presidential debate, Hillary Clinton made her opponent look ignorant, unprepared, egotistical, childish, petulant, impatient and at times totally incoherent.
How bad did it get? At one point, as Trump was groping blindly across the minefields of foreign policy, losing a foot here and a leg there, he announced, apropos of nothing, that “I think my strongest asset, maybe by far, is my temperament.”
Clinton smiled sweetly and exclaimed, “Whew, OK!” The audience at Hofstra University, sternly instructed to remain silent throughout the debate, ignored the rules and burst into laughter.
They were laughing at you, Donald, not with you.
Clinton then patiently explained the importance of honoring international agreements, such as the NATO treaty, to a man who seemed not to grasp the concept of the nation’s word being its bond. One hopes her reassurances were enough to coax allies in Berlin, Tokyo, Seoul and other capitals down from the ceiling.
The 90-minute encounter, moderated by NBC’s Lester Holt, was less a debate than a beat-down. Clinton obviously had put in many hours of preparation. Trump apparently decided to wing it -- and while this approach worked well during the Republican primaries, when nobody got much time to speak and pithy one-liners could win the day, it bombed in a one-on-one clash where there was no place to
hide.
Trump’s biggest vulnerability is that he so rarely knows what he’s talking about. Minutes before his hilarious temperament declaration, he had been boasting that his criticism of NATO a few months ago caused the alliance to begin focusing on terrorism. “I think we have to get NATO to go into the Middle East with us, in addition to surrounding nations,” he said. Clinton coolly reminded him – “informed him” would probably be more accurate –of some pertinent facts. “You know, NATO as a military alliance has something called Article 5, and basically it says this: An attack on one is an attack on all,” she said. “And you know the only time it’s ever been invoked? After 9/11, when the 28 nations of NATO said that they would go to Afghanistan with us to fight terrorism, something that they still are doing by our side.”
That’s pretty much the way the evening went, especially toward the end. Trump visibly ran out of gas, poor thing. His answers became increasingly scattered and elliptical. Pressed to defend his contention
(long since disproved) that he was against the Iraq War, he complained repeatedly that “everybody refuses to call Sean Hannity.” Even Hannity, the Fox News host, must have been perplexed.
This was after he charged that Clinton “doesn’t have the stamina” to be president. But she looked fresh as a daisy throughout, while Trump wilted before our eyes.
One of Trump’s worst moments, at least to my eyes and ears, came when Clinton alleged that he paid no federal income taxes at all in at least some recent years. Trump offered no protest, instead interjecting, “That makes me smart.” Seriously? No one wants to pay more in taxes than required, but the idea of a selfproclaimed billionaire getting a free pass will be hard for many voters to swallow.
Throughout the debate, the split-screen showed Trump mugging, fidgeting, shrugging, grimacing, offering an array of exaggerated smiles and frowns. He interrupted Clinton frequently, but she didn’t complain. She may have calculated that it benefited her cause for Trump to have the
The 90-minute encounter, moderated by NBC’s Lester Holt, was less a debate than a beatdown. Clinton obviously had put in many hours of preparation. Trump apparently decided to wing it
floor.
Clinton also may have tried to bait Trump by suggesting he only succeeded in business because of his father’s help -- and might not be as wealthy as he claims. If so, the tactic worked. Trump was unable to let anything pass. For reasons I can’t begin to understand, he even renewed his long-running feud with comedian Rosie O’Donnell.
I am under no illusion that Trump’s abysmal performance will cause his most dedicated supporters to have second thoughts. They heard his central argument, which is that “politicians like Secretary Clinton” have failed -- and it’s time to try something new.
But while the race has tightened to the point where Trump could actually win, Monday night vividly demonstrated why he should not -- why he must not. Whether you like Clinton or not, it’s obvious that she can do the job. The debate had to make undecided voters question whether Trump even has a clue.
Eugene Robinson’s email address is eugenerobinson@ washpost.com.
Bob Law, former host of the nationally syndicated radio show “Night Talk” and civil rights advocate, is heading a new campaign to “Turn off Killer Radio.”
In an open letter to the community, Law proclaims that up to the 2016 Labor Day weekend there had been 517 people shot in Chicago, 222 people shot in New York City, 190 people shot in Philadelphia, 106 shot in Washington, D.C. and 182 shot in Los Angeles. The report revealed most victims were black males.
“When measured against entire populations of other developed countries, Black American males have the second highest homicide rate in the world,” Law writes. “Confucius once said, ‘If one should desire to know if a kingdom is well governed, if its morals are good or bad, the quality of its music will furnish the answer.’”
passionate national campaign against obscenities in rap music. The political and social activist focused a spotlight on rap music in 1993, calling it “pornographic filth” and saying it was demeaning and offensive to black women, but she was mainly left out in the wilderness.
Tucker passed out leaflets with lyrics from gangsta rap CDs and urged people to read them aloud. She picketed stores that sold the music, handed out petitions and demanded congressional hearings. And why did it take so long for women to recognize the obvious hatred of their sex expressed in rap videos?
Why haven’t more women become furious at being continually depicted as sluts willing to do anything for a chance to be with a young man with money and a flashy car and jewels?
Law writes, “Currently the radio air waves are filled with DJ comments and song lyrics that urge black youth to become Scammers, Rapist, Killers, Harlots and Thieves. It is time to … ‘Turn Off Killer Radio.’”
Law indicated that the movement has already begun and on October 15, “people of integrity everywhere will turn off killer radio stations. No more killer music. No more degrading black women. Turn Off Killer Radio.”
Personally, I have been writing about this for years. It is time to draw national attention to the misogynistic lyrics common in hip-hop music and culture, and I question why many earlier efforts went practically unnoticed.
For years, the late C. Delores Tucker waged a
Can you imagine the impact females can have on the recording industry if mothers did not allow their sons and daughters to buy what is considered music that is denigrating to women?
Although rock and pop acts generate some of the filthiest compositions and most explicit images, and their concerts also incite riots and create a large amount of madness and disorder, it is generally the hip-hop and rap events that typically draw attention in the media. I hope Bob Laws’ open letter will receive as much attention.
Please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday night at 10 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 5:30 p.m. on KNLC-TV Ch. 24. I can be reached by fax at 314-8373369, e-mail at berhay@swbell. net or on Twitter @berhay.
By Gloria S. Ross
For St. Louis Public Radio
Julian Mosley Jr. was the second African American to graduate from Washington University School of Medicine, which had been in existence for more than 80 years when he received his medical degree in 1972. Ten years earlier, Dr. James L. Sweatt had been the first.
“I think that happened because, among blacks, the Washington University medical school was perceived not only as traditionally white and expensive, but also as requiring almost impossibly impeccable credentials,” Dr. Mosley said last year. “Even wellqualified blacks didn’t think they would have much of a chance.”
school’s dean of minority affairs, was one of Dr. Mosley’s recruits. Dr. Ross was a Yale undergraduate at the time.
“He said, ‘You belong here in St. Louis,’” Dr. Ross fondly recalled. “He was very convincing. I owe him a debt of gratitude. Julian had stories of what it was like for him and wanted the institute to become more embracing of people of color.” He succeeded. More than 300 black doctors have now graduated from the medical school.
n “He said, ‘You belong here in St. Louis.’ He was very convincing. I owe him a debt of gratitude.”
– Dr. Will Ross
Every 10 years was not good enough for Dr. Mosley. While still in med school, he began his dogged quest to ensure that the medical school increased its output of black doctors. He began actively recruiting other black medical students, and throughout his life he continued to do so. He became a long-standing member of the med school’s admissions committee.
In 1979, Will Ross, M.D., who is currently the medical
Julian Cedell Mosley Jr. had always wanted to be a doctor. It was a big dream for a black kid growing up at the intersection of Gaty Avenue and 26th Street in East St. Louis, even in the city’s golden years. He was born on April 2, 1944, in St. Louis at St. Mary’s Infirmary, the first private, full-service hospital to allow black physicians to admit their patients. They nicknamed him Mickey because he cried like a little mouse. Mickey was the only child of Julian Cedell Mosley Sr., who was known as Cedell, and Thaddeus (“Thad”) Scott Mosley, who was named for her father.
Like thousands before them, his parents had joined
the Great Migration of blacks to the north for better jobs and to escape Jim Crow. His mother came from Mississippi. After marrying Cedell Mosley Sr., she managed her nearby grocery store and rental properties before becoming a full-time homemaker. His father, who came from Alabama, became one of the few black police officers on either side of the Mississippi River in the metro St. Louis area. He rose steadily through the ranks of law enforcement to become chief of police and later the city’s public safety director. He retired as head of security for a Metro East bank.
first African-American to be chief surgery resident at the old Jewish Hospital of St. Louis.
After graduating from Saint Louis University, Dr. Mosley was a research chemist at Anheuser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis, followed by a medical internship, residency and his chief residency at the old Jewish Hospital until 1977.
His fourth year of med school included delivering babies during an obstetrics/gynecology rotation at Homer G. Phillips Hospital, St. Louis’ premiere training ground for black doctors for more than 40 years, until it closed in 1979.
Dr. Mosley became a surgeon and went into private practice in St. Louis in 1977.
He partnered with Frank O. Richards, M.D., at Near North Central Surgical Practices until Dr. Richards’s retirement. He continued as a solo practitioner until shortly before his death of prostate cancer on September 21, 2016. He was 72.
Dr. Mosley was in the first class to have African-American students at East Side Senior High School, from which he graduated in 1962. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Saint Louis University in 1966. After becoming the first East St. Louisan to graduate from the Washington University School of Medicine, he became the
During the 1990s, Dr. Mosley worked with other physicians and community leaders to help reduce cancer in blacks through education. He cited smoking, environmental pollutants and lack of knowledge of health care options as being among the chief culprits.
He made inroads in both his community education and academic recruitment efforts.
But despite his success, Dr. Ross said that Dr. Mosley remained “a very unassuming
person.” “He didn’t always talk about the doors he opened,” Dr. Ross said. “He gave lots of homage to those who came before. He was well respected by the academic community as well as the community in general.”
Dr. Mosley was a member of the St. Louis Medical Society, the Mound City Medical Society and Eta Boulé, a professional men’s organization. A fair amount of his spare time was spent watching St. Louis sports teams and attending track and field meets, particularly the Drake Relays at Drake University in Iowa.
Dr. Mosley, who had lived in the Central West End for many years, never forgot his roots. He asked that his remains be scattered in the Mississippi to show how his life spanned the two sides of the river — and to show his love of both. He was married for 13 years to the former Sheila Stern (later Stix, now Bader), whom he met while both were undergraduates at Saint Louis University. They had one child.
Dr. Mosley was preceded in death by his parents.
Among his survivors are his wife, Annetta Booth, his son and daughter-in-law, Julian (“Jay”) C. Mosley III and Roxann Barnes Mosley of Los Angeles, and their two children, Chloe Juliauna Mosley and Harper Ella Jillian Mosley. A memorial service is being planned and will be announced at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 4207 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108.
Gloria S. Ross is the head of Okara Communications and AfterWords, an obituarywriting and design service.
As
The demand for police body cams is growing as urban communities experience more blatant forms of police terrorism. The demands are coming from a place of utter frustration and grief. And while I understand the desperate need for anything that can aid citizens in holding officers accountable along with the departments that often cover for them, I suggest we slow down and look both at what we know and what we don’t know.
The first such video that was widely publicized was that of the beat-down of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers in 1991.
Tased, stomped unmercifully and hit numerous times with police batons, King suffered nine skull fractures, a broken leg, a concussion, injuries to both knees, a shattered eye socket and cheekbone, and a paralyzed face. He would never be the same, mentally or physically, dying at the premature age of 47.
Black and brown communities thought the video would be vindication of our long-expressed experiences with police violence often hidden from the mainstream media.
Ha! By the time the attorneys for the police officers
involved in the beating got finished interpreting the video, jurors were made to believe that all King’s defensive moves to protect himself were aggressive moves towards officers. It was a case of “who do you believe – us or your lying eyes?” All of the white officers were acquitted of criminal charges, which resulted in South Central going up in flames.
In the 25 years since that infamous video, there have been thousands of police encounters videotaped and, once the internet hit the scene, uploaded on social media. Many of these videos show the actual killing of the citizen by police. Examples of unarmed black men like Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Kajieme Powell and most recently Terence Crutcher and Keith Scott have unfortunately become commonplace in our public consciousness. Videos have not proven to make such cases a slam-dunk because of the same kind of police interpretation presented in the Rodney King case. Add to that the almost undisputable claim of an officer feeling “threatened” and a visual accounting of the incident as evidence of criminal action literally evaporates like a Snapchat photo.
A recent national survey
of nearly every large police department indicates that nearly 95 percent plan to move forward with body cams or have already instituted their use. The survey was done by the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the Major County Sheriffs’ Association. Still, in a knee-jerk response, the Department of Justice plans to give $20 million to police departments to buy body cameras as part of a three-year
officials blamed on “officer error” and “intentional destruction.” If there’s no audio, police get to make up their own script about an incident.
And take the case of Jeremy Dear, an Albuquerque cop who was fired after a history of failing to activate his body cam just before he was about to use excessive force. One of those times involved his killing of a teenaged girl. Dear
n We cannot demand police cameras without the necessary fight to implement fair and effective policies around the their use and the subsequent recordings.
$75 million program.
It’s no surprise that nearly 80 percent of police dashboard cameras of Chicago PD and LAPD reported experiencing audio problems, which police
was reinstated by the city’s personnel board. Apparently, any harm done was not worth his termination.
Here in St. Louis, the public found out the police code
for being recorded with the videotape of the 2014 beatdown of black teenager Cortez Bufford. When Bufford’s attorneys recently released the tape, you can hear Officer Kelli Swinton warning her co-conspirators to “hold up! We’re red now. Just wait.” All charges were later dropped against Bufford, and he has filed a law suit against the St. Louis police.
The use of body cams brings with it a truckload of legitimate privacy issues. What situations should be recorded? Which incidents will be exempt from recordings? How long will footage be stored, as well as how and where? Who has access to the footage? What is the process for complying with open records requests?
The Movement for Black Lives released its policy platform on a host of issues facing the African-American community this summer. Regarding body cams, the group adopted the guidelines
set forth by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The conference urges police departments to “commit to a set of welldefined purposes for camera use, and need to specify clear operational policies for recording, retention and access.”
That’s probably not going to happen without interference from the usual suspects. Police associations are doing all they can to block the use of body cams and block the public’s access to resulting video and audio tapes. The local police association tried to block a pilot program by Police Chief Sam Dotson on the grounds that its union contract protects officers from wearing body cams until the issues goes through the bargaining process. Chief Dotson circumvented this barrier by using sergeants, who are exempt from the union contract, for the pilot.
The police union is getting support for its rebuff of transparency with the likes of Missouri legislators, who introduced SB331 to keep police videos out of the light of the Sunshine Law. Attorney General Chris Koster, campaigning to be the next governor of Missouri, is also in favor of barring public access to the recordings. It appears that the use of body and dashboard cameras by police departments is inevitable. After the police killing of Michael Brown Jr. the Ferguson Police Department rushed to buy cams. The St. Louis County Police Department is phasing cameras in as well. We, as citizens, cannot make the demand for cameras without staying around for the necessary fight to implement fair and effective policies around the use of the cameras and the subsequent recordings. If we don’t, citizens should count on a very expensive program that we pay for but that only serves to shield police from the very accountability that the public has been demanding.
By Lisette Gushiniere For the NNPA
William Garth Sr., chief executive
officer of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group Inc. and chairman of the Chatham Business Association, died on Friday, September 23, 2016.
He was 79.
A pillar in the community, Garth
led the Citizen with a steady hand and worked hard to make the news operation the largest black-owned ABC-audited newspaper in the Midwest.
Starting out as an advertising salesman for the Citizen, he purchased the newspaper chain in 1980 from Gus Savage, a six-term Democratic congressman who represented Chicago’s South Side. The sale to Garth included the Chatham Citizen, Southend Citizen and the Chicago Weekend newspapers. Under Garth’s leadership, the Citizen flourished. Between 1984-1987, Garth grew the newspaper chain when he added the South Suburban and Hyde Park Citizen newspapers.
Garth once said, “I’ve been good to the Citizen, because the Citizen
has been good to me.” With a current circulation of 112,000 newspapers and a following of 400,000 readers weekly, the Citizen established itself as an important source for the AfricanAmerican community.
For years, the Citizen operated from a storefront on 87th Street near King Drive. As the business expanded, Garth stayed on Chicago’s South Side, where he purchased a 12,000-squarefoot building on 806 East 78th St.
From the Citizen’s new home, Garth established a not-for-profit foundation in memory of his late son, Quentis B. Garth, where he served as chairman. Through the QBG Foundation, the organization helped over 49 students and disbursed over $1 million in scholarship awards to disenfranchised, inner-city youth in the Chicagoland area.
Garth deeply understood the power of the Black Press and was an active member in the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). As the former president of Midwest Region III of the NNPA, he was also Region III advertising representative with the association. He
also became the first black person to be elected president of the Illinois Press Association (IPA), the state’s largest newspaper association. He was the second black person in the nation elected president of a statewide press association.
He also sat on the board of the Government Affairs Committee of the IPA and served as a board member for more than 15 years. In addition, he was elected a stockholder in the Cook County South Suburban Publishers Association and, in 2009, was elected chairman of the Cook County Publishers Association for 2010. He also served as a board member of the Midwest Black Publishers Association.
“Garth was a master salesman, consummate strategist and visionary
philanthropist,” said Al McFarlane, founder of Insight News and chairman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation. “He was part of the pantheon of legendary newspaper owners and civic leaders.”
In December 1998, Garth received the honor of being appointed to Governor-elect George Ryan’s Transition Team and was later appointed to the Board of Directors for the Illinois Inauguration 1998, Inc. He also maintained memberships and positions with several business organizations, served as a member of the transition team for the IDOT Dan Ryan Project, was a board member of the Rainbow/ PUSH Coalition, a life-time member of the NAACP and a member of the Chatham Lions Club. In 2010, an honorary street was named after the Citizen publisher.
“The family would like to express our deepest gratitude and thanks for your prayers, cards, flowers, kind gestures, sympathy and show of support as we mourn the loss of my father,” said Garth’s son, Darrell Garth, president and publisher of Chicago
Citizen Newspaper Group. “The overwhelming response from members of the community who expressed love, care and concern during this difficult time is greatly appreciated.”
Homegoing services are as follows:
Visitation: Friday, September 30 at A.A. Rayner Funeral Home, 318 East 71st St., Chicago.
Horse-led procession: 10-11 a.m. Saturday, October 1, from funeral home to church.
Wake: 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Saturday, October 1.
Funeral services: 12:15-2:15 p.m. Saturday, October 1 at New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church, 754 East 77th St. (Cottage Grove), Chicago. Internment: Oakwood Cemetery, 1035 E. 67th St.
Repast: immediately following at the church.
In lieu of flowers please make checks payable to the Bill Garth Scholarship Fund. Checks can be delivered to and BMO Harris Bank or be mailed to: BMO Harris Bank. 1400 W. 18th St., Chicago, IL 60608
By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American
Health experts say an annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best method of reducing the chance against getting influenza and spreading it to others. BJC and SSM are holding free community flu shot clinics.
This year’s flu shots contain what health officials believe will be the three or four major strains spreading this season. Additionally, there is no FluMist this season, because the nasal spray was recently deemed less effective than flu shots by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert advisory committee.
Influenza can be one bad bug. Flu takes the lives of thousands of patients across the U.S. each year.
“Over 200,000 people a year are hospitalized from it, so depending on how bad the flu season is, between 4,000 to over 25,000 people will die each year from flu,” said Dr. Steven Lawrence, an infectious disease specialist from Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Although the vaccine is not 100 percent effective, Lawrence said getting a flu shot would cut your chances of getting the flu in half or better.
“In most years for most people, it will reduce the risk of that person getting flu somewhere between 50 and 70 percent,”
Lawrence said. “It also does have the benefit of reducing the amount of flu in the community. If a lot of people are vaccinated, there are fewer people who are sick, which actually then provides protection for those who are at the very highest risk.”
n There is no FluMist this season, because the nasal spray was recently deemed less effective.
At most danger from flu complications are infants under six months of age who are too young to get a flu shot, older adults and persons living with chronic illnesses, like diabetes, lung or heart conditions or weakened immune systems, he said.
If you are wondering when is the best time to get a flu shot it’s probably now, since it
takes a couple of weeks to build your immunity after receiving the vaccine.
“Early activity starts around Halloween; it usually peaks around the Super Bowl and it’s usually pretty much done by Easter,” Lawrence described. “As soon as the flu vaccine becomes available, go and seek it out to get the vaccine early in the season.”
He said there is a small possibility that, in older people, there can be a waning of the flu vaccine protection late in the spring if the peak of the flu season is late.
“What we know for sure is even in that instance, there will still be some partial protection and it is much better to get flu vaccine early, because if you miss it and you actually get exposed before you even get the vaccine, then it doesn’t do you any good,” Lawrence reminded. “The overall recommendation by the CDC is to start seeking out vaccine as soon as
By Dr. G. Richard Olds For The St. Louis American
American medical schools are suffering from a severe case of economic homogeneity. Three in four med students come from families with incomes in the top 40 percent of the population. Just 5 percent of students come from the bottom income quintile.
People from poor backgrounds aren’t the only ones underrepresented in medicine. The field lacks sufficient numbers of minorities of all sorts -- socioeconomic, ethnic, even linguistic.
n Boosting the diversity of the physician workforce is crucial to improving the quality of care, especially for at-risk Americans.
Medicine’s diversity crisis isn’t just cosmetic. It’s harming patients. About half of medical students are white males. Ethnic minorities comprise just 4 percent of medical school faculty and 8 percent of American doctors. This homogeneity is fueling physician shortages in vulnerable communities. Doctors are most likely to work in areas that share their demographics. White medical students from wealthy backgrounds tend to return to well-off, predominantly white locales to practice. Conversely, communities that produce few medical students also tend to have few practicing physicians. Take rural areas. Not only are there very few people from these communities training to be doctors -- medical school pedagogy often ignores them entirely. Just 4 percent of family medicine training and 5 percent of internal medicine training occurs at rural, community-based health clinics. As a result, while about 20 percent of the American population lives in rural settings, only 10 percent of doctors practice there. Rural communities have 20 percent fewer doctors per person than their urban counterparts.
Studies show that med students from rural areas are more likely to return there to practice. To address the shortage of rural doctors, med schools need to recruit rural students in the first place.
The story is similar for racial minorities. Research suggests that black doctors are more likely to practice medicine in communities with higher proportions of black residents. Likewise, Hispanic doctors tend to work in areas that have, on average, double the share of Hispanic residents relative to populations served by non-Hispanic doctors.
Increasing the number of black and Hispanic doctors will surely increase access
Foodborne related illnesses are responsible for an estimated 48 million illness each year. The most effective way to prevent bacterial and viral contaminations is good personal hygiene, which includes proper handwashing. Most of us know germs can spread through the air, however did you know the most common way germs spread is through hand contact?
Proper handwashing is a simple and effective method of preventing the spread of germs to yourself and others, but the key word here is “proper” handwashing. So how do you wash your hands?
1. Use clean, running water and soap to wash your hands By using soap, people tend to scrub their hands more thoroughly and soap is more effective at cleaning your skin by helping to lift soil and microbes from the skin.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap The friction from scrubbing will help to remove dirt, grease, and microbes from the skin. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails, thumbs and any deep crevasses, drycracked skin, and cuts and nicks.
3. Wash your hands for 20
seconds. Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end, twice
more easily to and from wet hands. Intentional handwashing cuts down on germs and illness.
• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
• After handling pet food or pet treats
• After touching garbage Source: University of Illinois Extension
Q: Isn’t it almost time for Medicare Open Enrollment? Is that different from the Open Enrollment Period for the Health Insurance Marketplace? And, if I already have Medicare Part D coverage, do I need to do anything?
A: Medicare Open Enrollment begins on October 15, 2016, and continues
until December 7, 2016. That’s different from the dates for the Health Insurance Marketplace, which has an Open Enrollment Period starting November 1, 2016, and runs until January 31, 2017. If you’re already enrolled in Medicare and a Medicare Part D plan, and happy with your plan, you don’t have to do anything. But there could
Barnes-Jewish free flu shot dates/locations
Monday, Oct. 3 – Wednesday, Oct. 5
7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Adult vaccinations only (18+ years old)
Barnes-Jewish Hospital, main floor lobby
One Barnes-Jewish Hospital Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63110
Parking - South Garage for $2/hr.
Monday, Oct. 3 – Wednesday, Oct. 5
8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Adult & pediatric vaccinations (6 months and older)
Center for Advanced Medicine, 3rd floor lobby
4921 Parkview Place, St. Louis, MO 63110
Parking - North Garage and Forest Park/Laclede Garage for $2/hr.
Sunday, Oct. 9
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Adult and pediatric vaccinations (6 months and older)
Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, Medical Office Building 2 10 Barnes West Drive Creve Coeur, MO 63141
Free parking is available on-site
Sunday, Oct. 16
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Adult and pediatric vaccinations (6 months and older)
Siteman Cancer Center – South County
5225 Midamerica Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63129
Free parking is available on-site
For safety reasons, flu shots are not available to individuals who have had a previous allergic reaction to the flu vaccine, those with egg allergies or anyone who has ever had Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
Barnes-Jewish will offer free flu shots this fall at additional locations in the St. Louis area. For a schedule and more information, call 314-TOP-DOCS (867-3627) or visit barnesjewish.org/flu-shots.
Continued from A14
to care for their brethren. Consequently, boosting the diversity of the physician workforce isn’t just a feel-
be big savings for you if you check into the choices you have for next year. That’s because plans can, and often do, change from one year to the next. Your needs could change, too. For example, you might be taking new or different medicines now than you were a year ago. If this is the case, it’s especially important to look at your choices for 2017 while there’s
Continued from A14
it becomes available in the community, but really be sure you have it by Halloween.”
Dr. Rachel Charney, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital said it is particularly important for persons who are around young children to get flu shots.
“Children under the age of six months are unable to get the flu shot, so in order to protect them, we ask the adults who are around these young children … get their flu shots as well – especially family members, in order to provide protection for that baby until they are old enough to get their own flu shot,” Charney said.
In addition, some children with medical problems may not be able to get their flu shot. They need protection as well, she added.
“By decreasing the amount of flu in the community by getting vaccination, we can protect children,” Charney said.
At 3450 Park Ave. in St. Louis, in the parking lot next to the Ronald McDonald House, SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital will again offer a drive-through flu shot clinic on Sat. Oct. 8. Just roll down the window and roll up the sleeves. It is the third year that SSM has
good mission. It’s crucial to improving the quality of care, especially for at-risk Americans -- and can have tangible, positive consequences for patients and doctors. Some have taken up that charge. The University of California-Riverside’s med
school provides admission preferences to students who are first-generation, speak English as a second language, come from economically disadvantaged communities, or reside in inland Southern California, a historically underserved area.
time to change if you want to.
The plan you’re enrolled in now will send out information to you about what changes it will make for 2017. You should have received this information by the end of September. By then, the details of other plans available in your area will be posted on the Medicare.gov Plan Finder, so you can compare what you
offered free flu shots by the carload.
“It’s going to be on October 8 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and we are doing vaccinations all the way down to six months of age, and we’re doing also car seat checks the same time,” Charney said. “It’s first come, first served and we have about 550 to give away. You just drive up in your car; you can do your paperwork in your car… and we give everyone, adults and kids, flu vaccines and you’re able to just drive on off.”
She added the only people they won’t give a flu shot to are pregnant women. They are advised to get their flu vaccine from their primary care provider.
Doctors say you can’t get sick from a flu shot – it is made from deactivated virus – and since it takes a couple of weeks to build up immunity, the doctors say if you do get sick, it is because you were probably already exposed to the flu virus before you got your flu vaccine.
Dr. Lawrence said people can sometimes get local side effects, like a sore arm, and the injection may hurt a little bit.
“And, if it’s the first time you’ve ever had the vaccine or you haven’t had it in many years, sometimes people get a lowgrade temperature – a low grade fever from it,” he said.
Lawrence added there is also a high-dose flu vaccine available for a fee for persons age 65 and older that you get through your doctor’s office.
At the institution I lead, St. George’s University, all second-year students go through a 10-week rotation at a community hospital in Grenada, in the Caribbean. We’ve also made diversity the focus of our recruitment efforts. Our students come
have with what other plans offer. Many people can find a new plan with lower costs, or better coverage of their medications, or sometimes even both. But if you don’t go shopping, you may never know that something better is available. Need help in figuring this all out? Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800633-4227) 24 hours every day or call your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Their number is on the back cover of your Medicare & You handbook. Also, you can get their phone number by calling 1-800-633-4227; just ask for your State Health Insurance Assistance Program or the SHIP in your state.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
SSM Free Flu Shots are on Saturday, October 8
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Drive-through flu clinic for ages 6 months and up
Parking Lot next to Ronald McDonald House 3450 Park Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 In partnership with Kohl’s 4 Kids, certified car seat technicians will also be present to check for proper installation.
Other locations are for ages 9 and older only 8 a.m. - Noon
SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Conference Center 1015 Bowles Avenue Fenton, MO 63026
SSM Health DePaul Hospital – May Center 12303 DePaul Drive St. Louis, MO 63044
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital – St. Charles St. Charles Room 300 First Capitol Drive St. Charles, MO 63301
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital – Lake St. Louis Education Center - Koenig Building 400 Medical Plaza Lake St. Louis, MO 63367
SSM Health Medical Group 172 Professional Parkway Troy, MO 63379
For each of the public flu clinics, vaccines will be available by injection only. There will not be a preservative-free option. Pregnant women are advised to obtain a flu shot from their primary care physician. No appointments are necessary. Participants should wear loose fit clothing and cannot be pregnant at the time. Flu shots will be given on a first come, first serve basis and are available while supplies last.
from 97 different countries; non-U.S. residents account for 35 percent of our enrollment. Today’s medical schools don’t reflect the ethnic, socioeconomic, or geographic composition of the patient populations doctors serve. By boosting diversity, med schools
can improve the quality of their training, help close the healthcare access gap, and improve patient health.
Dr. G. Richard Olds is president of St. George’s University in Grenada
Dividing Your Plate!
PRESENT:
For years kids were taught the proper variety of different categories of food by the use of a “Food Pyramid.” The tip of the pyramid represented the small amount of fats a child should consume and that was followed by the five food groups (Milk/Cheese, Meat, Vegetables, Fruits and Grains/Breads). Now the more common image is a plate divided up into portions, showing how much room vegetables, fruit, meats and breads should fill.
Share!
A fun way to run around, get your heart rate up and have fun is to play good old-fashioned tag. One person is “it” and they must tag someone else who is now the chaser. This game has many variations including: Freeze Tag — Once you are tagged, you are frozen until a friend crawls through your legs to un-freeze you. Game continues until everyone is frozen. When this happens, the first one frozen is now “it.”
The image also includes a side of milk.
Seeing the different kinds of foods on a plate can help you see how much of each type of food you should eat. Notice that the fruits/vegetables portion fills half of your plate. And remember to include whole grains in the “bread” section of your plate.
For more information visit: http://kidshealth. org/kid/stay_healthy/food/pyramid.html.
Learning Standards: HPE 2, NH 1, NH 5
Partners Tag — Two people hold hands and chase the others.
Once they catch another player, that player joins their chain.
Once two more partners have joined the team, they can split into two teams of two, and so on. (Teams must always have at least two players.)
Most of our childhood we are taught to share. But there are some things that should never be shared! These include eating utensils such as forks, spoons, straws and even napkins. But some other items to keep to yourself are your brush, comb, toothbrush, headbands and make-up. Germs, allergens and even living organisms (such as lice) can be passed through sharing these items. What are some other things that should not be shared?
Learning Standards: HPE 3, NH 1, NH 7
Flashlight Tag —
Instead of tagging other players, “it” must simply shine a flashlight on another player, who then becomes “it.”
What are some other ways to play tag? Share your ideas with your classmates.
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 3, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5
Ingredients: 1/3 Cp No-sugar-added fruit preserves (any flavor) 1 Tsp Cornstarch
Directions: Mix the fruit preserves with the cornstarch until dissolved. Spread into a 12-inch by 2-inch rectangle onto greased parchment paper. Bake at 225 degrees for 45 minutes and cool. Cut around the rectangle and roll up.
Surilla J. Shaw, St. Louis Public Schools District School Nurse Coordinator
Where do you work? I work for the Board of Education.
Where did you go to school? I graduated from Charles Sumner High School in St. Louis. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing from Saint Louis University and a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling from Lindenwood University, St. Louis.
What does a school nurse coordinator do? I support school nurses in getting what they need to do their jobs in caring for students, such as medical supplies, professional development planning, and developing and retaining health services through partnerships in the community.
Why did you choose this career? As a young girl, my mother’s crisp uniform and perfectly white shoes let me know that I wanted a job in which I would wear a uniform, even though she was only a nurse’s aide. When I was in nursing school myself, she always made sure to provide a new pair of white shoes for me every year.
What is your favorite part of the job you have?
My favorite part is that it keeps me growing and seeking ways to connect families with health resources. For example, through partnerships with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri we are connecting families to insurance coverage, and through the American Lung Association we are seeking to provide remediation for those with severe asthma.
Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3
“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 7,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.
Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
Hamilton Elementary School 3rd grade teacher, Shaina Costello , helps students
According to the American Heart Association, you can help prevent disease by following a healthy eating plan and adding more activity to your lifestyle. A healthy eating plan consists of lean proteins. Choosing fish as a source of protein also gives you omega 3 fatty acids to build brain cells. Consider meatless meals where your protein source comes from beans or other foods. Choose whole grains that contain a lot of fiber to help your digestive system and reduce cholesterol. Eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, and lower-fat dairy products. Add nuts and seeds to your diet to get more nutrients. Try to avoid sugary or fried foods.
In this experiment, you will observe the chemical reactions of yeast.
Materials Needed:
• A Packet of Dried Yeast • 16-20 oz.
Clear Water Bottle (empty) • 1 Teaspoon
Sugar • Warm Water • Small Balloon
Procedure:
q Add 1 inch of warm water in the water bottle.
w Add the entire yeast packet to the water and gently swirl the bottle to mix.
e Add the sugar and gently swirl to combine.
r Stretch out the balloon by blowing it up a few times and letting it deflate.
t Place the neck of the balloon over the neck of the water bottle.
y Place the bottle in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.
z Suzanne runs 3½ miles every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. How many miles will she run in a month that has 4 Mondays, 4 Wednesdays, and 5 Fridays? ______
x If you have 4 members in your family, and each family member drinks 6 ounces of juice each morning for breakfast, how long will
Check out these fun chemistry facts.
Kids should get 60 minutes of activity a day. Choose activities you enjoy—playing sports, jumping rope, walking around the neighborhood. At least twice a week, you should choose an activity that works on strengthening your muscles— such as push-ups, sit-ups, etc. Get your friends and family involved, choose some fun music, and you will be surprised how much you enjoy physical activity. For more information, visit: https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/ or http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/diseases-conditions/.
Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting details. I can make text-to-text and text-to-self connections.
u Watch the balloon inflate.
How does it work? Yeast is a living microorganism. As it “eats” the sugar, it releases carbon dioxide, which is a gas. This gas causes the bottle (and the balloon) to expand.
Form a hypothesis:
1.Does room temperature affect how much gas is created by the yeast?
2.Does the size of the container affect how much gas is created by the yeast?
3.Does yeast respond the same to syrup and honey as it does to sugar?
Repeat the experiment and test your hypothesis as you change these variables.
Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete an experiment. I can make observations and draw conclusions.
Calls for Math!
a 1 gallon jug of orange juice last?
(Remember: One gallon = 4 quarts, and 1 quart = 32 ounces.)
c You are trying a new recipe for muffins. It calls for 2 1/3 cups of whole wheat flour. The only measuring cup you can find holds 1/3 cup. How many times will you need to fill the measuring cup with the flour? ______
About 78% of the
v Anthony bought 6 boxes of grapefruit for $9/box. If he has to pay 8% sales tax, what was the total he had to pay? ______
Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem. I can make text-toworld connections.
Jeannette Brown was born in 1934 in New York. When she was just 6 years old, her family doctor encouraged her love of science, specifically chemistry. Brown was a dedicated student and graduated in 1952 from New Dorp High School in Staten Island. After graduating high school, she attended Hunter College to pursue a chemistry degree. Brown was one of only two African-American women in the class. In 1956, she earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Next, Brown went to the University of Minnesota and became the first AfricanAmerican woman to earn a master’s degree in organic chemistry.
Brown then went to work for CIBA Pharmaceutical Company as a research chemist. She developed drugs for diseases, such as tuberculosis and coccidiosis (coccidiosis affects chickens). In 1969, she went to work for Merck & Co. Research to continue research of new drugs to make sure they are safe and effective. In 1986, she became chairperson of the Project SEED Committee for the American Chemical Society. Seven years later, she taught chemistry at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She also served as regional director on a committee to improve science education for local students.
In 2008, she shared the biography of seven chemists to the African American National Biography. Three years later, she published the novel “African American Women Chemists ” Hunter College and the University of Minnesota both have recognized Brown as an outstanding alumni. She has received other awards, including an Association of Women in Science fellow award in 2007. She was also recognized as an American Chemical Society fellow and a Chemical Heritage Foundation Ullyot Scholar. Brown has been active in professional organizations, such as the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) and the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Learning Standards: about a person who has made contributions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
Enjoy these activities that help you get to know your St. Louis American newspaper.
Activities —
Good Citizen: What are the qualities of a good citizen? Use the newspaper to find examples of stories of people who display good citizenship. Share your examples with your classmates.
Target Audience: Writers must appeal to their target audience. In this activity, your classmates will be your target audience. Survey your classmates to discover their favorite sport. What is the most popular sport? Next, create a newspaper advertisement for a product that relates to that sport.
Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can write for a specific purpose and audience. I can find evidence to support my claim.
securities and insurance.
Dana Tippin Cutler was elected the 2016-17 president of The Missouri Bar, which serves all 30,000 of Missouri’s practicing lawyers. She a partner in her family’s firm of James W. Tippin & Associates in Kansas City. Her four goals for her presidency are improving technology, continued strategic planning, new continuing legal education opportunities and “identifying our implicit biases through courageous collaboration.”
Wiley Price has a photograph, “Message for the Messenger,” in the permanent collection of the newly opened National Museum of African American History and Culture. His photograph, which went viral via email, captured AME bishops praying over Barack Obama during his July 2008 visit to St. Louis. Price is photojournalist for The St. Louis American
Gina Montgomery took on the role of intermediate civil rights specialist at the Missouri Department of Transportation, for both St. Louis and MoDOT’s Southeast District. Most recently she was outreach coordinator for the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, where she worked closely with the City of Ferguson’s Human Rights Commission, and served in the diversity office of the Metropolitan Sewer District for the city of St. Louis.
By Pat Matreci
For The St. Louis American
Teaching children the value of money is one of the more important lessons parents can impart to their offspring as they grow and develop. But at what age will such lessons be most impactful for youngsters?
The earlier the better, according to Darlene Martin, founder and president of the nonprofit Money Smarts School of Finance for Children. Founded in 2007, Money Smarts School prepares children primarily in grades six through eight to understand sophisticated strategies of money management and how to navigate everchanging financial markets.
“Over time, as I have worked in the financial services industry, on a regular basis I was faced
n “We often hear parents say, ‘I wish I knew what my child knows at their age.’”
– Darlene Martin,
Money Smarts School of Finance for Children
with individuals whom I believe would have made better financial decisions earlier in life if they had a better understanding of personal finance, general economics and the financial system we operate within,” said Martin, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business and administration as well as multiple licenses in
“It was then that I made a consciences decision to do something about the problem I categorized as a pandemic. My passion for finance and education developed into a personal mission to educate and empower individuals with the knowledge and tools that could potentially change the financial trajectory of their life. Since others were addressing the needs of adults, I decided to make the next generation my audience.”
A few years later, the pilot for Money Smarts School was launched and held on Saturday mornings for six weeks. Martin’s background has laid the foundation for this endeavor. She served in positions ranging from financial
See MONEY, B2
Travis Capers, son of a nurse, is president of SSM St. Mary’s Hospital
By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American
Travis Capers, the new president at SSM St. Mary’s Hospital, said it was SSM’s long, rich history in the St. Louis community and its mission to serve that brought him to St. Louis six months ago. Capers came to St. Louis from New Orleans, where he served for four years as CEO of Ochner Medical Center. The Charleston, South Carolina native became interested in health care because of his mother, who was a nurse. “Her strong passion and desire to serve rubbed off on me,” Capers said. “She was a nurse for over 40 years.”
In college, Capers earned a bachelor of science in business administration and a master’s in hospital administration, both from the University of South Carolina. Capers is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, and has completed the Harvard Business School Executive Managing Health Care Delivery Program.
Capers had an administrative residency at a hospital in South Carolina and then moved to
Chicago, where he completed his administrative residency and learned hospital operations at University of Chicago Medical Center as an assistant to the chief operating officer.
Travis Capers
“I did that for two years, kind of learning hospital operations, learning how you can help and support and be that servant-leader for employees,” Capers said. Through that process, Capers became the director of surgery, where he spent two years before joining the executive development program for Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), which initially placed him in Tallahassee, Florida for 18 months.
“I was helping to build a replacement hospital and managing about six or seven other departments and really helping and supporting employees to make the transition from the old hospital to the new hospital,” he said. “We went from 120 beds to 200 beds – and really helping
n “Everyone plays an important part in what we do to serve our community.”
– Travis Capers, president, St. Mary’s Hospital
and supporting them in making that change –old equipment, new equipment – very exciting times.”
Capers was promoted to chief operating officer at Southern Hills Medical Center, an HCA hospital in Nashville. His eight-year tenure there working with a strong CEO is what helped him to develop his type of leadership.
“It helped me develop my management style in partnering with our physicians, partnering with our employees,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity to really do what I do now – being
See CAPERS, B6
Sterling K. Brown won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie for his portrayal of Christopher Darden in “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime.” Brown grew up in Olivette and graduated from MICDS before earning a BA in drama from Stanford University and an MFA from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.
Tara L. Buckner will serve as the president of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College. Her role includes serving as a representative on the Spelman Board of Trustees as well as leading 54 alumnae chapters nationwide that are involved in student recruitment and financial support for Spelman College, community service and services to alumnae. She was previously president-elect of the association.
Benjamin C. Jones was promoted to lieutenant in the Missouri State Highway Patrol, from the position of sergeant, and assigned to the Career Recruitment Division, where he will serve as assistant director. He is a 15-year veteran of the patrol. His most recent position was commercial vehicle enforcement trooper. On the move? Congratulations! Send your good professional
By Nathaniel Sillin
As you prepare for a new year at college, managing your money may be the last thing on your mind. But, college is the perfect time to instill strong and healthy financial habits, such as budgeting and living within your means.
By starting on the right foot with good saving and spending habits, you’ll have a good chance to set yourself up for a life of financial success. Here are some ideas students – with the help of parents, relatives and the school’s financial aid office – can consider while taking the leap into living away from home.
Create a financial plan early on. Create a general financial plan for your college years right away, and a more detailed budget for the upcoming semester. You can start with estimated costs for tuition, fees, room and board from your school’s financial aid office and fill in the actual numbers once you know them. Even with financial aid, most college students need to be frugal as they balance major expenses and a limited income from work or parental support. While you may need to take out student loans, the better you manage your personal and educational expenses the less you’ll have to borrow now, and repay later.
Adjust your budget as you go. Your focus should be school, but you can also take time to track your money and stick to your budget. A budget can be a tool and a
learning opportunity, and particularly during your first few semesters, you’ll likely have to make adjustments as you learn to balance wants and needs. Try to stick with it and remember it’s okay to make changes (and an occasional mistake) as you go. Parents can discuss how they manage their personal or family budget and offer suggestions for cutting expenses or finding work. College students may face
many financial firsts, such as signing a rental agreement, purchasing insurance or applying for a loan, and parents can share their experiences and advice.
Make your budget add up. Learning how to roll with the punches and live within your means are timeless skills. You’ll have to balance academic obligations with a part- or full-time job to increase your income.
Look for alternatives to buying new textbooks, such as renting textbooks, buying used books, purchasing or renting e-textbooks or using the library’s reference copies.
But, there are often flexible on-campus jobs you can qualify for if you have a workstudy grant as part of your financial aid package. When it comes to saving, there are all sorts of ways to cut costs on necessities and indulgences. Consider the following three tactics almost any college student can use to spend less money.
• Use student discounts. Dozens of stores offer students discounts, validated with an official ID, or a .edu email address, and you may be able to save 10 to 20 percent off your purchase. Ask store
continued from page B1 advisor to academic training leader at Edward Jones, and was an assistant vice president in premier banking at Bank of America. She is director of training and development at e3 Wealth.
Martin invited her friends and their children to participate in the Money Smarts School program and then asked them to provide honest feedback.
The parents and kids loved the program, she noted, and continued to participate beyond the initial six weeks. Those original students now are in high school.
The parent of one of the initial students shared a comment from her daughter regarding what she had learned during her participation with Money Smarts School.
The daughter was taking an entrance exam to attend a private school in St. Louis. The exam included a section on personal finance.
“The daughter commented to her mother that she was confident she scored well on the personal finance section of the exam because of what she had learned at Money Smarts School of Finance for Children,” Martin said. “She was familiar with the material on the test.”
Another student, whose parents allow him to make limited decisions regarding his personal investment portfolio, mentioned that as a result of learning about risk tolerance, he would rethink some financial decisions he had made in the past.
The curriculum is designed to change the way families think about and interact with money for generations to come. A committee made up of financial service professionals and a former educator have taken into consideration the five core competencies of financial literacy – earn, save, spend, borrow and protect – and evaluated those
employees or check online before to see if a store offers a student discount before checking out.
• Save on textbooks. Look for alternatives to buying new textbooks, such as renting textbooks, buying used books, purchasing or renting e-textbooks or using the library’s reference copies.
Make a practice of saving for the future. You’ll want to figure out the best way to use your savings. If you’ve taken out student loans, you could allocate some of the money to early loan payments.
Private and unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest while you’re in school. Making a payment can help you avoid increasing your debt load and save you money on interest. Plus, unlike with some other types of loans, there’s no penalty for making early student loan payments.
Bottom line. College is an ideal time to instill healthy financial habits. Ask your parents or other relatives for guidance, discuss student loans and budgeting with your college’s financial aid office, learn a new skill online or attend a local personal finance workshop or seminar. While you set off on a series of firsts, take advantage of these resources to learn how to manage, save and wisely spend your money. Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa’s financial education programs. To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ PracticalMoney.
• Mobilize your savings. If saving money is just one more thing you don’t want to think about, you can save your spare cash via your smartphone. Thinking about buying a car next summer or saving money for spring break? There are mobile apps that will calculate how much money you can afford to save at a given moment – whether that’s $20 or ten cents – and will save it for you. You could also set up an automatic weekly or monthly transfer to your savings account through your bank. Chances are you won’t miss the money, and you won’t spend it if you don’t see it in your checking account.
core competencies from the perspective of building long-term financial stability for individuals, families, local markets and regional markets. After doing so, it was determined that at least one additional core competency that assists families with generational financial growth be added to this list.
“We want parents, community stakeholders and future collaborating organizations to know that our students learn from experienced financial service professionals who, on a daily basis, assist adults in achieving their financial goals,” Martin said.
In addition, to enhance the learning experience, students are given an opportunity to practice what they have learned in the classroom by participating in real-life simulations.
This year, Money Smarts School has collaborated with LinkSTL, Lift for Life Gym and the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri to bring programming to more than 100 children, not including students who enroll in independent classes held on Saturday mornings. The school serves students enrolled in private schools, public schools in St. Louis County and city, and magnet schools. Martin also invites individuals in the financial service profession to partner with Money Smarts School and serve as volunteer classroom instructors.
The curriculum is being restructured into basic, intermediate and advanced levels.
The basic level focuses on cash flow awareness and cash flow strategies that can be used to manage an individual’s dayto-day lifestyle.
“It is very important that individuals understand that their attitude about and their relationship with money greatly affects the financial decisions they will make over their lifetime,” Martin said. “At this level, we strive to establish healthy money management habits.”
The intermediate level
separates life into stages.
“Each stage in our life calls for a different mindset,” Martin said. “Forty- and 50-year-olds have different concerns from 20- and 30-year-olds, and so on. A single, never-married parent’s concerns may differ from a divorced parent or a married couple. Add to that unexpected life issues that have the potential to complicate matters. At this level we strive to prepare students to plan ahead for the expected as well as the unexpected.”
The advanced level takes students long and deep into sophisticated personal financial planning.
“We want students to be empowered with the knowledge and understanding necessary to have an intelligent conversation with their network of financial professionals when they reach adulthood,” Martin said. “All curriculum activities push the analytical capacity of students to plan and problem solve at an elevated level regarding reallife situations.”
Martin said it isn’t unusual for parents to remain in the classroom with students.
“We often hear parents say, ‘I wish I knew what my child knows at their age,’’’ Martin said. “Sometimes parents are invited to participate in classroom activities along with students. From this perspective, the family is able to learn together as one unit and continue the discussion outside of the classroom.”
Classes meet for two hours one day per week for eight to 10 weeks. The upcoming spring session meets from February to April, with open registration in January. Classes are conducted at St. Louis Community College’s William J. Harrison Education Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They also are held in Creve Coeur, in collaboration with a well-established wealth management firm, from 10 a.m. to noon. Tuition is $125, and scholarships are available for families that qualify.
For more information, visit moneysmartsschoolforchildren. org or call 314-956-7918.
– Usain Bolt, on whether he will compete in the 2020 Olympics
The Trinity Titans are emerging as one of the powerhouse programs in the St. Louis area.
Trinity won seven games last season with a team full of freshman and sophomores playing major roles. Now, with a year of experience under their belt, the Titans drubbing one opponent after another on their way to a 6-0 record.
The Titans have been dominant on both sides of the ball, averaging 56 points a game while surrendering only six. With only seven seniors on the roster, the Titans figure to be a major player in Class 2 this year and in the future.
The leader of the pack is sophomore quarterback Isaiah Williams, who has passed for 978 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 318 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior running back Darries Rainey has rushed for 530 yards and four touchdowns while sophomore Alphonzo Andrews has rushed for 387 yards and six touchdowns.
Trinity’s leading receiver is yet another sophomore, Marcus Washington, who has 12 receptions for 203 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore Bryce Childress has 10 receptions for 234 yards and five touchdowns while senior Darion Bolden has eight receptions for 178 yards and three touchdowns.
Anchoring the line play for Trinity is behemoth 6’6” 350-pound senior Larry Boyd, who has committed to the University of Illinois. Jennings transfer Jabriel Green has bolstered the Titans’ defensive line. The 6’3” 290-pound Green has 48 tackles and a team-high nine sacks. Sophomore linebacker Shammond Cooper is the team’s leading tackler with 51 solo stops. Trinity has the weekend off, but will return to action when it visits John Burroughs on Saturday, September 30.
Ram Tough
The MICDS Rams are one of the hottest teams in the area. After dropping their first two games, the Rams have won four consecutive games to take control of the Metro League. After defeating rival John Burroughs 26-24 last weekend, MICDS
“I’m just thankful…I never would’ve thought that people would love me like this, but for it to be a reality is just something else man.”
– Kevin Garnett Basketball fans loved Kevin Garnett for his intensity on the court and teammates and opponents often hated him for it. Regardless, nothing can diminish the greatness he achieved during his illustrious 21-year career. Though Garnett’s career achievements may have been overshadowed by contemporary greats such as Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, it can be argued that he had a much greater impact on NBA basketball. In 1995, the Minnesota Timberwolves made chose a tall, lanky kid from Chicago’s Farragut Academy with the fifth pick in the NBA Draft.
out of high school since 1975, when Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby made the jump from preps to pros. In ’95, big guys generally bumped and banged around the paint and left things like dribbling and shooting beyond 10 or 12 feet to the little guys. Enter KG. Listed at 6-foot11 and 217 pounds, Garnett could rebound and block shots with the best of the bigs, defend nearly any position on the floor, run the floor like a gazelle, handle the ball like the little guy and jump out of the gym. Simply put, he could do it all.
The selection made Garnett the first player drafted directly
That’s why Garnett, who often referred to his actual height as 6’13”, insisted that he always be listed as 6-foot11. He did not want to be pigeonholed as a lumbering seven-footer. Garnett’s immediate success on the court in Minnesota opened the door for guys like Bryant, LeBron James and Tracy McGrady to make the jump from high school to the
With Alvin A. Reid
America is in the midst of one of its most divisive, destructive and downright crazy presidential elections, yet neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump graced the cover of TIME magazine this week.
That honor belongs to Colin Kaepernick. He is kneeling next to the words, “The Perilous Fight.”
He appears on the nation’s leading news magazine, just as a poll concludes he is the NFL’s “most disliked player.” Kaepernick garnered 29 percent of 1,100 respondents, finishing ahead of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (22 percent), Miami Dolphins defensive end Ndamukong Suh (21 percent), New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (13 percent) and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (10 percent).
fighting and came back, he wasn’t going to be able to ride in the front of the buses, he wasn’t going to be able to teach at certain schools because he was a black man. So should he just fight and not say anything when he got back? No. We have to have the freedom to try to make this country better.”
Dungy also explained how he would handle a player telling him, “Coach, I feel like I’m doing something that’s going to help, I think it’s important.”
A similar poll was done in August 2014, and Kaepernick received just 6 percent of the “most disliked” vote.
In yet another example of how racially divided America is, 42 percent of African-Americans say they like the 49ers quarterback “a lot,” while only 2 percent dislike him “a lot.” Two years ago, 16 percent of African Americans said they liked Kaepernick “a lot,” while 3 percent disliked him “a lot.” Tony Dungy a Super Bowlwinning coach with Indianapolis and respected analyst, told WFAN in New York he thinks Kaepernick’s protest “is definitely working.”
“You can’t say,
‘Don’t do that, don’t be socially active, don’t have a conscience about what’s going on in our country,’” Dungy said.
“I think most people agree on the message. There’s something wrong in our country right now, and what can we do to help it?”
After his two-year stint as Philadelphia Eagles head coach ended with hints that he didn’t care for black players with personality, Chip Kelly is backing Kaepernick as his coach in San Francisco.
“He’s shedding light on a situation that is heinous, it shouldn’t happen in this country,” Kelly said.
n “You can’t say, ‘Don’t do that, don’t be socially active, don’t have a conscience about what’s going on in our country.’”
– Tony Dungy
“We’ve had more discussion, more dialogue, more people talking about this than I can remember. And I think that’s good,” Dungy said.
“The national anthem was important to me. But my dad (a World War II veteran) also knew when he got finished
“You look at what’s going on in Tulsa and Charlotte – it’s an issue that’s in the forefront of our country. It needs to be addressed. It needs to be taken care of because it’s not right.”
L.A. Rams really irritate STL
With the Los Angeles Rams at 2-1 and tied for the lead in the NFC West, the petty and childish criticism of the team continues in the St. Louis area.
After the Rams topped Tampa Bay 37-32 on Sunday, former Post-Dispatch Rams beat writer Jim Thomas went way, way out of his way on Monday to say the winners weren’t deserving of the victory.
“When all was said and done, the Rams couldn’t have done it Sunday without a lot of help from Tampa Bay, some of which defied the imagination,” Thomas wrote.
He then provided a lengthy explanation as to how the Bucs surrendered the game and the Rams didn’t win it.
He would not have written this story if the Rams were in St. Louis; then, he would have been telling us why the Rams were destined for the playoffs.
A plea to most St. Louis media members: Stop pandering to Rams haters and deflecting criticism from those
that genuinely deserve it. It’s so much easier to just hate the Rams and owner Stan Kroenke than to admit the role this region played in allowing the Rams to flee west.
By the way, FORBES now ranks the L.A. Rams sixth in value in the NFL at $2.9 billion. Kroenke paid $750 million for the franchise in 2010. Its value has doubled three years before the team opens its new stadium and entertainment plaza in Inglewood.
Bad deals abound
On Tuesday morning, the St.
Louis Cardinals had just loss 15-2 to the Cincinnati Reds and had been jeered from a sparse (by St. Louis standards) crowd.
On this Tuesday morning, I’m still convinced the Cardinals will host the wildcard playoff game and defeat the rampaging Chicago Cubs in a NLDS. Last week, I chastised the notion of HBCU football teams sacrificing players for a big payday from major universities. Missouri wrote a reported $525,000 check to Delaware State for the right to put a 79-0 beatdown on the school’s football team last Saturday. Shameful.
Colin Kaepernick appears on the nation’s leading news magazine, just as a poll concludes he is the NFL’s “most disliked player.”
But it’s even worse –Clemson paid South Carolina State $300,000 two weeks ago. On September 3, Kansas probably won its lone game of the season by thrashing hapless Rhode Island 55-6 at a cost of $350,000. It seems to me that Mizzou’s administration overpaid for the Tigers’ onslaught.
Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows. His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
Continued from B3 ketball court. It drove Carmelo Anthony to trying standing outside the Celtics’ bus and challenging him to a fight after a game. It led to Garnett kicking Rajon Rondo out of practice for lackadaisical defensive effort. Garnett also turned Glen Davis’ ‘Big Baby’ nickname into reality by making him cry on the sidelines after blowing a lead. His do-or-die approach also led to a NBA MVP Award (2004), an NBA Championship (2008), 15 All-Star selections, Defensive Player of the Year Award (2008), nine First-Team Defensive Team honors, four rebounding titles and more. With his retirement announcement, Garnett leaves the game as the only player in NBA history to eclipse 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, 1,500 steals and 1,500 blocks. Good luck and thanks for the memories. Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk
Continued from B3
clinched at least a share of the league title with Lutheran North. The Rams can win the title outright on Saturday if they defeat Westminster. The Rams are led by senior two-way performer Keiondre Jordan, who is a big-play performer at running back and receiver on offense, and hard-hitting linebacker and safety on defense. Sophomore quarterback Graham Bundy has passed for 633 yards and nine touchdowns. Juniors Preston Buchanan and Ryan Thompson are playmakers on offense. Joining Jordan on defense is fellow senior Teddy Schmid, who has a team-high seven quarterback sacks. Juniors Jayson Love and Ford Maune are the Rams’ two leading tacklers.
Earl’s Pick Game of the Week
The big game of the week is the Southwestern Conference showdown between East St. Louis at Edwardsville on Friday night. My colleague Maurice Scott is previewing that big matchup.
Another big matchup will take place in MidMissouri when CBC pays a visit to Jefferson City on Friday night at 7 p.m. Both teams are currently 5-1 and ranked in the top five in the state in Class 6.
Top Games of the Week
Parkway Central at Jennings, Friday, 6 p.m.
CBC at Jefferson City, Friday, 7 p.m.
DeSmet at Chaminade, Friday, 7 p.m.
East St. Louis at Edwardsville, Friday, 7 p.m. Timberland at Francis Howell, Friday, 7 p.m. Hazelwood Central at Pattonville, Friday, 7 p.m.
St. Mary’s at St. Dominic, Friday, 7 p.m.
Lutheran South at John Burroughs, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Summit at Hazelwood East, Saturday, 1 p.m. Belleville East at Belleville West, Saturday, 1 p.m.
‘Golden
With Maurice Scott
The matchup that everyone is looking for in the Southwestern Conference between East St. Louis and Edwardsville is on and poppin’.
Both schools will enter Friday night’s showdown at the District 7 Sports Complex in Edwardsville with perfect 5-0 records. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Both programs have respect for each other but, to be honest, they just don’t like each other.
Edwardsville has won 30 consecutive Southwestern Conference games dating back to 2012. The last team to beat the Tigers in conference play was East St. Louis, who defeated the Tigers 14-4 on September 7, 2012. The Tigers came back to defeat East Side 21-18 in the first round of the state playoffs.
n Both programs have respect for each other but, to be honest, they just don’t like each other.
championship. But, tomorrow night’s game will definitely have a state-championship atmosphere. The Flyers are coming off a 52-0 shellacking of Belleville West last weekend, while Edwardsville defeated Belleville East 49-13. East St. Louis got an outstanding performance from quarterback Reyondus Estes, who completed 15 of 23 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns.
Robinson and two-way performer
James Knight.
On defense, safety James “Bonecrusher” Knight is one of the team’s leading tacklers with 37, while linebackers Kemontre “State Street” Harvey and William Keltee have 11 sacks between them.
All-American wide receiver Jeff Thomas let everyone know he is back and healthy has he had six receptions for 205 yards and two touchdowns against Belleville West.
East St. Louis is currently ranked No. 1 in the IHSA Class 7A polls, while Edwardsville is ranked No. 7 in the Class 8A polls. Both teams will represent the Metro East in next month’s IHSA playoffs as they go on their separate journeys towards a state
While the one-two punch of Estes and Thomas will garner much of the Tigers’ defensive attention, Edwardsville coach Matt Martin has to be concerned about Flyers running back Jarell Anderson, who has rushed for 575 yards while averaging 6.2 yards a carry. The Flyers also feature Perez Hall Jr., Charlando
This Edwardsville team does not have the individual superstar talent that East Side does on offense, so they will look to play ball control with sophomore running back Dionte Rogers. He is a threat in the running game and passing game. Rogers rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns against Belleville East. He also had five catches for 58 yards. Rogers has scored 13 touchdowns this season.
Quarterback Brenden Dickmann controls the offense for the Tigers. He has talented receivers to throw to in Daval Torres, James Fulton and Tyrese Brown. Torres had four receptions for 116 yards against Belleville East last week.
Edwardsville won’t look for their offense to win this game on Friday night. It will be its defense that will be counted on to try to
handle the Flyers’ high-octane offense. Against Belleville East, the Tigers held the Lancers to 43 yards of total offense, -24 yards of rushing and only two first downs in the first half.
Leading the Tigers defense is senior defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who is the No. 1 prospect in the state of Illinois and University of Iowa commitment. Epenesa and linebacker Nathan Kolsea will be a load for the Flyers’ offense to contend with. They are both physical and can make plays. They will have to do the same on Friday if the Tigers are to extend their conference winning streak to 31 games.
As for East St. Louis, a win will put head coach Darren “Quarterfinals” Sunkett in the cat-bird seat for an elusive Southwestern Conference title and shut up the East St. Louis “street-patrol” for a moment. But, in order to shut up the street patrol, it’s state championship or bust for the self-proclaimed starter of the rich tradition of Flyers’ football, whose only state title came in 2008. Bob Shannon won six state titles at East Side prior to Sunkett’s hiring. Hurdle No. 1 is on Friday night. Let’s go, Flyers!
Douglas among star gymnasts stopping at Chaifetz Arena on October 6
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
It’s a shame that Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas was unfairly targeted as “Crabby Gabby” until Ryan Lochte gave the 2016 Rio Games a scandal worthy of reporting. In real life, Douglas couldn’t be more different from the image that those looking to report catty news and gossip attempted to manufacture. Extremely personable and open, she had more energy at 7 a.m. than most people after four espresso shots chased by a Red Bull.
n “I didn’t have an easy life growing up. It was very hard for me. So it was definitely a ‘yes’ moment on the podium.”
– Gabby Douglas
“It’s pretty cool to be back here a third time,” Douglas said. “I was here in 2012 and 2016, and it’s great to say, ‘Oh, we’ve competed here.’ And the Arch is pretty cool!” She was in St. Louis last week to promote her upcoming visit as part of the 2016 Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions coming to the Chaifetz Arena next Thursday, October 6.
“We’ll be interacting with the fans, doing gymnastics –and it’s awesome because we get to pick out what skills we want to do,” Douglas said. “There will be no judges, a lot of dancing and a lot of interactions. It’s just fun for them – and fun for us. It’s basically a celebration after Rio.”
In 2012, St. Louis was one of the last places she competed before making history as the first woman of color to win all-around Olympic Gold in London.
“Amazing” was her favorite word to describe that experience – where she also became the first woman of color to win two gold medals in gymnastics when the team captured the gold as well.
“When I was eight years old, I actually got introduced to gymnastics on television,” Douglas said. “I was like, ‘I want to go there, and I want to do that.’” Eight years after entering gymnastics, she decided that she was going to pour every
bit of herself into making it to sports’ biggest stage. “It was a great feeling to see the sacrifice and hard work
pay off,” Douglas said. “And when you pour so much into something, you want to walk away and feel like ‘I did it.’”
Simply making it into the arena would have been validation – but Douglas left London as one of the biggest stars of that Olympiad.
“I didn’t have an easy life growing up. It was very hard for me,” Douglas said. “So it was definitely a ‘yes’ moment on the podium.”
Endorsement deals, a made-for-television biopic about her life, and a reality television show grew out of her popularity.
“I’m truly grateful to have this platform so that I can share my message and my story to encourage other young girls who have struggled or are struggling,” Douglas said. “It’s
a blessing to be able to inspire them – and continue to help them by showing my journey. I’m excited to share it with them.”
One of those young girls, Simone Biles, instantly followed in Douglas’ footsteps by capturing the all-around gold and team gold in 2016. Douglas was a part of the team win, but was edged out in the individual all-around because of a technicality. Only two gymnasts per country are allowed to compete. Her score was the third-highest among the all-around performances behind her teammates Biles and Aly Raisman. Had she been allowed,
Althoff – Football
Douglas would have most likely medaled for a second consecutive time.
The question she has been bombarded with since leaving the floor for in Rio is naturally whether she’ll be back for 2020 in Tokyo. “Right now I’m doing the tour and then next I’m going on vacation,” Douglas said. “And then we will see.”
The 2016 Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions will come to Chaifetz Arena on Thursday, September 6 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com.
The senior running back enjoyed a huge performance in leading the Crusaders to a 40-21 victory over Centralia in South Seven Conference action last week.
Bester rushed for a career-high 331 yards on 16 carries and scored four touchdowns. He scored on runs of 48, 45, 45 and seven yards. For the season, Bester has rushed for 991 yards on 58 carries with 13 touchdowns. As a junior, he rushed for 1,246 yards and 21 touchdowns in helping the Crusaders to a berth in the Illinois Class 4A state championship game. Bester has committed to Miami University in Ohio.
Althoff (5-0) will host Marion in a South Seven game on Friday night at 7 p.m.
continued from page B1
visible, approachable.”
That leadership also meant meeting community needs.
“We built programs and services where it was needed – for example, primary care, specialist’s care, cardiology.”
At St. Mary’s, he is also looking at areas for improvement.
“We are on a lean journey, so we are looking at process improvements. So how do we reduce wasted time for our patients?” Capers said. “One of the things we are continuously focusing on is access to care and appropriate care.”
He said that includes access to primary care physicians and partnering with other not-forprofit organizations, including
Federally Qualified Health Centers. St. Mary’s partnership with Bridges to Care includes home visits to make sure patients receive the appropriate level of care to coordinate and manage care. St. Mary’s is also working on bringing in new primary care practice in Brentwood near the Galleria. There are other improvements in the works. Capers said St. Mary’s is bringing in robotic surgery for urological, gynecological and general surgery. Also, the hospital is expanding and renovating its neonatal intensive care unit. “Overall, that’s probably a $15 million project,” Capers said, “and then we are on the cusp of working on expansion of our emergency department.”
He described his management style at St. Mary’s as one of a steward-leader, who
knows his purpose, which is to serve others. “I’m there for our employees – don’t ask anything of them that I wouldn’t ask of myself,” he said. Recently, he donned scrubs and shadowed St. Mary’s custodians. He worked with the housekeeping staff to clean rooms. He has done the same for other departments, like food services. “Rolling up your sleeves, showing you’re no different than anyone else,” he said. “Everyone plays an important part in what we do to serve our community.”
“As far as my vision for St. Mary’s, we have employees that have been here for over 50 year,” Capers said, “so it’s really understanding our culture, promoting our culture and how do we continuously find ways to serve our community.”
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
“Black is definitely the new black based on what I’ve been seeing on the runway this season,” said style maven and fashion designer Skylar Barnes.
As the city prepares to get out their “good clothes” for the St. Louis American Foundation’s 29th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala on Saturday, October 1 at America’s Center, Barnes dishes on the basics of getting glammed up in 2016. For those of us still scrambling to get a look together before the gala, Barnes insists we bet on black.
“You can do so much with it,” Barnes said. “You can add color and/or texture. You can even do your ‘go to’ little black dress and add some dramatic accessories – but you want to See FASHION, C6
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
“It started out as us with us wanting to honor someone who has given a start to so many people,” said singer/actress Unity Theatre Ensemble company member Mardra Thomas.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t we have a reunion?’ But I don’t know how to do anything small, so I got to thinking that we should have a production so that we can celebrate him and his life.”
Next Sunday, October 9, Ralph Greene and his wife Bonnie Harmon will be honored for the decades that Unity served as a springboard for performers of color – actors, singers and dancers – in the region. Many of these performers, who have gone on
Troupe alums return to the stage, honor founder Ralph Greene at The Sheldon
to make a name for themselves locally regionally and nationally, will return the stage in the name of Unity as part of a variety show themed revue that blends dance, music, poetry and drama.
Memorable snippets of familiar work produced by Unity will be presented as well.
Denise Thimes, Ron Himes, J. Samuel Davis, Chuck Flowers, Vivian Watt, Joel P.E. King,
Thomasina Clarke and Thomas herself will represent the generations of talent that came through the ranks of the theater over the years.
In 1971 Ralph Greene founded Kutana Players as a graduate assistantship project while he studied at Southern University at Carbondale. His intention was to give African-American theater majors a chance to grace the stage in roles beyond the stereotypical characters of butlers and maids.
“We presented productions in every space we could find: the student center, a small 100-seat theater that we had to schedule when no one else was using it, a theater in the home economics auditorium,” Greene said as he accepted “The
Ugandan chess champ’s tale ‘Queen of Katwe’ hits theatres nationwide Friday
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
Disney has stepped into even deeper waters as far as moving beyond their tradition of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed damsel in a magical kingdom who ultimately lives happily ever after. Seven years ago Tiana became Disney’s first black princess in the animated film “Princess and the Frog.” This Friday, September 30, their feature film department gives us their first black “queen.”
Based on Tim Crothers’ book of the same name, “Queen of Katwe” is the true-life tale of Phiona Matele, an impoverished Ugandan girl who uses chess as a vehicle to transport herself and her family out of their dire circumstances.
The film follows her journey from the slums of Katwe, a township in Uganda’s capital city of Kampala, as she puts her tiny region on the international map in the chess world during her quest to become a grandmaster.
n The is a Disney ilm, so a feel-good happy ending is inevitable – but with this unique and undiluted African story, they take the road less traveled to get us there.
One of many children to a widowed mother, Phiona is unable to attend school. But her natural intelligence is cultivated by a mentor who uses the game to provide an outlet for the children in her neighborhood and to help them realize the potential that few others recognize.
Yes, in its own way the film perpetuates the Western world’s constant linkage of Africa with extreme poverty. But “Queen of Katwe” also showcases the resilience and resourcefulness of a people who manage to constantly see beyond even the most dire circumstances while trudging ahead to triumph.
And it was refreshing to see that the “great white hope” angle wasn’t employed to tell Phiona’s story on film.
Indian filmmaker Mira Nair gives this film the necessary care and attention to detail to create a universal connection between the audience and the characters. Chances are, most people who’ll see “Queen of Katwe” will have little to nothing in common with the faces they see on screen. Not only will they find redeeming qualities in each character’s narrative, they will also be inspired while watching each of them as they overcome their respective obstacles.
The cast of “Queen of Katwe” was absolutely stunning and superb – from the portrayal of Phiona to the ragtag group of charismatic young people who portray the Katwe chess team. In her first feature film, Ugandan
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Sat., Oct. 1, 8 p.m., 88.7 The Sound presents the Jason Marsalis Vibe Quartet. The Sheldon Concert Hall, Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 533-9900 or visit www. thesheldon.org.
Tues., Oct. 4, 8 p.m. (7 p.m. doors), Café Soul welcomes Andra Day and Corrine Bailey Rae, The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com.
Fri., Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m., SiriusXM presents I Love the 90’s. Featuring Vanilla Ice, Salt N’ Pepa with Spinderella, Kid N’ Play, All 4 One, Coolio, and Young MC. 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 977-5000 or visit www. thechaifetzarena.com.
Fri., Oct. 7, The Marquee welcomes Scarface. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.
Mon., Oct. 10, 9 p.m., The Pageant presents Rae Sremmurd – SremmLife II Tour. 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 726-6161 or visit www.thepageant.com.
Concert. This unique event will feature a live performance by the Take Me to the River Memphis All-Star Band, including: William Bell, Frayser Boy, Al Kapone, Legendary Hi Rhythm Section, and the Stax Academy Alumni Band. 615 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, call (314) 925-0016 or visit www.facebook.com.
Sat., Oct. 15, The Ambassador welcomes Gucci Mane. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.
Sat., Oct. 1, 1 p.m., Berkeley’s Music in the Park Event. Come hear the sounds of The Renaissance Rhythm & Blues Band. Jackson Park, 6231 Washington Ave., 63134. Tues., Oct. 4, 6 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents Twilight Tuesdays: Fabulous Motown Review 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112.
Jazzy ENT presents Laughs in the Lou Comedy Explosion. Featuring Darius Bradford, Jeremiah “JJ” Williamson, Michael Colyar (above), T.K. Kirkland, and Brandon “Hot Sauce” Glover. For more information, see COMEDY.
Sat., Oct. 1, 5 p.m., The St. Louis American Foundation presents the 29th 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.
Fri., Oct. 14, 7 p.m., National Blues Museum presents the Take Me to the River Blvd., 63121. For more information, call (314) 5164949 or visit www.touhill.org.
Sept. 30 – Oct. 1, Dance St. Louis presents Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL, One University
Sat., Oct. 1, 2 p.m., Grove Community Improvement District presents Grove Fest 2016. Manchester Ave between Tower Grove and Sarah, 63110. For more
information, call (314) 5355311.
Sat., Oct. 1, 5 p.m., The St. Louis American Foundation presents the 29th 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.
Sun., Oct. 2, 10 a.m., The St.
Louis Natural Hair & Black Cultural Expo. Come out for educational seminars, natural hair showcasing, fashion showcasing, over 40 vendors, and much more. Holiday Inn Downtown, 811 North 9th St., 63101. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.
Sun., Oct. 2, 5 p.m., Born Poor Live Rich Clothing presents The Rebirth Fashion Presentation. 2720 Cherokee St., 63118. For more information, call (314) 283-5096 or visit www. therebirthstl.eventbrite.com.
Thur., Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m., Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions 2016 Join Olympic All-Around Champions Gabrielle Douglas and Nastia Liukin, along with members of the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Teams. 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information,
call (314) 977-5000 or visit www.thechaifetzarena.com.
Sat., Oct. 8, 9 a.m., A Step Beyond in collaboration with the City of Berkeley and the City of Hazelwood will be hosting the 2nd annual “Unity in the Community Youth Rally”. For more information, please call 314-339-9086 or visit www. barakchristianchurch.org.
Sat., Oct. 8, 3 p.m., 2nd Annual Young Friends Brewfest. Urban Improvement Construction, 1607 Tower Grove Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314) 771-7674 or visit marianmiddleschool.org.
Sat., Oct. 8, 8 p.m., Touhill Performing Arts Center presents Vision: Where Ballet + Fashion Meet. One University Blvd., 63121. For more information, call (314) 516-4949 or visit www.touhill. org.
Fri., Oct. 14, 9 a.m., St. Louis World Food Day 2016. A food-packaging program providing nutritious meals to help feed hungry children and families living locally and internationally. Volunteers sign up at no cost to volunteer in four-hour shifts, assisting with event execution. 755 S. Price Rd., 63124. For more information, call (314) 7862785 or visit www.STLWFD. org.
Sat., Oct. 22, 11 a.m., Helping Hands Food Pantry Inaugural Luncheon: “Living Your Life to Leave a Legacy.” Entertainment, door prizes and a silent option will be part of the event. Crown Plaza Hotel, 11228 Long Eagle Dr., 63044. For more information, call (314) 8396591 or (314) 795-4753. Sat., Oct. 22, 11 a.m., The Girl Talk Outreach Project Summit 2016. Our mission is to help empower, encourage, motivate and positively build the self-esteem within teen girls and teen moms, through mentorship, motivational conference events and more.
This year’s event will talk about goal setting and include a goal setting activity to help young girls set and organize their goals, which in return will help them reach their dreams. Black Jack Community Fire Protection District, 5675 N Hwy 67, 63034. For more information, visit www.entertainment.com.
Thur., Sept. 29, 7 p.m.,
Left Bank Books hosts
author Christopher Hebert, author of Angels of Detroit
A kaleidoscopic of an iconic American City, of abandonment, hope, violence, and resilience—and the lives intersecting on Detroit’s margins.
Mon., Oct. 3, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Ashes. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 3676731 or visit www.left-bank. com.
Sat., Oct. 1, 8 p.m., Peabody Opera House presents Wanda Sykes. 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, call (314) 499-7600 or visit www.peabodyoperahouse.com.
Sat., Oct. 8, 7 p.m., Jazzy ENT presents Laughs in the Lou Comedy Explosion Featuring Darius Bradford, Jeremiah “JJ” Williamson, Michael Colyar, T.K. Kirkland, and Brandon “Hot Sauce” Glover. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, call (409) 571-9454 or visit www. ajazzyevent.com.
Oct. 1 – 2, The Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association presents the Historic Shaw Art Fair Featuring 135 artists, food,
music, art demonstrations and kids activities, and most importantly – great art. Flora Place & Tower Grove Ave., 63101. For more information, call (314) 771-3101 or visit www.shawartfair.org.
Oct. 4 – 6, Kemper Art Museum presents the Art on Film Series. The series features three films, Oct. 4: Pollock; Oct. 5: Moulin Rouge; Oct. 6: The Mystery of Picasso. Tivoli Landmark Theater, 6350 Delmar Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 935-4523 or visit www.kemperartmuseum.wustl. edu.
Oct. 8 – 9, Highland Arts Council presents the Thirteenth Annual Art in the Park. This family friendly festival brings professional artwork to the community while providing music, food and fun for children and adults. Lindendale Park, 2005 Parkhill Dr., Highland, IL 62249. For more information, visit www. highlandartscouncil.org.
Through October 8, The Griot Museum of Black History presents Wandering Spirits: African Wax Prints. 2505 St. Louis Ave., 63106. For more information, call (314) 241-7057 or visit www. thegriotmuseum.org.
Through Oct. 30, COCA presents Outside In: Paint for Peace. Showcasing the power of the arts, the exhibition presents a selection of the murals painted on the boardedup storefronts by amateur and professional artists in the days and weeks following the 2014 protests in Ferguson. 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, call (314) 7256555 or visit www.cocastl.org.
Sept. 30 – Oct. 1, Journey Live Production presents Beauty Inside & Out. As each character copes with their respective pain, they are in search of finding beauty within. Harris Stowe State
University, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, call (417) 771-0444 or visit www.journeyliveproduction. com.
Oct. 1 – Oct. 2, Gitana Productions presents New World, written by Lee Patton Chiles and directed by Vivian Watt, Nahed Chapman New American Academy Gallaudet Bldg., 1616 S. Grand Blvd. 63104. For more information, visit www.gitana-inc.org or call 314-721-6556.
Through Oct. 9, Stages St. Louis presents Sister Act. A divine comedy about a sassy, low-rent lounge singer forced to hide out from the mob. The Robert G. Reim Theatre, 111 S Geyer Rd., 63122. For more information, call (314) 821-2407 or visit www. stagesstlouis.org.
Thur., Oct. 13, The History of Policing and the Changing Landscape. This program examines the history of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the current state of policing in the region. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112.
Tues., Oct. 18, 1 p.m., The Election Series with Terry Jones. Noted political consultant Terry Jones will lead a series of panel discussions that will expand your understanding of the issues affecting the 2016 election. Center of Clayton, 50 Gay Ave., 63105. For more information, call (314) 8624859.
Thur., Oct. 13, The History of Policing and the Changing Landscape. This program examines the history of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the current state of policing in the region. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112.
Wednesdays through Nov. 9, 7 p.m., The Missouri Bar presents the Fall 2016 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.
St. Louis County Council, 41 S. Central Ave., 63105. For more information, call (866) 366-0270 or visit www. missourilawyershelp.org/minilaw-school.
Sat., Oct. 1, 6:45 p.m., Dianne Bondy will teach a class to benefit Operation Backpack – an Operation Food Search program, Joy of Yoga, 3525 Watson Rd. To preregister, visit www.314yoga.com.
Sat., Oct. 8, 9 a.m., St. Louis Health Equipment Lending Program is hosting a Medical Equipment Donation Drive. For more information or a list of participating locations, call (314) 567-4700 or visit www. stlhelp.org.
Sat., Oct. 8, 10 a.m., Breast Cancer Awareness Seminar Free to the public seminar to provide the latest information about breast cancer. II Monastero, St. Louis University, 3050 Olive Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 479-2423 or email zetaslb@yahoo.com.
Sat., Oct. 22, 7:30 a.m., American Cancer Society hosts the 8th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. Forest Park Lower Muny Lot, 1 Theatre Dr., 63112. For more information, call (314) 2688185 or visit www.main.
acsevents.org.
Mondays, 6:30 p.m., Yoga & Chill. A beginner-friendly, all levels (75 minute) class that spends time working through fundamental yoga postures and shapes while exploring alignment, breathing, relaxation techniques, and a good time. Modern Healer Studio, 1908 Cherokee St., 63118. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., Get Sexy Movement Boot Camp. Station styled boot camp with 1 minute at each station for three rounds. North County Recreation Center, 2577 Redman Rd., 63136.For more information, call (314) 898-8898.
Sun., Oct. 2, 4 p.m., New Emmanuel Inspirational Choir invites you to celebrate the 49th Annual Choir Day: Use Your Weapon. Hosted by our guest Musician/Clinician Charles “Chuck” Caldwell. 6233 Chatham Ave., 63133. For more information, call (314) 382-6469 or visit www. newemmanuel.net.
Mon., Oct. 3, 7 p.m., O’Fallon First United Methodist Church hosts the Ugandan Thunder Children’s Choir. 504 East Highway 50, O’Fallon, IL 62269. For more information, call (618) 632-2354 or visit www. ofallonmethodistchurch.org.
Sat., October 8, (6 p.m. doors), Cedric Shannon Rives and The Brothers, The Sun Theatre. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com
Sat., Oct. 22, 11 a.m., Centennial Christian Church Jazz Brunch. The brunch will feature the Coleman-Hughes Project featuring Adrianne Felton-King and a Silent Auction. The Atrium, 4950 Fountain Ave., 63113. For more information, call (314) 276-7702.
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Madina Nalwanga gracefully carries the weight of “Queen of Katwe” on her shoulders as Phiona. Her performance has the potential to be for Nalwanga what “12 Years a Slave” was to her on-screen mother Lupita Nyong’o in 2013.
Nalwanga is captivating in her debut performance – which is made more impressive because her life somewhat mirrors the character she portrays, in that her natural gift and hard work have opened up an entirely new world.
Nyong’o’s performance is the first one audiences can sink their teeth into, since she became an overnight sensation thanks to her role as Patsie in Steve McQueen’s Academy Award-winning film “12 Years a Slave,” which saw her take home a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. It is the first time audiences have seen her face on film since “12 Years a Slave” (she has done highprofile voice acting via “The Jungle Book” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”), and it
was worth the wait to see her as Nakku Harriet. Nyong’o is effective in displaying Nakku’s strength, will and determination – all traits inherited by Phiona. She also shows the sorrow and sacrifice of a single mother who wants the best for her children, but without access to the resources to provide for them.
David Oyelowo rounds out the major cast as Robert Katende – who starts off as Phiona’s chess teacher, but ends up becoming she and her family’s saving grace. He is as good as always and further flexes his ability to carry his co-stars deep within and pour from the most vulnerable parts of themselves on screen. There is an authentic tenderness between the cast that will tug at heartstrings from every angle.
The film is a product of Disney, so a formulaic, feel-good happy ending is essentially inevitable – but with this unique and undiluted African story, they take the road less traveled to get us there.
Queen of Katwe opens in theatres nationwide on Friday, September 30. The film is rated PG with a running time of 124 minutes.
Continued from C1
Pathfinder Award” from The Black Theatre Network in 2004. “And we rehearsed in every nook and cranny we could find, including under the main stage in a little space about 8x8 where costumes were stored [which was called ‘the cage’].”
In 1974, Greene served as stage manager for the theater and music departments collaborative production of Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha.”
The guest director, Miss Katherine Dunham, invited Greene to come and develop the theater training component at the Performing Arts Training Center at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, East St. Louis Center.
From September 1974 to February 1996, Unity Theatre Ensemble was the resident theatre company at the Katherine Dunham Center for the Performing Arts (KDCPA).
“It’s truly amazing to me what they’ve been able to accomplish. It’s been lifechanging,” Thomas said. “How often do you hear of someone and every person they know says, ‘They did something for me’ or ‘They helped me?’ I’m not exaggerating when I say that they’ve saved a lot of lives.”
While at KDCPA, Unity annually produced a season of professional entertainment and presenting touring repertoire to colleges, universities, and civic events throughout the United States.
“The art of the theatre is so important to the people, whether they realize it or not,” Greene said. “We need the African-American theater to keep our history alive.”
In September 1979, the company’s name was changed from Kutana Players (“Kutana” is Swahili for “coming together”) to Unity Ensemble and, in 1984, to Unity Theatre Ensemble.
After their partnership with the Dunham Center ended, Unity headed across the water to St. Louis where they called Greeley’s 23rd Street Theatre
how many people love him.”
Thomas said. “His hopes are to do another show. My hope is that ticket sales are such that
n “Through Ralph and Bonnie, seeds were planted for so many people to get a leg up in the entertainment industry.”
- Mardra Thomas, Unity Theatre Ensemble company
throughout the region until 2012, when a pair of strokes meant producing theater would have to take a backseat to Greene’s recovery.
“Each day he’s getting better – and he’s getting an idea of
we can give him seed money to be able to do that.”
According to Thomas, all of the alums are having a blast reconnecting for the show. That energy will most certainly resonate on stage – and
hopefully result in the ultimate love offering for Greene. “I don’t want to wait until someone passes [to show our appreciation],” Thomas said. “You know that old saying ‘give me my flowers while I can still smell them’? That’s what we’re doing – and not just with the two of them, but with each other.”
All parties involved feel it’s the least they can do after the decades of unwavering commitment and service to the art of theatre and the talented performers who got their start at Unity.
“Through Ralph and Bonnie, seeds were planted for so many people to get a leg up in the entertainment industry,” Thomas said. “That’s how this started, with us just wanting to say ‘thank you’ to them.” The Celebration of Unity Theatre Ensemble will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, October 9 at The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd. Tickets are available at Afro World by calling (314) 389-5194 or at metrotix.com.
CAM says show will stay up, ignores call for resignation of chief curator
By Kenya Vaughn
Of The St. Louis American
“This is a mess, and I’m uncomfortable,” Kat Reynolds said as she spoke before the capacity crowd at the Contemporary Art Museum on Thursday, September 22.
The panel of artists and educators – who spoke during the Critical Conversations talk presented by Critical Mass for the Visual Arts – didn’t hold back from voicing their disdain about the art that hung in the very space where the discussion was taking place.
“Putting toothpaste – that looks like semen – on her and allowing people to walk on her body … as a black woman, for me, that is not okay,” Reynolds said. “As a woman, period, for me that is not okay.”
us? It doesn’t open up much conversation if the artist is not able to speak, and his only defense is that the work speaks for itself. So do cross burnings.”
Steve Henry, director of the Paula Cooper Gallery in New York – which represents Walker – was also present.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear all of this,” Henry said during the question-and-answer segment of the panel. “I know his work intimately, and his intentions are not racist. He shut down, he did not answer the question –and it gave us all pause. I think that one of the things that we regret is that Kelley did fail at addressing issues and concerns and hurt here.”
She was referring to the “Direct Drive” exhibition by Kelley Walker that has sparked outrage among the black creative community for its depiction of images of African Americans. Walker silk-screens images from the Civil Rights Movement smeared with chocolate and centerfolds from King, an urban men’s magazine that was most popular in the early to mid2000s, drizzled with toothpaste.
A gallery talk with Walker went off the rails on Saturday, September 17 when he was called to task regarding the intention and messages of pieces currently on display at CAM. Artist and activist Damon Davis called for a boycott of the museum immediately after his experience at the talk. Five days later, a handful of artists sat in the space and voiced their disgust.
“It made me think that people thought that there was not enough perceived power that when this work went up that the [expletive] would hit the fan – and it clearly has,” said arts educator Vanity Gee. “The question becomes, ‘How are we going to disrupt enough to keep things like this from happening over and over again?’” CAM director Lisa Melandri was in the museum for the two-hour tongue lashing at the expense of Walker for creating the work – and CAM for hosting it.
“I’m an employee of this museum,” said Lyndon Barrois Jr., who works at CAM as a museum educator. “But I’m by no means here to defend what is taking place in this museum. I’m here as an artist who can be critical in this space.” Some were expecting the talk to turn into some sort of direct action. It didn’t. But the panelists protested vehemently with their words.
“I think unfortunately when it comes to art it gives space for people who are bigots to celebrate or revel in images that seem to demean the value of the struggle faced by some in the United States,” said M.K. Stallings, founder of Urb ARts.
“How does that move us? What does that open us for
being represented – and I feel our community is suffering.”
Like everyone on the panel –and many in the audience – she wants the work to come down. One guest said that, if he could,
“To provide a white male artist the entirety of the museum and include works of this nature positions the museum and the staff in implicit support and
n “The question becomes, ‘How are we going to disrupt enough to keep things like this from happening over and over again?’”
– Vanity Gee
Kelley Walker, schema; Aquafresh plus Crest with Whitening Expressions (Kelis), 2006. CD Rom with color poster, dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist; Paula Cooper Gallery, New York; Thomas Dane Gallery, London; and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne.
that the exhibit would remain up through its scheduled run ending December 31. “The show will remain on view in its entirety, but with modifications designed to welcome dialogue and dissent,” Melandri said in the statement. “Additionally, the museum will explore further ways to engage the community in an ongoing and constructive dialogue on the issues the exhibition has raised.
Finally, CAM will ensure that the exhibit is properly identified as potentially painful, so that visitors who wish to avoid particularly difficult works may do so.”
Melandri did not respond to the request for Uslip’s resignation. The three dissenting staff members remain on staff. “It was and remains my intent to allow them to dissent from within the institution,” Melandri told The American
Kahlil Irving, a Chancellor’s Graduate Fellow in fine arts at Washington University, said Walker’s work is a symptom of a broader concern.
presenting the work of rising contemporary art star Mark Bradford, who is AfricanAmerican, among others. A year ago, Uslip also curated at CAM the first major museum show in the United States for Jamaican-born artist Hurvin Anderson.
“We don’t want to alienate. We don’t want to hate,” Irving said. “We want change. Don’t hate the space. Hate the decision.”
Gee used Mark Bradford’s words – spoken in the very room where they were sitting –as an illustration of the problem they were addressing.
“He said – and this is not a direct quote – that the black body is so political and so politicized that it walks into the room before you. Then comes your gender, and then comes your height and then whoever you are,” Gee said. “When I think about all of the outrage, it’s clearly because of what black lives have meant in this country – and this world – over the centuries.”
Henry, of the Paula Cooper Gallery that represents Kelley Walker, charged the negative reaction to the divided racial climate of St. Louis.
“Coming from New York - and the insular art world - I think we were a bit naïve about what happens here,” Henry said. “Part of the problem with the perception of the showparticularly these works - is that he, and we, should have given more context.”
According to the panel and the audience, CAM, Melandri and chief curator Jeffrey Uslip also failed by displaying the work.
“How did this get here?” Wendy Todd asked. “What happens when an artist makes work like this and the decision is made in order for it to get shown – and obviously without much thought as to how it would be seen and how it going to be reflected on the institution? I mean, you have to think, ‘Who’s in the room making the decisions and how did it get so far?’”
Todd received two varying answers at different points from CAM insiders.
Barrois started off with: “It’s complicated.”
He said the work was critically endorsed and fiscally supported, so he figured that it would be displayed, but he still had questions about it all the way up until the opening.
“How do we validate that the showing is constructive?” Barrois said he asked. “How do I use this as an opportunity to ask questions about the intention of the work? How do we decide whether the work is problematic?”
Jason Wilson, CAM board member and owner of Northwest Coffee Roasting Company, was proud to acknowledge being in the room when the exhibit was discussed and encouraging the institution’s decision to display Walker’s work.
“I know that everybody feels a certain way about the art. Jeffrey [Uslip] and I talked about the art weeks before it was going up, and I pushed for it to go up,” Wilson said. “I’ll stand by it, because you people are here talking about something you would never talk about.”
He received some scattered applause for his remarks, but most of the audience –including Wilson’s own wife – disagreed.
“I think this is about a deep hurt,” said Shanti Parikh, associate professor of Sociocultural Anthropology and African and African-American Studies at Washington University, who is married to Wilson. “I’m not an artist. I don’t understand what made it art. But I hear artists who reflect the community that is
he would “tear it down with his own hands right now.”
Moving beyond calling for the exhibit’s removal, Barrois, De Andrea Nichols and Victoria Donaldson, AfricanAmerican administrative employees at CAM, issued a statement also calling for Uslip’s resignation.
perpetuation of these social ills,” the statement read.
Barrois, Nichols and Donaldson said they were not themselves resigning, but would not perform various professional duties in support of Walker’s exhibition.
On Monday, September 26, CAM issued a statement saying
“If you support this work, then you support white supremacy – which is a white man being able to do whatever they want without question –and that’s a problem,” Irving said. “There is a continual representation of hate towards black people.”
But Irving doesn’t support the boycott of CAM.
“I love this place,” Irving said. “I come here all the time. I love being here.”
He pointing out the museum’s diverse curatorial approach, such as
The Paula Cooper Gallery was contacted by The St. Louis American, asking for a comment from Walker, on September 20. Jacob Cooper did not respond to the request for comment, but instead forwarded an essay on Walker’s work. Cooper was informed that this is the city’s black newspaper and that, give the degree of community outrage, Walker should comment to its audience.
On September 23, Cooper provided a statement from Walker to St. Louis Public Radio. Even then, he did not provide the comment to the city’s black newspaper.
pull out your good jewelry for that. Go big and bold on the diamonds, pearls and other jewels that will accent the dress while adding drama.”
Barnes also says don’t be shy about incorporating oldschool staples to jazz up your favorite standby dress. “You can even wear gloves or a little veiled hat,” he said.
Beyond black, Barnes offers up some basics – even a few tips that even those who already have their look set in stone can possibly incorporate to take their ensemble up a notch for at the gala.
Dress for fit
“Always select your gown or dress based on your body’s shape first and the style of the dress second,” Barnes said. “I know people say it time and time again – and so will I: It doesn’t matter how pretty it looks to you if it doesn’t look good on you.”
Barnes says trumpet style and mermaid style dresses are making a comeback, though he’ll always be a fan of the flowing, floor-length gowns.
“I’ve also been seeing a lot of embroidery, sequins and beading too,” Barnes said.
For the fellas
“My classic look is always the basic black and white when it comes to men’s formalwear,” Barnes said. “But you can pair your tuxedo with an array of shirts and ties to achieve different looks.”
He’s also into the “new little lapel pins” that are being used to add individual style.
Haute hair and giving good face
The up-do is the preferred hairstyle for Barnes when it comes to the special occasion –
and Salute is no exception.
“But keep it soft, ladies,” Barnes warns. “The last thing we want to see is ‘crunchy’ hair.”
As far as makeup, Barnes says the choice of how to paint one’s face is determined by the attire.
Some women think that if they are making a bold statement with their gown, that the makeup should be scaled back – or if they are going more chic or conservative that they should have a Hollywood red carpet face beat to balance things out.
According to Barnes, nothing could be further from the truth.
He recommends that ladies shy away from this sort of contrast.
“Whatever your dress is doing, your makeup should be doing the same thing,” Barnes said. “If you are going for full glam, the makeup should be bold. If you have opted for
something more chic, then
something more natural is in order. The dress definitely dictates the makeup.”
He encourages the ladies to be bold and channel their inner Diahann Carroll, his epitome of opulence and style, to top off their look.
“When I think of glamour, what immediately come to mind are grace, poise and confidence,” Barnes said.
“Basically it comes down to really owning your look – it’s all about the attitude and the elegance. For me, the woman or the man makes the clothes.”
The St. Louis American Foundation’s 29th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala will take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 1 at America’s Center. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (314) 533-8000 or visit www.stlamerican.com.
By Kiara Bryant For the St. Louis American
In celebration of all things October, including Halloween, pumpkins and fall leaves, the following are several attractions to enjoy this season in St. Louis. What’s not to love about this time of the year?
It’s the season for carving pumpkins, haunted hayrides in one of our local parks, heating up s’mores at a bonfire, trick or treating, costume parties and pumpkin picking at the pumpkin patch.
We encourage you to go out and explore these spooky and not-so-spooky attractions that are sure give you and your family the creeps.
The Sofia M. Sachs Butterfly House transforms into the Booterfly House all month long featuring the Scorpions Lair, story time with Little Miss Muffet and Botanicals Gone Mad in the Conservatory. At the annual Booterflies Ball (October 22 & 23), kids can explore the hand painted treat houses, play games and create crafts. If you’re looking for more creepy crawling creatures, costumes are encouraged and families are invited out to the Saint Louis Zoo for some not-so-scary fun after dark at Boo at the Zoo (Oct. 18-30).
Fright Fest at Six Flags is fun for all ages.
“It’s thrills by day and fright by night,” when Six Flags transforms into a haunted attraction after dark every weekend throughout October.
Even man’s best friend will join in on the Halloween fun at the Purina Farms’ Haunted Hayloft where your kids can revel in trick-or treating, magic shows, face-painting and canine performances on Oct. 21-23 and Oct 28-30.
The kid-friendly haunts never end as The
Saint Louis Science Center and James S. McDonnell Planetarium will host their annual free Halloween celebration, the Science Spooktacular on Oct. 27. Take your kids to participate in the haunted festivities such as, spooky exhibits, Halloween-themed experiments, crafts and more. Adults have to check out The Lemp Mansion, voted in the Top 10 for Best Haunted Hotels in a USA Today Poll in 2015. Now is the perfect time for a visit to mansion, known for its haunted tours and if you haven’t yet, you should partake in the following events. The Lemp Mansion offers: ghost hunting every Thursday in October, Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theatre every weekend and a Halloween Bash on Oct. 29 featuring appetizer buffets, a four-hour open bar, three live bands, and a costume contest with cash prizes. Zombie costumes are encouraged for “ZombieLove,” the current murder mystery dinner theatre show playing now until Oct. 28. The Darkness (a.k.a. America’s Horror Scream Park) is open year-round, but why not visit during Halloween season. One of the latest haunted attractions is St. Louis Escape, located right next door to The Darkness, encompasses haunting features as you solve the puzzles of escape rooms. Other scary festivities you may be interested in include: Creepyworld, Silo X Haunted House and Zombie Laser Tag, The Abyss at Lemp Brewery. Visit www.scarefest. com to learn more about St. Louis’ creepiest haunted houses. The attractions mentioned above are only some of the fun St. Louis has in store for you in October. For more Halloween themed activities check out the calendar of events and more ideas at www.explorestlouis.com
Fire Chief Sherman George (Ret.) and Mrs. Catherine George of St. Louis are pleased to announce the wedding of their daughter, Kelly Andrea, to Tayo Summerville, son of Mr. and Mrs. Samson and Emma Fayemi of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The couple celebrated their matrimony in Houston, TX on July 29, 2016 at the beautiful Las Velas. The couple resides in Houston, TX.
Beaumont High School, Class of 1978 will celebrate its 40-year reunion in 2018. For further information, please contact: Marietta Shegog Shelby, 314-799-5296, madeshe@sbcglobal.net.
I would like to wish my wonderful, beautiful mother Claretha Lovett (aka: Porky) a Happy Birthday on September 30. We are blessed to have her with us, still fighting lupus with all she’s got! We love you!
Centenarian
Myrtle L. Harris celebrated her 109th birthday on September 22. She lives in the Kingsway East neighborhood and is a Deaconess at Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. Myrtle gives praise to the Lord who has granted her a long and healthy life. Her two sons, Jesse and Foster, and other family members are a great support system for her and provide her reason for being.
Congratulations to Maurice and Sonya Burns, who are celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on September 28!
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, 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
Young (314) 328-3512 with name, address so the info can be mailed to you.
Ritenour High School Class of 1976 is having its 40th reunion on October 1, 2016. For more information please see our Facebook page, Ritenour Class of 1976 or email ekbyers58@gmail. com.
Harrison School All Class Reunion has been changed to Saturday October 22, 2016, 6:00 pm-11:00 pm at Ambruster Great Hall, 6633 Clayton Rd. For more info contact Judy Darris at 314443-6741.
Vashon Class of 1957 is having its 60-year reunion on May 20, 2017 at the All reunion announcements can be viewed online!
Sumner Class of 1965 is planning a “70th” Birthday Cruise for October 2017. If you’re interested and want to receive more information, please contact Luther Maufas (314) 5414556, Brenda Smith Randall (314)382-1528, or Laura
Sumner Class of 1967 is planning its 50-year reunion and need contact information from those classmates. Please contact Carlotte Algee Stancil at algee1999@ yahoo.com; DonnaYoung Rycraw at donnarycraw@ aol.com or Stella Smith Hunt at stellalhunt58@sbcglobal. net, 314-381-5104 with email, address and phone number.
The Sumner Alumni Association presents it’s Maroon & White Homecoming Week Oct. 10-15, 2016. Bowling Mon. @ Crest Bowl, 70’s Theme Adult Skate Party Tues. @ Skate King,
Alumni Happy Hour Wed. @ Dejavu II Cafe, Ladies Kick Ball Game(s) Thurs. @ SHS, Alumni Dance Fri., 8pm – 1am @ the Machinist Hall; $15/$20 (Vendors $50 request appl.), Parade Sat. 10am (Cars, floats, SUV’s, Marching Bands, etc.; request Parade Appl.), Tailgate noon, Sumner’s Homecoming Football Game @ Sumner’s Tuskegee Airmen Field @ 1pm Sumner vs. Vashon. For more info, contact Ms Prissy @ 314.556.3944, Michelle Elgin @ 314.452.1275, Sheila Goodwin SHS 314.371.1048 (Parade) or email: sumneralumniassn@ yahoo.com.
Atrium at the rear of Christian N.E. Hospital on Dunn Road. Classes 1955-1959 are welcomed. For more information, please contact Lovely (Green) Deloch at 314867-1470, Marlene (Randall) Porter at 314-653-0107, Mae (Simmons) Mahone at 314653-0818 or Phyllis (Bolden) Washington at 314-531-9925.
Vashon Class of 1967 is planning its 50-year reunion and is need of contact information for all interested alumni. Please contact JoAnn Alvoid at alvoidjoe8@gmail. com; Sarah (Taylor) Robinson at srobinson647@hotmail. com; or Sonya (Walker) Smith at 314.381.8221, with your address, email and phone number.
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
Photos by John Scott
The First Lady had a chance to profess her fandom to her favorite rapper Method Man when he and Redman came through for a special show Saturday night @ Pops
Happy ‘Salute Eve.’ The outfit has been selected. The hair piece and glam squad is on deck. I’ve done a dry run, and my designated killer stilettos have an unprecedented 139 minutes of heel time. I’m so locked and loaded for Saturday I might just pull “on fleek” out the coffin to let y’all know what I’m planning to do with all of this glamour, chile. Okay, maybe not. But I have 48 hours to get snatched before the St. Louis American Foundation’s 29th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala – and you know I’m capable of it! Never mind me, make sure to stop through and get into the opulence that we will be serving as black excellence pours into The America’s center dressed to the nines and ready to honor those making a difference in education – both as learners and leaders. Festivities pop off at 6 p.m. with a reception and dinner. The one and only Sir Thurl will be blazing the tables at the after party and the A-B products are on us…well them…but still…it’s free, and that’s all that matters. Just be ready to have the time of your lives yet again this year. I’m hoping that when I tell you to call (314) 533-8000 or visit stlamerican. com that there will be enough scattered seats to squeeze you in. Y’all better ring us up, or you won’t be able to co-sign about how fabulous it is when I do my recap.
MIA Dae Dae. Everybody who is about that savage life came through in droves to check for Dae Dae Friday night at the Marquee. I’ll be honest with you; I had to do some research because I had never heard of him until I was mapping out my weekend hotspot hit list. My first thought was that Mike Epps followed his nemesis Kevin Hart into the rap game in full character from his “Friday” franchise days. It wasn’t. From the looks of him Dae Dae gives off a Dollar Tree Young Thug. But you can understand what he’s saying – and his little song “Wat U Mean” has some heat to it. As far as how he is live, I wouldn’t know. He got sick and canceled at the absolute 11th hour. I was a nervous wreck about what would happen when the news broke that he wouldn’t be in the building. But apparently they were already too invested in their turn up to turn back. It was quite the party, if that’s your scene.
Jammin’ with Joe and Vivian Green. I made my way to the Ambassador to get my taste of 90s R&B via Joe and a sip of Neosoul from Vivian Green. It was packed up in there – and rightfully so. I showed up late secretly hoping to miss her and Vivian hadn’t taken the stage yet. Now I’ve made no bones about admitting being bored to death with her, but am officially changing my tune after seeing her Saturday night. She sang more of other people’s songs than her own, and that birthday celebration for her backup singer went on for far too long – but I got life. Not as much as Heather Himes, who if I didn’t know better I would assume she named her daughter after Ms. Green the way she showed out hyping her up from the VIP section. I would say that I’ve been sleeping on Vivian Green, but in all fairness she’s the one who has been putting me to sleep all these years. I could have had an oil change AND a tire rotation during the wait between acts, but it was still a good show. I couldn’t help but cackle when DJ Kut asked if anybody wanted to play spades as Joe’s band went back and forth with an impromptu sound prep. Joe really worked up a sweat – and gave his all even though the sound wasn’t to his liking. And we all know he’s prone to cut up when the sound is out of order. He made a few little comments, but powered through –and it was great! He even made his way through the crowd and serenaded a whole slew of lady fans. I feel like the anti-personal space invader advocate in me has to speak out against the thirsty girls who were reaching at him in all the wrong places to cop a feel. Look, don’t touch anybody in any place that you wouldn’t want a STRANGER (which is what you are, despite your love for him and is music) feeling on you!
On the run for Redman and Method Man. After Joe, I scooted out the door like somebody was chasing me to get all the way to the Eastside get at least a taste of Method and Redman at Pops. I made it just in time to be blessed by some of my favorite Wu-Tang classics. They looked fantastic, and the energy from them and the crowd was beyond live. So much so that Method Man announced they would be coming back with the whole Wu-Tang. He better have meant it, because we’ll hold you to it especially KiKi the 1st Lady!
Two nights of turn up at HG. I made two stops to HG at different points during the weekend. While the crowd was light to medium, the energy was at capacity. On Friday, I’ve haven’t seen so many males on the dance floor since the folks used to hit up the club serving cho-re-og-ra-phy (as fabulously stated by EJ Johnson) with prepared routines. It seemed a bit corny at first seeing this group of fellas giving high impact, full body motion movement. But once I got into watching them, I didn’t want them to stop – especially when one of them pulled a girl on the dance floor. It was like “Dirty Dancing: JVL Nights” and I got my life. On Saturday, the “Magic Mike”/”Chocolate City” extras stayed home, but I still had a good little time kicking it with my girl Addy from Young Addy Co. As per usual, her outfit was everything. When I tell you the camel colored gown/ swimsuit hybrid that was draped across the bosom slayed the game, understand that it had been the teeniest bit more modest, I would have begged her to make me one in a 2X for Salute! She was giving thigh and shoulder – and purple hair. I know it sounds a bit much, but trust me when I tell you that she NEVER, EVER gets it wrong!
Also, Urban League needs volunteers to get ‘souls to the polls’
American staff
Eden Theological Seminary’s Walker Leadership Institute will host “Space and Place: From Plant to Pivot,” on the campus of Eden Seminary, 475 E. Lockwood Ave. in Webster Groves, October 12-14. The institute invites local and regional clergy and church administrators to hear from various presenters and reflect on the ways their sacred spaces can serve to benefit and impact the community in strategic and sustainable ways.
Presenters for the event represent a diverse range of congregational leaders in the St. Louis area who have broadened their ministry, planted a new ministry, or completely rebranded or pivoted their ministry to serve a specific need in the local community.
Presenters include Pastor F. Willis Johnson, senior minister of The Wellspring Church in Ferguson; Rev. Dietra Wise Baker, pastor and planter of Liberation Christian Church in St. Louis; Jim Riddle, AIA, architect and principal of Riddle Design, Rev. Suzanne Webb, pastor of Union Avenue Christian Church in the Central West End; Rev. Danny Lybarger, site pastor of The Gathering United Methodist Church’s BarChurch at Humphrey’s Restaurant and Tavern in St. Louis; and Rev. Steve Lawler, founding director of the Walker Leadership Institute and rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal and The Vine in Ferguson.
“As congregational leaders move from maintenance to mission, ‘Space and Place’ provides key resources for effective ministry,” Lawler said. “This gathering is our contribution to church leaders who are doing this hard and essential work with their congregations.”
Launched in July 2016, thanks to a $1 million gift from George H. and Carol Walker, the Walker Leadership Institute at Eden Theological Seminary, in partnership
with the George H. Walker School of Business & Technology at Webster University, trains religious, community, and business leaders on issues related to corporate and fiscal responsibility, community engagement, and religious and theological literacy in the workplace.
This is the inaugural event for the institute, which plans to launch a master of community leadership in Fall 2017.
“Church Buildings are both holy places and a whole lot of work,” said Rev. David Greenhaw, president of Eden Theological Seminary. “How congregations adapt to the challenges of buildings is not just a problem, it may be one of the biggest problems facing religious communities today. The Walker Leadership Institute will be a strong partner with congregations working on new futures for holy spaces.”
For more information, contact
On Sunday, September 18, Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church, 4673 Labadie at Marcus, celebrated its 60th anniversary since the reopening of the church in 1956 by the late Reverend Dr. William G. Gillespie, who pastored the church for 53 years. Fourth Ward Alderman Sam Moore and St. Louis Board of Alderman President Lewis E. Reed presented the congregation and current pastor of the church, Reverend Clyde R. Crumpton, with a resolution acknowledging the legacy of the church.
leadership@eden.edu. To register, visit www. eden.edu.
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is leading the Souls to the Polls “get out the vote” effort for the U.S. presidential election. It is seeking transportation partners to assist in taking voters to the polls on Tuesday, November 8, when Missouri voters will elect the U.S. president, a U.S. senator, as well as Missouri governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer and secretary of state. There are also key ballot issues, including Amendment 6, which would impose voter Photo ID requirement. To volunteer or for more information, call Darryl Jones at the Urban League, 314-615-3618.
Simple question, simple answer
In Bible study I once took a class called “Taking the Word into the World.” The premise was that those of a Christian belief system should be doing something, acting in some way that distinguishes them in how they are looked upon on this human plane of existence. For me, at the time, it was somewhat confusing because how many of us really know and understand where we fit in God’s kingdom?
One of my more anointed friends constantly reminds me that God’s plan for you and me is not very complicated at all. We make it more complex than it needs to be, and the devil revels in our self-imposed intellectual morass. How often have you questioned your purpose, your mission, you ministry or your duty to the Lord?
I know, more often than not, I wind up doing nothing in the name of God because I have confused myself by questioning what I should be doing. Now the devil loves this stuff. The mere questioning keeps me from doing anything, and I’m the one asking the questions.
The answer is clearly stated in Ephesians 2:10. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Simple question. Simple answer. Do good works. It’s the Christian playbook. I believe we can all tell the difference between good works and bad works. It is not a confusing concept. I have no business procrastinating about doing good works. As a matter of fact, scripture reminds me that this work is indeed prepared for us to do in advance. It is our spiritual destiny to perform good works that will always present themselves to us as opportunities to help others.
If, and only if, we accept the Word of God as the Will of God, can we understand how to react to this crazy world in which we live. “Be very careful then, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5: 15-17. My Christian game plan takes on “action status” when I get up in the morning and prepare to take on the day. When the opportunity presents itself (and it will, because the devil will see to it), I am now programmed to make the right choice. I don’t need a specific thing to do. All I need to concern myself with is undergirding everything I do with the fundamental principle of goodness. Now I may fall short, but I won’t fall off.
