The Arts Today Ezine vol 2.1

Vol 2.1 March 4, 2015

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View this and past issues from our website.

Kwansaba

Eugene B. Redmond pg. #116

Documenting MO Hist. Museum pg. #122

Two Poets

Cheeraz / Gorman pg.#124

IN THIS

ISSUE:

6

IN THE NEWS Bernie Hayes Women’s History

10 50 SHADES OF CRAZY Dr. Tracey McCarthy

52

56 ART OF FOOD Lena O.A. Jackson

80

FREE YOUR MIND Coffee Wright

102 ANNE MOODY Dr. Jerry Ward

SUNDAY MORNING I. Lynn Squires

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LIVE / WORK / PLAY Nate Johnson

28

34

OP/ED TBA

60

74 ART SUBMISSION DAIL CHAMBERS

TACKLING TITUBA Jacqueline Thompson

“. . . for u, the sky’s the “unlimit”...”

Baba Sherman Fowler,

Griot and Poet

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In The News

by: Bernie Hayes

M

arch is Women’s History Month, a time we pay tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to life and the world have proved invaluable to society. From Sojourner Truth to Mrs. Coretta Scott King to Michelle Obama, American women’s history has been full of pioneers who have made great developments in fields like science, politics, sports, literature and the arts. As adventurers, educators, artists, and freedom fighters, women have played an essential role in the shaping of the United States for 400 years. March also marks more than 100 years since suffragists marched on Washington.

History is, or can be a powerful friend, and too much of African American has been lost, stolen, distorted and ignored. A nation deceived about its past can be easily manipulated today. Those who write the history books mold our thinking and actions, and too often African American women are either absent or written out of history.

So many names are hardly ever mentioned, for instance Autherine Lucy is an educator who became the first African-American student to desegregate the University of Alabama, and Daisy Bates was an African American civil rights activist and newspaper publisher who documented the battle to end segregation in Arkansas.

There is Ruby Bridges who was the first AfricanAmerican child to attend an all-white public elementary school in the American South, and Shirley Chisholm who became the first African-American congresswoman in 1968 and four years later she became the first major-party black candidate to make a bid for the U.S. presidency. We must remember award-winning journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault became the first African-American woman to enroll at the University of Georgia, as well as one of the first two African-American students to integrate the school, in 1961. I could name

pg. 6

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thousands more.

Other African American women who are often unheeded or disregarded are those local broadcast forerunners.

I would like to pay tribute to many of the women who paved the way for the women broadcasters of today in the St. Louis area, such as Willa Mae Gracy, Yvonne Daniels, Edie Bee Anderson, Sheila Reed, Jeanie Trevor, Dorothy Shelly, Wynetta Lindsey, Cheryl Winston, Zella Jackson Price, Ruby Sommervile Dickson, Delores Williams, Ollie Booker, Pat Story, Robin Boyce, Carole Carper and Dianne White.Hapy

offer events or programs with an emphasis on the arts and creativity.

In the book ‘The Mis-Education of the Negro”, Dr. Carter G. Woodson stated: “Negroes have no control over their education and have little voice in their other affairs pertaining thereto. In a few cases Negroes have been chosen as members of public boards of education, and some have been appointed members of private boards, but these Negroes are always such a small minority that they do not figure in the final working out of the educational program. The education of the Negroes, the most important thing in the uplifting of Negroes, is almost entirely in the hands of those who have enslaved them and now segregate them.” Dr. Woodson also said: “When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions”.

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African Americans fundamentally influence how we talk, how we walk, how we play, the rhythms of our lives and how we see the world. American literature and American speech is plentiful from our source. Jazz, the blues and most recently, hip hop has spread around the globe.

Dorothy Height said “It was not easy for those of us who had become symbols of the struggle for equality to see our children raising their fists in defiant contradiction of all we had fought for”.

She said “We are not a problem people; we are a people with problems. We have historic strengths; we have survived because of family”.

Happy Women’s History Month.

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IN THE NEWS CONT.

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Understanding and Responding to the Pathology of WORKPLACE Bullying 50 Shades of Workplace Crazy: Understanding and Responding to the Pathology of Workplace Bullying

By Dr. Tracey McCarthy, Psy.D., DCFC, J.D., M.A. Psychologist/Attorney/Educator Webster University – College of Arts and Sciences - Legal Studies Department www.drtraceymccarthy.com Bullying is Workplace Terrorism…by Any Other Name “The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.”

-Augustine of Hippo Workplace bullying is very similar to domestic violence and involves a pattern of mistreatment of one or more targets (strategically selected victims) by one or more perpetrators (abusers). It involves the selection of a target or targets and the creation, by the perpetrator(s), of a definitive plan of direct or indirect intimidation, humiliation, threat, coercion, abuse, and sabotage of the target(s). Bullying usually accelerates to include others who align with the bully’s plans. Others may join with the original bully (or bullies) through free will or through coercion.

The major difference between a workplace bully and a domestic violence perpetrator is the workplace bully actually gets paid by an organization to spend their days devising schemes of abuse and terror, while covertly and vicariously undermining the entire organization and its mission. When workplace bullying occurs, an organization’s actual business interests take a back seat to the personal agendas of the organization’s bully or bullies.

In order to carry out bullying processes without organizational censure, bullies generally reframe the dynamic between themselves and their targets by recasting the situation as a “personality conflict.”

Very savvy bullies, and those perpetrators learned in psychology, social influence, and social interaction, will tend to very carefully reframe their target(s) as difficult, disrespectful, crazy, discourteous, troublemaking, or generally problematic and deserving of whatever abuse is meted out under the workplace bully’s guise of helpfulness and/or corrective action.

If you are an executive, a manager, a leader, a supervisor, or a staff member, how do you know workplace bullying when you see it or experience it? It’s simple.

Bullying in the workplace includes, but is not limited to:   

Any behavior directed at another employee that serves to humiliate, degrade, or embarrass.

Any behavior that serves to undermine the performance of another employee.

Any behavior that intentionally serves to intimidate or manipulate to bring another employee down.

Bullying is not about simple misunderstandings or disagreements and the behaviors of bullies speak to the seriousness of the problem in the workplace.

One can generally rest assured that they are being bullied or mobbed or witnessing bullying or mobbing if the following workplace behaviors are taking place: 1

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50 SHADES cont.

          

Screaming and/or shouting at another employee, privately or publically.

Derogatory name calling of another employee.

Spreading malicious gossip and rumors about another employee.

Making disparaging or defamatory comments to or about another employee in order to belittle.

Stalking and excessively monitoring another employee.

Excessively critiquing or condemning the work or efforts of another employee.

Physically attacking or inappropriately touching another employee without consent.

Overworking, weighing down, or overburdening another employee.

Withholding resources, opportunities, or information that another employee needs to perform their job efficiently.

Actively structuring circumstances to undermine another employee’s work to set them up for failure.

Excluding another employee from meetings, events, and normal workplace conversations to make another employee feel unwelcome.

Another indicator of workplace bullying is when a workplace or a workgroup has been turned upside down, but one or a few members, who are in the middle of the mess, seem blithely content, selfsatisfied, or even gleeful about the messy state of affairs.

No matter how socially sensitive and politically correct pundits and bullies, themselves, attempt to sell, soften, and spin it, workplace bullying is nothing more, and nothing less, than psychological workplace terrorism. Terrorism involves acts intended to dominate and/or coerce through means of intimidation.

Workplace terrorizing is any process of coercive control or fear instillation through threats, pressure, manipulation, oppression, cruelty, strong-arming, force, or duress…in other words…bullying.

The Numbers are Staggering Encouraging for those living through the pathology of workplace bullying, empirical attention to the problem of workplace bullying is increasing. The Workplace Bullying Institute (2007) reported that 35% of workers have endured bullying firsthand; 62% of bullies are male; 58% of targets are female; females who bully, target females in 80% of cases; bullying occurs at a higher rate than illegal harassment; most (68%) bullying is same-sex harassment; 35% of United States members of the labor force (approximately 53 million Americans) have reported being bullied in the workplace; 15% of employees report being a witness to bullying; the majority (72%) of bullies are bosses; 62% of employers elect to discount or overlook the problem; and 40% of bullied employees never report such to their employers (http://www.workplacebullying.org/wbiresearch/wbi-2007/).

The staggering numbers are not so surprising and the actuality, due to underreporting, is likely worse.

What is surprising, however, is that organizations actually ignore or condone the workplace phenomenon of singling out individuals for intimidation, psychological terrorism, harassment, and general maltreatment on company time and on the company dime.

Reality as Research As a clinical and forensic psychologist, with a professional background in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating victims and perpetrators of relational abuse and violence, I understand that individuals do not check their pathology at the workplace door. The same pathological and damaging patterns of abuse 2

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that occur in families and intimate relations occur in the workplace. In the same manner that domestic violence often goes undetected, unaddressed, and unreported, workplace bullying generally escapes detection and confrontation. As with domestic violence, workplace bullying is about power and the very sick abuse of such, whether physically, sexually, cognitively, or emotionally.

Bullying tends to be viewed as a child or adolescent issue and, as a child specialist, I am very clear about the nuances of childhood bullying. As a clinician, I have worked with countless children and teens who have engaged in bullying and I fully understand the theories of bullying and the well-researched consequences of such in childhood and adolescence. Seeing this socio-behavioral dynamic persist into adulthood, though, is deeply troubling.

While it is true that I know blatant bullying when I see it, whether the bully is 5, 15, 25, 35, 45, or 55, adult bullying has a few twists, turns, and tricks not seen in childhood and adolescence. Bullying in the workplace is one of those clinical dynamics that must be examined up close and personal to most fully appreciate and diagnose. It is almost impossible to see in therapy or during the course of a typical, surface level, psychological evaluation, because the necessary context for its manifestation is absent.

It was, therefore, not clinical work or book reading that led me to the initial deeper understanding of adult bullying; it was actual personal lived adult experience that assisted me with more fully comprehending adult bullying in the workplace.

The in vivo experiences evolved into a “critical ethnography” that allowed me to have a bird’s eye view of the depths of psychological depravity involved in workplace bullying and the adverse consequences for bystanders and for entire organizations. (A “critical ethnography” is a type of qualitative social science research methodology that looks at systems of meaning, values, beliefs, patterns, and practices of cultural groups. A general focus is on addressing disparity and inequality, while advocating for empowerment through challenging the status quo, which is generally rooted in hegemony, abuse, dominance, and power dynamics. In the critical ethnography, the researcher is both a participant and observer in the case study.)

Pathological Patterns of Power “The measure of a man is what he does with power.”

-Plato Bullies in the workplace are very difficult to avoid or navigate around because they generally have deep seated psychological issues related to control and will search relentlessly to secure the ability to exert power and control over others, even when they are in subordinate positions. While some people are just natural born servant-leaders who have a heart for true service, workplace bullies immensely enjoy being involved in organizational activities, committees, and task forces that will give them special access, special information, special connections, and special power to make important decisions that impact others. Escaping their tentacle-like reach is a tall order in most organizations in which workplace bullies flourish.

Some believe that they are smart enough to escape falling prey to a workplace bully. No one, however, regardless of degree, position, or organizational level is immune to workplace bullying or being bullied. I know of at least two doctoral level psychology professionals who, in spite of their expert knowledge of human behavior, were bullied out of the workplace with amazing adroitness. Being kind themselves, and 3

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50 SHADES cont.

believing the best in others, they did not know what hit them. Only by sideline observation, over a long period of time, was I able to see the pattern emerging.

After seeing a few bad actors successfully employ some patently Machiavellian strategies to psychologically lay siege to a group of strong, highly competent, hard-working, well connected, community serving attorneys, I became even more clear about the inherent ability of psychopathic workplace bullies to “microwave” an organization and its members. (Laying siege is a process whereby an individual or group is surrounded and attacked in such a manner as to isolate the individual or group from assistance and resources in order to reduce the individual or group’s resistance, making for greater ease of subjugation, capture, and extermination.)

In my 18-year history as a doctoral level academic, I have known individuals who have been cursed out by other employees, hit by a superior, screamed at by a superior, sexually assaulted by a supervisor, and literally stalked by other employees and superiors. I have heard rumors spread, far and wide, that were so vicious and insane that anyone would be prone to believe them because they were so farfetched that no sane person would envision another person unashamedly and straight faced lying about such.

In utter shock, I have watched pathological patterns of mobbing by doctoral level colleagues against other doctoral level colleagues and have had to endure the secondhand trauma of witnessing the senseless derailment of entire careers and the organizational, individual, and group carnage that followed. I have known of individuals terrorizing support staff to the point of tears and constructive termination.

I have witnessed whole groups of professionals strategize to actually terminate or disempower individuals and groups, even when such required the complete fabrication of documents and events to do so. I have also seen small groups of females being singled out for adverse treatment and have endured seeing the same for multiple persons of color and workplace ethnic minorities.

One very competent female colleague has been called an “Angry Dyke” by a male supervisor who steadily rises in power and access and I have personally been assaulted by a supervisor, stalked, and called a “Nigger” and an “Uppity Lawyer Bitch” in academia.

I have been aware of collective bullying processes to defame, devalue, and discard valuable individuals and have even been bullied, unsuccessfully, to participate in such nefarious and patently juvenile employment actions.

Refusing to participate as a perpetrator in group bullying is a sure invitation to being singled out for future targeting by a workplace bully. I learned this the hard way. Earlier in my career, after watching a colleague bully a supervisor to tears, I confronted the bullying colleague regarding the behavior. The colleague was offended and defensive and took my confrontation as a declaration of war - which the individual waged silently, secretly, and destructively for five straight years, under the general radar and without my awareness.

Not only have I studied, witnessed, experienced, or learned of employee bullying and mobbing, I have seen inappropriate leadership and managerial responses which have served to perpetuate the abuse of organizational employees. This has included complete ignoring of the workplace bullying or, in the alternative, the actual execution of hostile and adverse actions towards those who report bullying, towards those who refuse to participate in group bullying, towards those who complain of workplace 4

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bullying, and towards those who refuse to willingly and quietly submit to the pathology of workplace terroristic bullying. Therefore, bullying is not simply a hot topic with which I am only professionally and theoretically familiar as a psychologist, attorney, educator, and consultant; such is a direct and vicarious lived experience, which serves to inform my clinical awareness and therapeutic proficiency.

“Narci-Sadists” and 50 Signs of Crazy “People who love themselves, don’t hurt other people. The more we hate ourselves, the more we want others to suffer.”

- Dan Pearce When dealing with the issue of workplace bullying, you will need to throw political correctness out of the window. Trying to call it something other than what it is will be a time wasting dance of distraction and delusion. Workplace bullying is the offspring of pathological narcissism and sadism. Anyone who has witnessed workplace bullying, or who has been subjected to such, understands that the bully is pathological and the havoc wreaked by the bully creates pathology and pathological functioning for those targeted and for the organization as a whole.

There is no such thing as a stable, happy, mentally healthy, and well-adjusted bully. The only way a workplace bully, who is generally plagued with suppressed shame and well-hidden insecurities, can feel like a “winner” in life is if they can make someone else - anyone else - feel like a humiliated loser.

As with the now world famous “Narci-Sadist” Christian Grey character (of 50 Shades of Grey), workplace bullies are “50 shades of [messed] up” and there is nothing either “Christian” or “grey” about their workplace behaviors.

Just like other garden variety pathological narcissists, workplace bullies labor under an inflated sense of self-importance and they lack any empathy or remorse related to the suffering they cause others.

Workplace bullies do not truly regard the needs or feelings of others and they are generally contemptuous, even when they manage to appear kind, sympathetic, congenial, and benevolent. Care, compassion, and concern, when displayed by workplace bullies, are simply façades to hide their true motives and their ultimate goals of damage and destruction.

Workplace bullies are amazingly adept at using whatever means necessary, whether legal, or illegal, to intimidate and destroy those who challenge them. They tend to have destructive-creativity to spare and take vindictiveness to another level.

One year, workplace bullies are your best friends; the next year, they are your worst enemies. One day, workplace bullies are supportive, kind, and helpful; the next day, workplace bullies are spreading malicious rumors. The next day, they are taking credit for someone else’s work. The next day, they are denying someone social membership. The next day, they are calling someone names. The next day, they are finding ways to undermine someone’s ability to be effective and succeed. The next day, they are screaming, stomping, and throwing bizarre tantrums. The next day, they are stalking and hyper-vigilantly watching someone’s every move while not doing their own work. The next day, they are using company time and resources manufacturing and compiling any tiny or large piece of data they can muster to support their “Narci-Sadist” missions. The next day, they are doing whatever little crazy thing comes to their overcompensating, shame-filled, envious, self-doubting, and unhappy little minds.

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pg. 16

Special Offer: One Day Only

Tuesday, March 10 Hurry: Just 8 appointment slots left!

St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts, in collaboration with Gateway EITC Community Coalition, will be offering FREE tax preparation for artists at the Metropolitan Artist Lofts, 500 N. Grand, on Tuesday, March 10, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This session is open to residents of Metropolitan Artist Lofts, Leather Trades Artist Lofts and VLAA-affiliated artists.

Space is limited and by appointment only. First come, first served. To make an appointment, send an email today. Please include your name and phone number.

Note: The income guideline limit is $53,000. The volunteers can prepare Form 1040 with Schedule B, C (up to $10,000 of self-employment income) (EIC) & R, Form 1040V, Form 1040 ES, Form 2441 (child and dependent care credit), Form 8863 (education credit) and Form 8812 (additional child tax credit) as well as your state return. You will need to bring all W-2s and 1099s, your 2012 tax return and other documents (a full list will be sent with your appointment confirmation).

St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts (VLAA) serves the arts community by making referrals to lawyers and accountants; mediating arts-related disputes; publishing concise how-to guides; sponsoring seminars and public forums; arranging for guest speakers; maintaining a library and website; collaborating on arts advocacy initiatives; and providing access to the the national volunteer lawyers for the arts network.

St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts 6128 Delmar, St. Louis, MO 63112; 314/863-6930; vlaa@stlrac.org www.vlaa.org

Thank you! Your generosity helps us provide pro bono professional services and affordable educational programs.

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50 SHADES cont.

While you may go to work to develop your talents, share your gifts with the world, make a positive difference, or to simply make a living, a bully goes to work to create suffering and friction. Though they may look very, very busy doing company work, they are multitasking and spending a great deal of organizational time orchestrating conflict and manipulating reality. Their ability to lie without compunction and sow discord with smugness and glee is what gives bullies the workplace advantage.

Most workplace bullies are two-faced and very hypocritical. They might go so far as to befriend you to your face, while simultaneously undermining you behind your back. They will defame you to others, while pretending to be your advocate and ally. A workplace bully will make sure that a target is left out of critical meetings and denied participation on important projects. With a bully, there will be countless important memos the target will never receive. They will steal your work or smugly take significant credit for it. When they are not being hypocritical, the workplace bully is busy fault finding and bending little truths to remake everything positive you have ever done into something negative and worthless.

When it comes to resources, information, or funding to do an adequate job for the organization, a workplace bully will make certain that a target is denied such and is very ingenious with coming up with rationales for the denials. Your “failure” after being denied the ability to succeed will be their “evidence” that you were, indeed, the ineffectual and bungling idiot that they said you were.

Destroying a target and a target’s reputation is a chief aim of a workplace bully. By the time a bully is in full swing, a workplace bully will have painted a picture that “demonstrates” the target - who was hired because of their competence - is suddenly incompetent and inadequate, at all things, in all ways, and at all times. If they have to fabricate documents and events, or tweak the truth, to hasten your downfall, they will very likely do so. Workplace bullies are such highly convincing liars that after a target reads a lie-filled dossier created by the bully about the target, the target might even start to question their own recall of workplace events. After all, the average target will have a hard time believing that someone could be so outrageously creative with blatant lying and the inventing of alternate realities.

Because workplace bullies are just misanthropic psychopaths by another name, most have the ability to charm the pants off of unwitting colleagues, supervisors, managers, executives, and boards of directors.

They are sycophants extraordinaire. On one hand, they may come across as so very nice, and sweet, and helpful, and fawning. On the other hand, they are miserable, manipulative, sympathy seeking, gossipy, and black widow-like. If you do not fall for the manipulative game, you will be cast as the arch enemy set for quiet destruction.

For all of their abusiveness, workplace bullies are very insecure, highly sensitive to criticism, and easily offended by anyone questioning their crazy making behaviors. Therefore, if anyone ever takes it upon themselves to directly call the average workplace bully on their pathology, or reports such, the workplace bully will turn the tables and will recast himself or herself as the real victim. It’s such a crazy process that one would have to actually see it, firsthand, to believe it.

If a workplace bully is highly knowledgeable or adept in a particular field, watch out! The bully will use this to “prove” their competence and to shield them from criticism regarding their emotional immaturity. In fact, they may even attempt to assert that their intellectual competence or expertise actually “proves” that they are not, indeed, the psychological terrors they happen to be. When a highly intellectual workplace bully is sufficiently deliberative, the workplace bully can create a life of artifacts that “prove” the individual is not a bully. When this occurs, the workplace bully will join 6

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committees aimed at fairness and justice. They will research humanitarian topics. They will volunteer to do just about anything that will bolster their image as the opposite of what they happen to be. Naïve onlookers will erroneously see the bully’s “good works” as evidence of a “good person.” All of this illusion creating will tend to result in delusion making for the workplace bully, who might start to actually believe their own fabricated do-gooder press.

Workplace Bullies are Psychopathic…by Any Other Name “And for some reason, there seems to be no internal policeman for a bully that says maybe you're hurting somebody's feelings.” “It's a terrorist act. It's meant to make you feel afraid.

It's meant to make you feel powerless…”

- Whoopi Goldberg Don’t be fooled. Many workplace bullies are pathological narcissists and psychopaths, plain and simple. Workplace bullies are very sensitive about even hearing the word “bully,” however, and will often work diligently to punish its use and its user in the workplace. These individuals will demand that you find nicer and more palatable terms to use when discussing or dealing with their psychopathic patterns of engagement. It is what it is.

Because workplace bullies are nothing more than psychopaths, an organization needs to understand that a workplace bully is devoid of any authentic empathy and they generally operate devoid of a behavior informing conscience. Workplace bullies are highly manipulative and extremely skilled at getting those around them to do whatever they might desire, regardless of how obviously crazy that desire or plan might be. Successful psychopathic workplace bullies are often highly intelligent, verbally skilled, and convincing. You may see the sky is blue, but they can convince you that what you actually see is a bright magenta sky with hints of sunflower yellow trimmed in cooling coral.

Although they may be known for hot emotional outbursts and tantrums, workplace bullies are coldblooded and unemotional. Because they rarely care about suffering negative consequences for their behaviors, psychopathic workplace bullies will engage in abusive feats beyond the average person’s imagination. Unfortunately, the average targeted individual or targeted organization will fail to comprehend the extent to which a workplace bully will go to lie and deceive. The sky is the limit!

When one looks at any definition of psychopath, therein are the very patterns, thoughts, and actions of workplace bullies, whether male or female. Organizations that ignore this fact in recruitment, hiring, promotion, systems of reward and punishment, and termination do so to the detriment of the organization and to the individuals who serve within the organization.

Certain workplace cultures increase the likelihood of a workplace being more prone to bullying acceptance than not. Workplace climates that are “psychopath friendly” are examples of such conducive cultures. Brody’s (2010) research supports this contention and has uncovered a correlation between unjust administrative practices and the presence of individuals with psychopathic or sociopathic tendencies. In 2011, Caponecchia, C., Sun, A., & Wyatt, A. researched the issue of psychopaths in the workplace and made note of the fact that psychopathic functioning persists in organizations which fail to hold people individually accountable for their bad behavior.

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50 SHADES cont.

Coercive Cultures As incredible as it may seem, there are actually some workplace cultures that are not only abusive, but the very “work” of those individuals inside of the organization involves bullying under the guise of more socially acceptable titles. These types of organizations serve as a breeding ground and finishing school for the art of intimidation and aggression.

The societal organization of higher education is a perfect prototype of these types of bullying organizations. Such are veritable havens for bullying and mobbing, and the misconduct related to such has been examined by (Cameron, Meyers, & Olswang, 2005). Authors such as Darla Twale and Barbara DeLuca (2008) have attempted to shed significant light on this long overdue area of empirical investigation as they considered not only how faculty manage to camouflage aggression, but how the culture of bullying and mobbing may be natural outgrowths of the structure, norms, culture, and overall system of institutions of higher education.

Specifically, Twale and DeLuca (2008) examined the process of faculty governance and systems of reinforcement and punishment that have historically supported bullying climates in higher education.

Colleague and supervisory aggression and intimidation may be passed off as normal hazing en route to promotion or tenure. The fact that administrators, nonteaching staff, and students also engage in bullying (McKay, Arnold, Fratzl, & Thomas, 2008) might serve to further the normalization of such conduct.

In bully-friendly workplace cultures, targeted individuals usually complain to no avail, and they rarely understand all of the psychological dynamics surrounding the issue of workplace bullying (Namie & Namie, 2009). Some immature organizational members may view workplace bullying as playing, joking, or the toughening of fellow employees. This may be coupled with shrugging off complaints as oversensitivity on the part of the target of bullying. Rarely do perpetrators take responsibility for bullying conduct. Instead, blame for the abuse is displaced onto the target.

The Workplace Bullying Narcissist vs. the Organization and Stakeholders Regardless of pretenses to the contrary, workplace bullies do not care about organizations or the people that inhabit such. Bullies care about bullies. Just like organizations have missions, workplace bullies have their own missions, visions, goals, objectives, and hoped for outcomes. An organization and its mission are just means to an end for a workplace bully. Workplace bullies can take down an entire department, a whole division, or complete organization if unchecked.

Workplace bullying is not a part of any organization’s stated mission or vision. In fact, such serves to undermine the very goals of private and public organizations. Dysfunctional and harmful workplace behaviors, such as bullying, result in workplace climates that foster lessened organizational attachment, lower commitment, lower productivity, lower morale, lower team cohesiveness, higher dissatisfaction, higher instances of adverse social and emotional well-being, and higher demoralization (Boddy, 2010; Dehue, Bolman, Völlink, & Pouwelse, 2012). Additionally, being a target of bullying in one’s place of employment adversely impacts employee physical health, psychological health, and occupational development. Notably, these adverse impacts include symptoms of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, headaches, back pain, heart palpitations, and even suicide attempts. While there may be little support for targets of bullying in workplaces, passive versus active coping strategies 8

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tend to function to exacerbate poor health outcomes for those who have been bullied (Dehue et al, 2012).

Workplace bullying also results in negative consequences for coworker witnesses, organizational climates, organizational bottom lines, and consumers of organizational products and services.

Ubiquitous toxicity growing out of workplace bullying occurs because workplace bullies have a unique ability to seize, undermine, and destabilize corporate or institutional structure and function (including legitimate hierarchies, systems of mentoring, and employee review processes) to further actualize abuse of their target(s) and to mask their true aggressive plans and goals (Simpson, 2004).

Organizations also suffer the effects of workplace bullying by way of decreased productivity, higher rates for medical insurance, and higher instances of absenteeism in contrast to organizations where bullying is not prevalent (Dehue et al, 2012). When considering workplace bullying from this vantage point, it appears that not only are individuals bullied but organizations are collaterally targeted for negative outgrowths of objectionable individual or collective employee patterns of conduct.

Human resource (HR) departments, however, are not generally equipped to handle the average psychopathic workplace bully and are easily taken in. Some HR staff may even work behind the scenes assisting with silencing, punishing, and terminating a target because the HR staff has bought into the workplace bully’s delusion making or the HR staff may have simply signed on as eager co-perpetrators.

“To those who abuse: the sin is yours, the crime is yours, and the shame is yours.

To those who protect the perpetrators: blaming the victims only masks the evil within, making you as guilty as those who abuse.” ― Flora Jessop When HR supports the workplace bully, bullies have more leverage to get the target removed by forcing the target to leave, forcing the organization to fire the target, or getting the target to become so psychologically troubled that the target considers or effectuates suicide. When this happens, a fresh target will be quickly sought out for the kill and the pattern just begins anew. It’s hard to imagine that companies actually pay for this destructive and distracting insanity, but they, wittingly or unwittingly, do it every single day.

The Cost of Obliviousness Ignoring or condoning bullying exacts many costs upon organizations. The filing of complaints, grievances, criminal charges, and civil charges within, and against, organizations diverts attention and resources away from the inherent work of the organization and redirects energy to individuals who are behaving not only in ways that are violating of individuals but in ways which are adverse to the best interests of the organizations and those served (internally and externally) by the organizations.

In a very involved mixed methods research study by McKay, Arnold, Fratzl, and Thomas (2008), researchers reported that bullying is a dynamic that includes multiple actors. These researchers also discovered a spillover dynamic where singular bad actors (“bad apples”) appeared to trigger bad acting by others. The resultant costs, according to McKay et al (2008), is increased turnover of bullied employees, negatively altered employee perception of one’s institution/organization, decreased employee engagement, and lower attachment to the organization. Not one of these dynamics supports an organizational mission.

9

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

50 SHADES cont.

McKay et al (2008) indicated that a factor supporting continued bullying and organizationally unethical conduct is an actual culture of stunted ethics. They also postulated that bullying may serve a unique organizational perceived necessity. When organizations need someone to act in objectionable ways (e.g. massive layoffs) without remorse, having a bully on hand serves as an inconvenient convenience. Only those who already possess bullying predilections and psychopathic degrees of ruthlessness are able to carry out vicious and unscrupulous hatchet man tasks. This myopic practice of promoting bullying out of “necessity” fosters greater organizational dysfunction in the long run.

Managers, executives, leaders, and boards need to understand that workplace bullying makes their job even harder and such diminishes their own ability to be optimally effective, as organizational time and resources are diverted away from the mission to deal with the bully, the victims of bullying, and all of the ancillary negative outgrowths of bullying.

When boards, shareholders, and stakeholders truly understand how workplace bullying profoundly undermines organizational productivity, profit, and potential they will better realize that the overall cost of maintaining even one workplace bully outweighs any actual or hoped for long term benefit.

Do the math. Is there really a single bullying employee that is worth all of this?

Suggestions for Targets “…if there are no heroes to save you, then you be the hero” -Denpa Kyoshi  







Look before you leap. Get to know your co-workers and leaders before accepting a position.

Question and research them, just like they question and research you.

Avoid workplace bullies, as if they have the plague. Avoid working with them. Avoid being on a team with them. Avoid working under or over them. Avoid responding to them. Avoid being in the same building or room with them. Don’t wait to be a target. As soon as you see someone bullying anyone else, stay far away from the bully.

Balance the need to be friendly and cordial with the maintenance of boundaries. Workplace bullies love to gather little tidbits of information about you and your life so that they can use it to their advantage against you later. If someone seeks to be too chummy too soon, be careful.

This includes a too nosey or overly gossipy supervisor, supervisee, manager, director, or coworker. With a workplace bully, anything you say or do can, and will, be used against you in the court of workplace popular opinion.

Although bullies are infuriated by assertiveness, be assertive anyway. With a workplace bully, being shy and demure is not your friend. A workplace bully looks for chinks in your armor and any vulnerability the workplace bully can find to exploit, the bully will. Staying focused on your actual work will give you less time to engage a bully. Let the workplace bully know that you have a lot of work to do and only a specific amount of time in which to complete it. Stay too busy to engage.

While it may be difficult, avoid mess disturbers at all costs. If they are disturbing mess related to someone else today, your turn is likely tomorrow. If they delight in duping one person today, your opportunity to be hoodwinked is likely tomorrow or the next year. A workplace bully comes to work with drama and conning abundant.

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pg. 22

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From day one on the job, keep a journal of your days, important events, meetings, and conversations. Also, keep a folder of relevant documents. Print or forward your work emails daily and maintain such away from the workplace. If you wait until you are aware that you have been targeted, you will have to, somehow, seek to recall dates and events that might span years. Workplace bullies are patient and it might take them a few years to show their true colors or get you on their target list.

Let others know you are being targeted, whether such be family members, friends, internal or external colleagues, supervisors, or HR. Do not hide in shame about the workplace bullying or silently resign yourself to such treatment. Suffering in silence and humiliation is most detrimental to a target’s health. If you report the workplace bullying, seriously consider taking a supportive ally with you to act as support and, maybe even, moderator. If you do not feel comfortable or safe reporting the workplace bullying or confronting the bully, you are likely not safe to even work in the same space with the workplace bully. Bullies are generally psychologically unstable.

Seriously consider seeking other employment. You will want to start this process as early as possible, because a “successful” workplace bully will have sought to rip you and your professional reputation apart. They would like nothing more than envisioning you covered in sores and looking like Job of the Bible, while homeless, jobless, begging for scraps of food, and digging in the trash on the nearest street corner. This is after they play over the fantasy in their heads that you have had, at least, your third psychotic break and suicide attempt.

Call it what it is…bullying. It is not a personality conflict. It is not about you being un-collegial. It is not about you being too sensitive. It is not about tough supervision. It is not about you not being able to take a joke. It’s not about you not being a team player. It is not about you being some incompetent vile person the workplace bully has concocted. It is not about you learning how to take constructive criticism. It is not about you, at all. It is about them and their pathology. Reality is your best defense to the workplace bully’s illusion and delusion making. Do not let anyone talk you into seeing bullying for anything other than what it is.

Consider who your bully is. Does this person bring in significant financial capital to the organization? Is this person high in the workplace hierarchy? Is the bully your supervisor, manager, or secretary? Does the person have a special relationship with HR or some other important powerbroker department, office, or person? Is the person well-networked within the organization? Is the person demographically privileged in a way that matters? While it may be tough to swallow, a highly educated, straight, white, Protestant, male, who looks like the proverbial “boy next door” will tend to be afforded significant privilege in bullying situations.

The likelihood that an HR department will seriously respond to bullying perpetrated by such a privileged workplace bully is highly unlikely. HR will see what it wants to see or what it is told to see. The less privileged individual in the scenario will be generally afforded the least of organizational protections, particularly if the majority of the organization is privileged similar to the bully.

Take care of your health, physically and mentally. Let your physician know that you are being bullied at work and ask for assistance with maintaining your health in the face of such. Consider seeking supportive individual or group counseling, pastoral counseling, or life coaching. Eat healthy. Drink plenty of water. Get adequate sleep. Exercise. Create balance between work and

11

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

Redefine the Life in Your Lifestyle I know that it’s been a while since I’ve e-mailed you, I truly hope that all is well!

I also hope that you’ve been able to stay up to date with all the happenings via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Between my recent trip to Mexico and the latest additions at the Meditation Lounge, there’s been way more to share than there is time, but I do the best I can!

Healing Spa is Back!

So I want to tell you quickly that right after Journey Meditation this Sunday, the Healing Spa starts at 5:15pm! I haven’t offered this experience since October so I know that many of you are super excited about this.

If you haven’t yet been, it’s a beautiful experience...

You will be in a group setting with soothing, healing music to help you relax while you focus your intentions on the clarity or healing you seek. I’ll spend 15-20 minutes per person laying hands and sharing the spiritual insight that I receive for you.

Please Register in Advance Our standard classes no longer require advance registration, however due to the nature of this experience, I’ll need to limit how many people attend so advance registration is required in order to attend.

You can sign up online HERE or call 314-441-6929 to get signed up over the phone.

www.selenaj.com

Classes Offered 5 Days a Week In case you’re out of the loop, we now have meditation and yoga classes at the Meditation Lounge 5 days a week and our rates are still in the introductory phase! A single class is $10, but you can save by signing up for a Monthly Membership (starting at $35 p/m), or Pay-As-You-Grow Class Passes (starting at $40) - either way you save! Check out all of your options and view the class schedule and all of the services that we’re offering at www. selenaj.com!

I’m looking forward to seeing you in classes this Sunday!

Peace, Love & Light, SJ

pg. 24

HEALTH ■ MIND ■ BODY ■ SPIRIT ■ CULTURE ■ BONDING

Girls Holla Back!

St. Louis’ Award Winning Intergenerational Approach to HIV/AIDS Prevention Program for African American Females In an effort to reduce new cases of HIV/AIDS and drug use among African American females in St. Louis, the Missouri Institute of Mental Health (MIMH) developed a FREE series of prevention workshops complemented with fun-filled communications activities for girls ages 12-17 and one of their adult female family members. **Orientation & Health Fair:**

**March 7th 2015 from 10:30am - 3pm** Workshop Dates: March 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26

April 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 Workshop Times: 5:30 - 8:30pm (all sessions)

Location:

New Northside Conference Center 5939 Goodfellow Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63147 *To determine the effectiveness of the program, participants will be asked to complete one survey before the program starts; one on the last day; and one 3-months after the program has ended. *Sponsored by the Missouri Institute of Mental Health through funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

Girls Holla Back! Registration Mailing Form March - April 2015 (Please Print Clearly)

Date:____________________

Name of Female Youth:_______________________________________________________ Age:_____________

Name of Female Parent (Guardian):_______________________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________ City:________________ State:_______ Zip:______________

*Phone:(_______)___________________________ *Alt Phone:( ) *Email:______________________________________________ How do you prefer to receive program information? [ ] Mail or [ ] E-mail [ ] Phone *How did you hear about Girls Holla Back? [ ] Radio (Station?______________) [ ] Bus/Billboard [ ] E-Blast [ ] Website [ ] Facebook [ ] Twitter [ ] Friend/Former Participant [ ] Other (_______________________) Mail To: Girls Holla Back!, c/o MIMH, 4633 World Parkway Circle, St. Louis, MO 63134 or fax to (314) 516-8405.

For more information, contact us at (314) 516-8487 or girlshollaback@mimh.edu.

**You may also register online by visiting www.GirlsHollaBack.org**

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50 SHADES cont.

  

home life. Spend time with supportive family and friends. Do not put your life on hold thinking about the workplace bully. They are draining.

Seek competent and ethical legal counsel to explore your options.

Research bullying so that you can understand the issue more fully.

Whatever you do, do not collude in your own workplace abuse or in the abuse of others out of fear. I am a strong advocate of speaking up and out about workplace bullying in the same manner that abused children are taught to keep reporting the abuse until someone listens. If no one is listening to you now, keep speaking up about the workplace bullying until someone does.

Suggestions for Managers, Executives, and Leaders “If you see someone being bullied, make it stop. Why is that so hard for us to do?” ― Susane Colasanti

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Remember that everyone has a right to a safe work environment. No one takes a job to be another person’s psychological punching bag or “narcissistic supply.” No one takes a job so that they can have their life and career thwarted, derailed, or sabotaged by a self-serving workplace bully.

Accept responsibility for maintaining a physically and psychologically safe work environment.

Create onboarding developmental activities aimed at bullying prevention.

Create leadership development activities aimed at identifying, preventing, and responding to workplace bullying.

Check your own desires for a healthy workplace. Are you, yourself, a drama queen or king who likes to keep mess stirred up to add excitement to your day or life? Do you get a vicarious charge out of witnessing the abuse of others?

Avoid any tendencies towards workplace bullying in your own behavior. Do not act randomly.

Do not take credit for work you did not do. Admit mistakes, shortcomings, and failures. Maintain consistency and fairness. Be considerate and respectful. Do not single people out or show favoritism. Seek to hire and retain highly knowledgeable and experienced persons. Be inclusive.

Be honest and forthright. Be objective. Show care for others. Be motivating. Be a team builder.

Be clear and consistent.

Know who you are hiring. Question the person’s potential to be a bully as much as their potential to do the job. Avoid, to the greatest extent possible, those with tendencies towards narcissism, psychopathy, excessive competitiveness, and emotional callousness. Use a team approach to recruiting, selection, and hiring, whenever possible.

Psychologically evaluate all potential supervisors, managers, and executives before hiring or promoting. This should include a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative evaluation of not only cognitive ability but, more importantly, personality, social, and emotional functioning.

Research the topic of workplace bullying.

Provide clear and unambiguous policies regarding acceptable workplace behavior. The policy should clearly spell out the unacceptability of behaviors which are known to be bullying behaviors.

Confirm any complaints of bullying. Document the complained of behaviors. Consult with HR regarding an appropriate plan of confrontation of the bully. Review the suspected bully’s files for any previous complaints or discipline related to potentially abusive behaviors.

12

pg. 26

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Meet with, and confront, the suspected workplace bully directly, in a private face-to-face meeting. Prepare an outline of what you are going to say and stick to it. Bring the documentation with you and let the suspected bully know the reason for the meeting. Be clear and remain calm and unemotional. Present the documented facts to the suspected bully.

Explain the organization’s concerns and expectations. Outline the organizational response to the bully’s actions.

While this article goes into great detail regarding the internal psychological dynamics of bullying, stay focused on the observable bullying behavior versus the internal motivation for such when confronting the workplace bully. The emotional state of the bully is, in many ways, not the organization’s concern. The bully’s abusive actions are. Of course, the workplace bully will likely insist that they did not engage in the bullying behavior, that the bullying was minor, or that the target deserved the mistreatment. Do not be surprised when this occurs and do not get pulled into a pity party with the suspected bully. Do not seek to serve as a counselor. Your role is as workplace behavioral corrector and director, not therapist.

An effective and competent leader must understand their responsibility to the individual employees and the organization to maintain a safe and healthy environment for individuals to do their work. The accountability buck stops with an organization’s ultimate leadership. This is a buck that should not be readily passed or ignored.

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

- Desmond Tutu

References:         

Boddy, C. ( 2010). Corporate psychopaths, bullying, and unfair supervision in the workplace.

Journal of Business Ethics, 100, 367–379.

Cameron, C., Meyers, L., & Olswang, S. (2005). Academic bills of rights: Conflict in the classroom.

Journal of College and University Law, 31, 243–290.

Caponecchia, C., Sun, A., & Wyatt, A. (2011). ‘Psychopaths’ at work? Implications of lay persons’ use of labels and behavioral criteria for psychopathy. Journal of Business Ethics, 107, 399–408.

Dehue, F., Bolman, C., Völlink, T., & Pouwelse, M. (2012). Coping with bullying at work and health related problems. International Journal of Stress Management, 19(3), 175-197.

McKay, R., Arnold, D., Fratzl, J., & Thomas, R. (2008). Workplace bullying in academia: A Canadian study. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 20, 77–100.

Namie, G. & Namie, R. (2009). The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks.

Simpson, R. (2004). Dangerous work: The gendered nature of bullying in the context of higher education. Gender, Work and Organization, 11(2), 163-186.

Twale, D. & De Luca, B. (2008). Faculty Incivility: The Rise of the Academic Bully Culture and What to Do About It. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Results of the 2007 WBI U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey (2007). Retrieved from (http://www.workplacebullying.org/wbiresearch/wbi-2007/).

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OP / ED SECTION

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ur Source for Art Appreciation.

NEWSZINE

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Contact us to have your ad placed here. ~ Contact us Today! ~

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ORC

pg. 28

Dr. Tracy

The

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nt e v E ning

Sig k o o B s i u g: o n i r u t St. L Fea

a w DuE , r e i z a Fr er Writ

Wednesday,

March 18, 2015 7pm,

Left Bank Books

hosts a book signing with St. Louis native, DuEwa Frazier, author of the young adult novel, “Deanne in the Middle”.

Frazier will read from the teen novel that is set in St. Louis and presents youth issues such as bullying, peer pressure and succeeding through challenges.

Frazier will also discuss her writing life.

This event is free and open to the public.

Bring your teens and tweens who love teen novels!

Lef t Bank B o o ks 399 North Euclid St. Louis, Mo 63108 (314) 367-6731 Visit www.left-bank.com and www.duewaworld.com. pg. 30

WATCH NOW!

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

Let’s Go Fly a Kite…

Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Scott Joplin House State Historic Site Family FunDay

Sunday, March 22, 2015 2:00 - 4:00 PM 2658 Delmar, St. Louis, MO 63103 March is the month when the air is just right to fly a kite.

Kites are easy to make and can be impressive and colorful dancing in the wind.

Join Scott Joplin House and DNR St. Louis Area Office for a Family FunDay. Construct, decorate and fly a kite. Kites are free, but limited.

Reserve your kite by calling Carlotta Lewis at (314)340-5794; leave name and age of family members attending. This event is free and open to the public.

Let’s enjoy the outdoors!

pg. 32

FOLLOW

Bro. Shahid twitter.com/anthonyshahid1

Activist, Agitator and Servant of Allah Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

LIVE WORK PLAY

Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

Nate K. Johnson ABR,CRS,GRI Broker/Owner Real Estate Solutions nate@livingstl.com www.livingstl.com

I hope that you are doing well. We have just about made it through another beautiful winter in St. Louis! In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens wrote:

“in March, the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”

Yes, we are officially in March, and although I love all of the seasons in St. Louis, I can’t wait to say goodbye to winter this year. There are some great things going on in St. Louis this month.

I certainly hope that you can join me at some of them!

pg. 34

Local Events

Tonight, also known as TUESDAY, the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra closes out it’s season with Swing This, celebrating Billie Holiday, who would have been 100 this year! On WEDNESDAY, enjoy a night out with the family at The Fox Theatre watching the class Phantom of The Opera.

March

3 thru

March

8

On THURSDAY, enjoy a couple of complimentary drinks over at the Venture Cafe in the Cortex Innovation District while connecting with some innovators and entrepreneurs working to bring their dreams to a reality.

Afterwards, head to Tavern of Fine Arts Presents: The Perihelion Ensemble w/ St. Louis Poet Laureate Michael Castro.

On FRIDAY, you can catch the 10th annual St. Louis Blues Festival, and afterwards, you may want to stop at Jazz at The Bistro to see the soulful vocal styling of Rene Marie. If you would prefer something a bit more classical on Friday, you’ll enjoy The Arianna String Quartet: Contemporary Beethoven at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Also on Friday, a variety of unique dance styles will be on the agenda as the Missouri Ballet Theatre Company performs Dancing on the Edge at the Florissant Civic Center Theater I remember the mesmerized look on my kids’ face the first time they saw the whimsical puppets of Bob Kramer’s Marionettes. His talented team has been delighting children and adults for over 50 years. You can check them out on Friday at The Sheldon.

On SATURDAY, you can join me downtown at T-Rex for a great night of food, drinks and live music at Trailnet’s Bikes Beans & Brew. Afterwards, you might want to head over to Lumiere to see the hilarious actor and comedian, John Witherspoon. Also on Saturday, you might want to head over to Grand Center to watch some belly dancing, along with flamenco dancers from all over the world and live music at the Ole’ Habibi! show at the Kranzberg Arts Center. Alternatively on Saturday, you can try out Tenacious Eats as they present Movies for Foodies: 5 courses, 5 cocktails and the movie Dazed and Confused!

On SUNDAY, Winter Opera is presenting Verdi’s grand opera Otello, based on the Shakespeare tragedy at The Skip Viragh Center for The Arts. Also on Sunday, you can catch the finals of The Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament live at the Scottrade Center, or watch it at The Post in Maplewood. Also on Sunday, you might enjoy the opening reception for Contemplations at the U City Library, or maybe the kids would enjoy The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre.

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LIVE WORK PLAY

March

9

thru

On MONDAY, get some friends together and check out Elvis Costello at The Pageant. Years ago, my wife and I enjoyed our first date while watching the violin virtuoso David Halen at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

On TUESDAY, you can join us over to The Sheldon to see David and his wife, Soprano Singer Miran Halen at Salut D’Amour, to celebrate his 20th year as Concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony. You might want to visit the Repertory Theatre on Wednesday to see Buyer and Cellar. It’s inspired

by Barbara Streisand’s coffee table book, My Passion for Design.

On THURSDAY, enjoy a scrumptious 4 Course Prix-Fixe Menu with wine pairings at The Dark Room event, Slow Down and Indulge: Relax, Sip, Savor, Repeat. On Friday, bask in the joyous sounds of some of the finest folk dances: Ginastera’s Four Dances from Estancia, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5 and more at at the STL Symphony Concert: Folk Dances: Brahms & Bartok at Powell Symphony Hall. You might also want to check out the International Photography Collaborative: China Exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Garden on FRIDAY too.

A group of photographers documented both rural and urban life in China, and produced a poignant glimpse into the global powerhouse of business and art. The Craft Alliance Small Buildings Opening Reception is also something you’d maybe be interested in. This exhibition features 16 artists selected by jurors Buzz Spector and Bruce Lindsey, both professors at Washington University Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts.

March

15

On SATURDAY, you can join me at the 46th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade as we enjoy the elaborate floats, marching bands, dance groups & more! If you are looking for something a bit more laid back, you might enjoy the Gateway Men’s Chorus at the Edison Theatre as they perform Band of Brothers, which will delight audiences with a show of empowering and uplifting music that explores the bonds and experiences that go beyond blood relation and romantic love.

Or maybe you’d prefer some arts and crafts fun at Green with Indie at the Grant Gym at Webster University. It’s St. Louis’ largest indie arts and crafts show featuring the best in regional arts and crafts with an eco-friendly focus.

SUNDAY might be a good day to see the magical Phantom of the Opera performance at The Fox Theatre.

pg. 36

1

March

17

On TUESDAY, head over to Dogtown for the 32nd Annual Ancient Order of Hibernians’ Dogtown St. Patrick’s Day Parade. You’ll be amazed by all the floats, marching bands, and of course all the St. Patrick’s day fun in the crowded streets of Dogtown. To keep the spirit going, you can enjoy The Traditional Music of Ireland concert at The Sheldon featuring acclaimed Celtic fiddler Kevin Buckley and friends!

On Wednesday, the Grammy-nominated quintet Kneebody will be performing at Jazz at the Bistro , or Left Bank Books is hosting a book signing with St. Louis native, DuEwa Frazier, author of the young adult novel, Deanne in the Middle.

Additionally on WEDNESDAY, R & B songstress Jazmine Sullivan is performing her current single “Forever Don’t Last” and other songs off of her new album at The Pageant on FRIDAY. You may also want to check out the Meet the Maker event at the Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design .

Clay artist, Norleen Nosri will be at the event, along with her fascinating clay artwork.

On SATURDAY, head over to the Edison Theatre at Washington University for Scrap Arts Music . Just as you might imagine, the Vancouver-based ensemble creates a dizzying barrage of beats from old bike parts, shiny construction salvage, PVC pipes, and other odds and ends. Or you may prefer The Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience at The Sheldon Concert Hall. A group of all-star jazz musicians carry on the tradition of the late, great Dizzy Gillespie - an innovator and pioneer of the Latin jazz movement. The sixpiece ensemble promises an exciting mix of Afro-Cuban sounds you will love!

thru

March

22

SUNDAY, take the kids to America’s Center for LEGO KidsFest . The event brings all of the creative hands-on, minds-on fun of LEGO building and experiences together in one activity and entertainment-packed family event that the kids will love! The Sheldon has some new exhibits you may want to see. Dive into the Dream: Drawings by Bill Perry and Christner: 50 Years of Shaping The Built Environment . And visit Old Rock House later that evening for some gypsy jazz rhythms, acoustic guitars, upright bass and violin by the Caravan of Thieves.

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LIVE WORK PLAY

March

23

On MONDAY night, the third annual St. Louis Theater Circle Awards Ceremony will take place at COCA Founders’ Theatre.

On TUESDAY, lift your spirits to new high-heeled heights at the exhilarating Kinky Boots musical at the Fox Theatre. If you are looking for some helpful marketing tips, check out How to Hustle: Marketing for Indie Producers at KDHX. I’m always in the mood for some delicious creole cuisine with drinks, and it will be available on Thursday as the Soulard Alliance Presents: A Night of Jazz, Creole, Rhythm, and Blues at the Historic Franklin Room in Soulard, featuring a performance by Miss Jubilee.

On FRIDAY, Fleetwood Mac is performing at Scottrade Center. If you’re looking for something a little different, you’ll

u

thr

March

29

enjoy the exciting Carnaval, the annual Latin culture show, at the Edison Theatre at Wash U. The show features several dances as well as a skit. If you’re a fan of The Godfather movie, you might enjoy the opportunity to hear the film’s score in it’s entirety at the St. Louis Symphony: The Godfather, at Powell Hall. Support Cocktails and Clowns on Friday night, which brings laughter and happiness to patients and families at St. Louis Children’s Hospital . The event will be at the Caramel Room at Bissinger’s. If you’re craving some delicious seafood and beer on Saturday, head over to the Schlafly Oyster and Stout Festival at The Schlafly Tap Room and indulge in several varieties of oysters and pair them with 3 styles of Schlafly stout! If that doesn’t sound good, you may enjoy the Lupulin Carnival at 4 Hands Brewing Company.

The 4th annual event features beer samples from more than 50 local and national breweries, food trucks, live music,

carnival games and more.

On SATURDAY evening, the St. Louis Crisis Nursery will be hosting their annual fundraiser, Razzle Dazzle Ball: Fire and Ice at the Sheraton Westport Lakeside Chalet. The formal event will include live entertainment, dancing, and enticing food and desserts.

pg. 38

Yes, it will certainly be another great month in St. Louis! Please don’t hesitate to let me know if there is anything that I can do for you. All the best. ~Nate

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pg. 40

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Click image to

WATCH NOW! pg. 42

ArtsTODAYYour Source for Vol. 1.5 June 27, 2014

r Source for Art Appreciation.

NEWSZINE

a

T DAY NEWSZINE

Have a story idea that you would like for us to cover? ~ Contact us Today! ~

TL W

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ORCH

Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club Beginning Knitting Class Interested in it? n k o t w o h g n learni

“Knit to be Tied” 10-Week Session

Dates February 7- April 18, 2015 (No class Easter Weekend, April 5, 2015)

Time Saturdays 10:30-12noon Location Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club 4245 North Kingshighway St. Louis, MO 63115 Ages 8 years and older, parents / guardians welcome to participate Cost $25.00

Register Now!

Membership Required Contact Membership Dept. for information about Special Discount and promotions at 314.382.5952

For additional information contact : Cheryl Holland at cholland@wustl.edu or 314.935.6626 LaJuan Williams, Cultural Arts and Health Department 314.382.5952 ext. 242

pg. 44

“Acting White”

Share your Story Dear friends: I have been asked to write a chapter in a book that will address colorism in education. My chapter will focus on “acting white.”

Specifically, when I was growing up, I was a “smart” student. My top performance in school, doing homework, raising my hand to answer questions, etc. often drew the accusation from my African American classmates and friends that I was “acting white.”

Now, I know there are psychologists out there who say this is not true and does not exist. But alas, it was absolutely true for me. I have written about this in past works. I will do so again for this new book. I do know that many young folks today who continue to have such allegations hurled at them so feel free to share this email with whoever and have folks email me directly.

I did a survey on this very question about 7 years ago and the results were consistent with my experiences decades ago. I’d like to update my earlier survey. I would love to hear from anyone out there who has a similar/related story either involving yourself or someone you know. I would like to include your story in the chapter. I will conceal your identity if you request.

Do you have a story to share? If so, please email to me at: norwood@wulaw.wustl.edu.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead Kimberly Norwood , Professor of Law | Washington University School of Law Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

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John Jennings Associate Professor Visual Studies SUNY Buffalo tumblr: http://jijennin70. tumblr.com/

pg. 46

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S.L .A .M.

St. Louis Art Museum

ART COLLECTIONS

Admission to the Museum is free every day.

Hours:

Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm

|

EXHIBITS

Friday, 10:00 am–9:00 pm

|

EVENTS Closed Monday

Check out Nick Cave’s Exhibit Going on now through March 8, 2015.

For more information CLICK HERE.

w w w. s l a m . o r g One Fine Arts Drive - Forest Park, St. Louis, MO 63110-1380 314.721.0072

pg. 48

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MAKE ME AN OFFER. www.Allstarmotorsinc.com

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Join us for a healthy practice in goal setting!

If you register before March 7th you will receive a free gift!

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ART OFOF FOOD ART FOOD

Ok so I’m a breakfast food lover!

As in, I could, have and will eat breakfast food any time of the day.

I know I’m not the only one out here. French Toast is hands down, one of my favorite breakfast dishes. Whether it’s made with Brioche, Texas Toast, Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Toast, etc. …I haven’t come across a variation that wasn’t delicious. The version I’m sharing with you this time around includes Panko Bread Crumbs, which adds the perfect crunchy texture. With this recipe, I typically would add more cinnamon to the batter and bread crumb mixture. Only because (for me) cinnamon is a must and often makes or breaks the flavor of french toast.

Bon Appétit,

Doré

Ingredients: 6 ea Eggs 4 Tbsp Vanilla Extract ½ C Milk (Whichever type of milk you usually use is fine) 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon 1 ea French Bread Baguette ¼ C Granulated Sugar (Add more depending on your sweet tooth) *Optional: Add dashes/pinches of Ground Allspice, Cloves and/ or Nutmeg Bread Crumb Mix: ≈ 2 ½ C Panko Bread Crumbs ≈ ¼ C Granulated Sugar ≈ 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon PROCEDURE: 1. Slice your French bread into 1 ½” – 2” thick slices. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, sugar & cinnamon; set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together panko bread crumbs, sugar & cinnamon until fully combined.

2. Dip each piece of bread into the egg mixture and then press gently into the panko mixture, flipping to coat both sides.

3. Melt a small piece of butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the slices of bread one piece at a time. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. *When serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar, top with your favorite fruit (& even nut) combination and/or drizzle with warm syrup. Try combinations like: Strawberry–Almond; Orange with Dried Cranberries; Lemon–Blueberry; Blackberry–Ginger; Blueberry–Peaches; Fig–Walnut; Mango–Almond with Lime; Pear– Hazelnut; Banana–Walnut/Pecan; Pears with Dried Currants; Cherries with Pistachios

pg. 52

Léna O. A. Jackson St. Louis, MO Culinary Arts

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A Call to Cons

pres

Unsung Voices o

Friday, March Gibson Heights United Presbyterian C FREE AND OPEN A reception will follo

Join us as we lift up and pay tribute to some of the citizen community who have made huge differences in St. Louis i entertainment, literature, and civil rights. Taken from th created dialogue that reflects the words and the times of

Featuring Marion Brooks, Dr. Frank Richards, Dorothy Matlock, Brothers, Fred and Patricia McKissack, Margaret Bush Wilson, M Ora Lee Malone.

A Special Appearance by

pg. 54

science (c2c)

sents

of Black St. Louis

h 6 @ 7 p.m.

Church 1075 S Taylor (Taylor & Arco) TO THE PUBLIC! ow the performance

ns we seldom hear about from the African American in the areas of business, education, medicine, he book Lift Every Voice and Sing, A Call to Conscience has each person highlighted.

, Zella Jackson Price, Rev. Earl Nance, Sr., Alfred J. Ford/Ford Mae Wheeler, Lloyd Smith, Percy Green, J.B. “Jet” Banks, and

Bernie Hayes as Himself!

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Coffee Wright, Influential voice, Celebrated poet, filmmaker, memoirist, novelist, director, producer, actress, community activist.

Born on January 20, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Coffee was raised in St. Louis.

Absorbed the faith and values of traditional African American family, community and culture.

As a pre-teen Coffee began pursuing her love for the arts and entertainment, at 12 she attended Barbzion modeling school, at 14 she attended John Casa Blanca Modeling school.

Shortly afterwards she joined the dance& Dj production group Ready Every Time (R.E.T.) and won the 1979 Battle Rapper State title. At 15 Coffee experienced her first professional recording of song “Kiss & Tell” engineered and mastered by the legendary “Oliver Sane” at the Oliver sane studio in St. Louis, Missouri.

She went on winning the annual Afro day in the park dance contest. Coffee landed her first job acting and dancing for St. Louis, Agency on Training and Employment “SLATE” which lead to newspaper interviews and more local notoriety. Pregnant at 15 by High school sweetheart she took on a second job as a fast

food cook and cashier. At 16 she dropped out of High school and gave birth to her daughter Triny. The following summer she passed her G.E.D. and enrolled in college full time where she studied Early Childcare Education and Acting. She was casted in college stage plays as well as local independent productions.

During college as a young single mother she supported her daughter as a Childcare worker for abused and neglected children.

She also found time to write and self publish her book of poetry, accept local modeling jobs and participated in pageants, which lead to her representing Missouri in the “ International New York modeling competition”.

After graduation in 1985 she explored other employment opportunities including working as a flight attendant for a top airlines, then on to achieving National Presidents club status as top Insurance agent with a major company.

Her passion for acting, writing, performing and poetry would soon take her to the silver screen. In 1988 Coffee and Triny relocated to California where she earned her “SAG card” which qualified her to join both unions, the Screen Actors Guild and A.F.T.R.A. American federation Talent Radio Affirmination. She married Ken and soon gave birth to their son Yah Ken Amen (“Ken’Ken”, an accomplished

pg. 56

child actor, writer, director & Rapper) she was casted as a background artist (extra)and landed day player roles in over a thousand major television productions and films including Devil in the Blue dress “Rita Cook”, Gridlock “Baby momma girl”, Martial Law “detective”, Point of no return “Convict #2”, as well as landed principle lead roles performing in independent film productions including: Killin’ Me Softly 1 & 2, Cage Heat 3000, Kane & Abel, One mint Julep and Everybody plays the Fool.

Co-starred withTyrek Nasheed in film “Spirit of the Quija”, together they hosted, produced and directed Hip hop revenge cable television show in Los Angeles, California. She was accepted as first pick in the “Los Angeles Theatre Academy” at Los Angele s City College. Coffee worked as an assistant to the Black Music Promotional Managers for both Motown record company and later Warner Brothers record company, she also continued to pursue her rapping career performing local ASCAP showcases, record companies events and opening act for concerts including for DJ Quik, 2nd to none and Cypress Hill. She recorded over 20 Rap songs produced by various musicians including “Stop the Gang Bang” Raymond Calhoun (The Gap Band), “Pump up the funk” & “Funky Attitude” Eric Strickland (Z’Look), Why America Why? Nat the Cat (Ice “T” Rhyme Syndicate) & DJ Melody. She is also an accredited cell painter for Rapper/Actor Ice “T” television cartoon “Moe Base”.

She Starred, produced, wrote & directed her first music video “Funky Attitude” co-starring Tyrek Nysheed (writer, director, producer of “Hidden Colors 1 &2”) and released her 1st album single “Funky Attitude” & “Pump Up the Funk”.

Coffee began producing, directing and writing her own cable television productions including RAP TV shows “Ebony Avenue” & “Hip Hop Revenge” sponsored by major and independent record companies including Priority records, Ruthless records, Warner Bros records and Universal records. She hosted shows and interviewed major artist including Public Enemy#1 Chuck D’ & Flavor Flav, Heavy “D”, Montel Jordan, EZ-E, and many others. Coffee is also the founder of “Sister Wright Productions”.

Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

She is responsible for casting & collaborating with numerous celebrities including Sy Richardson, John Witherspoon, Art Evans, Fats Williams and many television and film actors. Coffee recently relocated to St. Louis, Missouri and is CEO & founder of, St. Louis, Inner City Cultural Center Enterprise (SLICCCE. COM) which is a one of a kind art center including both union and independent theatre productions, films, television shows, fine arts, recycle crafts, literature and workshops.. Her goal is to bring Hollywood to St. Louis in recognition for all the talent in the Midwest verse the reputation of crime. she continues collaborating with other filmmakers including Douglas T. Green Productions, Satoyoga Productions, Coast to Coast productions Director/ writer Matthew Jackson and Razorback films. She has a production resume of over 30 Union & independent projects including producers credit of SAG union film “Us Against Them” directed by Sy Richardson. Many of her works was screened in the New York film festivals, Tirbecca film center, Majic Johnson Theatre and the Pan Africa Film festivals. In 2012 She went on to write, direct and produce her first off Broadway Stage play entitled: “Who Killed The Church?” (cast & crew of 48)which was also recorded as a “DVD” live movie at the historic “Missouri History Museum” in St. Louis. Coffee’s first official Poetry book “Free Your Mind” was published and distributed by Amazon. com. in 2012. She released “Free Your Mind” second edition through her own Publishing company distributed by “Amazon & Kindle” in 2013. Coffee continues writing books and screen plays pending future productions. As Coffee continues to assist and teach others how to express their ideas and experiences to life on paper in book and film format. Coffee firmly believes and stand by “Everyone has a story to tell”.

http://www.sliccce.com www.the-arts-today.com

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pg. 58

Art of Healing

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Featured

Artist

THE POWER OF A HORSE, Mixed Media on Paper, 2014 pg. 60

Submission

Dail Chambers

Itshanapa Dail Chambers was born Dail Chambers in southern California to two creative parents. Growing up as a military child, in a single parent home, the artist expressed herself through dance, music, poetry, and drawing. While travelling as a young person, she gained a strong sense of cultural expression and the importance of genealogy at a young age.

Dail Chambers lived with one elder cousin who is her fictive grandmother. At ten days old her fictive grandmother brought her to Saint Louis, Mo. from California. Her great aunt also lived in the home for a large amount of her childhood. During the summers and holidays the artist visited with other relatives. Because of this special relationship, she was surrounded by an intergenerational array of healers, cotton farmers, and deeply spiritual women.

Her maternal lineage is rooted in Clarksdale, Lyons and Drew, Mississippi and spans to Chicago, Memphis, Saint Louis, Columbus Ohio, Pontiac Michigan and afar.

The other half of her youth was spent exploring the world. Her mother, who was an active duty U.S. Marine, allowed her the opportunity to live in both Georgia and Hawaii. Her paternal family supported her gravitation to visual arts and all things creative. They encouraged her from afar through letters, phone conversations and sharing. The exposure to many American subcultures lead the artist to the path of ethnographic research.

During her intermediate and high school experience she explored the arts. She excelled in fine art classes and fell in love with photography. She stayed active in extracurricular activities by joining the African American Club and becoming a cheerleader.

As she grew older she secured part time jobs and began her quest into the world of “Black Photography.”

After graduating from high school in Hawaii, Chambers moved back to Saint Louis, Missouri., the place she lived from the age of ten days to ten years old. She enrolled full time, in Saint Louis Community College Florissant Valley. Photography was her focus for her associates degree.

After attending college for less than a year she became pregnant. Giving birth at the age of 19, was no small feat. With minimal to no support or presence from the father, she continued with her academic career.

Chambers transferred to Memphis College of Art on a partial merit scholarship. Following her new found passion for sculpture she completed her program in Ceramics with a minor in Art History in 2007. During her undergraduate experience she conceived and co-curated “The Aids Project,” which highlighted student, professional and community artist work. The annual exhibition raised awareness on the health issue of H.I.V., fundraised, and provided free health screenings for the public with music and food. The project lived three years.

I AM THE CROSSROADS, Clay and Sand Installation, 2009 Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

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“The most common way people give up their power, is by thinking they don’t have any.” -Alice Walker The artist dedicates a large portion of her work to her ancestry. In “Power Objects,” she blends the African tradition of ritual object creation with the diasporic eye of “everyday” or “readymade” as a powerful symbol. Each artwork highlights a different object such as a shield, a blanket and include an installation of the artist’s body outlined in sand and black scabbed tear shape. The recurring motif of the black scabbed tear is in honor of the writer Wole Soyinka, who mentions the scabbed tear in his writings. In this body of work the African tradition of ritual object making, is a form of empowerment.

Itshanapa is a documented journey of the artist living out and working through, the West African concept of “Sankofa,” as a form of creative expression.She explores the parallels, cultural histories and resting place of her family member while simultaneously transforming the visual outcome into a” living” happening. This is done through audience participatory activity and installation, greenlife, and site specific works.

The outcome of “Itshanapa” as a body of visual art is a culmination of surreal nature scenes, sculptures made of copper, clay and other natural materials, small object collections, plants, texts and dream-like imagery. The artist exhibits the artwork and has created a published book on the topic.

Each person has a purpose. Chambers attempts to express the conditions of her life by using art as a communicative tool. She addresses this notion through her healing and visual art, documentation, research and social practice.

Her work challenges society to be holistic in approach to family as a dynamic unit. She succeeded in operating a work studio for professional practice. She has worked in Saint Louis Place, a neighborhood in north Saint Louis city, since 2009. During this time she has engaged in gardening projects, built relationship with neighbors, advocated and taught. Vashon High School, is the alma mater of her maternal grandmother and where the artist taught jewelry making and crafts for two years to intergenerational participants. Her private studio served as the catalyst for her collective and community endeavors.

Dail Chambers began organizing, and advocating for the inception of Yeyo Arts Collective at her studio in March 2010.

Entrepreneurship is a key component to considering oneself as a professional artist or creative. Although she attended a fine art school, the artist longed for a community of support that reflected her political, cultural and artistic identity.

She believes, to serve a group or community is to develop oneself and support the leadership in others. Through art, one steps into a leadership role merely by creating the object, image or experience for the public. In 2010, she approached a small group of women to take their chances on a small business endeavor. Through developing a short term business goal and plan, and reaching out to a small network of likeminded women, she began the journey of cooperative economics and alternative approaches to business.

Yeyo Arts Collective is dedicated to the creative empowerment of women and families. The collective operates a gallery space using group centered processes and a cooperative business model. The gallery space has contributed as an incubator for innovative ideas and projects that address topics representing Saint Louis, Mo., sister cities in the midwest and midsouth region, and Black women’s advancement in the arts. This work is done in the support of allies of many cultural and identity backgrounds.

The artist is currently expanding her installation art.

Her social art practice is through quilting inspired by the underground railroad and developing a video animation discussing the experiences in this story.

To contact the artist: dailchambers@gmail.com 314-374-3282

COMFORT BLANKET, Clay on Burlap Mounted on Wood, 2009

pg. 62

ANCESTRAL SEAS, Mixed Media on Wood 2014 Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

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ANCESTOR Mixed Media on Paper, 2014 pg. 64

MAYA 8x10 inch collage on paper, 2015 Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

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MOUNTAIN SCENE, Mix Media on Paper 2014

pg. 66

AVENGING WIND 4ft by 6ft, Painting on Wood, 2014 Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

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pg. 68

THREE TREES, Paper on painting Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

***Please share this announcement with emerging and developing poets and fiction writers.***

CALLALOO is now accepting applications for the 2015 CALLALOO CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP, which will be hosted by the Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice at Brown University, May 31-June 13, 2015. We invite submissions of poetry or fiction for admission consideration for this intensive two-week workshop in Providence, Rhode Island.

VIEVEE FRANCIS (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/vievee-francis), RAVI HOWARD (http://www.ravihoward.com/), MAAZA MENGISTE (http:// maazamengiste.com/), and GREGORY PARDLO (http://pardlo.com/) will serve as the 2015 workshop leaders.

Applications must be submitted online at http://callaloo.expressacademic.org/login. php no later than April 5, 2015. Each application must consist of a brief cover letter and writing sample (no more than five pages of poetry or twelve pages of prose fiction). To complete and submit your application, go to http://callaloo.tamu.edu/ node/232 For additional information, email (callaloo@tamu.edu) or call (979-458-3108).

CALLALOO Journal, CALLALOO Journal of African Diaspora editor

Coming Soon!

ART

The of FOOD Contact us to have your submission included.

pg. 70

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Dwayne and Dwight

Bosman

CD RELEASE WEEKEND April 10th & April 11th at Jazz at the Bistro - Grand center (3536 Washington)

Help to celebrate their latest jazz creation:

“When Lions Roar”.

Tickets are

$25 and may be purchased online at www.jazzstl.org There will be 2 shows each night, 7:30 and 9:30.

pg. 72

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

Tackling Tituba: Q & A With Actress

Jacqueline Thompson

Q&A with Actress Jacqueline Thompson Jacqueline Thompson is an actress and assistant professor of theatre and directing at University of Missouri-St. Louis.

She stars as Tituba in the new Laurie Brooks’ play Afflicted: Daughters of Salem, which opens on March 6 at the Missouri History Museum.

Presented by Metro Theater Company and the Missouri History Museum, Afflicted: Daughters of Salem is the riveting untold tale of the girls who forever established the legacy of Salem, Massachusetts. Denied all outlets for imagination and all hope for the future, a clique of teenage girls unite in a secret society, meeting in the dark woods of Puritan New England.

When they force the slave Tituba to tell their fortunes, they ignite a crucible of events that burns out of control, leading straight to the infamous Salem Witch Trials that resulted in 20 executions, the imprisonment of hundreds and made the teens the most hated girls in American history. Following each performance, the audience becomes part of the play as they decide whether or not the girls can be forgiven for their acts.

What: Afflicted: Daughters of Salem, presented by Metro

Theater Company and the Missouri History Museum When: March 6 – 22 Times: Thursdays, 10 a.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. & 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.

Where: Missouri History Museum Tickets: $8 - $18.

Visit http://www.metroplays.org/afflicted, http://www.afflictedsalem.org, or call (314) 932-7414.

1.) Who is Tituba? And how do you think of her... who is she to you?

After initially denying the accusations, she was reportedly beaten until she confessed. She and her husband – afraid for their lives – then began accusing others of witchcraft. When she eventually admitted that her forced confession was indeed a lie, she was put in jail for thirteen months and abandoned by the Parris family. Upon her release she was sold to new owners.

Tituba represents wisdom, perseverance and strength of my ancestors. I am humbled and honored to walk in her shoes and let her voice be heard through me. What that community labeled witchcraft, I perceive as an ongoing practice of her native Yoruba rituals.

2.) How did you prepare for the role?

As an actor, it is imperative to research as much historical information as possible prior to the beginning of the rehearsal period. Like most

slave history, her lifetime and origin were difficult to trace. I had limited success in finding

accurate documentation. I found no traces of information about her life after Salem. I look for inspiration everywhere – from listening to music (specifically African drumming), to researching images of period-specific clothing, to exploring what her environment would have been like in Barbados (especially compared to that of Salem Village), to viewing photographs of slaves living a similar reality. All of these provided me with a foundation to tap into the essence and understanding of my character’s psyche.

3.) What are some of the distinctions of Tituba in Laurie Brooks’ play Afflicted: Daughters of Salem versus the role of Tituba in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible?

Tituba is a slave woman from Barbados I think one of the biggest contrasts between the two works is who resides in the Parris household that unlike Miller, Brooks gives Tituba power and purpose. We and she is the first person during that never see her in a role of servitude. The audience is particular time to be accused of witchcraft. able to witness her as a leader of sorts pg. 74

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

Jacqueline Thompson cont.

as she provides the girls with an escape from the oppression of the town. She observes

everything and misses nothing. She knows these girls better than they know themselves. She’s more than the stereotypical mammy archetype. She is maternal and comforting, but doesn’t back down from confrontation, especially in the wake of cruel or combative behavior within the sisterhood. She serves as a source of trusted guidance, strength and protection. She feeds them spiritually, and gives them hope. Henry Louis Gates wrote an article for The Root where he cited Chadwick Hansen as calling out the The Crucible’s depiction of Tituba’s confession as being as “vulgar a scene as Miller ever wrote, with Tituba featured as Aunt Jemima at the Salem Camp Meeting.” Miller’s version can be characterized as stereotypical, as Tituba has no intelligent, sound dialogue other than her concern that is expressed for the character Betty, and her vehement denial of witchcraft.

4.) From her race and ethnicity to her confession and recanting of her confession to what happened to her after the witch trials — there’s a lot of folklore, hearsay and debate around the “Black Witch of Salem.” What do you make of it? Why the fascination?

By nature, we are always intrigued by people or things we don’t understand.

No one knows the truth – speculation fascinates. In the aforementioned article by Gates, he

states “If the debate over Tituba’s origin remains undecided – at least having shed the savage stereotype – her memory can be that of not just a slave, but also a survivor; a woman in a dangerous situation with no one to speak for her; a woman who, in her efforts to endure, managed to turn her accuser’s fears pg. 76

back upon themselves.”

5.) Afflicted: Daughters of Salem looks at teen politics where allies are found and promises are made and broken.

It also looks at what can happen when girls and young women are not empowered. What lessons or dialogues for girls and young women might come from seeing the play?

when it counts the most. I am often reminded of the quote, “No one has ever escaped the consequences of his/her choices.” People seeing this show should be reminded of that – and hopefully encouraged to make better choices for the future after reflecting on the past.

Through this piece, I hope young women see the power in unity. I want them to observe and

reflect on the strength and love that transpires when women come together and act on one accord. This piece speaks volumes as a cautionary tale of the dangers and traps in following corrupt leadership in the face of broken morals. I want to encourage all audience members, especially young girls, to speak up for what’s right, share their voices and be heard Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

by Sarah Thompson sarahthompsonproductions.com

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

Walking the Blue Line: A Police Officer Turned Community Activist Provides Solutions for the Racial Divide

By Terrell Carter Bettie Youngs Book Publishers

$15.00 paperback

“As I recall my experiences, I find it incredulous that people in law enforcement honestly believe and say that a racial divide and racial profiling don’t exist. An officer’s mind is divided: first, between the police and the general public and second, between the police and minorities.”~ Terrell Carter Walking the Blue Line follows the author’s experiences growing up as a black child in St. Louis, MO, a racially charged city still trying to overcome its divided past, and his five year journey as a law enforcement officer which led him to reevaluate his views on citizens and police alike. Readers are taken on a compelling journey as he details personal stories of the challenges of navigating this new world, including how he had to testify against a former partner for falsifying a major drug arrest.

Terrell details the thoughts and tactics of police officers based on their training in the police academy and lessons they learn on the streets and how this information can help citizens better understand why officers do what they do while still holding them accountable for protecting and serving their communities.

Walking the Blue Line can be ordered from www.terrellcarter.net, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and traditional booksellers.

pg. 78

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Anne Moody (September 15, 1940-February 5, 2015)

Four years after graduating from Tougaloo College, the young Anne Moody published Coming of Age in Mississippi (Dial 1968). It is noteworthy that this autobiography has been “in-print” and acclaimed since its initial publication. Similar life histories of civil rights workers, both autobiography and biography, have come and gone, getting enthusiastic receptions when they first appeared. After a few years, enthusiasm wears thin. The eagerly received life histories age rapidly and virtually disappear. Moody’s autobiography escaped this fate. The title tipped its hat to anthropology, and Moody’s vernacular prose is quite readable. Moody exploited the dramatic possibilities of first-person voice and perspectives. She charmed a nation of readers who wanted to know what growing up female and black in Mississippi entailed. Some of us who had been her classmates were slightly alarmed by her minimal love for our alma mater, but we had to affirm the rightness of how she saw Civil Rights Movement people and events in Mississippi and in New Orleans. Coming of Age in Mississippi had staying power. It is a keeper of memories that some post-civil rights writers would be happy to have disappear. Certain forms of “truth” may hibernate, but they refuse to disappear and give aid and comfort to fickle tastes.

In Black Women Writing Autobiography: A Tradition Within a Tradition (1989), Joanne M. Braxton suggests that Moody’s book belongs to the tradition of Ida B. Wells’ Crusade for Justice and that Moody, like Richard Wright and Maya Angelou, had intimate knowledge of Southern racial horror.

It is also probable that what Zora Neale Hurston theorized about women’s forgetting and remembering in the opening sentences of Their Eyes Were Watching God opens a special window on how Moody speaks from a multi-gendered space that entrapped women (and men) in Mississippi rather than the dream space Hurston constructed in her novel. Women do seem to retain more details about events than do men.

Moody provides rich details about the critical turning points in her life up to 1968. She records the names, particulars, and dates of all that happened to her as the daughter of sharecroppers in a part of Mississippi located around Woodville and Centreville, as a person who began working at a very young age to keep herself and her siblings in school.

Moody’s autobiographical voice often has the exactness of discourses in cultural anthropology; it justifies the echoing

title of Mead’s Coming of Age in Samoa. Moody makes a “thick description” of her life, layering detail upon detail, working out a full description of her Self as vulnerable and subject to be denied opportunities if she did not fight to control her destiny. Readers must ponder what Moody says in Chapter 11 about the origin of her misanthropic tendencies in 1955. Readers who piece together what is not in the autobiography, what Moody chose not to say in another book about how miserable life can become once a person achieves fame, will note that misanthropy sponsors nightmares, mental imbalance, and death of the spirit as a preparation for death of the body.

Moody’s life story from 1955 to 1964 is the record of how she sought through education at Natchez Junior College and Tougaloo College and through her work with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Council of Federated Organizations, and the Congress of Racial Equality to control the resentment, the anxieties, and the self-hatred that was her legacy from Mississippi. Her descriptions of place are intimately connected with political activity or the people who at various times were comrades in struggles. When she closes her story from a bus headed to COFO hearings in Washington, D.C., her feelings about Mississippi and what the freedom song “We Shall Overcome” proclaims are ambivalent. As the autobiographical narrator listens to the heart-gripping words ----“We shall overcome, We shall overcome, We shall overcome someday”---, she whispers skepticism into the charged air: “I wonder. I really WONDER” (348).

The contemporary conditions of life in American and in Mississippi justify the doubts Moody had in 1964. Much has changed. Social and political changes have been at once blessings and curses. It is obvious that the day of overcoming is still waiting for Godot. As we remember and honor the bravery of Anne Moody and read her partial record of her combat with life, we find ourselves chanting “We wonder; we really wonder.”

Dr. Jerry W. Ward, Jr., February 21, 2015

pg. 80

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pg. 82

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pg. 84

50 Years Later by: The Village Celebration John Rankin squinted and looked toward the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. The memories from an awful day 50 years ago gathered in his eyes. His voice dropped and there was an added urgency.

and he grabbed me. He said, ‘You can’t go any further.’ And I don’t know what it was, I guess it was the youth in me. He and I started having this physical disagreement,” she said.

“One thing I will never forget is the tears in my momma’s eyes. Daddy, being a preacher said, ‘Let him go. God will take care of him.’ And, sure enough, God took care of us,” Rankin said.

Annie Pearl ended up in the county jail. She was the only marcher jailed that day. Pointing down the street, she remarked that the county jail still stood.

It was March 7, 1965. John Rankin and a group of African Americans of all ages had decided to march from Selma to Montgomery to take their case for fair treatment at the ballot box to Alabama’s segregationist governor, George Wallace. Rankin was a 17 year-old willing to risk his life for change.

“Okay, everybody looking around...everything had gotten quiet...especially when we left the church coming this way. Everything was so quiet,” he recalled. “Seemed like the birds got quiet, the water stopped running under the bridge, and we were nervous and shaking. We thought we were going to die that day.”

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to Selma to mark the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” They will be joined by thousands of Americans from around the country.

During any given year, Selma is a destination on the historical Civil Rights tour. But, Hollywood director Ava DuVernay and her cast of stars, including Oprah Winfrey, turned movie theaters into classrooms with their powerful movie about the southern town Dr. King made the centerpiece of the voting rights struggle. Now, the world is remembering what John Rankin and Annie Pearl Avery lived.

No one died, but the marchers were beaten by police, sheriff’s deputies, and other men assembled at the bridge. Dozens were treated for injuries. Rankin suffered a bruise to the head.

Annie Pearl Avery, a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or SNCC, never made it across the bridge. As the march started, she and a policeman exchanged words.

“Something sounded off that sounded like gunshots, but it was tear gas and what happened is I was trying to go forward to see what happened, Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

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Way Black in Time pt .3

WATCH NOW!

Animated Web Series by The Black Archaeologist.

pg. 86

REGISTER TODAY! COPYRIGHT CLINIC

Monday, March 16 (7:00 to 9:30 p.m.)

Do you have pressing questions about copyright? Here’s your chance to learn the basics from Attorney Julie Jennings, Senniger Powers. Then you’ll have an opportunity to spend 15 minutes talking to a volunteer lawyer. Consultations will be scheduled in person that evening and may not be available if you do not register in advance.

THE CASE OF JOHNNIE JOHNSON V. CHUCK BERRY AND WHAT ARTISTS SHOULD DO BEFORE THEY COLLABORATE

Monday, March 30 (7:00 to 9:30 p.m.)

Who wrote that song? Attorney Tim McFarlin will present lessons learned from a high profile dispute. He’ll explain how copyright law currently determines joint authorship and will offer a practical approach to collaboration for artists of all disciplines.

ANATOMY OF A CONTRACT

Monday, April 6 (7:00 to 9:30 p.m.)

Although many of us still prefer to conduct our business on a handshake, vague verbal agreements can result in ugly misunderstandings. In addition to covering contract basics, this interactive session will help you sharpen your negotiation skills.

Instructor: Attorney Ryan Hardy, Spencer Fane

ASK THE ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER

Monday, April 20 (7:00 to 9:30 p.m.)

Here’s your chance to hear from an expert panel of local entertainment attorneys: Barbara Graham, Eric Kayira, Jeff Michelman and Gary Pierson.

Business Edge workshops are held in the Regional Arts Commission’s building, 6128 Delmar. Free parking behind the Pageant or in the MetroLink lot.

Tuition: $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Registration form.

If you need a scholarship, please contact us.

St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts (VLAA) serves the arts community by making referrals to lawyers and accountants; mediating arts-related disputes; publishing concise how-to guides; sponsoring seminars and public forums; providing guest speakers; maintaining a content-rich website; collaborating on arts advocacy initiatives; and facilitating access to the national volunteer lawyers for the arts network.

VLAA is supported by the Regional Arts Commission; the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts 6128 Delmar, St. Louis, MO 63112 314/863-6930; vlaa@stlrac.org www.vlaa.org

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pg. 88

John Jennings Associate Professor Visual Studies SUNY Buffalo tumblr: http://jijennin70. tumblr.com/

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Become a

Museum Teen Assistant at the Saint Louis Art Museum!

High school students between the ages of 15 and 19 can gain work and leadership experience as part of the Museum’s youth training program. The Museum hires Teen Assistants to lead tours for young audiences and to support a wide variety of community Programs.

Why is this a program for me?

In February, Family Sundays celebrates Asian art and culture with the theme “Travels through Asia.” Art projects throughout the month will include origami (Japanese paper folding), dragon puppets, and Chinese lanterns. The Museum will host a special family day on Sunday, February 15 to celebrate Chinese New Year.

We’ll ring in the Year of the Ram with special demonstrations of calligraphy, paper cutting and folding, and a Lion Dance performance in Sculpture Hall.

It is an opportunity to: •Learn job skills you will use after high school.

Family Sundays are free and open to the public. For more •Practice and improve leadership and communication skills. information about Family Sundays, visit www.slam.org/education.

•Help children appreciate and create art. ************************************** •Provide job references for academic and employment applications.

•Earn money throughout the summer and the school year.

The Saint Louis Art Museum offers many great learning You can apply if you: opportunities for the budding young artist. Youth classes at the •Are in high school and have completed 9th grade by June 2015.

Museum range in topic from sculpture to painting with oils, and •Will be returning to high school in Fall 2015. always include an exploration of the Museum’s awesome collection •Are available to work Tuesday through Friday, of art. On February 21, the Museum will celebrate the Chinese June 11-August 4, 2015, 9:00am-3:00pm.

New Year with classes for children age 6-12. The day long classes •Are available to work at least 5 hours per month during the will include lessons in paper folding (origami), printmaking, and school year (August-May). calligraphy. The Museum will also offer a one day basic drawing studio class on February 28 for teens. With guided instruction Deadline for applications: Friday, March 6, 2015, 5:00pm. from professional artists and teachers, these youth classes give young learners a chance to explore different cultures, time periods, For more information or to apply, please contact: and, of course, art! All supplies are provided and no experience is FAMILY SUNDAYS necessary.

Youth Classes

Enjoy Family Sundays at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Offered Pre-registration is required for all classes. To register, please visit every week from 1:00-4:00 pm, Family Sundays give parents and www.slam.org/education or call (314) 655-5384. children an opportunity to get creative in the Museum’s galleries.

Beginning at 1:00 pm, visitors of all ages can participate in a make and take art activity inspired by works in the Museum’s collection. At 2:30 pm, join our family tour – a 30 minute guided experience in the galleries that provides children and their parents an opportunity to interact while exploring the collection. The Family Tour leaves from Sculpture Hall at 2:30 pm and families are required to sign up. Space on the family tour is limited and slots are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. pg. 90

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:34-40 NIV

We seek to impact the world with the love of Christ one life at a time!

Hopelessness and desperation are on the rise in a world where the greatest segment of the population possesses the least amount of resources.

We need your help! Please help us fight this epidemic by sending your tax deductible donations/contributions to: For His Glory Ministries of St. Louis P.O. Box 1942 Maryland Heights, MO. 63043 http://calvarychapelslc.com/homeless-ministry/ For other ways in which you can help please contact Pamela Ford at pamelaford98@gmail.com or 314-216-0744.

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www.pvmw.org National poetry library and literary center Poets House and New York-based cultural heritage/folk life organization City Lore will be bringing their Poetic Voices of the Muslim World exhibit and programming to the St Louis Public Library system in the spring of 2015.

Bridging Cultures: Poetic Voices of the Muslim World

examines the central role of poetry in the everyday lives of Muslim men and women through three entry points: 1) Themes, such as poetry and identity; poetry and politics; poetry and orality; poetry and conflict resolution; and poetry’s continued oral prominence in music; among others; 2) Poets (from Rumi and MirzaGhalib to contemporary poets from Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, and North Africa; and 3) Poetic Forms (i.e. the ghazal, the epic, the qasida). The components of the project include a series of public programs; a traveling panel exhibition; and a website (www.pvmw.org) that will contextualize the information provided by the programs and exhibition.

Free public programs scheduled to be presented at the St. Louis Public Library starting in April 2015, include Islam and The Blues with The New York Public Library Schomburg Center’s Dr. Sylviane Diouf, Song of the Reed: Rumi presented by Dr. Jawid Mojaddedi with songs and music inspired by the poet by Amir Vahab & his ensemble and The History and Poetics of the Qur’an with noted scholar of Islam Dr. Bruce Lawrence.

We hope that you and members of the St. Louis community will be able to attend some of our events, and help us to spread the word about the arrival of Poetic Voices of the Muslim World in your area.

Poets House

10 River Terrace | New York, NY 10282-1240 | (212) 431-7920 | www.poetshouse.org pg. 92

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Portfolio Fundraiser Moves to Artist's Studio

Janet Riehl's "Women & Wardrobe: The Riehl Collection" exhibit has finished it's successful run at The Portfolio Gallery and Education Center. It brought in $2,000 to help with much-needed building repairs. Many people went home with framed ($150) and unframed ($50) prints they love, and a good time was had by all.

Folks have said they would have loved to have seen the show, and were sorry they missed it. Janet has decided to host At Home evenings on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. so you can! Come visit, enjoy the work, and of course buy whatever calls to you.

Any profit realized will continue to benefit Portfolio Gallery.

If you'd like to come, please contact her at janet.riehl@gmail.com.

Janet and Robert Powell, director of Portfolio Gallery and Education Center appeared on Fox 2 news. http://fox2now.com/2014/07/29/women-wardrobe-and-art-on-a-cell-phone-atportfolio/# Janet and her art was featured in the Alton Telegraph. http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/home_top-lifestyle-news/50095336/Artists-workmakes-Riehl-results#.U-Tbf1Ao7qC

Come on out! Meet some new people and enjoy some playful, colorful, and sensuous art inspired by African Women.

pg. 94

AfroWorld is an African-American owned and operated cultural and fashion center located in St. Louis.

It was founded in 1970 and has been a space where the community can come to learn, share, and shop! In 2015 we are proud to celebrate our 45th year of service to our customers.

AfroWorld needs your support so we can continue to have the funds necessary to market, operate, and sustain high quality cultural education programs that support our network of authors and artists who participate in our ongoing community empowerment series. We also want to purchase computers and materials to increase the efficiency of our outreach efforts, educate the next generation of community entrepreneurs, and upgrade the tech equipment used to produce our events and programs. Your financial commitment allows AfroWorld to continue its legacy of bringing people together in a space that celebrates and uplifts the African-American experience.

Please help us reach our goal today!

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pg. 96

Annie Malone CHILDREN AND FAMILY CENTER

The children and Staff of Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center are proud recipients of a much needed van. The generous donation was given by Annie Malone Board Member Alex Assfaw of Metropolitan Taxi Cab Corporation. Through Mr. Assfaw kindness the children of Annie Malone will ride in comfort for many miles to come. (picture included)

What Does Annie Malone Children & Family Service Center Do? Many of you know Annie Malone from the annual May Day PARADE but what you don’t know is that the parade is Annie Malone’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

The revenue is raised from sponsorships, parade registrations and from personal donations.

Each of these categories is critical to funding the agency’s programs and services. It is more than a parade. .. We NEED your Help everyday!

Your donations are needed to keep our programs and services running 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Our four core programs are: Crisis Care & Emergency Placement  Provides a safe 24 hour environment for children birth to 18.  Provides shelter, food, clothing, educational needs, conflict resolution, medical attention, counseling, helps prevent child abuse & neglect Transitional Living Program (TLP)  Provides youth aging out of foster care necessary skills to transition to independent, productive adults through personal training and life skills development. (life skillsfinding a job, housing, banking, shopping)  Living arrangements include a supervised group home.

Parenting Education  Promotes healthy relationships between parents and children.  Provide training to successfully raise and appropriately discipline children.

Emerson Academy Therapeutic School (for grades K-12) Promotes successful learning behaviors and outcomes for student’s k-12 with Individual Educational Plans (IEP’s).

Students that are successful with therapeutic programming will return to their regular school environment and excel to the next academic level. (They can graduate with us with a fully accredited diploma recognized through the SLPS. Annie Malone Children & Family Service Center has a legacy of taking care of ALL children.

The cost of taking care of children come with a price. Each and every child that comes through our doors deserves a new beginning. Please help us march on to decrease youth homelessness.

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

If It Wasn’t For the Women:

Salute to Maya Angelou

Alice Windom

Saturday, March 21, 2015 10:30–12:00 pm Saint Louis Art Museum Education Center

Freida L. Wheaton

Patricia Glinton-Meicholas

St. Louis native, born Marguerite Ann Johnson, Dr. Maya Angelou became a celebrated poet, writer, educator, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Honored with over fifty honorary doctorate degrees, she is one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time. Join friend of Maya Angelou, Alice Windom, poet and arts advocate Freida L. Wheaton, and author Patricia Glinton-Meicholas as we honor the phenomenal woman, Maya Angelou.

Tickets are free but seating is limited. Reservation is recommended but not required. Reserve at renee.franklin@slam.org.

pg. 98

The

New African Paradigm

Study Group (NAPSG)

is an organization dedicated to the empowerment and education of our community through book study and our lecture series. We have brought many African scholars to St. Louis to awaken our people and to get on one accord to face the challenges in our community.

The NAPSG is in need of your help so we are currently seeking new members to help us continue to be able to meet the demands of our lecture series and our study group.

Our study group meets every 3rd Sunday at Sabayet, 4000 Maffit, St. Louis, MO. at 4:00 p.m.

Please join us on our journey for knowledge of self, our gods, and our Ancestors.

Contact James Steward at (618) 977-8191 for more information.

Also, Like us on FaceBook.

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Gianis LalSandhu, Realtor

Alexander Realty | St. Charles, Missouri | ph: 636-669-1717 | 314-437-8576 The first of a two part article for renters who want to become homeowners.

Everything First-Time Home Buyers Need to Know Buy a House and Make it Your HOME! Many believed that when the housing market crashed, so too would the desire of American’s to own a home again.

Economic reports have shown that the American Dream of homeownership is still very much alive, especially among younger generations.

In a recent address at the National Press Club, HUD Secretary, Julián Castro, commented on what it means to own a home: “Homeownership is still the cornerstone of the American Dream — a fact you can see in the lives of everyday folks. It’s a source of pride. It’s a source of wealth, providing both a nest and a nest egg.

And it strengthens communities and fuels growth in the overall economy.”

BOTTOM LINE “Over the years-through decades of economic downturns and wars-the American people have always held on to this Dream, and always will.”

As the economy continues to improve, more and more Americans will qualify for homeownership, allowing more families to obtain the American Dream. Allow me to work with you to identify the house that will become your home. Visit my website at

Castro appropriately named his speech, “2015: A Year of Housing Opportunity”, a theme that rang true throughout. “Opportunity is not an abstract concept - it’s a path to a more prosperous life, and housing often serves as its foundation. T.S. Elliot once said that “home is where one starts from.”

“A home is often a primary source of wealth in a family… Having a home is a generational way to pass that wealth on.

We want people responsible enough to own a home to have that opportunity.”

pg. 100

FE PR AT OP UR ER ED TY

Alexander Realty St. Charles, Missouri | ph: 636-669-1717 | 314-437-8576

401 Villa Blanc Ct

O’Fallon, Missouri 63366

$184,900

DESCRIPTION: This end unit villa is a must see! Great O’Fallon location with easy highway access. Large living room with cozy fireplace. Bright kitchen with gorgeous hardwood floor, upgraded white 42” cabinets and pantry. Master bedroom is spacious with luxurious master bath w/separate tub and shower, dual sinks, and walkin closet. Walk-out lower level features 3rd bedroom and bath, and large family room. The outdoor living space includes both a deck and patio with white vinyl privacy fencing. This villa has it all including a 2-car garage. This is a Fannie Mae Homepath property.

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Ferguson Activists to Receive the Howard Zinn Award

“A poem can inspire a movement.

A pamphlet can spark a revolution.” —Howard Zinn Ferguson activists and bloggers Johnetta Elzie and DeRay McKesson will share the 2015 Howard Zinn Freedom to Write Award for their work as activists, organizers, and citizen journalists in the Ferguson protest movement. Their reporting and This Is the Movement newsletter engaged and unified disparate voices in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. They focused an enraged community, helped transform a cycle of tragedies into a movement, and continue working to make sure the world does not forget the names Eric Garner, John Crawford III, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and countless others.

A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF FERGUSON: A conversation about activism and citizen journalism with 2015 Zinn honorees and Jabari Asim, editor-in-chief, The Crisis.

Co-sponsored by Cambridge Forum March 19th at 6:30pm 3 Church Street, Cambridge MA Free and open to the public

PEN New England MIT 14N-221A, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA 02139 www.pen-ne.org ~ pen-newengland@mit.edu Copyright © 2013 PEN New England. All rights reserved. pg. 102

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Featured

Poetry

Submission

pg. 104

I. Lynn Squires

Sunday Morning by Joseph LaMarque

LaMarque I Am: As We Remember

By I. Lynn Squires

I am because you were.

The LaMarque family tapestry woven throughout my history.

The joys, the tears, and laughing till it hurt.

Out late Saturday night?

Doesn’t matter, you’re still going to church!

I am because you cared;

I am because you shared.

I am because you sacrificed,

I am because you paid the price.

You were,

now I Am,

LaMarque.

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pg. 106

THE PROJECT ON THE HISTORY OF BLACK WRITING ANNOUNCES:

Black Poetry after the Black Arts Movement When: July 19 - August 1, 2015 Where: University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS What: An NEH Summer Institute Application deadline: March 2, 2015 We invite you to learn more about an exciting two-week NEH summer Institute for twenty-five college and university teachers (including at least three advanced graduate students), filled with innovative scholarship, rich dialog, and fertile opportunities for advancing research.

What is poetry today? What has changed? How do we teach poetry and transform students’ passion for performance into meaningful analysis? This Institute seeks to strengthen the connections between foundational and contemporary forms of poetry, between the practice of poetry and today’s global society, and between the words and sounds and the spirit of black poetry that refuses to be denied.

If you are a current college or university teacher of American literature or near the end of your graduate studies in this field, please visit our website www.blackpoetry.ku.edu for more details about this exciting project, including further application instructions. The stipend for this two-week Institute will be $2,100 for each NEH Summer Scholar, to help cover travel, housing and food.

Or, if you know of a college teacher who might be interested in applying to this Institute, please share this invitation with them! www.blackpoetry.ku.edu

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Image by: AG photography pg. 108

Brittany West is ESG modeling agency’s “TOP NATIONWIDE MODEL”... After 3 years she is now one of

the most successful and inspirational models in our company. She has a heart of gold and beauty to match, but she is not just beauty and no brains.

She is in the early stages of building a powerhouse for the homeless community. Enjoy her interview as she discussed her passion, entrepreneurship and her modeling career as a “Gift straight from God!” Tell us about your community outreach vision?

My vision is to help the homeless community. I want to buy abandoned properties and offer free classes for construction training. Once a student has completed the training I will hire and pay them to renovate the property. After the property is completed they can live there while my company helps them get the assistance needed to get back on their feet.

What inspired this vision?

Every Sunday my family and I rode over the Poplar Street bridge and when I looked down I would always see a little area set up with tents. One day I asked my Dad “Did people live in there?” and he said, “Yes, that’s their home.” I did some research and I came across Hopeville USA. To see they (Hopeville USA) had hope in the midst of living in tents was inspiring to me. If they can endure the weather, people looking down on them (literally), society looking down on them then I can fight for my dream.

I believe my purpose is to assist people that need just a little bit more help in life.

Why do you believe entrepreneurship is important?

It’s a way to fulfill God’s will on this earth.

How do you plan on using your modeling career to assist your organization?

I want to use my current connections for future sponsorship or partnerships. Once people are able to connect with me as a model hopefully it can help me have a deep rooted connection in the

community.

I pray that the my agency keeps pushing me to do better and become better. I know that God has given me the vision, but I know how God can use other people to help lead me in the right path.

Kimberly Marie, the founder and CEO of ESG has been an amazing inspiration. She encourages me basically every single time I see her or talk to her.

Her wisdom at such a young age (pertaining to business) is phenomenal! She is a great mentor and person to look up to.

I believe God literally put me in the agency for two reasons #1 for modeling and #2 to have her mentorship and to be encouraged by her as I encourage others with my position in the agency.

What have you learned about entrepreneurship through ESG modeling agency?

I have learned that it is not as easy as it looks.

Everyone at ESG works with each other. We went to Atlanta, Georgia recently and while at lunch I was with Kimberly Marie (Founder), Demarco C. (Atlanta Project Manager) and April Taylor (Atlanta’s lead photographer) they were speaking about business matters and Demarco and April gave Kimberly a little advice.

To see that she was open and accepting of their advice was great. It’s not very common you see something like that. When someone normally has a higher position they typically don’t take advice well.

To see them come together and be on one accord; it’s something that I can use in my future when I have people working for me. They work together as a team.

I’ve learned that even though it’s not easy you have to stay prayed up and encouraged, keep people around you that are one accord with a positive mindset and always keep God first!

How is it watching ESG modeling agency expand while you are the top model working with the agency?

It’s a beautiful sight to see! As a Top model for the agency it’s exciting, because it’s a great opportunity to be apart of and witness the growth. When I first started I didn’t even think about traveling to Atlanta, Houston, Chicago, L.A. and next year

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

Brittany West cont.

Image by: AG photography pg. 110

Brazil. I never thought I would have an opportunity to travel like this. If I can see that God can move them outside of their comfort zone (St. Louis) to other cities; it encourages me. The entire ESG family is amazing! The Atlanta division is amazing! I never thought I would be in this position. It’s very rewarding and humbling. I am truly grateful! This is only an experience God can give us!

What have you learned from Kimberly Marie pertaining to entrepreneurship?

Kimberly has taught me so much with or without even knowing. She has taught me to have patience.

She’s taught me how to be kind and pray about opportunities that come to me before I jump into them.

She has taught me to step back, look at the big picture and wait for God to say “Yes or No”. If he says “No” he has something bigger in store. She has also taught me how to be open to suggestions.

The agency has us complete event comment forms and I think it’s a great concept. The forms tell us how we are doing and how to improve or what we enjoy about the company. She taught me how to make sure everyone’s needs are met. She also taught me how to have fun. We can handle business, but we must make sure we have fun!

What advice would you give the youth regarding following their dreams?

Never give up! You received a dream because God gave it to you! It’s your dream. He didn’t give it to Bob or Sally. He gave it to you! Once you have a dream get into action. Don’t just sit back and procrastinate. God gave you a dream to work on it. It says in the bible faith without work is dead. Now you have to pray, obey and take the next step towards your dream.

Make sure your are open to advice. Not everything you do is going to be right, but not everything you do is wrong. If someone who supports you 100% gives you advice, be open to their advice. Keep the good people around you. Find a positive role model.

God, prayer and education are three things that can help you follow your dreams.

ESG modeling agency 1-800-330-1544 ext 801 Esgmodelingagency@yahoo.com

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Brittany West cont.

Image by: AG photography pg. 112

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pg. 114

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

Featured

Poetry

Submission

Kwansaba: Suheir Hammad & Saul Williams Play (Raising Roofs, Conch-Us-Nests & Bail$ in St.

E

Spittin' double-conch'd "resist"stances, Suheir/Saul� metafunkily homaged Sonia, evoked "Tornado in My� Mouth" &, after Etheridge, Amiri & Angela,� knew "commit" meant: no alibi, quarter or� hidin place for viruses viz Racism, Ebola� & Hunger. Lovespeed our s/heroic poets ntu� far-ever's danger-sweet moments of battle.�

Texto y contexto:�In January, Suheir Hammad ("Born Palestinian, Born Black Williams ("Volcanic Sunlight," "Tupac Shakur") headlined an SRO fundraise Louis' Don't Shoot Coalition. Metafunkily layered, Suheir & Saul Hotepped Stepped, sprouted/branched like poetrees. Reminiscent of "The Tornado in (1966) by East St. Louis Homeboy Austin Black, "Festivals and Funerals" b Warrior Jayne Cortez, & powerful "resistance" works by "Sister Son/ji." I ch autographed copy of "Tornado," gifted me by Katherine Dunham in 1968.�

Photos courtesy of the Eugene B. Redmond Collection: Southern Illinois Un Edwardsville. Visit/donate to the EBR Collection at: http://www.siue.ed lovejoylibrary/about/digital_collections.shtml� pg. 116

Eugene B. Redmond

Planet FergusonĐ . Louis 2015)Đ

Eugene B. RedmondĐ

Kwansaba: Suheir Hammad & Saul Williams Land on Planet Ferguson (Raising Roofs, Conch-Us-Nests & Bail$ in St. Louis 2015) Eugene B. Redmond (eredmon@siue.edu)

Spittin’ double-conch’d “resist” stances, Suheir/Saul metafunkily homaged Sonia, evoked “Tornado in My Mouth” &, after Etheridge, Amiri & Angela, knew “commit” meant: no alibi, quarter or hidin place for viruses viz Racism, Ebola & Hunger. Lovespeed our s/heroic poets ntu far-ever’s danger-sweet moments of battle.

k") & Saul� er for St.� d & Spit-� My Mouth"�

by Sister-� herish my�

niversity-� du/�

Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

Texto y contexto: In January, Suheir Hammad (“Born Palestinian, Born Black”) & Saul Williams (“Volcanic Sunlight,” “Tupac Shakur”) headlined an SRO fundraiser for St. Louis’ Don’t Shoot Coalition. SRO in fact since the multi-racial/mini-global congregation stood for the entire “service.” Except for elder-poets Shirley LeFlore & yrs truly who were provided chairs by young “Lou” bard Cherazz Gordon. Suheir & Saul layered us with bombardic funk as they Hotepped & Spit-Stepped, sprouting & branching like poetrees. Reminded me of spiritual-visceral works: “The Tornado in My Mouth” (1966)

by Homeboy Poet Austin Black, “Festivals and Funerals” (1971) by Sister-Warrior Jayne Cortez & powerful “resistance” works by “Sister Son/ji.” I read “Tornado” the year it was published. Then Katherine Dunham gifted me with an autographed copy on October 21, 1968.

Photos by Eugene B. Redmond. Visit/donate to EBR Collection at: http://www.siue.edu/lovejoylibrary/about/digital_collections.shtml

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

Eugene B. Redmond cont.

Kwansaba: Ridin With Black Poets (Who) Speak Out 2015 Eugene B. Redmond

Spokes of “driving wheels” from East Boogie, Chicago & Saint Lou become Spoken Arrows slaying & burying slings of “Silence.” Blues mosaics of our under-history (quags caught in racial mires) fan epic pyres leaping ntu dirges, dizzyin’ elegiac rushes, songified jujujive.

Danger-rung rites of Joy . . . spoken for.

Texto Y Contexto: Multi-thousand-mile souljourns to embattled Planet Ferguson by Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, Talib Kweli, Arrested Development, Common, Cornel West, Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, Suheir Hammad & Saul Williams foreshadowed MLK-Day’s #Black Poets Speak Out in St. Louis. A rainbow of black voices seen/heard on all coasts & in the hinter/heart land, the “Lou’s” edition of BPSO was curated by poet Treasure Shields Redmond & included Avery R. Young, Monica Hand, Jason Vasser, Justin Phillip Reed, Aaron Coleman, Katy Richie, DuEwa Frazier, Pacia, Surreal Sista, Jacqui German & members of the Eugene B. Redmond Writers Club: Roscoe “Ros” Crenshaw, Charlois Lumpkin, Darlene Roy, Jaye Willis & EBR. Photos by Eugene B. Redmond. Visit/donate to EBR Collection at: http://www.siue.edu/lovejoylibrary/about/digital_collections.shtml

pg. 118

Saint Louis University Is Coming to a Scholarship Fair Near You! By attending an upcoming Infinite Scholars college fair, you can learn about all the scholarship and financial aid resources Saint Louis University offers to help you achieve your higher education goals.

If you missed one of the Infinite Scholars events this fall, come visit with SLU representatives at one of the three remaining fairs near you.

Dallas -- February 26 (details) St. Louis -- February 28 (details) Chicago -- May 15 (details)

You will be able to talk about SLU’s programs with counselors, who can also create your personalized aid package for you. On average, freshmen at SLU receive $26,891 in financial aid including: Merit-based scholarships Need-based grants Loan programs and work opportunities Be exceptional. Be a Billiken.

Saint Louis University is founded on the Jesuit tradition of educating the whole person – mind, body and spirit.

At SLU, you can choose from nearly 100 undergraduate programs, many of them highly ranked, so you can be confident you’re getting a world-class education.

While you learn and grow in the classroom through our challenging programs, you’ll develop relationships with your professors, dive into extracurricular activities, meet friends from around the world and explore our urban campus.

Learn more about what it means to be a Billiken. Schedule a campus visit or check out BeABilliken.com to see why SLU might just be the right fit for you.

Click here to join us at one of the upcoming Infinite Scholars college fairs.

Please join us on Please forward this message to family and friends.

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Artists Honor

Maya Angelou at The Art Museum Program on March 21

~Article 1 If It Wasn’t For the Women: Salute to Maya Angelou Saint Louis Art Museum Education Center Saturday, March 21, 2015 10:30 am – 12 noon You are invited to celebrate St. Louis’ own Maya Angelou, March 21, 10:30 am at the Saint Louis Art Museum Education Center. The free program will feature first-hand accounts of Angelou, poetry, and literary readings. Alice Windom, friend of Maya Angelou; Freida L. Wheaton; poet and arts advocate; and author Patricia GlintonMeicholas pay homage to Maya Angelou in our annual If It Wasn’t for the Women program. Due to limited space, reservations are strongly recommended. Advance reservations can be sent to jordia.benjamin@ slam.org.

Dr. Maya Angelou, celebrated poet, writer, educator, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist, is one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time. Dr. Angelou was conferred with more than 50 honorary doctorate degrees due in large part to her unique and eloquent way of recording history through poetry, biographies, children’s books, cookbooks, and essays. She authored 36 books, 30 of which were bestselling titles.

In 1962 Alice Mary Windom relocated from St. Louis to live and work in Ghana, West Africa as a secondary school teacher and secretary to the Ethiopian Ambassador. In Ghana, Windom met a historic group of diverse African American expatriates including Maya Angelou. The two women would remain friends throughout Angelou’s life.

A St. Louis resident and retired corporate counsel, Freida Wheaton wears many hats within the local arts community including curator, photographer, art collector, author, poet, and arts advocate to name a few. Wheaton is also the founder of the Alliance of Black Art Galleries and proud owner of Salon 53, a private residential gallery, believing that

fine art should be in every home.

Patricia Glinton-Meicholas documents not only her Bahamian roots but the larger microcosm of Caribbean culture, as well.

Her essays on Bahamian art appear in the 34-volume Grove Dictionary of Art (formerly Macmillan Dictionary of Art) and she is contributing several biographies to Oxford University Press Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biography. Over the span of her career, Glinton-Meicholas has written 18 books and numerous essays on Bahamian history, art, and culture.

I am forwarding you a flyer (you can take the Maya image from that because we have permission to use it from the internet).

~Article 2 Object, Image, and the Living Archive: Historicizing the Global in Caribbean Art Thursday, March 26, 7:00 pm Saint Louis Art Museum The Farrell Auditorium Free. Ticket is Required.

The Saint Louis Art Museum and Washington University are pleased welcome scholar to speak about contemporary art of the African diaspora. On Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 7:00 pg. 120

21/2015

3/

If It Wasn’t For the Women: Salute to Maya Angelou Saint Louis Art Museum Education Center Saturday, March 21, 2015 10:30 am – 12 noon

26/2015

3/

Object, Image, and the Living Archive: Historicizing the Global in Caribbean Art Thursday, March 26, 7:00 pm Saint Louis Art Museum The Farrell Auditorium

pm in The Farrell Auditorium, the Saint Louis Art Museum will host a public lecture titled, Object, Image, and the Living Archive: Historicizing the Global in Caribbean Art. Dr. Erica James, Assistant Professor in the Departments of the History of Art and African American Studies, Yale University will explore globalization and global culture in the Americas through works created over a 500-year span on the island of Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti).

Dr. Erica Moiah James is the Assistant Professor in the Departments of The History of Art and African American Studies at Yale University. Prior to arriving at Yale, she served as the founding Director and Chief Curator of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. Dr. James earned a Master of Fine Arts from The University of Chicago and a Doctorate degree in Art History from Duke University. While at Duke she was awarded several fellowships including the International Association of University Women Graduate Fellowship and The John Hope Franklin Fellowship. Since Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

that time she has served as a Clark Fellow at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute and as a post-doctoral teaching fellow at Washington University, St. Louis.

The program is free but tickets are required. Free tickets are available at the Saint Louis Art Museum Visitors Center in advance or the day of the lecture. For more information, please email renee.franklin@slam.org.

w w w. s l a m . o r g

One Fine Arts Drive - Forest Park, St. Louis, MO 63110-1380 314.721.0072 Volume 2.1 www.the-arts-today.com March 4, 2015

DOCUMENTING HISTORY

A R T I S T S R E S P O N D T O F E R G U S O N PA N E L D I S C U S S I O N

Sunday MARCH 8

FREE

2pm

AT&T Foundation Multipurpose Room

DOCUMENTING HISTORY Artists Respond to Ferguson

MODERATOR: Freida L. Wheaton, Curator, Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: Artists Respond WELCOME: Dr. Frances Levine, President, Missouri Historical Society PRESENTERS: Pat Smith Thurman, Founding Member, Alliance of Black Art Galleries; Hands Up Exhibition Media; Exhibition Venue and Artist

Robert Ketchens—“Whitewash, Sun Down Town”

Annetta Vickers-Bentil, Founding Member, Alliance of Black Art Galleries; Videographer, Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: Artists Respond Exhibition Daniel Jefferson, Hands Up Exhibition Artist; graffiti mural artist Christopher Gordon, Library and Collections Director, Missouri History Museum Petruta Lipan, Director, Saint Louis University Museum of Art, Hands Up Exhibition Venue Ruth Brown, Historian for Ferguson Historical Society Meredith Evans, Associate University Librarian, Washington University in St. Louis Buzz Spector, Professor of Art, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Art, Washington University in St. Louis

Solomon Thurman—”Artist and Officer”

Exhibiting Artists from Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, Howard Barry, Sami Bentil, William Burton Jr., Ken Calvert, Lenard Hinds, Daniel Jefferson, Alan Johnson, Robert A. Ketchens, Kuumba, P31, Marilyn L. Robinson, Pat Smith Thurman, Solomon Thurman, Annetta Vickers-Bentil, and Freida L. Wheaton

MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM

Lindell & D eBaliviere in Forest Par k 314.746.4599 mohistor y.org 2015 PROGRAMS/EVENTS

pg. 122

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Freida L. Wheaton Alliance of Black Art Galleries ST. LOUIS, MO 314.494.4660 Documenting History: Artists Respond to Ferguson Panel Discussion at the Missouri History Museum March 1, 2015: Documenting History: Artists Respond to Ferguson is the title of an afternoon program at the Missouri History Museum, Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 2:00 pm. in the AT&T Foundation Multipurpose Room.

Presented by the Alliance of Black Art Galleries in collaboration with the MHM, the program consists of a reception, viewing of art, and a panel discussion. The panel will address broadly the creation, presentation and preservation of art and artifacts responsive to the August 9, 2014 killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO and events thereafter. This is Ferguson-inspired visual art. The panelists have been engaged in creating and presenting art; acquiring art and artifacts on behalf of institutions; and/or preserving and archiving art, artifacts, and other information.

The Alliance presented Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: Artists Respond as a visual art exhibition at 14 venues from October 17 to December 20, 2014.

Other Ferguson-inspired art, including graffiti and mural art, by individuals and group exhibitions continue to provide a critical resource for history. This current program –Documenting History -- is important for those who will research, write about, and tell the story of Ferguson in the near and distant future.

Participating panelists are: Freida L. Wheaton, founder of the Alliance, curator of Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: Artists Respond exhibition; Dr. Francine Levine, President, Missouri History Museum; Pat Smith Thurman, founding member of the Alliance, Hands Up exhibition media, and venue; Annetta Vickers-Bentil, founding member of the Alliance and videographer, Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: Artists Respond exhibition; Daniel Jefferson, Hands Up exhibition artist and graffiti mural artist; Christopher Gordon, Library and Collections Director, Missouri History Museum; Petruta Lipan, Director, Saint Louis University Museum of Art, Hands Up exhibition venue; Ruth Brown, Historian for Ferguson Historical Society; Meredith Evans, Associate University Librarian, Washington University in St. Louis; and Buzz Spector, Professor of Art, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Art, Washington University in St. Louis.

The following artists from the Hands Up exhibition will be on view during the afternoon program: Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, Howard Barry, Sami Bentil, William Burton Jr., Ken Calvert, Lenard Hinds, Daniel Jefferson, Alan Johnson, Robert A. Ketchens, Kuumba, P31, Marilyn L. Robinson, Pat Smith Thurman, Solomon Thurman, Annetta Vickers-Bentil, and Freida L. Wheaton.

Documenting History: Artists Respond to Ferguson will be held in the AT&T Foundation Multipurpose Room at the Missouri History Museum, Lindell & DeBalaviere in Forest Park at 2pm Sunday, March 8, 2015. The program is free and open to the public. It is presented by the Alliance of Black Art Galleries in collaboration with MHM. For information contact 314.494.4660. ***** The Alliance of Black Art Galleries was founded August 20, 2013 with eight galleries: 10th Street Gallery, 14th Street Artist Community Gallery, Bentil’s Jah’z Art Private Gallery, Exodus Gallery, Gya Community Art Gallery, L.D. Ingrum Gallery & Studio, Portfolio Gallery & Education Center, and Salon 53, a private residential art gallery. ***

Digital Images Robert A. Ketchens, Whitewash, Sun Down Town Solomon Thurman, Artist and Officer

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

Maurice

Minor and Cheeraz Gormon will be holding a book release and reading, (An Invisible Man)

March 21!

...............

Connect with Cheeraz Gorman: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK

pg. 124

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pg. 126

OPPORTUNITIES

The Bernie Hayes Show Talk and interviews about affairs of the day with a St. Louis slant.

The Bernie Hayes Show can be seen: Friday’s at 9 A.M. Saturday’s at 10:00 P.M. Sunday’s at 5:30 P.M.

PUT SOMETHING CLEAN ON YOUR TV! Copyright © 2014 - All rights reserved.

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Se

On eo fM

alc

lm

olm

X’s

by: Renarda A. Williams The state of Alabama with its deep-seated allegiance to Jim Crow claimed the attention of both Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. The two men were in Selma on the same day, February 4, 1965 addressing two different groups of young civil rights fighters. It turned out to be one of Malcolm’s last appearances.

For many the Oscar-nominated movie “Selma” uncovers the little known fact that Malcolm X and Dr. King were Selma at the same time. Malcolm spoke to a crowd at Brown Chapel AME Church in support of their efforts to register African American voters. The fact that most were unaware of this information underscores the lack of understanding of Malcolm X’s involvement in actively advancing the rights of African Americans. He founded the Organization of AfroAmerican Unity.

Saladin Ambar is an assistant political science professor at Lehigh University. In his book Malcolm X at Oxford Union: Racial Politics in a Global Era, he writes that Malcolm X is largely ignored because “he doesn’t fit neatly into the conventional story of America having righted her wrongs during the Civil Rights era.”

he died, ” he says.

That two powerful civil rights leaders met only once in their lives is quite remarkable. And that meeting was “brief and coincidental” according to noted theologian and author, Dr. James Cone. Cone writes in his book, Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare, about the conversation between the two.

According to Cone, it went as follows: Dr. King said, “Well Malcolm, good to see you.”

Malcolm X replied, “Good to see up.”

“Now, you’re going to get investigated,” Malcolm said as the two men departed.

Dr. Cone says the two men saw each other as fellow freedom fighters struggling against the same evil: racism. That one is celebrated and remembered more than the other might be an example of the very unjust narrative both dedicated their lives to eliminating.

Ambar views Malcolm as working with an international perspective. He says, “Malcolm recognized that the fate of colonized peoples all over the world was very much a part of the Black freedom struggle in America.” Ambar adds that Malcolm X saw the connections between what was going on with the Black struggle in Birmingham, Alabama and the struggle of Black immigrants in Birmingham, England.

Two months before his assassination at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, Malcolm gave a speech during a debate at Oxford Union which is part of England’s Oxford University.

Ambar’s book focuses on that speech. “Malcolm’s speech at Oxford is, inmy eyes,the most telling document we have regarding his political philosophy and perspectives just before pg. 128

a:

Las t St ops

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Follow us @ArtsTodayez

#artstodayEZ pg. 130

Doors open at 9:00 AM

For more information, call 314-361-4555

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pg. 132

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CAREERS

CURRENTLY

ENROLLING!

Building Union Diversity

A training program for individuals with previous or no experience in construction trades.

Minorities and Women are Welcome!

The Building Union Diversity (BUD) is a training program for individuals with previous or no experience in the construction field and who are interested in pursuing construction careers in sewer occupations. The classes will be taught by nationally certified and U.S. DOL-approved apprenticeship training programs. The training will provide hands-on experience in participating trades, namely Construction Laborers, Heavy Equipment Operators and Carpenters.

TO ENROLL, INDIVIDUALS:

PRE-APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING FOCUS:

• Must come to SLATE, 1520 Market St, 3 rd Floor, St. Louis, MO 63103 or the St. Louis County American Job Center, 26 North Oaks Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63121, from 9 am. to 4 pm., Monday – Friday.

• Complete an application and assessment.

RECOMMENDED PARKING: Kiel Center Garage, situated immediately behind our building, at the corner of Clark & 16th. Fees: $1 per hour.

• Career awareness in various participating construction trades • OSHA standards • Identifying one trade that best suits participant’s interests and abilities.

ASK US ABOUT APPRENTICESHIP AND JOURNEYMEN TRAINING!

Training program is subsidized by the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District in partnership with SLATE.

SLATE is an equal opportunity employer/program.

Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Missouri Relay Services at 711.

STLCC NO-FEE, HIGH-VALUE

TECHNICAL JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS These high-value training programs are grant-funded and are offered for limited periods of time at no cost to qualified students.

BUILD SOMETHING AMAZING Check Out the Boeing Pre-Employment Training Program!

This 10 week training program takes place at the Center for Workforce Innovation at St. Louis Community College’s Florissant Valley Campus.

FREE tuition if accepted into program!

AVIONICS (Aviation Electronics) An accelerated 8-week practical, hands-on, non-credit course.

AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

Prepare for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airframe and Powerplant certifications.

YOU PAY NOTHING for these courses if you qualify.

For more information or to get started visit WWW.STLCC.EDU/MRTDL. St. Louis Community College is committed to non-discrimination and equal opportunities in its admissions, educational programs, activities, and employment regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, or status as a disabled or Vietnam-era veteran and shall take action necessary to ensure non-discrimination. Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, is also prohibited. For information or concerns related to discrimination or sexual harassment, contact Bill Woodward, Associate Vice Chancellor Student Affairs, 314-539-5374.

This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership.

Skills and qualifications needed to be considered: • Must pass WorkKeys Assessment Tests (applied math, locating information, reading for information, and observation) • Must be mechanically inclined To apply, email resume to wcdassemblymechanics@stlcc.edu or FAX to (314) 513-4604. For more information and schedule call (314) 539-5921.

Upon program completion, participants are eligible to interview for positions with Boeing.

pg. 134

AMEREN MISSOURI, STLCC LAUNCH FREE PRE-APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING PROGRAM TO CREATE JOB OPPORTUNITIES December 03, 2014

Ameren Missouri is partnering with St. Louis Community College again to offer a five-week lineman pre-apprenticeship training program at the college’s Florissant Valley campus.

Ameren Missouri is making the training program available at no cost to participants. Upon successfully completing this accelerated pre-apprentice training program, graduates will have an opportunity to go through the application and selection process for an apprentice lineman position with Ameren Missouri.

STLCC currently is accepting applications for the program that begins in March at Florissant Valley, 3400 Pershall Road. Up to 30 pre-apprentice students will be selected for the training program.

“We are committed to creating opportunities and investments in the communities we serve,” said Dave Wakeman, Ameren Missouri, senior vice president of operations and technical services. “This pre-apprentice training program opens the door for people in our community to learn more about the work being performed at Ameren Missouri and then apply for quality positions within our company. We are seeking to hire individuals who are dedicated to providing our customers with safe, reliable power in the St. Louis metro area.”

Ameren Missouri’s commitment to STLCC and the community includes funding for curriculum development, STLCC is partnering with Ameren Missouri to offer a fiveinstructional delivery and all necessary equipment. This week lineman pre-apprenticeship training program. includes 30-foot poles, climbing equipment, fall protection harnesses, and other personal protection equipment so that students can safely train on the Florissant Valley campus. Students also will review math, physics and mechanical concepts to prepare them for a potential future position in Ameren Missouri’s apprentice lineman program. In 2009, Ameren Missouri offered this specialized pre-apprentice training program in partnership with STLCC and was able to hire 13 former student participants into the company’s apprentice lineman program.

“This initiative serves as another example of St. Louis Community College’s commitment to connect curriculum, programs and instructional delivery modes to meet the needs of employers in the region,” said Steve Long, STLCC associate vice chancellor for workforce solutions. “We are pleased to once again partner with Ameren Missouri to provide training that will give participants an opportunity at meaningful employment.”

Nationwide, as many as 18,300 new electrical line workers will be needed by 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The utility industry employed 249,400 line workers in 2012. In May 2012, the median annual wage for electrical power-line installers and repairers was $63,250.

For more information about the pre-apprenticeship training program or to apply, email wsglineworker@stlcc.edu or call 314-539-5988.

STLCC NO-FEE, HIGH-VALUE

TECHNICAL JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS These high-value training programs are grant-funded and are offered for limited periods of time at no cost to qualified students.

TRUCK DRIVING JOBS TRAIN LOCALLY TO EARN YOUR

Class-A Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) • • • • • •

Over-the-Road Truck Drivers are in High Demand!

No prior experience necessary.

Five week program.

Experienced staff, low student-to-teacher ratio.

44 hours of drive time on 2011 International Prostar trucks. More practice equals a greater chance for success!

Entry Level commercial truck driving jobs average $35,000 yearly.

Job Interviews upon successful completion of program.

For more information or to get started visit www.stlcc.edu/TruckDriving.

To qualify: Minimum age 21 years old with a good driving record. DOT Physical and negative Drug Test Required.

WorkKeys Assessment Level 4 or higher required.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

St. Louis Community College is committed to non-discrimination and equal opportunities in its admissions, educational programs, activities, and employment regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, or status as a disabled or Vietnam-era veteran and shall take action necessary to ensure non-discrimination. Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, is also prohibited. For information or concerns related to discrimination or sexual harassment, contact Bill Woodward, Associate Vice Chancellor Student Affairs, 314-539-5374.

This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership.

Join us

Thursday evening for a FREE public presentation!

Object, Image, and the Living Archive: Historicizing the Global in Caribbean Art Thursday, March 26, 7:00 pm Saint Louis Art Museum The Farrell Auditorium Free. Ticket is Required.

You are invited to a presentation by Dr. Erica James. Dr. James’ presentation will explore globalization and global culture in the Americas through works created over a 500-year span on the island of Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti). Prior to her position at Yale University, Dr. James was Founding Director and Chief Curator of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas.

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pg. 136

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