January 19th, 2023 edition

LouiS AmericAn

Lifetime Achiever: Arnold Donald

He is a captain in the global world

By

and aplomb. Someone with his

During Arnold Donald’s tenure as Carnival Corporation CEO, its stock price nearly doubled, reaching an alltime high of $72.70 per share in January 2018.

Speaking at the Old Courthouse before the 54th Dr. Martin Luther King Committee March on Monday, Jan. 16

and committee member, and Mayor Tishaura Jones.

By Sylvester Brown Jr.

Three days after Congresswoman Cori Bush took office to represent the voters of Missouri’s First Congressional District, the Capitol insurrection occurred. As she begins her second term, Bush said she’s just as committed to holding former president Donald Trump and all those who participated in the violent rebellion accountable.

Although Republicans reclaimed the majority, Bush is surprisingly upbeat about the role Democrats will play in the 118th Congress. The next two years, she said, will be an opportunity to challenge nonsensical legislation and chaotic and destructive GOP policymakers. Most importantly, Bush added,

a

and

n “We’re going to uncover the untruths and really galvanize and mobilize folks to see what’s really happening with that leadership.”

– Rep. Cori Bush

Democrats will further remind Republicans why there was no “Red Wave” in the House and Senate and why voter’s lives, priorities, and futures are better off under Democratic leadership. “That election showed that we have to double down on the politics that actually improves the lives of Black and brown com-

for all

munities,” Bush said. “We must look at how we are advancing the priorities of Black communities, women, young people, the elderly, and others. When we speak to that, people will show up at the polls.”

Bush said she had heard about an upcoming red tsunami since she entered office in 2020. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, opening the door for state bans on abortions, she had serious doubts about the GOP’s massive takeover.

“I was thinking, ‘You don’t think we’re going to galvanize around this issue to protect our rights?”’ Bush recalled. “As it turned out, there was no red wave; there was a red trickle, like a leaky faucet.”

St. Louis celebrates MLK Day with calls for action

54th annual march kicks off MLK Day

By Alvin A. Reid The St. Louis American

Fourteen years had passed between the first Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee of St. Louis commemoration march and King’s birthday becoming a national holiday.

The 54th annual march began in the rain on Monday, Jan. 16 at the Old Courthouse, as the 40th anniversary of the King holiday was being celebrated. There were events throughout the city and St. Louis County during the weekend, including the annual commemoration service on Saturday in Fountain Park, home of the only statue dedicated to MLK in the state of Missouri.

Standing outside the Old Courthouse, where Dred and Harriett Scott’s legal right to freedom was smothered by the U.S. Supreme Court, St. Louis

See MLK DAY, A7

Students, parents, and staff were greeted with an embrace and understanding when Central Visual and Performing Arts High returned to classes on Tuesday.

St. Louis American staff

Soon after losing her daughter Alexandria Bell in The Oct. 24, 2022 Central Visual and Performing Arts High School shootings, Keisha Acres has been there for Bell’s friends, classmates and school staff. On Tuesday, when classes resumed for the first time in three months, she was at the school as the sun slowly began to rise.

“I’m overwhelmed, but I’m here for the kids,” she said.

I’m in the mom role right now, so it’s not about me, it’s about them. That’s pretty much where it is. It’s about the children and me standing in the gap for the parents that can’t be here, so I would want somebody to do it for my daughter.”

See CVPA, A6

See DONALD, A6

Chris King

For The St. Louis American

The St. Louis American

2023, Congresswoman Cori Bush reminded St. Louisans that King’s dream of

fair

equal America

people has not been reached. From left are Mike McMillan, Urban League of Metropolitan St. president and CEO, Bush, Merdean Gales, a march founder

Photo courtesy of SLPS

Photo courtesy of Carnival Corp.

Photo by Dawn Suggs / St. Louis American

Baby on board for Naomi Osaka, Cordae

Naomi Osaka is absent from this year’s Australian Open because the tennis phenom is pregnant with her first child.

She shared a picture of her baby’s sonogram from last month and released statements in English and Japanese about her love for tennis and the opportunity to share her appreciation for the sport with her child.

“These few months away from the sport have really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I’ve dedicated my life to,” she wrote. “I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future; one thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch some of my matches and tell someone, ‘That’s my mom.’”

She said she will return to tennis next year in time for the 2024 Australian Open.

Her last competitive match was in September at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. She won against opponent Daria Saville before withdrawing in her second-round match with Beatriz Haddad Maia. Osaka and North Carolina rapper Cordae have dated since 2019, this is their first child together.

Marvin Gaye III arrested on domestic violence, assault charges

TMZ reports Marvin Gaye’s son, Marvin Gaye III, has been arrested for charges of domestic violence and assault with a deadly Gaye’s adopted son allegedly aimed a gun at a cousin during an argument that also involved Gaye’s wife. Following the incident, Gaye left before law enforcement arrived on the scene. It’s reported the situation comes from an argument about a former assault.

A source told the outlet Marvin and his wife

Wendy’s marriage has been on the rocks with ongoing issues for some time. Gaye went to the sheriff’s station the next day and turned himself in.

He was booked on misdemeanor domestic violence and felony assault with a deadly weapon charges. His bond was posted at $50,000 and he was released.

A protective order was issued forbidding Gaye to be at the house and/or around the family. Officers went back to the house and removed two firearms.

El DeBarge arrested on multiple drug and weapons charges

El DeBarge was arrested on multiple drug and weapon charges last week in California. Law enforcement found a metal baton, pepper spray and suspected narcotics in his truck.

violence and drug possession arrest in 2007. The charges were dropped due to lack of evidence in his 2007 case.

He has served 13 months of a two-year sentence at a California prison for drug-related crimes in 2008.

He was charged with four separate drug and weapon charges. DeBarge was approached by officers at a gas station after they saw he had expired tags. In the encounter, they found weapons and discovered DeBarge didn’t have a proper driver’s license to drive his car.

He was arrested and charged with illegal possession of a baton, unlawful use of tear gas, illegal possession of a controlled substance, and illegal possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond has been posted and he is expected to appear in court March 9, 2023.

He has had several other run-ins with the law in the past including a felony arrest and charge for vandalism in 2018, and domestic

Lori Harvey, Damson Idris confirm dating rumors

Looks like Lori Harvey and Damson Idris are off the market — cause they’re dating each other. They confirmed the dating rumors that have swirled around since they spotted together on a dinner date last month in West Hollywood. Idris posted an Instagram story of him and Harvey snuggling beside each other. He wished her a Happy Birthday, “Happy Birthday Nunu [heart emoji],” he wrote. He shared another post of Harvey showing her holding money to her ear with the caption, “The plug.” Harvey most recently dated Michael B. Jordan for a year before splitting in June 2022.

Sources: theguardian.com/, twitter.com/, vibe.com/, tmz.com/, people.com/, ew.com/

MLK Day inspires dialogue on urban renewal, social reform

Isaiah Peters

The St. Louis American

In honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the Missouri History Museum held a dialogue with some St. Louis youths centering on gentrification, social reform, and activism on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.

“We should be talking about Dr. King’s legacy all year,” Emily Koeltzow, Missouri Historical Society K-12 program coordinator, said.

Koeltzow said ‘urban renewal’ destroyed the historic Black neighborhood of Mill Creek Valley in 1959 by constructing Interstate 64 and displacing 20,000 Black St. Louisans.

“Mill Creek became a poster child of how not to do urban renewal,” historian Gwen Moore told St. Louis Public Radio. “You cannot wipe out 5,000 buildings. There were 43 historical churches and they wiped those out.”

According to Sociologyhistory.org urban renewal is “a comprehensive process of renovating or replacing housing and public works considered substandard or outdated.

“It was our version of Tulsa; a covert policy of destroying a great neighborhood and safe place,” Koeltzow said.

Tabari Asim Coleman, an Anti-Defamation League professional development director cited James Baldwin’s quote, “urban renewal was code for

Negro removal.”

“Black granite represents the displaced Black people from Mill Creek Valley,” Coleman said speaking about the Granite Public Art Monument west of the St. Louis City SC stadium which memorializes the displaced residents.

Coleman and Koeltzow made clear that there’s a racial subtext to how government is run locally and federally in the U.S.

Koeltzow detailed how predominantly working-class Black women led the 1960s and 1970s affordable housing movements demanding an end to racialized poverty and an introduction of renter’s protection.

The movement culminated in the nation’s longest and largest housing strike.

“The most spectacular public housing strike was in St. Louis,” according to Digital Repository. “A rent increase, [which raised] rents for some up to 72% of their income, and [for] half of the 6,700 public housing families to over 25% of their income, was met with sharp opposition.

“Tenants began to organize. From Feb. 1969 through Oct. 1969, some 1,000 families (15-20%) withheld rent. The strike locked the rent to 25% percent of one’s income, [established] eviction rules, tenants right to counsel, better facilities and maintenance, 24hour security protection, and a tenant advisory board.”

A new challenge is understanding gentrification’s evolution. Today, it is not about highway construction or overpriced homes but, “convenient supercenters.”

“The idea of convenience and accepting community destruction for convenience falls under [urban renewal],” Koeltzow said. “We’ve all participated in it; it’s coded into the DNA of this country.”

In 1990, as part of the Lambert International Airport expansion, the city of St. Louis bought out many Kinloch properties which led to the relocation and displacement of 85% of its original population, according to kinlochmo. org.

The moderators also mentioned the history of civil disobedience in St. Louis and referenced St. Louis civil rights icon Percy Green. Green climbed the Gateway Arch in 1964 to protest hiring discrimination in the monument’s construction.

“If you engage in civil disobedi-

ence, it must do at least two things: One, convey the message. Two, bring pressure to those responsible for making change,” said Percy Green speaking with St. Louis Public Radio.

Two workshop attendees, sisters and Kirkwood students Myla Clincy, 16, and Ashley Clincy, 13, said they have attended the MHM MLK workshop annually since 2019. They said they first learned about Kinloch at the event.

The Clincy sisters said they have experienced countless uncomfortable race discussions and see Black students internalize racism and experience unconscious bias. They say they enjoy learning Black stories through conscious rap, but unfortunately, peers tend to focus heavily on “explicit” rap.

“More than one person died for all of us,” Myla said. “Rap could lead to us knowing more about Black people.”

The two emphasized feeling very underrepresented in their school. Myla’s social studies class has two

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Black people out of 21 students, and for Ashley there are three out of 21. Myla said she’ll use the workshop dialogue for her government class and asks if the teacher can incorporate some of the Black history events discussed during the workshop into the curriculum.

In school, Myla said she regularly hears white people use the n-word under the pretext of having Black friends or relatives. “They don’t understand the background, the boundaries,” Myla said. She intends to become a K-5 teacher and hopes to discuss inherent bias early on. “So, when we learn about gentrification, Black people won’t feel uncomfortable talking because everybody learned about it,” said Myla. Ashley said her inspiration is her former social studies teacher. “When we learned about slavery, I didn’t feel comfortable doing the assignment, so she gave me one on slaves breaking free,” Ashley said.

- Bernice A. King, MLK’s daughter, speaking at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Sisters Myla Clincy, 16, Ashley Clincy, 13, Kirkwood students at the Missouri History Museum’s MLK Day Youth Activism workshop on Jan. 14, 2022.

Photo by Isaiah Peters | St. Louis American

On Further Reflection Guest Editorial

A ‘piece of freedom’ is insufficient

Some historians mark the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s murder as the end of the civil rights movement. Over an arc of 14 years — from the 1954 Brown Decision to King’s death in 1968 — the nation attempted to address its racial caste system.

The same nation that launched a war on hunger and a war on poverty and pursued a Great Society, however, elected Ronald Reagan president just 12 years after King’s death and ushered in a new era of conservatism, bent on rolling back racial advancements and dismantling Great Society efforts.

This push and pull have resulted in the kind of gradualism and tokenism King warned about, especially the pantomime that passes for civil rights advancement efforts today. Until we do away with tokenism, the structures of privilege reflexively protecting status quo inequality will persist.

King tackled this issue in a 1962 speech, equating tokenism to stall tactics.

“A new and hastily constructed roadblock has appeared in the form of planned and institutionalized tokenism,” King said. “We have advanced in some places from all-out, unrestrained resistance to a sophisticated form of delaying tactics, embodied in tokenism.”

This stood as “one of the most difficult problems that the integration movement confronts,” he said.

“A piece of freedom,” King continued, “is no longer enough for human beings nor for the nation of which Negroes are part. They have been given pieces — but unlike bread, a slice of liberty does not finish hunger. Freedom is like life. It cannot be had in installments. Freedom is indivisible — we have it all or we are not free.”

Consider how the fight for equality has progressed in the past 60 years. Moving goal posts. Changing rules. Willful ignorance.

Incrementalism is resistance.

Integrate public pools, and then watch people fill them with cement and open private pools behind gates or walls in exclusive communities. Integrate public schools or a neighborhood, and watch people flee to suburbs and open private schools. Today, many legislatures continue to try funneling public money into those private schools.

Gain the right to vote, then watch politicians alter voting districts, demand birth certificates and rip out drop boxes.

On these issues, King reigns as a man who saw

tomorrow. What’s terrifying is how relentless this tokenism remains.

Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign comes to mind. Black conservatives often get trotted out to weigh in on racial issues that affect wide swaths of the Black citizenry, but those appointed spokespeople represent maybe 10 to 15 percent of that bloc.

That doesn’t make them illegitimate. They just aren’t at all representative of a preponderance of Black thought. Representative samples remain the norm, except here.

Such gradualism may prove dangerous. King warned of that in a separate speech, saying “this is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.”

We must call gradualism what it is: A struggle to maintain the right to deny people rights you enjoy. Gradualism means that you’ll get what I think you deserve when I’m comfortable.

King says as much in his book, “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?”

“Negroes have proceeded from the premise that equality means what it says, and they have taken white Americans at their word when they talk of it as an objective. But most whites in America … proceed from a premise that equality is a loose expression for improvement. White America is not even psychologically organized to close the gap — essentially, it seeks only to make it less painful, less obvious but in most respects, to retain it.”

It should startle us that someone with his capacity for patience and love arrived at this determination.

But considering the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, the wealth and opportunity hoarding, the cries of “I want my country back!” or “Make America great again (as the Ku Klux Klan once declared), the continued whitewashing of history, the increasing abandonment of democratic norms — was King wrong?

King was tired of tokenism more than 50 years ago. Shouldn’t we dispense with token efforts at achieving equality?

Let’s not overthink this. King has done the heavy lifting and thinking here: If you don’t want liberty for absolutely everyone, you don’t love liberty. You love your privilege.

Mark McCormick is the former executive director of The Kansas African American Museum. This article was originally published in the Missouri Independent.

Can America’s broken two-party system be fixed

By Janice Ellis

While our two-party system of government has never functioned perfectly, in recent years it has become more and more dysfunctional — not only in Washington but in many state houses.

Why?

Have both the Republican and Democratic parties been weakened and crippled by extreme ideological factions in their ranks? Has each party lost its core values and identity? For more than a decade, we have watched the increasing ineffectiveness of the two-party system play out with the lack of civility, cooperation and compromise.

We see it most prominently in the U.S. Congress. But the same is occurring in many state legislatures where the will of the public on issues — whether about sensible gun control measures, access to health care, immigration reform, increase in the minimum wage and myriad others — has been derailed by special interests and extreme voices.

While both parties from time to time appear to be on life-support after being commandeered and taken hostage by extreme elements, it certainly seems that the Republican Party wounds are deeper. The impact has been palpable during the last decade with the emergence of the tea party faction and other factions of the Republican Party, which are credited with playing a key role in getting Donald Trump elected president.

We gain more clarity when we take time to understand

the historical path of both parties and the stereotypes that have defined them, often dictating and determining our reactions and interactions.

If asked, how will you define the Republican Party? The Democratic Party?

With closer scrutiny, we discover that we use labels and stereotypes that put both parties in boxes that are no longer accurate, if they ever were.

For example: To which party would you ascribe such labels as conservative vs. liberal vs. moderate; far-right vs. far-left; rural leaning vs. urban; pro-law enforcement vs. anti-law enforcement; anti-minority rights vs. pro-majority rights; pro-immigration vs. anti-immigration reform?

While some of these labels or political positions may define the core leanings and values of the majority of one party more than the other, isn’t it more realistic that one will find many of these same positions in both parties to some degree?

What are the costs of painting either party blindly with a broad brush, and not appreciating the diverse composition that actually exists?

At a minimum, such closedmindedness fosters missed opportunities to find common ground to work together to achieve mutually beneficial

American hypocrisy is alive and well

I’m always amazed this time of year, during the birthday celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, a man who spoke so eloquently, that we Black Americans reference so little of his work.

A Black child born when his birthday was declared a national holiday will turn 40 this year. If they attended an annual MLK celebration every year since infancy, they’d be very aware of who Dr. King was but totally uniformed about who he is.

The real stumbling block in America is not its history of slavery or genocide, but a collective character flaw that’s a dominant trait of the American personality, hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy is defined as the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform. This character flaw as a cultural or societal trait makes it impossible to deal with any facts or circumstances that detract from the creation myth of America.

As we commemorate Dr. King’s birthday, I thought I’d write about American hypocrisy and a MLK speech that you’ve probably never heard of.

On May 10,1967 MLK gave a speech at the Hungry Club Forum. The Hungry Club Forum was an initiative of the Butler Street YMCA in Atlanta, and it was a place where sympathetic white politicians could meet with Black leaders.

Here’s what he said at the Hungry Club Forum, “We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are all tied together… you can’t really get rid of one with out getting rid of the others… America is a hypocritical nation and [we] must put [our] own house in order.”

This speech would be precursor of a speech he would give a week later at the University of California Berkeley, which would go down in history as America’s Chief Moral Dilemma. (Berkeley Speech https:// youtu.be/IAYGYmXOAyg).

The tragedy of the Berkeley speech is he could have given it last week, word for word.

The major reason we make a little incremental progress, followed by ballistic white backlash, is what I would dare say, the almost pathological hypocrisy of the American personali-

outcomes, especially when the issues are tough and the desired paths may seem diametrically opposed.

The question moving forward is: If our two-party system doesn’t continue to work sufficiently, what will replace it?

Few people expect smooth sailing, or to see the two parties locking arms and singing Kumbaya. But expecting them to work in earnest to govern and conduct the people’s business should be the norm, rather than anxiously awaiting for another disruptive deflection to win the day.

Where does a crisis between the two major parties leave the independents — the unaffiliated citizens — who would like to see a clear path of principles and policies to align with and support?

It is incumbent on all of us, whether affiliated with a party or not, to examine whether we have an accurate understanding of what each party truly stands for and how it operates.

We can no longer afford to follow or make decisions blindly in this season of partisan intra and inter upheaval and dysfunction. Let us examine the short-term and long-term motives and agendas of each party and the attending consequences.

Only then can we determine what and for whom each party is working and representing, and whether they deserved our support.

Janice Ellis has lived and worked in Missouri for more than three decades, analyzing educational, political, social and economic issues across race, ethnicity, age and socioeconomic status.

ty. The white American identity is built on a lie, or at best a half truth. Any historic claim against America that contradicts that identity, and challenges fragile White self-esteem, is always rejected out of hand.

Let’s talk about assets and liabilities. A balance sheet is divided into two parts: assets and liabilities. Assets are the resources a company owns, while liabilities are what a company owes. When you buy an operating company or inherit an equity interest in an operating company, you own the totality of the company, its assets, and its liabilities.

You don’t get to say I’ll take the assets, but not the liabilities. Any claims that were liabilities of the previous owner now belong to you. How they happened, the fact that you had nothing do with the transaction that created them doesn’t mitigate the fact that their now your liabilities, because it’s your company. I think this metaphor of the relationship of assets and liabilities to ownership is a useful way to understand the relationship of current citizens of the United States to the history of the country. And it explains why they don’t get to pick and choose the history they like. When you become a citizen of a country, by birth or petition, you acquire a heritage. The heritage is the full range of the inherited traditions, monuments, objects, and culture of that society. Its entire history, the good, the bad and the ugly.

This heritage is not a gift, it’s an entitlement by virtue of your citizenship. No one can take it from you, and you can’t give it back, unless you renounce your citizenship. It’s your claim on your country’s assets, and your country’s liabilities claim on you. Like the new or present owner of a company, you are now the beneficiary of the assets and responsible for the liabilities. I would also use this meta-

Letter to the editor

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phor to contextualize Dr. King’s speech at the Lincoln Memorial (the beginning, I’ll leave that improvise close to the African American Rodney King Caucus).

He began the speech by saying, “When the architects of our great republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.

This note was a promise that all men, yes, Black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…” He continues to explain why he and a quarter of a million others are in DC that hot August day.

“It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note as far as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given its colored people a bad check, a check that has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’.” Dr. King didn’t come to Washington to make a monetary claim, he was there to collect on a moral obligation and the moral check he was trying to cash in 1963 is still bouncing in 2023.

How does all this end?

Here’s what one of America’s Founders thought of the new country’s moral trajectory. In Notes on the State of Virginia, written 180 years before King’s speech, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever...”

I don’t subscribe to any religious dogmas, but I don’t believe the universe is random either. Here’s what I do believe. There is always a time when all outstanding liabilities come due, and the United States will one day need Black Americans to extend it credit to stay in business.

When that time comes here’s what I believe that generation will say. “The ancestors left specific instructions, because of your history we’re not to extend you credit. They also said when you ask, we are to say, ‘Can’t do it, Sally,’ a Godfather reference, and you know what that means.”

All letters are edited for length and style

As the region’s leading media source for the African-American community, at The St. Louis American we want to hear from you. To send a Letter to the Editor, please send to: editor@stlamerican.com. To submit a free People on the Move listing in our Business section, please send photo and write up to: kjones@ stlamerican.com. To submit a Business Brief or Community Brief, please send to: editor@stlamerican.com. For information on obituaries and in memoriams, please send to: ahouston@stlamerican.com.

Columnist Mike Jones

Columnist Janice Ellis

MLBC salutes MLK in Capitol Rotunda

St. Louis American staff

State Sen. Barbara Anne Washington, D-Kansas City, cited why the state’s 102nd General Assembly in Jefferson City is historic during the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 11, 2023.

For the first time in its history, Missouri has five Black senators, she told an audience including fellow legislators. Joining Washington are Democratic Sens. Karla May, St. Louis; Angela Mosley, St. Louis County; Steven Roberts, St. Louis; and Brian Williams, St. Louis County.

“Each January, we set aside time to remember Dr. King’s commitment, passion, wisdom, determination, and grace in his mission to empower the Black American community,” said state Rep. Marlene Terry, Caucus chair.

“We’re proud to honor his life and legacy once again ahead of the national holiday that recognizes his accomplishments for the people of this nation.”

The “Keeping the Dream” celebration featured a keynote address from Missouri Supreme Court Judge Robin Ransom, the first Black woman to serve on that bench.

Ransom shared her father’s story, which included his serving 30 years with the St. Louis Fire Department and watching white firefighters with less experience receive promotions to supervisory roles.

She said he shared his thoughts about the department with the family.

“He wanted us to understand why he stayed on the job. He never missed a day. He never called in sick. He never went to work late,” Ransom said.

The event included performances by the Lincoln University Dance Troupe directed by Theressa Ferguson, and the Jewell and Converted gospel choir.

Prayers for the year ahead

By Marian Wright Edelman

2023 is a special year for the Children’s Defense Fund—the 50th anniversary of CDF’s founding. Once again, I begin the year sharing prayers for the work ahead as we remain determined to stand for children and to leave no child behind.

We pray and stand for children who need our voice.

We pray and stand for children blessed by parents who care and for children without a parent or anyone who cares at all.

We pray and stand for children filled with joy and for children whose days and nights are joyless. We pray and stand for children with hope and for children without hope whose spirits have been dimmed and dashed.

We pray and stand for children high on play, study, and laughter and for children high on opioids and cocaine.

We pray and stand for children for whom we pray every day and for children who have no one to pray them along life’s way.

We pray and stand for children poised by circumstance to soar and conquer life’s challenges and for children bogged down by hunger, homelessness, violence, and miseducation and struggling so hard to survive.

We pray and stand for children who love to read and for children who can’t read at all, for children who learn with excitement and for children told by adults they cannot achieve.

We pray and stand for children who we expect to do well and for children whom no one believes in or helps succeed.

We pray for parents, grandparents, teachers, preachers, and political and community leaders that we will be a help and not a hindrance for children we call our own and for all the children God created who are part of our family too.

O God, forgive and transform our rich nation where small babies die of cold quite legally.

O God, forgive and transform our rich nation where small children suffer from hunger quite legally.

O God, forgive and transform our rich nation where toddlers and schoolchildren die from guns sold quite legally.

O God, forgive and transform our rich nation that lets children be the poorest group of citizens quite legally.

O God, forgive and transform our rich nation that lets the rich continue to get more at the expense of the poor quite legally.

O God, forgive and transform our rich and powerful nation which thinks security rests in missiles and bombs rather than in mothers and in babies.

O God, forgive and transform our rich nation for not giving You sufficient thanks by giving to others their daily bread.

O God, help us never to confuse what is quite legal with what is just and right in Your sight. Help us to stand together to make America just and right for all Your children.

Help us recover our hope for our children’s sake.

Help us recover our courage for our children’s sake.

Help us to recover our discipline for our children’s sake.

Help us to recover our ability to work together for our children’s sake.

Help us to recover our values for our children’s sake.

Help us to recover a spirit of sacrifice for our children’s sake.

Help us to recover our faith in Thee for our children’s sake.

Dear God, thank you for the gift of a new year to serve You help me to talk right help me to walk right help me to see right help me to feel right help me to do right in Your sight.

The Jewell and Converted choir performed during the 2023 Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Program in the state Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 20234.

Photo by Travis Zimpfer / House Democratic Caucus

Marian Wright Edelman

Continued from A1

A former CVPA graduate forced his way into the school, and killed Bell and 61-year-old teacher Jean Kuczka.

Dozens of former students, parents, and supporters greeted students arriving, some before 7 a.m. Smiles mostly replaced tears, and hugs were shared.

“It felt like the CVPA way today, the way we do business,” Kacy Shahid, CVPA principal said after the school day ended.

“It was a productive day. I feel like everyone was in good spirits. We had smooth transitions.”

Shahid said she is “focusing on the mental health of the students and staff.”

“It was good having counselors available. We had some good connections made with the therapists who were here. I feel really good about the support we have received.” This week and next the school will be holding half-day

Donald

Continued from A1

than one example of displaying both of these gifts, but the basics must be told.

A son of parents (Hilda Aline Melancon Donald and Warren Joseph Donald Sr.) who had never completed a high school education in a segregated New Orleans, as a Black teenager he declared that he would one day become a general manager at a Fortune 50 science-based global company. Then he did just that, working his way up from intern to many years of leadership positions at Monsanto Company, now Bayer. In more than 20 years at Monsanto he served as a corporate senior vice-president, president of the consumer and nutrition sector, and president of the agricultural sector (the company’s most profitable).

And, as a longtime board member of Carnival Corporation, in 2013 he moved

from the consultant role of board oversight to operations chief as president and CEO just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic, which might as well have been designed to destroy the cruise industry, where people congregate closely in indoor spaces for lengthy vacations (with the occasional foray onto deck and to the shore). As someone much better known in the world’s board rooms than its living rooms, Donald suddenly found himself in the global news spotlight in his navigation of Carnival, the world’s largest cruise operator, through the pandemic, given that health protocols intended to protect the public also threatened to strangle his company and its entire industry. Not that someone with a compassionate and ultimately global outlook like Donald would take something like a pandemic personally, but it was quite a gut punch for someone who had been succeeding spectacularly in his new role. During Donald’s tenure as CEO, Carnival’s

sessions “as students adapt to being in school again.”

“This is a really special day for the entire district,” said

stock price had nearly doubled, reaching an all-time high of $72.70 per share in January 2018, a moment in time when “COVID” was meaningless and pandemics a subject for history books.

It’s difficult to count how many corporate boards Donald was on when he was steering Carnival through the public health crisis. From leadership roles at Monsanto, he assumed the top job of chairman of Merisant Company, a company he helped form that manufactures global sweetener brands such as Equal and Canderel. Given that sugar substitutes are attractive options for diabetics, among others, it makes sense that he moved on to president and CEO of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, the world’s largest charitable funder of diabetes research.

Immediately before taking the helm at Carnival, he served as president and CEO of theExecutive Leadership Council, a professional network and leadership forum for African-

George Sells, SLPS director of communications and marketing.

“The amount of work required, the persistence of

American executives of Fortune 500 companies.

For this dizzying array of accomplishments, Donald, who turned 68 on December 17, will be honored as the Lifetime Achiever in Business at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2023 Salute to Excellence in Business awards and networking luncheon on Thursday, February 16.

“St. Louis is fortunate to have had for so many years someone like Arnold Donald who has excelled as a global corporate leader and community servant,” said Donald M. Suggs, president of the St. Louis American Foundation.

Washington University in St. Louis first brought Donald to St. Louis in 1975 as a student in its Dual Degree Engineering Program. That was part of his long preparation for becoming the leader of a Fortune 50 science-based global company, since he reckoned that pursuing two distinct degrees would improve his chances of acceptance to an elite-level business program.

Kacy Shahid, CVPA principal said Tuesday’s return of students to the high school “felt like the CVPA way today, the way we do business,” and that included dance classes and other subjects.

those involved, and of course the bravery and perseverance of our students and staff who were present for the tragedy of

That became manifest with his acceptance into the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he earned an M.B.A. in finance and international business while also starting his long climb at Monsanto Company.

Donald continues to serve his alma mater as a member of the Washington University Board of Trustees since 2011. He has served even longer (since 1995) on the Board of Trustees of another alma mater, Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. His other current board posts span the elite local non-profit (Missouri Botanical Garden) and global corporate (Bank of America Corporation) sectors. He has been married for nearly 50 years to Hazel Alethea Roberts, whom he met touring the campus of Carleton College before attending the school. They are parents of two daughters, Radiah Alethea and Alicia Aline, and one son, Stephen Zachary. They also have six grandchildren. In addition to

October 24th should stand as examples for everyone,” said Sells.

He called Tuesday’s return “just one step on a long journey.”

“We will continue doing all we can to meet every member of our CVPA family ‘where they are’ in the recovery process. Whether it’s a counselor, a therapist or a virtual option for school, we will continue to meet those needs as they move past this terrible trauma,” Sells said.

With students returning to school, and full-day classes nearing, Acres said people can gain strength from her daughter.

“I would just want everybody, when you start to feel overwhelmed, to take a breath and just keep Alex in the forefront of your mind,” Acres said.

“And when you feel like you want to give up — don’t. And the biggest thing is, do it because she can’t.”

St. Louis, the Donalds also call Miami home.

Keith Alper, chairman and CEO of The Nitrous Effect, a group of marketing agencies, has known Donald for over 25 years, first, as fellow members of Young Presidents Organization and by serving Donald as a client.

“The amazing thing about Arnold is his vast and rich experience, knowledge, and global network. I always admired that Arnold would be so comfortable and take time for everyone from a waiter on a ship to a global leader,” Alper said.

“He is truly interested in the people he meets. He is an incredibly smart, dynamic, and successful business leader who has had an extremely high profile as a Fortune 500 CEO, yet he is very approachable. He cares deeply about the people and communities where he lives and works, and he uses his time and talents to make a difference.”

Photo courtesy of SLPS

Continued from A1

Mayor Tishaura Jones said the battle for economic and social justice continues.

“At the time, [the Scott’s] fight was mocked, and derided,” Jones said.

“Dr. King was too. His ideas were deemed too radical. And even today, [there are] those who try to wash away Dr. King’s idea of service for their own regressive agendas.”

Cori Bush said Dr. King was “demonized” for standing up for the poor and disenfranchised.

“It’s that same legacy of dehumanization, discrimination and white supremacy that Dr. King and so many others fought so hard to defeat. It’s the same one that we fight now.”

Later Monday, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis held a food giveaway, heeding MLK’s vision of every American taking part in volunteerism and community service.

Mike McMillan, Urban League president and CEO, said

Bush

Continued from A1

Voters, Bush added, realized more things they valued were at stake, not just abortions.

“Yes, it was about abortion, but people pushed it further, thinking, ‘OK, I’m standing to make sure people have a right to govern their own bodies but also if we allow this to happen, what comes next? Will there be bans on contraception or marriage equality or interracial marriage?’”

Bush said attacks on voters’ rights also played a role in the GOP’s under-performance in the midterm elections and will be an issue in the 2024 elections.

“People saw suppression happening. It was an acrossthe-board movement,” she asserted. “What we were able to do was help people see that whatever their reason was at the moment, protecting your rights, your freedoms were on the ballot.”

Part of Bush’s optimism about the next two years of governance is based on what she’s observed on the other side of the political aisle. Trump’s election denialism, antics of MAGA extremists like U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz will lead to a productive next two years for Democrats, she said.

“What you’ve seen on TV is

vehicles began lining up at 6 a.m., “demonstrating there is a tremendous need that needs to be filled.”

Along with the food giveaway, there was a clean-up effort on Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.

James Clark, Urban League Public Safety Vice President, said Dr. King would want Black people to examine their own shortcomings when it comes to safety and education.

“Dr. King was fighting external things, things that were being done to us. There is an internal crisis that we have been ignoring,” he said.

“If alive today, he would say we must stop killing each other. We must stop disrespecting each other.’

Clark said external forces hinder the Black community’s progress and are as powerful as they were when King were alive.

Crime, violence, the breakdown of the family. Yes, there reasons adding to these problems that we did not create. It’s not all our fault, but it is our responsibility.

A cold morning could not

who they are. They’re talking about impeaching President Biden and investigating Hunter Biden’s laptop. They keep talking about things like ‘replacement theory’ where Black and brown people are replacing whites in this country. We know these folks are full of hate.

“So,” Bush continued, “we get to investigate all those things. We’re going to challenge it, uncover the untruths and be able to really galvanize and mobilize folks to see what’s really happening with that leadership.”

Interestingly, Bush defined the Democrats’ minority role in the House as a powerful place to dispel GOP conspiracy theories and disinformation.

“Now that we are in the minority, we get to showcase even more how, with their failed leadership, they can’t govern. We get to show how all they really want to do is push forward this white supremacist agenda that props up a Donald Trump presidency. We get to show how his supporters are moving up into these seats of power on local, state, and federal levels all across the country. We get to uncover all the lies, the disinformation and misinformation that they’re putting out.”

Democrats have already started stressing the hypocrisies of the GOP’s proposed rules package. For example, Republican’s claim that they want to address government

chill the warmth spread at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commencement Program and Peace March in Fountain Park on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.

Fountain Park is the site of the only statue in tribute to King in the state of Missouri.

Hosted by Centennial Christian Church and the Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the event was celebrating its sixth anni-

spending and the national debt.

Yet, the so-called “Family and Small Business Protection Act” which will rescind $72 billion of the $80 billion for the IRS is estimated to raise the deficit by more than $114 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Those numbers plus the fact that McCarthy made a significant concession that allows one member of Congress to remove him as speaker will breed division and confusion on any legislative action, Bush said.

“The possibility of there being disarray or chaos in the House over this issue is a very real thing, especially considering that one person can expel the speaker of the House. And keep in mind, the first thing they decided to do was give tax breaks to the wealthy.”

The GOP’s call for a select subcommittee on the “weaponization of the federal government” is but another issue Bush said Democrats will counter with facts. The proposal, she said, is in direct response to House resolution (HR 25) that calls for the investigation and expulsion of any member of Congress who “participated, aided or abetted the violent insurrection.”

“Many of us on the Democratic side call it the ‘Insurrection Protection Committee,’” Bush said with a laugh. “And that’s what it is. You have members of Congress who want to get at information to make sure they or their

versary.

“Dr. King was in these neighborhoods. This is why this statue is in Fountain Park,” said 18th Ward Committee Person Yolanda Yancie.

“We must continue as individuals to uplift him and his memory.”

Mayor Jones said, “Dr. King looked out for those with the least.”

“Dr. King fought for a mini-

friends aren’t investigated so they won’t end up in prison.

“I find this attack on the FBI and the DOJ interesting because it comes from the same people who say they support law enforcement, but they also want to defund the FBI.”

After defining the oversight committee proposal as a “political stunt,” Bush said she’s looking forward to debating it and genuinely examining how the federal government “has actually, historically and systematically been weaponized against black and brown communities,” not white, violent right-wingers.

Bush suspected Rep. Greene would be able to join the House Oversight Committee as part of her deal in endorsing Kevin McCarthy as Speaker. Greene, Bush stressed, “She’s spoken out quite a bit about those in prison from charges related to the January 6th insurrection. She’s talked about how they’ve

The Annual Martin Luther King Jr. March took a new route this year that mainly went up Washington Avenue to Grand Blvd. to the Sun Theatre from the Old Court House on Jan. 16, 2023.

Alderman, said King never stopped fighting for the poor and working-class people. He was in Memphis on April 4, 1968 in support of sanitation workers seeking a livable wage when he was assassinated.

“Dr. King fought for poor people, and we have to keep fighting. As long as I have breath, I will keep fighting,” he said.

Michael L. Ferrer, the 65th president of the 103-year-old Epsilon Lambda Chapter, cited the event’s 2023 theme “Dismantling Hate by Promoting Hope,” as he said supporting Black youths is paramount.

mum basic income. This is why [my administration] is using our dollars in neighborhoods that have not been invested in, in decades.”

Jones reminded the group of more than 100 attendees that community support should not end after the MLK Weekend.

“Make sure you are doing your part to lift up Dr. King’s legacy,” she said. Jesse Todd, 18th Ward

been unfairly imprisoned and how she wants prison reform and all those things.”

Bush said she plans to use Greene’s rhetoric as they engage on the “weaponization of the federal government” issue.

“So now we’ll be able to directly speak to one another and. For me, the forefront of those conversations will be white supremacy and racism. She (Greene) upholds it and wants to see it increase.”

As of now, Bush said McCarthy has shown no indication of kicking her off the House Judiciary or Oversight Committees.

“Speaker McCarthy hasn’t alluded to that at all,” Bush affirmed. “Also, I know that the Black Caucus and Minority leader (Hakeem) Jeffries are working hard to keep me on those committees. Now, what happens later on-as I’m on

“It is our job to help raise up the youth so they can continue to be safe and whole. It was always the youth that would come out after adults were arrested [for demonstrations in the South.]

“Many were too young for jail and were held in farm fields.”

Following the ceremony, a one-mile march was held on the streets of the Fountain Park neighborhood.

those committees, speaking truth to power-we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Although it was bipartisan yet dominated by Democrats, Bush believes the House Select Committee convened to Investigate the January 6th attacks influenced voters and impacted the midterm election results. That sort of informational fact-based tool, she emphasized, will serve Democrats well up until the 2024 elections.

“If and when we’re able to take the majority back and hold the senate in 2014, we will be able to do so much more,” Bush said, adding, “We can use this time to prepare, so in 2025 when the president, vice president and new Congress is sworn in, we’ll be ready and able to take care of the people of this country who have the greatest need.”

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

We got nothing coming

did not vote for him?

Redistricting robs ESL of state House seat

For nearly a half century Black Democrats from East St. Louis have owned the IL District 114 House Seat. The late Rep. Wyvetter Younge held the office from 1975-2008. The late Eddie Lee Jackson, Sr. was Younge’s successor and Rep. LaToya Greenwood has held the office since 2017. That all ended recently following the redistricting and redrawn election map for District 114, which led to the defeat of Greenwood by Republican Kevin Schmidt of Millstadt, Illinois. And despite Schmidt receiving only 197 votes from East St. Louis to Greenwood’s 4,990, Schmidt won with an overall vote of 19,233 to Greenwood’s 17,177.

Of course, Schmidt said the politically correct thing, that “I plan on working and speaking with the people there and hearing out what they need…” Yeah, right! That’s called rhetoric versus reality.

Realistically, I don’t possess enough expletives in my vocabulary to express just how screwed ESL is when it comes to Schmidt’s election.

So, this begs the question can a Republican from a white rural community like Millstadt represent a Black urban community of Democrats like East St. Louis which, by and large,

partner that brought him to the party.

Columnist James T. Ingram

Elections matter, folks and East Boogie has nothing coming from Mr. Schmidt because I assure you that, as a politician, he’s dancing with the political

That’s despite the littleknown fact that Millstadt, IL does have more Black residents than East St. Louis; approximately 29,000 versus 18,469, to be exact. Unfortunately, many of Millstadt’s Black residents happen to be permanent occupants of Sunset Garden of Memory Cemetery and don’t require much in the way of politics! The sad reality for area Democrats is that the redistricting, which critics refer to as “gerrymandering,” led to Greenwood’s midterm

defeat. But state Democratic leaders allowed the district map to be redrawn and approved. It was signed by Governor Pritzker, despite the knee-jerk allegiance that East St. Louis voters have shown to the state Democratic party.

Yet, Greenwood issued the perplexing statement that “Under the new map, I believe the 114th District will remain a strong district for AfricanAmerican representation in Springfield and would not have supported the map if I believed otherwise.”

To Rep. Greenwood I say that sometimes in politics you’ve just got to admit that you got played and learn from your lapse in judgement or naivete.

Schmidt, a chiropractor by profession, claims that he’ll establish a traveling district office to enable his constituents to meet with him regarding their concerns. Sounds good in an evasive sort of way. I say to East Boogie, good luck with that. You’d probably fair better scheduling a chiropractic appointment and discussing your political concerns as he cracks your back. But we shall see, and I plan to monitor Schmitt’s rhetoric versus our reality.

Email: jtingram_1960@ yahoo.com Twitter@ JamesTIngram

A class in prosecutorial corruption

The Honorable David C. Mason made the wise decision last month to allow Lamar Johnson’s hearing to be livestreamed. The world got a ring-side seat to the prosecutorial corruption rampant in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office during the years of the crack-cocaine epidemic. This was a time when racking up convictions by any means necessary reigned supreme, and the incestuous relationship between police and prosecutors went unchecked.

The Johnson wrongful conviction case is historic on several levels. The main one being it was the first case heard in St. Louis under new legislation that empowers local prosecutors to re-open languishing innocence cases. A successful grassroots movement pushed for the passage of legislation to right this wrong.

Lamar Johnson has been incarcerated since 1995 for the murder of his friend Marcus Boyd. He has proclaimed his innocence since his arrest and gathered many believers along the way. Most notable were the Midwest Innocence Project and Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. New evidence was discovered, and the Circuit Attorney sought to have Johnson’s sentence vacated in 2019. Sadly, the case got lost in a quagmire of legal technicalities that basically said Gardner didn’t have the authority to intervene in the old case. Eric Schmitt, Missouri Attorney General at the time and with higher political ambitions, reveled at the smack-down. Though both prosecutors, Schmitt and Gardner were miles apart in their application

of law. What was learned from the hearing was that Lamar Johnson was convicted on the testimony of Greg Elking who repeatedly testified he felt coerced and “bullied” by police to finger Johnson. The murder of Boyd was committed at night in an area with no streetlights by two assailants in dark clothes and masks that only had the eyes cut out. Further, two men confessed to the killing of Boyd. Phillip Campbell pleaded guilty after Johnson’s trial and got a seven-year sentence. Johnson had received life without the possibility of parole. James Howard was never charged with the murder but admitted his involvement under oath at the hearing.

During the hearing, Judge Mason often asked his own questions, probing for clarity and facts. He chastised both prosecutors for leading and vague questioning. And he was particularly demanding of Joseph Nickerson, the homicide detective on the case, and thenassistant prosecutor Dwight Warren. Both had to admit they had no evidence against Johnson and had relied heavily on Elking’s testimony. It was abundantly clear from the testimonies that the police investigation was shoddy, and that the prosecutor’s office engaged in unethical and probably illegal conduct.

There were many victims of the Circuit Attorney’s office during the 1990s who were either wrongfully convicted or who received harsh and unreasonable sentences. The cases from this period need to be thoroughly reviewed and judiciously expedited. Justice denied is always justice delayed.

The Lamar Johnson case is just the tip of the iceberg of what I describe as the criminality of the justice system. Millions of taxpayer dollars squandered, many lives ruined, the loss of confidence in a system sworn to uphold the law. It’s no wonder why voters believed the whole damn system was guilty as hell and were absolutely driven to bring credibility and professionalism to the Circuit Attorney’s office by electing and re-electing Kim Gardner.

The Lamar Johnson hearing will be preserved on the KSDK YouTube channel long after Judge Mason’s ruling. The hearings are mandatory viewing in the class syllabus for St. Louis prosecutorial corruption. For those in the courtroom, it will be memorable week that exposed the naked corruption of a wicked system that failed to protect citizens and seek justice.

The best way to hold the system accountable is to make sure the public knows who these culprits are and what they’ve done in our name. The cases handled by corrupt prosecutors such as Dwight Warren and Nels Moss must be revisited and given the scrutiny they deserve.

Cousin of BLM founder dies after police encounter

Isaiah Peters

The St. Louis

American

A Los Angeles Police Department officer repeatedly tased Keenan Anderson, a cousin of Black Lives Matter cofounder Patrisse Cullors, who died later that day, January 3, from cardiac arrest. Anderson was a 31-year-old Black father and English teacher.

He died approximately fourand-a-half hours after being taken into custody, and the ambulance transferred him to a Santa Monica hospital, Los Angeles Police Department Captain Kelly Muñiz said. No cause of death was reported in the autopsy.

Anderson’s death is the third encounter with the city police department involving Black and brown men that resulted in death in less than a week. Other deaths by the city force include the shooting deaths of Oscar Sanchez, 35, and Takar Smith, 45.

The police department claimed they approached Anderson between 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm at the intersection of Venice Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard on January 3 for “running in the middle of the street and exhibiting erratic behavior.” The department said motorists claim Anderson attempted to carjack somebody and might have caused a car crash.

According to edited released police body-cam footage, Anderson initially follows directives and sits down. As more police arrive, he attempts to flee by jogging into the street and ignores further directives. When police attempted to restrain Anderson in the middle of the road, telling him to “Relax,” Anderson said, “Please” and “Help” and “They’re trying to George Floyd me!” Another offi-

cer with his elbow across Anderson’s throat threatens to tase him if he does not flip onto his stomach. The officer tased him twice for 30 seconds uninterrupted, then for five more seconds.

The officers eventually place ankle hobbles on Anderson and handcuff him.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the incidents were “deeply disturbing” and called for all the officers involved in the three separate incidents to be “placed on immediate leave.”

Police chief Michel Moore claimed Anderson committed a felony hit-and-run in a traffic collision, then attempted to flee by trying to “get into another person’s car without their permission.”

The L.A. fire department personnel gave Anderson medical care at the scene. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office conducts independent toxicology tests and reports and according to the police department, a preliminary toxicologyblood screen of Anderson’s blood samples tested positive for cocaine and marijuana.

“Keenan deserves to be alive

Keenan Anderson, a cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, died January 3 from cardiac arrest after after being tased by the police. Anderson was a 31-year-old Black father and English teacher.

right now,” Cullors said. “His child deserves to be raised by his father. Keenan, we will fight for you and all our loved ones impacted by state violence.”

“My cousin was asking for help, and he didn’t receive it,” Cullors said. She explained, “He was scared for his life. He spent the last 10 years witnessing a movement challenging the killing of black people … he knew what was at stake and was trying to protect himself. Nobody was willing to protect him.”

Anderson taught 10th-grade English at Digital Pioneers Academy, a Washington D.C. majority-Black public charter school.

“The details of his death are as disturbing as they are tragic,” Mashea Ashton, CEO and founder of Digital Pioneers Academy, said. “Keenan was a committed educator and father of a six-year-old son. He was beloved by all.”

“Our community is grieving. But we’re also angry. Once again, a member of our community is no longer with us. Another talented, beautiful black soul is gone too soon,”

Enhance the fundamentals of financial learning for your kids with these fun and free resources. Call (314) 317-6940 or email Bud@stifelbank.com or to request copies. TEACHERS:

TEACHERS: Ask

Columnist Jamala Rogers

“Taking Care of You”

Medicaid eligibility enrollment is no longer guaranteed

The battle to first secure Medicaid expansion, then protect it from GOP legislative assaults has raged for years, including this Jan. 7, 2015 “die in” at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City. Medicaid eligibility renewals will resume on April 1, and recipients could be removed from rolls if current information is not updated.

State can remove recipients after April 1

By Clara Bates Missouri Independent

Missouri’s social services department will resume conducting Medicaid eligibility

Treatment options examined

By JoAnn Weaver For The St. Louis American

Out of 20 years of literature regarding menopause symptoms, only 17 academic papers explore how this condition affects Black women, according to Dr. Makeba Williams, a Washington University physician who specializes in OB/ GYN with expertise in menopause care.

“We embarked upon this review of the literature to better understand the African American woman’s experience in menopause,” Dr. Williams said. “There has been much written of late about how Black women are doing in regards to their maternal health, and yet we know that life doesn’t stop just after you have a baby.”

Dr. Williams published a literature review of

renewals on April 1 — allowing the state to again remove people from its rolls after a three-year pause during the COVID-19 state of emergency.

Since March 2020, states have been barred from removing enrollees from Medicaid during the federally declared public health emergency in exchange for enhanced federal funds, except in narrow instances, such as in the case the participant moved out of state or requested their coverage be terminated.

Previously, states had been required to renew the eligibility of each participant,

typically annually. A provision in the federal spending package passed last month set the April 1, 2023, date for states to begin conducting redeterminations, regardless of when the public health emergency ends. Missouri will conduct renewals over the course of a year.

The enhanced federal funds will be gradually phased down, with several standards states must meet in the process of conducting eligibility redeterminations.

A positive outlook for the field of medicine

By Dr. Kenneth Poole

n This academic year, total medical school enrollment is close to 1,000,000 students, which is 17.8% higher than a decade ago.

Let me first state that burnout amongst health workers is real and threatens the stability of our nation’s healthcare system. We continue to need solutions that protect, support, and empower our clinical workforce both now and in the future. The longterm viability of the system depends on it. That said, doctors are generally not leaving the field of medicine, and in fact, the future outlook appears quite bright. In 2021, applications to US medical schools saw a record increase, and acceptances and enrollment followed suit. The trend continued in 2022, with applicant increases again considerably higher than 2020 and slightly more newly enrolled students than 2021. This academic year, total medical school enrollment is close to 1,000,000 students, which is 17.8% higher than a decade ago. As the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) president and CEO David J. Skorton was quoted in a recent press release, “students considering a career in medicine continue to answer the call to service.” 2021’s firstyear medical school class was also more diverse than ever before, with those self-identified as Black or African American increasing by 21.0% from 2020, followed by increases of 8.3% among Asian students and 7.1% among those of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin per the AAMC. In 2022, there were similar increases, and more Blacks and Latinos are in medical school than anytime in US history. It should also be pointed out that for the fourth year in a row, women outpaced men for applications, matriculation, and total enrollment at 53.8% of all medical

New menopause research centers on Black women

African American women’s experiences in menopause in the journal, “Menopause.” She and the review team determined that African American women have more menopausal symptoms and experience them for more years than compared to white women.

“My co-authors and I reviewed more than 20 years of literature to understand how black women were expressing their symptoms, what their experience was in menopause, and what we found is that there are a whole variety of symptoms that women experience but may experience them differently than how white women or other racial and ethnic minority women experience,” Williams said.

highlights the question of how treatment options are discussed or offered to African American women, according to a statement.

African American women are half as likely as white women to use hormone therapy to manage their menopausal symptoms, which

“I think what was really striking is that we know that for some of the more bothersome symptoms and complaints that are often expressed, hot flashes and night sweats, Black women experience them longer,” Williams said. The average duration or median duration for these symptoms is about 10 years versus White women who experience them 6.5 years, according to the OB/GYN doctor.

“In addition to having a longer duration, there’s a higher prevalence, so about an 80% prevalence amongst Black women,” she said. “When we rate how bothersome they are, Black women would say that they are experiencing them more severely.”

Dr. Williams determined that African

American women experience distinct differences in physical, psychological, social, and quality of life measures during menopause.

“Overall, this tends to lead to a poor quality of life and poorer health status, so this becomes pretty problematic as we also found that African American women are less likely to be offered treatment for these menopausal symptoms,” she said.

“There is a complex interplay there, so we reviewed both quantitative data and qualitative data. I really want to drive home that there is a complex interplay because we certainly don’t want to blame this lack of treatment on African American women, but how African American women might approach this period, or how they think about their symptoms may be very different.”

According to the data, African, African American women are less likely to initiate discus-

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

See MEDICAID, A13

See POOLE, A13

Dr. Kenneth Poole

Dr. Makeba Williams

By Alexa Spencer Word In Black

Exposure to racism and other stressors increase the risk for depression in Black folks and other people of color. But for Black women — who are impacted by racism, sexism, and other forms oppression — their depressive symptoms appear differently than other groups and may go overlooked by doctors.

A Dec. 2022 paper published in Nursing Research revealed that Black women are less likely to report stereotypical symptoms of depression such as sadness or hopelessness. Instead, they’re noting trouble sleeping, selfcriticism, irritability, and an inability to experience pleasure.

This discovery — made by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and Columbia University School of Nursing — could mean Black women aren’t getting the mental health care they need.

“Taking Care of You”

Black women’s depression can be overlooked by doctors

Some symptoms unique to African American women

“Based on our findings, it’s possible that health care providers may miss depression symptoms in Black women, resulting in underdiagnosis and undertreatment,” Nicole Perez, Ph.D., RN, a psychiatricmental health nurse practitioner and postdoctoral associate at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and the lead author of the study, said in a statement. Depression is a serious mental illness that can impact how a person feels, thinks, or acts. It can also lead to emotional and physical problems that make it difficult to function at work or at home.

The illness is diagnosed by providers based on symptoms reported by patients during an evaluation. Some other symptoms that are considered common include low mood, loss of interest in activities, and changes in appetite or sleep. While there are “common” symptoms, the reality is that depression appears uniquely for everyone.

With over 1,500 possible

necessary information to staff to allow for more ex-parte renewals.

Medicaid participants in the state should “keep an eye out for an official letter from the Family Support Division” acting Department of Social Services Director Robert Knodell said in a press release last week, adding: “We cannot stress enough how imperative it is to make sure your address is up to date before April 1.”

States are required to attempt to renew participants’ eligibility automatically, which are called “ex-parte” renewals, before contacting enrollees to complete forms or documentation themselves. Ex-parte renewals use existing databases to confirm details like participants’ income and assets.

Missouri has used this streamlined renewal process at a low rate, which has placed increased importance on families receiving the mailed letters and returning required materials before their deadlines. In January 2020, Missouri was one of seven states that processed fewer than 25% of renewals automatically In January 2022, Missouri was one of just eight states that was not processing ex-parte renewals — many states processed them during the pandemic even though they couldn’t remove anyone, so as to reduce the backlog when verifications would resume. Social services leadership has said the department is working on expanding data sources to provide the

In an email to the Independent, Department of Social Services spokesperson Heather Dolce said Family Support Division is “currently in development to automate access to electronic data that will be used in the ex-parte process” and that it “should be complete by April 1.”

Director of Family Support Division Kim Evans said in an August MO Healthnet meeting that the number of people who fall on and off Medicaid due to procedural issues, referred to as churn, will decline once they introduce more automated verification.

“A lot of churn happens because individuals do not get the information back to us,” she said.

It is not yet clear what portion of renewals the social services department expects to be completed on this streamlined, automated basis.

National studies have found that many of those who lose Medicaid coverage during the unwind period will remain eligible but will be dropped off the rolls due to administrative issues. A federal projection released last summer estimated around 45% of those disenrolled from Medicaid once the continuous coverage provision is lifted will still be eligible but will be disenrolled because of procedural reasons, such as missing documents or forms.

Missouri has been singledout for its bureaucratic hurdles to renewal in years past.

In 2019, the state came

A recent study concludes that health care providers may miss depression symptoms in Black women, resulting in underdiagnosis and undertreatment.

combinations of symptoms that meet the criteria for a depressive disorder, it’s not unusual for it to be

undertreated.

But with most research on symptom variation having been conducted on white people,

it makes it even more likely that depression will be missed among Black women and other people of color.

Black women are particularly at risk for major depressive disorder — or clinical depression — due to them bearing societal burdens of poverty, single parenthood, and racial and gender discrimination.

The researchers examined data from 227 Black women who were screened for depression as part of the Intergenerational Impact of Pscycholgical and Genetic Factors on Blood Pressure (InterGen) study — a study that sought to understand the genetics, psychological, and environmental factors that contribute to high blood pressure in Black mothers and children.

While the study results could be considered groundbreaking due to the lack of representation of Black women in previous research, the researchers caution people

under scrutiny for significant enrollment declines. Missouri Budget Project, a liberal public policy think tank, determined that families were often kicked off Medicaid despite being eligible for coverage because of challenges with the renewal process, including that they did not receive the proper paperwork or submitted the paperwork only for it to be lost or not processed.

A Georgetown study last year warned Missouri was among the six states most likely to erroneously strip children of coverage during the unwind of the continuous coverage policy because of factors like the state’s low rate of automated renewals.

The state says it will send a letter to every Missourian enrolled in Medicaid between

May 2023 and April 2024. The letter could be a form and/or request for documentation, or, in the instance

Participants will likely receive the letter around the anniversary of when they originally enrolled in Medicaid, according to the department’s newly-posted frequently asked questions page. For instance, if they enrolled in May 2020, they’d likely receive renewal paperwork in May 2023. But there are “some exceptions” so the “best thing participants can do is watch their mail,” per the new site.

Participants will be able to submit the form and any verification documents by mail, fax, in-person, online, or over the phone to a dedicated line, Dolce said by email.

Dolce said the Department of Social Services does not

Every Medicaid recipient in Missouri will receive a letter sometime between May 2023 and April 2024, the Department of Social Services said, and they urged enrollees to update their addresses before this April.

have an estimate of the portion of their Medicaid participants they project could be deemed ineligible once renewals resume.

In March 2020, there were just over 900,000 Missourians enrolled in Medicaid. As of November 2022, the Medicaid population had swelled to more than 1.4 million enrollees. The adult expansion population, the group of qualifying low-income adults who were allowed to enroll after the voter-approved initiative went into effect in late 2021, is now around 287,000

“There are a lot of Missourians who qualified for Medicaid coverage for the first time during the public health emergency or through adult expansion who have never had to complete an annual renewal before,” Kim Evans, director of

from generalizing their findings to all Black women. This is due to the fact that the study participants were younger and had “relatively low levels of depression.”

Nonetheless, the results further the conversation about the need for inclusive screening tools that account for all types of depression symptoms, including somatic — relating to the body — and self-critical.

“My hope is that these findings contribute to the growing dialogue of how depression can look different from person to person, and raise awareness of the need for more research in historically understudied and minoritized populations, so that we can better identify symptoms and reduce missed care and health disparities,” Perez said. For more information on free mental health services near you, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.nami.org

the Family Support Division, said in the press release. Evans added that the department “want[s] to ensure that everyone who is still eligible for…MO HealthNet can keep that coverage” and to “make sure participants understand how this process works and what is required of them.”

Nationally, most adults in Medicaid-enrolled families are not aware their services will be renewed again soon, an Urban Institute study last November found, posing challenges to states to reliably communicate the coming shift. Missouri’s social services department is working with managed care providers to update patients’ contact information in their eligibility system, as well as performing outreach with community partners and online to encourage enrollees to update their contact information, Dolce said.

Last summer, the state adopted several federal flexibilities designed to reduce their Medicaid application backlog in advance of needing to renew the entire caseload, which could ease verification hurdles during the unwinding period. One measure, which focuses on applications received through the federal marketplace, allows the state to accept the federal information rather than needing to re-verify it. The state has also said it will continue to offer overtime to Family Support Division staff on an as-needed basis. Clara Bates covers social services and poverty for Missouri Independent sions about their menopausal health.

“[Medical professionals] are less likely to hear about the concerns, so we need to sort of shift our focus and help healthcare providers recognize that there is not a universal menopausal experience,” Dr.

Williams said. Dr. Williams went on to say awareness about the unique menopause experiences of African American women is critically important to improve the health of this underserved

students. So again, doctors aren’t going away. And in fact, the diversity pipeline is finally starting to show some progress that should yield more physicians of color to service our communities in the near

future. Patient-provider race concordance has consistently been associated with improved patient experience and has been shown to result in increased adherence to physician recommendations and some improved health outcomes. This is particularly important given that Black Americans continue to be disproportionately affected by many of the leading causes

of death and illness in our country. Interestingly however, the practice of medicine is still in a bit of flux, largely fueled by the aforementioned burnout and a significant number of baby boomers that are retiring at an accelerated pace. The newer crop of physicians is starting to view medicine as less of a career and more like a job. Gone are

population.

To solve the problem, Dr. Williams talks about the experiences of African American women need to be represented better in the literature.

“We are making efforts

the days where most physicians were loyal to a singular hospital or healthcare system for decades, and the times where the typical doctor hung a shingle and stayed in the same office for generations is a distant memory. Instead, the present and future are predominated by large integrated medical practices and healthcare systems, all looking for ways to compete for

right here in St. Louis,” she said. “I am new to Wash U. and I am starting a menopause clinic, so we will look to better understand the experiences of African American women and make sure that they are repre-

sented in the research that is being conducted on menopausal health and health outcomes.” The menopausal clinic was launched at The BJC Center for Advanced Medicine on January 6, 2023.

physician talent and consumer loyalty. How Black physicians will fit into this evolution remains unseen. Nevertheless, it can reasonably be assumed that the field of medicine presents an abundance of opportunity, which Black students are looking to seize. It’s my hope that the recent gains in medical education diversity continue to trend favorably and then ultimately translate to better health for our communities going forward. Dr. Kenneth Poole is the chief medical officer of clinician and provider experience at UnitedHealth Group and is a supplemental staff physician at the Mayo Clinic, where he spent 5 years on the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine Admissions Committee.

Photo by Alex Green / Prexel

Photo courtesy of Missouri Independent

NEWSPAPER

PRESENT:

PRESENT:

Dining Out.

What Is ASize?Serving

GRAINS Keep ‘em Whole!

The Smart Way!

Warm Up & Cool Down

Staying Active (Naturally) DuringSummer!the Smart Summer Eating!

Do This. Not That!

Play Tag!

First Day of Spring!

Exercise Game

Smart Choices

Tech-Neck

for several different reasons.

Nutrition Challenge:

When we’re lucky enough to have a chance to go out for dinner, there are a few ways to stay healthy with our food

Nutrition Challenge:

the proper variety of different categories of food by the use of a “Food Pyramid.” The tip

Once you’re out of school, many of you may have a lot of extra time on your hands to be snacking. Resist the urge to eat sweet, salty, fried and high-calorie non-nutritious snacks this summer.

See if the restaurant will let you “share” a meal. Many meals are two, three or more times an actual serving size.

We each need at least 3 servings per day of whole grains. But what does that mean? How can we know what foods contain whole grains?

In our “Super-Size” world, we can easily lose track of what an actual serving size means. When reading labels on a food or drink product, you can determine the nutrients, sodium, fiber, sugar and calories of a serving size. But be careful; just because it looks like one small bottle

Look at the ingredients list of a package of food you are about to eat. If the word “whole” is used, then there is most likely a whole grain ingredient. A few items that don’t use the word whole

As soon as you’ve divided your plate into the right size servings, ask your server for a to-go box. Go ahead and box up what you don’t need to eat right away. You can enjoy

Let’s make a game out of exercise!

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

Healthy Kids

those leftovers for lunch the next day!

are popcorn, wheatberries, brown rice and wild rice.

Create a Smart Summer Eating plan with your parents. Ask their help in finding nutritious snacks and meals for the

Healthy Kids

Kids

Healthcare Careers

Cocoa Puffers Cereal

> Decide you’re going to switch from soda to water.

> Ask the server how the different menu items are prepared. Fried, sautéed, and

Getting plenty of whole grains in your diet can improve your health and reduce your chance for some chronic illnesses such as stroke, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Visit wholegrainscouncil.com for more information.

child should consume and that was followed by the five food groups (Milk/Cheese, Meat, Vegetables, Fruits and Grains/Breads). Now, the more common image is a plate divided into portions, showing how much room vegetables, fruit, meats and breads should fill.

lifestyle. You can do this by forming new habits. For example, if you decide to eliminate sugary drinks completely, it only takes a few weeks until this becomes what you’re used to. Here are the steps to making a healthy permanent change. We‘ll use the sugary drink change as an example.

As the weather gets warmer, there are many ways that we can enjoy ourselves outdoors and stay healthy over the summer. Some naturally active things you can do include:

INGREDIENTS:

Healthcare Careers

summer. Delicious juicy, ripe fruits are all around and are healthy for you too! Make it your goal to come back to school in the fall healthier and happier!

> Start by substituting one drink per day to water.

> Avoid gravies, cheese sauces and other kinds of toppings that often just add fat and calories.

The image also includes a side of milk.

Melissa Douglass, MSW

Weekly Newspaper in Education Program

Education Program

Weekly Newspaper in Education Program

Latoya

Seeing the different kinds of foods on a plate can help you see how much of each type of food you should eat.

Notice that the fruits/vegetables portion fills half of your plate. And remember to include whole grains in the “bread” section of your plate.

Review: What are some nutrition tips you learned by following The St. Louis American’s Healthy Kids page this school year? Send your answers to nie@stlamerican.com.

> After 3-4 weeks, this change will become a habit.

of soda — it may not be considered one serving size. For example, a 20-oz bottle contains 2.5 servings. So if the bottle states “110 calories per serving,” that means the entire bottle contains a total of 275 calories! Remember to watch those serving sizes and you’ll have better control over what you’re eating and drinking.

> Stick with water to drink. Not only will you save money, but you won’t be adding in extra calories from a sugarfilled drink.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

Woods,

Deborah Edwards, School Nurse

DNP, APRN, FNP-C

> Every few days increase the amount of water and decrease your soda intake.

For more information visit: http://kidshealth. org/kid/stay_healthy/food/pyramid.html.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 4,

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 3, NH 5

> What are other ways to stay healthy while dining out?

When you automatically reach for water instead of soda, it has now become a lifestyle change!

Where do you work? I am an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) for Abbott EMS in Belleville, Illinois.

Where do you work? I am a family nurse practitioner for BJC Medical Group.

Where do you work? I am the founder and distance counselor for Goal Driven Counseling, LLC.

Where do you work? I am an EMT – B at Abbott EMS in Belleville, Illinois.

Where do you work? I am a school nurse at Monroe Elementary School.

even simmered can all mean, “cooked in oil.” Instead, choose baked or grilled options.

Learning Standards: HPE 2, NH 1, NH 5

Learning Standards:

Where do you work? I am a school nurse with St. Louis Public Schools.

HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

Staying active, getting your heart rate up and opening your lungs will help you start off next school year happier and healthier!

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Lindbergh High School. I then attended the University of Arkansas in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where I studied biology.

As spring approaches, warmer weather allows us all to get more outdoor exercise. Here are some ways to become a more active person.

A fun way to run around, get your heart rate up and have fun is to play good old-fashioned tag. One person is “it” and they must tag someone else who is now the chaser. This game has many variations including:

> Wash your parent’s car.

Secondly, when you are finished with any kind of strenuous (very active) exercise, take some time to cool down. You can slowly stretch your arms and

Instead of watching TV — ride your bike with friends.

legs again, and continue with reduced speed movements until your heart rate begins to slow down.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from McCluer North High School. I earned an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from Meramec College in Kirkwood and completing my bachelor’s degree at Webster University in Webster Groves.

> Help with yard work: planting, weeding, etc.

> Walking to the store when possible.

March 20, 2021, is the first day of spring. With spring comes warmer weather and longer days (later sunset). Make it a habit to spend as much time playing outside as the weather allows.

It’s important that before you embark on any kind of exercise to remember two things: warm up and cool down. Start with some slow stretches and movement (like walking) to increase your heart rate a little. Warm up for a good five minutes before increasing your heart rate.

Partners Tag — Two people hold hands and chase the others.

Instead of playing video games — play baseball, football, badminton, or some other active game.

> Play, play, play outside as much as you can!

Review: What are some exercise tips you learned by following The St. Louis American’s Healthy Kids page this school year? Send your answers to nie@ stlamerican.com.

and breathing. You want to have fun, but it’s also a great way to help keep your heart, lungs and body healthy.

First, locate either a deck of cards or two dice. Next you’ll need to make a list of different types of exercise: jumping jacks, sit-ups, lunges, etc. Write each exercise item on a small piece of paper or index

Freeze Tag — Once you are tagged, you are frozen until a friend crawls through your legs to un-freeze you. Game continues until everyone is frozen. When this happens, the first one frozen is now “it.”

Instead of surfing the ‘Net — go for a brisk walk around the neighborhood.

Some fun outdoor games to play include tag, kickball, basketball, Frisbee, and bicycling. Choose activities that increase your heart rate

Break into small groups and define what it means to be a bully. Share your ideas with the class. Did you have the same things listed (as the other groups) that you would consider as bullying behavior?

> NEVER walk on a “frozen” pond, lake, river or any other body of water. Just because it looks frozen does not mean it is safe.

Once they catch another player, that player joins their chain. Once two more partners have joined the team, they can split into two teams of two, and so on. (Teams must always have at least two players.)

card and fold into a small square. Put these squares into a bowl. Take turns rolling the dice (or drawing a card) and selecting an exercise from the bowl. The total number on the dice or card tells you how many of the exercise you must do. Face cards (king,

Make a list of your favorite 10 activities to do outdoors. Compare your list with your classmates and create a chart to see what are the most popular.

How much time do you spend each day looking down at a phone, laptop or video game?

Flashlight Tag — Instead of tagging other players, “it” must simply shine a flashlight on another player, who then becomes “it.”

Can you think of other ways to be more active? Going outside and staying active not only increases your heart rate and burns calories, but it also helps you build friendships!

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

This warm-up and recovery period is important for your heart health. It also helps to reduce the amount of muscle pulls and strains.

Learning Standards: HPE1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

Over the last 35 weeks we have discussed many smart choices that you can make to help you stay safe and healthy. Break into small groups and list as many Smart Choices that your group remembers. Now individually, choose one that you think is very important. Describe in your own words what that smart choice is, and how you can remember to make the right choice in the future. Name a new “smart choice“ that you will make this summer.

Now back in your groups, create a newspaper ad that includes at least two of the following:

> What to do if you see someone else bullied.

Most of our childhood we are taught to share. But there are some things that should never be shared! These include eating utensils such as forks, spoons, straws and even napkins. But some other items to keep to yourself are your brush, comb, toothbrush, headbands and make-up. Germs, allergens and even living organisms (such as lice) can be passed through sharing these items. What are some other things that should not be shared?

What are some other ways to play tag? Share your ideas with your classmates.

queen or jack) should all count as the number 10. Aces are “wild” and you can do as many as you want! To really challenge yourself, have one person roll the dice and the second can select the exercise. See who can complete the exercise challenge first!

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1

Where did you go to school? I graduated from McCluer High School. I then earned a Bachelor of Nursing and a Master of Nursing Practice from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. And finally, I earned a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Maryville University.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Whitney Young Magnet High School in Chicago, IL: same as former first lady Mrs. Michelle Obama. I then earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, and a Master of Social Work from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. I also completed two more years of supervision and exams to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Missouri.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Sumner High School. I then earned Associate Degree in Nursing from Forest Park College and a BS in Business Administration from Columbia College.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Madison Senior High School. I then studied automotive collision at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Illinois, before seeking my EMT certification from Abbott EMS. What does an EMT do? I provide care to patients, whether it is transporting or saving a life! I love taking vitals (blood pressure, temperature, etc) and understanding my patients.

What does a school nurse do? I assess the concerns of students who are ill, injured or experiencing alterations in their normal health. Nurses screen daily staff, students and visitors for safety. Monroe School is a pilot school for Covid-19 test sites in partnership with the city.

What does a family nurse practitioner do? Each day I have office visits with patients to help treat new health conditions and/or manage established health conditions. I perform physical examinations on patients, order labs, read x-rays results, and more.

What does a school nurse do? I love giving students medications, so they’re able to focus on learning. I clean and bandage wounds. I use medical equipment like a stethoscope, for example, to evaluate whether or not my asthmatics are breathing well. Moreover, I teach and promote healthy habits to my students.

What does a Licensed Clinical Social Worker do? I use technology to help teens and young adults explore their emotions, better understand their feelings, work through relationships, and address common challenges completely online through a computer, tablet, or smart phone. Similar to a Facetime call, I support and guide my clients from the comfort of their home or private location where they are comfortable

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 3, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 4, HPE 5, NH 1

Why did you choose this career? I chose this job because I love helping and supporting others. I needed a career, not just a job. The majority of the women in my family worked in medicine, and I wanted to be the first man.

Cracker-wiches

> What to do if YOU are the bully.

A BMI (Body Mass Index) is a generic way to calculate where your weight falls into categories (thin, average, overweight, obese). However, it’s a good idea to remember that a BMI may not take into consideration many things such as athleticism (how athletic you are), your bone density and other factors. Discuss your BMI with your

Chiropractors around the country see young patients every day suffering from back, neck and head-aches resulting from the extra strain you put on your body when you look down for long periods of time.

> If you are with someone that falls through the ice, first run (or call) for help. Do not try to go out onto the ice to help your friend. You can fall through the ice too.

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH5, NH 7

> How bullying hurts others.

doctor if you have any questions. The formula to calculate your BMI is 703 X weight (lbs) ÷ height (in inches/squared) or search “BMI Calculator” to find an easy fill-in chart online. If your number is high, what are some ways to lower your BMI?

1. Most importantly — take breaks! Have a goal of a 3 minute break every 15-20 minutes. Move around, stretch your neck and relax, without looking down!

> Also — remember to look up! Icicles injure numerous people every year. If you see large icicles forming over your front steps, ask your parents to use a broom handle to knock them off to the side before they break loose from your gutters.

Fruit Roll-ups

Easy Hummus Dip

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career to help improve the health of my community.

Ingredients:

> What to do if you are bullied.

Frozen Yogurt Blueberry Bites

Ingredients: 1/3 Cp No-sugar-added fruit preserves (any flavor) 1 Tsp Cornstarch

> What other ice hazards are there?

Look through the newspaper for examples of ad layouts and design. Discuss the words “compassion,” “empathy” and “sympathy.” How do they each play into your response to bullying at your school?

2. Set your tech device in a holder to keep it at eye level, reducing the need to look down.

Ingredients: 1 cup blueberries 1 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, NH 5

Learning Standards: HPE 3, NH 1, NH 7

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 4

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, HPE 7, NH 5, NH 7

Ingredients: 1/2 Cp Vanilla Greek yogurt, 3 Tbsp Natural peanut butter, 1 Ripe banana (sliced and frozen), Splash of vanilla (optional) 6 Ice cubes

Directions: Mix the fruit preserves with the cornstarch until dissolved. Spread into a 12-inch by 2-inch rectangle onto greased parchment paper. Bake at 225 degrees for 45 minutes and cool. Cut around the rectangle and roll up.

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

> When walking on icecovered roadways or sidewalks, take baby steps. Walk carefully and slowly.

A couple of quick tips that will reduce that strain on your neck are:

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, NH 1, NH 5

Directions: Blend all ingredients until Smooth. Makes 2 yummy smoothies!

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Enjoy with baked tortilla chips or raw vegetables.

Directions: Drop each blueberry into the yogurt. Using a spoon, swirl around to coat and place each blueberry on a cookie sheet topped with parchment paper. Freeze for at least an hour.

Directions: Spread peanut butter on four of the crackers and top with sliced strawberries. Drizzle with honey and top with the other crackers to make four cracker-wiches.

Why did you choose this career? I love nursing because there are many opportunities in hospitals, schools, clinics and offices, insurance, legal and research. My passion is working in the schools with students, parents, staff and community partners.

What does an EMT do? My day-to-day includes helping others when they aren’t feeling their best. I also assist getting them to the hospital when they can’t take themselves. Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because I enjoy helping others problem solve. Also, I have twin stepsons, one who wants to be a police officer, and the other who wants to be a doctor. I thought that being an EMT helped me to meet them both in the middle. And, back in 2018, I had my own medical emergency and was transported by ambulance to a hospital. The paramedic that took care of me was so comforting and assuring that I realized that becoming an EMT is an honorable career. I now work with that same paramedic, at the same company.

Why did you choose this career? I am a St. Louis native, and was an asthmatic child who experienced frequent hospitalizations. Besides having the influence of nurses in my family, the local nurses who helped take care of me were my “angels” and always managed to nurse me back to health, thus sparking my interest.

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because I enjoy being a support to teens and young adults in a very challenging phase of life that can be overwhelming. I enjoy teaching them how to best take care of themselves so they can live healthy and fulfilling lives.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? My favorite part about the job is running 911 calls to help someone in need. Driving with lights and sirens is exciting and the icing on the cake. I like the long road trips and driving distances.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? Many chronic health conditions (diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure) are preventable, and early detection is key. Thus my favorite part of the job is partnering with patients to establish and manage a plan to help them each live a long and healthy life.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I enjoy meeting and learning about new people and cultures every day. I also like the adrenaline of driving fast with sirens going to get to an emergency quickly.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I enjoy when a child tells you, “I want to be a nurse.” And best of all, I love the smiles, hugs and “thank-yous”.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

What is your favorite part of the job you have?

My childhood health challenges have given me sensitivity to children suffering with illness. After being given a new lease on life, I consider it an honor to be in a position to promote health to the children of my community, in whatever capacity I serve – in turn, being their “angel.”

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I love that my job makes talking about mental health not as scary and even makes it kind of cool. I love that I get to build valuable relationships with so many people that trust me to be there for them. I love that no matter where my clients are, we can simply connect with a video call and I can not only support them through hard times, but lots of good times as well.

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 618-910-9551

Learning Standards: HPE 6, NH 3 Yonniece Rose, Registered Nurse

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

Darrell Berry, Jr, EMT

Banana PB Smoothie

Marnay Howard, EMT - B

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

Ranger Bob looks on as students learn how to safely use a bow and arrow at the Summer Science Academy.

Photo by Cathy Sewell

SCIENCE CORNER

Real Life Equations

Have you ever realized how often you use math in your daily activities? If you are shopping, you use math to calculate the total amount spent, the discounted price after a sale, the sales tax, etc. If you are cooking, you use math to adjust the recipe for the appropriate number of servings. If you are making plans with a friend, you need to look carefully at the time and plan a schedule. How long will it take to get to your meeting place? What

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

In this experiment, you will use a partner to solve patterns.

Materials Needed:

• 2 or More Players • One Big Piece of Paper for Each Player

• Markers

Procedure:

q Each player will draw two grids that have 6 squares across the top and 6 squares down the side for a total of 36 squares.

time will you need to leave?

You can write an equation to solve these types of problems. For example, if 5 friends are splitting the cost of a pizza equally, and the pizza is $14, the equation would read: 5C=14 (C

w Next, each player will think of a repeating pattern that goes from one end of the grid to the other. Players draw their patterns on one of the grids (do not show your pattern to other players).

MATH CONNECTION

Directions: For each problem, write an equation that represents the word problem and solve it.

represents the cost for each person). Solve the equation and you have your answer. Many people create equations to determine how much material they will need for a project, or to alter a recipe, or to plan a budget. Can you think of a way that you use equations?

Learning Standards:

I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting details. I can make text-to-world and text-to-self connections.

Square Walk Equations

z 8 students were collecting food for the canned food drive. There were 96 cans collected total, with each student collecting the same amount.

How many cans did each student collect? __________

x Aaliyah has a total of 275 books on two bookshelves. If she has 168 books on her first bookshelf, how many books does she have on her second bookshelf?

c On a spelling test, the highest score was 26 points higher than the lowest grade. The sum of the two

DID YOU KNOW?

e Finally, using the blank grid, the other players have to try to figure out each other’s patterns. They can do this by marking an X in the squares that they think are part of the pattern. The player who thought of the pattern then tells them if they are right or wrong. Taking turns, who can guess their opponent’s pattern first?

Analyze: What kinds of patterns did you come up with? How did you go about figuring out other peoples’ patterns? How many different patterns were created during your game?

Learning Standards: I can follow a sequential process to complete an experiment. I can analyze results and draw conclusions.

grades was 146. Find the two scores.

v Kenneth works for $8 an hour. A total of 25% of his salary is deducted for taxes and insurance. He is trying to save $450 for a new laptop. How many hours must he work to take home $450 if he saves all of his (after tax) earnings? _________________________________

Learning Standards:

I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem. I can write an algebraic expression to solve a problem.

SCIENCE STARS

Mathematics Educator Grace Alele Williams

Grace Alele Williams was born in Warri, Nigeria, in 1932. She attended the local schools that the government offered and pursued a math education degree at Queens College, Lagos, and the University College of Ibaden. Williams wanted to take her education further and she received government assistance to attend the University of Vermont. While there, she had many issues due to segregation. She transferred to the University of Chicago. In 1963, she graduated with a PhD in mathematics education. She was the first Nigerian woman to receive a doctorate degree.

She returned to Nigeria where she worked for the Department of Education at the University of Ibaden. Williams became the first female math professor at the University of Lagos, where she worked from 1965-1974. She participated in the African Mathematics Program to help make changes to mathematics education in Africa. In 1985, she became the first female Vice-Chancellor of an African university when she worked at the University of Benin.

Williams served as a member of the African Mathematical Union Commission on Women in Mathematics in Africa, and as Vice-President of the Third World Organization for Women in Science. She has received many honors, such as the Order of the Niger and the Nigerian Academy of Education’s Merit Award Winner. In 1994, she gave the Distinguished Annual Lecture at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies. She was elected as a Fellow of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Academy of Education. She is also the Chairwoman of AMUCWMA, the African Mathematical Union Commission for Women in Mathematics.

Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made contributions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. I can make text-to-world and text-to-text connections.

MAP CORNER

Enjoy these activities that help you get to know your St. Louis American newspaper.

Activity One — Key Questions Chart:

Whenever you evaluate any type of media (including the newspaper), there are 5 key questions to ask yourself. Who created this message? What creative techniques are used to attract my attention? How might different people understand the message differently from me? What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented (or omitted) in this message? Why is this message being sent? Choose an article from the newspaper and answer these 5 key questions.

Activity Two —

Identify the Landform: Find a national and international city dateline in today’s newspaper. After locating the datelines on a map, decide on which of the main landforms (plains, plateaus, mountains, hills) each city is built.

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can evaluate and analyze information. I can use the map and identify landforms.

The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.

Map of Nigeria

Recalcitrant Tyus throws tantrum;

No Bi-state Regionalism for gun violence, apparently

This week’s column is dedicated to the person least able to see the obvious changes at the Board of Aldermen: Alderwoman Sharon Tyus

Between making threats to The American for its accurate reporting and throwing temper tantrums during weekly aldermanic meeting, we’re not sure if Tyus has enough time and stamina required to knock on doors and engage relentlessly with constituents in the expanded ward that she wants to represent. Even though she likes to remind members of the Board that she’s been there for decades, she certainly hasn’t been able to capitalize on those years to gain the political capital needed to cover the checks she’s writing that she can’t cash.

Tyus’ foolish and audacious behavior reached an unprecedented level during last Friday’s session, when the veteran alderwoman took every opportunity to accost each of her colleagues who stepped up to the microphone to introduce a new board bill. Friday was the agreed-upon final day to introduce new legislation, and despite every other alderman meeting that deadline, Tyus had some complaint about

every bill. To be clear - this deadline to introduce legislation was not new or unexpected. It was filed and passed unanimously last September. Of course, Tyus was nowhere to be found when the Board took the vote to set the final day to introduce bills, but the alderwoman still managed to vote on other board bills introduced during that same session. For example, Tyus logged a “present” vote for Board Bill 47 (establishing independent investigations for police misconduct and use-offorce incidents) and a “no” vote for Board Bill 61, which created an equity fund to support pregnant persons with childcare, accessing doulas and midwives, and other prenatal care typically not covered by health insurance. Tyus, an undependable vote for reproductive justice, opposed the fund providing gas money and daycare support for abortion-seekers crossing into Illinois.

Maybe she was still upset, three months later, about missing the vote to schedule the last day to introduce legislation, but it doesn’t matter - the date was set long before the alderwoman decided she had a problem with

it. Tyus was like a metaphorical bull in an antique shop: loud, bothersome, and indiscriminately causing a lot of needless damage.

Perhaps Tyus threw her tantrum because she wasn’t able to collect enough signatures to challenge President Megan Green for president of the Board of Aldermen post, and this was how she responded to her own political shortcomings. Whatever it is - the unprofessional behavior which Tyus showed with her colleagues was Trump-like at best, and, even if the Alderwoman somehow manages to survive in the fiveway race to keep her seat, she won’t find many allies.

We can’t help but wonder if bringing back the Board Parliamentarian would restore a bit more aldermanic order. Previously, the Board of Alderman had its own rule master, the Board Parliamentarian, who refereed the rules and served as final decision maker for interpreting the rules. Of course, that meant interference sometimes with former president Lewis Reed’s agenda and power, so when Reed gained power over the Board, he declined to fill the position of parliamentarian so he could assume power as aldermanic rule master.

Rather, the board’s ajudicating “chief counsel,” who represents the President, is the de facto “expert” on parliamentary procedure and Roberts Rules of Order - even if that person has no experience with those rules. You can see where this is going, right?

President Green now has that discretion, but imagine if a non partisan person trained in Roberts Rules of Order could argue with Tyus, instead of Green. Someone who has no stake in the outcome of a rule interpretation. Someone who knows the procedures, inside and outside. Someone who cannot be swayed - or challengedby Tyus, and who isn’t afraid to tell her when her interpretation is undisputably wrong.

Last Friday’s aldermanic session outlined a lot of exciting

initiatives coming to our city, but Board leadership has to find a way to restore order from the disruption created by the power vacuum created after Reed’s departure. Although Tyus doesn’t have the authority of President of the Board doesn’t mean she won’t try to usurp control and hijack progress. She was able to operate during the entirety of Reed’s tenure as if she was the board president, shouting overbearingly about incorrect interpretations of rules and the city charter and serving as a reliable disrupter.

If there’s one thing Sharon Tyus’ decades-long career in local politics has shown us, it is that she is reckless about undermining the very ship she’s standing on, just to make her point.

Some Illinois sheriffs seem to be going rogue

Calling all regionalists: what are we going to do about the three (of four) county sheriffs who have defiantly declared their intention to refuse to enforce Illinois’ new assault weapons ban?

We want to call out specifically Sheriffs Neal Rohfling of Monroe County, Jeff Connor of Madison County, and Nicholas Manns of Jersey County, for publicly announcing their refusal to abide by the laws passed by the Illinois State Legislature and signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. St. Clair County Sheriff Richard Watson declined to say whether his department would enforce the new law, as he swore to do, but he did express his political opinion about the law and his support for the upcoming lawsuits to challenging it. These individuals all ran with a commitment to uphold the law, but here they are, telling the entire country that they will not do so.

The EYE sees no other way to address this insurrectionistlike behavior than to call for the resignation or removal of each of these sheriffs for their illegal behavior and violation of duty.

How is everyone expected to respect the law, when the police clearly don’t? And where does the picking-and-choosing of which rules to enforce end?

Will law enforcement one day decide, for instance, that they will no longer respond to domestic violence calls?

Oh, wait. They already don’t do that.

Somehow, someway, the responsibility to “fix” the region’s gun violence problem always seems to fall onto St. Louis City leaders, but the EYE wants to see some leadership in the Metro East on this urgent issue. In every county, city, and municipality impacted by gunrelated crime, we want to know: where is law enforcement in standing up to the blatant lawlessness of sheriffs who refuse to do their jobs? What happened to the “good apples” in the departments?

Gun laws in MO

We are reminded of the recent statements by St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, where the free loading elected official tried to suggest that St. Louis City should lose local control of its police department because of what he described as “increasingly frequent” crime. But in a state where untraceable handguns can be purchased for less than $200 and where current background checks clearly don’t include Red Flag laws that prevent individuals who show signs of being a threat to themselves or from buying or possessing any kind of firearm, we are unclear as to how gun violence is solely St. Louis’ problem to manage.

Has Ehlmann, and similarlyminded folks, considered the tangible impact of the so-called “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” which is currently being challenged by St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Kansas City, and Jackson County specifically because of the regional consequences of looser gun laws? Or maybe he’s forgotten that right now, no training or

criminal background checks are required before a person can obtain a firearm in this state. For more than a decade, Republicans in Jefferson City have been easing access to guns while impeding police departments’ ability to enforce laws. With a parent or guardian’s permission, a child in Missouri can own a gun. Missouri police are expressly banned from helping federal law enforcement track and recover stolen guns, and could be punished with an individual fine of up to $50,000.00.

In any case, we applaud the Illinois State Legislature for making the difficult choice to ban assault-style rifles across the state. We support action to remove misguided, lawless police officers who refuse to uphold their oaths to protect and, most importantly, to serve. And if we’re going to be regionalists, let’s be serious about it. The Missouri legislature has been itching for the opportunity to use state force to take control of cities - the governor’s office has been trying to sack St. Louis since the Civil War. At this point, local leadership has few choices but to join forces to lobby the state capital for reasonable gun laws so that we have a better chance to curb violence. The state cannot be depended upon to alleviate this weight from our community’s shoulders. If anything, the legislature and governor want to add to it, to crush us, to dominate and control us.

Yes, there are already more guns than people in this country. In fact there are also more than twice as many guns in our country than the country with the second most. And Missouri, who used to have some of the strictest gun laws in the U.S., has seen our gun deaths soar as the Republican-dominated MO legislature continues its rush to loosen them even more. If Ehlmann can get beyond his political talking points, the St. Louis mayor and the Board of Alderman are waiting for your call.

Nicholas Grice opens Jade Event Center in St. Ann

Local pastor part of business community

Pastor Nicholas Grice, of Greater Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood, is opening his event space, The Jade Event Center, on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

By Danielle Brown St. Louis American

Serving others is a part of Pastor Nicholas Grice’s purpose in life.

He says he is following in his grandmother’s footsteps and becoming a church musician put him on the path of community service.

“I didn’t really know about music. I would just play on the piano sometimes,” Grice said.

“I took a couple lessons and then my pastor asked me to play the organ. The next thing I know I became a musician, playing every Sunday.” He became a pastor at 21, and is currently co-pastor of Greater Rising Star Missionary

n Each Saturday, Grice and members of his congregation distribute food and clothing to those in need.

Baptist Church. He also is a licensed funeral director.

Each Saturday, Grice and members of his congregation distribute food and clothing to those in need.

“That’s what we do for the community, it enhances what we’re trying to do as far as reaching and helping others,” he said.

Grice also supports his community as owner of The Jade Event Center, a location he describes as “a premier upscale event space.”

Located at 3411 North Lindbergh Blvd in St. Ann, the center celebrated its opening on Tuesday evening, Jan. 17, 2023. Its features include a 4K TV wall, LED lighting, smoke machines, and a fireplace.

Guests have the option of booking The Emerald Room or The Onyx Room for their event.

The Emerald Room holds up to 40 guests, with a rate beginning at $100 an hour. This includes a setup of tables and chairs. There is a discount for professional custom decor with use of the room.

See GRICE, B2

Civil rights audits keep firms informed on own behavior

They dig deeper than just DEI

By Megan Sayles

The Afro

In 2016, Laura Murphy, former director of the American

PeoPle on the Move

Opal Jones named a Titan 100

Opal M. Jones, president & CEO of DOORWAYS, has been named a 2023 St. Louis Titan 100. With an established career as an inspiring visionary and leader in dynamic environments, Jones became the second president and chief executive officer of DOORWAYS in 2012. As the key executive, she oversees a $15 million organization budget that includes five housing programs, a licensed 24-hour residential care facility, multiple properties, and a staff of nearly 100 people. DOORWAYS serves over 3,000 people a year affected by HIV, homelessness, and poverty through services that assist clients in building the environments that support a life with opportunity for independence and advancement—such as housing, health, income, education, and community (the social determinants of health).

Dana Redwing named county counselor

Dana Redwing has been appointed as county counselor where she will oversee all civil law business of St. Louis County government and its departments. Redwing is an experienced litigator who most recently served as the Associate General Counsel at Bi-State Development Agency where her focus was on corporate compliance, ethics, and employment.

Dr. Hollins appointed interim associate provost

Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) has named Dr. Stacy Gee Hollins interim associate provost of academic affairs. Dr. Hollins will remain dean of the AnheuserBusch School of Business. She will help to develop and enhance the academic resources, programs, and support services that the institution provides for its scholars. Dr. Hollins will establish and coordinate policies and procedures to ensure the quality of performance of academic operations. Dr. Hollins has also secured over $3M that will go towards providing community programming focused on entrepreneurial activities at the University.

Loretta E. Lynch, who served as U.S. Attorney General during the Obama Administration, is now leading a racial equity audit for Amazon after shareholders sought a review of how the company’s policies and practices influence equity, diversity, and inclusion. Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, and other major firms are conducting similar audits.

Lawndale Thomas named U City athletic director Lawndale Thomas

Dana Redwing

Opal M. Jones

Dr. Stacy Gee Hollins

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo courtesy of Loretta E. Lynch

Grice

Continued from B1

The Onyx Room is a formal space seating between 60 to 110 guests. The space is decorated with “contemporary and modern flair,” according to Grice. Rates for the room begin at $150 per hour Monday through Friday, including set up of tables and chairs. Professional catering is also available. Occasions of all kinds are welcome at the center, and birthday celebrations can include a red- carpet entrance.

The Emerald Room is often used for weddings, with The Onyx Room available for set-up for receptions. Next month, the center will introduce a wedding package valued at $5,500 including the event space, decor, and catering for up to 100 guests.

He provides for families

Audits

Continued from B1

her services to Facebook—her recommendations led to former President Donald Trump being suspended from the platform after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

“Civil rights groups, customers and shareholder groups and major unions, like the Services Employee International Union (SEIU), have invested millions of dollars in these companies, and they see problematic practices,” Murphy, president of Laura Murphy and Associates, said.

“They want answers, and they’re investors, and they can command the attention of executives by introducing shareholder resolutions.”

Amazon announced in April that it would conduct a racial equity audit, led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, after mounting pressure from shareholders.

The decision came after New York Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli filed a shareholder proposal with Amazon in 2021 requesting a review of how the company’s policies and practices influence equity, diversity and inclusion.

His proposal was supported by 44.18% of shareholders, which was a record level for an environmental or social shareholder proposal.

In a proxy statement filed with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Amazon said the audit will center on its nearly one million hourly employees and evaluate whether any of the company’s policies, programs or practices result in “disparate racial impacts.” It added that the results will be released to the public once the audit is

planning remembrance repasts and celebration of life events with affordable rates to help in times of mourning.

“We’re in a great location and a great, safe neighborhood,” he said. “We love the fact we have been getting so much support from [other] Black-owned businesses.”

According to Census Bureau estimates in the 2021 Annual Business Survey (ABS) released in 2022, which covers reference year 2020, approximately 1.15 million or 19.9% of employer businesses in 2020 were minority-owned.

St. Louis, Fayetteville, Georgia, and Albany, New York are the top metro areas for Black businesses, accounting for 10.8 percent, 7.8 percent and 6.8 percent of all Blackowned businesses in the U.S., respectively.

In addition, there were an estimated 140,918 Black- or African American-owned busi-

nesses with $141.1 billion in annual receipts, 1.3 million employees, and about $42.2 billion in annual payroll. About 27.5% or 38,819 of these businesses were in the health care and social assistance sector.

“The cultural impact is that you find less crime, greater synergy and all the good things that come when businesses are growing and giving back to their communities,” says Larry Ivory, president and CEO of the Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce told Bankrate.com

“Unfortunately, there’s too many communities, especially Black communities, where everybody owns a business except Black people,” he adds. This, in turn, contributes to the widening of the existing disparities between white communities and communities of color.”

The Jade Center is open 2 to 6 p.m. daily. To schedule an event or for more information, call (314) 250-9701.

complete. In June, Microsoft joined Amazon, announcing that it would commission a third party to run a civil rights audit on the technology company’s work-

n “Civil rights groups, customers and shareholder groups and major unions have invested millions of dollars in these companies, and they see problematic practices.”

force police and practices. The goal of the audit is to determine opportunities for Microsoft to address racial equity.

It also plans to release the findings and action plan to the public once the audit is complete.

JPMorgan Chase used a civil rights audit to examine the

Laura Murphy, former director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington Legislative Office, developed the racial equity audit for AirBNB after it learned white hosts were refusing to rent to Black guests. She later performed an audit for Facebook and her recommendations led to former President Trump being suspended from the platform.

progress of its 2020 $30 billion Racial Equity Commitment, of which $18.2 billion has already been spent. Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) managed the process and confirmed in November that the financial services institution had made the headway it intended to.

“Just like there are financial audits of companies that are absolutely necessary, civil rights audits, in my view, are absolutely essential because there is a huge demographic shift in our population where minorities will soon be the majority, so you’re going to have to address a wide diversity of customer needs,” Murphy said. She adds, “You’re also going to have to pull from this population for your employees, and customers and employees are not going to take discrimination problems lying down.” Megan Sayles is a Report for America Corps reporter for The Afro.

A view inside The Jade Event Center which will open for business Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Photo courtesy of Laura Murphy and Associates

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Evander

Sports

JANUARY 12 – 18, 2023

By Earl Austin Jr.

Sweet memories

Girls hoops All-Star Showcase at Lutheran North

The lineup is set for the eighth annual Sweet Hoops All-Star Basketball Showcase on Saturday Jan. 21 at Lutheran North, a top girls event in Missouri. The six-games feature solid teams from the St. Louis area and representatives from Kansas, Alabama, and Texas.

Game 1: Clayton vs East St. Louis, 11 a.m. – Clayton has a solid young team led by sophomore guard Lauren Young, who is averaging 12 points a game. Junior Stella Whitney also averages 12 points a game, while junior guard Jasmine Burks averages eight. East Side features one of the area’s best in senior guard Shakara McCline, who is an excellent offensive player.

Game 2: Cardinal Ritter JV vs. Arlington (TX), JV, 12:45 p.m.

Game 3: Lutheran-St. Charles vs. Arlington (TX), 2:30 p.m. – Lutheran-St. Charles is currently 12-2 and ranked high among Missouri Class 5 teams. The Cougars are led by 6’2” senior forward Megan Aulbert, who averages 12 points and 10 rebounds a game. Sophomore guard Chloe Reed averages 10 points while standout sophomore guard Jordan Speiser has returned from an early-season injury. Freshman Kyrii Franklin and Kennedy Stowers have also been impactful players.

Game 4: Lift for Life vs. Huntsville Lee (AL), 4:15 p.m. – Lift for Life has a young team that is led in scoring by 5’4” freshman guard Zha Harris, who is averaging 12 points a game. Junior forward Paige Fowler averages 10 points while 6’1” senior Lauren Bennett averages six points and six rebounds a game. Huntsville Lee features a pair of talented junior guards in Jayla Turner and Morgan Pride.

Game 5: Cardinal Ritter vs. Shawnee Mission West (KS), 6 p.m. – Cardinal Ritter has a talented team that features 6’1” juniors Hannah Wallace and Ai’Naya Williams, who are both Division I level prospects. The backcourt features senior Elyssa White and freshman Alanah Howard. Shawnee Mission West features one of the top players in the country in 6’0” senior Smya Nichols, a Kansas recruit

who is averaging 23 points a game since returning from an ACL injury this month. SMW also features senior guard Izzy Joyce and junior Morgan Chiarello.

Game 6: Vashon vs. Pattonville, 7:45 p.m. –

The Main Event of the showcase features two of the top teams in the St. Louis area. Vashon is currently 10-4 and one of the leading contenders in Missouri Class 4. The Wolverines feature a tremendous backcourt duo in juniors JaNyla Bush and Chantrel Clayton. Bush averages 13.1 points while Clayton averages a team-high 15.8 points. Senior forward Raychel Jones averages 15 points and nine rebounds a game. Pattonville is 9-1 and coming off the championship of the Westminster Christian Tournament. The Pirates are led by 5’8” senior guard Jasmine Gray, who is averaging 11.6 points a game. They have a strong sophomore class, led by 6’0” forward Kennedy Horton and guards Hannah Fenton, Zoe Newland, and Kodie Gordon.

Alton High Remains Undefeated

The Alton High girls, in the midst a magical season as they enter the week with a 20-0 record, are currently playing the Highland Tournament. Alton has already won the Mascoutah Christmas Tournament, defeating Southwestern Conference rival 52-51 in the championship game. The Redbirds have several talented young players, who were major contributors in last year’s 21-7 season. They are led by 5’4” sophomore point guard Kiyoko Proctor, who is averaging 12.9 points, 4.2 assists and 4.0 steals while shooting 52 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore Jarius Powers is a 6’0’ forward who is averaging 12.4 points and 7.7 rebounds a game. Junior guard Alyssa Lewis is averaging 10 points and three rebounds while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range while senior guard Laila Blakeny also averages 10 points a game while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. Freshman forward Kaylea Lacey is also in the mix, averaging six points and six rebounds a game.

Cardinal Ritter’s Ai’Naya Williams will lead the Lions into a Sweet Hoops All-Star Girls Basketball Showcase game against Shawnee Mission West [Kansas] at 6 p.m. Saturday at Lutheran North.

Ted Savage was much more than a ‘ball player’

Ted Savage was proud to be a graduate of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo. I know because he went to school with my parents, Robert and Erma Reid, at the HBCU. My father and he were acquaintances, and I once played a Khoury League youth baseball game with Savage and my dad in the stands. He valued education, and the power it gave Black people. Few know it, but scholarship was as important to Savage as baseball. He kept pursuing a Major League Baseball career and would reach that goal. All the while, he never forgot the importance of the classroom. Before we talk baseball, it must be noted that Savage would obtain a master’s degree and then his Ph.D. in urban studies from St. Louis University following his on-field career. Savage seemed destined to serve on an HBCU campus. Once his playing days were over, he served nine years as Harris-Stowe State University’s athletic director. Among the young area players he recruited was a McCluer North basketball standout named Earl Austin, Jr. Austin would later play for

Lindenwood but he still recalls the interest Savage had in him and the devotion he felt for HSSUs.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced last week that Savage had passed away at 85. Savage, a native of Venice, Ill., would become a three-sport star at East St. Louis High School. Lincoln University fielded a baseball team and Savage starred there before joining the US Army. His baseball pursuit continued at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. His service to the country cost him three precious years of his baseball prime, but he caught the eye of Philadelphia Phillies scouts. During his rookie season in 1962 with the Phillies, he played in 127 games and hit .266 with seven home runs, 39 RBI and 16 stolen bases. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates during the off-season but played in just 85 games that season. Injuries and a solid outfield captained by the late Roberto Clemente limited his playing time. Savage signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1965 after not playing in 1964. He was a reserve with the Cardinals for two full seasons before he was

offered to the Chicago Cubs early in the 1967 season. He played for the Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers in 1968, the Cincinnati Reds in 1969 and the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970. At 33, Savage played the strongest season of his career hitting .279 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI. A hand injury limited him in 1971 and, after two seasons in the Mexican League,

he would retire in 1973. After his years at HarrisStowe he re-joined the Cardinals organization in 1987 as assistant director of community relations and minor league instruction. In his earliest years he was the lone Black member of the Cardinals’ front office. He would retire as director of target marketing in the Cardinals Care and community relations department, and his

underway, making it the first major tennis tournament since the

Ted Savage, former St. Louis Cardinal player and executive, recently passed at 85.

Tiafoe, whose bright tennis outfit was the talk of Melbourne after his opening round win, was set to take on Shang Juncheng in a second-round match…St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty signed a

Golf Tournament raised thousands of dollars each year. Savage was a quiet, unassuming man. To borrow a phrase and alter it a bit, “he spoke softly and carried a big bat.” The Reid Roundup The Australian Open is

like I’ve been pretty good mentally, but there are points where you think you’re doing better than you actually are.”…While the Pittsburgh Steelers failed to reach the playoffs, coach Mike Tomlin’s team finished at 9-8. Tomlin has never had a losing season in his 16 years at the helm of the Steelers. Yet some NFL pundits and Steelers fans want him gone.

Alvin A. Reid

Alvin A. Reid

Earl Austin Jr.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Photo courtesy of St. Louis Cardinals

Corporate America responds to investors’ calls for more ‘civil rights audits’

By Megan Sayles The Afro

In 2016, Laura Murphy, former director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s

Washington Legislative Office, pioneered a new kind of audit: the civil rights audit.

Today, more Corporate America giants, like Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase and Amazon, are engaging in the process.

Rather than examine a company’s finances, a civil rights audit determines how corporations are impacting communities of color. It goes beyond diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and looks at how a company’s policies, practices, and products may be perpetuating discrimination against marginalized groups.

These audits have become a new frontier in the modern civil rights movement, helping

to prevent businesses from regressing into old practices, riddled with inequities Murphy first performed a civil rights audit after vacation rental company AirBNB requested her help because White hosts were denying rentals to Black guests. Then, the civil rights advocate provided her services to Facebook—her recommendations led to former President Donald Trump being suspended from the platform after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

“Civil rights groups, customers and shareholder groups and major unions, like the Services Employee International Union (SEIU), have invested millions of dollars in these companies, and they see problematic practices,” Murphy, president of Laura Murphy and Associates, said.

“They want answers, and they’re investors, and they can command the attention of executives by introducing shareholder resolutions.” Amazon announced in April that it would conduct a racial equity audit, led by former

U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, after mounting pressure from shareholders. The decision came after New York Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli filed a shareholder proposal with Amazon in 2021 requesting a review of how

Rather than examine a company’s finances, a civil rights audit determines how corporations are impacting communities of color.

the company’s policies and practices influence equity, diversity and inclusion. His proposal was supported by 44.18 percent of shareholders, which was a record level for an environmental or social

shareholder proposal. In June, Microsoft joined Amazon, announcing that it would commission a third party to run a civil rights audit on the technology company’s workforce police and practices. The goal of the audit is to determine opportunities for Microsoft to address racial equity. It also plans to release the findings and action plan to the public once the audit is complete.

JPMorgan Chase used a civil rights audit to examine the progress of its 2020 $30 billion Racial Equity Commitment, of which $18.2 billion has already been spent. Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) managed the process and confirmed in November that the financial services institution had made the headway it intended to.

Boeing to launch engineering program to train students at UMSL/WUSTL

Students in the University of Missouri–St. Louis/Washington University Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program will soon have an opportunity to receive technical training at The Boeing Company while working toward their degrees.

UMSL and Boeing have signed an agreement to create an Engineering Services

Program to recruit students in the joint engineering program to work on Boeing projects. The program is being funded for three years, and as many as 20 UMSL students could be hired to take part in it this semester. Interviews start Friday, and the program is expected to begin in February.

Students will be paid while

working. This financial support will be a big help for UMSL students in the joint engineering program, many of whom are first-generation college students and are, in many cases, Pell Grant-eligible.

This is not the first time Boeing has worked with UMSL to support joint engineering students. The compa-

ny has contributed significant resources to fund scholarships for students in both engineering and other disciplines at UMSL. The university honored the company with the E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Medal for Philanthropy at the 2022 Founders Celebration.

Administrators surveyed students over the summer to gauge

their interest in potential opportunities to work at Boeing and received a positive response.

The program is structured so that upper-level engineering classes, held on the campus of Washington University, don’t begin until after 4 p.m., freeing up students to work and gain valuable real-world experience during the day without inter-

rupting classroom learning. This provides an advantage over traditional programs in the region which only offer classes during the day. Interested students can learn more about Boeing internships by visiting: https://jobs.boeing.

Chick-fil-A Supply selects Mo. for new distribution center, creates new jobs

Chick-fil-A Supply is opening a new market distribution center in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The company is investing $16 million in the new facility, which will be used to serve more than 40 Chick-fil-A®

restaurants in the region.

Chick-fil-A Supply announced its first full-scale distribution center in 2020. The company is a subsidiary of Chick-fil-A, Inc., a leading restaurant chain with more than 2,600 restaurants across

the U.S. Chick-fil-A Supply ensures these restaurants have the food and products they need while staying on the cuttingedge of technology for delivery services. The new facility in Missouri is the company’s fourth location in the U.S.

“Our newest investment in the St. Louis area provides us the opportunity to grow our business and uniquely serve our franchise Operators, licensees, and their teams across the region,” said Josh Grote, executive director of Chick-

fil-A Supply. “It’s exciting for us to expand our operation and create jobs that we know will attract exceptional talent from Missouri’s diverse and skilled workforce.”

Chick-fil-A Supply plans to create more than 60 new

jobs at the distribution center. In addition to its deep labor pool, the St. Louis region has a long history of innovation in agriculture and food science –which played a key role in the company’s decision to locate in Maryland Heights.

Living It

‘A special night’ Nothin’ but a party

MLK honored in annual stirring SLSO tribute

By Danielle Brown St. Louis American

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Chorus and St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus collaborated in a tribute concert to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 16 at Powell Hall.

“This indeed is a special night for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra because it involves almost all of our beloved community, members of both choruses, and our orchestra,” said Kevin McBeth, IN UNISON Chorus director.

“Freedom’s Plow,” originally composed by

By Kenya Vaughn For The St. Louis American

Anyone seeking to verify the legacy of cultural influence of the St. Louis region need look no further than the list of nominees for the 54th NAACP Image Awards. Thursday’s announcement of the talent in the running to be honored next month in what can be best described as a celebration of Black excellence in entertainment featured several of St. Louis’ beloved sons and daughters. St. Louis natives –as well as those claimed by the region because

Kevin

Rollo Dilworth, began the evening on a high note. Dilworth told The St. Louis American in a 2009 interview it is “a song of freedom, hope, and inspiration that celebrates the contributions of African Americans to the American musical landscape.”

The piece is inspired by the closing 14 lines of Langston Hughes’ poem of the same title, which pays respect to the spiritual “Keep Your Hand on the Plow.”

Alto soloist Patricia Brown joined the choruses in the moving selection dedicated to Dr. King.

The piece honored the legacy of Dr. King, who dedicated his adult life to creating a more equi-

table, loving and unified society, especially for Black and brown communities.

Michael Abels, an Emmy-nominated composer whose scores include the Jordan Peele films “Get Out” and “Us,” crafted the work “Outburst,” which the symphony and choruses performed. A slapping sound is heard in the arrangement, signifying hand clapping in the Black church.

Throughout the evening McBeth and SLSO’s Music Director Stéphane Denève gracefully hosted the evening of tribute and music.

of their roots – were listed among more than a dozen categories that included film, television, music, media and literary fields.

A handful of nominees with a St. Louis connection – many of them past NAACP Image Award winners – also snagged multiple nominations. They include Sterling K. Brown, Cedric The Entertainer, Jenifer Lewis and Kasi Lemmons.

Brown, already a past winner, is nominated in both film and television categories for his starring role in Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul and

Sterling K. Brown, a past winner, is nominated in both film and television categories for his starring role in Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul and the NBC Drama This Is Us.

Photo courtesy of iamcedric.com

By Keith Underwood Los Angeles Sentinel

Charles Kidd II or as he’s better known in the world of music videos, television commercials and now film, “Calmatic,” is the award-winning director best associated with his work on rap artist’s Lil Nas X’s video, “Old Town Road.” He won a Best Music Video Grammy and Best Direction Video Music Award (VMA) for the project. Calmatic is also known for bringing to life through video the music of Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler the Creator, Zayn Malik, Lizzo, Anderson .Paak, Jay-Z, and so many others.

Now, Calmatic is making his cinematic directorial debut with what he calls a “tribute” to the Kid ‘n Play 1990 American comedy film, “House Party,” written and directed by Reginald Hudlin. The new film directed by Calmatic and produced by Warner Brothers along with New Line Cinema released in theaters on Friday, January 13.

See MLK, C8 n “Driving through SouthCentral is where my imagination sparked and I became curious about why things were the way they were.”

- Calmatic

the NBC Drama This Is Us “I’ve been gone for a while, but I will never forget where I’m from,” Brown said of St. Louis when he spoke with The American in 2019.

Cedric, also a previous winner, is up for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for The Neighborhood and for Outstanding Voice-Over Character Performance for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Kinloch’s own Jenifer Lewis is nominated in the television and literary

A self-taught filmmaker, Calmatic never attended film school and “did not grow up obsessed with cinema.” The proud SouthCentral native says alternatively, his “curiosities about life and exploring those curiosities” led him to film.

Calmatic said, “I was very observant as a young kid, and I looked forward to the ride through South-Central to my grandmother’s house. I noticed all the colors, and the differences in each community and the variations of the architecture.

“Driving through South-Central is where my imagination sparked and I became curious about why things were the way they were,” Calmatic concluded.

The Al Wooten Jr. Youth Center, an afterschool program “meant to keep kids off the streets” in Los Angeles, is where Calmatic’s imagination was “first nurtured.” He says, while other kids were “playing pool or basketball,” he was “one of the nerds in the computer lab.”

This began a “curiosity” for Calmatic “with

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Maestro

McBeth is greeted by a enthusiastic audience at the start of the IN UNISON Chorus Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Powell Symphony Hall.

Calmatic

See Calmatic, C8

Victoria Spivey

By Andrew Wanko, Missouri Historical Society

Victoria Spivey was just 19 years old as she sat alone and nervous on a 600-mile, one-way train ride bound for St. Louis. It was a city bigger than any she’d ever seen, and a place where she knew no one. “St. Louis was a long way off,” she later recalled. “While on the St. Louis train I read the popular dime novels warning girls to be careful of city slickers. . . . The books scared me to death.”

She had spent her Texas childhood as a performer, first in her family’s string band and then as opening entertainment for silent films. She became a blues singer, working Dallas nightclubs with fellow rising blues star Blind Lemon Jefferson. With an animated and expressive presence and a distinct nasal moan she nicknamed her “tiger squall,” she captivated local audiences. But more than anything, Spivey wanted to make a hit blues record, and St. Louis was where to do it. Disembarking beneath Union Station’s cavernous train shed, she wasted no time, walking west down Market Street and into the famous DeLuxe Music Shoppe. She introduced herself to manager Edith Johnson, sat down at the store’s piano, and belted out her chilling original song “Black Snake Blues.” Within a week, the record was being pressed in New York City—the first of more than 50 songs she would release over the next four years.

Released in early 1926, “Black Snake Blues” sold more than 150,000 copies within its first year. “They couldn’t press the record fast enough,” she reminisced. “I recall walking around St. Louis and every place I heard myself moaning. I could see those snakes flying as they used so much publicity.”

Spivey became a staff songwriter for the St. Louis Publishing Company and scored her next smash hit in 1927. “T.B. Blues” chronicled the discrimination faced by victims of tuberculosis, a disease that disproportionately affected Black people. Her subsequent songs dealt with contemporary problems like drug addiction (“Dope Head Blues”), the prison system (“Murder in the First Degree”), and domestic violence (“Blood Thirsty Blues”). Often filling her compositions with sexual overtones and double entendres, Spivey knew how to write sellable records that would be both socially relevant and enticingly risqué.

During the Great Depression Spivey pivoted toward stage and film work, starring as Missy Rose in King Vidor’s 1929 film Hallelujah!, among the earliest major studio “talkie” films to feature an all-Black cast. The following April she appeared on the front cover of the NAACP’s The Crisis. In the early 1940s, she toured with the Hellzapoppin’ musical revue, taking the Broadway show’s music, comedy sketches, and suggestive performances on the road.

By the 1950s Spivey had retired from show business to lead a church choir in Brooklyn, New York, but she would soon be busier than ever. As the folk revival of the 1960s took hold, a new generation of musicians, fans, and researchers were seeking out the performers who had laid the groundwork of the recorded blues, now more widely recognized by white Americans as a cornerstone of American culture. Spivey was suddenly recording again and performing for new devoted fans. She was interviewed in 1960 by folk historian Paul Oliver for his unique book Conversations with the Blues and married blues scholar Len Kunstadt, publisher of the major folk revival periodical Record Research. Together

they founded Spivey Records in 1962. The label became a vehicle for Spivey to get old friends—including former St. Louisans Lonnie Johnson and Big Joe Williams—recording again for new audiences, as well as introduce new artists like Lucille Spann and Luther Johnson. Spivey toured the US and European festival circuits; made television appearances in Europe; and became friends with Bob Dylan, appearing on the back cover of his New Morning album in 1970.

When asked by Oliver about auditioning her first song all alone as a teenager in St. Louis, three words summed up why she was able to do it: “I was daring.” During her various stretches as a businesswoman, blues singer, touring artist, songwriter, choir leader, stage performer, movie star, record label owner, mentor to young artists, and more, that characteristic never left her. Spivey passed away in New York City in 1976.

Spivey is just one of many artists featured in the Missouri History Museum exhibit St. Louis Sound, which closes on Sunday, January 22. Visit mohistory.org/events for closing-weekend events, including a Funky Butt Brass Band sendoff on Sunday at 4:15pm.

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission

Try Something New in 2023

By Barry Draper

Throughout the winter, St. Louis is abuzz with fun activities for the whole family, including ice skating at Steinberg Skating Rink, snow tubing at Hidden Valley, hockey games at Enterprise Center and wild animal encounters at the Endangered Wolf Center as well as the World Bird Sanctuary. There are also plenty of events to keep you busy, even on the coldest, darkest days.

If you’re looking for guidance on the top things to do in St. Louis this month, here’s our list of some of the best events taking place around town.

Death of a Salesman Until January 29

As part of its 46th season, The St. Louis Black Repertory Company presents Death of a Salesman. The classic story of traveling salesman Willy Loman and his family explores the disillusionment of the American Dream and the toll it takes on all aspects of life. When Willy faces the end of his career without much to show for it, he begins to lose his grip on reality. His wife, Linda, and sons, Biff and Happy, are struggling to survive in the same crumbling world, each desperately trying to reach a version of happiness that proves elusive.

Somi January 21

Fresh from her triumphant performance as South African musical legend and activist Miriam Makeba in The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ production of Dreaming Zenzile, Somi Kakoma will perform at The Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries as part of its efforts to bring music from around the globe to the St. Louis arts scene. The vocalist, composer and writer is the daughter of Rwandan and Ugandan immigrants, and she discovered her

musical identity while traversing the cultural bridge between Africa and America. That sense of discovery continues to guide her career, in which she has already forged a signature sound. She also channels the jazz, soul and other musical genres of her roots in moving performances such as this.

Monster Jam January 21 & 22

The most unexpected, unscripted and unforgettable motorsports experience in the world returns to The Dome at America’s Center. Monster Jam offers an adrenaline-charged weekend when world-champion athletes and their 12,000-pound monster trucks tear up the dirt in a wide-open competition of speed and skill. The excitement begins at the Monster Jam Pit Party, where fans can see the massive trucks up-close, meet the drivers and crews, get autographs, take photos and enjoy a variety of family-friendly activities. Then, the all-out racing in fierce head-to-head battles begins, with the champion receiving an automatic bid to the prestigious Monster Jam World Finals.

Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle

January 22

Comedy legends Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle will coheadline a new tour, coming to Enterprise Center on Jan. 22. Both Rock and Chappelle have become known for their comic routines that cannily expose, diagnose and lampoon political, racial and cultural hypocrisy and identity, building on the foundation of predecessors such as Richard Pryor and George Carlin.

Six January 24 to February 5 Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived. From Tudor queens to pop princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII are remixing 500 years of historical heartbreak. Showing at The Fabulous Fox, Six is an exuberant celebration of 21st century girl power, and the new original musical has become a global sensation. We promise that you’ll be entertained – and you might even lose your head over it.

My Dear Watson January 27 & 28

The adventures of Sherlock Holmes have entertained children and adults alike for 135 years, making him an unimpeachable hero who symbolizes imagination, cleverness and intelligence. This month, join The Big Muddy Dance Company for the world premiere of My Dear Watson by awardwinning choreographer Joshua L. Peugh. The performance offers an inventive, quick-paced evening of mystery inspired by the Sherlock Holmes short stories and novels of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

STL RV Travel Show January 27 to 29

For 45 years, the STL RV Travel Show has been the go-to place to shop for a new RV, trade up to your dream RV or simply learn about the joys of RV travel. Presented by the Midwest Gateway RV Dealers Association, the show introduces the public to the freedom, flexibility and fun of the RV lifestyle. Attendees can see more than 300 RVs, highlighting state-of-the-art RV technology, streamline designs, the latest accessories, RV parts and services as well as top travel destinations, including campgrounds. Almost every style of recreational vehicle will be featured – think motor homes, sport utility trailers, camper vans and more.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Take a deeper dive into what St. Louis has to offer at explorestlouis.com/events.

Publicity photo of Victoria Spivey, ca. late 1920s.

Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock

Guest Columnist Barry Draper

Faith-based intervention affecting recidivism rates

By Marnita Coleman Special to The AFRO

Author of “Eternal Justice: How God Intervenes for the Least of Us,” Philip Remington Dunn, has a passion for telling the stories of those he has crossed paths with as a criminal defense attorney and a man of faith.

Dunn believes that those tangled up in the justice system should know that God can miraculously redeem individuals in every circumstance. Dunn has been a successful criminal defense attorney in Southern California for more than 30 years, but that was not his career goal. His dream was to become a powerful, respected prosecutor and ultimately a judge.

As a fledgling attorney, Dunn landed an interview in the district attorney’s office in Ventura, Calif. only to find a four-month hiring freeze in effect. Since he needed a job immediately, he went to the public defender’s office located in the same building to inquire about a position and was told, “If you want a job, show up at 8:30 tomorrow morning.” And he did.

compassionate a person to have been a prosecutor,” said Dunn.

“As deputy public defender, you see the same people coming back into the system over and over again. You’d get somebody released one day, and a week later see them back in the box, and it would be for the same thing, usually drugs.”

According to First Step Alliance, the rate of recidivism in the United States is a mind-boggling 70 percent within five years of release. In the state of Maryland, the recidivism rate is currently 40 percent, within the first three years of release.

n “We’re talking about people who were methamphetamine addicts, heroin addicts, cocaine, everything imaginable, drinking, violence, and serious gang members salvaged from the prison system.”

- Philip Remington Dunn

Attorney Dunn’s humble prayer that morning, “not my will, but Your will be done” apparently charted his path.

“God knew me much better than I knew myself because as soon as I got started, I realized I was much too

As a Christian, Dunn has helped residents re-establish their lives through faith-based intervention by way of the Urban Ministry Institute, a theology program operating in 23 California prisons, including San Quentin State Prison and Pelican Bay State Prison. A total of 300 people were tracked through the series of classes. After completion, participants received an equivalent of a master’s degree in theology. The recidivism rate for those enrolled in that program was a mere 6 percent, demonstrating reform.

In addition, Dunn partnered with Pastor Bob Herrera of Victory Outreach Church in Ventura, Calif., a ministry for people caught up in the

addicts, cocaine, everything imaginable, drinking, violence, and serious gang members salvaged from the prison system,” said Dunn.

Part of the program included making sure the participants were detoxed, provided employment, integrated into the community, and given responsibilities at the ministry.

“God intervened in their lives in a very real way either to redeem them, rescue them, and certainly in the vast majority of cases, put them on the right track to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” proclaimed Dunn.

Carla J. Debnam, licensed clinical professional counselor and therapist at the Renaissance Center in Woodlawn, Md., said, “Faith plays a key role in whether a person overcomes life’s challenges or not. People of faith have an inner resource and strength that helps them focus on what is possible over what is impossible. Basically, it gives them hope. Even if people are in prison, in a hospital, or in an unfriendly environment, they can survive and overcome by relying on their relationship with God.”

Dunn does not believe faith-based intervention is the vehicle to reform the entire criminal justice system, but he is confident that it will restore some folks, one soul at a time.

“In my observation, there are more Christians in prison than there are on the streets of Calabasas, Calif., where I live. That’s why we’re called to visit the prisoner when he’s in prison because the harvest is great there,” said Dunn. “And just as it is on the streets–where people are in crisis– is where they should meet Jesus Christ.”

criminal justice system. Instead of going to prison, men and women were sent to Christian rehabilitation homes

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sponsored by the church.

“We’re talking about people who were methamphetamine addicts, heroin

Photo by Karsten Winegeart / First Step Alliance

According to First Step Alliance, the rate of recidivism in the U.S. is 70 percent within five years of release from prison.

The Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation (VICC) is seeking a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). VICC supports racial diversity in public education by administering the voluntary student transfer program for St Louis City and County.

The VICC CEO reports directly to the Board of Directors and is responsible for the effective and efficient operation of the transfer program. The CEO position is a part-time position, requiring about 2 days a week. A more detailed job posting, description of duties and application instructions can be found at https://choicecorp.org/CEOopening.htm.

Application Deadline: January 30, 2023. Start Date: July 1, 2023

Questions - contact Bruce Ellerman at 314-880-5699 or bellerman@choicecorp.org VICC is an equal opportunity employer.

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Seed St. Louis is hiring a full time Director of Development For more information go to https://seedstl.org/workwith-us/

CITY OF JENNINGS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

The City of Jennings is accepting applications for the following positions: Deputy City Clerk; Finance Director; Administrative Assistant I; Administrative Assistant II; Fleet Maintenance/Mechanic; Correctional Officers; Court Clerk, Public Works Laborer; P/T Accounting Clerk; P/T Assistant to the City Clerk; P/T Public Works Laborers; P/T Code Enforcement Officer; P/T Site Monitor. Please see the full job descriptions online at www. cityofjennings.org. Applications are available at the Jennings City Hall or on the website at www.cityofjennings.org

The City of Jennings is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

DATA SCIENTIST I

Writes software utilizing analytics and machine learning to the achieve business goals and objectives of the company under immediate supervision. Demonstrates clear and working knowledge and concepts of software development, data science and learning algorithms. Responsible for the internal application programming and analysis of requirements using various technologies.

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

S.M. Wilson is growing and we’re hiring for an Accountant Coordinator, Project Accountant and a Construction Technology Manager. Please visit our website at www.smwilson.com to apply.

unit to ensure customer service standards are maintained. Operate as a primary point of contact for service related functions and data integrity issues to ensure accurate and quality delivery of services. To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/

REQUEST

FOR PROPOSAL:

SSD 104-23: LITZSINGER SCHOOL UPGRADES AT LITZSINGER SCHOOL.

Project Manual and drawings will be available through County Blue Reprographics beginning on January 24, 2023.

A $100.00 refundable deposit check made out to Special School District will be required for paper copies of plans, a $50.00 non-refundable fee will be required for electronic digital downloads. A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, January 27 at Litzsinger School, 10094 Litzsinger Road, St. Louis, MO 63124 Bids are due at 2:00 pm on February 16, 2023, at Special School District Purchasing Department, 12110 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63131.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (the “Partnership”) has issued multiple open Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) from a wide variety of professional services/consulting firms for various projects initiated in 2023, including a separate RFQ for MWBE firms. These are “Open” RFQs to which the Partnership may refer as projects become available but shall not obligate the Partnership to issue a contract. The Partnership will accept submissions throughout 2023. The RFQs may be obtained at https://stlpartnership.com/rfp-rfq/.

St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer

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

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 Bid Opportunities

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

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Project Name: HSSU AT&T Library & Technology Resource Center Renovation

Bid Date: January 31, 2023 at 12:00 PM

The estimator working on this project is Erik Hankins PLEASE SEND ALL BIDS TO BIDS@HANKINSMIDWEST. COM

SOLICITING BID

Reinhardt Construction LLC is Soliciting Bids from MBE/WBE/ DBE/Veteran/SDVE for the following: CP220811 University of Missouri Lowry Hall – Renovate First Floor.

Contact: Mike Murray ; mikem@ reinhardtconstructionllc.com

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL:

SSD 102-23: LITZSINGER SCHOOL –PARTIAL ROOF REPLACEMENT AND SSD 103-23: ACKERMAN SCHOOL – PARTIAL ROOF REPLACEMENT.

Project Manual and drawings will be available through RMT Roofing and Waterproofing consultants at the mandatory pre-proposal conference and walk thru.

All vendors interested in participating in the proposal process are required to attend the mandatory pre-proposal conference at 10:00 AM on January 30, 2023.

The pre-bid conference will commence at Ackerman School (1550 Derhake Road, Florissant, MO 63033) and proceed to Litzsinger School (10094 Litzsinger Road, St. Louis, MO 63124).

ONLY attendees of this meeting will receive any correspondence or communication after that date. A $50.00 refundable deposit check made out to Special School District will be required for copies of plans and drawings, refunded upon return of the project manual to RMT.

Bids are due at 2:00 pm on February 15, 2023, at Special School District Purchasing Department, 12110 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63131.

INVITATION

TO BID

FERGUSONFLORISSANT SCHOOL DISTRICT DISTRICT WIDE GRASS CUTTING

Sealed bids for District wide grass cutting are being requested from the Ferguson Florissant School District and will be received and publicly opened on Monday, January 30, 2023 @ 1:00pm CST at the Operation and Maintenance dept. located at 8855 Dunn Rd. (REAR) Hazelwood, MO 63042. Pre bid meeting will be held January 23, 2023 @ 10:00 am CST. @ Operation and Maintenance Dept. 8855 Dunn Rd. (rear) Hazelwood, MO 63042. Bid specs must be obtained at http://new.fergflor.k12. mo.us/facilities-rfq. Contact Matt Furfaro @ mfurfaro@fergflor.org for further information/questions.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

SLAB-ON-GRADE ADDITION

PHASE I

MUNICIPAL RIVER TERMINAL

1 North Market Street

St. Louis, MO 63102

The City of St. Louis Port Authority will receive Sealed Proposals on 2/13/2023. For more info. Visit https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/ government/departments/ sldc/procurement/index.cfm

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Paric Corporation is seeking proposals for the following project: THE CHEMICAL BLDG located at 777 Olive St

PARIC Corporation is soliciting bids for the Demolition, Concrete, Concrete Restoration, Masonry, Masonry Restoration, Structural Steel, Casework Material, Roofing, Ceilings, Flooring, Painting, Specialties, Appliances, and Elevators ONLY for THE CHEMICAL BUILDING located on 777 Olive St. St Louis, MO. The project consists of the renovation of the historic building into 240 guestrooms (Residences Inn and SpringHill Suites) including amenity spaces, fitness room and community areas. Access to documents is available from our Smartbid link. If you do not received a bid invitation please send your company information to tlalexaner@paric.com

A PREBID meeting will be held on 1/17/23 at 9:00am at the project site on Olive Street

BIDS WILL BE DUE ON FEBRUARY 7, 2023 @ 2:00pm

Send all questions to Cory Hoke (choke@paric.com) or Terry Turnbeaugh (tlturnbeaugh@paric.com)

Job will have prevailing wage requirements Goals for

REQUEST FOR BIDS

Sealed bids for the 2022 Accessible Ramp Improvements (2022-PW-02) will be received by the City of Chesterfield Department of Public Works, 690 Chesterfield Parkway W, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017-0760, until 10:00 a.m. (prevailing central time) on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 and will thereafter be publicly opened and read aloud.

This activity is funded in whole or in part with Community Development Block Grant funds pursuant to Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. All applicable federal regulations shall be in full force and effect.

Plans and specifications for this project will be available after 12:00 noon on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 on the City of Chesterfield’s website: https://www.chesterfield.mo.us/ request-for-proposals.html

ITB #57823363

INVITATION TO BID

The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis Head Start/ Early Head Start is posting this bid request for food service management companies wishing to provide breakfast, lunch, and afternoon (PM) snacks for approximately 895 children ages 0-5 and 145 adults. Meals must comply with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal patterns. The contract period will cover April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024. Written bids must be received by 2:00 p.m. on February 8, 2023, at Urban League Jennings Head Start Center, 8964 Jennings Station Road, St. Louis, MO 63136. Bids must be sealed and marked “Food Service BID” on the sealed envelope. Appointments will be scheduled with each bidder on February 16, 2023, at the Urban League Jennings Head Start Center. Each bid will be opened, read, and recorded at that time. Bids received before opening will be securely kept and unopened until the appointed time.

Bid forms and specifications may be obtained by calling Erin Weekes at 314-295-2353.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Confluence Academies is seeking bids for comprehensive Information Technology Services beginning March 1, 2023. Interested companies should visit our website, www.confluenceacademy.org for more information and proposal requirements.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Great Rivers Greenway is requesting qualifications for Electrical Vehicle Infrastructure Feasibility Study. Go to www.greatriversgreenway.org/ jobs-bids and submit by February 10, 2023.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for the 2021 ARS Improvement Program, Area A, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1817, will be received electronically thru the County’s Vendor Self Service portal at https://stlouiscountymovendors. munisselfservice.com/Vendors/ default.aspx, until 2:00 PM on February 22, 2023. Plans and specifications will be available on January 16, 2023, from the St. Louis County Web Site (www.stlouiscountymo.gov) or by contacting Cross Rhodes Print & Technologies, 2731 South Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118 (314) 678-0087. DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

INVITATION TO BID

Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) is requesting proposals for the construction services required for the renovation at the AT&T Library and Technology Resource Center. Proposals must be received no later than 2:00 pm on Tuesday January 31, 2022, to Corey Freeman at freemanc@hssu.edu. Responses to the RFP will be opened and read at a virtual bid opening on Tuesday January 31, 2023, at 2:15 pm. The link to the virtual bid opening will be sent at the time of bid submission.

A pre-bid conference and walk-through will be held on Tuesday January 10, 2023, at 2:00 pm. Please meet at the front entrance of the AT&T Library and Technology Resource Center located at 3011 Laclede Ave St. Louis, MO 63103. If necessary, a subcontractor site walk will be held on Tuesday January 17, 2023 at 2:00pm for all interested subcontractors. General Contractors will be responsible for informing all potential sub-contractors of this date and time. Masks will be optional for entry into the facility and at the pre-bid conference and walk-through. Social Distancing recommended.

A copy of the Request for Proposals and Bidding Documents can be obtained by contacting Ms. Corey Freeman at email address: freemanc@hssu.edu, faxing: (314) 340-3322 or calling (314)-340-3325.

Should you need any further assistance, please email Ryan Wilson with Navigate Building Solutions at ryan@navigatebuildingsolutions.com

The University reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive all informalities in proposals.

TRASH BIDS NEEDED FOR PINE LAWN

Trash Hauler “Sealed”Bids Due by 4:30 pm Jan. 27, 2023— Bids Open at 5pm @ 6250 Steve Marre Ave.Pine Lawn, Mo. 63121 Bidders must be licensed/bonded/insured & Experienced Hauling for Approx. 1,300 Residential/Commercial Properties ALSO Pine Lawn is HIRING for Public Works Labor Assistant City/Housing/ Court Clerks Apply at Address Above

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for the Berry RoadBig Bend Road Intersection Improvements project, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1724, Federal Project No. CMAQ-5443(602), will be received electronically thru the County’s Vendor Self Service portal at https://stlouiscountymovendors. munisselfservice.com/Vendors/ default.aspx, until 2:00 p.m. on March 1, 2023. Plans and specifications will be available on January 16, 2023 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www.stlouiscountymo.gov) or by contacting Cross Rhodes Print & Technologies, 2731 South Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118 (314) 678-0087. DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The Missouri Historical Society is seeking a Contractor to provide daily café or coffee shop services at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. To receive a copy of the RFP email Tami at tgold@mohistory.org or call 314 454-3137. Proposals are due to MHS on February 20, 2023.

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 www.stlamerican.com

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

Advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, imitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial\status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.

“We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.”

Call Angelita Houston at 314-289-5430 or email ahouston@stlamerican.com to place your ads today!

SEALED BIDS

SEALED BIDS

Bids for O190301 Repair Parking Deck Joseph P. Teasdale State Office Building Raytown, MO, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, February 2, 2023. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

Calmatic

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technology.”

Staying with the theme of nurturing my curiosities, I became obsessed with music,” he said. “I wanted to know how music was made and what programs, what software was used to make the music I love.” Soon after, Calmatic would be inspired to make his own music.

“I begin working with artists like Anderson .Paak on the music side, but at the same time

MLK

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“What a joy and a great honor it is to be here with you all to celebrate the legacy of MLK through music,” Denève said.

I’m like still this tech nerd. So, when it came to uploading their music, designing their My Space pages, doing album covers, and flyers for their shows, I was the go-to guy,” he said. Calmatic and a business associate decided to purchase a camera and “make a business out of becoming music content creators.”

After a break-in at his mother’s home, Calmatic says all his equipment was stolen, but thanks to his mom’s renter’s insurance, he was able to upgrade his camera and computer.

“I went on YouTube and

learned how to use it, then I’m back in the studio with my friends… I’m not making beats, I’m filming them,” said Calmatic. “One thing led to another, and I began creating music videos.”

In addition to what would become an explosive career in music videos, Ad Age named Calmatic the “Director of the Year” in 2020. He has directed commercials for global brands including Target, Apple, Sprite, Chase, and TurboTax. In the last few years, he has directed four Super Bowl commercials including 2022’s heart felt commercial for crypto.com

starring LeBron James and his younger self.

Speaking of “King James,” he is a major focal point in Calmatic’s House Party remake. The film stars Jacob Latimore (The Chi), Tosin Cole (Doctor Who), and plenty of high-profile cameos from pop culture icons.

Calmatic worked on two previous projects with Donald Glover aka “Childish Gambino” and his creative crew, and “they were the ones tasked with writing the script” for the new House Party – Jamal Olori and Stephen Glover (brother of Donald Glover) to be specific. Calmatic says in 2017, “he

direct messaged one of the two on Instagram” and said, “Man, I need first dibs on House Party.”

And at the time, Calmatic says, he had done no narrative work. He didn’t get a reply, but a year- and-a-half later, the unexpected happened. “I got a call,” said Calmatic.

“I made sure all my big video work had a narrative element, so I would be ready, and when I got that call from Springhill, Lebron’s production company, searching for the director, I went in for a meeting. We hit it off and they sent me the script.”

When he first read the

script, he felt it was “very L.A. specific.” “I felt the film was a love letter to Los Angeles, and if I could find a way to capture that, I could knock this out the park,” said Calmatic. The filmmakers liked his vision, and they “set out to make the movie.”

Along with “House Party,” Calmatic recently wrapped production on a remake of “White Men Can’t Jump” with Disney Studios starring Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls set to release in the summer of 2023.

Keith Underwood is a contributing writer to the Los Angeles Sentinel

categories for her beloved character of Ruby on ABC’s blackish and her second book, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets. Filmmaker Kasi Lemmons, who spent a portion of her childhood in the St. Louis region, earned nominations in television and film for her directing. The 2008 NAACP Image Award winner (2007’s Talk to Me) is up for Outstanding Direction in a Drama Series for Women of the Movement and Outstanding Direction of a Motion Picture for Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody Also recognized for his excellence in

“I Dream a World.” inspired by the Langston Hughes poem, had a major influence on King’s famous “I Have A Dream,” speech, and SLSO performed its rendition of the historic work.

Classical pianist Florence Price wrote “Adoration” in reference to her having what she

Denève shared that Dr. King often quoted songs in his speeches, which led the orchestra into “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

directing is East St. Louis’ own Reginald Hudlin. He earned an Outstanding Direction of a Documentary for Sidney –which also received an Outstanding Documentary nod. Nikki Walton, who was nominated for an Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author in 2014 returns to the esteemed list of nominees for 2023 thanks to her popular podcast. She is up for Outstanding Lifestyle/Self-Help Podcast for GoOD Mornings with Curly Nikki. St. Louis is also represented in musical categories thanks to St. Louis born SZA who will compete against the likes of Beyonce and Jazmine Sullivan for Outstanding Female Artist. The Baylor Project, composed of the husband-and-wife team of Jean Baylor and St. Louis

called “two handicaps” - her race and her sex. Dr. King too faced adversity and judgment for the color of his skin, while rising as one of the most influential changemakers of the civil rights movements.

St. Louis composer Adam Maness’ “What We Need” from Divides That Bind was also part of the concert.

According to Maness, Divides That Bind captures his

native Marcus Baylor, is up for Outstanding Jazz Album –Vocal for The Evening: Live at APPARATUS. The album is also nominated for a Best Jazz Vocal Album for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

Veteran actress Niecy NashBetts, who spent an early portion of her childhood in St. Louis, is nominated for her scene-stealing performance in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

Northwest High School graduate William Stanford Davis earned an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for his role of the quick-witted custodian Mr. Johnson in ABC’s smash hit sit-com Abbott Elementary The nomination came just a few short months after Davis was promoted from recurring

thoughts and feelings around the 2014 killing of Black teenager Michael Brown Jr., by former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

The piece also includes “What We Need,” which was written in response to Dr. King’s iconic acceptance speech for winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

Father and son, Stanley Johnson and Alexandar

character to series regular – a milestone for the veteran actor who has been a familiar face on film and television for the past 27 years.

The full list of nominees for the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards with ties to the St. Louis are as follows: Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture – Sterling K. Brown, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – Cedric The Entertainer The Neighborhood Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – William Stanford Davis Abbott Elementary Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Johnson, served as narrators, and guided guests through the narrative.

“Epitaph for a Man Who Dreamed” models King’s nobility, while also having listeners to imagine themselves around a gravesite, the Johnsons explained.

Rather than somber, it evoked a celebration of life feeling where mourners instead would sing, rejoice, and reflect on how to become an impactful leader like King.

– Jenifer Lewis black-ish Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series – Sterling K. Brown This Is Us Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special – Niecy Nash-Betts, Dahmer –Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television) – Cedric The Entertainer, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder Outstanding Female Artist – SZA S.O.S. Outstanding Jazz Album – Vocal – The Baylor Project The Evening: Live at APPARATUS Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series – Kasi Lemmons, Women of the Movement Episode 106

“Precious Lord, Take My Hand” reminded everyone again of King’s gospel roots, while the finale of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” emphasized how far Black people have come and the work needed to continue to progress.

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture – Kasi Lemmons, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody Outstanding Directing in a Documentary – Reginald Hudlin Sidney Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography - Jenifer Lewis Walking in My Joy – In These Streets Outstanding Lifestyle/ Self-Help Podcast – Nikki Walton, GoOD Mornings with Curly Nikki The 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards will air on BET on Saturday, February 25 at 7 p.m. central. For a full list of nominees and more information on this year’s broadcast, visit https://naacpimageawards. net/.