March 21, 2024 e-Edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

“I’m not compromised in my position, my integrity, or my character to serve this city.”

– St. Louis Police Chief Robert J. Tracy

Police Chief Robert Tracy

By Sylvester Brown Jr.

The St. Louis American

It’s little wonder why Mayor Tishaura Jones and the city’s Department of Personnel chose Robert J. Tracy as chief of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Jones in her effort to “reimagine” public safety was looking for someone with alternative views on police response programs that utilized other resources to address crime, such as mental health clinicians for crisis situations.

Tracy, 60, who holds a master’s degree in public administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from SUNY, Empire State College has built an impressive portfolio of achievement. He has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience with the New York, Chicago, and Wilmington Delaware Police Departments

He either created or led innovative police

See

Jefferson Elementary School kindergardner Alexander Hardwrict 5, is getting into 314 Day activities last Thu. March 14, 2024 while participating in the Saint Louis Public Schools’ Literacy for the Lou initiative. The program used “314 Day” as the backdrop for the latest launch in St. Louis’ largest-ever literacy push.

The ‘Literacy for the Lou’ a new 314 Day chapter

Spring reading challenge is 314 minutes

By

314 Day served as the backdrop for the Literacy for the Lou Passport Reading Challenge initiative–the initiative is St. Louis’ largest-ever literacy push. High-energy music played in the background as the kids paraded into the gym. They were cheering and dancing as they kicked off their spring challenge of reading 314 minutes.

“I’m so excited about 314 Day,” said Superintendent of St. Louis Public School District Keisha Scarlett. She’s learning a lot from the St. Louis community about the significance of the local holiday. “It’s a day of civic pride,” Scarlett added.

By Alvin A. Reid St. Louis American

Congresswoman Cori Bush has landed a powerful endorsement in her quest for re-election in November 2024.

Bush, the first Black woman elected to Congress in Missouri, has been endorsed by the Congressional Black Caucus PAC (CBCPAC) in her bid to remain Missouri’s First Congressional District representative.

Bush

“Congresswoman Cori Bush has stood as a champion for racial, social, economic, and environmental justice in Congress,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), chair of the Black Caucus PAC.

Bush is being challenged for the Democratic nomination by St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell and former state Rep. Maria Chappelle Nadal. The Democratic Primary is August 6, 2024.

Meeks praised Bush for delivering more than $27 million in community project funds to the St. Louis region.

“[Congresswoman Bush] has stood as a strong advocate for the disbursement of American Rescue Act funds in [her] district. Bush said in a release she is “thrilled” to have the support of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC.

“Together, we will continue to deliver meaningful investments and real results Cori

A

It’s the first of a planned series taking a critical look at the St. Louis and St. Louis County prosecutor offices.

“We hope that the prosecutors in St. Louis city and county take this opportunity to make their offices more transparent and accountable,” said Jia Lian Yang, the director of storytelling and communications for Forward Through Ferguson. “We’ve actually never seen that in the region, and at this point this is a standard that we are demanding that the prosecutors meet.”

The Prosecuting Organizing Table was formed in 2020 in response to St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell and former St. Louis Circuit Attorney See

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones listens as St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy speaks.

Photo by WIley Price / St. Louis American

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

Bruno Mars’ astronomical gambling debt rumor false says MGM Grand

Following a report that singer Bruno Mars owed the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas a whopping $50 million in gambling debt, the casino released a statement through TMZ. com refuting the rumor.

“We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world’s most thrilling and dynamic performers,” said the MGM Grand.

the MGM resort.

Sexyy Red goes #1 on Apple Music, calls out Adin Ross’ on their ‘endeavor’

St. Louisan Sexyy Red’s song “Get It Sexyy” topped the US Apple Music Charts on St. Patrick’s Day. Problematic streamer claimed he had a sexual endeavor with St. Louis Rapper Sexyy Red during a live stream with

“MGM and Bruno’s partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM.”

The singer, who can often be found at Sin City poker tables, is reportedly preparing for an upcoming residency at

trafficker and rapist

Tate

He overshared with out a warning or a need, “I wanna announce something, but I dunno if I should say it. I did Sexyy Red. It was good. She was the domi-

nant one.”

In what inspired them to link up, Ross claims Redd’s sex tape sealed the deal in his interest.

“It made me hit her up. I’m being for real.”

Red, never one to mince a single word, set the record straight but made it crooked.

that… next,” Redd said. But later, she did a 360, saying, “SIKE, you couldn’t touch me

tion and questioning, Nelly doubled down on reportedly selling his iconic tracks such as “Dilemma,” “Ride Wit Me,” and “Hot in Herre” for $50 million.

Ross has remained silent after Red’s comments.

Nelly stands by selling his catalog for deeming it ‘Equity, and Gold’

Despite much conversa-

Nelly said the long game is to build and secure generational wealth. “That’s why you would never have generational wealth. What you don’t understand is that’s what you’re vying for,” Nelly said. “Every time LeBron steps on that court, he’s doing the same thing with his body. That’s his equity.”

“You filtered through both of those. You can never really sell anything like that forever. Technically, it’s a lease. So in like 30 years, it comes back,” Nelly said. “So, if I ain’t took the little 50 mil and made nothing happen in 30 years, then I need my ass whooped anyway. You hear a lot of people say, ‘I would never do it. I would never do it.’ Why wouldn’t you do it? That’s your equity, that’s your gold.”

“She

-Lateefah Simon, outgoing California state Rep. Barbara Lee’s choice to replace her in Congress

‘Teen14-Day’ focuses on youth mental health, civic activism

Mayor’s Youth Cabinet creates event

By Kenedee Fowler

For The St. Louis American

Grayson Stevenson, 17, and Kennedy Thomas, 16 say the inaugural ‘Teen14-Day’ at .ZACK Urban Ballroom on March 16, 2024, added a needed angle to the wide-array of 314 Day celebrations in the area.

“This is our first big event coordinated around 314 Day St. Louis,” said Thomas, a 16-year-old sophomore at Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School. “It’s an event that’s for teens, by teens.”

The teens, members of Mayor Tishaura Jones’ Youth Cabinet, said ‘Teen14-Day’ focuses on youth mental health and civic responsibility. The St. Louis Mayor’s Youth Cabinet (MYC) consists of St. Louis city high school residents that provide insight into issues affecting the lives of youth in the city of St. Louis. Through volunteer service projects and support of municipal government leaders, the MYC was created to strengthen area communities.

representatives of the mayor’s economic development team for a panel discussion of teen-pressing issues—mental health, gun violence prevention, and financial literacy.

n We really need to be figuring out how to help young people process some of the challenging and traumatic experiences.

- Zenique Gardner-Perry

“We have a lot of things for teens as it relates to mental health, getting a start in their financial lives and being financially literate and really, just trying to talk about some of the most pressing issues, and giving teens a real voice,” said Stevenson, a senior at St. Louis University High School. Stigmas that surround mental health and reasons teens don’t seek help in dealing with the trauma of grief and violence were a part of the conversation. Along with the importance of financial and credit knowledge. Panelists and teens also shared how the community can highlight more positive stories on St. Louis by bridging the gaps between generations. Helping to create a city that its youth want to live in and eventually impact as leaders.

her interest in youth safety and violence prevention stem from a personal experience.

“My nephew, when he was 16, was a perpetrator of violence,” Gardner-Perry said.

“He is currently serving a prison sentence. But I also know the backstory of how he came into the circumstance that he’s currently in. I knew he was longing for closeness with his family. His father was absent and in and out of prison, and his mom struggled with mental illness. He had a host of challenges.”

a St. Louis University High School senior, are members of the Mayor’s Youth Cabinet which hosted the inaugural Teen14Day on March 14, 2024.

They were joined by 314 Day co-founder Terrell ‘Dip’ Evans, mental health professionals and

Zenique Gardner-Perry, Teen-14 Day panelist and St. Louis Youth Engagement & Safety Committee co-chair, said

The high school student sees those same challenges with both perpetrators of violence and young people who are at risk. “I know what kind of support they

need. We really need to be figuring out how to help young people process some of the challenging and traumatic experiences,” added Gardner -Perry. She said Teen-14 Day will help adults better serve and hear what young people need and want.

“We don’t [have] enough conversations that involve those who are most impacted,” she said. “I think adults have a lot of ideas on how to keep young people safe, how to keep them engaged, and how to keep them active, but I think the best way to get that information is to directly go to the youth and hear from them.”

After many positive and

impactful discussions, attendees commenced the 314 Day celebrations with a live DJ, colorful, flashy lights, virtual reality equipment, and food. “It allows you to have a voice outside your school and truly make that impact with your community,” said Stevenson, MYC chair.

The organization will establish an alumni association over the next two years to serve as part of a supportive network for future cabinet members and people with similar interests who want to be involved in the city of St. Louis.

The goal is to have at least 25 members in the future, and applications for the 2024/2025 school year are being accepted

Kennedy Thomas (left), a Cardinal Ritter College Prep sophomore, and Grayson Stevenson,

Photo by Kenedee Fowler / For The St. Louis American

Still trying to deny the historic truth

By Rev. Norman Franklin

Does America have a race problem? Is systemic racism permeating every fiber of the socioeconomic, sociopolitical institutions of America?

Answers trending from conservative Republicans grant us perspective. Racism does not exist. If history is properly presented, it never existed.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that bans initiatives on diversity, equity and inclusion. He viewed them as discriminatory practices. This was in April 2023. The following month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot followed suit with legislation that shuttered all DEI initiatives. A June 2023 SCOTUS decision struck down race as a factor in college admission.

A July 2023 Harvard Business Review article, “Why Companies Can – and Should- Recommit to DEI in the Wake of the SCOTUS Decision” debunks a myth. African Americans have been the face of Affirmative Action. The article by Tina Ople and Ella F. Washington, reveals that White women benefited the greater from Affirmative Action policies.

Opponents portray an ominous goal of DEI.

The genesis of the opposition is that many white Americans should not experience guilt when learning about history. That’s a misappropriation of guilt. Knowledge of the past bears no guilt; it could lead to shame, and shame spurs corrective action to ensure that mistakes are not repeated.

When the seats of government — the legislative and the executive branches – rests in the hands of one ideological movement, unrestrained by the weakness of opposition, legislative measures born out of the simmering angst of decades of feigned “go along” with social correctives, are pushed through that roll back the progress towards the more perfect union.

Columnist

Guest

Rev. Norman Franklin

More than 20 states have a combined 50 bills pending or signed into law that restrict or eliminate DEI programs. They purport to protect First Amendment free speech and shield potential employees and students from coercive practices. They are forced to align with divisive, discriminatory policies of DEI initiatives, they assert.

We cannot deny America’s history and its imprint on the discord in our society, the imbalance in our economy, and the ambiance of conflicted dysfunction in government – state and federal.

Conservative legislatures move to prohibit the inclusion of African/African American history in academic curriculum. Native American history is equally shunned.

African American history and Native American history is American history; however, the amalgamated and comfortable version legislators prefer castrates our experiences and insults our heritage.

The legislative body is comfortable with the imbalance of power and inequalities of society. They wield the sphere of authority over the marginalized. African Americans could feel a sense of betrayal. We felt the sting of ingratitude when we returned from the battlefields in Europe and the Pacific Theater. Our red blood soaked into foreign soils, but many were denied access to the GI benefits that fueled postwar prosperity.

Those who govern are the descendants of those who enslaved us; they deny the inhumanity of this immoral and unjust system.

Those who govern are the generations of those who codified Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws into a social construct that devalued Black life and castrated their dignity.

These are the children of those who have benefited from systemic injustice. Now, many deny that inequality permeates every fiber of the social construct of America.

It’s all they have known; it feels so normal. They can feel justified in the unjust laws they legislate; they can feel comfortable in the rollback of corrective measures. They can see no wrong in ending DEI initiatives.

NNPA columnist Rev. Norman Franklin is the associate pastor of the Church Without Walls Global in Winston Salem, NC.

Commentary

Know the facts about November 2024

By E. Faye Williams

Donald Trump recently said, “America is a joke.” he said as America’s president he could have fixed whatever he thought was wrong. Instead, he created many of problems.

Wasn’t he the man who claims to have done so much for Americans? To his credit, he didn’t say what he did was good or bad, but we Black people know the answer and would not be moved to his corner for a pair of strange gold sneakers with a big “T” on them — not when we Black people have the best sneakers with names like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and many others. We are so proud of the other names on sneakers, and it’s not just Black people’s names are on them!

When I heard Charles Barkley’s statement about Black people wearing Trump’s mugshot merchandise as “freaking idiots” and that he should punch them, I am not a violent person but I sure could understand what he meant. He admittedly clarified that what he meant when he said that he was not happy when Trump compares his plight with that of Black people.

President Biden gave a master class in reasons the MAGA folk don’t stand a chance when it comes to positive accomplishments for all the people. To mention a few things, he truthfully told us that since he’s been president inflation has gone down. The price of gasoline has gone down. He supports the right of women to control our own body. He has forgiven student loans. He respects the rights of minorities. He placed women in numerous high-level positions.

He selected the first woman and first Black person to become vice president of our country. He kept Obamacare alive and is working to improve it. He stood up for Ukraine. He promised success on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. He hasn’t raped any women. He hasn’t tried to take more money from us by trying to sell us tacky sneakers claiming we’ll vote for him because Black people love sneakers!

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

The importance of Cord Jefferson’s Oscar

By Michael Harriott

A Black person who read my latest book, “Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America” and said that he’d never read anything like it.

“I love the stories about your family,” he explained. “You never hear stories about regular Black families.”

Yeah,” I replied.

That’s all. That’s the whole story.

“Black screenwriter” and director Cord Jefferson took home the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for penning “American Fiction,” a Black movie about a “Black novelist” who was tired of writing “Black books.”

During his victory speech, Jefferson graciously thanked his colleagues for “trusting a 40-year-old Black guy who’s never directed anything before” and beseeched studio executives to “recognize that there are so many people out there who want the opportunity that I was given.” But it was Jefferson’s backstage press conference that ruffled the most feathers.

“minority cast members” and are less likely to empathize with Black characters Black actors and moviemakers are required to showcase a particular kind of Black pain to achieve the same accolades as their white counterparts. White audiences cannot see Black people’s humanity unless it falls into one of four categories:

Be a real person: One-third of Black Oscar-nominated performances depict historical figures, including Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx), Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) Richard Williams (Will Smith) and Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya)

Be of service: You can be a slave (Hattie McDaniel in “Gone With the Wind”; Lupita Nyong’o in “12 Years a Slave”; Denzel Washington in “Glory”) a servant, (Octavia Spencer in “The Help”; Sidney Poitier in “Lilies of the Field”; Morgan Freeman in “Driving Miss Daisy”) or simply of service to a white character. (Whoopi Goldberg in “Ghost”; Morgan Freeman in “Million Dollar Baby”)

“There’s an audience for things that are different,” Jefferson explained. “A story with Black characters that’s going to appeal to a lot of people doesn’t need to take place on a plantation. Doesn’t need to take place in the projects. Doesn’t need to have drug dealers in it. Doesn’t need to have gang members in it. There’s an audience for different depictions of people’s lives. There is a market for depictions of Black life that are as broad and as deep as any other depictions of people’s lives.”

Michael Harriott

Some viewers, both Black and white, interpreted the newly minted Oscar winner’s public ponderance as an elitist shot at Black filmmakers or movies about Black people. Others viewed Jefferson’s critique as part of an ongoing dialogue in Black America about Hollywood’s obsession with “slave movies,” white saviors and films that fetishize Black trauma.

While Cord Jefferson made an unquestionably good movie, it is even more remarkable that a Black filmmaker was allowed to make a movie that didn’t rely on the previously mentioned tropes. Numerous studies show that white audiences are less interested in films with

Be extraordinary: A Black person who can sing, dance, run or do something that white people value, can almost become human (Mahershala Ali in “Green Book,” Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls,” Cuba Gooding Jr. in “Jerry Maguire”)

Be in pain: High stakes, hyperbolic trauma is one of the few lenses through which white people can see Black people’s humanity. (Da’Vine Joy Randolph in “The Holdovers”; Mary J. Blige in “Mudbound”; Halle Berry in “Monster’s Ball”)

None of this means that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters hate Black people or think less of the movies we make.

In fact, “American Fiction’s” most noteworthy achievement may be that white people noticed it.

Jefferson’s ultimate point was that all stories depicting Black life are worthy of being told because Black people are worthy. Or, as some would call it: Diversity. Equity. Inclusion.

That’s all. That’s the whole story.

Michael Harriott is an author and columnist for The Grio, where this commentary was originally published

He said that is what he had a problem with. I did, too, and so did a lot of other Black people. Neither sneakers nor Trump T-shirts will get a vote from Black people I know!

A good part about the State of the Union speech of President Joe Biden is that he clarified why sensible people of all races should be supporting him even with the mistakes he’s made.

He doesn’t have 90-plus charges that keep him going to court more often than he spends time working for the people. He’s made health care cheaper. He’s bringing down the high cost of late fees on credit cards. He supports unions and is the first president to go on a picket line to support hardworking people. He’s far from an angry old man like the MAGA guy. He’s opening an office to work against gun violence. He works to make America better and his term is not over yet! He proved that age ain’t nothing but a number!

of

Kierra Ship, left, and Kenneth Cunningham will be honored for volunteerism and leadership and receive $1,000 scholarships during the annual Women’s Leadership Circle Table for Four Luncheon on April 11, 2024, at the Ritz Carlton in Clayton.

BGCSTL scholarship recipients to be honored April 11

St. Louis American

Kierra Ship, 17, has been honored with the Dr. Joan Silber Award for Volunteerism and Leadership, and Kenneth Cunningham, 18, is Dr. Flint Fowler and June McAllister Fowler Volunteerism & Leadership Award awardee, the Boys and Girls Club of St. Louis has announced.

Both scholars, who are BGCSTL St. Louis Internship Program/Teen Center of Excellence members, will be honored with respective $1,000 scholarships at the annual Women’s Leadership Circle Table for Four Luncheon at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 11, 2024, at the Ritz Carlton, 100 Carondelet Plaza in Clayton.

The Candidates met the following criteria to compete for the scholarships.

• Club members between the ages of 15 – 18 years old.

• Must be an active member for the past 12 months.

• Must have good academic standing, a grade point average of 2.5 or higher

• Must submit an application, an unofficial transcript, and an essay attached to

the application.

• A documented history of community service

The selection process included an interview by a panel of judges that included local author Ms. Micheal Anderson; Lisa Kopis of US Bank; Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones; Andreas Prince of Preferred Health; Mitchell Pearson of The Urban Farm School; and James Clark of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

The luncheon is an exclusive event led by St. Louis’ philanthropic leaders and benefits BGCSTL’s SMART Girls program.

Leading the afternoon of inspiration and empowerment are event co-chairs

Gina M. Bremehr, president & CEO of Object Computing Inc., and Sheila Burkett, Spry Digital founder & CEO. Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith, E.D., HarrisStowe State university president, is serving as the honorary event co-chair.

For more information about the event or tickets, contact Anne Ramsey at anner@bgcstl.org

Reporting on the road ahead

The National Urban League recently released the 2024 edition of its signature publication, “The State of Black America.” The report centers on examination of the 60th anniversary of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.

As the National Urban League says: “For Black America, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the first time that the United States government addressed the racial caste system that had been protected for centuries by unjust laws and systemic brutality of nonwhite people in this country.

The law, in many ways, answered the calls for jobs and freedom in the March on Washington by banning discrimination in the workplace, in our housing system, and programs funded by the government, and marked the death of the Jim Crow South.” But, they add, “Sixty years later, the fight for equality is far from over.” It continues: “We have a Supreme Court that has dismantled Affirmative Action, threatening not only equitable access to higher education and the economic opportunities born from a college degree but also endangering diversity and equity initiatives that make our workplaces safer and more accessible for people from all backgrounds. We have states not only dictating who gets to vote in elections but also enforcing ID laws and requirements that make it harder for marginalized people to participate in the Democratic process.

In Congress, extremist elected officials continue to hold our economy and our physical safety hostage by proposing the dismantling of federally funded safety net programs in exchange for the passage of critical spending bills that keep our government open and support our armed service members. … It is not the time to be silent. We cannot stand by while this law is stripped of its power by those who oppose progress. This fight is one for our future, our legacy, and the soul of this country.”

The report goes on to evaluate progress and danger across a range of measures. Since 2005, the National Urban League has used an “Equality Index” to evaluate how well Black Americans are doing in comparison to white Americans in measures of health, economic status, education, social justice, and civic engagement. They study a wide range of data to score each of these categories individually before calculating a combined score, and this year’s Equality Index was 75.7%. In economics and health, scores were closer to full equality this year than they were in 2005, but in other areas the numbers are slipping in the wrong direction.

n “Our freedoms are not free Be sure you are doing your part to defend

them.”

This year’s report also examines some of the recent and pending cases and legislation that threaten the Civil Rights Act, including the Supreme Court decisions in 303 Creative v. Elenis, which eroded protections of LGBTQ rights, and the case striking down race-conscious university admissions policies. We can’t afford to slide backward — and we certainly can’t afford retrenchment toward the unequal and unjust systems the Civil Rights Act was meant to address. Essays by President Joe Biden, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge and many other civic and corporate leaders underscore the same message.

As the 2024 election primary season continues, Americans are focusing on the real choices that lie ahead for their states and our nation. Reports like this one help paint a picture of where we are and where we need to be in order to achieve the full measures of equality every child and young person deserves. One of the tenets in the National Urban League’s framework for collective activism is to defend democracy—and this begins with the urgency of registering to vote. As they also say: Our freedoms are not free Be sure you are doing your part to defend them. Marian Wright Edelman is founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund.

Courtesy photos

Marian Wright Edelman

Tracy

Continued from A1

programs such as the “Firearms Suppression Division” which coordinated police tasks across several citywide units. In Chicago, Tracy held the “Crime Control Strategist” position and instituted strategies that helped reduce crime statistics. In Wilmington, he instituted a process that streamlined the department’s Intelligence-Based Policing methods.

In December 2022, when announcing Tracy had been chosen out of 40 other applicants nationwide, Jones described the first chief hired from outside the St. Louis Police Department, as a “visible, accessible” chief, and a “trusted partner” who will implement alternative police response programs in the department.

Chief Tracy has officially held the position for nearly a year and three months. The St. Louis American had the opportunity to sit with Tracy for a one-on-one interview to learn about his accomplishments and remaining challenges as head of the city’s police department. Tracy answered frankly regarding his methodology; how he really feels about private entities paying a huge portion of his salary and those officers who moonlight for them; how he plans to address shortages amongst his ranks; if it’s important to release videos related to crimes or police conduct in a timely manner and more. Tracy, with his characteristic Bronx, New York accent, answered our queries candidly, repeatedly emphasizing that “balance” is a major recipe in his operations.

St. Louis American: You’ve only been here a bit over a year so this may

not be a fair question but what do you think you’ve accomplished and what more needs to be done?

Police Chief Robert J. Tracy: One of the things you need to do in a police department is teach everybody the mythology and expectations of the new chief…how we work together and most of all, community engagement. Without going to those community meetings, working together…we’re not going to have longterm sustainable success. I think I’m most proud of the way we’ve gotten back to those community meetings.

There’s been disruptions throughout the United States because the pandemic and then after George Floyd’s murder, we had civil unrest. We had to separate because of the pandemic and then we were somewhat divided because civil unrest didn’t allow us to get to those meetings because we were dealing with protests… we started to lose trust. The community and the police are one and we need to work together. When we see each other in calmness-not crisis-we can build trust, talk about issues and solve them together.

StLAmerican:

Speaking of trust when I was a kid in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, I remember cops walking the beat. Can we ever get back to that?

Tracy: I think we had a lot more cops back then but here’s another thing, people rate us on the timeliness of how we respond to 911 calls. Therefore, most of our time is spent responding to those calls. I’m trying to get back to a balance that gets officers out of their cars. I call it ‘in between calls for service?’ What are you doing when you’re waiting for a call for service? We have to figure out how we can

Doin’ the 314 dance

divert other calls and let other people handle them who might not be a police officer.

StLAmerican: You mean mental health experts and people in other fields?

Tracy: Yes, but we still have to be a part of that. Even though we’re bringing them in to make sure we’re handling (situations) with better training and more thoughtfully so that things don’t go awry…we try to handle things as best as possible working with clinicians, but it still takes our resources.

StLAmerican: Moving on. There was an audit done in 2018 of a special unit within the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department that was rather damning. Six years later,

only portions of that audit have been released to the public. Do you have any say over when the full audit can be released?

Tracy: That was addressed well before I was here. I review how our internal affairs and our force investigations unit are operating. The results of some of these things are up to the Sunshine lawyers, the city law department…as far as what they can and cannot release. I can only speak about what I’m doing now.

StLAmerican: So, you don’t have the power to say, ‘release the whole audit now?’

Tracy: No.

StLAmerican: When you were with the consulting firm in Chicago after the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald-an unarmed Black man-you said ‘the law enforcement community and the criminal justice system should try to get videos out as quickly as possible for transparency and to avoid compromising cases.’ Does that sentiment apply here in St. Louis?

Tracy: I’m not sure where I was when I said that but, I believe there’s a balance in what can and cannot be released. You want to make sure that when something happens, you don’t want to compromise an investigation. I don’t make the laws… but I also don’t want to release things right away that may make the police look positive or might cause concern...I try to stay consistent. What people have to understand is that the circuit attorney looks at this, we have a force investigation unit

that looks at things and we have a U.S. Attorney who looks at these things. I would check with them to make sure I’m not compromising an active criminal or investigative investigation.

StLAmerican: I ask because I heard the video from the Central VPA high school shooting has yet to be released. Do you have any say on that particular video?

Tracy: It’s still an investigation that’s being completed. That has hundreds and hundreds of hours of video. Here’s the thing though, Central VPA will be a textbook example of how police should respond. Listen, we lost some lives…some people were injured…there are families that are grieving but if the officers hadn’t responded the way they did that person was going to cause more people to be hurt and/or killed.

In the Uvalde (Texas) school shooting, people said police didn’t do the right thing. Here’s a case where if we released the videos, people would say ‘yes, they were trained for it and they were heroes.’ But I still can’t put that out until we’re done with the investigation. Even when we’re ready to release it-which is going to happen shortly-we have to think about the trauma that’s going to be re-introduced in the community, to the students, the teachers and police officers that were involved. So, it’s not as easy as ‘here you go, here’s the tape?’ It’s also what will we create with that?

StLAmerican: Of your $275,000 salary, $100,000

is provided by the nonprofit, St. Louis Police Foundation. Additionally, some of your officers are also moonlighting for a private police company. How do you feel about private money paying for what is supposed to be publicly funded city police services?

Tracy: Let’s start with the salary. They did several national searches to get a police chief. What they wanted to do was try to be competitive in bringing in the right talent. Baltimore, Philadelphia…you look at a lot of police departments that have the same type of challenges we have in St. Louis and they’re paying upward of $300,000. They had an agreement with the city and the foundation to bring in the best talent possible. I had to go through an interview process and was among four final finalists. That salary wasn’t for Chief Robert Tracy, it was for whoever was going to be the new police chief. But nothing was ever asked of me because of that foundation money. I’m not compromised in my position, my integrity, or my character to serve this city because of a competitive salary. I answer to the mayor, to the constituency and the community.

When it comes to secondary policing; it is not uncommon in every city that I’ve worked with where we’ve had police officers hired by private entities to supplement their security in the area. If you go to any stadium, they do hire police officers.

Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.

Omarion Gee and the East St. Louis Senior High School Flyers Unified Dance Team performed during a high-energy assembly on 314 Day. Behind Gee (from left) are Lawren Graham, Damaria Gomiller, Kaliyah Allen, Marcala Hoffman, and Skyye Marbley.

Photo courtesy of ESL School District 189

Coalition

Continued from A1

Kim Garner failing to meet the progressive promises they made on the campaign trail. Both elections made history following the uprising in Ferguson in 2014.

Gardner became the first Black prosecutor in St. Louis in 2016. Bell defeated Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch in the 2018 Democratic primary, then became the first Black person to hold that position. Despite that progress, Yang said there has been a continuation of the status quo.

“These candidates who ran on more progressive campaigns said that they would use their office for good,” Yang said. “They would address some of the things causing racial bias and convictions and sentencing. Unfortunately, the outcomes were not what the racial justice organizations were hoping for.”

The coalition includes Action St. Louis, ArchCity Defenders, Freedom Community Center, Forward Through Ferguson, MacArthur

Bush

Continued from A1

for the people of St. Louis,” said Bush “As a frontline Ferguson activist, as a formerly unhoused single mother of two, as a nurse, and as a pastor, I know the struggles our community faces on a daily basis, and it is my lived experience that informs how I advocate, legislate, and lead in Congress.

“With right-wing extremism on the rise and billionaire mega-donors

314

Continued from A1

Literacy for the Lou is designed to ramp up the importance of reading. Students received Literacy for the Lou Reading Passports, which will be used to log reading minutes and give students access to rewards and prizes as they reach their goals. SLPS also has partnered with St. Louis Public Library for the initiative.

“This is to continue to foster the love for reading,” said the superintendent.

Justice Center and Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty.

The group will analyze the prosecutors’ offices based on five metrics: transparency, charging decisions, pretrial detention, conviction and sentencing, and commitment to community-based alternatives. “We want to educate and empower the public to know what the prosecutor’s role really is and what options they have when it comes to charging decisions or their strategies when it comes to handling a case,” Yang said. “We also want to equip the public with the data they need to understand whether or not they actually support a prosecutor.”

The coalition reached out to both Bell and St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore to release data on metrics including pretrial detention, charging decisions, and convicting and sentencing. Both have yet to do so, despite Bell saying he would, said Michelle Smith, co-director of Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty.

“It is very telling when

fueling their efforts to impose an anti-Black, anti-freedom, anti-abortion, anti-IVF, anti-DEI, and anti-democracy agenda all across the country, I am more committed than ever to the values I stand for and the movement of love for all people that my campaign is rooted in.”

In 2022, Bush received the CBC PAC endorsement and won 70% of the vote against challenger state Sen. Steve Roberts. The Democratic Primary in Missouri’s First Congressional District will be held on August 6, 2024.

The school’s principal Dr. Leslie Bonner says reading is so important for the students in St. Louis. The elementary school goal is for all students to graduate from Jefferson Elementary School reading at or above their grade level. Teachers and staff encourage the students to read at least 30 minutes a day. Each student is provided with a book to take home to help build their in-home library.

“314 Day is about St. Louis and so is Literacy for the Lou,” she said. Elizabeth Greifzu, reading specialist for

a prosecutor did promise to be transparent, to be community focused and to make sure that the community’s interests be at the forefront of him running the office,” Smith said. “That’s not being done. The thing is we don’t know. If you don’t give us the data, we actually don’t know. We’ve also been told that the data is not being kept.”

Smith acknowledges that Bell held up campaign promises such as not seeking the death penalty, which she’s pleased with. But he’s not lived up to others.

“Prosecutor Bell has not been much different than his predecessor Bob McCulloch,” Smith said. “The [lack of] transparency in the office. Those charging decisions and things that we need to see where we could gauge progress, we really haven’t seen. There’s still a lot of people in St. Louis County jail. There’s still a lot of people getting charged with certain crimes that we feel like they shouldn’t be.”

In recent years, St. Louis has been under the microscope for a growing number of deaths at the St. Louis City Justice Center,

An optimistic CBC

Earlier this month CBC members announced a “First Day Agenda” in anticipation of Democrats holding a majority of House of Representatives seats following the November election and Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries becoming Speaker of the House.

Among its top priorities will be issues impacting Black communities, including protecting voting rights, diversity, equity and inclusion, and reproductive freedoms.

“There are forces work-

the SLPS, has been at Jefferson Elementary for three years and says she feels proud that the students are meeting their reading goals.

“Engaging kids as early as pre-k is so important not only does it get them interested in reading, but it also helps build their vocabulary,” she said.

Following the sentiments of the school’s reading specialist, Bonner said, “All of our scholars deserve a bright future.”

Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.

Major learning at Legacy Center

ing to take away the very tools of economic opportunity and freedoms that we have fought so hard to advance,” said CBC Chair Horsford.

Horsford then paraphrased original CBC member retired Missouri Congressman William “Bill” Clay, saying “We are going to hold everyone accountable. We don’t have permanent friends or permanent enemies. We have permanent interests.”

At their annual retreat earlier this year, House

Democrats told reporters that their motto for 2024 is “Finish the Job,” as they attempt to win back the House majority in the upcoming 2024 general elections.

To accomplish the mission, Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio said the CBC must do a better job of reaching voters in ways they understand.

“We have to do more of explaining legislation and ensuring that CBC-led efforts are translated into simple language versus congressional language,” she said.

Horsford said “We’re to blame for [some Black voters] not knowing that we lifted 50% of children out of poverty, doubled the number of loans to Black-owned businesses in the last three years from the SBA [Small Business Administration], that we are seeing record low unemployment, and that the CBC created legislation that gave way to the largest investment in HBCUs.”

Normandy Middle School at Lucas Crossing seventh grader Major Graham learns the physics of the wheel from engineer and former Tuskegee Airmen Frank Mack at the Legacy Center Thursday, Mar. 14. The Regional Business Council, STL.works, in partnership with the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), introduced a national initiative to the region at the Legacy Center in the Normandy School District.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

shake-ups to the St. Louis Detention Facilities Oversight Board, uprisings from detainees for jail conditions and mistreatment.

The coalition plans to release two more reports in the next year.

‘Taking Care of You’

A silent killer no more Colon cancer is ‘ravaging the Black community’

Knowledge is power in fight against the disease

four years. It is

and,

to

colorectal cancer and about

colon cancer cases are found in

By Hamil R. Harris

Political provocateurs are determined to stir up controversy over Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s failure to tell President Biden about his treatment for prostate cancer. Yet, his desire to keep the matter private — and out of the public eye — is in line with what many men, particularly men of color, have done for decades.

The reticence to share details of a medical condition is understandable, but prostate cancer is a silent killer in the Black community and the time has come to give it a voice.

In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose son Dexter recently passed from prostate cancer, I ask: How long? How long will men of color suffer in silence and die alone? How long will too many brothers hide their plight?

By Alexa Spencer

2020 was a hard year for Black folks in so many ways: COVID-19, police brutality, job loss. But what else made it hard? Colon cancer.

On August 28, 2020, the world lost Chadwick Boseman. The Black Panther star was just 43 years old when he succumbed to the disease.

And on Dec. 7, Natalie Desselle Reid, an actor known for her roles in “Madea’s Big Happy Family” and

“B.A.P.S.,” died from it at age 53. The public deaths of Boseman and Reid remind us of the many Black men and women who die from colon cancer each year behind closed doors. According to the American Cancer Society, Black people are 20% more likely to develop colorectal cancer and about 40% more

likely to die from it than most other groups.

“This disease is ravaging the Black community, and it is as important as ever that everyone has access to and is receiving the recommended screenings,” Durado Brooks, vice president of prevention and early detection at the Society, said in a statement after Boseman’s passing.

So here are four facts to help people better understand what colon cancer is, why it disproportionately impacts Black folks, and the role diet

n Prostate cancer is a silent killer in the Black community and the time has come to give it a voice.

When he finally commented publicly about his condition, Austin offered regrets about keeping silent and then made an important pledge. He said that by not initially disclosing his diagnosis, he “missed an opportunity to send a message on an important public health issue,” while noting the prevalence of prostate cancer, particularly among Black men. Encouraging all men to get screened, Austin promised, “You can count on me to set a better example on this issue today and for the rest of my life.”

Any cancer diagnosis is a private matter. But men like Dexter King and Austin can help so many others who are prone to prostate cancer. Keeping the surgery and treatment a secret would only have continued to add to the stigma surrounding prostate cancer. That would have been a disservice to the thousands of men of color diagnosed yearly.

Indeed, data from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City

HEAL-St. Louis: Fighting asthma, allergies in older adults

30% of adult asthma cases are triggered by allergies

By Ashley Winters

The St. Louis American

Spring is here, and for many St. Louisans, this can be a dreadful time of year. Just the thought of pollen, ragweed, and freshly-mowed lawns can send some people running to the local pharmacy.

In partnership with the national and local Asthma and Allergy Foundation, HEAL-St. Louis Oasis is helping older adults living in low-income areas manage their seasonal allergies and asthma. HEAL, which stands for Health, Equity, Advancement, and Leadership is bridging the gap between health

programs for children with asthma and allergies and older adults.

“The HEAL program can make a real difference in quality of life, once individuals and families know how to better manage their allergies and asthma,” said Emir Kandzetovic, MPH, Program Manager, Oasis. “We encourage the public to register and to share this information with others.”

Asthma is a chronic disease that, contrary to widespread belief, affects children and adults. It is also more common in the African American community and can have more dire

See ASTHMA, A9

According to the American Lung Association, Black people (10.9%) are 42% more likely than white people (7.7%) to have asthma. OASIS is helping older adults living in low-income areas manage their seasonal allergies and asthma.

Chadwick Boseman died on August 28, 2020, after living with colon cancer for

the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States after lung cancer

according

the American Cancer Society, Black people are 20% more likely to develop

40% more likely to die from it than most other groups. Although most

older adults, rates are rising among young people.

Photo courtesy of PBS.org

Hamil R. Harris

Courtesy photo

Durado Brooks

Program could reduce cost of sickle cell treatments

By Nada Hassanein Missouri Independent

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration late last year approved two breakthrough gene therapies for sickle cell disease patients. Now a new federal program seeks to make these life-changing treatments available to patients with low incomes — and it could be a model to help states pay for other expensive therapies.

The therapies come with a price tag of as much as $3 million for a course of treatment, which can take up to a year. Despite those high upfront

Asthma

Continued from A8 consequences. According to American Lung Association studies, Black Americans and American Indian/ Alaska Natives have the highest current asthma rates compared to other races and ethnicities.

In 2018, Black people (10.9%) were 42% more likely than white people (7.7%) to have asthma.

costs, cell and gene therapies have the potential to reduce health care spending over time by addressing the underlying cause of the disease. Of the estimated 100,000 sickle cell patients in the U.S. most are Black people. There are several types of sickle cell disease, but all of them affect hemoglobin, the protein inside red blood cells that carries oxygen. All types of the disease cause the body’s red blood cells to be deformed.

Under the “Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model, the federal government will negotiate

that more than 4 million people over the age of 65 have asthma, which can be seasonal or year-round, but the attacks can also be life-threatening.

Asthma is a disease in which the bronchial airways in the lungs become narrowed and swollen, making it difficult to breathe. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, and rapid breathing.

According to the program’s website, obesity can significantly increase the risk in adults, and 30% of adult asthma cases are triggered by allergies.

A 2021 Center for Disease Control and Prevention Report shows

Cancer

Continued from A8

1. What is colorectal cancer?

Colorectal cancer, also known as colon or rectal cancer, is an overgrowth of cells in the colon or rectum. The colon is the large intestine, and the rectum is the canal that connects it to the anus. The two parts of the digestive system work together to remove waste from the body.

People with colorectal cancer don’t always experience symptoms. If they do, it may include a change in bowel habits, bloody stools, abdomi-

Harris

Continued from A8

shows that more than 13% of African American men between the ages 45 and 79 will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes.

And Black men have a 70% higher rate of developing prostate cancer than white men. The American Cancer Society also shockingly predicts that Black men are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than their white counterparts.

discounts with sickle cell drug manufacturers Vertex Pharmaceuticals, CRISPR Therapeutics and Bluebird Bio on behalf of state Medicaid agencies, which provide health care coverage to low-income patients.

n “From a racial equity, health equity perspective, it’s important that we make this work.”

– Dr. Lakshmanan Krishnamurti

To participate, state Medicaid agencies must agree to prices based on those negotiations, and pledge to provide broad access to the therapies.

The federal government said it will negotiate an “outcomes-based agreement.” If there are no in-state treatment centers, Medicaid agencies would pay for patients to receive the therapies in another state. The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the program, which is scheduled to begin next year, in

response to President Joe Biden’s 2022 executive order on lowering prescription drug prices.

CMS officials say the framework is being tested with sickle cell disease treatments first, but that other conditions may be added over time.

Gene therapies, a rapidly emerging type of treatment, aim to correct genes responsible for rare hereditary diseases. So far, the FDA has approved treatments for a rare inherited eye condition and certain types of cancer, but more therapies are in the pipeline.

Dr. Lakshmanan

Krishnamurti, chief of pediatric hematology and oncology at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven Hospital, called the model “path-breaking.”

“This is an initiative the government has taken to responsibly shepherd resources, but at the same time, maintaining access. From a racial equity, health equity perspective, it’s really important that we make this work,” said Krishnamurti, whose sickle cell patients have participated in clinical trials testing gene therapies.

it can become easier to control your asthma.”

Ebow Nketsiah, Health Programs Coordinator at the Oasis Institute, recommends older adults to take advantage of the free six-week program. “Even if you, yourself, don’t suffer from asthma, you may know someone who does and it’s good to have the knowledge,” he said. Asthma is treatable. It can be managed with medicine, routine appointments and inhalers. But Black patients often struggle to get treatment, and are more likely than whites to end up in the emergency room with asthma symptoms.

“On the topic of asthma self-management, we see knowledge gaps in awareness of triggers and how to effectively use rescue inhalers’’ Neketsiah said. “A lot of asthma patients in St. Louis struggled with equitable access to healthcare, so they may not have been provided the proper education surrounding rescue medication usage or managing their asthma overall. This unique program provides older adults living with asthma with the needed education and supplies to help manage their asthma.”

nal pain, or unexplained weight loss.

2. What’s causing colon cancer in the Black community?

There are multiple reasons why Black people get colon cancer more than other groups. Lack of access to healthcare and fresh, affordable foods are two major reasons. Additionally, colorectal cancer often appears in Black men and women on the right side of their colon more than the left, which leads to poorer outcomes. Right-sided colon cancer patients tend to have larger tumors because the colon is larger on that side, so tumors may grow larger before causing symptoms. Whereas leftsided colon cancer, which

ing that prostate cancer is one of the most treatable forms of the disease with the five-year survival rate for men diagnosed with it being greater than 99% if the cancer is detected during the early stage.

HEAL- St. Louis Oasis:

• Free program

• Workshops are available in St. Louis City/County and the Metro East

What the program offers:

• Participants learn asthma and allergy triggers and how to manage them

• Participants get free asthma medicine and equipment

• Participants learn how to make an action plan

• Participants learn how to stay active while living with asthma

• Participants learn how to reduce exposure to asthma triggers

• Participants receive certified allergy-friendly pillows and air filters

To learn more visit

“I would encourage anyone to join a class like this. I’ve learned how important it is to manage your symptoms and understand your triggers. Once you know your triggers,

La Fondrea Brown, a participant in the program, joined because she has been asthmatic since she was a child, and now her adult son and grandkids all have asthma. “Every day triggers like cigarette smoke and perfume would irritate my airways, leading me to hold my breath when around these scents,” Brown said. “This program has helped me. I have an action plan and I know how to identify my asthma and allergy symptoms.”

appears more often in white Americans, is easier to detect early on.

3. Early detection is important If detected early, colon cancer patients have a high chance of surviving. Those chances decrease if the cancer spreads to other parts of the body. Commonly used screening types include:

• Fecal occult blood test: This test takes a small sample of stool to detect polyps, cancer, or other conditions.

• Sigmoidoscopy: A thin tube with a light and a lens is inserted through the anus rectum and into the lower colon for viewing.

It may also have a tool to remove polyps or tissue samples.

cancer as early or as regularly as white men.

• Colonoscopy: Similar to sigmoidoscopy, a thin, lighted tube is inserted into the rectum to look for polyps, abnormal areas, or cancer. This procedure goes throughout the entire colon.

• Virtual colonoscopy: A series of X-rays are used to examine the colon.

• DNA stool test: This test examines DNA in stool cells for genetic signs of colorectal cancer.

• Blood tests: The first blood test to screen for colorectal cancer could be approved soon. New research found that a test by Guardant Health was 83% effective in detecting the cancer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults begin regular screenings at

age 45. However, this recommendation can be problematic for Black folks who, like Boseman, develop the disease or die before that age. Lack of knowledge and failure to recommend screenings is another barrier. The overall patient-provider experience needs to improve. A 2011 study found that Black men who reported healthcare racism were less likely to have completed recommended colorectal cancer screenings.

4. How much of a difference can diet make?

Certain foods can cause inflammation in the bowels and gut, which is a factor in colorectal cancer development. According

https://st-louis.oasHEAL – St. Louis Oasisisnet. org/heal/

Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.

to research, the main foods that cause inflammation and may contribute to colorectal cancer are sugar, animal fats, and red and processed meats.

A 2019 study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that people who ate red or processed meat four or more times a wekk had a 20% higher risk of colorectal cancer than those who ate it twice a week or less.

On the other hand, plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains — especially those high in fiber — benefit the gastrointestinal tract.

nized his duty to be open and honest about his battle with this disease. And in doing so, he now joins groups and individuals who are already working on spreading awareness for prostate screenings who can act as guideposts.

Hamil R. Harris is a Washington Informer columnist and reporter plays in prevention and treatment.

These figures are appalling when consider-

While there are numerous reasons for why this disparity between Black and white men exists — decades of structural racism, environmental issues, certain comorbidities, different molecular pathways in the body of Black men — a great deal of the reason comes down to the fact that Black men are disproportionately not being screened for prostate

A recent study published in JAMA Oncology by a team at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center found that Black men get fewer PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screenings; they are more likely to be diagnosed with later-stage cancer; they are less likely to have health insurance; and they have less access to high-quality care and other disparities that can be linked to a lower overall socioeconomic status.

Given his platform as Secretary of Defense, I am happy that Austin recog-

For example, Mount Sinai Medical Center recently unveiled the Robert F. Smith Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Unit, which will visit New York City neighborhoods where men could be at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. The mobile home-sized bus is named after the African American philanthropist

and venture capitalist who donated almost $4 million to launch the program. Smith, who has led many philanthropic endeavors aimed at supporting the African American community, obviously realizes that it takes a preemptive approach to combat the scourge of prostate cancer by going directly into the communities most affected by the disease.

In announcing the prostate screening initiative, Smith tied it to larger inequities in our society that leave African Americans behind. “It’s unconscionable that in our great country and at this moment of technological breakthrough, Black Americans are still subject to staggeringly worse health outcomes,” he said. “We can fix this.”

Thankfully there are individuals like Smith and now Austin to use their platforms to spread awareness for this deadly — yet very treatable — form of cancer and ensure that more people don’t die needlessly.

Ebow Nketsiah

and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.

At the St. Louis American’s 2023 Summer Science Academy, students conduct a worm study in an activity coordinated by the Saint Louis Science

SCIENCE CORNER CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

Solar power is used by capturing light’s energy and turning it in to electricity. Many calculators and digital watches have solar cells that allow them to operate using solar power.

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

Background Information:

In this experiment, you will see cornstarch appear to jump towards a balloon.

Materials Needed:

• Cornstarch • Vegetable Oil • Mixing

Bowl • Vegetable Oil • Large Spoon • Balloon • Measuring Cup

Process:

q Measure ¼ cup of cornstarch and pour it into the mixing bowl.

w Measure ¼ cup vegetable oil and add it to the cornstarch. Stir the cornstarch and oil until the mixture thickens.

e Blow up a balloon and tie it closed.

r Use your hair to statically charge the balloon (rub the balloon against your hair to create static electricity).

MATH CONNECTION

a day, and your cost of electricity is 25 cents per kwh, how much does

Learning Standards: I can use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to solve a problem. Power

DID YOU KNOW?

SCIENCE STARS

African-American Electrical Engineer Cordell Reed

To learn more, visit: http://www.eia.gov/kids/. Teachers: You can request a visit from Ameren’s mascots, Louie the Lightning Bug and Sniffy the Sniffasaurus. Visit https://ameren.com/community-members/ educators-and-students to complete the application.

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting details.

Electrify

t Hold a spoonful of the cornstarch mixture and slowly bring the charged balloon near the spoon. Once you witness the cornstarch jump towards the balloon, slowly move the balloon away. How close is the balloon when

you see the reaction?

Evaluate: How does static electricity affect this experiment? What happens if you leave the cornstarch in the bowl, does it jump towards the balloon? If you do not add oil to the cornstarch, how does it affect this experiment?

Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete an experiment. I can evaluate results and draw conclusions.

c The television in your living room uses 200 watts of electricity. If you use your television 6 hours a day, and your cost of electricity is 25 cents per kwh, how much does it cost to use your television for one week?______

v If your furnace uses 6000 watts of electricity, and you use your furnace for 5 hours per day, and the rate of electricity is 25 cents per kwh, how much does it cost to use your furnace for one month?________

Cordell Reed was born in Chicago on March 26, 1938. After growing up in the housing projects, Reed went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, in 1960. He attended University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and became the third African American to earn that degree from UIUC. After graduation, Reed went to work for Commonwealth Edison, which is an Illinois electric company and worked his way to an executive position, in 1975.

Reed was very successful at Commonwealth Edison and served as a department manager and a public spokesman for nuclear power. He served in three different departments before he earned the title of senior vice president. In 1994, Reed became their ethics officer and the chief diversity officer. He was in charge of purchasing materials for the company’s fossil fuelfired energy-generating plants. In 1995, he even represented the company on a trade mission to South Africa. He retired in 1997. Throughout his career, Reed earned many awards and honors. In 1988, he earned the lifetime achievement award from The Black Engineer of the Year awards. Five years later, he earned the Tommy Thompson Award from the American Nuclear Society. Reed has served on the board of directors for LaSalle bank, the Walgreen Company, Underwriters Laboratories, and Washington Group International. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, American Nuclear Society, Tau Beta Pi, the National Technical Association, and the Urban Financial Service Association. Reed has also volunteered his time and expertise for the following: John G. Shedd Aquarium, the Illinois Academic Decathlon Association, Cal-Met Village Senior Citizen Housing, the Development Fund for Black Students and the Metropolitan Family Services Advisory Board. Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made contributions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

MAP CORNER

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

Activity

One — Adding

Maps: Maps are very helpful tools and are often in newspapers. Skim your and find an article that you think would be improved with the addition of a map. Design a map that you think should accompany the article and present your map to your classmates.

Activity Two —

Ad Critique: Choose 10 advertisements to evaluate for message (what are the ads trying to say) and impact (is the strategy effective). Next, revise three of those ads to appeal to people in a certain age group (teens, senior citizens, etc.)

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can create visual representation of information. I can write for a specified purpose and audience.

The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers

Presents

A ‘beacon of change’ in north St. Louis economic development

314 Day event hails city progress

St. Louis Development Corporation President Neal Richardson speaking at the 314 Day event Thursday, Mar. 14, 2024.

By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American

“It is a great day to celebrate community connections and collaborations that activate economic justice,” Neal Richardson, president, and CEO of the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) told a crowd gathered last Thursday.

The “day” Richardson referenced was of course “314 Day,” which celebrates “the positive things happening in the city.”

Richardson, Mayor Tishaura Jones, Congresswoman Cori Bush, and a host of city officials brought the “positive” news of programs which are already underway.

business growth loans aimed at the Southeast and Northern half of the city, a short-term loan program for small construction contractors and suppliers, and a small business and nonprofit grant program.

The loan programs, which are available to city residents and businesses, are a result of the mayor’s promise to direct roughly $500 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to north St. Louis.

The 314 Day celebration was held at a former industrial facility at 3940 Martin Luther King Drive in north St. Louis. The city’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA) has slated the site to become a “Campus for Economic Mobility.”

PeoPle on the Move

Dr. Derrick Mitchell appointed assistant dean

Dr. Derrick Mitchell is HarrisStowe State University College of Education assistant dean. Mitchell was appointed in January after most recently serving as a network superintendent with St. Louis Public Schools. An alum of the HSSU College of Education, Dr. Mitchell will report directly to the dean of the College of Education, overseeing the recruitment and support of students in the Educator Preparation Program (EPP). His responsibilities include developing, expanding, and improving the EPP while ensuring adherence to professional and accreditation standards. He will collaborate closely with the deans of various colleges and the Office of Student Success to maintain the relevancy and quality assurance of the college’s EPP.

Dr. Troy Frank honored with Governor’s Award

Lincoln University of Missouri Associate Professor of Business Dr.

Troy Frank

Troy D. Frank has been honored with the 2024 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education. The Governor’s Award is sponsored by the Missouri Council on Public Higher Education and is presented annually to an outstanding faculty member representing each of Missouri’s four-year public institutions.

The award recognizes exceptional educators for their dedication, innovation and commitment to inspiring students in the state of Missouri.

“I love to be the provider of knowledge, and I love molding, shaping and influencing young minds. It’s a rewarding profession, and there’s nothing like being in the classroom and seeing the lightbulbs turn on in students’ heads,” said Frank.

The goals are to transform lives and neighborhoods that have been traditionally excluded in economic development conversations.

According to Richarson, the facility will be “a beacon of change for North St. Louis” that will become an innovative transit-accessible workforce and training campus for manufacturing and other

A homebuyer assistance program, See SLDC, B2

Harris-Stowe ‘HuSTLe Expo’ makes an impact on 314 Day

By Devored Horton

Kyntorrious Brison is serious about letting the world know that the voices of his fellow students at Harris-Stowe State University need to be heard. So he did his part to make it happen as part of the city’s renowned 314 Day.

Organized by HSSU AnheuserBusch School of Business Thrivent Student Ambassadors, the HuSTLe Expo was one of many 314 Day events that took place on March 14, 2024. The students are the first Thrivent Student Ambassadors, and this event demonstrated that they have the drive and talent to make their respective side hustles stand out.

The event expo was even unique enough to attract a special guest speaker – Terrell “Young Dip” Evans, the co-founder of 314 Day.

“This event shows us and it shows the students that they are getting heard,” said Brison, a senior at HSSU and creator of the expo. “Also, this event means a lot to me because I am

See HARRIS-STOWE, B2

Farzana Hoque to receive ‘Unsung Hero’ award

Farzana Hoque, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine and acting internship co-director at Saint Louis University’s School of Medicine, will receive the Society of Hospital of Medicine’s Unsung Hero award.

Farzana Hoque

Hoque volunteers for not-forprofit organizations including Diversity in Medicine, and St. Louis CRUSH (Community Resources United to Stop Heroin), providing vital resources in the fight against the heroin crisis in the St. Louis community. She also mentors underrepresented undergraduate students aspiring to be physicians, including high school students from the Collegiate School of Medicine & Bioscience, who shadow her to gain firsthand clinical experience.

Derrick Mitchell

Photo by Maurice Meredith / St. Louis American

From left, Ra’Shaye Jones, J’Montez Cameron, Deirra Williams, Kyntorrius Brison, Kelsie Johnson and Coordinator Kristy Jackson.

Photo by Devored Horton / St. Louis American

n The 314 Day celebration was held at a former industrial facility at 3940 Martin Luther King Drive in north St. Louis.

Harris-Stowe

Continued from B1

an entrepreneur myself. So, I am loving that I am able to let other entrepreneurs showcase their talents.”

Deirra Williams, another member of the Thrivent Student Ambassadors, said this event was special to her as well.

“It is fun and important because we are highlighting each other,’’ Williams said. “This is a student engagement event for student entrepreneurs and, as a business major, it is important that we highlight each other to build that community from the ground up. So, that way when we are post college and when we get into our careers, we are already connected with each other.”

The expo attracted several students, called “Side HuSTLers,” who came in to display their products and services.

One of the “Side HuSTLers” was Kenjuan

SLDC

Continued from B1 high-paying, in-demand careers.”

To accelerate Economic Justice, Richarson said SLDC introduced three “new products” aimed at closing the wealth gap through homeownership and access to low-cost capital. They are “HomeSTL: Homebuyer Assistance Program” aimed at making homeownership affordable for first time homebuyers; “ScaleUpSTL,” a capacity building and cash flow program designed to meet the needs of small businesses and non-profits and “MobilizeSTL,” a program aiming to provide short-

Caples, who has been a barber for six years. Caples operates “Third World Cuts” and said his side hustle became his passion. “Cutting hair just really came out of nowhere,” Caples said. “Eventually it turned into something I knew I wanted to do for a very long time. I wanted to make that my business, I wanted to make that my career.”

Caples is from Memphis, Tenn., but he said he really likes St. Louis and its fast pace.

Another “Side HuSTLer” was J’ Montez Cameron, who re-styles shoes into a style or theme that the customer wants. He is also a Thriving Student Ambassador who started his side hustle a year ago.

“I honestly started with something that I saw a lot on social media and it was something that I could get behind,” Cameron said. “It was a form of expression, so I really just started with the process and fell in love with it. I am trying to learn every single day and have been going strong for a year.’’

term loans to small construction contractors and suppliers.

Richardson and other city officials extended an invitation to mortgage lenders to join the city’s homebuyer assistance program. SLDC has partnered with the Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) and the Neighborhood Stabilization Division (NSD) to host home buyer readiness education sessions. The idea, city officials explained, is to “prepare future homeowners for a successful journey rooted in education, informed choices and sustainable homeownership practices.”

The overwhelming message from city offi-

cials last week was one of “collaboration” between “community partners.” To implement the massive plan to transform economic and housing development in the city, the mayor’s office, SLDC, CDA, the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA), the City’s Building Division and other city agencies had to partner around a unified vision.

Nahuel Fefer, CDA executive director, outlined plans to demolish vacant homes, stabilize neighborhoods and CDA funds available for rental and home-ownership assistance and other “community-driven development” projects.

After the presentations, Tom Nagel, CDA pub-

lic information officer, shared informational kits (complete with maps) that listed locations and the grassroots organizations that have received “Transformation Grant” awards for development, neighborhood revitalization and capacity building.

Designated recipients include Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, Jubilee Community Development Corporation, Be Well Café, North Grand Neighborhood Services, Hope in the Ville, Lewis Place Historical Preservation, Inc., and the North Newstead Association.

Describing ARPA funds as “the gift that keeps on giving,” Bush said, “I am so proud of what we’ve

been able to accomplish over these last three years.”

Addressing the total $40 million in federal dollars that will be invested in “local projects,” Bush said, “We hustled for these projects. We held webinars with community leaders and organizations; we solicited and reviewed proposals and selected 15 projects out of nearly 100 submissions all while contending with a Republican majority determined to cut the funding and resources by up to 22%” Richardson added: “SLDC has stepped up, the mayor’s office has stepped up, CDA, Congresswoman Bush, the St. Louis Community Foundation has stepped up…we have

‘Side HuSTLer’ J’Montez Cameron (in gray) re-styles shoes into a style or theme that customers want. He is also a Thriving Student Ambassador who started his side hustle a year ago.

so many partners here today that have stepped up to make this possible.”

“This is only the beginning,” Richardson continued, adding that other individuals and agencies have dedicated their “time, talent and treasures to make St. Louis better.”

Richarson ended the day’s event with an open invitation:

“As a call to action on 314 Day, we want all our private investors, all of our philanthropic community to see this partnership as an opportunity for you to invest in the future of a more equitable city of St. Louis.”

Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.

Photo by Devored Horton / St. Louis American

Sports

InSIdE SportS

By Earl Austin Jr.

The sensational six!

St. Louis schools shine during Show-Me Showdowns

St. Louis basketball showed up and showed out at last weekend’s MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

In a complete flex of talent and domination, St. Louis area teams swept all six basketball state championships on both the boys’ and girls’ side.

For the boys, it was Vashon winning Class 4, DeSmet winning Class 5 and Cardinal Ritter winning Class 6. On the girls’ side, it was Lift for Life winning Class 4, John Burroughs winning Class 5 and Incarnate Word Academy winning Class 6.

past John Burroughs. In the semifinals, freshman guard Jimmy McKinney III led the Wolverines with 16 points coming off the bench. He is the son of former Vashon star and University of Missouri standout Jimmy McKinney.

DeSmet shoots the lights out

It was also an All-St. Louis championship game in three of those contests. Vashon defeated John Burroughs, John Burroughs defeated Lutheran St. Charles and Cardinal Ritter defeated Chaminade.

Vashon wins state title No. 15

The Vashon Wolverines won their fourth consecutive state championship and 15th state title overall as they defeated Kansas City Central in the semifinals and John Burroughs in the finals. It was also the eighth state championship for head coach Tony Irons, who passed his father Floyd Irons on the list of coaches with career state championships.

Senior forward Nassir Binion scored a season-high 25 points in the championship game to lead the Wolverines

The DeSmet Spartans put on a shooting display for the ages in winning the Class 5 state title. The Spartans defeated Jefferson City 75-56 to win their first state championship since 1999. DeSmet shot 64 percent from 3-point range in the game. In the first half, the Spartans shot a sizzling 90 percent from long distance as they made 10 of their 11 3-point attempts. Junior guard Dillon Duff got the Spartans rolling with five 3-pointers in the first quarter en route to scoring 17 points. Junior guard Riley Massey scored a team-high 21 points.

Cardinal Ritter takes Class 6 championship

Cardinal Ritter defeated Chaminade 52-42 in an All-St. Louis championship game to close out the Show Me Showdown weekend. It was the Lions fourth state championship in five seasons and in three different classes. The Lions won the Class 3 state title in 2020, then moved up to win Class 5 state titles in 2021 and 2023. Ritter was moved up to Class 6 this season,

but the result was the same with another state championship. Senior forward Nashawn Davis scored a team-high 18 points in the victory over Chaminade in the state finals.

Incarnate Word wins seventh consecutive state title

Incarnate Word Academy defeated Springfield Kickapoo 53-43 to win the Class

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

6 state championship. It was the seventh consecutive state title for the Red Knights, who also ran their state record winning streak to 131 games. The Red Knights were playing without their legendary

head coach Dan Rolfes, who was hospitalized after suffering a medical emergency after IWA’s victory over Rock Bridge in the state semifinals last Friday night. Junior guard Peyton Hill scored 17 points to lead the Red Knights in the championship game against Kickapoo. Junior guard Nevaeh Caffey scored a game-high 22 points in IWA’s victory over Rock Bridge in the semifinals.

John Burroughs wins second state championship

John Burroughs defeated Lutheran St. Charles 57-41 to win the Class 5 state championship in another All-St. Louis affair. It was the second state title in three years for the Bombers, who also won the Class 4 state championship in 2022. Senior guard Allie Turner closed out a stellar career with 24 points, four rebounds and four steals in the championship game.

Lift for Life wins second state title

Lift for Life Academy defeated Park Hills Central 75-57 to win the Class 4 state championship. It was the second state title for the Hawks, who also won in Class 3 in 2021. The Hawks broke open a close game in the third quarter, where they outscored the Rebels 30-13. Freshman guard Amaya Manuel scored a team-high 19 points. Sophomore guard Zha Harris had 18 points and nine steals while senior Paige Fowler had 13 points and 16 rebounds.

ESPN’s Skubie Mageza a hit at ESL High School

Skubie Mageza was behind the camera when his career in broadcasting began but he soon was on the other side. A few years later, not only is he a studio host, but he is also doing it for the “worldwide leader in sports” ESPN.

Mageza, who spent the day at East St. Louis High School on March 14, 2024 (314 Day) joined with Special Olympics Illinois and ESPN in presenting the home of the Flyers with a Unified Champions Schools National Banner Award. He shared with enthralled students, first in the school’s library and then a packed gymnasium, how he crafted his career, overcame obstacles, and focused on achievement “not just every day; every hour.”

“I was told I could not wear jewelry; that I could not have facial hair,” Mageza said of his first jobs on television after being a teleprompter operator. Neither could deter him or slow his progress following his first job at FOX25 in Boston. His first on-air role

was at WBKB in Alpena, Michigan as a sports anchor. He moved on to Davenport Iowa at KWQC, also as a sports anchor. He joined ESPN in the summer of 2021, and appears as a host on SportsCenter on Snapchat, The College Football Show, The Wrap Up, Sports Center Australia and other ESPN platform shows. “I always had faith in myself. There are obstacles to overcome, but I approached my jobs like I approached being an athlete. I practiced, I studied, I wanted to get better every day,” he said. When challenges came, he faced them and, importantly, quickly moved on. “You can’t have a bad day. You can have a bad moment. You can have a bad hour. But you can’t let that become a bad day.”

Mageza was born in Zimbabwe, and his family moved to Boston when he was 7 years old. He graduated from Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts, where he played football and studied communications with a focus in sports media. He is now an inter-

national force in sports media. It’s clear that has not changed him, his outlook on his career or life. When asked about his salary, he told a student,

schools nationally in receiving 2024 National Banner Awards. Schools must demonstrate their commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence to support the Unified Champions Schools mission.

“At our school, we believe in creating opportunities for all students to thrive and our unified athletes are absolutely thriving. They are champions and are part of the ongoing legacy of champions within our community,” said Dr. Brittany Green, principal.

Mageza said he experienced one of ESL’s championships in person while working in Davenport, which joins Rock Island, Moline and East Moline, Illinois as members of the Quad Cities. “Oh, I’m familiar with your football program. Ya’ll came up there and put a 70-28 whupping on Rock Island,” he said of the Flyer’s quarterfinal victory on the way to the 2019 6A state title.

The Reid Roundup

Among the candidates to replace former head coach Travis Ford at SLU are Chester Frazier, an

Illinois assistant coach who was starting guard for the Illini, and DeAndre Haynes, Marquette assistant coach, and former Maryland star and assistant coach…Former Missouri star Kim English, which now coaches the Providence Friars, shared his disdain of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Selection Committee, which left his team out. “I think the analytics are ‘BS,’ he said when asked about his team’s snub based on analytics…While it was just a decade ago, people forget that Aaron Donald was first a St. Louis Ram. Donald announced his retirement after 10 seasons in the NFL and will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer…I recently joined KFNS host Craig Riggins and former Missouri Tigers football star offensive lineman and current radio analyst Howard Richards for two hours of sports talk. St. Louis Cardinals announcer Mike Claiborne shared that outfielder Victor Scott has stood out during spring training and, because of teammate injuries, is the likely opening day centerfielder against the host Los Angeles Dodgers.

“If you’re getting into anything for the money, you’re getting into it for the wrong reason.”

East St. Louis was joined by just two other

Earl Austin Jr.

Alvin A. Reid

ESPN’s Skubie Mageza brought plenty of energy to East St. Louis High School on 314 Day.

Photo by Alvin A. Reid / St. Louis American

Vashon senior guard Nassir Binon leaps over the defense of John Burroughs’ Tristan Reed (40) during the Missouri boys Class 4 basketball championship at Mizzou Arena on Saturday, March 16.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

WE CARE Clinic has new mobile health unit

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing’s (SON) WE CARE Clinic in East St. Louis displayed its new mobile health unit during a recent health fair.

The clinic teamed with Kappa Alpha Psi, East St. Louis Alumni to present its first joint health fair on Saturday, March 9 at the Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Campus in East St. Louis. More than 30 vendors from the Greater St. Louis and Metro East areas took part in the event. On-site physician counseling was available at the health fair.

“The mission of the WE CARE Clinic is to advance health equity through access to care, patient-provider concordance and student readiness to practice,” said Jerrica Ampadu, PhD, RN, CCP, associate professor for the SON and Clinic director.

Russell McElveen, DO, cardiac surgeon with Southern Illinois Health in Belleville and member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., said “We know that lack of resources and ability to pay for medical care affects a lot of minority patients. We want to help. We want to increase awareness of healthcare services available in the area, including the SIUE WE CARE Clinic in East St. Louis.”

Many people are aware about the opioid epidemic, but not how they can help, according to Violette Book, community health specialist with Overdose Education and Nalaxone Distribution in Granite City and Belleville. Among Book’s supplies and literature were free kits of Narcan.

“Using Narcan can help reverse an opioid overdose,” said Book. “It’s nasal spray for the nose. What you’re trying to do is to help someone start breathing again and keep them alive until emergency help can get there. I made 50 kits, and I’ve gone through about 35 in the first hour. But I have supplies to make more. I’ll just keep making the kits until I run out.”

SSM Health and BJC HealthCare have formed a joint venture to build and operate a regional laundry which will help bring economic development and new jobs to under-resourced communities in the city of St. Louis.

SSM, BJC partner on economic development venture

The St. Louis Healthcare Support Services, LLC, will clean 35 million pounds of the health systems’ linens each year, using a 100,000-square-foot leased warehouse that BJC purchased in St. Louis’ Soulard neighborhood.

Both health systems are part of the St. Louis Anchor Action Network, an initiative that combines the resources of healthcare, education, and the public and private sectors to advance racial equity, remove barriers to economic opportunity and create a more inclusive regional community.

The Action Network,

whose members include large companies and organizations that drive change and sustained investment, is focused on 22 zip codes in the city of St. Louis and North St. Louis County that have been impacted by more than a century of systemic racial and spatial inequities. The new facility will be located among those zip codes, 63104.

“As health care systems, we understand

the connection between financial stability and general health and well-being,” says Tom Harvieux, BJC vice president and chief supply officer. “We deliberately chose a location that has faced historic under-investment, because we know new business will substantially boost the economy and, by extension, improve health equity in our region.” SSM Health and BJC

will equally fund equipment and construction, utilizing diverse suppliers and contractors, with an aim to open by mid-2025. The facility will create 80 new benefits-eligible jobs with shifts available seven days a week.

“This is a great example of organizations collectively focusing our resources to address the inequities that exist in our communities,” said Michael Gray, system

vice president and chief supply chain officer for SSM Health. “We expect the initial construction of this laundry facility and ongoing employee base will draw on businesses and workers from underserved neighborhoods, providing good paying jobs with benefits, which will support individuals and families in living their healthiest lives.”

From left: WE CARE Clinic REACH mobile unit members Nakiya Vincent, Tierra Smith APRN, MSN, FNP; and Myjal Garner DNP, APRN, FNRC; Jasmine Getalla and Riley Hughes are both SON students.

Courtesy photo

Living It

Operas from the people and for the people

New Works Collective 2024 cohort presented at Kirkwood Performing Arts Center

By Kenya Vaughn The St. Louis American

Three unique stories that might not have otherwise made it to an opera stage were showcased this past weekend thanks to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. The world premieres of the 20-minute operas from the 2024 cohort of their acclaimed –and pioneering – New Works Collective initiative took place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.

Torrential rains and a tornado warning couldn’t keep the crowd away from an evening that was a year in the making. Some were still damp as they rushed in because the weather impeded on their travel time.

New Works Collective members

Caroline Fan and Dr. Phillip Woodmore provided words of welcome. They were among the esteemed panel of community members who whittled more than 130 submissions from across the country down to three. Soon after the three pairs of artists were selected, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis worked closely with the artists to develop their stories into 20-minute operas. It was the culmination of a process that began in March of 2023.

“Opera Theatre has had a long history of being an incubator for talent, but tonight’s performances are something very special,” Woodmore said. “This evening you will experience a new way of creating opera, with a new group of decision makers at the table who represent the rich diversity of St. Louis.”

The subject matter was as diverse as the three pairs of librettists and composers, the artists who performed them – and the panel who selected them.

“We would like to acknowledge Opera Theatre’s leadership – in particular that of General Director Andrew Jorgensen – for putting the decision making power into the hands of the community,” Fan said. “It has really been a joy, a delight and an

SLSO in motion

SLSO, The Big Muddy Dance Company offered a masterclass in arts intersectionality

By Kenya Vaughn

The St. Louis American

If there is any doubt regarding the creative genius of The Big Muddy Dance Company Artistic Director Kirven Douthit-Boyd, this past weekend’s collaboration with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at Stifel Theatre should settle it. Only one-third of the Stifel’s stage was available to The Big Muddy, because they were sharing it with the orchestra. Douthit-Boyd choreographed the accompanying ballet with precision and intention. So much so that the slither of dancing room the thirteen-member troupe was allotted seemed to defy confines of physical space and make provisions for them to have full agency to use their bodies.

The weekend of shows marked the second collaboration between SLSO and The Big Muddy.

“In 2021 we opened our season with a

education.”

The performances, which were fabulously directed by Kimille Howard, began with composer Ronald Maurice and librettist J. Mae Barizo’s “Unbroken.”

The production starred Meroë Khalia Adeeb and John Godhard Mburu. Adeeb is Grace, a North St. Louis mother trying to secretly grapple with her mortality while attempting to teach her eldest son Ezra about preserving their family legacy. Mburu sings the role of Ezra.

Adeeb is one of those sopranos with the type of clarity, range and control that

will turn the head of someone who swears opera is not for them. She and Mburu were well-matched as the baritone nailed the necessary emotion of a son trying his best to let his mother know he is there for her to lean on. “You don’t need to pretend to be strong,” Ezra sings. “I’ve got eyes to see.”

“I’m sorry. I messed up? ‘

What can I do to help?”

- Courtney Vance, Angela Bassett’s husband of 25 years, shared words he thinks all husbands should know

Enchanted oppression not spellbinding in ‘Magical Negroes’

By Kenya Vaughn The St. Louis American

In a perfect world, this critique of Kobi Libii’s “The American Society of Magical Negroes” would consist solely of a tiny sentence brazenly stolen from a stranger. “Yeah, it’s a no for me.” That’s it. That’s the review. However, a word count minimum for the sake of website and print broadsheet layout copy requirements means that the story must go on for the film that opened in theaters on March 15.

The aforementioned quote was a distinctly audible act of revulsion from an otherwise quiet woman after she was subjected to the film’s trailer during previews for Ava DuVernay’s “Origin.”

Following her statement, she chuckled aloud upon the realization that she had publicly shared her private disdain with the whole theater full of guests. Her giggle created a ripple effect. She said out loud what everyone had all been thinking while suffering through the preview. Sadly, that moment of laughter – while attending a different movie altogether–was the only one that I can attribute to “The American Society of Magical Negros.”

Sentimental and inspirational, “Unbroken” manages to foster hope and n A life dedicated to placating in the name of white fragility is not magic –it is emotional oppression.

great project with them, which was my first collaboration with The Big Muddy and their director and choreographer Kirven Douthit-Boyd,” said SLSO Music Director Stéphane Denève. “I so loved it that I said, ‘let’s do some more, please.’”

The

In all fairness, the trailer does not do the film any favors. Even with its bountiful shortcomings, “The American Society of Magical Negroes” 104-minute film is a much easier watch than the two-minute clip that magnified the film’s flaws to epic proportions.

I secretly hoped that somehow the film would get the masses to finally recognize the brilliance of stage, film and television veteran David Alan Grier despite its problematic nature, like Viola Davis in “The Help.” Unfortunately, “The American Society of Magical Negroes” – which refuses to decide whether to be a satire or a romantic comedy – betrays his gifts by relegating his character Roger to a single dimension. In all fairness to Sibii, such is the case for most “magical Negro” tropes in feature film – a term popularized by Spike Lee nearly a quarter-century ago. Roger’s sole purpose was to train his protégé Aren to sacrifice his own best interest for the sake of being an emotional support human and a white comfort conduit – which is the “magic” they offer the world. Roger recruits Aren after noticing his natural ability to shrink and comply in a predominantly white space.

A life dedicated to placating in the name of white fragility is not magic – it is emotional oppression. And for millions of Black people, the tactic has a well-earned spot on the Mount Rushmore of racial terror. It was a practice forced upon multiple generations who knew that their life could depend on how they made white folks feel. It was a relief that Libii made this clear in the film. But he never does

Photo by Phillip Hamer

Woman 1 (Helen Zhibing Huang) and Lyric (Krysty Swann) in “On My Mind” by composer Jasmine Barnes and librettist Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton.

Kobi Libii’s debut feature film ‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’ opened in theaters nationwide on Friday, March 15.

Photo courtesy of The Big Muddy Dance Company

The Big Muddy Dance Company and Artistic Director Kirven DouthitBoyd shared the Stifel Theatre stage with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra on 314 Day Weekend and the 13-member troupe excelled and seemed to defy confines of physical space.

Power of Creative Pauses: Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 131 with St. Louis Symphony Orchestra 3/28/2024 7:30pm

In a special performance honoring CAM’s 20th anniversary, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 131. St. Louis Symphony Orchestra 718 N. Grand Blvd. St. Louis, MO

Hasan Minhaj: Off With His Head 3/22/2024 8:00pm

Comedian The Factory 17105 North Outer 40 Road St. Louis, MO $49.50 - $124.50

Her Eminent Reign presents She Believed 3/24/2024 4:30pm She Believed is a subsidiary and the 4th installment of Her Eminent Reign, a BIPOC women-led project that highlights the stories of BIPOC women from the past whose stories may have been forgotten.

Live performances by Be.Be the Neo Soul, Latoya Sharen featuring nationally known Hip Hop

HG Events - Ferguson, 119 S Florissant, on 3/24/2024 4:30pm

Hawthorne Players presents For Colored Girls...

3/22/2024 7:30pm

3/23/2024 7:30pm

3/24/2024 2:00pm

“for colored girls...” offers a transformative, riveting evening of provocative dance, music and poetry. Seven women, only identified by the color they are assigned, such as Lady in Red or Lady in Yellow, This groundbreaking “choreopoem” is a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives capturing the brutal, tender and dramatic lives of contemporary Black women.

$18.00 - $22.00 NIGHTLIFE FAIRS, FESTIVALS AND MARKETS

18th African Film Festival

3/22/2024 7:00pm

3/23/2024 3:00pm

3/23/2024 7:00pm

3/24/2024 7:00pm

This year’s showcase features short and narrative films including films from Cannes, Banel et Adama as well as Omen and Dent pour Dent. Brown Hall 100, Washington University

Marathon 3/23/2024 1:30pm Honor Women’s History Month at The Griot Museum with three amazing St. Louis women who changed the way we see blackness on the big screen A short conversation will follow the movie marathon.

Screening Times:

1:45pm: Zou Zou (1934) starring Josephine Baker 4:00pm: Episode 1 of Blacks, Blues, Black! (1968) prod. by Maya Angelou

6:00pm: Stormy Weather (1943) starring Lena Horne, ft. Katherine Dunham

ART ACTIVITIES, EXHIBITS AND MUSEUMS

Black Women in Leadership 3/21/2024 5:00 pm

A panel discussion with women who are blazing trails in our region and learn about their personal experiences growing into leadership, the challenges they’ve faced, and more. Missouri History Museum 5700 Lindell Blvd. Maplewood, MO 63143

Ferguson and Beyond 3/22/2024 5:30pm

“Ferguson and Beyond: Artistic Responses to a Decade of Social Upheaval 2014-2024” captures the power of individual and cultural histories brought forth by the killing of Michael Brown Jr. in Ferguson, MO, nearly 10 years ago and the ensuing response locally and from around the world in the decade following his death.

The exhibition is comprised of painting, sculpture, video, and poetry with a focus on responses from artists of color from the St. Louis region and beyond.

An artist reception for the public will be held from 5:30—8 p.m. on March 22, 2024, and runs through April 26 in the Hunt Gallery on Webster’s main campus, 8342 Big Bend Blvd, St. Louis, 63119.

Cecille R. Hunt Gallery

Her Eminent Reign presents She Believed, the 4th installment of a BIPOC women-led project that highlights the stories of BIPCO women may have been forgotten. There will also be live musical performances.

OTSL

Continued from C1

faith in the midst of tragedy as Ezra fulfills Grace’s wishes.

The New Works Collective continued with “Mechanisms” by composer J.E. Hernandez and librettist Marianna Mott Newirth. While not as heavy in that it doesn’t deal with illness and loss, the opera features a family coming to terms with a daughter’s challenges with neurodiversity.

“Mechanisms” is brutally honest. “Something’s wrong with Roe,” Maria Consumes sings as Roe’s mother Lori. Roe’s father, Dean, is the more nur-

turing parent. “Roe has a mind, magnificent,” Aaren Rivard sings. Roe is placed in a special classroom, but she is still unable to be fully understood. Once Lori unites with Dean as an advocate for Roe, they are able to embrace her unique vantage point for learning.

“The way she sees the world,” Lori sings. “What a beautiful world.”

The 2024 New Works Collective ended on a lighter note with “On My Mind” by librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton and composer Jasmine Arielle Barnes.

The stars aligned for two Black women with a mutual love for opera to meet at a music conference – where they both suffered through countless micro-

aggressions. In each other, Lyric and Melodee found a kindred spirit.

To hear these two sopranos sing classically while using the vernacular in which Black women speak was an absolute delight.

“I see you, blue dress,” Adeeb sings as Melodee. “Okay, red lip,” Krysty Swann sang as Lyric.

It was a refreshing story of a developing friendship that left everyone with a smile on their faces for their final memory of the New Works Collective 2024 performances.

“St. Louis is the first place that this is happening in the country,” Woodmore said. “We are excited to be leading the way – and glad that you are here to experience the

Religion

Sister Ebo to be remembered on anniversary of her 100th birthday

By Chris King and Alvin A. Reid St. Louis American

Two area churches will celebrate the centennial anniversary of the birthday of Sister Mary Antona Ebo during the month of April. Ebo passed away on Nov. 11, 2017 in St. Louis.

The St. Charles Lwanga Center will host a mass at noon Wednesday April 10, 2024, at the St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic Church (former St. Nicholas Catholic Church location), 701 N. 18th St. in St. Louis, 63103.

The Sister Mary Antona Ebo Centennial Committee will present “A Centennial Celebration of Sister Ebo’s Life and Legacy at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 13, 2024, at St. Alphonsus Liguori ‘Rock’ Catholic Church 1118 N. Grand Blvd. St. Louis, 63106. The event will also be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/@ st.alphonsusliguorirockcat9707.

After converting to Catholicism at the age of 17, Sister Ebo became a pillar of service to her church and civil rights movement.

She was a prominent activist worldwide for human rights since she marched with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama. She became a key speaker and enduring image in King’s 1965 march to Montgomery.

A native of Bloomington, Ill., she became one the first three African American members of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary in 1946. As the only Black nun in the crowd three days after Selma authorities attacked a peaceful protest march across the Edmund Pettis Bridge on “Bloody Sunday” March 7, 1965. Among those who sustained serious injuries was future Congressman John Lewis.

Ebo, then 92, and the late Congressman John

as Lewis leaned over to her as she sat in a wheelchair, “they clasped one another like the survivors they are and spoke in whispers.”

“I often think of you and the other sisters who came down to Selma,” Lewis said.

These historic figures spoke with the calm modesty of the great.

“For us sisters, it was just a regular part of the job,” Ebo said, “but I thank the Lord that I was one of them.”

Lewis said he has hanging on his office wall in Washington, D.C. a photograph of nuns who came to Selma from St. Louis.

“If it were not for the sisters, some of us would not be here,” Lewis said. They held hands. They touched one another’s scars. They thanked one another for their courage and service.

“Thank you for being here,” Lewis whispered. “Thank you for bearing witness in difficult times.”

Civil rights warriors for the past half-century, they spoke in contemporary terms.

Lewis, who was 76 – met again on the campus of Washington University after Lewis delivered the 2016 Commencement speech on Friday, May 20 and relived the historic day in Selma.

Chris King of The St. Louis American wrote that

“We have to see that there is equity in what we are doing,” Lewis said. They spoke of the future. Ebo asked Lewis what he would do when he left Congress. Lewis said he would continue to work for justice and peace, in

the United States and the world – and he did that until his death on July 17, 2020.

Two years later, Sis. Ebo became the first Black woman religious to head a hospital when she was named administrator of St. Clare Hospital in Baraboo, Wisconsin. She helped found and later served as president of the National Black Sisters’ Conference. Her trailblazing career in civil rights, hospital management and ministry has earned her a wide range of awards, honorary degrees and speaking opportunities.

One of her proudest moments was in 2010 when she received a kiss on the cheek from President Barack Obama. It was a thank you for her help in electing him the first black U.S. president in 2008, and for her decades of working for peace and justice.

Shortly after a then-Ferguson police officer shot and killed Michael Brown on Aug. 9, 2014, Sister Ebo had a friend drive her to the site of his death so she could again bear witness. In addition to her many honors, Ebo received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Notre Dame University in Indiana on May 19, 2013.

Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American

The late Congressman John Lewis and late Sister Mary Antona Ebo shared memories and endearing respect following Lewis’ Washington University Commencement speech on May 20, 2016. The centennial anniversary of Ebo’s birthday will be celebrated at two events during April.

CONTRACT ATTORNEY

Family Court of St. Louis County is seeking to enter into a professional service agreement with an attorney to provide assistance to Family Court judges who handle domestic cases filed by unrepresented individuals. These services are funded by special monies received from the Family Services and Justice Fund and are subject to continued availability of these monies. Primary responsibility will be to assist with management of the pro se docket including legal analysis, notifying litigants of requirements to revise legal documents and providing notices of court hearings and other correspondence. The professional service agreement is funded at $26.31/hour working up to 28 hours/week. A one year commitment to the position is highly preferred. Qualification: Licensed to practice law in the State of Missouri. Requirement: Maintenance of professional liability insurance.

NOTE: All selected individuals will be required to submit to a background check. To apply (position open until filled), please send a resume, along with a cover letter to the following address on or before April 5, 2024: Contract Attorney, Attn: Human Resources Department, Family Court of St. Louis County, 105 S. Central., Clayton, MO 63105. OR Email same to SLCCourtJobs@courts.mo.gov. EOE. Please contact the Human Resources Department at 615-4471 (voice) or RelayMO 711 or 800 735-2966 if you need any accommodations in the application process, or if you would like this posting in an alternative format.

CUSTODIAL/ DISHWASHER LEMAY, MO SENIOR COMMUNITY CENTER

9:00am – 3:00pm Mon-Fri

$14.30/hr. Full Benefits. 13pd Holidays & 17 days PTO. Dishwashing & Custodial duties. Must be able to lift 40 lbs. floor to waist and stand for up to 4 hours. Must have H.S. Diploma or equivalent, basic math and computer skills. Must pass pre-employment drug test & background check. For more information call Laura at 636-207-4231 or email LREICH@AGINGAHEAD.ORG EOE

FAMILY SUPPORT SPECIALIST II

Urban Strategies, Inc is seeking applicants for the Family Support Specialist II position. To view the full job description for the Associate Project Manager, visit https://workforcenow.adp.com/ mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/ recruitment.html?cid=a2c37eec -f84c-45d0-ac24-4ca57894e7dc&ccId=19000101_000001&jobId=535345&source=CC2&lang=en_US . After entering our website, click on Who We Are and select Join Our Team to find career opportunities. USI is an Equal Opportunity employer, and this position is funded in whole or in part with Choice Neighborhood Initiative grant funds from the US Department of HUD.

SLDC IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) is eagerly seeking candidates to join our team as we endeavor to bring economic justice to St. Louis City residents and communities that were disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

There are multiple 2-4-year limited term positions available, term of employment will vary for each position.

These positions will assist in the administration and implementation of various Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) Programs targeted for households, small businesses and communities adversely impacted by the pandemic.

All positions will be funded in whole or in part through an allocation of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) from the US Department of the Treasury and the City of St. Louis’ Community Development Administration.

To see the full job description of positions available and to apply online go to: http://www.stlouis-mo.gov/sldc/ and click on “Careers at SLDC.” SLDC is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity.

We Publish every Thursday in the Newspaper and Online

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St. LouiS american Bids & Public Notices St. LouiS

SHORT WAITING LIST

WOODLAND TOWERS APARTMENTS

306 PINE LAKE ROAD COLLINSVILLE, IL, 62234

Seniors 62 and older Apply now for an affordable 1-bedroom unit. Stop by the office or Call:

(618) 345-7240 for an application

Monday-Friday 8-5 Managed by Related Management Company

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

St. Louis Language Immersion School is accepting proposals for contracting out the Food Service Program with a Fixed Price contract for the 2024-2025 school year. A mandatory pre-proposal meeting will be held on Friday, March 15, 2024, at 9:00 am.

Proposals are due by April 15, 2024.

For questions and bid specifications, please contact St. Louis Language Immersion School at 1881 Pine Street, St. Louis, MO 63103, 314-533-0975.

St. Louis Language Immersion School reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Momentum Academy is looking to contract with a firm to provide Financial Auditing Services. All proposals due no later than April 5, 2024 @ 5pm.

Click here to view the RFP requirements. Contact Antionette Bedessie, antionette.bedessie@ momentumacademystl.org, for more information.

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 QUALIFICATIONS

Great Rivers Greenway is requesting qualifications for Radio Tower Design at Gateway Arch National Park. Go to www. greatriversgreenway. org/jobs-bids for more information and submit by April 12, 2024.

INVITATION TO BID:

PARIC Corporation (General Contractor) is seeking subcontractor bids for the Baden School Renovation located in North St. Louis Scope of work involves renovation of a three story building, and attached two story building into a new apartment building. Renovation includes, but is not limited to, selective demolition, site work, new concrete, masonry restoration, roofing, windows, painting, flooring, specialties, and appliances. Subcontractors may bid on all or part(s) of the project. Minority and Women Business Enterprises and Section 3 Businesses are strongly encouraged to bid.

All workers must be OSHA 10 certified. PARIC Corp. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Project plans and specifications are available for viewing online through an invitation to bid. All bids due to PARIC office by 5 pm, Thursday, April 4th, 2024. Project contact: Michael Skalski Mskalski@paric.com or phone at (636) 561-9740

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Site Security Upgrade, Site Wide Phase II at Missouri School for the Deaf, Project No. E1617-02, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, April 18, 2024 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. Project information available at: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

INVITATION TO BID

Midas Construction is inviting contractors to bid on the Kimpton/Staybridge hotel project located at 2601 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103. The project consists of 2 new hotels, a Kimpton and a Staybridge Suites built over a shared 1st floor and parking garage. Bid packages are broken up in various building scopes and sizes. Construction onsite of these new buildings will begin in the second quarter of 2024. To access the project in our virtual Planroom go to, https://tinyurl.com/a9rv8y35 Midas will be hosting an inperson meet and greet for any potential subcontractors or vendors. The plans will be available for review and the pre-construction team will be available to answer any questions. Meeting info:

March 21st, 2024 from 3-6pm

Midas Construction 1400 S. Highway Dr. Fenton, MO 63026

If you have any questions or issues accessing the project, please contact our Pre-Construction team at bids@midas.build or 314-282-8666.

PUBLIC NOTICE

TowerCo 2013, LLC proposes to construct a 140-foot monopole tower (with appurtenances) located at 1500 South Main Street, St. Charles MO 63301, Saint Charles County (N 38-4551.83, W 90-29-34.04). No lighting – Not Lit. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) filing number is A1214701. We invite your comments pertaining to the effect of the proposed tower on historic properties. Please submit comments within 30 days to Amy Perrine c/o MartinEnviro at 3830 Crown Point Road Suite F, Jacksonville, FL 32257, aperrine@martinenviro.com, or call (904) 737-1034.

PUBLIC NOTICE NAME CHANGE Jeff Lamont Taylor has changed his name to Jeff Shumpert III.

PUBLIC NOTICE NAME CHANGE

Keyshon Hosea Morgan has changed his name to Keyshon Jeff Shumpert.

DESTINATION

DISCOVERY ART RFP 2024

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified firms to submit proposals for Destination Discovery

Art RFP 2024. Bid documents are available as of 3/20/24 on the Saint Louis Zoo website:

stlzoo.org/vendor

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

LULU HEIGHTS REDEVELOPMENT SERVICES

The Wellston Community Empowerment Corporation (WCEC), on behalf of the City of Wellston, Mo., seeks a qualified development partner for the Lulu Heights subdivision. WCEC desires to team with a firm that will present a comprehensive development plan to provide the City of Wellston with sustainable economic opportunities through developing the adjacent land and other government programs

Information may be obtained from Janice Trigg, City Clerk/ Administrator, City of Wellston, 6203 Cote Brilliante Ave., 63133, 314-553-8001 (voice) jann.trigg@ gmail.com. The deadline to respond is 5:00 pm on May 10, 2024.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES HOUSING URBAN DEVELOPMENT - EMERGENCY SOLUTION GRANT FY2023 FUNDING BID ID 1918 FOR RFP #2024-14-TC

The St. Louis County Department of Human ServicesHomeless Services Program is seeking proposals from suitably qualified entities to provide projects and programs that address the need for Street Outreach, Emergency Shelter, Homelessness Prevention, Rapid Rehousing and Homeless Management Information System for St. Louis County individuals and families who are homeless or at-risk homelessness. The total Housing Urban Development funding available for the Emergency Solution Grant FY2023 is $495,731.00.

Proposals are due April 8th, 2024 by 2:00 p.m. Central Time. Request For Proposal details and specifications can be obtained at the St. Louis County Bids and RFPs webpage located at https://stlouiscountymovendors. munisselfservice.com/Vendors/ VBids/BidNotificationLandingPage. aspx?BidId=2671.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

This job bids on 4-2-2024 at 2:00 PM. The Contractor shall have as a goal, subcontracting 15% of MBE and WBE. The scope of work includes Interior renovation of three classrooms into a single open shop area to include new finishes, doors, acoustical ceilings, walls, lighting, and single use toilet room reconfiguration to be ADA compliant. Also includes new mechanical, electrical, plumbing & fire suppression. Mechanical contractor will need to contact ACES for a bid on the controls. Please send all proposals to bids@hankinsmidwest.com if you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office at 314-426-7030.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Loaves and Fishes for St. Louis requests RFP submissions from qualified contractors to renovate 3 existing bathrooms at our family shelter on McKelvey Road.

Responses must be received by 5pm, on March 29, 2024.

Full RFP at https://loavesandfishes-stl. org/contact/

SEALED BIDS

Bids for RE-BID CIPP Lining and Replacement of Storm Sewer Piping, Western Missouri Correctional Center, Project No. C2223-03 RE-BID, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, April 18, 2024 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. Project information available at: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Renovate Economic Development Offices Suite 770, Project No. O2403-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, April 18, 2024. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR GRAND DRIVE BRIDGE RECONSTRUCTION, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI,

PROJECT NO. BROR096(001). Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, March 27, 2024 through the Bid Express online portal at https:// www.bidexpress.com/ businesses/20618/home? agency=true. RFQ may be obtained from BPS website https://www.stlouis-mo. gov/government/ departments/publicservice/, under BPS RFQ and RFP Announcement, or email Board of Public Service at bryanth@stlouis-mo.gov. 10% DBE participation goal.

EXECUTIVE SEARCH FIRM RFQ 2024

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified firms to submit proposals for Executive Search Firm RFQ 2024. Bid documents are available as of 3/20/24 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor.

at 10am CST.

Bids are due by Tuesday, April 9th, 2024 at 3pm CST. You may hand deliver your proposal to LDC’s office or you can submit the proposal electrically via email (Bidding@LDConst.com) or by fax (573-449-7300).

Bid documents can be obtained by calling LDC’s office at 573-449-7200 or by visiting American Document Solution’s plan room (ADSPlanroom.net). If you purchase printed plans from this location, the cost is non-refundable.

Required bid form and other bidding information can be found under “Construction Manager Specifications”.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Biome School is accepting proposals for contracting out the Food Service Program with a Fixed-Price contract for the upcoming school year 2024-2025. Request for Proposals are due by May 10, 2024.

For questions and bid specifications, please contact The Biome School at 314-531-9961.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS RFP 2024

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified firms to submit proposals for Promotional Products RFP 2024. Bid documents are available as of 3/20/24 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Replace Standby Generator, Troop B Headquarters Macon, MO Project No. R2310-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 3/21/24. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Retrofit Anti-Ligature Devices at St. Louis Forensic Treatment Center South, Project No. M2207-01, will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, April 4, 2024 via MissouriBUYS. Bidders must be registered to bid. Project information available at: http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

The Biome School reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

SEALED BIDS

Bids for Replace HVAC System, Troop G, Willow Springs, MO Project No. R2313-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, April 4, 2024

For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

CITY OF ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

SOLICITATION FOR BIDS (SFB)

Service: Radio Sales, Monitoring, and Maintenance Services

Pre-Bid Meeting Date: March 21, 2024, 11:00 AM

Question Due Date: March 25, 2024

Bid Due Date: April 11, 2024

M/WBE Goals & Incentives:

MBE goals: 21% - African American 2% - Hispanic American .50% - Asian American .50% - Native American

WBE goal: 11%.

A five percent (5%) Bid discount shall be applied to

Point of

Bid

a.m.

This

Airport Properties Division Manager

SOLICITING BID

Reinhardt Construction LLC is Soliciting Bids from MBE/WBE/DBE/Veteran/SDVE for the following:CP241191 South Farm – Creed Barn Remodel

Contact: Mike Murray ; mikem@ reinhardtconstructionllc.com

Phone: 573-682-5505

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

Advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to

of

NOTICE TO MINORITY & DISADVANTAGED BUSINESSES

Poettker Construction Company is seeking bids from minority and disadvantaged businesses for the UMSL Welcome and Alumni Center in St. Louis, MO. A Diversity Participation goal of 25% MBE / 10% Combined WBE, DBE, Veteran Owned Business and 3% SDVE has been established for this contract. All interested and certified businesses should contact Mike Smith at 618-526-3318 or msmith@poettkerconstruction.com to discuss opportunities. All bids must be received by 2:00 PM on Tuesday, April 9th. Bid documents are available for download through the following link: https://securecc.smartinsight.co/#/ PublicBidProject/750335.

400 South Germantown Road Breese, IL 62230 Phone: 618-526-7213

Fax: 618-526-7654

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The job bids on 03/26/2034 at 11:00 AM The Contractor shall have as a goal, subcontracting with African American owned at 21%, Hispanic American owned at 2%, Asian American owned at .50%, Native American owned at .50%, and Woman owned at 11% of awarded contract price for work to be performed. Please send all proposals to bids@hankinsmidwest.com if you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office at 314-426-7030

SLSO

Continued from C1

their presentation of Adam Shoenberg’s “Picture Studies.”

“It is a piece inspired by artwork – four paintings, three photographs and one sculpture – and I think that it was the perfect colorful music to ignite the great imagination of Kirven,” said Denève, who also conducted the weekend of shows. “I am very excited that we have all the talent of The Big Muddy to collaborate with us on stage tonight.”

Shoenberg was also in attendance for the performance. The stunning interpretation received a four-minute standing ovation.

The first two movements of “Picture Studies” had whimsical, romantic beginnings that resembled the sound of springtime.

The second transitioned into a pace heavy on staccato that gave a hustle and bustle energy. The dancers responded in kind by keeping pace and augmented the experience with leaps and turns that required every inch of their designated stage space. By this point, it became clear that Douthit-Boyd kept the strengths of every troupe member in mind with his choreography. The Big Muddy company members reflect the diversity of dance – and he also gave each of them an opportunity to express elements from their respective backgrounds. Classical ballet, contemporary, modern – even hints of jazz and African were on display as they powered through Shoenberg’s 30-plus min-

ute piece. It was also obvious that SLSO and Denève’s take on “Picture Studies” had a permanent grasp on the audience. They were transfixed. The music shifted dramatically with each movement – from somber, to foreboding and suspenseful, to hopeful and optimistic – but listeners sat as still as the sculpture that inspired “Picture Studies.”

The strings of the third movement juxtaposed against the woodwinds was absolutely breathtaking. The way they filled the Stifel was like fresh air filling one’s lungs upon stepping outside for the first time on a beautiful morning. Meanwhile The Big Muddy dancers paired up and expressed the essence of romance with beautiful extensions and lifts that exuded grace and elegance.

Other highlights from the subsequent movements included the thunderous climactic music of movement four that The Big Muddy complimented with choreographed interpretive masculinity. The tenderness of movement five that devolves from an elegant and simple expression of wind and strings to a haunting monolith of sound. The movement then reemerged with a compelling call and response between strings and percussion that featured a jazz-infused clarinet solo. The horns of the final movement floated atop the strings while the xylophone filled the space between them.

Remixing

‘Romeo and Juliet’

SLSO went solo for the

second half of the show, which featured selections from Sergei Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

Denève condensed the two-and-a-half-hour work for the sake of time. He also – like so many other music directors who perform the work – took some creative liberties.

“I wish I could call him and ask him, ‘why did you put the suite in that order?’ Because, it kind of doesn’t make sense,” Denève said about Prokofiev, who died two decades before Denève was born.

Denève calls his take on the work, “The Romantic Suite.”

“I tried to follow the arc of the narrative of the Shakespeare play,” Denève told the nearly sold-out audience. “It is a very romantic story. It is a very tragic story.”

Performed in C Major, Denève’s take on the classic composition included a handful of moments of extended silence towards the end, to give audiences an opportunity to sit with what they had experienced musically within the suites. Listeners were so overwhelmed that they found it hard to resist the urge to applaud. For “Romeo at Juliet’s Grave,” they could no longer fight it – and were lovingly hushed by Denève.

When the work concluded with “Juliet’s Death,” they couldn’t seem to emerge from their seats fast enough to offer their second standing ovation of the night. Denève used each section of SLSO to successfully navigate the audience through every range of emotion expressed through Prokofiev’s famed composition.

“Even though they die

Film

Continued from C1

reveal the inciting incident that compelled his Magical Negroes to band together and voluntarily lay down their societal agency –which unenchanted Black people were historically forced to surrender – for the noble effort of preserving Black lives. All audiences know is that the American Society of Magical Negroes was formed hundreds of years ago on Monticello, the plantation of former president and slaveholder Thomas Jefferson. Audiences know even less about the film’s lead Aren. Roger, Aren and the other “magical Negroes” are completely unseasoned with respect to character development. This could have been a calculated satirical move. The skeletal arcs may have been a nod to the notion that during enslavement and subsequent oppressive systems of segregation – and even as the token Black

actor in a film – many white people’s concept of Black life only extended to how they could be of service to them. The only backstory served up for Aren is that he has a white mother and is a starving artist. He has no friends or family (other than his white mother). His personal circle consists of Roger, his “client” Jason. Aren has his work cut out for him with Jason, who fails to acknowledge his privilege in a system that is set up for him to win and is clueless as to how his implicit biases can impact those around him. There is also Lizzie – the woman Aren wants to woo but can’t pursue because it will conflict with his magical Negro duties. More of the film is devoted to the complicated romantic dynamic between Aren and Lizzie than fully fleshing out the satirical elements and social criticisms. After an hour-anda-half of side-eye worthy antics that serve up white comfort at all costs, the system in which the magical Negroes operate gets upended. But the payoff

comes too little too late –as does Jason’s tiny hint of acknowledgement of his bigotry and microaggressions.

With the exception of a compelling monologue that explains the driving force behind Roger’s work, Grier doesn’t truly get a chance to shine.

“The American Society of Magical Negroes” also fails the talents of actress Aisha Hinds in her role as Gabbard. But Justice Smith is captivating as the timid but overwhelmingly charming Aren. Despite the challenges that the flaws of the film present, Smith manages to simultaneously show himself as a natural romantic comedy lead and a lovable underdog. An-Li Bogan (Lizzie) and Smith have undeniable chemistry –and Drew Tarver is proficient as Jason.

The American Society of Magical Negroes is now open in theaters nationwide. The film is rated PG-13 with a running time of 104 minutes.

•

•

Photo Courtesy of Focus Features

Justice Smith stars as Aren and David Alan Grier stars as Roger in “The American Society of Magical Negroes.”

St. Louis American, Black businesses helped African Americans make historic gains

By Alvin A. Reid

St. Louis American

The St. Louis American was founded on March 17, 1928, just under 18 months before the stock market crash and The Great Depression which stretched from 1929 until the late 1930s.

The worldwide economic crisis crushed thousands of U.S. businesses, but it did not stop the progress of Black Americans or Black-owned business interests like the American

The Freedom’s Journal, recognized as the first Black owned newspaper, was published in1827, and others including Frederick Douglass’ North Star would soon be available.

By 1928, scores of Black newspapers were being published. This included several in the St. Louis area. A decade after the American was first published, the number of Black newspapers was nearing 250.

From 1881 to 1909 According to its archives, the National Colored Press Association (American Press Association) operated as a trade association from 1881 to 1909. The National Negro Business League-affiliated National Negro Press Association filled operated from 1909 to 1939, and the Encyclopedia of Chicago reports that the Chicago-based Associated Negro Press (1919–1964) was a subscription news agency “with correspondents and stringers in all major centers of Black population”.

In 1940, Chicago Defender Publisher John Sengstacke led Black newspaper publishers in forming the trade association known as the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

In 1940, Chicago Defender Publisher John Sengstacke led Black newspaper publishers in forming the trade association known as the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

The St. Louis American was founded 12 years earlier and was one of many Blackowned businesses that not only survived but also grew stronger as the nation reeled during The Great Depression.

Image courtesy of the Chicago Defender

and Chattanooga, Tennessee. The chain of publications would eventually grow to 50 after his death.

Black-owned newspapers were part of a surging national African American business community.

The number of Black-owned businesses doubled from 20,000 in 1900 to 40,000 in 1914. By 1920, there were tens of thousands of Black businesses. Most were small business, however Black owned insurance companies were becoming large. Historian Juliet Walker called 1900–1930 the “Golden age of Black business.”

The National Negro Bankers Association, the National Negro Press Association, the National Association of Negro Funeral Directors, the National Negro Bar Association, the National Association of Negro Insurance Men, the National Negro Retail Merchants’ Association, the National Association of Negro Real Estate Dealers, and the National Negro Finance Corporation were established during this period.

“By remaining somewhat neutral and taking a moderate Republican stance on topics in politics, the newspaper gains supporters even in Jim Crow Georgia and grows into one of the most successful Black-owned businesses in the country.” Scott was shot and killed outside of his home in 1934. No one was ever convicted of his murder. Scott also owned Black newspapers in Memphis

In August 1928, William Alexander Scott II founded the Atlanta World, In 1932, Scott renamed the publication the Atlanta Daily World, making it the first Black daily newspaper in the United States. The Atlanta Daily World reported on “issues within the Black community including police brutality, segregation in schools, and lynchings,” according to its history.

On Nov. 6 1928, Oscar De Priest became the first Black American to represent a northern, urban district when he was elected to Congress representing the South Side of Chicago. He became the first Black American elected to Congress in the 20th century and the first Black Congressperson from the North.

Something else happened in

See American, D2

As we reach our 96th year, The American honors its past, looks toward its future

Donald M. Suggs

St. Louis American publisher

Many daunting challenges remain but in many respects, the landscape of our region and indeed the country is quite different from what it was 96 years ago. The separate and unequal existence that is perpetuated by institutional racism is still a harsh reality for many citizens, especially Black Americans. Historically their plight fell mostly upon deaf ears among the complicit mainstream press. (More recently some mainstream newspapers have accepted responsibility for their past negative reporting and editorials. In December 2020, the Kansas City Star apologized for decades of their racist coverage of Black people).

For many years after the

American Civil War until the civil rights movement of the 1960s and beyond, white-owned newspapers across the South unabashedly encouraged white supremacy. It was in response to this hostile media environment that a group of frustrated businessmen and civic leaders pooled their resources to establish a media outlet that covered the dire circumstances faced by the Black St. Louis community. And though much has changed, several issues raised in the inaugural edition of The St. Louis American – which hit newsstands on March 17, 1928 – remain obstacles that prevent St. Louis from becoming its inclusive, prosperous top-tier city. As we celebrate our 96th uninterrupted year of publication, The American

continues to work towards being relevant in the continually changing media environment. We remain committed to honoring the intention of our founders.

The American was founded in 1928 by Judge Nathan B. Young and several prominent African American entrepreneurs and community leaders – including the legendary Homer G. Phillips. With humble, but idealistic beginnings, The American launched as an eight-page tabloid with a circulation of just over 2,000.

Donald M. Suggs

Later that year, Nathaniel Sweets joined The St. Louis American as an advertising manager. His devotion helped solidify the paper as a beloved St. Louis cultural treasure and a leading voice for the Black community. “The American should carry news tailored to the African American community and anybody who wants to know about it,” Sweets was quoted as saying. He served as publisher of The American for more than 45 years. Throughout the 1940s, ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, The American continued to gain respect and readership, due to its legendary editor Bennie G. Rodgers. It was his 50-plus year tenure with The American that led to his being dubbed as “Dean of Black journalism in St. Louis.”

the community thanks to a “for us, by us” editorial model.

As we extend into the middle of the third decade of the 21st Century, there is much to celebrate. Among them is The American’s evolution from an eight-page tabloid print product, to a multi-media brand that reaches a combined audience of close to half a million monthly readers in print and our digital and social media platforms. We want to thank our loyal print and digital readers, our rapidly growing online audience as well as our advertisers and donors – who have helped keep our print product and digital platforms completely free to the public.

past and present – for their hard work, professionalism, dedication and commitment to our mission of service to the community. We want to continue to provide exceptional journalism for our print readers, online audience, social media followers, advertisers and attendees at our recognition events. In the spirit of our founders, we will remain steadfast in using our platforms to help foster equity and inclusion– which is still a work in progress for the St. Louis area nearly a century after Judge Young, Homer G. Phillips and their colleagues, united to offer journalism that sheds light on the necessity for constructive change.

We would like to again express our gratitude to those who have supported The American from then until now – it would be impossible to continue this work without your support.

Over the decades, The American became a trusted source for the Black community with its reporting of issues ranging from breaking news and politics to religion, business, education, sports and entertainment. The American also earned a sense of ownership from

Much of the credit for our success has been due to our American team. Our staff is to bring responsible journalism to the community on a daily basis and committed to produce events that recognize and celebrate individual Black excellence – and they do so with collegiality and mutual respect. We take pride in the fact that several members of our organization have spent more than 20 years of their professional lives as part of The American family, Kevin M. Jones, our Chief Operating Officer served the American for more than three decades, a distinction shared by very few media outlets. We are deeply grateful to them and all of our team members –

The American looks forward to connecting and engaging with a new generation on our growing digital platforms enabled by innovative technology. This transformation will allow us to extend the legacy of the American brand and continue to carry out our mission for generations to come.

Donald M. Suggs has been the publisher of The St. Louis American since 1984.

A bundle of memories about The American

By Fred Sweets St. Louis American

Every day of my life a different memory of the St. Louis American surfaces. My favorite recollection today is riding along with the editor, Bennie G. Rodgers, to the Faithful Word Printing plant on S. Jefferson, where the American was printed.

Bennie G. Rodgers

The year was 1960. I would listen to the printing press start from a low rumble and rise to a deafening roar as the papers rolled off. Then we would drop a few bundles at Union Station where the St. Louis American taxicab drivers would hand out newspapers to arriving passengers.

The St. Louis American Taxi CAB Co. was

American

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that 1928 election that changed history - and

presumptive presiden-

race between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump

For the first time, Black voters voted in large numbers for Democrats, not Republicans.

Other newsworthy events of 1928 included:

-Claude McKay’s Home to Harlem wins the Harmon Gold Award for Literature.. The book was later challenged by WEB DuBois for casting Black people

in stereotypical roles and images.

-The first machine-sliced, machine-wrapped loaf of bread is sold in Chillicothe, Missouri.

African American births of note in 1928 included:

February 26 – Fats Domino, Pianist and singer-songwriter (d. 2017)

April 3 - Earl Lloyd, the NBA’s first Black player (d. 2015)

April 4 - Maya Angelou, poet and novelist (d. 2014)

April 16 – Dick “Night Train” Lane, among the first Black NFL players elected to its Hall of Fame (d. 2002)

September 22 - James Lawson, Civil rights activist, minister and professor

founded in 1949 to provide all St. Louisans alternate transportation. By the way, if you stand at the Milles Fountain (Meeting of the Waters) facing south, you will notice two arched entrances to Union Station. The elaborate taxi stand on the left was for whites only.

The one on the right was where you could find all the Black- owned taxis including the St. Louis American fleet awaiting their fares. Those days are gone, as are most taxicab companies, thanks to ride-sharing technology. Let’s hope print newspapers don’t meet the same digital fate.

October 17 - Lerone Bennett Jr., Scholar, author (d. 2018)

December 30 –Bo Diddley, African-American musician (d. 2008)

It should be noted that Lewis Howard Latimer died on December 11, 1928. He was an African-American inventor and patent draftsman, and his inventions included an evaporative air conditioner, an improved process for manufacturing carbon filaments for the light bulbs, and an improved toilet system for railroad cars.

In 1884, he joined the Edison Electric Light Company where he worked as a draftsman.

Sweets family kept the faith

Longtime publisher raised a family of journalists and a newspaper

St. Louis American staff

Melba A. Sweets was already a young woman of 19 when the first edition of The St. Louis American rolled off the presses back in March 1928.

In 1932, her husband Nathaniel A. Sweets would become publisher of the fledgling newspaper and she would become the newspaper columnist soon after. A former English teacher, she was suited for the job of helping to write and edit the newspaper.

“I was always good in English,” said Mrs. Sweets, who was born Feb. 26, 1909 and remained a feisty editor, always ready to offer her criticism of the paper, long after she retired.

“They used to call me chief critic because that’s what I was,” she said, laughing.

“She loved words so much. She respected them. She wanted everyone who worked for the paper to embrace her love of the language,” Ann Scales Style editor for the Boston Globe, said of Mrs. Sweets. “She cared about words and how they were used more than anybody I know.”

Scales, who worked under Mrs. Sweets at the American in the 1980s, is one of the many Black journalists – including her own children– schooled under the scrupulous editor who advanced far in the field.

Her son Fred Sweets said, “The folks she’s helped become better people and better journalists – besides me and my sister – included Donald M. Suggs, Gerald Boyd, Bob Joiner, Sheila Rule, Greg Freeman, Ken Cooper, Kevin Boone, Ann Scales and Jabari Asim.”

Her daughter Ellen Sweets said, “She worked with so many people who have gone on to other publications – the Post Dispatch, L.A. Times, US News & World Report, Business Week, The New York Times.” Ellen was a food writer for the Denver Post, Fred, who lives in Miami, Florida, worked for years as a photographer and editor at the Post-Dispatch and Washington Post. A third child, Nathaniel Allen “Buzzy” Sweets, Jr., also worked as a photojournalist for the American between service in the military and a career at the St. Louis County Court. Buzzy, who lives in North County, remembered a symbol of Mrs. Sweets that will live long in the memories of journalists who worked with her.

“The most famous thing was her red pen,” Buzzy said. “Every time somebody would make a mistake, she would go through the paper, mark up the mistakes with her red pen, and show it to everybody.”

Mrs. Sweets’ husband, the late Nathaniel A. Sweets, Sr. (who passed in 1988), bought the American in 1932 and later sold it to a group that included Suggs in 1981. She continued to write for the American – and mark it up with her red pen – for years after the sale of the paper.

“Hers was a tough love for the newspaper and the journalists who produced it,” Suggs said. “Her total dedication to quality writing and the nurturing of young writers are an enduring contribution to the American’s progress as a newspaper.”

Jabari Asim, who started in journalism as a columnist and editor with Take 5 magazine and later at the Washington Post, and now is associate professor of writing, literature and publishing at Emerson College and editor in chief of the Crisis magazine, remembered receiving her critical calls after each issue of the paper was published.

“Because everyone knew that she was calling to go over the mistakes she found in the issue, the phone would get handed to me, the new guy,” Asim said. “A friendship developed between us as soon as I realized, and quickly realized, that inevitably, she was right.”

Up from the Ville

Mrs. Sweets was born in St. Louis on February 26, 1909 and grew up at several addresses in The Ville, including a four-family flat in the 4200 block of Cote Brilliante near Cora Ave. She remembers a time when Blacks were not allowed to live west of Taylor Avenue. Her father Oscar Samuel Ficklin, studied chemistry by correspondence while working as a porter at Union Electric and eventually became that company’s first Black chemist. Her mother, Ocarsenia Ficklin, was a teacher until she married. The young Melba was an only child. “Her father was also a taskmaster,” Ellen said. “He impressed upon her at an early age the importance of education.”

Mrs. Sweets attended Simmons School, Sumner High School, Sumner Teachers College (her mother’s alma mater) and Howard University.

“In her time at Howard, she would sit on the lawn in Anacostia, the histor-

ic Black section of D.C., and talk with Sterling Brown and Langston Hughes,” Ellen said.

She and Hughes were to remain lifelong friends.

She was a graduate of Stowe Normal Teachers College (now Harris-Stowe State University). She briefly attended Howard University before running out of money and returning to St. Louis. She landed a job teaching English at Cottage Avenue School, located near the football field of today’s Sumner High School.

She taught in St. Louis public schools from 1930 until her marriage in 1937. Chuck Berry was one of her students.

“Married teachers had to give up their jobs to the single people who were waiting for work.” Mrs. Sweets told Doris A. Wesley in the 1999 book Lift Every Voice and Sing

“So because I happened to marry a newspaper man, that’s how I got into writing.”

Nathaniel Sweets was a graduate of Lincoln University in Jefferson City. He made plans to attend law school, but he never made it. Instead, he marked time as a waiter for the railroad until he entered the newspaper business.

“Nobody had money,” Sweets said. “My husband was not a writer. He was a good hearted businessman and a good salesman. He made a lot of friends. He had the gift of the gab. He knew the business side. He not only sold the paper, he sold ideas to people, influenced people and others to put money into the paper.”

(He also founded the St. Louis American Cab Company in 1949 to promote the newspaper.)

Together, the Sweets would help grow the newspaper from the inside out, beginning with not much more than their souls and a love for journalism.

“The American was always a center of activity for our family, leading up to Thursday’s publication day,” Fred Sweets said. “I remember lively discussions about what would be on the front page. I remember her laying out the paper with Bennie Rodgers. Hearing the press ‘roar.’”

The Sweets worked to keep the paper published during the hardship years of the Great Depression. Time and time again they rose to the occasion, learning as they went, working part-time and full-time with little to no pay with the help of people like Executive Editor Emeritus Bennie G. Rodgers, who joined the staff during World War II and stayed for more than 50 years.

“My husband knew I was a worrier. He never let me know how bad things were,” Sweets said.

“I think he put himself in the grave, trying to give his family the best, even when he didn’t have anything.”

We’re Tellin’

For about 55 years, from around 1930 to 1985, Sweets and a friend, Thelma Dickerson, wrote a column called, “We’re Telling.” Mostly they wrote chit chat about life in the Black community and people came to refer to them as “Mel and Thel.”

Langston Hughes once described it as the best such column he had ever read.

“Every once in a while we got into things deep but mostly it was social, homey stuff – who had babies, who got married, who went away,” she said.

“It was about young people. Also we wrote social news, obituaries. Maybe we were paid $10 a week.”

At times she tackled controversial topics, such as the 1947 appearance in St. Louis of the singer and activist Paul Robeson, who was then being Red-baided as a Communist. She considered her news story about Robeson’s death in 1976 as her most important piece of journalism.

She traveled to Castro-era Cuba and wrote a series about her journey. She proudly remembered a piece she did on Jim Crow laws in St. Louis, when she profiled an actress who opposed segregation yet who was appearing at the segregated American Theater. The front page cried, “Never again” as the actress vowed to never play the segregated theater again.

In 1977 and 1978, Melba Sweets served on juries for the Pulitzer Prize – becoming only the second African American at the time to have done so. Twenty one years later, her son Fred accepted a Pulitzer Prize on behalf of a photo team at the Associated Press. Nathaniel “N.A.” Sweets, who suffered from diabetes, died in 1988 at age 87. He was named Publisher Emeritus of the paper.

It took an unexpected injury to an ankle late in life to slow down Mrs. Sweets. When she turned 90, friends and family threw a bash for her at a local church and people traveled from out of town to help celebrate.

After her retirement, she continued to

scrutinize the newspaper – not only for mistakes but for familiar faces: Frankie Freeman, Dr.

Burke III and countless others.

Melba Sweets herself made for a striking photograph - eyeglasses, a head of white hair and the intense focus.

Her modest home was filled with photographs of family, friends and icons such as famed dancer and educator Katherine Dunham and former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

Late in life, she reminisced about a five-cent American printed in black and white, unlike the brightly colored pages that dominate today’s complimentary editions. Also, she recalled the paper didn’t have a lot of photos, unlike today’s edition. Nearly everyone working at the paper had other jobs because the paper couldn’t pay people full-time salaries –again, unlike today’s operation which supports a full-time staff.

Mrs. Sweet was a staunch member of Pilgrim Congregational Church. Prior to that she was at All Saints Episcopal.

“She was a very spiritual person,” Fred said. She also was a cancer survivor. She underwent a radical mastectomy years ago but declined chemotherapy. “She has seen it wipe out too many of her friends,” Fred said.

Even as her health declined in her later years, she remained an avid reader and critic of journalism.

Buzzy said, “As long as she could, a young man would bring her the paper every week – until she got to the point when she just couldn’t read it anymore.” Her fierce advocacy for proper English remained with her until the end. Ellen said that in her final days at Barnes-Jewish Extended Care, her mother regularly corrected the nurses when they spoke improperly.

“One day, she was refusing to eat,” Ellen said. “One nurse Sylvia said, ‘Mother Sweets if you don’t drink this for me, I’m gonna split an infinitive.’”

“Mrs. Sweets was an extraordinary woman who continued to inspire many with her words of wisdom and kindness,” said Dr. Consuelo Wilkins, who cared for her from 2003 until her death. “Even on days when she didn’t feel her best, she was always concerned about the well-being of others and managed to brighten any room with her warm smile.”

Melba A. Sweets died Nov. 4, 2006, at 97.

In addition to the Sweets’ three children, Melba Sweets was survived by eight grand-children Hannah Sweets of Aspen, Colorado), Nicole Marie Sweets (of St. Louis), Alecia Sweets Maclin (of Atlanta), Glyn Adrienne Sweets (of Chicago), Matthew Sweets (of Reston, VA), Tara Sweets (of St. Louis), Teresa Sweets (of St. Louis), Taryn Williams (of St. Louis).

Photo by Melba Sweets / St. Louis American American publisher N. A. Sweets with his daughter, Ellen Sweets, in 1943. Ellen Sweets would became the first Black female reporter at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and later the first Black food writer at the Dallas Morning News.

Documents of American’s establishment tell story of its historic creators

‘To secure and publish news and literary material’

By Alvin A. Reid St. Louis American

On Friday August 3, 1928, in Jefferson City, Missouri Secretary of State Charles U. Becker “set my and affix the Great Seal of the State of Missouri” to a set of documents that would be historic.

At 12:56 p.m. Wednesday August 8, 1928, the documents were filed and recorded by St. Louis Recorder William L. Tanne. The St. Louis American Publishing Company was officially recognized by the state and city of St. Louis.

Nathan B. Young Jr., an attorney and new St. Louisan, helped officially incorporate the business, which had started publication of the St. Louis American earlier that year on March 17, 1928. He would become the newspaper’s first editor.

Upon the official document were written the initials (and one first name) and last names of the business’ first board of directors.

Listed in order, with the number of shares, were:

R.W. Kent (275 Shares)

C.U. Turpin (100 shares)

D.R. Clarke (10 shares)

H.G. Phillips (100 shares)

Arthur Dowd (15 shares).

Richard Kent, was owner of the St. Louis Stars, a world champion Negro baseball team.

Charles Udell Turpin, Missou-

ri’s first Black elected official, was owner of the Booker T. Washington Theater at Market and 23rd St. Turpin’s theater was one of the first in the nation to be owned and operated by Black entrepreneurs. Some historians believe it was the site of Josephine Baker’s first performance.

Rev. Douchette R. Clarke, was rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, and the historic church is still serving its congregation today.

One of the most renowned St. Louis citizens, Homer G. Phillips, was a lawyer and civic activist. Phillips was best known for his work with city alderman in the early 1920’s to pass a bond issue to improve the city’s public works system and build a hospital to serve the Black community.

The hospital, which opened several years after Phillips’ untimely murder, bore his name. Phillips’ murder remains unsolved.

Arthur Dowd was a Sumner High School teacher Robert P. Watts and Ruth Miriam Har-

ris, former president of Stowe College, later Harris-Stowe State University, were also investors as was Dr. Thomas A. Curtis, a Black dentist and the first Black president of the St. Louis branch of the NAACP.

As stated on its incorporation documents, the St. Louis American Publishing Company was formed:

“To print, publish, and issue a newspaper, “The St. Louis American;” to secure and publish news and literary material suitable to said newspaper; generally, to carry on the business of printing, bookbinding and such other businesses as may be convenient and necessary; to purchase, build, lease, or otherwise acquire such building, offices, plants, and machinery as may be necessary or useful to carry out the objects and purposes of this company.”

Nathaniel Sweets came to the newspaper less than a year later. Sweets helped keep the American alive for more than 45 years as an owner/publisher.

Michael Butler, St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, displays the Articles of Association for the St. Louis American. Facsimiles of the historic papers were presented to award winners during the 2024 St. Louis Black History Celebration on Feb. 28, 2024, in the City Hall rotunda.

While the original incorporation papers sated “this corporation shall continue for the term of fifty year,” 96 years later, the American Publishing Company and the St. Louis American are still in operation, with the addition of the St. Louis American Charitable Foundation, to serve the community as it did when they were created in 1928.

Historic night at City Hall

The American’s Articles of Association were sitting undisturbed until earlier this year Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler’s office came across them in its archives. Butler was inspired to create facsimiles of the first page, frame them, and present them to recipients of Community Service awards during the St. Louis African American Heritage Celebration on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 in the City Hall rotunda.

“As part of our Black History Month celebration, I directed the Recorder’s Archive Department to present each honoree with an essential piece of St. Louis history,” Butler explained.

“We searched for a document representing each of our honorees’ respected fields - politics, entertainment, and media. And so, I was proud to have presented each awardee with a replica copy of the Articles of Association for the St. Louis American Publishing Company.

“This document represents the lineage and history of African Americans in St. Louis, from the beginning of the St. Louis American Publishing Company until today’s generation. Historical records such as this reaffirm our commitment to preserving our African American heritage, amplifying our voices, and building a brighter tomorrow for future generations.”

This year’s awardees were KSDK Anchor Rene Knott, the City of St. Louis License Collector Mavis Thompson and EncoreSTL founder Effrem Thomas Boudreau Grettenberger.

“First of all, the recognition at the celebration of Black Heritage is one of the most humbling moments of my life,” said Knott.

“But to also receive a piece of history from the St. Louis American brings more significance and meaning to the award. The newspaper is a valued resource and voice for Blacks living in our area. I now have something to commemorate not just the day but also our history as a race.”

Butler said, “The American is an institution in St. Louis.

“We thought there was not a better way to tie together the American’s history and our Black history celebration.”

Courtesy photo