December 29th, 2022 edition by The St. Louis American

Demetrious Johnson, community servant, former Mizzou, NFL star, passes

By Alvin A. Reid St. Louis American

In some sad news for the holiday season, the Omega Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. has just added a great football player.

More importantly, Demetrious Johnson was a great man. He worked tirelessly through his foundation to support underserved and under-resourced young people.

He took immense pride and joy in making the holiday season special for thousands of children and families over the years.

Johnson, 61, passed away on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2022. Since he would have delivered toys to children throughout the area on Christmas, the family he left behind completed that mission on Christmas Day.

n Demetrious Johnson worked tirelessly through his foundation to support underserved and under-resourced young people.

“My dad had the biggest heart,” his daughter Taylore Johnson told ksdk.com

His daughter, Ashley Chin, added that, “His big heart and love for his community will never be forgotten.”

According to his family, Johnson died of an aortic dissection, a rare condition in which a tear occurs in the inner layer of the body’s main artery. He was in a St. Louis hospital when he past away. Johnson’s mother, a single parent raising eight children in the Darst-Webbe Public Housing Project, was an activist who fought for tenants’ rights and a safer neighborhood. Demetrious, her youngest, had a similar call to help those around him.

He starred for the McKinley High School football team and earned a football scholarship at the University of Missouri. A hard-hitting defensive back, Johnson was named a Big Eight Conference All Star in 1982.

rare heart condition, on December 24, 2022.

Rosati-Kain receives a ‘Christmas miracle’

Diverse Catholic school will remain open

By Ashley Winters St. Louis American

You could call it a Christmas miracle.

The region’s most diverse all-girls Catholic high school, Rosati-Kain, will remain open. Its board reached a decision to renew a multi-year lease on Christmas day. The all-girl Catholic high school has been a part of the St. Louis community since 1911. Rosati-Kain High School has partnered with St. Joseph Educational Ministries (SJEM) as their

Rosati-Kain juniors and seniors visited key locations in the Black-American freedom struggle. Rosati-Kain participants included (from left) Juniors Morgan Robinson, Aniyah Cole, Sidnei Thomas-Drake, Helen Totty and (rear, with hat) Kennedy Achu with seniors (front row, far right) Gabrielle MitchellBonds and Brooke Elston.

Black Press has challenging, rewarding 2022

195th year closes with success stories

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Sr. Reporter

The Black Press of America entered its 195th year in 2022, highly engaged in the continued fight for freedom, justice, equality and equity. Just one year after the Jan. 6 insurrection not only threatened America’s democracy but freedom for people of color, the United States and the hundreds of millions of news consumers demonstrated a need for the Black Press like never before.

Fake News and the growing number of overt racists who dispensed misinformation and false reports had taken over social media and mainstream headlines. But like in 2020, when the Black Press was the first to reveal that the coronavirus was airborne, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) issued facts on which African Americans and others could rely.

The NNPA is the trade association representing the more than 230 African American-owned newspapers and media companies that comprise the Black Press of America.

Reeling from the deaths of American icon Sidney Poitier, Civil Rights leader and legal scholar Lani Guinier, Helen Chavis Othow, the beloved sister of NNPA President and C.E.O. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., and many others, the Black Press challenged Congress.

Many urged lawmakers to eliminate the racist filibuster that suppressed needed laws like the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) responded, calling for a vote to change the filibuster on Martin Luther King Jr.

Helping St. Louis connect with other cultures

The Anna E. Crosslin Multicultural Center for Excellence to open in January

By Andrea Y. Henderson St. Louis Public Radio

The International Institute of St. Louis will open the Anna E. Crosslin Multicultural Center for Excellence in January to encourage people in the region to connect with those of other cultures. Visitors will be able to take cultural education classes and attend events. Business owners also can use the center for company training and seminars. The institute aims to foster multicultural connections, in which the broader community embraces immigrants and refugees and the center helps bring cultures together, International Institute

See CENTER, A6

Photo by Bill Greenblatt / St. Louis American

Demetrious Johnson, shown in this November 19, 2022 file photo handing out Thanksgiving Day turkeys, has died of complications from an aortic dissection, a

Photo courtesy of Rosati-Kain High School

Ketanji Brown Jackson

Rihanna shares first look of newborn son on TikTok

Rihanna has finally shared images of her adorable baby boy with the world. She recently shared a video of her son to her official TikTok account. She captioned the video “Hacked.”

In the 45-second clip, she shows her son laughing in his car seat. “You’re trying to get mommy’s phone,” she asks while he reaches for her phone. He then holds her phone and coos, then attempts to place the phone in his mouth.

Rihanna and her boyfriend A$AP Rocky, welcomed their first child in May of this year. The couple hasn’t revealed their son’s name yet.

Trey Songz surrenders in bowling alley assault against woman

Following accusations of assaulting a woman at a New York bowling alley, Trey Songz has surrendered to police. A statement acquired by TMZ says his confession isn’t an “We have been proactively communicating with NY law enforcement, the DA, and all those involved. While we will respectfully and proactively work through all the appropriate channels we are confident that Trey will be fully cleared of any wrongdoing,”says Songz’s attorney, Mitch Schuster, in the statement.

woman filed a police report claiming he continuously punched her in the face. She also said the singer pulled her by her hair and was transported to a hospital for minor visible injuries. A man who refused medical treatment also alleges Songz hit him in the eye. Several women have accused Songz of rape and sexuallymotivated aggressive behavior. April 2022, a woman asked for a $5 million settlement, alleging Songz deliberately removed her bathing suit top. In January, Dylan Gonzalez, an ex-college basketball player accused him of raping her years ago.

Lil Wayne’s former chef sues for wrongful termination

Medlock was told her 10-year-old son suffered a head injury leading to hospitalization. She hurried back to Los Angeles, but alleges Wayne held her up by smoking on the plane. She flew on a separate aircraft instead of waiting for a flight back home and alerted Wayne’s assistant about the situation. She thought they would understand but was shocked when they discharged her.

TMZ reports Songz was booked and provided written notice by police for an arraignment in the future cause of the assault. He was released.

In November, a New York woman claimed Songz struck her a month earlier while they

Call it a case of “Sue Chef.”

Lil Wayne’s former chef is suing him, saying he fired her without cause.

Morghan Medlock alleges she was terminated after traveling home for a family emergency earlier this year. The lawsuit, which is obtained by TMZ, claims Medlock was working with Wayne for almost two years when she was fired after a trip to Las Vegas.

During her trip to Vegas on Memorial Day,

After leaving Vegas, his team asked if he was quitting and she said she wasn’t. Returning home back to LA as Wayne’s head chef, she said him and his team ignored her. Later she was notified of her discharge in a message from Wayne that read,“Tell Chef Morghan this isn’t going to work.”

She is suing for wrongful termination, retaliation, and several unlawful practices.

She claims her termination is a violation of California law which forbids firing someone because they missed work to aid their sick or injured child. She is asking for at least $500,000 in damages.

Sources: https://6abc.com/, https://www.vibe.com/, https://www.rap-up.com/

- Steve Horsford, D-Nevada,

McCluer North’s Kem Smith offers gems of advice for teachers

St. Louis Public Radio

Kem Smith, an English teacher at McCluer North High School, shared her thoughts and advice with St. Louis American readers in a story published in August about teacher and student anxieties as the 2022-23 school year opened.

“It feels different this year,” Smith explained.

“Starting with not having to wear masks and not having to do hybrid classrooms. Those anxieties are gone but they’ve been replaced by other anxieties.”

She’s now helping educate others across the nation with an advice column for Chalkbeat [www.chalkbeat. org] called “After the Bell.”

More than half of teachers are considering quitting their jobs, according to a survey earlier this year from the National Education Association. Since 2020, an estimated 600,000 teachers have already left the profession as they face stress and staffing shortages that have worsened during the pandemic.

Smith told WBUR.org, a National Public Radio affiliate, she understands why teachers want to quit because, years ago, she did.

Smith’s interview highlights include:

On the need for an advice column

“There [are] so many layers to what we do on a day-to-day basis that oftentimes we can only talk to other teachers about what we do.”

On why she quit teaching after giving birth to her youngest son

“It was all too much trying to be a middle school teacher. And every middle school teacher understands you almost have to have, like, some type of special personality to be able to be everything that a middle schooler needs. And just take that and multiply it by …150 kids every day. And to be all of that for those students, and then have a little baby who you need to take care of, is just more than at that time I felt like I could handle.”

On why she came back to teaching

“Everything I did that wasn’t teaching, it kept being teaching. I had a business and people would come in and say, ‘Oh, this kind of feels like a classroom.’ It’s just, this becomes who you are. And so for me, I missed the calling. I missed the classroom.

On what advice teachers write to her for:

“Many times, it’s the new teacher and they’re trying to prepare … for what happens in the classroom. But you almost cannot until you are in this room with 35 kids looking at you. They’re not interested in your material. They’re interested in the other 35 kids who are around the room. They’re interested in what’s going on, on the Internet.

On addressing mental health:

“During the two years of virtual education … this was my first time actually experiencing what depression was like, going from my bedroom to the place in the house that was established for me [to teach]. Our students didn’t have to have their cameras on. So I just sat in front of a blank screen and tried to teach all day … And I did have one student at one point turn his camera on, and I was just like, wow, this is very distracting because I don’t know if maybe his mom had a home daycare because there were just children everywhere. And people live in different situations. And when school

wasn’t there, I just didn’t have it.

“I did actually pursue and find a therapist that worked best for me, and I was able to vocalize and explain some of the things that I went through. Fortunately, the school was consistently working on a plan to bring us back in person, but even with bringing us back in person, there were so many people in my community who were dying, catching COVID and not being able to recover. And on top of COVID, there was the flu. And on top of the flu, there was what we called in our district, the dual pandemic with race problems and issues all across America with riots.

And just all of everything was happening all at once. And it was just challenging.”

On her hopes for the advice column

“My hope is to say, ‘Hey, this is us. We have our own community.’ Like, we can actually help each other through what may be the toughest time in history.”

Sylvester Brown of The St. Louis American contributed to this report

Our team of dedicated customer support specialists is here to help guide you to options that best meet your household’s unique needs. We’re

We’re working hard to help even more customers get connected to the energy assistance they need. That’s why we offer multiple programs and services, including several with expanded eligibility criteria.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Kem Smith, an English teacher at McCluer North High School, is sharing her thoughts and advice with fellow educators with an online advice column called After The Bell at chalkbeat.org

Editorial/Commentary

Guest Editorial

Increased civic education needed to save our nation

By Janice Ellis

The ongoing focus in the public square should not be on former President Donald Trump’s pronouncement that all rules, regulations, laws and articles found in the Constitution of the United States be terminated so he can be reinstated as president.

Instead, the concern should be more about what long-term impact such a statement has on our civic engagement and the civic education of our young people — our future leaders.

In his efforts to still disavow the results of the 2020 Presidential election, former President Trump recently tweeted that our founding and governing documents should be thrown out so he could achieve his personal desire, disregarding the will of the people.

A few Republican elected officials have expressed outrage. Most have been silent. Sadly, some have even joined his call.

No doubt, we all have an opinion about a former president of the United States calling for the Constitution to be rendered null and void.

But the real danger is just holding that opinion until the next Trump statement takes center stage and dominates media attention.

The lasting and more serious issue to consider is whether this is a wakeup call — a dire warning — for us to revisit our level of civic engagement and the quality of civic education that we are imparting to our young people.

could provide.

If you bothered to ask young people in your orbit about our governing documents, do you have any idea if they will be able to provide a knowledgeable answer?

It might also be good to ask them what they think would happen if the Constitution and the many time-worn laws that have worked are ignored and destroyed. What will replace them?

Former President Trump has not bothered to provide any answers.

If your child or a future young leader should ask the question of you, what would be your answer?

Therein lies the problem. The silence and absence of discussion of what life would be like in America without its governing laws leaves a dangerous void to be potentially filled with a rule of order far more harmful.

Without knowledge and understanding of the importance of the rules and laws that allow and sustain our way of life, how can our children and young leaders evaluate such behavior from a former president? Are we preparing them to be able to put it and other extreme views and actions in perspective?

What is their level of knowledge and understanding of the Constitution and other documents so critical to the governing and very survival of our nation? Are we imparting and instilling a sense of loyalty and patriotism so necessary to preserve and protect the country from those — foreign and domestic — who wish to cause harm?

Over the years, there has been a dangerous decline in civic knowledge among adults. That needs to change. There is no better way than to lead by example.

We need to pause and consider the slippery slope we have been on with the slow erosion of transferring the principles and practices of our democratic form of government to young people.

There was a time students in grade school not only had to learn, but also recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Students in high school had to learn and recite the Preamble to the Constitution, study the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, even learning and reciting the Gettysburg Address.

What civic education, and to what extent, is being taught in our schools today?

It is a question whose answer is worth seeking, and to know for sure.

For example, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is no longer required in many classrooms. With the growing controversy and objections to teaching accurate American history, the growing movement to ban certain books, how do we expect to teach and show our children what being an American citizen means?

Seeing our laws, principles and rights in action — the good and the ones that need improvement — is one of the best learning experiences we

There really is no excuse for anyone to remain ignorant about why and how our government should work, or become more informed about areas that need improvement.

There are many resources at our fingertips that can easily explain the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights. They can be discussed at home, in our schools and other group gatherings.

The aspiring Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, in the aftermath of Trump’s call to terminate the Constitution, is vowing to open the new Congress in January with a reading of the Constitution, which has not been done in decades.

But just reading the Constitution will not be enough.

Perhaps, every legislative body should open their new session with a reading of the Constitution to remind them of the fundamental reasons why they are elected to do the jobs assigned to them.

It is time to move beyond being shocked by all the anti-American and anti-democratic pronouncements and actions by our leaders no matter who they are or what office they have held or continue to hold.

Realize when the headlines have faded that the negative effects might still linger in the minds of many.

We cannot afford to remain civically disengaged. There are so many ways we can model civic engagement for the young people in our lives.

There is no better strategy for us and future generations — than using education and example to withstand the escalating onslaught of antidemocratic rhetoric and actions, fight against it, defend and protect American ideals

That could be among the best investments we could make.

The future of America is counting on us.

Ben Jealous

I’ve written about the importance of judges a few times over the last year. And every time I do, I realize that many people have never met a judge. Or they have, but it was at a time when they’d rather have been anywhere else. So the idea that judges are on my mind as something to celebrate this holiday season may strike you as strange. But bear with me. Since President Biden came into office, he has made it a priority to nominate federal judges who are not only legal stars but are diverse, come from underrepresented professional backgrounds, and have a deep commitment to civil rights. Many of them have been civil rights lawyers or public defenders. This is a real change, even from past Democratic presidents. For decades, presidents most often nominated corporate lawyers or prosecutors to the bench. Those people were also overwhelmingly white and male. Not anymore. At the federal circuit level, which is the level above the district or trial courts and just below the Supreme Court, 41% of Biden nominees have been Black. So far, more Black women have been confirmed to the circuit court bench than during all previous presidencies combined. At the district level, Biden has nominated people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people of diverse faiths, who are historic “firsts” on their respective courts. Not only that, but we have our first Black woman on the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson. Her presence inspires me every day, even though there are many reasons to be dissatisfied with the Court’s far-right majority.

Thanks to President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin, the pace of nominations and confirmations has been fast –very fast. This was critical, because during the Trump presidency, the Far Right raced to confirm as many ultraconservative judges as possible. President Biden is beating Trump’s pace with one of the fastest confirmation processes ever. As I write this, 97 lifetime federal judges have been confirmed in the first two years of Biden’s presidency. Trump had 85 in his first two years. Biden’s pace is the second fastest in a quarter century. And when the Senate returns in January, there will be a spectacular roster of nominees just waiting for the final step in their confirmation process: people like Nancy Abudu, an advocate for voting rights and civil rights through her work at the Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU; Natasha Merle, an advocate for racial justice at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; Tiffany Cartwright, a civil rights litigator whose cases include police misconduct; and Julie Rikelman, the longtime litigation director for the Center for Reproductive Rights. So why does all this matter? It’s not just because having people from underrepresented communities on our courts is inspiring to see and long

overdue. Both of those things are true. It’s because the nominations and confirmations represent the administration’s commitment to building fairer courts overall. The Biden administration is actively seeking out judicial nominees who will improve the quality of decision-making on our courts because of the lived experience they bring. It’s seeking people who have seen the justice system from all sides, in their work or in life. People who are committed to upholding rights for everyone, not just the wealthy or privileged. And already, decisions by fair-minded Biden nominees have improved justice for many Americans in areas like workers’ rights and the environment. When we have fair judges and fair courts, our lives are dramatically better. So in addition to celebrating all the great new judges the Biden administration and Senate leadership have given us, there’s one more thing we can do. All of us can call our senators’ offices in January and encourage them to keep up to the momentum by confirming all the rest of the president’s judicial nominees. It’s an easy way to make a difference. As I’m thinking of things to be thankful for this holiday season, I’m thankful that many of our federal courts really are changing for the better. So many of the rights and freedoms we’ve worked for in the past and will work for in the future depend on this progress. We need to keep it going.

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way

Marc Morial

Recently, I had the opportunity to testify to the Senate Banking Committee at a hearing entitled, “Fairness in Financial Services: Racism and Discrimination in Banking,” to shed light on racism in the banking industry and urge passage of the Fair Access to Financial Services Act.

Throughout our work, we have seen the dire consequences of an American financial system that has systematically cut off and shut out individuals, families, businesses, and communities of color from access to capital.

When people of color suffer racist engagement in the financial marketplace, it causes substantial monetary and nonmonetary harm. Depending on how the racist behavior occurs, be it systematic, digital, in-person, community members often are unaware they received disparate treatment or a discriminatory outcome. This stems from a centuries-long strain of the Black and minority community with banking institutions. The exclusionary and biased practices have been widely documented, including the banking industry’s tendency to disproportionately open and operate branches in white/nonminority communities.

In addition to the reluctance to operate in communities of color, another source of racial discrimination may be bank employees’ discretionary practices in charging costs and fees. Bank employees wield discretionary power in racially executing bank policies – they determine how much a customer pays in costs, and customers may face varying fees depend-

ing on who they talk to at the bank. The concerns about racial discrimination and bias in the banking workforce are also not new and are illustrated in analyses of data from mortgage lending lawsuits brought to the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, which illuminated widespread discriminatory practices, including loan officers who “referred to subprime loans in minority communities as ‘ghetto loans’ and minority customers as… ‘mud people.’

The consequences of these acts are reflected in the data: in the National Urban League’s State of Black America® 2022 Equality IndexTM, Black Americans are less likely to be approved for mortgages than white Americans, at a disparity rate of 41%.

Traditionally, decisionmaking authority at banks has been the bastion of middle- and upper-class white males. A clear solution to this issue is to invest and strengthen Blackowned banks, of which there is an incredible need. In our 2022 State of Black America Report we found that the number of Black-owned banks has dwindled immensely over the years. Between 1888 and 1934, there were 134 Black-owned banks to help the Black community. Today, there are only 19 Black-owned banks that

qualify as Minority Depository Institutions. Due to historic undercapitalization, Black banks are small, with average assets of $363 million compared to $4 billion for all U.S. banks. The small number of Black banks and their small asset size limits their overall impact. A century of data proves that Black banks matter. When there is a Black bank in a community, Black people are more likely to be able to buy a home or secure a small business loan. These institutions help minorities build wealth by providing mortgages, small business loans, and financial services when others will not. That is why the work of uplifting Black banks is so vital. There is work being done at the federal level and additional bipartisan solutions that Congress and the Executive Branch can take to address these ills and barriers. The National Urban League has partnered with both to be part of the solution, because just as redlining and disinvestment in communities of color is contagious, so is “Greenlining” and reinvestment in those communities. In March of this year, the Treasury Department certified the National Urban League’s

Columnist

Ben Jealous

ST. LOUIS

Columnist

Marc H. Morial

Affinia Healthcare Community Health workers and Foundation staff recently accepted

Affinia, Regions Bank partner to pass on holiday cheer

The Affinia Healthcare Foundation has announced a community partnership with Regions Bank to support senior citizens across St. Louis.

Regions associates recently launched a project to collect personal care items at local bank branches and offices for the holiday season. The items included shower gels, shampoo, towels, hats, and scarves.

Affinia Healthcare Foundation is coordinating distribution of the essential items, inviting seniors to its Biddle location to pick up care packages. Items will also be distributed to residents at local senior living facilities.

“Affinia Healthcare Foundation seeks to connect with caring donors to help address unmet healthcare needs in our community,” said Yvonne Buhlinger, Affinia Healthcare Foundation executive vice president.

“Winter is a particularly difficult time for seniors who lack the basic resources to support their health and wellness.

The generosity of Regions Bank and its team members helps our Foundation meet these needs and brighten the lives of vulnerable seniors during the holidays.”

“The Affinia Healthcare Foundation has been providing vital services to our neighbors in need for more than a century,” said Scott Hartwig, Commercial Banking leader and market executive for Regions Bank in Greater St. Louis.

“While the holidays are a joyful time of year for many, we know there are seniors in our community who may not have access to basic necessities or who may be experiencing loneliness. Our associates were proud to support this project offering them warmth, comfort and care.”

Affinia Healthcare Foundation and Regions Bank distributed the holiday care packages to senior citizens on Friday, Dec. 9 at Affinia Healthcare at 1717 Biddle Street near downtown.

By Wendy Gladney

As we celebrate the holidays and begin the countdown to the New Year many of us will think about the things that were on our to-do-list twelve months ago that we had hoped to get accomplish but failed.

They say, if you want to see God laugh tell him your plans. The proverbial expression adapted from the Robert Burns poem, “To a Mouse,” regarding the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, is so true.

No matter how detailed or good intentioned we are with our plans, there are some things in life that are out of our control and can make our plans unsuccessful. Some of the things that were on our list that we failed to achieve was because we lost focus or because they were just not meant to be.

I have come to the conclusion that this was a successful year for me because I made an intentional choice that 2022 was going to be my “Season of Greatness”. I accomplished many of my goals because I was focused on what I knew was truly necessary. Whenever we do selfreflection, it should include a mirror and not a window.

The window is what we look out of and blame others for our failures, but the mirror forces us to look at ourselves and be honest. In January of this year, I took the mirror test and realized I had to focus on Wendy. I understood that in 2020 and parts of 2021 the pandemic caused me to lose a little of my focus. The pandemic was the root-cause, but my symptoms were fatigue, poor sleeping habits, sedentary behavior, and the loss of loved ones.

So, in 2022, I decided my focus would be on continuing to become my best self. Not in a selfish way, but in a way that helped me improve my relationship with my husband, family, friends, clients, and others. It was an inward focus that allowed me to be more productive, innovative, and creative. By focusing on myself, I did not forsake or forget others, my personal values nor my walk with the Lord. I eliminated distractions, got more and better sleep, focused on the moment, and got in overall better health. In my, “Season of Greatness,” I worked smarter, not just harder, I got better not bitter, I fixed problems rather than fixing the blame and I truly let go and let God. I believe if we decide what we really want in life and focus on making it happen we can accomplish anything.

As we close out another year and prepare for 2023, where will your focus be? When I talk about focus, I mean what will you be giving most of your attention to. Will it be to something or to someone? What will you be willing to share with others, sacrifice to improve yourself or serve something or someone you have been running away from.

Here are a few things to focus on to make 2023 your best year ever. First, remember if God brought you to it, He will bring you through it. Second, tough times do not last, but tough people do. Third, when you quit you fail. So do not quit! Fourth, life is short, enjoy it while you have it and finally, do what is right, not what is easy. Focusing on your faith, family, friends, finances, fitness and forgiving those who have wronged you are also good things to focus on moving forward. Here is to closing out this year strong and setting the foundation for a prosperous 2023.

Wendy Gladney is an author, consultant, and Los Angeles Sentinel columnist

Photo courtesy of Affinia Healthcare

Wendy Gladney

Continued from A1

of St. Louis President and CEO Arrey Obenson said.

“We realized that everybody wanted St. Louis to be more inclusive, we just had to figure out how we were going to make it happen,” he said. “So we figured that having the multicultural center could be a good starting point.”

The institute plans to raise about $525,000 to get the center through the first couple of years. It will be housed at the International Institute for the first few years. Once the institute raises nearly $2 million, officials will then use the funds to build a standalone location.

Obenson said he sees the center, which is named after the institute’s former leader, as a way to make St. Louis a more welcoming place.

“Together we can build something that stands out that is unique in America, and then put St. Louis at the center stage of what the future of this country looks like — one that is inclusive, that is diverse, and that provides equity and opportunity for everyone to succeed,” Obenson said.

Johnson

Continued from A1

His bond with Mizzou never ended, and he was instrumental in bridging a divide between the school’s athletic program and Black athletes from the St. Louis region. He graduated with a bach-

Since 1979, the institute has resettled nearly 26,000 refugees. Over the past year, it has resettled over 825 refugees into the community, many of them from Afghanistan. In recent months, St. Louis has

elor’s degree in education and subsequently was selected in the fifth round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. At the time of the draft, he was considered undersized and was a fifth round pick. Yet he rose to the challenge and launched an outstanding career. In 1985, he recorded three interceptions and sacked opposing quarterbacks three times.

welcomed people from war-torn Ukraine. Institute officials say they are planning for an uptick in refugees and immigrants who first settled in other states and are now moving to St. Louis. The demographics are

changing in the region, and Obenson said these changes are partially because immigrants and refugees see St. Louis as a place where they can build their families. Institute leaders want the

During his four seasons with the Lions, Johnson missed just two games due to injury. After he was traded to the Miami Dolphins, Johnson played his final season in 1987. Although while playing for Detroit and Miami, he visited every NFL city, Johnson was determined to return home and help the community that had assisted him while he was growing up.

Johnson founded the Demetrious Johnson Charitable Foundation in 1993, with the goal of improving the lives of underprivileged families and their children in the St. Louis area.

“Demetrious Johnson will be truly missed by the entire St. Louis Community,” said Michael McMillan, Urban

Comptroller

Darlene Green hands out rolls as she joined other volunteers in serving a Thanksgiving dinner for new refugees in 2016 at the International Institute of St. Louis. The Institute will open the Anna E. Crosslin Multicultural Center for Excellence in January.

to St. Louis, said Anna Crosslin, the institute’s former president and CEO.

“My dream is that the center will really be at the heart of it, regardless of what kind of program that it’s offering, that it will remember that the core of the reason that they’re trying to do this and how they’re doing it, is to be able to help everyone better understand and appreciate the shared values and behaviors of all human beings,” she said.

Crosslin will not have a role at the center, but she is honored that the institute is acknowledging her 42-year tenure as the former director by naming the center after her. The development of the multicultural center has been in the works for years. Crosslin said the center is not about her, but a reflection of the staff and volunteers who conceptualized the center.

center to continue to play an active role in bringing cultures together and helping people learn about other traditions, languages and ways of life. The region’s diverse communities attract immigrants and refugees

League of Metropolitan St. Louis president and CEO.

“He gave of his time, talent, and treasure to help those in our community that needed it the most. We worked together for many years helping collaborate for the benefit of countless families.”

McMillan said Johnson used his celebrity as a former NFL player “to be not only a champion on the field but off the field as well.

In 2010 when his foundation was moving into a new headquarters, Johnson told the St. Louis American, “We don’t charge kids. We never have and never will.”

He said the only thing required is “sweat equity,” which means the kids must be committed to community service and do well in school.

“We want to make sure they are an extension of us, and we are an extension of them,” Johnson said of his young volunteers.

Frank Cusumano, KSDK sports director, said on Twitter, “There may have been some who donated more money to our town then my friend, Demetrious Johnson, but nobody donated more heart.”

“We will never have another one like him.”

“There are a million different reasons why St. Louis, in fact, will be stronger, will grow and be a more successful city, if it can attract and retain [diverse groups of people],” she said. “The diversity that I’m talking about … helps us to have strong businesses and to have a really effective entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

After retiring from the NFL, Johnson worked as a national sales manager for Covidien (formerly Sherwood Medical Company) and hosted shows on St. Louis radio station WHHLFM (Hot 104.1) and Detroit radio station WFDF-AM. He was serving as the agent for Mizzou receiver Luther Burden III’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) endorsement deals. Burden was on hand Dec. 18 when Johnson celebrated the 32nd Annual Toy Giveaway at Union Station. Johnson is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 37 years, Pat; daughters Taylore, Alexandria, Lakisha, and Sydney; and son, Jalen. On Christmas morning, Johnson’s family and friends made sure that the annual Demetrious Johnson toy giveaway continued. They said “We’re going out to provide toys, to provide different supplies to make Christmas amazing for these special families that have been selected.”

“When he was a child, he had people who came in every Christmas Eve to support and provide gifts for him and his family. Because of that, he wanted to give back and do the same.”

Photo by Hannah Westerman / St. Louis Public Radio

Rosati-Kain

Continued from A1

Catholic sponsor. The organization also sponsors Fontbonne University and St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Louis.

The sponsorship agreement with SJEM was the final step in the groundwork for establishing Rosati-Kain Academy. The academy incorporated as a Missouri nonprofit and elected an initial governance board in October. The academy seeks a federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status that was filed in November.

“This is a milestone moment that launches a strong, bright future for the Rosati-Kain community and the St. Louis region. We are elated to be able to assure our students, our families, and our teachers and staff that Rosati-Kain will remain open,” said Rosati-Kain Academy Board Chair Cynthia Goudy.

“We are grateful to continue at our landmark location in the Central West End and to affiliate with one of the two orders of religious women who have served Rosati-Kain students with excellence, generosity, and dedication for more than a century.”

St. Louis City Mayor Tishuara Jones said, “It’s inspiring to see the community rally around Rosati-Kain. Our schools are anchors for our neighborhoods, and I am thrilled that Rosati-Kain will continue to serve a diverse student body in the coming years.”

Cara McMahon, executive director of SJEM said, “RosatiKain and SJEM share a common legacy in the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Now

Black Press

Continued from A1 Day.

The vote failed, but America heard the clarion call from the Black Press.

When the Black Press noted President Joe Biden’s declining approval ratings among African Americans, the commander-in-chief responded on several fronts.

First, the Biden-Harris administration took a historic approach to advancing racial equity, including directing every agency across the federal government to address the lasting impacts of systemic racism on Black communities.

Maya Angelou became the first Black woman on the U.S. quarter, and Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black woman appointed and confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

With the help of federal authorities, the killers of Ahmaud Arbery received life in prison sentences.

Black Press U.S.A. ran the headline, “Will Commission Conclude that Trump was Negligent in Jan. 6 Insurrection?”

In December, the Jan. 6 Commission referred criminal charges to the Department of Justice, emphatically stating that the former president should face a judge and jury for inciting the insurrection.

Having already spearhead-

we share a common future in strengthening the landscape of Catholic education in St. Louis.”

Here’s a little history about the 100-plus-year-old school: Rosati-Kain is the only all-girls Catholic high school in the City of St. Louis. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and the School Sisters of Notre Dame founded and staffed the school in 1911 with the core values of knowledge, virtue, humility, and love. And with the sponsor-

ed a lawsuit against prison officials in Mississippi over conditions there, hip-hop superstar Jay-Z and his team publicly demanded that authorities investigate racism and corruption in the Kansas City Police Department.

In February, the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) began facing bomb threats, while Howard University’s lacrosse team met racial slurs during a game in South Carolina.

As critical race theory gained more attention, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton called on Congress for $30 million to combat implicit bias in schools.

In a year of Black achievement, Snoop Dogg purchased Death Row Records, the label that made him, Dr. Dre, and many others famous.

The three officers involved in the murder of George Floyd finally received the justice many had sought, each pleading guilty for their role in killing the Black Minneapolis man.

As Russia invaded Ukraine, the Black Press reminded the world why Black lives should matter in Ukraine.

Russia responded to America’s assistance to Ukraine by taking WNBA star Brittney Griner hostage, charging her with possessing a small amount of cannabis oil.

A Russian court found her guilty, and the basketball player received a more than 9-year sentence. However, in a December prisoner swap,

ship of St. Joseph Educational Ministries, the tradition will continue.

The school is the most diverse all-girls high school in the region, 55% of students are Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, or Multiracial.

Rosati-Kain was among the first high schools in the St. Louis area to integrate in 1947.

However, with all the accolades Rosati-Kain has received, raising funds had become more and more complicated for the

Griner finally returned home in exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The P.G.A. Tour reiterated its commitment to the Black Press and continued offering scholarships and grants to HBCUs and other initiatives to people of color.

school.

According to the school, Rosati-Kain Academy has set initial fund-raising goals of $5 million for operations plus $5 million in endowments to supplement financial aid funding and keep Rosati-Kain economically accessible to students. 79% of students receive some level of tuition assistance and 39% qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch. Students come from 52 zip codes.

Almost half of the students live

Meanwhile, an emotional Tiger Woods opened up for the first time.

During his induction into the Pro Golf Hall of Fame, Woods spoke candidly about the racism and discrimination he faced as a child.

in the City of St. Louis, 43.5% in St. Louis County, and 7% in metro-east and St. Charles County.

Rosati-Kain enrollment dropped to 188 students in the current academic year from 248 in 2021-22 after rumors of the school’s imminent closure. The school educated an average of 275 students a year from 20142022.

Rosati-Kain students are actively involved in community service. Since the fall of 2020,

As African American homeowners continued to face bias in real estate, Vice President Kamala Harris released a plan to stop appraisers from putting an unfair low value on the homes of Black people.

Congress also passed the Crown Act, which ends discrimination against natural Black hairstyles.

they have provided more than 11,000 hours of community service, equal to nearly $275,000 of economic value calculated at minimum wage rates. Taylor Jackson, an alumnus of Rosati-Kain says when she heard the news of her former high school closing she was disappointed and in disbelief. A lot of her classmates and other alumni took to social media to show support for their school and the time they spent there. When news got out that her former school will remain open, she said, “It is very exciting that the group spearheading the efforts to keep R-K open was successful!”

“I gained more than an education during my time there. It’s great that other girls will get the same opportunities for years to come.”

To keep things like this from happening again Jackson suggests Rosati Kain should make an effort to improve the diversity of both the student body and faculty/staff. She says girls want to attend schools where they feel included and understood.

Another suggestion of hers is for the community to get involved by supporting the interests of more students by continuing programs that build connections between students and alumni as well as helping make Rosati Kain visible to families from all backgrounds.

“I think making R-K’s presence more known in the Saint Louis area will be paramount over the next few years as the school starts fresh as an independent school,” said Jackson. A post-holidays news conference is planned in early January when more detailed plans for the future will be announced.

In Entertainment, despite the controversial Will Smith slap of Chris Rock, Florida A&M graduate Will Packer led an allBlack production team for the 94th annual Academy Awards. Deion Sanders, who survived life-saving surgery that resulted in the amputation of his toes, led Jackson State University’s football team to another successful season. Sanders then signed a multi-million-dollar contract to lead Colorado State in 2023.

Rosati-Kain juniors enjoy the fun of October Day 2022, an annual nontraditional learning day. Enjoying the fine art of bubble-blowing, a time-honored tradition, are (from left) juniors Nehtia Hazelwood, Kennedy Achu, Helen Totty, Mary Bergman and Sidnei Thomas-Drake.

Photo courtesy of Rosati-Kain High School

Need more accountability: action for the greater public good in 2023

The year 2022 ends this weekend, but the EYE is looking to the future. This last year was marked by a sad chapter in the history of St. Louis politics: white-collar corruption scandals, political overreach by the attorney general to score political points, aldermanic debates regarding basic human rights issues. If a discussion involved landlordtenant dynamics, Alderwoman Sharon Tyus (Ward 1) and former aldermen Jeffrey Boyd were reliable bullies at the Board of Aldermen. Even after the sudden departures of Lewis Reed & Co. from the Board in June, the “Ladies for Lewis” caucus (Alderwomen Lisa Middlebrook, Ward 2; Marlene Davis, Ward 19; and Pamela Boyd, Ward 27) continued to support Reed’s policies.

City politics were particularly harrowing this year, especially around conversations involving the unhoused, access to reproductive healthcare, and protecting citizens from police misconduct.

But as layer after layer of government grime was revealed to the public, political currents began to shift across the region.

In September and November, Alderwoman Megan Green (Ward 15) trounced colleague and fellow Alderman Jack Coatar (Ward 7) - both times, by double digits - to become Board President. Green’s election, a year and a half after the City elected Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, best demonstrated that those changing currents have become established and are pushing forward in another direction.

We have a new police chief. We have a new personnel director. We have a record number of Black women and women of color in leadership roles in the city. These qualified folks bring their talents to our city right as we are receiving, fortuitously, the remainder of nearly half a billion dollars in federal COVID relief funding.

Things are looking up for St. Louis, and some pieces continue to fall into the right places for our city’s collective future prosperity. We have more of everything we need, which brings us to our single one resolution/request/plea/hope for the new year: Accountability

We want answers. We want more contrition. We want commitments. We want statesmen, like federal judge Stephen R. Clark so eloquently described earlier this month, who feel the “stress of soul” - the weight of their decisions felt and the impact on the greater public considered. We want our political leaders to make the best deals for St. Louisans and our future. Residents’ needs should outweigh those of political donors and benefactors.

St. Louisans did not celebrate the criminalization and incarceration of Reed and former aldermen Boyd and John Collins Muhammad. We acknowledged the removal of corruption from these positions of power and the quest for accountability for the wrongs committed by the disgraced elected officials. And we recognize that accountability - especially for holders of power - is always needed and must be pursued.

We’ll give you a tangible example of where greater accountability and some contrition is needed. After months and months of stalling before calling one bill for a vote, the cost of St. Louis County Council Chairwoman Rita Heard Days’ delay on the St. Louis Convention Center bonds legislation has finally been quantified – $105 million. This whopping number means that

the agreed-upon Convention Center renovations, completed across two phases, will be $105 million of public dollars short of what originally was budgeted. How did this project, so necessary for St. Louis to remain competitive against it peers for worker-heavy convention business, manage to fall so short, you may be wondering. Allow us to help you understand.

EYE-colytes will recall that in February, our column was the lone regional voice demanding that Days call for a vote on the bond legislation issue. Despite failing to give a reason for her delay, Days held out. She continued to refuse to call the bill for a vote.

Flash forward two months to April, the EYE connected some missing dots for our readers, reporting that Days’ then-11-month delay was the result of behind-the-scenes interference by regional megadeveloper Clayco, a persistent opponent of the necessary upgrades for the Convention Center. A throwaway quote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealed that Clayco lobbyist and former mayoral chief of staff Jeff Rainford had been pulling some strings, and of course - there’s an MEC record to connect Rainford’s meddling with the timing of Days’ introduction-then-tabling of the bond legislation.

The nearly-year long delay in bringing the bond issue to a vote on the project that originally was expected to cost taxpayers between $30 and $50 million dollars, led to rising construction costs and increasing inflation that more than doubled the highest estimate. Days’ delay, as it turns out, was a very costly political maneuver.

In total, the Convention Center project lacks half of the budgeted funding for Phase 2 of the planned renovationsPhase 2 must continue, so those missing funds have to come from somewhere St. Louis County should make up for the loss caused by one of its leaders. The failure of St. Louis County to act expeditiously led to the $105 million deficit. To put any of the cost of Days’ delay onto City taxpayers and elected officials would not only be unfair but would likely violate some MOUs and contracts related to funding obligations for this project.

McKee Sued

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri certainly has been pulling its weight in pursuing accountability for the notorious obstructionist developer, Paul McKee. The legal aid organization filed a “citizen’s eminent domain” lawsuit against McKee, alleging that the developer and his NorthSide Regeneration project were “insolvent and too undercapitalized to maintain the Property,” the ABC Auto Sales building on Page, and asking for control of the vacant building to bring it up to code. The lawsuit is aggressiveand historic. For the first time, a neighborhood organization is using the legal system to hold McKee accountable for the devestating neglect and dereliction left in the wake of his failed NorthSide project. Like most of McKee’s other properties, the building targeted in the Legal Services’ lawsuit has a storied history of code violations, like missing windows and collapsed walls since coming into McKee’s possession. Lawyers have declined to comment, stating that negotiations between the neighborhood association and McKee are

ongoing.

And, finally…

Finally, what good would our New Year resolution be without including the PostDispatch? Its editorial page, in particular, is compulsive and divisive and should demonstrate some accountability of its own. They shun any objectivity in the appraisal of the current mayoral administration. They seem to eschew increased understanding and trust in favor of an obsession with someone with whom they have a personal grudge. Let it go! This does not serve the greater public good. Apparently, it wasn’t enough to falsely allege “suspicious circumstances” at the time of Cora Faith Walker’s untimely death earlier this spring. The Editorial Board was not content with letting this young woman rest in peace. No, what the seven grown adults who make up the Editorial Board have chosen to do is slander Walker’s name as part of their year-end recap, continuing the

debunked narrative that there were any mysterious circumstances around her death. We can’t imagine life must be easy for some of themAntonio French is a pariah in city politics now after cavorting with Rex Sinquefield for a little too long, and Todd Roberson (Inspector Javert in Les Miserables) has long checked out - no longer living in St. Louis, but still insists on continuing his prolonged destructive vendetta from afar in his Connecticut cottage.

In conclusion, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial Board is not entitled to throw mud at a dead woman or smear her legacy in any way. We call out this wholly inappropriate behavior and we would like to see more reason and accountability in 2023. Perhaps that looks like an apology, or simply keeping their mean spirited attacks of a peacefully-resting political icon, a close friend of the mayor, off of their pages. Cheers to 2023. There is much to celebrate for our future in the upcoming year.

“Taking Care of You”

Federal

kids

State mistakenly removed children from rolls

By Clara Bates Missouri Independent

Missouri will be required to provide yearlong, continuous coverage for anyone under age 19 enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, as part of a $1.7 trillion spending package approved by Congress Friday. In a move advocates have long pushed for as a way to avoid unnecessarily forcing children off the rolls, all states will be required to continue public health insurance coverage for one year after a child is enrolled — regardless of whether their family’s income fluctuates.

Missouri is one of 17 states that does not already offer any 12-month continuous eligibility for kids. That means temporary changes in household monthly income, which are particularly

n Missouri is one of 17 states that does not already offer any 12-month continuous eligibility for kids.

common among people who work hourly jobs with unpredictable schedules, can result in the state stripping children of Medicaid or CHIP eligibility, according to Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families. States generally conduct Medicaid renewals annually, but in the meantime, can redetermine eligibility based on changes in circumstances. Research has found disruptions in health coverage pose health and financial risks to

The list of folks creating solutions to health inequities could go on and on — here are 10 of the most pressing issues I reported on in 2022 and the folks who are working to solve them.

1. A Device Used to Diagnose COVID-19 Didn’t Always Work on Black people Those tiny machines physicians clip on

Make your new year about prevention

By Dr. Tich Changamire

While I – and many – have the same recommendations every year for how to become our best selves through healthy lifestyle choices, this year, I want to focus on preventive medicine as part of our overall well-being. Investing in our health fosters a culture of well-being among friends, family, loved ones and our communities.

Dr. Tich Changamire

n Colorectal cancer screenings alone were down more than 51% at the height of the pandemic, according to a 2021 study by the National Institutes of Health

As we look forward to 2023, we must prioritize scheduling our annual physicals, getting up-todate vaccinations, and completing preventive screenings to identify any indicators or issues before they become problematic. According to Reuters, before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, researchers found that only 8% of the population over age 35 were getting all the medically recommended preventive services for improved health, including blood pressure and cholesterol checks, cancer screenings and mental health counseling. This means most Americans are missing out on opportunities to prevent disease or disability. And minority and underserved populations have a disproportionate number of people skipping these screenings. That percentage declined even more during COVID-19 times as we stayed home while hospitals, doctors and providers recalibrated practices to meet the needs surrounding the virus. Colorectal cancer screenings alone were down more than 51% at the height of the pandemic, according to a 2021 study by the National Institutes of Health

Innovative health solutions, like telehealth primary care and value-based health insurance plans, prioritizing quality over quantity of visits, largely emerged from – or were accelerated by – this global crisis. And, while some screenings are on the rise post-COVID, many patients have not returned to in-person services

Roughly half of the 1.4 million Missourians enrolled in Medicaid are children, according to Washington University in St. Louis’s Medicaid enrollment dashboard. The 2023 federal spending bill ensures that Medicaid kids will be covered for the next year.

The importance of Black birthing centers and doulas was a top health story of 2022. Dr. Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, MD, MPH, the Director of Health for the City of St. Louis spoke with Okunsola M. Amadou Founder and CEO of Jamaa Birth Village after the agency made an announcement regarding its plans to expand and build Missouri’s first Black-owned birth center in Ferguson, MO. Monday April 11, 2022.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo courtesy of Congressional Budget Office

Alexa Spencer

“Taking Care of You”

Bill

Continued from A10

families. Cost barriers can cause families to avoid routine care and incur medical debt if an emergency occurs. More years of childhood Medicaid coverage are associated with fewer hospitalizations in adulthood, and states with continuous coverage policies have fewer children who cycle on and off Medicaid within 12 months, a Kaiser Family Foundation study found this month.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Casey Hanson, director of outreach and engagement for Kids Win Missouri, a coalition of state organizations that advocate for child well-being, about the federal bill.

Kids Win has been pushing for state legislation to provide continuous coverage for children for the last several years. A bill introduced last year that included continuous coverage for kids, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Lauren Arthur of Kansas City, was voted out of committee but did not proceed further. Hanson said Kids Win planned to prioritize the issue again, but “it’s great when it happens federally.”

“When kids have continuous access to coverage,” Hanson said, “they’re better able to get access to preventative care, to maintain chronic conditions and other things like asthma that we know so many kids in

New Year

Continued from A10

or gotten back in the habit of scheduling preventive care. The delayed tests are finding more advance-staged cancers, a reminder of why yearly checkups are so important. Before patients’ fingers to check their oxygen levels? They don’t always work on dark-skinned people. And even worse, researchers say this contributed to poor COVID-19 outcomes in Black and Hispanic communities.

6. Black Roller Skating Joy: Finding Health and Justice on Wheels Rollin’ CLT is North Carolina’s first outdoor skating rink — and it’s Black woman-owned. Amid rink closures around the nation, Rollin’ CLT is making way for folks from

5. Black Women With Uterine Cancer Are Suing Companies Who Make Chemical Hair ‘Relaxers’ Word on the street is that chemical hair straighteners, also known as “relaxers,” may cause uterine cancer. The disease can ruin a woman’s chances of getting pregnant. That’s exactly what happened to Jenny Mitchell, who’s suing manufacturers that make the products she used since childhood.

Missouri are affected by.”

With the passage of the federal bill, Kids Win will be able to “be even more laserfocused” on other policies, such as ensuring children maintain coverage through the unwinding of the federal public health emergency, which has prohibited states from removing Medicaid enrollees from their rolls over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic but is set to expire next year.

The federal continuous coverage requirement would take effect Jan. 1, 2024.

Roughly half of the 1.4 million Missourians enrolled in Medicaid are children, according to Washington University in St. Louis’s Medicaid enrollment dashboard. In years past, the state has come under scrutiny for erroneously removing kids from their Medicaid rolls, which advocates hope the continuous coverage provision may mitigate.

In 2019, Missouri’s social service department faced criticism for significant Medicaid enrollment declines, including among children, after they adopted a new renewal process and information system.

Research that year by the Missouri Budget Project, a liberal public policy think tank, found families were often kicked off Medicaid despite being eligible for coverage because of challenges with the renewal process, including not receiving the proper paperwork or submitting the paperwork

the pandemic, according to a University of California San Diego survey, 64% of breast cancer patients were diagnosed with Stage 1 cancer. PostCOVID, that number dropped to 51%, leaving a risk for poorer treatment outcomes because of the delayed routine mammograms. The good news is that pri-

all walks of life to experience the many health benefits roller skating offers, including anxiety relief.

7. Food Deserts Are Deliberate, But Black Farmers Are Fighting Back Food deserts didn’t happen by accident. They’re a product of racist redlining practices that left Black and low-income neighborhoods without resources. So, Black farmers like Bobby Wilson of the Metro Atlanta Urban Farm are stand-

ing in the gap by giving out fresh foods to local residents.

8. Henrietta Lacks’ Family Is Close to Getting Justice for Her Stolen Cells Pharmaceutical companies have made millions off the late Henrietta Lacks’ stolen cells, and her family hasn’t seen a dime. But that could change if the Lacks family wins a lawsuit against one of the companies. This is what Henrietta’s grandson, Ron Lacks, and the family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump,

have to say about the case.

9. Black and Breastfeeding: A Lactation Specialist on Helping More Women Do it

Black mothers are nine times more likely than white mothers to be given formula in the hospital. Sterling Grey-Simmons was among those women. She didn’t get the help she needed from medical staff after her baby was born, so she became a certified breastfeeding specialist to support nursing moms.

only for it to be lost or not processed.

Over the course of federally-declared public health emergency, states have been barred from removing Medicaid recipients from their rolls in exchange for receiving enhanced federal funding.

Some worry that once the public health emergency ends, Missouri could return to a situation in which the renewal process strips eligible Medicaid recipients of coverage due to administrative barriers. The rate of uninsured children in Missouri declined from 2019 to 2021, a Georgetown

mary care visits through telehealth portals have skyrocketed recently. The downfall, however, is that research shows primary care screenings are often skipped without the in-person touch point.

Regardless of where you see your primary care provider, becoming your best self in 2023 should include a discus-

study found earlier this month, in large part because the state was barred from making eligibility redeterminations.

In both years covered by the Georgetown study, Missouri had a higher prevalence of uninsured children than the national average.

Missouri was previously identified as one of six states where children are at the highest risk of losing coverage once assessments resume, in part because it lacks continuous coverage.

The federal continuous coverage policy for children would likely go into effect

sion of health prevention and screening with your doctor. Take the extra step of scheduling an in-person examination for routine preventive screening, even if you exhibit no symptoms of illness. It’s part of my profession to build a culture that prioritizes health and well-being, equity, and accountability in health-

months after states begin redeterminations, wrote Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, but will still “mitigate against red tape losses,” in which children lose coverage due to procedural reasons.

The federal bill set a date, for the first time, of when states will be allowed to begin reassessing Medicaid eligibility, regardless of when the federal emergency ends: April 1, 2023.

Republican leaders, including Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, have long been

care. And wellness management starts at the personal level with a commitment to routine medical appointments. When is the last time you or your closest loved ones saw a doctor as a part of a well-check physical?

10. Meet the Unhoused Community Advocate Lizzo’s Celebrating Black folks make up 13% of the American population but account for 39% of people experiencing homelessness. Research shows that living without a home can cause low self-esteem, among other health challenges. That’s why Shirley Raines, founder of Beauty 2 The Streetz, offers beauty supplies and services to LA’s unhoused community for free.

pushing for a clear end date from the federal government. Parson signed a letter earlier this week urging President Joe Biden to allow the public health emergency to expire in April, citing swelling numbers of Medicaid recipients and rising costs. The enhanced federal funds will be gradually phased down over the next calendar year, with several standards states must meet in the process of conducting eligibility redeterminations, according to provisions in the bill. Heather Dolce, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Social Services, said in an email to The Independent that the agency has been working with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “to develop and finalize a robust plan for resuming Medicaid eligibility renewals in preparation for the impending unwinding,” and that Missouri “would be prepared to move forward with implementing this plan” if the unwind begins in April, as expected, based on the federal bill.

Unlike most states, Missouri has not yet publicly provided its plan for the public health emergency unwind or a plan summary, according to Georgetown’s unwinding tracker Dolce said DSS is focused on ensuring they have the correct addresses for Medicaid recipients, and urged participants to report their updated information.

If you are uncertain on what appointments, vaccinations or screenings are important to you, schedule an annual physical today. Then, speak to your provider about your risk factors and the recommended path you should pursue in order to be your best, most healthy self as you head into the New Year.

Dr. Tich Changamire is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

Source: Georgetown University Center for Children and Families analysis of the 2018 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Set.

Word In Black reporter Alexa Spencer includes the health benefits of roller skating as one of the top health stories she covered in 2022. Skaters

Rooks,

Stephens,

and

Lariner, enjoyed

afternoon circling the Dellwood skate rink July 31, 2022.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Down-home food, upbeat atmosphere part of B&I Eatery appeal

on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022.

By Ashley Winters St. Louis American

B&I Eatery opened its doors to the Pine Lawn neighborhood in the fall of last year during the pandemic, and owner Nicole Isabell says that the folks just keep coming to get a taste of her down-home cooking.

“I wasn’t even thinking about if we could survive the pandemic, I just knew we were opening a restaurant,” said the owner.

Isabell says that she wasn’t concerned about other restaurants closing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She knew she wanted to open her restaurant, so she went for it.

B&I Eatery is serving good old fashioned soul food, Sundays are made for the soul. B&I dishes out fresh picked collard greens, yams, baked mac & cheese. The restaurant also serves

shrimp and grits, smothered chicken and gravy.

You can’t forget about her famous chicken and dumplings

For those who want something a little lighter, her honey hot sauce wings are for those looking to grab something quick.

But for those who want something different definitely try her oxtail philly sandwich. The family-owned restaurant comes together to cre-

ate the menu. Isabell says her customers travel from as far as O’fallon, Illinois for B&I Eatery.

“When I found out she was coming from O’fallon that really warmed my heart, I was so excited. She passed so many soul food restaurants to get to little old me,” said Isabell.

Angel Bradley who frequents the restaurant often said, “ B&I food reminds me of food I had growing up.”

“And I come here to kick back and to have good food.”

She says seeing the older generation enjoying the food at B&I, is confirmation that they are doing something right. They are passing along the traditions her mother taught her when she was a kid.

Isabell was reminiscing about her mother and

See B&I EATERY, B2

PeoPle on the Move

Kaalund joins U.S. Bank as banking branch head

Sekou Kaalund has joined U.S. Bank in a newly created role as the head of branch banking, a leadership role within Consumer & Business Banking responsible for the 2,200+ branches as well as the consumer and small business bankers spread out across 26 states. Kaalund comes to U.S. Bank with more than two decades of banking experiences during which he has been involved firsthand with the ability financial services institutions have to influence and enact meaningful change in the community. He spent the last 15 years at JPMorgan Chase in a variety of leadership roles across institutional and retail businesses.

Midland States Bank announced that Martesha Brown has been promoted to director of community economic development. As director, Brown will lead the community development team in the strategic partnerships and implementation of the Bank’s community economic development objectives. She has been recognized and awarded for her community volunteerism and leadership including: Rockford’s “Forty

Harris-Stowe selects Horner as new provost

Harris-Stowe State University has selected Dr. Dimetri Horner as the University’s new provost and vice president of academic affairs. Dr. Horner most recently served as associate vice provost of academics at Strayer University. During her 11-year tenure at Strayer University, she also served as adjunct faculty, full-time English faculty, associate campus dean, First-Year Experience faculty, dean of faculty, and distinguished professor. Dr. Horner earned her Ed.D. and Ed.S. in educational leadership from Liberty University and her M.S. in education innovation and technology from Capella University.

Isabella, and her mom, Nicole, pose in front of their B&I Eatery in Jennings, Mo.

Martesha Brown

Sekou Kaalund

Dr. Dimetri Horner

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

B&I Eatery

Continued from B1

how she would help her out in the kitchen growing up but she said she still would try everything to be able to get outside to play with her friends. She learned from the best though, her mother was a chef.

“I never thought I would follow in her footsteps,” said Isabell. “I just do what she taught me.”

Laughing she says one time during their time in the kitchen Isabell was complaining about cooking and her mom said to her, “girl what you gonna do when you have kids.” Isabell said she was getting a maid and a cook.

Entrepreneurs

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of color are among the fastest growing sectors in the economy, structural barriers prevent many women from starting businesses, accessing capital, finding childcare solutions, and establishing peer networks.

The CRP will provide the curriculum, tools, and resources to minority entrepreneurs to access capital and funding, and connect them to subject matter experts, vendors, and peer support to help start or scale their business.

“During the pandemic, women and minority-owned businesses and entrepreneurs were among the hardest hit, often lacking the resources they needed to keep their doors open,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

“We can’t let this happen again. That’s why the Capital Readiness Program prioritizes and encourages resources and tools, such as childcare services, which will ensure more people can launch and scale businesses.”

According to U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves, Black and Hispanic female founders accounted for less than half of a percent of total venture capital investments

Isabell proudly said, “Look mama I’m the cook.” Her mom’s legacy has been passed down to Isabell and now she passes down those same recipes to her children at the restaurant.

Opening a restaurant with her family wasn’t always a part of the plan. In the beginning, Isabell’s husband wanted the family to open a barbershop. However, over time the family decided that opening a restaurant was more appropriate for their plans.

Isabell worked in the health field at United Health Care for 17 years in the complaints department for medicare. Her everyday life changed dramatically. She went from working from home to cooking seven days a week, standing on her

in 2020.

“Jumpstarting the next generation of entrepreneurs and ensuring diverse representation in these high-growth industries is essential, not only to spurring innovation, but also to building a more resilient economy that’s reflective of all Americans,” he said.

The CRP is intended to serve entrepreneurs and businesses that are applying, have applied, or plan to apply to SSBCI or other government programs that support small businesses.

“We know that entrepreneurs and small businesses in underserved communities have long lacked equal access to resources and capital to reach their full economic potential,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo.

“Through the Capital Readiness Program, the Minority Business Development Agency—tasked with promoting growth and competitiveness of our nation’s minority-owned businesses—will help enable entrepreneurs and business owners to obtain the information they need to access funding through small business support programs.

“When entrepreneurs and small business owners in all communities have a chance to compete and thrive, it increases our country’s entire economic potential and growth.”

feet for 12 hours a day.

“I worked nine months straight when we first opened, but I love to cook, it’s like I’m cooking for my family,” said Isabell.

The family wants B&I to be a place of gathering, where family and friends can come together and share a good meal. She says food brings us all together, we can sit and talk and catch up with each other.

Next year B&I will be adding a french toast burger to their menu, the burger comes with three slices of french toast, two burgers, and four slices of bacon. The burger is topped with maple syrup and powdered sugar.

Ashley Winters is the Report for America Reporter for The St. Louis American

MBDA is the only federal government agency dedicated to supporting minority-owned businesses, enterprises, and entrepreneurs and assisting them in overcoming barriers to economic success. It is “uniquely situated to provide technical assistance and help these businesses be successful in applying to SSBCI capital programs and other government programs that support small businesses,” according to Donald Cravins, Jr., Under Secretary of the Minority Business Development Agency.

“The Capital Readiness Program will open doors for entrepreneurs,” he said.

“The greatest obstacle facing disadvantaged entrepreneurs, especially entrepreneurs of color, is access. MBDA can effectively launch the initiative to help entrepreneurs start and develop their business, access capital through the Department of Treasury’s SSBCI Capital Program, and access networks that understand and address the unique challenges minority entrepreneurs and other underserved entrepreneurs face.”

Entities that are eligible to apply include non-profit organizations, private sector entities, institutions of higher education, and a consortium of two or more of any of the above-mentioned eligible applicants.

To address one of the largest barriers to women in the workplace, the competition incentivizes applicants to provide childcare solutions, such as on-site day care, as a strategic priority. It also incentivizes proposals from organizations that are working to break down economic barriers for underserved communities and support traditionally underrepresented, highgrowth industries.

Starting in January, MBDA will host a series of informational pre-application webinars. The webinars will assist potential applicants in better understanding the Capital Readiness Program and the application requirements outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The webinars are scheduled on January 10, 17, and 24th 2023 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time.

For more information on the program and to register for the pre-application webinars, visit www.MBDA.gov

Nicole, along with her daughter, Isabell, recently display two of their delicious menu items inside their B&I Eatery in Jennings, Mo.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

n “The reality is, it’s been a storm. It’s been a storm all year.”

InSIdE SportS

By Earl Austin Jr.

St. Louis teams score Classic victories in Columbia

Several basketball teams from the St. Louis metro area were in Columbia last weekend to participate in the Norm Stewart Classic. The event is a continuous 48-hour hoop festival that was held at The Mizzou Arena. Games started last Thursday night and ran straight through until Saturday night.

Vashon High’s girls had one of the biggest victories of the area teams when the Wolverines defeated North Little Rock (AR) 51-46. North Little Rock won 27 games last season and won a state championship in the state of Arkansas. The Wolverines played an excellent game, which was sparked by its outstanding guard play.

Junior guard JaNyla Bush was named the Most Valuable Player of the Game after scoring 14 points along with six rebounds and five assists.

Junior guard Chantrel Clayton added 15 points while senior Raychel Jones had nine points. Vashon has won three consecutive games to improve its record to 5-1 against a very rugged schedule of excellent teams from the region.

On the boys’ side, Chaminade, East St. Louis, Cardinal Ritter and Principia all posted victories in Columbia. Chaminade defeated Columbia Hickman 65-51 in a battle of two of the top teams in the state. Senior guard Nilivan Daniels scored a game-high 25 points to earn Most Valuable Player honors of the game for Chaminade.

East St. Louis came away with a 74-61 victory over Jefferson City on Saturday evening. The Flyers led by only two points after three quarters but outscored the Jays 21-10 to pull away for the victory. Kansas State recruit Macalaeb Rich, a senior, had 21 points, six rebounds and two blocks to lead East Side.

Senior Cal-State Fullerton recruit Antwan Robinson added 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.

In one of the most exciting games of the event, Cardinal Ritter defeated New Madrid Central 50-49 in a battle of two teams that advanced to the Final Four of the state tournament last season. A driving layup by junior Nashawn Davis in the closing seconds gave the Lions the victory. Junior guard Derrick Rivers was the Most Valuable Player of the game.

Principia continued its excellent early season start under new coach Jay Blossom with a 55-23 victory over Christian-O’Fallon. Stephen Okoro, a 6’9” senior forward, was the Most Valuable Player of the game after scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Principia is currently 9-0. Lutheran-St. Charles’ girls and CBC’s boys also participated in the event. Lutheran-

St. Charles defeated Columbia Hickman while Springfield Kickapoo defeated CBC.

Brooke Flowers in SLU Record Books

Former Metro High girls’ basketball standout Brooke Flowers has been closing her excellent career at Saint Louis University by setting one new record after another. The 6’5” Flowers tied a school record for most blocked shots in a game on November 20 when she had nine rejections against South Dakota. On November 30, Flowers became the school’s career rebounding leader in a game at Missouri. In addition to being the Billikens’ career leader in rebounding and blocked shots, Flowers also

surpassed the 1,000-point plateau last week against Memphis. For her career, Flowers has more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

The holiday season is upon us, which means it’s time for the glut of high school basketball tournaments around the area. With the games underway as of press time, here are the times and dates of the championship games.

Boys Coaches vs. Cancer (at Maryville University): Championship Game, Friday, December 30, 8 p.m.

Collinsville: Championship Game, Saturday, December 30, 7:30 p.m.

MICDS: Championship Game, Thursday,

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

As the calendar turns to 2023, there are some things I would like to see happen in the coming year on the local and national sports scene. It will be a happier athletic new year if:

Alvin A. Reid

• Jack Flaherty avoids injury and becomes the dominant ace pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals that he was for much of 2019. The Cardinals need him to return to that form if the team is going to go farther than the first round of the National League playoffs.

• The Cardinals and Bally’s make a serious effort to hire a Black or female broadcaster to replace Dan McLaughlin on televised games. The first candidate to be interviewed should be Mike Claiborne of KMOX.

• St. Louis CITY SC comes out kicking tail in its inaugural MLS season. While its new stadium will be packed for every game during the upcoming season, the team and city will

gain more national exposure if it is competing for a spot in the playoffs. Note, that as an expansion team this will be a difficult assignment.

• The St. Louis Blues stabilize and make a run to the Stanley Cup Finals, as the team did just three seasons ago. In part because I wagered $10 on them winning the title at 70-to1 odds. I’d also like the Blues to add a player-of-color to the roster during this season, or before the first faceoff of the 2023-24 season.

• The NBA, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards bring a preseason game to St. Louis featuring MVP contender Jayson Tatum of the Celtics and the Wizards’ Bradley Beal. I still think Beal could be a member of the L.A. Lakers before this season ends, which means the preseason game could also mean a visit from LeBron James and Anthony Davis

chased for $4 billion, a league record. He’s got that, and the desire to make this long shot become a reality.

December 29, 7:30 p.m.

Legends of Winter (at SLUH): Thursday, December 29, 4 p.m. St. Dominic: Championship Game, Thursday, December 29, 5:30 p.m.

Girls Visitation: Championship Game, Wednesday, December 28, 8 p.m.

Mascoutah: Championship Game, Thursday, December 29, 4:30 p.m.

MICDS: Championship Game, Thursday, December 29, 6 p.m.

St. Dominic: Championship Game, Thursday, December 29, 4 p.m.

the program if he reaches The Big Dance.

• An HBCU football classic weekend returns to St. Louis, featuring teams with national followings. The failed effort in 2022 was an embarrassment to the shady promoter, not St. Louis and certainly not HBCU football. With corporate financial support, this game could kickoff in the fall of 2023. A part of the proceeds from the NFL/Stan Kroenke lawsuit settlement should be earmarked for this project.

Wide Technology Raceway, and WWT Founder and Chair David Steward Sr., was deserving of all the praise that came his way.

• Bubba Wallace, the circuit’s lone Black driver, wins a few races and becomes a factor in the NASCAR playoff run at the end of the season. He’s got the team, he’s got the car, now it’s time for him to get a few checkered flags.

• The St. Louis Battlehawks pick up where they left off during the truncated 2020 XFL season. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is primary owner of the league, which is displaying its quest for diversity through its coaching staffs and front office executives. The Battlehawks were among the most-popular teams in the XFL attendance-wise before the season was shut down due to the pandemic.

• More Black urban youths are introduced to hockey, swimming, rowing, and non-revenue sports that offer full ride scholarships to colleges and universities of all sizes throughout the nation. African American participation in collegiate athletics plummets once you get away from football and basketball. Happy New Sports Year. Things I’d like to see in the coming sports year

• Billionaire SLU donor Richard Chaifetz again floats the idea of landing an NBA franchise in St. Louis. The Phoenix Suns were just pur-

• Missouri coach Dennis Gates leads his team to an unexpected NCAA Tournament bid. After being crushed by

Kansas, the Tigers rebounded by battering Illinois in their annual showdown on Dec. 22. Gates’ team is part of a suddenly very competitive SEC so he and his players have some work to do. He could shut up detractors and create momentum for

• The Illinois 300 NASCAR race some how tops itself in 2023. It was an amazing weekend in June 2022 at World

• The Missouri state legislature finally realizes how ridiculous it is to have every border state offer legalized sportsbook gambling, and not the Show Me State. Millions of dollars are taking a trip across the state line in every direction, and Missouri is allowing it to happen.

Earl Austin Jr.

– Denver quarterback Russell Wilson on his disastrous first season with the Broncos

Kansas State recruit Macalaeb Rich, a senior, had 21 points, six rebounds and two blocks to lead East St. Louis to a 74-61 win over Jefferson City in the Norm Stewart Classic.

Twitter photo @Macalaeb

University of Missouri head basketball coach Dennis Gates poses with his players after the Tigers trounced the University of Illinois Dec. 22 at Chaifetz Center in their annual boarder war showdown game.

Photo courtesy of the University of Missouri

Prestigious DE&I organization adds Ameren executive leader as member

Chonda Nwamu to promote Black excellence as one of the newest members of the Executive Leadership Council

Chonda Nwamu, senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at Ameren, has earned a spot as a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC) Class of 2023. The ELC is the preeminent membership organization committed to

increasing the number of Black executives in the C-suite, on corporate boards and in global enterprises.

Nwamu’s ELC membership places her among some of the most accomplished Black professionals in the world. Since its founding in 1986, the ELC has grown to include more than

800 current and former Black CEOs, corporate board members, and senior executives of Fortune 1000 and Global 500 companies, entrepreneurs at top-tier firms and thought leaders.

Chonda has been at the forefront of enhancing Ameren’s enterprise-wide

diversity, equity and inclusion strategy,” said Marty Lyons, president and chief executive officer of Ameren. “Through her leadership, Ameren has proactively implemented measures and metrics to recruit and retain diverse attorneys and legal staff, increase the volume of legal and related

services it purchases from diverse law firms and suppliers, and facilitate increased opportunities for diverse attorneys to handle Ameren matters. She is among the best of the best and will represent Ameren well on the ELC.”

New program dedicates $93.5 million to underserved entrepreneurs

Last week, the U.S. Department of Commerce launched the Capital Readiness Program grant competition, which dedicates $93.5 million to help minority and other underserved entrepreneurs launch and scale their businesses. This program, administered by the Minority Business Development Agency, marks the largest program of its kind in the history of the Commerce Department.

The Capital Readiness Program will provide funding to incubators and accelerators across the country, with expertise to assist and train minority and other underserved entrepreneurs seeking resources, tools, and technical assistance to start or scale their businesses in high-growth industries such as healthcare, climate resilient technology, asset management, infrastructure, and more. Businesses owned by

women of color represent one of the fastest growing sectors in the economy. However, structural barriers persist, preventing many women from starting their own businesses and accessing capital, childcare solutions, and peer networks.

The Capital Readiness Program will provide the curriculum, tools, and resources to minority entrepreneurs to access capital and funding, and connect them to subject matter experts, ven-

dors and peer support to help start or scale their business. Entities that are eligible to apply include non-profit organizations, private sector entities, institutions of higher education, and a consortium of two or more of any of the above-mentioned eligible applicants. To address one of the largest barriers to women in the workplace, the competition incentivizes applicants to provide childcare solutions, such as on-site day

care, as a strategic priority. The competition also incentivizes proposals from organizations that are working to break down economic barriers for underserved communities and support traditionally underrepresented, high-growth industries while growing America’s economy.

Starting in January, MBDA will host a series of informational pre-application webinars. The webinars will assist poten-

UMSL College of Education awarded $4 million grant

The College of Education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis has once again received significant financial support to further education research in the St. Louis region. In November, the James S. McDonnell Foundation, a private philanthropic institute in St. Louis, awarded a six-year, $4 million grant to Associate Professor Natalie Bolton and co-principal investigators in the College of Education to establish the St. Louis Translational Fellowships in Education. The program will focus on embedding the science of learning best practices into daily K-12 instruction and the subsequent impact on educators and students. The majority of the funds will go toward hiring up to eighteen full-time postdoctoral fellows for two-year “inquiry cycles” over a six-year

period. Prospective fellows must have a doctorate in education, learning science or psychology. They will administer the program, provide mentorship and place fellows in UMSL Charter Schools, which include six public charter elementary, middle, and K-8 schools, as well as K-12 public schools in the university’s Studio School program to work with adminis-

trators and teachers.

“It’s extremely exciting not only for UMSL and the College of Education, but also for our work with UMSL Charter Schools and the benefits that we anticipate students and educators will receive,” Bolton said.

The science of learning is an approach to education pedagogy that draws on cognitive psychology research to better

understand how students learn.

“There are some foundational instructional practices that over time have shown this is what makes a difference for learners to retain content,” Bolton said. “For instance, tapping and making connections to prior knowledge and using examples and non-examples to really make sure an individual understands content deeply.

The primary aim of the

tial applicants in better understanding the Capital Readiness Program and the application requirements outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The webinars are scheduled on January 10, 17, and 24th 2023 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time. For more information on the program and to register for the pre-application webinars, visit www.MBDA.gov

fellows during their twoyear appointments will be to ensure that local schools are adhering to those best practices. Additionally, fellows will receive training from the Thinking Collaborative, a third party, related to instructional coaching and facilitation skills in the classroom with teachers and outside the classroom with administrators.

Chonda Nwamu

Living It

Art imitates life

East

St. Louis artist turns ammunition into art

By Cara Anthoney Kaiser Health News

As a child, Mykael Ash enjoyed picking up seashells near the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His grandfather lives there, so trips to the beach were a regular part of life.

“It’s peaceful energy,” Ash said. “Especially when you put that seashell to your ear.”

At age 32, he still collects shells. But the terrain is different in this city of 18,000 people. Ash

walks on concrete instead of sand, picking up shells left by bullets as he walks through the city of East St. Louis for exercise.

“It just hit me one day,” he said: He could use the shell casings in his artwork.

Gun violence has been a persistent problem in East St. Louis, which to the frustration of many residents had one of the highest murder rates of any U.S. city before the pandemic. While the rates have improved somewhat, it’s still a plague there and a growing problem in communities across the country.

More than 47,000 people died from gunshot injuries nationwide in 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was the highest toll in the U.S. since the early 1990s.

In Ash’s studio, spent ammunition mixes with

caution tape, shredded tires, broken glass, and paint to transform the litter of violence into art that tells stories about race, resistance, and history. The work is personal, Ash said.

Each year since he was 17, Ash has lost at least one friend or relative to gun violence. That includes his cousin Dashaun “Bookie” Gage, 28, who died in 2018 in a shooting in front of a gas station across the Mississippi River in St. Louis. Ash and Gage were close. Losing Gage left Ash so traumatized that he stopped going to that gas station. He turned to his art after the shooting, creating a portrait of Gage the same year.

“My art saved my life,” Ash said. “There’s so much other stuff that I could have gotten off

See Art, C3

Janet Jackson, Ludacris coming to Enterprise Center on April 30, 2023

By Danielle Brown St. Louis American

“I have a big announcement to make,” Janet Jackson said in an Instagram live she shared on Dec. 12. “I’m going back on tour and yes we will be together again very, very soon. That’s actually the name of the tour, “Together Again.” I miss you guys so much and I cannot wait to see you.”

Janet’s “Together Again” Tour featuring Ludacris as a special guest comes to the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Sunday, April 30, 2023. Janet and Ludacris joined in an Instagram live from their personal accounts on Dec. 15 sharing their excitement for the tour, which begins April 14 and ends June 21.

Louis American Staff

2022 saw great entertainers, athletes, and community servants leave their respective stages for a final time. They deserve the applause and accolades they received during their outstanding careers. The St. Louis American says goodbye, but they will never be forgotten.

JANUARY

1 – Max Julien, Actor best known for his role as Goldie in the 1973 film The Mack.

4 – Jessie Lee Daniels, 58. Founding member of the group Force MDs. The hip-hop/R&B hybrid group was foundational to the “New Jack Swing” sound of the 1980s

6 - Sidney Poitier, 94. He played roles with dignity and intelligence and helped transform how Black people were portrayed on screen, becoming the first Black actor to win an Oscar for best lead performance and the first to be a top box-office draw.

James Mtume, 76. A Grammy-award-winning jazz and R&B musician and songwriter. Known for his work with jazz legend Miles Davis, also had his own R&B group, Mtume.

Calvin Simon, 80. Founding member of Parliament Funkadelic.

7 - Lani Guinier, 71. Legal scholar who challenged lawmakers to rethink the weight and distribution of voting rights among minorities.

13 - Fred Parris, 85. The lead singer of the 1950s harmony group the Five Satins and

n This is Janet’s first time touring in four years and her ninth tour. She was last in St. Louis for the “State of the World” Tour in October 2017.

“It is an honor and a pleasure,” Ludacris said.”If you would’ve asked me when I first started my career that I would be going on tour with you I never would’ve believed anybody. This is a bucket list moment for me. I’m so honored, it’s such a pleasure and I’m so excited.”

“Thank you for doing this,” Janet said. “I’m so happy we’re doing this together. I really appreciate you saying yes, we’re gonna have some fun.” Produced by Live Nation, the Together Again Tour is a 33-city tour traveling across North American arenas and amphitheaters across the United States.

This is Janet’s first time touring in four years and her ninth tour. She was last in St. Louis for the “State of the World” Tour in October 2017.

During the “Together Again” Tour, Janet celebrates 50 years in the entertainment industry. She also celebrates the milestones for two of her most critically acclaimed albums; 25 years of “The Velvet Rope” and 30 years of “janet.”

In an interview with the TODAY Show, Janet said fans will also hear new music at the show. Her last album was 2015’s “Unbreakable” with the single “No Sleep” featuring J. Cole. She released “The Velvet Rope (Deluxe Edition)” in Oct. 2022 and her afrobeats single “Made for Now” featuring Daddy Yankee in 2018. Tickets for “Together Again Tour” are available now at www.livenation.com, www. ticketmaster.com, or www.janetjackson.com.

St.

Mykael Ash sits in his studio in East St. Louis, Illinois. Ash uses bullet shells he finds on the ground as elements in his artwork to tell stories about racial violence, resistance, and history.

Janet Jackson

Photo by Whitney Curtis

Sidney Poitier, Nichelle Nichols and Bill Russell

Art Museum’s annual Dr. MLK Celebration back in-person

The annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration returns on January 13, 2023, at 6 pm as an in-person event in the Saint Louis Art Museum’s Farrell Auditorium. This celebration, titled Artistic Expression Uplifting the Movement, will feature local Black artists performing original music, dance, and theatrical presentations in response to Moneta Sleet Jr.’s photographs in the Museum’s collection. Sleet was an accomplished photojournalist best known for documenting the Civil Rights Movement. The Art Museum is honored to have more than 100 of his photographs in its collection. During his career, Sleet earned a Pulitzer Prize for the outstanding quality of his work, in addition to awards from the National Urban League and the National Association of Black Journalists. For the Art Museum’s MLK Celebration, each performing artist has selected one of Sleet’s iconic photographs from the Museum’s collection that inspired them as they created their unique performances.

In addition to the performances, this celebration will include a presentation by Tabari A. Coleman, community engagement moderator and social justice advocate, whose focus is creating space for constructive dialogue across the St. Louis region. With more than 19 years of experience in diversity and inclusion training and social justice work, he brings a wealth of knowledge, passion, and expertise to this annual event. Coleman worked as the Education Director in the St. Louis regional office of the Anti-Defamation League for 12 years before becoming the National Director of Professional Development. In 2021, Coleman started his own consulting

company, The Coleman Group, LLC. Jacqueline Thompson, the creative director of the Artistic Expression Uplifting the Move-

into.”

Ash fell in love with art at a young age. His mother, Gina Walker, noticed his interest in drawing when he was just 2 and their family moved from Anchorage, Alaska, to East St. Louis. It took them eight days to make the journey, Walker said. Little Mykael drew while his parents drove.

“He was drawing before he could even talk very well,” Walker said. “As a little boy, I told him that he would be a world-renowned artist.”

They moved again when he was 11. The school district in East St. Louis had cut funding for art, Walker said, so she moved their family to neighboring Belleville, Illinois, where Ash could learn in schools that at the time had more robust art programs.

“He would go to a craft store and he would touch the paper,” Walker said. “The paper had to have a certain touch and a certain feel.”

His skill and his love for art grew. Ash sold his first painting as a high school student. His art teacher, Dan Krause, purchased the painting for $60. Ash went on to study at the Art Institute of St. Louis before the college closed in 2019.

Today, Ash is a resident artist at the House of Miles East St. Louis, a nonprofit housed

inside Miles Davis’ childhood home in the city. The jazz legend is a source of inspiration for Ash, who has painted at least 250 portraits of the musician. “Every picture has a distinct expressive feel to it,” said Lauren Parks, the president and a co-founder of the House of Miles.

As a birthday gift to his mother in 2019, Ash put together a special show of his art at the House of Miles about the strength of the Black community. Each painting illustrated pride, Walker said.

His work also delves into the darker side of the city’s history.

Earlier this year, Ash finished a portrait series about the East St. Louis race riot of 1917, using the shell casings from today’s violence. The riot left as many as 200 Black residents dead after white mobs terrorized the city for three days.

“It’s a cycle we’re kind of stuck in,” Ash said. “We’re left with the oppression of it.” Ash paints the pain of the present, too. He painted a mural to honor the life of Cedric Gooden, a local rapper known as Cold Kase who was gunned down in 2019. The mural he painted bears the slogan “STOP THE VIOLENCE” — a desperate cry that resonates across decades.

The mural also says “CITY OF CHAMPIONS,” the motto of the city that produced not just Miles Davis but also Olympic gold medaling trackand-field stars Dawn Harper

Nelson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Al Joyner. Ash hopes the slogan shows that even amid limited resources, those who grow up in this city find ways to win. Ash teamed up with fellow artists Kas King and Edna Patterson-Petty to paint a mural on the side of a historical theater. Their artwork helped save the building from demolition.

“I just want to show the change that’s trying to happen,” Ash said. “People are trying to clean the streets, people are trying to have peaceful walks, so we can get some justice back in the community, get some money flowing in the city because that’s pretty much what we need.”

As he gathers shell casings in parts of the city with vacant buildings and abandoned homes — and even on the walk to the grocery store near his grandmother’s home — Ash dreams of a vibrant city splashed with color. He wants to turn his Third Ventricle Studios into an art gallery, with a co-op space, so other artists can showcase their work. In the meantime, he’s bringing corners of the city back to life and transforming its bullets into beauty.

“I see a blank canvas,” Ash said. “I see a place with a lot of potential.”

Cara Anthony is a Kaiser Health News reporter and former Belleville News-Democrat. multimedia reporter.

ment, will also share remarks during the program. Thompson is a St. Louis-based actor, director, and associate professor

of theatre at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. A few of her local acting and directing credits include the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Black Rep, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, Metro Theater Company, and New Jewish Theatre. On behalf of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, Marcus A. Creighton, from the Epsilon Lambda Chapter, will provide a call to action, as is tradition for this annual program. Free tickets for this program may be reserved in person at the Museum’s Information Centers or through MetroTix at metrotix.com or 314-534-1111. All tickets reserved through MetroTix incur a service charge; the service charge is waived for tickets reserved at the Museum. Although the event is free, advance tickets are recommended. To learn more, visit slam.org/ events.

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‘Spirit in the Dark’ links music, faith of entertainers

Religious

News Service

Musician Dizzy Gillespie embraced the Baha’i faith and its belief in universal humanity — a concept he saw reflected in jazz, which he viewed as a blending of musical elements from Africa and Europe.Activist Angela Davis, faced with the horror of bombings by white supremacists as a youth in Birmingham, Alabama, took part in interracial discussion groups at her church. Singer Tina Turner practiced both recitations of the Lord’s Prayer and chants of Buddhist Scripture. The religion and resiliency of Black Americans are featured in “Spirit in the Dark: Religion in Black Music, Activism and Popular Culture,” a new exhibition of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

n The exhibition’s title, “Spirit in the Dark,” is also the name of an Aretha Franklin 1970 album, highlighting a song she sang in a period of national and personal tumult after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Spirit in the Dark,” is the

first special exhibition to focus specifically on religion since the museum opened in 2016. Photos and artifacts are accompanied by quotes of famous African American singers, clergy and writers from the pages of Ebony, Jet and Negro Digest (later known as Black World), all publications of the Johnson Publishing Company that, from its founding in 1942, sought to capture African American culture. The exhibition, a presentation of the museum’s Center for the Study of African American Religious Life, is divided into three sections, including one called “Blurred Lines,” which notes the merging of the holy and profane in the lives of many wellknown Black Americans. Eric Lewis Williams, the museum’s curator of religion,

points to a 1974 photo of Marvin Gaye, drawn from the Johnson Publishing Company Archive, as a highlight for him in the exhibition.

In the image, you see him with his hands uplifted,” he said of the pink-jacketed man, adding that Gaye’s “high fashion” head adornment “signifies that the person wearing it is under God.”

“We know he comes from the Hebrew Pentecostal tradition. You don’t know if he’s on the altar or he’s at a disco,” Williams told RNS.

All 37 of the framed photographs in the exhibition are drawn from the Johnson Publishing Company Archive, which the museum and the

A Bible owned by Little Richard on display in “Spirit in the Dark: Religion in Black Music, Activism and Popular Culture,” a new exhibition of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Getty Research Institute jointly acquired in July.

Williams, the son of a Pentecostal minister, said as he looked through the archive that he realized it was full of faith.

“I just was so amazed by how religion was everywhere. And not just Christianity. You had Hebraic traditions, you had Buddhism, you had Judaism,” he said.

The exhibition’s title, “Spirit in the Dark,” is also the name of an Aretha Franklin 1970 album, highlighting a song she sang in a period of national and personal tumult after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Among the artifacts in the museum’s collection that are on

view for the first time is a Bible heavily underlined by Little Richard, placed beneath an album cover titled “Swingin’, Shoutin, Really Movin’ Gospel” that features Little Richard with blues and gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

“What I like about his Bible is you could see his wrestling with God, the scribbles and his markings,” said Williams of the singer, who grew up in a Pentecostal tradition. “He wrestled with God and wrestled with Scripture because his community of origin did not affirm his sexuality. And so we see him raising those kind of questions in the margins of his Bible.”

The most imposing arti-

fact is a mannequin bearing a splashy outfit worn by Rev. Ike (the name used by the Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter), who preached prosperity via TV and radio and encouraged his mostly poor urban audience to aspire to wealthy lives. Among the civil rights leaders cited in the “Bearing Witness” section that focuses on protest and praise are the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King and grassroots civil rights leaders Fannie Lou Hamer and Ella Baker, who grew up attending rural Baptist churches. The exhibition, which also features an online dimension, is scheduled to be on view through November 2023.

RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks

ATTORNEY – FAMILY COURTJUVENILE DIVISION

The Juvenile Division of the Family Court of St. Louis County is seeking three (3) attorneys (one for each of the following Divisions - 39, 61 and 62) to serve as guardians ad litem and attorneys for parents in child protection cases. These are 3 newly created positions. An attorney who serves the Court must commit to serve on various Family Court (Juvenile) cases on an as needed basis for a monthly retainer to be paid by public funds. The current retainer is in the amount of $2,300.00 per month. Payments for time expended in adoption, guardianship of minor, and termination of parental rights matters may be made over and above the retainer fee by outside agencies including but not limited to Children’s Division.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Graduation from an accredited law school, possession of a current license to practice law in the State of Missouri, up to three (3) years of trial experience preferred; preferably in juvenile or family law (additional years of trial experience and guardian ad litem experience are highly preferred), and completion of necessary guardian ad litem training as required by the Supreme Court of Missouri. Note: This position is subject to continued availability of funding.

To apply, please send a current resume, along with a cover letter, to SLCCourtJobs@courts.mo.gov or to the following address: Family Court of St. Louis County, Attn: Human Resources Department, 105 S. Central Ave., Clayton, MO 63105. EOE. The deadline for submitting applications is January 15, 2023. Please contact the Human Resources Department at 615-4471 (voice) or RelayMo 711 or 800-735-2966 if you need any accommodations in the application process, or if you would like this posting in an alternative form.

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT INSTRUCTOR

Implements training initiatives to help employees cultivate their skills and knowledge at Safety National, under the supervision of the Senior Learning and Development Instructor. Fully applies an in-depth level of knowledge of training best practices and adult learning concepts.To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/careers-page/

NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

The Riverview Gardens School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its education programs and activities, including employment and admissions, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). All forms of sex-based discrimination are prohibited in the district, but this policy focuses exclusively on sexual harassment as defined in Title IX that occurs within the education programs and activities of the district. However, the district will respond promptly to investigate and address any report or complaint of sexual harassment.

DIRECTOR, CEDED REINSURANCE

Mid-level professional, responsible for assisting the reinsurance placement and analysis in concert with the Treaty Committee. All job duties and responsibilities must be carried out in compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational. com/careers-page/

FINANCIAL REPORTING ACCOUNTANT

Responsible for preparing and recording various monthly journal entries accurately and in a timely manner and preparing supporting account reconciliations. This role assists with the preparation of regulatory required quarterly/ annual statements, which includes various supporting workpapers, schedules, footnotes and disclosures.

To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/

TREATY REINSURANCE – OPERATIONS ANALYST

Provide skilled and experienced technical support to Treaty Reinsurance (TRe) underwriters. Responsible for day-to-day operational needs, to include: booking premium-related transactions, maintaining systems data and business reports, handling contract wording approval processes, and adhering to daily and seasonal SOX compliance processes. To apply, please visit: https://www. safetynational.com/ careers-page/

To Advertise your Job Opportunity in the newspapeer ad online please email Angelita Houston at ahouston@stlamerican.com

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Gravel Mitigation at Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Project No. X2116-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 1/19/2023 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. Project information available at http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

ATTENTION DBE

SUBCONTRACTORS/ SUPPLIERS

Lunda Construction is bidding the MoDOT Chester Bridge Design Build Project, and we want your quote!

Quotes due: 01/13/2023

A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is required before we can share plans with you.

Please call 651-437-9666 to request the NDA.

(404) 935-0077.

FWC reserves all rights to waive any bid informalities and is an AA/EOE Employer.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS

December 22, 2022

Saint Louis County Department of Public Health (DPH) 6121 North Hanley Rd. Berkeley, MO 63134 314-615-8955

On or about December 30, 2022, St. Louis County will submit a request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the release of the Healthy Homes Production Grant Program (HHP) is authorized under 501 and Section 502 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 (12 U.S.C. §§ 1701z-1 and 1701z-2), and funding is provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260, approved December 27, 2020) for the following multi-year program/ project: Show-Me Missouri Healthy Homes Program for the purpose of healthy homes remediation work on up to 60 units, a combination of owner-occupied and single-family rental units. The Community Action Agency of St. Louis County (CAASTLC) will be the local subcontractor doing the repairs/remediations. Work will be completed in the Promise Zone area of the County. All units must be occupied by households at or below 80% AMI. Funds will be used to address healthy homes priorities in units and provide community healthy homes education.

St. Louis County will monitor subcontractor compliance for the duration of the grant period, conduct healthy homes assessments, create scopes of work, approve home repair budgets, conduct community education, and provide overall grant management, compliance, and reporting to HUD.

The program will not include new construction, demolition or changes of use, or lead-based paint hazard control activities. The St. Louis County is requesting the release of $798,124.95

The proposed hazard control activities to be funded under this/these program(s) is/are categorically excluded from the National Environmental Policy Act requirements, but subject to compliance with some of the environmental laws and authorities listed at § 58.5 of 24 CFR Part 58. In accordance with §58.15, a tiered review process has been structured, whereby some environmental laws and authorities have been reviewed and studied for the intended target area(s) listed above. Other applicable environmental laws and authorities will be complied with when individual projects are ripe for review. Specifically, the target area(s) has/have been studied and compliance with the following laws and authorities has been achieved in this Tier 1 review: Airport Hazards, Coastal Barrier Resource Act, Clean Air Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Endangered Species Act, Explosives and Flammable Hazards, Farmlands Protection, Sole Source Aquifers, Wetlands Protection, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and Environmental Justice. Site-specific environmental reviews will include compliance with the following environmental laws and authorities for proposed projects funded under the program(s) listed above: Flood Disaster and Insurance, Floodplain Management, Historic Preservation, Noise Abatement and Control and Contamination and Toxic Substances. Should individual aggregate projects exceed the threshold for categorical exclusion detailed at §58.35(a), an Environmental Assessment will be completed and a separate Finding of No Significant Impact and Request for Release of Funds published. Copies of the compliance documentation worksheets are available at the address below.

An Environmental Review Record (ERR) that documents the environmental determinations for this project, and more fully describes the tiered review process cited above, can be requested as an electronic copy at lpyatt@stlouiscountymo.gov and is on file at the St. Louis County DPH – Healthy Homes Program at 6121 N. Hanley Rd. Berkeley, MO 63134 and can be examined or copied weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the ERR to the St. Louis County DPH, Healthy Homes Program. All comments received by December 30, 2022, will be considered by St. Louis County prior to authorizing submission of a Request for Release of Funds and Environmental Certification to HUD.

RELEASE OF FUNDS

The St. Louis County certifies to HUD that Sam Page in his official capacity as County Executive, consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. HUD’s approval of the certification satisfies its responsibilities under NEPA and related laws and authorities and allows St. Louis County to utilize federal funds and implement the Program.

OBJECTIONS TO RELEASE OF FUNDS

HUD will consider objections to its release of funds and St. Louis County certification for a period of fifteen days following either the anticipated submission date (cited above) or HUD’s actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if the objections are on one of the following bases: (a) that the Certification was not executed by the Certifying Officer of St. Louis County; (b) St. Louis County has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or finding required by HUD regulations at 24 CFR Part 58; (c) St. Louis County has committed funds or incurred costs not authorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before approval of a release of funds by HUD; (d) another Federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written finding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environmental quality. Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the required procedures (24 CFR Part 58) and may be addressed to HUD and sent to the email address as follows: Karen M. Griego, Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, Program Environmental Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development LeadRegulations@HUD.GOV Potential objectors may contact HUD directly to verify the actual last day of the objection/comment period.

Saint Louis County Department of Public Health, Healthy Homes Program. Sam Page, County Executive.

St. LouiS american Bids & Public Notices

2023 SAINT LOUIS ZOO AND WILDCARE INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORTS RFP

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified firms to submit proposals for Saint Louis Zoo and Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Annual Reports RFP 2023. Bid documents are available as of 12/28/2022 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo. org/vendor

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Project: SLPS Central VPA Football Locker Room Renovation Bid Date: January 5th, 2023 @ 12:00 PM

Estimator: Erik Hankins

PLEASE SEND ALL BIDS TO BIDS@ HANKINSMIDWEST. COM REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Project: District Wide Drinking Fountain Installation Bid Date: January 19th, 2023 @ 10:00 AM

Estimator: Erik Hankins

PLEASE SEND ALL BIDS TO BIDS@ HANKINSMIDWEST. COM

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Requests for Quotes, Bids and Proposals are posted online for public download. Please navigate to www.msdprojectclear.org

> Doing Business With Us > View Non-Capital Bids (commodities and services) or >Visit Planroom (capital construction bids)

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Project: District Wide Chain Link Fence Replacements Bid Date: January 5th, 2023 @ 11:00 AM

Estimator: Chuck Fix

PLEASE SEND ALL BIDS TO BIDS@ HANKINSMIDWEST. COM

ADVERTISEMENT FOR RFP MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

The City of St. Louis Department of Health seeks proposals from organizations that can demonstrate expertise and capacity to provide psychological and/or psychiatric services to persons living with HIV (PLWH). These funds are available through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, Part A. Request for Proposals may be obtained beginning Friday, December 09, 2022, by downloading from the City of St. Louis website at https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/ government/departments/health/ documents/fiscaldocuments/mental-health-careservices-part-a-rfp.cfm. Contact: Sylvia JacksonBell for questions @ DOHGA @stlouis-mo.gov, or (314) 657-1581 (email preferred). The deadline for submitting proposals is Monday, January 23, 2023, by 4:00 pm via email at DOHGA @stlouis-mo. gov. The Department of Health reserves the right to reject any and all responses with or without cause.

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Elevator Replacement at Governor’s Mansion, Project No. O2036-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 1/10/2023 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. Project information available at http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

THE LOCUST BUSINESS DISTRICT BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SEEKS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

The Locust Business District is requesting proposals to fill an Administrative Assistant position. Please visit our website: www.locustbusinessdistrict. com

Or, email the office for more information. locustbusinessdistrict@ gmail.com

ADVERTISEMENT FOR RFP MENSTRUAL HYGIENE PRODUCTS

The City of St. Louis Department of Health seeks proposals from organizations to provide and/ or facilitate access to menstrual hygiene products and social support for persons living with HIV (PLWH). These funds are available through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, Part A. Request for Proposals may be obtained beginning Friday, December 09, 2022, by downloading from the City of St. Louis website at https://www. stlouis-mo.gov/government/ departments/health/documents/ fiscal-documents/menstrualhygiene-products-part-a-rfp.cfm Contact: Sylvia JacksonBell for questions @ DOHGA @stlouis-mo.gov, or (314) 657-1581 (email preferred).

The deadline for submitting proposals is Monday, January 23, 2023, by 4:00 pm via email at DOHGA @stlouis-mo.

gov. The Department of Health reserves the right to reject any and all responses with or without cause.

CONFLUENCE ACADEMY

SUMMARY STATEMENT

Confluence Academy LEA recently received an unmodified opinion on an audit of the district’s Financial Statements for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022. The areas covered under the audits, were accounting of financial statements, compliance with state law and compliance with laws governing federal programs.

An unmodified opinion is the best opinion any organization can receive. CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP performed the audit.

The report states, in part “in our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the organization as of June 30, 2022, and the changes in its net assets and its cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.”

Confluence Academy LEA uses three major funds to account for its financial activity — the general fund, teachers’ fund, and capital projects fund.

Among all three funds, the report states that Confluence Academy LEA had total revenue of $49,851,300 for the 2022 fiscal year compared to $46,707,270 in fiscal year 2021. 2022 revenues by fund were $29,148,442 for the general fund, $20,701,013 for the teachers’ fund and $1,845 for the capital projects fund.

The report shows that general revenues accounted for $37,257,389 in revenue or 75% of all revenues. Program specific revenues in the form of operating grants and contributions accounted for $12,593,911 or 25% of total revenues.

The LEA had $45,456,814 of expenditures in fiscal 2022 compared with $43,201,178 in fiscal 2021.

The auditors report showed in total, net assets have increased by $4,394,486 for total net assets of $23,634,991 at fiscal year ended 2022.

The report shows balances for the general, teachers’ and capital projects funds totaled $16,898,409, $0, and $1,944,745 for a total governmental funds balance of $18,843,154 at fiscal year ended 2022.

The audit report can be viewed online by visiting www.confluenceacademy.org and clicking on the Information/ Financial Reports/Audit link.

REQUEST FOR SEALED PROPOSALS

The City of University City is seeking sealed proposals for a consultant to develop housing and revitalization strategies for the city’s third ward.

Proposals are due by January 17, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. For more information and to view a copy of the RFP, please visit our website at http://www. ucitymo.org/bids.aspx? bidID=399

12 - Traci Braxton, 50. A singer who was featured with her family in the reality television series “Braxton Family Values.”

21 - LaShun Pace, 60. An American Grammy Award–nominated gospel singer–songwriter and evangelist. Pace was also a Stellar Award winner

APRIL

3 - Tommy Davis, 83. Played in three AllStar games and World Series for the L.A. Dodgers. NL batting champion 1962, 63.

7 - Rayfield Wright, 76. Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame offensive tackle.

9 - Dwayne Haskins, 24. Haskins was driving on a South Florida highway when his car ran out of gas. He was hit by a truck

17 – Keith “DJ Kay Slay” Grayson, 55. Hip hop DJ and recording artist.

appeared in the film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

FEBRUARY

4 - Ashley Bryan, 98. A prolific and prize-winning children’s author and illustrator who told stories of Black life, culture and folklore in such acclaimed works as “Freedom Over Me,” “Beautiful Blackbird” and “Beat the StoryDrum, Pum-Pum.”

9 – Betty Davis, 77. Legendary ‘queen of funk’ and soul singer who was once married to Miles Davis.

24 – Andrew Woolfolk, 71. Earth, Wind & Fire saxophonist also worked with Deniece Williams, Stanley Turrentine, Phil Collins, Twennynine, Philip Bailey, and Level 42.

MAY

5 - Kevin Samuels, 56. A controversial figure who often received harsh criticism due to his harsh dating advice on YouTube.

19 - Charley Taylor, 80. NFL Hall of Fame receiver who starred with the Washington Redskins.

26 – Snootie Wild, 36. He was best known for his first single, “Yayo”, which success helped launch his career. Was found in ditch in Houston after being shot multiple times.

MARCH

2 - Johnny Brown, 84. Actor known for his role as Nathan Bookman on the hit show Good Times

10 - Bob Lanier, 73. The left-handed big man of the Detroit Pistons was one of the NBA’s top players of the 1970s.

JUNE

9 - Don Perkins, 84. NFL Hall of Fame running back and five-time Pro Bowl honoree, one of first Black players to enter broadcast field with CBS and later ABC.

25 - Sam Gilliam, 88. American artist who expressed visibility and agency in alternative ways, challenging the role of Black history as a requirement in Black art. He created paintings that refrained from recognizable images and overt political messages preferred by many of his colleagues.

27 - Marlin Briscoe, 76. American College Football HOF quarterback/ wide receiver. He is recognized as one of first starting Black NFL quarterbacks.

JULY

14 – William Poogie Hart, 77. Former lead singer of the 1970s Philadelphia Soul group The Delfonics.

Baghdad.

7 – David A. Arnold, 54. The comedian was creator of and showrunner for Nickelodeon’s hit show That Girl Lay Lay.

23 – Michael Henderson, 71. A successful funk bassist and singer who charted in the 1970s. He had previously performed with Stevie Wonder and Miles Davis.

28 - Mary Alice, 85. The Tony award-winner actor was known for her roles in A Different World, The Matrix: Revolutions, Sparkle, and I’ll Fly Away

30 - Nichelle Nichols, 89. She broke barriers for Black women in Hollywood as communications officer Lt. Uhura on the original “Star Trek” television series.

12 - Ramsey Lewis, 87. A renowned jazz pianist whose music entertained fans over a more than 60-year career that began with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and made him one of the country’s most successful jazz musicians.

17 – Marva Hicks, 66. Awardwinning Broadway actor performed in multiple shows including The Lion King and Motown: The Musical. She also sang duets with Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.

28 - Coolio, 59. The rapper was among hip-hop’s biggest names of the 1990s with hits including “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage.”

31 - Bill Russell, 88. The NBA great who anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years — the last two as the first Black head coach in any major U.S. sport — and marched for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr.

AUGUST

7 – Roger E. Mosley, 83. Mosley starred as Theodore “T.C.” Calvin in the classic CBS television series Magnum P.I. He was injured in a car crash the week before.

8 - Lamont Dozier, 81. He was the middle name of the celebrated Holland-Dozier-Holland team that wrote and produced “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Heat Wave” and dozens of other hits and helped make Motown an essential record company of the 1960s and beyond.

SEPTEMBER

7 - Bernard Shaw, 82. CNN’s chief anchor for two decades and a pioneering Black broadcast journalist best remembered for calmly reporting the begin ning of the Gulf War in 1991 as missiles flew around him in

OCTOBER

3 - Charles Fuller

83. The Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright of the searing and acclaimed “A Soldier’s Play” who often explored and exposed how social institutions can perpetuate racism.

7 – Austin Stoker, 93. Known for his roles in Assault on Precinct 13, Horror High, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Abby and Sheba, Baby.

15 - Joyce Sims, 63. A longtime singer and songwriter who was known for her 1987 hit, “Come into My Life.”

28 - The Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, 73. He fought poverty and racism and skillfully navigated New York’s power structure as pastor of Harlem’s historic Abyssinian Baptist Church.

NOVEMBER

lifelong community activist who toured the country speaking with Gloria Steinem in the 1970s and appears with her in one of the most iconic photos of the second-wave feminist movement. They cofounded Ms. Magazine.

11 – Paul Silas, 79. His first NBA team was the St. Louis Hawks, and later played for Atlanta and the Boston Celtics). He coached the Charlotte Hornets and was a renowned NBA ambassador.

1 - Takeoff, 28. A rapper best known for his work with the Grammy-nominated trio Migos is killed in a shooting.

25 - Irene Cara, 63. The Oscar, Golden Globe and two-time Grammy winning singer-actor who starred and sang the title cut from the 1980 hit movie “Fame” and then belted out the eradefining hit “Flashdance ... What a Feeling” from 1983’s “Flashdance.”

28 – Clarence Gilyard Jr, 66. Accomplished actor who appeared in a multitude of successful movie and TV shows and movies such as Walker, Texas Ranger, Matlock, Die Hard and Top Gun.

DECEMBER

13 – Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss 40. American dancer, choreographer, actor, producer, and television personality. From 2014 until the show’s termination in 2022, he was a co-host on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

15 - Louis Orr, 64. A star forward at Syracuse who played eight NBA seasons before going into a lengthy career in coaching. He battled pancreatic cancer.

20 - Sonya Eddy, 55. Famously known for her role as Epiphany Johnson in General Hospital and stage career.

1 - Dorothy Pitman Hughes

84. A pioneering Black feminist, child welfare advocate and

21 - Franco Harris, 72. NFL legend and Steelers Hall of Famer. His death came two days before the Steelers were going to retire his jersey. Known for the “Immaculate Reception,” an iconic NFL play in 1972.

André Leon Talley

Bernard Shaw

Irene Cara

LaShaun Pace

Mary Alice

Clarence Gilyard Jr.

DECEMBER 29, 2022 - JANUARY 4, 2023

WNBA star Brittney Griner is detained in Russia for allegedly having hashish oil in her possession while waiting at an airport for a departing flight.

Year in Review 2022 • 2

The Vashon Wolverines added another state championship to its expansive trophy case as they won the Class 4 state crown with a thrilling victory over Father Tolton.

JANUARY

1 – Dr. Olaronke Akintola-Ogunremi becomes chief of the Christian Hospital medical staff.

3 – Vernon Mitchell begins service as St. Louis chief equity and inclusion officer.

4 – COVID-19 cases surge throughout the region as the Omicron variant wreaks havoc. STL County averages 1,500 new cases each day.

11 – A Steelville, Mo., coroner’s inquest panel of six rules the questionable murder of Black resident Justin King in Bourbon, Mo., by his white neighbor is justifiable. King’s family is outraged.

11 – St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief John Hayden postpones his February retirement as the search for a new chief continues.

15 – To the astonishment of many Black Missourians,

Sen. Roy Blunt, who refused to protect African American voting rights, is honored during the 36th Dr. Martin Luther king jr. Celebration Kickoff Program.

24 – Cal Harris, who returned to St. Louis from Baltimore, is named chief of staff for County Executive Sam Page.

25 – Lt. Col Kenneth Gregory is named the first Black chief of the St. Louis County Police Department. He served five months as interim chief.

FEBRUARY

1 - Harris-Stowe State University is among at least 15 HBCUs that receive bomb threats on Jan. 31 or Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month.

17 – WNBA star Brittney Griner is detained in Russia for allegedly having hashish oil in her possession while at an airport for a departing flight. She is later tried

President Biden announces he will nominate Ketanji Brown Jackson for the US Supreme Court. She would become the first Black woman to serve on the court if confirmed by the US Senate.

and convicted and is sentenced to nine years in a penal colony. She is held 294 days until her release is secured through a prisoner exchange.

22 – Ahmaud Arbery murderers found guilty in Georgia. He was chased and attacked while jogging in 2022.

MARCH

1 - President Biden announces he will nominate Ketanji Brown Jackson for the US Supreme Court. She would become the first Black woman to serve on the court if confirmed by the US Senate.

LaTonia Collins-Smith is named Harris-Stowe State University’s 21st president after serving as interim president since June 1, 2021.

The state of Missouri announces it has landed a $458 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson and other opioid distributors.

Ameren Illinois breaks ground on its $10.2 million East St. Louis Solar Energy Center. It is located adjacent to East St. Louis High School on a 17-acre lot.

3 – Affinia Healthcare announces that Dr. Kendra Holmes has been selected as president and CEO.

7 – The US Senate joins the House is passing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching bill, which designates that anyone convicted of a hate crime may receive up to 30 years in prison.

11 – Cora Faith Walker passes away from natural causes on March 11, 2022. Walker was an attorney, former state legislator and served as St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page’s policy chief.

19 – The Vashon Wolverines win their 13th state basketball championship by beating Tolton 57-49.

21 – Dennis Gates is named Missouri basketball coach after turning around Cleveland State University’s fortunes.

27 - At the 94th Academy Awards, actor Will Smith walked onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face during Rock’s presentation for Best Documentary Feature. The slap was in response to

Photo by Earl Austin, Jr. | St. Louis American

tary Feature. The slap was in response to Rock’s joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head, which she had been shaving since 2021 due to alopecia areata.

APRIL

4 – St. Louis voters overwhelmingly support Proposition R. stripping the Board of Aldermen of responsibility for drawing ward maps every 10 years.

5- Former President Barack Obama returns to the White House to celebrate 12th anniversary of Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

7 – Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed as US Supreme Court Justice by a bi-partisan Senate vote of 53-47, making her the first Black woman justice. She masterfully managed days of confirmation hearings, which included veiled racist and sexist attacks, several coming from Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley.

12 – “Hamilton begins a month-long run at The Fox Theatre and plays before sold-out out audiences throughout its stay.

14 – The St. Louis American Foundation presents its 22nd Annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac. Honorees include Vetta Sanders Thompson, E. Desmond Lee Professor of Racial and Ethnic Diversity and Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Brown School, Washington University is honored as Lifetime Achiever and Tifani Sanford, M.D. as Stellar Performer. Yolanda Rodgers-Garvin, receives The St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund Dr. John M. Anderson Excellence in Mental Health Award. Prepare STL is named Health Care Advocacy Organization of the Year.

15 – Washington University of St. Louis unveils a portrait of Dr. Robert l. Williams, founding director of the Department of African and African American Studies.

19 – After months of delays, the St. Louis County Council approves funding for a new north county recreation center, and its share of renovations to the downtown St. Louis convention center.

Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis announces

it will open Entrepreneurship Center in former Commerce Bank Building on Natural Bridge. National Urban League President Marc Morial speaks at the event.

MAY

2 - The news site Politico published an initial draft majority opinion — written by Justice Samuel Alito— suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court intends to strike down Roe v. Wade.

5 – Karine Jean-Pierre is named White House press secretary, making her the first Black woman to hold the position.

11 – Alderman John Collins-Muhammad writes in a resignation letter that he has made “many mistakes” and indicates that “the next few weeks will be tough” and he is apologizing to his family and community. It will be the first hint of a political scandal that will rock St. Louis politics.

12 – Judge Krista S. Peyton, a Black woman, is appointed associate circuit judge by Gov. Parson.

14 – An 18-year-old racist shooter targets Black shoppers in a Buffalo grocery store, killing 10 people and injuring three more. The assailant was spurred by “replacement theory” conspiracy myths.

15 – The 112th Annie Malone May Day Parade returns to its in-person format on Market Street in downtown St. Louis. Thousands of supporters line the parade route.

18 – Lt. Col Michael Sack is named interim chief of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Retiring Chief John Hayden’s final day is June 18.

24 - An 18-year-old shooter wielding an AR-15-style rifle killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a small city west of San Antonio. It was the deadliest school shooting since 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in 2012.

25 – Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed, Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, and former Alderman John CollinsMuhammad are indicted on federal charges of corruption. Each is charged with accepting monetary bribes and favors in return for helping a St. Louis businessperson – who was under federal indictment himself – receive favorable tax abatement decisions. Boyd is also charged with two counts of wire fraud related to an automobile insurance scheme.

26 – The St. Louis American Foundation’s 11th Annual Salute to Young Leaders awards and networking program presented by Midwest Bank Centre at the Four Seasons honors 25 Black, young professionals under 40. The event breaks its attendance record.

JUNE

2 – Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed and Aldermen Jeffrey Boyd and former Alderman John CollinsMuhammad make their first federal court appearance,

An 18-year-old shooter wielding an AR-15-style rifle killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a small city west of San Antonio.

Karine Jean-Pierre is named White House press secretary, making her the first Black woman to hold the position.

Bush pummels Steve Roberts

ning almost

and all plead not guilty to corruption charges.

3 – Alderman Jeffrey Boyd resigns his position on the Board of Aldermen.

5 – A standing-room only crowd packs World Wide Technology Raceway for the Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup race in Madison, Ill. Steward, founder and chair of World Wide Technology, had toiled to bring a NASCAR race to the raceway since his company landed its naming rights, and is also a driving force in bringing STEM education to students through raceway programs.

7 – Board of Aldermen President finally resigns his position with the board.

Anthony “Tony” Weaver, a St. Louis County jail administrator, is indicted on federal wire fraud charges in an alleged pandemic relief kickback scheme.

9 – The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capital holds its first public hearing, which is televised in prime time.

20 – America celebrates the first federal holiday recognizing Juneteenth. The Freedom Suits Memorial monument is unveiled outside the Civil Courts Building downtown. Sculpted by artist Preston Jackson, the 14foot statue is entitled “Freedom’s Home.”

24 - The US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark piece of legislation that made access to an abortion a federal right in the United States. The decision dismantled 50 years of legal protection and paved the way for individual states to curtail or outright ban

abortion rights. Because of its “trigger law,” Missouri become the first state to ban abortions.

JULY

3 – Damion Baker, a member of the undefeated 2014-15 CBC state champion football was shot and killed while protecting a young woman from assailants near Busch Stadium. His mother told The American “he put himself between them.”

6 – The Homer G. Phillips Nurses Alumni Association announces it has filed a federal lawsuit against developer Paul McKee for his use of the name Home G. Phillips Hospital on a three-bed urgent care facility at Jefferson and Thomas Street.

7 – Retired gymnast Simone Biles, 25, becomes the youngest recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Actor Denzel Washington is also a recipient. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is sentenced by a federal judge to 21 years in prison for violating the late George Floyd’s civil rights and his murder in 2021.

19 – Congresswoman Cori Bush and more than a dozen members of Congress were arrested alongside abortion rights activists for blocking an intersection between the US Capitol building and the Supreme Court.

24 – Torrential rains pound the region over two days leaving neighborhoods under seven feet of water. A second storm hit on Thursday June 27 exacerbating the

flooding problems.

AUGUST

2 – It is Missouri Primary Day.

Cori Bush pummels Steve Roberts Jr., by winning almost 70% of the vote for the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District seat. Roberts’ campaign floundered throughout the summer under allegations of scandal.

Incumbent County Executive Sam Page crushed Jane Dueker for the Democratic nomination for St. Louis County Executive. Page received 63% of the vote. Black Republican state Rep. Shamed Dogan is shocked by unknown Katherine Pinner in the race for the GOP nomination for County Executive. Pinner, a believer in wild conspiracy theories concerning vaccines, later drops out of the race. She would be replaced by Mark Mantovani, who had run for the same office as a Democrat.

Trudy Busch Valentine topped Democratic rival Lucas Kunce and four other candidates to secure the Democratic nomination for US Senate. Attorney General Eric Schmitt prevailed in a crowded Republican field.

St. Louis voters overwhelming backed St. Louis Public Schools Proposition S, which allows the school district to borrow $160 million to improve schools. Voters in Kansas hugely rejected an anti-abortion referendum. It was the first state to vote over whether to retain or overturn abortion rights in their jurisdiction since Roe v Wade was overturned in June.

4 – “The Color Purple” musical makes its debut on The Muny stage and resonated with audiences during its week-long run.

6 – The inaugural Michael Brown Foundation Awards Gala is held at the Marriott St. Louis Airport.

9 – On the eighth anniversary of a former Ferguson police officer shooting and killing unarmed Michael Brown, memorial events are held in that municipality and other places throughout the area.

SLPS Superintendent Kelvin Adams announces that he will retire from the position officially on Dec. 31, 2022. Adams had served as superintendent for 14 years.

16 - President Biden signs the Inflation Reduction Act

A standing-room only crowd packs World Wide Technology Raceway for the Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup race in Madison, Ill.

Cori

Jr.,

win-

70% of the vote for the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District seat.

Music at the Intersection, featuring acts including Rose Royce, Erykah Badu and Gary Clark Jr., opens its two-day run in Grand Center.

which, to many Republicans’ chagrin, could lower health care costs, raise taxes on some large companies and fight climate change.

22 – The Missouri NAACP and League of Women Voters file a pair of lawsuits against the state of Missouri alleging that new restrictions violate the fundamental right to vote. The case had not been heard by the Nov. 2 midterm elections and the state voting regulations being challenged were in place.

23 – Former Alderman John Collins-Muhammad pleaded guilty to a series of corruption charges before US District Judge Stephen Clark.

Cardinal Ritter College Prep opens the school year with 40% Black male faculty, staff.

26 – In separate hearings former Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed and former Alderman Jeffrey Boyd pleaded guilty to various corruption charges, including bribery.

SEPTEMBER

1 – Dr. Keisha S. Elder begins serving as Dean of the School of Optometry at the University of Missouri -St. Louis. She becomes the first Black woman in the nation to lead a school of optometry.

5 – The St. Louis Tech Triangle is a winner of a $25 million grant through the Build Back Better Reginal

Challenge. A cornerstone project will be construction of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center in the Vanderventer neighborhood in north St. Louis.

7 – St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones announces that the initial round of the Direct Cash Assistance program had provided a $500 payment to more than 9,000 city households.

8 – The Ascension Charity Classic Golf Tournament presented by Emerson tees off at Norwood Hills Club. It is an official PGA TOUR Champions event.

9 – Entertainer Melba Moore performs at the St. Louis Metropolitan Urban League Women in Leadership Gala. The city of St. Louis establishes its first LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board to address disparities and rights violations.

10 – Music at the Intersection, featuring acts including Rose Royce, Erykah Badu and Gary Clark Jr., opens its two-day run in Grand Center.

13 – Alderwoman Megan Green easily tops Alderman Jack Coater in the Special Primary Election to fill the vacant seat for Board of Aldermen president. They will square off again in a Nov. 2 election, and the victor will only hold the seat five months before the next election.

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young speaks at the Mississippi River Cities and Towns meeting in St. Louis.

17 – For the first time in its 94-year history, The St. Louis American received first place honors for General Excellence from the National Newspaper Association.

and

The American also won the first place General Excellence award for large weekly newspaper in the state of Missouri by the Missouri Press Association.

19 – Victor Goines becomes president and CEO of Jazz St. Louis. He continues to perform and record as he leads the Grand Center-based organization.

St. Louis Realtors organization releases lengthy, detailed apology for its role in supporting redlining, housing covenants and other discriminatory practices throughout the region’s history. It also establishes a three-year plan to help increase Black home ownership.

22 – Gershom Norfleet MD begins tenure as Chief Medical Officer for the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office, becoming the first African American to hold the position.

23 – St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols socks home runs No. 699 and 700 against the host Los Angeles Dodgers. He would finish his final season with 703 home runs.

OCTOBER

1 – The St. Louis American Foundation Milestone 35th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala returns to an in-person gathering at America’s Center downtown with more than 900 guests in attendance.

Holly Parran Cousins, a 30-year educator and founder

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols socks home runs No. 699

700 against the host Los Angeles Dodgers.

Photo by Phil Hamer

indiscretions and its ongoing effort in support of equity, diversity, and fairness.

and director of the Special Friends Extended Mentor Program is honored as Lifetime Achiever.

LaTonia Colins-Smith, Harris-Stowe State university president, is honored as Stellar Performer. Tashanna Stanciel, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri executive program director of alumni mentoring is named SEMO Community Based Partner of the Year.

Marion Elementary School is recognized as the 2022 Bayer School of Excellence

Retiring SLPS Superintendent Kelvin Adams receives a special tribute during the gala, and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, Comptroller Darlene Green and St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page served as cochairs for the event.

10 - Nicole Williams, SLPS Superintendent Kelvin Adams’ chief of staff, is named interim superintendent beginning January 1, 2023. Adams retiring on Dec. 31, 2022. Before moving to her current role, she served as SLPS chief academic officer for several years before serving as a superintendent in New York.

11 – The St. Louis Department of Health announces it will hire more than a dozen workers to staff a new behavioral health agency designed to address the city’s growing mental health needs.

14 – Dr. Alison Nash spoke of her late father and aunt, Dr. Homer E. Nash Jr., and Dr. Helen Nash with reverence during the 26th Annual Homer G. Phillips Public Health Lecture Series on the Washington University School of Medicine campus.

A street renamed “Nash Way” in the family’s honor is dedicated, and Donald M. Suggs, St. Louis American publisher and executive editor delivers a stirring keynote address. He honors the Nash family, praising the physicians, nurses, and staff at Homer G. Phillips Hospital, and examining Wash U Medical School’s past racial

15 - Central Baptist Church in downtown St. Louis hosts a Reparations Black Party and Teach In. According to organizers, the event “deepened community understanding about reparations and amplified the growing call for a reparations commission.”

18 – Jana Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District is closed after traces of radiation are found on the property.

19 – St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, Congresswoman Cori Bush joined U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce Alejandra Y. Castillo and a host of elected officials and economic development partners to celebrate the region winning a $25 million federal Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant.

24 – A 19-year-old shooter who had graduated Central Visual and Performing Arts High School gains forced entry into the school early on this Monday morning and begins a shooting spree. St. Louis Metropolitan Police arrive within minutes and the assailant, who is armed with an AR-style rifle and 600 rounds of ammunition, is killed by police gunfire.

15-year-old student Alexzandria Bell and health teacher Jean Kuczka, 61, are killed and seven other students are injured.

The tragedy leads to intensified calls for stricter gun laws in the state of Missouri and access to more mental health resources.

“With all the school shootings [nationally], it seemed like only a matter of time before it hit closer to home. The Missouri legislature’s actions have made gun violence more possible. Now, its inaction has left us unsafe and communities feeling powerless,” said Mayor Tishaura Jones.

28 – Harris Stowe State University celebrated 165 years of educational excellence during a Founders Day Convocation event on the HBCU’s campus. Dr. Lynn Beckwith, Jr., retired educator, HSSU alum Class of 1961, and St. Louis American 2013 Salute to Excellence in Education Lifetime Achievement Award recipient

A 19-year-old shooter who had graduated Central Visual and Performing Arts High School gains forced entry into the school and begins a shooting spree.

served as the Founders Day keynote speaker.

30 – Jean Kuczka, a teacher killed in the CVPA shootings, is honored at Kutis Funeral Home in Affton. The following day a lengthy funeral procession traveled from the funeral home to Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis where her funeral was held.

NOVEMBER

3 – Wiley Price, St. Louis American photojournalist, is honored as a recipient of a 2022 Media Person of the Year award by the St. Louis Press Club.

5 - A public viewing and funeral service is held for 15-year-old Alexzandria Bell at Faith Church in Earth City, Missouri. Bell was shot and killed on Monday Oct. 24, 2022. She was interred at Friedens Cemetery in Bellefontaine Neighbors.

The 2nd Annual First Ladies’ Health Equity Symposium was held for the congregation of city residents to become proactive in addressing health disparities. It was hosted by Dr. Lannis Hall and first ladies of several area churches including Greater Grace Church of Ferguson, New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church, New Northside Missionary Baptist Church, Solomon’s Temple Church, Centennial Christian Church, and Lively Stone Church of God.

8 – It is 2022 Midterm Election Day.

St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page wins his first full term by defeating Republican fill-in candidate Mark Mantovani.

Alderwoman Megan Green wins the race for president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen over Alderman Jack Coater. She will become the first woman to hold the position in the city’s history.

Congresswoman Cori Bush easily wins re-election, as does St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell.

Trudy Busch Valentine’s gallant effort to defeat Attorney General Eric Schmitt in the race for US Senate falls short. However, Valentine trounces Schmitt in St. Louis, St. Louis County, and the Kansas City area.

The Georgia race between Democratic incumbent Rafael

Photo by Taylor McIntosh | The St. Louis American Wiley Price, St. Louis American photojournalist, is honored as a recipient of a 2022 Media Person of the Year award by the St. Louis Press Club.

About 60 people gathered outside the St. Louis County Court Building for a “Storytelling Vigil for Kevin Johnson.” Johnson is scheduled for execution on Nov. 29.

Warnock and the GOP’s Herschel Walker will go to a Dec. 5 runoff.

The predicted “red wave” of Republican dominance does not happen. While the GOP wins a slim majority in the House, the Senate remains in control of Democrats regardless of the Warnock-Walker result.

St. Louis native Jasmine Crockett wins the 30th Congressional District in Dallas and will replace retiring 86-yearold Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson.

9 - Bobby Bostic, a St. Louis-native who was 16 when he was sentenced to 241 years in prison, is released on parole. Bostic wasn’t protected under a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandated parole hearings for juveniles who’ve been sentenced to life without parole.

15 - Kevin Johnson’s daughter Khorry Ramey pleaded for her father’s death sentence to be vacated during a press conference in Jefferson City. She was 2 when her father shot and killed a Kirkwood police officer in 2005 and was later sentenced to death. Ramey would later appeal to attend her father’s execution and was denied.

21 - About 60 people gathered outside the St. Louis County Court Building for a “Storytelling Vigil for Kevin Johnson.” Johnson is scheduled for execution on Nov. 29.

27 – Megan Green is sworn in as the first woman president of the city Board of Aldermen and its 22nd in history. She joins fellow members of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment Mayor Tishaura Jones and Comptroller Darlene Green, marking the first time in city history women have held the three powerful positions at the same time.

28 – By a 5-2 vote, the Missouri Supreme Court denied a stay of execution for Kevin Johnson. Gov. Mike Parson stated in cruel fashion that he would not spare Johnson’s life and commute his death sentence.

29 - The US Supreme Court denied Kevin Johnson’s stay

of execution. Justices Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented and would have granted him a stay. Jackson rebuked the state for ignoring its own laws regarding examining the role of former Prosecutor Bob McCulloch. Kevin Johnson is executed by the state of Missouri for killing Kirkwood Police Sgt. Robert McEntee. “I am unconditionally sorry,” Johnson said during his final hours. Rev. Darryl Gray Kevin said Johnson “was surrounded by beloved community.

“We read scripture and had a word of prayer,” Gray said. “He apologized again. He apologized to the victim’s family. He apologized to his family. He said he was looking forward to seeing his baby brother. And he said he was ready.”

Michelle Smith of Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty said, “Kevin Johnson will always be a light.

DECEMBER

6 – U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark handed down the sentences to former Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed, former 21st Ward Alderman John Collins-Muhammad and former 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd. All three pleaded guilty in August to accepting cash, cars, and other gifts in exchange for helping a developer get incentives.

Reed and Collins-Muhammad were each sentenced to three years, nine months in prison. Boyd will spend three years behind bars — his sentence was lighter because the amount of money he accepted meant his crime was considered less severe under federal sentencing guidelines.

Democrats secured a 51-49 U.S. Senate majority on Tuesday when Sen. Raphael Warnock triumphed over Republican candidate Herschel Walker. Warnock secured 51.35% of the vote, compared to Walker’s 48.65%.

“Thank you, Georgia,” Warnock told jubilant supporters after making his way to the stage late Tuesday evening.

7 - Mayor Tishaura Jones took the historic step of establishing a volunteer commission to explore and recommend

opportunities for reparations in St. Louis. She was joined in Room 200 by advocates and community members as she signed Executive Order #74.

12 – The wrongful conviction hearing that could free Lavar Johnson after serving 27 years in prison begins before Circuit Judge David Mason. The hearing would last five days and include chilling testimony concerning pressured witnesses, police misdeeds, and another man telling the courtroom that he committed the murder that Johnson was convicted for. Mason had yet to make a ruling.

13 – The St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education, with retiring Superintendent Kelvin Adams’ support, on Dec. 13, 2022, approved an agreement to serve as charter sponsor for Confluence Academies for four years, beginning July 1, 2023.

14 – Robert Tracy is introduced as incoming St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief. He will become the first city police chief who is not from the local force. He will begin his tenure officially on Jan. 9, 2023, after closing his service as chief of the Wilmington, Delaware Police Department.

20 - St. Louis County receives the first installment of about $45 million it is due [$4.8 million] from the $458 million opioid settlement that the state of Missouri reached with the three biggest U.S. drug distribution companies and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson.

Photo by Wiley Price I St. Louis American

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2022 Obituaries

St. Louis said goodbye to several iconic leaders and community servants in 2022. Their impact will forever be part of area history, and each helped make St. Louis a better place to live.

JANUARY

10 – Mars Howard, owner of Mars Worldwide Moving Company and, later, Sky Moving Company passes at 61. Howard was born May 30, 1960 and started Mars Moving Company in 1985. “Mars was my go-to guy,” former St. Louis Mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr said. “He moved me from the city Clerk’s office and into and out of the mayor’s office. He was always on the site dressed in a suit and tie, telling his guys what to do because he knew us and how we felt about our things.”

with cancer. Watson owned Prime 55 in the Delmar Loop and downtown St. Louis. But he was known to many for his impact on the music industry.

The University City native started Pretty Boy Records and later, Rockhouse Entertainment.

Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine and dedicated himself to providing excellent healthcare to and advocacy for underserved children and families in North St. Louis.

30 – Betty Suggs, an educator, the youngest of nine children and the former and only wife of St. Louis American publisher Donald M. Suggs, transitioned at age 86. Together they were active in the civil rights movement and in the art world of St. Louis. Betty was a stalwart about progressive education and values and created and toured a puppet show in the 70s featuring puppets with “disabilities” to encourage young children to respect and show kindness to people of all abilities. She was crowned “Queen” in St. Louis and the statewide pageant for Missouri Nursing Home residents in 2009.

April

7 – Michael Neidorff, longtime CEO of Centene Corp., philanthropist, and civic leader dies at 79. He was a National Urban League board member and major supporter of local Urban League chapter. He was especially generous and supportive of The St. Louis American and the St. Louis American Foundation, as well as advisor to their leadership.

21 - Homer Erwin Nash, Jr, MD, a celebrated pediatrician who served at Homer G. Phillips Hospital before starting his own practice passes away at 96. Dr. Nash was born in Atlanta on August 22, 1925. He was the fifth child, and only son, of Homer Erwin Nash, Sr., who was also a physician, and Marie Antionette Graves Nash. He attended Morehouse College (’45) in Atlanta until joining the U.S. Army. He served in the infantry in Italy during World War II and received the Military Order of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal for service to his country. After the war he attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville. There he met and fell in love with Ellene Terrell Bentley, and they married in 1947. They began their family with the birth of their eldest daughter in 1949. He graduated from medical school in 1951 and joined his sister Helen, who also became a doctor, in St. Louis in 1952 for a residency in Pediatrics at Homer G. Phillips Hospital.

JULY

12 - Yvonne Campbell, the owner of My Just Desserts in Alton, dies from her injuries in a vehicle accident in Jamaica. Campbell was the mother of three children — Nakiyah, Prince, and Anaiah. She started working at the store while attending high school, leaving at 21 and obtaining culinary degrees. In 2018, she became the owner. Campbell also was known for her volunteering with groups such as the YWCA of Alton, Oasis Women’s Center, Alton Main Street and the Great River and Routes Tourism Bureau. Last year she was one of 15 people selected as the YWCA’s 2021 Women of Distinction.

He is remembered as a Civil Rights advocate, a member of the Webster Groves Board of Education, liaison for North Webster and the City of Webster Groves, a member of North Webster Black Coalition, a member of the Ministerial Alliance of Webster Groves, a member of the North Webster Improvement Association and an affiliate of the Webster Groves Rock Hill Ministries.

OCTOBER

21 - Christopher W. Newman, a pilot graduate of the Tuskegee Flight School who survived two crashes and flew 84 missions as a fighter pilot in World War II with the Tuskegee Airmen, passed away at the age of 100 on Oct. 21, 2022.

Newman was born on April 18, 1922, to Frank and Marye in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. He was raised and educated in the Mill Creek area of St. Louis and graduated from Vashon High School.

NOVEMBER

AUGUST

17 - Longtime music producer, restaurant owner and community advocate Orlando Watson, 45, dies after a battle

While a member of the medical staff at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Barnes Jewish Hospital (BJC) he served on many committees and advisory boards. He worked with the Community Outpatient Practice Experience facilitating real life community pediatric practicums for medical residents from Children’s Hospital. In addition to his practice, he was a Clinical

14 – The Rev. Melvin E. Moore passes at 81. Pastor Moore was a prolific Bible scholar, teacher, and fiery preacher. He became a licensed minister within the Church of God In Christ in May of 1965 and an ordained Elder in May of 1967. He was elevated to Pastor of Gospel Temple Church of God In Christ in April of 1970, where he served and was respected until his death.

8 - Martin L. Mathews, co-founder of the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club and for more than 60 years a force for racial harmony in the region, passes away at 97. He was remembered during a service at Graham Chapel on the Washington University campus on Thursday, Nov. 17.

Mr. Mathews (and all who knew him always called him mister) built comity and community through his work with the club. He started in 1960 with Hubert “Dickey” Ballentine (members always called him “Mr. Dickey”) when the two met under a shade trade in Handy Park, a few blocks east of Kingshighway and south of Natural Bridge. In 2021 with Mr. Mathews then serving in an emeritus role, the club merged with the Boys &

Betty Suggs

Rev. Melvin E. Moore

Homer Edwin Nash, Jr., MD

Yvonne campbell

Orlando Watson Martin L. Matthews

Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis. Under terms of the partnership, Mathews-Dickey retained its name, location, and youth sports programs.

In St. Louis, civic leaders and social justice activists across the political spectrum would turn out en masse for the club’s star-studded galas. Mr. Mathews counted among his friends and supporters, the brewery chiefs August A. Busch Jr. and August A. Busch III., Charles F. Knight, of Emerson, and Al Fleishman, a founder of the Fleishman-Hillard public relations firm, and Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Jack Buck. All are now deceased, but still engaged and recently involved in a variety of ways have been such luminaries as Jackie JoynerKersee, Ozzie Smith, Tony La Russa, Ezekiel Elliott, and Joe Buck. Mr. Mathews attracted corporate support from Ameren, Centene, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Enterprise Rent-A-Car to name just a few. Mr. Mathews provided a huge financial breakthrough for the club when he persuaded the United Way to provide critical financial support.

DECEMBER

15 – Dr. Robert Ray, founder of the Saint Louis Symphony’s IN UNISON Chorus and the director from its inception in 1994 to 2010, passed away on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. He was 76.

SLSO and the IN UNISON Chorus would perform “A Gospel Christmas” at Powell Symphony Hall the evening of Ray’s death.

Dr. Ray collaborated with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO), as both Saint Louis Symphony Chorus assistant, and later as In Unison director, for a total of 25 years.

He was born Feb. 17, 1925 in the Missouri bootheel town of Neelyville, the 11th of 13 children of Ned Mathews, a farmer/laborer, who worked from dawn to well into the night to put food on the table for his brood, and Amanda Patterson Mathews, who read aloud from the Bible and the U.S. Constitution to her children, friends and neighbors.

24 – Demetrious Johnson passes away at 61. The St. Louis native played defensive back at the University of Missouri-Columbia and was drafted by the Detroit Lions. He played there from 1983 to 1986 and then for a year with the Miami Dolphins. After retiring from football, he founded the Demetrious Johnson Foundation, which provides St. Louis youth with mentoring, job training, and after-school tutoring, and, for 32 years sponsored a Thanksgiving canned food drive and gave away hundreds of turkeys. Mr. Johnson is remembered in a Page 1 report in today’s edition of the St. Louis American

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December 29th, 2022 edition

Demetrious Johnson, community servant, former Mizzou, NFL star, passes

Rosati-Kain receives a ‘Christmas miracle’

Black Press has challenging, rewarding 2022

Helping St. Louis connect with other cultures

Trey Songz surrenders in bowling alley assault against woman

McCluer North’s Kem Smith offers gems of advice for teachers

St. Louis Public Radio

Editorial/Commentary

Guest Editorial

Increased civic education needed to save our nation

Affinia, Regions Bank partner to pass on holiday cheer

Johnson

Rosati-Kain

Black Press

Need more accountability: action for the greater public good in 2023

“Taking Care of You”

Top stories ranged from roller skating to Black birthing centers

Federal

kids

Make your new year about prevention

Top Stories

Bill

New Year

Down-home food, upbeat atmosphere part of B&I Eatery appeal

PeoPle on the Move

B&I Eatery

Entrepreneurs

InSIdE SportS

St. Louis teams score Classic victories in Columbia

Prestigious DE&I organization adds Ameren executive leader as member

New program dedicates $93.5 million to underserved entrepreneurs

UMSL College of Education awarded $4 million grant

Living It

Art imitates life

East

St. Louis artist turns ammunition into art

Janet Jackson, Ludacris coming to Enterprise Center on April 30, 2023

Art Museum’s annual Dr. MLK Celebration back in-person

‘Spirit in the Dark’ links music, faith of entertainers

News Service

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